by Karen Carr
“Sorry for the trouble,” Galen said. His accent was distinctively European, Dutch or German. “We had to report a small problem to Hipslow, but nothing to concern your ears.” His brow was furrowed with worry. None of my business, I had my own problems.
“You coming with us?” I asked.
“You have my support. I enjoy the hunt,” Galen said.
“We’re not hunting anyone,” Zora said. “We’re rescuing them.”
Miles walked up to us. “I never been in Haverlyn. Can I go with you?”
The woman approached and put her hands on Miles’ shoulders. She was slender and tan with a bright smile and gleaming white teeth. “You know your mom would have never allowed that, Miles. She would want you to stay here, to be safe.”
“Well, my mama isn’t around anymore, Candy.” Miles said. “I want to help Boa.”
“Sure, right, Miles. Of course you do. We all do. But that don’t mean you can just run off and get into trouble. She’d want us looking after you.” Candy turned to us. “Where are my manners? I’m Candy, and that’s Minnesota over there. You met Broder and Galen?”
“Pleased to meet you.” I reached forward to extend my hand.
Candy didn’t take it, and instead pulled me in for a hug. “That’s how we do things around here. In this day, we have to get close quick, right?”
I nodded. “I’m Hella, this is Lily, Zora and Stan. Over there is Zeke, and that’s Huck.”
Candy leaned in and touched my arm. “Which one’s yours?”
“Excuse me?” I asked, blushing.
“The one on the right,” Lily said, making me blush more.
“Oh good,” Candy said. “I like the one with the big muscles. He taken?”
“He lost his girlfriend a few days ago,” I said. “Zombie.”
“Oh I’m sorry,” Candy said, sounding genuine. “We lost many around here. Before Hipslow came and took over, we…”
“Candy,” Minnesota said cutting Candy off. He rolled over in his wheel chair, coming between Candy and myself, not allowing Candy to finish her sentence. “Why don’t you take Miles back on to the inn?”
“I’m not taking him anywhere,” Candy said. “I’m going with you, ‘Sota. I want to go up there and see what’s happening in the village.”
Broder and Hipslow reached us. Broder smiled at me and nodded. I smiled back at him.
“Candy’s going,” Hipslow said. “And she’s going to take Miles with her. It’s about time that kid did some adventuring. It’s a short trip, you’ll be safe.”
Broder didn’t look surprised by Hipslow’s words, but Galen and Minnesota balked at the news. Huck and Zeke approached us.
“We can’t take that kid,” Galen said.
“We can’t take that woman,” Minnesota said.
“This is our crew?” Huck asked.
“We are not taking a guy in a wheelchair,” Zeke said.
“You all going to stop arguing,” Hipslow said. “You’re running out of time. There’s a limit on Willie’s contract, I’m sure you don’t want to use up all your hours arguing about who is or who is not going to go. You all are going, now get.” Hipslow made a pushing motion with both of his hands.
I looked at our crew. These were the team members Hipslow told us about, the ones who were itching to get out of Pittsboro, to go on an adventure. A guy in a homemade shirt, a guy in a wheelchair, a guy who didn’t speak and a kid. To me the most able bodied person was Candy. I couldn’t imagine them helping, and thought they would just hold us back. By the expressions on Huck and Zeke’s faces, I could tell they felt the same way.
“Which way did Trevan go from here?” Huck asked Hipslow.
“There we go,” Hipslow said. “Now you’re talking right. Trevan and Boa planned on heading down the road to Walmart. Then they were going to walk the rest of the way on account of not wanting to draw attention. Broder can take you on their path. He’s about the best tracker we have here. I hope to see you before dinner. I have some work for you to do when you get back, for my management fees you know. Until then, people.” Hipslow clasped his hands together and thumped the air in a goodbye signal and left us alone with our new team.
CHAPTER 10
After some discussion, we had all the driving arrangements worked out. I would ride with Huck on his ATV and Candy would ride with Zeke. Zeke didn’t really want Candy to ride with him, but Minnesota didn’t want her in the van—something about how she bickered with Miles too much.
Galen and Zora argued about who would drive the van, and Galen won because of Minnesota’s insisting that a complete stranger would not get behind the wheel. Broder had his own ATV, a brand new with lots of gear hidden in overstuffed saddlebags and Zora volunteered to go with him, muttering something about not wanting to be near Minnesota because he stank. The rest, Stan, Lily, and Miles would ride in the van.
We decided to take the ATVs out first, or as Galen called them the 2-Ups, because they fit two people, giving ourselves a ten minute lead. We’d act as scouts, driving on the edge of the road, or through the bushes, to determine if it was safe. We’d then circle back and update those in the van with the latest road conditions. Trevan had taken the 15/501 until he crossed the Haw River, and that’s what we were going to do. Galen stressed that we were to rendezvous before we crossed the river to check in on our plan.
Broder would take the lead because of his tracking ability and the hours he had logged on his ATV making paths through the woods. Galen told us he knew the territory better than anyone else and even though he didn’t speak he would communicate to us with a duck whistle. I tried to stifle a laugh when I heard him blow the whistle, a grown man making the sound of a duck, but a little chortle escaped from my throat. Thankfully Broder was distracted by Zora who was trying to get comfortable on the back of his 2-Up. It was fifteen miles to Haverlyn Village from Pittsboro, in the best driving conditions it would take about twenty minutes to get there, and fifteen for the Walmart.
I was nervous and excited at the same time. We’d be going too fast for my virus, which was a good thing because I didn’t want any of the strangers to find out about it. No virus meant I might have to kill zeroes by hand, or by gun. Worse, we were driving into an area where humans were our enemies, they were trying to capture us, and we might have to kill them. If we couldn’t find Trevan at the Walmart, we’d have to walk two or three miles into the village on account of not wanting to draw attention to ourselves with the engine noise.
Broder blew the duck whistle and motioned for the rest of us to get on our respective vehicles. We dispersed, Stan helping Minnesota into the van, Lily leaving parting words of wisdom with both Zora and Myself—telling us to be brave and be strong, Miles and Candy squabbled one last time before Galen called Miles over to the van and Candy mounted Zeke’s bike. Zeke gave Huck a look of bewilderment as he started his bike and lined up behind Broder.
“He’s not going to like this trip,” Huck said to me as we lined up behind Zeke.
“Candy doesn’t seem that bad,” I said. “She’s sure attractive enough. She reminds me of Eliza.”
“You know Zeke doesn’t like anyone touching him,” Huck said as he caressed my leg. I wrapped my hand around Huck’s, intertwining our fingers. “Especially strange women. I wouldn’t mention the comparison to Eliza either. Nobody compares to Eliza in Zeke’s mind.”
Broder headed out, Zeke followed and Huck followed Zeke. It felt good to be next to Huck’s warm backside. It reminded me of when we first met, when he had driven me around Oval Park Place on the back of his motorcycle, the wind tousling my hair and his touch helping heal my heart. He was the first living soul I had seen after so many deaths that I had witnessed and bodies I had buried. His appearance had a strong affect on my mind, warping our relationship into some weird fantasy.
Being next to him reminded me of the instant love I felt for him when I first saw him. Love seemed like such a silly word to describe those feelings now. Desperation was mor
e like it—a good kind of desperation. I wanted to save the planet, to bring back humanity. I thought he was my Adam and that there was no one else in the whole entire planet left alive. There were others, some with an immunity to zero bites like Zeke and Saudah, but my attachment to Huck would always be there.
“Are you feeling okay?” Huck asked, somehow sensing my pensive mood.
“Yea,” I said, nuzzling my cheek to his shoulder.
The road was quiet, except for the sound of our vehicles. It was still mid-morning, the sun was not yet high in the sky, so it was still cool out. The light from the sun turned the leaves on the trees bright green. It was my favorite time of year, when all the leaves budded with growth. Several trees leaves were already dark green, the lighter ones at the tips signaling growth.
We drove along the 15/501 disturbing everything around us. It was like nature had forgotten about engine noise and had become used to the silence, treating the unnatural noise like a dangerous attacker. Flocks of blackbirds squawked and flew out of the bushes, deer ran away from the edge of the road, even once curious squirrels would run from our wheels. The noise we made driving down the road surely echoed through the quiet woods and fields, sending vibrations through the animals and zeroes and humans in the distance.
My hands were damp and trembling, but my mind was clear of fear. I focused on Trevan and Boa. Trevan, who had wanted to kill me when we first met, to kill himself and Lily so that we wouldn’t be eaten by zombies. He preferred that kind of death. For him to go on a rescue mission was extremely out of character, especially since Lily was safe. He must have been overwhelmed with guilt, thinking he left us behind. I wouldn’t let him down. We would find him and bring him to safety.
I imagined the conversation between Boa and Trevan on their way to locate us. Trevan would have been clutching the wheel in panic, playing a tape on the radio if it worked. Boa was quiet and practical. She might have mentioned the way her sister’s eyes shone like magic when she was happy, or how Zora protected her and how she needed that love in her life. Trevan’s teeth would be clenched, nervous and determined to succeed on his mission.
“Look there,” Huck said, pointing to a bunch of cows wandering around a field munching on the spring grass. I had always wanted some cows for Haverlyn Village.
“They look alive and healthy,” I said. It was true. They weren’t fenced in and it wasn’t clear if someone was taking care of them, there were no buildings or structures or signs of humans on this stretch of road. The cows survived the winter somehow.
We passed an overturned pickup truck with the contents spewed on the road, several mattresses and a couch, table and chairs, clothes, children’s toys. A family was fleeing for their life and bringing everything with them, only they didn’t make it. They were probably in the woods somewhere gnawing on bits and pieces of flesh, maybe even from their own family.
The road rolled by under the wheels of the 2-Up. The surface was solid with minimal cracks, but in a few years cracks would appear and plants would grow in them. The pine trees would take over the fields first, and then after them the oaks. I’d watched the woodcutters harvest the pines for paper mills, and the baby trees springing up after. They grew fast and without anyone to mow them down or stop them, they would grow tall. Their seeds would find their way into the cracks in the road and their roots would burst through, breaking it open as their branches soared to the sky.
I took a deep breath, which brought fresh air into my lungs, and another one made my body tingle with health. No more pollution, no more smog, no more coal. The future was a bright one for the planet, but endless suffering for the people who had lived through the change. No one deserved to suffer an eternity as a zero. I had the ability to kill them all, one step at a time, and I planned on using that ability as much as possible.
Broder had pulled into a gravel lot next to the Haw River. A Mini Cooper and a Volvo were parked side-by-side on the gravel, and farther on, near the river, an old recreational vehicle was setup with its awning outstretched and a picnic table and chairs setup on the grass.
Zeke and Huck parked next to Broder’s 2-Up and we all dismounted. Zora and Candy came next to me with their guns drawn. I had mine in my hand and for good measure pulled out a knife. Zeke and Huck partnered up with Broder and motioned for us to search the cars while they investigated the RV.
“I’m not going over there,” Candy said. “You girls go on. That’s not the kind of adventure I want, crazy dead things popping out at me. I’m waiting here.” Candy leaned against Zeke’s ride, pulled out a nail file and began filing her nails.
Zora and I walked toward the Mini Cooper first.
“You see that?” Zora asked. She pointed her gun at the car.
Inside the car was the figure of a woman. She was facing away from us and her hair, her scalp, her shirt, were all badly burnt. We weren’t sure if she were alive or dead, so we crept forward cautiously. The closer we came, the more we noticed. The whole front interior of the car looked burnt.
“Must have been smoking a cigarette?” Zora asked.
“You think she’s dead?” I asked.
“What are you girls scared of?” Candy yelled.
“Why don’t you come over and see?” Zora asked.
Suddenly a figure from the back seat of the Mini Cooper popped its head up, making me scream. Another figure appeared next to it and lunged for the windows. They all were burnt like crispy marshmallows.
“You alright?” Huck asked from over by the RV.
“We’re fine,” I said.
Zora and I both pointed our guns at the vehicle. The figure in the front slowly turned her head toward the others in the back and then moved her body around. She disappeared for a moment, and then reappeared facing the window this time. Her skin had almost totally burned off, although her eyes remained and they were focused on us.
“Should we open the door and shoot them all?” Zora asked.
“You think we’re going to be out of here in fewer than five minutes?” I asked. Zora shook her head. “Then we got to kill them.”
“I’ll kill them, you open the door. I’m a better shot.” Zora motioned to the door of her car with her gun.
I hesitated. I didn’t want to ruin my American flag tee shirt, it was still white and clean and I didn’t want zombie guts all over it.
“Oh, I get it,” Zora said. “Stick your boot in the handle and open it with your toe.”
I edged closer to the door, making the woman in the front bang more furiously. Something on her finger caught my attention. “Holy smokes look at her rock.”
“Not now, Hella,” Zora said.
“What are you guys doing?” Candy asked. She sauntered over.
“Why don’t you open the door for us,” Zora said.
“Why don’t you leave them in there?” Candy asked.
“Look at that ring,” Zora said. “You open the door, you can have it.”
Candy watched the zeroes bang on the window. They were becoming increasingly agitated.
“I don’t want it,” Candy said and she walked away.
I couldn’t waste any more time. I tucked the gun in my pants. “Ready?”
Zora nodded. “Back door first.”
I reached in for the handle and pulled. Nothing happened. “It’s locked.”
“Damn it,” Zora muttered. “Try the front.”
I tried the front and the door opened catching me off guard. I anticipated it to be locked like the others. The stench that wafted out of the car knocked me over and caused me to gag. The woman clawed at me, but was still wearing her safety belt so she couldn’t get out. The other two in the back seemed unaware of the open door since they kept clawing the window.
I reached for my gun and shot the woman before Zora had a chance. I then stood up, leaned inside the car and pulled the trigger two more times, killing the ones in the back.
“I guess you don’t need my help,” Zora said. She blew over the barrel of her gun before
putting it back in its place.
“Let’s get away from this stinking, rotting car,” I said. I kicked the woman in the head to push her back in her seat and slammed the door again.
“You all done ladies?” Zeke asked as he strode up from the RV.
“She’s done,” Zora said. “I didn’t have anything to do.”
Zeke looked impressed.
Huck joined him in walking back up the embankment. “No sign of the others in the van yet?”
“Nope,” I said.
Broder walked back to his ATV, opened up a saddle bag and began to dig through it. He brought out a metal box the size of a shoebox.
“What are you doing?” Zeke asked.
Broder made a grunting noise in return. He took the metal box down the river bank.
“What’s he doing?” I asked Huck.
“You heard him,” Huck said.
The Haw River was wide, perhaps fifty or sixty feet across. Two long and skinny islands paralleled the length of the river. A canoe rested on the shore of one, but no other signs of life appeared. Broder strode underneath the bridge with his box. He disappeared from view just as the van approached and parked next to us.
Galen got out and surveyed the scene with calm eyes and counted under his breath. Broder hadn’t reappeared but Galen didn’t ask where he was. Lily, Miles and Stan joined us on the bank of the river.
“What are you doing?” I asked Galen.
“Counting pillars,” Galen said. “How many do you think we have to blow for the bridge to collapse?”
Automatically, my hand went to my mouth. I couldn’t believe my ears. “Did he really say he was going to blow the bridge?” I whispered to Huck.
“Miles, why don’t you help Minnesota out of the van?” Galen asked.
“Sure thing, Sir,” Miles said. He went over to the van and maneuvered the wheelchair ramp out of the door of the van so that Minnesota could roll down. The wheels on his chair were thick and stubbly like an off-road bike.
