Closer examination confirmed her assumption about no life around the box truck. The back roll-up door of the truck sat wide open, but nothing remained inside the box. She continued to creep up the dirt road toward the camp. Whatever happened here couldn’t have been good. Another 300 yards in, she found the remnants of a detonated Claymore Mine. Body parts, from both the living and the dead, laid scattered on the ground. Natasha was happy to see Donald heeded her security advice. She walked another 300 yards and found a repeat of the gruesome scene she just witnessed. Shredded foliage and bodies covered the ground. About 25 yards before the clearing, she found the location of the third Claymore mine and its aftereffects. Total carnage, as she expected.
Once she reached the campsite, Natasha found it completely empty. Unless you counted the dispatched zombies and spent brass scattered on the ground. The Jeep, Donald, Gwen, and Matthew were all gone. Good news to not find their dead bodies or reanimated corpses, but no idea where they went. Further inspection provided an answer to their intended destination. Matted down grass and brush, pointed the direction the Jeep drove off in. Even with its electric drivetrain, the Jeep was more off-road capable than the old VW Bus they drove. They wouldn’t be able to follow on the narrow dirt trail, but she had an idea where they had gone.
Natasha climbed back into the van. “Who’s up for a road trip to Virginia?”
“What did you find?” Betty said.
“Bodies, but thankfully, none of them were Donald, Gwen, or Matthew. They traveled down a dirt path behind the lake. We’ll never make it through there with this piece of junk. We know they’re heading for Virginia, so let’s join them.”
“Virginia? What are you talking about?” Bobby said.
As the four of them drove away, Betty related the story of Donald’s fallback location and why Natasha and she were the only people to know the plan for escape.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
RON
Ron had been buying his time too long now, and he needed to make his move before time ran out. Rosie gave birth to their daughter four months ago, and Dr. White pronounced her a healthy baby girl. After losing both his brother and sister, Rosie and Miracle, were all the life he had left. He overheard Mac talking with the dirtbag Jacob about Abigail’s plans for Miracle. Abigail plotted a grand celebration for Miracle’s six-month birthday by sacrificing the baby to the demon Moloch. This would bring the camp prosperity and success for their hunting parties as they continued to search for human flesh. Rosie claimed devotion to Abigail and her headhunters until she learned of the plan for Miracle. At least she led Ron to believe this about her feelings toward the cannibals.
Part one of Ron’s plan required him to sneak out of the camp and find transportation suitable for their getaway. An older Jeep Cherokee stolen from a neighboring farm checked the box. He filled the back of the Jeep with an old Remington shotgun, food (actual food, not human meat), water, and three filled Jerry cans of gas. Ron concealed the Jeep and its cargo at the end of a well-hidden path a short distance from the back of their camp’s location.
The last thing he needed to find was a pistol to clear the way for their escape. Their camp only had one gun (an antique hunting rifle in poor condition) because they didn’t have a need for them. Zombies ignored the cannibals, so there wasn’t a need to kill them. These warped morons even worshiped the zombies as some sort of spirit brother. Any other humans who entered the camp became dinner, so no need to shoot them either. It benefited them to keep their victims alive as long as possible to preserve the meat since they lacked sufficient refrigeration. Now they needed to figure out the right time to run. A distraction to keep the others busy and away from the backdoor would be convenient.
Mac, Jacob, Kim, and Kenny ventured out to hunt today, and Ron hoped their return might be the distraction they needed to sneak out. It would cut the total number of inhabitants of the camp in half. Ron readied to enact his plan but then found out Mac and Jacob headed out on their own, which left both Kim and Kenny behind. Their actions wreaked havoc since they took the camp’s one vehicle, an old VW Bus with them. Abigail brought everyone together in the great room to discuss what to do about this insurrection. The back-door Ron and Rosie needed for their escape sat in the back corner of the room they all gathered in. To flee now, they would have to get past or kill six people, and Ron didn’t like the odds of that being a successful plan.
The group argued and debated for about an hour when they heard the squeal of the garage door rolling open. Those two morons had returned from the hunt. This might be their one chance to make a run for it. Kim stormed out to the garage to confront the two creeps, while Ron and Rosie slipped into Miracle’s room. He could hear Kim’s verbal lashing of both Mac and Jacob in the garage while they rushed to pack all of Miracle’s stuff. Neither Ron nor Rosie remembered to watch the door behind them while they packed.
“What do you two think you’re doing?” Abigail had snuck into the room behind them while they gathered Miracle’s stuff.
“Moloch will bring us all security when we sacrifice, Miracle. He will reward the two of you even more for your contribution.”
Rosie froze, and then the tears flowed down her face. Ron reached for the gun tucked into the belt of his jeans. With it being the only working firearm in the camp, it put Ron in control.
“Rosie, dear, keep packing. I’d hope it wouldn’t come to this Abigail, but you’ve left me no choice.”
He fired one shot straight through her forehead, and her body fell into a lifeless lump on the floor. With his other hand, he grabbed onto Rosie’s arm and pushed her toward the door. They would make it to freedom. Get through the great room and then escape from this horrible life. It all laid only a few steps ahead of them. As they turned the corner, he found Kenny cowering on the floor with a handgun pointed at them. Where did Kenny get a gun from? Ron took aim with his own pistol and shook his head at the boy as a warning. After a tense few seconds, Kenny lowered the gun, and Ron and Rosie exited through the back door before anyone could stop them.
Ron pushed Rosie ahead of him, toward the path through the woods. “Keep moving! We’ll be ok.”
They covered the half mile and found the Jeep Cherokee waiting right where he left it. He wished they had more time to plan their escape, but the time for action presented itself.
“You shot Abigail… Why?”
“Yes, I had to. She might have let us go, but she wouldn’t have let us take Miracle.”
“I know, but I’ve been with them for a long time. They rescued me when I ran away as a fifteen-year-old. She was like my mother. More than a mother to me. How will we survive all alone?”
“Don’t worry. We have plenty of gas and supplies for our escape. This Cherokee is tougher and faster than the old VW Bus, so they’ll never catch up to us.”
“Where will we go?”
“First, we’ll head south. Get away from these long winters. Then maybe west to find some farmland.”
“What do we know about farming? Do you even know how to butcher a human? Mac always did the butchering for us?”
“Maybe we could give up the cannibal stuff? There are other ways to survive besides eating human flesh.”
Rosie glared at him with a burning hatred reflected in her eyes. Cold turkey might be a tougher transition than he expected. He’d been eating human flesh for less than a year, but Rosie had consumed it for over ten years now. Would she give it up for him and their daughter? Ron found comfort in the pistol pressed against his skin and hoped he wouldn’t have to use it again to eliminate another cannibal threat. They reached the state highway, and he turned to the south to start their first day of freedom alone as a family. Who knew how long their family would remain whole?
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
AMY
Amy cracked her knuckles while she dwelled on the aftermath of their attack on Donald’s camp two weeks previously. Jessica, her friend and trusted advisor, died alone while transporting prisoners at the hands of
some unknown assailant. The three soldiers and the squad of zombie soldiers she sent to take out Donald and his lanky bitch never returned to the Republic. She kicked the table over, as Amy thought about the survivors of the camp who were still alive somewhere. If one more person congratulated her on the successful attack, Amy would punch them in the face and make them a member of the zombie army.
Along with the loot from the camp, they had taken the Ham Radio Set, where Amy spoke to Max at the camp somewhere in Tennessee. Max’s voice had continued to come through the speakers daily since the attack, as he called out in vain for Donald. She tried on multiple occasions to engage him in conversation, but he wouldn’t capitulate. Over the last week, Max ceased transmitting all together. He may have given up on finding Donald, but Amy couldn’t let go of his atrocities. Donald and this Max both had to die for all the crimes they committed against her.
“Amy, are you ok?” Daniel had walked into the room while Amy was deep in thought. As a former engineer, he had become valuable to keeping the camp’s systems up and functioning. His intelligence and easy-going style entrenched him as Amy’s new number two. She trusted Daniel and depended on his advice for running the Republic after Jessica’s departure.
“I’m just thinking about all we lost during the raid on Donald’s camp.”
“All we lost? We now have enough supplies for the next six-month, we have increased electricity capacity from their solar arrays and wind turbines, and enough weapons for a small army. What did we lose?”
“Jessica is dead, and I wanted Donald’s head on a pike.”
“Like I told you before, Billy mentioned Jessica had planned her own coup for when we returned from battle. If she lived, we would have faced our own bloody civil war. Stop obsessing about this Donald guy. Let it go. If he’s still alive, he won’t last long. He’s got no shelter, no allies, no weapons, nor any supplies.”
Amy’s nostrils flared as she took in a deep breath and tried to calm herself. Part of her knew Daniel was right, but another wanted to smash him upside his head and then find Donald and put him down herself. Her last chance at revenge lied with an invasion of this new camp in Tennessee. Before she convinced the rest of the Republic, she needed to get Daniel’s unwavering support. People looked up to him because of all the positive changes he made to their camp. Fear only goes so far to control people, but electricity, water, and food go well beyond fear. She needed to choose her words wisely with him to win his support.
“You’re right, we’ll leave Donald to the elements or the zombies. The supplies are enough for now, but they won’t last if we have another long winter like the previous one. Why don’t we head to Tennessee and take over that camp? If it’s like the one here, we’ll have enough supplies to satisfy us. Plus, the milder climate will ensure our survival. We’ll be able to plant our own crops.”
Daniel’s dark brown eyes stared back at her. When he made a big decision, he would mull it over before responding. It drove Amy crazy since she leaned toward rash and impulsive decision making rather than planning every detail. Before he spoke, Daniel turned away from her gaze, and his voice lacked its normal intensity.
“I can see some benefits to your plan, but I’m not sure the majority here will. Many of these people are local and considered themselves a sovereign country long before the zombies destroyed the rest of the civilization. They won’t leave here no matter what. Then you have all the others who sided with Jessica and prepared to oppose you. They’re waiting for someone else to raise up an insurrection now. You won’t get the numbers necessary to follow you and assure success. Plus, you don’t even have an actual destination in mind. Only Tennessee. It’s a big state you know.”
She slammed her fist down on the table separating them. He flinched at the sudden outburst of her anger. Amy drew joy from the slight tremble she saw develop on his lips. Fear proved to be an effective tool in her arsenal to break people down. Even more so than seduction, she practiced fear with such skill.
“Let me make this clear. The Republic is the United States of America now. We rule this country and I rule the Republic. I’m leaving it up to you to get support for this necessary expansion of our territory. People do what I say, or they die. That includes you, Daniel! Do you understand?”
Daniel blinked rapidly while a bead of sweat dripped down his forehead. He stared straight ahead, frozen in place. Amy felt no guilt over this intimidation she dealt out. She was their rightful leader, and they needed to submit to her will. If he wanted to live, Daniel would get on board the Amy train and hold on. No zombie or any person would derail her plans for revenge and domination.
“Ok… I’ll see what I can do.”
“Address me by my proper title and in the respectful manner I deserve.”
“Yes, Majesty. I’ll assure the compliance of your loyal subjects.”
“Very good. You’re dismissed, Daniel.”
His shoulders drooped and his head hung to one side as he turned to leave the room. Daniel shuffled through the doorway, not once turning back toward Amy. These people are becoming weak, undisciplined, and disrespectful. No wonder they failed her during this last attack. Further expansion and discovering new loyal followers would be the key to her reign. She’d continue to use fear and intimidation to whip these losers into shape until then.
###
The days following her conversation with Daniel were bleak. Twenty-five percent of the people, including Daniel himself, disappeared the day after their talk. Amy sent four teams of soldiers out to hunt the missing subjects down. Each team included ten armed men and a squad of zombie reinforcements. Three days later, only one team returned to camp. She didn’t know if they all deserted the Republic or if they were all killed. Rather than sitting around and crying about it, Amy took action. Time to marshall the remaining troops and head south to Tennessee. Victory awaited those who reached out and grabbed it.
“Every able-bodied member of the Republic must pack their supplies and weapons. Tomorrow we march south to conquer new lands for our growing Republic. It’s our right and destiny to expand our territory and take back the country we all love. We’ll return here victors and rulers of this land!”
A cheer rang out from the assembled, but to Amy its volume, and enthusiasm, lacked the intensity she hoped for. It didn’t matter because they’d march to certain victory and get her ultimate revenge tomorrow. She would reign as the Queen of the New Republic of the United States. All power and glory would belong to her alone.
###
When they assembled for their march the following morning, Amy noticed the number of people in the crowd had shrunk again. Jerry, a slimy man, had stepped up as her new number two. His yellowed tooth grin greeter her.
“Where is everyone this morning?”
“This tiz it, madam. More cowards run off last night. They’z lose, I’z guess.”
Amy wondered how she had fallen so far. Her army numbered less than one hundred strong now. The dead soldiers in her zombie army outnumbered the living, and Jerry was a moron. Destiny was destiny, and Amy’s destiny was winning the war and taking back the country.
“Let’s move out!”
Caravan vehicles fired to life, and they pulled out south bound along the state highway. They would kill and pillage all the way to Tennessee, where she would kill this Max and anyone with him. Amy was born to win and she would accept nothing but the certain victory due her.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
DANIEL
Daniel realized Amy had lost it, and he tried his best to bring her back to reality. Instead of focusing on their win, she could only see the loss during their raid on Donald’s camp. True, she lost her trusted advisor in the battle, but Daniel discovered Jessica had planned her own coup to rid the Republic of Amy. In hindsight, Daniel should have helped Jessica with her plan. Then Amy continued to obsess over getting her revenge on this Donald guy. Daniel couldn’t even figure out what the slight was that Donald committed against Amy. Either he got the be
st of the morons Amy sent to attack him, or they escaped Amy’s craziness like all the others who already left the camp. People recognized the ineffectiveness of Amy’s leadership and how she’d end up getting everyone killed over her own personal vendetta.
All these thoughts filled Daniel’s mind as he approached Amy for one last attempt to correct her path and restore some sanity to the Republic. He found her moping around in her room again. It seemed she did little else anymore. Daniel had no desire to become the leader, but the weight of insurrection enveloped him and people cried out for change.
“Amy, are you ok?”
“I’m just thinking about all we lost during the raid.” How could she still be so clueless? No one missed any of the things we lost during the battle. Look instead at all we gained from the successful raid. He called her out on the immature behaviour, as it destroyed the last of Amy’s credibility and her effectiveness as a leader.
“All we lost? We now have enough supplies to last us for the next six months. We have increased electricity capacity from the solar panels and wind turbines, and enough weapons for a small army. What did we lose?”
“Jessica is dead, and I wanted Donald’s head on a pike.” Amy’s obsession with revenge would be her ultimate downfall. She needed to snap back to reality before someone else tried to kill her.
“Like I told you before, Billy mentioned Jessica had planned her own coup for when we returned. If she lived, we would have faced our own bloody civil war. Stop obsessing about this Donald guy. Let it go. If he’s still alive, he won’t last long. He’s got no shelter, no allies, no weapons, nor any supplies.”
Daniel watched Amy’s nostrils flare as she drew in a deep and noisy breath. He knew she would get out of control angry because of his words, but she needed to hear the truth from someone before it was too late. Billy thought Daniel was foolish to even attempt to have this conversation with Amy. It looked like Billy might be right since Daniel got nowhere with her. But Amy’s blood wouldn’t be on Daniel’s hands.
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