Dead Hunger | Book 10 | The Remnants

by Shelman, Eric A.

  On the west side – it was all marijuana. There were other greenhouses dedicated only to food, but Nelson built this one with the help of Dave and Mark Weir; Mark had made the trek from Kingman to Lula by himself, deciding shortly after the group left that he wanted to be with that core group.

  Nelson was an expert at the proper methods of topping the plants for maximum foliage and bud production.

  “Man. I get high just walking into this place.”

  “That’s not technically possible,” said Nelson.

  “You’re high all the time, dude. How would you notice?”

  Nelson looked at him for a long moment, then said, “Point taken. Thanks for helping me out today.”

  A clattering sound came from the distance. Both men turned to the south, and the road 100 yards distant. It was unpaved and snaked through the various fields and greenhouses tended by their small community.

  “That’s Gem’s Mercedes,” said Gammon.

  Squinting, Nelson said, “Yeah, but it’s not her at the wheel. That’s Max. Isis is with him.”

  The car pulled a hard left, then they heard gears grinding as Max found reverse. The Mercedes backed into a narrow gap between two of the smaller greenhouses.

  “Now that’s weird,” said Dave.

  “Think they’re gonna bone?” asked Nelson.

  Dave laughed. “They have a house for that. Not sure why they’re here.”

  “I say we watch.”

  “They clearly came here for privacy.”

  “Bad call then,” said Nelson. “We’re here.”

  Nelson started walking.

  “Nel, hold up,” Dave whispered as loud as he could behind him. “What if they are boning?”

  “Then a show it shall be!” said Nelson. “Don’t tell Rachel or I’ll kill you.”

  “As long as you try to kill me with a plastic bat, I should be okay,” muttered Gammon, reluctantly following.

  “You’re a dick,” said Nelson.

  Oddly, after exiting the car, Max walked to the south and Isis walked to the north. Both had radios on their hips.

  “Maybe they’re having radio sex,” said Nelson, crouching down. From their vantage point, they had a view of both of them.

  “I feel guilty, spying on them,” said Dave.

  “Go back to the greenhouse,” said Nelson. “I’ll fill you in.”

  But something was happening. What it was, was baffling. Max and Isis stopped, out of view of one another, and both facing the opposite direction from the other.

  Max put the radio to his mouth.

  *****

  “Okay,” said Max, into his radio. “On three. Go.”

  It was one of the last times the radio would be necessary for them to communicate with one another. Both suspected their telepathic communication had somehow returned in full force.

  He clipped the radio back onto his belt and pounded his balled fist into his other open palm twice, then extended his middle and index fingers into a peace sign.

  The word came back on the radio. “Scissors,” said Isis.

  “Same,” said Max.

  They repeated it a second later.

  “Paper,” said Isis.

  “Yep,” said Max.

  Again.

  “Paper again,” said Isis.

  “And I’m not liking where this is going,” said Max.

  They repeated the test another ten times with no misses. Each time, they matched Rock, Paper or Scissors.

  Radios away, thought Max.

  Mine is away, came the words in his head. In Isis’ voice.

  Both of them began walking back toward one another.

  *****

  “I could see both of them,” said Nelson. “Could you?”

  “Dude, I was right beside you.”

  “They did like 18 games of rock, paper and scissors and didn’t miss once. What the hell do you think’s going on?”

  “They’re communicating telepathically. I thought that ended with the zombie outbreak,” said Dave.

  “Everyone did. So did they, I’m pretty sure.”

  “So why?”

  “Why what?” asked Nelson.

  “Why are they out here doing this?”

  “Fuck it, bro. Let’s go ask ‘em.”

  Nelson started trudging onto the gravel road. Five steps into his journey, he shouted, “Max! Isis! Hey, you guys!”

  They were both clearly startled and looked over, and Dave could see the disappointment in their eyes that they’d been discovered. Clearly, they had no idea anyone else was out there.

  Dave reluctantly followed Nelson until they reached the pair, who had already rejoined one another at the Mercedes.

  Isis looked from Dave to Nelson. “You saw that, didn’t you?”

  “With apologies, I admit we did,” said Dave. “And I realize you came out here to do whatever that just was in private, but we know now. What’s going on?”

  Isis shot Max a quick glance before turning back to Dave and Nelson. “Something is pulling us again.”

  Nelson said, “Like the old draw? From the Red-Eyes?”

  “Not as strong,” said Max. “At least not for me yet. Isis?”

  “No, it’s not as strong as before, but any amount is troubling. For eight months now we’ve believed it was over.”

  “You check the tube for bubbles yet?” asked Dave.

  In Lula, at Hemp’s insistence, they maintained a clear, acrylic tube planted four feet into the earth, and sealed at the top except for some vent holes. If bubbles began emitting from the earth again, the daily checks of the tube would alert everyone immediately.

  “Not yet,” said Max. “This week my dad is monitoring.”

  “He won’t miss anything,” said Isis. “And he didn’t say anything to us. The pull started for me yesterday.”

  “Don’t say anything to anyone just yet, please,” said Max. “I think Isis and I need to do a little recon. See what’s up.”

  “Not even Flex and Gem? Or your mom and dad?” asked Nelson.

  “Especially not them,” said Isis. “You know they’ll go all full red-alert and mobilize the forces.”

  “Maybe that’s what needs to happen,” said Dave. “Their responses are usually pretty spot on.”

  “Just give us a couple of days,” pleaded Isis. “You know we’ll tell them if we can’t figure it out.”

  “Can we help?” asked Dave. “I mean, since we know. Maybe we can be some extra eyes?”

  “Since the draw is coming from the south, we can arrange a search grid in a fan pattern, widening as we go farther. If we’re doing this together, then Max should go with you, Nel, and I’ll go with Dave.”

  “Nel and I will take the eastern flank, and you guys take the western edge. We’ll move by the pull, wherever it takes us.”

  “I don’t know how far we can communicate telepathically yet, but it’s at least a few hundred yards,” said Isis. “That might increase as we near them.”

  “The Red-Eyes?” asked Nelson.

  Max shook his head. “We know they’re all dead a long time ago,” he said. “We’re not sure what’s causing this.”

  “First step is to have a look at the tube. If nothing’s coming out of there, we agree to keep it between us. Right Nel?” Dave looked at him.

  “Yep. If the gas hasn’t started again, it can’t be that serious, and there shouldn’t be any threat to everyone else. I’m good with that plan.”

  “Okay,” said Isis. “Let’s all do that together. That way we’ll know what’s coming. If there’s no sign of the gas, we’ll head out tomorrow morning to see if we find anything strange. You guys open?”

  Dave and Nelson nodded. “We’ll just tell everyone we’re coming back out here to tend the pot plants,” said Nel. “That’ll free us up for a few hours.”

  “Damn, I was going hunting with Trina tomorrow,” said Max. “This is more important, but I’ll have to lie to her, and I don’t like doing that.”

 
“She wouldn’t be bad to have along,” said Nelson. “You trust her not to tell her folks?”

  “I’d trust her with any secret. She’ll tell Tay, that’s a given, but both of them could help us cover more ground.”

  “First things first,” said Isis. “If there are bubbles coming out, we tell Hemp, Charlie, Flex and Gem right away. We’ll have a lot to do at that point, and it will take the whole Lula community.”

  Everyone agreed. Nelson and Dave would tell Trina that evening. She would have to get away from her boyfriend, Jax, for a while, but he was a vegan and a pacifist, so didn’t hunt anyway. The story about going hunting with Max could stand for the moment.

  While Max and Isis got back into the car, Nelson and Dave returned to the electric golf cart they used to get around town. They were charged using banks of solar panels, and there were always at least ten carts ready to go at any given time.

  They rendezvoused at the tube, planted just off Main Street almost dead in the center of the Lula Veteran’s Park.

  The tube’s water level was somewhat depleted, but it was still over half full.

  “Nada,” said Nelson.

  “Good,” said Dave.

  “Not so fast,” said Isis. She moved right up to the acrylic tube and squinted her eyes. “Yes. It started again.”

  “Fuck,” said Max, moving up beside Isis.

  Dave and Nelson joined them, and now they were all squinting at a single, tiny stream of bubbles – no more than a glass of champagne on its last leg. It floated from the bottom to the top.

  Isis stepped back and said, “Come on. Move away before anyone notices.”

  “Why?” asked Dave. “Isis, you said we’d tell Hemp right away if it was –”

  “It’s not enough volume, Uncle Dave,” she interrupted. “At least, I don’t think so. We know this gas bleeds out of the atmosphere, and it would take a much higher concentration than what we’re seeing here to set this thing in motion again.”

  “Then why do you and Max suddenly have telepathy again?” asked Dave.

  “We never told you, but we never really lost all of it,” said Max. “We didn’t tell anyone because it would separate us from most people. We didn’t want to always be the freaks.”

  “But it’s stronger now, right? That’s why you guys came out here to do those tests?”

  They both nodded. “But as I just said,” said Isis, “I don’t think it’s enough to start the cycle again.”

  “Then you should probably look in the mirror,” said Nelson. “Your eyes are red.”

  Isis turned and ran back to the Mercedes and flipped down the sun visor. Max walked over to the car and leaned in.

  “Isis, they weren’t like this when I picked you up. This is happening, and fast. We need to get my mom and dad and Uncle Flex and Aunt Gem in on this. Now. We’ll just tell them who’s going with us tomorrow. They’ll have enough to do in Lula.”

  “Fine, but you and I are going, and I don’t want the entire town with us.”

  “Nel, Dave, Tay and Trina. That okay?”

  “If there’s any way to keep it to just them, yes.”

  *****

  CHAPTER TWO

  Trina stared at Max and Isis. “They really are red again,” she said. “Wow. When do we leave?”

  “Haven’t told your folks yet,” said Max. “They’ll definitely have some input.”

  Trina laughed. “You won’t have to tell them anything if you don’t put on some sunglasses. Everybody will know.”

  Nelson and Dave had gone home to Rachel and Serena and their kids, respectively. They were given permission to tell them, because they’d be leaving, and it wouldn’t be fair to keep them in the dark.

  That meant pretty much the entire town would know before long anyway. It was probably best, and Max and Isis both knew it. As long as a bunch of people didn’t try to tail along or stop them, it was fine.

  Isis intended to be brutally adamant about going with a small group.

  “Mom and Dad trust you,” said Trina. “But they really trust me, so if I’m with you, it’s golden.”

  “Where’s Jax?” asked Max.

  “When you radioed and said you were coming over, I asked him to run over to the store and grab me some tomatoes.”

  “You’re going to tell him, right?”

  “Yes, but you know how he is. He insists I keep my crossbow locked up, like it’s going to go off on its own or something.”

  “We’re leaving just after sunup. Around 7:00 AM. We don’t know how far away it is. The pull might get stronger as we get closer, like it used to. I’m really hoping it doesn’t. Maybe we were only seeing the result of some precise earth tremor that opened a small pocket of the gas.”

  “But it could also be coming out much faster in other locations,” said Trina. “Which could mean there are zombies out there again. Now. Coming for Lula as we speak.”

  “You’re voicing my biggest fears.”

  “And you’re not afraid of shit,” said Trina. “You said I can tell Tay?”

  “I want her along,” said Isis.

  “You can see I’m letting her handle this,” said Max.

  “Letting her?”

  Max looked suddenly nervous. “I … only meant I’m staying out of it. Isis knows her shit.”

  “Nice save,” said Isis.

  “Really nice save,” said Trina. “Okay. I’ll have the crossbow tuned and ready, and I’m bringing my Uzi, too. Get out of here so I can get on the radio with Tay.”

  *****

  Flex and Gem heard the clattering of the old Mercedes diesel engine as it pulled up.

  “I thought he was keeping it until tomorrow,” said Gem, walking to the front window.

  “He was. Maybe they’re gonna hunt in my woods,” said Flex.

  “Our woods.”

  “I let you use them,” said Flex.

  “I saved your ass in those woods if you don’t remember. That means they’re at least half mine.”

  “You two are crazy,” said Colton, shaking his head. He was cleaning his favorite gun; it was a Beretta M1951 9mm in perfect condition. He could break it down and reconstruct it while holding his breath.

  He was quick. That didn’t compare to his accuracy firing it, as well as his favorite rifle, a Henry Repeating Arms Golden Boy. It was only a .22, but he was so accurate that hardly mattered.

  He returned to his cleaning and Gem walked over, bent down, and started biting the back of his neck. Colton scrunched his shoulders together to block her out, and she ruffled his hair.

  “Stop that!” he said, but the smile was still there.

  “Why? You worried JT’s going to see your messy hair and dump you?”

  “Her name’s Janie Tiner, and no, I’m not worried about that because she’s not my girlfriend or anything.”

  “You like her.”

  “No, I don’t!”

  “But I have to call her Janie, not JT. Whatever.”

  As Colton shook his head and tried to focus, the doors of the Mercedes opened and Isis and Max both got out.

  “Oh, double bonus!” said Gem. “Isis is here, too.”

  They walked out on the porch. Both Isis and Max wore sunglasses. “Hey,” said Max. “Where’s dad?”

  “An hour ago, he was out back replacing a guy wire on that antenna,” said Flex.

  “Call him, would you?” asked Isis.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Gem. “And don’t tell us it’s nothing. And why are you both wearing sunglasses?”

  Max looked at Isis and shook his head. “Told you she’d know right away.”

  Flex had gone inside the house to get the radio and carried it onto the porch with him. He walked along the porch, hopped down, and went into the back yard.

  Seeing the golf cart Hemp had been driving was gone, he pushed the radio transmit button.

  “Hey, Hemp. You read?”

  Barely enough time passed for Hemp to grab the radio when the response came. “Yes, Flex. I
’ve just gone to the hardware to get some more baling wire.”

  “I got a big roll in my garage, man,” said Flex.

  “Should’ve asked. What’s up?”

  “Your son and daughter-in-law are here,” he said. “Guess he still thinks we’re joined at the hip.”

  “What does he need?”

  “He said for you to get over here. Boy’s being mysterious, like you.”

  Flex walked back around the house and movement caught his eye on the far bend of the gravel road leading to his driveway. “Oh, there you are.”

  “I was on my way back,” he said. “I see you.”

  “Take them off,” said Gem.

  “What?” asked Max.

  “The goddamned sunglasses.”

  Now Colton turned from cleaning his weapon and took interest. “Why? What’s up with their sunglasses?”

  Gem didn’t wait. She walked right up to the pair and reached up with both hands, sliding them off their noses.

  “Oh, my God,” she whispered.

  “Whoa,” said Colton, eyes wide.

  “Don’t panic, Aunt Gem,” said Max.

  “Really, don’t,” said Isis, reaching out to touch her hand. “It doesn’t feel anywhere near as strong as it did before.”

  “Flex,” she said, turning to him. He put the radio on his belt and looked up, then stopped dead in his tracks.

  His face went white. “What the fuck?”

  “What the fuck what?” asked Hemp, pulling up and stopping beside the four. He looked at Max and Isis.

  “What the fuck?” he asked. The blood drained equally from his face.

  “Exactly,” said Gem.

  “Did you check the water cylinder?”

  Both of them nodded. “It’s there, dad,” said Max. “Not much, but it’s there. Like champagne bubbles. One little stream.”

  Flex waved everyone over to a hexagon-shaped table he’d built, a similarly sized shade canopy over it. “Let’s go sit. This might take some time.”

  They all moved over to the table and sat down on the bench seats. Colton would not be ignored; he came too and sat beside Gem. “Spill what you know,” she demanded.