The van opened with one of the keys, but it was obvious the battery was dead. Kyler had been expecting that as well. He worked with Randy to get the truck turned off and the battery pulled out of it. Using a cheap socket wrench set and a screwdriver they took out the vans existing battery and swapped it with the one from the truck. The one from the truck didn’t fit exactly right but they made it work. Most importantly, when Kelly tried the key for them again the van came to life. As long as it worked, and they were able to shut the hood Kyler considered the operation a success.
They quickly and quietly transferred all their gear from the truck to the minivan. They shoved Rodriguez in the back with the kids and Randy sat in the passenger seat next to Kyler. Kelly climbed in and sat in the seat behind them. Kelly kept urging them to hurry up because she wanted to show the kids all the goodies that they’d just looted from the daycare section of the house. The first five minutes of the journey was spent listening to the girls giggle and play with the dolls and little plastic horses and unicorns Kelly had brought out for them. Once that excitement died down, she gave each of the kids a pack of the immortal fruit snacks and turned her attention to Kyler.
“You mentioned a long story?” She asked.
Not seeing any reason to hold back at this point Kyler let everything out. He grazed over the spy work piece of it a little bit but otherwise he told them everything. He told them about being attacked by his mom when she’d turned. He told them about how he’d had to kill Mike to escape from that pier. All the death and desperation of his journey to get to that moment poured out of him. He hadn’t meant to truly tell his whole story, but it just kept spilling out once he started. He talked for most of an hour without interruption. He talked and drove. He already knew which roads he needed to be on plus the alternate routes. He’d been studying the map of the area for days now.
Rodriguez and everyone had assumed he was studying it to try and find the fugitives. He’d really been studying it for this. He’d hoped he’d be able to help them escape but hadn’t really bet on it. He’d thought he’d be out here making this trek on his own. Which would’ve been about a million times easier than dragging along all of these other people he now felt responsible for. Wrapping up his story he absently brushed the tears off his cheeks. They’d spilled at different parts of his story. From his mom to Mike to the busload of kids he’d watched get eaten alive by the Zombies.
Suddenly thinking about how much he’d said Kyler realized he was blushing. It’d been cathartic for him to say all of that out loud, but it was a lot to dump on a bunch of people he’d just met. What would they think of him now? He’d done some horrible things to survive. At the time it’d all seemed justified. In retrospect though with other people judging your actions it all got a little less black and white. Time and distance made those lines even more blurry.
“Never be ashamed for surviving.” Randy told him. He looked right at Kyler as he said it.
“That was a beautiful story Kyler. You’ve done nothing to be ashamed of. I’m just glad god put you on our path.” Kelly told him with one hand patting him on the back. She’d been crying as well. After a story like that there was barely a dry eye in the house. Except maybe for Doreen who’d spent most of the hour trying to get a plastic unicorn to eat out of her bag of fruit snacks. Rodriguez had slept through the whole story as well.
“Fair is fair.” Randy said and launched into an overview of their journey. He started with the island up north and took Kyler all the way through to where they were today. Randy told the story much more matter of fact than the way Kyler had told his. It still left Kyler filled with a sense of awe. The lengths those two had gone through to save their children. The love and fearlessness and dedication those acts represented. If Kyler had still needed validation that he’d done the right thing betraying the Brotherhood and saving this family, that story put any of those lingering doubts to rest
Stories told and new bonds formed they continued driving east. Kyler was hoping to hold off on turning north until they were in a better position to get through the Appalachians. He’d heard a lot of the mountain roads were completely impassable at this point. They’d been briefed on mountain conditions while waiting to fly into Tennessee. Rockslides, avalanches and massive traffic jams of refugees had taken their toll. If Krantz was able to send a helicopter or something to search for them Kyler also thought it’d be better if they were spotted going east rather than north. He was thinking the same thing about driving past any possible Brotherhood outposts. There was a good chance they’d already been seen, and the van logged into some outposts logbook that no one was going to really care about. If they were headed north, then that would set off some alarm bells at the outpost and definitely for anyone trying to follow them.
“What about the grumpy guy in the back?” Kelly leaned all the way forward to whisper the question so only Kyler and Randy could hear her.
“He’ll be fine. I kind of sprang this on him so he’s going to need a period of adjustment, but he knows he’s in it with us now. As long as we get him to a place where he can drink and fight, he’ll be good to go.” Kyler answered with more confidence than he felt. He’d really hoped Rodriguez would’ve been more enthusiastic about trying to help the family escape. That wasn’t turning out to be the case.
“Ok then. We owe you both big time so let us know what we can do to help on that front.” Randy said. He paused to take a breath and let that sink in then asked the million-dollar question. “So now what?”
It was a question Kyler hadn’t put a ton of thought into. He had his plan up to the point of getting them to the border then he just wanted to join back up with the men up north. He hoped what he was going to say was going to make more sense now that he’d shared his story with them. He hadn’t been thinking about that when he’d told them everything, but it suddenly dawned on him now that no one else in the truck really had a clue what was going on to the north. Other than the messed-up island Kelly and Randy had been stuck on it didn’t sound like they’d spent too much time in any one place on their journey to rescue their kids.
“Did you guys have a plan? Where were you trying to go?” Kyler asked them.
“We were just trying to get as far from the Brotherhood as possible. Other than that, just looking for a nice place to raise the kids with plenty of supplies and minimal monsters or people trying to kill us. Preferably none.” Kelly answered. Randy shrugged his shoulders and nodded in agreement.
“We talked about heading west. California is sounding pretty good right about now.” Randy said.
“Well Tennessee is going to be a battleground for a little while then a Brotherhood state so you’re probably going to want to avoid going through there. To go around a different way you’d have to go back down south first or go north and cutover once you’re past Tennessee. You may want to wait until summer to knock that out with the mountain passes and all but it’s doable. There’s another option that’s going to sound kind of crazy and may not even be possible but is something you may want to think about.” Kyler said.
“The aircraft carrier?” Kelly asked.
“Were you serious about that?” Randy said incredulously. It was obvious both of them thought that sounded like a pipe dream.
“I honestly don’t know if they got it going or not, but I know they were trying. It’s a scary option but maybe less scary than going and hanging out in the middle of nowhere with your family waiting for Zombies to show up or even worse a group of bandits or something. I’m planning on going back to them if they’ll have me. It turns out I’m pretty good at being a soldier.” Kyler said.
“Aren’t you kind of in the middle of running away from being a soldier?” Kelly asked.
“I’m running as fast as I can away from fighting for an army built on drugging people to make them compliant and holding their families for ransom to make them loyal. Running away from orders to execute a family. I’m fine with being a soldier. I just want to believe in the cause
I’m fighting for or at least not be completely against it. I know you never agree with everything your side is doing but big picture you should be able to live with it.” Kyler answered her.
A beeping noise made him look down at the gas gauge. It was time to pull over and pour the rest of the fuel they’d dragged with them into the belly of this soccer mom machine. Once that gas was gone, they’d need to be on the lookout for somewhere they could get more. In case they ended up driving through the mountains or into some other desolate location they needed plenty of supplies on hand. It’d also be nice to have it in the car if someone started chasing them. A lot easier to stop and refuel from a can out of the car than try to find a full gas can in a garage while people were shooting at you.
He looked around him. He’d been driving on autopilot while they talked. He’d only really paid attention when they hit crossroads. At the crossroads he’d stopped and checked to make sure he was still on the route he’d marked off in his mind. The backroads they’d driven had been clear of any major obstructions. A lot of debris in the roads from the trees like branches falling and leaves and such but no major trees lying fully across the road or anything. If they got the chance to snag an SUV or truck with a winch on it, he was going to take it. Otherwise it’d be axes and manual labor when they inevitably came to a road that was blocked.
He pulled over to the side of the road they were on and got out to take care of filling up the gas tank. Randy jumped out to help him. It was always a good idea to have someone watching your back since even in the middle of nowhere a Zombie could decide to show up and ruin your day.
“We there yet?” Randy asked when Kyler came around the corner.
“Define there.” Kyler shot back then continued in a more serious tone. “We’re actually making way better time than I thought we would. Assuming the next part of the trip doesn’t give us any issues we’ll be turning north in a few hours. We just need to find some gas and refill these cans. I don’t want to get stuck in the middle of nowhere with no gas.”
“You think they’re still chasing us?” Randy asked.
“I don’t think Krantz is going to stop anytime soon. Especially not if he figures out that I betrayed him. It’s best we get out of Brotherhood territory as soon as we can. I’m actually voting for getting out of North America if we can.” Kyler said.
Randy looked at Kyler to see if he was joking. He wasn’t.
Chapter 30: The Ninth Circle of Hell
Krantz stood in the house they’d originally seen the body of the crawler with its head smashed in at. It was one of the breadcrumbs that’d pointed them right at the family of fugitives. He walked into the garage and noted the spot where it was now obvious the family had taken the four-wheelers from. He chided himself again for the mistakes that’d been made. There was no way that family should’ve been able to slip through their net.
He listened to the chatter coming across the radio as his people made more discoveries. The large number of Zombies sweeping in from the surrounding countryside threatening to force them all to find somewhere to hide for the rest of the day. Krantz supposed the clearers could all just go hang out in their Mad Max Penskes for the day if it got too rough. They’d already lost a few men to the adrenalized Zombies that’d been the first to arrive on the scene.
Even with all the Zombies showing up to muck up the trail it was still seeming likely that the family had escaped. The four-wheelers had been found in the zone that they’d been last reported spotted in. The bodies of both of those clearers who’d called in the report had also been found. They’d been chewed on some, but they also had bullet holes in their backs. Somehow the fugitives had gotten the drop on them.
Krantz was wondering if he’d lost Rodriguez and Kyler too. They hadn’t reported in since saying the family had gone back into the gully and they were getting on the road to try and cut them off. That hadn’t made a whole lot of sense to Krantz, but he’d trusted them thinking maybe their vehicle was too trashed to get back in the gully or something. He’d had tons of men rushing that way regardless, so the gully was covered. His mind kept going back to mulling over that last cryptic broadcast from Kyler.
A sudden suspicion gnawing at him Krantz got on the radio calling again for Kyler and Rodriguez by call sign. When he got no response, he asked if anyone had seen them. That question went unanswered on the airwaves for a few seconds before one of the clearer parties responded they’d met with Rover One briefly. Krantz queried them some more until he was able to piece together that one of the far-flung patrols had been driving towards Ball Ground when the order went out to tighten the net. Kyler had stopped and told them he was heading out to cover the far-flung piece and they’d let him go.
The clearers had been in a sedan so couldn’t see what was in the back of the truck, but they’d seen Rodriguez sitting slumped over in the passenger side. Rodriguez hadn’t said anything during the brief discussion. Krantz signed off and leaned back against the wall. He let his mind go free thinking about some of the odd things Kyler had said recently. Things that he saw now should’ve been red flags. The idea of executing the family had obviously impacted Kyler harder than Krantz had thought.
The more he thought about it the more he became certain that Kyler had something to do with the fugitives escaping. Even if they hadn’t assisted the fugitives, they’d used the cover of the search to make a run for the border. Once they got into South Carolina they’d be out of reach of the Brotherhood for now. Had Kyler really thought Krantz was going to kill a bunch of little girls? He would’ve executed the parents since by all reports they’d earned it, but he wasn’t a child killer. Why the hell would Rodriguez have gone along with Kyler? Krantz could totally see Kyler taking the moral high ground but the crotchety Rodriguez was a different story.
His head swirling with questions and doubts Krantz stood in the house feeling betrayed. At the thought of having to report this to his command the feeling of betrayal stirred up another flurry of emotions. He felt embarrassment at having vouched for Kyler and Rodriguez and fear of what may happen to him now that this had happened. Especially if it became known that the men that he’d put his trust in were the ones who’d taken the family and made a run for it. That fear quickly morphed into red hot anger. He became impatient to catch the fugitives which now included the rogue pair of Brotherhood soldiers.
He pored over the map and marked off the last sighting of Kyler by the clearer patrol. He traced his finger north and saw that the roads kept leading up into the mountains. He slid his finger a little further east and checked again. Trying to put his mind into an evading capture mindset he avoided the main roads on the map and stuck to the small lines winding through the terrain. He knew they weren’t going to get a second shot at finding the fugitives before they made it out of Brotherhood territory. Making his best guesses, he drew a dark line along the three paths he thought it was most likely Kyler would’ve taken.
He coordinated quickly over the radio with the three clearer patrols that’d been placed under his command. Less than hour from that first nagging suspicion he was leading one of the three clearer groups down the path he thought it most likely Kyler would’ve taken. Anger creasing his forehead knowing that Kyler would’ve had a huge head start by this time he urged his driver to drive fast. They’d sent out the motor bikers with radios ahead of the patrols to report back any major obstructions in the road. The big Penske trucks were coming up the rear of the three groups while scavenged cars and trucks were in the lead behind the dirt bikes.
Krantz reached out to the outposts for more information. He was acknowledged and told no trucks had passed the outpost position. That outpost was letting the other outposts know to be on the lookout. Krantz knew the closer the fugitives got to the border the more likely they’d be spotted. The Brotherhood leadership was paranoid about the South Carolina border. That was the border they planned to go over when they invaded South Carolina so they assumed the people from up north could come bursting across
it any time. They were also constantly looking out for deserters and spies.
Krantz made sure the outposts knew to look for Kyler and Rodriguez and also to be on the lookout for a family. It was a bit difficult broadcasting all that over the air since he knew Kyler had a radio in the truck he was driving as well. Krantz didn’t want to tip his hand too much so once he’d given instructions to be contacted immediately if anything was seen he went off the air. He was careful to never once mention that he had three large groups in pursuit. He also made the groups maintain radio silence. They were all going to follow their routes unless they found something. Physically placing eyes on the fugitives was the main way they were going to allow for any of the groups to contact any of the other groups. Otherwise they’d drive on until each of them completed the route to the South Carolina border at which point they’d sit tight until all three groups had completed the journey.
With nothing more to do but drive and search for any sign of the traitors Krantz gritted his teeth and again urged his driver to go a little bit faster. They were already driving at a pretty unsafe speed but the tone of Krantz’s voice told the driver this wasn’t the time to argue.
Zombies! (Book 5): Greater Love Hath No Man Page 27
