After moving a hundred yards, Ian tightened the strands as Lance walked along the line and screwed in the fasteners to the trees, securing the barbed wire. When they were done, Ian waved for Jennifer to continue up the slope. The only noise was from the drills Lance and Ian were using, and Jennifer knew that sound didn’t carry far.
In the forty minutes it’d taken them to put up the four hundred yards of barbed wire from the valley below, Carrie had only shot two stinkers in the woods. Jennifer had driven over the gentle rise here by fifty yards and looked down into the neighboring valley. Turning around and looking at the rise, Jennifer could see what the boys were doing.
The fence was just a guide, steering stinkers away from the cabin and using the gentle slopes of the land to do it.
When the boys put four more rolls on their rack, Lance had Jennifer drive back to the ridge in a curved path. Pulling to a stop, Jennifer watched the boys string the wire up and realized they’d made a curved chute, so they could still use the ridgeline to get out on patrols.
A human would have no trouble navigating the S-shaped chute, but a stinker would just bounce along the wire heading down into the valley below. When the boys were done, Jennifer didn’t wait for them to wave her on. Driving just below the ridgeline closest to the neighboring valley, Jennifer weaved around the trees.
Two hundred yards down the ridgeline, the slope became very steep and Jennifer stopped. Ahead, the slope went from steep to almost seventy degrees. Lance and Ian pulled slack from the spools and ran the wire twenty yards down the slope at a gentle angle, to guide anything following it into the valley before reaching the steep part.
Walking back up, they climbed on the side and held onto the roof as Jennifer moved up the slope, back to the ridgeline. Driving slowly along, Jennifer knew she would have trouble climbing the slope on her right.
After a few hundred yards, the outside slope started getting more accessible and Lance tapped Jennifer on the shoulder. Pulling a map from his thigh pocket, Lance stepped off and Ian moved over to look at the map with Lance. Then, both looked at the ridge ahead and slope below. Stuffing the map back in his pocket, Lance moved back and grabbed the ends from the two bottom spools and Ian grabbed the top two.
Moving down the slope, they headed back to the very steep part and started putting the fence up, angling it away from the ridgeline. Getting back to the ridge they followed behind, putting up the fence as Jennifer drove along.
At noon, they were putting new rolls of barbed wire on the rack for the fourth time. Ahead was a saddle along the ridge. A very gentle slope from the valley led up to the saddle and so many stinkers had come through here, the animal trail was a muddy three-yard-wide path. Driving off the ridge, Jennifer drove past the saddle and when Lance and Ian had the fence up, it formed a large bend to slope stinker traffic away.
It was almost 1400 when Lance and Ian put their sixth and final rolls from the back of the side by side on the rack. In the front seat Jennifer was reloading a magazine for Carrie. “I thought we would see more outside the traps,” Carrie admitted, glancing around.
“You’ve killed thirty-four, and that’s fine by me,” Jennifer said, handing Carrie her magazine back.
Looking around as she drank from her hydration pack, “We’re behind the cabin now, right?” Carrie asked.
Patting Carrie’s leg, Jennifer nodded. “Yep, almost dead center of the rear fence.”
Clipping her tube back to her vest, Carrie looked back and saw Lance and Ian pulling wire off the new rolls. Attaching it to the tree where they had run out, Lance tapped the side by side to let Jennifer know to pull up. After they had pulled ahead of the two, Carrie leaned over to Jennifer. “I didn’t think they would get it up this fast,” she whispered.
“We’ve put out over a mile but I can say, I really don’t doubt them anymore,” Jennifer confessed as Carrie looked around.
“But there are gaps,” Carrie said and Jennifer leaned over, pointing ahead.
“See how the slope is really steep there?” Jennifer asked and Carrie nodded. “We only need to put up a fence to steer stinkers to that steep part, not at the top of the ridge where the steep slope leads.”
Looking at the spot in deep thought, Carrie looked behind them and suddenly understood. “Fuck, that is smart,” Carrie grinned.
Giving a groan, Jennifer leaned over near Carrie. “Carrie, you know they don’t like it when you and Allie cuss,” Jennifer said softly. Seeing Carrie take a deep breath to justify, Jennifer put a gloved finger on Carrie’s lips. “Carrie, think how hard they are working. Not only now, but in teaching us and making sure you and Allie are treated like the rest of us. They just don’t like hearing that from little mouths. I know they do it, but can’t you and Allie think about not cussing near them?”
Turning to look around, Carrie nodded with a sigh. “Yeah, I guess we can,” she muttered.
Pulling the buggy up, Jennifer glanced back until she was about ten yards further along the ridge. Tapping the brake, Jennifer stopped the side by side and leaned over to Carrie’s ear. “It makes Lance really sad to hear his princesses cussing like that,” Jennifer whispered and Carrie’s eyes got big. “I heard him tell Lilly,” Jennifer lied, but wasn’t in the mood for an Ian and Lance tantrum.
Jerking her head, Carrie looked at Jennifer and nodded. “We’ll stop,” she whispered back. “Why didn’t he tell us?”
“Duh, you and Allie are his princesses,” Jennifer smiled. “I don’t think Ian cares anymore but Lance does, so that means Ian has to.”
Scanning around, Carrie nodded as Jennifer pulled forward. “Is Lilly, Lance’s girlfriend now?” Carrie asked in a soft and timid voice.
“Not yet,” Jennifer answered, glancing back at the boys. “But don’t worry, you and Allie will always be his ladybugs.”
Half an hour later, Ian and Lance climbed in the side by side, soaked in sweat. “Home, this is patrol,” Lance called over the radio.
“Go ahead, patrol,” Lilly called back.
“Out of wireless range, what sensors have gone off?” Lance asked.
It was a few seconds till Lilly answered. “That small clearing on the east side had four, but we saw the tigers on several cameras on that side later. Then sensor twenty-nine and forty-one on the southwest corner.”
“Copy, heading back to get the trailer and burn the bodies,” Lance said, dropping his hand off the PTT. “Jennifer, follow the ridge back so we can burn what Carrie shot.”
“Copy, patrol. Just to let you know, heard a lot of radio traffic from the little dicks,” Lilly called back and everyone just looked at each other.
“We’ll find out when we get home,” Lance said and everyone nodded.
Turning the side by side around, Jennifer glanced back and saw both the dogs looking down the slope toward the cabin. “They’ve been like that the last three hours,” she said driving along the ridge. Looking down the slope, she smiled at the strands of barbed wire.
Reaching the saddle Jennifer stopped, seeing a stinker walking along the fence and heading away from the cabin. “You two still amaze the hell out of me,” she mumbled as Carrie moved to get out and Ian stopped her.
“No, enough shooting for one day, let Lance take it with the bow,” Ian told Carrie as Lance got out with his bow. “Nothing is as quiet as a bow.”
Pulling back the bow, Lance sighted on the side of the stinker’s head and released the arrow. The arrow hit just above the ear, dropping the stinker. Moving down the slope, Lance climbed the fence to retrieve his arrow. Taking his lighter out, Lance lit a cotton ball with petroleum jelly and tossed it on the stinker.
Since the stinker had just died, by the time Lance was back at the buggy, the flames were just starting to take hold. “Think the trees are okay?” Jennifer asked, pulling off.
“As much rain as we got, we would have to pile stinkers around a trunk to get a tree to catch on fire,” Ian replied.
Moving slowly along the ridge where it became st
eep and there was no fence, they saw another stinker heading down the slope through the trees. It never turned, so they knew it hadn’t heard them as Jennifer drove along. “I can’t wait to have this finished,” Lance said, glancing over at Ian.
“I hear you, brah,” Ian sighed as Jennifer slowed and Lance got out.
“Jennifer, just drive slow and cover me so I don’t have to keep climbing back over the fence,” Lance said, heading down the slope. After climbing the fence, he tossed a flaming ball on a stinker Carrie had shot. Since this one had been dead for almost an hour, the flames took hold much faster.
With Lance walking outside the fence line, Jennifer crept along the ridge only stopping when Lance lit up a body. When they reached the corner that led down to the valley, Lance met three stinkers coming up and following the fence line.
Lifting his bow, Lance shot the first one as the other two moaned, reaching out and trotting up the slope. The last one fell fifteen yards away from Lance as a roar echoed off in the direction of the cabin. “Patrol, kitties are in the field taking down nine stinkers,” Lilly called over the radio.
“Copy,” Ian called back as Lance pulled the ones he’d shot over to one that Carrie had killed much earlier. When Lance threw the flaming ball, a soft ‘whoosh’ sounded as the ball landed on the one Carrie had shot, almost immediately engulfed in greenish flames. The fresh kills slowly started to burn and Ian tapped Jennifer on the shoulder.
Watching the flames, Jennifer gave a startle. “Lance is moving,” Ian said softly and Jennifer turned and saw Lance was ten yards ahead, walking down the slope.
Taking her foot off the brake, “Shit,” Jennifer mumbled, hitting the accelerator harder than she’d meant to and jerking them back. “I know better than that,” she sighed, catching up to Lance as he tossed another flaming ball on a body Carrie had shot.
“Jen, you’re doing fine,” Ian said, leaning forward and patting her shoulder as Lance took off again. Smiling at the compliment, Jennifer glanced around always keeping Lance a few yards in front of them.
Before they reached the valley floor, Lance dropped his bow and lifted his AR as Dino took off down the slope. “Stop,” Ian snapped and jumped out as rapid muffled shots sounded from Lance’s rifle.
“Carrie, stay close to me,” Jennifer said, getting out and grabbing her AR strapped across her chest as Ian started shooting down in the valley. Carrie moved beside Jennifer as they walked down the slope, keeping an eye out behind them since Ian and Lance were near the large oak tree where they had started this morning.
Getting closer, the muffled shots suddenly stopped and Jennifer looked over to the road and saw dozens of dead stinkers. Not seeing any more stinkers moving, Jennifer pulled Carrie back to the side by side and drove it down to the trailer.
Seeing Ian and Lance arguing quietly Jennifer climbed out, bringing Carrie with her and stopped beside them. The dead bodies stretched down the road for over a hundred yards each way from the line of poles.
“Lance, the cement hasn’t set, we can’t put the barbwire up on these poles yet,” Ian grumbled.
“We don’t have to pull it tight, but we just shot close to sixty,” Lance popped off. “There is no way the generator and auger made that much noise.”
Hearing a growl, they turned to watch Dino grab a stinker by the arm, shaking it violently. When the stinker reached for Dino, Ian and Lance took off raising their weapons. “Dino, back!” Lance snapped and Dino let the stinker go and it sat up, reaching for Dino.
Squeezing the trigger, Ian watched the head explode and swung his aim around at the bodies. “What the fuck was that?” he panted as Dino moved beside Lance and looked around.
Keeping his AR to his shoulder with his right hand, Lance reached down with his left, patting Dino. “Don’t know,” Lance mumbled as George let out a growl, looking down the road. Expecting a stinker to emerge around the curve heading toward the field a mile behind them, Lance brought his left hand back to his rifle.
George bolted from Jennifer’s side, heading down the road, “George, stop!” Jennifer snapped and George skidded to a halt. Instead of looking down the road, George was looking at a cluster of dead stinkers. When one sat up and reached for George, Ian, Lance, Jennifer, and Carrie all squeezed their triggers and the stinker’s entire head disappeared.
Lowering his rifle, “You want to check the bodies or grab the barbed wire?” Ian asked with a dry voice.
Letting his AR hang, Lance pulled the .22 pistol from under his left arm. “I’ll take the bodies,” he said softly, moving to the spread-out line. Starting near the line of poles, Lance made sure each stinker was dead, then moved up the road as Ian grabbed rolls of barbed wire off the trailer. Reloading the rack on the back of the side by side, Ian glanced up to see Jennifer standing beside him, keeping him covered.
Glancing around, he saw Carrie walking behind Lance as they reached the beginning of the line of dead stinkers up the road. Tapping his leg and calling Dino back to his side, Lance moved down the road and started clearing the bodies leading toward the field.
“Ian, um, were those stinkers playing dead?” Jennifer asked in a quivering voice.
Shoving the last roll of barbed wire on, Ian nodded, “Yep, and they waited till something was close before moving,” he said, glancing over to the road. Very slowly, Lance led Carrie down the road passing the line of poles with Dino at his side. “Get in the side by side. I’m starting on the fence.”
“Ian, we can’t until Lance and Carrie are done,” Jennifer said, grabbing his arm. “That’s doing too many things to keep you covered.”
For a brief second, Ian started to argue and then stopped, realizing Jennifer was right. “You’re right, I wasn’t thinking,” Ian sighed.
Hearing a muffled shot, they turned and saw a stinker laying on the ground twitch as Lance continued moving down the line of bodies. “These pieces of rat shit need to quit,” Jennifer growled.
“Got my vote,” Ian said, glancing around.
After clearing the line, Lance came back and helped Ian string up the barbed wire between the poles. Leaving the wire loose, they pulled a large fifteen-foot-long green cattle gate over with the side by side to the road. They stood it up and just leaned it back on the two gate poles.
With Carrie keeping watch, they started pulling bodies into piles until Lance got tired of that. Grabbing another medicine bottle of petroleum-soaked cotton balls, Lance walked along the group, tossing flaming balls. “We need more Vaseline,” Jennifer said, climbing into the side by side.
“Every house Lance and I check, we look for it,” Ian said, hooking the trailer up.
When everyone had climbed back in the side by side, fires and ash piles dotted the road behind them. After a day of driving at three to five miles an hour, Jennifer stomped the accelerator to speed the mile back to the field.
Slowing, Jennifer stopped in the entrance. All across the field were strewn body parts and off to the side were the tigers, sitting down and watching them. “Lance, they may have made a mess, but those pussies have been in some shit,” Ian commented, climbing out.
After glancing over the field Lance turned to the tigers, not taking his eyes off them as he climbed out. “I’m not saying anything,” he said, moving sideways into the field while facing the tigers. “It looks like they killed over thirty.”
“I’ll watch the pussies. Carrie, you watch for stinkers,” Jennifer said, getting out. “Lance, Ian, start some fires, I’m ready to be back inside.”
Ian and Lance didn’t answer as they started tossing body parts in piles and soon realized that not all the bodies had been killed recently. When the first fire started, the tigers jumped over the stream and headed to the west side of the area.
As Lance and Ian moved to the side by side, Jennifer stopped them. “Guys, can I take the route you two take? I don’t want to drive through the cedar trees,” Jennifer asked.
“Damn, really sexy and smart,” Ian grinned, climbing in the buggy.
Driving through the woods on the way back with the trailer proved to be a challenge, but nobody complained. They had to stop and burn six more bodies before reaching the gate to the cabin. Seeing Lilly hadn’t opened the inner gate, Lance and Ian jumped out aiming their rifles at the woods.
As Lilly opened the outer gate, Lance and Ian walked behind the trailer and waited for Lilly to close the outer gate. “The tigers are beside the powerhouse lying down and I didn’t want to risk them coming closer,” Lilly told them, snapping the lock closed.
“I’ll find them a scratching post if they stay there and that was smart thinking, waiting for us till you opened up,” Lance praised as he helped Lilly roll the inner gate closed.
Climbing in the side by side, Lilly glanced over at Lance. “The Devil Lords got out of Pineville,” she said.
Chapter Fourteen
The sun had fully set when the group sat down for supper and they listened to the radio recordings. “Never would’ve thought they would get out before the stinkers got in,” Lance said, looking at his notebook.
“Sending a group down in makeshift boats was smart,” Ian shrugged, leaning back in his chair. “I mean, the Cumberland River is right outside your wall of semi-trailers. Most of the stinkers on the south side see lunch floating away and take off. When the south side clears away, open the gate and haul ass.”
“They didn’t go far,” Lance said, looking at his notebook. “None of the gang members staying outside of Pineville left, nor did their associates.”
Looking over at Lance and then back to Ian, “Do either of you think that’s why we’ve had an increase in stinkers around here?” Jennifer asked. “I mean, there was a shitload down there and now, the gang is gone. Should we be worried here?”
Filling his mouth with food as he flipped a page in his notebook, Lance shook his head waiting on Ian to answer. When Ian didn’t answer, Lance lifted his head and saw Ian staring at him. “Dude, you could’ve answered that,” Lance grunted, swallowing his mouthful. “Jennifer, the reason we are seeing more stinkers is because they have run out of food in the cities and there aren’t many people left. Having the little-Devil-dick Lords in Pineville just had a large group near us.”
Forsaken World (Book 3): Rite of Passage Page 18