With the kids safely in the car Kim ran around the front and quickly got in the driver’s side door. Once inside, she locked the doors and told her children to keep their heads down, she was going to back out of the driveway. The car started right up and she threw it into reverse and stepped on the gas.
The infected had made it onto the property and taken a definite interest in what was in the car. They turned and headed for the driveway. The Honda lurched and headed straight back. It was almost a clean getaway except the first infected person to reach the driveway was clipped by the back end of the car and sent sprawling onto the front lawn. She told herself she had not purposely veered into the person.
“But then again, payback is a bitch,” she thought to herself.
Kim drove for a couple of minutes before she realized that she had no idea where she was going. She drove past a grocery store parking lot, made a quick U-turn, and found a spot in the middle of the lot. Keeping the engine running, despite the fuel gauge reading less than a quarter tank, she scanned the area for any immediate danger. Finding none, she put the car in park and opened the glove compartment. She rummaged around looking for an area map but found none. To save a couple of bucks Marcus decided not to get the GPS option in the Honda. He said he always knew where he was going and did not need some machine to tell him when to take a left or right.
“Marcus was also a practical man,” thought Kim so there must be a map in here somewhere. Giving up on the glove compartment, she opened the center console, no luck there either.
“Why did we stop?” Jason asked.
“I’m looking for a street map so we can find the airport that Nanny and Grampa went to,” she said.
Jason considered his mom’s statement for a second then leaned forward; reaching into the pouch attached to the back of the driver’s seat, and pulled out a folded street map.
“You mean like this one?” he said holding the map.
“Exactly like that one,” she answered with a warm smile.
She took the map from him and unfolded it; all the while her eyes scanning the parking lot. One side was a map of the Virginias, Carolinas, and Tennessee. She flipped it over and there were maps of the Mid-Atlantic States. Looking over the map she decided on the best route to airport. She refolded it and handed it back to Jason.
“Keep an eye on this for me, make sure we’re headed in the right direction,” she said.
“You got it,” Jason replied.
“Mom!” Danielle suddenly blurted out.
“What is it honey,” Kim answered while jerking her head back up and looking out toward the parking lot.
“Over there,” Danielle said pointing across the street.
Kim turned around and spotted what her daughter had seen. Two people walking toward them from the south. They did not seem to have any of the characteristics Kim observed from the infected individuals. They actually seemed to be weaving in and out of the tree line and using the buildings as cover as they traveled down the street.
Kim was not taking any chances. She had her children to consider. No hitchhikers. She was about to put the car in drive when she heard a muffled scream coming from one of the people walking down the street. She looked back to see them pass by a dry cleaners just as one of those things came out from behind the building. The people ran across the street trying to avoid the infected person, heading toward Kim’s car.
Kim put the car in drive, pulled out of the parking lot, and headed north without looking back. “I never would have done that two weeks ago, leaving someone who so obviously needed my help,” she thought to herself as she shook her head. She felt like she was barely holding it together.
“How in the world are Jason and Danielle coping so well,” Kim contemplated.
Unfortunately, she knew that was only temporary. Everything that happened today would hit them eventually; sooner more likely than later. She just hoped she would be strong enough for them when they really needed her. Right now, however, her job was to find this airport and get her kids and herself to safety. That was assuming that such a safe place existed.
“Take this exit Mom,” Jason exclaimed.
Kim slowed the Honda down and turned off I-70 and headed down the off ramp. Jason had done an excellent job navigating and his mother let him know it. He beamed with pride. His father had taught him to read a map and since his dad was not here, the responsibility fell to him.
She followed the signs until she could see the airport in the distance. As she approached Aviation Way she noticed another sign, obviously hastily erected, that read: Temporary Evacuation Site. Please Proceed with Caution to Gate for Processing.
She took a left and headed to what must have been the processing gate. There was, however, no one there. She pulled the car up to the gate and put the car in park. Leaving the car running, she leaned in the back seat and told Jason and Danielle to stay put. She exited the car and walked up to the chain-link gate next to which was a guard shack about the size of an old telephone booth. There was a sign on the shack that read: Please present Identification. Only one bag per person. All persons are subject to inspection.
As she was reading the sign her attention was drawn to the noise coming from behind the airport tower. She observed three military helicopters slowly rising into the air. Quickly running to the gate she opened it and darted back into the car. She pulled forward, through the gate, and then put the car in park. Getting back out she swung the gate back closed all the while wondering why she was bothering.
“Must be my OCD,” she thought to herself.
Getting back in the car, she watched helplessly as the helicopters continued to elevate and head off to the west. She thought about getting out and jumping up and down or waving her hands but they would never see her.
“Maybe they’ll come back for another pick up,” she thought; but deep inside she knew that probably was not going to happen. The guard shack was empty and there did not appear to be any ground personnel left. She pulled a little further down the road to the actual airport entrance just as the car began to sputter. She had not even noticed she was on fumes.
Reaching behind her into the back seat she grabbed the short wave radio that Marcus had packed. She turned it on and began scanning the stations for any information that might be useful.
“Are the helicopters coming back?” Danielle asked.
“I don’t know sweetheart,” Kim said. “I’m hoping the radio might tell us something.”
As she finished that statement, the radio crackled to life. She moved the knob delicately to get the best reception possible. As she hit on the correct frequency, the speakers erupted with: “… what the hell do you mean you’re not coming back …” another voice answered “… sorry Major, orders are we move to extraction point delta. This one is no longer active. Emergency broadcasts are being updated as we speak. Rescue Six, over …”
Chapter 9
Winchester
Three infected people covered in blood slowly ambled towards Chester as he stood frozen next to his truck. They were just like the one he had killed in the woods earlier that day. There was no doubt in his mind that these three were responsible for the death of the two people in the lodge.
As they drew closer, Chester could not tear his eyes away from them. He knew they had been people, but now they were something else. One of them looked like a worker from the bed and breakfast; the man’s uniform shirt was covered with blood and other human remains. The second was most likely a tourist staying at the lodge. She wore casual clothes that were torn and bloody and walked with a limp caused by what looked like a large bite in her leg. However, it was the third person who disturbed Chester the most. It was a young girl, probably not yet a teenager. She wore a sun dress that, like the others, was covered in blood and dirt. She had bite marks on her arm and as she came closer Chester could only shudder at the vacant stare she gave him.
As a shiver ran up Chester’s spine he finally snapped out of his trance. Running ar
ound the driver’s door he jumped into the truck slamming the door behind him. Throwing it into reverse, he backed up into a parking spot and then jammed the truck’s stick into first, spinning his tries on the loose gravel as he turned toward the road, away from the bed and breakfast.
By then, the three people had closed in on his truck and were almost in front of him. Chester swerved to miss the young girl and was rewarded with the heavy thud of the man hitting the corner of the truck’s front bumper. As Chester maneuvered out of the parking lot and onto the access road, he looked into his review mirror to see the man slowly crawl to his feet, joining the other two people slowly following in the wake of his truck.
It had been almost an hour since leaving the grisly scene at the bed and breakfast but Chester could still not shake the image of the young girl. Despite his rough exterior, Chester had a small soft spot when it came to children. Finally shaking the image from his head, he began trying to puzzle out what was happening in the world around him. He had been in the woods for six days hunting, hiking, and camping.
Before he had started his trip, he remembered hearing reports about looting, rioting, and general unrest in Florida but could not imagine this was in some way related. The ‘people’ he had encountered were most definitely not looters or rioters; something more was going on. To take his mind off of what he had witnessed earlier, Chester turned on his shortwave to see if he could get any new information from the emergency broadcasts. As he continued to bump along down the mountain road he tuned his receiver until he found a broadcast.
“Attention all citizens, evacuation zones in North Carolina and Southern Virginia have been closed. Please proceed north or west to the next closest evacuation zone. Stay tuned for specific locations.”
As the broadcast began listing various evacuation zones Chester had already made up his mind what to do. He would head to Winchester, Virginia to see if he could find the only friend from VMI that he still stayed in contact with, Douglas Stanton. Douglas had served in the military after graduating VMI and upon retirement went on to be a civilian analyst for the US Army Command. If anyone knew what was going on, it would be Douglas.
After consulting his maps as he drove, Chester planned to make his way over the Blue Ridge Mountains and into Tennessee where he could get onto I-81 and take it north through the Shenandoah Valley to Winchester. First he wanted to stop at the Park Ranger headquarters to see if anyone there could fill him in on what was happening.
Upon his arrival, Chester found the place abandoned. He was, however, able to restock some of his provisions and ammunition from the supplies there; as well as fill several jerry cans with extra fuel for the trip. Before he ran into any more of those things, Chester got back on the road and began heading north. To his surprise he encountered very little traffic on the road. He saw a few of the ‘people’ which he learned from subsequent radio broadcast were being called the infected. As he made his way across the state line into Virginia he saw fewer and fewer people traveling on the highway, until he was left alone driving with his thoughts and carefully avoiding the odd abandoned car.
Reaching Winchester just before dark, Chester was able to find his friend’s home without mishap. He did not hold out much hope that Douglas would be there as most of the surrounding area seemed to be deserted. He had seen a number of the infected once he entered the suburban areas but had managed to avoid them. He also was certain he had seen a gang of looters inside a pharmacy he had driven by.
Not in the mood to deal with anyone, he had just kept on driving. Now, as dusk settled, he pulled up in front of Douglas’ house and turned the truck off. It was a small split level with tan siding and over grown flower beds. It did not look like anyone was home. There was no car in the yard and none of the lights were on. Chester quickly realized there were no lights on in any of the others houses either, not even the street lights were lit. Grabbing his pack and heading to the front door, Chester knocked, but predictably no answer came. Looking around the front door he found the fake rock that Douglas had mentioned to him on a previous occasion he hid his key in. Retrieving the key he let himself into the house, closing and locking the door behind him.
“Douglas won’t mind if I camp out here for the night,” thought Chester.
Setting his pack down he quickly made his way through the rest of the house making sure Douglas was not home and that no one else had taken up residence. Now in the downstairs level, he found the closet were Douglas kept his camping gear and hunting equipment. Despite Chester’s general dislike of people, Douglas and he had gone on a number of hunting and camping trips together. Both being men who only spoke when they had something useful to say made their friendship work. Chester opened the closet to find it mostly empty.
“He must have taken his gear and gone to his hunting cabin in Pennsylvania,” Chester thought as he went through what little of the gear remained in the closet.
In the morning, Chester decided, he would head that way as well. If there was anyone he could stand being around in this situation it would be Douglas. He headed back up the stairs to the entrance landing and then out to his truck to retrieve his camp stove. Quietly making his way to the small shed around the back of the house, he looked around for extra propane tanks for the stove. Chester found three camping size propane tanks and two full size tanks. Knowing he could always use them later he put the full size and extra camping tanks in the back of his truck.
As he was about set up the small stove in the driveway he noticed movement down the road. There, slowly shuffling towards him, were two infected people. Quickly gathering the stove he silently made his way back inside. Peering out of the window he watched as the two infected gradually made their way by the house. Realizing he might not be as safe as he thought, Chester went around the house making sure all the doors and windows were secure before heading to the upstairs level with the camp stove. Making his way into a small office Chester set the stove on a small wooden desk under the window. He opened the window to vent the stove and turned it on. While he waited for the stove to heat up he went down stairs grabbed his pack and a couple bottles of water he found in the pantry.
As Chester settle down for a meal of rehydrated spaghetti he debated with himself whether or not to go back to his truck and retrieve his gun for the night. As he finished his meal he decided against it and instead went into the master bedroom. Getting down on his hands and knees he searched under the bed until he found what he was looking for. Taped to bottom of the box spring was a sawed off shotgun and a case of shells. Letting a rare smile creep across his face, Chester loaded the shotgun, shut the bedroom door, kicked off his boots and settled into the double bed for a good night’s sleep; shotgun laying across his chest.
Chapter 10
Rescued?
Nick emerged from the woods in time to see Stephen waving his arms frantically in the direction of the convoy. As Nick came up beside him, Stephen said, “I think they saw us.”
“I hope so,” Nick said, and then added, “they better get here quick because I’m pretty sure I saw some of those things coming out of the hotel we just passed back there.”
Lucy and Dave finally came out of the woods and walked to the edge of the on ramp. Dave’s left shoulder was hanging low and he was obviously in a lot of pain. The run had taken quite a bit out of him.
Stephen’s anticipation was quickly replaced with apprehension when he noticed the serious looking soldier in the first vehicle swing his large machine gun in his direction. He stopped waving his arms and held his arms straight up in a surrender position.
“Put your hands up in the air, like this,” he said to the rest of the group. Everyone did as instructed except Dave who could not get both arms up in the air. Stephen heard the soldier behind the machine gun shout instructions to three other soldiers walking alongside the convoy.
The three soldiers began jogging toward Stephen with guns at the ready, prepared to use them if necessary. Two of the soldiers arrived a minute later
while the third held back acting as a lookout, presumably to keep an eye out for any trouble.
The one whose name patch read ‘Sanchez’ looked Stephen’s group over then spoke into his comm link saying, “We got four civilians Major.” He listened for a second and then responded, “Copy that.”
Turning his attention to the students he said, “Have any of you had contact with any infected persons?”
“You could say that!” Nick answered.
This caused Sanchez and the other soldier, whose name patch read ‘Kowalski’, to raise their weapons.
“Check them for bite marks ‘Ski,” Sanchez said to Kowalski.
Following orders, Kowalski inspected all of them for any evidence of contamination; bite marks, torn clothing, blood stains. Dave had some stains on his shirt from the arm that was severed back at Target, but they were black, not red. While Kowalski was examining the students, Sanchez took a small Maglite out of a pocket in his uniform and began scanning each of their eyes.
Kowalski glanced at the Band-Aids on Stephens head, to which Stephen said, “Don’t worry, my head just ran into the butt of a pistol.”
When he was done, Kowalski nodded at Sanchez who in turn spoke into his comm link, “They’re clean Major.”
Kowalski had taken the hatchet Nick had stuck in his waistband. Showing it to Sanchez, he addressed the other students, “Does anyone else have any weapons?”
Lucy reached into her front pocket and pulled out the knife she had concealed in her jeans and handed it over. Stephen reached down and retrieved the axe that he had placed on the ground next to him.
“We needed these to protect ourselves from those things,” Stephen said as he offered the axe to Sanchez.
“You’ll get them back,” Sanchez answered. As he was about to take the axe from Stephen, shots rang out.
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