by Gallier, TW
"What the hell is that?" Ralph asked.
A ten foot cyclone fence stood before us. It looked like forest beyond. It took me a moment to realize what was behind that fence.
"The river."
"I bet the zombies don't bother climbing that fence," Olivia said.
That was all of the encouragement we needed. Slinging our rifles as we ran across the street, we jumped up on the fence and started climbing. All our lives we joked that Olivia was a spider monkey in a previous life, because that girl could climb anything. She was straddling the top before I was halfway up. Ralph struggled with the heavy pack, so she reached down and pulled up on the pack to help him. He actually passed me on the way up.
Ralph shed the pack and dropped it on the other side before we climbed down. Zombies plowed into the fence almost before we reached the ground. I actually pushed off to land on my butt to avoid them.
"And of course they are going to climb over," Ralph muttered as he grabbed the pack and followed me into the woods.
We rushed through the woods. The ground sloped downward. It wasn't long before we heard the frogs and crickets that lived along the riverbanks. After the relative quiet of the city, the riverbank sounded as loud as a crowd at a football game.
There were gravel-paved trails woven through the woods along the river, so we figured out it was some kind of nature park. Then we reached the river.
It was a deep, rain-swollen river. Even in the dark I could see and hear how treacherous it would be to swim in.
"We can't swim across that."
Chapter 13
"Look. Over there," I said. "A marina."
I was being generous. There was a small shack or kiosk with a dozen john boats, canoes, and kayaks. There wasn't even a pier. The boats were all pulled completely up onto the grassy shore.
The river was between twenty and thirty yards wide, but it appeared deep and fast. Recent rains had it swollen above its regular banks, so that I could see currents rolling to its surface. I wasn't even sure we could wade out into it without being swept away.
Zombies started appearing in ones and twos in all directions. I heard more rustling in the woods. We ran to the marina's storage shed.
Ralph busted open the door and we grabbed paddles and some of those seat cushions that act as life preservers. We tossed them, our weapons, and the pack into the john boat closest to the water. The three of us struggled to slide it into the water, just a few feet ahead of the zombies.
"Wow, that was close," Olivia said.
We weren't even paddling, but the current took us out to the middle of the river. Zombies were trying to pace us along the shore, but the current was too fast and they were getting bogged down in the mud. In no time we were out of sight of them.
"Damn, look at that fire," I said, standing up in the boat.
The high-rise fire was lighting up the sky. We could see the top few floors from our location. The entire building was engulfed, with flames coming out of all windows and balconies. Thick smoke billowed high into the sky. All I thought about were those poor people. I couldn't shake the feeling it was our fault. Scott would've never snuck out like that if we hadn't mentioned using car batteries for the radio.
"Do you guys want to start paddling or something?" Olivia asked. "I don't like being out of control like this."
That brought me back to reality. The boat was approaching a stretch of rolling water. Had to admit, it was more than a little scary. There was also a lot of debris in the water, including small trees. On top of that, there were zombies in scattered groups all along the river, staring hungrily at us as we passed. I was pretty sure there were a lot more hidden in the dark.
The john boat had three bench seats, front, middle, back. I sat in front, Olivia in the middle, and Ralph way in back. Not the optimal paddling positions, so Olivia moved forward to be our lookout, while Ralph and I moved to the middle seat to paddle. He sat to the right and I got the left. It was easy to get control of the boat, though we really only guided it. The current did all of the real work.
"We're going the wrong direction," Ralph said.
"Really? I think downriver is the only direction we can go without a motor," I replied.
"I mean we need to go south-west, but this river is going south-east."
He was right. Pulling up on shore was out of the question until we were past the zombies. I figured we'd be good to go ashore once past the city limits.
"It'll be light in an hour or so," I said. "We'll probably be past the city, too. We can decide what to do then."
After a short time we figured out one person with a paddle could control the boat well. So Ralph continued paddling, while I moved to the back seat with the pack to start reloading all of our magazines. I started with my own, of course. I then filled up all of Ralph's and Olivia's empties. By that time pre-dawn was lighting up our surroundings a little.
Once we passed out of the city, as expected, the zombie population faded away. We started looking for a good place to stop. It wasn't going to be as easy as it sounded. Outside of the city the riverbanks were wild. Lots of willows and other trees lined the river, and most were flooded at the time. We had to find an open place that wasn't swamp.
"Bet there are alligators all along those banks," Ralph said ominously.
"Shut up," Olivia cried.
I shook my head. As much as I enjoyed teasing her, too, she might've already been stressed out too much. Besides, I thought we were too far north for alligators. But Ralph wasn't finished with her.
"And cottonmouth water moccasins."
"Seriously, dork, I'm going to hurt you."
"While you're looking for cottonmouths, Ralph, a rotten-toothed zombie will probably eat you," I said. "Let's concentrate on the real threat. We've been stomping in and around rivers for two weeks and haven't seen more than a handful of snakes, and no gators."
"How many zombies do you think it'll take to take down an alligator?" he asked. "Personally, I doubt a single gator will ever be killed by zombies, but some of them might get eaten by gators."
Being geeks, we spent the better part of an hour discussing it while breakfasting on Ritz crackers and a can of tuna fish. In the end we decided it was a mute point, since a gator would jump in the water at the first sign of trouble and zombies wouldn't go into the water. Took us an hour to get there.
Turning our full attention to something stupid was a welcome relief. Better than a nap. The sun rose during that time, so we could see our surroundings. It also got sweltering hot and muggy really fast.
"At least the mosquitoes have let up," Olivia said. She pointed downriver. "There's a water tower, so this river may go through a small town up ahead."
Built up areas meant the possibility for survivors and zombies. None of us were keen on meeting either. The need to find a good landing spot became paramount. And then the gunfire started.
Every one of us dropped flat to the bottom of the boat. The gunfire continued, but sporadically. One or two shots every minute or two echoed through the early morning air. We took only a moment to realize we weren't being shot at, so could sit up again.
"We're just going to get wet," I said. Picking up a paddle, I sat next to Ralph. "Olivia, find us a good place to land."
We were in a heavily wooded stretch of river. The water was up high enough to flood the forest. I suspected we'd have to pull up to the trees and wade the rest of the way. Ralph and I started moving the boat out of the current and closer to the west bank.
"Road up ahead," she said. "Probably a dirt road or landing ramp."
That assessment proved correct. It was a muddy, rutted road cutting down through the trees. The only purpose I could see was the landowner wanted a place to launch his boat. So it was perfect for us.
The water calmed and slowed as we drew closer to the bank. We easily turned up that flooded road, and found dry land just a dozen feet in. The ground rose at a pretty steep grade, with the roof of a house just visible from the river.<
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We left the boat half in the water and untied, just in case we had to make a quick escape. Olivia took the pack, so Ralph and I led the way up the mostly overgrown dirt road. We snuck up to the house as quietly as possible, only to find it long abandoned and the roof caving in. The ceilings were still intact in the kitchen, but nowhere else. No one had lived there in decades, though it looked like some kids had used it to party in. There were some faded rock and roll posters and graffiti on the walls, not to mention discarded beer cans inside and out.
"Rally point," Ralph said.
There was nothing there for us, so we continued up that road. In places it was almost completely washed away. There were trees ten and fifteen feet tall growing on it in places.
"Shh," I said, dropping to one knee.
The others followed my example. Something was moving through the woods to our right front. It sounded like they were headed south.
"Zombies," Olivia whispered.
With fingers on triggers, we moved into the trees as quietly as possible. Zombies never tried to be quiet. We saw them about a hundred yards up the road when they stopped to look up and down it. Even their simple brains could work out that no one had used that road in a long time, so they continued south.
Once the forest was quiet again, we stealthily continued westward. The road turned away from us. I lost track of time, but it was probably an hour or two before we paused to rest.
"You think we should veer a little more to the south?" Ralph asked.
It was hard to stay on course. At different times we were heading due south, due west, and even northward. We were slaves to the terrain. Still, I thought overall we had a good southwest bearing. Since I wasn't sure exactly where we were, it was hard to decide if we needed to veer more to the south or not.
"Shh," Olivia said.
I held my breath listening. Someone was shuffling through the forest toward us, and was close. Too close to get away without being heard, so I motioned for Olivia and Ralph to move off to either side. I stood up in front of the pack, pulled my machete and waited.
I was the bait, so prayed there weren't too many.
For once my prayers were answered and a single zombie came rushing toward me. He only had eyes for me. Very angry eyes. I moved into a fighting stance, machete high and back.
I surged forward to meet him. My friends converged on us at the same time. The zombie stumbled when he noticed the others, which made me miss when I swung at his neck. The zombie plowed into me head first.
I dropped my machete in a desperate play to keep his gnashing teeth away from me. One hand grabbed a fistful of hair, while the other squeezed his neck. Kicking and writhing, I tried to get out from under him. He wailed and clawed at me.
"Don't hit Kyle!" Olivia cried when Ralph started hacking at the zombie's upper back and neck, very close to my hands. She tried to thrust her machete into his heart, but she couldn't penetrate past his ribs. "Drag him off by his feet!"
That worked since he turned away from me the second they grabbed his feet. I had my pistol out the second I rolled to one knee, but Ralph whacked his head off before I fired. The pistol fell from my hand as violent shakes overcame me. Olivia was on me in an instant checking for wounds, for bites.
"Did he bite you?" she kept asking.
"No. No, I'm fine," I stammered. "Shit, that was close."
Olivia was crying and Ralph looked white as ghost. That might have been the most freaked out I'd been in the last couple weeks.
"We made too much noise," I finally managed to say, struggling to my feet. "We have to get out of here fast."
I shouldered the pack despite Olivia's protests. Heading southwest, I moved as quickly and quietly as I could. It wasn't long before we came to a black top road, just a hundred feet from an intersection.
Ralph pointed at it, "Rally – "
Zombies charged us. I never saw them. Olivia cried out. Ralph cursed. I still had the machete in hand so just slashed left and right almost without thought. Walkers fell dead all around us, but more came rushing in.
I didn't know if it was Ralph or Olivia, but one of them starting shooting. I looked all around frantically. To the south of us was open pasture. To the north and west, across the road, was more forest rising steeply up a hill. Ralph was swinging his machete in the middle of the road, with his pistol in his left hand. Olivia was pushed a good twenty feet to the south for us, way too many zombies forcing her back, back, back away from me.
"Run back into the woods!" I shouted.
I waited to make sure they followed my instructions. Ralph crossed the street, ducked through the barbed wire fence, and then vanished into the woods. Those were not the woods I meant. Frantic, I looked for Olivia, but more zombies pressed their attack on me. I pulled my pistol and three shots to the head, and that gave me some breathing room. I managed to just catch a glimpse of Olivia forced backwards into the wood line on my side of the road.
"They're going in two directions," I shouted to the uncaring heavens.
More zombies were coming toward me and from both directions, I ran back the way we'd come. I prayed Ralph was just trying to lose the zombies after him, and that he'd circle back around to us. I veered more southward and tried heading toward Olivia.
There were more of them in the woods. It was all I could do to fight them off, so I started back toward the last rally point. Ralph drilled those rally points into our heads ad nauseam. I prayed they remembered in the heat of battle.
I'm not sure how long it took me to break free of the zombies and lose them. My friends hadn't converged with me in the woods. So I stopped, huffing and puffing, trying desperately to breathe quieter so I could hear them.
There was rushing of feet all around me just out of sight. It was so loud it had to be zombies. Ralph and Olivia would try to be quiet, so how was I supposed to locate them? How was I supposed to know if they even heard me and followed? What a miserable feeling. My blood ran cold as one thought fill my mind. Olivia surrounded by zombies, fighting for her life.
"Oh god, Olivia, please be all right."
Chapter 14
I got lost. It was almost dark before I found our last rally point. Approaching that tumbledown house, I prayed Olivia and Ralph were there waiting for me. It took me so long I had to be the last one to arrive.
There was no sign of life. That was actually a good thing. If zombies ever learned how to be stealthy we were doomed. So I checked the ground for footsteps and other signs of recent activity in the area. I found our original tracks on the old road, and around the house. No other sign anyone had passed through.
"Olivia? Ralph?" I whispered loudly through a window. "It's Kyle."
No response.
I couldn't stop it. I started shaking. If they weren't there yet, then…
"Can't think that way," I muttered. So I moved to another window. "Olivia? Ralph?"
After circling the house, I went inside and looked for them. Nothing. So I checked the tumbledown outbuildings. There wasn't much hope I'd find them but I had to look. It was dark by the time I searched everything.
Logic said I had to stay and wait. But all I could think about was Olivia out there all alone, lost, maybe hurt. I wanted to go look for her, but where? Which way did she go?
My mind wouldn't even let me think that she was dead or turned into a zombie.
"They'll probably show up at any moment, mocking me for being worried," I whispered.
I moved to the thick underbrush between the house and the road. Setting the pack down, I sat and leaned back against it. All I could do was wait, watch, and listen. Everything depended on them coming back to that rally point. And then I had a horrible thought.
"What if they are waiting for me at the intersection?"
Ralph was in the middle of declaring it a rally point. What if they thought that was the last rally point? What if they thought I was dead or a zombie because I wasn't there?
If they're not here by sunrise, I'll go to the int
ersection, I thought. But what if they're coming here, but had to lay low overnight?
Second guessing myself was my lifelong curse. I thought I'd done well since the zombie apocalypse started. Now I was a mess.
A scuffing sound, like a boot in gravel, made my heart race. Taking deep breaths, I slowly, quietly lay down on my belly. Finger on trigger, I watched intently in the direction the sound came. A moment later I heard a snap.
"Please god. Please god," I whispered over and over.
First it was dark shape, slow and hesitant. The person was crouched over, rifle in hand. Was that a helmet on his head? Her head?
"O-Olivia?"
"Kyle?"
I was on my feet in a flash. She ran toward me and we smashed into each other. We hugged and kissed, holding each other so tight. Tears flowed and I think I might've giggled.
After calming down, I was able to think straight. My hands were all over her. I needed to touch her, while checking for any injuries. I accidently knocked the helmet liner off her head, grabbed her hair, and kissed her again.
"I was so scared that…" I couldn't finish.
Her hands were checking me out, too. She rested her head on my chest and just hugged me tightly.
"Me, too," she said. "Is Ralph here?"
"He's not with you?" I replied, looking around.
She was alone. I felt sick again.
"What took you so long?" I asked. "Maybe he's having the same problem."
"I got lost," she said. "They chased me for a couple hours, at least. I didn't have the foggiest idea where I was, I was exhausted, and I really didn't want to go back the way I came."
I hadn't thought about that. Ralph was chased across the street. God only knew how long it took him to escape the zombies. Hell, I was chased or lost all day, too.
"Do you have any water?" Olivia asked. "I’m dying of thirst."
My canteen was empty. I'd finished it off hours earlier, but had forgotten about it. Suddenly, I was thirsty, too. So we went down to the river and filled our canteens. The boat was still there and so tempting. Zombies couldn't touch us out on the river.