“You see them?” Connor said, walking back over to them.
“Doesn’t look like much,” Spencer said.
“Watch,” Connor said.
After watching for thirty seconds, Alexis understood the dilemma. Even though there weren’t many, it seemed like they were gathering more as they approached, a horde beginning to form as they watched.
“We’ll stay here and make sure none get through,” Emmett said, giving James a look that indicated he would keep an eye on their ‘new friends’ as well.
“Well then, let’s take ‘em out,” James said to his brother, moving past the pumps to get a clear view.
“All of them?” Stacy asked.
“Yep,” Connor said, following his brother.
Alexis watched as James and Connor moved off, and she was glad they’d decided to follow these two. Though she’d been hoping to save them from themselves, she realized they may very well be the ones to save her again before all this was over.
9
Discovery
James hopped over the guardrail and walked over to the highway. Lying down on the side of the road, he flipped down his bipod and turned the power of his scope up to four. His brother joined him, lying down by his side.
“Just like prairie dogs, eh?” James said.
“Just like prairie dogs,” Connor said and they both smiled.
James fired the first shot. The 5.56 bullet flew out of his barrel, arching through the air to collide with the head of a zombie two hundred yards out. The bullet, being a full metal jacket, punched right through the zombie’s head, exiting out the back. The zombie collapsed face first on the lawn next to the rest area across the road.
“One down,” James said, sighting in on his next target.
Connor fired. Another zombie bit the dust.
“Two down,” Connor said, smiling.
With each shot fired, the brothers felt a little more at ease. This was something they knew, something they were good at. While they hadn’t shot zombies until a few days ago, they’d put thousands of rounds through their ARs. There was something soothing about the recoil of the rifle, the muffled crack of the shot, the smell of gunpowder and the satisfaction of seeing the target hit—in this case the zombies’ heads. They continued like this for a few minutes, taking out all the zombies that were within three hundred yards.
“I don’t see any more close,” James said after scanning for another target.
“I think we got ‘em all,” Connor said.
James rose to a kneeling position and looked around. There were a few zombies over five hundred yards out. While he would love to shoot them, he wasn’t confident he would be able to hit them without shooting multiple times. He didn’t want to waste the ammo. His brother stood up next to him. They walked back to the people standing around the pumps.
“Wow,” Stacy said, “I guess you’re good at that.”
“Yes, miss, we are,” Connor said.
James smiled. It felt so good to let go of everything and just focus on taking down targets. With the zombies moving slowly and being so spread out, it’d been easy shooting. He’d had plenty of time to sight in on a head and gently squeeze the trigger. When he’d first heard of the outbreak, he thought that’s what it was going to be like—picking off easy shots with plenty of time to aim, but he’d quickly learned it was usually nothing like that.
“Feel better?” Alexis asked, looking at him with a slight smile.
“Actually,” James said, “it felt great to forget the chaos for a bit.”
“Wish I could’ve joined you,” Emmett said.
“Then there would’ve been nothin’ for us to shoot!” James said.
Emmett chuckled. “I’m not that good.”
“Don’t be deceived by his humility,” Ana said. “I’ve seen him pull off some hellacious shots, especially with his handgun.”
“See, that’s where you have us beat, hands down,” Connor said.
“Handguns are tough,” Emmett said. “Takes a lot of practice, and I’ve had a lot.”
James watched as the adults from their group began to bring out bags of food and cases of water and stack them in the back of the buses. They’d be sitting good for a while. He knew stocking now would mean a world of difference later. The more time that passed, the more scarce supplies would become.
“I think we’re gonna head out,” Jeremy said.
“Well, it was good talkin’ with you,” James said, sticking his hand out.
Jeremy shook it. “Likewise, and thanks for the advice. We’ll make sure to watch our backs. And you . . . be careful up north.”
“We will,” James said.
Stacy and Spencer waved goodbye as they loaded into the suburban with Jeremy and the three silent ones piled into the jeep. Both vehicles pulled out and turned south on the interstate. Before long, they were out of sight.
“That was refreshing,” Ana said. “They didn’t shoot at us, threaten us, or kill us.”
“Those types of people are becoming rare for a reason,” Emmett said.
“They’re soft,” Connor said.
“Yeah, but at least they aren’t losing their humanity,” James said.
“And we are?” Connor asked, faking hurt.
“There for a second . . .” James said.
“It’s easy to do from time to time,” Emmett said. “Trust me.”
The conversation died. Ana and Connor moved off to help load supplies while the three of them moved out to the road to keep watch. Fifteen minutes and a few more rounds from their rifles later, they were ready to go. Pulling out onto I-25, James turned north. He looked in his rearview mirror and was happy to see both buses were following, with Emmett bringing up the rear. Another stop and they were still alive.
“We need to call Tank now that we have service,” James said.
“I did earlier. It went straight to voicemail,” Connor said.
“He must’ve let his battery run down,” James said. He was worried it might be something worse, but he wouldn’t let himself think like that until he knew for sure.
“Yeah, I’ll try again later,” Connor said.
“Can I move Squeezer and lay down?” Olive asked, yawning.
“Of course,” James said.
Connor moved the cage over, allowing Olive to lie down on the seat.
“Better?” Connor asked.
“Yeah, thanks,” Olive said as she balled up both of their jackets and laid her head on them.
Soon, her breathing had slowed and she lay peacefully, like a little angel. Looking at her, James felt an intense desire to protect her at all costs. She didn’t feel like a stranger but rather someone close to him, like a sister, and he figured that strong feelings must grow under the stress of life-and-death situations. He’d never grown so attached to people so easily before all this happened, and now here he was, thinking of Olive and Ana as sisters, Emmett as a father and Alexis as . . . what did he feel for her? It confused him and he decided not to dwell on it. He’d only known her for two days now. The sleigh scene from Frozen played in his head, with Anna and Kristoff arguing about falling in love in a single day.
He laughed out loud and Connor looked at him. “You goin’ crazy, bro?” he asked.
“No, just thinkin’,” James said.
“About?” Connor asked.
“You know the sleigh scene in Frozen when . . . actually never mind.”
“James, not again.”
“What?”
“Alexis, isn’t it? Or is it that Mila girl? She really seems into you.”
“I don’t know what I’m feeling.”
“You’re crushing. You’ve always crushed quickly.”
“I have not.”
“Really? What about Liz, Vanessa, Emily, Cortana, Arwen—”
“Those last two aren’t even real people!”
“But you still crushed on them.”
“I was in middle school! That’s normal.”
“Y
ou’ve never been normal, bro.”
“Just shut up. You missed the whole point.”
“Oh, I think I got it,” Connor said, smiling.
James stared out the windshield, wanting to be mad at his brother, but he couldn’t. Connor was just ribbing him, and while he hated it, there was some truth to it.
So maybe I have liked girls quickly before, James thought, but never this quickly! I still think the apocalypse is to blame.
James turned the stereo on and The Last One Alive by Demon Hunter played through the speakers. He sighed and focused on the road in front of him. Maybe this would all work out somehow. As he drove north on I-25, he prayed. It was a simple prayer for protection and guidance—and hope.
~~~
The hot afternoon sun was at its peak when they drove into the outskirts of Casper.
“Stay frosty,” Connor said into the radio.
“We’ll let you know if we see anything,” Alexis said.
“Be looking for the Events Center exit,” James said.
Connor nodded. “I’ll be watching for that and a whole lot more.”
Olive was now awake and sitting up in the backseat, holding Squeezer. She’d grown attached to the snake already and would sit and hold him for hours.
“Olive, you want to put the snake away?” James asked. “We need to be ready for the worst up here.”
“Yep,” she said, gently laying the ball python back in the cage and securing the lid.
“Zombies or people?” she asked.
“What?” James asked, glancing back at her.
“Who you’re worried about.”
“Both,” Connor said.
“But, I hope we don’t have to worry about either,” James said.
They continued through town, having to slow with all the obstacles. Fortunately, there was a clear path all the way into town. In some places it looked like something had rammed vehicles off the road to make a way through the mess.
“We’re approaching the Events Center exit,” Connor said, looking up ahead. “I can see a lot of zombies hanging around that exit. It doesn’t look good.”
“Can you see the corner where the wreck is?” James asked. He was having a strange feeling to continue on the interstate. He absently felt at his ribs. They still didn’t hurt and he was beginning to believe he’d been healed. He recognized the feeling he was having now and decided he would trust it.
“I can see a lot of vehicles up there, but I can’t tell if we can get through or not.”
“Radio the rest. Tell them to hang tight at the exit. If we get stuck, have them go on.”
Connor picked up the radio and repeated the instructions.
“You sure?” Ana asked over the radio. “Jeremy said it was blocked.”
“Yes, trust me,” James said. “I have a feeling.”
“Oh great,” Connor muttered before answering Ana. “We’re going on. Be ready to hightail it.”
“Roger,” she said in a serious tone. “Dammit, now you have me saying it.”
Connor chuckled. “Be careful or we’ll have you saying ‘sir’ or ‘ma’am’ every time you address someone.”
“I draw the line there.”
As they continued and got a better look at the Events Center in the distance, they could see zombies all over the place. They weren’t just at the exit but all around it, like they’d been drawn there at some point. Approaching the turn in the interstate, James noticed the huge wreck Jeremy had talked about and his heart sank. If he was wrong, they’d have to turn around and some of the closer zombies were already starting to stumble toward them. The overpass loomed ahead, with cars spread out all around it, but in the middle of the pile there was a path.
“Just as I thought!” James exclaimed. “Get ‘em up here. We’re good to go.”
“Bring it up,” Connor said into the radio. “Looks like someone punched through the wreck.”
“Headed your way,” Ana said.
“You saw it too?” James asked his brother.
“Hard to miss,” Connor said. “I’m just glad they came through here. Whatever’s doing it has some serious power to push all these vehicles out of the way.”
“What’s hard to miss?” Olive asked.
“Someone has been pushing vehicles out of the way to clear a path,” James said.
“I know,” Olive said smugly.
“How do you know?” Connor asked.
“I’ve been praying we’d get through,” Olive said.
“Well, it worked,” James said. “Keep up those prayers.”
“I will,” she said, smiling.
“If we can keep this pace, we only have maybe five or six more hours to the Montana border,” James said. “We should get there tonight, no problem.”
“I’ll try Tank again,” Connor said, pulling his phone out of his pocket.
“Hopefully he has it charged now,” James said, dreading the alternative.
Connor put the phone to his ear. A few seconds later he pulled it back and looked at it. His face fell.
Not now, James thought.
“No service,” Connor said.
“Damn,” James muttered.
“Hey, mister,” Olive said from the backseat.
“Sorry,” James said. “See if someone in Emmett’s truck can get service.”
“You guys have any cell service?” Connor asked through the radio.
A minute later. “Nothing,” Ana said. “Does that mean what I think it does?”
“Yep, the cell towers are down,” Connor said.
“Great,” Ana said.
“We’ll just have to wait and see if he’s at the border,” James said. “He’ll know about it and start leaving signs if they moved on.”
“My guess is they’d wait a day,” Connor said. “Wait!”
“What?”
“We have SAT phones in the back!”
“Duh,” James said, just realizing it too. They had four satellite phones in the bed of the truck they used when they went off the grid, hunting for weeks at a time. “They won’t help us now, but they’ll be good for future use.”
“Ana,” Connor said over the radio.
“What now?”
“Good news. Remind us to give you a SAT phone when we stop next.”
“You just remembered those?”
“Yep.”
“Good thinking. We’ll remind you. Now leave us alone. We’re having an interesting conversation.”
“About?” Connor asked, unusually curious.
“Santa Claus,” she answered, and James could hear the smile in her voice.
“I bet.” Connor put the radio back on the dash. “Is it just me, or is she one of the weirdest women ever?”
“Not just you. She’s an odd duck.”
“I like her,” Olive said.
“Of course, you would,” James said. “You’re just as odd!”
“Good! I like being different.”
All three laughed.
“That’s not a bad thing,” James said, smiling back at her.
“I know,” she said, smiling too.
They continued north of Casper, cutting their way through the sagebrush flats. Medium-sized white and burnt-orange animals grazed on the sides of the interstate, black horns sprouting from their heads.
“Hey look!” Olive said excitedly. “Antelope!”
“They sure are,” James said, eyeing them admiringly. “Look at that buck! He’s huge! Imagine how big he’ll be when his horns are done growing and hunting season rolls around.”
“That is a nice buck,” Connor agreed.
“There’s so many of them,” Olive said with a smile. “I loved watching the ones at home. They’re so pretty.”
“Olive, look there,” James said, pointing to a doe and a young fawn.
“Is that a baby?”
“It is.”
“He’s so cute!”
“Did you know they’re the only horned animals to drop their horns
like antlered animals do?” James asked Olive.
“No.”
“Yep. See, most horned animals, like sheep and goats, continue growing their horns year after year while antlered animals, like elk and deer, drop their antlers every year and have to grow them back in the summer. But antelope drop their horns every year and grow them back.”
“That’s cool. So antelope are special?”
“Exactly.”
“Good, because they’re my favorite animal.”
“Good choice,” James said, smiling back at her.
Olive looked out the window and then back at James, a worried look on her face. “Won’t the zombies eat them too?”
“If they can catch ‘em,” James said. “Antelope are one of the fastest animals, second only to a cheetah, and they can run up to fifty-five miles an hour. They also have great eyesight, allowing them to see predators coming from miles away, and like most herbivores, they’re easily spooked and won’t let a predator get anywhere near them if they can help it. I’m guessing that most animals like them will be safe from zombies.”
“How do you guys know so much about animals?” she asked.
“We’re both hunters and I guided for a job. You learn a lot about the animals you hunt, and you grow to respect and admire them.”
“That,” Connor said, “and a lot of Animal Planet.”
“I love animals. Tell me more!”
“Do you know the only two mammals that lay eggs?” James asked.
They passed the herd of antelope that continued to graze like nothing had changed and the world wasn’t ending.
~~~
They’d stopped at a secluded gas station on the west side of Kaycee, where they’d fueled up and the kids had used the restroom. Now they were north of Buffalo and making great time, the evening sun sinking in the sky. The same vehicle that’d cleared a path through Casper had been this way and there was a clear route wide enough for the buses. A few zombies wandered around. James and Connor made sure to clear them out before the buses came through. The last thing they needed was one of the buses running over a corpse and getting a flat tire.
All afternoon James had been wondering where Tank was and whether he’d waited or continued on. A few times he even found himself questioning if they should’ve rescued all these people, but when those doubts arose, all he had to do was look back at Olive and realize it was well worth it.
The Brother's Creed (Book 2): Battleborn Page 11