I guess I was wrong in thinking that after a winter of freezing temperatures, sub-zero wind chills, and over three and a half feet of snow would actually have an effect on the zombies. Well, it did, but not the effect I was hoping for. I was hoping the virus would have been killed off, and we would be able to just stroll back and pick up where we left off, tossing zombie corpses into the fires and becoming gentlemen farmers or some such.
No, the zombies came out of hibernation hungrier than ever, and more tenacious than ever, if that was possible. Nate had reported serious attacks on the fence down his way, and I had seen more activity in areas I thought were quiet. It was like the first wave of the virus was the opening salvo, and this increased activity was the second wave, coming forth to wipe out the vestiges of humanity that somehow made it to survive the first.
We had managed to make the move to Leport, the warming weather being a nice change from the cold we had endured. It was nice to be able to open the windows and let in fresh air. Spring was a time of renewed hope, although in our current situation, hope was a dangerous ambition.
We had decided to leave a contingent at the condo complex and I had put the question to everyone as to who wanted to leave and who wanted to stay. Charlie was coming with, Rebecca as well. Sarah and Jake were coming with me, and Jason Coleman, who was recovering nicely from his bullet wounds, along with his wife. Tommy was coming along, and John Reef with his wife, Mary as well. Mark Wells and Teri were leaving, and Stacey Wood, Tommy’s new interest, was coming along too. Duncan decided to stay, likely at Pamela’s urging, as well as the Kowolskis. The Stricklands were staying, as well as most of the women from Pamela’s group.
I was saddened at the prospect of not seeing Duncan for a while, but I understood where he was coming from. Lately he seemed to be needing something in his life, and maybe this was it. We would only be ten miles or so down the road, but that could be a long distance sometimes.
At Tommy’s recommendation, I told the group Duncan was going to be left in charge. Duncan brightened at this, and I thought I saw the smug smile on Pamela’s face replaced by a serious look when she made eye contact with Sarah. I made a mental note to once again ask Sarah what she had said to Pamela that one time.
Goodbyes were difficult and bittersweet, with a lot of ‘Good Luck’ on both sides. I took Duncan aside and gave him his standing orders.
“Nate pushed to the river and left behind a secured area. We pushed to the river and are leaving behind a secure area as well. Nate is coming up to join us in Leport and that will be our permanent home. We will stand there or not at all. We have access to farmland, roads, water and woodlands.” I walked Duncan out to the edge of the parking lot. “I need you to push north, clear the area to the canal, and then head east. Your job is to create a safe corridor for any possible survivors out there to find us. Get them to this road, McCarthy road, or the waterway. Keep the area clear. When you head east, always keep the way clear.”
Duncan nodded then offered his hand. I brushed it aside and wrapped him in a big hug. “Take care of yourself, brother. You’re welcome wherever I live,” I told him.
Duncan smiled. “We’ll see you in a while. And if there’s anyone out there, we’ll find them. Who knows?” he shrugged. “Besides, what could be worse than what we’ve been through?”
I grimaced. “Every time I hear that I feel Karma herself take a serious interest in the proceedings.”
“Ride easy.” Duncan said, slapping me on the shoulder.
We walked back to the vehicles and mounted up. Sarah, Jake and I took the tried and true CR-V, while Charlie and Rebecca followed in the pickup. The rest of the group was in various vehicles, but all of them capable of off-roading if needed. We had found additional vehicles to leave behind for Duncan and his crew, and we were leaving the snow plow with him as well. I had other ideas for Leport, and the snow plow wasn’t needed.
We headed out and rolled down the road, moving towards what I hoped would be our permanent home. I smiled over at Sarah, and she returned the smile, giving my hand a squeeze. She and I had gotten even closer in the past couple of weeks, ever since her abduction at the hands of psychotic teens and subsequent rescue. I will admit something had been building between us for some time, but it took the possibility of losing her that caused me to finally make my feelings known. That was the plus side. On the down side, there was now another person in my life I cared a great deal for, and I had to make sure they both were safe. Up side of that, I would fight even harder to make this a safe place for them.
We moved at a decent clip, making our way once again into Leport. We had spent the last week moving our supplies and gear into the old school. It was as secure as a place as I could find, being on top of a hill and overlooking the river. It was an older building, built back when they took pride in their schools and built them to last. The doors and windows on the first floor had been secured with iron grates, and the heavy doors would be effective barriers if needed. It would only be a temporary place until homes were secured, then it would resume its duties as a school.
The areas surrounding the road seemed peaceful, the only reminder that things were out of kilter were the skeletal remains of homes we had torched. I passed by the burned-out remains of the estate home we had visited earlier, and I felt another pang of sadness as I remembered what that escapade had cost us. Jake rode alone in the back seat, sitting forward like a big boy these days, but even his little voice couldn’t make me forget we were supposed to have another passenger.
Moving slowly through a wooded section of the road, I saw shades of green poking its way into view. I also saw ghostly shapes moving erratically, stumbling over vegetation and hidden pitfalls. A flash in the rear view mirror let me know that Charlie had seen them as well. I stopped the car and got out of the driver’s seat, opening the back door and picking up my rifle off the floor. Jake waved his arms at me and opened his mouth to give me a squeak of greeting. God, I loved that little guy.
Sarah called out of the car. “What are you doing? Those guys aren’t any danger to us.”
I shrugged. “Something is bugging my spider sense. I want to check this out.” I moved back to Charlie’s vehicle and Sarah got out of her side and got into the driver’s seat. I could hear her talking to Jake as I approached Charlie’s truck. “Hi big guy!” That wasn’t for me.
Charlie rolled his window down and looked at me quizzically. “Any real reason why we should care about those Z’s?”
“None that I can think of, just a feeling I have.” I replied, keeping an eye on our friends who had now seen our convoy and me walking, and were desperately trying to get through the brush in our direction. They weren’t having much success, as their tattered clothing got caught on nearly everything and spun them every which way. Eventually they would reach us, but it would be a minute.
Charlie got out of the truck, Rebecca sliding over to the driver’s seat as she had seen Sarah. He reached into the back seat for his gun and said simply “Good enough for me.”
We checked our guns and clicked off the safeties, the chambers already having rounds in them. We moved towards the woods, spreading out to take one zombie each. Mine was a man about my age, completely missing his shirt and major portions of skin. His face was badly decomposed, and I realized the winter had actually preserved these things. His grey skin was pulled back from his face, giving him a skeletal look. His head flopped as he came nearer, and I couldn’t figure out why. But his eyes were locked firmly on me and I believe I actually had a look into the hunger driving these creatures. It was a desperate look, a mindless look, a look that lacked intelligence but was full of purpose.
I decided not to use the rifle because for some reason I didn’t want to risk a shot. I looked quickly around and found a downed tree that had several stripped branches. I kicked off a four-foot section and approached my zombie. He had never stopped coming for me, but had gotten delayed when his pants ripped on a pine tree and were now down around his ankles. He was tripping every other step and falling down, but he just kept getting up and falling. Sad, really. I waited until he fell again then quickly stepped up and smashed him on the back of the head with the branch. Splinters flew everywhere, and I managed to drive his head into the soft ground, but I hadn’t finished him. His head was stuck in the mud, and his arms flailed about, searching for me even though his face was buried in the sticky forest floor. I drew my knife and punched it through his skull, quieting his thrashing forever. I noticed his neck had a huge bite out of it, exposing his backbone and that was what had caused his head to flop around.
I looked around and saw Charlie standing over his zombie, a woman in a tattered bathrobe. She actually had a few curlers in her hair, and her dead eyes stared blankly up at Charlie, who cleaned his knife off on the robe. I squished on over and used the terrycloth to clean my own blade after I had plunged it into the earth to remove most of the gunk.
“You ever see the movie Kung Fu Hustle?” Charlie asked.
I thought for a minute then laughed. “You’re right, that was like that scene with the Beast. Loved that movie.”
“Yeah.” Charlie said wistfully. “I liked all those martial arts movies. The stuff from the seventies was the best, but they had the weirdest titles. ‘Monkey’ this and ‘Flying’ that”. He sidestepped around a melting pile of snow. “Sure wouldn’t mind seeing one of those again.”
“Training flick?” I asked, hopping the ditch.
“You know it.” Charlie said, jumping the ditch and walking to his truck. About halfway there, he stopped and cocked his head.
I looked at him. “What’s up?”
Charlie seemed confused. “I heard something that doesn’t belong in the woods.” He started walking towards the hill, keeping his rifle ready. I waved to the vehicles and got waves back. They knew something was up and would be ready to move out at a moment’s notice. I raised my rifle overhead and saw motion in every vehicle as people armed themselves and checked weapons. Probably a false alarm, but it wouldn’t hurt to be prepared.
Charlie and I approached the top of the hill, while tree branches clicked gently together above us as a small breeze swept up. We moved towards the woods, making sure we were alone. The idea was to check the area while still being hidden. We stepped carefully, avoiding small branches and such that might give us away.
At the top of the hill, we crouched down and it was then I heard something. It sounded like a walkie-talkie and I was curious as to who could be out here. I couldn’t make out what the person on the radio said, but I heard someone say, “Not yet. No shots yet, either.” A pause, then, “We’ll wait a bit longer. Maybe they had some trouble.”
Charlie and I looked at each other. Someone was waiting for us. We moved silently forward until we could see the cleared area. An intersection was a little ways up and someone had moved a car to block the intersection. We could see four people standing near the car and a fifth standing a little ways off with a radio. All of them were armed with what looked like AR-15’s.
Charlie looked at me and mouthed, “What the hell?”
I shook my head and motioned him to head back. We ghosted our way back down the hill towards our waiting vehicles. I thought about what we had seen and waved Tommy over. I explained what had happened and Tommy summed it up quickly.
“Looks like an ambush to me,” Tommy said. “Who’d you piss off lately?”
I shrugged. “Beats me. But the best way to beat a trap is to spring it before it’s supposed to.”
Charlie spoke up. “How?”
“I have an idea. You and Tommy head back to the tree line and get yourselves into firing positions. Charlie, you remember the one with the radio?” Charlie nodded. “I want him alive. I have questions about this.” Charlie looked grim and nodded again. I waved to John Reef and he came running from his vehicle with his gun. I sent him up with the other two, having seen him shoot and knowing he was steady.
I ran to the third car in line and had everyone get out with their stuff. It was a small car, but it would serve. The people piled their gear into other cars and watched in fascination as I went into the woods and dragged the zombie corpses out one by one. I positioned them into the car to look like living people, using sticks to prop them up. I put the car in gear and rode it to the hilltop, stopping just out of sight of the waiting men.
Charlie saw what I had done and nearly blew his cover. Tommy just shook his head and I was sure John was wondering what kind of lunatic I was. I signaled the men to get ready, then I jammed a forked stick in the steering wheel to keep it steady, put the car in gear, and hopped off. I got over to John’s position quickly and watched the results of my handiwork.
As soon as the car coasted over the hill, I heard “Get ready!” The voice sounded familiar, but I pushed it back as the car picked up speed and headed towards the parked car. The ambushers must have thought they were going to lose their prey, and opened fire. The car windows shattered, and the zombie decoys jerked with the impact of high velocity rounds. The leader of the group ran out from his hiding place and waved his arms. “Stop! They’re not all here! Stop! We have to wait for the Honda!”
That shook me. This was personal. I took aim with my M1A and fired at the leader. It was an easy shot, about one hundred yards. My round slammed into his shoulder, spinning him around, causing him to lose the radio. At the sound of my shot, the four ambushers spun towards the tree line, making themselves easy targets for our rifles. Tommy, Charlie, and John fired as one and three attackers went down immediately. I fired at the fourth and was rewarded with him falling to the ground, clutching his throat.
I burst from cover and ran towards the leader. I needed to get to him before he could radio whoever he was talking to. Charlie ran with me while Tommy and John ran back to the vehicles. The leader had stood up and was searching for his radio when we ran up to him.
“Don’t move!” I yelled aiming at the man’s back. Blood was on his shoulder and was staining his combat vest. “Get your hands up!” Shaking hands were raised and I could see sweat starting at the man’s neck. Charlie checked on the rest of the crew and called out from the side. “All dead.” The man’s shoulders sagged at the news.
“Keep your hands up and turn around.” I said. The man slowly turned and faced me, his little eyes staring hatred at me once again. I knew those eyes and I knew that hatred.
“Well, well. Dane Blake. I wondered when I would see you again.” I moved in close and shoved the rifle barrel into his neck. I removed his sidearm and knife then backed up. “Put your arms down.” He winced in pain as he complied. I lowered the rifle but kept him covered. “How did you know we would be coming?” I asked, keeping my voice low.
Dane looked at me sullenly, his fat face quivering with pain and rage. I repeated the question. Dane refused to answer, spitting on the ground between us. I waited a minute then punched him in the nose. Dane gasped in surprise and dropped back on his knees, clutching his bleeding face.
“How did you know?” I asked again, keeping my voice calm. Charlie was searching around and suddenly bent to the ground. He came up with the radio and brought it over. His eyes got wide at the sight of Blake, and brought up his gun.
I shook my head at Charlie and turned my attention back to Dane. I needed answers. I handed Charlie my rifle and drew my knife. The sight of the blackened tanto blade caused Blake’s eyes to go huge. I walked over to the decoy car and dragged out the dead zombie. I pulled it over to Dane and threw it in front of him. I showed him the knife, then I plunged it again in the hole in its head. When I pulled it out, it was covered in zombie goo. I brought the knife closer to Blake and he recoiled as if it was a snake. It was poisoned, to be sure, with the most frightening substance on the planet.
“I’ll get right to the point. You tell me who you are working with and how you knew about us, and I won’t cut you with this knife. Lie to me, or try to do anything stupid, and you know what will happen to you. Understand?” A drop of muck slid off the blade and fell to the grass between us. Blake followed the drop to the ground and tried to scoot away. Charlie’s rifle poked the back of Dane’s neck and he stopped.
Just then, the radio squawked. “Dane? Are you there? Is it done? Report?”
Charlie and I looked at each other. We both recognized the voice. Pamela Richards.
“That bitch,” was all Charlie had to say. I had other things to say but not right now. I held up the radio to Dane. “Tell her it’s done.”
Dane shook his head but screamed as I stabbed forward with the knife, stopping just short of his face. “ Tell her!” I yelled in his face. Dane complied, trying to sound as normal as possible.
Pamela’s voice came through again. “Did you get them all? That bitch and the kid too?” She must have meant Sarah and Jake. Rage surged through me and Dane recoiled from the look on my face.
“ Answer!” I hissed at him, moving the knife closer. Dane spoke again. “We got them all. What do you want us to do with the bodies?”
Pamela’s voice sounded scornful. “Don’t bother. Let them rot. I’ll call you later. Out.”
I looked at Dane. “Where’s your vehicle?” He motioned to the road and I could see two trucks parked out of sight in the trees.
The other cars pulled up and I could see questions in Sarah’s eyes. Her eyes narrowed as she saw Dane and I went over to explain the situation to her. She gasped and looked back at Jake, her fury starting to build.
“Sarah, look at me,” I said, trying to get her to refocus as Tommy and John pushed the two cars out of the way. Lisa, Jason’s wife, climbed out and gathered the weapons of the attackers, passing them out equally among the cars.
Sarah’s eyes calmed down enough for me to talk to her. “I will take care of this right now. Hand me the radio.” Sarah took a deep breath then handed me the small two-way. I kissed her cheek and patted her arm. “It will be okay.” I stepped away from the vehicles and made the call. I spoke with Duncan for a minute, then I let Charlie and Tommy talk to him as well. I could hear the pain in his voice as he took in the information, and then it turned to anger. I cautioned him not to do anything until I got there.
I went over to where Charlie and Dane were. “Get up, we’re going.” I said to Dane. I pushed him ahead of me and motioned Charlie over. “Head into town and get things set up. I’ll meet you in a bit.”
Charlie nodded. “Watch your ass.”
I shook my head. “Crazy shit, hey?” I moved Dane to the vehicle and made him get in the driver’s seat.
“I’m riding behind you, and my gun is in your back. Do what you’re told and you might live.” I was not kind as I threw him into the vehicle, a Nissan Xterra with a flatbed. Say what you want about Dane, he did pick nice vehicles. I slid behind him and showed him my SIG. “Let’s go.”
We passed the convoy and headed back to the complex. I could almost see Dane’s brain trying to figure a way out of this. I didn’t say a word, I just let the thought of my child being murdered fuel the cold fire of rage that had started when I heard the news.
I spoke when we approached the complex. “There’s Pamela. Honk your horn.” Dane complied and I could see Pamela’s head whip around. Her eyes got huge when she saw who was driving. She couldn’t see me yet, because I had crouched down. Dane pulled into the lot and parked under the building, next to the second pillar at my direction. Pamela came running over and spoke heatedly to Dane.
“What the hell are you doing?” she hissed at Dane. “You weren’t supposed to come back here yet! That wasn’t part of the plan!”
I popped out of the backseat and leveled my SIG at Pamela’s head. “What plan?” I asked. “Was it the one where you have men kill me and my son, not to mention my friends? That plan?” I spat the question at her through gritted teeth.
Pamela’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head when I stepped out of the car. But she recovered her composure well enough. “You can’t prove anything, and even if it is true, are you an executioner? Who would follow you after that? All you have is the word of this man. Where are your witnesses that he and I had any contact?”
I kept the gun on her but lowered it slightly. “Charlie heard you talking to Dane here, same as I did. You’re finished here.”
Pamela laughed. “You think Duncan is going to get rid of me? You’re a bigger fool than I thought. That idiot will do anything for me.”
Duncan stepped out from behind the pillar that had hidden him. “Yesterday, I would have. Today? Not so much.” Duncan stepped closer as he spoke. “I should have known how you felt when you kept talking about John and how he needed to be gone. This would explain those frequent trips to the adult center. You were communicating with Blake. You’re right, I was an idiot, but not any longer.”
Pamela laughed in his face. “What are you going to do? You haven’t the guts to kill me, and I wasn’t with the ones pulling the triggers on the convoy.”
Duncan’s eyes went cold and I knew what was going to happen. I stepped aside as he swiftly drew his Glock and shot Dane in the head, dropping him on the pavement. “The stooge is dead. Now all that remains is the mastermind.” Duncan said, turning towards Pamela.
Pamela backed up, looking at Dane’s body with a mixture of horror and disbelief. Her eyes drifted to Duncan who looked at her with sorrow and anger. As he raised his weapon, I spoke up.
“Wait.” I said. They both looked at me, Duncan with surprise and Pamela with relief. “This shouldn’t be an execution.” I looked at Pamela and holstered my SIG. I waved Duncan down and stepped away from the Xterra.
I continued speaking. “You tried to have me and my son killed. Your life is forfeit around here. You have two choices. Grab your gear and get away right now, or face me one on one.” I placed my hand on my SIG for her to realize what I meant.
Pamela spat at me. “Duncan will kill me if I win. No deal.”
“Duncan will let you go. My orders.” I said calmly.
Pamela seemed to be weighing the options. Her hand hovered near her gun, and I was waiting intently for her to make a play. Time stretched and I became aware of subtle noises around me, the slight breeze playing in the grass.
Finally Pamela’s head sagged and she slumped, realizing she had lost. Duncan moved swiftly and took her weapons away from her. She actually seemed smaller, but I had no pity whatsoever. “You have five minutes to get whatever is dear to you and get away. You will have no gun, no vehicle, and you will head north. If I ever see you again I will kill you on sight. No explanation, no warning, just death.”
Pamela shook as if my words were physical things hitting her and I could see anger building again in her eyes. I stepped closer and just said, “Move.”
Pamela ran to the building and grabbed what she could and was out again in four minutes. Duncan searched her to make sure she hadn’t stolen anything important, then pointed North. Pamela flipped us both off and ran down the street. I considered sending a shot down her way to speed her along, but figured it would be a waste of a bullet. I looked back at Duncan who was watching her run.
“She’ll try to kill you again, if she gets the chance. You know that.” Duncan said.
“Yeah, well, I’ll just add it to the list of things I need to keep an eye out for.” I went back to the vehicle and dragged Dane’s body out. As I bent over a shot whipped over me, ricocheting off the car and impacting into the roof of the parking lot. I dropped to one knee and drew my SIG, pivoting towards the threat, a second bullet whipping past my ear and putting a hole in the seat. I fired three times and watched Pamela’s body jerk with the impact. She screamed her rage at me and Duncan and crumpled to the ground, a dark stain spreading out over her chest. I kept my gun on her as I went closer and found she was still alive. She was drooling blood, and by the look of things, she wasn’t going to make it.
“Fuck you and die, Talon,” was all she said, dropping her head back and coughing blood.
I kicked her gun away, a small snub-nosed revolver. I looked her over then moved so she could see me. I bent down and quietly said, “You first.” I stood up and walked away, Pamela breathing her rattling last breath.
Duncan just shook his head as I got into the car and fired it up. “She must have circled back through the pines. These kids today,” was all he said.
I leaned out the window and shook his hand. “It’s the new math. It just messes with their heads.”
Duncan waved ruefully as I pulled away. Looking in the rearview mirror I saw Duncan dragging Pamela’s body over to the burn area, and Dane’s body still on the blacktop. I shook my head at the whole thing and thanked God once again for Charlie’s instincts. I drove down the road towards my new home.
When I got to the school, Sarah had a question in her eyes. I summed it up simply. “Duncan shot Blake, I shot Pamela.” Sarah just nodded. Gotta love a woman that understands.