by Vohs, J. W.
“You’ve been reading a lot of history books lately; remind me about how people survived back then . . .” Gracie requested.
“It’s actually kind of complicated, but as a generalization, peasants produced the food, nobles led the armies, which were usually pretty small, and the church was a huge, powerful institution with tentacles everywhere.”
“I think my teacher called that an agrarian-warrior society.” Gracie’s stomach growled. “If we keep talking about food I’ll have to break open one of the lunch packs.”
Luke didn’t say anything right away, the gears in his mind spinning wildly. He was excited when he finally spoke. “You just hit the nail on the head. We need a healthy population working the fields and nurturing the herds, while the people capable of the type of combat we know is needed against the hunters serve as warriors until the war’s won.”
Gracie didn’t share Luke’s enthusiasm, but she understood the value of his plan. “We’re back to focusing on the rivers again, aren’t we?”
“It just makes sense. Communities can better protect themselves near water and use the rivers to irrigate crops and move produce around the country. The armies will be finding medicines and other supplies for years to come as we liberate territory, but hopefully we’ll be able to get some pharmaceutical industries and hospitals up and running long before that.”
“That’s good,” Gracie declared, “because the most important aspect of modern culture, at least as far as I’m concerned, is the improvement in medical care.”
Luke nodded. “If we can get people organized they’ll be able to grow food and fight; heck, it’ll take centuries to re-populate this continent, so there’s no shortage of land for agriculture. I think the first thing we have to do is enable the survivors to leave their forts and scavenge what’s left in the towns and cities.”
“So we need to teach them to fight,” Gracie concluded.
“And when we win the war, we’ll still possess all of our pre-outbreak knowledge in books and computer databases. We also need to remind people that we can rebuild.”
Gracie understood the bigger picture. “We need to give them hope.”
They were both quiet for a while, each lost in their own thoughts until Gracie decided to finally ask the question that had been nagging at her for days. “Luke, when we rescued Terry, and you and that hunter ended up just staring at each other before it ran away, it seemed like the two of you were communicating with each other. Were you?”
Luke wasn’t sure how to explain that he’d been wondering the exact same thing. “I wish I had an easy answer for you, but I don’t really know. It all feels like a dream when I think about it now, and I’m not sure about what I actually remember and what I have reasoned out in my head to make sense of it all.”
“Just tell me what you can,” Gracie gently encouraged. “Remember, you promised to rely on your friends and your wife to help you sort out the confusing stuff.”
“Yeah,” Luke sighed, “but I really don’t know what to say about it. I guess we communicated, in a way . . . I just got a sense of him; I could kind of feel what it was like to be him. He was afraid of me—but afraid isn’t really the right word. I know I’m explaining this all wrong.” Luke took a deep breath and tried again. “He was different from any hunter I’ve seen. He wasn’t mindless, he was almost curious, but he must have sensed that I wanted him to leave, and he did.”
Gracie digested her husband’s words. “We know the creatures are evolving—but you said it seemed almost curious. We’ve seen examples of them adapting their behavior—waiting to ambush people, trying to grab our weapons, but I don’t think anyone has considered the possibility of advanced intelligence. I don’t even want to try to imagine how much more dangerous they could be . . .”
“I know,” Luke agreed, “but that sort of evolution wouldn’t happen overnight, and I just don’t feel troubled about it right now. I don’t think you should either. Let’s worry about the problems right in front of us for the time being.”
The next settlement was discovered just six miles upriver, again lying in the middle of a large oxbow lake with a palisade between the shorelines and the riverbank. The three hundred survivors gathered there were struggling in the unusual cold. They were out of ammunition and afraid to venture far from their defenses in search of food or other supplies. The inhabitants of the fledgling community were all refugees, mostly from Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana, and the great majority had arrived with little more than the clothes on their backs and now-useless firearms. Pneumonia and blood poisoning were already killing people behind the fortifications, while a few increasingly capable packs of hunters in the area took a steady toll on the brave souls who tried to search the countryside for medicine and other items they so desperately needed. Luke knew he could find supplies for the struggling humans, but most of all, he realized that he had to teach them how to kill the infected that directly threatened their lives.
He asked the leaders of the settlement to call the people together, where he explained who he was and what his group was doing. Then he asked them all to watch as he showed them how to destroy the hunters without guns. “There’s a little bit of high ground a hundred meters southeast of here; we passed it on our way in. My fighters haven’t been in a battle yet, but they need to learn and you need to get rid of these packs that are keeping you cooped up in here. So please, watch what we do out there, and then we’ll help you get started on doing it yourselves.”
Gracie and Maddy stayed behind with the new people to distribute antibiotics they’d been collecting on their travels across the country. At least twenty inhabitants of the hungry, cold community appeared to have pneumonia, and the medicine would help most of them recover if they were kept warm and fed. Two others were feverish and obviously suffering from some type of infection, so they were treated as well. The girls kept repeating that they weren’t doctors, but they were beginning to realize that during their experiences since the outbreak started they had learned a great deal about all sorts of survival skills. Now, they were happy to share their knowledge with others.
Everyone who didn’t need medical attention had gathered along the bank of their protective lake to watch the fighters do their thing. A few days earlier, Luke had read a chapter in his book about English archers during the Hundred Years’ War. Although his soldiers would be using pikes and spears instead of bows during today’s fight, he decided to try a tactic the English had used at Agincourt and other battles during their century-long conflict with France. He ordered his warriors to cut and plant poles in the frozen ground, using pick-axes to get the holes started. Once the wooden rods were firmly placed the troops used their small axes and hatchets to sharpen the tips facing outward. Within an hour the soldiers had erected a wall of spikes in a semi-circle shape, extending along the high ground all the way to the river on both ends. The sharp stakes were of all different sizes, presenting a barrier that looked almost like a porcupine to the people watching from the settlement. In case a retreat was needed, plenty of canoes were waiting along the edge of the water. Luke was certain they wouldn’t need to withdraw, but he wanted his troops to learn from this experience. He had learned, the hard way, that keeping an open avenue of retreat was always a wise course, and he hoped that his warriors could learn the lesson without shedding blood.
When all was ready, and everyone had their armor in place and helmets strapped on, Luke hopped up on a conveniently-placed stump, nocked an arrow, and ordered the troops to begin shouting. Their voices echoed around the surrounding countryside, floating through the freezing air in every direction, and, within minutes, attracting the attention of a local pack hiding in a nearby wood-line. The flesh-eaters’ howls were louder than the human cries, and soon the nervous soldiers could hear the monsters calling from at least three different locations around the settlement. Then the first of the beasts appeared.
A pack of twelve came running from the south, so close to the riverbank that Luke wondered
how his people hadn’t been spotted when they’d passed through a few hours before. Three more packs quickly emerged from the woods to the west and north, adding twenty-six hunters to the first dozen. Luke knew that even inexperienced fighters, armed, armored, and protected by the fortifications his warriors were waiting behind could handle five times the number of creatures heading their way. Fortunately, his troops didn’t know that; this encounter would provide good experience without actually endangering anyone. He was pleased to note that most of the raw recruits were obviously frightened as the monsters closed on their position.
Luke was hoping to stay out of the battle, and Zach was anchoring the line at the southern end with orders to let the new soldiers do the killing; if a breakthrough could be forced, that was the weakest place in the line. But Luke was fairly certain that his rookie troops could handle the hunters, and if not, he and Zach would clean up their mess. All of the flesh-eaters were in prime condition, some of the healthiest creatures he’d ever seen, but the stakes were too high to jump through. Given time, some of the larger monsters would have been able to push the wooden poles aside, or the smaller beasts would have wiggled through the barrier. But there was no time for either of those possibilities to unfold.
The rookies missed their targets more often than not, but nobody cracked and tried to run. If anything, Luke was surprised at just how viciously his new soldiers fought the monsters they’d been hiding from for so long. The hunters howled and snarled and frantically grabbed for the humans just out of reach, but the troops roared their defiance and continued to plunge their pikes through the stakes. Most of the thrusts missed the brain, but the soldiers were learning on the job, and they proved to be quick learners. Many of the creatures were pinned in place by a combination of sharpened poles and the deadly steel-tips of the pikes until the most capable fighters were able to administer killing blows. Everyone managed to bloody their weapons to some extent, and the battle was finished in less than five minutes. Every hunter lay dead amid the tangle of spikes and broken spear shafts, the monsters apparently so conditioned to victory that they hadn’t learned to retreat in the face of overwhelming, lethal resistance. As the last flesh-eater died snarling on the blood-soaked ground, a ragged cheer went up from the novice-soldiers. Their shouts of triumph were almost immediately matched by a loud roar from the people of the settlement.
Luke smiled as Zach stepped close and whispered, “Wimpiest fight I’ve ever been a part of.”
“You kill anything?”
“Naw, I punched one big hunter in the mouth a few times until the guy next to me finished pissing his pants and stuck a spear in its mouth.”
Luke laughed as he and his friend looked around at their victorious troops. The soldiers were hooting and shouting, high-fiving one another and boasting of their exploits during the fight. Luke knew it had been easy. He knew the recruits needed a lot of work. But that didn’t stop him from feeling a sense of pride as he turned to Zach and declared, “It’s a good start.”
By mid-afternoon bow-hunters had brought in four cows and one deer, while gatherers had collected over a thousand pounds of canned goods and staples from homes that had been beyond their reach while the infected still roamed the area. The people of the settlement prepared a feast for the soldiers who’d freed them from the packs that had been slowly strangling them, and after the meal, Gracie played the role of herald and informed the community of events that had taken place since the flesh-eaters had forced them inside their fortress. The people listening around the fires were furious to learn that the virus was man-made, and that the person who’d unleashed it was now trying to force all survivors to accept his rule. When Gracie finally came to the point in the story where Luke had accepted recruits at the oxbow-settlement, an obvious rustle of movement and soft whispers spread through the crowd. She waited for the people to quiet down before explaining how they could help.
“Our preferred recruits are single people in good physical condition, and our first priority is to make sure that your settlement keeps plenty of qualified people here who can continue to protect it. We ask that farmers and anyone familiar with agriculture remain in the settlement to put a crop in the ground this spring. We’ll also need to round up all the domesticated animals still roaming around and get them in the hands of some capable caregivers. We all have important roles to play, and we have to depend on each other if we’re going to defeat the enemy.”
Several people raised their hands to ask questions, but Gracie waved them off and motioned for Luke to come forward. He stood up from where he’d been sitting a few feet away and addressed the crowd. “Those of us who’ve survived the outbreak now face two existential challenges: hunger and General Barnes. Food from the old world will keep us going for a while, maybe a year or two, but eventually we’ll need the folks capable of agricultural production to feed the people fighting the war. The Allied Resistance can’t take everyone who wants to volunteer; we need good fighters in the settlements too. Please, talk it over with your family and friends tonight, and those of you who want to join, and meet the criteria, come see us in the morning.”
“This is so exciting!” Thelma whispered to Andi as they were escorted aboard a small yet luxurious jet. Andi rolled her eyes behind her sunglasses, unable to think of an appropriate reply.
Barnes was already on board, and Andi felt her skin crawl at the sight of him. He looked up from his papers when he heard the women approach, and his thin lips curled into a sinister smile as he watched Andi secure her luggage and take a seat directly across from him. “Welcome, ladies,” he boomed cheerfully, “I’m so glad you could accompany me on what would have been a dreadfully boring flight.”
Thelma had trouble looking him in the eye, but she gushed, “It’s an honor, Mr. President. Is there anything I can get you?”
“As a matter of fact there is,” he answered with a fake earnestness that reminded Andi of a televangelist. “Once we get in the air, I’d love for you to personally prepare our in-flight food. I’ve had the kitchen well-stocked, and no one has a way with pasta and vinaigrette like you do. I’m craving a fresh pasta salad, a variety of cheeses, and something creative for dessert. Can you handle that?”
Thelma nodded enthusiastically, and she managed to reverently meet his gaze. “Again, Mr. President, it would be an honor.”
“I’d be happy to assist you—” Andi offered, hoping for an opportunity to keep her distance from Barnes.
“But then who would keep me company?” Barnes cut in. “No, dear, you can stay here, and we’ll engage in some scintillating conversation.”
Sliding her sunglasses on top of her head, Andi raised her eyebrows and batted her eyelashes. “Can I expect to stay inside the plane all the way to California?”
Barnes laughed merrily. “I’d forgotten how much I enjoy your company, Ms. Carrell. You can certainly expect to remain on board all the way to our destination.” The captain’s voice announced that they were ready for take-off and reminded his passengers to fasten their safety belts. Barnes reached over and patted Andi on the knee. “Buckle up, my dear. Safety first.”
It was Andi’s turn to laugh. “I’ll try to be more careful this time. At least Thelma and I didn’t have to dress alike, so you’ve demonstrated growth in your sense of fashion—maybe your sense of safety has improved as well.”
Thelma looked confused, even though she was smiling vapidly at Andi as the plane sped down the runway. “I certainly wish I could wear the same clothes as you, but I haven’t had a figure like yours in thirty years, if ever.”
As the jet rose into the air, Andi concentrated on trying to will an engine failure that would send all of them hurtling to the ground to explode in an impressively fiery crash. She gave up when they reached cruising height, and Thelma trotted off to make lunch.
After a morning spent interviewing the dozens of volunteers and putting them through some physical tests, Luke and his lieutenants accepted thirty-five new recruits into their small, b
ut growing army. The rookies from the oxbow settlement were now considered veterans, and training the incoming group proceeded at a faster pace than when it was four working with thirty-two. Plenty of weapons and armor were available to outfit the new force in a uniform manner, but even though they quickly looked like soldiers, they still needed to learn how to fight the way Luke wanted them to.
CHAPTER 6
Once the recruits had received their new gear and training assignments, they were instructed to take the rest of the day off and report for official boot camp at sunrise the following morning. For the first time in weeks, Luke and Gracie found themselves alone, without a pressing list of responsibilities dictating their every move. Zach and Maddy had secretly arranged for the newlyweds to spend the duration of their stay in a large, well-kept camper that boasted comfortable mattresses and a fully-functioning bathroom. Gracie was speechless when Maddy handed her the key.
“Go on, and take a real shower while you’ve got the chance,” Maddy prodded. “There won’t be much hot water, but if you’re quick about it, Luke might even get a shot at washing off some of that hunter-stink.”
“Hey,” Luke objected, “you don’t exactly smell like a bed of roses yourself.”
Zach laughed out loud. “Dude, you’re not supposed to tell a woman she smells bad. And you probably shouldn’t say that to Maddy either.”
Maddy punched Zach in the arm but otherwise ignored him. “The owners of this fine residence were more than happy to let you two have it for as long as we stay here.” Luke started to speak, but Maddy cut him off. “You can’t refuse it; they’re both too old to fight, but they want to do something to feel like they’re contributing to the cause. If you don’t stay here, you’ll be insulting the nicest old couple I’ve met in years, and probably the entire community.”