She groaned again, clutching her stomach in agony.
Jim leaned down to her. “Do you want something for the pain?” he asked.
She nodded, face white and coated with sweat.
He went back and took a bottle from a medical kit he had packed. He took a knee next to her and he shook out a large handful of tablets into his palm.
“It’s morphine. Take your pick,” he said, offering them.
She took them all, choking and coughing on the water she drank them down with.
“Thanks,” she said and laid back down.
“Do you want us to take you back to your camp?” Jim asked her.
Cam glared at him.
“No, they hate me because I helped Roberts keep them in line. Just leave me here. If you could help me to the woods, I’d like to lay there,” she requested.
Jim and Nick pulled her into the woods. Then they waited.
“Cam, how did you know that he wasn’t from the armory?” she asked him.
“His uniform was incorrect and was missing a nametape. His rank was in the wrong place. He called the rifles guns. Plus, if he was a colonel at the armory, he probably would have known how to get into the vault to supply his men. They had civilian weapons.”
She nodded. She suspected as much, but she hadn’t caught half of what he did.
Nick came back a few moments later from checking on Sarah.
“She’s out. Still breathing, but I don’t think she will be for long,” he said.
Cam looked at Jim, then walked into the woods where Sarah lay dying.
A moment later, Angie heard another shot. Sarah was dead.
Jessica
Jessica wiped the sweat from her face as she finished getting the first tent set up with Jean.
Monica and Jonah were setting up another.
They had decided to start their little tent camp behind the lodge, in the large empty yard between it and the cabins. Well…where the cabins used to be.
She the men might be able to salvage a lot of the building materials and put together a more permanent shelter. For now, they were camping. She hated camping.
Bradley was over near Peggy’s grave, looking after Jack. They had carried him out, then Brad went back in for medical supplies and water and food. He said nobody else was allowed in yet. She had helped hold Jack down while they stitched up his head.
She thought Brad did a remarkable job, for never having practiced at all. Jack would have a scar though. She didn’t really think he would care.
She staked the tents and went over to help Monica, while Jean went to sit in the shade. Jess had told her to rest but she had insisted on helping. That old lady had a spine of steel, that was for sure. Monica and Jonah were finishing up, so Jess took some stakes and secured the tent.
“These things won’t hold up in a storm,” Jessica said worriedly. “And we get a lot of storms in the summer.”
Monica only shrugged. “We may have to move somewhere else.”
That was exactly what Jess was worried about. They had worked so hard to get everything here and fixed up nicely. If they moved, they would have to do it again. The odds of them finding another zombie-free place were extremely low. Like less than zero.
“Jess!” Brad yelled. “He’s waking up now!”
She turned and jogged toward them. Jack was trying to sit up and Bradley was attempting to hold him down.
“Let him up, Bradley.”
“Jack? How do you feel?” she asked.
“Like I got hit by a truck,” he said, touching his head and wincing.
“You’re close, it was a lodge,” Bradley said.
“Do you remember what happened?” she asked him.
Bradley leaned forward, paying close attention.
“There was a storm, and we went to the basement?” he asked. He looked panicked for a moment and looked around. “Jonah! Where’s Jonah?!”
“Jonah’s fine! He’s over there helping Monica. Just sit down and rest for a while,” she pleaded.
He sat back down and looked at her more closely. “Are you okay? You’ve got blood smeared all over your face!” he said, concerned.
He reached out to touch her cheek lightly. She grabbed his hand and held it for a moment, before kissing it and returning it to him.
“Yeah, just scratches from when the window shattered. Brad got the glass out and put stuff on the larger cuts. I’m fine,” she promised.
He would see her bruised legs and hips soon enough, but nothing was broken, and she would heal soon.
“Damn, is it all gone?” he asked, shaking his head at the devastation.
“All of the structures are unstable and unlivable. The supplies are still in the basement though, and we have some tents set up,” she said.
Bradley spoke up. “How is your vision? Do you have a headache or anything? Feel nauseous?”
“I can see fine. My head hurts like hell, but I don’t feel sick. I’ll be okay. I need to get up and help get stuff done.” Jack attempted to stand, then wobbled a bit.
“Whoa! Sit down, Jack!” Jessica said.
Jack sat again. “Just for a little while, then I’m helping,” he said.
Jean came back from wandering somewhere. She didn’t look very happy.
“Got some bad news folks. The boats are destroyed. All except two canoes and four kayaks,” she said, matter of factly. “And one of them may have a leak.”
“Fuck!” Bradley exploded.
They all looked at him in shock, nobody had ever heard him cuss before. Jess thought he looked more pissed than she had ever seen him. Heck, he looked more anything than she’d ever seen him.
“It’s okay, Brad. The other boat is still across the water. There’s a good chance it’s fine. I’m sure the other team will be back soon,” Jack said to him.
Bradley calmed slightly.
“I’m going to get some more stuff set up. You stay here!” Jessica demanded of Jack.
He gave her a small salute and she turned to go.
“Baby! Give me a kiss,” he ordered sternly.
She smiled and did so, then got to work.
Two hours later, they had five group sized tents spread in a circle around a fire ring, plus another four shelters set up to prepare food under. It wasn’t ideal, but it was better than nothing. Bradley came crawling out of the basement with a couple of air mattresses.
“Jean, you take this one. I guess you, Monica and Jess should share a tent. I’ll share with Nick when he gets back,” Brad said.
“Can I share with you and Nick?” Jonah asked, surprising everyone.
“I thought you’d want to be in my tent,” Jack asked him.
“Well, I thought Jess could share your tent, and I’d rather have my own space,” he said.
Jessica blushed and Jack laughed. “Okay, if that’s what you want, and if Nick and Brad don’t mind?” he asked, looking toward Brad.
“I don’t mind. Jonah’s a cool kid. I don’t think Nick will care either.”
Jonah jumped and did a fist pump. “Yesssss.”
Jess shook her head. “I’m glad he’s enjoying this. Someone ought to.”
“What? You don’t want to share with me either? Do I smell?” Jack asked, pretending to be offended.
She bumped him gently with her shoulder. “You know I want to share with you,” she whispered into his ear.
“We’ll give Angie and Cam the other tent. Maybe Jim can share with them for a while. That way we can use the last one to store some supplies. I’d feel a lot better if we didn’t have to go into the basement every time we need something. That thing looks like it could collapse at any minute,” Jack said. “And it’ll take a lot of our supplies when it does.”
It was a scary prospect.
And the lodge was still making worrying noises.
Chapter Sixteen
Work Camp
Cam
Cam got the others to help him move the barricade so they could get the Humvees th
rough. He had Nick pull security while he reloaded the fifty caliber again.
He had a plan on how to approach the camp and he didn’t want to go in without some heavy firepower. Sarah said they probably wouldn’t go up against them, but he knew they would still defend their families if they were threatened.
“Got it, Cam?” Jim asked, loading extra magazines for his M4. They wanted to have as many spares as they could carry.
“Yep. Go call in Angie and Nick. I don’t want to sit around here too long. We may get company.”
“I hate company,” Jim commented.
Angie and Nick followed Jim back. Cam noticed that she looked a bit pale. She was probably sick. It happened to a lot of people when they had to kill someone. It wasn’t a pleasant experience.
“Listen up. Here’s the plan,” Cam said, getting their attention.
He squatted down in the dirt and took a nearby stick. “We’re going to pull up all four Humvees to this position,” he said, marking a spot on his etched map.
“We’re going to conceal two Humvees in the trees, then we’re going to consolidate. Jim, you are going to drive mine while I’m on the fifty. Nick, you drive the other. Angie, you ride shotgun. Do not fire on them unless they shoot first, or they look like they will shoot first. Wait for my signal.” He looked at them all, and they nodded in understanding.
“After we inform them of the situation, we’ll come back here. We’ll get the Humvees and go home.”
He finished and they stood. He made sure they all had plenty of ammo and were hydrated. It was hot and they were wearing more gear than they were used to. When they were good, he had them load up.
Cam led them to the objective rally point. He wished they had another person along to pull security here on the vehicles, but there was no helping it. They needed every person along to provide enough firepower in case things went bad.
They pulled into the woods.
They were far enough off the road that any vehicles chancing by wouldn’t spot the Humvees. Cam got out and dropped his ruck. He pulled his boonie hat on and reached for a camo stick, smearing the darkly colored grease on the light spots of his face, breaking up the outline.
The others provided security without being told. He felt a flash of pride. They had learned well, and he was glad. He signaled them in.
“I’m going to go recon the camp and see what I can see. I’ll come back soon, and we’ll load up and knock on the door. Consider this our objective rally point. That means, if we get scattered, or if something happens, we will meet back here as we are able. Our secondary will be fence behind the armory, where we left the SUV. Understood?” he asked.
They did.
Cam gave Angie a quick kiss and smacked Nick on the back.
He nodded to Jim. “Where’s my hug? You’re my brother-husband, right?” Jim asked.
Cam stared at him for a moment.
He sighed and left, shaking his head. One of these days his head was going to just fall off from all the shaking Jim caused him to do.
◆◆◆
He walked silently through the woods. He was a ghost in OCPs. He watched his surroundings, occasionally checking his six. He stopped about halfway to where Sarah told him the camp would be, and he took a knee.
He listened and only heard natural sounds. Birds called out normally nearby, which meant there probably wasn’t anything else, living or dead, nearby. He smelled nothing unusual, nothing rotting.
He started walking again.
When he reached the treeline, he knelt again. Their camp was right where he was told it would be. He scanned, looking for sentries. He saw none. There weren’t any in the woods near him, so they were either well-hidden across the fairgrounds or they had none.
He was betting they had none, but he would still be cautious.
The occupants of the camp looked subdued. He saw dirty women and some children tending to chores. He smelled campfire, which would bring anyone around for miles. He saw the men standing around in a group. They looked nervous.
He saw them holding weapons, some shotguns, some rifles, and a few pistols. He did not see anyone who was a real threat. Nervous people were dangerous though. They were trigger happy and made mistakes.
They would have to approach slowly, carefully.
He had seen all that he needed. It would take too long to get around to the other side of the grounds and he really didn’t think they were disciplined enough to have sent out a patrol.
He turned and went back to the ORP.
◆◆◆
After double checking everything on the fifty cal, they mounted up.
“Take it slow and easy. Give them time to calm down before we get too close. We go busting in there, they may feel threatened,” Cam said before climbing into the turret.
Jim drove them slowly down the road. The breeze on his face and body felt wonderful after the intense heat of the day. The damned humidity didn’t let his body cool itself properly. He was looking forward to getting home and getting in the shower, preferably with Angie.
He wanted to see all soapy and wet…
“Back to the mission,” he mumbled, sighing in regret.
He knew the camp would be hearing the deep rumble of the Humvees soon, and he hoped they wouldn’t get too edgy.
They rounded the slight curve and the fairground’s fence began, stretching the length of the field. They followed the road until they came to the entrance. This was it.
The parking area was packed dirt, with some gravel. It was muddy, but no match for the Humvees. Jim drove on, and as the pavilion came into view, he could see people crouching down and taking cover. The women and children were gone.
He raised a hand and waved. He hoped it would calm their nerves a little. They pulled up and he noticed a few of the men raise their weapons.
“Stop,” he called down to Jim.
Jim stopped and got out. He would walk over to the camp and tell them what had happened. Cam, Nick, and Angie would provide covering fire if necessary.
He watched Jim approach the camp, looking for any signs of possible attack. He saw Jim reach the man that had stepped out from behind cover. They shook hands.
Jim spoke for a while and gestured over back toward the armory. The man nodded and replied. He waved over the other men in the group. Jim shook hands with them as well. Cam noticed a couple of them smiling.
Jim turned and motioned for Cam to come over.
Cam didn’t like leaving the turret, but he went. He climbed down and cradled his rifle, his axe on his back where it seemed to live now. He walked over to the ragtag group. The man held out his hand and grinned happily at Cam.
“I want to thank the man who took out those sons of bitches,” he said.
Cam shook, but didn’t reply, and he didn’t smile.
Deception came easily to some, and he wasn’t going to let his guard down as Jim apparently had.
“My name is Eric, and this is Frank and Luke,” the leader said, nodding toward his buddies.
They nodded at Cam, and he returned with a slight one of his own.
“They were telling me about the gang that took over the prison. You know the one. It’s about two hours north?” Jim asked Cam.
Cam knew it and nodded.
“They said those assholes we killed would send in any survivors they found to that group, and that group would leave this one alone.”
Cam nodded again. It was a common racket, especially in human trafficking circles.
Eric— the new leader apparently— went on. “They send the women up there to, well, you know. The men were sent up as workers. I don’t know what they did with the kids. It was all bad. They keep them prisoner.”
Cam looked at the men. “I suggest that you men scavenge as many weapons and supplies that you find and move on. Get out of the reach of that gang.” He gave them a hard look. “But I warn you now, if I catch you ambushing folks on the road or sending people up to that gang as bribes, I will come back and kill
every last one of you.”
Cam backed away and returned to the Humvee.
The men stepped back with the force of his words then turned to Jim. Jim shook their hands and said goodbye. The men waved and even some of the women came out. They were obviously happy at the change in regime.
He just hoped he wouldn’t have to make good on his promise. Not that he would kill innocent people, but he would eliminate the ones who dealt in human trafficking.
“Mount up,” he said.
They left, Cam watching the group until they were out of sight.
It was time to go home.
Jim
It was later in the afternoon when they finally got on the road home. Jim was tired, dirty, and sore from all the heavy lifting. He couldn’t wait to eat one of Jessica’s homecooked meals, take a hot bath, and fall asleep in his own safe bed. He was beat.
He followed at the rear of the convoy, making sure to keep an eye out behind them. His job was to make sure they didn’t get attacked from behind. When they got to the back road that would lead them home, he started to notice some troubling signs.
“What the hell?” Branches scattered through the road.
Some big wind had obviously come through here last night. He remembered the storm that had bypassed the armory, and it made sense. They must have gotten it here. Cam, in the lead, slowed down. He weaved around the limbs, some large.
They were forced to stop about a mile away from the parking lot. Jim got out and walked up. Cam stood in front of the Humvee, staring down at a large tree that had been uprooted and had fallen across the road.
“Tornado,” he said, pointing to the path of destruction it had left behind.
“It must have been a big one,” Nick said.
“Angie. Nick—”
“Yeah, yeah. Pull security,” Angie said.
“Jim, help me get this hooked up to the winch,” Cam said.
Jim wasn’t sure this was going to work out. The tree was pretty big.
Refuge From The Dead | Book 2 | Dead Summer Page 20
