“I’m sorry about your brother, but I bet he still watches over you.” Red smiled, she had no doubt in her mind, Andy was still watching out for her.
“And Hap still watches over you.” Lizzie stifled a yawn, but raised up and quickly placed a kiss on Red’s forehead. As she drifted off, Red slipped out her hand and clasped Lizzie’s.
“We all set?” Tom approached Tim, who was loading up the Focus and its tiny trailer, for the short run to Tellico Plains.
“Just about.” Tim replied.
“We’ll be back in a few hours...” Tom told Sue and Jeff. “...and if we don’t return, do not come lookin.” Sue was about to object, but was cut off by Tom. “Sue I mean it, you all take off for Pigeon Forge and we’ll look for you there.” Sue just shook her head.
“Tom, we can’t do that buddy.” Jeff spoke up. He got what Tom was saying, but couldn’t imagine, leaving friends behind.
“Yes you can and you will. Your number one priority is the kids, you get them to Pigeon Forge safely...we are not arguing about this.” Tom said, sternly.
“Tom’s right, just do as he says.” Tim added. Sue and Jeff didn’t say anything, but the looks on their faces, said it all.
“We’ll be back, I promise.” Tom hugged his wife, making a promise, he damn well intended to keep. “Okay, let's roll.”
Pete kept the girls busy, cleaning up from breakfast, helping gather firewood and any other chores required. Mitchell was helping Sam and Caleb, gather water to be boiled and stored, Jeff and Jackson providing security in case any zeds, or other unfriendlies, showed up. Sue and Miri began packing up the vehicles, so they’d be ready to leave in the morning. Jimmy joined Tracey, keeping watch at the station.
Pete knew this last incident, caused even more trauma and he did not want the children, sitting around dwelling on it. It was sad to think, that these kids would soon be gun toting adults. It would be up to them to hunt, scavenge and stand guard. He had no doubt, when the time came, they’d be more then ready, to step into their new roles. Until that time, Pete would rather they feel safe and protected. Although, with the recent events and losing valued members of the group, that was clearly, not the case.
“No Arianna, that wood is too green.” Lizzie scolded her friend. “It will just smoke and not burn.” Arianna threw the wood down and stomped away.
“Hey, what happened?” Pete saw the interaction, approaching the young girl, as she angrily walked toward him.
“Lizzie thinks I’m stupid.” She huffed. Pete stopped Arianna in her tracks, angry tears rolling down her cheeks.
“She doesn’t think you’re stupid.” Arianna shook her head. “Sisters do tend to fight, ya know.” Arianna looked up at Pete, wiping at the tears. “And older sisters are the worst.” The young girl, couldn’t help but snicker.
“I never had a big sister.” She declared.
“Well, you do now.” Pete smiled. Lizzie walked up to them, with an arm full of wood.
“Come on Arianna, I can’t do everything by myself.” Lizzie continued on, toward the station.
“She’s only nine months older than me, but she acts like I am a baby.” Pete put his arm around the young girl, as they followed behind Lizzie.
“Don’t worry sweetie, nine months or nine years, she is still older, but I think you can stand up for yourself.” Pete reiterated.
“If you say so.”
“There’s the sign.” Tim pointed out. The sign read, Welcome to Tellico Plains, Gateway to the Cherokee National Forest. Tom stopped the Focus, before entering the town. Tim took out the map, checking on the lay out of the town.
“The city hall and police station are straight ahead.” Tom proceeded down the road, pulling up in front of the city hall. The town was quiet. Before the world ended, there were less then one thousand residents, living in Tellico Plains. It had, obviously, been a beautiful town, but now it was just dead, like all the others.
“Our main goal here is gas, I don’t wanna be here to long.” Tom said. He was still a little anxious, considering what happened on the last run.
“This place could be a gold mine, Tom.” Tim countered. “We need tools, if we’re going to take over that park.” Tom sighed. “What do you think Red?” Tim asked.
“I’m as anxious as Tom to get moving down the road, but we need to be able to secure things, when we get there.” Red responded, playing the diplomat.
Tom breathed deep, considering his response. “Okay, but quick hits only, our group doesn’t need anymore losses.”
Tim held back his comment, understanding Tom’s concerns. “Let’s get started.”
The trio headed up to the city hall. Approaching the building, they could see the front door was wide open. Rapping on the door a few times, Tim was satisfied there were no dead inside. “Come on.” Red kept watch in the doorway. It was a big entrance hall, with cushioned seats and two hallways, branching off either side. Other then the dust and grime, of being abandoned for a long time, the place looked untouched. Tim walked behind the reception desk to the maps and flyers, neatly piled on a shelf.
“Jackpot...here’s the guide to the town.” Tim handing a map to Tom.
“Town Square is up the street, let’s start there.”
The small group, drove slowly to the square. Abandoned vehicles, littered the area, near Tellico Drugs and Family Wellness Center, Presley’s Barber Shop and Taylor Hardware.
“Tim, check these vehicles for gas, Red and I will start at the pharmacy.” Tom said.
“You know the drill, anything we can use.”
Red moved, cautiously, from aisle to aisle, grabbing some bandages here and some ointment there. Red reached the back, where the pharmacy was located and slid behind the counter to the back, where the prescription meds were stored.
“Anything good?” Tom made it to the front of the pharmacy, still a little embarrassed to be picking up tampons.
“Not a lot, but some.” Red grabbing antibiotics and painkillers.
The two went back to the front, ready to leave the store. Red stopped at the checkout counter, smiling when she saw the display there. She quickly pocketed one of the items, before leaving. Tim was siphoning gas from one of the pickup trucks, Red tapped Tom on the side of the arm, pointing out two zeds, emerging from the alley across the road.
“Tim, we got company.” Tim took the hose from the truck, twisting the cap back on the gas can. Red and Tim, cautiously, crossed the road, using their knives to take down the two corpses. Two more came out of the alley, Red and Tim standing their ground. Tom stayed put, watching their backs.
“Holy crap, he’s huge.” Red was taken aback by the large, overall wearing, zed approaching. He had to be at least six foot three, three hundred pounds and he was barrelling right for them, his arms outstretched. His hands resembled baseball mitts and Red and Tim knew, if he got a hold of one of them, it would be nearly impossible to get away. The woman behind him, still wearing a housecoat and slippers, was much smaller, but Red knew there was no way, they were taking the man down with a knife.
“Shit.” Tim pushed the man back, trying to pull out his gun. Moving back a few steps, the large zed slammed into the woman, knocking her to the ground. Both Red and TIm, were too close to use their guns, Red pulling out her hatchet. The oversized zed, swung his arms, just missing Tim. Red raised her hatchet, before she heard Tom yell.
“Get down!” Tim and Red fell to their knees immediately. The first shot hit the zed in the shoulder, not even phasing him, but the second, went thru his left eye, ripping off half of his face. The body slammed down, causing the ground to shake, Red quickly rose to her feet, using her hatchet to split the female zed’s skull.
“That was too damn close.” Tom said, while reloading the shotgun. “Let’s hit the hardware store …I wanna be outta here like an hour ago.”
Tim placed two, five gallon gas cans, into the tiny trailer, not nearly enough for the eighty mile trip. The hardware store, was more like a mom and pop countr
y hardware store, than a Home Depot. The metal window shutters were pulled down, making it impossible to see inside. Tim slowly opened the door, a damp, musty smell, assaulting his senses. The mom and pop store idea was realized even more, when a small bell above the door, rang loudly.
Startled by the sound, all three stood silently, listening for the, inevitable, shambling of the dead. After a few minutes, Tim clicked on the flashlight. “Let's take a look.”
Tim led the way, cautiously, feeling his way around the dark store. Red quietly rolled up the metal shutters, blocking the front windows. Light poured in, making it easier to search the aisles. As expected, a lot of the aisles were close to empty, but they did find a few sledgehammers, rope, electrical wire, screwdrivers pliers, two hand saws and one portable table saw.
“Back here.” Tom called out. Red and Tim found a smiling Tom, standing in front of two large generators. Both were still in the original crates, somewhat hidden, behind a back wall.
“How we gonna get these back to camp?” Red asked. It really was a lucky find, but much too big for the Focus and its tiny trailer. The generators had 7500 WATTS, printed in black ink, on the side of the crates.
Tom retrieved the guide map, from his jacket pocket. “There’s a U-Haul dealer, two streets over.”
It was Tim’s turn to smile. Grabbing a U-Haul truck, would solve his problem of keeping the armory they were amassing, out of the weather.
“Pull around back...” Tim ordered. “...hopefully the trucks are outside.”
Tom did as he was told, pulling in thru the open iron gate. There were a few trucks, parked against the back fence, Tom parking right beside them. “I think the fifteen footer, is our best bet.” Tom suggested. “Be careful.” He implored, before Tim stepped up, looking in the driver's side window.
“Keys are in there.” Tim opened the door, sliding behind the wheel. Turning the key, the truck starter turned a couple of times, then nothing, but a series of clicks. Tim tried a few more times, with the same result.
“Damn it.” Tim was frustrated, especially when he saw the truck, had a full tank of gas.
Tom tapped on the window, getting TIm’s attention. “There’s always these.” Tom was holding up jumper cables, a small smirk on his face.
“Funny guy.” Tim joked, before moving the Focus over by the truck. After hooking up the cables, they let the car run, building up the charge. Red had noticed a gas pump in back, while looking through the scope of her rifle. Tom walked past the pump, searching the area behind it.
“There hasta be a storage tank around here.” Tom walked to the fenced in parcel of land, just behind the U-Haul building. “This is it.” The gate was unlocked, so the trio easily walked up to, what looked like a giant manhole cover, that was also unlocked.
“I hope they left some behind.” Tim said, anxiously. Tom and TIm lifted up the cover, looking inside.
“Tim, grab that dipstick over there.” There was a measuring stick on the ground, by the edge of the fence. It would, at least, let them know if any gas was left in the tank. Red stayed by the Danger / Flammable warning sign, hanging on the front of the fence, it gave her a good view of the surrounding area.
“Looks like we have gas folks.” Tom removed the dipstick, excited that there seemed to be some gas left in the tank. “Tim and Red, grab the hand pump and the gas cans from the car.” Tom ordered. Red looked at Tom, questioningly. “I’ll be ok, till you get back.” The couple headed to the car, as quickly as possible.
“Tim…” Red pointed to the front gate. “...we need to be fast.” A few zeds had made their way into the lot, Tim and Red, hurrying back to Tom. After dropping off the pump and the cans, Tim and Red met the zeds, before they could turn the corner. Red took down the first one with a hatchet to the face, Tim stabbing the other, thru the ear, with his knife.
“There’s gonna be more.” Tim stated the obvious and he was right. More were entering thru the gate, too many to keep using knives, or a hatchet. Red pulled out her 45, Tim using his 9mm. They waited till the zeds made it in, then started firing.
“Three.” Tim looked at Red, a small smirk on his face. Red gave Tim the eye, and fired off two quick rounds.
“Five.” Red countered.
Tim rushed his next shot and missed. Red took aim and squeezed her trigger. “Six.”
“Ten.” Red had to stop to reload, giving Tim the chance to catch up.
A final lone zed entered, Red turned to Tim. “Opposite hand.” Tim switched to his left hand, Red her right.
“Winner gets bragging rights.” Red nodded.
“In 5...4, 3, 2 ,1…” Both shot at the same time, Red hitting the zed’s shoulder, Tim hitting it’s stomach. Red aimed again, hitting it’s arm. Tim took his shot, hitting it in the forehead. Red shook her head, as Tim took a bow. “Great shot.”
“You’re no slouch either, but I think you let me win.” Red didn’t say anything, but smiled coyly, as she holsetered her weapon.
“Come on, let’s get this done.” Tim and Red went back to help Tom. It took a while, but they ended up with thirty five gallons of gas. Tim also nabbed a case of Pennzoil and bolt cutters, from one of the bay areas. They loaded up their small trailer, then tried to start the truck, relieved when the engine fired up.
“Follow me out, we’ll pick up the supplies and be on our way.” Tom and Red got in the Focus, following Tim to the hardware store. They saw a few more zeds roaming the street, but no more than they could handle. Tim maneuvered the truck, so he could back up to the door of the hardware store. “God I hope we can get those generators out.” Red propped both doors open, before helping load the supplies. The generators did fit thru the doors, but it wasn’t easy and it took a lot of time. By Toms calculations, they had been in town for at least four hours, way longer than expected.
“Let’s get the hell outta Dodge.” Tim pulled out first, crushing a female zed, blocking the truck. With in a few minutes, they hit the main road, happily heading back to the group.
“How long have they been gone?” Sue asked, anxiously. She’d started to worry and all the fateful things that could of happened, kept going thru her mind, like a home movie. Pete tried to comfort her, but he was worried to.
“Sue, they are three of the best shots in the group, they’ll be back.” Pete assured her. Sue continued to pace, praying everything was okay. About a half hour later, the trio returned.
“They’re back.” Pete announced, somewhat bewildered, seeing the U-Haul truck. Sue finally took a breath, pure relief, running through her veins. The group met them, as they got out of the vehicles, hugs and pats on the back all around.
“How the hell did you end up with a U-Haul truck?” Sam asked. Tim looked at Red and Tom, then smiled.
“Well buddy, it’s like this…”
The next morning, the group discussed their next move. The vehicles were packed and ready to go, with all the added supplies. Tom wanted to have a plan, before they left. It was a huge chance they were taking, finally making steps to put down roots, in one place. “There's a campgrounds less than five miles from the park, we should stop there, then send scouts ahead to the park. I don’t wanna take the kids in there, until we know what to expect.” Tom finished.
“Makes sense.” Jeff stated, everyone else agreeing with the two men.
“Ok...let's roll.” Tom led the way out.
“Hey Red, you feel like ridin shotgun?” Tim asked. Now that they had the truck, things would be a bit more comfortable in the cars.
“Sure, if I can bring a friend?” Tim nodded, before getting behind the wheel and starting the truck. The kids had gone for one more bathroom visit, before leaving. As they came out of the station, Red pulled Lizzie to the side. “You wanna ride with Tim and I, in the truck?”
Lizzie couldn’t hide her excitement. “Sure.” Red smiled, watching her skip over to the truck.
“I got you something in town.” Red whispered to Lizzie, before pulling out the silver, heart necklace. Af
ter their conversation the other night, Red had wanted to cheer up the young girl.
“Oh, it’s beautiful.” Lizzie exclaimed. Red clasped the chain around Lizzie’s neck, happy to see her smiling again. Lizzie held on to the heart pendant, quickly kissing Red’s cheek. “I’ll always treasure it.” Lizzie whispered to herself. Tim smiled at them, thinking Red had found her reason to stay with the group.
“So Red, you think you’ve found a home?” Tim asked, tentatively.
Lizzie looked up at Red, waiting for an answer. Red continued to look out the window. “I guess so, if y’all think you can put up with me?”
Tim laughed. “Well, it may be tough, but I think you’ll fit in just fine.”
“Come in Tim, over.” Tom’s voice, crackled over the walkie.
Dead To Rights_HZA, Vol. 4 Page 3