“What’s going on now?” Pam asked.
I put the speaker up to my mouth. “Do you hear that thumping noise?”
It was silent for a moment. “I do. It sounds like it’s behind us.”
I rolled down my window and poked my head out. My gaze focused on North Platte. There were two black dots on the horizon. My mouth dropped open.
“Oh, my god,” I whispered.
The helicopters hovered over the courthouse for a few seconds before the doors on the side flew open and guards with rocket launchers shot their missiles into the town. Flames erupted with a loud whoosh. They circled the buildings and fired until every last one of them was ablaze. My heart leapt into my throat. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the destruction. At least we knew the answer to our question, it was no longer speculation if Florida was going to wipe us off the map.
The choppers finished their circle of the city, which took a few minutes, then headed down the highway toward us. My stomach knotted as they flew over, and I pulled my head back into the cab. Without having to say a word, Quinn started the engine and put the truck into gear. We flew down the road. I kept my eyes on the helicopters in the rearview after they circled back around, headed in the direction they had come from. If they had wanted, they could have followed us, blown us right off the road. I assumed that since they didn’t, they didn’t have any ammo left. But that didn’t make me feel better. They knew we left. It wouldn’t take them long to figure out they didn’t kill anyone in the city. It was only a matter of time before they hunted us. The color drained out of my face, my skin felt prickly and hot. I gazed at Quinn. He was as white as I imagined I was.
“They have helicopters.” It was the only thing I could manage to get out of my mouth. “They have freaking helicopters!”
“I know,” he replied. “This changes the game.” He glanced at me over his shoulder. “We’re screwed.”
CHAPTER 4
We drove around for 4 hours, taking back roads and doubling back on ourselves, just to make sure the helicopters weren’t following us. I kept checking the rearview, but I couldn’t see anything. The last thing we wanted was for Florida to know where we moved to.
They blew North Platte up from the sky, what would stop them from doing that to Dashton?
I was still in shock, still not truly believing what I had seen. Helicopters? It had been years since anything was in the sky. I shouldn’t have been surprised. After all, they did have TV and radio in Florida, along with running water and reliable electricity. Nothing for them had changed; they were still living in luxury. They didn’t have to waste time on surviving and fighting off zombies, they could focus on keeping their technology running.
That was aggravating. They wasted so much valuable time. They could use those resources to fry the undead from the sky. The battle against the walking dead could be taken care of in months. But no, they were too concerned with power and control. They had to hoard their weapons. What jerks.
Again, it was something that probably shouldn’t have surprised me. Back in the day, I used to study and be fascinated with that type of behavior. I wanted to talk to the people who dominated others, figure out why they did it. I still wanted to know why, but there were more pressing matters at hand. Survival being at the top of my list.
The squeak of the brakes and the jerk of the semi as it slowed brought me out of my thoughts. I glanced out the window. Quinn stopped in a tunnel that had been carved through the mountain. We would be safe from sight as long as the helicopters didn’t hover at either end. Either way, it gave us a chance to figure things out.
I stared at him. He sat with his hands folded in his lap, his lips pursed, his gaze meeting mine.
“We’ve got to warn the others,” he stated.
I nodded. “For sure.”
“And not just the people from North Platte. Remember those survivors we found in the mall in Casper?”
I searched my memory. “I do. They were the ones with the mini gun, right?”
“Yeah. Those guys. If the copters head there, they might think they’ve found us and blow them off the map.”
I hadn’t thought about that. In fact, I hadn’t thought about the other survivors since we left. I was so focused on taking down Liet, everything else took a back seat.
But Quinn was right, we had to warn them. We had to give them a fighting chance. Maybe it would be enough for them to join up with us, help us take down Florida. It was probably wishful thinking, but I didn’t have anything else.
I nodded again. “We do. We need to warn them. Let’s take care of him first.” I jerked my head toward the sleeper cabin. “Then we can warn the others.”
Quinn put the truck in gear. “Sounds like a plan.”
I pulled out my walkie talkie and told Pam and Tanya what we were going to do.
***
Dashton was situated high in the mountains, much higher than I expected. The road was narrow and faded. Obviously, no one had been there in a long time. There were fresh marks from the convoy from North Platte, but otherwise it looked abandoned. The town was nestled in a natural bowl in the mountain, a place that had been carved out by glacial erosion. It was surrounded on two sides by the forest. One side was a steep granite cliff that led to the top of the mountain, and the other side was a sheer drop off. The main road was the easiest way in, but it wasn’t the only way. The other routes would have been tricky and required skill, like rock-climbing knowledge. More power to anyone who tried to get in that way. All other routes were extremely treacherous.
The town itself was a cluster of five buildings, the majority of which had been partially knocked down by the weather. It was a textbook example of a ghost town. The convoy parked in the center of town, if you could call it that, and made shelter as best they could in the ruins. They set up tarps and tents to protect them from the howling wind, but it was a losing battle. Winter was right around the corner. How were we going to make it? Yeah, the town was hidden from the rest of the world, even the helicopters would be hard-pressed to find us, but we weren’t going to survive the elements. I trusted Quinn, though. He knew what he was doing.
We pulled into town and jumped down from the cab. Several inhabitants approached us, trying not to complain about the situation but wondering what was going on.
Quinn placed his hands in his back pockets and spit on the ground before speaking. A smile spread across his lips, it irritated some of the others.
“I guess I forgot to tell you the best part about Dashton.”
He walked to a decrepit building built next to the mountain face. He pulled open the door and it clattered onto the ground. A crowd formed around him, arms crossed over their chests and eyebrows furrowed. I stood right next him, trying to figure out what he was doing. He stepped across the small room to the wall at the back.
With a fist, he pounded on the gray wood. It fell over with a creak, stirring up a cloud of dust as it slammed onto the floor. I blinked to get the dirt out of my eyes, then noticed the opening in the rock. I smiled. I knew exactly where it led. It was just like Quinn’s house.
There were tunnels and rooms scattered throughout the mountain. Not only would it be relief from the elements, but it would be definite protection from Florida and the zombies. I looked at the crowd. Their mouths hung open in shock.
“We can work on getting the buildings habitable until the snow comes. The caves will be a temporary home until that is done.” He nodded into the darkness. “I doubt there’s anything in there, but we’d better do a sweep just in case. You have your flashlight?”
I grabbed the flashlight off my belt, and I pulled the gun out of the holster on my hip. Six of us headed in.
Several others wanted to go, but we didn’t want too many people in there. It was going to be dark, sounds were going to echo, and no one wanted to get accidentally shot. Having the other four in there with us made me nervous enough, I didn’t know how itchy their trigger fingers were. I knew how to clear an area with
Quinn, and I knew he wouldn’t shoot me. But he insisted. The network of caves was large with several tunnels and offshoots; we needed several people to watch our backs. What other choice did I have? I relented.
I took a deep breath and stepped into the cave. The air was cool, and dripping water echoed through the space. Our flashlight beams bounced off the black walls. I couldn’t imagine there were any zombies in the cave.
How would they have gotten so far up the mountain? There wasn’t a food source around. I imagined one of the people behind me being overly skittish, jumping at every sound and accidentally shooting one of us. I glanced over my shoulder, just in case.
As we proceeded into the cave, it opened up into a huge room. Seriously, we could have parked three semis in there and stacked two on top of each other. There were several other caves that led off in different directions. As I shone the light around, I counted six. I also noticed some markings on the walls, blue and red triangles. They were faded, but I knew someone put them there. We congregated in the middle of the room, forming a circle per Quinn’s instructions.
“Some of these tunnels go for miles,” he whispered, “but they come out next to towns and cities. It’s possible a zombie could have fallen in and is wandering around. You need to remain vigilant and keep your eyes and ears open. The tunnels marked with blue triangles lead to different chambers, rooms with no outlets. The ones marked with red triangles lead out. There are three that lead out. We will head down in teams of two. Check your targets before firing. After you’ve finished your search and headed back, go outside. You don’t need to hang out in the cave. We don’t need anyone getting shot. Understand?”
He shined his light in each of our faces and we nodded our understanding. Quinn then proceeded to give us each our assignment. Naturally, we were together. I looked forward to being in the dark with him. It had been a while since we had the opportunity to be alone. Keeping the survivors of North Platte happy and making sure they were working was a full-time job. I knew exactly why Liet was so stressed out all the time.
As we stepped into the tunnel, the walls narrowed and the ceiling got lower. If I stretched my arms out to the side, my elbows slightly bent, I could touch both walls. I could barely touch the ceiling with my head by standing on my tiptoes.
For whatever reason, Quinn insisted on going in before me. I think it was some type of chivalric display, which was flattering, but I could take care of myself. However, since I didn’t think we were going to run into any zombies, I didn’t mind being at the back. It gave me a chance to relax a little. When we were 15 steps into the cave, I grabbed the back of his shirt. He spun around quickly, shining his light into my eyes.
“What?” he hissed. “What’s wrong?”
I pushed the beam out of my face as I holstered my gun, stepping closer to Quinn. I wrapped my arm around his neck.
“Nothing,” I said in the sexiest whisper I could muster. “I just thought we could spend a little alone time.”
I saw the smile on his face before he wrapped his arms around my waist and directed the light behind me. His lips connected with mine, and we kissed in the dark for a while. I wished the moment wouldn’t end. I liked being with him, feeling his lips and the heat from his body. I liked not having to worry about zombies or helicopters or crazy families from Florida. I was just about to lose myself in the moment, to let all my guards down and relax, when a hissing sound echoed through the cave. We pulled away at the same time. We still held onto each other, but our heads were cocked to opposite sides, listening.
The hiss sounded again, a long release of air with a slight whistle to it, as if coming from between someone’s teeth. It was followed by a rock clunking onto the floor and a shuffling sound. Quinn turned and shone the flashlight down the hall. I directed my light back the way we came, hoping it was just one of the others who had gotten lost. Unfortunately, I didn’t see anything. I stepped back so I was in contact with Quinn and pulled my gun out.
“Do you see anything?” I asked over my shoulder.
“No. But let’s keep moving forward.”
I turned and placed my hand on the small of his back, my head bent to the side so I could see around his body. The hiss sounded again, followed by the shuffling, then followed by a grunt and a click. Was it an animal? It had to be. There was no way a zombie could get in here. No way. We continued forward.
The cave narrowed and turned to the right. Quinn pressed himself against the wall and shone his light around the corner. I couldn’t see what was there, but from the way he jerked his light back, I knew it wasn’t good. He illuminated himself and signaled for me to press against the wall. Scowling, I did as I was told, and he moved around the corner. The crack of the gun was deafening. Instantly, my ears rang and felt numb. I opened and closed my jaw, hoping the motion would help me hear again. It didn’t work. Quinn grabbed my arm and pulled me around the wall.
I saw something in his beam, what looked like a human crumpled on the ground. As we drew closer, Quinn slowed. He shone his light down the tunnel before toeing the corpse in front of us. It didn’t move, so he stepped over it. I lingered, shining my light on the body. It was a woman, with long black hair that hung in greasy clumps. Her face was ashen, her cheeks sunken in. Her lips were pulled back, making it appear as if she had a permanent snarl. She wore a dark gray suit and purple shirt. The clothes weren’t all that tattered, just a little dirty with a few tears, and all of the exposed skin seemed to be intact. She hadn’t been undead for long. The bullet hole entered just below her left eye, discontinuing her endless and pointless walk on the earth. I stepped over her and followed Quinn.
We continued through to the end of the tunnel. It took us forever. Wandering around in the dark with no way to look at your watch or figure out how far you’ve walked is a bit disconcerting. I thought for sure we’d be trapped in the mountain for the rest of our lives. I was just about to open my mouth and say something when I felt a cool breeze. The tunnel also seemed to get lighter.
I had my hand on the small of Quinn’s back, and I pushed up to my tiptoes, hoping to look over his shoulder.
“Hey, calm down,” he called to me. “I don’t want to rush out there without knowing what we’re getting into.”
I lowered myself, not realizing I had been pushing on him. “Sorry.”
He continued walking.
When we were close to the opening, we slowed and pressed our backs against the wall. We side-stepped cautiously to the entrance. My shoulder hit a couple of protruding rocks, sending waves of pain through my back. I winced. I hated that I still wore a sling. I hated that I would be in one for several more weeks. I cursed Liet in my mind. I wouldn’t have been in that situation if it weren’t for him. I shook my head, an attempt to clear the thoughts. We had a job to do, and thinking about the past wouldn’t help. We continued through the tunnel.
We reached the end, and Quinn signaled for me to say back. He poked his head around both sides of the opening, taking in the area. From my vantage point, I could see pine trees and nothing else. He jerked his head to the side, and we stepped into the fresh air. The ground was mostly level. I don’t know why, but I half expected to walk out onto a thin ledge, the mountain falling away beneath us. I figured we would have to carefully shimmy our way to the side, praying and hoping we didn’t slip into oblivion. However, with the forest stretched out before us, it made a lot more sense of how the zombie would have gotten into the cave. We took a few steps farther into the trees.
A bird twittered overhead, followed by a flap of wings. A squirrel chattered in the distance, and a twig snapped. None of it concerned me, but I kept a vigilant eye out. It was too easy for things to sneak up on you in the trees. I was under the impression that the zombie was a fluke occurrence. I didn’t see any towns or habitations, so how did it get into the cave? More birds flew over, tweeting as if everything was normal. I lowered my gun and removed my hand from Quinn’s back. He took a couple more steps, then stopped, turning to face me.
He glanced at something over my shoulder. His eyes went wide and his jaw dropped open.
It was one of the moments from a horror film. From his reaction, I knew I didn’t want to turn around, but I also wanted to face my attacker. I hoped it was a bear.
Please let it be a bear. I turned. Right next to the tunnel opening was another zombie. This one was an older man, his hair gray, his black dress pants shredded to the knee. Half of his white, button-up shirt was untucked, the rest of it covered in dirt. Like the woman in the cave, his skin was pretty much intact, except for the chunk that had been ripped out of his neck. He turned his glassy eyes toward us, his mouth opened. Before he could moan, I raised my gun and shot. The bullet tore through his jaw, exploding his head on the rocks behind him. His body crumpled to the ground. I looked at Quinn.
“Where are they coming from?”
He shook his head and scanned the trees. “I don’t know. There has to be some kind of town around here. Unfortunately, we don’t have time to find it right now.” He gestured with his eyes toward the sky. “The sun will be going down in a few hours, and we need to block this opening. We don’t want anything surprising us in the middle of the night.”
I glanced from him to the cave to the trees. My throat felt tight. I still couldn’t understand why there were zombies that far up the mountain. And why did they look so fresh? Most of the zombies we ran into had been turned years ago. Their clothes were extremely tattered and decomposition was setting in. These ones looked like they had only been wandering for months. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe the cool mountain air kept them preserved. God, I hoped the cool mountain air preserved them.
“Why don’t we just do a sweep? See if we can find their source. We still have a few hours.”
He shook his head. “We don’t know how long it’s going to take or how many there are. There’s only two of us, and you’re wounded. I think it’s best if I get some of the guys to help me block off this opening, then they can do a search while we head to Casper.”
Life After The Undead Omnibus Page 28