CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Missing
I often get carried away with things. My focus is honed to the point that common sense sometimes eludes me completely. As Jessie and I drove towards the farm, I began thinking through my actions from this evening. I had gone completely off book. Worse, I had not given anyone any explanation. Now that I stop and think it over, I feel like a real ass. Kelly and the kids were probably freaking out, wondering why I had not returned. I was so fixated on getting more firepower to add to our stocks, it was all I could think of. I am, of course, glad I went to Mr. Jenkins’ shop. With them being attacked, it helped having extra guns in the fight. Thinking back, I don't believe twice the number could have dislodged old man Jenkins from his shop. He is one tough fella. He and Aaron would have likely been able to hold the building, with the amount of firepower they could bring to bear. I still wonder how Mr. Jenkins got his hands on those grenades. He is full of surprises.
Wade Marshall
◆◆◆
Ben sat overlooking the fields and forest his family had lived and worked on for hundreds of years. The Marshall family had owned 2,000 acres at the base of Paris Mountain just outside Winchester, Virginia. Ben's siblings, two brothers and a sister, had never enjoyed the farm life like Ben. They sold off most of their land. Ben had bought as much as he could from them. He now had 800 acres – the best 800, in his opinion. The eastern side of the property crept up to the edge of Paris Mountain, the Shenandoah River bordered the north end, stretching out to the west was good fertile farmland with plenty of land for grazing animals, and to the south was 300 wooded acres. Ben had spent lots of time in those woods hunting deer.
Ben had spent his entire life in the Shenandoah Valley. It greatly saddened him how life had changed since the zombie outbreak. This had once been his home, but now it was a community, a group of survivors holding on to the hope that a semblance of normal life could be reclaimed from the dead.
He stood to stretch his legs. He was four hours into his six-hour watch. Looking over the area, it was hard to believe this had been his home. His house, greenhouse, cow barn, chicken coop, and smokehouse were the only structures initially built on the property. Now there was new construction being raised all over the place.
The largest building in the center of the compound was the communal cafeteria. Here, meals were prepared and nearly the whole community could be seated inside. There were six bunk houses large enough to house 100 people, and they were in the process of creating an infirmary. There were also three smaller bunk houses where ten-person response teams bunked in rotating shifts. All able-bodied adults took turns manning the response teams. Being vigilant was a part of the new reality in this world.
The survivors had worked hard for the four weeks since the outbreak. The group utilized every minute of daylight to improve and fortify their community. Ben was still amazed at how much they’d accomplished with the constant threat of attacks looming over their heads. He’d spent the majority of his seventy years preparing for just this type of crisis. Most of his family considered him crazy for his survivalist mentality. But when the zombie outbreak hit, he was ready unlike so many of those who’d fallen in the early days of the catastrophe.
Ben had planned on being able to survive on his own just in case of a catastrophe. He never in a million years thought it would be dead people walking around, trying to eat the living. He also hadn’t counted on having 600 people here with him. There was, of course, no way he could turn away anyone needing help; he just wasn't raised that way. From a very young age, he had been taught to lend a hand to those in need. The values instilled in Ben from his parents had always stuck with him.
Now, there were what amounted to a village residing at what had been dubbed Mountain Home Settlement. Everyone had worked extremely hard to make the compound as safe and functional as possible, while trying their best to make it feel like a home. Thanks to Ben having a good head start on the compound, and the quick thinking of his nephews, they had collected many of the essentials they would need to survive.
Ben hadn’t left the farm since the start of this disaster. Even though multiple groups were out daily scavenging for supplies he had remained here. He knew Wade was using every excuse possible to keep him busy directing projects on the property. He wasn’t upset, he appreciated how much his nephew wanted to keep him safe.
Just as he was about to sit back down and get comfortable, Ben caught a whiff of rot on the light breeze. He raised his Yukon Tracker night vision binoculars and scanned the valley in front of the compound. The first of the horde was moving out of the woods. Even from this distance the stench was unmistakable, like meat left out in the sun for too many hot summer days. Ben pulled the rope on the alarm bell to rouse the camp.
In less than a minute Derek came into view sprinting towards the tower. Jerry, just a few steps behind him, ran Ben’s direction. Their boots made hollow bonging noises as they climbed the ladder attached to the Conex container.
"What have we got, guys?" Jerry asked as he climbed the ladder to the platform.
"Herd," Derek replied.
"Sorry, guess I was a little premature on the alarm, but my old eyes aren't the best," Ben said sheepishly.
"Always better safe than sorry," Derek replied.
"Hey, look. There are headlights coming up the road," Ben said as a rig downshifted on the steep hill on Route 7 close to the Mountain Home compound.
A sense of relief washed over Ben as a line of vehicles crossed the dirt track leading up to the compound. His excitement slowly faded when he did not see the bright canary-yellow Range Rover in the procession. Moving as fast as his old legs would allow, Ben climbed down from the shooter's nest and headed for the front gate. He arrived just as the first few vehicles were pulling into the compound.
“Where are Wade and Jessie?” Ben asked.
"You mean they aren't back?" Glenn said, concern showing on his face.
Ben shook his head slowly. "No, we haven't heard a peep. We were starting to worry about you all."
"Wade and Jessie told us to load up at the NAPA building and that he had one other stop to make. He said he and Jessie could handle it. Wade told us to head back once we were loaded. I thought they would be here before us, to be honest," Glenn said.
“Damnation!” Ben said when he had climbed back up to the tower.
“What is it, Uncle Ben?” Jerry asked.
“Wade and Jessie went off on their own to do something, instead of staying with the rest of the group. They didn’t tell anyone where they were going or what they had planned,” Ben said heatedly.
"Don't worry, Ben. I can't believe Wade would take any crazy chances while out there. Maybe they just decided to sit tight for the night when they realized how late they were out," Derek said.
"Well, I sure hope so. If they come back in one piece, I may crack their thick heads for them, though," Ben said in mock anger.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Bad Boys
I have never understood the evil that lurks in some men’s hearts. How they can commit unspeakable acts against their fellow man without an ounce of remorse is beyond my comprehension. I like to think I am a forgiving person, but for those who have the capacity to harm fellow human beings, I have no sympathy. With the state of the world, it would be up to the people to police themselves. I for one would have no qualms about ridding the world of those who have no morals or mercy. Like the old saying goes, "Live by the sword, die by the sword." I would make it my mission to remove from existence men like the Lords and Masters and the Ashers. They had no place in the world before, even more so now when there is so little of humanity left. I will not allow them to harm any more people as long as I still draw breath.
Wade Marshall
◆◆◆
Wade and Jessie were just about to the top of Paris Mountain when the sun started its climb in the sky. They were driving directly into the sun and that made the rough road an even more uncomfortable tri
p. Previous winter snows had played havoc with the old gravel track across the mountain. The entire ten-mile length was continuous washboards and had huge washouts that jarred the brothers’ teeth when they hit one. Doing his best to avoid the larger ones, Wade fought the wheel of the Rover to keep it on a semi-straight trajectory. Everyone at camp would be worried why they hadn't returned. The group from the supply run had probably been back for hours. Wade cursed himself for not giving Glenn more information about where they were headed.
Wade had just traversed back-to-back S turns and was preparing to start up the last incline on this side of the mountain when he spotted someone running from the woods on the side of the road. He was frantically waving his arms and signaling Wade to stop the vehicle. Wade did not recognize the man who flagged them down, but he was carrying a walnut stock .30-06, although he kept the weapon pointing at the ground. Taking no chances, Wade unsnapped the holster on his Glock 19 then hit the button to lower his window. The man walked right past the Rover and headed towards the old gray Suburban that had come to a stop behind them.
"Ray, I thought that was your old clunker," the man shouted.
Climbing out of the Suburban, Ray Jenkins said, "Hello, Harvey. Good to see you’re still kicking."
Wade, Jessie, and Aaron joined the two men and introductions were made.
"Harvey, this is Wade and Jessie Marshall. They are Ben's nephews. Fellas, this is Harvey Smallwood. Your uncle, Harvey, and me all used to run around back in the good ol’ days," Ray said, giving Harvey a clap on the back. "Kind of a far piece from home, aren't you, Harv?" Ray inquired.
"Yeah, got a few miles to hike back. My grandsons and I were out hunting. We had to take to the rough path to get around the bunch who has the road blocked. Boys, you can come on out now.”
Two teenagers, around the age of sixteen, walked out of the woods. Both were carrying hunting rifles.
“We were working our way towards Bears Den when we practically walked up on a group who had the road barricaded. We circled around and got above them so we could get a look. I figured it would be best to head back home. If we had started shooting at game, it’s likely they would have come hunting us,” Harvey said.
“Wise choice. You can’t be too careful these days,” Wade said.
"I saw the old gray tank coming and figured I better warn you before you got yourself into a peck a trouble," Harvey finished.
"Could you tell how many men were there? Did you know any of them?" Wade inquired.
“Looked like six or eight of them. Brent and Fred Asher were the only ones I recognized," Harvey offered.
"We had a run-in with another of those low-life Ashers last night. The older one Carl, he shot up my place pretty good until I threw a couple of green pineapples their way. Blew the bejesus outta one of their pickups," Ray said, a wicked grin forming.
"You always were one to go kickin’ a hornet's nest, Ray. What are you fellas doing way up here, anyhow?” Harvey asked.
"We’re headed over to Ben's spread. They’ve fortified the place against the rot-bags and have near 600 souls living over there. The dead got my Betty, and after the run-in with the Ashers I figured I would throw my lot in with Ben and the others. I burnt the house and shop after we loaded all we could," Ray said, shaking his head.
"Mr. Smallwood, you and your family are welcome. The more people we bring together, the safer we are," Wade said.
"Just make it Harvey. Calling me mister is like hanging a chandelier in an outhouse … just ain't right," Harvey said, grinning. "I was thinking about trying to move somewhere safer, but just couldn't come up with any good ideas. We've got a lot of preserved food and all the game we’ve killed has been salt-cured to last us through the winter. I hate to leave all that to waste."
After talking a few minutes more, Wade realized the would-be pillagers were just below Bears Den. Wade and Jessie used to hike up there all the time when they were younger. There was an outcropping that gave a perfect vantage point of the section of Calmes Neck Road the men had blocked. With the blossoms of a full-fledged plan in his head, he started laying out how they could get rid of the threat and then get the Smallwoods to the compound.
After explaining everything, everyone nodded in agreement. Wade and Ray drove their vehicles back about a quarter of a mile to a house Harvey said was deserted. They parked the vehicles behind the house and took the supplies they would need. After Harvey gave his grandsons instructions to do what Jessie told them, Wade, Harvey, and Ray set out towards the top of the mountain. Jessie, with Aaron, Mitch and Jeff on his heels, struck out into the woods to make their way up to Bears Den.
Wade looked at his watch for the fifth time. Still fifteen minutes to wait. He had to make sure Jessie and the boys had time to get into position, as well as Ray and Harvey. Wade had given Jessie a bag that held four grenades. He was to get up to the overlook and if needed lob them down on top of the men blocking the road. He had told Ray and Harvey to circle around behind the group and set up sight lines from the rear of the blockade. Wade would make his presence known from the front and try to talk them out of dying.
Wade checked his watch again.
Everyone should be in position now, he thought.
Moving slow and steady, he worked his way to within one hundred yards of the blockade and took cover behind a large dead fall just off the side of the road. He hoped he could reason with the Ashers, but he told everyone in the group, if they opened fire it was shoot to kill. Wade knew that the Ashers would not hesitate in that regard.
Taking a deep breath to settle his nerves, Wade bellowed, "Brent, Fred, can you hear me?"
"Who's there? Show yourself right now!" shouted someone behind the road obstruction, presumably one of the Ashers.
"This is Wade Marshall. We don't want any trouble, so how about you boys get rid of that mess blocking the road and let us go in peace."
"Let you go in peace, is it? Like you let my brother go last night? Blowing up his truck and killing two of our friends. Yeah, we know all about that. Carl called me and Fred on the CB, and told us all about it," Brent yelled back.
"Look, your brother tried to strong arm Mr. Jenkins, then opened fire on his shop. We didn't start that fight, we just ended it. The same thing will happen again if you don't clear outta here," Wade said in a cold voice.
"Big talk, but you are outgunned."
“Ha! Funny you should say that, Carl said pretty much the same thing and look what happened there,” Wade shot back.
Bullets sent chips of bark and wood off the dead fall Wade hid behind as all of the men with Asher opened up on his position. Keeping low, Wade rode out the first volley of fire before popping up to send a burst of bullets into the vehicles blocking the road. He wished he had been able to reason with the group, but he had expected trouble as soon as the name Asher was uttered. Wade heard shots coming from the east and knew Ray and Harvey had started their attack. One of the men behind the barricade cried out as a bullet ripped through his torso.
Raising from cover, Wade delivered a pinpoint headshot to another of Asher's men. Then, Jessie, Mitch, Jeff, and Aaron unleashed hell on the group of marauders from above, lobbing a grenade into the middle of the group. Wade used the distraction to move into a flanking position as Jessie and the boys opened fire with their rifles.
Moving slowly through the thick undergrowth, Wade maneuvered to the edge of the road. Raising his head just above road level, he saw he had the remaining four men dead to rights. He could take them all out from here if need be.
Wade waited for a lull then popped up and yelled, "Drop your weapons."
One of the men turned towards Wade's voice and raised his rifle to fire. Wade cut the man down before he knew what hit him.
"I said drop your weapons or none of you will ever leave this mountain," Wade screamed with anger burning in his voice.
Slowly, the men lowered their weapons to the ground and raised their hands. All the fight had been taken out of them. Wade advan
ced in and ordered them all to kneel on the road and cross their ankles. Then, raising his hand and waving it over his head, he let out a long loud whistle.
Within minutes, Ray and Harvey appeared at the edge of the road, weapons trained on the men kneeling in front of Wade. Ray walked over and gathered the weapons and checked each man to ensure they had nothing else on them. Once fully disarmed, Wade instructed the men to get to work removing the makeshift barricade they had built.
Fifteen minutes later, Jessie, Aaron, and the Smallwood boys came loping out of the woods.
Wade looked over at the boys and asked, "Can you fellas drive?"
Both boys nodded in the affirmative. Wade told Jessie to take the Ashers’ pickup and go back to recover their vehicles. As soon as enough of the barricade had been cleared to pass, Jessie took off back over the mountain. Once the men finished removing the barricade from the road, Wade told them to get back on their knees. Harvey, producing a length of rope from his pack, cut it into smaller pieces and tied the men’s hands behind their backs.
"What are you going to do to us?" Brent Asher spoke up.
"I haven't worked that out just yet. You Ashers have been dead set on killing me for the last eight hours, so I am not feeling overly merciful right now," Wade said with a hard stare.
When Jessie and the boys returned with the vehicles, Wade asked Harvey and his grandsons to ride in the Ashers’ pickup. Wade was not the type of man to kill anyone unarmed, but this scum really deserved it. If he did that though, he would be no better than them. He would have to hope that getting men killed twice in one night was enough of a lesson to curb any farther retaliation. Somehow, he found that awfully unlikely. The Ashers just weren't that smart.
With a stop at the Smallwood place to load their provisions and gather what belongings they could, they now had a total of six vehicles loaded down with supplies. It was well past sun-up now and Wade had a lot of explaining to do when he got back to Mountain Home. After driving nearly back to where the barricade had been, Wade cut the men loose and told them to go home. He warned them that if he saw them again, he would shoot first and ask questions later since they had tried twice in the last eight hours to do him harm.
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