by Casey Lane
The two men exchanged a look, but it was Mark who answered, “That would be us. We let out a school bus full of zombies and led them here as a diversion to free you and your friend.”
My mouth fell open, but then four men trotted into view from the right. Between them, they carried Liz on a makeshift stretcher of a large blanket.
A shorter guy in his late thirties barked out, “Miller, take point. Dehn, rear.” After delivering his orders, he smiled then, and his homely, bulldog face lit up with roguish charm. “Lady, ma’am, my pleasure. Are you fit enough to relieve one of my men carrying your friend?”
“Yes,” I answered stoutly, briefly smiling in return at the man presumably the leader of our rescue team, but my eyes went immediately to what I could see of Liz.
Liz’s body was enveloped by the high sides of blanket. The two men in the back held the blanket slightly higher and her head was visible. Liz’s eyes were swollen slits, already bruising a dark purple, but her split, blood-crusted lips moved slightly in response to my voice. No sound emerged, but I knew what my friend wanted.
“Can I shoot my gun right now?”
The shorter man didn’t blink at this non sequitur. “Be my guest, ma’am, but the howlers are getting hungrier by the second and we’re their dessert course if we don’t haul ass.”
I nodded to Mark. “Cover Liz’s ears.”
I didn’t waste another second. I heaved off the box springs and the mattress. Without fanfare, I steadied my aim and fired three rounds into Leopard’s unconscious head. Liz wouldn’t want the bastard existing a second longer on the planet, even as zombie food.
My own ears ringing, I turned away from body on the floor. The shorter man in charge didn’t bat an eye, but nodded to the man nearest me. The man handed off his corner of the blanket and moved back to watch our rear with Matt. I twisted the edge of the blanket until I had a good grip around my fist.
I leaned over and whispered, “Lizzie, sweetheart, he’s dead. Now hold on, we’re going home.”
Her lips flickered in the merest hint of a smile.
Mark was on the move down the hall and we all trotted after him. Liz swayed between us in her hammock.
“I hope you can forgive me for bringing us here and I’m so sorry you got hurt. I wish you could have killed him, but that’s what best friends are for, right, Lizzie?” I panted out in a low voice between short gasps as we moved fast down the corridor. “They help you when you can’t help yourself.”
I heard crashing noises and howls behind us, but didn’t dare turn to look. Matt Dehn was right on my butt, offering soft words of encouragement while we ran.
My thigh and face throbbed with every jarring step, and that was after only Tryg’s slap and a couple of punches. I couldn’t bear to think of the pain Liz was enduring. Filled with remorse, I wished it was me on that stretcher. Liz and I had decided together to follow the biker and find the clubhouse, but I was the instigator. I should have been more cautious. Leopard had detected us so quickly, I must have done something wrong to alert him.
We followed Mark into a big room that was an old office. Last in, Matt closed and locked the door as a buffer. We continued through swinging double doors into a receiving bay. A couple of bald light bulbs hung from long wires high overhead and shed some light, but Mark trained a flashlight to the front to light our path.
Mark stopped at another set of double doors and held up a hand for silence. The doors were barred closed from the inside. We all stopped near him while he silently lifted the bar and looked out into the night. I was completely disoriented in the building, but could tell from the sky outside that it was deep twilight.
Mark made another sign and we took off again. We ran through the tall grass growing in the trucking company’s back lot to the chain link fence. I could barely hear the screams of the infected inside the building at this distance over my own heavy breathing. We slipped through a wide gap in the chain link where it had been peeled back like a sardine can. Another block away, we reached the Silverado. Liz was cocooned in the blanket and gently raised to lay across the back seat of the quad cab with her head resting on my lap.
Liz had either fallen asleep or was unconscious. Her breaths would hitch every now and then, but she never woke up. I gently stroked her arm and watched over my friend while I simmered with rage inside. Leopard’s words that he should have charged double rang in my head while I pictured Robert as he handed over the envelope in that alley.
The ride back to the farm was a blur. I appreciated that the driver, I think they called him Boulder, didn’t screw around. When we exited Coates, the two southbound lanes were jammed with stalled traffic.
It was still light enough to see that infected crazies were lurching amidst the cars. Not all of them had followed the soldiers to, or stayed at, the trucking company.
In Coates, there were a couple of open spots on the outside frontage roads for traffic to enter onto Hwy 52 and go in either direction. Otherwise, the cement jersey barriers on both edges of the two southbound lanes kept the stalled traffic trapped on the right side like rats in an open tunnel. People were abandoning their cars and fleeing from the screaming infected on foot.
Boulder drove through a low ditch and steered the truck south down the northbound lanes. He sped off into the night, but stayed near the shoulder in the event of an oncoming car.
Next to Boulder in the front seat was the shorter man, the leader of this six-man team. His name was Craig Thompson. In chronological order, he began quietly to relay the events that had led to our rescue while I tried to concentrate, despite my concern for Liz and my exhaustion.
I anxiously interrupted Craig before he got started, “Do you know if Dr. Gary is on the farm?”
“Yes, and his nurse,” Craig chuckled, “but first we met T-bone and Ray Dean.”
I relaxed back against the seat, content now to just listen since Liz would soon be under the care of a real doctor.
The six men had been scoping us out in the Gander Mountain parking lot earlier today, but not to hijack the truck. Coop had invited the men to join us on the farm. They decided to scout out our operation first to see if they wanted to join us or strike out on their own. They had watched us building defenses, followed us to Gander Mountain, and had decided after that to join our group. Craig had laughed shortly and admitted they had followed the same route we did home, but had not followed us, at least not until they saw our SUV tailing the delivery truck and got curious.
Rather than drive into King Farm and find Coop, they followed Craig’s intuition and followed us. They saw our SUV and the delivery truck exit at Coates. After a cursory, quick drive through Coates didn’t locate either vehicle, they first drove west with no luck. They doubled back east and finally located the delivery truck almost all the way to Hastings at a gas station. The bewildered driver told the team about us honking and driving into Coates.
At this point, Craig and the team decided his intuition was off today, and they drove back to King Farm to find Coop and officially join our group. When they arrived around 1:15PM, they had to agree to a mandatory quarantine for five hours.
When the team arrived on the farm, they were greeted by T-bone and Ray Dean. The procedure was explained and they were asked to surrender their weapons. Their truck was searched and then parked off safely in the pasture. They were led to a machine shed and quarantined.
I knew instantly what shed Craig meant when he said it was near an old stone house. That was a perfect location for the quarantine. It was divided into large stalls in the inside. You could divide people up and keep the groups small to contain the risk should someone turn infected.
Inside, Gary had devised a simple plan. They were inspected behind a curtain for wounds. Once cleared, the time they would be considered cleared of infection and free to leave the shed was written on their forehead in hot pink permanent marker. Everyone was put to work while they waited for the five hours to pass that would free them from quarantine.
“What work?” I smiled faintly and wondered who had thought of that efficient use of time and labor.
“Our particular jobs were to load up one hundred and fifty backpacks based off supplies we were given and a checklist. It was a good, thorough checklist. I only had one or two suggestions for improvements.”
I frowned at the back of Craig’s bald head.
Craig had asked to meet with Coop, but didn’t actually see him. After the team was released from quarantine, T-bone had told them Coop had been gone from the farm all afternoon.
Craig’s voice was still a little bemused with hero worship. “T-bone said Coop was gone with Rod Ramaldi. If you had told me yesterday that today I’d be fighting zombies and living with three pro football players, I’d have told you to go get your damn meds checked!” He shook his head, but then quickly continued, “They had been out searching the countryside all afternoon for you two. Somebody had said you were last seen around 12:30 PM being attacked by some infected people. It was on the side of the highway down south of the farm. The guy said he saw some men steal your SUV and drive off, and that you and your friend were dead, ripped to shreds. T-bone was adamant Rod didn’t believe it was true.”
“Was the name of that somebody who reported me dead Robert?”
Craig didn’t hesitate. “Yes.” He turned around again to meet my eyes and his were shrewd. “But then my team got to talking amongst ourselves. We had seen you up around Coates at closer to 12:45PM, plus that delivery driver confirmed it was women tailgating him. I wasn’t able to get through to Coop on my phone, so we decided to go do some investigating again, maybe help Coop out.” He chuckled mirthlessly. “Once we really started looking in Coates, we found the Cadillac parked behind that house. After being questioned by Mark, the woman in the house confessed her husband had called some biker who was paying him to be a lookout. They reported seeing you and your friend Liz going on foot down the street towards the biker’s hangout.
“I deeply apologize we didn’t rescue sooner, but we had to come up with a plan. There were at least fifty armed people in the building. We came across that bus when we scouted around. I’ve seen some terrible sights in my day, but that was truly a bad scene on that locked bus. The windows were screwed shut on the outside...” Craig’s voice trailed off before he bucked up again. “Well, then we had to round up all those teenager zombies to follow us the block to turn loose on the bikers in the trucking company.” His voice got real quiet after that, but then he sighed. “The rest of your rescue, as they say, is history.”
I sat silently thinking over everything Craig had related.
Robert had been in on some plot to kill me, and Liz got included just for being with me. The payoff had to be for getting rid of me, but we’d made it easier for Leopard by showing up. Leopard must have somehow notified Robert that he had us. The timing fit because Robert made up that elaborate lie he saw us killed by zombies within a few minutes of Liz and I being captured. Robert had to be confident we weren’t coming back to King Farm to dispute his claim.
I didn’t know for certain if Tryg was in on that plan, too, but he had punched out the wasted Leopard immediately after the man opened his mouth about getting paid. Maybe he hadn’t hit Leopard for lusting after me. I wouldn’t put it past Tryg’s ability to be cunning enough to have played me, even as I played him. Regardless of Tryg’s real intentions, he had left Liz and I to die.
It was a horrifying mystery how it happened, but those infected kids must have been deliberately abandoned and locked in the bus to turn into crazies. I simply could not understand how nobody in Coates had stopped all afternoon to see why the full bus hadn’t moved. I’d wait for another time to ask for details how Craig’s team had baited the crazies to follow them.
Boulder slowed down the truck when the woods that began the border of King Farm came into view. Craig and Boulder traded ideas quietly where they would choose to build guard platforms in the trees. Idly listening to them while I lightly stroked Liz’s hair off her forehead, I gave thanks at how fortunate we were their team had decided to join our group today.
The southbound traffic that had driven out of Coates before the traffic jammed up had already passed us by. Not one oncoming car had passed us to go north while we drove down the wrong side of the highway.
We stopped a few yards before the turn off that used to exist to drive onto 180th. Boulder flashed the truck lights a few times. The sun hadn’t set completely, but it was close. After a few moments with no response, I asked Craig to watch over Liz.
Laying her head gently on the seat, I slipped out of the truck and ran up to the jersey barriers that were lined up smartly as far as the eye could see along the shoulder of the highway in each direction. Ahead of me, the new fence gate was closed across the road and looked like a continuation of the chain link fence, just as I told Barbara. Beyond the gate, I could see nothing but deep shadows.
I raised my hands and called out. “It’s Acadia King! Send someone down here to verify it’s me and that I’m not here at gunpoint with the men in the Silverado. They’re the team of soldiers who went through quarantine today and who know Coop. T-bone knows who I mean. They saved me and Liz, but she needs Dr. Gary, so hurry the hell up!”
I was screaming almost hysterically at the top of my lungs by the time I finished that last part. The gate didn’t open, but suddenly two figures vaulted over the top of the razor wire. Kevin and Hugh ran down to the barriers and they each carried a long gun hanging across their chests on slings.
“Acadia!” They yelled in unison.
“Thank God!” Hugh said, skittering to a halt in front of me and hugging me hard.
“See, I told you that Rod was right!” Kevin exclaimed while he whooped in excitement and hugged me next over the barrier. I grinned tiredly at Hugh, but waved him over to the truck. “Go verify like you should. Do you have a way to call Dr. Gary to be ready for Liz? Our phones aren’t working.”
“Ours either,” Kevin said. He held up a two-way radio. “These pieces of junk only work for a range of up to a mile or two, at most.”
Hugh had run over to the truck, saw Craig’s team, and waved his arms frantically overhead in the all clear signal. All the men jumped down from the bed of the truck, ran over to the jersey barriers, and lifted two aside. Boulder drove the truck through and I got back in with Liz. The barriers were replaced and the men climbed back into the truck’s bed while the gates were opened.
The large motor home started up to back off the road.
I rolled down the window and asked Kevin and Hugh, “Who’s driving the RV?
“Danny Martin!” They both said at once.
“Where is Dr Gary set up?”
Hugh responded first, “He is still using the quarantine shed last I knew. But everybody may be gathering at the Red Rose Barn for the nine o’clock meeting.” He shook his head and his eyes were suddenly very worried. “Is Liz going to be okay? There are a lot of people here freaking out about you two being dead.”
Kevin interjected, “Freaking out? More like going fucking crazy! Coop and Rod have been gone most of the day, they just got back about fifteen minutes ago when we went on gate duty. Salty had to force Bobby and Sean not to run off, too. Salty has been trying to keep the work schedule going and keep everybody calm, but then Robert came back about an hour ago after being gone since about three o’clock. He’s been stirring everybody up like he owns the place! He’s got a group of his men here from the quarry over at Red Rose Barn. He said they’re here for the meeting, but I don’t know, Acadia. That dude is one skeevy fuck, excuse my French.”
I smiled grimly. “Thanks, Kevin. Don’t worry guys. Keep guarding things here and I’ll be in touch in awhile.”
They both shot me relieved smiles and ran back towards the gate. Kevin stopped and wheeled around to say, “I’m really glad you aren’t a zombie, Acadia! Let me know who we need to kill for hurting Liz!”
“Kevin, you are my son from another mother.”
>
He laughed and ran to catch up with Hugh.
Craig said, “Acadia, why don’t we have Matt stay here with these guys as another set of eyes and ears?”
“Craig, any other night and I’d say that’s a fine idea, but I think I want you and your team with me tonight, if that’s okay by you?”
Craig said, “Of course. Are you expecting some trouble from this Robert guy?”
“Oh, there’s going to be trouble.”
A deep voice called my name in the semi-darkness. “Queen Acadia! I knew, KNEW, you was too mean to die, white girl,” T-bone growled out in satisfaction while he jogged over from the woods. “What are you plannin’ on doing about this shit?”
“Heads are going to roll, T, heads are going to fucking roll.”
He made a noise of approval and gold teeth gleamed in the night. His eyes widened at the sight of my swollen cheek. He clasped my hand and squeezed it gently between both of his while saying, “Between that new haircut and them bruises, you sure are a lot uglier than you were this morning, sweet thing. Mmm-hmm, if Ram don’t want your ass no more, you come see T-bone, you hear?”
I snickered, and I heard Craig and Boulder stifle their laughs while T-bone looked around. “Where’s Liz?”
“She’s unconscious, but lying right here. She’s been beat up, so we’re getting her to Gary for help.” I looked down for a second at our clasped hands on the window ledge. “Thanks for everything today, T.”
T-bone peered in the truck window and swore savagely under his breath. “You need any help takin care of those heads needin’ to be rolled?”
“I appreciate the offer, but I need to know you are out here watching over the gate and the boys. There are a lot of infected up the road a few miles in Coates, so you guys be on your toes if anybody comes near.”