“Have you noticed how much that guy eats?” she asked and Julie grinned.
“Yeah, but he’s hanging in there with us, that says something.”
“Yeah, he’s hoping we have something good to eat. Jokes on him.” Donna smirked.
“Speaking of which, we need to eat. It’s been awhile and we’re going to need everything we have to get past Ooltewah.” Julie said and dug an MRE out of her pack. Donna did the same, handing one to Vicki. Gus took an interest in what they were eating and came in looking for a handout.
“Go away, Gus! I don’t eat your weeds, you don’t eat my whatever this is.” Donna told him and shooed him away with her hand. Gus snorted and went back to his bush.
Julie ate the cold hamburger patty from her MRE and got her bearings. The trail had taken them a little further from the tracks than she’d have liked, but where there was one crazy, there were bound to be more not far away. She dug her charts out and studied them for a moment. They were still some distance from Ooltewah and she hoped they’d get there after dark at the earliest. Everyone ate and rehydrated, Gus found a small stream and they used a Katadyn water filter to refill their bladders, canteens and bottles. Julie was grateful for that because they were running desperately low on water. Evidently Gus was in agreement, because he spent quite a bit of time sucking the water up. He then took up the rear guard as they rested some more before Julie got them all together to head out again. By Julie’s estimate they were six miles away from the next big job; Ooltewah. With its upscale subdivisions where people had fled further into the suburbs from the growing crime of Chattanooga, and all that came with it.
Julie had gotten into a routine of walking for thirty minutes, by the wind-up Timex Brad had given her some time ago, and resting for ten or so. There was still plenty of daylight left when they got near enough for her to glass the I-75 overpass, she called a halt and took her time watching it. Even though there were cars as far as she could see in either direction, she didn’t see anyone moving about. Her sudden relief got sucked up into a knot of fear when she wondered where the people had gone. She told Donna what she’d seen and handed her the glasses. Donna watched for a few minutes and lowered the glasses with a sigh.
‘It looks like most of them are in their cars, but I don’t see any movement.”
“Yeah, I hate to say it but I sure as hell hope they’re dead.” Julie said.
“And if they’re not dead?” Vicki asked and Julie looked out at the overpass again.
“Then we’re probably fucked.” Donna remarked with a smirk.
Staying inside the woods, Julie led them ever closer to the underpass. She noticed that the closer the got, the harder her heart pounded. When they finally got close enough to see without the glasses, she almost gasped aloud. From the distorted faces in the cars she had no doubt they were very dead. It was a sad sight but a relief none the less. She couldn’t imagine having to dodge that many crazies in one place.
“Looks like someone parted out their car further up the highway and caused your everyday traffic jam, except this ain’t every day.” Donna said.
Staying on high alert and moving slowly, they made their way under the bridge and into deeper woods beyond it, where Julie once again picked up the pace a little. Every now and again she would stop for a second and watch Gus to see what he was doing. So far, nothing unexpected. She called for a ten-minute break and consulted her charts again.
“Okay, here’s what we’ve got.” She flattened the chart on the ground and pointed to a place on it, “We’re right about here. If we keep parallel to the tracks, we’ll skirt north of the main shopping area, up the road through, believe it or not; Dead Man’s Gap. Then we could cross over Old Lee Highway and hug White Oak Mountain all the way to Vicki’s house. Rest a bit there and get back to the tracks because there are fewer houses on that side.”
“What’s the other option?” Donna asked.
“Go straight down Old Lee and hope nobody sees us.” Julie said and Donna guffawed.
“Not much chance in that. I’m for Dead Man’s. Vicki?” Donna asked.
“Whichever way you think will get us the hell past it safely.” Vicki answered.
“That would mean the northern route, through Dead Man’s.” Julie said, “But safety went out the window when all of this shit started.”
Brad
Ocoee, TN
Brad left his guests, who had quickly passed out after consuming a small amount of whiskey, and returned to the cupola. It was growing late and he could hear high pitched shrieks and screams in the distance. At one time, he heard a loud engine barreling down US 64 as someone tried to make a getaway. He was cheering them on silently when he heard the brakes lock up, followed by a dull thud. A few minutes later a loud shriek told him all he needed to know. The getaway had somehow failed. He slumped back and sighed in sadness.
Hearing a lawnmower up the hill start, he turned his field glasses that way, just in time to see a kid run a push mower over an elderly man. Neither of them were screaming, so they were both obviously infected. Brad raised his rifle and centered the crosshairs. There was no wind, so his shot was easy. He took a deep breath, held it, let half of it out and squeezed. The surprise of the rifle’s kick let him know the shot was good and he watched as the kid’s chest exploded. The kid looked around in surprise and then gravity pulled him straight down. Hopefully, the sound of the lawnmower had drowned out his shot, if not he hoped the things were too dumb to figure out where the shot was coming from. The lawnmower quit when the kid’s hand left the safety lever, returning the place to quiet again. The last thing he wanted was a crowd of them in the yard. Using the thermal, he scanned the area and fortunately saw nothing except the five horses in the pasture at the end of the street. He hoped the old farmer made it through this, if not he was going to have to go scout out the old man’s place and put some hay out for them.
That also made him realize that if he did that, he was taking responsibility for them and he wasn’t really sure that he wanted to do that. What would happen when he left? His options were slim; toss out some food and hay and hope for the best, or set them free. The third option of taking them with him also fleetingly crossed his mind, but that would require a bigger truck, a horse trailer, and one helluva lot of luck, and luck seemed to be in short supply for anyone right now. Still, he wouldn’t leave them without making sure they could at least fend for themselves. Having been raised around horses, he felt a kinship to them. That was a problem for the morning. In the darkness, he would just wait and watch.
He kept the radio on just in case Julie called out to him, but doubted that she was within range, especially with that big assed hill known as White Oak Mountain in the way. He called Zack and Katie to find out how things were holding up.
“We’re fine, Pops. No crazies or normal people out. We heard a scream a little while ago, but that was a way off. We’re hunkering down and keeping as quiet as we can, though. We did have some trouble on the way here with some assholes trying to rob us, but we took care of it. The farm is up and running.” Zack answered.
“Good enough. Keep holding the fort down and when I hear from mom, I’ll let you know.” Brad replied and then tried Dillon and Jessie on the short-range radio, but got no reply. He’d expected that if they were on the move, which by now they damned well should be. He knew Dillon’s skill in the woods and with a bow, so that eased his worries a little as he scanned the area one more time before his eyes started getting heavy.
Dillon and Jessie
Cleveland, TN
Dillon took the alley staying as close to buildings as he could. The sounds of the rampage of the infected were all around him, making him a little more than jumpy. He’d planned on heading straight down Keith Street, keeping off to the side as much as he could for as long as he could. It turned out that he’d managed to lead them two short blocks before having to retreat into the woods because the crazies were thick along Keith street, and he knew if one was alerted
, they’d have no way to hold them all off. The girls stayed with him. Much to his relief, as he found a game trail and followed it south. Keith Street turned into the western part of U.S.64 just past the high school and businesses thinned out quite a bit.
He took a knee and called for a break some fifteen minutes later, knowing that Crystal probably needed it. As he scanned the area, he formulated a plan to get them on track.
“What we can do is stay in the woods until we get to APD 40, cross under the underpass, and then head towards where you turn to go to Wal-Mart.” He said quietly.
“You mean Treasury Drive?” Jessie corrected him and he just nodded. She always had to be right.
“Right. We’ll go slow so that we don’t attract attention. I suggest if you have to pee, do it now, because there’s no one around us.” Dillon said and the girls wandered off to find some bushes. When they’d finished, and returned, Dillon led them towards APD 40. APD 40 went by many names; highway 60, U.S.74, were among them. Dillon had once tried to find out what APD stood for, but the only answer that made any sense was that it stood for Appalachian Development Highway 40. This system was used at the time Interstates were being built, but none ran through the Appalachian Mountains .
“You’re forgetting one important part.” Jess told him and he looked at her questioningly “The jail.” Jess answered and he quietly planted a palm into his forehead.
“Shit! Double shit! I hope no one let the prisoners out. What could be worse than a criminal crazy person?” Dillon said. He fished out his copy of the map Brad had given him,” We’re sure as hell going to have to stay south of the jail, but that puts us too close to Wal-Mart for my tastes.”
“One step at a time.” Crystal said and stood up to stretch.
Staying just inside the woods, but keeping the highway in sight off their left, they made their way slowly and surely. Crystal managed to snag an ankle on unseen vegetation about every five steps and Dillon just shook his head, grateful they weren’t hunting deer, but still aware of the noise that she was making. He tried to pick a clear path through the night vision goggles, but she still seemed to find every root and vine around. Fifteen minutes later she went face down in a heap after hooking her foot under a root. Dillon called for a break and Jess broke out the first aid kit.
Dillon noted the back of the white cinderblock building between them and the highway and nodded at it.
“I sure wouldn’t mind breaking into that place.” He said quietly.
“What is it?” Jess asked, dressing Crystal’s scrapped knees.
“Volunteer Guns. Bet there’s a shit-ton of really nice weapons and ammo to go with it.” He answered.
“What’s wrong with the one you have?” Jess asked.
“Nothing, but I know for a fact they have more expensive rifles in there.” Dillon explained and Jess sighed.
“How many times do you have to be told? More expensive doesn’t make it a better rifle, it just means some asshole has more money than brains.” Jess replied, shaking her head.
“That’s true and I know your dad always says that. But still, it would be nice.” Dillon said.
“Tell ya what, you can take it up with dad when we get there. If he thinks it’s a good idea, then we’ll raid it. For now, let’s just concentrate on getting there.” Jess said.
“And can we find some way where the fucking trees aren’t trying to kill me?!” Crystal said and Dillon chuckled.
“We have to teach you how to walk in the woods. It’s not as easy as you’d think.” He said and Crystal glared at him. He gave them a full ten minutes before getting up to resume the slow pace. The woods slowly thinned into a field, which helped Crystal tremendously, although she would still occasionally trip over something. Dillon learned to just keep his mouth shut or face the ire of the two women.
When they made it to the intersection of Lee Highway South and APD 40, Dillon stopped them in the field and took a knee while he looked over the Kia dealership in front of him.
“Something’s not right.” He said and studied the area closely.
“What?” Crystal asked.
“I don’t know, but something is definitely off.” He replied.
“Something hasn’t been alright all day; can you be more specific?” Jess asked and he shook his head. He’d been past this intersection on his way to work every day and suddenly something looked off.
“ I heard something, but I’m not sure what. We’re going to take a break right here for a bit. Whatever it is, it’ll show itself soon enough.” He said, taking his dip out and shoving a pinch in his mouth.
“And you kiss that?” Crystal asked Jess, incredulously.
“Only after he brushes his teeth.” She replied. Dillon ignored them. He kept watching the car lot. He caught movement at the far end and concentrated there. Then he heard it; the thud of a head connecting with a windshield. He spotted a chubby man in a shirt and tie together a thin man dressed much the same using what at one time was a nicely dressed woman as a battering ram into the windshield of brand new Kia Soul.
“Damn! That’s gotta hurt!” He said pointing it out to the women.
“Do you think she’s infected too?” Crystal asked.
“Doesn’t really matter now, she’s either unconscious or dead.” Dillon answered and he heard Crystal gag quietly. “Man, I really hate those Soul’s, but damn, I wouldn’t do that to one of them.” He said and then noticed more movement off to their left. He put the goggles and on and whistled quietly. The women looked and he heard one of them gasp.
“There must be a hundred of them. Where the hell are they all going?” Jess asked and Dillon just shrugged.
“Beats me, but our best bet is to hunker down here until they pass.” Dillon said and sat lower into the weeds, “If you have to fart, I suggest you hold it for a while.” He smirked.
Jess and Crystal lay back in the weeds for a little rest while Dillon kept an eye out. The large group finally noticed the trio at the car lot and stopped almost in unison, totally unnoticed by the two men, who had by now successfully caved the Soul’s windshield in and were headed to work their magic on the back window. Dillon watched amazed as the large group suddenly rushed forward to the trio with a blood curdling group yell. From what Dillon could see, the group was made up of everybody, old, young, black, white, Hispanic, male and female. He watched intently as the large group collided with the trio and literally pulled them limb from limb. The sight made his stomach heave, but he kept watching. After the trio was ripped apart, the crazies seemed to search the car lot for others, and finding nothing, moved west down APD 40 towards I-75. It made no sense to him, these things were attacking their own, and those that were torn apart didn’t even scream. The woman, he could understand, she’d most likely been dead, but the two car dealers didn’t even fight back. They just stood there as the masses tore them apart. He sighed and sat back. It was a lot to take in.
He heard Jess softly snoring and decided that it was as good a time as any to let them all get a little rest. The entire day had been very stressful on them, despite the fact that his father-in-law had routinely drilled them on what to expect. It wasn’t hammered home until it was for real and he could see the carnage with his own eyes. He meant to wake one of the women to keep watch because he was absolutely exhausted. He laid his head on his pack, only meaning to stretch out his back a bit. He didn’t notice his eyes becoming heavy. He also didn’t notice the pair of eyes watching him from a few feet away.
Julie
Ooltewah, TN
Julie led her group to the edge of the woods and she knelt to get a better picture of what was going on around them. Gus, for once, stood alert, with his ears sampling all round them. The fact that he hadn’t gone to graze wasn’t ignored by her. She could hear shrieks and glass breaking in the direction of Wal-Mart. She figured that since most people in the area shopped there, it was most likely a gathering place for the crazies, she was going to avoid that place at all costs. She moved h
er goggles out of the way and used her rifle scope. What she saw made her stomach cramp.
If she’d had to guess, there were several hundred of them wandering around the shopping area on 64. Another crash brought her attention to the Publix off her left, where another large group was currently busting up everything in sight, including Brad’s favorite liquor store. She smirked to herself. He was going to be pissed because it was the only place that sold Glenfiddich in his favorite 30-year-old single malt in the area. She scanned both ways on Hunter Road, and up Mountain View Road. and found all the crazies occupied in their senseless destruction. That was fine with her. She had to figure out how to get the four of them across the interstate and behind the businesses without being seen. From what she saw, if they had to fight their way out, they were doomed.
“So, what do you guys think? We have two choices here; go over as a group, or slip over one at a time?” Julie asked and Donna bit her lip.
“I’m not real confident either way.” She said and Vicki nodded in agreement. Gus just stood there, ears still in overdrive. Julie sighed.
“For once I wish I had Brad’s magic eight ball.” She smiled.
“Magic eight ball?” Vicki asked.
“Yeah, it’s how he makes all of his crucial decisions. Well, that and a coin toss.” She explained.
“You’re kidding me?” Vicki asked and Julie shook her head.
“He says it’s better than leaving it up to fate alone, because fate can be a fickle bitch. His words, not mine.” Julie smiled.
“Well, I left all my change in my car.” Donna said.
“Don’t look at me.” Vicki said and Julie sighed.
“Okay, I’ll go first. Whatever you do, don’t shoot at anything unless you have to. I’ll go as far as the ditch between the interstate and the on ramp. I’m pretty sure there’s another ditch over on the other side on the on ramp where we can regroup, then I’ll head over behind Tres Ninos. With any luck, we won’t get noticed, just stay down as low as you can and keep your heads on a swivel. If anything even starts to look in your direction, hit the deck and don’t move. I’m pretty sure they have shit for night vision.” Julie told them.
Three Days From Home Page 8