by J. Thorn
“Why?” Melissa asked, the worry clear in her voice.
“Because…” I paused. “Because that’s how I’ve seen it done in the movies.”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Barry whispered.
“Look,” I kept my voice low, not wanting it to be obvious that we were choosing this moment to have a disagreement, “if we go as a group and everybody tries to talk, nothing gets done. If it is just me, and I’m assuming nobody disagrees that I have our best interests in mind, then I can deal with these people much easier.”
Nobody argued, so I assumed it was settled. I knew that there would be some people with issues regarding my decisions, but I’d gone past caring after the last fiasco. Like it or not, this is my show to run. My primary objective is to keep Thalia—and now Emily—alive and as safe as possible. Everybody, with the exception of the two little girls, is welcome to leave anytime they want.
We reached the edge of the picnic grounds, marked by the dirt road which was no more than two semi-clear tracks made from countless sets of tires driving through. The middle was overgrown, spreading into the two strips. Also, there was a chain painted brown that ran the length of the area connected to three-foot high, brown posts, some still with reflector tape strips at the top.
Unlike their emissary I wasn’t about to take my weapon off. Motioning for everybody to stop, I continued across the open field that had hosted plenty of family reunions, and company-picnic softball games.
“Be careful, Steve,” I heard Melissa whisper.
As I crossed the open ground, I kept an eye on the trio standing clustered in the distance, but started to appraise the person approaching me. It was a woman. That became evident only after she removed the hat, glasses, and bandana. She was tall, taller than me by a few inches, and had her curves hidden by the leather apron and a get-up that reminded me of what welders wore minus the visored helmet. I did notice that the heavy-duty glove on the right hand was modified; the fingers had been cut off the glove, most likely to allow her to operate her rifle.
I chose a spot that I knew could be seen from the windows up where Teresa, Aaron, and Jamie would be and watching. This was our turf and this stranger could come to me. Suddenly I was unsure of where to put my hands. After a few seconds of deliberation, I clasped them in front of me.
Now that I could really observe this person approaching me, I didn’t know how I couldn’t have realized instantly that she was absolutely a woman. She had shoulder length auburn hair and a very delicate face. Her walk was very feminine, and her hips swayed easily with what seemed to be a natural effortlessness. I also noticed a confidence. She showed no indication of being nervous or afraid.
When she was a few feet away, she stopped. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of green that I thought might even be contacts. She smiled pleasantly and extended her hand after removing the glove.
“Fiona O’Hara.” The woman’s voice had a soft Irish lilt.
“Steve Hobart.” I shook her hand.
“We seem to have wandered right into your encampment,” Fiona said. “I see you’ve been preparing defenses.” She nodded towards our trench.
“And I assume you’re searching for a place of your own. Or are you just passing through?”
“We are actually trying to find a place to dig in before summer’s gone.”
“How many?” I asked.
“Just what you see.” A troubled look crossed her face. “We lost half our group three weeks ago.”
“Where you coming from?”
“Boise,” Fiona said, her eyes suddenly shifting over my left shoulder. “I see you are a bit wary of strangers.”
I imagined that she must have spotted Teresa or one of the guys with their rifle trained on us from up at the house. I had no need to look over my shoulder, nor was I comfortable enough to turn my back on this total stranger.
“Boise?” I prompted, hoping for a more in-depth response.
“We were at BSU when things went bad,” Fiona began. “As seems to be the case everywhere, nobody saw this for what it was. Within three days, the city was hell. Fires were burning everywhere, rioters and looters were nothing more than walking buffets for the walking dead and any hope of turning the tide on this was gone.” Fiona paused for a moment and took a deep breath.
“It happened so fast,” I said finishing up her thoughts.
I understood what she was saying. I remember that morning when Teresa, Thalia, and I drove down I-5 and through Vancouver, Washington. I still remember all those zombies on both sides of the interstate up against the fences…on the overpasses. How fast it had spread in that first twenty-four hours. Or at least within the twenty-four hours from when I’d gotten that phone call.
“And you’ve been running ever since?” I asked, finally breaking the silence that had settled between us.
“Mostly,” Fiona said wearily. “Sometimes we found places to stop and catch our breath. But all it takes is one of those things, and they’re like cockroaches, all of a sudden you’re overrun.”
“That’s why we’re hoping this place works out,” I said. “It’s away from any main roads, and the closest town is miles away.”
“Which direction did you guys come from?” Fiona asked. Then hastily added, “If you don’t mind my asking.”
“Not at all.” I shook my head. “Mostly from the west, we’ve sorta migrated up the I-84 corridor.”
“Well, if you want, we’ll move on.”
I thought it over for just a second and decided that I didn’t have a problem as long as they understood how things worked. “Everybody pulls their weight. I can’t be certain that we can stay here undiscovered, but that’s the hope. And while this is sort of a democracy, I won’t hesitate to make the tough decisions. One of them that is not up for a vote is if you’re bit, you get put down. It’ll be as humane as possible, but I won’t hesitate, nor will I be talked out of it.”
“Agreed.” Fiona nodded and we shook hands.
I clasped her hand in mine and raised ours together, waving at my people and signaling them to come down and meet our newest members. All the newbies were about Jack’s age… young, strong, and happy to be off the roads.
***
“I think it will be best if we move at night and stay clear of the roads,” I said as we all sat in the shade of the trees near the banks of the stream.
We’d been working hard the past couple of days on the moat, but today it was simply too hot. We’d called it quits around midday. It was as good a time as any to bring up the impending supply run. We would need to stock up as heavily as possible. There was no telling what winter would bring.
“I think a four-person team will do nicely while still allowing us to continue here with preparations.” I looked around at mostly nodding heads.
“Who picks this team?” Lee Jones, a very dark-skinned African-American from Fiona’s group, asked.
“You volunteering?” I asked.
“Yep.” The young man nodded.
“Okay,” I nodded back, “that’s two. I’d rather this be a volunteer thing. So…who else?”
“I’m in,” Jack said, surprising nobody.
“And me,” Melissa blurted like she was afraid she’d be beaten to the punch.
“Good deal,” I said. “So we shouldn’t waste time. I say we go first thing after dinner.”
“Tonight?” Lee asked.
“I said I didn’t want to waste time.”
“Geez,” Barry chuckled, “I guess not.”
I’d sun-dried as much as possible, and it was time to head up and get some rest. One thing I’d learned is that being tired leads to mistakes. Out here, mistakes kill. My team followed me. Everybody else stayed put, allowing for the luxury of peace and quiet.
The house was divided up into three parts. There was the entry. It was a huge room with assorted pictures—some black and white from the very early 1900s showing rugged men with huge saws. Others were aerial shots of the lush forests that were so
prevalent in this part of the country. There was a huge counter made of some sort of dark-grained wood. The whole room was made to look as rugged and woody as possible. On one wall was a blown up map of the campgrounds. Beside it was a map of the surrounding area. This was the map we’d used to choose our target for the supply run.
Off to the left of the entry area was what had served as the actual living quarters for the Forestry Department person who worked here. It was a rather nice one-bedroom apartment. The best feature was the generator. We’d have power if need be. The only drawback was the noise. We’d started it once and it had scared us half to death. There was a wonderful wood stove in there as well that was worth more than the generator in my mind.
To the right lay an open kitchen—now useless—and a couple of large storage areas. Both of those turned out to be a good find. There was a decent amount of dry goods like sacks of beans, rice, sugar, and flour. In the other were cases of toilet paper, assumedly for not just the worker, but also the porta-potties located around the grounds.
The beauty of this place is all the open space. So far, everybody has been able to stake out a spot with at least a little bit of privacy. One of the tasks on the list of things we want done soon is partitions. Currently, any sorts of amorous liaisons are achieved by going out into the campground portion of this place. Several of the sites have a picnic table. The couple of times that Melissa and I have slipped away have been interesting, but everybody agrees that it is just a bit dangerous. It would be tragic to lose somebody because they were so engrossed in sex that they didn’t hear the approach of a zombie.
Melissa and I crawled into where our twin sleeping bags lay in a corner of the defunct kitchen. We’d chosen this spot for two reasons. The first was that its windows didn’t catch any direct sunlight since they were all facing north. The second was because, at least up to this point, nobody else chose to sleep in here. Surprisingly, falling asleep proved to be no problem.
***
“Five days tops.” I squeezed Thalia and Emily close. Neither one seemed inclined to let go any time soon. “You two stick close to Teresa and do as she says, okay?” Weak, barely perceptible nods were the only indication that they’d heard.
“I don’t want you to go,” Thalia sniffed, pulling back to reveal tear-streaked cheeks.
“I know, sweetie,” I said, and leaned forward to plant a kiss on her forehead. “And I promise that I will not make this a habit, but I have to make this first run.”
“To scout the area?” Emily asked, showing what life growing up as an Army brat could teach even the young ones.
“Yep,” I replied, and made sure to keep the scale balanced by kissing her forehead, too.
“I’ll watch over Thalia,” Emily whispered in my ear.
I smiled and eased my way out of the tangle of arms. Emily shifted over and pulled Thalia close to her. Where was I that I’d missed this sister-like bond building between the two of them? A nod to Teresa passed on all that needed to be said between us.
It was a perfect night. The moon was bright in the clear sky and thousands of stars sparkled. We cut across the open ground towards the darkness of the trees. Each of us equipped with a handgun, shotgun, and assorted “quiet” weapons like axes and machetes. We all had a backpack and a trio of boda-bags full of water. The packs were empty save for enough food for us to snack on and hopefully get us to our destination. Of course we were all looking forward to coming across some wild-mountain blackberries that are plentiful in these parts.
Just before we ducked into the darkness of the woods, I looked back. I could see the dark outline of the building I hoped we could call home…at least for the upcoming winter. It was too dark, and we were too far away for me to see anybody, but I knew that if they were still watching us leave, I was visible in the wide-open of the field under the moonlight. I raised an arm and waved.
***
“Why don’t we just get down there and maybe find a spot to hide until nightfall?” Lee asked. “I’m hungry and that handful of berries didn’t do a damn thing for me.”
“For one,” I turned my head, not hiding my annoyance, “I want to have a good idea on what to expect as far as the zombie population is concerned. Second, I want to see if there are survivors down there. Staying here for one day isn’t gonna kill us. Walking down there unaware of the potential dangers will.”
Lee scowled and muttered something under his breath. Jack and Melissa sat quietly, staring down into the tiny town that was spread out below us. Bringing up my binoculars once more, I began a slow scan. This had been the fourth or fifth argument with Lee in the thirty or so hours we’d been gone. I was beginning to think that Lee hadn’t volunteered for this run on purpose. He’d opened his mouth in front of the group and now it was some sort of idiotic, youthful, macho-pride thing. So far he’d complained about moving through the woods instead of the roads; he was hungry and we hadn’t brought enough food; the water was warm and tasted flat; and we hadn’t taken a long enough rest yesterday.
“I count at least thirty private residences,” Jack whispered, “None of them have crowds around them. So it seems possible that they are empty. At least of living, breathing types.”
“There looks to be one grocery store, a small convenience store and what looks like a sporting goods or maybe hardware store.” I pointed each out in turn.
“Down by the lake is a building,” Melissa added. “It’s likely another store or something.”
“I’m guessing no more than a couple hundred of those things down there,” Jack offered.
“And fairly well spread out,” I said. “That makes it at least somewhat likely that nobody living is still hanging around.”
“But we’ll sit up here hungry all day,” Lee grumbled.
“I’ll tell you what,” I dropped my binoculars to my chest and faced the young man, “if you’re so anxious, and if you are really starving like you keep saying…go.”
Everybody was silent. Jack and Melissa sorta stepped back like they were afraid that this confrontation might get physical. I doubted it, but my body had tensed in anticipation. I felt a slight tremor as adrenaline dumped into my system.
“You think I’m scared?” Lee shot back.
“Actually,” I stepped up to the younger man, almost nose-to-nose, “I think you’re a big mouth and an idiot.”
I don’t know what it was. Maybe I was being the idiot. Perhaps I was puffing up a bit because Melissa was watching. Or maybe I’d just had it with people like Lee. I’d never told anybody that they had to stick around. People chose to join our group. Yet, time and time again, I found myself being challenged. It was like some damned nature documentary.
Lee glared, but, and I’ve got to be honest when I say I was relieved, he backed down. At least to a point. He turned and stomped off to a big pine and flopped down at its base.
I looked over at Jack and Melissa, they were both making a big point of looking the other way. They’d found something absolutely riveting down in the town below. I walked over and brought my binoculars back up to my eyes.
“I think that was what the soldiers, Wimmer and his men, did wrong,” Melissa finally said after several uncomfortable moments of silence.
“Huh?” I lowered the field-glasses and glanced over at her.
“They found a small town.”
“And?”
“Well…” She swallowed and took a deep breath. Was she nervous about telling me her opinion because of my scene with Lee? “They moved in and basically took over a town. Even though it was small, it still sat on a road and probably showed up on a map.”
“I still don’t follow.”
“Those raiders,” she began to relax, “they were probably doing similar to what we’re doing right now. Find a small town and clean it out. Only, this group was bigger and obviously well-equipped.”
“I’m still not sure I follow,” I said, feeling a little bit dense.
“That place we’re setting up camp at,” M
elissa said, obviously trying to search for the right way to put things. “It’s off the beaten path. Sure, it might show up on a map, but not as having anything useful. We’re in a good spot to avoid bad guys. Whereas, if we went down there,” she pointed, “we’d more than likely be spotted; and maybe not by people like Fiona and her little group. But maybe like whoever attacked Serenity.”
I had to admit it, she had a point. And her point was her way of telling me I was doing the right thing. She was telling me that I was the leader and she believed in my decisions. As scary as the prospect was, I think I could seriously consider falling in love with Melissa.
I looked her in the eyes, and I saw a spark there that I hadn’t noticed up till now. Not even when we’d laughed or joked or slipped away to have sex out in the woods. Up until now, we were companions and survivors relying on each other to deal with the unthinkable. I briefly contemplated telling her what I was feeling until—
“We got trouble,” Jack said, breaking the spell.
“What?” I turned and could tell that he was not comfortable. He’s a smart kid. He probably had a good idea what was going on in that moment.
“Lee,” Jack said, pointing down the hill.
I moved up and looked. Sure enough, creeping through the tall grass was young Mister Lee James. There was plenty of scrub, plus, the wild brown grass was about thigh high. He was crouched low and using cover. I didn’t doubt that he would be able to get down there. Hell, he might even avoid being noticed. But every so often, he kicked up a little dust. Any living person couldn’t help but see it. If there were any survivors down there, they might see. If there were any survivors on any of these surrounding hills…we were screwed.
“What do we do?” Jack asked, clearly nervous.
“Watch…wait…hope he doesn’t get himself killed,” I said.
“Aren’t we gonna go after him?” Jack turned back, watching Lee who was now almost halfway down the slope.