by Gary Chesla
If we survived the next few days, I would have to watch Charlie and see if he had sole access to another of the buildings inside the fort that he could be using. Despite not having found what I had expected, Charlie was still the only person in this fort that could pull off something like this and the only person that had a motive. It had to have been Charlie.
I knew I didn’t have the time to thoroughly search the room or to let Bear smell around and still get back over to the wall before I would be missed. I slipped out of Charlie’s room and pulled the door closed behind me. I would just have to look for other clues as to where Charlie was keeping the women later.
As I turned, I saw Janie, Ken’s wife, backing out of her building next door to Charlie’s quarters. She was dressed in dark clothes and if I didn’t say so myself, her actions appeared suspicious.
I walked over and stood behind her.
She jumped when she turned around and saw me.
“Janie?” I asked. “Where are you going?”
“Oh!” Janie said, looking scared and surprised. “I was going to go check on Ken.”
She briefly glanced at me, but mostly kept her eyes focused on Bear.
“He’s fine,” I said. “I think you need to go back in your room and stay there until Ken comes to get you. It’s not safe out here right now. You also need to be where Ken can find you when the time comes and we have to leave the fort through the tunnel, so please stay in your room until Ken comes back.”
“OK,” Janie replied sheepishly, turned and quickly slipped back into her building.
When Janie was back in her quarters, I turned and hurried back to the back wall.
As I walked back to the lookout post, at first, I didn’t think anything about Janie trying to leave her room. But then another thought came to me. This was the second time Janie had been caught outside her room, now and the other night when Charlie was acting strangely. We hadn’t caught anyone else being out of their rooms since the women had started to disappear. It had never crossed my mind that the person kidnapping the women could be one of the other women, but could it be? Why not, just because she was a woman didn’t mean she couldn’t have decided to get rid of a few, or all, of the other women for some reason.
But why would Janie be doing something like that? Was there something going on between Janie and Charlie? Were they in on this together? It all sounded too complicated for this place and these people. I knew I needed to look for a simpler answer, but I would need to do that later, not now.
It was something else to think about, the people at the fort were strange and unlike any people I have ever met, I couldn’t rule out anything. But right now, I had more important things to worry about.
I quickly made my way over to the ladder and climbed up to the platform where Bill and Charlie were waiting.
“Where were you?” Bill asked as I reached the top of the ladder.
“I needed to get something from my site,” I replied. “Then I spotted Janie coming out of her quarters and I went over to tell her to get back inside.”
“What was she doing out of her quarters?” Charlie asked. “I told everyone to stay inside until I told them it was safe to come out.”
“She said she was going out to check on Ken,” I replied. “I told her Ken was fine and to go back inside. Have you had a problem with her not following instructions before? Has she ever done anything like steal from the others, or get into any other kind of trouble?”
“Never,” Charlie replied.
“Oh well, we have bigger problems to worry about right now,” I said. “Did Bill show you the new group that just came out through the tree line?” I asked.
“Yes, he did,” Charlie replied. “This new group looks like they are coming directly towards the fort.”
“Take a look, Tom,” Bill said. “There is a lot more of them out in the field now than there was before.”
“What do you think, Tom,” Charlie asked. “Are you suggesting that we get everyone over to the tunnel?”
“Not yet,” I replied. “I just wanted you to see what was happening, but I think getting everyone over to the tunnel right now is too soon. The movement of the people could somehow attract attention and start something we are trying to avoid. If we need to use the tunnel later, I think we should keep everyone in their quarters until the last minute when it looks like we don’t have any other options.”
“I agree,” Charlie said. “If we are quiet and out of sight, I think we have the best chance of having the dead just pass us by.”
“I agree,” I replied. “But I also think if that group keeps coming in our direction, it could lead to problems, so I think we should try to do something to stop them or see if we can make them change direction.”
“But how would we do that?” Charlie asked.
“I’ve been racking my brain trying to come up with something, but we honestly don’t have many options at this point. The only option I could think of was to shoot a few flaming arrows into that group and hope it forces them to change course,” I replied.
“I thought you said we could end up burning down the fort?” Charlie asked. “I don’t think we should do anything to endanger the fort. I still believe that the dead won’t know that we are here and will just pass us by.”
“That’s possible, but I think it would be too much of a risk to just let them walk up and surround the fort,” I replied. “If we can set a few of the dead on fire before they get very close to the fort, that won’t put the fort in any danger of being set on fire. If it doesn’t destroy that group, maybe at least it might disrupt their momentum and make them go off in a different direction.”
“That tactic did work the other day, but can you shoot an arrow all the way to the end of that field?” Charlie asked. “The other end of that field is more than four hundred yards away.”
“No, but I can get an arrow to go almost two hundred yards,” I replied. “Accurately, I can shoot something up to sixty yards away, but since I don’t have to be too accurate to hit a group that large, I should be able to get an arrow into that mob easily at around two hundred yards.”
“Let’s say you can hit something in that group at two hundred yards,” Charlie said. “But when you try to get close enough to take a shot, won’t they see you coming? It seems to me that would cause more problems than setting that group on fire would solve. The other groups could see you and regardless of what happens to the group you are shooting at, if those other groups see you and start coming our way, we would end up with an even bigger problem. The dead watching you coming back to the fort would lead them right back to us. It doesn’t sound like a very good idea to me, I think we just need to stay out of sight and take our chances.”
“But I can do this without them ever seeing me,” I said.
“You can’t be sure of that, it’s too much of a gamble,” Charlie replied.
“They won’t see me, I guarantee it,” I said again. “Right now, Ken and Dave should have finished digging the tunnel so that it will open up beyond the tree line out behind the fort. I can go out the tunnel, then use the trees as cover to get within range, they will never know I was even there.”
“What if the dead see the flaming arrows going across the sky and follow the arrows path back to the fort?” Charlie asked.
“If they somehow were able to do something like that, they would miss the fort by a hundred yards or more. I won’t be shooting the arrows from anywhere near the fort,” I replied. “I’ll be halfway between them and the fort. If they do trace that path, they will end up way over on the other side of the campground. What do you say Charlie? I think this would triple our odds of getting through this. But if I’m going to do this, I need to get moving before that group gets any closer to us.”
After thinking it over, Charlie finally nodded.
“OK, I can see where it might help,” he said. “But the rest of us are going to stay hidden and quiet like I had planned.”
“But if for any reas
on I don’t make it back,” I said. “If you see that the dead make it to the fort and start stacking up against the walls, you should get everyone over to the tunnel before the dead get inside. If that happens, get the group away from the fort and find someplace to hide for a few days in the woods.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Charlie replied then said, “Good luck.”
Charlie went down the ladder and headed back to his quarters. I knew that is where he intended to stay, regardless of what happened, it was what he had always done and would continue to do, until he and the others were all dead. But at that point, that would be his problem.
I had intended to go out and try to disrupt the dead no matter what Charlie would have said, but I was just trying to get him to agree to my plan so that he wouldn’t somehow do something to really screw things up while I was outside. I was trying to do everything I could to help us survive, but I knew whatever I did, some things would never change.
Chapter 14
I went to my campsite and gathered up my best arrows. I wrapped the arrowheads with pieces of rags. I stuffed extra rags in my pocket in case I would need them later.
I then ran over to the metal repair shop to grab the small can of oil I had spotted there earlier today. The oil had probably been left behind by one of the park’s maintenance men over a year ago. It had sat undisturbed ever since, probably because these people didn’t have had any idea what to do with it.
I then also gathered up about twenty-five of the homemade arrows to take with me, there was a good chance that I would need them if I found myself being attacked by the dead.
I couldn’t think of anything else I would need, or anything else that I would be able to carry with me, so I took a deep breath and got on my way.
I made my way over to the blacksmith shed.
It was quiet in the shed, so I guessed that Ken and Dave were still down in the tunnel.
I lit a small torch and dropped down into the opening of the tunnel. Once I was down in the tunnel, I could hear voices coming from further down inside. I thought I was able to make out a few curse words. I hoped that those two weren’t fighting again. If there was ever a time that I didn’t need for those two to screw up, now was that time.
I got down and started crawling back into the tunnel. Bear followed closely behind me, occasionally sneezing from the dust stirred up from my shoulders brushing up against the sides of the tunnel and the black smoke given off by the torch.
“Hang on Bear,” I said. “We don’t have much further to go.”
We reached the first turn, then the second turn. At this point the voices up ahead were much louder and I could see the light given off by their torch.
“Hey, keep it down up there,” I said. “The dead are going to hear you with all the damn noise you two are making.”
“Is that you Tom?” Ken asked.
“Who else were you expecting,” I replied. “What’s going on up there?”
“We’ve run into more of those damn roots,” Dave replied. “We’ve been stuck in this same spot for the last hour. Ken says that maybe we should try to dig our way around them like you told us to do last time, but I told him we should go and ask you first before we do that.”
“We don’t have the time to dig around anymore roots,” I said. “I need to get out now. Dig straight up, you need to make an exit.”
“What if we still aren’t past the tree line yet?” Ken asked.
“I have to get up top now regardless,” I replied. “I’ll just have to go up wherever it comes out. Dig up towards the surface, but don’t make a big opening. Just make a small hole until we determine if there is anything moving around up there.”
“OK, give me a few minutes,” Ken replied. “I’ll see what I can do.”
I waited a couple of minutes, listening to Ken grunting as he dug, a lot less time than I had expected had passed when I heard Ken’s voice again.
“Holy shit, I’ve reached the surface already,” Ken exclaimed. “We must have been digging up hill for the last hour. The surface is only a few feet above me. I can see the light coming down through the dirt.”
“OK, that might be a good thing,” I replied. “Ken, you and Dave crawl back this way and let Bear and I get up there.”
“Bear is down here too?” Dave asked nervously.
“Damn it Dave,” I said. “Get back here and stop worrying about Bear, he isn’t going to bother you. I need to get out of here before the dead get any closer to the fort.”
“Tom,” Ken said. “I think it is too narrow for us to crawl back by you and Bear, but I made the tunnel wider up at this end like I showed you before, so we had room to turn around. I think you can crawl up between us to get out.”
“OK,” I replied. “Get against the sides, I’m sending Bear up first, be careful with your torch so you don’t set him on fire, that would really piss him off.”
I heard what sounded like someone quickly blowing out their torch, followed by, “It’s all clear, send him up.”
“Bear,” I said and pointed towards the end of the tunnel, “Go!”
Bear crawled over my back and went up the tunnel. I held my hand over my torch, nearly burning my fingers, but I had to follow my own instructions and not set my buddy’s fur on fire or our mission would be over before it had even begun.
I stayed close behind Bear and we covered the last few feet quickly, soon finding the end of the tunnel severely crowded as the four of us were jammed together in the tight quarters.
“Damn, I knew we should have made the tunnel bigger,” Dave complained as Bear and I squeezed between him and Ken.
I didn’t say anything, but things were a little too close for comfort at this point. I didn’t know what smelled worse, Ken and Dave of the damp musty smell of the ground around us.
“OK, everyone, cover your eyes and nose,” I said when Bear and I had gone as far as we could go.
“Why?” Dave asked, “Did someone leave one, down here, please tell me that’s not what you meant. I left one down here earlier and I thought Ken was going to beat me to death with his bucket.”
“It smelled like hell down here for twenty minutes. My eyes were burning so bad that I couldn’t see a damn thing, or I would have beat his head in with my bucket,” Ken replied. “We’re lucky the damn tunnel didn’t explode and kill both of us.”
“Just cover your eyes and nose,” I said again, then added. “Bear, dig, go up top!”
Bear started digging his way up through the dirt, dirt was flying everywhere, covering all of us in a thick layer of moist soil. Bear dug until the small opening became large enough for him to scoot through, then his body disappeared up out of the tunnel.
Just like all the others here at the fort, Ken and Dave either didn’t listen to a damn thing I just said, or only half listened, and I heard them spitting dirt out of their mouths and coughing loudly.
I crawled up to the opening and said, “Bear, what’s up there?”
Bear stuck his nose back down into the hole and snorted.
“What did he say?” Dave asked.
“He said it’s safe for me to come up and that I should get up there before you leave another one in the tunnel,” I grinned.
“He didn’t say that,” Dave protested, “Did he?”
I stuck my head up through the hole and looked around, to my surprise, instead of coming up out in the field, I was ten feet back into the woods. Our two gophers had done a good job once again.
“You guys made it into the woods,” I said softly back down into the tunnel. “You did good.”
I then crawled out of the tunnel and laid on the ground next to the opening and looked around. The area was well hidden and better yet, was quiet with no signs of any activity.
I put my face over the hole and said,” I want you guys to go up on the wall with Bill and keep an eye on where the dead are. If the dead make it to the fort before I get back, get your families and anyone else that will listen and get them into the
blacksmith shed. At the first sign of the dead getting into the fort, get everyone out through the tunnel. From that point you will be on your own, but I would recommend that you go back in the woods until you can’t hear the dead at the fort any longer, then just find someplace to hide.”
“You are coming back to help us?” Dave asked.
“I plan on coming back,” I replied. “But you need to be prepared to get out of the fort if something happens and I can’t get back. I’m going to drag some brush over the opening to keep the tunnel hidden, but you won’t have any problem getting out through it.”
“What are you going to do out there?” Ken asked. “Do you want us to come with you?”
“No, this is a one man and a dog type job,” I replied. “Go up with Bill, he’ll explain to you what I’m going out to do. I’ve got to get moving, just wish me luck.”
I dragged a few branches over top of the hole, got my bearing and then got to work.
The breeze carried the horrible smell of the dead. The odor was stronger than I had smelled in a long time, reinforcing what I already knew, that there were a lot of the dead nearby.
I stayed low and slowly began to follow the trees line towards the far corner of the field. I stayed back into the trees to hide my movements and I kept a close eye on Bear to gauge his reactions to the area around us. He was rapidly sniffing the air, but he still kept moving forward.
We had been moving slowly through the woods for about ten minutes when Bear began to look concerned, I stopped and listened. The moaning of the dead had been growing louder as we moved, but now the sounds felt like they were coming from all around us. I decided to get closer to the edge of the tree line to get a look at where I was and to find out why the sound of the dead seemed to be so loud.
