“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 last 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.”
He measured his response carefully because Daniel didn’t want to tip his hand before he escaped this madness. Daniel knew his pause drove Amy crazy since she jumped to conclusions and action without thinking things through. Before responding, he surrendered to the thought they lost Amy. This would put Plan B into motion, with or without him leading the way. Things would be better and saner if he led the rebels instead of Amy.
“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 world. 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 and the camp could be anywhere.”
As he predicted, she exploded, slamming her fist on the table. Even expecting the reaction, he jumped at the noise. Amy would recognize the fear he projected, but it had nothing to do with her or her petty outburst of anger. It would work to his advantage because of her big ego and her desire for dominance. The apprehension he felt came from those who would expect him to take over as their leader. Their plan for the Republic was solid and waited for them to act on it.
“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 me?”
Somehow, Amy still expected her empty threats to work on him. At least she didn’t try to seduce him, because that would have turned his stomach and caused him to hurl. Then she would have known for certain he was against her. The numbers in the Republic continued to decline because of Amy, and he knew how to keep everything running, assuring their continued survival as a group. Amy would be stupid to act against him.
“Ok, I’ll see what I can do.”
“Address me by my proper title and in a respectful manner.”
Man, her oversized ego would prove to be the death of her and anyone who continued to follow her. Good riddance to you, Amy. “Yes, Majesty. I’ll assure compliance of all your loyal subjects.”
“Very good. You’re dismissed.”
The weight of what he had to do next pressed down on him. Now the people would rebel and expect Daniel to become their leader. Was he up to it? He feared he lacked the skills and charisma to keep everyone in line and alive, but Daniel knew the plan would function, with or without him. Better for the people to follow an intelligent leader not handicapped by their enormous ego or misplaced vengeance.
###
Twenty-five percent of the people in the community followed Daniel out of the camp the evening after his talk with Amy. More would eventually leave when their scheduled departure times came. Everyone running away at the same time would force Amy to take action and there were still many loyal to her. A few slipping out here and there would go unnoticed until it was too late for her to stop them. Fifty percent of the camp’s population already knew of and supported Plan B. Others would follow once they saw Amy’s foolish plans were doomed to failure.
Scout teams located a farm only eight miles away, which provided an easily defensible location and a place to watch activities at the main camp. The farm had solar panels, a small wind turbine and a clean well with plenty of drinking water already in place. Because of its size, it wouldn’t make a suitable long-term solution but provided an excellent temporary shelter option until they could get rid of Amy. They planned on maintaining a small remote guard post at this farm to help improve the Republic’s security.
As expected, Amy sent four teams of soldiers out to hunt down the missing citizens of the Republic. Three of the ten men teams slaughtered the zombies, sent out with them and rendezvoused at the farm. Thirty armed soldiers boosted their ranks in one day. A fourth team proved loyal to Amy, and they returned to the camp three days afterward not being able to find the deserters. The defectors provided intel about Amy’s plan to march south the following day. A brave spy named Jerry would gain her trust and attempt to lead her into destruction. Daniel hoped Jerry wouldn’t double cross them because he was a slimy man looking out only for number one. This had been the reason they did not give Jerry the location of their temporary hideout. Nobody would miss Jerry if he never returned to New Hampshire.
###
Amy’s call to arms had been the signal for the remaining patriots still left in camp to run off. People slept anywhere they could find enough floor space to lie flat, but this would be their last night together at the farm. Once Amy and her troops left, their actual mission to reclaim the Republic would start. Fortify the security and upgrade the systems at the camp to assure their continued survival without a whack job leading them. If Amy lived long enough to return, they would execute her post haste without a trial.
At dawn, Amy’s remaining loyal troops marched south with her leading the way. Jerry planned on returning one day after Amy died, but Daniel didn’t expect to see either of them ever again. He wouldn’t shed a tear for their loss, but he respected Jerry’s willingness to sacrifice himself for the greater good of the people of the Republic. Jerry might be a hero, after all.
The army cleared the farm and disappeared from view down the mountain road. Some people wanted to attack them now and finish Amy’s reign, but a bloody battle right now wouldn’t serve their mission. Let the world and the zombies destroy Amy and her allies for them. Now was the time for them to come together and recover their camp without bloodshed. Amy left the nonessential people (seniors, those not capable of fighting, and children) behind, and the rest of the Republic would look after their own. Time for him to address the crowd as their newly appointed leader.
“Amy and her loyal crew have left. It’s time for us to return and claim the camp that’s rightfully ours.”
A thunderous cheer rose from the crowd. These people suffered under the crazy tyrants of both Zachary Taylor and Amy, and now they’d get to live as free people like their original plan entailed. After all, New Hampshire’s state motto is, “Live Free or Die.”
“Remember, those left behind at the camp are our brothers and sisters. Treat them with respect once we return. There’s lots of work for us to do still. We’ll restore the glory of the Republic.”
The line of school buses departed to return them back to their home. Daniel had come up with the idea to weld metal plates to the sides of school buses to protect the passengers inside. They raided a bus depot to form the fleet of transport vehicles. They would use the buses for transportation and as temporary barriers to secure the camp while they finished building their planned security enhancements. It would be a busy summer for Daniel and his entire crew.
As they expected, the Republic camp held only senior citizens, the young and the infirm. Amy left them behind to die alone, since she took most of the supplies along with the invading force. They fired no shots or drew any blood retaking the camp. Instead, those who remained welcomed them in as the victors and saviors. There would be no time to waste with a party because loads of work remained. If they planned on surviving another winter, food production needed boosting, the camp security needed enhancing, and regular scavenge parties needed to explore the area to gather any remaining supplies. Daniel looked forward to and feared leading the people as they completed this work and met the challenges the future held.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
DONALD BISHOP
Travel had been a mixed bag. The route Matthew laid out provided them with an easy passage until this point. Population density along the route had been sparse before the apocalypse, so they found no living beings as they traveled through New Hampshire and Vermont. Donald figured the odds favored other survivors besides themselves, but they remained hidden for various reasons. Zombies roamed in manageable numbers, so they didn’t provide a major obstacle to their progress. They either drove around them or used their knives to take them out. Their main issue was the limited range of the batteries in the electric Jeep for each charge cycle. The batteries allowed them to avoid scavenging for fuel, but their limited range and the time they took to charge proved increasingly problematic.
On the second day of travel, Donald developed a way to jury-rig the panels from the solar charger to extend their driving range. He attached the panels to the roof and hood of the Jeep and wired them into the battery pack, providing a partial recharge as they drove. This allowed them to travel every day rather than waiting a full day to recharge the batteries, but their forward progress still dragged.
As they turned their path from west to south, they would cross through Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York. Population density in these states had been high before the rise of the dead, so he didn’t expect their luck to continue. They needed to find a more secure vehicle with a longer range, if they had any hope of reaching the bunker in Virginia safely. Donald hoped Natasha and Betty experienced the same good luck and breaks they had, but he didn’t know for sure if either survived the initial attack.
A red indicator light on the dash let him know the batteries reached a critically low level. They needed to find a safe location to spend the night. It would be their last overnight stay in Vermont before they had to face the more populated states and the unknown challenges they hid.
“The batteries are getting low. Keep your eyes open for a place to spend the night.”
“How about that place over there?” Matthew said.
He pointed to a property one might have called a gentleman’s farm in the civilized past. It suffered now from a year’s worth of neglect, like most properties they came across. The grass stood over a foot tall, where nothing disturbed it. A fall’s worth of leaves covered the property, along with broken branches scattered about. Even with his youth, Matthew made an excellent choice in picking this place. The neglect showed no one had visited the home since the end of civilization. Donald heard the rumor that most of the southern Vermont real estate had been owned by New Yorkers, so this might have been a summer vacation designation for some rich city dweller to escape the city’s crowds.
“Good eye, Matt. Let’s check it out.”
If the lottery still existed, then Donald would buy a ticket. Their luck held for their entire road trip, and this place proved no different. The house was an oversized two-story structure with an attached three-car garage and a separate barn. All appeared to be undisturbed by any humans since the rise of the dead last year.
After a week on the road, all three knew their roles when setting up camp for the night. Donald’s Desert Eagle never left his side, and he equipped himself with his trusted AR-15. Gwen grabbed her matching rifle and she would follow him and watch his back while they cleared the house. Matthew would stay with the Jeep armed with his Mossberg Tactical Shotgun. This kept him safe, out of the way, and provided eyes on their gear while they assured the structure was clear. You couldn’t be too careful anymore.
Donald and Gwen climbed the front steps onto the porch and approached the front door. They found it locked and all the windows were intact. A good start to their search confirming their initial assessment. Gwen’s eagle eye discovered the hiding place for the extra key, so they wouldn’t have to break down the front door. It’s amazing how many people hide a spare key in plain sight by their front door. After opening the door, they both took ready positions outside. Then Donald banged on the door frame while he shouted inside the house. This became their SOP, since both the living and the dead would come to investigate the noise. Within seconds of the racket, an old man in torn and dirty pajamas staggered into the living room. Well, he had been an old man but now had become a member of the walking dead. Using his hunting knife, Donald dispatched the zombie. No sense wasting ammo when you didn’t have to.
Another groan came from further inside the home, but nothing else appeared in the front room like the old man had. Donald and Gwen advanced into the gloom. Out of old habit, Donald tried a wall switch and the glow of an electric light rewarded his effort. He smiled at Gwen as the newfound light shone and displaced the shadows. Groans and a bumping sound continued from a room beyond the kitchen. They cleared each room along the way until they reached the room where the moans came from. The stench of the dead and the groans coming from inside told him what they would find. An old woman laid on the ground in a tattered nightgown. Someone had chewed one of her legs to the bone, so walking became an impossible task for this undead bride. The old man must have turned first and snacked on his wife’s leg before she died and turned. What a nightmare for her to live through. Donald’s hunting knife went to work one more time on the poor old woman’s damaged, rotting corpse.
They cleared the rest of the house, the garage, and then the barn. Donald and Gwen found no one else, living or dead, on the property. He dragged the bodies out into the barn and left them there. It seemed a little cruel, but survival took up all their time, so body disposal had to wait until some brighter future time. From a practical standpoint, why bother when you weren’t staying more than a night and hadn’t even known the dead.
New Englanders were an independent bunch and Donald discovered the power came from solar panels on the roof and a bank of batteries in the basement. Further inspection showed the man was a retired cop and his wife had been a schoolteacher. He found an old Smith and Wesson Police Revolver loaded with 357 Magnum ammo and an older pump shotgun in the bedroom closet. Both were now antiques collected during a long police officer’s career. Donald took the pistol along with the extra ammo because revolvers were simple and worked forever.
The pantry and basement contained dry goods and both commercial and home canned vegetables. These supplies would feed them for weeks. With the electricity still running, Mathew was overjoyed to find cold soda in the fridge. Gwen enjoyed a cold beer while Donald noshed on real ice cream from the freezer. If this place were more secure, it would have been heaven on Earth. Problem was, anyone could see it from the road like they had. He wondered why no one else invaded this house before them.
These items were all treasures, but they discovered the best surprise parked inside the three-car garage. There Donald found a heavy-duty Chevy Suburban. What made this one special sat underneath its hood. Late 1990s model Suburbans could be purchased with a diesel engine, which this one had. Gasoline refined before the collapse had gone bad long ago. But they designed diesel engines to run on vegetable oil, so every restaurant in the country would provide a potential fuel source for the truck. They hit the apocalypse lottery for sure.
It must have been a special vehicle to the former owner since it looked like it recently rolled out of a showroom. Matthew helped Donald load the gear from the Jeep into the cargo area of the Suburban. The cavernous cargo area swallowed up their gear and left plenty of room for the food and supplies from the house. They would get a good night’s sleep and then make serious progress toward their goal in Virginia tomorrow with this heavy duty vehicle. They might make it all the way there tomorrow.
###
The night passed with no surprises. Too bad their luck ran out as dawn’s light illuminated the sky. A horde of fifty to a hundred zombies filled the yard and surrounded the house overnight. An unseen force attracted them to the property, where they roamed the grounds. They stood sentry between the house and the road, blocking their escape route. Even if they had enough ammo, shooting them would attract more zombies faster than they could take the horde out. Run
ning down one or two wouldn’t be an issue for the Suburban, but Donald couldn’t take a chance trying to crush this many and destroy their getaway vehicle or get stuck.
“Donald, what are we going to do?” Gwen said with a pained expression on her face and tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
“Let’s take the Suburban and run them down. It’s a big and tough truck.”
“It’s a rugged truck, Mathew, but there are way too many of them to try that. We need to create a distraction so we can get away while they’re distracted.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“I think our Jeep can serve us one last time. You and Matthew can empty those wine bottles into the sink. Then grab an old t-shirt and belt from the old man’s dresser. I’ll grab something from the garage.”
When they explored the garage for the first time, Donald noticed a full gas can sitting in the corner. They didn’t need it for the truck, so he had almost dumped it out to fill it with the diesel from the tank in the barn. Now he was glad he hadn’t. Gwen and Matthew emptied the eight wine bottles and got the clothing he asked for.
“We’re going to fill the bottles with the gas to create some Molotov Cocktails. We’ll use them to light the Jeep on fire and then send it toward the barn. With any luck, it will ignite the barn and distract the zombies.”
“What’s the belt for?”
“It will hold the steering wheel straight on the Jeep. Before we do this, we need to make sure we pack everything in the Suburban and we’re ready to go. I do not know how effective this distraction will be, and we’ll need to run while they’re busy.”
With everything packed and ready for their departure, Donald prepared to creep outside to the Jeep and execute his plan. “Remember, no shooting. It will attract those monsters and then they’ll swarm us.” Both his charges nodded their agreement.
Retribution: Operation Z Book 2 Page 8