by Gary Chesla
Hopefully, but after what she had seen and heard over the last month, she couldn’t rule out anything.
As the light began to fade, Fran lit her candle.
“This candle is only going to last for another day or two at most,” she thought. “I thought that box of candles would have lasted a lot longer than they did. Damn, I’m starting to run out of everything.”
As Fran thought about food and running out of candles, another problem came to mind.
“In another couple of months, it will probably start to snow,” Fran thought.
Last winter the snow started to fall in late September and didn’t stopped until April.
The temperature in the mountains never went above thirty degrees the entire winter.
The house was heated by a coal furnace. Fran and her sister had taken turns putting coal in the furnace when her dad was working so they could keep warm.
They had run out of coal a week before the weather began to warm up and Fran shivered as she remembered how cold it had been in the house.
If Fran tried to stay at the house this winter, a house without real windows or doors, there was a good chance she wouldn’t survive the winter.
She would either starve to death or freeze to death, neither of which would be pleasant.
“Maybe it is time I leave the mountains,” Fran thought as she began to connect the wires from the CB to the battery. “At least I won’t freeze to death.”
As Snoop laid down on the floor and snuggled up against Fran’s leg, Fran smiled, “Correction, at least we won’t freeze to death.”
Fran picked up the mic and pushed the button.
“Batman, are you there?” Fran asked, speaking into the microphone.
“Hey Newbie,” Batman replied. “I’ve been waiting for half an hour to hear from someone. What have you been doing today?”
“Today I decided to catch a rabbit,” Fran said.
“Did you use a box like I told you?” Batman asked.
“I did but it didn’t quite work like it was supposed to,” Fran laughed. “I caught a rabbit, but before I could jump on the box, the rabbit crawled out from under the box and ran away.”
“Maybe you should have put a rock or piece of wood on top of the box to weigh it down so the rabbit couldn’t push the box up enough to escape,” Batman said.
“Now you tell me,” Fran replied.
“Sorry,” Batman replied. “I should have thought of it before and told you. I keep forgetting that you’re new to all this living off the land thing. Maybe you’ll have better luck next time.”
“Have you heard from Flash yet tonight?” Fran asked.
“No, all has been quiet,” Batman replied. “Hopefully we’ll hear from her soon. I’m curious to see what she found.”
“I’ve been thinking all day about what we talked about last night,” Fran said.
“You mean about the three of us joining up?” Batman asked.
“So, what do you think?” Batman continued when Fran didn’t answer right away. “I think it’s a great idea. I also think now is the perfect time for us to do it.”
“I like the idea too, it would be nice to be around other people again. I’m having a hard time finding enough to eat, I’m almost out of candles and today I started thinking about how cold it will be up here this winter,” Fran replied.
“It sounds like you’ve put some thought into this,” Batman chuckled. “Those are all good reasons why we should all get together.”
“But I don’t know if I can walk that far by myself?” Fran replied. “You said we are all like fifty miles away from each other. That’s a long way to walk.”
“It is, but you could walk that far in two days,” Batman said. “Three days if you take your time.”
“But I’m worried about what’s out there,” Fran replied. “How far away from where you live have you traveled?” Fran asked. “What’s out there? I’ve only gone a mile away from the house to go up to the sawmill. Even only going that far scared the heck out of me.”
“I’ve gone about ten miles from here,” Batman replied. “At first there were a lot of zombies, and I do mean there were a lot of zombies! But now, honestly, there isn’t much of anything out there. You have to keep an eye out for wild animals and snakes, but other than that, I haven’t seen anything to worry about. You’ll still need to be careful, but you should be able to make it without any problem. Just make sure you take enough water to last you a couple days.”
“It still scares me,” Fran replied. “What if something happens? I’m not sure I would know what to do. No one would ever know what happened to me.”
“I have an idea,” Batman said. “Do you still have the bookbag with wheels on it that you used to bring that battery back from the sawmill?”
“Yeah,” Fran replied.
“You’ll be following Route 84 the entire way,” Batman added, “put the battery and your CB in the bookbag and bring it with you. That way we can still talk every night. As you get closer, we should be able to talk during the day too. The smooth highway should make it easy to drag the bookbag along with you.”
“That sounds like a pain,” Fran replied, “but it’s not a bad idea. It would make me feel better about being out there by myself.”
“That way if you had any questions or needed help, we could talk,” Batman said. “So, what do you say? Are you in? I would really like to meet you in person.”
“Yeah, I’m in,” Fran sighed in resignation.
“Do you hear that, Flash,” Batman laughed. “Newbie is going to join us. Isn’t that great?”
“How did you know I was listening?” Flash asked, surprising Fran.
“You’re always listening, Batman joked, “beside I could hear you breathing heavy. You always start to breath heavy when you expect to hear something juicy.”
“Hey Flash,” Fran joined in. “What did you find last night?”
“I found enough food to last the three of us for a month or two,” Flash answered. “It was all boxed up in a crate like the flyer I found said it would be. I could only carry part of it back to the farm house. I plan on going back out tonight to get the rest of it. I found a couple suitcases today at the farm house that I’m going to take with me tonight. I wish I would have had them last night, I ended up taking off my jacket and using it like a bag to carry things back, but I had to leave so much behind.”
“I’m glad it wasn’t a trap,” Fran said. “Since you know it’s not a trap, why don’t you go back during the day, it might be easier than going back in the dark?”
“Not yet,” Flash replied. “I heard that helicopter fly over again today. I want to make sure I know what they’re up to. Maybe the food was just to get me out there and today they came back to set the trap.”
“I think you should have gone out and flagged them down?” Fran said. “You worry too much.”
“I didn’t survive the zombie apocalypse and that asshole back in Cedar Creek to let my guard down this easy,” Flash replied. “It’s going to take more than a little food for that to happen. Did you ever hear the old saying that if something seems too good to be true, that it probably is?”
“But the helicopter was a Navy helicopter, right?” Fran asked. “And they did what they said they were going to do. I think it would be safe.”
“You would probably open the door if Jack the Ripper knocked on your door, said he was the mailman and he had a box of candy for you,” Flash laughed.
“How would I know he was Jack the Ripper?” Fran asked.
“Exactly,” Flash replied. “How do I know they are really who they say they are? I’m going to keep my eye on what they’re doing for a few days before I’m convinced that they are OK.”
“Do you still want us to get together, or should we wait until you’re sure about the guys in the helicopter?” Fran asked.
“What do you think, Flash?” Batman asked. “I think we should get started now.”
“I agree,” Flash re
plied. “If the Navy turns out to be legit, then you’ll be here with me and we can all approach them. If not, at least we’ll be together.”
“Flash, you’re suspicious of everyone, which I guess is a good thing,” Fran said then asked. “But aren’t you worried that I might be a serial killer or something?”
Flash started laughing.
“Well I could be,” Fran added.
“Newb, if you’re a serial killer, you’re the only serial killer I have ever heard about that had a puppy,” Flash laughed. “Besides, serial killers are all guys, like Batman.”
“Hey,” Batman laughed.
“I’m just joking,” Flash continued. “The point is, after all the time we’ve spent talking to each other, we know each other. We are probably the only people we can trust right now. If I didn’t feel that way, I would have never suggested we join up. Besides, we need each other.”
“OK, then that’s settled,” Batman laughed. “If Newb and I leave tomorrow morning, we should reach you in two days. Newb and I are going to bring our CBs with us, so we can update you on our progress tomorrow night.”
“Great,” Flash replied, “When I talk to you tomorrow night, I’ll let you know where we can meet when you get closer to me. With that helicopter flying around, we should probably stay out of sight, meet somewhere and wait until dark so I can take you to where I’m staying without us being seen.”
“Any questions, Newb?” Batman asked.
“I don’t think so,” Fran replied.
“Bring water, a blanket for night time, whatever food you can carry, and a walking stick to use as a weapon in case you would need it,” Batman said.
“Don’t forget to wear a hat,” Flash added, “as you get closer to the desert the sun can be brutal. I would recommend that you travel early in the morning and then again about an hour or two before dark. The air is cooler and if there is anyone out there, you are less likely to be seen.”
“Maybe we should travel at night,” Batman suggested.
“You can if you want,” Flash replied, “but Newbie shouldn’t try traveling at night yet.”
“You’re probably right,” Batman said. “Newb, you should stick to traveling in the morning and late evening. Rest during the afternoon when the sun is the hottest.”
“But if you think night is the best time to travel, I’m sure I can travel at night too,” Fran protested.
“Not yet Fran,” John said. “If you’re traveling at night and run into trouble, you won’t be able to see and could end up just getting yourself into more trouble.”
“Listen to him, Newb,” Flash said. “It’s good advice.”
“OK, I will,” Fran replied.
“Good Girl,” Flash said. “Good luck and I’ll talk to you two again tomorrow night. I have to go get ready for my next under cover mission. If all goes well, we can all have a big feast to celebrate your arrival.”
“Fran, get your things together tonight and leave at first light. Remember, find Route 84 and just start walking south. You will stay on Route 84 the entire trip so you won’t have to worry about making any turns,” Batman said. “And Flash, you be careful tonight.”
“It’s going to be interesting meeting you two,” Flash laughed. “I’m curious to see if you look like how I have you pictured in my mind.”
“How do you have us pictured?” Fran asked.
“I’ll tell you when I see you,” Flash chuckled.
“I hope you won’t be disappointed when you see me,” Fran replied.
“Well I know that Batman isn’t going to be disappointed,” Flash said. “In fact, for him it’s going to be a dream come true.”
“Really?” Batman laughed.
“I don’t think anyone is going to be disappointed,” Flash said. “Trust me, I’m a good judge of character,”
“Well, I bet Snoop is a lot shorter than you think,” Fran said.
“Go get some sleep,” Flash out.
Batman out too,” John said.
“Good night guys,” Fran said. “I can’t wait to see you.”
Chapter 15
June 31st, Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Tony sat under the pile of brush he had made and waited to see if the car would return.
While he waited, he thought about what he and Mike had discovered this morning and what it could mean.
The idea that someone else might have survived and was now driving around, probably searching for food, was surprising. After what had happened to the world and especially after what they had seen down in Westmont, chances of finding another survivor seemed slim.
The world they lived in was now a dead wasteland, even the walkers were dead or dying.
But after their encounter with the two thugs down near Outdoor World, even if it had been near the beginning of the apocalypse over a month ago, knowing that there could be others that were still alive was something they knew that they would always have to be prepared for.
The old man they had run into in Twin Rocks on their journey to get back home had warned them to beware of the living because civilization was fragile, and it didn’t take much for civilized men to become ruthless savage killers.
So far everything Tony had seen only confirmed the old man’s opinion of humanity.
When the infected first appeared, a time when men should have been seeking out each other to help and work with each other to survive, it just didn’t happen because that was not how human nature worked.
People, even during the time before the dead had appeared, had always seemed to be selfish and suspicious of others.
He hoped what he and Mike had found this morning would lead to something good, but he had to be realistic and expect the worst.
But whatever it turned out to be, Tony was determined that he would be prepared to deal with it.
He had gone on many recon missions when he was in the Marines and felt his best approach now was to treat this new discovery with caution until he knew more about what they had to deal with.
Once you knew what you were facing and you had all the facts, what you needed to do next would usually become clear.
When he found who was driving the red Kia, he knew that the possible result would be one of two outcomes.
He waited, hoping to see the Kia return and determine which of the two outcomes he would have to face.
The driver would be either a threat to Tony, Mike and Linda or the driver would just be someone that was trying to survive and would not be looking for trouble.
Of course, Tony knew that there could be variations of the two outcomes, but he felt confident that when the time came, he would know what he would need to do.
But the smoke coming from the mountains was confusing.
Why would anyone build a large fire?
It was difficult to understand what it could mean.
There were only two reasons Tony could think of why someone would build a fire that obvious.
The first reason was that whoever built the fire was being careless.
The smoke would give away their position and Tony couldn’t think of any reason why anyone would want to give away their position unless they were careless, or they wanted others to know where they were.
A careless act he could possibly understand how that could happen, but the only reason anyone would want anyone else to know where they were, was to get their attention with the possible intent to lure them into a trap.
The idea that someone would want to set a trap for their fellow living kind was disturbing.
What kind of people would do that and what were they hoping to accomplish?
Any answers that came to mind were not anything that Tony cared to think about.
But again, maybe he was just being paranoid.
Tony had always tried to think everything through and consider all possibilities to prepare himself before tackling any problem.
Maybe he needed to relax and stop overthinking this.
Until he had more facts, he
wouldn’t accomplish anything.
But paranoid or not, he knew they needed to find out the reason for the smoke.
His group couldn’t continue their lives as usual until he knew the answer and knew who was out there.
To ignore this new information in their situation, would be reckless on their part and could put them all in danger.
It was a dangerous world, an unforgiving world now where the carless died.
Tony was trying to approach the problem logically, but his thoughts were distracted by a sound off in the distance.
Tony sat up and listened.
It sounded like a car’s engine.
He listened carefully until he determined it was coming from the direction of Westmont.
If it was the Kia coming back, by the erratic sounds of the engine, hitting that deer earlier this morning had damaged the car more than the glass fragments and Kia emblem they found on the road would have seemed to indicate.
The engine sounded like it was roaring then it died down before again roaring and sputtering.
By the sounds that Tony heard, he wasn’t sure if the car was going to be able to make it up over the mountain.
Tony loaded an arrow on his crossbow and got into a kneeling position behind the brush.
He kept his head down and listened as the sound of the car grew nearer.
A few seconds later, Tony spotted the red color of the car glistening in the bright sunlight as the car crested the hill.
The car swerved back and forth across the road, from the right lane, over the double yellow line into the oncoming lane then jerked back again to the other side of the road.
The engine roared as the car weaved all over the road.
When the car was within two hundred feet of where Tony waited, he stared at the windshield of the car to see who was in the car.
He hoped to get an idea of what kind of people were inside the car, but his attention was drawn not to who was driving but to what they were doing.