Hell Happened (Book 1)

by Terry Stenzelbarton

  The other man looked even more out of place. He was a handsome elderly black gentleman that only the south can produce. His hair had streaks of grey and he wore, which really stood out in the bean field, expensive dress shoes, a pair of what looked to be well-tailored dress pants, a powder blue shirt with creases and a vest that was probably made by Armani. He looked more like he belonged in a boardroom with 20 people following his every instruction. He had the air of wisdom and confidence about him, but also projecting strength and control even though he didn’t appear to have a weapon.

  “Out for a walk today, ma’am?” the leader of the trio asked as they came to a stop. He had that accent only a true Alabama-native had. He tipped his hat to her as any proper southern gentleman would do, but also kept his hand on the rifle he carried.

  Just hours earlier she has been so frightened she almost lost control of her bodily functions.

  But here, in the middle of a field, facing what could even be considered a worse threat, she didn’t feel fear.

  “I…I…I’m lost,” she stammered. It came out like she was a frightened little girl. “I’m hungry.”

  Putting his hat back on after wiping his forehead, the leader told her who he was. “Well, I’m Jerry. This is my son Randy,” he said pointing with his head to the youngest of the trio, “and this is Mr. Fournier, but he prefers we call him Mike. “We have some food back at our place if you want to share some. It’s pretty good eats and will fill your belly.

  “As for you being lost,” he took his hat off again and started pointing, “Odenville is that way, Leeds is that way, Harrisburg is over that way and if you’re headed to Birmingham, go that way until you hit the highway and follow it.”

  She thought it odd he didn’t ask her where she was going or what she hoped to find when she got there. He was doing everything he could to make sure she didn’t feel threatened. He slung his rifle over his shoulder. “We’re headed back to our shelter now if you want to follow, just don’t try anything funny agin us, and you’ll be safe.” She stood up from where she’d been sitting and picked Molly up.

  And promptly started crying.

  The three men stood there like she’d hit them with an electric bolt from heaven. It was Mike who finally walked toward her first. “It’s okay ma’am,” he said in a smooth and comforting baritone. “No one here is going to hurt you. You’re safe with us and Jerry and his boy here have a good safe place.” He put his arm comfortingly over her shoulder, the way a father does to his crying daughter, and her sobs became stronger and tears gushed down her face.

  She didn’t know why, but she knew she was, at least for now, safe from the hell and fear she’d been living with. The pills dropped from her hands and Mike didn’t stoop to pick them up. Instead he re-assured her that she was safe and was welcome to break bread with them.

  The four of them walked back to the shelter, Jerry and Randy in the lead, followed by Mike and Kellie. Molly yipped once or twice, but seemed happy around the group once Kellie’s tears had stopped flowing and she could walk without being supported.

  ~ ~ ~

  It had been three weeks and Kellie never continued her walk. She was welcomed to stay and she slept peacefully for the first time since before the fall.

  Now here she was, sitting in a chair leaned against a sapling in a way she’d criticized her students for doing, watching a man who was seemingly oblivious of her adoration and admiration.

  “We have to go after them,” Jerry finally said, not looking at the woman who was looking at him. He was usually uncomfortable around women, especially ones who were being as forward as Kellie was right now.

  “It would be the right thing to do,” she responded. “At least try to find out what happened to them.”

  Jerry picked up another blade of grass. Instead of tossing it into the air this time, he put it in his mouth. “Yeah. If we don’t try, we’ll kick ourselves and I won’t sleep well ever again.”

  The sun took that moment to cross over the horizon.

  They watched it grow in beautiful silence until it was the full sun.

  The silence was shattered when they heard a bowl hit the floor down the shaft and Monica’s voice. “Aww, son of a bitch.”

  “That’ll wake everyone,” Kellie said. Monica had one of those voices which carried. “Let’s go down and get something to eat and tell everyone what you’re going to do.”

  Jerry took one last look around through the binoculars and followed her down.

  Thirty minutes later, table cleared of breakfast dishes, the group went over the plan of action for the day. Jerry had listened to everyone’s thoughts and opinions and adjusted his own plans to, if not bow to their requests, at least allow them to feel like their opinions mattered, which they did.

  Randy voiced his displeasure about being left behind because Tony was his friend, but Jerry insisted that if anything went wrong, someone needed to be able to keep the farm running.

  Kellie, Monica and Mike would also stay at the farm.

  Eddie was probably the best shot with a rifle, and Jerry wanted Terrill along because of his military training. The young man might be a wounded warrior with training in communications and not infantry tactics, but he was a military man. Monica would monitor the base CB with Mike, while Kellie and Eddie would do the chores with whoever wasn’t monitoring the radio. There was plenty to keep everyone busy.

  Jerry outlined the timetable he planned on using. With the internet down, he was depending on the TomTom in his truck to search around Odenville.

  Times had really changed since he had gotten his license more than 30 years ago. Back then if he’d wanted to go somewhere he’d never been, he used a map. Now even finding a map would be difficult because GPS devices and the internet made them just about useless over the past few years.

  Jeff hadn’t been real clear on where the gun store was. He’d just said it was on the southwest side of Odenville, off I-74 South.

  Jerry planned on driving circuitous routes north of Moody, take back roads to get south of Branchville and search the south side of Odenville for signs of Jeff and Tony. He wouldn’t drive on the main road through either town because Jeff said the main roads would be watched by any competent vigilante group.

  He’d maintain radio contact with the base, giving them a call every half hour. He figured taking their time and being careful would be safer than driving headlong into trouble.

  Eddie got up and pulled his favorite rifle from the safe, the Remington 700 with the variable scope and 24-inch barrel. He picked up a dozen extra rounds. He wouldn’t load the weapon until he was outside, a rule set by Jerry.

  Jerry, of course, liked the Colt AR-15. He’d bought it a few years back from a friend who needed some bail money. It came with three 20-round clips, a tactical sling and a 4x20 scope. It was light, easy to carry and previously not legal, but Jerry didn’t think it mattered anymore.

  Eddie handed Terrill the M1911 and two magazines. It was the closest thing they had to the 9mm the vet had used in the Army. Terrill’s job would be manning the radio and guarding the 2004 Ford F-350 Crew Cab if Eddie and Jerry had to investigate a building.

  Jerry stood up from the table and everyone followed suit. He gave his son a quick hug and some last minute instructions about making sure chores got finished. He then looked him straight in the eye and ordered him to not send out a rescue party if contact was lost, but set up the best defense he could and keep the farm running. He self-imposed a time limit of six hours to search for Jeff and Tony.

  With the truck fueled, the spare tire and CB checked, he, Eddie and Terrill drove away. Kellie put her arm over Randy’s shoulder, difficult because she was six inches shorter than the young man and said “Your dad is quite a guy.”

  Randy just nodded.

  ~ ~ ~

  A little more than an hour later, the three searchers had worked their way to a few miles southwest of Odenville. They had taken every back road they could find and the GPS, which still ope
rated like it had before the fall, kept recalculating the directions.

  Terrill had called the base twice and received Monica’s response that things were still good.

  Eddie and Terrill used binoculars as Jerry drove slowly down dirt roads. He was looking for any sign of the quads or tracks they might have left. Since the fall of the world, there were no road graders or enough traffic to obscure tracks, but neither were there crews to repair roads or remove debris.

  Driving on some nameless road that paralleled I-74, Eddie’s left hand flung out and slapped Jerry, who was concentrating on avoiding a washout. Jerry hit the brakes and the truck skidded to a halt from seven miles-per-hour.

  “Look there,” he said, pointing to a house across a field.

  Jerry pulled out his own set of binoculars, a powerful set he’d picked up while foraging for supplies a few weeks back. He scanned the general direction of where Eddie was pointing.

  “Yup. Good eyes, boy. Those’re our quads. But I don’t see anyone.” Still scanning the area, Eddie said he didn’t see anyone either. They were pretty close to the town so maybe Jeff and Tony had left the quads there and walked to the gun shop Jeff had said was in the area.

  After several minutes of watching, no one saw any movement. Terrill called the base and told them the quads had been found. Monica asked questions no one was ready to answer so Terrill just told her to stand by.

  “Let’s move the truck up there to hide it,” Jerry said, pointing to the trees ahead. “Then Eddie and I will go look around.

  “Terrill, here’s my binoculars. You keep us in sight,” he said handing over his big glasses. “I wish we had a walkie-talkie, but we’ll make do with what we have.”

  “What do I do if you guys get into trouble?” Terrill asked. Jerry stopped the truck in the trees. He didn’t have an answer. As they unloaded from the truck, all he could say to the veteran was “use your best guess. I don’t really know.”

  Jerry and Eddie, both used to hunting, skirted the tree line, staying in the shadows as they approached the quads. Neither of them saw anyone near the machines, but they weren’t taking any chances.

  The two men came to a clearing and had to cross a two-lane highway to get to the quads. Jerry said he’d go first. When he got to the quads he’d make sure no one was around and then signal Eddie to join him.

  The plan was executed flawlessly.

  The quads were from the farm, and they still had gas in them. Jerry hesitated to start them for fear that someone might be in the surrounding buildings, so he instructed Eddie to push the smaller one over to the trees they’d just been in. Once he was safely hidden, Jerry would move the bigger quad.

  That plan was also executed perfectly.

  The truck was another 500 yards away, so they took turns moving the quads back to the truck, 100 yards at a time, then stop and make sure there was no threat. First one would move forward, then hunch down and cover the second one.

  Sweating and tired, the two men were greeted in whispers by Terrill, who limped out to meet them. The three men worked to get the quads loaded and strapped down in the truck bed, before answering Terrill’s unasked question.

  “We didn’t see anyone, but the tracks look like they went in the direction of the main street,” he told Terrill, then repeated it to Mike who was now monitoring the CB at the base.

  “So, what are you going to do, Jerry?” Mike asked.

  “I don’t know, Mike. It looks to be deserted around here. Maybe we should at least go see if they did go to the food market.”

  “Do you really think that’s where they went?”

  “I don’t know Odenville that well, but I do know the food market is on the main street. If they came this far, you know how Jeff was always wanting to get some grits. He might have talked Tony into trying to get some. One thing’s for dang sure, there ain’t no gun shop here abouts.” Jerry didn’t like being lied to and his voice told the story of the hell he was going to give Jeff if they got themselves into trouble over grits.

  “It sounds like you’ve already decided and Kellie said to be careful,” Mike told him over the radio.

  “Thanks, Mike, we will. Out.” he then put the microphone in its holder on the dash. He looked at Eddie who was still sweating from his workout with the quads and Terrill, who was leaning on the passenger door.

  After a minute of playing with the GPS on the dash, he’d made his decision. “Terrill, can you drive?” A valid question because Terrill had an artificial leg below the knee on his right side. Jerry had never asked and had never seen him drive.

  “Yes, sir,” he said. “I can’t feel the gas pedal with my foot, but I can tell if I am accelerating or braking. I got my license too if you want to see it.” Jerry smiled at the vet. He might have a beard and look like a disheveled homeless person, but his wit was sharp and he was always respectful, no matter the situation.

  “Good, good. No I don’t need to see your license, I’ll believe you. But if you get pulled over by the state police while driving, it’s good to know you have it with you.

  “Here’s what I want to do,” he said pointing to the GPS’ layout of roads on the display. “Eddie and I are going to go back along this tree line again, but this time we’re not going to cross the road. We’re going to work our way up along the tree line until we can see the market.”

  Both the men nodded, starting to see the plan.

  “When we get out of sight, I want you to move the truck up to the other side of the trees. We’ll be able to hear you move. I want you to hide the truck as best you can, but put it somewhere so you can see where we’re going.”

  Terrill nodded. He’d been in this area before and was sure he could find a place to hide the truck and where he’d be able to see the other two. “Eddie and I’ll go have a look around. Maybe we can find a clue as to where our boys went. If we can’t, and if it is safe and no one is still here, we’ll grab some stuff from the food mart and head back home.”

  Both men nodded.

  “You okay with this, Eddie?”

  “Sure, boss. You know me. This is like a live video game.”

  “Yeah, but here you only get one life, you can’t hit reset, and you don’t get to pause the game,” Jerry said seriously. Danged boy never would take anything seriously.

  “Most video games I play are like that already,” Eddie responded with a small smile. Jerry cuffed him in the back of the head for being a wiseass.

  Twenty minutes later, Jerry and Eddie heard the truck start up. They’d moved quickly along the tree line and along side the road toward the main drag though town. They’d seen no one. When they heard the truck start, they moved deeper into the woods and hustled to the end of the tree line where they could get a good look at any movement that might have been stirred up by the truck.

  They heard the truck shut off, but didn’t see where until Terrill limped out of the woods about 400 yards to their left. When he saw that the two had seen him, he moved back into the brush.

  Looking down the main street, they saw obvious signs someone had been in the area. Widows were broken out of the building across the road to their left, and its doors had been smashed in, but it wasn’t the wanton destruction they’d seen in Branchville. That little village had been nearly burned to the ground. They could see from their vantage point, a once-lit sign that said “Fr…” but had been shattered by gunfire. Jerry knew that was the food store. He whispered for Eddie to follow him as the moved closer and hid under a billboard sign that had fallen into disrepair. Houses off to their left had burned to the ground, but they could see the food mart was still standing.

  “What’s that?” Jerry asked pointing to one of the parking lot light poles at the food mart.

  Eddie looked through his binoculars until he found what he was looking for.

  “Aww, for the love of all that sucks about this bullshit life. That looks like two guys tied up to the pole.”

  Jerry hated when Eddie used that type of language, but i
f it was Jeff and Tony, and they were dead, he could understand why Eddie’d be upset.

  “Can you tell if they’re alive?” he asked, quieter than before because he knew that someone had tied those two up and were probably still around and probably watching. And if they were tied up, that meant vigilantes because the not-deads would rather eat human flesh than tie it to a light pole.

  “Can’t tell, boss. It looks like our guys. They’re not moving and we’re still too far away. Maybe if we creep closer to that road there?”

  There was a narrow strip of black top between their billboard and the food mart which Eddie motioned to.

  “Wait, first let’s go tell Terrill what we’ve seen. He might have a better idea and we can tell the base what we’re going to do.”

  Eddie, still looking through the binoculars, said “Okay, boss. But they haven’t moved and I don’t see anything moving in the store.” Jerry led the way, keeping low and moving slowly. Weeds had flourished since the fall of the world and they made concealment easier.

  It took almost 15 minutes of crouch walking to reach where Terrill had parked the truck. They’d actually snuck past him, them not seeing the truck and Terrill not seeing them. It wasn’t until Jerry realized they’d gone too far because he’d run out of trees, that they’d backtracked and found the truck. Terrill had missed seeing them because nature had called him at the right time to miss them sneaking by.

  Jerry, on a spot he’d cleared on the ground, drew a layout and explained to Terrill what they’d seen. They talked about plans until they came up with the one they were going to use. Eddie said he hadn’t seen anyone in the store and Terrill suggested making sure the other buildings with a view to the parking lot were checked out as well. Eddie hadn’t thought to check the building to the east of the store or the one across the road that hadn’t been burned completely to the ground.