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Dead in the Valley

Page 5

by C M Rutherford


  Wade Marshall

  ◆◆◆

  Kelly and Kim sat at Ben’s kitchen table working hard at not showing how worried they were, and both failing miserably. The kids had picked up on the fact that their dads should have been back by now. Charlie and Diana alternated every ten minutes or so going to the front door, looking for any sign of Wade's return.

  “Where the hell are they? They have been gone almost four hours. It couldn't take that long to get to Jessie's apartment and back, unless something happened,” Kim said.

  “I’m sure they are just being cautious. Who knows what the town looks like by now. Wade and Jerry can handle themselves and I’m sure they will be back soon,” Kelly said, trying to convince herself as much as Kim.

  Just then, Charlie yelled, "Somebody is coming up the driveway! It's a lot of cars, Mom."

  Kelly and Kim, along with Ben and the children, ran to the front door and spilled out onto the porch. At least twenty sets of headlights made their way up the long, twisting road.

  “Everyone back inside until I see who these people are,” Ben said, chambering a round in his rifle.

  As the vehicles drew closer, there were three military vehicles in front with a dozen cars and SUVs following, and six more military vehicles bringing up the rear. Ben relaxed a bit. It had to be Derek and his team.

  The vehicles came to a stop about a hundred yards from the house and a large bear of a man climbed out of the lead vehicle.

  "I hope you aren't planning on using that on me, Ben. It's already been one hell of a day."

  "Derek, it is good to see you. I just wasn't expecting the convoy. Figured it's better to be safe than sorry.” Ben lowered his weapon.

  "I can't say I blame you on that one," Derek said, stepping up on the porch and giving Ben a firm handshake. "It's been a lot of years since I have been here. I was glad I could still find my way.”

  "Looks like you brought some extras with you, Derek."

  "Yeah, every few miles we had to stop and help people who were under attack from these things. Most of these people were trapped in their vehicles on the highway and surrounded by the turned. So needless to say, our convoy grew as we made our way here. Just be glad we didn't bring everyone we helped out. You would have thought an army was invading," Derek said with a chuckle.

  "Well, if things are as bad as they seem, an army might not be such a bad thing.”

  "Are we sure there aren't any infected among the group you brought with you, Derek?" Kim asked.

  "Bones checked them out pretty good, he is one of our medics, but feel free to check them out again. We can't be too safe when it comes to this plague or disease or whatever you want to call it."

  "Well, get everyone inside and let them calm down a bit. I am sure they are all frazzled from today’s events. We should get them fed and settled down before we start poking and prodding again," Kim said.

  "I will go put some food on in the bunker and we can get them squared away after you check them out," Ben said, heading towards the barn.

  The group of survivors made their way into the house. There were almost fifty of them total, so it was a bit cramped.

  “Everyone, I am Kim and I am a registered nurse. We are going to take you over to a bunker where you can eat and rest in safety. We are going to have to check over everyone to be certain nobody has bites or is infected,” Kim said to the beleaguered group.

  As Kim finished examining them for injuries, Charlie, Diana, Mark, and Michael led them to the bunker. Ben had been busy, and the smells of grilled hot dogs and vegetable soup filled the room. Ben commandeered Diana and Charlie to help out getting the people fed. They made plates and took drinks to the group of weary survivors.

  Kim was just about done. There was just one more family to inspect. A tall, lean man who looked to be in his mid-thirties approached.

  "Hello, I am Billy Haynes, and this is my wife Liz and our sons Peyton and Carson and our daughter Reagan. I am an ER physician, so if I can help in any way just let me know. We appreciate your kindness. It is not often people are this open to strangers.”

  "Well, it's us against them now. We must stick together to survive this crisis. It is very good to know we have someone else with medical training. I am an ER nurse, but my knowledge only goes so far. Anything serious and I would be in over my head," Kim said.

  After giving the Haynes family the once-over, Kim had Mark take them to get fed and bedded down for the night. She was just sitting down when Kelly yelled from the door of the house.

  "They're back. Thank God."

  Kelly and Kim ran to the front yard as the Range Rover pulled out front and a propane truck came to a stop, air brakes hissing. Kim ran over to Jerry and grabbed him in a neck-crunching hug and began telling him how worried she and Kelly had been.

  Jessie and Sarah climbed out of the back of the car and Kelly gave them both a hug, telling them how glad she was they were safe. Wade walked around the back of the car and Kelly practically knocked him off his feet as she threw her arms around him.

  "I was starting to imagine all kinds of horrible things that could have happened to you. What on earth took you so long?"

  "Well, let’s just say Winchester is not the happy little town we once knew. You wouldn't believe how bad it’s gotten in the last five or six hours. Then we saw an opportunity to get some propane, which will be very important in keeping things going here on the farm. Ben has half the farm running on propane. That truck was too good to pass up. Sarah's apartment building was practically overrun. If we had been much later getting there, we would have been too late. The dead had gotten into her apartment and had her trapped in her bathroom, and the door was failing."

  "Oh, my God, the poor kid. She's probably in shock. I’ll go check on her. I’m just glad you’re back. You better go find Charlie and Diana. They have been worried, too."

  "I will. Let me talk to Derek first. You get everyone inside. We saw a pretty large mob of those things heading this direction. Sound seems to draw them, so they will likely follow us here."

  "How many, Wade? Are we safe here?"

  "Don't worry. Those guns mounted on the vehicles Derek has will take out ten times the amount we saw. Just get everyone inside. Where is Uncle Ben?"

  "He is getting the people Derek brought in with him settled in the bunker."

  "There were people other than his team?”

  "They had about thirty people they helped out on their way here, plus another twenty soldiers besides his team. Those things had most of them trapped in their vehicles."

  "Okay, send Jarred down to let Ben know to close up until we deal with this mob. I will give him the all-clear as soon as we are back."

  "Watch your ass out there, babe. I think I might want to keep you around for a while yet," Kelly said, kissing Wade soundly.

  "You won't get rid of me that easy," he said, giving her a playful smack on the butt as he turned to find Derek.

  Wade walked over to the GMVs and Derek’s face lit up with a smile. He grabbed Wade in a bear hug, lifting him off the ground.

  "Damn good to see you, Wade."

  "You too, Derek. It’s been way too long."

  "Yes, it has. We have been deployed in the sandbox for the last twelve months. It's kept us busy."

  "Well, you’re here now. That is what matters, and I think we may need your skills sooner rather than later. When we were coming back to the farm, we passed a huge mob of those things. They are drawn by noise, so they turned and followed us. I don't know how long they will pursue something once they lose sight of them, but it was just a couple of miles away, so I think we would be better off going out to take care of them before they get closer."

  "That is probably a good idea. We want to keep the fighting away from here unless there's no other choice. Let me introduce you to the team and we can go take care of them." Derek turned and raised his voice to get his whole team’s attention. "Boys, this is Hillbilly's brother Wade.”

  Hillbilly had
been Wade's brother’s nickname when he was part of the team. Derek used to tease him all the time because William had been a country boy through and through. Hunting, fishing, and farming were the only things William ever had interest in from the time he was twelve years old until he joined the Army. William and Derek had been as close as brothers and Derek had taken his death as hard as the Marshall family.

  The team came over and shook hands with Wade, each giving some sentiment of the times they had shared with his older brother. He plainly saw these men had respected and cared about William.

  Derek filled in his men about the group of dead that Wade and Jerry had spotted on the way back from Winchester. Derek told the team they would move out in ten minutes to deal with the threat. The sudden change in the group was palpable as the smiling faces turned to all business. There was a sudden flurry of activity around the GMVs as the men began mounting the Ground Mobility Vehicles to prepare for an engagement with the turned. Wade was amazed at the way the men could be relaxed and jovial one minute and then, like the flick of a switch, all business and ready to do a great amount of harm to their target.

  "Derek, I’m going to let my kids know I am okay and will be back soon. Kelly said they were worried."

  "Go, brother. We will wait for you, don't worry."

  Wade walked into the cafeteria and as soon as he stepped through the door, Charlie yelled to him.

  "Dad!"

  Charlie came running and launched himself into Wade's arms. Diana was just a step behind.

  "Hey, guys! Looks like you have been helping Uncle Ben a lot down here. You're both doing a great job. I am really proud of you," Wade said, giving both kids a squeeze.

  "I will be back in a little bit. I have to take care of something. I want you two to stay here and keep helping Uncle Ben until I return. Okay?"

  "Okay, Dad," they said in unison.

  Wade stopped on his way out of the cafeteria to tell Jarred to stay put as well and keep an eye on his brother and sister while he was gone. Jarred wanted to go with Wade, but Wade just wasn't ready to put his son in that kind of situation yet. Jarred was twenty years old and was a decent shot, but there was a lot of difference between paper targets and these monsters. Wade was determined to spare his children from as much of the violence as he could, or at least until he had no other choice. The fear was there though, lurking in the back of his mind, just waiting to reach out and take hold. Things were likely to get far worse before they got better.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Lock, Stock, and Smoking Barrel

  This little pocket journal has been a comforting item since I was a teen. I have dozens of these journals boxed up at home. I started keeping one in my freshman year of high school. My girlfriend at the time was an aspiring writer and convinced me that a journal was a good way to work out problems and let out frustrations. I have been writing in one ever since. I think it will be important to keep a record of things in the coming days. Who knows if anyone will ever read it, but it just may help me keep my sanity.

  The first night of the outbreak when I rode out with twelve of the Army's best, my eyes were opened to just how deadly their group could be. Sure, Jerry and I had handled a few of the dead on our way to get Jessie, but that was nothing. Derek and his men were ass kickers of a whole different order. I was repulsed and mesmerized at the same time by the brutal and methodical way this group dealt with the infected. There was not a moment of hesitation or indecision. They distributed death with lethal precision and efficiency.

  Wade Marshall

  ◆◆◆

  It had been twilight when Wade returned with Jessie; now it was full on dark. Wade held on tight as the GMVs tore out of Ben's driveway and caught traction on the hard surface of Route 7.

  They traveled about a mile when they encountered the group Wade and Jerry had spotted on the return trip from Winchester. It looked to Wade as if the group had grown a bit in size, but he couldn't be sure. The shambling horde of walking dead numbered near 100, at least.

  Derek gave instructions to move the vehicles broadside of the approaching group of infected. The men not manning the mounted weapons in the vehicles jumped out and took a knee beside the vehicles and prepared to wreak havoc on the walking corpses. Wade started to disembark as well, but Derek put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head, a grin on his face.

  "All right, boys, wait for them to close to fifty yards then light their asses up," Derek yelled.

  Wade checked his weapon as the horde continued to draw closer. Derek held up a hand and after a few seconds dropped it quickly, and then hell was unleashed on the dead. The mounted Ma Deuce and M249s opened up and created a deafening roar in the still night. These men knew their business as they expertly divided themselves into specific fields of fire.

  Working left to right, they unleashed a deadly barrage on the approaching horde. Within forty-five seconds, there was not a single infected left standing.

  The night suddenly grew quiet once more as the gunners stopped firing. A few faint hissing growls from the horde could be heard from the incapacitated infected. The rest of the team jumped up from their kneeling positions beside the vehicles and systematically dealt with the few bodies still moving. All told, in just two minutes there was nothing left of the group of infected.

  Wade let out a long, slow whistle from his seat in the back of the GMV. He had a whole new appreciation to just how deadly and ultimately important Derek's group was in this new world.

  "That was fucking amazing!"

  "As long as we have ammo for these babies, we can deal some serious whoop ass to the dead," Derek said, laughing.

  "I have been thinking about that a lot. There are all sorts of supplies we will need. Who knows how long we are going to need to hole-up. I am sure our group is going to grow as well. I think safety in numbers is going to be very important in the days to come. At least until things get back to normal."

  "Wade, you need to prepare yourself. From reports I had before losing contact with higher-ups, we may never see normal again, at least not in our lifetime. This is a global pandemic. These things sprang up all over the world, and in a matter of hours, threw the whole planet into a shit storm. They think it was a terror plot, but they have no solid leads as to who is behind it, just speculation. We don't even know what the situation is with leadership right now. I am confident there are plenty who survived, but I’m sure they are scattered and in disarray.”

  "Well, all the more reason to get the farm set up to be secure and well stocked. I think we should hit some of the National Guard posts nearby, too. Do you think they will have ammo for your weapons?"

  "If we are lucky, we will find some. At worst, they will have plenty of other useful items. I think we should sit down and make a game plan first thing tomorrow. For tonight though, let’s get some rest and hope Ben has some of his homemade peach shine tucked away somewhere."

  "Derek, are you kidding me? I would be willing to bet my left arm he has barrels of that stuff. You know Ben. He has been preparing for the end of the world since he was in his twenties," Wade said with a chuckle.

  "Thank God for that, brother. This farm and his prepping just might make all the difference for us surviving this mess."

  When they returned to the farm, Derek had his team park the GMVs and Strykers at twenty-yard intervals along the front of the house, facing the open approach from the driveway. With the mountain to the east at their backs and the Shenandoah River providing a defensive perimeter on their northern border, that left two possible approaches to defend. The southern border of the farm was heavily wooded, with dense underbrush throughout. That just left the western approach, which was wide-open pastureland where anyone approaching could be spotted from a couple of miles away.

  "This really is a great place to make a stand. You can't ask for much better ground, defensively speaking," Derek said, gazing out over the pasture.

  "Yeah, I have been giving some thought to that. You brought thirty people in
with you, which is great, by the way, but to turn this into a true safe haven, we are going to need lots more space. The bunker is fine for short term, but people will go stir crazy if they are packed underground for any length of time. There is a sawmill just a few miles away on the other side of the mountain. We need to check it out. If the owners are still there, maybe we can get them to join with us, and if it’s abandoned, we’ll be able to get plenty of lumber to use for building additional living space. Fuel will be the most important commodity. Gasoline will only be good for maybe a year, if that, before it starts degrading. However, propane has a much longer shelf life. Most everything here runs on propane, but we will need additional storage tanks if we start taking in a lot of people. The only way we survive this is by banding together and working for the common good of our little community."

  "Damn, Wade, you would have made a hell of an officer. You’re a natural leader."

  "I don't know about a leader, just common sense, really."

  "Trust me, that is the problem with so many leaders. They are lacking when it comes to common sense. I have had way too many superiors over the years with the IQ of a head of lettuce," Derek said with a sly grin.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Best Laid Plans

  When survival mode kicks in, morality takes on a whole new perspective. The first few days showed me I would have to do whatever it took to keep the farm supplied. Beg, borrow, or steal, one way or another I would get what we needed. I would not take from other survivors, of course, but I felt no pangs of guilt when I planned on raiding stores or National Guard facilities for the items we needed. Where just a couple of days ago I would have found it unthinkable to even consider looting a store or home, I now found it perfectly acceptable as long as it was abandoned. It is amazing the effect thousands of walking corpses can have on one's moral code. I wanted to make sure the farm would be protected and stocked for the long haul. I wanted to be able to offer a safe haven for other survivors and continue to increase the size of the community we were forming.

 

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