Excited voices babbled around the truck, people exclaiming over everything the men had returned with.
“Ok everyone, Alex will pull the truck up to the warehouse. Everything will have to be unloaded by hand.” Gordy spoke loudly to be heard over the hum of the crowd.
All hands pitched in, and the work seemed to help people not think about Garret’s death. Working together as a community helped dull that pain.
Several hours and many sore backs later Alex drove the truck to the church lot. Calvin volunteered to sleep in the truck that night, concerned about leaving the heavy machine gun mounted unguarded.
Tamara sat next to Jimmy and the girls during dinner, though she said little. She was aware that they would be leaving on yet another mission for supplies in the next few days, this time to the hospital, and could not bring herself to talk about it with Jimmy.
She gazed around the room, watching as everyone chatted about the day. They talked about the wall being nearly completed, or how several of the children were becoming adept with bows under Alex and Evie’s tutelage. They shared stories of the day, mundane things that would have meant little pre-catastrophe.
Tam was unable to engage, wrapped up in thoughts of Jimmy, and how unlike himself he had become in recent months. She feared losing him, not just to a zombie attack or the bullet from a gun, but to that darkness that seemed to be eating at him since their world had changed. She did not understand how the other families could simply ignore the changes around them.
As her eyes roamed the gathering of her friends and family Lisa caught her eye, holding her look for several long seconds. It was the cold glimmer in Lisa’s eyes that sent a shiver through Tam. Lisa felt the same way that she did, it was obvious. Lisa’s eyes told her that, as well as telling her to enjoy every second she could, because this was their life now.
Tam nodded, affirming that she understood what her friend was saying with eyes that seemed to be fighting tears, even then. The corners of Lisa’s mouth turned up, almost imperceptibly, recognizing Tam’s nod. With that she turned back to Mike, smiling, laughing at something he and their three girls were saying.
Tam slid closer to Jimmy, resting her head on his tightly corded shoulder, drawing in his warmth. He turned and kissed her on top of her head in reflex, after a moment twitching his shoulder, signaling her to move. She sighed, lifted her head and asked Ashley and Miranda if they wanted to play a board game after dinner, to which they both exclaimed “Yes!” “You going to join us, babe?” She asked, looking at her husband.
“My arms hurt from shooting that damn gun, then unloading all that stuff. Probably just going to sleep in a little while.”
She simply frowned and nodded in response.
****
Jimmy drew back in sheer terror, while searing rage pushed him forward, which left him rooted in place, unable to make a move, to kill the zombie now coming for him.
He had time to study its face closely, the gray-green peeling skin, flaps hanging in places to reveal a slick blackness underneath. Its lips were nearly gone, appearing to have been chewed away, possibly as it devoured another human being. One ear seemed to hang lower than the other, until he realized that it was pulled away from the head, dangling by mere shreds of flesh.
The creature locked eyes with him, its blank cataracts causing him to shrink inside, as if they were looking beyond him into his very heart, sharing in his darkness.
Opening its mouth the thing began to moan, a long low droning that seemed to come not from its chest, but someplace otherworldly. Through a wide rent in the skin, Jimmy could see the cords in its neck vibrate with the atonal noise. He wondered, briefly, how it could produce sound like that when its chest did not rise and fall with breath.
He threw his hands up as the thing came close, grabbing his arm, pulling him in. With his free hand he reached across, grabbed the zombie’s wrist, locking his fingers in a death-grip, squeezing until the mottled skin broke and began to slide away beneath his hand.
The creature never looked away, though its moan became a keening cry as its flesh tore.
Jimmy woke to Tamara crying out, trying to pull her wrist free from his painful grip. He looked down at his hand, the one gripping his wife’s wrist and jerked it away as if he had just been licked by a flame.
He jumped out of his cot, pushed next to Tam’s, and slipped into a shirt, shoved his feet into boots, and headed out the door, pausing to glance back only once at his wife, both sharing a plaintive look before Jimmy shut the door behind him and ran for the ball field.
He could hear Tam calling out behind him, her voice high and tearful. He ran, ignoring her pleas, until he came to the unmanned gate with the large Camp Oko Tipi sign. He stopped, leaning against the cold steel of the gate, a chill shivering through him that had as much to do with his emotional state as it did with the brisk night air.
Slowly Tam stepped up to him, hand out, saying nothing. He twitched once as her hand brushed his shoulder, then allowed her hand to rest, squeezing him gently.
“Talk to me,” Tam said softly.
“Nothing to say, is there?”
“Whatever’s eating at you, you can tell me.”
“Don’t want to talk, Tam. I.. fuck…I don’t know.” Jimmy’s chin dipped to his chest, head hung in shame. It was easier to look at the ground than it would be to look at his wife.
“Jimmy, I’m not going to force you to talk to me, but you need to know you can.” She kept her hand on his shoulder, letting him know she was there.
“Had a fucking nightmare, and I hurt you in the process.” Tam had to strain to hear Jimmy’s voice, he spoke so quietly.
“You didn’t mean to hurt me, and I know that. If you would just talk to me, maybe you could get rid of some of the shit that’s eating at you, Jimmy.”
“What if it was one of the kids, what if I didn’t stop, did something worse than bruising your arm?”
Tam spun him around, eyes boring into his. “Quit looking for “what-ifs” damn it! When you’re not out there, be here, totally here; when you’re out there, then pay attention and get home.”
Jimmy stared back, not breaking his wife’s heavy gaze, the preternatural silence of the night filling the space between them. After a moment he nodded slowly and without another word headed back to the cabin holding Tam’s hand.
Chapter 17
Dawn broke over the horizon to find several people sitting on the porch of the main house, having taken an early breakfast. Jimmy straddled the porch rail, smoking a cigarette, sipping steaming coffee, along with Mike, Dean, Lisa and Louis.
Intimate conversation was replaced with mundane chatter. No one wanted to discuss Garret’s death, or what happened at the armory. Mike pointedly avoided questions about Greer, and the way he handled the situation.
Dean refilled everyone’s cups from a thermal carafe before sitting on the porch, his back against the railing.
“Where’s Becca this morning?” Lisa asked.
“She’ll be up in a little while, wanted to sleep in a bit this morning.”
“I can’t blame her for being tired,” Lisa said, “going through the houses is hard work.”
“You guys finding what you need?” Jimmy asked.
“Yeah, but not enough. We still need jars, lids, everything else you can think of to can all of the stuff coming out of the gardens. Seems like we use it as soon as we find it.”
“I still don’t like you going out there without me,” Mike told Lisa.
“Yes, well you big strong men are out there taking care of other things, and someone has to do it.” A faint lilt of sarcasm could be heard in Lisa’s tone.
“I know, I know, is what it is.” Mike knew better than to argue with his wife, especially if would come across sounding sexist. That can of worms would quickly turn into a can of whoop-ass, and he wanted no part of that. Besides, he knew Lisa and Becca both were more than capable.
“Maybe we can check out the Wal-Mart or Farm and Hom
e Supply one of these days soon,” Dean offered, “I’m sure we could find a ton of canning supplies in both of them. Probably something most people never even think of.”
“Oh God, man, don’t start volunteering us for another mission yet, we still have the damn hospital to take care of, and I won’t lie to you, I’m not looking forward to it.”
“Oh come on Jimmy, I thought you were all hardcore and gung-ho ready to go.”
Jimmy eyed Dean for a second before telling him, “I’m all for blowing the shit out of some zombies, any time, but it’s a lot of risk, especially this hospital trip, for what we don’t even know.”
“Jimmy’s right guys, but just the medicines alone out there could make a huge difference in life or death around here.”
All eyes turned to see Gordy hobbling toward them on crutches. “Where’s your wheelchair, Dad?”
“Piss on that thing, I feel like an old man being pushed around in it. Besides, my ass-sores are getting ass-sores from sitting in the damn chair. Your Mom bound up my knee pretty snug so I can get around on these.” He rattled one of the crutches as he slowly lowered himself to the top step, sitting with his left leg stiff, resting on the stairs.
“Wouldn’t it be easier to go after a pharmacy for medicines?”
“It might be, Lisa, but we also need equipment from the hospital. Jan has a few surgical items in her kit, but not the stuff she would need for more severe injuries.”
“There’s a lot of stuff we need, Gordy. These run-and-gun ops are just risky as fuck. You ever think that we should really consider relying less on the stuff we can scavenge and more on living a little bit old school?”
Gordy thought carefully before answering Mike, sucking the chill air through his teeth, absentmindedly rubbing at his knee. “Yeah, I have thought about it, but I also think there’s a whole town of stuff we need, we can use to make our lives easier. There’ll be a time when we can’t get it anymore, and I don’t see manufacturing coming back for at least a decade or so. I say we get as much as we can, while we can get it. Then we can look towards a life without it.”
“I understand that Gordy, I just hate that there’s so much at stake every time we go out.”
“We’re getting stronger, Mike, you know that, everyone sees it. With the weapons and ammo you guys brought back, and the truck with the heavy gun, we’re in a much better position to take the risks.”
“Yeah, I know Gordy, I just hate that any of us has to go out there. Fucking zombies.”
Gordy understood Mike’s feelings. Sending these people, his friends and family, out there made him sick to his stomach. He wanted to join them, always believing that he would be able to protect them should something happen, though he knew that was a lie he told himself just to make it easier.
Louis stood up, stretching his back, “I’m going to make some more coffee.”
Lisa jumped up from her chair, “Uh, I’ll make it, Louis. You sit here and talk guy stuff with the guys.”
“It’s ok, Lisa, I can make coffee.”
“No you can’t, Louie. I’ve had your coffee; somehow it tastes like burnt water.”
Louis shot Jimmy a withering look before sitting back down. Having had Louis’s coffee, Mike grinned, saying nothing.
Gordy’s face grew red with laughter. “Louis, everyone has talents and skills. Sadly, one of yours is not making coffee; don’t take it so hard son.” Gordy gave the young man a big smile, letting him know that no harm was meant.
Lisa went inside to make the coffee, and Louis took the opportunity to leave quietly, slipping over the rail and walking around the building, unwilling to feel the eyes of people on him.
“That boy is going to have to develop a thicker skin,” Dean told the others.
“Yeah, true, but he’s also feeling pretty rough right now over Garret. Wouldn’t hurt to let up on him just a bit,” Mike said, sending a glance toward Jimmy.
“Fine.” Jimmy said nothing else, waiting in silence for the Lisa to return with freshly brewed coffee.
“So have you worked out a plan for the hospital?” Gordy asked.
“Yeah, we have a plan,” Mike said, “but you know what Rick says about a plan.”
“Never survives first contact,” Gordy said, imitating Rick’s voice.
Mike laughed at the poor imitation, “Yep, that’s it. We leave tomorrow morning, taking the big truck and the De Soto.”
“Why two vehicles?” Gordy wanted to know.
“A little extra mobility, in case something happens.”
“You sure you don’t want to recon the area first, see if it’s even feasible to do this?”
“No point in wasting another day; we’ll give it a look from a distance before going in, adjust the plan as we go if needed.”
“Essentially we have a plan that isn’t really a plan,” Jimmy said, holding out his cup for the pot Lisa was bringing around.
“Jimmy’s kind of hit it on the head there, Gordy. We really don’t know what to expect, so we’re keeping it fluid, with our end goal in mind.”
“And that is?”
“Get everything we can, put it in the truck, come home,” Dean interjected. Jimmy and Mike nodded in assent, saying “Yep, that’s it,” in unison.
As early morning woke the camp others began to join the group on the porch. Talk of the hospital mission was set aside, everyone choosing to focus on the moment, leaving tomorrow to wait on them instead of rushing towards it.
Chapter 18
Following the path of least resistance, the men followed Highway 61 to Paris Gravel Road, the up-armored GMC General leading the way. The roads were relatively clear, though there were a few times when they had to slow down to navigate around a wrecked car or snarl of vehicles.
Occasionally they would see shufflers turn to follow the sound of the passing vehicles, though they outpaced them with ease.
From Paris Gravel to Veterans Highway, turning left onto Highway MM a mile and a half later; from that turn the men drove just over a mile, making a right on Shinn Lane, at the recently constructed community college. A left turn soon after put them on Forrest Drive, which they would follow to reach the shipping and receiving dock on the south side of the main hospital building.
This route took them in the back way, avoiding the more direct approach, which several of the group felt would be inviting trouble from the start.
“Is that a pack in the middle of the road?” Jimmy asked.
Alex leaned forward over the steering wheel, squinting his eyes. “Looks like it.”
Alex lifted his foot from the accelerator, as Jimmy asked Rick if he wanted to gun them, go past them, or run them down.
“Want to try out your blade attachment on this bunch, Alex?”
“Hell yes I do,” Alex said, grinning. He eased down on the accelerator pedal, the truck picking up speed. Thirty yards from the truck five heads snapped around, looking up from a bloody mess that Jimmy thought might have been a deer.
“How the hell would these freaks bring down a deer?” Jimmy asked aloud.
“What?”
“Nothing, just smash their asses.”
The zombies stood up slowly as the roar of the truck came closer, bits of brown and white hair clinging to their faces. One of the creatures took several steps forward, its right arm dangling oddly, bone showing through the shoulder. The other four began to move toward the truck, walking into the oncoming traffic.
“Brace for impact!” Jimmy shouted, moments before the heavy steel blade struck the legs of the first zombie, shattering bone, tearing off the lower leg from the knee down. The zombie crunched face first into the reinforced grill, smashing bone back through brain tissue.
Alex caught most of them with the blade, twisting the wheel to reach them all, though one zombie on the far right was only clipped by the edge of the blade, spinning it to the ground. The big GMC bumped over the mass of bodies, grinding them beneath fast moving heavy tires, trailing a long smear behind it as pieces of
bodies clung to the underside of the vehicle, shedding gore as they were pulled along.
Calvin, driving the De Soto, jerked the wheel to the left then back to the right, avoiding the worst of the pile of viscera the truck left behind. “Holy shit! What did they hit?”
“Slow down, slow down a little,” Mike said from the passenger seat. He pushed the suppressed DPMS out the window, sighting on the zombie the truck had spun away, snapping several shots into its torso and neck before landing one in the skull, shredding brain tissue.
“Must have been some in the road,” Dean said from the back seat.
“I don’t see any more,” Calvin said, applying the brakes as the truck in front stopped at an intersection. To the left was the Physicians Surgery Center, a right turn lead past a building housing several different specialty clinics like dermatology and osteopathy, among others. They would continue down this road and past the children’s center, to reach the turn for the receiving dock.
Alex shut the truck off, he and Jimmy climbing down from the cab. Jimmy opened one of the rear doors for Rick while Alex walked back to the De Soto.
“You guys see that shit?” Alex asked, laughing.
Before anyone could ask, Jimmy offered an explanation, telling the men in the car about the pack in the road.
Rick hopped down from the trailer, joining the rest of the crew as they got out of the car. As a group the men walked to the front of the truck, looking for damage to the grill or blade.
At the front of the truck they found half of a zombie still clinging to the topmost bar of the heavy brush guard. Its left arm was gone, entrails trailing down from its torn body to drape over the front of the blade. Thick black gore coated the front of the truck, with large hunks of flesh embedded in the grill and hanging from the blade and guard.
“Oh damn, what a fucking mess!” Calvin said, turning away, the smell forcing its way into his sinuses far worse than the sight of the gore itself.
Dean stepped up to the clinging zombie and buried his blade into the back of its skull. The zombie slid down the guard, hanging up on the back of the blade. Dean shoved it off the side with his foot, and wiped his boot in the thick, waist-high grass beside the road.
American Revenant (Book 3): The Monster In Man Page 9