by Beus, Kris
Hearing my approach he turned and asked, “So what have you found out?”
“They got a setup like ours. A part of the town is walled off to keep the dead out. What we feared seems to be happening. They force the women to have sex and make the men slaves beating them mercilessly. We witnessed one murder just now I had to take a break.” As I spoke my voice cracked from the emotion I felt witnessing the terrible events.
“Yea I was afraid Joseph wasn’t exaggerating. We will put an end to it. Did you spot any weaknesses to their security?” As he asked he looked up at me with curiosity.
“Their security is the same as ours. The front gate is heavily manned, but the rest of the wall has nothing. It would be best if we went in through the back. The wall has many different types of metal all tied or welded to a chain link fence. It should be pretty easy to take down part of it.”
“Good, good, we will assault them from the back. If the wall is chain link we can use The Dozer to ram through the wall. The only problem will be them hearing it so I want to attack at night. Go see if Aaron needs more time to scout.”
I turned slowly heading back up the mountain to where Jaime and Aaron were looking down upon the town. As I approached they asked what Earl said. I told them about the attack plans and asked Aaron if he thought it would work.
“He wants to go in from the back? It may work, but I think there is an even better spot to break through. Grab your scope and look a hundred yards left of the Pawn Shop.”
As I did what he said I saw the part of the fence he was talking about. It was a well hidden area and seemed difficult to get to from inside the town. There was also quite a few building which looked as though they would give good cover.
“Very nice, I will let him know. We need to get started back though. We can’t stay this close tonight. Last night dropped below freezing and I am afraid it will only get colder.”
Aaron and Jaime both shook their heads in agreement and walked with me down the mountain towards Earl. Once we reached him Aaron said, “We need to go set up camp. I was thinking up over on the other side of the ridge so the light can’t be seen from this side. We should also get into the cover of the trees.”
“Good plan, let’s go down a mile or so then cross over the ridge to set up camp.” He stood up grabbing his pack and took lead.
As we began walking up the ridge all of us were walking with a limp. All of the hiking up and down these mountains has really taken its toll. When we reached the top of the mountain we stopped taking a short break. We continued walking along the top of the ridge slowly struggling at each step. The sun was beginning to set and the colors once again let us forget about the pain from hiking. With the cold coming upon us we headed over to the other side of the ridge and down into the trees.
Finding dead wood was no problem and we had a fire started before the sun set completely. The temperature continued to drop even below what it was the night before. We had to get the fire roaring so we would not freeze throughout the night. With the fire we decided to have someone stand guard just in case the fire was spotted or started to die out.
“I will take first shift,” Earl said staring at the fire.
Hesitantly I offered to take second shift then Aaron took third.
“Guess I am fourth,” Jaime said.
“Don’t worry about it, I can finish out the night.” Aaron tried to sound nonchalant when telling her she didn’t need to take a shift even though it was apparent we were all worried about her.
“I don’t need charity, I got cold last night. That doesn’t mean I can’t do what all you do. Wake me up for the final shift.” Jaime was very upset that we would even consider cutting her job.
“Ok will do,” Aaron looked down trying to avoid any confrontation.
Aaron, Jaime, and I all laid down close to the fire with the blanket covering us. Earl was sitting on a downed tree we set up camp close to. The ground was somewhat sloped making it difficult to fall asleep. We forced Jaime to take middle even though she resented it. We fell silent once again all looking upon the sky as the stars began popping up one by one. It was easy to see Jaime’s resentment faded quickly since being placed in the middle and being right next to a fire warmed her up quickly.
After she fell asleep I heard Aaron begin snoring then I shut my eyes.
Chapter 23
I awoke to Earl shaking my shoulder. It was difficult to leave the warmth of our makeshift bed, but I forced myself up and went to sit on the tree Earl had been sitting on. Before waking me up he made sure the fire was well fed. The fire crackled and I found myself hypnotized by the waves of red, orange, and white. My eyes began drooping, but sounds further down the mountain deep in the forest got my heart pumping. It sounded like rocks being smacked together and something running through brush. Sticks snapping were mixed in. The machete Earl had taken out for defense I grabbed and kept my eyes towards the noise.
Looking into the black forest did little to ease my fear. The light from the fire could barely pierce ten feet into the trees. Beyond that shadows danced in the background forcing me to strain my eyes to see if any danger existed. The sounds seemed to be coming from the base of the mountain. They were not getting louder or quieter. It seemed not to be coming closer, but remained close enough to hear. I continued staring out into the darkness my heart pumping. After a couple hours of staring whatever was making the sounds seemed to be moving further and further away. I took in a deep breath of relief and woke Aaron to take my place.
Aaron was a bit grumpy when he awoke, but like me forced himself up taking my place on the tree. I slid under the blanket and placed my hand over Jaime. She woke just for a second then seeing it was me scooted closer. Being able to hold her allowed me to fall asleep quickly. The next morning came quickly and was again very cold. My eyes opened to see Jaime’s face. It filled me with warmth watching her smile down upon me. I helped her wake Earl and Aaron. We cooked a couple cans on the fire. Sitting quietly once again I could hear something on the base of the mountain. This time I was not alone all three of my companions jumped up with fright.
To me the sounds seem closer than they were last night. It sounded as if something was scaling the mountain. Not wanting another attack we decide to pack quickly and begin our trek back to the quarry. We were all sore from the trip, but fear gave us the adrenaline to push past the pain. We were able to climb the ridge much quicker than previously. The sounds of something moving through the forest were beginning to get closer. As we began walking the beast walked into where we camped the night before. Aaron and I stopped and pulled our rifles up.
Peering through the scope I saw what looked like a massive wolf. We were several hundred yards away and could easily hear the grunting noise the beast was making. It had its face down to the ground carefully sniffing every inch of ground. For a second it turned towards us and it was then I got a good visual of the face. The ear had been ripped off and one eye punctured. The other eye had the dead white film which the rest of the undead had. Without turning we slowly began moving toward the part of the ridge we came up. Walking backwards was difficult. My foot hit a loose rock causing it to tumble down the mountain.
Quickly the beast’s ear perked and it turned towards the ridge. Locking onto us it began pursuit in a sprint which seemed so unnatural. Pulling the scope up to my eye I struggled to keep pace with the wolf’s speed. It moved faster than I have ever seen from an animal. Without being able to get a dead lock on the beast I pulled the trigger aiming slightly ahead. The shot rang out and our group held its breath hoping the shot would find its target.
“It was high,” I heard Aaron shout.
His shot rang out next hitting the beast’s hindquarters. The bullet caused the beast to tumble backwards for a few feet, but within an instance its working legs took over. It seemed a little slower, but would still be upon us within a matter of seconds. My gun once again fired with a direct hit to the chest of the beast. A loud whine pierced the mountain side and the bea
st tumbled backwards. It was now only thirty feet away. The entire group held its breath hoping the wolf was dead. A gasp hit us as the wolf slowly climbed to its feet snarling now. It no longer moved as quickly now limping at the speed of a human running. From behind me I heard the pop of Jaime’s small pistol and the cracks of Earl’s large pistol.
Lead filled its body with each piercing bullet and the wolf let out a small whine to match. As the pistol clips emptied into the beast it slowed falling over. It was within five feet now, but lay twitching in the dirt. We all took a breath turned and continued down the ridge. After an hour walk we began hearing the roar of motorcycles coming from the town. We came down a little off the ridge so we would not be spotted easily. With our scoped we saw the patrols out looking for the gunfire. Every few minutes they would pull over and take the binoculars around their necks to scout the mountain ranges around them.
We moved as quickly as possible across the mountain. Bikes would fly past then come back towards the town. As hard as it was we refrained from continuing to stick our heads over the mountain to see if they were coming. It felt like we were cats moving across the ridge. All of us were attempting to move silently. There was not even one whisper and when someone slipped making a noise the rest of the group would turn giving them an awful stare. The day was filled with constant terror. We stopped only once for a break and to eat a can of vegetables.
Coming upon the end of the ridge it was time to descend. The sun had begun falling behind the mountain and unable to light a fire we decided not to rest for the night, but rather head for the truck. With the warmth of the sun gone the frozen air began penetrating us. The only reason we did not freeze was the constant movement slowly down the mountain.
The decent down was lit up by an almost full moon. It was enough light to see the ground, but the light constantly played tricks on our mind. Constant shadows made us drop down and listen. We could not tell if anything lied in wait within the forest. The branches overhead swaying caused the shadows to move. I noticed Earl was struggling losing the majority of his coordination. About half way down the mountain he stopped.
“I can’t fucking stand this!” He screamed and began stripping his clothes.
The rest of us shivering uncontrollably stood in shock watching. As we looked at each other we knew the cold had sunk deep within him. We attempted to dissuade him from stripping. When Aaron attempted to physically stop him Earl punched him in the nose causing him to fall over. Walking behind him I grabbed his arms pulling them behind his back and forced him to the ground. The only thing that remained on him was his underwear.
“It’s hot! Quit trying to stop me or I will kick your ass too.”
I knew he didn’t know what he was staying. Aaron had composed himself and looked at me not knowing how he could help.
Looking at him I said, “We have to make a fire or he is as good as dead.”
He shook his head and began building a fire as quickly as possible. I turned to Jaime and told her to grab the pot and heat some water. She filled the pot and as soon as Aaron lit the fire held the pot over it. The minutes of wrestling and close body contact heated Earl enough for him to gain his composure. Slowly his mind came back into focus and he realized what he had been trying to do.
“Oh god, help me.” He said.
Seeing he was doing better I let him go and helped him put the rest of his clothes back on. He once again began feeling the intensity of the freezing air and began shivering uncontrollably with the rest of us. We all sat close to the fire in an attempt to warm. The water started to boil so Jaime took it away from the fire handing it to Earl.
“Wait a minute before drinking that, you don’t want to burn yourself.” Aaron said this with anger from the recent assault fresh inside him.
Earl shook his head letting us know he understood. Looking up shamefully at Aaron he mumbled, “I am sorry. I had no idea what was happening.”
With the apology the anger dissipated from Aaron’s face and with a smile he said, “I understand.”
All of us sat wary from the long journey. This is the furthest we have pushed ourselves so far and all of us were craving rest. Earl drank some water and his shivering slowly stopped. Seeing he was now doing better than the rest of us he passed the rest of the hot water around and we all took a drink trying to heat ourselves back up. After twenty minutes sitting by a fire we decided to continue heading for the truck.
The moonlight was nearly nonexistent through the dark cover of trees forcing us to move at a snail’s pace. Even though we could not see, the mountain was familiar and finding the truck was easier than we had expected. In the cold night it took a while for the truck to start. All four of us packed into the cab. I drove while the others rested. With the freezing air the bikers were not able to travel far safely. The leather jackets could only hold the cold out so long. With it becoming so cold I wondered how the dead would be reacting. Since there was no movement in the tree lines I guessed they huddled together trying to stay warm or perhaps they continued walking all night to avoid freezing.
The dirt road even though miserable to drive on was a welcome sight. The truck rocked at each hole waking up the other passengers who were able to sleep with the truck heater blasting them in the face. The gate was in view and everything looked ok. There was two men at the gate and a sniper on the tower. Since it was night they walked up to the truck with guns drawn. Once they saw our faces they smiled yelling inside to open up.
The gate opened slowly and we parked the truck.
Earl had come completely back to his senses, “Get some sleep, tomorrow we prepare for war.”
Chapter 24
The sun was beginning to peak up over the quarry walls. Jaime and I walked toward our house my arm around her waist. She was everything to me and made this hellish world we lived in beautiful. I couldn’t imagine how life would be without her. As we walked exchanging glances of pure joy we didn’t need to talk. Anything that could be put into words was showing in our eyes when they would meet.
We stepped inside our house and seeing that Amanda had already left our lips fell together. While kissing her I felt as though we were mixing. I know longer held any individuality, because in that moment nothing separated us. Slowly we moved back to my room and began undressing. This time is was not simply having wild passionate sex, but truly making love. Both of us took our time to enjoy the moment since it could very well be our last. I was on top and very shocked at the stamina all the work in the previous weeks gave me. Our eyes never lost each other. This was the most loving act I had ever experienced.
This time my mind didn’t drift over her body or face. When looking into her eyes it was as if I could see into her soul and she could see mine. The moment came for us and together we released overcome with the feeling of closeness. Slowly I pulled out of her and laid next to her. We held each other and without bothering to get dressed slowly slipped out of reality and into the dream world.
When we awoke together both of us looking at each other and smiled. I was starving and knew she must be to. We got up and got dressed stepping outside the sun was starting to fall. It was easy to understand how we slept so well after what we shared earlier. The kitchen was nearly empty and the cooks had been cleaning up after dinner. The smell was good it had a seared beef hint rather than deer. They looked at us and instantly smiled being able to see love in the most primal form. They waved us in and opened one of the containers they had stored diner in.
The cook grabbed two medieval looking plates and put two large scoops of mashed potatoes on each then large scoops of what looked to be ground beef and gravy on top. We said thanks then went to sit on our log down the road. The sky was lighting up in all colors, but the beauty up there was nothing compared to the beauty sitting next to me. We ate quietly then without notice I blurted out the words, “I am in love with you.”
Shocked at myself I turned away worried that the affection would not be reciprocated. The doubts were put to rest as she pl
aced her arm around my head resting it on my shoulder and saying, “I am in love with you too.”
We ate quickly not having a real meal in quite some time. Earl walked up to us looking a bit tired and walking with a limp perhaps from sleeping on rocks and dirt the last few nights. He sat down a little ways on the log and asked, “Are you guys ready to go tomorrow?”
“I will be,” I said. Jaime simply looked at him and nodded her head.
He smiled and we sat with an attempt to get all the joy of this peace while it lasted. All of us knew exactly what was in store for us tomorrow. It would be insane to think that we could take the town without losing anyone. People in our community would be dying tomorrow.
Earl quietly and slowly stood as he walked away he said, “Come see me in the office to go over our plans.”
He walked down the road leaving us to finish our dinner in peace. Walking back to the kitchen Jaime quietly whispered, “I’m scared.”
Trying to be courageous for her I didn’t admit my fear. I simply gave her a hug and told her I would have her back.
Walking to the security office my heart was pounding. My fear was starting to overwhelm me. By this time tomorrow we would be standing in the middle of that town or lying dead in the street. The office was completely full of guards discussing how to begin the attack. Aaron and Earl were standing pointing out on the map everything we had seen. The room rumbled with questions and worries. The majority of the people in the office had no clue what to expect and feared any type of fight wanting to stay here in a defensive posture.
Aaron went over the two incidents which we saw. He explained that they would rape the women and beat the men to death. There was no possibility of letting them continue.
One man standing against the wall cried out, “You are exaggerating.”