by Ricky Sides
Shaunna was traveling through a populated rural area that had never been cleared of zombies, so there were plenty of the undead creatures roaming in that region. Soon, she walked at the head of a group that numbered over fifty. Their moans grew louder with the addition of each voice, which in turn caused the sound to travel further, thus attracting even more to join in on the hunt. By the time they reached the spot where John had stopped the RV to get a driver, Shaunna led a group of over 130 zombies. They milled about briefly beside the small pool of drying blood where the wounded man had bled during the brief stop.
Shaunna held Lily’s head down to scent the blood. The other zombies around her stepped back when she screamed in rage, but then they followed her as she led the way once more. Shaunna didn’t think about what was happening, or why the others were following her. For that matter, neither did her followers. Such thoughts were no longer possible for any of them. Yet, on a primitive level, not unlike wolves, they recognized an Alpha hunter when they saw one, and treated her accordingly.
Chapter 5
Deception.
“That was almost worth waiting months for, Big John,” Dana said. They were lying on the Queen sized bed in the bedroom. The battery operated lantern John had hanging on a wire that was attached to the ceiling provided adequate illumination for him to appreciate the beauty of the woman who shared his bed.
John wiped perspiration from his forehead. He was hot despite the fact that it was cool inside the RV. “You don’t have to call me by the nickname, you know,” he said.
“Why not? You live up to it in all the ways that matter. I’m happy to see that you weren’t just bragging earlier.”
“You can talk the talk. I’ll give you that. The proof will come out easy enough if you can walk the walk,” he said with a laconic smile.
Dana got up from the bed and proceeded to walk around the small room. Her athletic form seemed to be no worse for the wear, causing John to nod in approval. “Good,” he said, “I’ve finally found a real woman. You have no idea how many have tried to do what you just did and failed. Some failed miserably.”
“There’s a lot more where that came from, Lover, but we need to discuss business now.”
“What business?”
“Your men. Those who were bitten will turn tomorrow if not sooner. We need to get to the refuge where you can get them treated with the vaccine. Once that’s taken care of, your people will become immune to the bites and claws of the zombies.”
“Are you sure about that? It sounds too good to be true,” John said.
Dana went on to explain everything she knew about the refuge and the injections that made people immune to the parasites. She explained that she wouldn’t be able to enter the compound, and that she had been told they would kill her on sight the next time they encountered her.
John surprised her when he explained that a full out assault on the compound with the men he had present wouldn’t work, so what he needed to do was show up at the gate and ask for the cure. Once he had the injections, they would return to his home base where he had more men. Then they would be able to return in full force for an assault.
Dana was impressed with the plan. Frankly, based on what she had seen in the church, she had considered the band of marauders to be stupid. She was only now learning that John deliberately let his men do some things to blow off steam when he considered it safe to do so. This caused her to reappraise her opinion of his intelligence.
Finally, John said, “I like you, woman. You’re a good lover. To be honest, you’re probably the best I’ve ever had. You’re also beautiful and smart. You know how to get what you want in life, and I respect that. But just so you know, if I find out you are leading us into a trap, I will kill you.”
“I’m not worried about that. I know I’ve told you the truth. Just remember what I told you about their plans to upgrade their security at the refuge. I have no idea what all they had in mind, but I did learn they were planning to build a second fence around the place. So don’t expect everything to be laid out the way I described it to you.”
“They’ve had time to make a lot of improvements since you were there,” John mused. Then he shrugged and added, “All the more reason to probe them as we seek to get the injections that will protect our people. We’ll be able to learn what they’ve accomplished since your exile. Leave that to us. My men may be lacking when it comes to discipline, but they’re all experienced men who know how to conduct an operation like this.”
Dana drew a rudimentary map detailing the route to the refuge. John had the convoy stopped and he consulted with the rest of the men, detailing what he had in mind and assigning specific duties to the men.
The man whose arm had been hanging over the tailgate was in bad shape. While they were stopped, one of the men tended to his wounds as best he could, throwing bloody rags onto the surface of the road and in the grass as he worked. Unaware that the parasites were keeping the man alive while they sought to gain control of his nervous system, he was surprised that the man hadn’t bled to death. “You should keep your arm elevated to help control the bleeding,” he cautioned the woozy wounded man.
“Yeah, I know. That’s why I’ve been keeping it propped up on the top of the tailgate, asshole,” the man responded.
***
“Is there any change in the baby’s status?” Herb asked his wife a little after midnight.
“See for yourself. She’s awake. I’m afraid the poor dear has her days and nights mixed up,” Erma said as she led her husband over to the baby.
Herb saw that the infant was wide awake. She lay on her back and she had kicked her covers off. Her little arms and legs were waving around and she was cooing as she stared at the mobile that hung over her makeshift baby bed, which was little more than a cot with rolled up blankets around the outer edges to keep her from falling off. He decided to test the child and held out a finger that she could grab if she wanted to do so. The baby seemed to giggle as she reached for his finger but missed it.
Herb smiled at his wife and said, “It looks as if she’s going to be all right.”
“I’m pretty sure she will make a full recovery, although I am a bit concerned about her teething so early. That causes me to wonder what else the parasites could have influenced. We’ll need to conduct a few tests to ensure that they did no lasting harm. If it is limited to her teething early, then that shouldn’t be an issue.”
“Her mother may not agree with you there,” Herb said with a sober expression on his face.
“You think she may never trust her daughter again?” Erma asked.
“After what happened to her, don’t you think that’s likely?” asked Herb
Erma shook her head in the negative by way of response. “A mother’s love is special. It’s going to take more than a small puncture wound to destroy that love and trust.”
Bethany’s face twisted into a grimace and she began to cry. As if to vindicate Erma’s statement, her mother woke up on the cot across the room and got to her feet. She walked over to stare down at her baby with love in her eyes. She cooed softly to her daughter and took one of her hands in her own. The infant stopped crying and looked at her mother. “Can I feed her?” she asked Erma.
“I tested her blood a few minutes ago. She’s clear of the parasites now. That second small feeding with the milk we saved earlier did the trick. So yes, you can feed her from a bottle or nurse her if you prefer, but bear in mind, she has two teeth now,” Erma explained.
“I’ll try nursing her. She’ll drink better that way, and I want to feel close to my baby again,” the mother said.
“I don’t blame you, Janet,” Erma said. Then she added, “Go ahead and try, but use the unaffected breast. Let’s not risk an infection in the one she injured while she was under the influence of the parasites.”
Janet picked up her baby and carried her over to her cot. Her husband, Willard Reagers, joined her. Herb cleared his throat and said, “I’m going to make the
rounds and check on the guards. I’ll be back soon.”
“Thanks for everything, Herb,” Willard said from his place on the cot beside his wife.
“You’re welcome,” Herb responded as he stepped toward the door.
Erma observed as Janet began to breastfeed her hungry child. The child nursed with the normal appetite of an infant and soon she grew sleepy as she fed. Erma saw tears in the eyes of the mother when Janet looked up at her and said, “Thank you, Doctor Bennett. You’ve given us back our baby, but you’ve also given me more. I always felt so close to her when I fed her. After she changed, I thought I’d lost that forever, but now that same feeling is back, stronger than ever.”
“You’re welcome,” Erma said as she wiped her eyes, which had misted over. “Doctor Fielding deserves as much credit for the cure as I do. He’s the one who suggested the approach that we took. I just handled the dosage amount and ran a few tests.”
“I’ll thank him when I see him,” Janet promised.
“What about the teeth? Are they going to be a problem? If so, we can get you the equipment you need to express the milk from your breasts. Then you could use a bottle to feed her.”
“I think I’ll be fine, but if it becomes a problem I’ll let you know,” Janet promised.
“You’ve decided to stay then?” Erma asked.
“If your husband will let us,” Willard replied. “I couldn’t blame him if he held a grudge about the bomb thing, but I was desperate.”
“Had you used a real bomb, I doubt he’d even consider permitting you to stay, but you didn’t. He understands why you did what you did, and I don’t believe he’ll stand in the way of you and your family taking refuge with us.”
***
Herb was still outside making his rounds of the refuge when a van came driving up the dirt road at a slow rate of speed. The guards at the gate, as well as those in the towers grew more alert. Those at the gate set aside their bows and picked up their rifles that they would need to deal with a human threat.
The van stopped in front of the gate. The engine shut down and the headlights were extinguished, permitting the spotlight of the guards to illuminate the vehicle.
Herb arrived as a big man got out of the passenger side of the van and approached the outer gate. He could see that the man was armed with a pistol. He was followed by two other men who took up security positions to watch the forest near them. They were both armed with rifles. The driver got out on his side of the vehicle and stood guard there. He was carrying what Herb thought was a shotgun, but he wasn’t certain due to the distance involved and the lack of light in that position. It was clear to Herb that the other three men were present to protect the man from threats outside the refuge, and he would have considered it strange had they not taken such precautions. He studied the big man for a moment and saw that he would be a formidable man in a fight.
“My name is John! I heard that the refuge has a cure that will prevent people from becoming zombies when they are bitten!” shouted the man Herb was observing. “I operate a refugee camp of sorts a few hours from here! We came under attack, and several of our guards were bitten about sundown today!”
Herb walked closer to the inner gate. “Open the gates and let them inside on foot. Then close the gates,” he instructed the guards.
Herb watched as the two guards he had sent to open the gate did so and let the new arrivals inside the refuge. Randy arrived at the scene with Jason and Ed in tow as the big stranger named John stepped inside the inner gate. The guards had sent a runner to wake Herb’s men.
“Thanks for letting us in so quickly. I’m afraid there isn’t much time for pleasantries. Not if there’s any hope of saving my men,” John said.
“What’s happening?” Randy asked.
“Our refugee camp was attacked late this afternoon. A new arrival at our camp told me he’d heard of this place, and that he’d also heard you people have a cure that will prevent my men from dying and becoming zombies. We drove here in the dark, hoping you’d be willing to help us.”
“We can help you. How many people need the shots?” Herb asked.
“Everyone at the camp needs one. There are 173 people there.”
“Is that counting everyone, as well as livestock or dogs and cats?” Randy asked.
“The cure works on animals too?” asked John in surprise. Dana hadn’t mentioned that, so that bit of news came as a surprise.
“Yes, it does,” Herb said.
“We only have a couple of dogs. We don’t keep livestock because most of it that we have encountered seemed to be zombified,” John explained, sticking to the truth whenever possible.
“You didn’t bring the wounded with you?” Herb asked.
“No. We didn’t have the fuel to spare for more than one vehicle. Besides, they wanted to spend what time they had left with their families.”
“You weren’t concerned about the possibility of contamination?” asked Herb.
“Yes, I was, but they know not to touch their kin. They can still talk to them. Other guards will see that no one breaks the rules,” John said.
“Randy, go get 175 inoculation kits for this man,” Herb instructed his second-in-command.
“Could we tour your camp while he is getting them?” asked John with a smile on his face. “We might get some good ideas for improving our own camp from your layout.”
“I’m afraid that’s not a good idea,” Herb said. “We don’t permit people inside the refuge, unless they go through our medical section, and then a quarantine and decontamination process. Those procedures are lengthy and time consuming, but they keep the parasite contamination in check.”
“That’s a great idea. See, guys, we’re learning from these people already,” John said to his men with no outward show of disappointment. Dana had warned him about being processed through the medical clinic and confined to a room during her quarantine. So far, her story was checking out to be very accurate. Of course, the defenses had been upgraded substantially, but she had also warned him about that possibility.
John turned back to face Herb and said, “My name is John. I didn’t catch your name.”
“I’m Herb Bennett. One of the leaders here,” Herb said.
“You have more than one leader? How does that work out for you people?” John asked.
“Pretty well actually,” Herb responded. Then he asked, “What about your group? Are you ruled by a single man?”
“Yes, and I’m that guy,” John replied. “I can see where having others sharing that burden would help too. I don’t think I’ve had a solid night’s sleep since all this started. It seems that every few hours another minor emergency comes up that demands my attention.”
“I know that feeling,” Herb replied. “Just today, a couple walked in with a baby that was about to turn zombie. We managed to save the baby by giving the mother her shot, and then she bottle fed her baby a bit of her breast milk. It worked. The baby is normal now. That’s such an important discovery that I plan to inform everyone we encounter. You can save a baby that’s on the verge of turning.”
“Thanks for sharing that knowledge.”
“You’re welcome. The full strength shots used on an infant in that condition would kill it, but the shots are safe for them when they are healthy and haven’t been attacked,” Herb explained.
“That’s good to know, but what about adults? Will the shots save one in the coma they slip into right before they turn?” asked John.
“It has with some people, but it has also failed with some. I suspect it depends upon how far the parasites have advanced in the body of the patient,” Herb explained. He then proceeded to explain the most effective ways to use the inoculations.
Randy arrived as Herb was wrapping up his impromptu lecture. He carried a padded hard shell case in his hand. He stepped forward and set the case on the ground near John. “We double checked the count. Erma sent you twenty-five extra inoculations, so you have 200 to use for your camp.”
“I’m sorry, but we can’t help you there,” Randy said.
“Excuse me, but I was talking to your leader,” John responded, sounding a bit irritated, but still polite.
“Randy is one of the leaders here,” Herb explained, “and he’s right. We can’t spare any weapons and ammunition. The same goes for food. If it were daylight, you’d see the remnants of our fields where we harvested gardens to augment our food stores.”
“But you had plenty of the inoculations,” John said. “And for that, we are grateful.”
“I wouldn’t say we had plenty, but you people need them at the moment and we don’t. We may wish we had those kits in the future, but your immediate need supersedes our potential future use,” Herb explained. “To hold onto them and let your people die would be wrong.”
“I understand,” John said, and then he held out his hand to shake.
Herb took a step back and said, “I’m sorry, but we don’t touch visitors unless we are willing to go through decontamination, and I’m too tired for that tonight.”
“Then I’ll just thank you and leave so I can get back to the men who need this medicine,” John said.
“You’re welcome,” Herb responded, and then he watched as John and his men made their way back to their van.
His team waited with him as the van turned around and headed back down the dirt road that led back to the blacktop. The last they saw of the van were the taillights as the vehicle disappeared behind the trees that lined the dirt road near the highway.