The Event: The Beginning

by Lee Thomas

  Stepping back outside, I noticed there was a small group surrounding a folding table near Jeff's rig examining something. Stepping up to them, Dave noticed me walking up and made room for me. They were looking at the map, apparently deciding which route to take.

  "It looks like this is the most direct route to Norfolk. Assuming you don't want to make any more pit stops or side trips.” Jeff said, running his finger across the map.

  "As far as I know, unless we need to go on a gas or supply run away from the highway, we should be able to go straight through. I would really like to hit the base by morning. It's an eight hour trip from Knoxville before all this happened, I figure at least 16 now. We are only about an hour and a half out now. I want to drive all night if we can, I'm tired of being on the road. I want a safe place for these people to lay their heads down next time.” I said, looking at the map and thinking, "We can stay on 81 until Roanoke, then take highway 460 all the way in. The only side trip is finding and meeting my friends Dawn and Tony in Petersburg, near Fort Lee. Luckily, 460 runs right through it, and is a very direct route as well."

  "Just them, or are they bringing others as well? We are pretty low on room as it is, I don't know how many more people we can squeeze into these vehicles.” Dave told me.

  "Others too, but knowing Tony he has thought of that and they will probably have their own vehicles. Besides, it's only an hour drive from the base to Petersburg; so if need be, we will make sure whoever is with him is in a secure location, and we will continue on. We can then go back and pick up someone if we need to.” I said.

  "How are we to find them?" Daryl asked me.

  "I told him we would probably have cb's, so he should also have found some. They may only have a mile or so range, so we may have to search a bit, but I don't think it will be too much of a problem.” I answered. That was my hope at least. I really didn’t want to have to spend too much time searching for my friends and whatever group they had amassed, but I wasn't about to abandon them either. I knew Tony from my Navy days, and he went into the Army after he was discharged from the Navy, so I knew he could take care of himself and whatever group he gathered up.

  The group reviewing the map broke up then and went to make sure all their stuff was packed and ready to go. Looking at the sun, it looked to be about nine o'clock, and I would like to be on the road by ten. We had been on the road now for four days, today was day five. I had hoped to be at the base in four days, so we were at least twenty four hours behind my schedule. The break did some of the people good though, so I couldn’t knock it. I had asked Michelle's cousin David to check out the cars whenever he got a chance, as he was a pretty good mechanic. I went to track him down and see how they were doing. I found him and Shayne under one of the hoods.

  "Hey guys, how they looking?" I asked as I walked up behind them.

  "Most of them seem fine, we might have a little preventative maintenance to do when we finally get there, and definitely going to need some oil changes if possible. I think they are all fine for the most part though.” David told me. Shayne nodded his agreement as they tightened back down some bolts on whatever they were working on. I left them to it and went to check the progress on everyone loading up. It appeared the loading was going good as most everyone was already packed up. A few people were making last minute sweeps looking for anything left behind or dropped. I could see the window fortifications were being left, which would be good for anyone else traveling through. Hopefully they would find this place and be safe for a bit like we were.

  Seeing as the preparations were almost complete, I went to find Jeff and the rest of the usual drivers and tell them to be ready. I found Jeff already checking out his truck and several others fueling the RV's. I found the girls in the RV I usually drove, and I knew Michelle would be riding with them. There was little noise outside even though there was almost our entire group outside packing up the cars. No one spoke much, or did in whispers when they did. Even though we had been safe here, everyone remembered the threat we were having to deal with now.

  We finished loading all our supplies and everyone piled into the vehicles. It was a little after ten by the time we finally started moving. We followed Jeff out of the parking lot and back onto the highway. We started heading east on 81, which turned north towards Roanoke. I hoped to make it there by one, which was highly possible. With everyone confirming by radio they were all on the road and together, I turned my attention to the road. The girls were all sitting at the table in the back playing cards, getting along for a change. Things passed pretty uneventfully for a while, which I was glad of. I wanted this last leg of the journey to go as smooth as possible as I knew people were cramped and crowded, sitting on floors, cramped up in the cars being towed. I hadn't really heard anyone complaining, but I knew it was wearing on some of them.

  Just past noon we saw the first signs for Roanoke. Highway 460 was on the near side of Roanoke, so we wouldn't have to pass through the whole town to get to it. We hadn't seen any roadblocks, or really any deserted cars on the road, which meant no stops for scavenging. I planned on stopping somewhere in Roanoke for gas and supplies anyway. As we got closer to it, we entered one of the outskirt towns and started seeing more and more cars on the side of the road. Debris was getting heavier on the road as well. I radioed Jeff to start looking for a place to stop for fuel and so we could stretch our legs. About twenty minutes later he started pulling off the highway. He drove down the service road and pulled into a gas station that advertised diesel as well. We circled the building and stopped, taking the usual precautions of waiting a few minutes before getting out. Nothing moved except trash in the wind, so we started filing out. I had my sword belt on as usual, but opted for no armor right now. Several others came out with their own weapons, and we began the process of searching the building and siphoning gas.

  Opening the door to the station with a group at my back, we crept in slowly, listening for any sounds of movement or infected. Shelves were knocked over, trash strewn everywhere, discarded food and snacks were trodden and smashed all over the floor. Pieces of broken souvenirs lay thrown everywhere. I broke off with Aaron, Jeff, and Eric and went left, while the other four; Roger, Dave, Vince, and Daryl; went right. We stepped carefully around the trash, trying to not make any noise, checking for edible food or usable supplies as we went. The other team made it to the door to the freezer room and signaled to us they were going in. Eric signaled back and they went in. My group continued on to what was probably the office.

  My back against the wall and two of us on either side of the door, we listened for movement inside, but heard nothing. A nod from Eric and I turned the knob and threw the door open. He went in first, followed by Jeff, then Aaron and myself. The office was small, so by the time all four of us were in, there wasn't room for much else. Aaron and I left, as we were closest to the door, while Jeff and Eric did a cursory search for anything usable. Stepping back out into the main room, the other group came out of the freezer room and shook their heads when they saw us, indicating nothing there. The bathrooms were the only places left to look, and I pointed to the other team to check it out. I wanted to go check in with the siphon team to see if they found anything.

  Stepping back outside, I saw some of the siphon team walking back to the trailer with full gas cans, which was a good sign. We had hit several along the way that had already been drained. Most everybody was out of the vehicles, stretching their legs, getting some fresh air. Dave walked up to me after dropping off some gas cans at the trailer.

  "We managed to find enough to fill the tanks, and most of the cans. We should be good on gas for a while. We even found plenty of diesel in the other storage tank. They are filling those cans now, and Jeff should have enough to last as well." he informed me. That was great news as we were getting close to our destination finally. We should be hitting highway 460 soon after getting back on the highway, and from there it should be a straight shot to the base, even with the stop in Petersburg to find Daw
n and Tony. I went and found Val who informed me we were really short on space, and people were getting cramped from riding on the floors, or in the cars. I then started making rounds to talk with everyone, just to touch base with them and assure them that we were almost to our destination.

  It was pushing two by the time all the gas was siphoned and everyone had enough time to stretch. I told everyone to load back up, and half an hour later we were moving again. We made it to the 460 turnoff about twenty minutes after getting back on the highway. With nothing stopping us, we made good time all the way to Lynchburg. There was the occasional wreck and abandoned car along the way, but nothing blocking our way thankfully. According to the sun, it was around four by the time we made it into Lynchburg. Jeff started pulling off the highway so we followed. I assumed it was for a bathroom break or something like that. As he turned to the right to head for a place to park, I saw why he was leaving the highway. The smoke coming from under his hood was not a good sign.

  Jeff found a parking area big enough for all of us and we pulled the RV's into the protective circle like usual. I didn’t wait the usual ten minutes, I just got my sword belt on and exited the vehicle. I wanted to see what was going on with the rig as soon as possible. I walked up to the cab and Jeff opened the door as I got there.

  "What are you doing? It’s your rule we wait ten minutes before getting out. What if there are infected nearby?" he grumbled at me. He knew I was a stickler for the rules when it came to the group’s safety, but I didn’t like that smoke.

  "What's wrong with the rig?" I asked bluntly, not wasting time to small talk or arguments.

  "It started overheating, then the steam started. I may just be out of coolant. I've got spare bottles in the trailer, don’t worry. I didn’t seem to lose power so it shouldn’t be anything too serious." He told me as he climbed down out of the cab. He undid the latch on the driver side then went around and unsnapped the passenger side. I helped him lift the hood as more steam poured from under the hood. We could hear water running out now and I hoped he hadn't punctured his radiator somehow. Since we wouldn’t be able to get too close till the engine cooled, we left the hood up and walked to the back of the trailer as others started exiting the vehicles also.

  I saw Jerry, the other CDL driver, walking up also. I assumed to see if he could help fix it. We did have quite a few shade tree mechanics in the group, which I was very grateful for, but few who knew large diesel engines. I saw Aaron bringing me the map so we could spot where we were at, and I hoped it would show a gas station or truck stop somewhere near. Eric and several others also walked up to see what was going on.

  "Ok. Here we are, at this mall. The only thing close really is this Liberty University, and then the airport. I don’t see any markings for a gas station near, nor did I see any signs for one as we exited the highway. Aaron, you and Eric each take a team and look for supplies in the area. I will gather two additional teams to search the mall. It's roughly four now, the sun will probably be going down in about two hours, so be back before dark. If the rig isn't serious, I expect to be moving again soon. Be safe, I don’t want to lose anybody.” I told them. They nodded understanding and left to find their vehicles and teams.

  "How many do you want on each team to search the mall?" Roger asked. I would probably have him lead the other team so Jeff could stay and work on the truck.

  "Large enough to protect themselves, small enough to hide if need be. I'd say no more than six to a team. I lead one, you lead the other. It doesn’t look like that big a mall from out here, so hopefully we can clear it fairly quickly." I told him. I folded the map back up and stashed it in my RV, then got my armor on. I wanted to be prepared just in case. By the time I was ready, Roger had also suited up and was gathering people. I saw him walking up with a group towards me. We split the men into two groups, five each plus ourselves, and headed towards the mall. Jeff, Jerry, and a few others were looking at the rig, and I asked Shayne to have a few guys check out the RV's and cars while we were parked. I could see watchers climbing on top of the vehicles to cover everyone's back, and some were entertaining the kids.

  It wasn't a long walk to the nearest door of the mall, and we saw no signs of movement, nor did we hear anything all the way there. I could see the glass doors had been smashed at some point, and some hasty repairs done to block them off. I motioned to Roger's group to take the far side while my group would stay to the left upon entering. One of the guys on my team, David, I think, tried the handle and discovered it was unlocked. He glanced up at Roger, then back at me, and I nodded. He then pulled it open towards us and Roger's team rushed in. Once the last man entered, David moved to enter and the rest of my team followed.

  Roger had already moved to the right and found an open store to search as my team moved to the left. There was an information desk followed by a large window for the first store. Trash was strewn all over the floor, and the skylights had been broken at some point, possibly from a storm by the looks of the damage and debris. Water was still pooled in places, and you could smell the mold starting to grow. We stepped slowly over debris and trash and went around the corner to enter the first store. It was apparently a bath and body works type store, with shampoos and lotions and such, or so it appeared with what was left behind. A quick search told us nothing was left of value or usable, and no infected or humans were hiding in the back.

  We stayed in a group as we went to the next store, all the while keeping an eye and ear open for movement in the walkways. Several of the gates were down over some of the stores, but most were not. We ignored the ones with gates as there was no way an infected would be able to open the gates. We crept slowly down the aisle, searching store after store that was open, until we came to the food court. According to the directory we had seen, we were about halfway through with our half of the mall. Tables and chairs were thrown every which way, food scraps and wrappers were trampled underfoot, but there was no sound of movement.

  As we spread out to search, one of the men kicked a chair, making it fall over. The loud sound made us all jump a little, and we immediately heard screeching. Three infected exploded out of a store just ahead of us and turned to look at us.

  "Circle up!" I yelled, moving so my back was to another man. I had my swords out and guns were being aimed. More sounds from the other side proved there were more infected coming out behind counters. Brian fired at the closest one and hit it square in the chest. The infected stumbled backwards, but didn’t drop. Trying to screech, it bubbled blood out of its mouth, but still started moving towards us. More yells and gunshots rang out as the infected started pouring out of the kiosks. Looking around, we were suddenly surrounded.

  I jumped forward and swung at an infected that got close. Cleanly decapitating it, I stepped back to avoid the spray of blood as I kicked it's still twitching body to the ground. We were dropping them pretty quickly and I spun around as I heard noise behind me, but it turned out to be Roger's team coming to help.

  "Heard the yells and shots, figured I couldn’t let you have all the fun.” Roger said as he stepped up next to me, blood dripping from his blade as well.

  "Well, you know, I wanted a party.” I quipped back. The others had formed a line to keep the things from escaping the food court, and finished dropping them one by one. Once the last one fell and stopped moving we assessed the damage. There was about thirty or so infected on the ground, but thankfully none of my people were bitten or hurt.

  "Did you find anything your way?" I asked Roger as we walked around, looking for usable supplies.

  "No, everything was pretty much looted, or trashed. Did you really expect any different?" Roger told me. We picked through the remains of several shops, but nothing usable was found.

  "No, not really. Let’s gather back up and head out. It should be getting dark soon, and I would love to get moving again soon.” I said. I motioned to the group and everyone began gathering back up. Nothing was found of value, so we started heading back out, looking for t
he entrance we came in, and searching other shops on our way out. All we found was trash, debris, torn clothing, discarded food remains, but no signs of current habitation. We did find a game store fairly intact, which figures as stuff like video games wouldn’t be of much use. I decided we would grab some games and systems to take with us for the kids. Once at the ship, we should have power, so they could be used.

  We made it back to the entrance without further incident, but still slowly opened the door, just in case. All we saw was our group still milling about the vehicles. Walking through the parking lot, we relaxed, but still kept watch as we made our way towards the group. We split up, and I headed towards the rig to check in with Jeff and see if it was road worthy still. The sun was almost down, so I hoped it would be repaired by now, or very soon.

  "What's wrong with it?" I asked Jeff as I got close.

  "Blown hose. I had a spare, so it’s fixed now. I also had more coolant, so once its filled back up I should be fine.” Jeff told me. I could see Jerry and two others still working on the engine, supposedly putting the new hose on. I nodded at Jeff who then turned and went to help finish repairs. I made my way down the line of vehicles, checking in with people, making sure everyone was fine. By the time I touched base with everyone, the sun was just about fully down. We heard vehicles approaching, so I jogged back up near the road so I could see who was coming. It sounded like two cars, so I hoped it was our search teams coming back so we could load up and head out.