Exodus: Soulless Wanderers Book 3 (A Post-Apocalyptic Zombie Thriller)

by Drew Strickland

  "Could use a quick leg stretch, maybe gather our bearings before leaving the city completely. Besides, it’s not one you've checked out is it?"

  He shrugged. "Nope, not yet." He pulled the truck over and into the parking lot. The sidewalk was rounded, and he couldn't tell where it began and ended, turning into the spaces for cars. The blacktop needed to be resurfaced, but out here at the edge of the city it probably hadn't been high on the list of things. Especially for this business. He didn't see any cars outside and thought it probably looked just like this before the apocalypse happened. The last lonely laundromat at the end of the line. He smiled at his moment of poetry to himself.

  12

  Eden

  Eden grabbed her backpack from outside of the bunker and slung it over her shoulder. It was a dirty thing, but it was hers. Not much around the place belonged to a single person anymore, which wasn't a big deal. But, sometimes, it was nice to have something that she could say was hers. She remembered when they hit the store, and she had grabbed it, brand new from the hook on the wall. There was a wall full of backpacks and while everyone else was raiding the grocery, or other supplies, she decided she needed it. There were so many different colors to choose from, so many different styles. The one she picked was solid black. It was a heavy-duty material that seemed like it wouldn't tear. It also had one of those tags on it that said it had a lifetime warranty. Apparently, if it ever did tear, she could send it in for a brand-new replacement. She hoped they made their backpacks strong to offer that kind of warranty because there would be nowhere to send it to now.

  Solid black had turned to dusty brown from the amount of time it had been outside, but it still held up. There were some signs of wear, but nothing that made her think it would put it out of commission anytime soon. She headed down the small hill toward the opposite side from where Daniel went.

  There was a small shed closer to the other side, but still far enough away from the fence. That wasn't original to Daniel's bunker, as he called it. It was actually the first building they built together as a community. She remembered when it went up, which was a big deal.

  Everyone worked together shortly after leaving Alan's place. It was one of those sheds with metal walls and a compressed wood floor that they had outside of Home Depot for show. They found the kits somewhere else in the store and brought it over.

  She smiled thinking about how stupid everyone was for celebrating when it was put up. There were instructions and everything on how to do it. If they had screwed it up, it would have been pathetic. Still, it was a good day for the camp.

  Eden went to the door and opened it enough for her to slip in. It was where they kept almost everything. There were varying supplies, but mainly it's where they kept all the food. She walked by all of the canned vegetables and went to the canned meats.

  She moved a few of the larger cans of chicken around, then found a giant can of nacho cheese behind it. She couldn't imagine a time when someone would need to open a six and a half pound can of nacho cheese. Once it was open, there was no going back.

  Maybe as a whole group they could open it, but she imagined one slob of a man sitting alone in his underwear on a recliner in a dark room as the TV illuminated the room with its blue hue, eating from the can with a spoon, getting his hand covered in the fake orange color. Specks of cheese landing on his fat belly, only for him to wipe it with his hand and lick his fingers. She shuddered and gagged at the same time thinking of it. She found the small can of tuna she was looking for. She grabbed it and slipped it into her bag.

  Across the other side of the small shed were the perishables. She grabbed the half-used bag of wheat bread and put it in her backpack, along with the squeezable mayonnaise on the shelf next to it. She couldn't wait to get out of there. Daniel had once again shoved her aside to do whatever it was that he did. She knew he was probably out there hunting down Mick and the others. It didn't bother her at all, except for the fact he wouldn't let her go with him. She wasn't a scared little girl. He should know that about her by now.

  The door creaked open, and light spilled into the shed. "Eden?" Courtney said before entering.

  Eden watched Courtney step into the shed. "I was just getting a snack."

  Courtney nodded. "That's fine. I'm glad you're eating."

  Eden shrugged. She didn't eat for a couple of days after arriving at the camp, and now anytime Courtney saw her around food, she made a comment about it. She had been eating for months now just fine, but it was always a thing. "Yeah."

  "How ya doing?"

  "Good," Eden said. She wanted nothing more than to just leave. She wanted to be alone and Courtney decided now was the best time to try and have a girl talk.

  "I want to talk to you about Dan," Courtney said.

  Eden was okay with Dan. But she knew who he was inside. He was Daniel. She never told him to his face and never corrected anyone, but she could never think anything other than Daniel. But the thing was, Daniel didn't scare her. It was something strange to her and something pure. It was like it was his truth. Sure, he was part Dan and part Danny. He had to get along with people, had to make everything work, but it was like he was doing it to cover up something inside himself. That something was what saved her life and the others. It was nothing to be ashamed of, but she knew other people wouldn't see it the same way she saw it.

  "What about him?"

  Courtney stepped up to Eden and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's just that, he's trying, you know? I know it isn't easy for you, but you have to think about it from his point of view, too. Nobody asked for any of this, and all of a sudden, we all expect him to lead, and now he's trying to make things better for everyone, especially you. He was never a father before—"

  "He's not my father."

  "I know that, that's not what I'm saying. But your father asked him to look out for you, to keep you safe."

  "I know. Look, I just want to go—"

  "Eden, I know how hard it is. I was once a girl your age, too. It isn't easy—"

  "Oh, you know how hard it is?" It bubbled up inside of Eden. She was tired of hearing about it from adults. "So, you had your mom and brother turn into those things, those soulless. You know how it is to have your father die? I watched my dad die in front of me because someone killed him. Someone who could have been stopped sooner. Instead, everyone else stopped the man that was trying to save them. You know how that is?"

  "Eden, that's not fair."

  "What's not fair is that Daniel was trying to let us know. He was going to kill Alan because he saw who he was. Nobody else did. Then you all tied him up and let him and his fucking goons take me and the rest of you. That's why my dad is dead."

  Courtney's eyes began to well with tears. "I'm sorry, Eden."

  "And you know what? I saw it, too. I saw Daniel over Alan, holding a knife. I wanted him to do it. I needed him to do it. I didn't say a single word, but he wasn't fast enough." She gritted her teeth and without hesitating, let the words come out. "You have no idea who you are fucking, do you?"

  Courtney slapped Eden across the face, the rage filled her face for a brief moment, then disappeared. "I'm so sorry, Eden."

  Her cheek burned red with fire, but she didn't care. "Don't be." She shoved past Courtney, leaving her to wallow in the guilt. She needed to get outside of these walls, and fast. Even though they were there for her safety, sometimes they made her feel claustrophobic.

  She looked around and saw nobody at the north side of the fence. She quickly put her backpack on both shoulders and climbed up the side. It was fairly tall, but it was easy to climb with the wood backing acting like a ladder. Once at the top, she jumped down and landed on the soft dirt covered in dead pine needles.

  13

  Pax

  Mark pulled up next to Pax and shut the SUV off. They each stepped out of their respective vehicles at the same time. The air felt cooler to Pax, but it was probably all in his head. Being at the edge of the city and looking out into the openness of
the land ahead of them made him feel a little less claustrophobic. Vanessa stepped beside him and put her hand on his shoulder.

  "Everything okay?" she asked.

  He smiled a little. Inside, he was glad to get out of the city. He had built up somewhat of a life over the past five months with Vanessa and the others, but he still remembered the pain he brought down on them when they first met. Getting out on the open road, to unexplored territory, was almost like a fresh start. It was something new, and that's what he needed. "Everything's great," he told Vanessa.

  "Hey, Pax." Mark shouted from across the parking lot. He had already gone ahead to the building, wasting no time at scoping the place out. Pax walked to his friend.

  "What's up?"

  "Looks like someone was, or is, in here." He pointed to the glass door. It had been shattered in a spot and the door was left cracked open. The two men pulled out their pistols and motioned for the others to get behind them. Vanessa, Todd, Carlos, and Eduardo fell behind in that order.

  "Be on alert," Pax whispered quiet enough that only Mark heard him. Mark nodded, and Pax gripped the handle to the door. He pulled it open, allowing Mark to step into the building. Pax quickly spun around the door and was in right behind him. Pax made a quick glance behind him and saw the others following in, weapons ready.

  The musty smell infiltrated Pax's nose as he crept behind Mark. The entire place was mostly just one large room, lined with washing machines and dryers. There were a few benches and seats but, ultimately, it was a basic laundromat. Mark shined his flashlight in every corner, finding not a single soul, or soulless for that matter. Pax looked to the right and saw a small office. He stepped to the door that had been broken open. He peaked in, then pushed it fully open when he saw there was no life inside.

  "Nobody's home," Mark said.

  "If you could call it that. I don't think anyone was actually living here." Pax pulled his flashlight out and spread the light across the room. It wasn't that dark, due to the glass door allowing the sunshine in, but in the corners the flashlight seemed to help. In the middle of the room looked to be a few bowls and bags of food. Pax picked one of them up and saw it was freeze-dried food for camping. "Maybe someone just stopping by for the night?"

  "There's a sleeping bag over here," Vanessa said. "You think someone still lives here?"

  "Just one?" Pax asked.

  "Yeah."

  "I don't know. But from the looks of everything, nobody has been here for a while. There's dust everywhere, there's enough food and bowls for multiple people—"

  "Or just one person that doesn't clean up after themselves," Todd said.

  Pax nodded. Still, he knew the place was empty and had been a while. "I don't think there's anything to worry about. There's no stove here. How did they cook the food they had? I think whoever was here is long gone. Nobody is coming back for this stuff."

  "So, what now?" Carlos asked. "There's nothing worth a damn here."

  Pax shrugged and saw the soap dispenser on the wall. He smiled. "Anyone got a quarter?"

  Mark looked to Pax's gaze and headed to the dispenser. He grabbed a screw driver from his belt and jammed it in the machine. Eventually, he pried it open and revealed the boxes of soap lined up inside. It was fully stocked. "Worth taking?" Mark asked.

  It wasn't much of a score, but individual size soap boxes might come in handy when trading. Sure, they had the medical supplies, but if he could get by without giving it all away, and start off with a simple gesture like some soap, it would be a lot better for them. "Let's load it up."

  When everyone was done loading what little they had found at the laundromat, Pax was ready to hit the open road. He looked at the road nodding his head. He was right. People were headed out of the city at one point in time. Maybe they had found someplace, maybe they had set up their own camps.

  At times like this in the past, Pax would pray in his head about finding people that were willing to trade. Finding people who had good hearts and clear intentions. He caught himself sometimes falling back into old habits, but quickly shifted from prayer to hope. Maybe God wasn't there for him anymore, but he had to believe that keeping his spirits up would give him more of an advantage than if he were pessimistic.

  Pax fired up the engine on the truck and pulled out of the parking lot first. Vanessa was by his side again, and Mark drove the other men behind in the SUV. There was not a single car in sight when they left the city. It was just a one lane highway. Just a double yellow line in the center of a black strip in the middle of the desert. His lip curled at the corner thinking about the desert. Soon, it would be pine trees and possibly snow. He didn't even know the last time he had seen snow. Was there still snow in the apocalypse? Who knows, but he was hoping to find out.

  Pax glanced to his right and watched Vanessa. She was smiling and that was a good thing. She had been through a lot, but then again, who alive hadn't? Everyone had lost someone, everyone had to do something they wished they didn't have to. She looked at him and met his gaze. Her lips opened up, revealing a huge white smile. She was beautiful.

  Inside, he suddenly felt dread sink into him. His hope had eroded slightly, and he knew that things couldn't be as easy as he was making them out to be. He knew he would do whatever it took to get what he needed, and he just hoped it wouldn't have to go too far.

  Vanessa had seen a brief moment of who he had become, and she had heard stories. But stories didn't have the same effect as seeing it with one's own eyes. Would it be enough to drive her away? Or would he be strong enough to not have to become that person again? Vanessa was the key to everything, and he knew it. If she was with him, he would have the strength to do what was right.

  It felt like they had been driving a while, which when looking at the clock, was true. It had been a little over an hour, and they had passed by a few buildings here and there. They did a slow drive-by, seeing if there was anyone or anything worth a damn inside. Everywhere looked like it had been picked clean. They didn't even have to get out of the vehicles to know it. Not a single living person had been seen. There had only been a few straggling soulless around.

  Pax was beginning to lose hope but knew that life between towns on the highway was already nil before the apocalypse. Now, it was just strange because all the touristy trinket shops were completely empty. Nobody stopping to grab a snack or take a piss. No kids running around after being cooped up in a car for hours at a time. Just nothing at all.

  Vanessa grabbed Pax's arm and pointed ahead. "Look, up there," she said. Her voice had raised a little with excitement. Pax looked at where she pointed. Some lights were shining in the distance. It wasn't dark out yet, so he wondered if it was just the glare of the sun off some metal, but the further they drove, the more it looked like light from an electrical source. Vanessa was right. There had to be something else up there.

  Pax led them further down the road. Inside, he felt excitement, but he told himself not to get his hopes up. They had no idea if there was anyone there. And if there was, nobody knew what kind of people were there. He could hope all day long about meeting good people, but when it all came down to it, good people were getting fewer and fewer these days. Everyone had their demons and skeletons, much more so than before. Maybe they could get past them, maybe they could bury them deep but, ultimately, those demons were going to come back one way or another. What kind of demons would they be facing now?

  Pax pulled off to the side of the road, far enough away that he hoped nobody would see them from a distance. The scenery had started to shift from desert to forest, but still nothing dense enough to fully hide. If he could see them, then they could see him. At least if they were smart. It looked as if there was some sort of high platform at the front of the building, and there was probably a lookout posted. He hoped they were far enough away that they hadn't been spotted. At the very least, there was no movement from the building, meaning there wasn't an immediate threat coming for them.

  Pax turned to his people on the side
of the road. Everyone stood around the vehicles, waiting for the plan. "There's got to be some people up there. But we don't know who they are, and they don't know who we are."

  "We've been driving a while, Pax, and this is the first sign of life we have," Mark said.

  Pax looked at the building as the lights still flickered. It was definitely electrical. "Yeah, it is."

  "We don't even know if anyone is alive over there," Carlos said.

  "If they aren't alive, then they would have had to die recently. There's nobody to feed the generator, I mean, unless there's solar," Mark said.

  "Let's just roll up to the front," Carlos said.

  "And do what? Say hi?"

  "That's why we're here, isn't it? Pax's plan to unite other groups, make lines of trade. How else are we gonna do that? Sneak in? That'll look really good when we meet them."

  Mark shook his head. It was obvious Carlos had something against him, but Pax couldn't worry about it right now. Carlos was right, but he couldn't risk the others. This was his plan. He would have to take the lead on this. "I'll go alone," Pax blurted out before Mark could retort.

  "What? No way," Vanessa said, standing up.

  "It's the only way," Pax said.

  "Like hell it is. You're the one who made this plan, so what if those people aren't all that nice?"

  "Then you come get me. If you go with me, then there's no backup. We're all done. But if I go, then you're my backup."

  "And what if they kill you on the spot?"

  "Then you go on without me. You all know the plan, and it's a good one. We know there are others out there who have less than good intentions toward others. If you happen to run into those groups, then you take the fuckers out. We're more than capable."

  Carlos nodded. "I think it's the best way."

  "Yeah, I bet you do," Mark said, slightly under his breath.

  "What's that supposed to mean, asshole?" Carlos stood up and stepped toward Mark.