by Joe Kelly
“Nothing happened to me Ms. Beth, honest.” Billy protested. But there was something in the way he looked at her and in his tone of voice that made her suspect he wasn’t being fully honest with his answer.
She wanted to question him more but knew from past experience that none of the kids would talk about what ever was going on with them. I can’t just go to Jared and tell him the hat man is coming, what are we going to do shoot any one wearing a hat based on a eight year old’s cryptic comment during, well what ever it was that was happening to them.
Maybe I just imagined that voice, the older deeper voice, that has to be it. She told herself. If and when I tell Jared it will only be when I have answers, She told herself.
Chapter 11
On the December 17th, six zombies appeared on Newfound gap road and were stopped by the barricade they had placed a mile up from the farm.
The zombies had been hikers from the looks of them, dressed in the summer hiking clothes they had worn when they died. They were put to down easily and with no threat to others. Jared hadn't really wondered till that moment just how many undead there might be out there wandering around the hiking trails.
It wasn’t a thought he liked either, not with the trailhead behind the farm. What they needed was another fence along the backside closing off the area that was only covered by the DFP’s and stake fence that they had hastily emplaced.
In the world before zombies, He would have established a few lookouts with sat phones or a relay COM chain up on the mountain watching the trails, But he didn’t have a sat phone assuming that system still worked. And after finding zombies up at the yard, he didn’t want to send men out to sit around with their Asses in the wind with no way to get help if they needed it.
He visualized the map in his mind and frowned he might not have a way to really keep watch on the trails in the eastern hills on the edge of the farm.
The Raven Fork Overlook would give them a good observation point down the Big Cove road where the raiders would be coming down. More importantly, whoever he sent up there could drive straight up the Blue Ridge and park, so that eliminated or at least minimized the threat of being trapped by the dead. Secondly, with its elevation it should allow Radio communications between the farm and the scout team.
The ace in the hole was the fact that they had a few heavies of their own, that the other side didn’t know about. He wasn’t even aware of Jill sitting down beside him as he studied the map considering fields of fire.
But if the militia split their forces and sent people back country to come down into the farm from the mountain behind it, it could get really ugly. Which only added emphasis on getting a wall back there instead of DFP’s. The question was did they have the time? so many critical issue remained to be dealt with, and the chances of those trails becoming critical were not great.
“When do you think they will strike” Lloyd asked as he sat across from Jared. the center was almost empty at the moment, with everyone else out working on Vehicles or defenses.
. “Can’t really say.” Jared said looking up. “For all we know they are on the move now.”
“But Ori said that they were set up for winter camp” Lloyd said, hope in his voice.
“That doesn’t mean they can’t load up their fighters and come rolling down the Big Cove loaded for bear and Biscuits.” Jared commented, as he pulled out his little notebook and looked over a few of his notes.
“Bears and biscuits?” Lloyd repeated chuckling despite his case of nerves.
“Never mind, the deal is, you have things they don’t, buildings, Food, water, heat. Things they are too lazy to do for themselves. Even if they aren’t moving now, if they get to cold, or to hungry, they know that just a few miles away is a place that has everything they could want.” Jared pointed out. “they aren’t going to just sit there and freeze to death, or starve. If only for the simple fact they knew we hope they do just that.”
“I think I might send Jim to ask John Graham if he could send a few fighters to help defend the place. It’s to their benefit to get rid of the raiders too.” Lloyd said, Jared nodded in agreement at the suggestion.
“It’s a good Idea, but it’s up the Cherokee leaders, not John. They might not see it as a good idea.” Jared said then held up a hand. “I know, it’s not likely but it could happen. So you send Jim to visit, and I’ll send Ori and Jason up to the overlook to keep an eye on the road.”
✽ ✽ ✽
Mikhail kept behind the scouting force Captain Reed had sent out. He snorted at the pretensions of Rank; his face as always was blank when he wanted it to be. He watched the men flounder around in the snow, even with snowshoes they had trouble moving thru the now two and a half feet of snow. This was nothing compared to his homeland, Americans were so weak he thought contemptuously. He had no idea that this snow was already record setting and was actually going to surpass the newest record before it was over, and he wouldn’t have cared if he had known.
Reed had refused his suggestion about working along the ridgeline, believing that it was too steep and had too much snow to make it practical or easy to move men around up there. What a fool Mikhail thought with no real heat. In the end it wouldn’t matter, if his own plans worked out, Reed and his men would die right along with the farm and the people he hunted.
The Russian peered thru his binoculars; only need one lens these days he thought acidly, hatred for the cripple warmed his heart. He noted the vehicles that had been placed across the neck of the valley before the wall. The tires had been removed from the cars and trucks, and probably other parts as well to keep any one from sneaking up in the dark and moving them.
He let the rest of the scouting force advance, at least they were trying to use whatever covered there was. But it was too little and, in his mind, probably too late. He would, if he were the leader of the farm, have had a spotter out here somewhere, to give the farm warning.
He felt the skin on the back of his neck prickle suddenly, and knew he was being watched. He felt a satisfaction at having been right, he didn’t need to see the scout to know his gut feeling was spot on.
✽ ✽ ✽
Ori scanned the entire ten-man team that were obviously scouting the area. Well eleven really counting the guy that was hanging back. He studied the man thru his NVG scope noting the missing eye and still healing gouges across the left side of his face. He had seen him at the raider camp, entering the church.
Amateurs is what they are, He thought feeling professionally insulted. Stand out like a nun at an orgy.
“Base this is overlook, positively identified eleven members in the Scout force.” He paused consulting his map under a blue light. “Position, marker 21.” He wondered if the folks struggling along down there had noticed or even paid attention to the rods with orange tape around the top placed every 60 feet.
In addition to the markers, He and Jared had made range cards covering every major point of cover that the raiders might use on their approach, not at just one location but several just in case the raiders tried to launch an attack from a different direction.
The Raider scouts spread out hunkering down in the snow, trying to stay out of sight of any one that might be on the wall. “Position marker 17” Ori reported as he kept an eye on the scouts. If they start flashing lights at each other in Morse code I will shoot them for incompetence, Ori told himself.
“Roger stand by.” Sharon said from the Center. Minutes passed as the scouts worked their way from car to car in their advance towards the wall. “Overlook, this is base, you will support the team inbound.”
“Roger, out” Ori said already in the groove, his game face on. He had his first target picked out, the raider with the grenade launcher.
✽ ✽ ✽
Mikhail was far behind the scout team, who didn’t seem to give a damn where he was. Which was their problem he thought. Since they weren’t as good as they thought they were. As the team drew closer to the wall, Mikhai scanned the ridge where
he had sniped down on the farm. It took him a while, but he finally saw movement, something dark, moved across the snow up there then vanished out of sight behind some brush. A casual observer or an inept scout would never have noticed. Mikhail was neither, he slipped around behind a pile of boulders; he had no intentions of dying today.
He watched from cover as the scout team stupidly tried to reach the bridge to bypass the wall.
“Halt and Identify yourself” a voice bellowed from the wall, amplified by a megaphone. A bright light came to life bathing the area in front of the wall in harsh light that dazzled the eyes as it reflected off the snow.
Now that I wasn’t expecting, Mikhail thought not surprised to see Lieutenant Misslin panic. The entire scout team froze for just a second in surprise and fully revealed by the unexpected light. Misslin lifted his rifle and raked fire across the top of the wall and sealed their fate.
The raider with the grenade launcher had gladly accepted the M79 40mm weapon, and the confidence that kind of firepower gave a man, now with the bullets flying all he could think of was he was a target. It was a simple weapon at least, he brought the stock to his shoulder, a look of concentration on his face as he peered through the ladder sight. His finger tightened and then a flash of light filled his world and he fell into darkness.
Ori shifted his sights to the next man, as the farms defenders opened up on the raiders, with the grenade launcher out of it, the scout force was well and truly screwed.
Misslin caught in a crossfire, went down. His men returned fire, but it was wild, undirected, and ineffectual, some fired up at the ridge where a band of defenders had appeared, others fired at the wall. A few smarter and better than their fellows, had slipped into cover, and tried to lay down accurate return fire, but they gave up after a moment as a sniper from the south, up on that overlook mostly likely, Mikhail thought, began to fire on them.
Three men of the scout team survived all that the farm threw at them and crawled out of the ambush using every bit of cover they could find. Finally, desperate they tossed away their weapons and ran for their lives. The Defenders of the farm let them go.
Mikhail, slipped out of his current hiding place and made his way quickly and stealthily into the brush behind the boulders, where he vanished from sight again.
That defeat, Mikhail thought, should really motivate Reed to attack in force. That kind of embarrassment would probably lead Reeds people to kill everyone living at the farm. Then if things went well, they would be slaughtered by the undead themselves. It would be as the never sufficiently damned Americans say, a win, win.
Ori swept his rifle across the area but was still unable to locate the gruesome looking one eyed man who had lagged so far behind the scouting group. He was reasonably certain the man had hidden in or behind that pile of boulders.
From the boulders, it was only twenty feet to the brush line and the forested slope to the north. He scanned down the Road away from the wall, knowing that the one-eyed butt head had to be heading back but saw nothing. “Damn” he muttered. “He is good. I really hate the ones who are good”
Ori watched the survivors of the scout force retreat, he hadn’t heard a vehicle, so either it was parked miles up the road, or they had come all this way on foot, he suspected on foot, which would mean two days for them to get back, counting breaks and sleeping, 24 hours maximum if they didn’t stop to sleep or worry about being tracked. If they did have a vehicle they could be at their camp in an hour. After that it might be anywhere from a day to a four days before they come back loaded for bear.
“Four are gone, but I can only confirm three of the scout force left the area” He transmitted.
“Roger that, cover us we are heading down now to collect the weapons and ammo they don’t need any more and to put them down.” Jared replied. As it was, the Farm ended up with an extra week.
✽ ✽ ✽
Gayle sat in her favorite chair by the bedroom window and shivered as she looked out the window into the night, snow was falling heavier now in fact this was shaping up to be a record snow fall. She let the drapes fall back into place then rose to her feet. Pulling on the old thick flannel robe and fleece lined slippers she shuffled into the Kitchen. Where she fixed herself a cup of coffee before heading into the living room where she sat slowly cradling the steaming cup in her hands. She gazed out the large window watching the snow pile up inch after inch. Considering her latest dream, and wishing it was just an old woman’s delusion.
“Are you okay?” John asked entering the room silently. She managed not to jump. “I’m fine.” She replied, and then sipped from her cup enjoying the warmth that filled her from the coffee. John slept lighter than a mouse, he always seemed to know when she rose and walked around the house at night, and like a good grandson, he often checked on her, usually scaring her out of an extra year of life he was so quiet. Tonight, she had been expecting him, but he still had taken her by surprise.
“You had another dream” he said, it wasn’t a question.
“Yes” she replied, feeling a pang of regret, that this was happening tonight of all nights, but Christmas eve didn’t have the same feeling these days as it did before the zombies. She watched without comment as he sat on the arm of the chair and gazed at her.
“Who was it for?” He asked gently, he could see the fear and resolution in her eyes.
“For everyone here, and for me.” She replied, then fixed him with a steely gaze. “I want you to gather ten men and go to the farm. But you have to leave as soon as possible.” she told him.
He looked at her surprised. “Why? And what about the council?”
“Because they are coming, and the farm will fall without help. If you and the others leave here tonight, you will be that help. if you delay here to long, we will all fall.” She said gently reaching out a too thin hand and touched him lightly on the cheek. “The council has already left it up to me.” She told him.
She saw again in her mind, the undead flowing down the trails of the park. Plodding thru the snow with single-minded determination. The undead marched thru the falling snow like a plague, shadowy shapes full of a dark bloody hunger.
They poured out of the woods while a battle raged at a wall. The few defenders who guarded the trail were swept away under a tide of dead flesh that swept over them tearing them apart. Then that horde turned to the cabins and the men south and east of the cabins standing on the wall fighting.
“I think they will come from the woods on the slopes of the ridge to the east,” she told John.
He rose reluctantly “are you sure we can spare that many men from here?” he asked, wanting to help the farm, but not at the expense of losing his home and people. The council had been debating on Lloyds request for two days now, but She obviously had decided it was necessary and needed to happen immediately.
She nodded, oh the undead would lay siege here as well, that she knew, which is why she wanted them to move now to get out before they could be trapped. That was what the thing behind this had planned. She had no idea what it was, not even its image in her dreams were clear. Just an oddly proportioned man shaped shadow in an old bowler hat.
She had faith in their defenses and more importantly faith in the men and women who would remain here to keep the undead out of their homes. Well, faith in all but one, she thought. She had no idea who he was, but he was there, a traitor to, not just her people, but to mankind. I told you, you would affect more than just those kids, Gayle said silently thinking of Jared. You brought us weapons and ammunition that we will desperately need tomorrow, and because you did, the warriors I am sending to you will be able to do more than just throw rocks at our enemies. I only wish I had been able to send them earlier.
The undead that would arrive here had only one purpose, to keep her people from helping the farm, which is why the messenger in her dreams had come to her, so that she could send help before they became trapped in the compound.
“Yes, I am sure, and you have about two h
ours to get your gear and supplies ready and leave, but no longer.” She told him, wishing she could spend more time with him now that the all the events she had been warned about began to come together.
“Wake Kat and send her to me, before you leave.” She said, “and John, I am proud of you.” She said. He studied her for a moment then nodded. Once John had left the room she felt a pang of regret for not telling him the truth and saying goodbye, but if he knew what was coming he would refuse to leave and that couldn’t be allowed to happen.
She had much so much to do and little time to get it done. When Kat entered, she smiled sadly at her great granddaughter. “We have much to discuss. Sit please.” She said gesturing towards the chair opposite her own.
✽ ✽ ✽
Candied apples and popcorn chains were hung in the rooms of the Main cabin. Candles in colored bags lined the shoveled paths between cabins, the snow creating indistinct halos around each bag. Outside the cabin a large fir tree had been placed and decorated. Candles flickered from its branches. Jared watched the kids stand at the window, soaking up the ancient magical sight, and smiled at the pleasure he saw on their faces. Like children before the dead, they had been up hours before sunrise and were eager to dive into the huge pile of presents that had appeared overnight under the large Christmas tree that Jared and Steve had cut down and brought back.