Dead Hunger | Book 10 | The Remnants

by Shelman, Eric A.

  Everybody – including Eileen – turned to see. They were now just 50 feet back and gaining.

  Eileen dropped it into gear and eased forward, the scraping sound rattling their nerves and their teeth. She moved eastward at an undetectable speed because the speedometer didn’t register.

  With each inch came a scrape. The zombies gained on the small car.

  The small, surefooted car, they all hoped.

  The front wheel was now rolling alongside the crumbling gap. As they moved forward another foot, they felt a shift beneath them as the concrete dropped several inches, then caught, the massive rebar within the concrete the only thing keeping it in place.

  Thumps came from behind, and Mila shouted, “They’re here!”

  “Fuck!” said Eileen. “Enough with the play-by-play!”

  “They are here,” said Doc Scofield, looking back. “One’s crawling on the trunk already, and she ain’t alone.”

  Eileen pulled forward, turning the front wheel as she felt shifting beneath her. Now zombies were moving alongside the vehicle. Some dropped from view as they hit the gap and plummeted down to Lake Lanier.

  “Just fucking punch it!” shouted Jim Cole. “I think one’s on the roof!”

  “Yes, you’re right,” said Mila, matter-of-factly.

  “Fuck!” said Eileen again – her word of convenience.

  “You’re gonna get along with Gemina Sheridan just fine,” said Jim. “But he’s right. Punch it.”

  “If I do, we could destabilize the entire section! I just need to make it to the –”

  The zombie slid down onto the windshield right in front of Eileen’s field-of-view. She rolled down the window and stuck her head out, looking at the gap beside her. All she could see was the lake below. Just the hole; no pavement.

  “This goes against my better judgement!” she shouted, then floored the VW.

  The diesel engine clattered and caught, pushing the German car forward at a good clip. She then noticed a gap at least 14” wide that her left tire would have to hit and clear if they were to get past the compromised section of bridge.

  “Don’t stop!” said Cole, seeing the same thing. He looked behind them. “They’re all here now. Go! Go!”

  She turned the wheel slightly to the left, now they were past the main crevice and the highway before them was widening.

  As the zombies pursued them, they felt the entire bridge begin to sway.

  “What’s happening?” Mila shouted.

  It felt like they were pulling a trailer with a broken tie rod. The VW was fine, but the bridge was moving in a serpentine pattern, side to side. No structure could take this for long.

  When the front left tire hit the gap, it hit hard then bounced up over it, and at that moment Eileen floored it. The VW shot forward, clearing the precarious area as the zombies behind them followed.

  “Oh, my God!” shouted Mila, and everyone who wasn’t driving turned to see. The bridge on the west side of the gap was beginning to crumble into the lake far below. With ear-shattering creaks and groans, it sounded as though it all came from beneath them.

  The VW was up to forty miles per hour; fifty. The bridge before them began to sway like the doomed roadway behind them. This thousand-foot expanse was beginning to feel like 10,000.

  Forty feet from the edge. Thirty feet. Twenty feet, and now the sound behind them was a cacophony of thunder. The bridge was collapsing under its own weight – and that of the hundreds of zombies.

  As their previously flat ride began to angle upward, it was a matter of moments before the bridge pulled away from the east side, and Eileen mashed her foot harder, but the VW was already chugging along at its maximum. As her stomach entered her throat, she crossed onto terra firma, never letting off the gas.

  Behind them, the elevated roadway broke free from the eastern edge and fell away, the sound like a hundred crashing freight trains. Even after she knew they were safe, Eileen drove another half mile before stopping.

  She threw it in park, opened the door and puked onto the asphalt.

  Scofield reached over and took Mila’s hand. She had been extraordinarily quiet during the entire crossing.

  “You okay, kiddo?”

  “Gregg used to call me that.”

  “Did you mind?”

  “I liked it. I’m okay. Thanks.”

  “So am I,” said Doc Scofield. “Now I am.”

  Mila smiled at him. He smiled back.

  The horde was gone. The bridge was gone. They were safe.

  For now. They found a house to spend the night. They needed to refuel and make Lula in the morning.

  *****

  CHAPTER

  THIRTY-NINE

  The propane tanks were no longer necessary, but they positioned them anyway. The LED lights were strung around the entire grid-work of elevated piping, and to complete the décor, Lita and some of the other kids had gathered wildflowers to tie onto the upright posts.

  People were nervous – understandably – but they trusted Hemp and the others not to make deadly mistakes. The meeting would take place as planned.

  Oh, the fear was there; how could it not be with so many years of death and constant attacks by the monsters who now claimed some semblance of reborn humanity?

  Nobody knew when the last of the attending Mothers would arrive. They had been summoned – or whatever they did – and were making their way toward Lula, Georgia.

  Everything was almost ready when Flex, Gem, Hemp, Charlie, Nelson, Rachel, and Punch headed over to Flex and Gem’s place.

  The Mercedes was tight, but with the bench seats, they were able to jam three in the front and four in the back seat without an inch to spare. They needed to discuss things, and Max’s Blazer would have made the ride easier, but they could not have him, Isis, Beauty or Travis with them. The Hybrids could not know what was to come – the real plan – or they might reveal it inadvertently.

  It wasn’t their fault, and of course nobody blamed them for their abilities, but nonetheless, to include them – especially the younger Travis – would not be wise. They had all somewhat reluctantly agreed.

  When the Mercedes pulled in, they saw a dust-covered Volkswagen Golf sitting in front of Flex and Gem’s homestead with several people sitting on the porch swing and bench.

  Gem threw open the door of the Mercedes at the same time as Charlie, and they both charged toward the porch. “Doc!” shouted Gem, bee-lining right to the old man.

  “Gramps!” shouted Nelson, hopping out of the back seat and passing both Charlie and Gem.

  As he got to the porch, bounding up the steps like a 16-year-old, Doc Scofield pushed himself to his feet and held onto the chain supporting the bench swing. “Whoa, Nel! I’m an old man, remember!”

  Nelson reached him and smiled big, holding open his arms. “I get it gramps! I’m not going to knock you down. Bring it in!”

  With that, Doc Scofield let go of the chain and put his arms around Nelson, their cheeks touching. Jim Scofield closed his eyes and said, “Nel, I’ve missed you. I don’t know what I was thinkin’ letting you go like that.”

  He pulled back slightly and looked at Jim Cole. “Jim, thanks for asking me to come. This is the best day I’ve had since Nel showed up in New Hampshire.”

  “Nobody else I’d have wanted to make the trip with,” said Jim. “We met some friends along the way, too.”

  Nelson pulled away and knelt down next to the girl. “Hey, I’m Nelson. What’s your name?”

  “Mila,” she said. “You’re funny.”

  “Dude, why would you say that? We’ve only just met?”

  “You called me dude. What’s a dude?”

  “You’re really a dudette,” said Nelson. “Hey, do you know I used to live in a tree?”

  Mila just smiled and stared at him.

  “No, seriously, like a monkey. I’m way more civilized these days. Thanks to the fine folks here. You’re gonna love Professor Hemp, his cool wife Charlie, and Flex and Gem.
”

  Mila’s smile would not go away. “You’ve got girl hair.”

  Nelson touched his grey-flecked, blond hair. “It’s hippie hair, chick,” he said. “Someday I’ll tell you all about it. Anyways, we’re here for an important meeting.”

  “This is Eileen Plover,” said Doc Scofield, pointing to the quiet woman on the bench beside Jim Cole, smiling and taking it all in. “She’s been through some tough times of her own, and some of that involves little Mila here. Eileen, I’ll let them all introduce themselves.”

  Rachel Moore stood in front of Mila and said, “Stand up, little one.”

  Mila smiled and stood. She was an inch taller than Rachel. “My, you’re not so little!” said Rachel.

  “You’re really little!” said Mila, delighted to be taller than one of the adults.

  “Maybe, but even so, I got to fly airplanes.”

  “I’ve seen them before,” said Mila. “Never flying.”

  “It’s tough these days,” said Rachel. “They’re all grounded. Not a lot of flying going on. Nice to meet you, sweetheart.”

  She turned to mouth the words, “Where are her parents?” to Jim Cole.

  To her side, out of view of the child, Cole drew a finger across his neck. Rachel nodded.

  “You’ll find a lot of friends and family here. Nelson and I have a little girl named Lita you might enjoy playing with, and there’s a boy named Colton here too, who’s right around your age. Oh, and Travis, too.”

  There was no need to tell her he was actually 3-12 years old but looked 10. She would never know the difference.

  “Eileen, I’m Gem Sheridan. This is my husband Flex.”

  She held out her hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you from both Jims. I’m just happy to be here.”

  “Rough drive?”

  “Some strange things happened,” said Eileen, swiping her brown hair from her face. “Lost someone I thought was a friend – turns out he was a lunatic.”

  “The way of the world,” said Flex. “Good to meet you, Eileen. You too, Mila.” He shook both their hands.

  “We’ll have to get to know you and Mila better a bit later on,” said Gem. “Just understand you’re welcome here. We left this place a long time ago and finally made it back.” She gestured toward the house. “We’ll defend this place and this town to the death, and we ask that if you want to stay, you do the same.”

  “It’s all to the death these days,” said Eileen. “No middle ground.”

  “Never said better,” said Punch Magee. “Name’s Punch,” he said, holding out his hand. It was so large, it enveloped hers as she shook it.

  “Single?” asked Eileen, smiling.

  “I am recently single again, yes,” said Punch, returning her smile hesitantly.

  “And you’re not a serial killer?”

  “Not that I recall.”

  “Interesting,” said Eileen.

  “I like her style,” said Charlie. “Right to the fucking point.” She and Hemp introduced themselves to Mila and Eileen.

  “Okay, workin’ shower inside, so y’all go on in and get comfortable on the good furniture,” said Flex. “We’ll have our meetin’ out here.”

  There were plenty of seats for everyone, so they all nodded and said their brief goodbyes, going inside the house. Flex went to the side of the house and started the generator that would run the well pump, and the hot water was by way of an on-demand heater.

  Once they were tucked away inside, Hemp began, keeping his voice low.

  “Okay. I’m as hesitant as you to keep this from our Hybrids – considering one is our son, particularly – but it cannot be avoided. The thermite is injected into the ½” lines, and the magnesium fuse runs through the center of it all.”

  “Are there enough holes in the pipe to let it flow out?” asked Flex.

  “To be honest, I’m not sure how this is going to go,” said Hemp. “I’m fairly certain anything beneath the pipes cannot survive the event, but in case they do, we need a backup plan.”

  “Urushiol and WAT-5,” said Charlie.

  “Yeah, those things,” said Gem. “Not in that order.”

  “Needless to say,” said Hemp, “I want everyone in town on WAT-5.”

  “These things are still destroyed by daylight, right?” asked Nelson.

  “Exactly my question,” said Punch. “If that’s the case, we do this late at night. Like a couple hours pre-dawn.”

  “I’m not sure they’re dumb enough for that,” said Charlie. “I don’t know if they can get suspicious, but even suggesting a time so close to daybreak might raise their internal alarms.”

  Punch leaned forward. “So, if we do it earlier, how about we be ready with a bunch of that deer netting we have?”

  “Why do we need deer there?” asked Nelson. “Are you saying they would eat the deer and not us?”

  Everyone laughed, and Nelson just shrugged, smiling himself. “What?”

  “No, Nel,” said Punch. “I’m talking about a way to contain them in the area if the original plan goes to shit. Keep them there until daylight so nature can take its course and kill them for us.”

  “The thermite may explode,” said Hemp. “Contained in the pipe, it may not ignite and run onto them as I originally envisioned, despite the number of holes we’ve drilled in it.”

  “What happens then?” asked Flex.

  “Even if it results in a massive blast, that may have the intended effect of incinerating all of them. Their heads will be closest to the source of the material, so that would be an ideal scenario.”

  “We can’t be anywhere near this,” said Gem, leaning forward from the bench swing. “How do we disappear?”

  “Slowly and methodically, like a reverse flash mob,” said Charlie.

  “A what?” asked Nelson.

  “Everyone will make sure the Mothers are contained beneath the beautiful lights and our grid-work of piping, and everyone will have a position – the place they’re supposed to be. We’ll need group leaders, all with watches, synchronized.”

  Hemp leaned in. “I know where Charlie’s going with this, because we discussed it last night when we should have been sleeping. At a specific moment – whether or not we believe everything is perfect – we must act. Everyone will have an exit route.”

  “So, everyone disappears at once. Before the Mothers know what’s going on, and the fireworks begin.”

  Punch said, “Okay, okay. Good. But when we disappear, we all get to the outside perimeter – outside the bus rows – and we pull up the deer fence. All the way around. Last line of defense.”

  “And we defend it with guns,” said Flex.

  “And crossbows,” said Charlie.

  “Yes, and crossbows,” said Gem, patting Charlie’s leg. “Don’t worry, sweetheart.”

  “So, clear, light the magnesium fuse –” began Flex.

  “No, light the fuse, then clear,” said Hemp. “We must ensure it is lit before we clear out. If the Mothers realize we have all left, and exit the area before the thermite goes off, we may not be able to contain any of them.”

  “How fast does that fuse burn? Got a good lead fuse?” asked Flex.

  “Once lit, it will be a brilliant, silver light, and it will burn rather quickly. It should not easily extinguish itself, so there’s no worry there,” said Hemp. “We have 12” of ribbon before it enters the piping. We’ll coordinate that fifteen seconds prior to our exit time. It’s a bit of a gamble, but there will be some risk, as there is with any endeavor.”

  “Oh, I just hope it’s an ‘endeavor’ rather than a suicide mission,” said Charlie, imitating Hemp’s accent. “In other words, I hope nobody fucks up lighting the damned magnesium.”

  “You’ll do that then,” said Hemp. “Don’t fuck it up,” he said, winking at Gem.

  “Oh, you are dancing on a tightrope of marital fuckery,” said Gem, smiling at Hemp. “Since we found her in that closet it’s been obvious.”

  “We’re gonna
need at least 20 people on the outside ready to pull up and secure the deer fencing,” said Punch. “I’ll get with some guys today and we’ll start connecting it end to end with baling wire and get it positioned. Maybe under a little layer of dirt so it’s not so obvious when the rotters arrive.”

  “I hear a job needing to be done?” said Jim Cole, walking out of the house. “I used to work on fencing.”

  “I’ll take it,” said Punch. “Are we done here? Work out the finer details of the timing later?”

  “One more thing,” said Rachel. “When are we telling Max, Isis and the others? It seems wrong to keep them in the dark. They could help. They might even have input to improve the ideas.”

  The troubling looks on the faces of Flex, Gem, Hemp and Charlie were apparent. None of them liked deceiving Max and Isis in particular, but it couldn’t be avoided.

  “We just cannot take the chance,” said Hemp. “As much as I trust my son, I do not know all the abilities of this new version of Mothers. They are weaker in many ways, and more susceptible, but I have only studied one briefly. Their telepathic abilities may extend beyond what we yet know.”

  “You have a way of making an excuse sound like a valid reason, babe,” said Charlie.

  She stood. “But that said, my husband is right 9.97 times out of 10, just like the old Rush Limbaugh used to claim. I say we trust him on this. Easier to ask forgiveness from your kids than permission.”

  “Let’s go, Jim. Ready?”

  Cole stepped out and followed Punch.

  “Can I take the golf cart back into town?” asked Punch.

  “Sure, it’s all charged up,” said Hemp. “Just disconnect it from the lab trailer before you go.”

  *****

  CHAPTER FORTY

  Where the Mothers went, the Hungerers followed; it was by decree and by order. They had no choice, for they had no freewill.

  Lilith knew this. It was not necessary to consider that fact because it simply was, but where exactly the Hungerers would go was up for consideration. There could be some distance between the Mothers and the Hungerers, but their nervous systems were mostly destroyed, making it necessary to communicate directly with the brain.