Generation Dead (Book 3): Beyond The Gates

by Joseph Talluto

  After another half hour, I slowed to a stop at a fork in the road. Julia looked over her map and shrugged.

  “It’s a road to go through the mountains, but there’s a note here that says it’s closed November through May,” she said.

  Jake piped up from the back. “Sounds like a nightmare of wash-outs and rockslides.”

  I agreed, and we pushed on through the flatlands. I was all for going around mountains than over them.

  Further south, a sign telling us that the Grand Tetons were off to our left showed up, and looking out over the valley, I thought the mountains quite lovely. At the base I could see a lot of movement that I couldn’t identify, but I had a hunch I knew what it was

  The further we traveled, the closer the mountains seemed to us. Before it was like they were far off in the distance and still moving away. Now we were driving around the base of some pretty big hills. Jake was looking out the window, lost in his own thoughts, and Kayla was quietly dozing in her chair. Julia was looking out the window as well, and I left her to her thoughts.

  We passed the Snake River again, and then suddenly we were in civilization. A hotel resort popped up on our right just at the foot of the mountain, and further down there was a Dairy Queen and another motel.

  We drove slowly past the buildings, everyone suddenly on alert. I drove around several cars that had been left in the road, and we moved cautiously through town.

  We passed several cafes and eateries, all abandoned and likely looted. Several shops had their doors broken in, and most windows at ground level were smashed. Here and there were dark stains, evidence of a town that had died hard.

  Suddenly the van lurched, and I nearly lost control of the wheel. The vehicle pitched hard to the left and I fought to get it under control. Finally I braked hard and stopped under some trees next to a place called the Trapper Inn.

  “What the hell, Aaron?” Jake said, rubbing his forehead. He must have been too close to a window when the van slewed sideways.

  “Don’t know,” I said. “But something’s wrong.” I got out of the van and went to the front, and I knew something was wrong immediately. The left front tire was jacked at a forty-five degree angle and trying its best to scramble up into the wheel well.

  “Well, damn,” I said to no one in particular. “We’re screwed with this van.”

  Julia came out and the look on her face confirmed my assessment. Kayla and Jake came out, and while incoherent, Jake’s reply was an additional agreement.

  “All right,” I said. “Let’s find a place close by to hole up and transfer our stuff. We might be here a while.”

  “A long while,” Jake said sourly.

  “Not so much,” I said, trying to sound optimistic. “We just blew an axle. The rest of the van is okay. If we can find another vehicle, our battery is still good, the gas is still good, and so are the plugs. Chances are pretty good we could get another vehicle up and running quickly.”

  Even Jake had to agree things could be worse, so he and Kayla reconnoitered the Trapper Inn to make sure we were not going to be sharing our accommodations with anyone living, or more importantly, dead.

  A brief look into the Trapper Inn showed that we had to find another place. The front of the inn looked fine, but the back end was completely blown out. Jake figured someone must have fired the propane tanks in the kitchen or something.

  All right then. I decided to say the hell with it and got back in the van. The axle was broken, but I could still move it forward. I fired up the van and with the tires squealing in protest, I forced the van down the street. I knew I was sending out an invitation to any zombies that might still be in the area, but I’d rather they came to us than waiting in ambush inside a building we wanted to explore.

  We got as far as the next two intersections, and the van just completely croaked. It wasn’t even a slow death, just a gigantic heave, and everything lurched to the side. I had to be careful when I got out, because the tire was trying to get into the driver’s seat, it was that bad.

  “Now what?” Jake asked, sliding out of the van behind Kayla.

  “Now we go find another vehicle,” I said.

  “Any suggestions?” Julia asked.

  “Any car on the road is abandoned for a reason,” Kayla said. “So that rules out any we find there. I’d say we go to a car dealership, and see if we can find one that was on the showroom floor. Daddy always said those cars were the best bet, especially after all these years. Plus they’ve been inside the whole time, so no snow or anything to wear them out.”

  “Good call,” I said. “Let’s get ourselves armed and moving.”

  “What about all of our supplies?” Julia asked.

  “We may as well leave them in the van,” Jake said. “No point in moving them twice. Who’s going to take them?”

  Chapter 27

  Whether it was fate or God having a serious sense of humor, at that moment, something fell over with a loud crash somewhere to the south of us. We had no idea what it was, but it was a noisy reminder we had better watch ourselves. The Zombies had owned this town for the last twenty years, and they were not going to let a welcome snack get away without a fight.

  We put on our extra weapons and ammo, with the agreement that shooting this time was fine. We were in the middle of a town filled with zombies, after all, and at the moment the only way we were getting out of here was by walking.

  “Which way?” Jake asked, belting on his gun. He put his pick over his shoulder and carried his bow in his hand. His quiver hung over his back, with arrows close to hand peeking over his right shoulder.

  I shrugged. “Most dealerships are on the outskirts of town, so maybe that way?” I pointed west.

  “Good as any,” Jake said. “I’ll take point.” He nocked an arrow and headed west, keeping to the middle of the abandoned street.

  As we walked, I kept my hands free but close to my sides. I could get my tomahawk out in a hurry, and could draw my sword just as fast. Julia walked on my side with her spear resting on her shoulder, while Kayla brought up the rear with her spear and rifle.

  We passed Milward street without incident, and I couldn’t help but notice what a nice town this must have been. The rustic western theme of the place combined with the mountains as a backdrop made it a very beautiful place. Of course, you had to overlook the burned out cars, smashed windows, human bones, and black stains of battle. Apart from that, it was nice.

  “Penny for your thoughts?” Julia asked, tapping me with her spear.

  I looked over at her. “Duck!” I whipped out my hawk and hurled it at the zombie that had come crashing out of the Elks Lodge. The axe cracked into the zombie’s forehead, taking it down to the ground. The zombie rolled once and was still. I retrieved my ‘hawk and looked at Julia, who glanced over my shoulder in horror.

  “Aaron!” she screamed, swinging her spear in a huge arc. I dove under the weapon as it lopped off the head of zombie that had charged out after the first one.

  We didn’t have time to celebrate as the Lodge vomited zombies in our direction, more than we could hold off.

  “Run!” I yelled, grabbing Julia by her pack and flinging her toward Jake. I whipped out my sword and hacked one, then two zombies, and then I was running.

  “Go! We have to get out of here!” I yelled at Jake, who wasn’t moving.

  “Where’s Kayla? Kayla!” Jake yelled, loosing his arrow and taking a zombie out. “Kayla!”

  “Jake! Jake! Aaron!” Kayla’s voice rose above the moaning filling the street.

  “Kayla!” Jake stood his ground and actually started to advance on the horde that was headed our way. The street was filled with zombies, and we didn’t have a chance.

  I bellowed as loud as I could. “Run for the van! Get inside! We’ll find you!” I didn’t wait for a reply but grabbed Jake just as the first wave of zombies walked over the five that Jake had put down with arrows.

  “We gotta run! Now!” I yelled, pulling him back.

/>   “I’m not leaving her!” Jake snarled in my face as he shrugged me off.

  “She’s trained for this! Trust her to survive! We have to go!” I pulled him again, and Jake took another look across the sea of zombies.

  “I can’t see her!”

  I jumped up, being taller, and caught a glimpse of a head of long blonde hair running like hell in the opposite direction.

  “She’s free!” I yelled. “She’s away! Come on!” I swung my blade hard and knocked the head of one of the zombies, cutting a second head in half before I could check the momentum.

  Jake craned his neck to try and see for himself, but it was impossible. Suddenly we heard three shots and down the street, standing on top of a car, was Kayla. She waved and then jumped off, out of sight.

  Jake fired another arrow point blank into the mouth of a zombie that was about to grab him, then turned and ran. I was right beside him as we caught up to Julia, who was practically dancing with impatience.

  We ran down the street, jumping over cars and ducking under signs. Julia led the way, and she was good at what she was doing. She ran around a building, keeping it between us and the horde. When she felt she had gone far enough, she raced back towards the road.

  If it was just the one horde, it would have been fine, but the moaning and the shots seemed to have awakened every zombie in the entire city, and they were all coming out for the breakfast buffet. We ran past places with interesting names like the Loaf and Jug, and the Cowboy Village Resort. There were lots of zombies coming out of there, and Julia just kept going.

  We jogged further, then Jake had an idea. On the south side of the street it looked like there had been some construction that had started but never finished. A huge hole had been dug in the ground, and nature hadn’t gotten around to filling it. The only reason nothing had fallen in was because there was a fence keeping things out.

  “Help me tear down some of this fence,” Jake said, attacking the poles that had been sunk in the ground.

  I slammed into the links, yanking at the poles and tearing at the ground that held them. Two of the poles gave way, but the others were in too deep. Julia watched our backs as the horde of zombies, much bigger now thanks to reinforcements, headed our way.

  I pulled the fence down and waved to Julia, who came over. We worked our way around the edge of the hole, which was a good fifteen feet deep. The edge was not very steady, and Jake made sure we couldn’t be followed by pushing some rocks into the way. I lifted a large rock and placed it on top, eliciting a comment from Jake.

  “Show off.”

  “Work out more, Jackie,” I replied.

  “Here they come!” Julia said.

  Chapter 28

  We retreated to the far side and waved our arms around. The first zombies saw us and started for the fence. I hoped like hell they didn’t try to skirt around it and get us from the rear. That would suck.

  Luckily, the first ones stepped over the fence and promptly fell into the hole. The next ones followed suit, and pretty soon there was a virtual waterfall of zombies trying to get us. They scrambled over each other and tripped all over the place, but they couldn’t get up to where we were. A couple tried to go around, but they hit the rocks and fell in, too.

  After a couple of minutes the hole was brimming with zombie stew. Jake looked down and shook his head. “Shame to let an opportunity like this go to waste.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, climbing the fence and helping Julia over.

  “If we had some spare gas, we could set this crowd on fire and clear out a good part of the threat to this town,” Jake said as he climbed, too.

  “Not what we’re here for, but good thought,” I said.

  We walked back to the road and kept going. We knew there were more zombies in the town, especially the ones that had to have chased Kayla, but we needed to find a ride. Jake was impatient with this line of reasoning, but I told him that Kayla would be fine.

  We found what we were looking for past the Kmart and the movie theater. Unfortunately, more zombies found us. A large group came out of the grass as we crossed a bridge, and we didn’t have any choice but to take them out. Jake fired three arrows that evened the odds a bit, but it was still going to be a close fight. Putting his bow aside, Jake flipped out his pick and went to work, slamming a zombie down with a crushed skull. I didn’t pause to admire his work as I was busy with a pair of women that definitely wanted to make my acquaintance. I was married, so I killed them instead. Julia fended off the unwanted attention of a male suitor, cutting him off at the knees, literally, and caving in his face.

  I hacked down two more with little ceremony, and Jake did the same. Julia saved herself some effort and just poked the last one through its milky eye and it died with a moan.

  I wiped my blade off on a dirty shirt and put it back, not having the means to burn off the virus. Jake and Julia did the same, and we walked over to the Jackson Chrysler Dodge Jeep dealership. It was a simple structure with a small showroom and a car barn. The lot had several vehicles, but as Kayla had pointed out, the ones we wanted were inside.

  The west wall was solid, but the north and south were made of glass, and were still intact. We could see two cars inside, and one of them looked very promising. Jake worked the lock and in a minute got us inside. The air was very stale, but didn’t smell like anything had died in here. There was very little dust, telling me that this place had been sealed off for a long time. Another good sign.

  Jake went over to the vehicle and looked it over. He nodded his approval as he checked the tires and inspected the interior.

  “This will do. If it runs, we’ll be in great shape.” He declared.

  I had to agree. The paper in the window said it was a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, with four wheel drive capability, a roof rack, and a high wheelbase. It actually looked like a much better choice than the van we had been using for the last thousand miles. I liked that it was black, with a manual transmission.

  “Well, let’s find the keys and see what we can do.” I said.

  We searched for ten minutes, and finally Jake came up with three sets of keys. One set worked, while the other worked for the other vehicle, a smaller car that would not serve well at all.

  I put the Jeep in neutral, and Julia volunteered to steer. She was the lightest, so it made sense. We were going to have to push this thing back to the van, but since the ground was level most of the way, it shouldn’t be too bad.

  Jake unlocked the doors that opened to the parking lot, and with a quick look around, he nodded and came back to the rear of the Jeep. We gave a push, and the Jeep went nowhere. I tried again, then called out.

  “Release the parking brake, please!”

  “Sorry!”

  The Wrangler moved slowly at first, then picked up speed as it rolled down the slight decline of the dealership. I worried about the tires that had been sitting for so long, but they seemed to be up to the task.

  We pushed the Jeep back the way we came, and it would have been easier to take if Julia hadn’t trailed her arm out the window and moved her hand up and down as if she was moving fast. I didn’t let Jake know I had seen her do it, otherwise he might have stopped pushing.

  Chapter 29

  We passed the pit of zombies and Jake commented again about it being a waste to let the opportunity go by to kill a large number of zombies. I told he was free to throw rocks at them like we did in St. Charles, but he didn’t reply. A couple of times Julia warned us about stray zombies, and Jake and I traded off turns killing them.

  After what seemed like forever, and with the sun setting quicker and quicker, we finally made it back to the van. Jake ran over and checked inside, then came out with a worried look on his face.

  “She’s not in here,” he said. “Did she make it back at all?”

  We started to look up and down the street, wanting to call out, but not wanting to attract more attention to ourselves. This area was relatively quiet, all of the locals having been
drawn off to the other side of town.

  Jake reached into the van and pulled out a rifle. He checked the magazine and grabbed another.

  “I’m going to go look for her. She may have gotten side-tracked by another horde,” Jake said.

  I nodded, not thinking about what Jake might find. “We’ll start transferring stuff to the Jeep, then see if we can’t get it running. We’ll stay here for you.”

  Jake barely managed a nod before he was off. I thought for a minute and decided that if anything happened to Kayla, I wouldn’t want to be a zombie within a thousand miles of Jake.

  Julia and I shared a look, and then started moving supplies. We had gotten a bit sloppy with our van, and this was a good chance to get it organized. The gas cans went on the roof rack, and the food came next. I put the water and weapons near the back where we could get them more quickly if we were out of the vehicle. It was almost as if the manufacturer wanted to make a vehicle for zombie hunting.

  Julia and I were transferring the fuel from the van to the Jeep when we heard the shots. They were slow and methodical, like someone was taking his time killing something. We exchanged a look and finished the transfer as quickly as we dared without getting gasoline all over ourselves.

  I opened the hoods on both vehicles and Julia suggested I try jumping the Jeep first before I transfer the battery. I figured it was worth a try, so I ran the cables and started the van. Julia amused herself by killing a teen zombie intent on asking Julia out on a date. He hadn’t seen me so he must have thought she was available.

  After ten minutes of charging, I decided to give the Jeep a go. The dashboard lit up, and the headlights turned on, so things were looking positive. I turned the key and was rewarded with a definite crank. Something was happening. I tried again and the Jeep roared to life, smoke belching out the exhaust as old gas burned away.

  Julia jumped up and down in delight as our ride grumbled and growled, and I took the cables off the vehicles to stow in the back of the Jeep. I smiled at Julia, then smiled even bigger when I caught sight of two people walking around the corner of the Trapper Inn. One was a grumpy, wiry young man, and the other was a blonde knockout who liked high heeled boots.