“How about you guys?” Monica asked. “I guess you haven’t heard any news on things back in your own country?”
Jonah shook his head. “Last thing we heard was that the government closed all the borders. No one allowed in or out, either by air or sea.”
“I just hope to God they shut them in time,” Colleen said fervently. She sat leaning against the front passenger door so that she had a view of Monica. “It would only take one infected person to….”
Jonah patted her on the knee. “Don’t think about it, love. It’ll only drive you crazy.” He turned to Monica. “So what’s your plan? We’re heading north up the coast to…to…well to somewhere less hot. Yer welcome to come with us. It’s not safe for you to travel on your own.”
“Thank you, but if you could help me find another vehicle, that would really be appreciated. I’m going to Tennessee. I’m originally from a small town there. Actually, I planned on leaving right after stocking up on supplies at the Food Lion…before those men tried to assault me.” She shook her head. “I still can’t believe it. That man you shot, I knew him. He was a neighbor of mine.”
“With no one to keep the lid on things, it all turned bad real quick,” Jonah replied. “But there’s good people out there too. We had a guy save our bacon the other day. Crazy thing is, we never even got a chance to thank him.”
“Monica,” Colleen broke in, “you say you’re from a small town in Tennessee…what exactly is the population?”
Monica thought for a moment. “About fifteen hundred, if memory serves me correctly.”
Colleen made a quick calculation. “There can’t be more than thirty-odd survivors then. Chances are you won’t know many of them. Especially after fifteen years.”
“I should know some of them. Charles and I used to take the kids there each summer. It’s beautiful around Benton. We used to hike in the forests, go canoeing on the lake. It’s where Charles taught the kids to fish.” Monica bit her lip. “Such good memories.”
Jonah glanced at her in the mirror. “Fish, you say?”
Monica nodded. “Plenty of bass and catfish in Lake Parkside. Lake Ocoee as it’s known these days. And there’s trout in the rivers, rainbow and browns. There’s even brookies in some of the feeder streams.”
Jonah and Colleen exchanged glances. “How about meat? Any deer there?” Colleen asked.
“Plenty. It’s a popular area for hunting. There’s whitetails and wild pigs. Lots of squirrels too. Charles wasn’t so interested in that. He loved fishing, though.”
“Sound man,” Jonah said approvingly.
“Why don’t you come with me?” Monica urged. “It’s a good place for you two as well. Especially seeing as I know the area.”
Colleen looked at Jonah. “What do you think?”
Jonah lifted a hand off the wheel and scratched his head. “I don’t know, love,” he said doubtfully. “I have me heart set on somewhere near the sea. Someplace I can get meself a nice fishing boat.”
“Lake Ocoee is big. Everyone in the area has a boat. Had a boat. It sounds terrible to say, but you’ll find yourself a nice one.”
“Come on, Jonah. Let’s try it,” Colleen said. “If it doesn’t work out, we can always move on.”
Jonah glanced at Monica through the rearview mirror again. “What’s the weather like there? We left Orlando because it’s too hot.” He stared down at his pink arms. “The place just doesn’t suit me skin type.”
Monica smiled. “It’ll be hot there now, though not as bad as Florida. The winters are cold, though. Fall in particular is a beautiful time of the year.”
Jonah reflected for a moment. “All right, we’ll give it a shot. A boat on the lake sounds good.”
Monica looked delighted. Collen smiled at her, then opened the glove compartment and took out the map.
“No need for that. I know the route,” Monica told her. “From here, the quickest way is to turn back and take the 16 west. It’ll be marked for Chattanooga.”
Jonah’s ears pricked up. “Chattanooga? Pardon me, but is that where they keep the choo choo?” he asked, imitating the sound of a train whistle. In a throaty but melodious voice, he blasted out the first couple of lines of the famous song.
Jonah loved music. Something that had been passed down from his family. Every Christmas they would gather around the table—his mother and father, uncles and aunts, nieces and nephews—and take turns belting out Irish rebel songs. Jonah had a fine voice too, especially once it had been lubricated with a few beers.
“Ah, me Da loved that choon,” he said wistfully. “Used to sing it to us when we were nippers, so he did.”
He veered into the right hand lane where a highway exit loomed ahead so he could turn around. He grinned. “Come on, ladies, how about a sing-song along the way? It’ll make the time fly by.” Picking up the song from where he’d left off, he began singing lustily again.
The two women looked at one other, then burst out laughing. “Monica, it’s a long way to Tennessee,” Colleen finally said. “Are you sure you’re up for this?”
CHAPTER 35
That afternoon Cody lay in bed staring up at the ceiling, thinking about how Walter and Pete were getting on. An hour ago, the two had left to make a second trip to the Jack’s River camp, taking with them more equipment and provisions. They were due back shortly. With the antagonism between Chris and Walter growing, it made even more sense to move more of their gear out.
“A penny for your thoughts?” Emma asked, lying naked beside him. For the second afternoon in a row she’d come over to Cody’s trailer. After making love, the two had drifted off into a comfortable sleep and had just woken up.
“Just thinking about tomorrow. I hope there won’t be any problems with Chris. I don’t think he’s going to be very happy when he sees the four of us pick up and leave.” Cody glanced at her. “Especially you.”
A worried look came over Emma’s face. “What do Walter and Pete think about me coming with you? They okay about it?”
“They’re cool. Besides, we need more people. We’re looking to build a new community.”
Emma smiled. “So I’m just coming along to make up the numbers, is that it?”
“That’s it, it’s all about the numbers! Seriously though, I think this is going to work out good. Walter is one of the smartest people I know. He’s a good person too. I trust him. We can build something better than what Chris is doing here.”
“That wouldn’t be hard,” Emma said with a snort. “He’s turned into such an asshole.”
“I agree. He’s become so pumped up and arrogant, I’ve no idea why people still put up with him. Maybe one or two others might choose to come with us tomorrow.”
“I don’t think so,” Emma said. “It’s a good setup here, especially with Camp Benton so close by. It makes people feel safer.”
“That makes me even happier you’ve chosen to come with me.”
Emma brushed her fingers across his chest. “Me too, Cody.”
At that moment, there were a couple of sharp raps on the door, followed by an even louder one. Cody’s heart jumped. It was too aggressive to be Walter and Pete returning. Besides, he would have heard Walter’s truck coming down the drive.
Clambering out of bed, he crossed over to the window and peeked out behind the blind. Standing by his trailer door were Chris and Eddy. A couple of feet behind them stood Mark and James.
“Emma, quick, get dressed,” he whispered. “Chris is outside. He’s got Eddy and two others with him.”
Emma bolted upright in the bed. “What do they want?” she asked in alarm. She slid off the edge of the bed and began searching for her clothes.
“I don’t know. Stay here. I’m going to find out.”
Throwing on his shorts and a T-shirt, Cody headed over to the trailer door and opened it. A shaft of sunlight from the low afternoon sun temporarily blinded him and he raised a hand up to his eyes to shade them.
“What’s up?” he said, st
aring down the steps at Chris.
“I think you know,” Chris replied, a grim look on his face.
“Nope. Hit me with it.”
“I heard you three are preparing to leave the group, that correct?”
Cody hesitated a moment before replying. “We haven’t made up our minds yet. Why?”
“Don’t play games,” Chris snapped. “I know damned well you are. That’s fine with me, just don’t think you can take any of the women with you.” He glared at Cody. “Liz told me Emma’s been spending a lot of time with you lately. That true?”
“What the hell’s that got to do with you?” Cody said angrily. “It’s none of your business.” He glanced over at Eddy, who stood with his arms folded and a smirk on his face, clearly relishing the drama.
“So it is true.” Chris’s face grew harder. “When you leave camp, the women stay. That includes Emma. Find your own damn women. If you think—”
“Don’t the damn women have any say in this?” Emma had come to the door to stand beside Cody. She stared down the steps at Chris, a contemptuous look on her face. “When exactly did we lose the right to act for ourselves?”
The sight of Emma inside Cody’s trailer had a bad effect on Chris. His face grew red, and a vein began to twitch at his temple. “Since last week, when the whole world went to Hell, that’s when. Things aren’t the way they were before. If women expect to be protected, they need to show a little appreciation in return.”
“Anything else they need to show?” Cody asked sarcastically. “And what if one of them is more interested in a lowly gravedigger than the king? What then?”
Chris’s eyes blazed. Before Cody could react, he bounded up the steps and grabbed him by both arms. Using his weight, Chris pulled him off balance and threw him down the steps. “What then? I’ll show you what then!” he roared.
Cody rolled across the grass. As soon as he tried to stand up, a boot slammed into his chest, pinning him to the ground. He looked up to see Eddy standing over him. “Not so fast, kid,” he said, an unpleasant smile on his face.
Cody grabbed his foot and struggled to get out from underneath it. At that moment, Emma screamed. He twisted his neck to see Chris lunge a foot at him, his face contorted with rage. Cody raised his arm and managed to partially deflect the blow. Still, Chris’s boot caught the side of his face, sending his head spinning back.
Chris lifted his foot back and was about to kick out again when a car horn blared. He stopped and looked back. Tearing down the driveway was Walter’s white Tundra. Moments later, it swerved off the path and headed across the field to pull up ten feet away.
Cody shoved Eddy’s foot away and rose to his feet. By now, having heard all the commotion, several others had come to gather around the trailer, arriving from different directions of the camp. Most had bewildered looks on their faces.
Walter jumped out of the pickup and marched over to them, Pete hurrying close behind. “Cody, you all right?” Walter asked when he reached him.
Cody rubbed the side of his jaw. “Yeah, I’m fine.” He glanced over at Emma, who had come down the steps of the trailer and stood a few feet away. He lowered his eyes, embarrassed how he’d let himself get caught off guard.
“Feel like picking on someone your own size, Chris?” Walter asked. He glanced over at Eddy. “Maybe without the help of your friend this time.”
A confident smile spread over Chris’s face. “Is that a challenge, Walt?” he asked mockingly. “Seems like you’ve been trying to undermine my authority since the day we met. Maybe you’re looking to take over this camp, that it?”
“I’m looking to give you a good hiding, that’s all. Soon as I’m done, I’m leaving. Cody and Pete are coming with me.” Walter looked around at the watching group. “Anyone else who wants to come with us is free to do so. Don’t be afraid. Just pack up your stuff and go. Ain’t no law that says different.”
“No one is going anywhere,” Chris said flatly. “Except for you, and that’s on a stretcher. Cody and Pete can carry you out of here.” He cracked his knuckles, then raised his arms into what looked like some type of martial arts pose. “Enough talk, old man. Time to settle this thing. You ready?”
Walter made no reply. Raising his arms up into a classic boxer’s pose, he watched Chris warily, who began to circle him, making neat deft steps to one side, then the other.
“Oh, did I tell you? I’m a second dan in Kempo karate.” Chris smiled. “It’s a brutal martial art. A real bone cracker.”
Cody’s heart was beating hard. Though both men were about the same height and weight, Chris was at least a dozen years younger than Walter. He was far the fitter too, his body strong and athletic. Although Walter was powerfully built, it didn’t look like he’d hit the gym in quite a few years, and Cody suspected he would be the slower of the two.
His fears were confirmed when Chris suddenly moved in. With lightning speed, he threw a flurry of one-two punches around Walter’s face. Catching him on the nose with one, Walter retaliated with a clumsy hook that Chris easily pulled back from in time. A trickle of blood ran down Walter’s chin. He brushed it away with the back of his hand, his eyes fixed on his opponent the whole time.
Chris grinned, a tense, predatory look on his face. “Too slow, old man. Something tells me you’ve been eating too much pork and beans lately.”
Coming in again, he feinted with a punch. As Walter raised his arms to protect his face, Chris swiveled his hip and unleashed a vicious sidekick. The heel of his foot struck Walter in the belly. With a grunt, he staggered back, just in time to duck out of the way of a follow up punch. Blinking hard, Walter worked off the pain. Luckily, Chris’s kick had landed on his lower stomach, not his solar plexus, otherwise he would have been doubled-up by now.
Chris glanced over at the watching crowd, grinning arrogantly. “Greta, you better fetch that stretcher. Walt is going to need it real soon.”
Greta let out a contemptuous snort. “You’ve got a big mouth, Chris,” she said, her tone sharp as a whip. “I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”
Chris shrugged. “We’ll see.”
Her comment took the shine off his mood. He came forward again, a scowl on his face, looking like he meant to finish this off. Turning his hip as if he was about to release another sidekick, instead, he stepped quickly forward and threw a ferocious straight-right punch at Walter.
There was a certain poetic beauty to what happened next. It occurred so fast, Cody almost missed it. As Chris lunged forward, Walter shifted his head slightly to one side so that the punch merely struck a glancing blow across his cheek. Stepping in, his right hand down by his waist, he swung a powerful upper hook, putting all his weight into it.
It caught Chris squarely on the jaw. His entire body crumpled on impact, like it had run into a brick wall. For all intents and purposes, it had. To the sound of astonished gasps, Chris collapsed face first to the ground in a heap where he remained motionless. Out cold.
Walter stared down at him. “For the last time, it’s Walter. Oh, and another thing. Did I tell you I used to be an Army middleweight champion?” He patted his belly. “I’ve put on a few pounds since then. Still, you don’t forget the moves.”
He turned around to face the crowd, half of whose mouths still hung open. Cody’s certainly did.
“All right people,” he said, speaking in a calm even tone that showed no indication of his previous exertions. “Like I said, Cody, Pete, and myself are leaving Camp Knox to start our own group. We planned on going tomorrow, but something tells me it might be better to move things forward. We’ve found a great spot not too far from here. As well as great hunting and fishing, there’s good farmland there too, and—”
He broke off as a grim-faced Eddy walked over to Chris, who’d begun to stir. Kneeling down, Eddy reached under his armpits and lifted him to his feet.
Chris looked dazed, his eyes unfocused. “Wh-what’s going on?” he mumbled, leaning heavily on Eddy. Then he spotted Walter. Slowly
, it dawned on him what had occurred.
“All right folks, that’s all I have to say,” Walter said, wrapping up his short speech. “You’re all grown men and women. You know everything you need to know to make your decision.” With that, he went over to where Cody stood with Emma and Pete. “Come on,” he said. “We need to hitch up our trailers and leave. Who knows how this will turn out?”
“Emma, go pack your things,” Cody said. “Meet me back here in ten.”
“By the way, good to have you on board,” Walter said, smiling at Emma.
“Wait! I’m coming too!” Greta broke in as
Emma was about to leave. She moved away from the others and came over to the small group. “I’ll go fetch some medicine from the infirmary, pack my clothes, and I’ll be ready.” She hesitated. “I have no trailer. Someone will have to take me in for the moment.”
Walter nodded. “You can take mine. Me and Pete can room together until we haul more trailers up here.”
“Thank you.”
Greta had turned to leave when a single shot rang out. Cody jerked his head around to see Chris standing ten feet away, his Steyr pointing in their direction. Close by, Eddy, Mark, and James likewise had their pistols trained on them.
“No one other than Walter, Cody, and Pete are going anywhere,” Chris said tightly. He appeared to have recovered from his knockout blow. “You got a lucky punch in, old man. Sometimes that happens and the best man doesn’t win. But it doesn’t change anything. The women aren’t going anywhere. Emma and Greta belong to this camp.”
Not party to his previous utterances, Greta stared at him incredulously. “Chris, are you out of your mind? This isn’t an Islamic Caliphate. Us women are free to do whatever we want. There’s no law that can stop us.”
“Greta, there’s no law, period,” Chris said, his voice grating. “Anyone who tries to leave this camp without my permission will be shot before they make it ten yards.”
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