“That works, but you’re forgetting that there is a shit ton of houses, buildings and a freaking shopping mall on the way.” Diane said.
“Yeah, I know, it’s only slightly less dangerous than down town, but slightly less is slightly less and it’s a quicker route.” Brad said and she looked at the route.
“Looks like the best idea so far. It is shorter. Let’s do it.” Diane agreed and Jessie went to get her mother and Donna.
Brad was half tempted to take a break, but he was on a time line. If they weren’t at the farm by tonight, he was afraid Zack would come looking for them, jeopardizing the security of the farm. That wouldn’t work. He had no idea how many people were left alive, let alone how many crazies were out there. Either could be bad news.
They kept a close look out at the houses as they passed, half expecting to be attacked by either type of human at any moment. Then the houses thinned out to farmland, which made them all feel a little easier, but they still kept their eyes open. Everyone but Diane, who seemed to be lost in thought.
“You okay, Diane?” Julie asked.
“Yeah, just trying to remember all the damned street names, just in case we have to detour so that at least we can get close to Mouse Creek.” She said.
“You don’t like that way?” Julie asked.
“The way I see it; it makes more sense than going through the center of town, after what Dillon told us, and heading south just to turn north again leaves us out in the open too long. Yeah, I like the idea, just coming up with contingencies in case we have to run for it again.” She smiled, “You and Brad are very smart people. You guys planned this stuff out good. I’m just trying to add to it in case we need it.”
“Glad you came with us. I told Brad you’d make a good teammate.” Julie said. She knew Diane had a crush on Brad since she’d first laid eyes on him. But she also knew Brad wasn’t having it. Julie actually found it entertaining and she dogged Brad every chance she got.
The higher the sun climbed the hotter it got, in typical Southern fashion, which meant the humidity came alive as well. Brad wished they could travel at night, but that left too much to guess and might just cause injury to the horses and Gus, aside from making them late. That he would not do.
Brad marveled at some of the houses they passed. Many had been clearly built in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. They passed by what had been two obvious country stores, long since closed, but still sported the remnants of early gas pumps. Outside of the absence of man-made noises, all sounded normal. Brad had never realized until all of this happened, how much noise man actually made. He was amazed that dogs, with their keen sense of hearing, hadn’t all gone insane long ago. He watched Gus, amazed at the animal’s behavior. That was when he noticed Gus look off to the right and both ears swing forward.
“Got something going off on out right.” Brad radioed and turned his attention that way. Everyone else continued with the ‘head on a swivel’ routine as Brad called it. He fished out his field glasses and quickly focused in. Outside an untended field full of hay and a line of shrubs in the distance, he didn’t see anything moving. He looked back at Gus and saw he was still alerting to the area, now raising his muzzle and sniffing deeply, suddenly unhappy to be burdened and sidestepping a little. Brad glassed the area again and saw movement in the hay. When he focused on it he muttered to himself.
“Looks like we have some coyotes intent on eating and headed at us from the field. The horses really won’t like this shit, but we gotta take care of some business.” Brad said, reigning his horse to a stop. By now the horse caught scent of the coyotes and was none too happy either. Brad brought his rifle to bear.
“I saw at least five of them. We’re going to have to shoot them and then get a move on it, because it’s going to attract some crazies.” Brad said and aimed it on what looked to be every bit a torpedo in the grass rushing at him. He fired and was rewarded with a yelp. As he looked to find another target, he saw Gus, who was by now facing the enemy, charge straight at one of the grass torpedoes. Even with the pack saddle on, the mule didn’t hesitate, in one quick move, he spun and kicked sending the furry bomb flying back the way it had come. It didn’t get up and Brad had no doubt the coyote was dead. In less than thirty seconds it was over. Not one of the coyotes had made it to the road, but Brad had a new respect for wildlife. With man now gone, for the most part, the animals that had been there all along, were going to try and make a comeback.
Gus, with what Brad could swear was a grin, rejoined them.
“Dude, when we get to the farm, you get whatever you want as a treat for that.” Brad told him as he wheeled the horse around towards the road, “Let’s get some distance from here.”
“Ain’t gotta tell me twice.” Dillon said and took point again.
Some idiot had put a barbed wire fence around the golf course. Brad couldn’t believe their luck, but guessed it was to keep deer out. He dismounted and walked over to Gus, who looked like he was about to chuckle at the predicament.
“Don’t do it, Gus. You’d be surprised at the animals I’ve eaten before.” Brad told the mule, taking out a pair of bolt cutters relieved from Sam’s shed. In short order, he had all three strands cut and moved out of the way.
“Looks like you’ve done this before.” Dillon commented.
“Son, I’m pretty sure you couldn’t have kept up with my younger, wilder days.” Brad grinned, climbing back onto his horse. Dillon laughed.
“From what I’ve heard, you’re right.” He said nudging the horse forward.
Brad called for a stop halfway through the course, he had to get off the damned horse for a while. He walked around mumbling, wishing he’d brought a flask of whiskey.
“What’s that, baby?” Julie asked.
“I said ‘Getting old ain’t for pussies.’” He said louder and everyone chuckled.
There was a pond, Brad thought they called it a water trap, not being a golfer, that the horses were happy enough to drink from after Vicki looked at it and declared it safe. Brad made sure that everyone was hydrated as well, as he dug out his maps. He called Diane and Julie over.
“Look, if we take Peach Orchard Hill here, it’ll lead us to Stuart. Once we get past the Duracell factory and the YMCA, all we have to do is stay off the road all the way until we get to the mall. Then a little jinking and we’ll be at Mouse Creek. Then we head down to Paul Huff and we’re home free.” Brad pointed on the map.
“You do know there’s a subdivision on Peach Orchard?” Diane asked.
“Nope, never been down it. That blows. Okay, any suggestions?” Brad asked.
“If we go straight, we’ll run into Michigan. Then we cut across my uncle’s land, hop across the train tracks and we’re back on track.” Diane said.
“Makes sense. Okay. Will I need the bolt cutters?” he asked and Diane nodded.
Fifteen minutes later they all remounted and Dillon led them out. The route Brad had chosen was fairly free of any type of building. Just like Diane had pointed out, they intersected Michigan Avenue right where her uncle’s farm, garden, and produce stand was. Brad had seen it, but never stopped, preferring the Mennonite market outside of Benton.
As she’d predicted, Brad had to dismount twice to cut the barbed wire fences so that they could pass.
“If we ever meet your uncle, never mention this.” Brad told Diane who chuckled.
The tracks presented the biggest obstacle, at this point. Brad worried about how the horses were going to handle the loose rock.
“They’ll be fine as long as we keep them at a walk.” Vicki said over the radio.
“I sure as hell hope so. How far do they have to walk on it and should we dismount?” Brad asked.
“It wouldn’t hurt.” Vicki said and Brad had his decision.
“We dismount at the edge of the rocks and walk them. I’m not risking anyone just for comfort. These guys have been good to us, let’s show them some love.” He radioed and everyone agre
ed. By the time they made it to the tracks Dillon radioed Brad.
“Are we taking a break?” he asked.
“Nope. We’re running close as it is. Charge on, good sir.” He told Dillon.
The horses made it over the tracks and gravel without a problem, but Brad was glad they’d dismounted because he really needed to be out of that saddle. Funny, when he was younger he could ride for longer periods. He was almost certain the megachurch they would be passing would be empty, but they still had to cross the street to get behind it.
There was way too much pavement for Brad’s liking. One horse would have been bad enough, but ten made a racket.
“I don’t care if we have to walk the horses on the strip of ground between the sidewalk and the street, but we’ve got to get quieter.” Brad radioed.
“I don’t know what you want me to do, Pops. There’s no grass here and I’ll get us to it as quick as I can. “Dillon said.
Brad was about to reply when a crazy came screaming out of the YMCA building.
“Do you see this shit?” Dillon asked and Brad did indeed see it. The woman had to be in her seventies and was buck naked. Brad was going to comment, but Dillon charged forward and caught the old lady in the head with his machete. She dropped like a rock.
“Damn. I hated doing that.” Dillon radioed.
“Smart move, I was going for my rifle.” Brad admitted.
“Yeah, and that would’ve brought even more out. Still, that was someone’s granny. Damn, I am for sure going to Hell.” Dillon muttered.
“At least all your friends will be there.” Jess chuckled.
“True.” Dillon laughed and nudged his horse forward.
“Sooner or later we’re going to have to name these horses.” Jessie said.
“Do that and they’ll never leave.” Julie told her.
The side roads offered the quietest route and that was what Dillon sought out as he led them off of Stuart and onto Urbane Drive. His goal being the park that Brad had pointed out before turning onto Old Tasso, a densely-packed area, but there were at least yards they could cut through.
Brad could swear that he could see the occasional curtain flip back and then quickly close again, so he knew that there were non-infected in the area. Fortunately none asked for help that he couldn’t give them. As they rounded a curve, they came up on a house that had several crazies trying to get in. Brad stiffened immediately; that meant uninfected were in there.
“We gotta help these people, Dillon.” Brad radioed.
“Yeah, I know. I just hope I don’t have to kill another granny.” Dillon replied. The crazies were so intent on getting in that they didn’t even hear the group ride up.
“How do you want to do this?” Julie asked.
“Might as well just shoot them. From the noise they’re making, all the crazies are here anyway.” Brad said and everyone drew their rifles. In less than three minutes the area was clear. A curtain in the house drew back for a second and a woman in her early twenties came out on the porch.
“Thank you! I thought they were going to get us.” She said.
“Us?” Brad asked.
“Yeah, my kids and me. The baby started crying and before I could get her quiet, these things heard her and attacked.” The woman said and Brad dropped his head. This just sucked.
“Where’s your husband or boyfriend?” Brad asked.
“California. He left after the baby was born. He said he just couldn’t do this.” The woman answered, “Well, thank you. We’ll be going back in before they come back.” And turned to go back in.
“Wait!” Brad said and the woman stopped, “I can’t, in good conscious leave you here alone.”
“We’re fine. Until the baby started crying, no one even knew we were here.” The woman said.
“What do you think?” Brad radioed and then to the woman, “Give me a sec.”
“Can we afford more mouths? We’ve at our limit now.” Donna said.
“She’s got babies. We can’t just leave them.” Diane said.
“No, we can’t and still sleep at night. We’ll make it work. Anyone have any objections?” Julie asked and no one did.
“Listen, we have a safe place, plenty of food, water, and supplies. You’re welcome to come with us.” Brad offered.
“How do I know I can trust you?” the woman said.
“You don’t, but if you stay here, sooner or later they’ll be back and they might just make it in. Then what?” Brad asked.
“We’ve been good so far. And this is home. I kind of hate to leave it.” The woman said and Brad sighed. This woman was dooming her whole family and refused to take the rope when offered.
“Do you at least have weapons? We have extra if you….” He started and the woman interrupted.
“We’ll be fine. Again, thank you.” She said, walking back into her house and closing the door behind her. Brad looked at his group and shrugged.
“We tried.” Was all he could come up with.
“Give her a few days and maybe we can come back and check on her.” Julie said. Brad knew she was right, but still felt bad about leaving them to fend for themselves.
Maybe it was because everyone was bone tired from spending the whole day in the saddle. Maybe it was because they were getting closer to the farm and feeling a little overconfident. No one paid attention that they had gotten off course and turned towards the very place they were trying to avoid; the mall. Bradley Square Mall wasn’t anything fancy; it lacked a lot of the top retailers located at the malls of Chattanooga. Still, it was a mall and malls attract people, even, or especially crazies. Their minds might have been fried from the virus, but many, it seemed, tried to return to something familiar. No one would probably ever figure out why, they just did.
When Brad suddenly realized where they were, the noise from the horses had gotten the attention of a group of crazies that had been window shopping in the mall parking lot. They turned almost as one as they narrowed down on the location and started walking towards it. Gus was the first indication that something wasn’t right. Brad noticed it immediately because the mule stopped dead and swung his head towards the direction the crazies were coming from.
“Oh, shit. Stop!” Brad radioed ahead, “Gus hears something and we’re too near the mall.”
“How the hell did that happen?” Dillon asked and by that time they could hear many feet slapping against the pavement.
“Makes no difference now, we gotta run.” Brad said and pointed to a side street, “That way and keep going until we get under the interstate.”
The horses and Gus needed no urging, they ran for all they were worth. Brad was amazed at the stamina of the animals. Through yards and vacant lots, they ran, making some distance from their pursuers but not enough. Dillon, leaning forward in the saddle, yanked on the left rein a little too hard, causing his horse to slip on the pavement they were crossing and tossing him from the saddle. The horse recovered quicker, leaving Dillon walking in a foot race where the runners didn’t seem to tire.
“Go, everyone! Go! I’ve got him!” Brad yelled and brought his horse to a stop to let Dillon mount up behind him. Dillon had his foot in the stirrup and was about to climb up when one of the faster ones reached them. It stopped and laughed maniacally, making Brad’s blood run with ice. He was trying to help Dillon mount up and draw his pistol all at the same time when the crazy, a teenager in shredded clothes, leapt forward. Brad let go of Dillon to get a better handle on the pistol and had it halfway out of the holster when a gray blur appeared right at the crazy’s head. It went down twitching. Brad looked up to see Gus taking aim on a second one and pulled Dillon up.
“Come on, Gus!” Brad yelled and got the overloaded horse up to a fast walk. Eventually they caught up with the rider-less horse and Brad judged they had just enough time for Dillon to dismount and remount his own horse. By the time he had done that Brad saw that the crazies were still on the trail and were going to follow them straight back to the farm.
“Shit! Dillon, get everyone to the farm! I’m going to lead them away, otherwise they’ll follow us!” Brad radioed. Dillon nodded and kicked the horse in the flanks. Gus stopped and Looked at Brad, who pointed the way everyone else had gone.
“Go, Gus!” he yelled while guiding his horse to the right and letting it have the rein.
Katie
Hopewell, TN
Katie was about to radio Zack to see what had happened when her radio crackled.
“Katie, open the fucking gate!” her mother yelled. Katie put Kenna in a room with her toys and ran for the gate, getting there just as the horses came running up the road. Unlatching it and swinging it open just in time. She quickly closed the gate after Dillon had entered and did a quick count.
“Where’s dad?!” she asked as he mother dismounted.
“Not sure. Dillon’s horse threw him and dad picked him up. When they could, Dillon got back on his horse, but the things were too close. Dad told Dillon to go and led them away from us. The last thing we heard was a bunch of shooting and then nothing. Where’s Zack?” Julie asked.
“He took the Goat Girls to find a new place. I haven’t heard from him since.” Katie said, her eyes welling up.
“Let’s get inside. We’ll sort this out.” Julie said and ran up the steps.
Julie went to go check the monitors while Katie got her daughter. Julie ran through each camera and froze on the street view; she’d never seen a herd this big, and they were all headed straight at them.
Walt and Tanith
Nickajack Dam, TN
Tanith finally got Curtis asleep for his nap, then assigned Nate to make sure that he didn’t roll off the bed and went topside to find her husband, who was taking a turn at the helm. He looked at her and smiled as she came onto the flybridge.
“Getting close now.” She smiled.
“If we were in a car we’d be there in an hour or so. At this rate, plus having to get through the locks at the Chickamauga Dam, it’ll be late this afternoon if everything goes as planned.” Walt said and she nodded.
Three Days From Home Page 25