by Sweet, Dell
“There are four of us... Our men are hurt,” Haley called. She panicked immediately when she realized she had unintentionally told the truth. Just blurted it out, but she fought the panic back.
“Will you take me?” Cathy had asked.
“It'll be cramped, but yes,” Haley agreed. “If you don't mind the cramped space... We'll get another truck as soon as we can... Bigger.”
Nineteen straight hours of driving had bought them into the next morning and a small dealership on the outskirts of Fredricksburg. They had made good time running along the edges of the black topped former highway. Outside of Fredricksburg the highway had once again become congested. They had finally been forced to take to the high grass in the fields more and more to find their way around the traffic. They had found the dealership and pulled right up to the front doors of the showroom just as dawn was breaking.
They had met John Campbell as they were searching the lot for a suitable truck. They had heard his truck long before they had seen it, but there had still been no chance to hide their own truck to remain unseen by him. They listened as he fought his way around the same obstacles they had, apparently following their tracks they had cut through the soft shoulders and the fields of tall grass. The motor rose in pitch, straining, and then fell back to idle as he once again made the roadway. When he came into view he had seen them about the same time they had seen him and raised one hand in a happy wave. Haley had breathed a sigh of relief.
With John's help they had liberated two trucks from the dealership lot, gassed them up, and made it to the other side of Fredricksburg and a sporting goods store that had not been completely ransacked. They had stocked up on ammunition, and with Haley leading they had struck out again, once more heading south. Scott had come back first, the next morning; Joel had come back later that day. Both a little slow, groggy, but healing.
Alice leaned forward and shifted the meat that simmered over the fire. Wild turkey. They had met a flock of them pecking their way through a field twenty miles north. She had been able to walk right up to one that only bristled, and threatened her before she shot it. She had felt bad after she had shot it. She had never hunted a day in her life, but a few minutes later Scott had been helping her to gut the bird, pluck the feathers, and then they had continued on down the road to where they had set up camp for the night.
They had backtracked to I 81 after the detour to Fredricksburg and were now just outside of Harrisburg. Harrisburg was off limits. Someone had made and posted signs over the crumpled city limit signs where they had fallen. One word, PLAGUE written in all caps with dripping red paint making it seem even more ominous to them.
They had backtracked once more to where they now were; looking for a place to both cross what appeared to be a large lake in places, and avoid Harrisburg. They had found no way across what they were sure had been the Susquehanna River, but was now a large inland lake. So far across in places that they could not see the other side. Slow, deep, and carrying all manner of debris. Tree limbs, pieces of houses. Bloated animal carcasses and who knew what else. As night closed in now they could see a red glow on the horizon. What was left of Harrisburg that was not flooded was burning brightly. No doubt a cure for the plague. It had made them all quiet.
“We'll have to skirt this somehow tomorrow, won't we?” John asked now.
“I thought about that, but no. I think it makes no sense to go back up along the river, or what we hope will turn back to a river, looking for a place to cross. I don't think there will be any bridges left. All of that stuff had to come down stream... I think any bridges that were there to cross are now gone. No... I think, find a boat, pack our supplies into it and make our way across to the other side,” Joel said thoughtfully.
“Be dangerous with all that shit floating downstream,” Scott said.
“Very,” Joel agreed. “I Think we do it in daylight. Get ourselves ready... There are places where we can see across. We go slow, carefully get to the other side and get the hell out of the water as fast as we can.”
“That would work,” Alice agreed.
“I think so,” Cathy added. “But we'll have to find a boat, right? Will there be a place close by?”
“There should be,” John said aloud. He seemed to be thinking. A second later he had one of the map's open and spread in his lap. “Where there is water,” he said vaguely.
“There are boats,” Scott finished and smiled. John gave Scott a crooked smile which made him blush.
“We just need to work our way back north along the water’s edge. Eventually we'll find a marina or a boat dealership, something,” John finished. He gave Scott a look again, seeming to enjoy the way he made him feel uncomfortable. He had already told Alice that she was lucky she had him, he was a beautiful man. Scott had wondered over that statement until the facts of the situation had dawned on him. John had simply laughed.
“That should work,” Joel agreed. He tended to hold his head stiffly. His neck seemed to pinch when he moved it too quickly. The skin was healing and the muscle in his neck was sore. It felt stuck, like part of it had healed improperly, or bonded to something it shouldn't have. He could feel a tearing, pinching feeling when he moved it too far. The plus side was that it was becoming less. So maybe it was just the muscle itself healing. Healing slowly, he told himself as he flexed it carefully and rubbed at the raised ridge of stitching.
“I think she sewed it to your ear,” Scott said and ducked as Haley batted at his head. He chuckled until Alice gave him a shot to the ribs. “Shit. That's not fair, working together.”
“Sure it is,” Alice disagreed.
Joel smiled. “I do seem to hear better when I flex my jaw,” he said.
Haley swatted his arm. “So mean, saved your head, might have had to amputate it too, yet you're so mean.”
Cathy flexed her jaw. “Hey, me too.” Everyone laughed, breaking the tension. A few minutes went by and Joel began to talk once more.
“So, the boat, make our way across and stock back up, get another truck, continue on our way.”
“Right,” John agreed. “Unless, well, but you don't want to travel by night.”
“But what, though?” Haley asked.
“Well, we're going south and I bet that lake is going south too.”
“Some,” Scott agreed. He had taken the map and was looking it over. “It does go a little south, but it mainly goes East... Back to the east coast... At least the Susquehanna did, so I assume the lake does as well.”
“Plus the debris,” Alice said
“Good idea if not for that,” Cathy agreed, “So, back to the boat, get across as fast as we can and get on our way.”
Joel nodded and one by one the others did. “Okay, so that's decided.” He turned back to the turkey sizzling on spits over the fire and rubbed his hands together. “White or dark,” he asked.
“Oh, dark,” John said and made eyes at Scott. Cathy giggled.
Joel and Haley
Kumbrabow State Forest
Valley Head WV
September 26th
They had left I 81 once they had crossed the Susquehanna river. They had been unable to find it again easily. They had instead kept south on back roads and flat land where they could make good speed. The farther from the main roads they went the easier it was to travel. The roads were less congested. The problem was that the destruction was wide spread. More than once a section of road they were following had disappeared into water, or into a ravine. It happened fast, you had to pay attention. They had found the state forest area, pulled off on an overgrown road and made their way a little deeper into the forest. A ranger shack had supplied what looked to be a good place to sleep for the night. It would be the first time out of the trucks in a few days. It would feel good.
“I could stay right here,” Cathy said. “I really think it's beautiful.”
They were inside near the wood stove they had kindled. A deer carcass hung just inside the doorway. They had shot it right in the
front yard of the shack shortly after they had stopped. Steaks were cooking on top of the stove in a cast iron pan.
“I like mountains too,” Haley agreed.
“Yeah, except, this would not be a good place to be in a few months when winter rolls in I bet,” Alice threw in.
Cathy frowned and then sighed. “Didn't think of that.”
“Reason we are heading south to begin with,” John said. “Easier winters... We hope.” He sighed too. “But it is pretty. I love it too. So... I don't know, wild, I guess. Primitive. I could see me living in a place like this, but only if I had a partner who was a good hunter... Well supplied before winter. Safe. More people to help. Life would be a little tougher here, I guess, but the beauty might be worth it.”
“I think south will be tough too,” Scott said. “Hurricanes, storms, flooding I would bet, after all, all that water ends up down there some place and all the rivers have to be overflowed... Maybe even changed course. And living down south brings its own problems. Like it's hotter than hell several months out of the year, even if you live on the Gulf. The storms. Snakes and bugs that can kill you.”
“What?” Joel asked.
“What?” Scott asked him.
“Bugs that can kill you? And, what kinds of snakes.”
Scott laughed. “Snake of all kinds. Too many to list. That is semi tropical. Probably will be tropical eventually, maybe even is now. All the animals that call it home were controlled because of the people population. We already noticed most animals made it and the people didn't, so those snakes are not afraid of much of anything anymore. Scorpions, bot flies, kissing bug, fire ants, a lot more. Most can't kill you but they might make you wish you were dead. Now the snakes can kill you, and it's not like you can run to the hospital.”
“Jesus,” Haley said. “Thanks, Scott. Thanks a lot.”
“Hey. I didn't make these bugs; I just thought you should be aware. Look, it's not a big deal, just something you have to be careful of. Like... Like, say, freezing to death up north. My first winter up there I went out in January, 32 below zero with the wind chill. No hat and my ears froze so goddamn fast I thought I would lose them.”
“Only takes about ten minutes to get frostbite when it's that cold,” Joel said.
“Yeah,” Haley agreed. “Lucky you didn't lose them, part of them.”
“Okay, so see? It's the same thing. Different area of the world. You just have to be aware of it is all. Learn.”
The cabin shook as something slammed into it from outside.
“What the fu...” Scott began.
“Douse that lantern... Lock that door,” Joel said as he lunged for his machine pistol where he had laid it down by a small, pine table.
The cabin plunged into darkness and they were all momentarily blind from the lantern light. A few seconds later their sight began to return.
“Get your guns in your hand now that you can see,” Joel whispered. “Jesus, don't shoot any of us... Watch the windows.”
There were two small windows that had been set into the cabin wall, one on each side. The one side, Joel remembered, faced the deep woods. The other faced the road. He motioned everyone toward the back of the cabin so they could look forward and see out of both windows.
“Shoot the window out we don't have a way to stop them,” John said.
“A man, or a bear, can easily break one of those windows if they want to,” Haley said quietly. “It's no protection at all.”
Something slammed into the wall directly behind them and Cathy screamed before she could stop herself. Something answered from outside at the back of the shack. A low growl that turned into a snarl that did not sound like any animal any of them had ever heard.
“Oh God,” Cathy said. Haley pulled her to her and buried her head into her breast. “Shh... Quiet, Cat, quiet.”
The silence came back heavy and then whatever the something was, it continued to bump its way around the side of the shack, seemingly headed toward the front. Silence and then the shape of a man appeared in the glass of one side window. A second later and the glass shattered; the figure began climbing into the room.
The gunfire was deafening inside the little shack. The man blew into pieces long before he made it through the window, and was tossed back out onto the grass. A second later another came to the window and snarled at them. All of them fired. Silence returned fast and hard. Cathy sobbed from Haley's breast where she held her tight.
“Sss okay,” Haley told her. “It's okay. Ssh, it's alright.” The seconds dragged and the silence remained, punctuated only by Cathy's sobs. Joel and John made their feet and went quickly to the doorway. Flashlights in their hands. “Scott?”Joel turned back around to him. “Scott don't let anything in here,” Joel told him.
“No way,” Scott agreed tightly.
A few moments outside told them everything they needed to know. Noises from the woods told them more. They were back quickly.
“Plague,” Joel said. “Get whatever you can get fast, probably guns only. There are more of them back further in the woods. We've got to go.”
They drove the overgrown dirt road carefully, there were dozens of plague victims crowding close to the road, shying from the light, but not wanting to. They made the small county road they had followed in, turned south and drove into the night.
Joel and Haley
Asheville North Carolina
September 27th
The day was clear and bright as they skirted what they were certain was Asheville North Carolina and headed toward the Georgia border. They would be in Georgia just a short time before they crossed over into Alabama. Billy and Beth had told them they had not been far into Alabama before the state had disappeared, the highway sinking into the sea.
They were three trucks riding the sides of the roads angling their way across wet areas via whatever high ground they could find. They were close to the Georgia border when the attack came.
The trucks had come around a curve ahead of them and swept past on the other side of a wide highway median. Joel had known by the way the men in the trucks had watched them that this was not going to be a friendly meeting. The trucks had slowed. The center median was flooded, there was no way they would make it across there, but it was less than a mile back to where there was a crossing. The same crossing they had used to get onto this side of the highway. Joel had picked up the CB handset in his truck and told the rest to follow him.
He had no place in mind. It made no sense to go back; forward made the most sense. He picked up as much speed as he could and the other two fell in behind him as he skirted the road, running into the fields where necessary. A half hour bought them in view of a small town off the highway they were traveling. Joel drove off the edge of the highway and crossed through the fields into the town
The roads were rough, most of the town was a shamble, but the streets were quiet and darkened by the overgrowth of trees. The downtown section was full of abandoned cars; Joel spied a garage up ahead and angled into the parking lot. A little work and they managed to cut the locks off the garage doors and raise them. An hour after they had driven into the lot they were hidden away inside the garage. They had left the trucks and were gathered quietly looking through the dirty glass at the deserted streets.
“They will follow our tracks right off the road,” Joel said.”
“And if not they would have got us on the road with no safe place to fight from,” Scott said. “We have concrete block at our back here. They don't know this is where we went.”
“Maybe,” Joel allowed.
“There,” Haley said and pointed.
One of the trucks they had seen on the other side of the highway idled down the street in low gear. The load exhaust reaching them inside the bays.
“How in hell did they find us so fast,” Alice wondered aloud.
“I don't know,” Joel said.
“Maybe mud... Wet spots on the road from where we crossed out of the fields and headed down this way,”
John offered.
“Dammit,” Joel agreed. “That's it.”
“Nothing for it now,” Scott said quietly. “Well, do we bring it to them or let them bring it to us?”
John Frowned, Haley spoke up, Cathy right behind her. “I say take it to them. That's one truck we can take out, out of three, right now. Might make the others think twice about it.”
“You're sure it's one of them?” Alice asked.
“Positive,” Joel said.
“Then we got to do it,” Alice agreed. “How?”
“We can't shoot through this glass... Go around back, out the back, I mean. We'll take him as he rolls out of the other street corner,” Joel decided at last. The rest followed him out the back door and around the building to the overgrown weeds and shrubs that hid the corner of the building.
A few moments later the truck rolled through the intersection on the opposite side of the garage and they opened up on it. The driver floored it and the truck scorched the pavement as it jumped ahead, but a split second after that the motor died and the truck bounced as it slammed back down to the pavement; drifting across the road headed for a small playground on the opposite side of the street and a construction area just beyond that.
A second went by, another, and the front passenger door opened and three people jumped from inside, stumbled, rolling onto the ground, trying to get to their feet and then began to sprint off down the street as the truck continued on, mowing over the chain link fence of the playground, and then hanging up on a small concrete barrier just inside the fencing line.
Joel led the first man and carefully fired. The man collapsed to the pavement like a rag doll, arms and legs flopping as he tumbled to an awkward stop. The second runner stopped, turned, and opened up on them. Haley felt the wind as a bullet zipped past her face before she heard the shot. At the same time she was pulling the trigger on her machine pistol. A notoriously bad weapon for long distance shooting, but a killing machine in full auto mode. The man seemed to start a slow tap dance for a second and then slowly toppled forward onto the pavement. A pool of blood spread quickly from under him. The last runner turned, a woman, threw down her weapon and raised her hands. A shot rang out and she topped over into the street.