A Glimpse of Decay (Book 3): Lost in Twilight

by Santiago, A. J.

  “Naw, I’m alright.” James dropped the truck into drive and edged it more into the grass. “Okay, I’m going to pull a little more off of the road and kill the engine. I don’t want anyone to see us. It might give away my mission.”

  “Mission?” Benjie asked in surprise. “What do you mean?”

  James reached into his pocket and pulled out a complicated looking hand-held radio. He raised it to his mouth and pushed the “talk” button. “Alright, I’m in position and nothing so far. I’ve picked up a couple of refugees and they seem to be okay…aside from being soaked.”

  “Good deal,” a voice replied over the radio. “Just make sure you let us know if you see any movement on that road. We’ll let you know when we’re ready.”

  “James, what’s going on here?” Benjie began to fidget in his seat as he regretted accepting the man’s hospitality. He wondered if he could pull his pistol fast enough to get the drop on him. He had eased his hand over to the door handle and looked back at Michelle. He was trying to draw up the courage to yell for her to flee the truck when the stranger reached over and placed his hand on Benjie’s shoulder.

  “Don’t worry man. I’m working with the Georgia National Guard. Right back down the road about a mile or so there’s a whole column of army vehicles…even a few tanks. They’re gonna retake Rome. I ran into them after I got away from the roadblock and they asked if I knew anything about Rome. Told them what I knew and they asked if I could help them by acting as a scout for ‘em while they organized to retake the town. Some captain was saying that it wasn’t right that the town leaders had turned Rome into a concentration camp and that he couldn’t allow that to continue. He sounded pretty determined.”

  “Are they from Cartersville?” Benjie asked.

  “Naw…from Calhoun.”

  “Oh my God, we’re gonna get caught right in the middle of a damn war,” Michelle said as she ran a towel over her head. “Look, mister, we don’t wanna be a part of this.”

  “You won’t have to be. They just want me to keep an eye on this road while they’re getting ready. They gave me this radio to check in with them. There’s lots of other people doing the same all around Rome.”

  “And they didn’t force you to do this?” asked Benjie. His apprehension was now easing and he found himself curious about what James was telling them.

  “Hell no. Shit, they paid me. Not in money, but in stuff I can use. They gave me a couple of boxes of those military meals that come ready to eat, and they gave me a bunch of diesel. I got it all there up under the tarp in the bed.”

  Michelle looked out of the rear window and saw a canvas tarp draped over several objects.

  “All they want me to do is watch the road. I don’t have to go in there and do no fighting. None of us do. They said that once they roll by, I can go on my own way.”

  “And you don’t want to go back to Rome with them?” Michelle asked.

  “Naw, not really. I’d still like to make it down to the lake, at least until I can figure out what to do. What about the two of you? What are your plans? Are you married?”

  “Naw, we’re not married. I worked for her husband in Cartersville. When everything started, I was in Marietta with my girlfriend and her kid. We were shopping at the mall and then…well, I got separated from her and I barely made it out. It took me a couple days just to make it back to my house. Then I went over to Michelle’s —it’s just outside of town—but Jerry, her husband, wasn’t there. He had gone out to try to find Michelle’s mom…she lives near the hospital on Forty-One. He never made it back and we don’t know what happened to them.”

  Michelle looked out of the window and into the darkness. “I was trying to hold out hope, but I know it—I can feel it inside of me. Jerry and Momma are both gone now.” Tears began to roll down her cheeks, but she didn’t sob or weep.

  “When Jerry didn’t come back, we decided to try to come to Rome. Michelle’s daddy has a cabin north of here. Close to where Old Summerville and New Rosedale come together.”

  “Yeah, he’s got it all stocked up,” she added as she wiped away her tears and cleared her throat. “Even had solar panels put on it. Got a water well too.”

  “A well?” James began to reevaluate his plans. “So, what do you know about what’s going on? You say that you saw some people come back from the dead?”

  “Yeah, when we were at the roadblock. And when I was in Marietta, people were going crazy…like they were chasing folks and beating them and ripping them apart. By the way, did you hear the speech by the president?”

  “Yeah, I heard it. I really don’t quite know what to make of it though.”

  “And you haven’t seen anything like what we’ve seen?” Michelle asked.

  “Naw, I sure haven’t. I guess I’ve been lucky.”

  “You know…uh…if you want to go to the cabin with us, you can,” Michelle offered. “And then maybe you can try and make it to the lake from there.”

  Pondering the offer for a moment, he smiled and said, “You know, that sounds like a good idea…if y’all don’t mind me going up there with you. I can drive us there. I got plenty of fuel.”

  “But I guess we first gotta see what happens with this whole Rome thing,” Benjie said. “If things don’t change there, I don’t want to go anywhere near that place.”

  “Yeah, me neither,” Michelle agreed.

  “Then we’ll just head to the boat,” James said.

  “You would take us with you to your boat?” Michelle asked.

  “Yes mam, I sure would.”

  “Hey, James, you there?” said the voice over the radio. “It’s Sergeant Norton.”

  “I guess were gonna find out real soon which way we’re gonna head,” James said to Benjie as he smiled with excitement. He raised the bill of his cap and placed the radio up to his mouth. “Yes sir, I’m here.”

  “How’s it going on that road, son?”

  “Still no change. I got them two folks with me. They told me that they saw some kind of gun fight at the road block here on Twenty. Bout a couple of days ago. Also said that they saw some of the casualties come back from the dead.”

  “Yeah, some bunch of yahoos from Lindale. They caused a lot of ruckus, but they also managed to get themselves killed. Alright, we’re just about ready to start making our way towards you, so just make sure you stay to the side of the road.”

  “Alright, we’ll stay out of your way.”

  “Also, if you plan on going into Rome, make sure you wait until all the shooting is done. And I’m sure I don’t have to remind you, but a few of them things are gonna probably get made because of what we’re about to do.”

  “Make what things?” Michelle whispered to Benjie.

  “Those things that come back from the dead. Every one of them fellas that gets killed off is gonna come back, just like at the road block. Remember?”

  Frowning, Michelle sighed. “Yeah, I remember.”

  “Don’t worry,” James stated. “I’m gonna turn off at the loop and just go around town. No need for us to go riding right through the middle of all that. Agree?”

  “Yeah, I agree,” Benjie said.

  “Look, here they come,” Michelle said. A long row of military vehicles was slowly approaching them. Their dark hulks were barely visible because they were travelling without any sort of lighting, but the rumble that vibrated through the truck definitely told of their presence.

  As the first armored track passed by the pick-up, James pushed the “talk” button on the radio. “Good luck.”

  “Good luck to you too. Take care, son.”

  “Isn’t this crazy,” Michelle said. “I mean, the world is turning upside down, the dead are coming back to life, and now we got us a civil war right here in the great State of Georgia.” She shook her head in dismay. “Instead of going and killing off those damn monsters and making it safe for the rest of us, they’re about to go and have a dust up over who owns the damn city. Leave it to the rednecks to come u
p with something like that.”

  “I know, it’s insane.” James placed the radio in a cup holder on the console floorboard by the four-wheel drive shifter. “And they’re not even supposed to be here.”

  Benjie had wadded up his towel and was using it as a make-shift pillow. While looking up at the truck roof, he half-heartedly asked, “What do you mean by that?” He was tired and was trying to keep from falling asleep.

  “The National Guard guys. They’re not even supposed to be here. That sergeant told me that they had been ordered to go down to Texas.”

  “Texas?” Michelle asked as she was petting Rhino. She had been able to befriend him and had found that he was very approachable once he knew that she wasn’t a danger to him. “Why in the world are they supposed to go to Texas?”

  “He told me that at some base in San Antonio, they were researching the cause of this damn virus or whatever it is. He said that San Antonio was the only place left where they had the facilities and people to do the work that needed to be done. The Army wanted everyone to head down there to help out with protecting the base.”

  “They wanted the whole army to protect one base?” James questioned. “That seems like a little overkill, don’t ya think?”

  “Well, from what the sarge told me, there’s not much of an army left. Same for the National Guard. He said it sounded like just about everyone has decided to go for themselves.”

  “So they didn’t go?” Benjie asked.

  “Nope, he said that their commander told them that Texas could save itself. He said Georgia’s sons were gonna stay at home and take care of Georgia.”

  “Sounds like a damn Confederate general if ya ask me,” Michelle said.

  Benjie sat up and looked over at James. There was a slight glimmer in his eyes that hinted at the hope that was building up inside of him. “You mean there might be a cure or some kind of vaccine in Texas?”

  “I don’t know, but he said that the government was working on something there.”

  “And you said that you have family in Texas, right?”

  “Yeah, kind of close to Houston. Just a little bit outside of a town called ‘Clear Lake.’ They got a couple of big bay houses.”

  “Did they say how they were holding out?”

  “Shit, they’re partying. At least that’s what they told me the last time I was able to talk to them, which was three days ago. Now, with the phones down, I don’t know how they’re doing. Anyway, they got all the stuff they need to make it for at least six months or so. They were those end-of-world planner types, so they’re stocked up pretty good. Course it didn’t hurt that they had all that oil money to buy all the junk they got. They were able to buy all kinds of cool stuff. They even have their own little shrimp boat and they go shrimping just for fun. I had actually thought about trying to make it over there, but the way things are getting, I’m not sure me and Rhino could make it.”

  “Wow, sounds like they’re set,” Michelle said with envy. A large vehicle rumbled by, shaking the truck. “Man, that’s a big tank.” The rain had let up and the interior was beginning to turn uncomfortably warm. James rolled down the windows and Rhino began to bark at the passing vehicles.

  Still thinking about Texas, Benjie looked back at Michelle. “Wow, wouldn’t that be awesome if they were actually working on a cure!”

  “It would be,” Michelle agreed. “It’s kind of ironic though, don’t ya think?”

  “What’s ironic?” asked James.

  “Well, while they’re over there trying to find a way to save lives…you know, down in Texas, these boys here are about to start killing each other over a little damn town. It makes no sense.”

  “Yeah, now that you put it like that, it is kind of ironic….kind of stupid.” James noticed that the last vehicle in the convoy had passed them. “Guess that’s it. I wonder how long it will—”

  A loud boom filled the night air as James’s question was answered. The water beads from the rain jumped on the hood of his truck as the concussion from a second explosion shook the Dodge. A mixture of gunfire and smaller detonations followed and bright flashes could be seen on the horizon.

  “I bet you some of them guys are wishing that they would have gone to Texas,” Benjie commented as the rat-a-tat-tat of heavy machine gun fire came drifting down the dark highway.

  “Makes you wonder if Man deserves to be saved at all,” Michelle stated.

  “Oh Lord, not again,” Benjie said in an agitated tone. “Now don’t go off and start trying to equate this to the Bible or some other religious nonsense. It’s not gonna make matters any better, it’s not gonna explain things, and to be honest, I really don’t want to hear that right now.”

  “I’m just saying,” Michelle retorted. “Remember that old dog I was talking about? Well, he might have to shake a little harder to get rid of his fleas.”

  James, completely lost at what Michelle and Benjie were talking about, turned to her and said, “Fleas…did you say my dog has fleas?”

  Chapter 3

  Day 24

  San Antonio, Texas

  “Damn, things look bad…real bad,” Trent said as they pulled into the parking lot of the abandoned grocery store. He maneuvered the car around a burnt out hulk that used to be a soccer-mom van. The lot was littered with turned over shopping carts, several abandoned cars, including one that was on its side, and broken glass and debris. As they pulled up to the front of the store, he sighed out loud. “I hope this one isn’t too picked over.”

  “Me too,” Randy said. He surveyed the store and the entrance and reached over, placing his hand on Trent’s shoulder. “Leave the engine running and be ready to haul ass in case some of those things are in there.” He looked back at Kara as she readied her pack. “You ready?”

  “Yep…let’s do this.” She took in several deep breaths to steady herself. “Trent, pop the trunk. And leave the windows up…just in case.”

  “Okay, let’s go.” Randy opened his door and jumped out, his shotgun at the ready. Kara followed and was trying to steady her hands as she wrestled with the fear that was threatening to overwhelm her. This was there third attempt at trying to find food and water, with the two previous tries ending up with less than stellar results. The dried blood on her machete told of their last exploit; one that had nearly ended in disaster, and she wasn’t ready for any more close calls.

  “Alright, just stick close to me. Let’s get one of those grocery carts.” Randy was pointing at several overturned buggies that were next to the shattered glass of the automatic entrance doors.

  Kara crept over to the carts and cautiously flipped one up on its wheels. She was careful to avoid making any unnecessary noise and she cringed every time her boots crunched on the shattered glass. “Which way?” she asked.

  “Let’s try the water first,” Randy answered. “Maybe that way,” he said as he pointed off to their right.

  “At least the power is still on here,” Kara noted as she pointed up at the lights. She placed her pack in the cart and laid the machete inside of the basket.

  The two slowly made their way into the store and past the registers. After taking a moment to get their bearings, they moved towards the produce area. Although the coolers were still functioning, some of the fruits and vegetables were already spoiling and the smell was unsettling.

  “You know, this store doesn’t look like it’s been hit too hard,” Randy said as he looked around. “I mean, there’s some signs of looting, but there’s still lots of stuff on the shelves. Hey, those apples in the bags over there, they still look good. Let’s get some.”

  “Okay.” Kara wheeled the cart over to the endcap where the bagged apples were at and she placed several of them into the cart. “Think that will be good enough?”

  “Uh, I think so. Okay, let’s see what else we can find. Let’s make sure we hit the medicine aisle too.”

  Trent was eyeing his fuel gauge as he waited on Kara and Randy. It was getting dangerously low and he knew
that they were going to have to go searching for gas sooner or later. He looked back at the entrance and realized that his partners had already been in the store for more than five minutes now. He worried and fidgeted with the steering wheel. He glanced down at his watch and thought about getting off the car to go look for his friends. As he considered all of his options, he factored in that they hadn’t come running out with something chasing after them, so that was a good sign that things were going ok so far. Or maybe something had happened to them and they weren’t going to come out all. He tried to keep the bad thoughts out of his mind and he looked back out over the parking lot. He studied the abandoned cars and tried to avoid looking at the charred van. “There’s gotta be some gas in some of those tanks,” he mumbled to himself.

  A few days ago they had been lucky enough to find a functioning gas pump that had accepted his debit card, but since then, all of the pumps that they had checked had all been shut off and as a result, they hadn’t been able to refuel since then. After thinking about their fuel situation, he decided to shut off the engine to conserve what little gas they had left.

  He nervously glanced back into the store as he clutched at the steering wheel. “Come on, hurry up,” he said aloud. With his attention focused on the main entrance, he didn’t notice the two large pickup trucks that had pulled into the lot behind him. As they slowly approached him, their rumbling engines caught his attention and he tuned his head just in time to see that they had rolled up right next to him. Both beds were filled with men and women, and they were armed with a mix of assault weapons and hunting guns.

  The driver of one of the trucks—a faded blue Chevy with off-road lamps on the roof—exited the vehicle and surveyed the store and the lot. “Give me a three-sixty perimeter,” he said with urgency. Without a word, the occupants from both trucks leapt from the beds and formed a small circle around the vehicles.

  Trent remained still and eyed the driver as he slowly made his way towards the car. He was wearing a blue pullover with jeans and black military-style boots. His dirty blonde hair was tucked under a burnt orange ball cap with the logo of the Texas Long Horns on it. Trent saw that he was wearing some sort of tactical thigh rig. He also noticed that the man had his right hand gripped around the handle of the pistol that was inside of the holster.