by Brown, TW
“Don’t you say a word.” Teresa nudged me.
“I wasn’t gonna,” I grumbled.
“Liar.”
“Can’t I be a little protective?”
“Sure,” Teresa shrugged and tossed another spade full of dirt, “but she isn’t gonna get to grow up like kids her age used to.”
“Yeah,” I sighed. I resumed digging. Teresa was right. Thalia would grow up sort of like the pioneer children. I remembered seeing pictures in history class in school and feeling sorry for them. Granted, they were in dingy black and white. And everybody always looked so grim. But didn’t they have to stand still for a few seconds back then?
By late afternoon, we’d actually made some good progress. Of course, once everybody climbed out of the moat and looked at how much we still had to do, shoulders slumped.
“Papi!” Thalia ran up to me with a huge grin on her face.
“What is it, sweetie?” I knelt to catch her.
“Pew!” She coughed and waved her hand in front of her nose, stopping short of jumping in to my arms. “You’re stinky!” A ripple of titters rolled through the group. I glanced up in time to see Melissa sign something to Chloe who immediately joined in on the laughter.
“Yeah,” I agreed, trying unsuccessfully not to blush. “I’ve been working hard.”
Like a light coming on, Thalia’s grin returned and she thrust a hand in my face. “So have I!”
At first I wasn’t sure what was happening. Then I noticed the blisters. A couple had already popped and were now nothing more than little white skin flaps. One, in the soft part between the index finger and thumb looked kinda nasty. The skin was stretched tight and the bubble was full of fluid.
“Uh…good?” I said, rising to my feet since there was obviously not gonna be any hugs at the moment.
“Silly, Papi.” Thalia rolled her eyes and shook her head like I absolutely did not get it.
“Everybody down to the river,” Dr. Zahn called, waving a red plastic basket of soap and shampoo.
Like obedient children we all trudged down the easily discernable path that led to the river and cut through the camp-ground behind the big picnic area. Other than the drag marks, there was no sign of the pair of zombies Jack had taken down earlier.
The peaceful sound of rushing water grew louder once we crested the rise. Down the slope, crystal clear water rushed by. Large rocks smoothed by ages of being hydro-blasted, dotted the surface in places. The stream or creek—whatever it qualified as—rushed past, oblivious to the changes in the world.
“Holy crap!” Melissa yelped as she waded in to where the water was almost knee deep.
That’s one thing about rivers and streams in the Pacific Northwest. All that water comes from the snow-melt in the beautiful mountains that make it such a special place to live. It doesn’t matter one bit that it is the height of summer. That water is ball-sack-shriveling cold!
It didn’t take long for a good-natured water fight to break out. Pretty soon everybody was laughing and splashing. Even Dr. Francis Zahn. I had Thalia under one arm and Emily under the other as I waded out to where the water came just above my waist.
“One…” I bounced up to squeals from the two little girls. “Two…”
“No, Papi!” Thalia pleaded unconvincingly as she giggled.
“Please!” Emily joined in.
“THREE!” I leaped up and forward, plunging all three of us underwater. I came up, both girls spluttering and spitting.
“Again!” they yelled in unison.
I took a breath and plunged under. This time, I paused a couple of seconds before erupting through the surface.
“You didn’t go one, two, three!” Emily managed between coughs.
“I didn’t?” I pretended to be confused. “Well—”
“Steve!” Barry’s voice cut me off, but it was his tone that made everybody—including Thalia and Emily—go silent.
“We got four people coming,” Barry said from where he’d been standing watch with a shotgun on his hip.
“You mean zombies?” Sunshine asked.
“No,” Barry’s voice dropped to a whisper. “I mean people.”
“Teresa, Jamie, Aaron, slip around the backside of the hill and haul ass up to the house,” I ordered. “Stay out of sight, but pick a target and be ready to start shooting if it goes bad.” The trio didn’t wait to hear anything else and took off at a run. “Doc, Chloe and Sunshine…stay here with the girls. If you hear shooting head up that trail on the far side of the river. There’s a spot a few hundred yards up where you can get a look. Randi, Barry, Jack, and Melissa…come with me.”
I set both girls down when I reached the bank and kissed them both on the forehead. “You two stay quiet and do what Dr. Zahn says.” I received obedient nods. “I love you, girls.”
I heard their replies as I scrambled up the hill with my welcoming committee. We were all fastening and checking our belts and doing cursory self assurances that our weapons were loaded. That was one thing about this new world; you never went anyplace without a weapon.
I reached the top and saw them. There were four—that we could see—and they’d come to a sudden stop in the middle of the road that led up to our new home. They’d seen us. Five people drawing handguns from holsters and heading their way. One of their group turned and said something to the others, then handed off the rifle he or she was carrying. From this distance—all of them were wearing hats, sunglasses, and bandanas around their faces—it was hard to tell if they were men or women.
“Everybody stay close and calm,” I said as we began walking towards the new arrivals. “When we get across the picnic grounds, you all hang back.”
“Why?” Melissa asked, the worry clear in her voice.
“Because…” I paused. “Because that’s how I’ve seen it done in the movies.”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Barry whispered.
“Look,” I kept my voice low, not wanting it to be obvious that we were choosing this moment to have a disagreement, “if we go as a group and everybody tries to talk, nothing gets done. If it is just me, and I’m assuming nobody disagrees that I have our best interests in mind, then I can deal with these people much easier.”
Nobody argued, so I assumed it was settled. I knew that there would be some people with issues regarding my decisions, but I’d gone past caring after the last fiasco. Like it or not, this is my show to run. My primary objective is to keep Thalia—and now Emily—alive and as safe as possible. Everybody, with the exception of the two little girls, is welcome to leave anytime they want.
We reached the edge of the picnic grounds, marked by the dirt road which was no more than two semi-clear tracks made from countless sets of tires driving through. The middle was overgrown, spreading into the two strips. Also, there was a chain painted brown that ran the length of the area connected to three-foot high, brown posts, some still with reflector tape strips at the top.
Unlike their emissary I wasn’t about to take my weapon off. Motioning for everybody to stop, I continued across the open field that had hosted plenty of family reunions, and company-picnic softball games.
“Be careful, Steve,” I heard Melissa whisper.
As I crossed the open ground, I kept an eye on the trio standing clustered in the distance, but started to appraise the person approaching me. It was a woman. That became evident only after she removed the hat, glasses, and bandana. She was tall, taller than me by a few inches, and had her curves hidden by the leather apron and a get-up that reminded me of what welders wore minus the visored helmet. I did notice that the heavy-duty glove on the right hand was modified; the fingers had been cut off the glove, most likely to allow her to operate her rifle.
I chose a spot that I knew could be seen from the windows up where Teresa, Aaron, and Jamie would be and watching. This was our turf and this stranger could come to me. Suddenly I was unsure of where to put my hands. After a few seconds of deliberation, I clasped them in front of me.
Now that I could really observe this person approaching me, I didn’t know how I couldn’t have realized instantly that she was absolutely a woman. She had shoulder length auburn hair and a very delicate face. Her walk was very feminine, and her hips swayed easily with what seemed to be a natural effortlessness. I also noticed a confidence. She showed no indication of being nervous or afraid.
When she was a few feet away, she stopped. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of green that I thought might even be contacts. She smiled pleasantly and extended her hand after removing the glove.
“Fiona O’Hara.” The woman’s voice had a soft Irish lilt.
“Steve Hobart.” I shook her hand.
“We seem to have wandered right into your encampment,” Fiona said. “I see you’ve been preparing defenses.” She nodded towards our trench.
“And I assume you’re searching for a place of your own. Or are you just passing through?”
“We are actually trying to find a place to dig in before summer’s gone.”
“How many?” I asked.
“Just what you see.” A troubled look crossed her face. “We lost half our group three weeks ago.”
“Where you coming from?”
“Boise,” Fiona said, her eyes suddenly shifting over my left shoulder. “I see you are a bit wary of strangers.”
I imagined that she must have spotted Teresa or one of the guys with their rifle trained on us from up at the house. I had no need to look over my shoulder, nor was I comfortable enough to turn my back on this total stranger.
“Boise?” I prompted, hoping for a more in-depth response.
“We were at BSU when things went bad,” Fiona began. “As seems to be the case everywhere, nobody saw this for what it was. Within three days, the city was hell. Fires were burning everywhere; rioters and looters were nothing more than walking buffets for the walking dead and any hope of turning the tide on this was gone.” Fiona paused for a moment and took a deep breath.
“It happened so fast,” I said finishing up her thoughts.
I understood what she was saying. I remember that morning when Teresa, Thalia, and I drove down I-5 and through Vancouver, Washington. I still remember all those zombies on both sides of the interstate up against the fences…on the overpasses. How fast it had spread in that first twenty-four hours. Or at least within the twenty-four hours from when I’d gotten that phone call.
“And you’ve been running ever since?” I asked, finally breaking the silence that had settled between us.
“Mostly,” Fiona said wearily. “Sometimes we found places to stop and catch our breath. But all it takes is one of those things, and they’re like cockroaches, all of a sudden you’re overrun.”
“That’s why we’re hoping this place works out,” I said. “It’s away from any main roads, and the closest town is miles away.”
“Which direction did you guys come from?” Fiona asked. Then hastily added, “If you don’t mind my asking.”
“Not at all.” I shook my head. “Mostly from the west, we’ve sorta migrated up the I-84 corridor.”
“Well, if you want, we’ll move on.”
I thought it over for just a second and decided that I didn’t have a problem as long as they understood how things worked. “Everybody pulls their weight. I can’t be certain that we can stay here undiscovered, but that’s the hope. And while this is sort of a democracy, I won’t hesitate to make the tough decisions. One of them that is not up for a vote is if you’re bit, you get put down. It’ll be as humane as possible, but I won’t hesitate, nor will I be talked out of it.”
“Agreed.” Fiona nodded and we shook hands.
I clasped her hand in mine and raised ours together, waving at my people and signaling them to come down and meet our newest members. All the newbies were about Jack’s age… young, strong, and happy to be off the roads.
***
“I think it will be best if we move at night and stay clear of the roads,” I said as we all sat in the shade of the trees near the banks of the stream.
We’d been working hard the past couple of days on the moat, but today it was simply too hot. We’d called it quits around midday. It was as good a time as any to bring up the impending supply run. We would need to stock up as heavily as possible. There was no telling what winter would bring.
“I think a four-person team will do nicely while still allowing us to continue here with preparations.” I looked around at mostly nodding heads.
“Who picks this team?” Lee Jones, a very dark-skinned African-American from Fiona’s group, asked.
“You volunteering?” I asked.
“Yep.” The young man nodded.
“Okay,” I nodded back, “that’s two. I’d rather this be a volunteer thing. So…who else?”
“I’m in,” Jack said, surprising nobody.
“And me,” Melissa blurted like she was afraid she’d be beaten to the punch.
“Good deal,” I said. “So we shouldn’t waste time. I say we go first thing after dinner.”
“Tonight?” Lee asked.
“I said I didn’t want to waste time.”
“Geez,” Barry chuckled, “I guess not.”
I’d sun-dried as much as possible, and it was time to head up and get some rest. One thing I’d learned is that being tired leads to mistakes. Out here, mistakes kill. My team followed me. Everybody else stayed put, allowing for the luxury of peace and quiet.
The house was divided up into three parts. There was the entry. It was a huge room with assorted pictures—some black and white from the very early 1900s showing rugged men with huge saws. Others were aerial shots of the lush forests that were so prevalent in this part of the country. There was a huge counter made of some sort of dark-grained wood. The whole room was made to look as rugged and woody as possible. On one wall was a blown-up map of the campgrounds. Beside it was a map of the surrounding area. This was the map we’d used to choose our target for the supply run.
Off to the left of the entry area was what had served as the actual living quarters for the Forestry Department person who worked here. It was a rather nice one-bedroom apartment. The best feature was the generator. We’d have power if need be. The only drawback was the noise. We’d started it once and it had scared us half to death. There was a wonderful wood stove in there as well that was worth more than the generator in my mind.
To the right lay an open kitchen—now useless—and a couple of large storage areas. Both of those turned out to be a good find. There was a decent amount of dry goods like sacks of beans, rice, sugar, and flour. In the other were cases of toilet paper, assumedly for not just the worker, but also the port-a-potties located around the grounds.
The beauty of this place is all the open space. So far, everybody has been able to stake out a spot with at least a little bit of privacy. One of the tasks on the list of things we want done soon is partitions. Currently, any sorts of amorous liaisons are achieved by going out into the campground portion of this place. Several of the sites have a picnic table. The couple of times that Melissa and I have slipped away have been interesting, but everybody agrees that it is just a bit dangerous. It would be tragic to lose somebody because they were so engrossed in sex that they didn’t hear the approach of a zombie.
Melissa and I crawled into where our twin sleeping bags lay in a corner of the defunct kitchen. We’d chosen this spot for two reasons. The first was that its windows didn’t catch any direct sunlight since they were all facing north. The second was because, at least up to this point, nobody else chose to sleep in here. Surprisingly, falling asleep proved to be no problem.
***
“Five days tops.” I squeezed Thalia and Emily close. Neither one seemed inclined to let go any time soon. “You two stick close to Teresa and do as she says, okay?” Weak, barely perceptible nods were the only indication that they’d heard.
“I don’t want you to go,” Thalia sniffed, pulling back to reveal tear-streaked cheeks.
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“I know, sweetie,” I said, and leaned forward to plant a kiss on her forehead. “And I promise that I will not make this a habit, but I have to make this first run.”
“To scout the area?” Emily asked, showing what life growing up as an Army brat could teach even the young ones.
“Yep,” I replied, and made sure to keep the scale balanced by kissing her forehead, too.
“I’ll watch over Thalia,” Emily whispered in my ear.
I smiled and eased my way out of the tangle of arms. Emily shifted over and pulled Thalia close to her. Where was I that I’d missed this sister-like bond building between the two of them? A nod to Teresa passed on all that needed to be said between us.
It was a perfect night. The moon was bright in the cloudless sky and thousands of stars sparkled. We cut across the open ground towards the darkness of the trees. Each of us equipped with a handgun, shotgun, and assorted “quiet” weapons like axes and machetes. We all had a backpack and a trio of boda-bags full of water. The packs were empty save for enough food for us to snack on and hopefully get us to our destination. Of course, we were all looking forward to coming across some wild-mountain blackberries that are plentiful in these parts.
Just before we ducked into the darkness of the woods, I looked back. I could see the dark outline of the building I hoped we could call home…at least for the upcoming winter. It was too dark, and we were too far away for me to see anybody, but I knew that if they were still watching us leave, I was visible in the wide-open of the field under the moonlight. I raised an arm and waved.
***
“Why don’t we just get down there and maybe find a spot to hide until nightfall?” Lee asked. “I’m hungry and that handful of berries didn’t do a damn thing for me.”
“For one,” I turned my head, not hiding my annoyance, “I want to have a good idea on what to expect as far as the zombie population is concerned. Second, I want to see if there are survivors down there. Staying here for one day isn’t gonna kill us. Walking down there unaware of the potential dangers will.”