Parked out front was a new model van, the side door open, Gar leaning against the vehicle with his arms folded. “Your chariot awaits, my lady.”
“He had to do a lot of work to get it running,” Sally Ann revealed. “It’s roomy and comfy and has an in-dash TV.”
“Not that we can get anything on it,” Sansa said.
“Where are we off to?” Courtney wanted to know.
“The doc told us about a new shopping center,” Gar said. “How do new clothes and whatever else your little heart desires sound?”
“What about the zombies?”
“We haven’t seen any in days,” Sally Ann said.
“First, though, sporting goods,” Gar said.
The van had a ‘new car’ smell. Courtney melted into the middle seat and breathed deep, glad to be shed of the hospital odors.
The sporting goods store wasn’t far.
Courtney was perplexed to see several tall metal constructs out front. She’d never seen anything like them.
“Tree stands,” Gar informed her. “For hunters.”
Amazingly, the store appeared to be untouched. The windows were intact, the front door locked. Gar knocked and rattled the window but no one came.
“Can’t believe this place hasn’t been looted,” Sally Ann remarked.
“I’ll bust the door in,” Gar said.
“What if there’s a back way?” Courtney said.
There was. And it was unlocked.
Drawing his revolver, Gar opened it enough to poke his head in. “Black as pitch.” He let out a yell. “Anyone to home?”
“It’s a store, silly,” Sansa said. She was holding onto Gaga’s collar.
Sunlight streamed in through a barred window high on the wall. They were in a storage room lined with shelves piled with merchandise.
“We’ve hit the jackpot,” Gar said.
Courtney crossed to a door to the store proper. She turned the knob, eager to get her hands on a new shotgun.
The thing that reared in the doorway had hands, too, which it curled toward her throat.
It was a female zombie, emaciated to mere skin and bones. Its glazed eyes reflected the sunlight streaming into the storage room. Its teeth—uneven and rotting—gaped as it lunged.
Courtney screamed. She couldn’t help herself. Instinctively, she backpedaled and swatted at the creature’s hands to keep them from touching her.
The zombie came at her again.
Courtney tried to leap out of reach, and tripped. To keep from falling, she flung an arm against a shelf.
The boom of a revolver was thunder in her ears.
Gar had rushed up and at point-blank range, shot the hideous caricature of humanity in the forehead.
“That was close!” Sally Ann said. She nudged the horror at their feet. “Whoever this was must have been stuck in here since everything went to hell.”
“Poor lady,” Sansa said.
“There might be more,” Gar said. “Let me go first.” He entered the store with his revolver extended in a two-handed grip, which for him was unusual.
Sally Ann took hold of Courtney’s upper arm. “Can you walk? Do you need help?”
Courtney shook her head, and followed them in. One look, and she agreed with Gar. They had indeed hit the jackpot. Everything was exactly as it had been when the bombs and missiles rained down.
A wealth of sporting goods was theirs for the taking. From tents to fishing poles, from lanterns to backpacks. Firearms, ammo, they could take their pick.
Gar went straight to the gun racks. “Look here! There are several semi-autos.”
“Several what?” Sansa said.
“Assault rifles,” Gar said. “They let you shoot a lot of rounds fast. We can use the firepower if we run into another swarm.”
“Too bad there aren’t any machine guns,” Sally Ann said. She sounded serious.
Courtney examined the handguns in a row of display cases. She spied a revolver like Gar’s, only larger, and beckoned him over. “I’d like this one. It’s big enough to stop any zombie that comes along.”
Gar chuckled. “Got that right. Although it’s the caliber, not the size of the gun, that matters more. This is a .44 Magnum.”
“Meaning?”
“It kicks like a bucking horse,” Gar said. “Unless you have a lot of practice, it can be hard to aim. You might miss more than you hit.”
“How about this one, then?” Courtney pointed at a pistol with white grips.
“A .357 Magnum,” Gar said. “It won’t kick as much as the .44, but still.”
“What would you suggest, then?”
“A caliber that will drop a zombie if you hit it in the right spot, but one that is easier for a shooter your size to control.” Gar tapped the glass above a matched pair of autopistols. “These should do you fine. They’re 9 millimeter parabellums. Good stopping power but you don’t need arms of steel to hold them steady.”
Courtney trusted his judgement. He also picked something called an AR-15 for her ‘shoulder weapon’. It had a twenty-round magazine and came with a collapsible stock.
Everyone, even Sansa, ended up armed to the gills.
Operating under the theory that ‘We can never have enough firepower!’, Gar proceeded to fill duffel bags with enough guns and ammo to outfit an army.
By Courtney’s count, they lugged seven heavy bags out to the van.
Surveying their plunder, Gar smiled and remarked, “This should get us to the compound, easy.”
“Provided, of course, that the compound is still there,” Sally Ann said.
“Why wouldn’t it be?” Courtney said.
“The end of the world, remember?” Sally Ann said. “There’s no guarantee those survivalists are still alive. They might have been overrun by a swarm or done in by a chemical cloud.”
“Focus on the bright side, why don’t you?” Courtney said.
“Ladies, ladies,” Gar said. “There’s only one way to find out. Hop in and let’s hit that shopping center for the clothes you want. Then we’re off to Lake Bronson State Park. Shouldn’t take us more than a day to get there.”
“From your mouth to God’s ears,” Sally Ann said.
CHAPTER 28
Courtney hoped the final leg of their journey would go easier. She was encouraged that the first few miles out of Thief River Falls, they didn’t spot a single zombie.
Sansa was in good spirits, and humming to herself.
Sally Ann was lost in thought.
Courtney faced toward Gar. “I want to thank you for all you’ve been doing for us.”
“I’d do it for anybody.”
“Really?”
“No,” Gar said, and laughed. “I like you. I like your friends. I could see right away that you’re good people.”
“And that’s important?”
“Do you even need to ask after all you’ve told me you’ve been through? The world is so screwed up, it might never recover. There were a lot of bad folks before the war. Now the bad is everywhere.”
“By bad you mean....?” Courtney prompted.
“Evil,” Gar said. “Some people scoff. They say there’s no such thing. No right. No wrong. No good. No evil. That’s bull. Putting people in gas chambers is evil. Blowing them up because they don’t practice the same religion is evil. Molesting kids is evil. I could go on and on.”
“Yes, there’s evil,” Courtney agreed, thinking of some of the vicious sorts she had run into since leaving Minneapolis.
“A lot of folks don’t want to admit it exists. They’d rather pretend it doesn’t. They close their eyes to it and imagine the world is a pretty place filled with friendly sorts who would never harm a fly. Why fight evil when you can ignore it?”
“My, my” Courtney said. “That’s about the most I’ve heard you say at one time since we met. I take it that you feel strongly about it?”
“If people had cared more we wouldn’t be in this mess. If they had stood up for what
was right and not let the politicians con them into turning the other cheek until there was nowhere left to turn....” Gar stopped. “Sorry. I can get carried away. It riles me, is all, how those in power betrayed their trust.”
“It’s nice to be passionate about something.”
Gar glanced over. “It’s not the only thing I’m passionate about.”
Courtney was sure she blushed. To cover her embarrassment she gazed out the window. She needed to make up her mind what she was going to do. Namely, hook up with him, or not. He’d made his feelings plain. She should do the same.
But what were her feelings? She liked him. Liked him a lot. He was hot. He was courteous. He treated her with respect. But did she want him in the way he plainly wanted her?
Sighing, Courtney leaned her forehead against the cool glass. Decisions, decisions and more decisions. Ever since the war, she was forced to make up her mind about one thing after another, important things. Matters of life and death. And now this.
She put it from her mind for the time being and tried to relax and enjoy the ride. Even with the roiling clouds, the day was peaceful, almost picturesque. She lost track of time and was startled when Sally Ann extended her arm over the seat and pointed.
“See that sign? Lake Bronson State Park is up ahead!”
“Where exactly is the compound?” Gar asked. “In the Park?”
“On the outskirts, according to the radio we heard,” Sally Ann said.
“Do we stay on 10 or take 28?” Gar wanted to know.
Sally Ann glanced at Courtney. “What’s your guess?”
“No idea,” Courtney admitted. The broadcast hadn’t been specific.
“Great,” Gar said.
“My suggestion is to circle the park, sticking to the closest roads,” Sally Ann proposed. “If the compound is nearby, we should come across it.”
“Unless they don’t want to be found,” Gar said.
“Huh?” Sansa said.
“Think about it, little one,” Gar said. “From what I’ve been told, this place was set up by a survivalist. Someone who saw the end coming and took steps to try and stay alive. Someone who might want to keep it a secret. I’m surprised it was on the radio.”
“The news report said a hunter came across it,” Sally Ann clarified.
“Which means it has to be well off the beaten path,” Gar said.
“What’s that?” Sansa said.
“He means it might be well hid,” Courtney said.
“Gosh, I hope we find it,” the girl said. “I want to be somewhere where I don’t have to worry all the time.”
“Don’t we all,” Sally Ann said softly.
Courtney became tense with expectation. She yearned to find a haven, somewhere the zombies and the mutants and the monsters couldn’t get at them. God, that would be sweet!
For the next couple of hours they prowled up one back road and down another. It wasn’t easy to stay close to the Park.
Evening was approaching when Gar suddenly slammed on the brakes, causing all of them to lurch forward.
“What was that for?” Sally Ann said.
Gar nodded at a tract of woods. The tree line was unbroken save for a swath as wide as a vehicle where the vegetation had been crushed flat. Tire tracks showed here and there.
“Someone has made their own road,” Sally Ann said.
“Where does it go?” Sansa wondered.
“The million dollar question,” Gar said, and wheeled into it. “Let’s find out.”
The track wound through the woods with no seeming rhyme or reason that Courtney could see until of a sudden they climbed to the crest of a low hill, and there, about a quarter of a mile away, past more forest, sprawled a compound with high walls and—of all things—a drawbridge.
The drawbridge was up, and a wide cleared space in front of it was filled with tents.
Inside the walls were enormous concrete structures, only their roofs visible.
“There!” Sally Ann exclaimed, pointing. “That has to be it!”
“It’s so big,” Sansa said. “Look how long those walls are.”
“Twenty to thirty acres would be my guess,” Gar said. His window was down and had stuck his head out for a better view.
“They should have plenty of room for us, then,” Courtney said. She shouldn’t get her hopes up but the prospect of a safe haven had her tingling with excitement.
Gar followed the track down the hill. Trees closed in on either side, hemming their van. They had only gone a short way when he slammed on the brakes.
A fallen tree blocked them. A small tree with a lot of leaves.
Gar leaned out, saying, “That shouldn’t be a problem. I can move it myself.” He went to climb out.
From seemingly out of nowhere men appeared. Men dressed in orange jumpsuits. Over a dozen, armed with rifles and shotguns and handguns.
Gar’s hand flicked to his Colt but a hulking man with huge shoulders pressed the muzzle of a rifle to Gar’s temple.
“So much as twitch and I’ll splatter your brains.”
Courtney could tell that Gar was tempted to try something. “Don’t!” she said, “Please!”
Gar’s eyes shifted to the ring of firearms trained on her and Sally Ann and Sansa.
“Listen to the lady,” the hulking man said. “Otherwise every one of you dies.”
Gar frowned, and splayed his fingers to show he wouldn’t resist.
“Smart,” the man said.
Sally Ann was furious. “What do you want? What’s the meaning of this?”
“You’re kidding, right?” the man said.
Courtney’s door was pulled open and a man with a face that made her think of a weasel reached in, grabbed her arm, and roughly hauled her out. She went to hit him but he waggled a pistol in her face and said, “Better not, bitch.”
Gaga growled and the man pointed his pistol but Courtney quickly shielded Gaga with her body. “Don’t! Please! Gaga, stay still!”
Sally Ann, Sansa and Gar were lined up against the driver’s side. Gar was disarmed.
Shoved by the weasel, Courtney was forced to join them.
All of the men in orange stood regarding them coldly. Their apparent leader, the hulking man,went from Sally Ann to Sansa to Gar to Courtney, looking each of them up and down. Finally he grunted.
“These should do us,” he said.
“What are you talking about?” Sally Ann said. “Who are you, anyhow?”
“You sure got a mouth on you,” the man said. “But I’ll explain, just so you know what we want and what will happen if you don’t do what we say.” He paused. “I’m Luther. These are my friends.” He gestured at the others. Several grinned as if it were a joke. “We were part of a work crew when the world went to hell. Our guards were taking us back to prison but they were worried about their families and got careless and, well.....”
The man Courtney thought of as Weasel gave a bark of a laugh. “No more guards!”
Luther pointed in the direction of the compound. “We heard about the place you were heading for. Figured we would see if we could sneak in and make it ours.”
“What?” Courtney said. “Why?”
“They’re not about to let us waltz on in, us being convicts, and all. So we’re going to take it over. Kill their guards and their leaders, and the rest will fall in line.”
“Just the fourteen of you?” Sally Ann said.
“There are only about a hundred in there, best we could count by sneaking close,” Luther said. “Many are women and kids. We get rid of most of the men, and bingo.”
“It’s all ours,” Weasel said.
“So here we were,” Luther resumed, “trying to figure out how to get one of us inside to scope out the place, when yours van came along.”
“We’ll never help you!” Sally Ann said.
“Oh, really?” Luther said. He pointed his rifle at Sansa.
CHAPTER 29
The co
nvict doing the driving was named Spit. Why anyone would let themselves be called that, Courtney had no idea.
Spit’s was the same size as Gar, and he was now wearing one of Gar’s extra shirts and jeans. He was also driving the van, and kept glancing suspiciously over at her.
“You better not mess this up, girl.”
“I won’t,” Courtney assured him.
“Better not,” Spit stressed. “You do, and I don’t make it back, you can kiss your friends goodbye. Even the little one. Luther won’t think twice about blowing her away.”
“I know what I’m supposed to do,” Courtney said angrily.
Spit gazed ahead at the compound and the field surrounding it.. “We’ll go over this again anyway. I’m your dad. We’re with a bunch of other people from the Twin Cities. We heard about this place and we came ahead to check it out.”
“You’re crazy to try and take the place over,” Courtney said. “You know that, don’t you?”
“What I know is that you’d best behave,” Spit said irritably. “They let us in, I can find out what we’re up against, and report back to Luther.”
“Isn’t the world in enough of a mess?” Courtney said. “Why can’t everyone get along?”
“Dream on, girl. I’m no big brain, but I know that people have been at each other’s throats since there were, well, people. It’s dog eat dog.”
“It didn’t use to be,” Courtney said.
“Before the war, you mean? Hell. You bought the whole fairy tale, didn’t you? Yeah, sure, before the war people were forced to get along whether they wanted to or not. All those laws. All those police.” Spit snickered. “You think all of that would have been needed if people could get along?”
“It was called being civilized,” Courtney said.
“What good did that do us? Hello? World War Three?” Spit shook his head. “No, civilized just meant people were kept in cages but didn’t realize it because they couldn’t see the bars.”
They were nearing the cleared area. Thirty tents or more, of all different sizes and colors and kinds, dotted the field. Most were close to the drawbridge as if for protection.
People were lounging or cooking. Some kids were playing.
A Girl a Dog and Zombies on the Munch Page 15
