by Mark Tufo
Cognizant of the ghoul-filled garage behind them, he stopped the SUV momentarily to survey the scene across the street. There was no sign of Rawley.
Chapter 139
Day 2 - Southeast Portland
The walkers were converging on them from both directions. From the west came the largest group he had seen yet. Cade noticed that the more walkers there were, the faster they seemed to move.
Easing out onto the road fronting his house he paused to steal a last glance at the home he grew up in. He said a silent goodbye, unsure he would ever see it again.
He planned to creep slowly east up the street and try to get as many of the dead to follow them as he could. At this slow of a pace the walkers were crowding around trying to get into the truck. The ones too slow to get out of the path of the truck ended up fleshy speed bumps. The Sequoia’s windows were getting smeared with gore from the zombies’ attempts to get at them.
In the rear view mirror Cade noticed flashing headlights. It was Rawley in the Bronco trying to get his attention. He sped up to get a safe distance from the walkers, then pulled over to the right on the shoulder and waited.
Rawley opened his window as he pulled up next to the Sequoia.
“Man, those fucks were getting thick out there. Your house was on the verge of getting overrun also,” he commented cheerfully.
“A couple of them broke my front window right as we were finishing loading up the gear. Persistent bastards, aren’t they?” Cade added.
“Persistent is an understatement. I was hoping to ride this out at home. You’re right, those fucks are very determined. We’re lucky, it looks like we both got out of there just in the nick of time. Hey, I need to thank you for stepping in when you did. Where the hell did they all come from anyway?” asked Rawley.
“The two that saw you unloading supplies alerted the others in the area when they started that fucking moaning.”
“I had no idea it was that bad, but I wanted to get some groceries just in case,” Rawley said.
“What store was open?” Cade queried him.
“The only one I found was the Mini Mart on Holgate. I had to use my credit card because every marked price was jacked up twentyfold. I had no beer in my house either, so I got their last case. That little bit of stuff ran me four hundred dollars. The beer alone was half of the cost. No worries though, if I ever see another credit card statement I’ll be amazed. Shit’s changed forever, man.”
Nodding his head in agreement Cade said, “You hit the nail on the head. I was hunkered down in my house since this all started. I have to confess though, I haven’t been very neighborly lately. I had to kill Ted from around the block... he left me little choice.”
An incredulous look adorning his face, Rawley asked what happened.
Sparing no detail, Cade told him about his first introduction to this new reality.
“Heavy shit, man. If I turn into one of those fuckers, please finish me quickly, will ya?” Rawley implored his neighbor with a deadly serious look thrown in for good measure.
Reaching into the center console Cade said, “Take this.”
A two-way radio sailed through Rawley’s open window.
“10-1 is the channel we will be on. We’re heading southeast to find Brook and Raven. Along the way I hope to help these two find some family.”
“Mind if I tag along?”
“We could use another set of eyes and ears. Just wondering, where did you learn to shoot like that?”
“I come from a family of hunters. I’ve been hunting since I was six or seven. I like to shoot recreationally as well.”
“And the SKS…”
“Oh, this little guy,” he said, affectionately patting the rifle on the seat next to him. “I bought it at a gun show quite some time ago. Hell of a fun weapon to shoot!”
Cade smirked. “Yeah I could tell.”
They had been sitting on the side of the road for a few moments before Leo interrupted.
“There are some of those dead thingies coming.”
Cade saw the walkers. They were far enough away that they weren’t a threat, but there was also a small compact car with those stupid blinding blue headlights closing very fast from the same direction.
Rawley attempted to wave the car around but the driver locked the brakes and slewed the gaudy Nissan to a sudden stop in front of the two SUVs.
The neon-green import sported a rear wing that belonged on a top fuel dragster. Low-rider was an understatement. The car sat so low it nearly scraped the pavement. The car’s occupants glared at them. The passenger in the front seat was a Hispanic male wearing black wraparound sunglasses. A bloody do rag covered his head, gang banger style. Sitting in the rear passenger side of the four door Maxima was an Eminem-wannabe white kid with bad acne; he was brandishing a chrome semi-automatic pistol. The front seat passenger flashed an Ingram Mac-10 machine pistol. He had a shit-eating grin on his face and his gold grill glinted in the sun. The driver was mostly obscured from view.
Not impressed, Rawley and Cade produced their own guns. A bright crimson beam emanated from the SKS and settled on Slim Shady’s neck. Cade leveled his M4, safety off, hand on the fore-grip and steadied the barrel next to his side mirror while keeping the door between him and the gang bangers.
Leo stared straight ahead, slowly sinking into the front passenger seat.
“Smoke the banger fucks,” Ike said from the back seat.
“They may leave us no choice, Ike,” Cade replied in a hushed voice without removing his eyes from the carjackers.
“Mind your own business, bro, and get your head down,” Leo ordered, playing the parent role.
The banger in the front seat spoke up proudly. “We’re MS13, fool, and we takin’ those trucks, motherfuckers…”
Cade didn’t let him finish. “Looks like we’re in disagreement here fellas! Move the car and we go our separate ways… no conditions. I’ll count to three. One...”
He only made it to one before the dumbass in the front seat started to swing the muzzle of the machine pistol in Cade’s direction.
Their true intentions made known, Cade caressed the trigger on his carbine. The .223 caliber round went through the banger’s gold grill, demolishing every tooth in his mouth and severing his carotid artery before exiting below his right ear. He wore a surprised look on his toothless mug as he voided his bowels and slumped forward, dying. The impact spun his shades from his face and the bloody bandana flew off, revealing a festering bite wound on his clean shaven dome.
Simultaneously Rawley’s perfectly placed three round burst impacted right where the laser was aimed, erasing the Eminem-wannabe’s acne addled face.
In the split second that followed, the panicked driver of the low-rider popped the clutch and mashed the accelerator to the firewall. The little sports car fishtailed and sped away out of control. The horrible sound of tearing metal and breaking glass followed as he wrapped it around a telephone pole fifty yards down the street. The pole shuddered and swayed but didn’t fall.
The undead were only a hundred feet away and steadily approaching, drawn by the accident and gunfire.
Cade and Rawley drove towards the crumpled Maxima. The destroyed car now steadily leaked water and antifreeze.
After slowly rolling to a stop next to the mangled car, Cade put the Sequoia into park and got out. While he was looking inside the wreck, another car stopped.
“Oh my God, is everything OK?” asked a frantic, middle-aged lady. Her car was loaded to the roof with what appeared to be all of her worldly belongings.
“It is now,” Cade said, giving her a tip of his ball cap.
Eyeballing the two pistols on his person and the big machine gun in his hand, she stammered “I, I, I’ll call the police!” as she sped away with the phone to her ear, apparently calling 911.
Good luck with that, Cade thought grimly.
While they were interacting with the Good Samaritan, the toothless passenger reanimated and began fighting th
e airbag to get at Cade.
The driver, while still alive, was just coming to the realization that his legs were crushed and his midsection was stuck behind the steering wheel. Worst of all, he was within biting range of his undead homie.
Cade saw that the white boy in the backseat had been head shot by Rawley. He was the lucky one and would stay dead.
Pinned and helpless, the driver started screaming and calling out for his mom as the undead passenger bit his neck and tore away a mouthful of flesh and muscle. Blood sprayed everywhere while the attack continued.
Rawley asked Cade, “Aren’t you going to put them out of their misery?”
“Not a chance in hell. Thankfully, some things are worse than death.”
Chapter 140
Day 2 - Felony Flats, Outer Southeast Portland
The encounter with the hoodlums was an eye opener. Not only were the dead a threat but so were some of the living. Anarchy would be close on the heels of the breakdown of society. Most people had no idea there was only a thin veneer between their comfortable lives and the end of civilization as they knew it. It happened most recently during Hurricane Katrina in the South, and it was happening everywhere now. From now on it was a dog eat dog world. Cade really wasn’t surprised that no one responded to the automatic weapons fire in a residential neighborhood. Cops and soldiers are people too. When the shit hits the fan, their families and loved ones go to the top of the list. This he understood all too well.
“Folks, we are now on our own. Shoot first and ask questions later!” Cade said loudly to anyone within earshot as he reloaded his rifle.
It was still morning. There was very little traffic but it was going the wrong way. Usually there would be a torrent of vehicles heading downtown to start the nine-to-five grind.
Cade made a conscious decision to travel the back roads while they were still close to Portland and then avoid altogether the bigger cities they would encounter later. Soon the surge out of town would exponentially increase and he wanted to be ahead of the curve. There was an old highway that paralleled I-84 along the Columbia River; it was the one they planned to travel.
Cade struck up a conversation with Leo. “I’ve seen you guys riding your bikes in the neighborhood. How long have you two lived there?” He was careful not to bring up their parents, considering what he had done to save the kids from their precarious perch in the tree house. Then Cade thought, What the hell am I doing? Remember to keep things professional.
“I guess since about third grade for me,” Leo said.
Ike piped up from the back seat, “I was a baby when we moved in.”
“How old are you guys now?”
“I’m nine.” Ike said.
Leo exclaimed, “I’m seventeen and I just got my driver’s license at the start of the summer.”
Cutting their conversation short, Rawley’s voice came over the two-way radio. “Come in. Hey, are you guys there?”
Cade grabbed his radio from the center console. “I hear you ,what’s up?”
“I’ve been watching my rearview since we had to shoot up those assholes back there. Don’t look now, but half of the Army is crawling up our ass.”
The radio in Cade’s hand beeped as Rawley let go of the transmit button. A convoy of noisy military vehicles overtook them at forty-five miles per hour. Both SUVs slowed and moved aside. They were still in the city but the thoroughfare was lightly travelled. There were two Humvees, three Bradley fighting vehicles, and four more Humvees bringing up the rear.
The longhaired Rawley caught icy glares from the sunglass wearing troopers riding shotgun in the trailing vehicles. He keyed his mic. “Where do you suppose they’re going?”
“I don’t want to be anywhere near where they’re going... As far as I could tell they were in full battle rattle and frosty as hell. Also you don’t just drive a Bradley Fighting Vehicle in an American city unless you plan on using it,” Cade pointed out bleakly.
“What do you think they’re going to be doing?” Ike persisted.
“With that many fully armed Bradleys, Humvees and a platoon of soldiers all heading towards the interstate … my guess is they will be setting up roadblocks on the interstate and the bridges. They’ve probably been ordered to stop travel between Oregon, Washington and Idaho,” Cade answered.
“We better find a back road then,” Leo said.
Cade called Rawley on the two-way. “I’ve been thinking, we should go out the old historic highway that runs along I-84, circumventing traffic and roadblocks until we get near Hood River.”
Keying his mike Rawley answered, “I concur.”
Chapter 141
Day 2 - Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Brook helped Carl wrap their parents’ bodies in their favorite comforters. They gently placed them side by side in the tin garden shed. They barely fit into the cramped space. Their parents deserved to be buried, but considering the dire circumstances it was the best they could do.
Raven looked on, a tear making a slow descent down her cheek as the padlock clicked shut. She bowed her head thinking to herself, I just want to wake up from this nightmare, please.
“Raven,” Brook called out. “Grab your bag, we’re leaving with Uncle Carl right now!”
Snapping out of her funk, Raven did as she was told.
Carl looted his late parents’ pantry and loaded up the pearl white Cadillac Escalade. In Carl’s opinion the Escalade was too luxurious to be used off road, but it would surely make travel easier. The gussied up four-by-four had more ground clearance and there was more interior space than his car.
The Mortensons were adamant about staying in their home. “We have a full pantry, a gun and the will to stay,” Peggy said.
Brook and Carl both knew there would no persuading the couple. They said a tearful goodbye. Carl drove the Escalade, Brook rode in the front passenger seat armed with the loaded shotgun, and Raven was sitting in between them.
“We need at least one more shotgun for protection, plus more ammo for the Ithaca and a pistol if we can find one” Carl said to Brook. They had scavenged only eleven slugs and four shot shells for the Ithaca out of the drawer in the study.
It was still early so Carl decided to gamble and head for the interstate. They rounded the corner leaving the cul-de-sac and Brook let out an audible sigh. Smoke dominated the horizon from the multiple fires downtown. They left Myrtle Beach without a real plan except to somehow reunite with Cade.
They drove inland; the traffic at this hour was still light. Two Black Hawk helicopters, flanked by Apache gunships bristling with rockets under their stubby wings, roared overhead flying very low on a northern heading up the coast. If she had to venture a guess, Brook thought they must be heading to Fort Bragg. She knew those were the type of helicopters Cade used to ride in on the secretive missions Delta Force frequently undertook.
Carl was 45 years old, bald, divorced, overweight and a little out of shape. He was also a recovering alcoholic with a great wit and a jaded outlook on life. Being 6-foot-4, he struck an imposing figure. Around Raven, however, he was a big teddy bear. With Brook, Carl always played the big brother role; he was almost 10 years older than his little sister and overly protective. He had even vetted all of her boyfriends, going so far as to return to his old high school and spy on them without her knowledge. More than one of her suitors did not pass the “Carl” litmus test and were intimidated into finding someone else to date. Carl wasn’t sold on Cade at first, but upon finding out that he had volunteered to go into harm’s way for his country, his opinion instantly changed 180 degrees. The man was a great father to Raven, and Brook glowed in his presence. If there was anything he could do to help them find Cade, he was all in.
Chapter 142
Day 2 - Interstate 84, outside of Portland
The U.S. Army’s moving screen served the two vehicle convoy well. Cade followed about a 1000 yards behind them, Rawley’s vehicle close behind.
The Troutdale exit would take them to
the old highway. Cade saw brake lights flash on up ahead as the military convoy came to a halt, presumably by a road block. A moment later as the Sequoia neared the stopped vehicles, the military convoy they had been tailing was waved through and pulled away.
There was an Oregon State Police Dodge Charger stopped to the left, partially blocking the road. The red and blue lights of the patrol car flashed hypnotically. The trooper wearing the trademark Smokey the Bear hat put up his gloved hand. Cade came to a stop, turned off the engine and handed his military identification to the trooper.
The trooper, eyes fixed on Cade, asked “What’s your destination?”
Considering the trucks were loaded with his camping gear, Cade responded “We’re headed to Trillium Lake to do some camping; if the sites are all full then we’ll try Timothy Lake. My friend’s driving the white Bronco behind me.”
“Who are these kids travelling with you?”
“They’re my neighbor kids, it’s their first time camping.”
“Haven’t you been listening to the radio?” the trooper demanded.
“No we’ve been listening to CDs… why, what’s up?”
“So… you are not aware that the State of Oregon is currently under a declaration of martial law and there have been deadly viral outbreaks in Portland?”
“I heard about some sick people but honestly, I had no idea martial law had been declared. We’ve been planning this trip for a while. This weekend worked the best for Ike and Leo’s parents. They were going out of town on business and needed someone to watch these two anyway.”
Ike and Leo gave each other the look only a sibling would understand; without words, it said they needed each other and had to stay strong to survive the loss of their parents. Both boys remained stoic during the trooper’s questioning.