by Andrew Lauck
I looked in the mirror at the little girl next to Antoinette, and either she wasn’t old enough to understand or was too traumatized to react, because her face gave no indication of comprehension. Antoinette, however, teared up, and I could tell the sight still haunted her. I had been so caught up in the story and my own attempts to forget Kat that I forgot to introduce myself.
“I’m Eric, by the way,” I said, reaching my left hand over my right arm to shake his.
“Marcus.” He took my hand, and I saw the bands of muscle in his dark forearm flex. Marcus was no pushover, and I was kind of glad to have him around in case we got into trouble. “I have to admit, we were hesitant to go with you after seeing you with the soldiers.”
“I can imagine, but Katherine and I had pretty much just gotten there. He may not be the best guy, but at least he didn’t try to kill me, which is more than I can say for everyone else I’ve met so far.”
“No argument here. That city was the first civilization we’ve found since this all went down. I got Antoinette and Teresa, and we joined our neighbors in the evacuation out of Louisiana. Those things were everywhere, though. Every street, every building we tried was either already full of them or about to be.” I didn’t have to ask what he meant by that. During my own escape out of Chicago, I had witnessed some serious shit that I didn’t care to relive ever again, so I didn’t need him to elaborate. The look on his face, the distant look in his eyes, told me everything. I could only pray that his daughter was too young to remember the events.
“So, you got out alive and came to the theatre? What about your neighbors? Are they all…” I hesitated because I wasn’t sure how much Teresa would comprehend, “out of the picture?” Not much better, I guess, but it sure beat the hell out of asking straight-up if they were dead. After spending so much time out here, I was pretty proud that I could still be sensitive around a child.
“Most of them, yeah. By the time we found a convoy leaving town, there were just eight of us left.”
“Convoy? Where was it going?”
“We asked the same question. There had been rumors that the military in Texas had pulled back to San Antonio and managed to hold off the zombies as a last line of defense, so it made sense that’s where the convoy was going. The head of the group was a retired colonel, so we figured he would be a good person to be around, but he told us he wasn’t trying to find any safe zone. He said the safe zone was just a rumor to give people hope, and that he would focus on what really was important, whatever that meant. Anyway, our group found a couple cars of our own and drove as far as we could get. I guess we could’ve gone to San Antonio, but if it was the last line, then the rest of Texas was probably swarming with zombies. At least that’s what we assumed, so we went north instead, hoping to find another safe zone. We made it pretty far before the cars ran out of gas which is when we started walking. I remember seeing the smoke above Chicago and thinking how bad things could be that our own military would have to start bombing entire cities, but we headed into the first town we came across.”
“Crown Point,” I whispered, deep in thought.
“What about you? Where were you when it all went down?”
“Chicago.” My eyes flicked to the rearview when I heard Antoinette gasp. Her eyes instantly filled with pity and concern, and my reflection stared back at me with memories of who I once was. I hadn’t thought about Chicago the entire time I was in Crown Point, which bothered me. Was I already over it? Was I becoming that hardened? Or had I just been too busy worrying about Kat’s condition? Whatever the case, I barely recognized the man staring back at me in the mirror, and I didn’t like it.
“I’m sorry, man.” Marcus’ bass voice broke my reverie, and I simply nodded.
“It’s fine. You couldn’t have known.” After that, we drove in silence. I guess saying you were basically at the site of one of the worst overrun cities in the country was kind of a showstopper. Still, my mind was drawn elsewhere. I wondered if Kat was alright, but just as I thought about turning around, the engine made a clinking sound, and I felt the car lurch. My eyes glanced to the dash, and I saw the gas gauge sitting on the letter “E” for “You should have gotten gas earlier, dumbass.” You could say it was just stress getting to me, or lack of sleep, or any number of things, but I’d prefer to think it was logical to dread the idea of walking the last few miles to a potentially overrun compound in the open.
“What’s wrong?” Marcus asked, reaching for the half-baseball bat that sat in his lap and gripping it tightly.
“The car is out of gas. We’re gonna have to walk the rest of the way.”
“Well, how far is it?”
“Based on the last sign I saw and the map I looked at, we’re only four miles out. If we start walking now, we can be there within an hour.” One good thing to come out of all this is that I’m in great shape now, which was a genuine concern for a retired veteran in his forties. With that being said, I could have gotten there much faster had I been alone, but I had to account for a child being with us.
I got out of the car and turned in a full 360 degree circle to make sure there were no massive groups of zombies nearby before giving the all-clear to Marcus. Marcus got out and came around to hoist Teresa onto his massive shoulders. With that problem solved, we gathered our things and left the car behind.
As we walked, I thought about what could be waiting for us at Cedar Lake. If Kat was right and the compound was overrun, there would be a bloodbath, and I don’t know if anyone would survive. Plus, our getaway vehicle was out of gas, so even if we made it back to the car it would only be a matter of time before we all died, whether from starvation, dehydration, or a last-ditch attempt to get out and run for it. All I know is that if the compound didn’t exist, then all this time I had been grasping at straws for nothing. That thought alone made my heart sink, but the other potential brought my eyes back to the road ahead.
The Cedar Lake compound would be the safe zone I had been searching for since Chicago fell. Don’t get me wrong, I had no delusions of grandeur. There would be no waving flags, no trumpets sounding, no red carpet. Cedar Lake would be no Xanadu paradise, but just the idea of finding civilization again, a civilization that wasn’t constantly trying to kill or eat me, was enough to make me walk just a little faster.
It was that thought that crossed my mind just as we rounded the curve in the road around the side of a massive hill, and I had my answer.
Chapter 46
Day 188
Cedar Lake, Indiana
I’m writing this journal in the comfort of an honest-to-God bed tonight, and the only day that comes close to being this important to me so far was when I met Katherine in the fort. I mean, I’m having trouble finding words to describe my feelings at the moment, but I’ll probably go with elated. Cedar Lake is everything I had dreamed it would be.
When we rounded that curve, we came to a ten-foot wall with mounted guns, soldiers armed with assault rifles, and barbed wire that had been stretched out every foot for ten feet in front of the perimeter. It was like the Alamo on steroids. One of the soldiers on the wall brought a megaphone up and signaled us.
“Halt or we will open fire!” I stopped moving and held out my arm to put myself between Antoinette and the soldiers. I nodded back to Marcus to let him know it was okay. “State your intention.”
“We were told that Cedar Lake was a green zone for civilian survivors. Assuming this isn’t just a wall in the middle of nowhere, I’d say our intention is to get inside.”
“Are any of you military or possess military training?”
“I’m retired, but I’m pretty sure I remember a thing or two.”
“Wait there.” The soldier put down the megaphone and thirty seconds later two massive steel doors disengaged their locks, and the wall opened. Four soldiers came out and checked us over for infection which means we were forced to disrobe, and two soldiers scanned us from head to toe for any signs of a bite while two more soldiers watched us wi
th fingers on the trigger. We were given the all-clear and allowed to get dressed before they led us inside and sealed the doors behind us. It was like being inside a bank vault, the security was so high, but understandably so. Knowing what walked across the wasteland these days, safety couldn’t be taken lightly.
An older officer marched up and nodded to the soldiers escorting us who then returned to their posts on the wall. He had salt and pepper hair, bags under his eyes, and wrinkles creased his forehead. The man was clearly under a lot of stress, but his uniform was—to my disbelief—ironed, and his hand hovered near the M9 sidearm with each step, so I knew he had no intention of letting that stress stop him.
“My name is Hal Matheson, a Lieutenant Colonel with the United States Army. Welcome to Cedar Lake. The civilians will be escorted to a condo where they will be given supplies and half the living space, as space is limited. The retiree comes with me.” A woman appeared from one of the tents that were scattered throughout Cedar Lake, away from the condos, and waved to Marcus and his family. She wore camouflage pants and boots, but she had her camo top wrapped around her waist and wore just the brown undershirt. It wasn’t regulation, but even in a zombie apocalypse, public relations are still a role, I guess. I returned my attention to Matheson.
“What’s the situation here, sir?” I prompted while walking with him toward a larger tent, presumably their command headquarters. He looked over and stared dead at me, probably wanting to be the only one asking questions.
“The situation is grim, son, but we’re as tough and determined as ever. Our Colonel was recalled to Washington months ago, and we lost contact with the outside world shortly after that. Communications are down, and we’re cut off from everyone. The last communique we received had intel that hinted at a Forward Operating Base in the south, but we haven’t been able to confirm that.” He took a deep breath and sighed, pushing aside the flaps of the tent, and waving me inside to a chair. The HQ was as simple as possible, with a large desk on one side and two tables pushed together on the opposite. A map had been draped over the tables with several markings and points. “Now, since I know you’re not just some rookie out of Basic, I’m going to assume you have one hell of a story to tell.” He pulled out the seat across the desk from me and folded his hands into a steeple under his chin.
I relayed my story to him, starting with the fall of Chicago, the false personalities at the fort, my eventual escape with Katherine, and our arrival at the town. As soon as I started talking about Dawes’ game, another woman walked into the tent and handed a folder to Matheson. Unlike the PR officer from earlier, she wore full tactical gear and had a rifle slung over her shoulder. Her dirty blonde hair was well beyond regulation, falling down to her shoulder blades, but she kept it tied back in a ponytail. It may have been the fact that I hadn’t seen another woman besides Kat for a while, or the fact that there was an apocalypse going on, but she looked pretty damn good. Matheson opened the folder and flipped through the contents within while I continued my story.
Outlining the game, I proceeded to detail my assault on the town, the stay at the farmhouse, and reaching the city. At the mention of the city, Matheson visibly tensed. I discussed Schafer’s setup, and finished the story when we left Crown Point. I tried to recall every incident, leaving nothing out. When I finished, Matheson let out a low whistle and rubbed his jaw, glancing to the woman who had stayed to listen.
“Is there something I should know?” I asked after an uncomfortable silence filled the room. I had enough silence out there, so I didn’t need it when people were around.
“You say you met a Lieutenant David Schafer personally? He’s still alive?”
“Yeah, he’s alive, and so are four of his men. Why?”
“They went AWOL after we sent Schafer’s platoon out months ago. They were declared MIA, presumed dead.”
“He told me about that, which is why he didn’t come back. You sent him and his men out on a suicide mission.”
“The Colonel sent Schafer’s men out, not me, but it makes no difference either way. He had his orders.”
“With all due respect, sir, those orders were full of shit, and we both know it. Orders are coming from the politicians who have no idea what it’s like out there while civilians are fighting to survive another day. Schafer’s men got killed as a casualty of ignorance, not war. Besides, Schafer’s got that place fortified and prepared for anything, so whatever you could do would just get more men killed, not to mention Katherine.” Matheson clenched his jaw and stared angrily at me, but said nothing. The woman stayed silent, but I could see a slight smirk at the corner of her mouth.
“We don’t have the manpower to do anything at the moment, but when we do I will have his ass for this. There’s a bigger problem at the moment, though. One which I hope you can help us with. See, supply convoys stopped months ago which is why we sent out the platoons. Before too long, supplies will run out, and then we’ll have a famine on our hands. Crown Point has enough resources for everyone to share if Schafer would agree to that. You might be able to talk to him, reason with him to let us come in and gather some supplies. If this were a military compound, we would be fine, but the majority of these people are civilians. They’re not trained to survive in this kind of situation.”
“Is anyone really trained for this shit, sir?” He gave a short grunt that I took as approval, but quickly returned to his stoic state.
“Would you be willing to assist in this mission?”
“When are you planning to move?”
“As soon as we can.”
“Alright, but I was hoping you could show me the camp you’ve got here.” Matheson nodded and gestured to the woman.
“Mills can take you around and answer any questions you might have. If you’ll excuse me,” he held up the folder and dropped it on the desk, “I have some paperwork to look over.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you.” I stood and walked over to the map on the table. It was half-assed, with toy cars and assorted coins marking points that would usually have been distinguished by a flag or pin, but it was thorough. The map covered the whole world, and most countries had a quarter on them with the tails side up. I looked up to Mills.
“I’m kind of surprised they don’t have introduction tags by this point.” I ran my fingers along my chest. “Hello, my name is Eric. You know?”
“That boyish charm may work with most people, but don’t expect me to swoon.” I glanced up from the map, and she rolled her eyes. “It’s Jessica.”
“Alright, Jessica, what’s with this map? It doesn’t seem to be very organized.”
“Before communications broke down, we were able to get constant updates. The cars are known military outposts as of the last time we got word from them. We don’t know if anything is still standing. That block down there,” she pointed to a building block in the southern area of Texas, “is where the military was able to make a blockade and contain the threat. They were holding out and trying to organize an offensive front, but we have no idea if that ended up going anywhere.”
“The family I came in with mentioned something about that. They might know a thing or two if you want to check it out.”
“I’ll look into it. Still, I’m not going to mount up and take a trip down south any time soon.”
“That’s a damn shame to hear, Mills.” I looked up and grinned, but she rolled her eyes at me again. I returned my focus to the table. “And the coins? I see a lot of money on the table, and this sure as hell isn’t poker.” Jessica’s expression grew grim, and she licked her lips.
“Locations that reported an outbreak were pennies.” I looked again and didn’t see any pennies. “If the outbreak became an active military engagement, they were marked with nickels. Quarters are the worst cases. Heads means they were in danger of being overrun. Tails,” her eyes met mine, “means the country is dark and to be regarded as hostile territory.”
“Damn.” I muttered, my eyes fixed on the map. There were too many quart
ers on the map, and I felt a moment of defeat. It felt so easy to just accept that this was our extinction event, but I didn’t plan to fight my way out of Chicago and get to this point for nothing. I exhaled and stood. “Nothing was ever accomplished by thinking in the past, though, so I guess we should focus on that supply run and work from there. One more question, Jessica. Do you have water pressure?” She smiled.
Six minutes later I stepped into a stream of lukewarm water, grinning from ear to ear. It wasn’t steaming, but it was amazing to feel clean again. I stood in the stream for a full minute just letting dried blood and dirt rinse off of me before adding soap. I got clean, and stepped out of the shower feeling like the nightmares of the last week were washed away. Jessica made sure I got a small care package that contained a few canned goods, a clean set of clothes so I could wash the ones I had been wearing, a toothbrush and toothpaste, and a razor. It felt so good to shave, even if it was just with hot water. After that, I hit the mess hall and got a good meal of pork and beans, corn, a bottle of water, and Matheson stopped by to give me half a chocolate bar.
Cedar Lake was full of condos and campers which had become makeshift barracks. The military personnel were stationed in the outer buildings while the civilians and refugees from outside formed the inner ring of housing and tents. The lake basically created a natural barrier between the opposite shore and the compound. Docks extended halfway with a few boats remaining in the water, but I had a bad feeling that there could be zombies underneath the clear, blue surface, so I suppressed the urge to go for a swim. Still, it sure was beautiful. There were only two ways in, one being the road I walked in on from the northeast, and another heading to the south.