No Man's Land

by Jacqueline Druga

  As soon as I neared the truck, I saw what it blocked. Simple one lane road, led to two houses and a small white church with a Norman Rockwell steeple.

  A few tents were set up on the land. There was a pig in a small pen and chickens roamed freely about.

  I was curious about the place, but I had learned my lesson about stopping in populated areas outside of Sanctuary Sixteen.

  I returned the wave to the man and kept going, only to be stopped by another man who came from around the truck.

  A strong built man in his fifties with salt and pepper hair blocked the road. He did so almost arrogantly.

  I zipped up my jacket so he didn’t see the Glock in the waist of my pants. “We’re just passing through. We aren’t stopping,” I said. “We would have been on the highway but it’s blocked.”

  “Yep,” he said and smiled. “That was us. We blocked that so people wouldn’t come here.”

  “Maybe you should have blocked the overpass then.”

  He chuckled. “Maybe, but we need that to get supplies and we can see if someone is coming over that. Trent.” He held out his hand.

  “Calvin.” I shook it. I looked beyond him to his set up. There was something off about it. Some sort of animal, maybe a pig, was roasting and not far from it was a long table where three women went through backpacks and stacked canned goods and other items

  He snapped his finger in front of me. “You with me?”

  “I was just looking at your camp. Sorry.”

  “Beautiful horse.” His eyes shifted to our cart.

  “Yeah, he is.”

  “You fixin’ to set up house somewhere permanently around here? By looks of all the stuff.”

  “No, we’re headed to Sixteen.”

  “You’re close. It’s gonna be dark soon, I see you have kids and a woman. You sure you don’t want to stop here? We’re safe.”

  “We have a baby and he makes far too much noise. For the safety of others, I keep him away. But thank you, though.”

  “Are you sure? We do have a barter fee, it isn’t too steep. You can have a safe place to sleep, some of our meat in exchange for goods.”

  For some reason, I looked at Hannah as if for approval. She shook her head then I told Trent, “No, thank you, we’re going to get going.”

  “Good luck to you,” he said.

  “Yeah, you as well.” I tugged on Mary’s reins and started walking. Trent stood there watching us.

  “Why didn’t you want to stay?” Diana asked. “I would have given up my stuff.”

  “It didn’t feel right,” I said.

  “Really, Calvin, we should have stopped.”

  “If you want to so bad…” Hannah yelled. “Go on. Catch us in the morning.”

  I wanted to scold Hannah, but I didn’t. Diana was probably immune already to Hannah’s flying insults.

  A little down the road from Trent’s camp, the highway came into view again. Sure enough, there was Leah walking in the same direction as us, all by herself down the center of the highway.

  <><><><>

  The underpass provided a great shelter and plenty of room. I lit a small fire for warmth, and placed a heavy rock over the rope to the horse. It was the best I could do, there was nothing to tie him to.

  Hannah played with Edward, had a little to eat, fed him in the cart, then asked if she could sleep there instead of the road. I didn’t think that would be a bad idea.

  I said goodnight to them both, grabbed one of my warm beers and walked to the road. I used the excuse that I wanted to take a piss, but I was really looking for Leah.

  I didn’t see her, yet I did sense she wasn’t far.

  “All better?” Diana asked when I returned.

  “Yes.” I took another swing of my beer and stepped by the cart. I could see Edward’s dark hair peeking out from the carrier. His little fingers grasped a lock of Hannah’s hair. I smiled and untangled Hannah’s hair, lifted the carrier and placed it in the basket. I knew he was fine with Hannah, but I wanted him near me. I carried the basket and put it up the level part of the hillside just where the underpass met the ground. I figured that would block sound should he start to cry.

  “Did you always want to be a father?” Diana asked.

  I sat down across the fire from Diana. “Not really. When he was born, I knew I had no other purpose. There was something very special about him. Plus, I had lost his mother.”

  Diana tilted her head. “Not really.”

  “Okay maybe not.”

  “You think she’s gone now?”

  “No. I don’t feel it.” I finished my beer. “How about you? Did you always want to be a mother?”

  “Yes. I love being a mother.”

  “You didn’t use past tense,” I said.

  “Because I believe they’re alive. They’re safe out there. I know it. I feel it.”

  “I hope you find them.”

  “Thank you.”

  She must have noticed my yawn. “Why don’t I take first watch? You’re tired and Edward will start making a fuss soon enough.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. Get some sleep.”

  “Thank you. Wake me if you need anything.” I walked back to the cart, grabbed a sleeping bag and carried it up to lie down next to Edward. It didn’t take long to fall asleep. That beer probably helped.

  I dreamt too. A weird dream. I was at an amusement park set up at the Value Store parking lot. Hannah laughed and giggled then she got on the ride that swung her around. Each time I watched her pass she would call my name with her arms in the air.

  I kept looking at her and the strong man, raising that hammer and landed it on the surface trying to ring the bell, but he kept missing and the hammer made a ‘crack’ sound.

  “Calvin,” Hannah called.

  She whizzed by me.

  Crack.

  “Calvin, help me.”

  When the swinging ride circled again, she was hanging on.

  Crack.

  “Calvin!”

  Hannah screamed.

  That was when I realized, she really was calling my name, and the crack of the strong man was a gunshot.

  Just as I sprang awake, I heard another scream. That one was pain and it was not coming from Hannah.

  Panicking, I slid down the hill as the cart moved from the underpass.

  Diana cried out, her screams curdled as she hung on to the cart with Leah locked to her arm.

  I ran after them, a man was driving the cart, pushing the horse to move. He picked up speed and Diana dropped off. Hannah screamed my name, reaching out.

  The man driving reached back and hit her, knocking her down into the cart.

  My heart raced, Leah had lunged onto Diana. Diana also reached out.

  “Help,” she said. It didn’t look as if she were looking at me.

  Leah released her and stepped away. I hurried to Diana.

  “I’m sorry she did this,” I said. “I have to get Hannah.”

  She coughed and choked, blood poured from her arm and chest. She lifted her head and once again looked beyond me.

  “Kill him.” She coughed out the words.

  “What?”

  I turned and before I could do anything, I saw a figure and something struck down at me.

  Everything went black.

  I regained consciousness for a moment, only to realize I was moving in some sort of vehicle. I made the mistake of calling out Hannah’s name and it was lights out again, until I felt my back hit on the cold hard ground.

  I opened my eyes.

  I didn’t need to see very well to know what was happening and where I was. I was the proverbial feed for the watchdogs. I was on that highway, on my back surrounded by Vee.

  22

  Feast

  My first thought was, This is how it ends.

  Right there, on the dark highway alone, I would be torn to shreds.

  This was how it would end.

  I never worried about the Vee
as much as I should have, mainly because I never thought they’d get me. Vee moved slow, I moved faster.

  Yet… this was how it would end.

  My eyes adjusted pretty quickly. The sky was clear, the moon was bright, and I would see it all unfold. Ripped to shreds, eaten while I would still comprehend what was happening. I wasn’t terrified for myself. I was terrified for Hannah. What would they do to her? And Edward, did they take him? Kill him?

  I didn’t even know.

  I was useless and helpless. My body was still healing from the previous attack, I wasn’t even sure I could move. A lightning speed of thoughts went through my mind. A part of me was glad that it was over, yet, I knew if my child had been spared and Hannah not killed, they would face a horrendous world. One where the Vee weren’t the enemy, they were the obstacle. Man took the opportunity to be the vilest of creatures. Even if mankind survived and outlived the Vee, humanity was dead.

  I was proof of this by lying there as the next Vee meal.

  Hannah was right. It was trap; a twelve-year-old girl saw it and I didn’t. The blockade of Vee forced us to move forward and we walked right into the trap.

  I heard her voice in my mind.

  “You know Vee look for food, right. I highly doubt animals are such a plenty that the Vee don’t need to move.”

  “What are you saying Hannah? Someone is feeding them?”

  “Yep.”

  To me, she was being absurd that someone was feeding them to keep them in one place. Yet, there I was the next meal. Who were these people as to be so cruel to do that to someone? Were my belongings worth more than my life?

  Apparently so.

  It stunk. Rotting flesh mixed with a sour odor. It was thick and I was in the middle of it.

  About six of them encircled me. Part of me wanted one of them to be Leah. If any Vee killed me, I’d rather it be her. Leah had her fill; she took a good bite out of Diana.

  I knew it was a matter of seconds before rest came. Then I felt it, the gun in the waist of my pants. They hadn’t taken it. They didn’t even know I had it.

  I reached for it, shifted the chamber and with a trembling hand put it to my head. I would pull the trigger before they took their first bite.

  The moment the first hand reached down and touched me, I didn’t want to die. I thought about shooting them, but I didn’t know how many rounds I had in the gun and I wasn’t all that good of a shot.

  This was how it ends… no. Not yet.

  Edward was possibly unharmed or unnoticed. For all I knew he was in that basket screaming for help.

  And Hannah… I promised her I would watch her, take care of her.

  If I were going to die, then I would go down fighting.

  I swatted away the first hand and kicked another Vee out of my way, enabling myself to roll to my knees and then stand. I thought again about shooting, but if I were going to try to get Hannah, then I couldn’t let them hear the shots.

  My best way out was to fight and run.

  They came for me. Hands grabbing my clothing. I spun and fought, trying not to get bitten or scratched. I knew I had speed and they didn’t. I was like a football player, charging my way through.

  I broke free to a clearing only to trip over something. My hands smeared in the thick substance as I tried to stand up and my eyes caught the portion of the arm.

  That was what they did. They didn’t barter a safe night. They convinced people to stay, knocked them out cold, took them to the Vee pen and kept their belongings.

  I wasn’t out cold and I vowed I would not be one of their statistics. After making it to my feet, I dodged another. I believed it was only by the grace of God that I was able to fight my way out. By way of only a moonlit night, I pushed, shoved, kicked, and focused to get off that highway. I aimed for the Value Store tractor trailer; that was my goal to get to.

  Finally, I did. There was an opening between that truck and another, and once I slipped through, I stopped to catch my breath. I had about a mile and a half good run to get to Trent’s place, because surely, that was who took Hannah.

  I had to come up with a plan and do so quickly. I was the meal that was getting away and the Vee were pursuing me. They never slipped through the openings between the trucks because they were given incentive to stay.

  Now they had incentive to leave.

  They were going to make it difficult. Fending off the Vee while trying to figure out a way to get Hannah and get the people that took her.

  Then, once more, I heard the voice in my head of that wise twelve-year-old girl.

  “The only way to get them is to lead them. So lead them out.”

  With that thought, her words, and the Vee right before me, the lightbulb went on and I smiled.

  23

  Psalms

  It was perfect. A mere fifty feet of level area separated the highway from the road I needed to take to get to Trent’s. Funny how twelve hours earlier I was worried that the Vee would spot us, now I wanted them to.

  I moved slowly. Occasionally darting close to them to catch my scent, then backing up enough for them to see and follow me. The slow pace allowed me to gain my focus, not get winded and figure out what I needed to do.

  One thing that worried me was the guard on top of the truck. Would he be able to see the Vee heading his way, would he even look? I know they mentioned seeing people cross the overpass… was the road out of their range of sight?

  In case it wasn’t, I stayed near the side of the road.

  My plan was to get close enough to that truck without being spotted, then make my way quickly into their camp, while bringing the Vee near enough to catch the scent of everyone there.

  I didn’t worry or feel guilty about the Vee attacking them. Surely, they’d be able to fight them off. I could and they had weapons.

  I just wanted Hannah back and hopefully, they had Edward. I didn’t even want to process the idea that they murdered him in that basket back at the underpass.

  Moving at a snail’s pace, I made it just to the edge of the truck, certain, he didn’t spot me. He did however, I assumed, spot the mob of Vee.

  He whistled once and called out, “We have trouble.”

  He wasn’t looking my way and I raced around the front of the truck to the single lane road into their camp.

  Sure enough there was my horse, still attached to the cart. Our belongings, including the red wagon were sprawled out everywhere and Trent along with two others were picking through them.

  “What do you see?” Trent, standing above my wagon, asked the man on the truck.

  I pulled the Glock and raced his way.

  “Hard to count, we have a lot of them headed this way.”

  Trent was preoccupied exchanging words with the man on the truck so I took that as my opening.

  The moment he moved to walk toward the truck, I aimed the gun.

  “Where is she?!” I blasted, arm held out.

  He seemed annoyed and waved a couple of his men to go to the truck.

  “Well take a look at the second person ever to get out of the pit. Congrats for having bigger balls than I gave you credit. Now if you don’t mind…”

  “I do mind. Where is she?”

  “I don’t have time for this shit!” he yelled.

  “Neither do I! Where is she?”

  “Calvin!” Hannah raced down the hillside. Even at a distance I could see her bruised and bloody face. As soon as she got near, Trent reached out, and with a single swat sent her flying back.

  “You son of a bitch!”

  “What are you gonna do, shoot me?” he asked.

  “Give me the girl and I’ll be on my way.”

  “She’s better off here, you know it.”

  “Oh, yeah she looks it. Come on Hannah.”

  “She got out of control. She is still better off here!” Trent yelled. “Diana told me about your dead tag along. You think that’s better for her?”

  “Mr. Trent!” someone hollered. “They’re in.
”

  A scream somewhere in camp rang out.

  Hannah again tried to get to me and when Trent reached for her again, I fired.

  The bullet didn’t hit him. It hit the ground. He did step back though.

  “Let her go!” I shouted and fired and again. I missed.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you? You’re a joke,” Trent said.

  I fired again.

  Trent laughed. “You gonna waste your bullets on me, at least try not to miss those things.”

  Another shot. Another miss. My finger stayed on the trigger. I could hear the pandemonium and gunfire; the others were too preoccupied to worry about me.

  “I’d worry,” Trent continued to taunt and laugh. “But damn, I’m ten feet from you. You couldn’t hit the side of a barn if you—”

  He was immediately silenced when I finally landed a shot. This one was spot on and dead center of his forehead.

  I raced to Hannah, and helped her up. “Let me get you out of here and we’ll take care of you. Where’s Edward?”

  “He’s not here.”

  A sickening feeling hit me about my son, but I had to get out of there. It was the perfect opportunity. The whole camp was focused on the Vee attack. “Let’s go.” I grabbed her hand and we ran to the cart.

  “What about our stuff?”

  I helped her in the cart. “We don’t need it.” I hurried and untied the horse.

  “Calvin, we do. We need food. We need our stuff…”

  “Go. Go to the underpass, take it slow. Go, I’ll catch up.” I placed the Glock on her lap, handed Hannah the reins, gave Mary a swift pat to her rear and the horse trotted off.

  In a low run, I made it to the pile where our stuff had been thrown. There was no way I would grab it all, but I moved fast, really fast. I just needed enough to get us through for two days. Her Barbie backpack and another backpack were open but not emptied. I zipped up her Barbie pack, then shoved what I could into the other backpack. I threw that in and a few other things into the wagon, and as I grabbed for more items, I felt the hand on my back and smelled the scent of Vee.

  Quickly, I lifted that Barbie pack and while coming to a stand, swung out full speed, nailing the Vee and sending him off his balance.