The Preston Six Collection: (Book 1, 2 and 3)

by Ryan, Matt

Poly sighed and rolled her eyes. Only Lucas could find a joke about the weird situation.

  “You want me to stay up with you, Hank?” Poly asked.

  “I got it, I can’t sleep anyway. You guys get some sleep. I’ll wake you up late in the night, Lucas.”

  “Fine, but we’re out of here first thing,” Lucas said.

  IN THE MORNING, LUCAS WOKE them. They gathered what supplies and bags they could carry and said their goodbyes to Carl and his family. With full bags on their backs, they started their trek.

  Two days passed as they followed the road to the south.

  Poly glanced back at the road they had walked. The whole scenario with that family, clinging to a form of a life, stuck with her. She tried not to think about Mary, smiling and waving them goodbye. She must have been so relieved not to have gone through with it, she was thrilled to see them go. She even gave Hank a hug.

  Poly adjusted the strap on her shoulder, the heavy bag of supplies pulled on it, digging into her skin as she walked down the road. The morning sun heated the asphalt, sending fine streams of steam rising up. She walked by a driveway and looked at the mailbox. The Steds displayed on the side. It was the first driveway they’d seen in a mile. A large, country house set back from the road, surrounded by trees. The weeds piled against the walls of the house and the prairie grass fought the driveway, and was winning.

  Poly looked at the white line on the road, it faded and disappeared in most places, but next to this driveway it looked bright and proper. She’d seen too many things, walking through the streets of Ryjack. Nothing like New Vegas, but Vegas felt like living in a disaster movie, with nothing to connect to but plastic buildings. It didn’t seem real. Here, it seemed too much like home. The houses were like the homes in Preston. A small school house they passed by yesterday, was half burned down, with foliage reclaiming it.

  “We’ve got to keep moving,” Lucas said.

  Poly looked up at his weary face, and wondered if hers was the same. The conversations flowed for the first day, but now, no one seemed to want to say anything. She huffed and kicked at the pristine white line, breaking up a bit of road and giving the perfect white line a blemish. Adjusting her heavy backpack, she tried to find a spot on her shoulder that didn’t hurt, and started walking. She was grateful to Carl and his family for willingly giving them the supplies. Maybe they took too much.

  The road ahead was the same as behind her, lined with trees, bushes, and grass. Rotting cars were less frequent as they got away from the towns. One positive, they hadn’t seen a zombie for a day.

  Hank slowed down and walked up next to her. “I can take your pack.”

  It was the thirtieth time he’d offered over the last few days. She looked at the two large army packs on his back already. She couldn’t even lift one of them off the ground, how could she have him take her backpack?

  “No, I got it.” She attempted a smile, but wasn’t sure if it came across right.

  Hank gave her one of his concerned looks. She braced herself for one of his motivational speeches, but he turned and looked ahead, matching her walking speed.

  “Grinner, up ahead,” Lucas said and moved to the side of the road.

  Lucas started calling them “grinners,” talking about how every time the zombies noticed them, they’d have a wide-mouthed snarl, he took it as a grin.

  After doing it so many times, they didn’t even have to say anything to each other anymore. Poly moved to the side of the road, pulling out her sword and got close to Lucas and Julie. Hank watched their backs.

  “I got it,” Lucas called.

  The zombie stumbled down the road, maybe a hundred feet away, dragging one foot along. It hadn’t noticed them yet, but it would be getting their scent soon.

  Lucas pulled the string back on his bow and the arrow flew, hitting the foot dragger in the head. Poly shook her head, the guy had become one heck of a shot. She just hoped it kept to just one grinner at a time.

  The most grinners they had seen since Cost Plus at one time was three. A horde might be around the next street or past the next house. It was their greatest fear and they treated each encounter with stealth. She could take out ten, but if there were hundreds, they would be overwhelmed.

  “Nice shot,” Julie praised his effort, just like she did every time, with the same enthusiasm.

  Lucas soaked it up with a smile and kissed the back side of his bow. Poly loved her steel, but Lucas had become obsessed with his bow, even naming it.

  “Prudence never misses,” Lucas said.

  Poly shook her head; she would never get used to that name.

  Lucas pulled out the arrow and gave it a shake. The blood fell off the arrow, in the same way as her sword.

  “Looks like a town ahead,” Julie said.

  Poly saw it as well. Two buildings faced each other, split by the road with a stoplight dangling by a cord in the middle.

  “Dang.” Hank frowned. They’d avoided anything looking like a town, so far. Lucas and Hank argued each time they did.

  “I’m telling you, this is the town. This is the place we find that car,” Lucas declared.

  “No, it’s too risky,” Hank said.

  “Dude, you think walking the whole thousand miles is safer? Everyday we’re here is that much more of a risk. It’s going to take a month on foot.”

  Hank crossed his arms and glared at the town ahead.

  “Actually, at the current rate, we’re looking at six weeks,” Julie said and Lucas stared at her. “I think Lucas is right, the longer we’re exposed, the greater risk we take. It’s only a matter of time until we’re caught off guard.”

  Poly turned to face Hank. “We can get to Joey faster.” She hated bringing Joey’s name into it, but it was the truth.

  Hank lowered his head. “Fine.”

  Lucas smiled and walked a fast pace toward the town.

  With each step, her heart beat faster and she gripped a throwing knife in her hand. Towns had more people, so logic followed—more grinners. They slowed down as they passed the first building. Poly looked at the large sign over the first store, a piece of wood with a huge nail in it. Nailed was etched into the wood. Some kind of hardware store she guessed. The windows were broken and the store looked empty inside. She didn’t care if the store had hammers, screwdrivers or whatever else Nailed stocked, she watched for motion, she watched for grinners.

  She kept her breathing steady, making sure nothing she stepped on made a sound. Noises seemed to attract them, drawing them out of their stupor. They walked two by two, Julie and Lucas taking the front view, Poly watched the left and back, Hank took the right and back, using the yellow line in the road as their rail.

  The next store, Nothing Bundt Cake. She shook her head smiling. What a funny little town. Wok This Way still had unbroken windows.

  “Let’s check out the car dealer,” Lucas said.

  Poly looked ahead and at the small dealership. The Carocopia sign had cars exiting a round tunnel shaped like a cornucopia.

  They moved into the parking lot with cars displaying prices for two hundred and eighty-nine dollars a month and the Chrysler Savant could be all hers.

  She tensed up as they approached the office building with the sign on it. In the open, she felt she could handle anything that came at her, but in a confined space, she got nervous about what was around the next corner.

  Lucas rattled the handle on the door, locked.

  “Hank?” Lucas motioned toward the door.

  Hank lifted his leg and kicked the door in. It made a loud noise and Poly turned back to the parking lot, looking for a lurker. Across the street, past a house, she thought she caught movement for a split second. She stared at the spot but nothing changed, maybe she’d imagined it.

  “I bet they keep gas somewhere in here,” Lucas said.

  A few office cubicles made the first room and they moved past it to the back door. A mechanic’s shop, stuffed with car parts on the walls and a half torn down car in the fir
st stall and a truck raised up in the lift next to it.

  “Search around, there’s got to be fuel somewhere around here,” Lucas said.

  The smell of metal and oil permeated the shop. The oil stains on the concrete floors covered more areas, than not. Poly grabbed a red can and shook it. Empty.

  Julie walked next to her and shrugged her shoulder. Poly nodded her head, she didn’t know what to look for either, and everything she looked at was covered in dirt mixed with grease. Without running water, she dreaded having black, greasy hands until the next river.

  Hank apparently didn’t have the same fears, as he ravaged the shelves, shaking every can and container.

  “Hank, over here,” Lucas waved his hand.

  Poly walked over with Hank.

  Lucas stood in front of a pile of cardboard boxes, pulling them out.

  “I can see a barrel behind this stuff,” Lucas said.

  Hank grabbed boxes and tossed them under the truck next to them. A black barrel emerged from behind the boxes with a hose and some kind of hand crank on top.

  “Poly, can you grab that bucket behind you?” Lucas asked.

  She turned to see a black metal bucket with metal parts in it. She gripped the sides of the bucket and carried it to Lucas.

  “Thanks,” Lucas said and tossed the contents of the bucket on the ground. “This is the same thing Ferrell had. Hank, give it a few pumps,” Lucas put the bucket on his knee while he guided the hose into it.

  Hank pumped the hands crank and liquid splashed into the bucket. Poly could smell the rancid, sweet smell she knew from the many trips to gas stations.

  “Ha, yeah!” Lucas gave Hank a high five.

  Poly smiled and gave Julie a hug.

  Julie smiled back but shook her head. “That gas is old, it’s not going to work, and even if it did, do you really think one of those cars is going to start?”

  Lucas looked hurt, he took the bucket and spilled a spoonful of gas on the floor. He handed Hank the bucket and took out a match box from his pocket. Lighting a match, he held it and then dropped it into the smear of gas on the floor. A flame poofed up and then went out. Poly leaned back at the quick flame.

  “If it burns, we have a chance of it working,” Lucas said.

  Julie raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything.

  Poly grinned at the demonstration, if there was any chance to get away from walking a thousand miles, she’d try them all.

  “Here’s a gas can.” Hank pulled a red metal can from the counter top and handed it to Lucas.

  Lucas unscrewed the lid and stuck the hose into it. Hank pumped and filled the gas can.

  “Let’s pick one of the beauties out front, shall we?” Lucas said and carried his gas can to the front parking lot.

  Poly beamed at the idea of picking out a new car. Ever since turning sixteen, she’d been fixated with getting a car. A free one was more than she could handle. Could she drive a car to an Alius stone and transport it home? Did it work like that?

  “How about this one?” Lucas leaned against a sports car, putting his hand under his chin, giving his best gangster look.

  “Yeah, what does that thing get, ten miles per gallon?” Julie said, looking annoyed. “I can guarantee the batteries won’t work. We need a manual transmission so we can jump start it.”

  Poly looked at Julie questionably, and then remembered her mom asking her to push her car because it wouldn’t start. She’d pushed the car until it started rolling along and then her mom took her foot off the clutch while in gear and the car started.

  “Can’t argue with that, let’s do some window shopping and see which ones have sticks,” Lucas said.

  Poly ran to the side of the parking lot and went car to car, but they all had automatics. Then, she came across a small SUV with a stick.

  “Found one,” she called.

  They ran over and walked around the car, looking it over.

  “I don’t know what a trail dog is, but this thing is perfect,” Lucas said sliding his fingers over the Trail Dog logo.

  “It’s got four-wheel drive.” Hank pressed his face against the passenger side window.

  Lucas pulled on the handle, locked. “Hank?”

  “Wait, I saw a board of keys in the office,” Poly said, running to the office and looking through all the keys until she found the Trail Dog key. She ran back and tossed it to Lucas.

  He opened the door and reached back to unlock the back door.

  Poly climbed in the back and breathed in the clean smell of a new car. She resisted the urge to lay down on the bench seat with its comfortable cloth. Too many nights of laying in grass and dirt made her have a great appreciation for the small things. She scooted over to make room for Julie. Hank ran to the other side and got into the front passenger seat.

  She hadn’t felt that happy in days, and she saw the same expression on her friend’s faces.

  “Don’t get too comfortable, this thing may not start,” Julie said.

  “Only one way to find out,” Lucas said. “Let’s gas this baby up.”

  Poly didn’t want to leave the comfy confines of the backseat and reluctantly got out with her friends.

  Lucas poured gas into it.

  “I already checked and the battery’s dead. We need to push it back a bit so we can get a good run down this parking lot.” Julie got into the driver’s seat and Poly, Lucas, and Hank pushed the car backward out of its parking spot. They moved to the rear of the SUV. Poly placed her hands on the dirty back window, ready to push.

  “You ready, Julie?” Lucas asked.

  “Yeah,” Julie said.

  “Remember, let go of the clutch and when it starts, push it back in. But wait until I tell you to pop it,” Lucas said.

  Julie gave a thumbs up out of the open front window.

  “One, Two, Three,” Lucas said and pushed on three. Poly fell forward as Hank and Lucas pushed it hard down the parking lot. She ran to it and pushed with them.

  At a near run Lucas yelled, “Pop it!”

  It jerked, sputtered, and a puff of smoke emerged from the pipe. Then it slowed down and stopped. Poly had wanted to hear the motor roar to life, but it didn’t.

  She hunched over, breathing and looking at the stopped SUV.

  “Let’s do it again,” Lucas said.

  They pushed the Trail Dog back up next to the office and got behind it again.

  “Go,” Lucas said.

  Poly pushed hard and it picked up speed.

  “Pop it,” Lucas yelled to Julie.

  They watched the car roll for fifty feet, before it jerked and puffed and the motor roared to life. White smoke poured out of the pipe. Julie jumped from the vehicle and ran back to them. Lucas screamed and with open arms grabbed her in a bear hug.

  Poly stared at the SUV. She could feel the tears forming in her eyes, it seemed so stupid to get emotional over a car starting, but she was getting way beyond caring. Hank grabbed her arm and pulled her into his massive chest, she buried her face there, letting a small moment of joy get the best of her. With the car, they had a good chance of getting off Ryjack. Finally, something good happened.

  “Oh, shit.” Poly heard Hank’s deep voice resonate in his chest, and pushed herself back, only to see the terror in his face.

  “Run!” Lucas screamed, running back to them.

  Poly looked past Lucas and saw that a horde of grinners had spotted them. With their black teeth, they grinned their maddening grin, as they passed their newly acquired SUV. They had no hope of getting to it now. She glanced back at the office. If they ran hard, they might have a chance. She ran.

  THE GROANS AND YELLS FROM the horde washed over them like a sick mob, bound on killing them. She glanced over her shoulder as she ran with Hank at her side. The grinners propelled their broken bodies at them. They made it into the office and Hank tried to close the door.

  “I broke this door when I kicked it in. It won’t lock.” The door flopped in Hank’s hands.


  “Back room.” Lucas ran to the back door and held it open.

  Poly looked back at the grinners as they hit the glass door, sending pieces of glass to the floor. She stepped through the back doorway, and Lucas closed the door and locked it.

  Behind the door, she heard the moans and the smashing of the office, as the horde crashed through it.

  The two steel roll-up garage doors rattled as grinners from outside pushed into them. They had no way out. They would soon break through the doors and kill them. Poly’s heart raced and she breathed hard, gripping her sword tight. She could kill a dozen before they got to her but there looked to be a hundred out there.

  Lucas and Hank pushed against the door.

  “I don’t think this door is going to hold,” Lucas said.

  Julie paced with her arms flailing. “I don’t want to die here. I don’t want to die here.” Her face, ghost white.

  Poly took a deep breath and tried to show courage for Julie who was completely losing it. She looked to the ceiling, but there was no ladder, no escape hatches. The room was filled with nothing but car parts and two vehicles. The large garage doors rattled as the grinners outside struck against it.

  “We’re trapped,” Julie said.

  They were. The grinners had sandwiched them into a tiny space. There had to be a way out. “The truck,” Poly said, pointing to the one on the lift. “That’s like eight feet off the ground.” The only thing holding the truck up was a large pipe in the middle. “They won’t be able to get to us in that.”

  “There’s a ladder over here.” Julie picked the ladder up with shaking hands.

  Poly took the ladder from Julie and set it up next to the truck. She climbed the ladder, swung her leg over the side, and landed in the back of the truck. She reached over and helped Julie in.

  “Come on guys,” Julie called.

  “Go, Lucas, I can’t hold this door for much longer.” Hank leaned into the door and the top creased in a few inches, grimy hands sliding through. Lucas ran up the ladder and jumped into the back of the truck.

  “Come on, Hank,” Poly said.

  Hank glanced back at Poly and then to the ladder. He let go of the door and ran to the ladder. It shifted under his feet and Poly reached down to grab Hanks hand, with the help of Lucas. Hank climbed into the back of the truck.