Cale thanked him again.
“Watch out for the smart zombies,” warned Lee.
“It’s a hoax,” clarified Cale. “It was four men looking to scare everyone.”
“How do you know?” Lee asked.
“Just take my word for it,” assured Cale.
“Alright,” smiled Lee.
Cale put the vehicle into reverse and backed out of the garage careful not to hit anything. Kyle and Lee waved at him as he pulled through the gate they’d opened.
“On the road again,” Zach sounded optimistic.
“On the road again,” repeated Cale.
His anxiety completely dissipated as he got further away from the living.
Chapter 29
YOU WILL FIND HER
The F-150’s brakes squealed as Cale applied them. He’d hit another detour. This was the first with any vehicles present though.
“You should’ve listened better,” nagged Zach. “What’s this? Seven? Eight?”
“I thought he said the road here was clear,” Cale stated.
“Maybe he said it wasn’t clear,” Zach offered.
Cale shook his head as he flipped back through the pages of the road atlas. He should have listened better. “Keep Out: Quarantine Zone,” the large sign read. The smaller one established a one hundred mile perimeter. There was no way around it with a vehicle. And he’d already wasted hours trying to find another route in. The fuel gauge was on empty. He was done here anyway. Cale left the truck running as he grabbed his gear and got out. Zach had already appeared in front of the truck. Cale walked through the tight gap between concrete barriers. Water dripped down from the sides of the snow covered tank.
“Wish I fucking knew how to drive that,” he joked.
“You could always try,” stated Zach.
Cale chuckled. He was more than qualified, however, to operate the deuce and a half that sat opposite the Abrams. It was a two and a half ton beast with three axles and all wheel drive, capable of off-roading. The real trick was going to be getting it started. The diesel in the tank was sure to be gelled. Cale walked past the cab toward the basic issue items box.
“What are you hoping to find in BII?” asked Zach.
“Before I was transferred to your unit to deploy, I was in a company that had a bunch of these old dinosaurs. We kept fuel additives and ether in every truck,” Cale explained.
“Every truck?” Zach sounded skeptical.
Cale laughed.
“Yeah. I-uh-I was assigned extra duty a few times,” confessed Cale.
“You never told me that!” retorted Zach. “For what?”
“All sorts of shit,” he laughed. “I was late a couple of times. Out of uniform another. Just typical shenanigans a seventeen year old who’d just joined would get in to. Mostly it was just plain ignorance that got me in trouble.”
“You’re such a rebel,” teased Zach.
The BII box was locked. Cale had no doubts the keys were in the pocket of some corpse who’d shambled off. Probably miles away by now. He aimed his rifle at the lock and fired. The round hit it, then ricocheted off into the snow. The lock fell to the ground. Cale opened the olive green metal box. A large rubber pan had wooden chocks and chains in it. Cale dug around before finding a can of ether and a bottle of fuel additive.
“Hardly any ether left, but otherwise, perfect,” he said.
Cale opened the fuel tank where his suspicions were verified. The diesel had in fact turned from a liquid into a gel, but it was almost completely full. Without reading the directions he added the entire bottle of treatment. He crawled into the cab and pulled out Lee’s book. Cale had time to kill.
It had been a very long time since he’d lost himself in a book. Cale looked up occasionally to survey his surroundings. He buried his nose in the book, and could hardly believe it when he reached the end.
“What do you think?” began Zach. “Five stars?”
“Easily,” Cale replied.
He closed the book and returned it to his pack. That had probably killed more than enough time. After he sprayed what was left of the ether into the air filter he attempted to start the truck. It was a push-button start, so no keys were required. The engine struggled to turn over for the first few tries, but shook and bounced as life was restored to the vehicle. Cale put the truck in high idle and turned on the Vietnam-era heater.
“You gonna do a proper PMCS before you get rolling?” Zach joked.
“It all looked good to me,” replied Cale.
Air hissed as Cale disengaged the brakes.
“So this is the quarantined zone,” said Zach.
It was a collective of half collapsed tents and deserted vehicles. Bodies of the dead and undead were outlined by the snow, which was more like slush than snow now. The military had placed barriers and gates to monitor traffic and refugee flow.
“A lot of good a quarantine did for them,” Cale began. “No one had a solid idea of what was taking place.”
“Now that you have some perspective, Cale,” Zach replied. “What’s taking place?”
“It’s a purge,” he answered. “Think about it. Out of all the animals on this planet, and that includes humans. We’re the only ones that destroy a habitat to make it more habitable for ourselves. We don’t put back into the environment. We only take away.”
“But why now?”
“Looks like nature got sick of us. She’s putting us back in our place,” responded Cale.
“That’s a little grim, man.”
“I’m sorry I’ve lost my optimistic outlook,” Cale said sarcastically.
“Pessimism was always kinda my thing,” chuckled Zach.
“Maybe it’s contagious too,” Cale replied.
Cale drove north after checking the atlas a couple of times.
“That’s a mouthful,” said Zach as he looked at a road sign. “Tusca-ra-as?”
Cale had better luck pronouncing it. “Tuscarawas County. Welcome to Dover.”
“My name is Cale, and I can read!” teased Zach.
“I can enunciate,” he ribbed back.
The city that once supported a population of over twelve thousand was now in ruins. Cars were crashed into buildings, chain link fences lined the streets, dried husks and brass ammo shells littered the streets. Burned bodies were in massive piles on both sides of the road.
“Well, they had the right idea,” stated Zach.
A large CDC sign with instructions for refugees had been spray-painted over. “This place belongs to the dead.” All the more reason to leave, thought Cale.
“If this is Dover, what do you think Akron is like?” Zach inquired.
“Doesn’t matter. I need to get to I-80 and that’s the best way,” Cale answered.
“Why I-80?”
“It runs the entire length of the country. It passes south of Sterling and practically takes me the whole way home,” explained Cale.
“Sterling?” Zach was confused.
“Lauren was headed to her mom’s house, in Sterling, for Christmas. I should check there before heading home in case they’re there,” said Cale.
Zach flipped through the atlas to find it. Sterling, Illinois was about five hundred miles away. A half day’s drive in normal conditions.
“Its gonna take awhile to get there regardless of what route you take. I think you should just go around Akron,” voiced Zach. “And any other larger city.”
“We’ll cross those bridges when we get there,” Cale shrugged off off Zach’s concerns.
“Just take these old highways and country back roads,” Zach pointed to the map. “It’ll be safer.”
Cale thought about it for a moment. Every time he ignored Zach’s advice he got himself into trouble. All logic told him to take the route Zach outlined.
“Okay,” conceded Cale, taking the atlas from Zach.
“Head toward Wooster, but get off here,” Zach pointed. “You can take these country roads around it. The truck has plenty of fue
l to make it, so it’s not like you’ll have to switch vehicles.”
Zach was right.
“And here’s the halfway point. You could stop there for the night,” he pointed to a section of I-80 a few miles south of Sturgis, Michigan.
He’d be right on the border of Michigan and Indiana. The only thing he didn’t like was how close he’d be to Fort Wayne. It was less than one hundred miles, and the atlas boasted that it was the second largest city in Indiana.
“What about that?” Cale pointed to the city limits of Fort Wayne.
Zach knew what Cale’s immediate concern was. “But they’re all frozen.”
“Look around,” Cale gestured to the melting snow.
“You want to find another way?” Zach asked.
No matter which way he went, he’d pass by a couple of large cities. or one very large one.
“It’s fine,” Cale whispered as he returned his attention to the road.
Around Wooster, across I-71, west on Highway 18, north around Wellington, along Highway 20, and north onto I-90 west. Then off 90 at Fremont where a series of country roads and old highways took him away from Toledo. Cale pulled over on an isolated country road to stretch his legs before continuing on further. Within another couple hour’s drive he’d made it onto Interstate 80. A wave of excitement hit him. He kept thinking that down this roadway was his home, and his family.
“You’re still stopping right?” Zach asked.
Cale took a moment to think. It was already getting dark and he hadn’t even made it to the halfway point yet. If any of the undead were animate again, the lights would draw them in, as well as, any survivors that were sure to come snooping.
“Actually, I might just stop for the night,” he said. “It’s already dark and I can pick back up at first light if I go to sleep now.”
Zach looked surprised at Cale’s reserve.
“What?” Cale questioned.
“Nothing,” replied Zach. “Just didn’t think you’d make that call.”
“I’m just so close now,” explained Cale. “Too close to be making reckless decisions.”
Zach agreed. Without further discussion Cale searched for a place to hide the truck for the night. He wouldn’t be able to shut it off. He was out of ether, and if it got too cold he might not get it to start up again. Diesel fuel could get him farther than gasoline anyway. Cale got onto the exit ramp, and passed through an open toll gate. The headlights revealed a sign. “Fulton County Fair Grounds.” He parked the behemoth truck between a couple of 4-H buildings and shut off the headlights. Cale made sure the doors were locked before lying across the bench seat. The plus side was the truck was warm. He allowed it to rock him off to sleep.
Cale danced on the edge of sleep. Occasionally waking up to listen for anything louder than the rumble of the truck. It made for a long night, but dawn finally broke in the east. Another warm morning. Cale sat up and stretched. He could see patches of grass growing where the snow had melted away.
“Shit,” he yawned.
In just a few days the thaw was sure to be over and the undead would wake from their slumber. A quick check of the gauge revealed that he hadn’t wasted much fuel. In minutes he was merging back onto the interstate. As before he avoided cities and pushed west. The detour to avoid Chicago took the most time. By noon he was exiting toward Sterling/Rock Falls. He stopped the truck.
“What are you doing?” asked Zach.
Cale’s voice was on the verge of cracking as he spoke. “I just…I just never thought I’d see this place again. It’s been so long, Zach. What if she’s here?” he paused a second to consider the alternative. “What if…What if I don’t?”
“Cale. Cale, look at me,” he demanded.
Cale obeyed.
“You will find her. I may not be today and it may not be here, but you will find her. Don’t give up,” Zach encouraged him.
Cale wiped away his tears and continued his journey.
Chapter 30
A FAMILIAR PLACE
The green deuce and a half slowed as it entered Rock Falls. Cale pointed to a restaurant on the west side of the road.
“That’s the Candlelight. They have this dipping sauce that’s just amazing. Lauren and I go every time we’re here,” he informed Zach.
“What do you dip in it?” asked Zach.
“They call it Chicken George,” Cale replied.
“So they’re chicken strips,” Zach gave a skeptical look.
“When you say it like that it doesn’t sound as nice. They’re like gourmet chicken strips,” explained Cale.
“Must’ve made quite the impression,” chuckled Zach.
“You have no idea. It’s too bad you’ll never get to try it,” Cale teased.
Like every town before it, Rock Falls was in ruins. Burned out structures, wrecked cars, and trash blowing through the streets. First avenue twisted and turned. Cale followed the familiar street to the bridge that connected the rival towns.
“Fuck,” cursed Cale.
The Rock River flowed over the debris that had once been the bridge.
“Is there another way around?” Zach asked.
Cale could see another bridge to the west, but it was collapsed as well. He remembered a footbridge Lauren had talked about. It let out at the Dillon Home. The home was a museum now, but had belonged to a prestigious family of philanthropists. He knew that the Dillon Home was upriver to the east.
“I have an idea,” whispered Cale.
He executed a four point turn around and double backed to the previous intersection. Cale took a left and followed the river. After a short distance, the road cut right, but what he was looking for was on the left. A narrow footbridge that connected the two towns over the river. Cale dismounted the truck with his gear and eagerly made his way to the bridge.
Cale stepped out onto the concrete walkway. Gore stains indicated infected traffic back-and-forth. Judging from its faded appearance it had been sometime since the last undead had crossed. Water rushed beneath him. He was almost at the halfway point when he noticed movement on the opposite side.
“Shit,” he said.
Like Punxsutawney Phil, this infected had awoken from a long winter’s rest, only he wasn’t looking for his shadow. He was looking for food. He shambled down the walkway toward Cale.
“Shoot him,” encouraged Zach.
“I don’t want to waste the ammunition,” Cale replied.
The corpse wore the school colors of the Sterling Golden Warriors. A tattered blue and gold football jersey clothed his decomposing body. Cale waited for him. He grabbed his rifle by the barrel, and prepared to use it as a club. As the young man got closer, Cale could see a bullet graze on the side of his head. Someone had failed to kill him before.
Despite being able to observe what Cale was doing, the infected man wasn’t prepared for the strike to the side of his head. The blow sent him over the railing and a portion of his jaw into the air. His body plunged into the Rock River below. He gargled and snarled as the rushing water carried him away.
“That’s the first one of the year,” stated Zach. “That’s got to be good luck!”
“You are the only one that would think any kind of zombie could be good luck,” retorted Cale.
Zach shrugged. A quick glance back to the Rock Falls side revealed two undead in pursuit.
“Fuck,” whispered Cale.
He hurried the rest of the way into Sterling. A bridge would be the worst place to get cornered. Cale was relieved to make landfall. He passed by a gazebo and followed the path under a set of railroad tracks. As he emerged, Cale confirmed he knew where he was. He wasn’t far from his mother-in-law’s house. The street was crowded with vehicles that’d been wrecked into one another. It didn’t appear as if anyone in this area was prepared for what had happened. Cale walked around a four-door car T-boned into the side of an ambulance. An undead woman was still restrained to an overturned gurney. She struggled against her bonds. The bones of her finger
s had been worn down against the pavement, she’d been there possibly since the beginning. Cale pulled out Zach’s knife and looked down at the pitiful creature.
“What are you doing?” asked Zach.
“This might’ve been someone Lauren knew,” replied Cale. “This is no way to exist.”
Carefully, he knelt down and moved her arms out of the way. With a quick fluid motion, he inserted the knife in her ear canal and pierced her brain. She gargled as the last of the air exited her lungs.
“You’re not going to kill every single one you come across are you?” Zach inquired.
Lauren had friends and family here, he pondered coming across every single one of them. Would it be too much? He didn’t have an answer. Cale stood up, after wiping the knife off, and looked around. An infected man sat in the gutter like a drunk with a hangover. He hadn’t fully recovered from hibernation yet.
“Well? Are you gonna kill him too?” Zach asked sarcastically.
Cale ignored Zach. He began his walk north up the street. He hurried through the intersection, hoping not to gain the attention of the infected that sat on the curb. He crossed the first one-way street, Lauren told him that during driver’s Ed she’d turned the wrong way down this street. The story still made him laugh. Cale avoided abandoned cars, downed power lines, and fallen trees on his way to East Ninth St. From this point he could go right a few blocks and be at Lauren’s uncle’s house, or he could go left and be at his mother-in-law’s house. Her mom’s house was the priority. He broke off into a dead sprint towards Seventh Avenue. His heart raced as he ran across his mother-in-law’s yard, and up to her front door. Locked.
Cale cupped his hands around his eyes and peered in through the window. She was known for cleanliness, and her house was always in a pristine state. Everything looked normal, save for the layer of dust. Cale hopped the banister of the stairs and ran around to the side door of the house. This door would open up directly to the basement and the kitchen. It too was locked. There was one more door to check. The glass sliding door to the dining room at the back of the house. Cale stepped out into the backyard, the same backyard Lauren played in as a little girl. Cale bounded up the stairs of the back deck and up to the glass doors. The blinds were drawn, and like the others this door was locked also.
Z Plan (Book 3): Homecoming Page 27