The Roaming (Book 2): The Toll

by Hegarty, W. J.

  Rubberneckers, Marisol thought with a bit of disdain.

  She’d been in law enforcement long enough to know it was human nature to be curious about the macabre, especially when it was at someone else’s expense. She slowed down just a bit to allow her passengers an all-too-brief reminder of what these things were capable of. At the very least, maybe some of them would come away from the scene more cautious as a result, especially in light of Peter’s mishap only a few days prior.

  The caravan continued on, snaking its way through debris-strewn streets. Abandoned and wrecked vehicles made the travel slow going. A moving truck had flipped over and split in two, spilling its contents across the road. Large boxes and broken furniture hindered the group’s movement. The SUVs would have most likely been fine navigating the remains, but the smaller cars could have been hung up on the wreckage. None would dare attempt to drive through the soft, rain-soaked earth beyond the road—the only alternative—but they couldn’t risk losing a vehicle; conditions were cramped enough as it was. Miller had Tobias stop in front of the ruined rig. This was their second hold-up in as many hours. If these delays continued, they might never reach their destination.

  Miller and his unit stood guard at the perimeter while the survivors of Pepperbush got busy with the task of clearing a path for the caravan. Rural back roads or not, the route Tobias and Miller agreed upon seemed fairly heavily traveled, at least traversed enough that every chance at resupply was a lesson in picking through someone else’s scraps. For the most part, the group was beginning to find a rhythm as far as the delegation of tasks was concerned. Not everyone saw eye to eye on the subject.

  “You starting to feel like we do all the work around here?” Damon asked, glaring at Jeremiah.

  “You’re getting that, too, huh?” replied Ayn.

  “Look at them over there.” He pointed out Radzinski leaning against a painter’s van, smoking a cigarette, rifle slung. “It’s the same thing every time we stop. They stand around looking busy while we do all the heavy lifting.”

  “No argument here, but what are we supposed to do about it?”

  “I have no idea yet. I’ll let you know when I do.”

  “Most of this stuff has been picked through already. Just junk mostly.” Tobias tossed a box of comic books over the side of the road.

  “Not surprising. There’s no telling how long this mess has been here,” Marisol replied.

  “Story of our fucking lives, man. Give me a hand with this,” Seth said.

  He and Marisol heaved a smashed TV away from the road. Tobias continued on down the pavement, kicking or throwing larger items out of the way. His son followed behind, doing the same.

  “It’s fun breaking stuff,” Tommy giggled.

  “I know,” said Tobias. “Watch this.” He picked up a large lamp and tossed it like he was going for three points in a basketball game.

  Unnecessary to be sure, but the joy on Tommy’s face as the fragile lamp exploded into a million pieces was the desired result.

  “My turn!” Tommy yelled, throwing plates and saucers as far as his little arms would allow. The boy’s dog, Dusty barked with every shattered dish.

  Rachel was in the middle of the road, dragging a long sleep sofa out of the way. One step at a time, she slid the cumbersome furniture backward, out of the path of the caravan.

  “Let me help you with that.” Ryan dropped his gun near an abandoned car’s front tire and rushed to Rachel’s side.

  “Oh, I’m fine. I’ve got it,” Rachel said with nary a grunt or sigh.

  “No, really, I insist.” Ryan lifted his end of the sofa and strained under its surprising weight. Embarrassment flushed his face. “Damn, this thing is heavy! You’re stronger than you look, huh?”

  Rachel smiled. She appreciated his help and found the gesture cute but unnecessary. “Gotta be. You’d be surprised how fast you build muscle mass lugging around eighty-pound packs every day. You ready? One, two, three,” she said before they heaved the sofa away. The large piece of furniture rolled down a steep embankment, crashing into piles of various junk scattered about from the accident.

  “Well, that takes care of that,” Ryan said as he wiped his hands together, as if to be over the strain.

  “Almost. For future reference, don’t ever do that with your weapon. Never set it down in a place like this—ever,” she advised.

  “Shit.” Ryan looked around to all the debris, and for the first time, he noticed the plethora of blind spots, any number of which gave the carriers a perfect opportunity for an ambush. He jogged back to where he left his rifle and slung the weapon over his shoulder before turning back to thank Rachel, who had crept up behind him. Mere inches from his back, she gave him a soft chop on his neck.

  “You’re dead.” For once, Rachel’s light-hearted nature wasn’t showing through. Her warm, inviting smile gave way to a cold, unfeeling stare, eyes determined, fists clenched. “Remember, it’s that fast these days. Sometimes you won’t get a warning.”

  His face went warm. He cursed himself for being so absentminded. Ryan didn’t need a mirror to tell that his face was as red as Rachel’s hair, probably more so. The last time he felt this humiliated was at his brother’s thirty-fourth birthday party. A buddy of his convinced him this girl he was talking to was into him. Within minutes, she shot him down within earshot of more than a few people. The feeling now was similar. In an instant, a harsh lesson was learned at the expense of some dignity, only this time he didn’t have hours of drinking under his belt to lessen the sting.

  Aiko lay prone against a tractor trailer’s roof, scanning the horizon with the group’s sole pair of binoculars. Untended to fields hosting waist-high overgrown weeds spread as far as the binoculars would allow her to see. A quarter-mile away, the scorched fuselage of a private jet lay wedged between a group of trees at the edge of a forest. The surrounding area was just as burnt. Shapes littered the crash site. Whether it was parts of the plane, luggage, or bodies was impossible to make out from this distance, as everything was so blackened.

  Miller crept up beside her, lying down as well. “Contact?”

  “I count three. They’re far out there, sir. I don’t think they’ve noticed us yet. Looks like they’re preoccupied with a carcass. Big dog or baby deer, maybe. Could be a body from the plane crash for all I can tell.”

  “Keep an eye on them just the same. We’re Oscar Mike in twenty, but if they come any closer, we’ll bug out.”

  The largest portion of the broken trailer remained to be cleared before they could continue their journey. It blocked enough of their passage that squeezing by on the slightly elevated road risked their vehicles tumbling into the field. The rig itself was in fine working order and would be their only shot at clearing a path. It was assumed the truck’s driver released the trailer before whatever accident split the container in two. Where he got off to and why was another matter entirely.

  “That’s it. A little more,” Sam coached Radzinski. “You got it! Push that son of a bitch! Go, go, go!”

  The trailer’s weight wouldn’t budge at first. Radzinski’s tires screeched against the pavement. Smoked billowed from overworked rubber until at last the stubborn trailer gave up an inch. The smallest in was all he needed. Radzinski floored it. This time, slowly the rig pushed the crippled trailer from their path, off into the grass.

  “That did it.” Sam waved for Radzinski to ease up.

  Bernie let fly a triumphant string of hoots and hollers. A few of the others clapped, but most busied themselves with looting and foraging in the moments before being herded back into their vehicles. For some, the authority was welcome, as long as it afforded them another night among the living. Others, though, weren’t so sure that the illusion of safety at the expense of any real say in their destiny was worth it. Some of them couldn’t help but wonder if they’d be better off on their own. Tobias didn’t share that particular set of misgivings. He didn’t see it like that at all. He welcomed the help, as he’d b
een planning to flee Pepperbush for more than a week by the time Miller arrived. Having this large of a group together out on the road was more than he could have hoped when he posed the idea of flight to Sam, seemingly ages ago. If it meant keeping his family safe, sure he would defer the major decisions to Miller and his unit.

  The low sun licked at the treetops. Already, shadows began to stretch along the pavement.

  “Way to go, guys. You woke them up,” Aiko informed from her perch.

  In the distance, by the downed plane, a small group of carriers shambled toward the lonely patch of road, no doubt stirred by the commotion of Radzinski’s moving effort.

  “I reckon we should hit the road as soon as possible, anyway,” Sam suggested. “Cover as much blacktop as we can while we still have the light.”

  “Agreed.” Miller waved the group back to their vehicles.

  • • •

  More than an hour passed as they meandered country roads. Burning precious daylight, they turned from the blacktop onto an even more remote route paved with gravel. This continued for a few miles before rock gave way to dirt. The caravan stopped at the bottom of an incline snaking up into the hills. A shadowy structure stood halfway up the summit, barely visible in the dwindling light.

  “It looks like a cabin, sir. I think it’s abandoned, but it’s impossible to know for sure from here.” Rachel was struggling with the conditions, trying to best make use of the binoculars before handing them off to Miller.

  “I think you’re right. I can’t make out any vehicles, no movement. A roof over our heads would be nice, and I don’t like the looks of those clouds. We need to be off the road now. Screw it. We’ll make camp there tonight.”

  Headlights cut through dense fog. A small cabin loomed on the horizon. The gravel road forked off in opposite directions before giving way to its smaller, less traveled dirt counterpart. Lining up side by side, the caravan’s headlights flooded the small building with a cleansing light that drove away the darkness, a stark contrast to the blackness of the surrounding forest. Exaggerated shadows danced among the foliage as if in defiance of the light’s penetrating glimmer of hope, its secrets remaining its own.

  Weapons drawn, the soldiers approached the small cabin, their shapes blacked out by the intense light. Miller pointed to the dark perimeter of the structure. Soraya and Rachel headed off, engulfed by the darkness. Another gesture to the front door and Radzinski kicked it in, disappearing into the unfamiliar building and followed closely by Jeremiah. Miller remained outside of the cabin with Aiko; the pair kept a watchful eye on their surroundings.

  Behind the caravan, Marisol and Seth trained their weapons on the darkness. Isaac, Tobias, Bernie, and Marcus watched the caravan’s flanks, anxiety palpable in the day’s newest unfamiliar locale. The mass of civilians, huddled safely away in their respective vehicles, awaited the all-clear.

  “I get it now,” Tobias said, careful not to take his mind off the task at hand.

  “And what’s that?” Seth asked.

  “Why Miller insists on only traveling during the day. I’ve never seen it this dark. I can’t make out anything out there at all.”

  “Yeah, if it wasn’t so cloudy, it wouldn’t be so bad, and all these headlights are doing is messing with our night vision. This is bad.”

  “You suppose there’s anyone in there?” Tobias tried to focus on the blacked-out cabin, but the blinding headlights made it impossible to gauge any real detail.

  “It’s hard to say, man. No gunfire yet, so that’s always good, right?” Seth wasn’t exactly confident with his assessment of the situation.

  “Let’s hope so.” Tobias inched a little closer to the nearest vehicle. If he couldn’t adjust to the darkness, then he would at least position himself where his vehicle could act as a bit of protection from possible threats lurking just out of sight.

  Isabelle agreed to ride this leg of the journey with Tobias, but only for their son’s sake and with the stipulation that her husband not try to speak with her.

  “Is Daddy safe, Mom? Are those monsters out there?” Tommy asked Isabelle. Tears welled up in the child’s eyes.

  “Your father is just fine, sweetheart. Him and his friends are just making sure it’s safe for us to get out of the car. That’s all,” Isabelle reassured the child. Her confidence was all he needed. Whether she believed her own words or not became irrelevant in the face of her distressed son.

  “Someone got hurt, Mommy,” Tommy said.

  “What do you mean, honey?” Isabelle asked and for once was grateful for the darkness, as the light would have betrayed the confusion written all over her face. “Why do you say that, Tommy?”

  “I heard Mr. Bernie say lots of bad words and a soldier said Peter is gone. Where did he go?”

  “He went away honey, like Uncle Danny.”

  Isabelle’s attempt at consoling the boy did not go unnoticed by the others in the car. Lillian lowered her head and covered her mouth with a hand. She knew if she let her emotions show it would only serve to frighten her brother even more.

  Vanessa took Lillian’s other hand as she pulled the girl close. “Shh,” she whispered in Lillian’s ear. “He needs you strong.”

  Tommy continued. “You mean they’re dead, like everybody at home,” he said, this time with conviction as if the world’s secrets had finally revealed themselves to the boy.

  Isabelle hesitated as she stared longingly into the boy’s eyes. He was so young, but at his age, he had witnessed more horrors in just the past few weeks than most people would in an entire lifetime. She owed him some honesty. “Yes, Tommy, they’re dead. But they’re with Grandma now, in heaven.”

  “I don’t want to go to heaven. I want to stay with you and Dad.”

  “Why would you say that, honey?”

  “Because the monsters have to bite you first. I don’t want them to bite me.”

  “Those things will never bite you, Tommy. I promise,” Isabelle replied.

  Vanessa leaned into the back of Tommy’s seat, her lips close to his ear. “You want to know a secret, little man?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “I’m scared, too, and I’m a big girl. I wish I was as brave as you, Tommy.”

  “You do?”

  “I do, and Lily told me all about how brave you are. Didn’t you, Lily?” Vanessa turned to Lillian for some much-needed support. A little sisterly advice was called for.

  Lillian had taken the time to compose herself, quickly wiping away a few tears of her own. She joined the others in consoling her little brother. “That’s right, Tommy. You’re the bravest. You and Dusty,” Lillian said while she pulled the dog up closer to Tommy.

  “See, honey, there’s nothing to worry about,” Isabelle added.

  Isabelle bit her lip and drove a thumbnail deep into her palm, drawing blood in both places. Pain helped drive away fear. More importantly, it allowed her to focus on remaining strong for her son.

  Tommy smiled for the first time in days, it seemed. He wrapped his little arms around Dusty’s neck, hugging him tight. The dog panted in recognition, though its eyes remained fixed on a far-away spot in the darkness.

  Isabelle twisted the nail deeper into her hand. Her eyes rolled back as waves of pain and pleasure surged through her body. With her son content, she could focus her attention on the small cabin and what secrets it held inside.

  Soraya and Rachel emerged from the shadows.

  “No sign of anything, sir. No footprints or tracks of any kind. If I had to guess, I’d say the infected have never been here,” Rachel said.

  Behind them, Jeremiah exited the small cabin.

  “All clear, sir. The cabin is empty. It appears no one’s been here for quite some time.”

  “Food, supplies, anything?” Miller asked.

  “A moldy loaf of bread and a small pile of rusted canned goods. Aside from a urine-stained mattress in the back corner, the place is empty.”

  “Radzinski?” Miller asked.

>   “He’s still inside, getting a fire started.”

  “Okay, Soraya, set up a defensive perimeter. I want two on patrol at all times. You and Rachel are up first. And watch your six. No letting our guard down, even out here. Aiko, spread the word to start unloading the civilians. It’s been a long night. Let’s get some rest.”

  Tobias pointed at Damon and back to his position at the caravan’s perimeter. Reluctantly, Damon got out of his vehicle and took Tobias’s spot on watch. With a quick wave and a smile to his family, Tobias left the relative safety of the caravan for the cabin.

  “It’s quiet out here, Miller. Not so much as a cricket. So how does it look inside? You think we should stay the night?”

  “The cabin is empty, Tobias. No signs of struggle or that infected have ever even been here. There’s an unmade bed and a few canned goods in the back. If anyone lived here, they’re long gone by now. I’d say this place is just about as safe as any to camp for the night. We’ll reassess in the morning.”

  “That’s a relief. After the campsite we drove past, I’m not sure anyone feels safe sleeping outside, at least not tonight anyway.”