“Booyah!” I shouted with a fist pump as we cleared the front gate area. I glanced around at the men in the silent truck and immediately felt foolish. “Too girly?” I asked seriously. Ghost started laughing and the deep rumbling made me grin and immediately reminded me that I was sitting in his lap. “Sorry, Ghost, I didn’t mean to squish you,” I mumbled as I scrambled off of him.
“Hey no hurry, you were okay right where you were.” His voice was deep and I could hear a grin in it as he spoke. I felt my cheeks warm, which only made Ghost chuckle more. “Just a joke, Jude,” he said with a smirk and a shrug. I glanced over at Jude who was staring daggers at Ghost. What the Hell? I ignored both of them and leaned forward until I was hanging in between the two front seat and pulled back the center console, hoping to find something good.
“Melody … what are you doing?” Jude asked, sounding exasperated. I ignored him as I kept searching.
“Aha!” I squealed. I pulled my prize out of its sleeve and leaned forward far enough to shove it into the player. I pushed a button and when the familiar sounds of Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds blasted through the speaker system, I sat back with a small sigh of satisfaction. Ghost flashed me a sad smile, but I could feel the tension seeping out of the vehicle as we slowly drove out of town.
I WATCHED OUR PROGRESS THROUGH the window as we drove for about an hour, until I couldn’t stomach what I saw any longer. The world was something I didn’t recognize. I had kept myself mostly safe for two long years. It wasn’t easy, but a lot of what kept me alive had to do with the simple fact that not only was I a little more prepared than the average citizen, but I’d also gotten to know almost every inch of the two local towns and every mile of the woods that I’d camped in. The woods were mine. I knew them almost as well in the pitch black of night as I did in the noon day sun. I learned my surroundings like someone who might not have ever planned on leaving the area for the rest of their lives. I sat there watching a world full of death, destruction, and chaos pass by my window.
I realized with sudden clarity that I had bubbled myself off from the outside world, convinced deep down that if I didn’t know what was happening outside of my own personal hell, then maybe—just maybe—it wasn’t really that bad in other places. I hadn’t realized until I was leaving the area I knew so well that I’d convinced myself deep in my own subconscious that when I did finally leave, I’d be walking into some sort of safe haven, some place better and maybe even untouched by all the death, loneliness, and despair that I’d been shrouded in for two years. The realization made my stomach revolt.
“Melody? Are you okay?” Jude’s voice sounded concerned, but I couldn’t seem to answer him. I couldn’t get past the pain in my chest and the ringing in my ears. “Manuel, can you pull over?” I gasped in a breath as fuzzy splotches of gray danced in front of my eyes. I felt a gush of wind hit me in the face as Jude pulled me from the truck and shook me gently. “Melody? Breathe, sweetheart. Ah, hell, this is going to piss you off,” he muttered. A brisk smack across my face brought Jude’s concerned eyes into focus and a stinging along my cheek bone. I grabbed a handful of his tee shirt and jerked him a bit closer as I gasped in a huge breath of air into my lungs. I still felt dizzy.
“I didn’t realize …” I began, my eyes starting to water. I blinked furiously as my head began to clear. Jude’s hand cupped the back of my head and his fingers massaged into my neck as I took a moment. “I don’t know why I didn’t expect it. I’m sorry.” Jude shushed me gently and kept rubbing my neck.
“Don’t apologize, Melody. I would have been more worried about you if all of this didn’t affect you,” he said gruffly. I nodded once and took another long, cleansing breath before I was steady. I glanced up and realized Big Ben had been standing nearby as look out. I let out a tiny not-so-sane giggle and looked up into Jude’s questioning gaze.
“Didn’t mean to go all girly on you at the wrong time,” I smiled and stepped back from the circle of Jude’s arms. “But if you ever slap me again, I’ll kick your honky ass in front of your men.” I heard what sounded suspiciously like a snort come from Big Ben as I jumped back into the SUV. I was extremely grateful none of the men acted like anything out of the ordinary had happened as we pulled back onto the highway to Hell.
IT TOOK US OVER TWO hours to drive to the halfway point about forty miles outside of Charlotte, North Carolina. Dodging wreckage, abandoned vehicles and zombies made traveling take a lot longer than it used to. It felt like we were evading landmines, but instead of bombs we were trying to avoid becoming surrounded by the undead or stuck in a tight spot with nowhere to run if we had to. When Manuel pulled up to the back entrance of the rendezvous point I sat there for a second, wondering if the guys were just yanking my chain.
“You’ve got to be freaking kidding me,” I mumbled when Manuel killed the engine. I glanced out the window and only noticed two straggler zombies in the area—easy enough to take care of. Maybe the guys had a point. Looting a local Toy-R-Us would have been low on a priority list for people trying to survive in a zombie-riddled world. Less people looting in the area and store equaled less zombies to worry about when meeting with other survivors.
“Ghost, Big Ben, you two take care of our decomposing friends while Manuel, Melody, and I secure the building. Join us inside as soon as you scout the perimeter.” Both men nodded briskly before opening their doors and sprinting toward the zombies who had already began heading our way. “Alright, let’s move,” Jude barked out.
We entered through the back door of the building, our weapons ready and our movements almost synchronized. When the door shut behind us, it took a few moments for my eyes to adjust to the unlit interior of the store. The store had been ransacked and the interior smelled musty and unused, but at least we weren’t overpowered by the stench of death and decay that most stores and populated areas were now known for. Still, being inside of a toy store tore the scab off of my freshly wounded heart and I heard a tiny cry of distress leave my lips before I could prevent it. Death and devastation consumed everything, and those bitches never skipped over children and innocents. No one was safe from their fury.
“Melody?” Manuel asked in a whisper. I swallowed back my fear and sadness and focused on the task at hand.
“I’m good,” I whispered back. We all separated and began searching the store for any broken doors or windows, and of course for any zombies. I made my way up and down each isle with my handgun drawn and an unreasonable fear that someone was going to be hiding under a shelf saying “they all float down here” and grab my leg. What? Zombies I can handle … killer clowns? Hell no!
We all met each other near the door of the manager’s office, where they would have all normally exchanged info with the men from the Charlotte base. Once supplies were exchanged, they would have gone back to their bases and met again two weeks later. That had been the routine until over two months ago when the other soldiers never showed.
“Everything clear?” Both Manuel and I nodded as Jude opened the door to the office. The smell hit us before we all even took a step inside. I gagged and yanked my knife from my sheath. Jude and Manuel spread out, but both seemed instantly aware where the other was so they could watch their backs.
“Christo,” Manuel muttered. His stance changed and he lowered his arm slightly. Jude took a small flashlight from his pocket and flashed it to the corner of the room. There sat a corpse, twice dead and covered in maggots and flies. I gagged again and stepped back out of the doorway to take a deep breath out of the office. When I returned, Manuel and Jude were standing near the corpse, inspecting what was left of the body with the flashlight.
“Soldier. Probably from Charlotte,” Manuel said. “No way to tell how long he has been here, but can’t be longer than a month, since we were here about thirty-four days ago.” He pointed at the corpse’s hand, still holding a handgun. “Looks like he had been bitten and knew what was coming, so he took his own life.” Jude let out a string of obscenities that i
n other circumstances would have made me raise an eyebrow, but in this instance, I whole heartedly agreed.
“So, the question is, why was he here after all this time, and most importantly, why was he alone?” Jude wondered, out loud. Manuel shrugged.
“Maybe he wasn’t alone. Maybe he had other men with him, but they left him once he became infected?” I offered up. Manuel snorted. Jude shook his head, his lips in a grim line.
“No, if he had men, they wouldn’t have left him even if he was infected. No man left behind. They would have taken care of the situation for him, not left him here to do it himself and then rot in this office. No way.” Jude stated it as fact.
“Okay, so he came alone. Why would he risk coming all this way alone to see if you guys would be here?” I asked to no one in particular.
“He needed help,” Manuel said.
“Something was wrong,” Jude agreed. I shivered. That couldn’t be good. I glanced back over at the body and cringed at the carnage. Blood and brain matter had been blown all over the desk area and wall behind the soldier when he had blown his brains out to avoid becoming one of the undead. I frowned and stepped closer to the body against my own will.
“Flash that light over there.” I pointed to the desk behind the body. “There. What’s that?” I asked breathlessly. Manuel reached over and grabbed a piece of paper that had been pinned to the corkboard and splattered with gore. He handed it to Jude. He held the paper out and used the flashlight to try and make out what it said through the dark splatters.
Jude read the words out loud. I sucked in a breath and stepped back out of the room, the heat was stifling and the odor was overpowering. What the hell did Germain mean? Was it the soldier’s name? Someone’s name at the base? The rest I understood well enough. The Charlotte base had been taken over. But by who? It specifically said under siege, not over run. Not good at all. Jude and Manuel came out of the office just as Ghost and Big Ben joined us in the hallway. Jude related everything to the two soldiers.
“So, what’s the plan now?” I asked. The men all looked at Jude. His fist tightened around the letter he still gripped in his hand and his eyes hardened when he spoke.
“You are all going to go scout for supplies locally and then head back to base. I’m going to Charlotte.” I wasn’t the only person who had a problem with that order.
“No way,” I said through gritted teeth.
“You’re crazy, bro. Ain’t no way I’m letting you go and get yourself killed,” Manuel said as he stepped closer to Jude.
“You’ll all do what I say,” Jude barked out gruffly.
“Like hell I will,” Manuel ground out, his eyes daring Jude to try and make him. “We’ve been through too much for you to act all macho, pulling rank, and sending me home like a little bitch,” he spat. Jude grabbed Manuel by his shirt and slammed him up against the wall so quickly I let out a yelp.
“Jude, don’t,” Ghost said, his hand gripping Jude’s should tightly, to keep him from putting more pressure on Manuel’s throat. Jude loosened his grip just enough to let Manuel breath, but his face was still inches from Manuel’s.
“I will not guide you all into an over run city now that I know our contacts there have been overtaken—probably by some sort of militia. I don’t know what we’d find and I won’t be responsible for leading you all to your deaths … or worse—to your un-deaths.” The muscle in his neck thumped wildly and his eyes bore into Manuel’s. “You will take everyone back to camp. Am I clear?” he snapped. Manuel stared him down for several seconds, his eyes glinting dangerously, before he nodded his agreement. “Good,” Jude breathed before letting him go.
“So, Captain so-freaking-sure-of-himself, what is your plan if you get into Charlotte safely?” I snapped, drawing Jude’s attention back to me. A muscle in his cheek ticked as he stared at me. I crossed my arms over my chest and raised a brow, waiting. Jude sighed and ran a hand roughly over his face.
“I’ll dress down into civilian clothes and try to get into the base and see what I can find out. Like, how many soldiers are there, if there are any civilians being held captive, that sort of thing.” I shook my head and smiled. Jude shot a questioning look at me and then over at Ghost, who was also grinning from ear to ear. “What?” he snapped.
“I hate to break it to you, Jude, but you could wear a pink tutu and call yourself the tooth fairy, but everyone will know you’re military. Changing out of those camo pants and taking off all that gear, sure as hell won’t make a difference.” I smirked when the guys chuckled. “I’d make you as a soldier in a crowd in a heartbeat and I’m not even military. I bet your first word was “hooah”, wasn’t it?” Jude continued to scowl at me, but I pushed on, hoping to get my point across. “I could go with you,” I began.
“No fucking way, Melody,” Jude growled. I ignored him.
“Now, just listen, Jude,” I chided and held up a hand. “Think about it … a single guy looking like you do, would draw attention immediately. They would peg you as military, or at the very least, a threat before you even got in the door. But, if a civilian couple just happen to be needing shelter, well, we would be able to fly under the radar a little easier, since there would be no way I could be military,” I said coaxingly. Jude’s mouth swung open, but Big Ben cut in.
“She’s got a point, Jude,” he grumbled. “You’d be a lot less suspicious as a couple and you’d also have someone there to watch your back.” Jude narrowed his eyes at the big man, but Ben just shrugged. He’d said his two cents.
“I agree,” Manuel mumbled.
“Awe, hell. Not you too,” Jude said with a throw of his arm. Manuel just stared at Jude for a moment before answering.
“If one of us can’t go with you, she’d be the next best thing … she couldn’t have survived alone like she did without having to be one touch little bitch,” Manuel said with grudging admiration. I smiled my thanks at him, even though he did just call me a bitch. Jude paced back and forth for several moments before he sighed heavily and turned to face us.
“Okay, she comes with me,” he agreed. “We’ll eat here and then Melody and I will head south on foot, while you all take the vehicle and head into the town west of here to scavenge for the most necessary supplies and then head back to the base by dark.” The men all nodded their heads. “Good. We’ll rendezvous back here in one week at 0800 hours.” We all sat in the toy store together and ate lunch in relative silence, thinking about everything that could go wrong in the next several hours and over the next several days.
When it was time to go our separate ways, I had to stop myself from giving each of the guys a hug, it seemed my girliness showed itself at the worst times. I opted, instead, for a handshake.
“Alright, you guys head out first and we’ll follow in a few minutes,” Jude said. Manuel held my gaze and I nodded at him in understanding. I would do my best to watch Jude’s back and bring him back safely. It was an odd feeling to think I was going to be responsible for someone else’s safety besides my own for once. It wasn’t an entirely pleasant feeling.
“One week at 0800 hours,” Manuel said as he clasped Jude’s arm. Jude nodded.
“One week at 0800 hours,” he confirmed, with a smile.
And just like that, we were alone and without a vehicle in the middle of an abandoned Toys-R-Us with an uncertain future sprawled out before us.
“HOW LONG DO YOU THINK it will take us to get to Charlotte on foot?” I asked as we walked down the highway side-by-side, both of us hot and sweaty from keeping to a brisk pace for over three hours. Jude shrugged and I groaned.
“Best guess would be about ten hours of uninterrupted walking, but if I take in consideration stopping for breaks and light meals and that I have a civilian with me, I’d say at least twelve hours.” I glanced up at the sky and frowned. If that was the case, then we would walking once darkness fell. Jude noticed my look and smirked. “Don’t worry, I don’t plan on walking in the darkness. We’ll walk until it begins to get dark a
nd then we’ll try to find a secure location to sleep until early morning,” he explained. I smiled at him through gritted teeth. Would have been good to know earlier.
So far we’d lucked out and had only run into small clusters of zombies on our walk. If nothing else, Jude and I made a very effective zombie elimination team. He moved opposite me, his body attuned to my movements as we took on several zombies at once. It was uncanny, but it was very reassuring. As long as we didn’t get cornered or overrun by too many, we were virtually unstoppable.
We slowly approached a particularly cluttered part of highway, instantly on the alert for zombies and other hazards. I instinctually moved toward Jude, finding comfort in the fact that I knew he would have my back no matter how hairy any situation got. We passed several cars with their doors standing open wide, abandoned by whoever had initially inhabited them to travel on foot. Cars and trucks were all parked haphazardly along the stretch of highway bumper-to-bumper. The eerie line up caused the hairs on my neck to prickle in uneasiness. Ahead of us by about half a mile, I could see a huge semi-truck turned over on its side sprawled across the highway with several vehicles rammed into and around it. I could suddenly imagine with severe clarity how the scene must have unfolded during the accident. People in a panic, trying to drive their families out of whatever town or city they’d fled from only to watch helplessly as the huge eighteen wheeler lost control, either by accident, or as a result of the virus, but for whatever reason the truck flipped over, causing a massive pile up on the south-bound highway.
My hand ran along the side of an empty minivan. Had the van held a family with little children? I didn’t peer into the window to find out. I didn’t want to know. Did zombies immediately attack this area during the traffic back up, or did the people get away on foot for the time being? No way to know. I blew out a weary breath and moved along with Jude, who was as silent as death beside me.
State of Decay (Omnibus (Parts 1-4)) Page 8