It was a salvage party from a little walled settlement called Gallatin. They were good men and quickly made room for the pair in their overloaded pickup truck. The mayor of the town greeted them warmly and when he found out she was a nurse, he immediately asked her to stay.
“We can help you get to Lakota,” he promised. “We’ll send one of our trucks out to tow yours here but can you help us out for a little while? A few weeks, maybe? We could really use someone of your skills, all we have now is an EMT. He knows a little but you know as well as I do, their job was to stabilize a patient just long enough to get them to somebody like you. Please say you’ll stay with us for a spell, at least long enough to get him trained up some.”
The mayor gave them a nice house and once she saw the dismal state of the doctor’s office, she rolled up her sleeves and got busy. Babies were sick, broken bones had healed badly and the EMT didn’t have any idea what kind of medicine to prescribe. It was a ranching town and there was a steady stream of minor injuries and sprains and stomped feet to attend to. An old retired history teacher had dusted out a few of the rooms at the courthouse and held classes for the dozen or so kids in town. A few weeks turned into a few months and they forgot about going to Lakota. Her mom was needed here and had become an important member of the community. It wasn’t so bad. Probably not as nice as the capital city but it was better than living rough in the cabin. At least they had electricity and there were people to talk to.
Gallatin seemed like a nice place at first but it had a dark side that they slowly found out about. Before the fall, her mom never would have shared anything she knew with her, she was just a kid. Their months in isolation, all the hard work and closeness had changed that. What mom said was still law but they were more than mother and daughter now. They were survivors and best friends. Lately her mom had told her not to wander by herself so much and to stay away from the men that traveled with the mayor.
“And I want you back inside the house with the doors locked before dark, you understand?” she’d said in her mom voice.
“Why? What’s wrong?” Kassie asked
“I’m not sure” Linda had answered. “But something is. People won’t talk to me, I’m still an outsider but everything seems to be changing. The Mayor is new, they say he took over only a few weeks before we arrived. The other mayor, the one that built this town and saved most of the people, had an accident and Mr. Moretz stepped in. I’m getting a whole Macon County line kind of vibe.”
“A what?” Kassie asked.
“Nothing, Honey. An old movie about a bad cop. Maybe I’m being paranoid. Times have changed, things aren’t the way they once were. The sheriff and his deputies aren’t afraid to use their clubs if one of the cowboys gets drunk and rowdy. They would have been fired for that kind of behavior before. Maybe even face a little jail time. They broke Bobby McClauson’s jaw for mouthing off to them. I don’t think they should be so hard on people if they aren’t hurting anyone and Bobby was just being Bobby. Rip roaring drunk on a Friday night after a week of being outside the walls tending the cattle. He was just blowing off steam.”
Kassie shrugged off her mom’s concerns but promised to be home before dark. Everyone was nice to her but when she considered it, maybe a little too nice. If she didn’t know better, she might think the sheriff had been flirting with her the last time she passed him and his men hanging out in front of the police station. She hadn’t thought much of it but laying in her bed and going back over the encounter, he had seemed a little too touchy, a little too complimentary on how pretty she was getting to be, telling her she was all grown up. He couldn’t have been flirting, though. Gross. She shivered at the thought of it. He was just being nice; he was old enough to be her dad.
She sipped on her hot chocolate, drummed her feet on the wall and figured she’d better get moving if she wanted to finish her lap around the perimeter before school started. Mrs. Daughtery was old and grumpy and she was quick to hand out extra assignments if you were late. The wall was nearly three miles long and it might have been easier on her feet to jog the dirt path that circled the inside of it but there was no view down there. Just ugly metal walls. Up here, she could watch the world change from gray to vibrant. She could hear the birds sing when she passed the wooded areas, the cows lowing when she passed the stockyards and smell the pigs and rot when she jogged past them. They were penned near the garbage pit and if the wind was blowing the wrong way, the stench could be strong on top of the wall. She usually increased her pace a little during that part of the run. She wanted to keep in shape, she felt like she was getting fat and lazy inside the walls. After a winter of roughing it and depending on themselves, city living was making her soft.
She heard a burst of gunfire somewhere to the north and she didn’t think much of it. Gunfire wasn’t uncommon to hear. She’d flinched the first few times but now it only made her curious. Salvage crews or hunting parties were always going out and when the undead chased them down the road the deputies gunned them down from the top of the walls. The echo of the shots died away, they were too far away to be from the guards, and she heard a distant roar unlike anything she’d ever heard. Coffee’s ears perked up he started barking a warning. A cold shiver ran down her back.
6
Tribe
Northern Missouri
They crossed into Missouri without fanfare. Their bellies were full, and their saddlebags stuffed with supplies. Every town they passed through was a dead and silent. Bones and corpses littered the streets where someone had cleaned out the remaining zombies. They didn’t find stores filled with goods, the people that killed the zombies had beaten them to it, but they scrounged enough from the houses to last for days if they were careful. They were getting close, another day, maybe two at the most would put them in Gallatin. They were sure the townspeople were the ones killing off the undead and gathering all the supplies.
As darkness fell, they came across a farm on the edge of a large parcel of undeveloped forested land along a river. Swan and Donny both disappeared into it with promises of fresh meat. They knew how to hunt the woodlands. They managed to bring in four deer during the night. Each was certain they’d outdone the other and they argued over who was the most skilled. Donny’s fingers flew in the pidgin sign language he used while Swan shook her head in amused disagreement. Sure, they’d killed two deer each but one of Swan’s was bigger than either of Donny’s.
“You just don’t want to admit I’m better.” She said.
Size doesn’t matter, you can’t eat antlers. Donny signed.
The deer were swiftly processed by the eager kids. Most of the meat went to the carnivores. A shoulder or haunch went to the panther and four wolves while the rest of the deer were divided amongst the three bears. After a series of warning growls, the hungry animals dragged their meals away from the rest to feast.
Tobias and Analise had the tenderloins and back straps frying in a skillet over a campfire. Sliced, floured, salted and dropped in hot grease, they gave off an amazing smell. Another pot filled with potatoes boiled away next to it. Canned fruit sat divided up in bowls on an old wire spool that Kodiak had found near a barn. They’d even managed to find some snack size packs of Jell-O and a couple of candy bars. It was going to be the best meal they’d eaten since leaving Piedmont and anticipation was high.
Bert was happy to have trees again where he could graze at his discretion, while Ziggy worked her way through a patch of sunflowers, plucking any seeds and bugs from the dead stalks that caught her eye.
Vanessa was exploring the empty house they’d sheltered in. She beamed at the others and held up two rolls of toilet paper. One of her bags was stuffed full with it but she collected it at every opportunity.
While they were waiting for breakfast, Kodiak and Harper sat with their backs against a tree sipping water from their canteens.
“What do you think it will be like?” She asked.
“I dunno.” He shrugged. “Bob said most of the towns were r
eally nice. Electricity and everything. We’ll see. We should be there in a few hours if I’m reading the map right. I hope they have pizza and ice cream.”
“You think they’ll give us some?” she asked “We don’t have any money and if we did, I doubt if they still use it.”
“I guess we’ll find out.” Kodiak said. “I hadn’t really thought about it. Maybe we can work a little, cut some firewood or something.”
“Or maybe do an impromptu circus act.” She said and sat up, excited. “Otis still knows some tricks from his Vegas days doesn’t he? And Ziggy does the laser pointer thing and I bet nobody’s seen anything like the twins riding around on polar bears. This could be fun!”
Kodiak rubbed his chin and smiled.
“You might be on to something.” He said. “We’ll have to talk to the others, see what they think.”
Harper pointed at Otis and giggled. “He’ll have to get over his shyness, I’ve never seen an animal go so far away to go to the bathroom.”
Otis had wandered to the top of a hill and was doing his business. The big bear didn’t like an audience when nature called. His arched back was silhouetted against the morning sky.
Kodiak couldn’t help but laugh. “Believe me, he’s doing us all a big favor by getting far away before he does that.”
“Yeah, thank goodness.” Analise said. “C’mon, foods ready.”
Harper and Kodiak stood and started towards the makeshift table when the sound of gunfire shattered the morning’s calm. Otis roared and slumped to the ground as the children stood frozen to the spot for a second.
“NO!’ Kodiak screamed and sprinted up the rise where his friend had fallen.
7
Gunshot
The strips of meat still frying in the pan were forgotten as children scrambled for weapons. Kodiak tore his way up the hill, war hammer still in his fist. The bear was on his side and moaning. He heard the rumble of an engine getting closer and turned it up to eleven. He ran faster and harder than he ever had in his life. He heard the slamming of doors and the excited chatter from men. The rest of the tribe wasn’t far behind, he heard the twins jump on their polar bears and the ground shook as they thundered up behind him. He reached Otis and dropped to his knees, skidding to a stop beside his friend.
“Drop the guns you bastard sons of bitches!” Swan yelled. She held her bow at full draw on someone Kodiak couldn’t see yet. She was backed up by a chorus of growling, snarling wolves, crouched low, fangs bared, ready to attack.
Tobias and Analise crested the rise in full battle rattle astride magnificent thousand-pound white beasts, saw bladed axes in their hands and murder on their faces. They reined the bears and Popsicle roared a threat at the intruders, his neck extended and long sharp fangs showing. The wound on Otis’s shoulder was bad, it poured blood but there wasn’t any frothing from his nostrils or mouth. It had hit high and wide if they were aiming for his heart. Kodiak raged, his skin burned hot and fury threatened to consume him as he stared at the three dumfounded men standing rooted to the spot some twenty yards away. They didn’t know where to look first, they thought they had gotten lucky and were going to have bear steak for dinner. Things had changed quickly. Now there was a savage looking Indian girl, her face painted for war, ready to put an arrow into one of them. She had a pack of wolves by her side, ready to pounce. On the other side of them a samurai had a spear cocked and an inky black panther curled his lips, showed them long, white fangs. Something was circling around behind them in the woods and they only caught glimpses but it looked like an African warrior riding an ostrich, machetes in her hands and ready to charge. On top of the hill, where the giant grizzly had fallen, were two albino children with long white hair with Gaelic runes tattooed on their skin. They were tiny astride the great polar bears they were on. The boy who had knelt over the bear stood and they took a step back. A little closer to the safety of their truck. He wore battle scared armor and had feathers and beads in his hair. His face was terrible to behold, its anger pure and undiluted. He tightened his grip on a bloody war hammer and started down the hill towards them.
The men didn’t think to raise their guns, they knew the animals would tear them apart if they opened fire.
Another girl, no older than fourteen of fifteen placed a calming hand on the boy’s shoulder. She looked just as fierce with her roughly tanned leather cuirass and bracers but her face didn’t hold the violence his did. She saw how it had been a mistake and no more blood needed to be spilled.
“I, I, I’m sorry.” The man stuttered. “We didn’t know. I thought he was wild.”
Kodiak couldn’t speak, he didn’t trust any words that may come out of his mouth. He wanted to kill them, crush their skulls and grind their bones but Harper’s hand stayed his rage. Helped him see how it could have been an accident. He took a deep, calming breath and lowered his hammer. The tribe followed suit and calming hands went down to animals to soothe them.
“We’ve heard about you’uns.” The man said. “You’re them wild kids that tamed the animals.”
“I didn’t believe it was true, I really didn’t. I thought them retrievers was telling tall tales.” Another man clutching an AR15 said.
Their leader slowly slid his rifle over his shoulder and let it rest on the sling then raised his hands.
“I’m real sorry.” He said again. “We didn’t mean no harm. How bad is he? We got a pretty good doc in town, maybe she can patch him up.”
“Kodiak.” Harper said, drawing his attention back to Otis. “He’s in pain but it’s not going to kill him. Looks like it blew up instead of penetrating.” She said as the big bear chuffed and tried to lick the wound.
“That sounds about right.” The man said. “I told Graham that was the wrong kind of gun, it wasn’t big enough to take down a grizzly. I was going to finish him off with…”
He broke off, realized what he was going to say and cleared his throat.
“Um, look, my name is Denny. This here is Dave Small and that there is Graham Rintoul. We were on a scavenge run up to Jamesport. Doc needs some meds that are probably in the pharmacy. We saw the bear silhouetted against the sky line and um, you know, thought we’d um…”
He broke off again at their glares.
“Um, you kids have names? Where you headed to? We mean you no harm. Think your friend might lower the bow?” He asked with genuine concern in his voice.
Swan should have probably looked chagrined but didn’t. She hadn’t realized she’d raised it, and nocked an arrow when the man started talking about killing Otis. With a curl of her lip, she released the tension and lowered it but didn’t remove the arrow. The men had no doubt she could raise, pull, aim and loose in about a nanosecond.
“Gallatin.” Kodiak said. “We heard it was a fortified town, a safe place to stop.”
“It is, it is.” Wilson assured him. “Um, look, it’s only a few miles away. Really, our doc is pretty good. She’s treated some really bad wounds. Wally James managed to get himself gored by a pissed off bull last month, pardon my French ladies, and she fixed him up right as rain. You think you can get that big fella in the back of my truck? I’ll take him there.”
“I think we should.” Harper said softly. “The bullet came apart into little pieces. I can feel fragments under his skin but they’re in pretty deep. Without something to numb the area, I won’t be able to get them out. It’ll hurt him too much, he won’t allow it. His shoulder doesn’t feel broken. I can pack the wound with cloth and pour honey on it to protect it and slow the bleeding. Pine sap would be better, but we don’t have any.”
Kodiak knew the bits of lead had to come out otherwise infection would set in. Otis might be able to absorb them over time but they would hurt him, possibly even kill him.
“Yeah.” He said. “I can get him in. Can you back up close?”
“You guys want to stay here or follow us in?” Kodiak asked the tribe when the men hurried off to get the truck.
“We’re not letting
you go by yourself.” Harper said and the rest of them chorused agreement.
When they saw what the men were driving, they all exchanged glances. It was an old ice cream truck complete with a side window and rolled up awning over it. Stickers of various ice pops and frozen treats were still visible under the layers of grime and the armor.
“It’s more comfortable than a car.” Wilson said. “If we have to stay out overnight. We don’t go out much but when we do, it’s usually for medicines or fragile stuff that can’t get wet. I was on my route and got stuck in Gallatin when all this happened.”
The kids just looked at him.
“An ice cream truck?” Tobias asked. “Really?”
“Well, it’s diesel and gets good gas mileage.” Wilson said, not sure what to say.
“It’ll go just about anywhere.” Dave volunteered. “And it’s got a lot of storage area.”
“Got any ice cream left?” Analise asked.
“Uh, no, sorry.” Wilson said. “But we’ve got some Cokes in the cooler.”
By the time Otis lumbered into the back of the truck, sagging its springs considerably, the tribe had broken camp, were packed up and ready to go.
“Drive slow.” Kodiak told the man. “They’ll follow.”
8
Welcome to Gallatin
“Tell those idiots to point their guns away.” Kodiak heard the man yell over the CB. “These are them wild kids we heard about. They’re friendlies. We’re bringing in a wounded bear, somebody get the Doc. We need her to look at him.”
There was some hesitation but the men on top of the wall pointed their machine guns skyward then came closer to the edge to watch the strange procession. The American flag hung on a pole and another one they didn’t recognize flew right beneath it. The town was enclosed by a wall of shipping containers that circled it completely. There were only two entrances, one on either end of town. They were set up similar to a castle with double gates. Once they pulled inside the sally port, the containers behind them slid into place as they waited for the ones in front to open. If someone came in hot with a horde of zombies hanging all over their truck, they could be safely picked off one by one in the enclosed area.
The Feral Children [A Zombie Road Tale] Box Set | Books 1-3 Page 60