“How did you—“ she started, then allowed herself a small smile herself. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Inside the bag was a pack of tampons, some panty liners, condoms, and two morning-after pill packages. Elaine might be on the verge of maybe no longer needing all of that, but the woman behind her was about my age. The younger woman hesitated, then went back to the broken-down car and grabbed something from the front passenger seat. When she returned and offered me a bag of fresh cherries, I was tempted, but pushed it back at her with a look at the kids. “Thanks, but keep it for them. You know about the sugar, I guess?”
Elaine nodded. “We heard about that. Some people were discussing it on the radio, and they’ve been bringing it in the morning bulletins ever since.”
Hope flickered alive in my chest, even if I knew that it would likely get trampled any moment now.
“We met a guy, way back east. He had a radio station. Gerry? And his wife Maude?”
The sad look in Elaine’s eyes was answer enough, but she gave a full reply nevertheless.
“They held out for ten days, I think. We don’t know for sure, but the last thing we heard of him, he said there was howling outside their house. Didn’t look good.”
I nodded, ticking off another two names from my mental list of the few people I knew that were still alive.
“But Kevin and Dave are still on air,” the younger woman offered. “And Simone, from up in Montreal. They’re probably not on right now, but, if you want to, you can use the radio in our car to try and hail them. At least once the battery’s running again.
“Thanks.”
Elaine watched the going-ons at the other car, with the odd look over to where Nate was chatting to her husband.
“Where are you headed?” I asked, more to make idle conversation than I really wanted to know.
“South, into Missouri. There’s a new settlement down there. They’ve been running bulletins since the start. They’re trying to rebuild a farming community. At least that’s what they say.”
I couldn’t help the shudder that ran through me.
“Listen, don’t take that road we were coming from. About two hours back there—“
“We ran into them, too,” Elaine interrupted me before I could go any further. “They wanted the dog. We resisted, and they shot—“
She cut off there, the other woman quick to hug her close. Looking away, I stared out over the rolling corn field on the other side of the road.
“Did you lose someone, too?” the woman asked while Elaine was trying to get a grip on herself.
“There? Only someone who thought she was better off than with us. Apparently we didn’t appreciate her enough. And others before that, too.”
She nodded, a sad look on her face. “We were lucky so far. Probably because we tried to hold out until we couldn’t any longer, and followed the routes that Dave told us someone else had mapped out before. But they were going to Kansas, so we veered off, and—“
“Yeah.” I stopped her there before she had to go on.
Glancing at Nate, I saw a smile creeping back on her face.
“Your husband?” she asked.
I shook my head, grinning briefly. “Not sure what we are, but we’re not married.”
“Doesn’t matter anymore, I guess,” she replied. “When you meet under circumstances like this…”
“We met before,” I said, unable to hide a slight smile. “And then we just happened to stick together.”
There wasn’t even a hint of surprise in her eyes—but then, I had almost as many weapons strapped to my body as the others. The days where I could just pass as a random girl were likely over. Considering the circumstances, that was probably a good thing.
That’s when I noticed Skip and Steve standing a few feet away, looking guilty as shit. I’d seen them talk to one of the guys who were busy with getting the car running before, and he was chatting with Tim now, his eyes dancing to the two college kids over and over again.
“Something wrong?” I asked, not overly fond of being kept in the dark over this to and fro that was obviously happening.
“No, no, not at all,” Steve was quick to assure me. “We were just, ah, talking to Aaron over here…” He trailed off, and Skip jumped in when it became awkward.
“We asked if we can join them. Going to Missouri.”
I didn’t know what to make of that, but it certainly explained their anxiety—but at the same time not. And because he had a knack for picking up on shit like that, Nate took that exact moment to materialize next to Steve, making the guy jump as he noticed him.
“No offense, but you’re kind of too hardcore for us,” Steve stuttered, blanching visibly.
Nate stared at him for a full ten seconds—I knew because I counted—and it was so obvious that he was delighting in making the guys squirm—one last time.
“Remember that speech I gave that morning at the creek? After our first day together?” I doubted that they would forget. It had ended with them having to abandon their sick friend. Both nodded. “Remember the part where I said that everyone’s free to leave, for whatever reason?” Another round of nods, after a brief pause. “Then stop fretting and get your packs. If they take you with them, that is.”
“We don’t mind,” Aaron assured, although his gaze lingered on the woman I’d been talking to before, who turned away and stalked back to the car with the kids and dog.
“You’ll have to split up between cars, but if you don’t mind, you’re welcome,” Elaine told them, offering a smile that looked more brave than warm, but it was a smile nevertheless.
I had a certain feeling that they wouldn’t have jumped at this opportunity so quickly if Madeline and Erica had still been with us, but I couldn’t find it in me to care too much. Sure, they’d seemed like nice guys—but ever since my heart-to-heart with Nate, it was hard for me to see them as anything but what they were—dead weight and zombie bait.
While Skip and Steve were busy getting their stuff transferred to the other cars, Elaine and I chatted a little more until Andrej got the car running again, at which point Tim mentioned their radio, too. I joined them as Tim ducked into the car and fiddled with the receiver.
“Dave? Kevin? One of you guys at the mic? This is Tim.”
Static answered, yet after a few seconds it was replaced by a surprisingly chipper—and familiar—voice.
“No rest for the wicked, Tim, my man! How you guys doing out there? Did you get the car going again?”
“Yup, thanks to the help of some awesome guys here,” he said, then actually looked guilty. “And ladies. They’re all a great bunch.”
Elaine joined us, her cheeks dry once more but her eyes still red. “Tell him that they met Gerry and Maude.”
Tim nodded, dutifully relaying the message. There was a pause, then Dave—or Kevin, I didn’t remember which one of them I’d talked to—replied.
“You heard that they didn’t make it?”
Nodding for Tim to hand over the mic, I answered.
“Elaine told us. But glad to hear you’re still around.” This time, the pause was longer, and I couldn’t help but grin at Nate. He actually rolled his eyes at me for stalling. “This is Bree. And Nate’s here, too. Can’t seem to shake him, whatever I try.”
“You guys are still alive?” came the answer, then a little more sure, “Of course you are. But just so you know, you lost me a can of chili to Dave.” Another pause. “Where are you guys headed to? Maybe we can give you a heads-up about a few tight spots. We got a message earlier this week that there’s a bunch of weirdos up in Illinois, north of Champaign. But then you’re way west of that already if you ran into Tim and Elaine.”
I stared at Nate for a second, not sure I was happy to be able to contribute something to that.
“Yeah, we think they’re cannibals.”
“Shit, did you run into them?” Kevin sounded more excited than anything else.
“Thankfully not,” I grou
nd out. “But it was a close call. We weren’t sure what to make of what we overheard and decided to beat it instead. Glad we did.”
“I bet. So where you going next? Did Elaine tell you about the settlement?”
Instead of letting me answer, Nate held out the hand for the mic.
“We’re heading for Wyoming.”
Another pause followed. “Where in Wyoming?”
Nate did some deliberating himself before he answered. “South of Cody, near the mountains.”
This time the pause was longer still. I eyed Nate askance, but he waited, suddenly tense.
“Do you guys perchance know Morning Dew Farm?” Kevin asked. I wondered if that was code for something, but judging from how Nate was suddenly grinning, it made sense to him either way.
“You in contact with them?”
“Yessir. They haven’t gotten the solar panels running yet so I can’t patch you through, but since last week we’ve been chatting every couple of days.”
“Who?” Nate asked, obviously annoyed that Kevin was babbling.
“Guy named Bert. His wife and daughter, too. And a couple of other guys, I think, but I’ve only been talking to Bert.”
“Thanks, man,” Nate replied, then handed the mic back to me as he turned to the assembled members of our group. “Gunny and his family made it. They’re already getting everything set up, it sounds like. Guess by the time we get there Emma will be ready to chase us around, making repairs.”
Cheers went up all around me, and I was surprised when Elaine suddenly hugged me—and I realized that I was hugging her back. I didn’t even know these people, but just hearing that someone else was out there—someone who wasn’t going to eat us, or shoot us, or cook us—was the best news in the world.
“You guys still here?” Kevin asked, unaware of what was going on on our side.
“Yup, just spreading the good news,” I replied.
“So they’re your people? We’re practically neighbors,” he replied, quickly clearing his throat. “Theoretically. Same state, you know?”
If the generator wasn’t running yet and he’d been talking to this Bert, the obvious conclusion was that they’d met face to face, but I didn’t bust Kevin’s bubble.
A strange kind of energy seemed to have taken root all around me, and I handed the mic back to Tim as Nate nodded for me to get back in the car. It took me a moment to recognize it—anticipation. Suddenly, we had a clear goal, not just some location hidden away several states over, but something that we could drive toward.
We made our goodbyes, wishing Skip, Steve, Aaron, Tim, Elaine, and their people a safe journey. And then we were back on the road, heading… home.
Chapter 28
It took us another week to make it to Wyoming, but things went almost too smoothly. Probably because Nebraska was so much prairie and not much else, with the odd herd of cattle still grazing out there. There were even days that went by where we didn’t see a single biped being—alive or undead. With six less mouths to feed, our food reserves were enough to last us through the state, and then we were on the home stretch, and going the last two days on water more than anything else was better than sticking around one more day that we maybe didn’t have to.
I sadly didn’t get to see the Jackalope statue in Douglas, but after making it across I-25 in the middle of nowhere in the singing heat of noon, I stopped protesting. And as we crept further west and the land started to rise toward the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, I could see why Nate and his people had selected this region for their hideout. Sure, it was hot and dry now, and from what little I remembered from high school geography, it would be cold and barren in the winter, but the landscape had a unique, rugged beauty to it—while at the same time being so completely devoid of human life that I was sure that in a few years from now, it would be possible to go an entire day without even seeing a house or fence anywhere. As we continued to drive along winding roads that were in different states of disrepair, I wondered if here of all places that much had even changed.
We saw the odd zombie in the distance, but after leaving the east of the state behind us, it was just that—us. The towns we passed had three-digit population numbers rather than thousands. There were signs of looting and destruction visible, but less so than elsewhere.
I would have missed the road Nate told me to take as we got into yet more hilly regions, mountain peaks shining in the distance. Gravel took over, and not for the first time I was glad that we had stuck with cars that could navigate such a terrain. And then there was no road at all, and I had a hard time following what Nate insisted was still some kind of trail.
“Stop. Right there,” he told me, making me roll to a halt practically in the middle of nowhere. There were a few pine trees around, but not much else. Certainly not anything that warranted the note of caution in his voice.
Nate waited until the other cars had pulled up behind ours before he got out, looking around. While he stretched, the sun glinting off the blond roots visible in his hair by now, Andrej walked up to my door, his arms crossed over his chest.
Lowering the window, I squinted at him. “Remind me why we are stopping in the middle of nowhere?”
I only got a moment to enjoy the grin spreading across his face before a sharp whistle made me look forward. Seemingly out of nowhere, two shapes appeared from where they’d been pretty much indistinguishable from the grassy ground. A third joined them, dropping down from one of the pine trees. I still didn’t really know much about military tactics, but even I could name a ghillie suit if I saw a sniper wearing one. Or three, in this case.
“Never mind,” I told Andrej. We were definitely on the right course.
Nate exchanged a few words with the three, but they melted back into the surroundings after a few moments. He then returned to the car, getting in after nodding at Andrej to do the same.
“Drive around the right pine, then continue straight across the meadow until you see a small formation of rocks. From there on out, the road should be clear.”
That sounded ominous enough that I just followed his directions until I had cleared the tree.
“Just for kicks and giggles—what would have happened if I’d driven straight through between the pines?”
Nate shrugged. “Depends on how thick the undercarriage of the Rover is, but I’d say you’d have at least crippled us. Or blown us to bits.”
Anger flickered alive, but I knew that if I complained that he should have warned me ahead of time, he would just shrug and tell me that there was a reason for why he’d told me to go around.
“Let me guess… mine?”
“A whole cluster of Claymores,” Nate agreed, flashing me a grin that was way too bright. “Tomorrow I’ll show you how to arm one.”
In another time, a sentence like that would have greatly distressed me, but now he just got a shrug. “As long as you also show me how to disarm them, fine.”
“You’re such a spoilsport.”
The rock formation was easily recognizable—now that I knew what to look for. And, indeed, after a sharp turn around it, the grass gave way to hard-packed ruts that were more road than deer trail.
Five minutes later, I stepped on the brakes one last time, and shut off the engine.
Before us, at the edge of the forest, a meadow opened, seamlessly transitioning into the rolling prairie that spread on and on into the valley and the wide plains beyond, away from the mountains. To our left, a few yards uphill, there was a house, the dark wood and shingled roof melting into the hill and trees behind it. It even came with a wraparound porch, and someone had been busy converting part of the grass around it into vegetable patches. Adjacent to it, I saw another, similar building—a garage, judging from the larger door on the front.
The door to the house opened just as I got out of the car, still taking in my surroundings. A man and woman stepped out—both armed, but their guns remained in the holsters on their belts. They both seemed to be in their early fifties, a
nd they made quite the disparate pair. While he looked right at home at this cabin in the woods—including a full, gray-streaked beard and flannel shirt—her crisp, white blouse and dark jeans were office chic at best, but they somehow fit her perfectly.
“Gunny, always good to see you,” Nate called out, then nodded to the woman. “You, too, Emma.”
She gave a small smile back, while her husband—Bert, presumably, who had been talking to Kevin—was grinning under all that fur on his face.
“Told you they’d make it,” he grumbled to his wife, already clomping down the steps and coming toward us. People streamed out of the cars, packs and weapons forgotten for now, and there was a lot of hugging and handshaking going on. I couldn’t help but feel a little lost, same as Cho and Santos, but that changed quickly when Nate returned to my side, sweeping one arm across my lower back so he could physically push me toward the house.
“Emma, Bert, this is Bree, my—“ Nate stopped there, eyeing me critically while fighting a smile. “What are you to me, exactly?”
Glancing back at the car, I shrugged. “The driver who didn’t back up to get your ass blown to pieces back there after you belatedly mentioned the mines?”
His grin broke through. “The woman who hasn’t killed me out of spite yet. Works for me.”
I rolled my eyes at him, extending my hand to the others. “Nice to meet you.”
Bert’s handshake was as strong and warm as expected, while his wife’s was almost crushing, and I could tell that she was judging me for the grime engrained in my skin. Nothing I could do about that, I figured, mentally shrugging it off.
“Glad you’re here,” she replied, and even with her level of reservation, I could tell that she meant it.
We all looked up when the door at the porch opened with a bang, and a lithe, blonde whirlwind came charging down the steps, hurling herself at Nate.
“You’re finally here!” the girl squealed as she hugged him, making Nate laugh as he whirled her around. I couldn’t help the hint of trepidation coming up inside of me—until I realized that she couldn’t be much older than seventeen, eighteen tops. He set her down again, ruffling her hair like you’d do with a much smaller girl, but she laughed just the same, even if she batted him away. “Stop it!” she protested, before her eyes found me, narrowing. “You didn’t tell me that you had a girlfriend, and we talked the day before this shit went down!” she accused.
Green Fields (Book 2): Outbreak Page 32
