He looked away from them, hiking his pack up higher on his shoulders. “Not much. Spent more time skippin’ out than goin’. Stupid thing to do.”
“Why’s it stupid?”
“‘Cause Claudia’s right. Ya still need to learn things. Ya should always be learnin’. I pissed away that chance ‘cause I was a stupid kid. Don’t be stupid.”
They walked in silence for a bit, Audrey kicking at the loose rocks that surrounded the railroad ties.
“You’re not, you know,” Audrey said, looking back at Jackson.
“What?”
“Stupid,” she replied. “You know things.”
“Didn’t say I was still stupid,” he said and winked at the girl. “When I got the chance, I made sure I learned all the things I needed to know.”
“So, Veronica is going to teach and I’m going to go to school,” Audrey said. “What are you going to do there, Jackson?”
“Hadn’t really thought ‘bout it,” Jackson said, scratching his neck. “Suppose somethin’ mechanical. I can fix engines and shit.”
“Do you know how to drive a boat?” she asked.
“Nah, Malcolm does though. Used to sail ‘em professionally. Told me ‘bout it on watch one night.”
“I’ve never been on a boat,” Audrey said. “I saw them when we went to the beach for vacation once.”
“See,” Veronica said. “There’s something you haven’t learned yet but could. Malcolm can teach you how to sail a boat.”
“That would be cool,” Audrey said. “You think there’s going to be other people there?”
“Probably,” Jackson replied. “Malcolm said a bunch of other agents knew about it too. Can’t see us bein’ the only ones to make it there.”
“I wonder if they know why people got sick,” Audrey said.
Veronica really hadn’t thought about the whys behind the sickness. She’d been too preoccupied with avoiding getting infected. There really was very little they knew about the infection. They had originally thought it was only transmitted through the mouth but now they knew it was in the blood too.
The way the infection worked was changing too. If what Jackson and Quinton observed at the dealership was true, the infected weren’t the mindless creatures that they had first thought. They were smarter now. They were...evolving.
Maybe that wasn’t the right word. She should probably leave that sort of stuff to someone with a greater mind than hers. It didn’t matter how the freaks changed. All that mattered was that they were still trying to kill them.
“I suppose if anybody had an idea, it would be the government,” Jackson said.
Veronica smiled. “You know, if our dad was here, he’d bet everything he had that the government created it.”
“Why would he think that?” Audrey asked.
“Our dad liked to believe the government was always up to crazy things,” Claudia told the girl. “He was always telling us to never trust what we were told, only what we see.”
“Smart man,” Jackson said.
“He was, about certain things,” Veronica said, “But he was a bit...eccentric when it came to other things.”
“Like what?” Audrey asked.
“Well, remember how I told you I grew up in a cabin in the woods?” The girl nodded. “The reason we were out there was because my dad thought Y2K was really going to happen.”
“What’s Y2K?”
Veronica laughed, realizing the girl had been born long after the turn of the millennium. “It stood for the year 2000. Some computers hadn’t been programmed with years after 1999 and people thought that once the clocks ticked over to the year 2000, all the computers would fail and it would be the end of the modern world. People in the conspiracy theory circles started preparing for it years in advance and my dad was one of them. We moved out to the cabin in 1991. Getting off the grid, he called it, and we started preparing to survive when everything collapsed.
“What happened?”
“New Year’s came and went without any problems. After having spent almost a decade out in the woods for no reason, our mom insisted we move back into town, especially since she was pregnant with this one.” Veronica laughed as she jerked a thumb in Claudia’s direction. “The irony is coming back to town got Dad on the internet where he spent even more time talking conspiracy theories with all sorts of people.”
“Was it weird growing up in the woods?” Audrey asked her.
“A bit but I didn’t know any better,” she replied, “And I always loved the woods. I kept going back there with my dad after we moved into town. He worked as a hunting guide so he could spend as much time as possible out there. We helped him when we could.”
“Quinton never liked it much but we did,” Claudia said. “I think Dad wanted us to take it over eventually.”
“Yeah, we talked about it when it came to my senior year,” Veronica said with a smile, “But I wanted to go to college like all my friends. I started doing some tutoring to earn money in college and I fell in love with teaching. The rest, they say, is history.”
“What about you, Jackson, where did you grow up?”
Her question was innocent enough but Veronica still looked back to check on Jackson. He hadn’t said much about his past but from what she’d heard, she knew it wasn’t exactly the stuff of nice stories.
She was ready to give him an out if he wanted it but he just glanced at her and then shrugged his shoulder as he looked at Audrey.
“My ma moved us ‘round a lot,” he said. “Spent a year livin’ in Gran’s trailer at the park when I was younger then ended up back with my ma. Wasn’t anythin’ interestin’ like Veronica.”
“What about your dad?”
“Never knew my daddy,” Jackson said.
“So, what was your favourite subject in school?” Veronica asked Audrey, directing the conversation away from any painful memories for Jackson.
“I don’t know, math I guess,” Audrey replied.
“Math, huh?” she said. “Never was my subject. I liked history best.”
Audrey wrinkled her nose. “It’s so boring.”
“Bah, you just didn’t have a teacher who made it fun, that’s all.”
“History was always Mom’s favourite too,” Claudia said.
“I think that’s where I got it from,” Veronica said. “She home schooled us when we lived in the woods and always spent a lot of time on history.”
“Look at that,” Jackson said, pointing ahead.
Half a click ahead, the tracks split, the main one continuing straight ahead, the other forking off down the grass embankment and stretching towards a giant warehouse that loomed in the distance. A fleet of eighteen wheelers were parked in a lot next to the warehouse, the name Smith Brand Products painted on the side of the trucks.
“Must be some shipping company,” Veronica said.
“No, it’s a distribution warehouse,” Audrey said.
Veronica exchanged a curious look with Jackson.
“Why’d ya say that?” he asked.
“Because it looks exactly like where my dad worked,” she explained. “He was a forklift operator at a distribution warehouse for Smith Brands. He once said that there was enough food in his warehouse to feed a family for a lifetime.”
“Seriously?”
Audrey nodded. “I went to my dad’s on Take Your Daughter to Work Day. There were shelves a mile high full of stuff. So much that they had to use forklifts and stuff to move everything. There was a wall that was just cereal.”
Veronica looked to Jackson and shrugged. Why not? Even if Audrey was wrong, it was the first substantial building they had seen along the tracks. Who knew how much farther they would have to go to find something else? It was worth the detour if there was a chance Audrey was right.
“Well then, let’s get in there,” Jackson said and led the way off the main tracks and onto the secondary track. A ten foot chain link fence circled the property but it wasn’t so much about security as mark
ing the edge of the property, an unguarded gap left for the tracks to pass through.
Veronica kept her eyes on the ground, looking for any signs that others had been through here. She didn’t note any strange disturbances in the gravel scattered around the tracks or the grassy strip between the tracks and the back wall of the warehouse.
They followed the tracks to an elevated loading dock where the train cars would off load their goods to be stored in the warehouse. Several large roll-up doors, big enough to drive a truck through, faced out, their doors shut tight.
“Those doors are too big for us to open,” Jackson said. “Probably won’t be able to move ‘em without electricity. Let’s check ‘round front. Gotta be a way in.”
They crossed the loading dock and Jackson jumped down to the ground, turning around to hold out a hand to help Veronica. She took his hand and put her other hand on his shoulder to brace herself as she swung down to the ground. She stumbled a bit as she hit the ground and his other hand shot to her waist to catch her from falling. She leaned into him and for a brief moment she relished the solid weight of him against her before she took a step back and smiled at him.
“Thanks,” she said, hoping if he saw the pinkness of her cheeks, he’d attribute it to the summer sun.
“Hey, we could use some help too,” Claudia teased them as she and Audrey stood on the edge of the dock.
They helped them down and together they traipsed through the long grass that was growing alongside the warehouse wall to the front of the building.
The fleet of trucks was even larger than they thought, half of them hidden by the building. A row of them were neatly lined up in front of the warehouse, the back end of their trailers matching up with the dozen or so loading dock doors that lined the front of the warehouse.
All the loading doors were closed but Jackson went over to the edge of the loading dock and pulled himself up.
“I’ll check the doors. Rest of ya go ‘round the trucks, make sure ain’t nothin’ sneakin’ up on us.”
Veronica nodded and left him to it as they moved to the front of the trucks, looking under and between them to make sure they were clear. She could hear the sound of the doors rattling as Jackson tested them while she swept her gaze over the lot to see if the noise brought anything out from hiding.
Nothing moved and they continued their sweep of the lot, coming around the other end of the loading dock where Jackson was hopping down to join them.
“Locked up tight,” he said. “Looks like there’s only one other way in.”
He nodded to the door at the opposite end of the warehouse that had obviously been meant for the workers arriving and departing their shifts. A concrete path led from the door over to a smaller empty lot where fifty or so parking spots were marked with yellow lines.
The door was solid metal with an electronic keypad mounted above the handle. Well, that was going to make things difficult. Even if they had the code, with no power the thing was never going to open.
“You think we can pry it open?” Veronica asked and Jackson stepped up to eye the seams between the door and the walls.
“Maybe,” he said. “Ya got the crowbar?”
“No need,” Claudia said, stepping up to kneel in front of the door. “It’s got a key lock in case the power goes out. I can pick it.”
“Since when do you know how to pick locks?” Veronica asked.
“I learned on the internet,” she replied, reaching into the front pocket of her pack and pulling out a small leather pouch. “Craig had lock picking tools and gave them to me before we left.”
Veronica was impressed as Claudia went to work on the lock, manipulating the small tools with ease.
It didn’t take long before she smiled and opened the door. The sunlight barely penetrated beyond the threshold, a black void staring back at them.
“Alright, flashlights and guns out. We stick together,” she ordered and together they entered the dark warehouse.
Subject File # 742
Subject: You ever seen the freaks swarm?
Administrator: Yes. We saw it at an evacuation centre. It was terrifying.
Subject: You ever see them work together to attack? Come at your with a plan and use strategy against you? No, you can’t have seen that if you think the swarming is terrifying.
Malcolm and the others had followed the freaks to a construction site, a two storey tall frame of steel and concrete surrounded by a fence made of wooden boards. A sign on the fence stated it was the future site of the county’s first Smith Brands Wholesale store. One last ditch attempt at reviving the area most likely, not that it mattered anymore. The people of Franklin would never find jobs there.
They entered the site and Malcolm spotted the military group getting into position behind the steel beams as the freaks crossed the site towards them.
There was a stack of lumber behind and slightly to the right of the pack of freaks and Malcolm led his group behind it. It would be the perfect cover and prevent anyone from getting hurt in the crossfire.
“Light ‘em up,” Malcolm called out to his people after they were in position.
The military group had already opened fire on the fifty plus freaks, dropping several of them immediately. Others froze, as if they were unsure what to do, while the sense of self-preservation kicked in for some and they turned to flee from the bullets.
But Malcolm’s group was ready for them. The fleeing freaks dropped to the ground under their hail of bullets and it didn’t take long before they had taken them all down. Malcolm swept his eyes over the area, looking for any stragglers but the site was empty.
He looked back to the military men who were still standing behind the metal beams of the building frame. He could tell that they were cautious, not just about any remaining freaks. They were suspicious of the group who had come to their rescue.
He understood it. He would be the same. Why would people risk themselves to save others in these times? What could they possibly want?
They were valid questions and he wanted to ease their worries, even if just to prevent them from attacking.
“You all alright in there?” he called out but they didn’t answer. “We just wanted to help.”
“And what do we owe you for the help?” a female voice came back to him.
“Nothing,” he replied. He looked down at Trey, who was crouched with his back pressed up against the pile of lumber. He smiled and nodded at him. “We were just looking to build up some good karma, that’s all.”
The woman stepped forward, pushing up the brim of her hat to reveal a young, tanned face staring back at him with big brown eyes. “Name’s Corporal Mendez. That’s Private Corporal Banks, Private Hillman, Private Anderson, Private Montgomery and Private Foster.”
“Malcolm,” he said, giving them a small wave as the others rose up to face them. “Kim, Trey, Quinton and Alan.”
The exchange of names, offering up a piece of truth about themselves, seemed to bring about a calmness in both groups.
“You guys from around here?” Mendez asked.
Malcolm shook his head. “No, just passing through, looking for supplies.”
“Well, thanks for pulling our asses out of the fire,” she said.
“Is there a military post nearby?” he asked.
Mendez shook her head. “We were stationed outside of Columbus but it fell. We’ve been on our own since then. Passing through like you guys.”
A high pitched screech split the air and their attention switched to the street where the sound had come from, guns at the ready. More screeches sounded over a deep rumble that made the ground vibrate and it took him a moment to realize it was the sound of feet pounding against the pavement beyond the fence.
A wall of freaks appeared at the gate, three times the size of the group they had just put down and Malcolm’s heart jumped in his throat. He didn’t have to give any order, everyone opening fire on the horde, gunning down the first line. They dropped easily but more frea
ks trampled over the bodies, unmoved by their fallen brethren. There were too many, more than they could take out before the rest of the horde reached them. They needed to retreat but the freaks were coming in through the only exit.
Malcolm looked behind him, realizing that the fence around the site formed a tight corner. If the freaks kept coming, they would be boxed in and he wasn’t sure he could get everyone over the fence before the freaks descended on them.
His eyes swept over the site, looking for somewhere they could run. His sharp eyes settled on the building frame where the military group still stood, firing into the flood of freaks though they were barely making a dent. More freaks kept appearing at the gate, part of a horrible catch 22. The gunfire that was keeping them safe right now was drawing whatever freaks were left in town right down on them.
They needed a secure place where they could kill the freaks while protecting themselves. They needed a better position to get the advantage and the best position was always the high ground. He eyed the building frame, noting the scaffolding that had allowed the construction workers to get to the second storey of the frame. It would work.
He stood up and waved at Mendez to get her attention. “We’re coming to you! Cover us then get up to the second floor!”
She nodded and barked out orders to her men while Malcolm dropped down to speak to his group.
“Kim, Trey, make a run towards Mendez,” Malcolm shouted at them and Kim and Trey obeyed his orders, making the run across the open area between the lumber and the building.
Several of the freaks peeled off from the main group, heading towards them but Mendez put them down. The rest of the freaks were slowed by the bodies that were piling around them, some of them crawling over the fallen as they struggled to get to them.
“Quinton, Alan, let’s go!” Malcolm called out and the doctor obeyed his order, following Kim and Trey’s path but Alan stayed, firing at the freaks. “Alan, come on, we’ve got a chance, let’s go!”
Alan finally let go of the trigger and nodded. Malcolm ran towards the building, trusting the others to cover them. Alan’s NFL calibre speed had him getting ahead of him and he breached the building frame first. He immediately took up a position behind one of the thick concrete supports to provide cover fire. When Malcolm crossed the building threshold, he immediately searched for the rest of his group.
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