by TW Gallier
I slept fully dressed, with just a blanket over me. My pack was my pillow. Mike slept beside me, facing in the other direction. Jenny waited up front, sitting on her pack. Seeing everything looking so calm and normal helped me calm down.
Sitting up, I took a drink of water from my canteen. Then I folded my blanket, put it back in my pack, and finally headed toward the front with said pack. Jenny started dragging her pack back toward the back. We met halfway.
"You okay? I can pull another hour or so," she said.
"You're way too nice," I said. "I'm fine. Get some sleep, Jenny. Tomorrow will be at least as tough as today."
"Way to cheer me up, Gunny Sunshine," she said with a grin.
Gunny Sunshine? I think Mike is becoming a bad influence on her, I thought.
Shaking my head woefully, hearing her soft chuckle, I continued forward. Sitting cross-legged, using my back as a backrest, I tried to get comfortable for a long three hour watch. I was still bone-tired, so knew it was going to be killer. I absolutely could not fall asleep.
Hearing a noise, I glanced back to see Mike spooning Jenny. She sat up, gave him a dirty look, and then moved away. She only settled back down to sleep when there was a good foot of camper roof between them. I grinned, because I was going to ride Mike's ass about that the next day. That dog was making a move on Jenny in his sleep.
That's probably some kind of Freudian slip.
It didn't take long before my eyelids grew heavy. I blinked and rubbed my face. I even splashed water on my face. Needless to say, I was seeing all kinds of boogie men moving around at the edge of my vision. Maybe I was half-dreaming. I scared myself half out of my mind three times in the first hour. So when I saw dark shapes on the road downhill of us, I didn't worry too much.
But they didn't go away. In fact, they continued coming toward us even after I blinked and rubbed my eyes. So I lifted my binoculars. The moon was out, so I had some silvery light to see by, and what I saw made my heart skip a beat.
Zombies or other survivors?
What we did depended on which it was. I rolled to my knees and studied them intently. No weapons I could see. They were walking up the middle of the road. Zombies.
I quickly shouldered my pack and crawled back to the other two. I shook Jenny awake, and then nudged Mike with my foot. She lifted her head, but Mike bolted to his feet.
"Zombies coming," I said. "Downhill. Hurry, get inside the camper."
"Why?" Mike said. "We'll be trapped inside."
"We don't have time to evacuate anyone," I said. "And I have an idea."
I glanced back down the road. The zombies must've seen us because they were coming up the road a lot faster. We let Jenny down the ladder first, and then I dropped her pack down to her. Mike wore his pack as he climbed down the ladder. They were both at the side door before I hit the ground.
I rushed up to the driver's door, tossed my pack inside, and took the seat. Jenny was riding shotgun, and Mike was kneeling behind us and watching the now running zombies.
"What's going on?" a woman's voice asked from deep in the camper.
"Zombies," I said. "Hang on, we're going for a ride."
I put the camper into neutral, released the emergency brake, and that set her loose. The camper immediately started rolling forward. We picked up speed pretty quickly. I manhandled the steering wheel and ran over the zombies. Not a single one tried to get out of the way.
I pressed the brakes, slowing us down. The road was all curves and turns, so I couldn't go too fast for fear of over turning it. As long as we were going downhill and in the right direction, I was willing to continue.
People started waking up, asking questions and demanding answers. Mike and Jenny spoke with them, but no one seemed happy with the answers.
We hit a level stretch and the bus slowed almost to a stop. When the road turned downward again, Jenny suggested we stop there until daylight. Others loudly agreed. It was pretty hairy driving in the dark, without power steering or power brakes. It was all I could do to turn into some of those curves. Then I saw more zombies coming up the road ahead of us.
And it started all over again.
Chapter 13
My eyes pop open. Was that a car engine? Did someone from my group of families just drive past us? Or another survivor? Either way, I was suddenly awake.
Sitting up in the near pitch blackness, I paused to listen. The car engine was fading away, though it sounded like it was accelerating. I was almost positive it was in our parking lot, and if so it could be other survivors going to tell their evil friends about us.
"Why didn't the guard warn us about the car?"
"What?" Charlie asked across the small room.
I stood and stretched. I could hear him rising, too. Our room only had one small window, and only dim moonlight was coming through. Had it become cloudy? The moon should still be up, and rather bright.
"I heard a vehicle in the parking lot," I whispered. "But nothing from our guard."
"You think he or she fell asleep?"
"Probably."
We stealthily slipped out of the room. There was a short corridor before we reached the agreed upon guard post next to a window with a good view of the front parking lot. No one was there. I knew a moment of panic, but calmed down when I realized there was no way to capture and kidnap one of us without a lot of noise.
"Quinn should be on guard right now," Charlie said. "He wouldn't go outside, would he?"
Good question. I didn't know the Jeffers well enough to know. I tried to make them understand the importance of not going outside alone. A zombie could get them, or one of the new savages roaming the land. And that would open a door to the rest of us.
"Let's check on their room," I said.
If Quinn was still asleep, then Yancy fell asleep somewhere in the building. If Yancy was sleeping, then we had to find Quinn. I did not look forward to the drama of chewing the guilty party out for leaving his or her guard post.
"Maybe he's in the bathroom?" Charlie offered hopefully.
That just reminded me how full my bladder was at the moment. So we checked the bathroom first. Empty, but that gave me the opportunity to relieve myself. Charlie was next. Then we moved further down the corridor and found their sleeping room door ajar.
I had a bad feeling. After a worried glance at Charlie, I slowly pushed it open.
"They're all gone," Charlie said. "Oh shit."
I took off running to the chapel. All of our stuff was on the table Yancy set up in there. The table was there, but the only things on it were the keys to the dirt bike and ATV. I charged through the door and gawked at the empty spot where I'd left the Jeep.
"I think the vehicle you heard was them driving away."
"You think?"
I cursed and kicked the ATV. I should've realized Yancy was angry enough to bolt. They probably thought we were too reckless, yet to go off on their own was even more dangerous. I was too angry to fathom their reasoning.
"Do you think they are going to take one of the boats?" Charlie asked.
"Probably, but which one?"
"Cabin cruiser. It has all of the food."
"Son of a bitch," I growled. "Let's get our shit and go after them. We have to stop them before they do something truly stupid."
We quickly found our load bearing gear, grabbed the keys, and jumped into the Kawasaki Mule. Charlie wanted to take the dirt bike, but I didn't want to be split up. So I let him drive.
Charlie did a pretty good job avoiding zombies. There were just as many out and about as when we passed through the first time. I spent the entire trip filled with dread, afraid we'd find the Jeffers' Jeep crashed and the entire family dead, or worse. But I didn't see the Jeep until we pulled into the marina parking lot.
The Jeep was parked in front of the long dock with the cabin cruiser and houseboat. I was hoping Quinn's desire for the houseboat meant they took the time to transfer the food and other supplies from the cabin cruiser to it. If so, w
e'd catch them.
Then I spotted all of the zombies converging on the gangway to the covered docks.
"Do you think the zombies got them?" Charlie asked.
I jumped out, leaving the ATV idling. All I could think about was those three innocent children being torn to pieces by ravenous zombies. Then gunfire erupted toward the end of the docks, followed by a large engine revving to life. We opened fire as we ran.
The cabin cruiser backed out of his stall as we reached the gangway. The zombies on that narrow gangway turned and attacked us. I had just enough time to see the cabin cruiser turn, stop, and speed away under full power. It was too dark to see if all five family members made it. All I could do was pray they did.
"We have to bug out," Charlie shouted. "Shit, more behind us."
I ejected my empty magazine onto the ground. I jammed another into the M-4.
"I'm down to my last mag," I shouted. "Follow me."
Zombies were coming at us from all directions, so I headed up the shore and away from the marina store. That was the path of least zombies. We only shot the ones in front of us, and that had a good chance of reaching us.
"Machete time," I gasped out as we ran.
I slipped the M-4 around to my back on its sling. That was the only way I could guarantee I wouldn't waste ammo and force myself to use the machete. Running out of ammo was scarier than facing zombies with a machete in the dark.
"Die!" I shouted, swinging my machete with all my strength.
It was an angled strike, and struck the gory monster right where his neck met his shoulder. The less than sharp blade sliced deep into his chest, splinting bones and ripping flesh. The zombie fell at my feet and took the machete with him.
"Genius move, man," Charlie said, but charged in between me and the closest zombies.
That gave me time to get my machete loose. By that time a pair of them were coming around him to attack his right flank. I plowed into their side, forcing one into the other and both to the ground. I chopped open the top zombie's head, and then his comrade immediately started to feed on him. More of them turned on the dead man to feed.
"Come on," I called, cutting left to race closer to shore. We managed to run around the biggest grouping, but most still followed us. I did notice a lot of them were fighting over the corpses. "These bastards must be starving to death."
That might be true. Three weeks earlier, I'd seen zombies of all sizes. Lately, they were mostly skinny bastards. Could a zombie starve to death? At what point did they turn on each other to feed? They already didn't hesitate to jump on any we killed. In fact, a lot of them ignored the living to get at a dead zombie.
"Boat," Charlie gasped out.
Running wore us out quickly. Using a machete was almost as hard. Together, it was killing both of us. A running boat would be perfect. Hell, a boat with a paddle would work. On the water meant safe from them.
He pointed at a private dock. I saw the boat and shook my head. It was a ski boat with a huge outboard, but it was also high above the water on a boat lift.
"There's no power to lower it," I said.
"It probably has a hand crank."
"Probably will get us trapped out on the end of that dock, and then dead."
"Hold the fort, I'll be right back," Charlie said, and took up at a dead run.
"No!" I shouted, but he ignored me. "I'm going to fucking kill you!"
Screw the machete. I thrust the point into the ground and pulled my M-4 back around. I shot a few, turning in a semi-circle before the dock's entrance. Zombies dropped, finally all the way dead. Others leapt on them, beginning the horrific task of ripping the corpses to pieces with fingers and teeth. A few zombies fought for position. That stopped about half of them facing me. Most of the others still hesitated and glance at the pile of feasting Infected.
A boat motor roared to life behind me. I looked around. Did the mountains protect this lake from the EMP? Why did every boat we found with a key start? I knew nothing was one hundred percent, especially an EMP, but there had to be a lesson to be learned.
I was just about to begin a slow advance to the rear up the gangway when Charlie rejoined me. The outboard was whining loudly behind me.
"Let's get out of here," Charlie said, but took off toward a gap between two houses.
Glancing back, I saw the boat was still high above the water. Charlie just started it and throttled it to full speed. That engine wouldn't last long before it overheated and blew. So I took off after him.
"Why did you do that?" I asked as we passed between the two homes.
"The noise will attract them."
Maybe he was smarter than I thought. It still wouldn't attract all of them. More like split them up between us and the boat, and that would only last until the engine died.
I heard a loud metallic thunk, and silence fell up on the land again. Yet, Shore Drive was clear. We kept close to the houses, using what cover we could, and quickly worked our way back toward the marina.
Sneaking back down to the Jeep, we found Quinn at least left us the keys. Of course the remaining zombies spotted us and the charge of the brain dead began. I jumped behind the wheel, and then backed quickly up to the parking lot and the ATV. Charlie cranked it up and followed me out.
The trip back to Ocoee was actually a lot easier than any other time we drove through. Cleveland was practically a ghost town, but I knew that wouldn't last. We were probably between waves of zombies.
The sun was coming up and in our eyes as we approached the intersection with US 411. As we crossed over US 411, I looked to the right and noticed an armed man standing between the railroad tracks.
"Mike!"
I hit the brakes, and Charlie just barely avoided crashing into my rear. Killing the engine, I jumped out and ran up to the bridge's rail. Waving my hands, I shouted to get Mike's attention. He waved back, and started our way. So I jumped back into the Jeep and headed to the end of the bridge and to a place we could meet up.
Charlie and I had to wait, all anxious. All I could think about was Jenny, Timmy, and Harlan. The longer I waited for Mike, the more worried I became. I had to see them to make sure they survived the trip and were okay.
"Roger!" Mike shouted as he charged out of the trees. "Charlie!"
We hugged, shook hands, and pounded each other on the back as we laughed. It was the happiest I had been in two days.
"Are Jenny and my boys all right?"
"They're fine," he said. "We lost a few people, but not as many as I thought we would."
"You always were an optimist," I said, slapping him on the back again. "Where are they?"
"Sean has everyone up at a Baptist church," Mike said. He pointed east up US 74. "You can almost see it from here."
I looked at Charlie. He was as incredulous as I felt.
"We slept in that church last night," Charlie said. "We just left too early."
I was already heading back to the Jeep. Mike jumped in beside me. We were speeding into the church parking lot seconds later, and then I skidded to a stop by the front door. Sean and Greg stepped out, weapons lowered.
"That's a fine way to greet an old friend," I said.
"Roger!" Jenny screamed from inside.
I ran toward the door, and she came out in a flash. We crashed together, hugging and kissing. Then the boys came running out and we had a proper family reunion.
"I was real brave, daddy," Harlan said.
"I know you were, my little man."
Chapter 14
The rest of the day was spent allowing the kids to rest and play, while most of the adults were out and about checking abandoned homes and stores for groceries. Anything edible was collected, along with bottled water and sodas. Enough beer was scavenged to give everyone two each. The amazing part to me was that even after three weeks, we found bread that was still edible. Not exactly fresh, but not covered in mold.
Our best acquisition was two former school buses that a business just up the road from the churc
h owned. Adventures Unlimited had several modified school buses. Mike was able to hotwire two of them. That was more than enough to transport everyone with relative comfort.
That afternoon I took Sean, Mike, Terrel, and Greg to check out the route and marina. We went over to the houseboat, and then took a pair of johnboats out into the lake to look around. We were pretty close to the dam, so it was at its widest point.
We discovered a much larger marina just a few miles down the road. The Island Cove Marina and Resort was within easy sight of the southernmost islands. There was a lot of potential to loot for more food. We didn't land, but headed out to explore the islands and ensure they weren't occupied.
My biggest concern was other survivors had taken up residence on the islands. They really were perfect since the zombies couldn't reach them. The only concern would be other survivors, and that was a major concern. Islands were prime real estate at the moment.
We spotted some evidence of recent visitation, but nothing that indicated permanent residence on any of the islands. We concentrated our search on the southernmost, smaller islands. That's where I found the perfect place for the houseboat to wait at anchor. The larger islands, especially John Patten Island, worried me. They were too large to scout out quickly and could hide quite a few survivors. But there were no boats around any of the islands, and no indication there had been in the last week or so.
It looked to be as safe as we could hope.
"Out here on the lake is the safest place for them to wait for us," I said. We were drifting halfway between Island Cove Marina and the closest island. "Zombies can't get to them here."
"Just other survivors," Mike replied. "So they'll have to be well-armed and willing to fight."
"What about waiting on an island?" Greg asked. "I personally prefer dry land to living on a boat." He shrugged. "I can get a little sea sick."
"We could," Sean said. "But I think everyone will be more comfortable and safer on the houseboat."
"Also, if attacked, it would be easier to weigh anchor and leave than have to fight men off while herding everyone back onto the boat," I said. "And someone could just swoop in and steal the houseboat."