by Gary Chesla
Hopefully he was OK. He hadn’t seen any emergency alerts for Kentucky before the networks stopped broadcasting.
John had dug out his old electric and cable bills and tried to call the number for customer service that showed on the front page of the statements. All the calls went to a recording, except for the ones that played a message that said they were unable to complete his call, to please try again later.
He had tried to call Latrobe Chevrolet, where he worked as a mechanic, but was greeted with a recorded message that the dealership would be closed for the next week until the state of emergency had been lifted.
John drove into Ligonier. The place was like a ghost town. Everyone had listened to the emergency broadcast instructions to stay in their homes. The people he did run into, those like himself that had decided to go out to see what they could find out, either didn’t know any more than he did, or were leery of him and wouldn’t talk to him.
All the stores were closed. He managed to find one little Mom and Pop store where the owner was brave enough to open for business.
John bought all the bread, cheese and lunch meat the little store had. For good measure he bought the twenty cans of soups that sat on the shelf in the back of the store.
The little shop only had four boxes of cereal, John bought them for little Cindy. Fruit Loops were her favorite, but John decided Frosted Flakes were better than nothing. They were heavily coated in sugar, so he didn’t think Cindy would complain too much about not having Fruit Loops.
The store owner was friendly enough, but he also seemed nervous. Nervous and scared like the few others he had managed to find in town.
John hit the button on the remote one more time, just in case. He didn’t want to give up without trying all the stations. Maybe he would get lucky, but that wasn’t the case. He hit the power button and turned off the TV and dropped back against the soft stuffed cushions of the old couch.
“Nothing?” Barb asked.
“No, just the same old message.” John replied sounding frustrated.
“Why don’t you try calling your brother again? Maybe he is on his way home now and has cell reception.” Barb said.
“I’ve left him four messages already. Besides he isn’t coming home until Saturday. I think today is only Thursday. It is Thursday isn’t it? I can’t even remember what day of the week it is.” John sighed.
Barb laughed. “Relax while we can. I’m sure this will be over in a few more days. When this is all over you will probably have to work overtime for the next month to handle the back log of inspections and oil changes at the dealership. Just pretend we are on vacation.”
“Yea Daddy, let’s pretend we are on vacation and you can take me fishing!” Cindy joined the conversation and ran over and jumped excitedly in front of her dad.
Cindy was six years old and a tom boy. She was probably more of a son to John than if she would have been the boy John was hoping for when she was born. He wasn’t disappointed she was a girl, he had just been hoping their first child would be a boy.
She followed him around everywhere he went. If he was working on the car, she worked on the car. If John took something apart, Cindy took something apart. When he took the washer apart to fix the motor, Cindy took the TV apart. Fortunately John discovered what she was doing and had been able to stop her before she had taken more apart than he could put back together.
She also enjoyed going fishing with her dad, whenever he had the time to fish. Her second favorite part of fishing was pulling a fish out of the water. Her favorite thing was pushing the worms on the fishing hook.
“Fishing sounds good. If you two guys can catch three nice big fish, I’ll make us fish for dinner.” Barb smiled. “Why don’t you take Cindy down to the creek and see how they are biting today?” Barb smiled.
Cindy looked excited as she stared at her dad, waiting for him to say OK.
Little Cindy’s smile melted away all of John’s frustrations and he smiled at her.
“OK.” John said. “But I’m afraid we don’t have any bait.”
“I’ll go get us some.” Cindy shouted as she ran into her room and returned with her yellow bucket and shovel.
John laughed. “You go dig us up some worms and I’ll get our fishing poles and meet you outside.”
Cindy squealed with delight and ran out the back door.
Barb gave John a smile. She was happy to see the stress that had constantly been on his face the past few days, be replaced by a smile and that twinkle in his eyes that had made her fall in love with him seven years ago.
Chapter 5
Mike and Kelly crossed the road and walked through the grass back to their camp sight.
Mike knelt down on his knees when he got close to their RV to let Kimmy slide off his back.
They were returning from a hike on the Natural Bridge trail. The trail was about a mile and a half long, round trip. Kimmy got tired after half a mile and Mike had to carry her the rest of the way. Seven year olds always seemed to have an endless supply of energy, except when you wanted them to do something.
Mike was sure if he had insisted, she would have been able to easily finish the hike under her own power. But he knew Kimmy liked to get piggy back rides from her dad as much as he liked giving her rides on his back. After all it was their vacation and vacations were for having fun and enjoying yourself.
Kimmy hopped off of Mike’s back and ran over to the cooler that sat next to the RV. She opened the lid and pulled out a bottle of Mountain Dew. She quickly removed the cap and took a long drink. When she lowered the bottle from her mouth she let a long breath, followed by a burp and a little giggle.
“Kimmy!” Kelly exclaimed. “That’s not very lady like!”
Mike laughed.
“She gets that from you.” Kelly smirked. “If ‘your daughter’ grows up to have the manners of a drunken sailor it’s your fault!”
Mike smiled but he knew better than to say anything.
“You young lady, put the cap back on that bottle. You can drink the rest of it later. Go get your towel and shampoo. You and I are going over to the shower house and get cleaned up for dinner.” Kelly ordered.
Kelly walked over to the RV and opened the door. As she went inside, her head popped back out and she looked at Mike. “Are you going to come with us? Want me to get your towel?”
“No thanks. I think I’m going to take a break first. ‘Your daughter’ is getting heavy!” Mike grinned.
Kelly smiled. “If ‘your daughter’ didn’t eat like her father she wouldn’t weigh so much.”
Mike laughed as Kelly disappeared inside the RV.
Whenever Kimmy did anything questionable she was always his daughter. Whenever she did something good, she was Kelly’s daughter. Kimmy was an ornery kid, which meant most of the time she was his daughter.
Mike laid back on his folding lawn chair recliner. They all had a fun day and now he was tired. He pushed his head back into the soft head cushion and looked at the tree tops that surrounded the campground. It was now late in the day and the sun had fallen below the tree tops. The golden rays of the sun flickered as they moved through the leaves and branches of the trees as a breeze caused the leaves to gently sway.
Mike couldn’t help enjoy the sight. Carter Caves State Park in Kentucky was a beautiful place. Beautiful and isolated in the hills of North East Kentucky. He had been coming here to camp for the last fifteen years. After he and Kelly were married, he brought her here camping the following fall. He had held his breath and hoped. If she didn’t like it here, he knew that would be his last trip to Carter Caves. Fortunately she fell in love with the place and they had come back for a week each year after that in the fall to enjoy the mountains and the fall leaves.
Mike’s thoughts were interrupted by the pop and fizzing sound of a tab being pulled off a can of beer close to his head. He glanced to his left and saw his camping neighbor, Chuck.
Chuck was holding two frosted cans of cold Bud Light.
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br /> Chuck held out one can towards Mike. “I saw you guys coming back and thought you might like a cold drink.”
Mike smiled as he reached up and took one of the cans.
Mike took a drink as Chuck made himself comfortable in the recliner next to Mike. Chuck pulled the tab off of his can and tossed the tab into the fire pit on top of the cold ashes and bits of unburnt wood.
Last night Chuck and his wife had sat around the fire pit with Mike, Kelly and Kimmy roasting hot dogs over a blazing fire. After the hotdogs, Kimmy roasted everyone a marsh-mellow. Of course for every marsh-mellow she roasted for someone, she roasted another one for herself. The adults talked and Kimmy ate. Mike had kept a close eye on her as she sat near the fire. He wanted to make sure ‘his daughter’ didn’t burn her fingers.
The door to the RV opened and Kimmy came out, hopping down the steps.
“You look all full of energy!” Chuck smiled at her.
“She should be full of energy!” Mike laughed.
Kelly came out of the RV behind Kimmy and shut the door.
“Hi Chuck!” she said.
“Hey Kelly.” Chuck replied.
“We’ll be back in about twenty minutes.” Kelly said. “You guys enjoy yourselves.”
Mike and Chuck watched as the girls crossed the campground on their way to the shower house that was next to the campground office about two hundred feet away.
“It looks like you had fun today. Where did you go?” Chuck asked.
Mike took a sip of his beer. “We took Kimmy on the Natural Bridge Trail to see the bridge.”
“Nice family trail.” Chuck nodded.
“It’s beautiful. Except for the top of the bridge.” Mike chuckled. “As soon as we got to the top of the bridge, Kimmy made a beeline to the edge of the bridge and looked down. I thought I was going to have a heart attack.”
Chuck laughed. “It’s funny how fast they can move when you don’t want them to.”
“On the way back we walked Kimmy down the haunted trail.” Mike smiled.
“Across from the campground entrance?” Chuck asked.
“Yea. It starts down at the campground entrance and comes up through the woods for about a quarter mile. It ends across the little road behind us.” Mile replied.
“I thought the haunted trail wasn’t open until Friday night?” Chuck asked.
“It’s not. They only do the haunted trail on Friday and Saturday nights. We want to take Kimmy on the trail tomorrow night when they have all the scary ghosts and zombies.” Mike chuckled. “But we thought if we took her along the trail in the daylight so she would understand it is all make believe, tomorrow night wouldn’t give her nightmares.”
Chuck laughed.” Good idea. Hey you want another beer?”
Kelly had put Kimmy in a shower stall and handed her a wash cloth and the shampoo. After the water started in Kimmy’s stall, Kelly went into the next shower stall.
She hung her towel and clothes on the hooks outside the curtain then stepped in and turned on the water.
After the water began to get hot she stepped under the shower and began to lather up.
She was just about to put shampoo on her hair when she heard Kimmy turn off the water in her shower.
“Kimmy. After you dry off, go brush your teeth, OK?” Kelly called out.
“OK Mom!” Came the reply from Kimmy’s stall.
When Kelly was done showering, she reached out and grabbed her towel and began to dry off. She could hear the water in the sink running out in front of the stalls by the mirrors. She smiled to herself as she head Kimmy spitting in the sink.
Just to be sure, Kelly stuck her head around the curtain to make sure Kimmy was brushing and not just playing in the sink.
As Kelly looked around the curtain, she almost dropped her towel as her body became tense.
Kimmy was at the sink brushing her teeth. The water was on full and splashed loudly in the sink.
Kimmy was concentrating in the sink as she spit toothpaste down the drain.
Six feet behind her, staggering in through the door to the shower house and moving slowly in Kimmy’s direction, were two gray grotesque forms. Small patches of red hair dotted the tops of their heads. Blood ran from their mouths and down over the front of their torn dirty white t-shirts.
Their arms began to raise and reach out towards Kimmy.
One of the creatures began to make a low guttural sound.
They were now only inches from grabbing Kimmy.
Kelly pushed her shower curtain forcefully to the side and stepped out of her stall. She put her hands on her hips and looked sternly at the two creatures
The creature’s arms dropped to their sides. One of the creatures quickly reached up and pulled her rubber mask over her head. The teenage girl looked at Kelly, her eyes were wide. “We were just going to scare her a little. Honest!” The girl stuttered.
The other creature pulled off her mask and stood looking at Kelly sheepishly.
Kimmy turned from the sink, as she heard the girls talk behind her. She turned and looked at the girls and started to giggle. “You guys look funny.”
“We’re zombies” The one girl said.
“You’re supposed to be afraid of us!” The other girl added.
The first girl looked at Kelly. “We were just practicing. We get to scare people on the haunted trail tomorrow night.”
“I think maybe you should go practice scaring people somewhere else.” Kelly smiled.
The two girls turned and started to walk out of the shower house. “I told you we didn’t look scary enough. Maybe we need to pour more red paint on us. I don’t think we are bloody enough.”
Kelly looked at Kimmy. “I’m glad they didn’t scare you.”
“I knew they weren’t real zombies.” Kimmy said.
“How did you know they weren’t real zombies?” Kelly asked.
Kimmy smiled. “Don’t be silly. Zombies aren’t real, that’s why!”
Kelly smiled. “Finish brushing your teeth. Your Dad is waiting for us.”
They finished getting dressed and left the shower house. They passed Mike as he was coming for his shower.
“I’ll be back in five minutes.” Mike smiled.
Kelly leaned close to Mike. “Keep an eye out, there are a couple of zombies running around here somewhere. I think they are looking for someone to eat!”
“You mean those two scary creatures with the pink and blue short shorts and high heels.” Mike smiled. “I saw them. They scared the hell out of me!”
Kelly smacked Mike with her wet towel.
Kimmy came running over and looked up at her dad. “Daddy, we saw two zombies but Mommy scared them away.”
“I bet she did.” Mike laughed.
Chapter 6
John watched as Cindy struggled with a fish on her line. He watched carefully just in case the fish started to win the battle. So far the battle had been pretty even, but Cindy was starting to move closer to the edge of the stream.
John moved in behind Cindy and grabbed her around the waist.
“Mind if I help you a little?”
“OK!” Cindy said breathing heavily.
John smiled as he pulled her back from the water. After a few feet, they pulled a fourteen inch trout out of the water and up on shore. It flipped from side to side in the grass.
“Wow! That’s a big one.” Cindy shouted.
“It sure is.” John said. “It’s almost as big as you.”
Cindy beamed proudly.
“Let’s get this monster in with the other three and get them back for your mother to cook up before it gets dark.” John said as he put the fish in the basket with the others.
He started to walk back up to the house as Cindy skipped along beside him.
Barb was sitting out on the back porch steps and watched as John and Cindy walked up the hill and back to the house.
“Well how did you do?” She asked.
“We caught four.” Cindy replied p
roudly. “One was as big as me!”
“Wow. I’m glad it didn’t pull you in the creek!” Barb smiled.
“It was close.” John laughed. “We worked up an appetite. Let’s go eat.”
“Yea, let’s go eat!” Cindy echoed John’s words.
“OK.” Barb smiled. She looked at John and spoke quietly. “Would you light the grill? The electricity went out about twenty minutes ago.”
The smile on John’s face faded. “Shit!” John said softly. He looked at Barb. “I don’t like this. Whatever has been going on the last few days is starting to get a little too close to home.”
Barb put her hand out and touched John’s shoulder to try and get him to relax. She smiled at him weakly. But now even she was starting to get concerned.
She watched as John lit the charcoal grill. After lighting the charcoal, John pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and checked to see if Mike had left him a message. She could tell by the way his shoulders slumped, the answer was no.
While he waited for the grill to get hot, he went into the house and brought out a flashlight and his old transistor radio. He slowly moved the dial, waiting nervously to hear a voice, any voice. But there was nothing but static.
The sun slowly dropped below the hill tops. The daylight slowly faded as the damp air from the creek began to drift up the hill, making them all shiver.
Mike looked at the menu in front of him. They had eaten at their campsite all week. Saturday, their first night, they had made mountain pies over the campfire. He always enjoyed the ham and cheese pressed sandwiches cooked over an open fire. Sunday they ate hamburgers. Monday they made spaghetti. Tuesday they ate grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. Last night they roasted hotdogs. Tomorrow they would eat sandwiches and finish up the leftovers. Tonight was there special meal to celebrate the end of their vacation. They always celebrated by going to the park lodge and having a big feast of Kentucky mountain home cooking. They usually had fried chicken, meatloaf and potatoes with gravy and then a big helping of cherry pie and ice cream.