“Fair enough,” I said. “I won’t shove mine down your throat, if you give me the same courtesy.”
I said that last bit more directed at Rachel than at Morgan, although I was more than a bit angry at Morgan’s comments, as well.
“Alright,” said Morgan.
Rachel just gave me a dirty look, but said nothing. Turning back to Shura, I wanted to get back to our conversation about the comets. If we only had a month to prepare, we were going to have our work cut out for us. We were going to need a massive amount of supplies to survive what was to come. If I was right and this was what the Havamal[6] had described as the wolves devouring the moon and the sun, then it marked the beginning of the Fimbul Winter[7]. Things were only going to get worse from there.
“I don’t know all of the details,” said Shura. “Irina could tell you more.”
“I look forward to talking to her when she is awake,” I replied. “Is there anything else you can tell me?”
“Only this,” he said, furrowing his brow. “If that blacks out the sky, things are going to get very cold. If the zombies don’t get us, the cold will.”
“I know a place that we might be able to weather it,” I said. “If we can get back to my group, we might be able to survive what’s coming.”
“I am hoping so, my friend,” said Shura. “I hate to think that I survived the destruction of the Space Station only to freeze to death on Earth.”
“That would certainly be ironic,” I replied.
With that, Shura headed over to check on Irina while I started checking over my gear. My body armor was ruined. There wasn’t anything I could do to repair it, either. I could only hope that we would find another set before I got into firefight. I had come to rely on having the body armor on. It had saved my life on far too many occasions for me to feel comfortable without it.
As we got closer to the bridge, I could see movement on it. Reaching for my binoculars, I held them up to my eye and began using it like a telescope. With only one eye, it was a little more difficult to bring anything into focus. After a few moments of adjusting them, I brought the image in clear enough to see that the movement on the bridge was the dead. Since the boat was the only thing around that was moving, they were all looking directly at us. I just hoped that they wouldn’t jump off of the bridge to try to get to us.
The closer we got, the more of the dead seemed to emerge onto the bridge. I figured that they were coming from the town, but I wasn’t sure. I knew that there were numerous small towns that dotted the shores of the Missouri River. Our next city big enough to worry about would be St. Louis. With a population as large as the city and county of St. Louis combined, I knew that there would be more zombies than I had ever seen in one place. There would definitely be too many to attempt to go into the city. That would probably be suicide.
I still wasn’t sure why the old man said I needed to go this way, but I felt that I was going in the right direction. I had initially thought that finding Shura and Irina was why I had to go this way, but the more I thought about it the less I believed it. There was more going on here than I was aware of. Whatever it was, I had the feeling that it would reveal itself, in due time. I just had to be patient and that wasn’t exactly my forte.
As we started to pass beneath the bridge, the zombies just stared at us. Some of them reached out towards us as if they were trying to grab onto us as we went by, but none of them jumped into the water. For some reason, that struck me as unusual. It almost seemed as if they were just watching us. It was kind of creepy.
As we came out the other side, they followed us and crowded along the rail watching us as we drifted past them. I'm not sure what bothered me more, the fact that they were just staring at us or the fact that not one Shrieker sounded off to alert the others. Maybe there weren't any in the crowd. Then again, my luck rarely ran that well. It was unsettling and I had the strangest feeling that there was something more going on than I was aware of.
I looked up to the sky and noticed that the sunlight was beginning to get hazy. I wasn't sure if it was because of smoke in the sky or of high-altitude clouds. Then the thought occurred to me that it could be from all the debris in orbit. If the meteor shower that had hit a few nights before had brought enough debris to impact the moon, then it was feasible that there was still a significant amount in orbit. That might help to explain the cooler temperatures we'd been feeling, despite the fact that it was the middle of summer.
I sat pondering that particular question for a few minutes before being roused from my thoughts by an excited voice. It was Shura and he sounded overjoyed about something. I jumped up from my seat and instinctively reached for my pistol on my hip. I turned towards where he crouched and immediately relaxed. It was good news for a change.
"She's awake," called Shura, nearly crying in his excitement. "She has been unconscious since the crash."
Both Sky and I headed over to check on her and Morgan slid behind the controls. I had little concern about her skills as a boat pilot since we were in the middle of one of the biggest rivers in the world. Worst case scenario, she might run us aground on a sandbar. Just to be safe, I glanced around ahead of us looking for anything that we might run into. Once I was sure that it was clear, as far as I could see anyway, I knelt down beside Shura.
"She is awake, tovarich," he said, grinning.
"That's great," I replied, placing my hand on his shoulder.
"Thirsty," Irina managed to rasp.
"Of course," said Sky.
Gently cradling her head, Sky began to give Irina a sip from a water bottle. We waited patiently while she drank, knowing that her throat probably felt as dry as a desert. When she finally had her fill, Sky sat her head gently back on the rolled up shirt that she had been using as a pillow.
"Spasiba," Irina managed to say, her voice still very weak.
"How do you feel?" asked Sky, concern in her voice.
"Cold," replied Irina. "Weak and cold."
"You need to rest," said Sky. "Don't overdo it. You've been through a lot."
"I'll get you a blanket," I said, heading over to the pile of gear at the back of the boat.
While I was opening a bag to get one, I felt a hand on my shoulder. Glancing over, I saw that it was Sky. The look of concern on her face spoke volumes about what she was about to say. I wasn't exactly sure what the problem was, but I was pretty sure it wasn't good.
"She needs more care than I can give her," she said, softly.
I could tell that she was trying to keep this between us. I kept my voice at a matching tone just to be on the safe side.
"You're all we have," I whispered. "What's wrong?"
"She needs antibiotics," explained Sky. "All I have are some herbs, some basic pain meds and some topical creams. I'm out of antibiotics. I used the last of my supply treating you."
"Then we'll just have to find some more," I replied. "I'll keep my eye out for anything that looks like a likely prospect."
"I don't even know if she has any internal bleeding," said Sky. "If she does, she could die. I don't know the first thing about surgery."
"Do what you can," I replied. "I'll find you some supplies. We'll deal with the rest as it happens."
"Fair enough," she answered. "For now, let's keep this between us. There's no sense in worrying everyone until we know more."
"Can do," I said, handing her the blanket. "I'm going to get my map out and see what we are close to. I might have to make a run into a town."
"Alone?" she asked, frowning.
"Maybe," I replied. "We need you here to take care of Irina and no one else is much of a fighter. Shura might be. I'll have to ask him. Maybe I can take him with me."
"If he's a cosmonaut, then he would have been in the Russian military, right?" she said.
"I know our astronauts are picked from the military," I replied. "I assume the Russians are the same way."
"Good," said Sky. "I don't like the idea of you going alone. It's too risky."
"Agreed, but we might not have much choice," I cautioned.
"I know," she replied, then headed back towards Irina with the blanket.
I sat down and began studying my map, hoping that I could find something useful on it. Maybe I could find an indication of a hospital or even a clinic; anything that might have a well-stocked first aid section. Hel, I'd even settle for a decent drug store, at this point. Whatever would get us the supplies we needed, preferably with the least amount of risk involved. Nothing was really popping out at me, though.
I knew that there would be a hospital in the town we had just passed, but I really didn't want to go back there. The way the dead had been acting on the bridge made me nervous. I wasn't sure what was going on there, but I was pretty sure that I didn't want to find out. However, my map wasn't exactly the most helpful of sources, so the town behind us was starting to look like my only viable source until we reached St. Louis. Although I was guessing, it looked to me like the better part of a hundred miles before we reached St. Louis. I doubted that Irina could wait that long.
"It looks like I might be going ashore here," I said, moving over beside Sky. "I don't see anything else that looks viable until we hit St. Louis. At this rate, it will take us days to get there."
"Ok," agreed Sky, reluctantly. "But at least wait for it to get dark. Surely the dead can't see you in the dark."
"Some can," I replied, thinking of the Stalkers. "I just hope that there aren't any of them around here."
"So what do you want to do?" she asked, not looking happy.
"I'm going ashore as soon as I'm ready to go," I said, hesitating a moment. "I like being able to see, too. Besides, if I can pull this off and be back before dark, then we can get moving. Irina doesn't have time for me to waste."
"Fair enough," she replied. "Will you at least take Shura?"
"I'll go talk to him," I answered, and headed off towards where Shura sat beside the sleeping Irina.
"Got a second?" I asked, kneeling down beside him.
"Da, tovarich," he replied, smiling. "What can I be doing for you?"
"Do you have any military training?" I asked, bluntly. "I mean, other than as a cosmonaut."
"Da," he replied. "I was…how you say…fighter pilot in Russian Air Force. I am pilot on Mig-35. What you Americans called the Fulcrum. I am Polkóvnik. I think is Colonel, da?"
"Yeah, I think so," I said, smiling. "How about firearms? How are you with weapons?"
"I am…how you say…proficient, da," he said, grinning. "I know which way to point weapon."
"I need to make a run into that town we just passed," I explained. "Irina needs medical supplies that we don't have. I was hoping that you would be able to go with me."
"I can do this," he answered, knotting his brow. "Nichevo. It's nothing. I can do this for Irina."
"Excellent," I replied. "Let's get our gear together. We'll be going ashore in a few minutes."
I checked and reloaded all of my weapons. I was going to leave the Beowulf behind, but I was taking my pistols, especially the XVR. In the short amount of time that I'd been carrying it, I was already growing quite fond of it. I handed the big Desert Eagle .50 to Shura. He held up his hands and shook his head.
"No thank you, my friend," he said. "I have my Makarov. I will keep it and the Kalashnikov. Those are the only weapons you have that I am familiar with."
"Fair enough," I said, putting the big handgun back in one of the packs.
I started reloading my pack and buckling on my gear. It was going to feel strange, not having my body armor on. I was hoping I could replace it as soon as possible. I felt naked without it.
I hung my M-4 from its strap and let it hang around my neck. Then I made certain that my extra magazines were loaded and put them in my cargo pockets. Next, my Keltec shotgun went into its customary place on my pack. The last thing I put in place was the big sword that I had named Ulfrbrandr. It felt good to have the weight of the big blade on my back. It was too long for me to hang on my belt, so I had to sling it over my shoulder and pin the sheath beneath my pack. It wasn't the most comfortable position, but it was the best I could come up with. It would just have to do.
Morgan began to angle us in towards the shore. We were downriver about a quarter of a mile past the big bridge and would be able to slip into the trees next to the shore, hopefully without the dead seeing us. The plan was for them to swing the boat back out and head back up the river. The engine noise would distract the undead and draw them away from us. If we timed it right, we would meet them back where they dropped us off just before sunset. Well, unless we came running and I fired a flare. Then they were told to come get us, right then. If they saw a flare, they would know that things had gotten bad and we were coming to the closest section of river nearest the flare.
My last glimpse of the boat was through the trees after Shura and I had jumped ashore. I could hear the engine growling as they made their way back up-river, but they were quickly lost to our sight due to the thick foliage. With any luck, it would hide us from the undead. If we weren't so lucky, then it would at least slow them down.
We crouched in the cool shade of the trees until the sound of the engine had faded and grown distant. I listened to the sound of the wind as it rustled through the trees and waited to hear any sign of movement. It was eerily quiet. Only the sounds of a few birds in the nearby trees broke the desolate stillness. After a few moments, I motioned for Shura to follow me and began slowly picking my way through the trees, inland away from the river.
We hadn't gone more than about twenty yards when I started to see a clearing through the trees. As we grew closer, I could see that it was a double set of railroad tracks. I vaguely recalled that there was a passenger train that ran west out of St. Louis. I could only assume that this was part of that system. The tracks led towards St. Louis and back towards the town we were heading for, paralleling the river.
"Should we follow the tracks?" asked Shura, glancing nervously around.
"I'm not sure," I replied. "It would make it easy for us to move, but we would be easy to spot."
I considered our options carefully. I wanted to be able to move quickly, but the tracks offered no concealment. In the end, I decided that stealth was better than speed. That had quickly started to become a mantra with me since the dead had risen. Since we weren't travelling in an up-armored Humvee, it was best to be inconspicuous. Maybe things would improve when we got closer to town, but for now we needed to remain quiet and unseen.
"Let's stick to the trees," I said. "We'll cross the tracks here and move inland a little ways before heading back towards the town."
"Do you know this area, tovarich?" asked Shura.
"Not really," I replied. "I have a map, but it's only a roadmap. It doesn't give much in the way of details."
"Boʐye moy!" said Shura, shaking his head.
I didn't think I needed to ask what it meant. I didn't know the exact translation, but "fuck" was what I read on his face. I wish I had better news for him, but we were on our own. I just hoped that we could find what we needed before things got out of hand. When the dead were involved, things could get out of control very quickly though. Shura had never really faced them, either. I just hoped he was ready for the reality of it.
We moved in a crouch and headed across the tracks, slipping into the trees on the far side. The undergrowth wasn't quite as thick on this side, so we continued inland away from the river. If we could avoid the worst of the populated areas, we might be able to sneak right up to the edge of town. If the trees were thick in the area, the dead might not even know we were there until it was too late. Yeah, and I might just wake up and find out it was all a big joke, too. Unlikely.
As we walked, I wanted to keep Shura from thinking too much about what we would be facing. I decided that it would be worth a little risk to talk quietly, so long as we kept it to a whisper.
"So, are you and Irina close?" I asked, softly.
"Da," he replie
d. "She is the sister of my wife, Katya. I take care of Irina because my Katya would be angry if I did not. I hope to see her again, one day. Do you think that she might yet live?"
"Who knows?" I replied. "It's possible. I haven't heard any news about how the Russians fared against the dead. My wife survived, so I don't think it's unreasonable to think yours did as well."
"What is your wife's name?" he asked, glancing at me.
"Karen," I replied.
"Ahh," he replied, smiling. "Katerina is same name, only in Russian. We both have a Katya. Perhaps there is reason we met?"
"Maybe," I said, grinning. "Our destinies could be intertwined. Time will tell."
I could see what looked like a building up ahead through the trees. We were coming up on the back side of what looked like either a really big house or an apartment building.
"Fuck," I whispered. "Shhh."
I mimed putting my finger to my lips. Shura nodded like a pro and crouched down behind a tree. His baby blue jumpsuit stuck out like a sore thumb. We were going to have to find some better gear for all of us, especially our two cosmonauts. They weren't going to be able to hide from anyone in those things.
As we crept closer, I could see it wasn't just one building. It was four, all of which were about the same size. It wasn't just an apartment building, it was an entire complex. We were looking at the back of the buildings and the parking lots were on the far side. I couldn't tell how full they were, either. We could be seeing four empty buildings or the place could be literally crawling with the dead. I was hoping for the former, but experience had proven it would usually be the latter. Just my fucking luck.
"Which way do we go, tovarich?" asked Shura, concern in his voice.
"We don't risk going through," I said. "The place is probably full of the dead. I'm tempted to say to go right, but it looks like the trees thin out. Let's try going around the left side."
"Oodachi!" he said, shaking his head.
"What does that mean?" I whispered.
"Good luck," he replied, frowning. "I have bad feeling about this place."
"Me too," I said, trying to sound reassuring. "Let's get what we're after and get the fuck out of here."
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