“You’re right,” Bradford said as he looked at the screen. “There don’t seem to be many new ones taking their places out front.”
“I need to get home to my family. Depending on what kind of route I can take, it’s probably about three miles. I can walk it as long as I can avoid any hordes, but I’m worried my knee might give me a problem if I have to run.”
“Sweetie, even if we could figure out a way to get you out of the house, I don’t think you’re up for a three-mile trip. You know it won’t be an easy three miles, and who knows how many detours you’ll have to make?” Elizabeth said. “It could take you a day or two to get home if there are hordes out there.”
“Well, I wanted to ask you something,” Camille hesitated a moment. “Would you let me take one of your cars? I don’t have my learner’s permit yet, but I wouldn’t have to worry about other drivers on the road. I would just have to avoid zombies and deserted cars.”
Elizabeth looked at Bradford, and after a moment, he nodded his head.
“We have more vehicles than we can use,” he said. “Even if we have to leave here ourselves and we take two, there’s still two more in the garage, although the sports car wouldn’t do you any good. You could take one of our SUVs, but there are still way too many zombies out front. You would never get through them before they surrounded you.”
“There’s not that many. I think I could get through them pretty easily,” Camille said. “And the sound of the car may draw away most of the zombies around your house. Once they’re distracted, they’ll forget you were ever in here, and you’ll be much safer.” She was starting to get excited about the possibility of heading home to her family.
“I suppose most of the dead will try to follow you. You could make your escape, and we wouldn’t have to worry about being surrounded anymore,” Bradford was picking up on Camille’s excitement and started to feel optimistic himself. They could give this poor girl a shot at getting back to her family while in the process making their house more secure. He and his wife could survive for months, if not a year, without having to leave their home for supplies. If the zombies followed Camille, they would be about as safe as they possibly could be.
“Well, if we’re doing this, I’m going to make sure you have any supplies you might need,” Elizabeth said. “I’m going to grab the bag we’d started packing for you and top it off with some other things.” She went to the kitchen to add bottled water and food in case Camille didn’t make it home right away. She worried about the young girl leaving on her own but knew there was nothing she could do about it. The girl needed to get back to her family, and Elizabeth understood how important family was. She returned a few minutes later with a nearly full backpack.
“Camille, I added some protein and granola bars for you. They’ll be light to carry if you end up on foot and will hold you over until you get home. I’m also adding some mild painkillers and anti-inflammatory pills for your knee. Don’t take the pain medication unless you have to; it might dull your senses. But if you find yourself stuck hiding somewhere and you need it, then take it,” Elizabeth said.
“Thank you so much,” Camille said. “You and your husband have been so wonderful to me.”
“From what you’ve told us about your family, they would have done the same thing,” Elizabeth said.
Bradford added a sheathed knife to the bag, knowing that Camille already had one on her but wanted to make sure she had a spare. He held a small handgun with several boxes of ammo.
“Do you know how to use this?” he asked.
Camille took a closer look at it. It was the same as the one her brother had shown her. “Yes, well enough at least. Thank you,” she said as she put it inside the backpack.
“Are you ready for this?” Bradford asked as he took a quick look at the security monitors.
Camille nodded. She was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed, but the feeling was surpassed by intense anticipation. Elizabeth unexpectedly pulled her into a warm hug. “Be careful out there. Get home safe to your family,” she said.
“I will,” Camille said, then turned to Bradford. He was ready to take her down to the garage while Elizabeth stayed by the monitors.
She found that she could walk on her knee fairly well, even down the long flight of stairs. He led her to the garage and one of the luxury SUVs inside. He went over the basics and got her settled in with the seat and mirrors adjusted, then showed her the remote for the garage door opener.
“I’ll be in the garage next to the door leading into the house. When you’re ready, just press the button on the garage door remote. If any zombies try to get into the garage, I’ll take them out, and then I’ll close the door after you pull out. Drive fast down the driveway and into the street and make the first turn you can. That should keep you from becoming surrounded,” Bradford said. “After that, just get yourself home as quickly as you can.”
“Thank you so much for everything,” Camille said sincerely. She might make it home to her family soon. The thought of seeing them again caused her to tear up, but she managed to pull herself together. She watched as Bradford walked over to the door to the house. She waited until he was ready, then she took a few deep breaths, put the SUV in drive, and then pressed the button on the garage door opener.
Chapter 12
Day 4
Between looking for gas and going to the dealership, Max found himself several miles south of the area he wanted to search. He didn’t think there was any way Camille had made it this far to the east, let alone five miles to the south, so he drove a little way before starting another grid search. He kept his eyes open for any signs of life as he slowly drove along and ate some jerky. It wasn’t long before he started running into larger groups of zombies. Most of the streets were two lanes and had wrecked or abandoned cars on them. He wound his way around and dodged as many zombies as he could. When he rounded one corner, he found about a dozen zombies blocking his way. He could have braked in time, but he thought it was as good a time as any to see how the plow on the truck handled them. He drove straight through them, with several falling to either side of the truck, one cartwheeling over the top high into the air before slamming into the ground and two falling underneath. The truck handled the minor beating so well that it was almost as if he’d just hit a pothole or two.
He continued driving until he came across a multi-car pileup that filled an entire intersection. With deep ditches on either side of the road, it wasn’t worth trying to find a way past it, so he turned around and cut through another housing development. Almost everywhere he looked, he saw dead bodies, scattered shoes, dried blood and entrails, discarded limbs, and pieces of clothing. The road was covered with a thin layer of blackish-red zombie slush, indicating that a horde of some size had come through recently. It was still wet and shiny even in the heat of the day. Soon he came upon some crawlers and realized that he wasn’t far behind the horde. Max didn’t want to draw their attention, so he made the next possible turn and backtracked until he was in another development. He was surprised by how many hordes seemed to come through, but he supposed it didn’t take much to gather their attention.
He noticed the smoke trailing high in the air in the distance. The fire he’d started was spreading a little further, and billows of smoke hung in the air just a mile or two away. He wondered if the horde had been drawn to the fire. He’d seen plenty of burned zombies, and the flames didn’t kill them, but they were ashy and seemed to shed layers of their bodies as pieces flaked off. He hoped that they were all going to the fire and that they would burn badly enough that they would at least lose the ability to walk. He figured that once they got ashy and flaky that they probably didn’t last much longer, at least not on their feet. It would be nice if one good thing came from the burning neighborhood. The fire was still miles east of his home, but he planned to keep a close eye on it. It didn’t seem likely that it could burn to his house, but he’d seen much of downtown Cleveland go up in flames. With no rain and nothin
g to stop them, who knew how far it would spread.
As Max drove slowly down yet another street, he saw a house in the distance that was surrounded by zombies. He knew the odds of finding his daughter inside were small, but there was someone trapped in the house. He thought about it for a moment then decided to try to drive them all away. He put his hand on the horn and fired his shotgun a few times. That was all it took to turn the heads of most of the crowd. He hit the horn again and slowly drove past the house. He crept along at less than five miles an hour to give the zombies a chance to follow him. He kept making noise and watched in his mirrors as the dead seemed to leave the house as one in pursuit of a new meal. He led them nearly a half-mile away before turning and speeding back toward the house. When he pulled up, there were only a half dozen left in the yard, all of them slowly making their way toward the street. He saw curtains move in the living room window, so he pulled into the driveway, got out, and started killing the remaining zombies. When they were spread out, it was pretty easy to take them down. Less than a minute later, he dropped the last zombie and looked at the house.
He was surprised that no one came rushing out the door and into their vehicle to escape. He saw the flutter of curtains again, and his curiosity got the better of him. He approached the front door, prepared to lightly tap on it. He didn’t want to make enough noise to get the attention of any zombies that might be lingering in the area. Before he could knock, a fifty-ish woman opened the door. Her short hair was graying, crow’s feet extended from both eyes, and smile lines around her mouth gave the impression of a woman who had experienced a lot of joy in her life. She was dressed sensibly in jeans and a t-shirt with hiking boots.
“Thank you for leading them off. I’m Maggie,” she introduced herself.
“Max. You doing okay in there?” he asked. “I was kind of surprised that you were still here when I circled back. I thought you might have taken the time to escape to somewhere else.”
“Well, I don’t know where else might be safer,” she said practically. “I was boarding up my house to hunker down when I attracted too many of the dead. Somehow or another, I got lucky, and they didn’t get in.”
Max looked at the front of the house and saw some cracked boards on the ground, damaged by the zombies that had surrounded the place.
“Looks like they messed up most of your plywood,” Max said.
“I reckon they did. I have a little more in the garage, but I’m not sure if it’ll be enough,” she said while she looked around to assess the damage. “I’m used to being by myself and didn’t have anywhere to go, so I figured I’d try to make the place safe and stay home.”
“Where were you while your house was surrounded?” Max asked.
“In the basement. I bolted and blocked the door. There’s an extra fridge and a bathroom down there, so I was going to be okay for a while. When I heard your shotgun, I hurried upstairs to see what was going on. I didn’t think anything was going to make the dead leave,” Maggie said.
Max was torn. He needed to get a move on, but there was something about this woman that he liked. He wanted to help her if he could.
“Look, I can help you board things up if we move fast,” He hesitated, then made up his mind and said, “Or you can come with me. My house is well fortified and a little off the grid. My son’s there, my best friend’s family, and two firefighters we found a couple of days ago.”
“Your wife?” Maggie asked gently, assuming the worst.
“She’s missing. So is my daughter. I’m driving around searching for them. It’s a long story,” Max said.
Maggie seemed to be able to read Max about as well as he was able to read her. Her gut told her that he was a good man and she should take him up on his offer.
“Do you mind if I pack up a few things?” she asked.
“Not at all. Do you need any help?” Max responded.
“I’ve got a full pantry if you want to grab some things. I just want to gather up some clothes and a few odds and ends if there’s time,” Maggie said.
Max took a look around to make sure there weren’t any zombies nearby, then said, “Lead the way.”
While Maggie packed up the things she wanted to take with her, Max checked out the pantry. It held enough food to feed a family of four for a month. He laughed to himself, thinking that Maggie shopped just like his wife did. He filled one large recyclable bag after another and put them by the front door. Several cases of water and cold drinks from the fridge topped everything off. With each trip to the door, he took a good look around outside to make sure everything was still relatively clear. He didn’t see a single zombie. It seemed that all the zombies in the neighborhood must have followed him when he had led them away earlier.
“Wow, you work fast,” Maggie said when she met him at the door with two duffle bags.
“Have to nowadays,” Max said. “It’s clear out there, so let’s go ahead and get everything loaded so we can get out of here.”
It took him half a dozen trips to the truck before he had all of the groceries and water loaded, and they were ready to go. They both got settled into the truck, and Max backed out of the driveway before they resumed talking.
“Have you been in your house since the start?” Max asked.
“Yes, I worked from home and set my own hours, so I was lucky enough to be inside and relatively out of harm’s way for that first day. The dead weren’t too bad until I started boarding up the house. I didn’t realize how many had heard me until there was nothing I could do about it,” she said. “I had to kill a few of them. I used a knife. Seems to work pretty well.”
Max was relieved to hear that she’d already killed some zombies. He didn’t want to try to teach her everything he’d learned so far if he didn’t have to. As he slowly drove back toward his house, they talked and got to know each other a little better. Maggie had been widowed about ten years back, and she and her husband had been unable to have children. Between that loss and her working from home, she was used to being alone most of the time. Max gave her a shortened version of his story from the last few days and told her about Anna and Camille.
“I can keep you company while you search,” Maggie said. “We don’t have to go back to your house just yet. I’m capable, armed, and can kill the dead. I can also take over driving if you need a break.” She came across as a very practical, no-nonsense woman. “I may be old enough to be your…”
“Big sister,” Max said.
“Right, big sister,” Maggie said, and they both laughed. “But I can take care of myself.”
“Well, how about we continue my grid search for a while until we get near my house. I don’t know exactly what I’m looking for. Some sign of life at one of these houses or someplace surrounded by zombies,” Max said. “But it can get really bad out here really fast. I lost my best friend trying to get home from downtown, and I lost a new friend last night. There are hordes of zombies out here and no way of knowing when you might run into them.”
“I’m up for it, Max,” Maggie said. “I’d like to help you find your wife and daughter, to feel like I’m doing something useful.”
Max nodded then resumed his search. He didn’t mind having some company, and Maggie might see something that he missed. His eyes darted with worry back to the heavy smoke only a mile or two away. It looked like it was burning up an entire neighborhood, but he couldn’t tell if it was still spreading.
Chapter 13
Day 4
Anna watched anxiously as the zombies slowly made their way down the street. She could see the tail end of the group, and she was eager for them to pass by. It had been hours already, and this wasn’t even a horde. They must have been drawing in more zombies as they shuffled along, growing their ranks as they passed. She hoped the house with the red SUV was going to be free of zombies once they were finally able to make their way over to it. She’d seen zombies stumble out of quite a few houses on the street to join the group passing by. They still didn’t seem to
be able to open doors, and most of them got tripped up on porch steps. The zombies that came from the houses left through doors that were already open.
“Anna, you should eat something,” Emily said. “It looks like we’re going to have an opening soon, and you need to get some food in your stomach.”
Anna hadn’t had much of an appetite since the zombie apocalypse had started, and what little appetite she did have completely vanished after Camille disappeared. The last thing she felt like doing was eating; however, she was a nurse and knew that she had to eat to keep her strength up.
“Thanks Emily,” Anna said as she accepted an energy bar. Anna sat with her back against the wall as she ate and watched Emily at the window. The blonde woman was strikingly beautiful, and, as Anna was learning, she was truly kind and selfless. There was no reason for Emily to have risked her life helping Anna search for Camille other than the fact that she had a huge heart. Anna realized she was quite lucky that their lives had intertwined and vowed to try not to be so snappy with her. She felt a little guilty for questioning Emily earlier about the scratch on her hand. The poor woman had seen her brother die after a zombie's tooth had barely grazed him; she would never have lied about a bite. Anna had such a hard time trusting new people, but the world was different now. She would be more cautious than ever, but she would trust those who had proven they were trustworthy.
Emily watched the tail end of the zombies as they passed by the house. They were achingly slow in their movements. Another half an hour, and they should be clear to make a move. She watched the zombies shuffle down the street and took in their appearances. Most of them had horrible bite wounds to their faces, necks, arms, and hands. Here and there, a zombie walked along, displaying stark white ribs with empty abdominal cavities or lengths of intestines slowly falling out. She noticed that some seemed fresh while others were just starting the beginning of the slow decaying process. It seemed that most people died or turned that first day, but there had to people hiding or trapped in various houses and buildings. Emily knew that their small group was hardly the only group of people still living in the area. Until they had left Anna’s house to search for Camille, they had done their best to stay hidden, so she imagined others were doing the same. The sheer number of zombies they had encountered was terrifying, though. Between the huge horde that had passed by yesterday and all of the dead they’d seen since then, she wondered just how many people did survive. For there to be so many zombies meant there could only be a small number of survivors.
SUBURBAN JUNGLE: A Post Apocalyptic Zombie Survival Thriller (Chronicles of the Undead: Book 2) Page 10