“Where’d they go?”
“Down the road, probably toward the interstate.”
“You’re the only two they left behind?”
“Yes, just us.”
“How many more are there?”
“Hell, I don’t know now. We lost a lot. There’s maybe two dozen of us left.”
“Thanks for your cooperation.”
“What are you going to do with me now?”
“Not sure.”
James glanced over at Connor as he talked to the other Reclaimer.
“I won’t tell you—” the man was cut off when a bullet entered his brain.
“Idiot,” Connor said, walking over to James. “You get what we need?”
“Yep,” James said.
“Please spare me,” the man James had shot begged.
Connor walked up to the other man and shot him in the head. James felt some remorse. That hadn’t been completely necessary, but he wasn’t going to say anything. The man would have died soon anyway with wounds like that. Even if he had lived, what kind of life would it be without the use of his legs in the apocalypse? It was easier this way.
“Let’s take this,” James said, going to the shot-up blue compact car.
“Tank, we’re rollin’ out,” Connor said.
Tank came running out of the shadows just as James settled into the driver’s seat. Connor and Tank ducked in as the car started and James stepped on the gas. The car lurched forward only a few feet and then began to make funny noises. Pedal to the floor, it topped out at about two miles per hour.
“Umm… I think we’d be faster crawlin’,” Tank said.
“Yeah…” James said, putting the car in park.
They bailed out, starting to jog down the driveway to the road. Once out of the light, James flipped down his NVGs. The others followed suit and they continued, leaving the Reclaimers’ hideout behind. A couple of minutes later, they arrived at the red gravel road. James looked down, trying to see if he could guess which way they’d gone. The most recent marks did seem to be going to the left, toward the interstate, but it could be that he was just seeing what he wanted to.
“Which way?” Tank asked.
“Hell, I don’t know,” James said. “But if I had to guess, I’d say they went left.”
“Makes the most sense,” Connor said.
“Let’s go get Chloe then head after ‘em,” James said, as they started down the road.
After a few minutes of jogging, Tank spoke up. “You do realize we don’t have to run.”
“I’m glad someone said it,” James said, out of breath. “I was about to die.”
“Me too,” Connor said, breathing heavily. “I just didn’t want to be the first.”
“I decided to use my brain instead of my pride,” Tank said.
“Good thing someone did,” James said.
“This kinda sucks,” Tank said.
“What does?” James asked.
“We didn’t get to rescue anyone with all our new gear,” Tank said.
“It was very anti-climactic,” Connor said.
“I envisioned us rollin’ in and kickin’ ass and takin’ names,” Tank said.
“Me too,” James said.
“So what happens if we don’t find ’em?” Tank asked as they walked.
“We continue north,” James said. “Our best bet is that we’ll find them at the Canadian border. Emmett, Alexis, and Ana all know the plan. They’ll expect us to pass through Sweet Grass.”
“And if they aren’t there?” Tank asked.
“Then we continue north anyway,” James said.
“What about your truck?” Connor asked. “It has all our gear.”
James winced. He’d been trying not to think about that, and with all that was going on, he’d been doing a good job, but now it was in the forefront of his mind. It honestly felt like he’d lost a friend, not knowing where his truck was or if it had been shot up. Not only was it a nice truck, but it held all of their remaining earthly possessions. That happened to mostly be guns, ammunition, and food, as well as their clothing, backpacks, and other gear. Not to mention their iPods. Those were even more important. How were they supposed to get all that music back if their iPods were gone? There was no more Cloud or iTunes. They’d have lost a huge part of their lives. Okay, that was a little dramatic, even just saying it in his head. But if all their stuff was gone, he would miss his music the most.
“I was trying not to think about that,” James said.
“Oh, sorry bro,” Connor said. “I know you get attached to things.”
“You’re telling me you don’t miss your other guns?” James asked.
“A little, but I have my AR back in the Hummer,” Connor said. “Plus, we have these new ones, and I’m really diggin’ it.”
“I am, too,” Tank said, “But if I keep luggin’ it around all the time, I’d better get to shoot someone soon. If not, I’m gonna get one of those light numbers you have.”
“They are more practical,” James said.
“Oh, you and your practicality,” Tank said.
“What? Is it bad I think like that?” James asked.
“Yes,” Tank said. “Live a little, be impractical.”
“That’ll just get me killed,” James said.
“I don’t mean with something survival-wise,” Tank said. “Just let your hair down every once in a while. Go out with your heels on.”
“Uh… I don’t have hair or a pair of heels,” James said.
“Sure ya don’t,” Tank said. “We all know you’re a cross-dresser.”
“You’re ridiculous,” James said.
“Don’t we know that, Connor?” Tank asked.
“Of course,” Connor said. “Those late nights with you standing in front of a mirror with your red dress and lipstick on.”
“Oh, those nights,” James said, sarcastically. “I remember those nights.”
“See?” Tank said.
“You mean those nights that never happened?” James said.
“Keep denying it,” Tank said. “It just makes you all the guiltier.”
Connor and Tank chuckled.
James just shook his head. Those two were always picking on him, even back in school. Most of the time James just laughed along and brushed it off; however, sometimes they prodded a little too hard and hit a nerve. When that happened, he reacted, so they kept doing it to get that reaction. Not tonight, though, because this joking was a little too far-fetched and he knew its purpose was mostly to keep all their minds off of what lay ahead.
They needed to catch up to a group of twenty-some armed killers who were chasing their friends. Then, they’d either have to kill the Reclaimers or sneak around them. That was if they could find either group. They may be going in the completely wrong direction or the Reclaimers could catch them first and finish them off. Tonight they’d had the element of surprise. If the Reclaimers set up another ambush, they’d catch them with their pants down. If they couldn’t find their group, they’d have to continue north without his truck or their gear. The only thing that gave them the upper hand was the guns and gear they’d found on the hilltop.
Finally, after what seemed like hours with all their gear on and little sleep for the past couple of days, they arrived at the base of the hill. Climbing up the side, they reached the top, out of breath. They walked past the first pavilion.
“Hey, guys, I’ll be right out,” Tank said, heading inside. “I want to see if I can find anythin’ that explains what’s going on. Meet you at the Hummer.”
“Sounds good,” James said.
They continued on to the Hummer that was parked by the last pavilion. The vehicle was empty, with the back door open. Going around to the back, James stopped. All the gear they’d collected was gone. No Chloe and no gear.
“Really?” Connor asked, looking in the Hummer. “Again?”
James quickly went around to the fr
ont and opened the door. Chloe was definitely gone, along with everything inside. He moved into the pavilion to see whether she’d moved it for some reason, but everything was as they’d left it—personal effects untouched, all the useful gear taken. Running now, he entered the middle pavilion. This one was even emptier now than when they’d left it. Someone had definitely been there and they’d taken more supplies. He walked into the last pavilion. Tank was looking through the paperwork scattered around.
“Hey, buddy,” James said.
“What’s wrong now?” Tank asked. “You have that tone in your voice.”
“All of our gear’s gone,” James said, “and Chloe is missing.”
17
On the Road Again
Post-outbreak day eight, morning
Alexis sat in the passenger’s seat of her dad’s truck, watching the sunrise out the window. Sunlight reflected off the Tongue River Reservoir, making the water glisten. They’d driven through the early morning, not daring to stop so close to the Reclaimers base. If Ana failed and the Reclaimers doubled back, it wouldn’t be good if they’d stopped only a few miles away. Now, they were north of Decker, Montana, on MT-314. Staying off the interstate had been challenging since she didn’t know which way to go. Luckily, Troy knew the area relatively well and was navigating so they wouldn’t hit the interstate until I-94, somewhere near Colstrip.
She glanced back at the five sleeping kids shoved into the back seat and then over at Troy. He’d really stepped up after their time in the pole barn. She hadn’t even known his name before because he stayed in the background. Then, after their talk, he’d volunteered to help get the vehicles and then went for her dad’s truck after Todd had been shot. She felt a pang of sadness, knowing Todd wasn’t alive anymore. They were losing so many. In just the past two days, they’d gone from a hundred and fourteen when they’d first rescued them from the elementary school to now only twenty-eight.
This was really taking its toll on them. Then again, it was the end of the world. Or was it? She’d been thinking about that a lot lately. If they could get to Alaska and really do what they planned, it would be the start of a new life. The Earth would continue on, and by that definition this wasn’t the end of the world. It was just another bloody, gruesome chapter in human history.
She glanced in the rearview mirror, wanting to see James’s white truck following them. She missed those two, but if she was honest with herself, she missed James more. When had that happened? She’d always felt connected to both of the brothers because they reminded her of her brother, but now James was in her mind more, and she found herself worrying about him. Had they survived the ambush? Or had they given their lives to help them escape? She prayed they were safe, but there was no way to know for sure. They could both be walking corpses by now. Yet, she had to hope they were still out there and would meet up with them soon.
“When are you wantin’ to stop and regroup?” Troy asked, glancing at her.
“Soon. We should be far enough away for a quick stop,” Alexis responded.
“How about up there?” Troy asked.
A half a mile in front of them on the west side of the road was a large coal mine with a dirt road leading down into it. They’d be out of sight down there, and if the Reclaimers were following them, they’d slip right by.
“That’s perfect,” Alexis said.
“Sweet,” Troy said.
They turned off on the road and headed down into the strip mine. Layer upon layer of dirt had been removed to find the black treasure buried beneath. Continuing, they drove down into one of the large pits. There were a few infected roaming around, but nothing they couldn’t handle. Troy pulled the truck to a stop and Alexis got out, grabbing the machete her dad kept wedged between the passenger seat and center console. Three infected were coming their way, while another four were going for the other vehicles pulling in behind her. Walking up to the first one, she swung the machete. The blade smashed into its skull and it collapsed to the ground. The impact from the blow reverberated through her hand and up her arm. Hitting a hard object with another object hurt. The second one walked up and she swung again, aiming for its eye this time. The skull was weaker there and the machete did more damage without hurting her as much. The third arrived quicker than she’d anticipated and she had to rush her swing. It didn’t have as much force but was enough to drop the zombie. As it lay on the ground, she stabbed it through the eye just to be safe.
“That was impressive,” Troy said, walking up to her. “I was ready to step in and play the hero, but you took care of them all by yourself. You’re a remarkable woman.”
“Thanks,” Alexis said, smiling.
Emmett walked over to her, having taken care of the other infected. The rest of the group climbed out of the vehicles and began to stretch. The ones shoved into the back of her dad’s truck seemed relieved to finally be out of the cramped space. Luckily for them, the mattresses had still been laid out in the bed of the truck.
“Good job, honey,” Emmett said.
“Thanks, daddy,” Alexis said, teasing.
Her dad smiled and pulled her into a hug. “I love you, Alexis. I would’ve been lost without you.”
Pulling away, he looked into her eyes and she smiled, tearing up. Her dad had been worried sick about her. She could see that by the relief in his eyes. There seemed to even be a few tears welling up in them. He would never let them show—he was too strong for that—but they were there nonetheless. She was the luckiest girl in the world to have a dad who cared about her this much. As she thought about it, she could look back in her past and see he’d always cared about her. He’d always told her she was his first priority in life after the divorce, but given the emotional state she’d been in then, she hadn’t believed him. How could someone mean that when they constantly left? Now, with all they were going through, she was beginning to realize firsthand that serving in the corps was the ultimate way to show her how much he loved her. She only wished she’d realized it before.
“Okay, everyone,” Emmett said, raising his voice so the whole group could hear. “We need to figure out how many more vehicles we need. My daughter and I will fit in my truck, along with Olive, Felix, and two other kids, comfortably. What about the others?”
“I can fit myself and another adult in the minivan,” Abby said, “plus six to eight kids.”
“We’ve got room for two adults and four or five kids,” Seth said. “My two daughters will stay with me.”
“We need at least one more vehicle then,” Greg said, “Two to be comfortable.”
Emmett nodded. “Okay, I’m going to see what gear I still have. Then I’ll take Greg, Lucas, and Troy with me to go check out the house across the road. Everyone else stay close to the vehicles and be ready to leave.”
“What if we need to go pee?” one of the little boys asked.
“Go behind the truck and piss,” Emmett said.
“Outside?” the little boy asked.
“You’ve never gone outside?” Emmett asked.
He shook his head.
“What’s your name?” Alexis asked.
“Eli,” the boy said.
“And how old are you Eli?”
“Six,” he said with a slight lisp.
Alexis felt her heart melting. The little guy was so cute with his short blonde hair, blue eyes, and lopsided smile.
“Hey, Eli,” Troy said, walking up to him. “I’ll show you. C’mon.”
“Okay,” Eli said, perking up.
The two of them walked out of sight on the other side of the truck.
Helen walked up. “His father died right before he was born and his mother raised him,” she said.
“Where’s his mother now?” Emmett asked.
“She never showed up at the school,” Helen said. “A lot of the parents never did.”
“If anyone else has to use the bathroom, just find a spot and go,” Emmett said to the gathered kids
and adults. “If you need to shi—go number two, then ask an adult and maybe we can find some toilet paper.”
Alexis followed her dad as he walked over to the bed of his truck and climbed in, searching.
“Looks like they left my duffle of clothes, the mattresses, and sleeping bags. They took all the food, water, ammo, and guns,” Emmett said with a sigh.
Alexis walked over to the back seat and looked underneath, hoping maybe they’d missed it. They hadn’t. The food, ammunition, and couple of extra handguns were all missing. The Reclaimers had taken everything they needed and left the rest. She walked back around to the bed as her dad was closing the tailgate.
“Nothing,” Alexis said.
“I assumed,” Emmett said. “It could be worse, I guess. The main thing is, you’re safe and I got my truck back.”
He walked around to where most of the group was still gathered in hushed conversation. “You guys ready?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Greg said as he walked over, hoisting his rifle.
Lucas and Troy followed, each carrying the handgun they’d been given, and the three of them loaded into Emmett’s truck. Emmett walked over to Alexis and stopped in front of her, staring. She could tell he wanted to say something, probably about how much he loved her and that if anything happened, it’d be okay.
“I know, Dad,” Alexis said, smiling. “You’ll be back soon.”
“You always could see right through me,” Emmett said. He gave her a quick hug. “I’ll see you soon, sweetie.”
“See you soon, Dad,” Alexis said.
Her dad climbed into his truck and turned it around, driving out of the large pit.
~~~
Emmett watched his daughter in the rearview mirror as Olive came up to her and Alexis bent down to hug her. He could only imagine what Olive was going through right then. She’d lost her aunt, then her aunt’s friend who was taking care of her, and now Mila. That’d be tough for a kid, but Olive seemed to be handling it well. He returned his attention to driving.
“This is a nice truck,” Troy said. “Did you do all these upgrades?”
“Yeah,” Emmett said. He wanted to like Troy, but he was almost too likable, and that irritated him.
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