Aaron and Adeline went off together without argument. Rose was now alone with Rene. He didn't seem interested in having a conversation with Rose. “Alright, let’s find some water. I think it’s this way,” Rose said, pointing toward the back of the store. Rose stood there until Rene complied and went in the direction she was signaling. After some searching, they located a shelf with several cases of bottled water in plastic gallon jugs. Rose bent down to grab a lower case while Rene reached up to grab a higher case. As Rose was standing, she looked up at Rene who, while reaching up, had caused his jacket and shirt to come away from his chest giving Rose a clear view of his bare chest underneath. About halfway between Rene’s pecs and his belly button was a bite mark. It was red and swollen and had been bleeding, but the blood must have been absorbed by his shirt and jacket.
“Shit,” Rose said softly dropping the case of water she’d started to pick up.
“Careful now, we’re going to need those,” said Rene, hefting his case onto his shoulder.
“Rene, you’ve been bit,” said Rose matter-of-factly.
Rene stared at Rose for a few long seconds, case of water still on his shoulder. “You will not tell my little girl. It seems like I can trust you, but I won’t allow you to upset her. I can take care of this,” he said before turning and walking away. Worried, Rose picked up her case of water and followed Rene back to the front of the store. Adeline and Aaron were just getting back as Rose arrived. “Looks like we got everything we’re going to get from here. Lets make a pile out front and we’ll drive in and collect it after we get some gas,” said Aaron.
“Wait…” started Rose, but Rene shook his head. His unblinking eyes were boring into Rose’s.
“I think that’s a good plan,” said Rene with an edge to his voice that meant there would be no arguing.
Not wanting to push the issue right here, Rose let it go for now, resolving to watch for any major deterioration of Rene and steeling herself for what she knew she’d eventually have to do. They exited the shop and made a pile of their scavenged items near the front door. Looking left and right down the main road in town, Rose wasn’t sure where to go next.
“I think there is a mechanic’s shop down the road a little bit,” said Aaron, pointing to the far end of town. Aaron took the lead, followed by Adeline and Rene with Rose taking the rear.
They passed more shops and other buildings; all seemed to be undisturbed. It was eerie to be walking through a town that used to have people in it but was now completely empty, possibly never to be filled again. Being deserted, it might have made a good candidate to set up camp but like Green Forks, Paimpol and the military base, it was too close to civilization. Coming in and resupplying here would be one thing, but living here was quite another.
Near the far end of town, Rose spotted a large red and white sign with a car wearing a doctor’s stethoscope. “Atelier de Réparation Automobile,” said Aaron. “Here’s the mechanic.”
As they approached, they could see that there were several vehicles parked in the front lot as well as several inside the closed glass doors of a double garage bay. The vehicles out front were older and seemed a little beat up, but the two inside the two bays seemed to be in much better shape. “Adeline, do you know how to syphon gas? You know, sucking it out of the tank?” asked Rose.
“I may have a little experience with sucking,” she said slyly and giving Aaron a wink, which made him blush.
“Well at least she’s getting her sense of humor back,” thought Rose. Rene either didn’t hear or didn’t understand what Adeline had said as he didn’t react at all.
Finding a garden hose, Rose disconnected it from the building and handed it to Adeline. Rose then used the butt of her gun to break the front glass door of the repair shop and entered the lobby and office area. Rose quickly found a plastic gas can and passed it along to Adeline. “Aaron, Rene why don’t you help me find some keys for cars, one of these economical ones might be a better choice than the Humvee.”
Adeline got to work on the cars out front while Aaron, Rene, and Rose went hunting inside for keys. Rose knew that Rene would likely be useless, but wanted to keep him occupied in case the paranoia that had marked Kate’s deterioration started happening with him. Rose left Rene to hunt around the lobby area while Aaron took the bays and Rose went into the back rooms. Rose knew there were likely things here she should probably be taking in case they had issues with their Humvee, but she didn’t know the first thing about vehicle repair. Maybe Aaron did? Rose made a mental note to ask him and continued looking for keys.
Rose had finally thought she’d hit pay dirt when she found a safe. The door was open however and the only thing inside was some money. Rose had turned her attention to another desk when she heard a scream from outside. Dropping everything, Rose ran to the front of the shop drawing her handguns. Through the front windows she could see Adeline standing in the middle of the parking lot surrounded by three men, all appearing to be infected. The trio were disheveled with ripped clothing and bloody faces. They circled Adeline like rabid dogs. Adeline’s shotgun was over by the car she’d been syphoning rendering her seemingly unarmed. Rose sprinted out of the building with Aaron close on her heels, machete drawn. One of the infected saw them coming and turned to face them giving off a beastial roar. The other two infected came together, almost side by side and tensed to pounce on Adeline. Rose could see that Adeline had drawn a small knife and was holding it in her shaking right hand. Rose knew that she could never get to her in time or accurately shoot both infected that were ready to pounce on Adeline. With no other choice but to try, Rose leveled her gun at the infected without breaking stride. However, just as Rose squeezed the trigger, a large shape off to her right catapulted itself off the closest car and tackled the two of the infected to the ground. Rose’s shot sailed wide missing everyone.
The large shape had been Rene. As he fought with the two infected on the ground, Adeline slowly backed away but apparently had forgotten about the third infected and backed right into him. Attention focused on Rose and Aaron, the infected man spun around when bumped by Adeline. He raised a bloody hand to swipe at Adeline, but Rose was ready this time and fired a shot into the man’s chest. Instead of swiping at Adeline, the man roared in pain and spun away-right into the waiting machete of Aaron. Aaron drove the machete up into the man’s chest right under his ribs, popping out between the man’s shoulder blades. The man immediately went limp and collapsed to the ground, pulling the machete from Aaron’s hands, leaving it lodged in his chest.
Noting Aaron and Adeline were safe for the moment, Rose ran over to Rene. The fighting was over and Rene was lying on his back panting heavily. The two infected Rene had tackled hadn’t stood a chance. Rose looked over and saw that one appeared to have had its throat crushed and the second still had Rene’s knife buried deep in the side of its skull. Rene had paid the price, however. He was bleeding freely and heavily from a large bite in the side of his neck. Looking at the injury, Rose knew that Rene didn't have much time.
As she knelt down next to Rene, she was joined by Adeline and Aaron. Adeline took one look at her father and broke down into heavy sobs, her head on his chest. Rene lifted his hand and gently stroked her hair leaving streaks of blood. “Adeline…” Rene whispered.
Adeline lifted her head off Rene’s chest and moved in close. Rene was looking straight into his daughter’s eyes, unblinking. With immense effort, Rene was able to say, “Adeline...I love you.”
Rene then slowly let his head drop back to rest on the pavement. With one last long sigh, he no longer moved. Realizing her father was gone, Adeline again dropped her head to his chest and continued to sob.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stepping away from Rene and Adeline, Rose joined Aaron whose eyes were red and on the verge of tears. Rose could hardly blame him. Rene had been like a father to Aaron as well as the leader of Paimpol. Rene was a good man and died honorably defending his daughter.
Rose and Aaron a
greed that Rene couldn't just be left there on the pavement, he needed to be buried. Rose would return with the gas to the Humvee while Aaron got to work digging a grave. There was a grassy section near the repair shop and they decided that would be a good place to bury Rene. Aaron was able to find a shovel inside the shop and Rose took Rene’s rifle with her on her hike back to the truck. Rene had almost a full magazine of ammunition left so Rose felt confident she could handle a few infected should she come across them. Either way though, it was now getting into late afternoon, and she needed to hustle if she wanted to get the Humvee back before nightfall.
The town appeared just as abandoned now as when the four of them had first walked through. Rose knew going back alone was the fastest way to get the truck loaded and back into town, but it now felt strange. She’d not been alone like this since before she’d been captured at Paimpol. Thinking back on who she was then, what she had done to escape from her home and the military base, she felt like that person was a stranger. Filled with grief and anger then, she felt more like herself again now, how she was back when she was living with Kate in Green Forks. Alone felt wrong. She may have been able to survive alone and outlast this infection, but what kind of life would that have been? Rose felt grateful she had Aaron and Adeline and that thought gave her hope for the future as she continued her trek.
By the time Rose got to the truck, it was deep into dusk and getting dark quickly. There was no way she’d make it back to the others before night. But she still needed to gas up and get moving. Scanning the area, she found it clear and tipped the gas can into the tank. Rose kept her head constantly scanning the area for any movement but didn't find any. After what seemed like forever, the last of the gas poured out of the can and into the tank. Rose sealed it up, threw it into the back of the Humvee through the back hatch, and circled around to the front.
As Rose was coming up the driver’s side of the truck approaching the driver’s door, she noticed a man standing in the middle of the road ahead of truck. The man was about a hundred yards away and had what appeared to be a wooden spear in his right hand. The man was very dirty and dressed similar to cavemen Rose had seen in museums draped in furs. As Rose approached the driver’s door, the man raised his spear and started to run at Rose.
“Donne-moi la clé de ta voiture ou je te tue!” the man screamed as he ran toward her. Rose didn't have time to deal with this bullshit. Rose casually raised her rifle that had been slung over her shoulder and popped off three quick round into the man’s chest exerting little more effort then if she was swatting a fly. He crumpled mid-stride and slammed into the ground head first. The man slid a few yards and then came to a stop near the front bumper of the truck.
Rose shook her head in disgust, opened the driver’s door and hopped in. Starting up the Humvee, Rose drove around the man’s body as she made her way back into town. On the drive in, Rose considered the man she’d shot. Maybe she wasn’t like she’d been before. Could that have ultimately been her fate if she’d decided to go it alone? A crazy hermit gunned down without a second thought? The pre-infection Rose would have tried to help that man, but the current Rose didn't have time to mess around. She had people depending on her. It was now survival of the fittest.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The gas Rose put in the Humvee had brought them to just over a half a tank. Rose made a quick stop at the grocery store to collect their supplies and then headed off to to the auto repair shop. It was barely light enough to see so Rose positioned the Humvee so its headlights shone on Rene’s grave. Aaron had nearly completed the hole when Rose arrived. Adeline had stopped crying but was sitting at her father’s side holding his hand.
Rose got out of the truck and walked over to Adeline who had her back to Rose. Rose placed a hand on her shoulder and Adeline looked up at Rose giving her a small, sad smile. Aaron returned sweaty and shovel in hand. “Are you ready?” Aaron asked Adeline. Adeline nodded and then took Rene’s hand from hers and placed it on his chest.
Aaron had found a blanket inside the repair shop and Rose helped him carefully lift Rene onto it. They then wrapped Rene in the blanket as Adeline watched, blood-shot eyes fixed on her father. Rose and Aaron lifted Rene and carried him across the parking lot to the grassy area where Aaron had dug the grave. They slowly lowered Rene down as Adeline stood off to the side. Aaron went to Adeline and held her in a strong embrace as she wept again into his chest. Rose grabbed the shovel out of the pile of dirt and began to fill in the hole. She started out slowly, reluctant to dump shovel loads of dirt heavily onto Rene, but as he disappeared under the growing piles in the hole, she increased her pace. Rose couldn’t help but reflect back on the last grave she’d filled in. Burying Kate seemed like so long ago-like another lifetime. The pain was still there, but it was now more of a dull ache compared to the festering open wound it’d been.
It was pitch black by the time Rose had finished the grave. Aaron and Adeline had come over and sat by her as she finished, the area completely dark except the two headlight beams coming from the Humvee. Tired and sweaty, Rose sat down next to Aaron and Adeline. Adeline leaned over and gave Rose a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you,” Adeline said softly. Rose smiled at her. Gazing over at the patch of dirt among the grass, Rose felt that something else needed to mark the spot that would otherwise be indistinguishable in a year or two. Taking a flashlight back toward the shop, Rose was able to find a large rock around the back side. With Aaron’s help, they rolled the rock across the lawn to Rene’s grave to mark it. Satisfied they’d done all they could do, Rose looked over to Adeline, silently asking if she was ready to go. Adeline nodded her head, wordlessly acknowledging she was ready to leave as well.
All three got into the Humvee and drove away headed north and west from the small town. Rene’s sacrifice weighed heavily on Rose as the miles sped by. His bite had meant a slow and certain death, but instead Rene chose how he would exit this world and Rose admired him for that. Rose vowed never to forget this town and to return to honor Rene again someday.
Chapter 15
They drove through the night and well into the next day. After the funeral, they’d syphoned all the cars in the area and now had plenty of gas. The tank in the Humvee was full and they had two full gas cans in the trunk as well. They’d been unable to get any of the cars in the area to start; they couldn’t find any keys and no one knew the first thing about “hot-wiring” a car so they stuck with the Humvee. Aaron was confident that he could get at least one going eventually given some time to tinker, but after the attack, they were all ready to keep moving. Having that much gas was a good thing, once they left Sainte-Marguerite-Marie, there was nothing except trees and logging trails for the rest of their journey north. Rose was grateful for the solitude of the trails. Thick woods and disused logging trails meant fewer people and fewer infected.
Aaron had been through this area but it hadn’t been for a long time and without some sort of landmark, it seemed like they were driving in circles after a while. Rose was convinced, as the journey dragged on, that they’d come around a corner and see Sainte-Marguerite-Marie up ahead again. Rose wished she had some way to charge her phone in the truck-there were no radio stations and being lost while driving in frustrated silence was taxing. Despite the fact that they were in the middle of the wilderness and there was likely little or no service, would her cell phone even have a purpose anymore with the human population likely decimated? Could a cell phone infrastructure survive on its own for an extended period of time? She had no idea. It wasn’t as if there was anyone she’d call anyway. Everyone she knew was likely dead.
The thought of the whole world’s population being decimated was scary for Rose. There was a strong possibility that she, Aaron, and Adeline were the only uninfected people left in this part of the world. Maybe the whole world? Rose doubted that, there still had to be pockets of survivors in places. The human race was surprisingly resilient, despite recent events, and had survived all kinds of plagues and wars. Regard
less of how many other survivors were out there though, she doubted they wouldn’t be finding any out in these woods.
The logging trails were muddy and rutted. They appeared as though they hadn’t been traveled on a while and that didn’t improve their condition. This far north, there was going to be snow at night and with the days only climbing into what felt like the 40s or 50s, Rose figured winter wasn’t a long way off. The sooner they found shelter, the better. Rose had shared with the others her plan to find the cabins clustered in the Parc National de la Gaspésie. Rose seemed to recall that the main area of the park was about four hours from Paimpol, but they’d been driving all night and had still not found the park or a main road, only endless logging trails. With every passing hour, Rose could see Aaron becoming less and less confident in where he was going.
Rose had long ago given up hope that Aaron could pull them out of this endless cycle when they finally emerged, quite suddenly, from a densely wooded logging trail and onto a paved road. A little shocked and going on instinct, Rose took a left assuming that was north. They only had to go a short distance to find a sign telling them they were on Route 299. Rose immediately pulled over and jumped out of the truck. She ran to the back, threw open the tailgate and started digging through the built-in drawers in the back of the Humvee until she found what she was looking for: a map of the northeast. They hadn’t been of much use on the logging trails, but now that they were on a main paved road, it was time to use them. Jumping back into the driver’s seat, Rose called over her shoulder to the back seat. “Aaron get up here in the passenger seat and help me figure out where to go.”
“Alright,” replied Aaron reluctantly, climbing over the seats. The seat had always remained unoccupied as it was still sprayed with droplets of dried blood, Lt. Drisco’s blood. No one had asked about how the blood had gotten there and Rose didn't feel comfortable sharing. It wasn’t something she was particularly proud of in hindsight.
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