by Joe Kelly
He took a deep calming breath “you’re right, I’m sorry,” he said then looked at John Graham who looked as stressed as Jared felt. Who could blame him either, last night there had been an orange glow in the sky in the direction of Cherokee. Something was burning, and John and the other Tribesman were eager to get back and check on their people.
“Okay, here is the plan and no arguments this time, we take the plow and head into Cherokee, so we can get John and his folks home. John, you stay with the column. If there is a large group of undead there, you’ll get dragged off those snow mobiles. We will get you folks back to your people and help clear the area.” Jared said, not even asking for suggestions or waiting for agreement.
He didn’t add he planned on going up the parkway on their return, just him and maybe Logan. It was his fault and his responsibility to get his friends back safely or bring their bodies back for burial.
An hour later Lloyd stood at the southern bridge across the Ocanaluftee, watching as the convoy of five trucks and seven snowmobiles led by a snowplow turned down the highway and started for Cherokee. He knew Jared had folded to easy. He only hoped that Jill could keep the redheaded idiot from doing something stupid like heading off by himself into the mountains on a rescue mission.
Jared drove slowly thru the ruins of Cherokee. The fire had burned through many of the old businesses and homes on the outskirts of the town. Flames still danced in the snow-choked ruins. Who or what had started the fires they would never know.
They crossed the bridge where they had stopped to talk on the last trip here, the plow taking out twenty undead that were clustered on the span. Graham, on his snowmobile, pulled ahead after the bridge and guided them thru the streets.
As they started up the road to the compound’s gates they could see well over a hundred and fifty zombies trying to scratch their way into the compound. Another two hundred lay scattered on the ground around the walls, many with arrows sticking out of them.
The snowmobiles peeled off and fell back behind the rest of the vehicles. Using the larger vehicles as cover and keeping an eye on their back trail in case more undead put in an appearance.
“Park and dismount!” Jared transmitted. The line of vehicles slowed then stopped, as the still mobile undead turned and headed towards the idling vehicles.
Jared leaped down cradling his rifle in his arms watching as the undead bore down on them. It was an unnerving sight, but one he was growing used to, he thought as he called out an order.
The group spread out in a skirmish line, weapons at High ready. Most of the men and women were nervous at being out in the open, there could be zombies in any direction just waiting to sweep down on them.
“Take em out!” Jared said as he started shooting. It was a turkey shoot all things considered. Zombies fell one by one, but for everyone put down there was two more still mobile. The steady firing kept up, undead bodies tumbled to the ground their numbers finally thinning.
The Cherokee men and women on the wall held their fire to avoid overshooting and hitting the people on the other side of the zombies. The numbers dwindled rapidly.
“cease fire, save ammo, Melee weapons out” Jared called out, slinging his Commando, then drawing his tomahawks advancing on the remaining undead his people spread out on either side of him.
It was a short brutal fight, that cost the living another man. Paul Weston had been unlucky enough to slip on a patch of ice at the wrong moment, he had raced home only to die at the wall.
Jared stood over the last corpse and sheathed his tomahawks, looking around at the carnage before the walls, wondering if one day the undead would just drop over and this would finally end. God he was sick of this, putting down the undead might be a mercy but it was hard on a man’s soul. With his rifle back in his hands, he ejected the half-spent magazine and replaced it with a fully loaded mag, then walked over to the snow plow where Kale, and Mannie two of Lloyds men were still hunched over from throwing up.
Kale gave Jared a weak embarrassed smile, “sorry, weak stomach I guess” the dark-haired man said.
“Nothing to feel sorry about, it happens to everyone at some point. First time I was in a firefight I pissed my pants and threw up.” Jared told him. Kale looked almost relieved that Jared hadn’t made fun of Mannie and himself.
“All right let’s mount up and get inside before a few more of these things show up” Jared called out. He waited, keeping an eye out for more undead, till everyone was back aboard their vehicles then climbed into the van.
The convoy lurched forward once more climbing the narrow road to the top of the ridge, the gate opened as they approached, Graham and the others sped ahead into the compound. The Men and women of Cherokee rushed out the gates and began to search the dead that were scattered around the base of the wall. Nothing that could be used was left behind.
Jared drove through the gate and parked in the old parking lot, Graham was standing by his snow mobile in deep conversation with a slender Dark haired young woman who reminded him of Gayle. Graham appeared to be upset as he listened to the woman talk.
He finished his conversation and walked stiffly back to Jared, his face like stone. “Gayle died yesterday, two feathers shot her down. From what Kat said, after I left Gayle called her in and told her what was coming and that she would replace Gayle in the family and on the council.
“She knew, Jared, She knew she was going to be killed and she sent me to help you,” Graham clenched his fists; he believed if he had been there Gayle would still be alive, Jared thought. I am damn familiar with that feeling these days. “I've known Two feathers all my life, why would he kill her, she was like his own grandmother.” He said angrily.
Jared thought about that for a moment and had no answer. Really there was nothing he could have said. Gayle had acted on what she had believed, and if John and his friends hadn’t been at the Farm there wouldn’t have been enough men to hold the undead long enough for everyone to escape across the bridge and the Farm would have fallen.
Jared remembered Gayle’s comment during their conversation about how she had been told things in her dream that were for her and her alone and wondered if she had been forewarned that John had to go, and she had to die.
Destiny, he thought disgusted at the idea, what a load of crap. Man creates his own destiny, fate might get you to the crossroads, but you picked which way to go.
The world he decided was truly insane, when I seriously stop and consider, Dreams and Prophecies as reality. God just get rid of these things, all I want to do is lounge naked on a beach with Jill for the rest of my life not wallow around shooting pus filled walking rotted meat bags.
“I’m sorry John,” Jared said after a second. “I didn’t really know her, but what little I saw of her, she seemed an incredible, smart and kind woman. And she obviously gave you her sense of humor.” Jared said sincerely.
Graham smiled sadly at that. “she was more like that pappy guy you told me of, only less cussing. she could tear a strip off you then have you laughing between each slap of the belt on your ass.” the pain in the other man’s voice struck Jared pretty hard, he wasn’t sure if a hug or handshake was appropriate, or even if touching was okay. People and customs were thorny and difficult for him sometimes especially in this kind of situation.
He decided on touching Grahams shoulder. “I am sorry and if we can help.” Jared offered.
Graham slowly shook his head. “no but thanks, you’ve done more than enough for us. Just the fact that you came with me to help in case they were under attack more than proves to the others here that you can be counted on and that Gayle was correct about you and the Farm.” Graham started to turn away then stopped. “if you will wait an hour I’ll help you look for your friends.” Graham knew Kat had a handle on things here, and he really needed to get out of here and think without having to deal with the sympathy and pity others would insist on dropping by and showing.
“I thought we had agreed to wait” Jared said innoc
ently.
“Lloyd agreed, you how ever will not leave one of your people out there any longer than necessary.” Graham replied, Jared tilted his head in acknowledgement.
“I’ll wait an hour, and thanks John” Jared replied.
✽ ✽ ✽
It had been dark by the time they reached the area that Ori had thought might be the easiest to go down. With no other choice Ori had made a snow shelter in a stand of trees, just off the road on the edge of the precipice where the two men had huddled all night as the storm raged outside. At dawn they had emerged into the still energetic storm.
“Well this idea sucks” Jason said as they looked down, the snow was falling so hard they couldn’t see to the bottom. To be honest they couldn’t see five feet down with the snow blowing wildly up the rock face from the heavy gusts of wind “well we know where the bottom is, that’s a plus” Ori said as he shrugged off his pack and retrieved the climbing harness, Carabiners and other gear. “bright side is we can’t miss the ground.”
“you really want to head down in this shit” Jason asked. Ori jerked a thumb over his shoulder back towards where the zombies were.
“if the dead decide to head this way, we won’t see them till they are almost on top of us.” Ori pointed out, his mind busy studying the conditions they would face going down. “and I don’t want to sleep out in the open again.”
if they didn’t rappel down or climb up their only other choice was to head for the tunnel this side of the barricade and shelter there, and to be honest it was too dark and to open for Ori to feel comfortable in and he damn sure didn’t want to light a fire in the tunnel and draw the undead. Not to mention the wind cut down the Blue Ridge would blow right through the tunnel and cut through their clothes like a knife. As an added bonus from hell the undead could show up at any time, leaving them with no place to go.
It didn’t look good, from any angle, he knew he could make it fairly easily, but he doubted Jason could make this, in normal circumstances they would just walked the road, but that was certain death these days. The only option they really had, was to scale the short vertical face next to the road, and reach the steep slope above, earlier he had seen multiple places along the slope that could be used for shelter.
Going down the wall to the road below, had its own set of problems, no visibility, high winds, ice and snow that made the descent more dangerous down a vertical cut with no place to stop, and possibly an army of undead waiting at the bottom. Being blown all over the bare cut face, and possibly having a rope cut by a stone shard that would send them hurtling to their deaths wasn’t something he really wanted to risk.
He glanced up the mountain, not really seeing much thru the snow. But he knew about a hundred feet up there was a shelf, a large one with trees on it. In good weather, the climb up would be a moderate challenge. But only the first fifty feet since that part was sheer with few hand and foot holds. He knew he could make it with little problem. The wind and ice would be the biggest complications But Jason? he doubted Jason had the skill or knowledge. All we have to do is make it fifty feet then it will get easier. The slope is steep, but the trees and brush will block the wind, and there will be plenty of hand and foot holds.
So many choices and none of them good he thought.
“okay look” he said and outlined the problems as he saw them. Jason at least wasn’t panicking and that was good. But the longer they stood here the greater the chance that zombies would appear out of the snow and it would be all over but for the screaming like little girls.
“A hundred feet to climb and camp, sounds better and easier than risking the wind and wet rocks, and zombies going down.” Ori was in total agreement; they couldn’t stand here all day and night. The temperature was dropping as the storm intensified, they needed to get into shelter and do it soon.
What puzzled him was the weather, He had never experienced a storm like this in the region. Oh, there were stories of the blizzard of 93 but he didn’t remember hearing about it being this bad. Maybe it was in these parts, he told himself. With a mental shrug he turned back to the problems they face.
If it were summer, the climb would actually be fairly easy with little gear needed, but in this weather, and Jason along he would rather approach it like it was the Eiger.
“Okay I’ll go first.” Ori said as they moved to the wall side of the Blue ridge. “I’ll help you as much as I can.” Ori assured him.
“Thanks” Jason said, he had never been a climber, rappelling yes, and he loved it. though the thought of rappelling in this weather made his testicles want to climb up and throttle his brain. But climbing, he had always been a bulky guy, a weight lifter, not exactly the body type you wanted to try to hang on to a sheer wall. What he climbed, true rock climbers sneered at, probably most first graders too.
“It’s not hard, just do what I tell you” Ori said then had Jason drop his pack and dump it out. He hated wasting time, but he wanted to make sure the weight was distributed properly to make the climb a bit easier. Once he had finished, he had Jason get into his climbing harness. Ori checked him over, eyeing the knot he shook his head and retied it.
With that done, Ori started up the wall, setting Stoppers every so often, the climb was tricky with the ice and snow, but for him it wasn’t all that hard. Only the wind made it seriously difficult and twice gusts of wind and the blinding snow almost knocked him loose.
He reached the top of the cut and carefully moved onto the steep slope where he slipped between two boulders and he roped himself in to position then set the belay before he tugged on the rope signaling Jason to start up.
Jason couldn’t believe he was doing this. fifty feet to clear the roughest part had sounded easy. It took a minute to get his balance and pull himself up even a foot. Then the wind began to strike his pack, threatening to tear him loose and send him sailing off the mountain. He pulled himself up, his fingers wrists and forearms were burning. He climbed slowly and steadily, trying to ignore the pain in his shoulders, arms and back.
Suddenly there was a hand on his shoulder. “Hang on, don’t look down” Ori said in his ear. And of course, Jason looked down and almost hurled up his nonexistent breakfast, forty feet down, a zombie stood there pawing at the wall. He only saw it for a moment then it was gone swallowed by the snow again. he looked at Ori who was hooking his line into some kind of rod with a carbineer attached to it. “I told you not to look” Ori said, his voice almost lost to the wind.
“at least I was up here” Jason commented. Ori didn’t respond.
Ori hadn’t warned Jason when he first saw the thing, because Jason was actually out of reach of the zombie by a couple of feet. The dead must have been walking up the road behind them the entire time.
He had feared if he said a word to the already worried Jason, the man might have reacted badly and fallen back down onto the parkway and that would have been that. he stayed silent and pointed up. Jason looked up and then said clearly “Lead on McDuff.”
The climb was a nightmare for Jason. His muscles burned, his back was killing him. His fingers felt raw and had stopped protesting, but now he could barely feel them. Once off the cut, they were past the vertical climb and up where there were plenty of boulders, trees and other things to grab a hold of. it was still steep, and getting harder to climb. Handholds were getting slick, snow and ice was sliding down and falling down into his face.
At one point his hand slipped, and he found himself hanging there one handed, afraid to move. He knew if he let the fear he felt get the better of him he would make a mistake and end up falling to the road below.
He tried to get a firmer grip with his feet, but they kept slipping, his arm and hand was growing weak, and if he fell free the only thing that might stop him from plummeting to the road below was the rope.
The slope went under the bottom of the ledge, so the climbers, Ori really would have to move along the bottom of the ledge to reach the lip and pull himself up then help Jason reach the safety of the
ledge.
Ori reaching the ledge set a stop and was about to pull himself up onto the top of the ledge when he felt three sudden rapid pulls on the line and knew exactly what it meant, Jason needed help.
Rapidly he secured the line so Jason couldn’t fall. Then set the second line, double wrapped, and went back over the ledge face down in a Free Rappel the wind beating at him.
Panic hovered in the wings of Jason’s mind waiting to consume him. suddenly a hand caught his wrist in a vise like grip.
“Come on you can do it” Ori said, hanging there upside down in his harness, one hand grip stopping the free end of his line, his feet hooked around the upline. “you’re good, you can’t fall.” Jason struggled for a moment and then his feet found a good grip and he was suddenly stable. “Secure your line like I showed you and hang on” Ori said, watching as Jason secured his line. Then Ori somehow flipped upright and scrambled up the line and vanished into the snow and wind.