Forsaken World (Book 5): Homecoming

by Watson, Thomas A.

  Slowing as they neared a blacktop road, Sandy steered her horse closer to the trees, seeing a shadow on the road ahead. It was heading west toward Bogota, so she peered through the few trees looking east and saw a house and barn. A muffled pop to their front made everyone, including the horses, jump.

  Squinting her eyes, Sandy struggled to look ahead of them. The road was over a hundred yards away and she looked around, trying to find where the suppressed shot came from. When a figure stepped away from several trees to the road, Sandy stifled a yelp.

  Just by the way the figure moved she could tell it was human, and she was almost certain it was a man. The figure stopped beside the stinker that’d been shot and pulled it off the road, then walked back to the trees beside the road.

  When Sandy climbed off her horse, Mary almost fell off hers. “What are you doing?” Mary whispered in a pant.

  “They’ll see us if we just cross over this road into the next field,” Sandy told Mary as she checked her AR.

  “We can move back and head east,” Mary offered.

  Shaking her head, “No. That water was too high, and the horses would have to wade through fields,” Sandy answered.

  “We don’t know if they are with the same group,” Mary said, looking toward the road.

  “Then they should’ve had their asses inside,” Sandy snarled in a low voice. “If it goes bad, then take off.”

  “Fuck that,” Mary huffed, moving to get down and Sandy stopped her.

  “No. You have to stay with the horses, so they don’t run off,” Sandy told her. “If we lose the horses, we can’t make it home. Just hold here.”

  Before Mary could respond Sandy turned and left, after motioning for Dan to stay. “You aren’t a ninja,” Mary sighed, then said a prayer that this wasn’t a mistake.

  Remembering everything Johnathan had taught her about hunting, Sandy crept forward, slowly testing each step for sound before putting her weight down. When she was fifty yards away, she spotted the dark shape of a side by side in the strip of trees facing the road with two figures inside. The figure on the right lifted a rifle and looked east down the road.

  Glancing to the east, Sandy didn’t see anything and lifted her AR to her shoulder. Before the stinkers arrived, fifty yards had seemed like a long way to her. Now it was point blank. The fiber-optic reticle glowed green as she rested it on the shadowy outline of the passenger’s head.

  Very slow and easy, Sandy flipped the safety off and moved her finger to the trigger, never caring whether these two were part of the group that’d killed Johnathan or not. They were blocking her way. When her finger contacted the trigger, she let out a long breath as she gently squeezed the trigger.

  When the rifle bucked in her hands it startled her, but she moved the crosshairs over and saw the driver turning to the passenger as she pulled the trigger. Sandy saw the driver’s head jolt as the bullet blew out the side of his head.

  Taking her finger off the trigger, she glanced around and didn’t see any movement. Holding her barrel low, she eased up and heard a radio turned down. Getting closer, she saw a CB mounted on the dash and heard several people jabbering away.

  In the light of the night sky, Sandy saw the grotesque scene of her work up close and fought not to get nauseous. Turning back, she waved for Mary to move up and then turned back to the side by side. Each man had an M4, but the scopes on them were massive.

  Picking up the closest, Sandy gave it a once-over and saw the eyepiece was rubber, but couldn’t see through it. Pressing down on the piece light came out, making Sandy jump and let the eyepiece go. Turning to the west, Sandy let her AR hang and pulled the M4 to her shoulder and pressed her eye to the eyepiece, gasping to see a thermal view, but a hundred times better than the one Johnathan had found on the soldier.

  Then it occurred to her, one had to press down on the eyepiece to use the scope that way so light wouldn’t escape. Taking her eye off the scope, Sandy blinked her eyes as her right eye struggled to regain its night vision.

  Reaching over, she grabbed the other M4 and laid both in the back bed. Moving back to the cab, she started patting down the driver and realized the vest he was wearing was like the one Johnathan and Bill had taken off the soldier. “Fucking glad I shot your ass in the head,” Sandy gasped.

  “What?” Mary whispered, tying the horses to the back of the side by side.

  “They have on vests like that soldier had,” Sandy answered. “Get to the passenger and get his off.”

  “Sandy, we need to haul ass,” Mary complained, but moved to the passenger side.

  “Mary,” Sandy snapped in a low voice. “These vest stop bullets.”

  Pausing when she reached for the passenger, Mary looked from Sandy to the body before yanking it out and letting it hit the ground hard. Bending down, Mary undid the side Velcro and pulled the vest off while Sandy tossed the driver’s in the bed.

  “Anyone seen anything besides stinkers?” a voice asked over the CB.

  Narrowing her eyes, “My son came up with that, and nobody around here is allowed to use it,” Sandy hissed at the CB.

  “I heard an ATV south of Miston,” a voice answered.

  Several more called out joking before a deep voice came over the CB. “Knock it off,” the deep voice commanded. “We will give it another thirty minutes, then move back across the river. If nothing else, we are killing infected.”

  Happy the voice didn’t use ‘stinker’, Sandy turned from the CB and saw something on the small dash. Picking it up and realizing it was a head harness, Sandy gasped and stared at what she was holding. “It’s like the one Johnathan bought.”

  Leaning in, Mary saw the dark outline of a night vision monocular and saw another on the dash that would’ve been in front of the passenger. Grabbing it, Mary almost panted. “We need to go.”

  Reaching back to the bed, Sandy pulled the vest over her head with a grunt. “Okay, I really believe it weighs thirty pounds.”

  Slinging one of the M4s across her back, Sandy glanced in the buggy and saw a small cooler, and opened it up. Seeing beer on ice, Sandy fought off the desire to crack one open and swept her eyes over the interior. When a radio went off beside her ear, Sandy jumped almost four feet in the air.

  As she was in midair, Sandy looked over the roof and saw Mary was also in midair looking at her shoulder. Returning to earth, Sandy looked at her left shoulder and saw a radio mounted on the vest. “All units, we pull out at two a.m. If anyone is listening on the CB, they should move in an hour. Call out contacts,” the same deep voice called over the radio.

  Looking through the cab at Sandy, “Wonder how far out they are?” Mary asked as Sandy grabbed a case off the floorboard.

  Shrugging, “Have no idea, but we are out of here,” Sandy said, jerking her head to the bed. “Grab the other M4 and one of the small packs back there, and I’ll take the other one. We can stop down the road and tie them to the pack horses.”

  “I’m taking this tool belt off if I’m wearing this damn vest,” Mary snorted, moving to the bed and grabbing the stuff.

  When they mounted up, Sandy led them across the road into the field heading northeast. Taking off her cap, Sandy put the head harness on and cranked the knob at the back to tighten it on her head. Flipping the monocular down, Sandy fumbled along the tube until she found the switch and turned it on.

  “Whoa,” she mumbled. Instead of a world of green she was looking at a world of gray and white, but could tell it wasn’t thermal. It was infrared, but the definition was a hundred times better than the one Johnathan had bought, and he had paid four grand for it.

  As they moved along a row of trees separating them from the next field, Mary rode up. “You-,” she stopped, seeing Sandy already had the monocular on. “This is the new phosphor night vision,” Mary grinned. “Doug brought one over at Christmas that a company sent him to try out, but he didn’t buy it. If Doug didn’t buy one, I don’t want to know what they cost.”

  “Cost us two rou
nds of 5-5-6,” Sandy replied with a malevolent grin.

  Nodding, “Well, that was a bargain,” Mary chuckled. “When we hit that small forest in five miles, we need to stop. If we have to fight with this shit just tossed on, we’re fucked.”

  “That’s what I was thinking,” Sandy admitted really loving the fact she could see with definition now. Then she turned to Mary. “You know, since we’ve landed, mine and your language has turned atrocious.”

  “Fuckin’ A,” Mary chuckled as they continued on.

  Chapter Two

  Cabin in Kentucky

  Coming out the back door, Lance checked his gear. Satisfied, he buckled the mask on while he walked over to the buggy as the sun set. Hearing the door open behind him, Lance turned around as he put on his helmet and saw Jennifer and Lilly come out buckling on their helmets with Dino between them. “They need to paint something on their masks,” Lance noted.

  Sitting in the buggy, Ian gave a snort. “It won’t be a skull,” he said. “Jennifer gives me shit about ours.”

  Climbing in the front passenger seat, “At least we look cool,” Lance chuckled behind his mask as Lilly and Jennifer climbed in the back and put Dino in the middle.

  Ian turned on the batteries and gripped the steering wheel. “Let’s get this show on the road,” he laughed as he drove around the cabin.

  “Gate,” Lance called into his radio.

  “Opening,” Allie called back, and they saw the inner gate rolling open. Before it was halfway, the outer gate had already swung open.

  Not waiting until the inner gate had opened all the way, Ian drove through the gap and turned right to follow the fence line. Lance glanced back to see the outer gate swinging closed just as the inner gate finally stopped fully open, only to start rolling back to close.

  “Think I should speed the inner gate up?” Lance asked, gripping his AR.

  “Nah,” Ian grunted. “We don’t have to do it, the outer gate closes so fast it scares me.”

  Driving up behind the cabin, Ian drove over the ridge and into the chute for the barrier fence. “I still want a fucking gate here,” Lilly said behind them.

  “We found one,” Lance told her over his shoulder. “Now that the greenhouse is done, we can start moving to other projects.”

  Shaking her head as they came out of the chute, “Every time we complete something to take off the list, we add four more things,” Jennifer sighed. “Now I understand what Mom and Dad were always talking about; you can’t get ahead.”

  “Yeah, having to be a grownup sucks ass,” Ian agreed.

  Pulling out of the trees, Ian stopped in the yard of the ‘build house’ where they stored equipment. There were several side by sides parked in a line that had been moved from the cabin, just so they could have room. Lilly and Jennifer climbed out and walked over to one of the diesel Rangers with a trailer already hooked up to it.

  While Lilly and Jennifer checked the Ranger, Ian turned to Lance. “With Lori, Denny, and Jodi at the cabin, I have to admit, they are doing a good job at helping out,” Ian said. Hearing what the boys were talking about, Lilly and Jennifer listened carefully.

  “Yeah, and they better continue,” Lance told him. “I’m all for helping them learn, but they can’t slow us down more than they have.”

  “Dude,” Ian huffed. “They haven’t even been there a week and they’ve already learned more than they ever did with their parents since they’ve been born.” Spinning away, Lilly bit her bottom lip to keep from busting out laughing.

  “I know,” Lance nodded. “But they can’t stop because we can’t let anyone endanger us. Like we’ve always told Lilly and Jennifer, ‘We have to make sure we always see what’s around us before it sees us’.”

  “Coming up,” Heath called over the radio.

  Turning to the driveway, Lance grinned. “I’m so happy they baffled their rides.”

  Putting his hands on his hips, “They wouldn’t be coming with us if they hadn’t,” Ian snapped as Lilly and Jennifer came over.

  Lilly tapped Lance’s arm, getting his attention. “You sure about Rhonda riding shotgun with you and Ian?” Lilly asked.

  Looking Lilly directly in the eyes, “To be honest,” Lance ranted. “No.”

  When Lilly drew a breath to speak, Lance held up his hand to stop her. “But it’s the best choice,” Lance pointed out. “I know for a fact; you and Jennifer can cover your area at the back even with one driving. If Rhonda was back there so one of you could ride with us, that means one of you would be exposed, and neither Ian nor I can have that.”

  “Oh, so you don’t think we have a right to bitch because our men are riding point with someone who hasn’t trained with us?” Lilly protested.

  “We are in the front on point and that’s what we decided,” Lance insisted. “We’re over patrolling, so don’t start.”

  Hearing Lilly getting ready to unleash, Jennifer grabbed her arm. “Don’t,” Jennifer warned. “We agreed to that and it’s sound reasoning, even if I don’t like it.”

  Staring at Jennifer’s eyes behind the mask, Lilly finally nodded. “I don’t like my man in danger, but okay.”

  Reaching out and grabbing Lilly’s hand, Lance gave it a squeeze. “Just like we don’t like our girls in danger, but we do what we have to,” Lance said as two more side by sides drove up. “If we had our way you two wouldn’t leave the cabin, but that would just put you in more danger if trouble found us.”

  Leaning over, Lilly whispered. “We are curling up on the couch when we get home.”

  Thankful the mask and fading light hid his blush, Lance climbed out as Heath and his wife Robin walked over with Rhonda. “Want me to lead?” Heath asked.

  Shaking his head, “Nah, let us do it,” Lance answered, then turned to Rhonda. “You’ll ride shotgun with us. I’ll be standing and covering out the roof. Then Heath and Robin, next Dwain and Kathy, followed by Lilly and Jennifer,” Lance pointed as he gave out the riding order.

  Seeing everyone nod, Lance continued. “This area is a mile and a half outside our three mile perimeter, so keep alert and call out anything. Keep your weapons ready at all times but I’m not kidding, you shoot one of us and we will shoot back.”

  “We’ve been practicing,” Robin said proudly, then adjusted her tactical vest and M4. “We finally got that laptop you left for Denny hooked up to the big screen in the den and copied the lessons.”

  Lance glanced over at Ian and nodded, very impressed by that. “Can I ask what Grady and his wife are doing?” Lance asked before turning back to Robin.

  “Oh, Brenda practices with us, but Grady is adding more cameras to the security system,” Robin answered.

  Stepping close to Lance, Heath lowered his voice. “We told Grady until he starts doing those videos on gun drills, he isn’t allowed to use a gun and if he hasn’t started in a week, he has to pack his shit.”

  “Effective,” Lance grinned.

  Stepping back, “Yeah, Brenda told his ass if he didn’t start working out in the gym, she was going to make him outrun stinkers for exercise,” Heath chuckled.

  “Hardcore,” Ian laughed.

  When Lance flipped down his quad tube, everyone else flipped down their night vision, even though Heath’s group looked on with a little jealousy, but they were still happy. Not from the gear the group had, it was the knowledge and confidence the group displayed. Before Lance and Ian, they’d had next to nothing, little knowledge, living in fear, and close to starving. Now, they felt they had a chance at survival.

  “Dino,” Lance said, pointing at the backseat behind Ian and then climbed inside to stand out of the roof. Pulling up his AR, Lance rested it on the roof.

  “You want me on this .22?” Rhonda asked, climbing in the passenger seat.

  “Nope, stay on your M4,” Ian answered. “Big pussy may be around and the M4 will do more to run them off.”

  Rhonda looked down at the gun the boys put together for her. “You and Lance refer to your guns as ARs,
but ours M4s. Why?” she asked.

  “M4 is just the military version of the AR. Uncle Doug had parts to upgrade our ARs. So we have full auto like yours, but also three round burst. Your barrel is only fourteen inches, our barrels are sixteen inches,” Ian answered, easing the buggy to the driveway and waiting on everyone to fall in behind him. “To be honest, we reference both the same sometimes.”

  Turning to scan around them, “Do two inches make that much of a difference?” Rhonda asked.

  Nodding, “If you’re shooting past three hundred yards, it does,” Ian answered.

  When the others were behind him, Ian eased off down the driveway until he reached the valley below and found four stinkers in the road. As Ian slowed to turn right driving up the valley, the four stinkers’ heads exploded one after the other. In two seconds, Lance had all of them down and was looking around as he stood out of the roof.

  “You guys are fast,” Rhonda said in awe.

  “Hey, we normally shoot them with arrows,” Ian chuckled, and Rhonda glanced over and fought off a shiver to see the gray paint from the skull on the mask seeming to glow in her night vision monocular. As if the lifelike painting detail of the skull wasn’t terrifying enough, the glow gave it a supernatural terror.

  Passing the mobile home where she had met Ian and Lance, Rhonda had to admit, since this had started, she really felt they had a chance to survive this now. Looking away from the mobile home, Rhonda saw Ian taking the small driveway that ran up a draw to the house they were using to run communication lines through. It was a nice house, and she liked the idea of them turning it into a meeting place or ‘clubhouse’ as they’d called it.

  Passing the clubhouse, Lance looked around as Ian drove up the ridge to the crest. Glancing back, he saw everyone behind them with only five yards between each vehicle. Keeping his head moving side to side, Lance rotated his eyes over a two hundred degree arc, only occasionally glancing back.