by Diane Butler
Lucky stopped and looked at her. “You’re not going back there? You and Mary? If you lived with a group in the swamps then you can live with a group on land. People are the same, Roxanne. We have families and people who have lost families. Everyone is trying to survive and that can’t be done alone especially when the Z’s outnumber you.”
“I have responsibilities, obligations that I must repay, but I don’t know about Mary going with me. I’m hoping Caleb can talk her into staying with you or perhaps the Cunningham family will take her in to help with Earl Jr. She’s a good fighter. They can use her, but I must and will go.” She sighed and looked up at him, “There’s nothing here for me if the place is occupied. I don’t live the way land people do. My place is on the water.”
Lucky looked at her studying her face for some clue of emotion and all he saw was confusion. Something was still tormenting her and he wondered if it was the desire to stay against the pull of the responsibility that she spoke of. He feared of what she may be returning to and at the same time knew that it could be a better life than the one he had shared with her while running from herds. He started to come around the boat to put his arms around her but she immediately stepped back.
“No, don’t” she said and the two dogs came to her side. Lucky stopped and smiled, “Shortly after we met I started to approach you and asked that you call off your dog. That was just Mutt back then. Do you remember?”
She shook her head, “No. I remember nothing of this relationship that you claim we had. Was I traded to you?”
Lucky gasped and stepped back, “Good God, Roxanne! What the hell do you think I am? Is this what you experienced in the bayou? Do you ‘belong’ to someone there?”
“I don’t belong to anyone any more than the coyote belongs to me. We are both free, wild and untamed. And I don’t care to be around anyone who thinks that they can change that. Thank you for your help on the motor. I’ll have Mary take you back to your house.”
CHAPTER 10
The Cunningham family took their car and followed Roxanne, Lucky and Mary in their truck to the road of the fairground site. They promised Earl that they would replenish the gas in his car and that there would be plenty to go around when actually they had no idea how many of the cars on the side of the road still had gas. Other scavengers could have come through the town and syphoned the gas but Lucky was confident that the town had not been raided.
Roxanne and Earl both had hand-pumps to syphon but Lucky did it the old-fashioned way of drawing it by suction. They began to fill the household trash cans three quarters full so as not to spill any during the drive back to the dock. Once back at the dock they filled the large recycling cans and put the lids on. They worked quickly, wanting to finish before the heat of the day and made several trips.
One time Lucky looked down the fairground entrance off the highway and said, “I really would like to check that place. If it was for EVAC then there could be military vehicles that we can syphon or drive.”
Roxanne shook her head, “There is a herd in that vicinity. I hear them each time we come here. They must be fenced in or restrained in some way since the sound never comes nearer. The place reeks of violent death and is haunted,” she said as she continued to load the truck.
Lucky looked at her and then back down the road again, “Why didn’t you say something? I can’t hear anything nor do I smell anything. A herd should never be kept secret. We need to know what we are dealing with here, especially if the Mill relocates,” Lucky was becoming annoyed.
“We’ve already spoken of this and I cautioned you at that time. Whether you go or not is your own decision.”
“If you are their scout then it is your responsibility to thoroughly investigate a town before relocating people. You have spent too much of your attention on me and not enough on the town, either before or after meeting me here. And I understood that you have been here several times before Brandon told me about the town’s location.” Roxanne got into the truck, “This is the last of it. Are you coming? I see Z’s approaching from the town and don’t want to spill any gas by running over them.”
Mary still felt uncomfortable when she rode with Roxanne and Lucky and had to sit in the middle between them. The only conversation would be on survival or supply runs or items that were needed and hadn’t been found yet. She felt that Lucky would have liked for a private conversation with Roxanne but other than working on the boat together Roxanne made sure that they were never alone. She felt sad for Roxanne and for the barrier she had put around her emotions and was sure it was because of the scars and what had happened to her. Although the scar on Roxanne’s face was the first thing a person noticed, it didn’t take long to get beyond that since Roxanne was such a fascinating person and captured your attention.
They were dumping the small cans of gas into the larger containers back at the dock when Mary noticed that Roxanne’s attention kept turning to the river. As the last container was filled Roxanne turned to Lucky, “You riverboat will be here shortly and it is full of people.”
“What!” Lucky was stunned. “I wasn’t expecting them back so soon and surely not with people, unless he brought Toby, Gretchen and Larry this time.”
Roxanne shook her head. “No, it is at full capacity. I can hear many voices and she is struggling in the water.”
Brandon was relieved to see the dock come into view but was surprised to see Lucky standing there with a family at his side. He saw Roxanne’s truck disappear around the corner and out of sight and was sorry that she had not waited to greet them.
As soon as Lucky saw the number of people on Jenny he knew that the Mill had been overrun. He panicked not knowing where to put all these people. None of the houses had been prepared and most on this street had been ransacked by them leaving only empty shells. He was relieved to see that Lance was the first person off the riverboat and to learn that Lance had plans since he knew the town. “I’ve already explained to them that we don’t know the condition of the houses on several streets, but it will be up to them to secure and select a place. I’m thinking of Richmond St and Elkins which are both closest to the dock,” Lance told Lucky. He introduced Lance to the Cunningham family and since they had taken a house on Elkins Lance began working out a plan with Earl and using his help.
The people began pouring off Jenny and lining up on the sidewalk looking confused but were fully protected by the men who immediately went on alert. Morgan and Caleb were with Brandon and Lucky was finally able to get to the pilothouse to ask Brandon what happened. Brandon was relieved to find that Lucky had already confiscated enough gas for both Jenny and Richard’s cabin cruiser since he was concerned about the delay in getting back to the Mill.
“The only thing I don’t have plans for,” Brandon said, “is if the Mill is overrun by the time I get back. I assured the people who I left behind that if the yard has been breached by a herd that I would create a distraction to get the Z’s away from the steel doors so they can run the distance to get on Jenny. And, that I would have gas ready for Richard to take a group on his boat too. I was hoping that you could come up with something.”
“Actually, I may have an idea,” Lucky said. “Come with me and meet Earl Cunningham who is a demolition expert.” Earl listened to the problem and admitted that he still had some dynamite left but he was worried when he heard that the situation involved people. “You don’t throw that stuff right and you could damage the building so the people can’t get out. I think you better let me come with you if you can assign someone to keep my family safe while I’m gone. Let me talk to Maria but I think she’ll be okay now that she has seen the group. She’s been really unhappy and afraid since we began traveling alone and has missed talking with other people. “
Brandon had some of the men begin to put the gas on Jenny while the men with families followed Lance to Elkins Street to be housed near Maria and Earl Jr. “I’ll have Jenny travel back using gas instead of manual paddle and it will be faster. Besides, Jenny h
asn’t had gas in her tank for a long time and I want to keep everything in good working order. The rest we will put in Richards tank before we open the gates and let anyone board. When Richard comes out he can start his cabin cruiser without further delay.”
Gretchen came over to them and told Lucky to keep a watch over Brandon. ”He hasn’t had any sleep or eaten except for a short break when Morgan was piloting. I think you should take over Jenny on the way back to the Mill and let him get some rest. I left some food for you and the group will be bringing more supplies with them.” She looked around, “What about Roxanne? I don’t see her here.”
For the first time Lucky noticed that the truck was gone, along with Roxanne’s entourage. He shook his head, “I doubt that you will ever see her. She’s become a very strange person with a different set of skills.”
***
Toby had stationed Smokey in the rafters high above the machinery where he could see out over the river. They knew that the Z’s had broken through the fence and had surrounded the building but apparently the zombies did not know that people were inside. The undead did not attempt to get in although there would be an occasional pounding on the steel bay doors. Some of the women screamed but it didn’t appear to incite the Z’s so they knew that they hadn’t been heard. But that was yesterday and Brandon had been gone for two and a half days now. He wasn’t expected back for another day or two depending on how fast he was able to find gas. There was food and water but the place was beginning to smell since Lance had insisted on housing his pigs in the same facility. At this point Toby knew that he would need to let the pigs go because no one wanted to be burdened with carrying one as they made the run for Jenny. Their own survival between here and Jenny was what mattered and the yard showed that it was filling with Z’s.
Brandon had not come up with a plan to distract the zombies but Toby was hoping that Lucky may have had an idea. Otherwise, he did not see any way out of the situation without loss of life. The remaining people were some of the best fighters, no families or children were left although there were wives who had refused to leave their husband behind. But even the best would have difficulty fighting through that herd. He looked around and saw their hardened faces, some void of any emotion as they sharpened their weapons. In others he saw the knowledge that they were going to die, if not that day then another day soon. No one was going to stay and be forced into starvation. They would go out fighting and protecting one another.
Suddenly Smokey turned from his window and began waving a white flag. It was agreed that if he spotted Brandon that he would not whistle or yell down for fear that the zombies could hear him even if they did not see him high above. Everyone became excited and some began to climb the machinery to join Smokey and confirm the sighting. Smokey then put the flag out the window as a signal to Brandon that everyone was still alive. People began to gather their belongings and Toby had to caution them that Brandon still needed time to dock and gas the cabin cruiser. Since Toby’s tugboat was no longer feasible for transportation they wanted to have a boat with them that was smaller than Jenny to use for fishing or to enter smaller canals for food once they were free of the mill. The people who had left in sailboats may or may not be back, having settled for Florida as their destination.
The sight of Jenny docking drew the zombie’s attention toward the river and they crowded against the gated fence. Smokey started reporting back as to what was happening. He saw someone climb on Jenny’s roof and toss something into the middle of the herd and he immediately hid behind the wall as an explosion shattered debris against the building. “I think its dynamite”, he called down to the group who had hit the floor. “They’re trying to keep the Z’s at the fence to a minimum as they gas up Richard’s boat. My guess is that they’ll use dynamite to clear a path for us once they are set to go. We will only have those against the fence to kill and their backs will be to us.”
People began to smile, liking the idea when Smokey said that Brandon already had about ten people on the river side of the fence killing zombies through the links. They didn’t know that Brandon saw that there were too many and that the fence was starting to buckle. There was another explosion, this time closer to the fence but far enough away not to injure their people who were protected by a double line of zombies gathered against the fence trying to reach them.
“They’re leaving your boat,” Smokey called down to Richard. “You must be refueled. Get ready to open the bay doors when I signal. Four of you stay behind to go out with me. I’ll need time to get down there and join you once I signal.”
Lucky and the others who had helped to refuel Richard’s boat ran to the fence to help with the zombies while Brandon climbed up on the roof of Jenny with Earl. “Clear a path for them to get out of the bay doors and I’ll signal when it’s the safest.”
Earl shook his head, “will be a lot of Z’s to deal with but I can get the ones closest to the building and closest to the fence without hitting our guys. There will still be a lot more to kill as the ones on each side start to close in.” He took aim, everyone ducking as the explosion nearest them scattered zombie body parts through the air. Brandon frantically started waving his white flag hoping that the people inside the mill could see it through the dust cloud.
The bay doors opened and a group of thirty people rushed out, one dragging a pig on a rope behind him. They had to jump over disabled zombies with limbs torn off, or torso’s blown apart in their dash to the fence. They looked to each side as they ran and saw that the herd had scattered but was forming again. The few zombies remaining in their path were either pushed aside or killed as they ran past. Fifty yards had never felt so far as they kept their goal of reaching the gate to the docks.
Lucky took a moment from killing zombies at the gate to catch his breath and looked up to scan the group of thirty racing across the yard. He saw Toby running toward him with the others but did not see Smokey. As the group reached the fence they disposed of the zombies pressing against the gate and Lucky opened it to send Richard off to his boat to throw the lines and have it ready to leave. He grabbed Toby’s arm while the others split up, some boarding Jenny and others running to Richard. “Where’s Smokey?”
Stunned, Toby turned and looked back to see that Smokey was being supported by two others as he was badly limping across the yard. Earl’s skill with dynamite had managed to deplete the herd but the ratio was still against them. Smokey had a total of four men with him but they were much slower by surrounding Smokey to protect him. Toby barked orders at his team and when the rest of the group saw the situation they all dropped their backpacks or supplies and came back to the fence. They split up into two lines of fifteen people in the yard and kept a clear path between them so Smokey who could come through the middle while they held off the zombies. The situation had become more critical but no one was going to leave those four men and Smokey behind.
Suddenly three wild pigs still in the factory came running out of the bay doors, squealing and racing around the yard, dodging away from any zombie who tried to pick it up. The distraction helped and as Smokey entered the safety path between the men those who had guns began firing at the nearest zombie instead of breaking the line with hand-to-hand combat. A sow and her piglet darted past Smokey and out the gate to run aboard Jenny. Still firing the group closed in behind Smokey as he advanced and were finally able to gather on the dock where they managed to close the gate against the remaining Z’s.
They heard the motor on Richard’s boat finally turn over and ten people picked up their things to run over and board. Brandon was already in the pilothouse waiting for someone to give him the signal to shove off. The gate held better than the fence and both boats were able to leave the dock, Richard speeding off faster than Brandon and leaving him behind.
Brandon could hear cheering in the lounge but later Toby came to the pilothouse and told him that they had lost one person to Z’s in the scramble. Apparently when the pigs began to squeal and run about the yard no o
ne heard the guy scream. Toby and Brandon were quiet looking out over the bow of Jenny then Toby changed the subject. “It feels good to be running on gas again. We weren’t expecting you back this soon. How did you manage to find gas and load it so quickly and who the hell was that throwing grenades?”
Brandon laughed, correcting Toby that it was dynamite, not grenades and let Lucky tell the story. “Sounds like a good man to have around, this Earl,” Toby said after hearing the story. “Same as Lance who is good with livestock. I imagine we will have a lot of work to do fortifying or blocking the streets off and trying to live in one section of town. I’ve never been there so I’m leaving it up to you two on what you think is best. The plantation was my idea and so was the paper mill, neither of which worked out but at least I saved a lot of stragglers that I found along the way and we have built up a pretty sizable group to defend ourselves. The drawback is that it is so difficult to move that many people which I hope to never do again.”
Morgan came in and reported that Smokey had a sprained ankle after falling off the scaffolding. Morgan wrapped the ankle and advised Smokey to stay off of it and that he would not be available to help at the new settlement for a while.