“Sheep Mountain and those to the west make up part of the Snowy Range Mountains. This valley is ringed on three sides by mountains and to the north by gently rolling foothills of the Snowy Range.”
“How did you come to find this place?” he asked, and I told him my story. When I was done, he said, “My, you’ve lived a turbulent life haven’t you?”
“I suppose I have. Now everyday is turbulent. The risks of just living now days are stressful on everyone.”
“Yes, you’re right. I hope our plan is still working. With the information you and Dave gave me I feel I need to attempt to get back down to Wellington and see if I can contact the Washington team. I believe they will need to launch the missiles in three weeks based on the information you’ve given me. The vast majority of Zs will be within the killing radius by then I should think.”
“Well we will give you all the support we can. We can supply fuel, weapons and ammunition, food, and survival supplies if you need them. Just about anything, you might need. Does your vehicle need any maintenance?”
“No, the truck is running fine. Our maintenance team kept the few vehicles we had in top running condition. Food and fuel would be the necessities I would need for a return trip, and weapons if you can spare them.”
“We can take care of that for you. When do you think you’ll want to head back?”
“I would like to stay for a few days and rest if I might impose upon your hospitality for a while longer. And, if you’re up to it I’d like to see where you and Ruth live if possible. I’m fascinated by the progress all of you have made during these stressful and trying times.”
“I love showing off my handiwork and would love to show you the place I built. Maybe in a day or two we can take the long way around on the smooth road and show you around. I wouldn’t make it going over the shortcut,” I told him pointing to the dirt trail to the northwest.
“That would be splendid. You need your rest and healing so let me help you back inside, young man. I’m beginning to get a chill.”
“I getting a little chilled myself, doc. Let’s go get some coffee.”
“Yes, let’s do that,” and with a smile, he got up and opened the door for me. We went to the kitchen and Ruth still had a partial pot of coffee going so I poured two mugs full. She, Dave, and Julia were out in the back sectioning off the area they had chosen for the garden and I could see they were just about finished. I started a fresh pot for them.
The doc and I sat at the table and sipped our coffee. He began our conversation by asking why Julia and Dave didn’t have any wind turbines.
“The wind doesn’t blow very often down here in the bottom of the valley. I don’t know if you noticed, but over on the opposite ridge line, you can just barely see the towers and wind mills I have.”
“Yes, I did see them; two on the north side of where you pointed out was your home.”
“That’s them. I don’t use them very often, mostly just to ensure they still function properly. I primarily use the water turbines to run my home generators. When the creek freezes, that is when I use the wind, solar and battery power, and that sparingly. We do have fuel generators that run on diesel fuel but use them very sparingly and only in emergent situations. They are loud and attract Zs.”
“Yes, I could see where that would be a hazard. Maybe not so much in the future we’re hoping.”
“So, Ruth and I have four ways to power our home, the fourth being solar energy. I have several solar panels that generate power for us. We use the water and solar energy systems for the most, with the other two systems being back up. So far we’ve been with power continuously since the main grid went down.”
“Your ingenuity is a testament to your abilities and survival; my compliments to your forethought.”
“Thanks, Doc. I put everything in before the plague hit as living out here away from everything, I decided I needed to be prepared for the harshness of winter and the power outages that frequently occur in winter. I never dreamed I’d put those systems in place for what actually occurred. I’m happy I built my home the way I did. It has certainly paid off.”
We could hear banging on the back stairs to the kitchen, which meant the trio of gardeners was stomping mud and muck off their boots before coming inside. I rose to pour coffee into mugs for them and the doc got up to help. He reached up into the cabinet for the cups and I was thankful for that.
When they came in and saw that we had made another pot of coffee and held steaming mugs for them, they were very appreciative. The five of us sat around the table, sipped coffee, and talked about the garden. I told them the doc’s plan about going back to Wellington, Colorado, to contact the Washington people and said that I told him we’d supply him with fuel, weapons, and food for his trip.
Dave said, “How long do you think the trip back will take, doc?”
“If I leave early in the morning, I should arrive there in the early evening, barring difficulties along the way of course. I only ran into a few Zs heading this direction and avoided them easily. Come to think of it now, they too, were all heading north so you might be on the lookout for stragglers. And if you go out, please be aware that many of them will still be in buildings and enclosed spaces.”
“Got that, doc, that’s how I got this,” I said pointing to my chest.
“Yes, but please be careful nonetheless.”
Julia got up and said, “What does everyone want for lunch?”
Three days later Dave and I were taking the doc over to my place for a look-see. It was early morning when we left Dave’s home, and drove around to Highway 11 and turned north. Going the long way around on smooth road was good for me as the little bumps and bounces didn’t hurt as bad anymore since I was healing nicely.
We pulled into my drive after about an hour of slow driving time and I activated the automatic gate control. We drove up the hill and all looked normal. Still, we stopped in the front and just sat there for a moment watching and listening. Dave finally got out with his M4 ready just in case. Doc helped me up the front steps and I unlocked the door and invited him in, giving him the nickel tour. He was impressed to say the least and once again complimented me on my ingenuity. He loved the root cellar and the armory.
We did not show him the Underground. Dave and I both still had uncomfortable feelings about the guy – he was…too right; too nice; too many smiles. We showed him the barn and the shop, then walked him around the back of the house so he could see the garden. He saw the path leading into the small aspen grove where Erskine’s grave was and asked about that.
Dave and I looked at each other and I nodded to Dave to tell the story. Once he was finished the doc said, “In this day and age losing a fellow human is tragic for our very existence but losing one so young is devastating. I am truly sorry for your loss my friends. I have had the displeasure of losing nine of my friends and colleagues over the past week. A few have children back at the complex and I’ll sadly have to be the one who gives them the distressing news their parents won’t return.”
The three of us stood there with our heads down looking at the snow-covered ground. That was going to be a tough situation for the doc and Dave, and I could empathize with him.
Dave said, “Come on guys let’s get in out of the cold for a bit. How about we make some coffee or tea?”
“I’m for that,” I said and turned for the house. Once inside I started the water for tea, and we sat at the table.
“I like the way you put the fencing around the complex,” the doc said. “The Zs didn’t break through on their trek north?”
“No, we were very quiet and stayed inside the whole time,” I told him.
“How long was it before you could go back out?” he asked.
“A little more than two weeks for the majority of the horde to go by,” Dave explained. “We’ve had a few stragglers but we’ve either ignored them or dropped them when necessary. I think in the future, however, we need to kill all that we see to lessen the threat to
others. Now that we’ve met you and know there are others like us still out there, we need to take action to rid the world of the threat.”
“I agree,” I said, and the doc was nodding his head. “We travel with what we call a full load, or battle rattled, every time we go out, meaning we take knives, handguns, rifles and shotguns, all loaded to the hilt and ready for action. We should use that firepower to drop all these things we see.”
“Doc,” Dave asked, “what do you think these things will do…the ones inside building and stuff that can’t get out? You think they’ll just rot away or what?”
“My colleagues and I hypothesized about this subject on several occasions,” the doc replied. “We do see a rotting of tissue as more time goes by, but they still appear to have the power of movement no matter how much skin and tissue they’ve lost. It appears their skin becomes leather-like. Their tendons and ligaments become as tough and as pliable as nylon rope and that gives them the ability to animate. It is very perplexing and so much, so I don’t really have an answer for you - sorry. Only time will tell I suppose, and it is indeed fortunate they are slow beings.”
“Well, I for one am not going hunting for them, but will always be prepared when entering a building or something,” I commented.
“Sound plans my young friend,” the doc said. “I should think human-kind will need to be that ready for the duration. We already know people that die of natural causes become a Z within as little as a few hours of death. So, I’m afraid humankind will need to be prepared for the remainder of our existence.”
“So, our current lifestyle will become the normal forever,” Dave stated hanging his head.
Doc and I felt we didn’t need to comment on that statement. Dave got up and headed towards the front of the house. I slowly got up and followed holding my chest. Dave looked troubled and I wanted him to be near a friend.
He went right out the front door and stood on the top step of the porch. I quietly closed the door, and stood back, letting him be for a moment. He finally took a deep breath and said, “I had never really thought about our future before today. Bleak looking, isn’t it?”
“Maybe, but the way I look at it, it’ll be just like getting used to anything else dangerous, you know,” I answered.
“What do you mean by that?” he returned looking at me.
“Kind of like when I went to Alaska…I suddenly had to be very aware of the bear threat while fishing,” I explained. “The threat was always there, and I always had to be aware and prepared for it even though it never happened. Which, I might add, I was incredibly happy about.”
“We’ll just have to be on our toes for the rest of our lives,” he said with finality.
“Yeah, I suppose so, brother. For us, here in the valley it doesn’t seem like it’ll be too bad. We’ll always have a gun or two with us just in case, but just in case like I did in Alaska. And, like the doc said, they’re slow so we should be able to get the drop on them.”
“Yeah, like we did with the one that got on top of me!”
The door opened right then, and the Doc stepped out saying, “You two okay out here?”
“Yeah Doc, just needed some air is all,” I answered.
“The air up here is very nice,” he commented edging up to Dave. “The air in Denver has finally cleared completely, that ‘brown cloud’ is no longer there. And I love the view you have from your porch, Doug.”
“Thanks, Doc. I kind of like it myself. Good news about the air in Denver; I’d drive the I-25 corridor several times and Denver was always covered.” I said.
Dave said, “Let’s lock up your place and head back.”
We locked up, got into the truck, and headed out. We were just about to Centennial when the Doc pointed out a pair of Zs ambling to the north along the creek bank to our east. Dave stopped the truck and pulled his .308 out, chambered a round, put in his earplugs and leaned over the hood of his truck and took aim. The doc and I put our fingers in our ears and waited. Dave’s first shot splattered the furthest Zs head like a ripe melon. The second turned towards the sound of the rifle and began to shuffle towards us but hesitated at the water’s edge.
Doc yelled, “Dave, please hold your fire for a moment!” He then jumped out of the truck and standing next to Dave, watched with fascination as the Z attempt to find a crossing over the creek.
I got out and stood with them and we watch the thing together. I finally asked, “What’s wrong, Doc?”
“It is not entering the water... It appears to have some apprehension about getting into the water… I’m not sure if its fear or if the movement of the water is confusing the creature.”
“We ran into that months ago and had a real fire fight with about a couple hundred or so Zs over on Highway 11,” I said. “They were all walking along the creek and avoiding crossing it. We didn’t really think anything of it at the time.”
“This is interesting. Do you mind if we watch this creature for a while?”
Dave said, “Not at all, Doc. Take your time. I’m getting back in the truck where the warmth is, though.”
“Excellent idea, Dave,” the Doc said.
We all got back into the truck and I handed Dave his M4 with a full magazine. We watched the Z and every time it turned to head to the north, Dave would honk the horn and it would turn to the sound but would stop at the water’s edge and appeared to be confused.
We’d been watching for about ten minutes when the Doc said, “I need to perform an experiment,” and opened his door and got out. He looked back and said, “If you don’t mind, Dave, please get out and kindly cover me with your weapon. I’m going down to this side of the creek and see what the creature does when it sees me.”
“Doc, you’re crazy,” Dave said as he opened his door.
“I may very well be, young man, but I have to see what it’ll do when it sees fresh meat nearby.”
“I’m staying in the truck,” I said.
The two of them headed down the roadside and slowly made their way to the western side of the creek. The Doc then yelled at the creature. It turned and began to emit the gurgling, hissing sound they always make when going after anything warm-blooded and it began to head their way. But again, as it got to the water’s edge it stopped. It didn’t have the confused look as it had before, but rather kept its eyes on the Doc and Dave. Its mouth opened and closed in anticipation of a possible meal and I could hear the teeth clank together as it did so. Gross. The Doc turned to his left and began following the creek to the north with Dave in tow. The Z turned and lumbered along on in the same direction on the east side. Doc stopped and the creature did as well. Then the Doc turned and headed south. The Z turned and followed along.
I saw the Doc put his hands to his ears and he said something to Dave, who then brought his M4 up to fire. I just got my fingers into my ears when Dave fired, and the Z dropped. The two of them came back to the truck and got in. Dave kept his M4 lying across his lap.
The Doc immediately got out a small notebook and a pen and began writing furiously. Dave and I looked at each other and I shrugged my shoulders. Dave turned and started the truck and we headed to his home. We didn’t see any more Zs along the way and the Doc never stopped writing until we pulled up in front of Julia and Dave’s house. The Doc kept writing even though Dave had shut down the engine and opened his door to get out.
I tapped the Doc on the shoulder and said, “Hey, Doc, we’re here,” and opened my door to get out.
His head shot up and he looked around and said, “Oh my, I didn’t even realize we moved.” He got out and headed inside without another word. I followed him in, and he had gone over to a desk Julia had left in the front room and sat down and began writing once again.
Dave came in, saw the Doc sitting at the desk writing, turned, saw me, shrugged his shoulders, and said, “Coffee?”
I nodded and followed him into the kitchen. Julia and Ruth already had a pot going and we got a cup and sat with them. Julia asked where the Doc
was, and Dave told her the story about the Zs and the Doc’s behavior since then.
Julia smiled and said, “I wonder what he’s thinking about that behavior?”
Ruth said, “We’ll have to ask him when he comes back down to earth.” The four of us chuckled at that and sipped our coffee.
“What’s for supper?” Dave asked.
“Thought we’d roast some elk steaks and have them along with some rice and gravy, corn and for desert, some cookies.”
“I’m in,” Dave said.
“You want Dave and me to cook the elk out on the grill?” I asked Julia.
“That would be great,” Ruth said nodding her head affirmatively.
I shook my head, looked at Dave and said, “I guess we’re cooking, bro.”
“Yep,” he answered and took another sip of his coffee. “What time you want us to start the grill?”
“Four o’clock sound alright and we’ll eat around five?” Julia asked the three of us.
“That’ll do,” I said.
“I’ll get some steaks out of the freezer and let them thaw,” Ruth said.
Dave got up and said, “I’m taking a nap,” and left the room.
Ruth looked at me and said, “You should do the same thing. You need the rest and so does your rib. Now march – and take one of those pain pills first.”
“Aye-aye, Captain,” I said with a smile.
“I’ll wake you at three-thirty,” she said and smacked me on the backside as I passed her.
As I went through the living room, I could see the Doc still hard at his writing. He had papers out of his pockets and had them spread around the desk. I wondered what they all were. My curiosity up, I went over to him and asked.
“Oh, Doug, how are you?” he asked then continued with, “I’m writing down my observations from the incident near the creek earlier. It was most interesting how the thing would not enter the water. Many questions have come to mind as to why the creature acted the way it did. Did you notice how it wanted to attack us, but the water served as an effective barrier to keep the creature at bay?”
I'm Tired of Zombies | Book 2 | Full Scale War Page 4