“I want to check something out.” He placed his ear against the door, the metal cool against his cheek.
The groans and growls of many undead reached through the door. Colton’s breath caught. He straightened and sprinted back to Eddy. “Get that cart to the truck. Now!”
“Where are you going?”
“I have to find Chalice and Mychal. Tell the others to be loaded and ready. I think we’re going to have company. A lot of it.”
Eddy shoved the cart outside and disappeared from Colton’s view.
Colton rushed into the main part of the store, slowing when he spotted Chalice and Mychal coming down the aisle with two carts piled high with goods. “Come on! There’s something back there we do not want to see.” He took the cart from Chalice and pushed it at a run toward the vehicles.
A loud buzzer sounded from outside the building. Colton’s skin prickled.
“Oh, my god!” Chalice’s steps faltered. “Hurry! There’s hundreds of them.”
Bill had the door to the transport open and the ramp lowered. “Push them in and get to your truck.”
They’d no sooner rolled the carts inside then Bill closed the transport and started the engine. The other four raced to the safety of the Hummer, shoving aside frenzied dogs. Colton floored the gas pedal and peeled from the parking lot.
“Whoever is back there was keeping them locked up.” Chalice shook her head. “How do you lock up that many zombies? And now what? They’re running free.”
“The noise came from speakers in the parking lot.” Colton willed his arms to stop trembling. “I bet he has them inside, too. It’s ingenious. He lets them in or out by turning on several loud speakers to attract them.”
“We were almost killed.” She glared at him.
“I told you I heard something in that back room,” Mychal said. “I’m thinking he meant to release them earlier but something messed up.”
“You should have stopped him.” Eddy punched the back of the seat. “If you would have investigated, caught him, then he wouldn’t have released a bunch more undead onto the streets.”
“Shut up.” Mychal shoved him. “We were out to save ourselves, not go looking for someone behind a closed door. That’s just stupid.”
“It’s not stupid. It’s brilliant.” Colton grinned. “That’s the type of stuff we need to think of when we get to the ranch or farm, whatever Bill calls it. We need traps.”
“Like trenches and spikes,” Mychal added. “Trip wires, that kind of stuff.”
“Yeah, I’m not crazy about the whole zombies in a back room kind of thing.” Chalice shook her head. “But, I agree, we’ll need to take extra precautions to protect our things. I don’t want another repeat of last night with that booming truck. Plus, zombies are unpredictable. If we have them stashed some place, and one of the kids stumble upon them…”
“Agreed.” Colton leaned over and pulled a notepad from the glove compartment then tossed it over the seat. “You two get busy with ideas.” He winked at Chalice. “That ought to keep them busy and not fighting.”
“We’ve gotten old.” Her voice cracked. “This is making us old.”
Colton stared at her unlined, smooth face. Smudges of dirt marred her cheek. Her hair was tangled and sweaty. Worry radiated from her eyes. She was beautiful, but right. The aftermath of the meteor shower had stolen their youth. He looked in the rearview mirror at the teenagers only a couple of years younger than himself, who were busy devising traps of death. They should be skateboarding and playing video games. Getting a job and saving for their first car.
And what about the children in the transport? What kind of childhood did they have? Nothing. No freedom to run and play. They barely had time to step outside into sunlight. They stayed constantly moving. Their group grew then someone was killed with little warning, once again shrinking their numbers. No one should have to see the horrors they all faced on a daily basis.
But, he and Chalice wanted the same thing. A safe place to live. A place to settle down and let the little ones grow up. A place where he could ask Chalice to marry him.
10
Chalice took her turn at driving the Hummer, while Colton and the other two boys slept. She didn’t mind. The silence gave her time to think. She glanced in her rearview mirror at the other headlights. With the transport, the Hummer, Bill’s new truck, the Wilson’s van, and the school bus, they made quite the convoy. Anyone watching them pass might think twice about the show of force. The larger the group became, the more secure Chalice felt.
She glanced to the passenger seat where Colton slept. He now wore his hair pulled back in a ponytail. He shaved when he could, but stubble dotted his face. A very good-looking young man. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Stringy hair badly in need of a trim, no makeup, stained shirt. Never having been very big to begin with, she’d now lost enough weight to look gaunt. How could Colton be attracted to her? Or was it only because she was the only girl his age around?
Shaking her head, she focused back on the road. Dwelling on things she couldn’t change didn’t make sense. They lived in a new world. People were valued as to what they could do and what they could contribute to a group. In both those cases, Chalice was worth a lot.
Tail lights blinked from the transport in front of her. Chalice pressed the brake to slow down. Seconds later, the larger vehicle came to a complete stop.
“What is it?” Colton blinked awake.
Chalice shrugged. “I don’t know.”
The radio on the dashboard crackled, and Colton grabbed it. “Bill?”
“Road spikes.”
Chalice met Colton’s startled gaze. “The guys from the school?”
“Can you see anyone?” He spoke into the walkie-talkie.
“I think I see a truck in the woods, but I’m not sure. What do you want to do?”
Colton pounded the dash. His brow pulled together. “Turn around!”
Chalice followed Bill back the way they’d come. The rest of the vehicles followed. Once again a lonely line of cars on a dark highway.
“If we would have gotten out to remove the spikes, whoever watched could have picked us off like birds on a fence.” Colton rubbed his chin. “Speed up and get in front of Bill. We’re going to pull over first chance we get and see if we can’t come up with a plan or at least another route to the ranch.”
They drove at least five miles before Colton pointed for her to pull off on an access road toward a desert gas station. He clicked on the radio. “Bill, don’t get out until we’ve checked the area is clear. Then, we’ll gather around the Hummer and come up with a plan.”
Colton opened his door and slid out, then pounded on the window to wake Mychal and Eddy. “Come on. Gotta check this place out.”
Chalice eyed the sun rising over a faraway hill. She sniffed and found no odors of death. She doubted whether any gas was left in the pumps, but figured they shouldn’t pass up an opportunity to check. “Eddy, see if there’s any gas. Mychal, you cover him while Colton and I check out the building.”
Her steps faltered before she stepped inside the garage. Memories of their last trip to a gas station, the time Colton found his zombie pet, assaulted her. She could feel that man’s hands on her body. Thankfully, Colton had already taken a liking to her and saved her before anything horrible could happen. She shoved away the memory and strained her eyes to see through the dim lighting.
Someone had obviously been there before them. An overturned desk blocked the door. Filing cabinets leaned like stacked dominoes. Chalice pulled her sword and continued after Colton. It didn’t take long to search the small building. No zombies were locked behind closed doors. No dead bodies waited under tables.
“No gas,” Mychal said, joining them. “This place is wiped clean.”
Goosebumps prickled Chalice’s arms. “I don’t like it. It’s as if someone came in and cleaned it up.” She glanced at Colton. “Have we ever been to a single place and not seen at least one zombie or body?”
>
He shook his head. “Maybe these people were lucky. Either way, it’s a good place to spend an hour planning.” He marched from the building and gave a thumbs-up, signaling to the others that everything was okay to stay.
One-by-one the others emerged from the vehicles. Natalie and Kendra kept the smaller children close by the chicken truck, but the others gathered around Chalice and Colton.
“Why’d we turn around?” George asked. He held up his stump. “Hard to do with one hand on a skinny highway.”
“Tire strips laid as a trap,” Bill explained. “We need to find another way to my brother’s place. I’m telling ya’ll…once we get there…if it hasn’t been claimed by some other hot headed group, we’ll have found paradise. But…it’s a long road up a steep mountain then down into a deep valley and most of that road is gravel and dirt. Going to take some work with these here vehicles. I’m hoping that means no one else has gone there.”
“The land belongs to you.” Colton pulled a map from the glove compartment. “We’ll take it back if we have to.”
Chalice understood his reasoning, but the last thing they needed was to get involved in a land war. Or a war of any kind. She caught sight of the knives hanging from every child from Caleb’s age to Hanna’s. She’d given them to them for self-defense, not to make them tiny soldiers.
A zombie shuffled from the trees. Chalice marched forward and with one swing of her sword, took off its head. It continued to groan and gnash its teeth from a patch of ivy. One jab through the top of its head left the world with one less zombie and a spray of dark blood across the roadside weeds.
*
Colton met the amused gaze of Bill over the hood of the Hummer. At least Chalice had an outlet for her frustrations. Colton was too busy trying to hold everything together for the sake of the group. It might feel good to let off steam.
“Okay.” He spread out the map. “Here’s where we are. I can’t find another way in.”
Bill pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. “Sure hope I can keep finding these. There’s no other way in. We have to move the spikes.” He fished a lighter from another pocket and lit one of his smokes. “I guess we should wait until night, remove the strips, then have the rest of us ready to make a move. Real quick.”
Colton couldn’t spare anyone. Maybe, if Lacey drove the mini-van, her husband could help Colton remove the strips. He’d guess his last soda that there’d be bullets flying as the vehicles flew past. He and Adam could be left to walk a long time to catch up.
“I don’t like this.” Chalice twisted her hair into a knot and stuck a stick between the strands to hold it in place. “It’ll be like running a gauntlet.”
“What’s that?” Mychal asked.
“A thing where two lines of the enemies shoot at you as you run between them.” She crossed her arms. “Whoever is driving will be put at risk.”
“Any other ideas?” Because if she had a better one, Colton wanted to know.
“No.” Her shoulders sagged. “The trucks will be the target. The transport the worst with the kids inside. We need to block the holes.”
Colton glanced at the gas station. “We’ll have to scavenge this place. There’s no other option. We’ll take down the metal siding and cover the transport. If we hurry, we can be done by dark.”
“We can also make sure the kiddos stay in the center of the trailer,” Bill suggested. “And pile all the supplies around them. They might end up with some bruises, but it’ll be better than bullets.”
“I’ll see what I can do with the kids and supplies, while you men tear down that building.” Chalice marched toward the transport where her mother and the other women waited.
There wasn’t much that would stop bullets, but hopefully, they could erect something that would at least slow them down. Make everyone less of a target. If the unknown enemy had automatic weapons, there wasn’t anything Colton and the others could do to protect themselves.
Their quest for a safe place could be the very thing that got them killed.
By night fall, every window, except for spots to see out of, was covered on every vehicle. Bags of beans, flour, and sugar covered the sides of the area the children would huddle in. Everyone not driving a vehicle had a gun aimed out a cut notch in their protective siding.
Colton took a deep breath and waved to Adam to follow him. They’d done everything they could. Now, it was up to the two of them to clear the road, and pray nobody died.
Ducking low, the two slunk into trees and worked their way around the bend in the road to where the spike strips were laid. Colton almost wished he’d see someone guarding them so he could bash the person in the head. Roadblocks, zombies, mercenaries, it was all starting to piss him off. Was it too much to ask to be left alone to make his own way in the world along with his friends?
A twig snapped behind him. Colton whirled and scowled at Adam, putting a finger to his lips. Moron. He should’ve brought Mychal with him and left Adam to pretend to help protect the others.
“Sorry.” Adam whispered.
Colton was going to punch him. He jabbed his finger upright again, then pointed at Adam and made the motion of slicing across his neck. Once Adam nodded that he understood, the two moved forward again.
Fifteen minutes of skulking brought them to the strips. Colton pulled Adam down behind a fallen log and surveyed the surrounding area. Somebody had to be watching. They wouldn’t simply lay the strips and walk away. No, they’d want to watch the results of their handiwork.
“Stay here,” Colton hissed to Adam. “Whistle if you see somebody.”
“Right.” Adam peered over the log. The hand holding a pistol shook like a leaf in a wind storm.
Colton shook his head and continued his crouch walk closer to the road. He stopped when he almost stepped on a man lying in the ditch. Before the man could cry out, Colton pierced his chest with his sword. Pocketing the man’s Glock, he continued to the road.
Not seeing anyone, he reached forward and started dragging the mesh of nails toward him. A bullet kicked up the dirt beside him. Colton dropped the strip and ducked. Slowly pulling his rifle from its sling, he studied the area across from him. When the bushes twitched in the opposite direction the wind was blowing, he aimed and pulled the trigger.
A man jerked into sight then disappeared. Heart racing, Colton reached again for the spikes. When no shot came, he yanked it into the bushes. Should he go for the other man’s gun? He glanced over his shoulder to where Adam hid. No, greed could get them killed. With the road clear, they needed to move before reinforcements came.
He patted Adam on the shoulder as he moved past and the two jogged back to the group. “It’s clear,” Colton told them. “I’m not sure for how long, so let’s get going.”
“We heard a shot,” Bill said.
“That was me taking out the enemy. There were only two that I could see.” Colton laid his rifle across the dash of the Hummer, then slid behind the wheel. “Let’s go!” He called out the window.
Like horses shot from a gate, the others dashed to their trucks.
Colton whipped the Hummer to the front of the convoy. If they were going to attract gunfire, he didn’t want the children to be the first targets. “Keep your guns out the holes and your eyes open,” he told the boys in the back. “But don’t shoot unless you have a target.” He stared out the small square he’d allowed for himself to drive by.
Nothing moved in the woods or along the road. Maybe they had only left the two men or maybe the two men were the ones who’d laid the strips. Either way, Colton thanked God for a safe passage through the lonely stretch of highway.
11
The transport ahead of them strained to make it up the mountain. Chalice mentally urged it forward, suppressing the urge to get out and push. She doubted whether the school bus behind them fared much better. Thank goodness they made it here before the first snowfall. She hated to think how they would have fared during a winter on the open road. Now, to kee
p going up the mountain and into the valley.
Bill said the area surrounding the ranch was full of wildlife; the ground fertile for planting. Chalice felt like a pioneer headed across America to settle a new land. She reached over and grabbed Colton’s hand. She squeezed and grinned. “We’re going to be okay.”
He smiled back. “I think so, too. Bill said he knew his brother was gone, but there might be others still there. A couple of hired hands, maybe.”
“Let’s just hope it isn’t full of zombies.” Mychal leaned across the seat. “I’d like to get everyone settled into a house or something before it starts to snow. I hate the cold.”
Chalice laughed. “You’ll be cold plenty of times. There will be a lot of work to do on a ranch. You’ll be outside more than you’ll be inside. Don’t forget, you and Eddy came up with a lot of booby traps that need to be set.”
“Great.” He plopped back in his seat. “But I doubt a zombie will find us way out here. We’re going to sit around bored once the work is done.”
“I doubt that you’ll have a lot of time to be bored.” Colton glanced over his shoulder. “You can learn to hunt and keep us supplied with meat.”
Soon, they reached the top of the mountain, and had to worry about brakes failing as they shifted to a lower gear. The road wound around like a ribbon, disappearing around curves and through trees. Mychal was right. Chances of someone stumbling across them would be slim.
Chalice rolled down her window and breathed deeply of the crisp mountain air. Thanksgiving was in a few days, and maybe, just maybe, they’d actually have fresh meat to cook. There had to be turkeys in the Ozark mountains. Hadn’t she heard someone say there were?
“There it is!” Bill’s voice crackled over the handheld radio. The truck stopped and he hopped to the ground, facing Chalice and the others with a grin. “Cows wandering around, a couple of horses. We’ve reached paradise.”
Mychal had an arrow in his bow and shot through the head of a zombie before Chalice could blink. Bill froze, then turned to stare at the man in a stained flannel shirt who’d been approaching him from behind. “That’s Roger, my brother’s main hand.”
The Zombie Awakening (Complete 6 Volume Series, plus prologue) Page 21