Dawnland (Book 1): Pockets of the Dead

by Karen Carr

  Zeke looked at me like I was crazy. “You think I want to live? Kill me now, bro. Do it, or I will.” He tried to snatch the gun from Huck’s hands.

  “I have a virus.”

  “Hella, don’t,” Huck pleaded with me.

  “Shut up and let her talk,” Zeke said.

  “Huck, it’s obvious.” I proceeded to tell them all about my protection, the abridged version because Trevan was twitching to get back to the village.

  “You have any other secrets?” Zeke asked when I was done. He glared at Huck.

  I hesitated. I thought of the bite I gave Renoir, and how he had turned into a zero right after. “No,” I said. “No more secrets.”

  “Then let’s get back to the fucking village,” Trevan said.

  “I’m not going,” Zeke said.

  “Oh shut up and get your ass off the ground,” I said.

  “You have to,” Huck said. “We need you. If you got what she’s got,” Huck pointed at me. “We are going to need you.”

  “We have to bury her.” Zeke picked up Eliza’s body and placed it in the back of the monster truck, jumping in with her. We all climbed into the truck, and Zora drove us back to the village.

  Chapter 26: Shoot

  April 10th

  Gun Shop

  Country Road, Gun Shop

  South of Haverlyn Village

  Zora drove the truck slowly back to the village. Her long fingers clenched and released the steering wheel in some form of relaxation technique. Her nails were chipped, an earring was missing, and her hair was free of the perfectly placed pins, but she still looked like a runway model. She flashed me a super large smile as if she knew I was examining her.

  I had told them how my immunity only worked if we stayed under five miles an hour, and with the size of the horse we had just driven through, we agreed it was best to travel at a safe speed.

  The world crawled along outside the window in a panorama of peacefulness. My eyes met Trevan’s behind tinted aviators reflecting in the rear view mirror. His face was grim and his black hair was slicked away from his face. He had reclined the seat, resting his booted feet on the dash, and had his rifle pointing out of the sunroof. He was ready for a helicopter attack no doubt, but the Hind was most likely parked on the green.

  Huck and I sat in the back seat pressed closely together. We opted for no safety belts due to the slow speed and the potential need to act quickly. Huck’s lip was cut and he had a gash over his eye and a bruise on his cheek, making him look like a prized fighter. He took my hand and all of the awkward tension from our previous disagreement melted away like ice cream on a hot summer day.

  He glanced over my body, my eyes trailed his to my chest. I became aware of my ripped shirt revealing the curve of my breasts resting in a red bra. I fumbled with the fabric trying to pull the torn edges together, but it was no use. Huck smiled and touched the exposed flesh with his free hand, sending shivers of desire over my skin.

  “We saw two more helicopters when we turned onto the road leading to the gun shop.” Huck pulled his hand from mine and checked his gun, then sat forward and aimed it out of his window to the sky. His shirt was ripped, revealing the strong muscles of his back and more bruises.

  Huck jolted when I caressed a deep red mark on his shoulder blade. “We need to watch for the ‘copters. Take the other window.”

  “What were they doing?” I asked, acutely aware of the new danger. Two more helicopters meant at least a dozen more men, if the amount of people in the Hind was any indication. My gaze held to the sky waiting for the helicopters to burst into view. The sky was drawn with billowing white clouds held in place like a painting. The occasional murder of crows flew overhead, but I saw nothing much more than feathers and wings.

  “They were driving a herd,” Huck said. My gaze switched to the road, which showed no sign of life, not even a breeze blew through the bushes.

  “You mean horde?” Trevan asked, not turning from his view of the sky.

  “You saw the ‘copters Trevan. The way they were flying. They were acting as cowboys.” Huck regarded Trevan with a playful slap on the shoulder. “The helicopters came in from the south and flew in sweeping arcs, pushing the zeroes north toward the village. They were shooting into the woods like they were trying to drive those things forward. They must have seen the circle of the dead, the one that you made for us, Hella, by staying in the village. They must have figured out that some force was killing those zeroes and they were testing their theory by driving the herd.”

  Trevan shifted his position. “By the way they were flying, they had no experience. They took too many risks, flew too many angles, to be properly trained. Those guys are cowboys for sure Huck, I’m telling you.”

  Without warning, Zeke beat a fist on the window, causing me to shriek so loud, that Huck dropped his gun. When we recovered, we saw that Zeke had emerged from his hideout in the bed of the truck. He cupped his ear, motioning for us to listen, and pointed low in the sky behind the truck. We all heard it then, the soft sound of a waterfall that was quickly turning into the distinct sound of helicopter blades.

  “Get out of the road,” Trevan said to Zora. He then yanked on the steering wheel, causing her to swerve into a gas station. “Keep going, up the curb into the brush, as deep as you can go. We have to get into the trees so they won’t be able to spot us. Down on the ground everyone. They can’t know we are in here.”

  Zora drove into the small strand of trees and kept going as branches snapped and rained into the open sunroof. I glanced to Zeke in the bed, to see how he was weathering the storm of twigs.

  Zeke stood, gun in hand, swaying and twisting to avoid the breaking branches. He had given us a warning. He was trying to save us, even if he didn’t want to save himself. He had to live, especially if he had the same immunity I did, especially if my bite turned others into zeroes. He might be my only chance at procreation. The thought of being with Zeke made my stomach lurch in a most uncomfortable way.

  Huck pulled me down to the area between the front and back seats. A chill crept over me. This is what I was afraid of from the very beginning. The helicopter bandits knew something mysterious was happening in the village. How easy would it be for them to track it to me?

  “Stay still,” Huck whispered. His face touched mine, his arms were wrapped around my body like a cocoon protecting its moth. I felt the warmth of his breath on my neck, the heated air giving me Goosebumps as it travelled into my ear. We listened to the thwomp-thwomp sound of the helicopters, neither getting louder or softer. They were hovering right over us, waiting for something.

  “Huck, there is something else I need to tell you,” I said. I wanted to tell him that my bite might have turned Maxwell’s brother into a zero. I wanted to tell him that I couldn’t be with him anymore, not romantically at any rate. I was scared to death that I would kill him with an accidental scratch or a bite.

  “You have the worst timing, Hella.” Huck twisted around so that his eyes penetrated mine. “What do you have to tell me?”

  “Where is Zeke going?” Trevan asked before I had a chance to say anything to Huck.

  Huck and I both raised our heads and looked to the birth of the truck. Zeke had climbed out with Eliza’s body and rested it in the bushes, kissing her gently on the forehead when he was done. He returned to grab a bunch of weapons. He motioned for us to get out when he saw we were watching him.

  “We have to abandon the vehicle,” Zeke said. The wound on his shoulder, Eliza’s bite mark, was inflamed and leaking. “I think we’ve been spotted.” The chilling words ran through me like a knife.

  Immediately, Zora and Trevan jumped out of the oversized pickup and began hauling the guns out of the bed. Huck opened the door and offered me his hand. I pushed him aside and toppled to the ground, forgetting the height of the wheels. He picked me up and we rushed to the bushes to where Zeke and Zora stood.

  “We’re going to have to walk the rest of the way,” Zeke said.
r />   Trevan picked up a long round weapon that looked like a narrow cannon. “An AT4, were did you get this?” He aimed it through the woods. “This will take out those helicopters.”

  “Careful with that,” Zeke said. “It’s a one-shot and we don’t know what it’s loaded with.”

  “No kidding?” Trevan asked sarcastically. “It’s loaded with an HEDP, short for high explosive dual purpose, like in anti-tank warhead. It’ll penetrate the helicopter’s hull and explode on the inside.”

  “No kidding,” Zeke said with respect for both Trevan and the weapon. They examined the firearm like it was a newborn baby, finally agreeing that Trevan should carry it because he knew the most about it.

  We sorted through the rest of the arsenal taken from the gun shop and divided it among ourselves. I ended up with a rifle that I would never be able to shoot, another pistol and a super-jagged knife that looked like it was meant for hacking trees.

  Huck stuck a helmet on my head and made me put on a bulletproof jacket. Once we were done, I took a pause to review my companions. The five of us looked like we had just raided the wardrobe department of an action movie and decided to play dress up. We were no match for three groups of armed men in helicopters. I wanted to give up and run in the other direction, away from everyone. But I didn’t want to start over alone, those months of loneliness were too much to bear.

  “We’re going to weave in through the bushes, this way,” Zeke said, pointing north. “I’ll lead, Huck you take the rear, the rest of you stay in between us, got it?”

  We all nodded and began our march toward the village and impending doom. I walked along with Huck, traipsing quietly behind Trevan. It reminded me of so many other days spent hiking through the North Carolina woods, and if I closed my eyes I could almost take myself there. The wind had picked up and the birds were chirping, but by the weight of my gun and the uncomfortable vest, I knew my reality had changed for good.

  “What did you want to tell me?” Huck asked as we crunched through the heavy underbrush.

  “I don’t think I can kill anyone,” I said, switching my rifle to the opposite shoulder. Huck looked at me with a puzzled expression. “Killing zeros is no big deal, not anymore. But killing a living, breathing person is completely different, isn’t it?”

  “It takes practice,” Trevan said, overhearing our conversation.

  “You’ve killed someone?” Huck asked incredulously.

  “No,” Trevan said with a twist of his head. “I’ve only studied it. You ever play one of those shoot-’em-up computer games?” Huck and I shook our heads, no. “Too bad. They’re great because they teach you reflexive actions. Killing is easy when it is a reflex. Load-aim-shoot.” He mimicked the motions.

  “It’s not that simple,” Huck said. He was lost in some faraway memory.

  “What if we don’t fight or run?” I asked a little too loudly. Everyone turned on me like I was crazy, even Zeke from the front stopped in his tracks. “You-all know that it’s not the village protecting us. It’s me. If we leave the village, presuming we can get everyone out of the church, then they will know it’s not protected by some kind of mysterious force. They’ll figure out it was something else and they’ll know we have the secret. They will come after us. They will never stop. If we stay, give up, or at least try to reach an agreement, they will still think the village is protected. It might be the best thing to do until we figure out who they are.”

  “We could kill them all,” Zeke said, deadpan.

  “Take down three helicopters and who knows how many others?” I asked.

  “Alright, fine,” Zeke said. “You want to do it the passive way? All we have to do is take the secret entrance to the church and get the others out. Get in, get out, without being seen. Got it?”

  “Yea, sure,” I said. “But what about the Professor and my friends?”

  “Casualties of war,” Zeke said. “Or we do it your way and just walk up and say hi and they take us all to prison, or they kill us all.”

  “Zeke’s right, Hella,” Huck said. “We don’t have a choice. They can’t be trusted. If we sneak in and get the rest of the crew out, we have a better chance at survival. That’s what this is all about, right? We’re going to have to sacrifice some lives for the greater good. Sure, they’ll figure out about the virus, but by then we’ll be long gone.”

  “There might be another way,” Zeke said, regarding me with wary sympathy. “That zombie horde is still out there. It’s doubtful that Hella’s virus killed all of them. We leave, the stupid idiots think the village is protected, they bring all their friends, and whammo. They are flesh-doll dinner. Better yet, we could hide out in the church for a couple of days until they all come, and then sneak out in the middle of the night. Huck and I could do our own herding, while you, Hella, and everyone else go in a different direction. We might even have a chance to save your friends.”

  “It could work,” Huck said. “Then we could find another, not so populated place to live.”

  “My parents summer house,” Trevan said. “On a barrier island in the ocean.”

  After we had agreed to try Zeke’s plan, and I cleaned and bandaged Zeke’s wound, we kept on walking in silence. We were too close to the village to be distracted by conversation and our voices would give us away. In what seemed like forever, but was probably only a few short minutes, we had reached Clovemont. We walked along the small adjoining yards behind the houses.

  “We’re almost to the Reverend’s house, just through there.” I pointed to a patch of trees and the backyard visible through them.

  When we reached the Reverend’s house, Huck stopped the group. “I want you and Zora to stay here,” Huck said. “I know the way to the green from here. Trevan, Zeke and I can do some reconnaissance before we walk into a trap. Who knows what has happened since we left.”

  “I want to go with you,” I said with beseeching eyes. “It doesn’t make sense to split apart.”

  “Huck’s right. There’s two more helicopters out there.” Trevan hoisted the AT4. “With at least three in a crew, and the Hind, we know there are at least nine people out there somewhere. Let us go first. You are too valuable to lose.”

  “What about the Professor and Stan?” I asked after reluctantly agreeing to stay behind.

  “Don’t get any ideas,” Huck warned. “If we can rescue them, we will.”

  “You better.” I said. Huck hugged me and then took off with Trevan and Zeke. I was alone with Zora again.

  Zora and I crept swiftly through the small stand of trees to the Reverend’s yard. Once there, we paused while we examined the yard for life, and then continued up the stairs to the porch.

  I waited on the porch while Zora picked the lock, apparently a skill everyone had in her group. Two cushioned Adirondack chairs sat facing the woods, and a table in between them held a pot, two cups and a basket full of tea untouched by the weather.

  Zora signaled for me to follow her into the kitchen. Once there we crossed over to the living room and froze when we saw someone sitting in a chair. The figure turned around when he heard our footsteps. I let out a giant sigh of relief when I saw that it was the Reverend.

  “Well, Hella. I was just catching my breath. What are you doing here?” Reverend Mac asked. He wasn’t wearing his spectacles, which I found very strange. I motioned to Zora and put my hand on the pistol.

  “What are you doing here, Reverend?” I asked, trying to keep the fear from my voice. Just as he was about to answer, Zora yelped behind me.

  Chapter 27: As You Were

  April 10th

  Green, Oval Park Place

  Haverlyn Village

  I turned around to see the Beefcake holding a gun on Zora and pointing another one at me. His uniform bulged at the seams, the buttons showing strain under the Beefcake’s weight. Either he wasn’t wearing his own clothes, or he had been feasting after the apocalypse. Wherever he was stationed, they must have had plenty of food.

  “Get your
hands up,” he said in a strong southern accent.

  “We didn’t do anything.” I raised my hands over my head.

  “You ran away from me.” The Beefcake’s finger moved to the trigger of his gun and his eyes moved over my exposed bra and cleavage.

  Reverend Mac came to my side and put an arm around my shoulder. “Sir, you must respect my home. The girl, my family, we’ve just lost one of our own, our dear Maxwell, to the evil plague that has descended upon us. We accept your protection, but you must accept our hospitality and treat us with the grace and love we deserve.”

  “Your kind wish is my desire,” the Beefcake drawled, lowering his weapons and raising his eyes to mine. “From what the Reverend has told us and from what we’ve seen, you don’t need our protection. The village protects you. Is that right, mam?”

  So it was true, they knew about the village, at least they believed it was the village and I didn’t want them to stop thinking that way.

  “Yes, sir.” I said.

  The Beefcake moved closer and a cloud of body odor and bad breath enveloped me in its sickness. If anyone smelled like death, this man did. Zora brought me a shawl that had been draped across a chair to cover my cleavage. I wrapped the shawl across my chest and folded my arms across it. The strong scent of Shelly Mac’s perfume entered my nostrils, replacing the stench of the Beefcake.

  “We’d like to talk to you more about this protection, mam. Is that alright?” His smile was anything but sincere.

  “Is the Professor alright?” I asked. I exchanged wary glances with Zora. She was trying to blend into the woodwork, a near impossible task in her extravagant beauty.

  “The Professor? Oh, the man you left us with. Yes, he’s fine, a bit faint, but we are letting him rest in the helicopter. Apparently he flew one before. He seems to quite like it. Maybe we’ll let him take it for a spin.” The Beefcake refreshed himself with a metal canteen.

  The Professor, a helicopter pilot. There was helpful information. It was also good to know he was safe, but for how long?