by Diane Butler
Roxanne circled several blocks to lead the zombies back toward town and not away from it where they could eventually reach the outskirts and her vicinity. Finally she got back on the asphalt road leading out of town and stopped the truck to get out. “Caleb, why don’t you get in the cab with me? The rest of you, we’ll be back at the bait shop shortly where we can go over plans.” The truck door had squealed when she got out and while waiting for Caleb to climb into the cab she walked around the front to check for damage. She put her hands on her hips and shook her head as she viewed blood and brain matter splatted across the hood along with a few body parts stuck in the grill. She had started to think of the truck as another member of the family and as valuable as her pirogue. Both represented a way of life and an escape.
Mary was quite annoyed that Roxanne had asked Caleb to join her feeling that it should have been she. And she was annoyed that Roxanne hadn’t asked about her condition after bouncing around on the steel truck bed. Everyone had sat up and was checking their elbows, arms and any place that was bleeding. Brandon had a gash on his forehead, Lucky’s elbow was bleeding and Morgan’s leg was aching but he did not see any place where it could have broken again. Mutt slid over to make room for Caleb and Roxanne got back into the truck. “Are you hurt Caleb,” she asked.
He shook his head, “No, but you came at the right time. We hadn’t figured a way to safely get out of there and the Z’s weren’t drifting off again. I was worried about Mutt too, but I see that he made it back to you….or…was that planned? Was that why you sent Mutt with Mary?”
Roxanne smiled and took one arm off the wheel to wrap it around Mutt and hug him to her. “If I hadn’t told him to, Mutt would have come to me anyway. He’s smart like that, and he’s taken a liking to Mary. There’s something about Mary that reminds me of myself. I think that she would be good in the bayou, but I don’t like the ‘trading tradition’ that the group I’m with practices back there. She’s too young to be traded off.”
“You mean they trade people back there?” Caleb was horrified.
“Just those who cannot find a husband or those who they feel need to be ‘protected’. At first they thought that I would need a protector. I soon changed their mind.”
Caleb shook his head, “I can’t imagine anyone thinking that you need to be protected.” He thought for a while and realized that wasn’t really a true statement. “Except Brandon and Morgan are concerned about you which is natural since you were once a member of our group. They want to make sure that you know what you are doing, but they also know that you can take care of yourself. I think they are more concerned that you will disappear again without any word. I guess I am too, Roxanne. If you decide to move on please tell me. Get word to me somehow.”
“Did you get anything out of Lance?” Roxanne asked knowing that they would soon reach the Bait Shop and all conversation with Caleb would end.
Caleb shook his head. “He is uncomfortable talking about you and has withdrawn from us, staying more with the people at the paper mill. He seems either nervous to say the wrong thing around your friends, or just spooked. What went down with you two Roxanne?”
“Nothing. I’ll just chalk it up that he had a bad night and let his imagination get away with him. You don’t need to approach him again Caleb. We’ll just let it go. Thanks.”
“Mary said that she is not coming back with us.”
“I didn’t think that she would and I won’t force her. The Mill sounds like a better place for her and I thought that I would try. She can get a pissy attitude though and I guess I’ll need to put up with that until she gets over her mad.”
“Brandon is trying to find if you live off the banks of the river. Will you be mad if he discovers where you’re located? Will you run off and find another place? Please don’t be mad at him Roxanne. He’s a good person.”
“Tell him that I’m not off the river, but I have a good view. Maybe that will satisfy him. Now let’s not talk more of this or anything else we have discussed, okay Caleb?” she asked as they pulled up to the Bait Shop.
She could tell as soon as everyone got out of the truck that Mary had an attitude and Roxanne thought perhaps the turn of events would prompt Mary into going back with the group. “These people don’t know Jack shit!” Mary exclaimed. “You said I would be safer with them. Well you were wrong!”
“They have a boat. You’re safer on the water than you are on land,” Roxanne returned.
“Well I’m not going!”
Roxanne turned to Brandon, “Do you mind if we regroup on your Jenny and go over what you observed today? I’d like to hear everyone’s opinion on the mansion.” There was a rustle in the bushes and Lucky reached for his gun but Roxanne quickly stayed his hand on his holster. Cowboy stepped out of the foliage and came over to Roxanne who knelt down and turned her cheek to the coyote, keeping her hands off the canine. “I’m alright girl. Everything is okay,” she let the animal sniff her face and then they head-butted each other.
Everyone watched the exchange between human and wild animal and then looked at each other. They had seen this affection and obedience from Cowboy before but no one had become used to it and it still fascinated them. Roxanne got up, “If you don’t mind I’m going to feed them outside the boat on the dock where they will keep watch. There may be some Z’s but I think I was able to lead most of them away from the area.”
While Roxanne opened two cans of dog food and put them on dishes from her pack along with a bowl of water, the rest boarded Jenny including Mary. Caleb had offered to show Mary the layout of the boat and the bunk where he slept with his father. Having never been on a boat before Mary was curious but she kept an eye on Roxanne in case it was a trick. When Roxanne came into the game room Lucky noticed that she still did not completely trust them because she sat in a chair closest to the door as she had the first time upon meeting them. She pulled a jug of ice tea out of her pack and refused the water that they offered her. She waited until Mary came back before speaking. “Mary, did you show them the remote?”
“Yes she did,” Lucky said. “But there is still a lot of ‘unknowns’ about the property. We saw the gate open but we don’t know if it latches and even if we use safety straps to close it I’m not sure it will hold that herd. Second; the herd is staying in the area attracted by something, either the smell of humans or humans who are cooking food so the place could still be occupied.”
“We’ve had it under surveillance at different times, different days and never saw movement in or around the mansion,” Roxanne said. “As far as the Z’s staying there, we have seen that a noise or movement isn’t the only thing that keeps a zombie around. We saw Z’s stay at a place for no apparent reason just pacing back and forth. Perhaps it was the last place that they fed or they have some memory of being there although I don’t think it’s the latter. It’s still a mystery to us as to why some wander and now we have seen that some stay within a very limited area.”
“But is it worth the risk?” Morgan asked. “That is a pretty good size of zombies that we couldn’t possibly win against.
“We can use my truck to come in from the east side where there are only small groups. The gate is on that corner. We use the remote and once in we back the truck up against the gates. I don’t like the idea of having the truck so far from the house and it leaves us exposed as we approach on foot. A second vehicle would be better to drive directly up to the house, but that would be your job to find and start one,” Roxanne said. “I haven’t tried any of the vehicles in town and Mary came in the truck. Having a vehicle has never been my priority so I haven’t explored that possibility.”
Roxanne stood up as a sign that the meeting was over. “Anyhow, we have disturbed the peace now and it will be several days before the zombies settle down again. I don’t suggest going back any time soon so you may as well go back to the paper mill and we will try another time.”
“I say we stay,” Lucky said. Roxanne turned to look at him, annoyed tha
t he would challenge her plans. “I like to be prepared and this will take a few days to find a vehicle and to learn our way around. We’ll stay away from that part of town so as not to disturb the zombies further.”
Roxanne stood with her staff on the floor and pushed her shirttail back to place her hand on her holster. “If you are going to pick my territory then I want first choice on what we find in the mansion. To replace what you took from me, of course.”
Morgan jumped up, seeing that Roxanne and Lucky were going to go to battle. There was anger in Roxanne’s eyes, but a twinkle of mirth in Lucky’s. “But of course, Roxanne. That’s understood.”
Roxanne stared Lucky down and then looked at Brandon. “If you want to stay then you are on your own. You will not see me or receive help from me again. I will know when you are ready.”
CHAPTER 7
Roxanne left the boat in anger that the group had decided to stay in Mamou. She knew that Lucky would not be satisfied with just supply runs and would always be trying to track her down. She hadn’t decided what she would do if that should happen but she did not want her peaceful home to be filled with people who interrupted her life. And she was training Mary in how to survive on plants, roots, how to kill and skin a squirrel, a rabbit, a snake. Since Mary had decided that she did not want to leave then Roxanne needed to train her well.
She picked up the dog dishes from the deck and stuffed them into her pack while Mary retrieved her satchels from the Bait Shop. Both of them were in their own mood, neither of which was friendly and both slammed the truck doors as they got in. Roxanne turned to look out the back window as Cowboy and Mutt jumped into the bed of the truck. “We’re making one stop that I need your help with.” They only went to the next block and stopped at one of the houses that had been searched by both parties.
The group on Jenny could still see the truck and noticed that it had stopped. They saw both women get out of the truck and go into one of the houses. In a short time they came out carrying a mattress and the canines jumped out of the truck bed so Roxanne and Mary could throw it in. Then everyone got back in again, but this time the doors of the truck did not slam as hard.
Lucky started to laugh at the sight. “For God’s sake, Lucky,” Brandon said. “Did you need to rile her so? If you keep poking a bear with a stick you’re going to get us all hurt. Are you trying to completely alienate her?”
Morgan spoke up and agreed. “Brandon’s right, Lucky. Don’t test her patience. Don’t see how far you can push her. You’re dealing with something that you are not familiar with. She doesn’t remember us and I think that she would put any of us down as easily as she would put down a stranger.”
“I like seeing the fire in her eyes,” Lucky said. “It reminds me that Roxanne is still in there somewhere.”
Roxanne and Mary drove in silence until they came to the street where Lance had stayed in one of the houses on the corner. Roxanne stopped the truck and looked at his old residence. “I think I may station Mutt and Cowboy here to draw them off if any of them should come looking for me. This red truck is a dead giveaway and no matter where I park it at the house they will see it. I would rather that they did not travel further down the road to find my driveway.”
“Can’t you just park it on the leeway side of the house, on the grass at the pirogue?” Mary asked.
Roxanne shook her head. “If they decide to go up river in Jenny they would see it from that point of view. And if I park it in front and they should come further this way then they will see the truck down the driveway. I don’t think that I can camouflage it in any way and I don’t want it parked too far away,” she began driving away from Lance’s house. “I think the best solution would be for Cowboy and Mutt to draw them away in a different direction.”
“If you don’t trust them then why were you willing to send me to them?”
“Just because they aren’t good for me doesn’t mean that they aren’t good for you. I will admit that I am fond of Caleb and both Morgan and Brandon seem to be good men, but there’s something about that Lucky that puts my teeth on edge.” She turned and looked at Mary, “Doesn’t have anything to do with you” and looked back to the road again. “He gets this smile as if he knows a secret, knows something that I’m missing or have overseen.” She sighed, “Well, we can’t like everyone we meet and I have chalked it up that both of us are leaders and leaders clash. It’s as simple as that.”
Mary shook her head, “I don’t know why you want to go into the mansion anyway. We have plenty of supplies. We’re doing fine. We have the whole town to ourselves practically and can get anything that we need without that type of danger.”
“I’m looking for trade on the black market. I owe someone in the Bayou a big, big favor and she can use the supplies for trade. Will get a good price too, depending on what’s in there.”
Lucky did in fact check out the house where they had found Lance. It was against the rules of their group for anyone to go out alone but he woke up the next morning and slipped out, leaving a note that he would walk further to the outskirts of the neighborhood which they were unfamiliar with. He hoped that would give them the impression that he was not searching the same route to Lance’s house. As he saw the corner up ahead both the coyote and Mutt came out of Lance’s house onto the porch and watched him. He smiled in greeting but did not call out for fear of attracting Z’s.
The group had not searched the other three houses on the corner although he did not think that either canine would stay in Lance’s house if there was danger nearby, nor would Lance for that fact. However Lance had let the zombie in the house across the street to continue to occupy the dwelling which he should have taken care of.
Mutt came outside the fence and sat on the curb waiting for him but the coyote was staring him down from the porch as Lucky turned the corner. As he approached the house the coyote came down the steps to the picket fence and used her body to close the gate on Lucky, barring his way onto the property. Lucky chuckled, “So that’s the way it is, huh? Well I don’t think that she’s in there because you can’t see the river from here. However, I am looking for a vehicle so if you don’t mind I’ll just check the carports of these other houses.” Mutt followed him, but the coyote went back to the porch and watched. Mutt kept looking back at Cowboy as if reassuring her that he would not let Lucky advance further up the road.
Only one home still had a car parked under the carport and it looked to be in bad condition with several dents and rusty spots as if it was not well taken care of before the ZA, but when it came to vehicles Lucky always gave it a try. A few cars had surprised them in the past and if necessary he would remove the battery and take it back to Jenny to be recharged. The car was unlocked but an extra set of keys was not to be found so he went to the backdoor of the house and knocked. He did not expect zombies in the house but he gave it some time anyway. He started to break the window in the door with his rifle butt but remembered the car had been unlocked so he tried the door handle to discover that the house was also unlocked.
He stepped into a mud room with household detergents and cleaners and was surprised that these hadn’t been taken. Whenever the group had to lay anchor in an unfamiliar place and leave Jenny behind they would sprinkle the dock or wharf with these products to mask the smell of humans in the vicinity. Otherwise, zombies would gather on the dock even though they had difficulty boarding Jenny and most would miss their step and fall into the river. If neither Lance nor Roxanne had taken these items then they must not know of the trick.
There were several sets of keys hanging on hooks inside the door, all neatly labeled. Pantry, Extra Car Keys, Rita’s House, Mom’s but it was the last one that interested him. MANSION DELIVERIES. He fingered the key and watched as it gently swung back to hit the panel. He took it off the hook and looked at the key chain, Town of Mamou. It was a souvenir trinket that any tourist could buy but he did not think it was a coincidence. He pocketed the key and grabbed the car keys when he looked up at t
he top shelf and saw a box that identified the contents as a battery. As he reached up he hoped that the box wasn’t being used for other household items and was surprised to find that it had never been opened. He couldn’t believe his luck in this house and he hadn’t gone any further than the mud room. He wondered if Lance and Roxanne had some strategy in leaving these houses untouched as neither of them had killed the zombie trapped in the house across the street.
He went through the motion of preparing and installing the new battery before attempting to start the car and was excited when it turned over on the second try. He let it run while he loaded the detergents and paper towels as Mutt sat at the car door watching him go in and out of the house. He also put the old battery in the car but before he could get in Mutt jumped into the passenger seat. Lucky was surprised at the friendliness and that Mutt wanted to travel with him. He reached over to pet the dog. “Did Roxanne send you to protect me?” he chuckled.
It was after he had backed out of the driveway and turned the car away from the town and pier to go further out that Mutt became vicious. He grabbed Lucky’s shirt sleeve and began growling and violently shaking his arm, forcing it off the steering wheel. “What the hell, Mutt?” he asked as he stopped the car. Movement in the side view mirror caught his eye and Lucky saw the coyote leap off the porch, run across the yard to leap over the picket fence and run in front of the car to block him. Cowboy stood there challenging him. Mutt grew calmer when Lucky stopped the vehicle but his teeth were still clinched in his shirt sleeve. As a test Lucky took his foot off the brake and let the car drift forward a few feet, never taking his eyes off the coyote. The coyote was having none of it and ran towards the car to jump on the hood. She put her head against the windshield, growling, snarling and showing its teeth. Saliva started to run down the windshield and Mutt began yanking and pulling at Lucky’s shirt again.
