Riley and Wilson began to explain what happened.
****
Larry watched the reunion down below in utter disgust. He should’ve stayed behind at the grocery store where there was booze and no bullshit. He tried to move his wrists, but the rope was too damned tight. He would have to bide his time. He’d seen at least three guns. He only had to get his hands on one. He’d take Riley’s truck, invite Jennifer to join him and head north. Riley was staring up at him. God knew what kind of things he was saying. Larry felt his face grow flush with anger. He would wait. His time would come.
****
Riley filled in the last of the details and looked up at Larry. It was a mistake to have brought him. “Look, if anyone has any ideas on what to do with him, speak up.”
Fred was particularly uncomfortable. “It’s because of me that we’re down to one vehicle. I’ll stay in back and keep an eye on him.”
Wilson smirked. “Me too. We’ll make sure he doesn’t pull anything, ay Fred?”
Fred nodded his head and studied the ground. “Thanks, Wilson, I appreciate it.”
Riley stared at the horizon, the sun was down. “If everybody agrees, let’s load up and continue until we find a good place to spend the night, unless we want to get closer to Prescott. Personally, I don’t think we should try to hit such a populated area without daylight.”
Everyone agreed. They loaded up what they could in Riley’s truck. Wilson and Fred joined Larry in back. The look Larry gave them was unnerving. Even Wilson was beginning to feel a slight discomfort.
Riley drove several miles before catching up to the large group of dead they’d left behind. Some of them had begun to dissipate but most were still mindlessly wondering in the road. Driving through them would be a nightmare, especially with the back of the truck being open.
Jennifer’s eyes remained fixed on the sight in front of them. “My god, is that the group you used Larry as a decoy for?”
“I’m afraid so. I thought they would have scattered by now.” Riley stopped the truck with about a hundred feet between them.
Marjorie finally found her voice, though she averted her eyes. “Should we try a detour?”
“Normally I’m fine with off-roading but it’s nearly dark. God knows who might be lurking out there.”
A minivan came up behind them, then drove around. It continued right into the center of the crowd and was immediately surrounded. If they had been hoping to drive through, they were badly mistaken.
Riley shook his head. “That is just about the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen.”
He jumped when Wilson wrapped on his side window. Riley swore as he lowered it. “My god, I thought you were in back. It’s not safe out here.”
“Yeah, I know. Did you see that van? Hey, Marjie.”
“Hi Wilson.”
Riley rubbed his temples, staring hard at Wilson. “Well, do you have any ideas?”
“We could do the decoy trick, but I’d rather not risk it with the ladies.”
“Me neither.”
Jennifer spoke up. “We appreciate that, but right now do we have a choice?”
Marjie leaned forward to look at Wilson. “I agree. I can’t think of any other options.”
Riley and Wilson stared at each other already knowing the answer though neither of them liked it. Wilson clapped Riley on the shoulder. “Back around the bend and turn around. We’ll make plenty of noise.”
Up ahead they saw someone from the van fighting several of the dead with a bat through a side window. Riley mumbled to himself. “This is getting worse by the minute.” He backed around the bend the moment Wilson was in the truck bed.
Wilson plopped down next to Fred and rubbed his hands together. “Did you two catch all that?”
Fred nodded. “Yeah, it’s the best idea we have right now.”
Larry said nothing.
Riley found a good place to turn around and slowly backed in. They realized almost immediately that someone had been pulled through the side window of the other car. There were several groups feeding on limbs. Getting their attention might not be so easy.
Fred and Wilson began yelling and waving their arms. Larry sat mute, but his eyes were on Wilson.
About four or five of the dead began walking their direction. One of them was a woman who looked in perfect condition. She walked out ahead of the others and began clicking her teeth.
Wilson elbowed Fred. “She’s a strange one. Wasn’t sure if she was dead.”
“It’s hard to tell in this light.”
Slowly, more began to follow. Even the ones eating drug the limbs as they moved toward the noise.
Riley was careful to keep a good distance between them and the back of his truck. He kept driving till they began spreading out. It was hard to see their shadowy forms with dusk turning to night. When he felt it was safe enough for him to drive through them, he found a good place to turn around. He got out of the truck to issue a couple of quick suggestions. “I’m going to drive through them, but I won’t be able to go fast. Wilson, have your gun ready. Knock on the window if you need me. We better untie Larry’s hands.”
Wilson made quick work of untying Larry’s hands. He’d keep a sharp eye on him when he could. Wilson had seen the looks Larry had given him and wasn’t taking any chances.
Riley kept his speed at a steady twenty miles an hour. He swerved around some and bumped others out of the way. Their vacant stares were caught in the headlights since they were making no effort to move out of the way of the truck. Just the opposite, they tended to want to walk into it. The further along he got, the more they seemed to be gathering back in groups.
Eventually, a dozen of them had both sides of the road blocked but there was no going back. Riley stopped the truck and glanced over at Jennifer and Marjie. “You may want to close your eyes.” No sooner had he said that when he heard yelling. Wilson had jumped out of the truck and was waving his arms. Riley laid on the horn then lowered his window and yelled. “What the hell are you doing?”
“I’m getting them on the left side of the road so you can go around.”
They were closing in fast. Wilson jumped back in the truck when they were just a few yards away, then pulled out his Desert Eagle. Riley stepped on the gas and moved to the right but couldn’t go much over five miles an hour and safely get around the group. Wilson fired head shots at several that grabbed the truck bed. He was about to turn away when a large heavyset man wearing garage overalls managed to grab hold, hoist himself up and raise a leg over the edge. Just as Wilson took aim, his Desert Eagle was snatched out of his hands.
Larry had started to aim it at Wilson when Fred made a grab for the gun. Larry was stunned as he tried to hold onto the weapon. He hadn’t thought Fred had any sort of spine. He struggled wildly, trying to maintain his grip on the piece. Wilson ducked but didn’t have much room to maneuver. Larry inadvertently squeezed the trigger and a shot rang out, shocking Larry into loosening his grip. Wilson felt the bullet graze his arm, then watched as the guy in the overalls climbed further in the truck. Fred grabbed the gun from Larry, then turned it on him.
Wilson shouted. “Fred behind you.”
Fred turned and shot the garage attendant several times in the temple. His body fell hard into the truck bed. Fred turned shaking and aimed again at Larry.
Larry screamed and went down on his knees. “Don’t shoot, don’t shoot.”
Inside the truck, everybody stared, horrified as they caught glimpses of what was going on in the back of the truck. There were too many dead for Riley to stop. He watched the struggle helplessly through the rearview mirror.
Fred was starting to lose it. He’d been pushed past his limit. As he stared crazily at Larry, his entire body felt like rubber. Larry was pleading, but Fred wasn’t hearing him. They stayed that way for what seemed like forever. Wilson lay quietly holding his arm, the adrenaline wearing off, leaving him light headed.
Riley managed to get around the rest of the stragg
lers and stopped the truck. He got out, followed by Marjie. “Marjie, get back in the truck.”
“Wilson’s hurt.”
She and Riley were both climbing over the tailgate as she spoke. Riley didn’t use up precious seconds to respond and instead punched Larry, leaving him in a crumpled heap. Riley gently pried the gun out of Fred’s hands.
Marjie leaned over Wilson, carefully pulling his hand off his arm. There was hardly any light, but she could see that the bullet had only grazed his arm. There was no bullet hole. “Riley, it’s not bad.”
“Thank God! Maybe you better tie up Larry, then tend to Wilson.” He handed her the Desert Eagle. “The safety is on.” He turned around, dropped the tailgate and pulled out the garage attendant. “Fred, you’re coming up front.” He yanked on Fred’s arm as he spoke and drug him back to the cab. Though the road was better, Riley kept his speed low to avoid stragglers.
****
Marjie carefully slipped the gun into her waistband and felt around for the rope. She grabbed one of Larry’s hands then the other scared to death he might come to at any moment. She was never any good at tying complex knots. She did a lot of loops and x’s hoping that they would hold. Then she wrapped the rope around his torso, securing his hands to his body.
“Marjie?”
“Wilson!” She turned and laid a hand on his shoulder. “How’s your arm?”
He covered her hand with his. “You should be up front. All kinds of nasties back here.” He stretched his leg out and kicked the unconscious Larry.
“I was worried about you. Riley had to take Fred up front.”
Wilson sat up a little straighter. “I like thinking about you thinking about me.”
She laughed. “It’s hard not to.”
“Watch it Marjie, my head is starting to swell.” He gave her his cockiest grin.
Larry was coming round and started to overhear. He thought he was going to be sick. He was alive and figured in order to stay that way he would have to keep quiet, but it wasn’t going to be easy.
Marjie was about to suggest putting something on Wilson’s arm when loud groaning got her attention. She looked around. There was still a scattering of dark forms approaching the vehicle. She got out the Desert Eagle, praying she wouldn’t have to use it.
Wilson gently took it out of her hands. “I’m winged, but I’m sure I can still split some melons with this.” The look she gave him had him feeling like a hero.
“We should put something on your arm.”
“I’ve got some supplies in my pockets. I brought plenty of extras. There are large bandages too.” He turned and shot one of the dead that had grabbed hold of the side of the truck. “Do you know much about first aid?”
Marjie had jumped and unconsciously grabbed his arm. He winced but didn’t say a word. She glanced down. “Oh god, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry, I have a high pain tolerance.”
Larry didn’t know how much more he could take. Being eaten by the dead was looking pretty good.
“Wilson, my first aid is rusty,” Marjie said.
“I’ll show you what to do.”
“I have never known anyone so prepared as you.”
A very audible moan came from Larry’s vicinity. They decided to ignore it.
****
Inside the cab, Fred sat unmoving between Jennifer and Riley. Jennifer was holding his hand and whispering words of encouragement. Riley was focused on the road ahead. A small town was coming into view, and it wasn’t pretty.
Chapter 12
Riley stared at the war zone ahead of him. Most of the little storefronts were burnt out shells. Body parts were mixed in with debris of every kind. There were countless, dark silhouettes moving their direction. There wasn’t a chance in hell he was turning around, but it would be crazy to move forward.
Wilson was knocking on the back window. “Back up about a block and use the side road.”
“I didn’t see a side road.”
“It was more of an alley.”
Riley put it in reverse and scanned the darkness, noticing a small gap between houses. It was barely wide enough to be considered an alley. He turned in and was immediately surprised at the lack of activity. Maybe they would be lucky enough to find an empty house to hole up in for the night. He drove to the end and slowed in front of a dark single story. From what he could see, the backyard had a neat untouched look to it. “What do you guys think? Should we try and hole up for the night?”
Jennifer leaned forward. “Looks like a good spot, Riley.”
Fred’s nod was almost imperceptible.
Wilson knocked on the back window, giving him the thumbs up.
Turning off his lights, Riley pulled into the gravel drive and waited several minutes. He grabbed his gun and motioned for Wilson to come with him. He watched in disbelief as Wilson took his sweet time talking with Marjie and helping her out of the back. “Wilson, it’s not the prom, maybe we should stay focused till everyone is safely inside.”
Wilson barely spared Riley a glance as he held the door for Marjie to get into the cab, telling her it would be safer there. The moment the truck door closed, Wilson shot in front of Riley, heading for the back door. Riley had to jog to catch up. “Dammit, Wilson, wait for me.”
“I don’t like the idea of leaving the women in the truck.” Wilson jogged up the back steps and jiggled the screen door.
“Fred’s with them.”
Wilson produced a large knife from a side pocket and sliced through the screen. “How’s he doin’?”
“Crappie.” Riley put a hand on Wilson’s shoulder. “You’re not going to do Marjie any good if you get killed rushing into this place.”
Wilson froze, then turned to face him. “If anything happens to me, promise me you’ll look after Marjie.”
Riley didn’t want Wilson losing any of his confidence. The guy was an incredible asset, a little crazy, but helpful. “Nothing is going to happen to you. I get the feeling you always land on your feet. Just don’t push your luck. At least let me go in first. You know I have trained for this.”
Wilson stepped away from the door. “I got your back.”
“Good.” Riley reached in and unlocked the screen door, swinging it wide. He tried the inside door handle and rotated it. “It’s not locked.”
Wilson tilted his head. “Surprising under the circumstances.”
Riley gave the door a light, tentative knock. He waited a few seconds then pushed the door open, hugging the door frame. It smelled really bad. “This isn’t good.”
Wilson threw a hand over his nose. “Maybe we should try next door.”
A cat came trotting up to the door, giving them both a start.
Riley shook his head. “Cats, I hate um.” He had grabbed the doorknob and was about to move on when a tearful cry pierced the air.
“Mr. Jingles!” It was a woman’s voice. The cat disappeared back into the darkness.
“Christ.” Riley turned to Wilson, torn between staying and going.
Wilson shrugged. “She didn’t sound like a corpse.”
Riley knocked on the door again, this time a little louder. “Hello, you all right in there?”
Chapter 13
Sadie sat up straighter, Mr. Jingles in one hand, a hatchet in the other, and her heart pounding at the sound of strangers inside her home. The fact that they had knocked was small comfort. She tiptoed her way to the kitchen. A sliver of moonlight allowed her to see a man’s silhouette. The fact that he was armed and hugging the doorframe, was hardly comforting.
Mr. Jingles meowed and jumped out of her arms. “Mr. Jingles,” she hissed. But he had disappeared out the door.
Riley motioned to Wilson that they should try next door. Even though they had wanted to help the woman inside, they were wasting precious time out in the open.
Sadie watched as the two men began walking toward her neighbor’s house and realized that they really may have been trying to help. An incredible panic at bei
ng left behind swept over her. They’d been the first live people she’d encountered that day. Fear that had been building made her desperate and careless. “Wait! Please wait!” She yelled running through the kitchen and out the door.
Riley turned and grabbed Sadie, throwing a hand over her mouth and receiving an elbow in his stomach for his efforts. He whispered harshly between breaths. “Stop yelling. You’re going to get us killed.”
Wilson stood in front of her gesturing with his hands to calm down.
In a matter of seconds, Sadie’s arms fell limp, panic turning to embarrassment as practicality took over. Riley released her then looked back at the house. “Was there anyone in there with you? We smelled something dead.”
“I killed my neighbor. His body is on the kitchen floor,” she whispered, staring at the ground.
“Is there any chance of him coming back to life?”
“I smashed his head.”
Wilson was quick to chime in. “Hey, good work.”
Riley made an impatient sweep with his hand. “Never mind that, we need to get under cover.” He turned to Sadie. “Can we stay with you?”
Sadie glanced around, just then noticing the group in the truck. There was no time to think. “You can stay with me.” She believed very strongly that there was safety in numbers.
Riley turned to Wilson. “Make sure they get in safely. I’ll get rid of the neighbor.”
****
Marjorie had seen the shadowy form of a cat trot out of the house. She looked around, then lowered her window and whispered to it. Jennifer, who had been watching it as well, handed her a piece of beef jerky. Rather than risk opening the truck door, Marjie dropped little pieces of it on the ground. The cat sniffed, then began eating the scraps. It was still eating when Wilson approached the truck, giving them the OK sign. He scooped up Mr. Jingles, then opened Marjie’s door. “Marjie, can you hold this little feller?”
“Of course,” she whispered. “We’ve been feeding him jerky.”
“That’ll grow more hair on his chest. I’ll grab Larry, then meet you inside.” He watched till the others were safely in the house, then hopped into the back of the truck.
Situation Z Page 8
