Dark Crossing

by Thomas A. Watson

  “We know it,” Dwain said, shaking their hands. “It was for sale before all this.”

  Ian moved around the table. “Dwain, Denny, come help me carry some stuff in we want to donate to the bear trap team,” Ian said, and walked outside.

  “Heath, they are unloading two rolls of wire to run to your house, so we can talk; like to call us for help,” Lance said, and Heath sighed with relief. “I said help, not support.”

  “Understood,” Heath nodded.

  “Everyone who joins this coalition will connect to the clubhouse. I’m sure you know why we aren’t telling you where we are,” Lance said.

  “Trust is earned, not given,” Heath answered with a nod.

  Chapter 8

  Gathering his stuff, Lance was glad they’d taken the chance. “Exactly, and you won’t tell others we let in where you are until their trust is earned,” Lance instructed as Ian and the others came back in.

  Ian handed Lance one of the duffel bags and opened the other one. Lance opened his and pulled out five M4s and one AR. None were from their collection. These had been collected from stinkers and cleaned up. One was the M4 Lilly had arrived with but Lance had to work on it to clean it and get it functioning again.

  Each weapon had a suppressor Lance had made and a scope. Lance picked the M4 Lilly had brought in and held it out to Rhonda. “Rhonda, this one is yours,” Lance said, and she smiled, taking it.

  “Thank you,” she smiled, cradling the weapon. “It’s right nice.”

  “Yours and two others have night vision scopes,” Lance told her, and she gasped.

  “We could only spare six NVGs and one thermal monocular,” Ian said, laying them on the table. Like the rifles, none of the gear had come from their supplies. It was stinker-donated, but had been cleaned very well.

  “We could only spare five thousand rounds of 5.56. If we run into more, we’ll save it for you,” Lance said, and Heath had tears on his face as he held an M4. He stared at the suppressor and then looked around at the other gear.

  “Just let us know what we have to do,” Heath said in a broken voice.

  “Get your home secured first, then slowly push out,” Lance replied, packing his stuff.

  Looking at the others putting on the gear, “I want to talk to the wife, but I’m thinking we are about to move,” Heath admitted.

  “That’s sound reasoning,” Lance nodded, grabbing his mask and putting it on.

  “Why are you wearing the mask?” Denny asked.

  “Protects my face from stinker bites,” Lance answered, and everyone became quiet. “We wear suits under our gear that will protect us from one bite, but we have to deal with the stinker before they bite again.”

  “Lance,” Heath said, shouldering the M4. “Did you and Ian think of all the stuff you are talking about or did your parents?”

  “We did, but they back us,” Lance answered, and Heath nodded.

  “So, you heading home to curl up on the couch?” Heath asked, grinning.

  Buckling his helmet on, “No, we have business in Girdler,” Lance replied, and the group froze again.

  “You can’t go there!” Heath cried out. “That’s the last place we went to, just a week after this started, and almost didn’t make it home.”

  “Chill, dude,” Lance said. “Our robot is to the north of town and drew the stinkers out. There are a few still there, we only killed like a few hundred the last time we were there, but that’s nothing to get excited about.”

  “Can we come with you, please? We need food bad,” Heath begged. Just hearing Lance casually reply that a few hundred stinkers weren’t anything, filled him with hope.

  Lance groaned, looking at all the pleading faces, including Grady. “Lance, we vote yes,” Lilly called over the radio and the group smiled hopefully. “But if Grady pisses you off, we get to feed him to the Battle Bot.”

  “Deal,” Heath sang out and Grady turned to Heath, ready to attack. “Grady, I’ve kicked your ass every time we’ve fought. I’m more than happy to do it again.”

  “No cars, and I want to see just how quiet your rides are before I agree,” Lance snarled, then pressed his PTT. “Lilly, if Jennifer has had her fill of shooting stinkers, can you two head down?”

  “Yeah, Jennifer got thirty-four,” Lilly answered, and the others nodded impressed.

  “Dwain, Denny, bring the four-wheelers up, so Lance can hear them,” Heath said, trying to mount a monocular to one of the helmets they’d given them. Ian took the helmet and attached the NVG. “Thank you,” Heath said, buckling it on.

  “Lance, if their stuff is quiet, I say let them come,” Ian chimed in, heading for the bar.

  Rolling his eyes as Ian turned off the lamp and Lance cracked a chemlight. “Stinkers don’t see green very well,” Lance explained, heading for the door. They had discovered many secrets about stinkers in the research area. Walking outside, Lance heard the four-wheelers pull up. They were much quieter, but nowhere in the neighborhood of his and Ian’s work.

  “So, what do you think?” Heath asked.

  “Don’t rev the engine high because to us they are loud, but you made some good improvements,” Lance admitted as Dino walked out, shoving people aside with his girth.

  “You get me power, and I can make them quiet,” Heath vowed, jumping back when Dino walked past.

  Lance looked over the six and they had on the NVGs. None compared to what they had, but the group could see in the dark. “Tell your group to listen,” Lance sighed.

  “Listen up,” Heath called out, and his group moved close.

  “You haven’t done this, and we have. Watch us and follow our lead. The first one to panic will get shot by me. If any of you shoot one of my team, retribution will be swift. I don’t care if it was an accident,” Lance told them, looking around at each face. The bear trap team shivered to look at the grey skull talking to them, and none had any doubts.

  “Denny, you’re with us,” Lance said, pointing to the buggy. “Dino sits in the back behind me on the passenger side. You will not shoot until Ian or I say. Are we clear?”

  “Yes, sir,” Denny beamed.

  “It’s Lance, not ‘sir’,” Lance replied, tossing the chemlight in the trailer and closing the door.

  “Lance, we need to stop and get our trailer,” Dwain said.

  “A trailer?” Lance stressed with no emotion, flipping his NVGs down.

  “Uh, yeah. That’s all we got,” Dwain replied.

  “There are some at the co-op, you can take two of those,” Lance said.

  “Hell, we took three,” Ian chuckled as Dino jumped in the buggy. “Here they come.”

  Everyone turned as Lilly drove toward them at fifteen miles an hour, so the tires wouldn’t hum. “Is that an electric buggy?” Heath asked.

  “Nope, gas,” Lance replied as Lilly pulled into the yard. “Our electric rides are much quieter.”

  “Shit,” Heath moaned, walking off the deck.

  “Lori, Rhonda,” Lance called out and they turned to him. “You’re riding with them and you listen to what they say.”

  Rhonda nodded, with her monocular over her left eye. “Sure thang, Lance,” Rhonda smiled.

  “Rhonda, you can bring your crossbow,” Lance said, and Rhonda ran to one of the four-wheelers to grab her crossbow.

  “Lance, we are leaving the weapons we brought in the trailer and will come and get them tomorrow,” Dwain told him.

  Nodding since only Dwain was carrying an AK clone and the others had hunting rifles and shotguns. “I hope everyone knows how to shoot the rifles we gave you,” Lance said, walking off the deck.

  “Yeah, I had an AR and Heath has one at home, but doesn’t have any ammo for it,” Dwain grinned.

  “Stay behind Ian and we will keep your group in the middle,” Lance instructed, and Dwain nodded. “Load up.”

  As Dwain ran to one of the four-wheelers, Lilly and Jennifer were standing beside the UTV. “Hi, I’m Rhonda and this here is Lori. Lance sai
d we had to ride with ya,” Rhonda said with a smile.

  Jennifer turned, looking at Rhonda’s chest and grinned. “Yep, they weren’t lying,” she chuckled, looking at Rhonda’s body.

  “Huh?” Lori asked.

  “Nothing,” Jennifer said, and noticed everyone loading up. “Lori, you sit in the middle of the backseat. Rhonda, you sit behind Lilly who’s driving.”

  They both smiled as they walked past, climbing in the UTV. “Shit, I thought Lilly had some knockers,” Jennifer mumbled as she turned to get in the UTV. Watching Lilly climb in behind the steering wheel, Jennifer noticed Lilly staring at the two.

  “Lilly, keep the four-wheelers in the middle and if anyone acts like an ass, they walk,” Lance called over the radio.

  “Copy,” Lilly barked, then arranged her AR until it was resting across her lap. “Don’t bother George,” she said over her shoulder. “He’s our early warning system, but he’s still young and being trained.”

  “Sure thang,” Rhonda said cheerfully. “I need to buckle Lori in?”

  “No,” Lori snapped.

  “If she can’t hang on, you do,” Lilly said, turning around.

  Watching Ian drive around the trailer to the east, Lilly waited on the four-wheelers and then followed the group up the draw that ended at the trailer. They soon passed the house that was to become the clubhouse and Ian entered the trees, heading up the slope.

  Over the scanner, Lilly heard Heath. “Robin, we’re all right. We are with the group that wrote the letter.”

  “Are you on the way back?” Robin asked.

  “No, they’re letting us go with them to Girdler, so we can get some food.”

  “Heath, you can’t go there!” Robin screamed over the radio. “It’s full of stinkers!”

  “Baby, we don’t have much of a choice. We are out of food. The deer Rhonda killed yesterday is gone. This group knows what they are doing.”

  “Please be careful,” Robin pleaded.

  “I will and will call you on the way back.”

  Grabbing her PTT, “Ian, slow down,” Lilly called out. “The ones driving the four-wheelers have never driven with NVGs.”

  “Copy,” Ian replied, and she saw him slow. They were only doing seven miles an hour through the trees, but it seemed much faster.

  “Thank you for this,” Rhonda said behind them.

  Not seeing anything through the trees, Jennifer turned around to Rhonda. “Tell your group to do what Lance and Ian say, so we can help you. I’m sorry, but they don’t tolerate stupid at all,” Jennifer told her.

  Rhonda turned to look at Jennifer and even Jennifer saw her shiver. The black mask covering her face and the four NVG tubes over her eyes gave Jennifer a demon appearance. “If Grady acts stupid, I’ll shoot his ass,” Rhonda swore, turning away quickly. From Jennifer’s voice, Rhonda knew she was young, but Jennifer’s mask unnerved her.

  Leaning over the front seat, “Are you Lance’s girlfriend?” Lori asked Lilly in a very small voice.

  “Yep,” Lilly almost snapped.

  “And you’re a veterinarian?” Lori asked.

  “Few months from graduation,” Lilly replied in a slightly softer tone.

  “Um, can you look at my dog? He got cut on his foot a few days ago. I cleaned it, but I’m worried about him,” Lori asked timidly. “I have twenty-two dollars.”

  Taking her foot off the accelerator, Lilly watched the four-wheeler in front of her almost center a tree. “What kind of dog?” Lilly asked as the four-wheeler cut sharp to dodge the tree.

  “A terrier,” Lori answered with a begging hope.

  Giving a sigh, Lilly pressed the accelerator following the four-wheeler as it ran to catch up. “I’ll take a look at him,” Lilly promised.

  Clapping her hands, Lori sat back. “Damn it, Jennifer,” Lilly snapped. “You call Ian and tell him to slow down because the two driving are having trouble keeping up with him.”

  “Ian, slow down. The two with us are trying too hard to keep up!” Jennifer barked over the radio.

  “Run their asses over!” Ian snapped.

  “What, and listen to you bitch because we hurt the side by side?” Jennifer huffed. “For their first time driving with a tiny field of view over one eye they are doing good, but let them get used to it.”

  A few seconds later, Ian sighed over the radio, “Copy.”

  “Yeah, I bet it does take some gettin’ used to driving with these,” Rhonda admitted behind them as Ian finally turned off the ridgeline.

  “Lance made us ride around the yard until we could,” Jennifer chuckled, looking around.

  “Where did he learn?” Lori asked.

  “Driving us here,” Jennifer answered and heard Lilly give a growl in her chest. “You okay?” Jennifer asked, looking over at Lilly.

  “Yeah,” Lilly snarled, never looking away from her driving.

  “Stinkers ahead,” Lance called over the radio.

  Looking out her side, “Look for stinkers and call them out,” Jennifer told Rhonda and Lori.

  Coming out of the trees, Rhonda saw the group ahead on a dirt road. As they pulled onto the road, Rhonda saw three stinker bodies sprawled out that Lilly dodged. Passing a few houses, Rhonda saw bodies in the yards and looked to the front of the group.

  A figure’s upper body was out of the top of Lance’s buggy swinging from side to side and shooting. “Lance is still pissed Ian kicked his ass on the last two stinker hunts,” Jennifer chuckled as they passed underneath some railroad tracks.

  “I told him he needed to slow down,” Lilly said. “When he tries to go faster, he always misses.”

  “Damn it, Lance!” Ian shouted over the radio. “Watch where your brass is going! I get one more down my shirt and we fucking stop so I can stomp your ass!”

  Grabbing her PTT, “Lance, you know hot brass hurts. Don’t let it hit Ian,” Lilly snapped.

  “Ian, my bad,” Lance called out. “Ian, stop for a second, large group ahead.”

  As Lilly stopped, Jennifer jumped out. “Rhonda, get out and watch your side and the back. Lori, stay where you are,” Jennifer ordered and then looked ahead. “Shit, Lance is going to win today,” Jennifer said, watching Ian climb out beside the buggy.

  Where the dirt road met the blacktop was a large group of stinkers. From the look of them, they were heading toward the Battle Bot a few miles down the road. “Holy shit,” Jennifer heard Rhonda gasp.

  When Rhonda didn’t turn away, Lilly got out. “Rhonda, keep an eye on your area. Trust the team to call out if they need help,” Lilly instructed, and Rhonda turned away as the group melted under Lance and Ian’s hail of lead.

  Fighting the urge to watch, Rhonda scanned around her area. After ten minutes, the soft thumps and sonic cracks of suppressed shots to the front died out. “Got one,” Rhonda called out and Lilly turned to see a stinker walking out of the trees.

  “Take ‘em,” Lilly said, and Rhonda raised her M4 resting the small cross on the stinker’s face. Flipping the safety off, she slowly squeezed the trigger. When the rifle coughed, Rhonda chuckled, watching the stinker drop.

  “I like a quiet gun,” she laughed.

  “Load up,” Lilly barked, climbing in the UTV. “We will be driving over the bodies, so watch for some playing dead and trying to reach up and grab you.”

  “Yeah, we been noticing that the last few weeks,” Rhonda said, getting in. “And they’re tryin’ to hide, but they ain’t that good.”

  “Rhonda, anyone ever tell you, you sound like Reba?” Lilly asked, easing off with the others.

  Giving a deep laugh, “Yeah, but I can’t sing like her, that’s for sure,” Rhonda replied.

  Bouncing over the bodies, Lori looked out at the mass with a shiver, then looked ahead and saw the four-wheeler riders holding their legs out like they were crossing water. “How many do you think was here?” Lori asked.

  “Hundred, maybe a hundred and fifty,” Jennifer shrugged with indifference.

  Leani
ng close to Rhonda, Lori whispered. “I like them. They aren’t scared of anything.”

  Jennifer turned around to Lori after they cleared the pile of bodies. “Wrong. We are scared, but we don’t let it affect us. Fear is an emotion, just like being happy or sad. You don’t let emotion get in the way of what has to be done,” Jennifer told Lori.

  Trying not to blush, “I whispered,” Lori said with an open mouth.

  “Sorry, but I heard,” Jennifer said, turning around and not about to explain the hunter’s ear. “I just wanted you to understand.”

  “Lori, you listen to her,” Rhonda said. “She’s right. You fight through when you’re scared.”

  “I still think they are awesome, just like you, Rhonda,” Lori said, looking out past George.

  “Nope, they are better than I am, but I’m hopin’ I can learn,” Rhonda scoffed, looking out and noticing they were on the side of the road off the pavement. “Can I ask why we ain’t on the road? Seems we could go faster.”

  “We can, but the mud grips make too much noise,” Lilly answered over her shoulder. “There weren’t that many stinkers around last night when we were here, so we drove on the road.”

  Leaning over, Rhonda saw two people out of the top of the buggy now. “How is Ian out the top and the buggy is still going?” Rhonda asked in wonder.

  “That’s not Ian,” Jennifer laughed. “Lance has Denny up with him, teaching him to shoot.”

  Turning back to her area, “You are some good people,” Rhonda stated. “It was rare before this but now, I’m betting this group be some of the last.”

  Glancing back, “You’re some good people, too,” Jennifer said.

  “We will be with your help,” Rhonda said. “But now we ain’t in a position to help ourselves, much less others.”

  “Rhonda, Ian and Lance are a bit high-strung,” Jennifer said carefully. “Please tell your group not to piss them off, or I should say Grady. They view your group by everyone and I can tell they like you, but you will see in time, they get frustrated when others can’t see or understand what they are talking about.”