by Joe Kelly
The Leaves covered the road like carpet. Occasionally they saw a wrecked vehicle, or the spot where one had gone off the road ripping away under brush and small trees before plunging down to the distant ground. At one point, the convoy had to go cautiously around a landslide that partially blocked the road. But an hour later they were clear and heading deeper into the forest. Just past the Sugarland Mountain, Jared pointed out the Chimney rocks to Jill, who wished she had actually known how beautiful it was up here before the zombies. she would have come often. Spilt milk as her granny used to say.
They slowed for a series of almost hairpin turns, Jared praying for no more landslides, while Jill and many others were stunned by the incredible view out the windows as they drove higher up the mountain.
“Newfound gap.” Jared said pointing ahead and said, “we are now 5046 feet above sea level” it was at that moment he vowed to one day return as he took in the view, that almost literally took his breath away. Once he was finished with this whole supernatural dream trip, he was going to load up and come back to the land he truly loved.
They rode for a while longer in silence, the road steadily dropping. Jill finally roused herself and asked. “where are we going anyway?” she asked.
“Mountain farm museum” he replied. “It’s right on the edge of Cherokee lands, it’s a collection of old Farm buildings. Plus there is a visitor center, and museum. It also has a Blacksmith shop they used to put demonstrations. Figured we might set up a camp there and see what’s what before we head on. If there’s no real undead presence we might spend the winter there.” he didn’t mention Pappy’s note and the name it held, the name of a river that the farm sat beside. He wasn’t ready to discuss it.
The convoy made its way down from the Gap, weaving around fallen rocks and the occasional abandoned vehicle. Jill silently took in the view, if it had been any other time, she would have enjoyed looking down into the tree filled River valley. Between the dead and the time of year, it wasn’t as inspiring as it might otherwise have been. Some of the bright fall leaves still clung to the trees, but the wind coming down off the mountain was busy stripping the remaining leaves.
She glanced at Jared a few times, debating on talking to him about the nightmares she had been having. She knew he didn’t want to believe in dreams and portents, any more than he wanted to consult crystal balls or talk to supposed mediums, he just didn’t, couldn’t accept it. Refused was probably the better word, she thought, and she could sympathize before the dead she had scoffed at such stories. In her line of work, facts, Equations were the only truth.
Now however, she shivered as she remembered a part of the dream, something standing in the shadows of her living room as she took her sisters head, something gaunt and wearing an old hat and its quiet mocking laugh as the head rolled and stopped face up, her sisters face staring at her accusingly. “damned, you know she is, but if you do one thing for me….” It had said.
“you okay?” Jared asked concerned. “you look pale.”
“Yes” she said wanting to scream no and tell him the truth but she couldn’t. “I’m fine, just tired”
“I bet, you tossed and turned all night” He commented giving her a quick look. She looked back out the window thankful he had interrupted the memory.
“Sorry” she said hoping he would just let it drop.
“Its fine, I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” Jared said his attention shifting fully back to the road.
I’m sorry, she said silently, I want to tell you, but I can’t. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m scared that you won’t believe me and think I’m going crazy or that you will believe and that means they might be real.
Twenty minutes later they had crossed the gap and were on their down when Jared slowed the van and picked up the microphone. “I want everyone to hold up here.” He brought the van to a stop, then grabbed his rifle and a pair of binoculars. “Cover me” He told her as he opened the van door and stepped out into the cold windy day.
Following Jared, she kept her eyes on the steep slope above the road, above the cut made for the road it wasn’t vertical, but it was steep enough to make it a rough climb. She doubted that any zombie could be up there, but Rob had discovered one in a Dryer once so one on a steep mountainside wasn’t out of the question.
“you saw it too?” Steve asked as Jared stopped beside Ori’s truck at the head of the Convoy.
“now the question is are they friendly?” Jared commented.
Jill scanned the area ahead of the convoy, taking her time trying to see what exactly Jared and his friends had noticed. “Smoke” she said finally spotting five thin streams of smoke that were almost invisible against the lead gray sky. She tried not to get excited but the thought of actually seeing more living people that were not part of their group filled her with joy and hope and at the same time a dull apprehension of the possible violence such a meeting could bring.
Jared nodded in approval, people had lost to many skills in the old ‘modern’ world, being able to spot things like the smoke in the distance were just part of situational awareness that could keep them alive. We tuned out way too much and spent too much time minding our own business till we became essentially blind to the world around us, he thought.
Lifting his binoculars to his eyes he slowly panned them across the area where the smoke was rising from. Thanks to the thin leaf cover, he instantly saw the roof of the visitor center, behind it he could make out through the limbs several log cabins.
“you realize they have probably already heard our motors” Ori said.
“yeah” Jared muttered as he saw several people down there, heading towards the visitor center. “and it looks like they are getting set to greet us.”
“So, we do what?” Chris asked.
Jared’s mind snapped to Pappy’s note about meeting someone at the Ocanaluftee, that was the name of the visitor center which was named after the river. He wanted to ignore it, because if it was right then it became harder to dismiss the dreams and he really didn’t want to believe in prophetic dreams. What were the odds that a group of people would have survived down there and set up house?
God, I hate this crap, give me a straight up enemy trying to kill me and I’m fine. But this stuff about dreams and the undead, what next fiery chariots, a talking horse, and aside from Ori, leprechauns.
“get moving and find out” Jared blinked in surprise as he turned towards Chris who had spoken. For a moment, it had sounded like Mark. I’m going nuts, that’s it. There’s no undead, I’m just dreaming in a padded room drooling in my lap never having asked Jill out.
“I want all of you to follow, the rest of the convoy needs to hang back. If we come under fire, they are to speed up and blast past the visitor center.”
“and if we get killed?” Steve asked.
“then we won’t have to worry about the undead and the rest of the convoy will be on its own.” Jared replied making it sound humorous.
“you really don’t want to be the leader do you.” Steve asked with a quirk of his lips.
“Oh I love this job, its far better than say flipping burgers.” Jared muttered. “let me tell everyone else what’s going on and then I’m taking the lead.” He said becoming all business.
Jared slowed as he reached the bottom of the mountain road and hit the straightaway that followed the river. It was almost three in the afternoon and he could see the roof of the visitor center clearly now. His nerves singing, he drove ahead. It was more than possible that the survivors up there might just open fire on them. He doubted it but it was possible. “be ready, if there’s gunfire and I get killed I want the rest of you to open that side door and get out, use the van for cover. Give the others a chance to get past us and escape.” Jared told them a minute later as he saw the sign for the center and the almost empty parking lot ahead.
I guess getting killed here beats being killed somewhere else, like, say any place with Camel spiders, he thought. God, I hate those t
hings almost as much as clowns. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jill tense up as he turned into the parking lot.
The visitor center was a large brick building with a peaked roof and large glass windows to either side of the doorway. A covered arbor, complete with benches stretched forty feet out to the left of the center, boards mounted on the arbor held maps and notices for visitors who didn’t go into the building. A long one-story building lay just past the arch, it had been the original bathrooms for the visitor center.
Between the two buildings was a path that led to a bridge, a bridge where a large group of people had gathered waiting for them.
“what the heck” Jill muttered as she took in the sight. The crowd of people were dressed oddly, at least to her. Two men dressed straight from the 1800’s complete with knee high boots stood at the new built gate on this end of the bridge, they were holding modern looking Rifles. Other men, wearing blanket ponchos and armed with everything from pistols to old wooden shovels stood in front of the bridge gaping at the line of vehicles that came to stop in the large parking lot of the center. A woman wearing a sweeping dress straight out of “gone with the wind”, complete with a shawl wrapped around her shoulders stood with a steaming cup in her hands.
Jared had described the place as they had come down off the mountain, but it was still not what she had been expecting. The farm lay on the other side of the bridge, the log homes and their attendant buildings sat in a large field with a wooden slat fence around it. Two of the cabins looked old but the other six, larger cabins, looked new. as in months old and built from the trees that had been cleared from around the Farm itself. She could see a pig pen with pigs, and a large chicken house with chickens. A huge barn, that Jared had described to her and called a drover’s barn, and something he called a corn crib. Smoke curled up from the Chimneys of the log homes. It looked like something out of the movies.
“first zombies now time travelers” Jill muttered. Jared looked as surprised as she felt. He stopped the van and climbed out, his rifle in hand. The only sound was from the motors of the convoy as they idled in the cold afternoon. Jared slowly slung his rifle across his chest, he could have it up and engaged in a second if needed, then smiled at the silent crowd of tense strangers.
He had thought to act cautiously, gain their trust, and remain distant and in charge but his plan fell apart as he took in the number of people gathered in front of him. The almost sheer joy of seeing more human beings swept through him and it took everything he had not to just rush forward and start shaking hands and back slapping the strangers. He could see the same joy, the same excitement in their eyes as well and caution. At least three people were openly crying because of the intensity of their reaction to the moment.
A man dressed in modern Jeans and a thick fleece lined jacket stepped out of the crowd. What looked to Jared like a 357 was holstered on the other man’s hip. The stranger pushed up the brim of his John deer cap, his faded green and blue eyes widened as he gazed at Jared. “I be damned,” he said.
“Lloyd, Lloyd Caldwell” Jared exclaimed finally recognizing the man. “Good to see you again.” He said stepping forward extending a hand. Lloyd had been one of the Rangers who worked the park, in fact Roger and Lloyd had dropped by their camp on various trips just to shoot the breeze when they were off duty.
“Hate to admit it, but I never thought to see you again, to be honest I didn’t think anyone outside of here and Cherokee survived.”
“There’s survivors in Cherokee” Jared said. “more good news.”
“There’s more of you” Lloyd asked turning his head to look as the line of RVs and other vehicles appeared down the road.
“Thirty one kids and about forty adults.” Jared said. “we’ve been on the road since Halloween. Before that we were forted up at my old camp beside the big Southfork.”
“Tell me you have the medicines that go with that Ambulance” Lloyd said as he spotted the old ambulance. “We have a doctor and we have sick people, but we don’t have medicine.”
“Doctor? You have a Doctor.” Jared said with a wide crazy smile. “then today is yours and our lucky day,”
Jared got the convoy parked and his people outside, the two groups mingled talking excitedly, introducing themselves and shaking hands, with the occasional huggers going on hugging sprees. Everyone was asking questions about what it was like beyond the river valley. The only news the people at the farm had was from Cherokee and as far as they could see. What had happened and was happening in the wider world was a mystery.
Jared and Lloyd had the presence of mind to make sure that guards were out keeping watch for the undead.
“to be honest I was thinking about setting up camp here at the visitor center or on the other side of Cherokee before we saw the place was occupied.” Jared said as they watched the almost meet and greet. “Not sure if you would mind, but we do have some supplies to share and can help provide security for the farm.”
“Look why don’t you and a couple of others come to my cabin and we can talk. See how things stand before we make any decisions.” Lloyd said.
“Sounds like an idea” Jared replied motioning at Jill and Steve to follow him. he really wanted to have Ori along too. But if things went downhill, he wanted Ori outside where he could do the most damage.
He stopped at his van only long enough to snag one of the few unopened cans of coffee then followed Lloyd across the bridge into the farm proper.
The cabin Lloyd took them too was old, probably a hundred years old and had been moved here for the museum. Lloyd opened the door and blessed warmth spilled out.
The interior was neat but cluttered, like Jared’s group Lloyds people had to little room to store the supplies and equipment they had stocked up.
Heavy blankets hung over the old windows, helping trap the heat inside the cabin. “have a seat” Lloyd said motioning to the old wooden chairs around the equally old wooden table. Jared and his friend sat down, enjoying the heat from the fireplace.
Rachael Moore, hung her shawl on a hook by the door then took the can of coffee that Jared offered and headed to the Stove. “I haven’t had coffee in months,” She said as she set about making a pot of coffee. Once the coffee pot was placed on a metal plate in the fire place she joined them at the table.
“From what you said, you haven’t run across other survivors.” Lloyd said.
“Back in Bergstown, a friend of mine showed up at the camp with several other survivors in tow, then later another group of survivors, college students from Knoxville, showed up in town and joined us. Ran across another one in Bergstown.
That was before Halloween, after that we think we found people hiding in the Nuclear facility in Oakridge, but thanks to the undead we could never get close enough to try and get inside. Then in Knoxville, we spotted several places that might have people inside, namely because the undead had surrounded them and stacked up deep. You’re the first people we’ve actually seen since October.” Jared explained. “most of the survivors out there will probably be dead before spring. With no heat, trapped inside. Some of them will start fires and burn down where ever they are hiding, others will get sick and die, and more will probably starve.” That was one of the reasons he had decided going mobile was the best option, once the dead surrounded your house it was pretty much over.
Lloyd nodded slowly, he had hoped that there were a lot more survivors, but he had known deep down that it was unlikely. “The only other group we know about is in Cherokee, we only found out about them because a hunting party came up this way. Since then John Graham and a few others have stopped by regularly to do some trading. Which is where we got so much of the stuff we needed. In fact, he is due back next week sometime, and would probably love to meet you.”
Jared pictured the map in his mind, Cherokee wasn’t more than a two maybe three miles away, at least as the crow flies, maybe five miles by road. “aren’t you worried about the dead following them to the farm.”
“
John and his people are pretty good at getting around the undead, they haven’t been followed once.” Lloyd explained.
“You were in Nashville right” Rachael asked. Jared nodded in agreement “My parents… how bad was it.” She asked softly. She didn’t want to know but she had to find out.
“bad,” Jared replied then settled back and started telling them about the day, his rescue of Steph, the flight through the city to get her home, and all that had followed. When he finished the coffee was ready. She had hung on the hope that maybe her parents could be alive, he thought as she wiped at her eyes and rose to get cups for the coffee, glad to have something to occupy her hands while she coped with what she had learned.
Lloyd sat back “makes me wish I had kept those folks who wanted to go home, here at gun point. I let them go to their deaths” he said shaking his head in regret, angry at himself even though there was nothing he could have done to keep them at the Farm.