by White, A. L.
***
Everyone climbed into the bed of the truck except for Al, Virginia and Joe, who all rode in the cab. The road was dark, with shadows moving everywhere along the side. When one seemed to be a little too far towards the center of the road for comfort, Al would veer toward the other side, never going too far for fear of what could be there unseen. As they pulled up to the gate the anxiety level rose as the truck slowly stopped and Virginia climbed out. Lori jumped down from the bed and called the lads to her side. “Go ahead, Virginia, open the gate. We are clear for the moment.” Without question, Virginia unlatched the gate and swung it open. Al drove through at a slow but constant pace with Virginia and Lori following. As Virginia swung the gate closed, Lori sent the lads ahead to check out the entrance to the bunker. Perseus circled the area a few times sniffing everything, while Zeus moved up to the door and smelled the air in all directions. Finding no danger present, he sat down facing the truck while Perseus, also finding it safe, continued to run around in circles. Lori came up and unlatched the door, motioning everyone inside. As Jermaine passed, she motioned him to follow her, leading him to the generator.
“I’m going to prime this. Could you flip that switch please?”
Lori gave the primer three quick pumps and pointed a finger at Jermaine. Flipping the switch, Jermaine stepped back as the generator roared to life.
“Will this call out to the creatures?”
“It will quiet down in a few minutes. Besides, I think they know we are here,” Lori replied. “Let’s go make sure everyone is inside all the same and get everything closed up for the night.”
Chapter 6
The night had passed fitfully with very little sleep to be had for Lori. Every time she had managed to feel as if she were asleep the horrible dead face would reappear, once again leering down at her as it scooped hunks of flesh from her shoulder. Giving up, Lori quietly made her way out of the sleeping area towards the warm glow of the fire in the great room. Starting towards the kitchenette to make a pot of coffee Lori stopped at Bob’s truck sitting against the wall. Bob never thought of the bunker as a permanent place to stay. It was just one stop on a list of places he felt were safe enough to hold up at. Opening the truck, Lori quickly found the tattered old folder that Bob kept his maps in. The first was a large map with all of the stops circled in red. Underneath that was a local map for each and every red circle on the larger map.
Laying the large map out on the table Lori traced the red line from the bunker to a place called Rivers Crossing. It didn’t look like much of a place on the large map, and even less of a place on the local map. Of course, when she thought about it, the bunker didn’t look like much either from the maps and it started out reasonably well.
“I didn’t figure you for an early riser,” Zoe stated, startling Lori a little.
“I was having a hard time sleeping so I decide to just go with it,” Lori replied smiling.
Zoe walked up to Lori and pointed at her shoulder, “You really should let me have a look at that.”
Lori nodded ok and pulled the shirt up over the shoulder. Zoe could see the wound was all but healed. If not for the gray glassy look the skin had turned, you wouldn’t even be able to tell that there had been a serious wound there. Poking it softly Zoe added “It is hard as a rock, does that hurt?”
“It feels odd, but it doesn’t hurt there. I have more pain in the red areas around it.”
Zoe pulled the shirt back down over the shoulder and said, “For right now let’s keep this between you and I, ok?” Lori nodded her head in agreement.
Zoe started to explain her reasons but thought better of it for now and changed the subject. “So what are all these maps for?”
“I don’t think we are safe here anymore.”
“This place seems pretty safe; almost like a fort,” Zoe replied.
“Inside here we are as safe as anyplace, that’s for sure. Outside I feel like something is coming towards us that will make it unsafe. We can’t stay in here forever; we will need to get supplies from out there.”
“So where do we go that will be safe then?” Jermaine asked.
Lori and Zoe didn’t notice that most of the group had come into the room and begun listening quietly.
“If you look at this map here,” Lori said pointing to the main map, “Bob, the man who built and stocked the bunker we are in now, was a pretty good prepper. He had planned on making his way to a place that he felt would be a safe place to wait until things settled down. This is just the first place on the map, as you can see.”
Al pointed toward an island circled in red off of the east coast of Florida, “So we pack up and go here then? Has to be the safest spot if it is the last one.”
“Bob would never do that!” Virginia interrupted.
“No, he wouldn’t,” Lori added, “Each spot on this map will probably have much needed supplies with a safe place to hold up and get some rest for a few days.”
“So you just want us to blindly follow a mapped out plan made by a guy we never knew?” Al asked.
“I am not here to tell anyone what they should or should not do. You all must do as you see best for you and your families. We are going to follow Bob’s map and you’re all welcome to come along, if you want.”
“I, for one, am not following two girls into the unknown. We could easily take those maps and everything else,” Roy stated as he headed towards the table. Zeus, hearing the tone in his voice, advanced between Roy and the table, bearing his fangs as he sat down facing Roy. If that didn’t help Roy get the point, Perseus seemed to purposely knock into Roy as he took his place next to Zeus, ready to pounce. Roy eased himself back behind his wife and children.
“Mister, I do believe you just made the best decision of your life,” Al chuckled.
Zoe started to add to it but stopped when she felt Lori gently squeeze her hand. “No one has to come with us. You can stay here or go wherever you want to go. The choice is yours and yours alone. We will split all of the supplies up on a per person basis.”
“If you and the little general are going, we’re going with you,” Al stated, looking at Zoe for confirmation.
She responded with a nod.
Jermaine smiled and said. “I believe Taquisha and I will stay with you guys for a while.” Pam quickly echoed that sentiment, then added as she turned to face her husband, “Anyone not agreeing can find their own way!” Roy got the point and smiled as he nodded his head that he was, of course, in.
***
Judging by the sun it was late afternoon, Charlie thought to himself. Sitting there, time had no meaning to him anymore. Had it not been for the noise of a large truck coming from Main Street he probably would have still been sitting there in his own world. Hearing it reminded him that Doc was at the new school, in town, with a few other survivors. Pulling himself off the stoop, Charlie started walking toward Main Street. Growing up Charlie had always wondered if one day Rivers Crossing would turn into a ghost town. The thought kept popping up as he walked through the dead streets. The houses all appeared to be empty. All that was missing was a tumble weed blowing down the street, and a door slamming shut in the breeze.
Reaching Main Street, Charlie could see Doc standing in front of the school watching the dump truck back up to the ramp with a small group of people. He walked towards them, looking forward to being around others.
“Charlie! I was just going to come out and check on you when that pulled up over there,” Doc said pointing towards the truck.
“Do we know who that is?”
“Not a clue, Charlie. I was hoping you would know the truck,’ Doc replied.
“Let’s go see who it is then, Doc. Is that loaded?” Charlie asked pointing at the gun in Doc’s holster.
“Wouldn’t be of much use if it wasn’t, now would it, Charlie?”
The closer they moved towards the old school Charlie thought that the dump truck looked a little familiar, but he still could not match it to an owner yet.
“Where is your gun at, Charlie? The one I gave you this morning when I dropped you off?”
“I dropped it when I had to…” Charlie felt like he was going to start crying; all his strength drained from his legs. “I just dropped it someplace,” Charlie finished with his voice cracking.
“Sorry, Charlie, I knew it was coming, but didn’t know how to tell you,” Doc replied.
Charlie didn’t want to talk about the subject but forced himself to say, “I guess I knew too, Doc, after your little tour this morning.”
They didn’t say anything more as they walked up the stairs to the school yard.
“Good morning! An elderly man said from next to the dump truck. Charlie recognized him right off as Boo Peterson. His name was Beau Peterson, but all of the children in town, including Charlie, grew up knowing him as Boo Peterson. He was a cautionary tale told to bad children that stayed outside too late after dark. Charlie could remember well the tales his mom would tell him. “Better get in here. It’s starting to get dark outside. You don’t want old Boo Peterson to catch you and cut your ears off for his collection, do you?”
“I am glad you fellas came over. I was going to stop by you after I got these supplies stowed away,” Boo stated. “Come on inside and let me show you around the old place,”
Once inside the first thing Charlie noticed was how warm and clean it was. The heat took your breath away compared to the dropping temperatures outside.
“I am sure you fellas noticed the heat?” Boo asked. “The old girl has a coal boiler, with plenty of coal to spare, keeping her warm and toasty. Our late mayor thought he might be able to repurpose or sell her; the last thing he wanted was to have the cold weather damage anything. If we run out of coal, there is plenty more to be found on the coal train that runs into Bixby, feeding the electric company. It just happens to be stopped on the south end of my farm. It has been there for about three weeks or so, I would guess. I noticed the other morning that there were survivors and that you were gathering them at the new school over there. It is a nice enough building, with its modern open concept, I guess. If you’re going to gather up what is left of the town, I think this old girl is perfect for the task. First, it has heat. Not just a bunch of propane heaters that you know will not last or do the trick come the real cold,” Boo paused, letting it sink in. “The old girl was built as part of the “New Deal” during the depression. Back then there was a thought that Rivers Crossing would grow into a decent sized town with the river traffic and the train depot. They built the school and the library, which was later repurposed as the town hall. The old girl and the library is built seven feet higher than the normal grade. That was because of the yearly river flooding back before they built the dam a few miles upriver. I can tell you that it was a godsend a few springs, when the whole town was able to take shelter in these two buildings. That extra seven feet makes it a decent place to defend against what is out there.”
Doc looked around at all the supplies that Boo had dumped onto the school yard. “What is all of this for?”
Boo looked Doc in the eye, then Charlie, then back to Doc. “This is to keep the creatures out of this yard. We can close off almost all the entrances by shutting the gates and chaining them. This stuff is to reinforce them.”
“A little overkill, don’t you think?” Doc asked
“Boy, you young fellas haven’t been outside of town, have you? Follow me please,” Boo stated.
They followed him down the hallway to the back stairway and started up. At the top of the stairs, off to the left, was a locked door that read, “Employees only.” Boo unlocked the door and motioned the two younger men to follow again. The stairs rose up another flight ending at a door. Beyond the door they found themselves on the flat roof of the school. Boo pointed off to the west, towards the Van Buren farm. “You see that moving around there?”
“It looks like old man Van Buren’s cattle herd?” Charlie asked.
Boo laughed so hard he thought he was going to pee himself. “No sir, that isn’t cattle moving around on that farm. That is what I am aiming to keep off the school yard.”
“Doc, I think you should take this man up on his offer and move everyone over here,” Charlie stated.
“I think I agree with you, Charlie! Mr. Peterson, where do you want everyone at?”
“Look fellas, I am not in charge of anything. I am just the building caretaker, and I want to stay with you guys here. You decide what needs to be done, Charlie,” Boo stated.
Both men looked at Charlie, waiting for him to decide. “Ok, for now, Doc. After everyone is settled in I am leaving town, just so you know.” Charlie paused to see if they both understood then continued, “To start, let’s move everyone and everything over from the new school into the warmth.”
Chapter 7
After a good breakfast and a little lighthearted conversation Lori rose and started unlatching the bunker door’s three heavy latches. The lads made their way in front of her as she pulled the heavy door open. Unconsciously, Lori moved to the side and let them exit the bunker first. A few feet from the safety of the bunker Zeus stopped and sniffed the air while Perseus took interest with the area by the trailer. Lori stepped out of the door and began sniffing the air as well. She also noticed the scent coming from the area that Perseus was preoccupied with. Her first thought was to wonder why Zeus hadn’t picked up the scent as well. Oddly, it wasn’t why she could pick up scent and Zeus couldn’t.
Virginia was close behind her and noticed that Lori was sniffing the air much the way that the lads did. Not wanting anyone else to notice this odd behavior, she said, “Zeus and Perseus, go check out the trailer.” With that the lads were both off towards the trailer in an instant. Virginia pushed Lori out from in front of the door where no one could see her. “If you think it is safe enough, maybe we should start loading up supplies.”
Lori nodded her head yes and started toward the trailer as well. She knew that there was a question inside of what Virginia had said to her. She also knew that she didn’t have an answer for it right now. Ever since she was attacked by the zombie, something inside of her had changed. Until she could explain it to herself there wasn’t much sense in trying to explain it to anyone else.
“Come back, lads!” Lori commanded the dogs. “Virginia, you’re right. We need to get started. We don’t have a lot of time.” Lori flipped her the truck keys, “Back the truck up to the door and see if you can find a good spot for you and the lads to watch over us.” Virginia caught the keys and gave Lori a funny look. “Come on Virginia, everyone knew that Bob was teaching you how to drive the truck,” Lori said smiling at her little sister. Virginia smiled back and went to get the truck.
“Something wrong?” Al asked as he came out. Virginia ignored him for a second and asked Jermaine as he was coming out, “You were off to the west, right?”
“Yea, we came from over East Moline,” Jermaine replied.
“Where did you first run into the large herd?”
“I think it was a little town called Frankfort, or Frankfort Square. If you have a map, I think I can show you,” Jermaine replied.
“Try to think really hard. What was the herd doing?”
“Besides trying to get into the car and eat us?” Jermaine asked.
“When you first noticed them, what were they doing? Were they on the move?”
“It seemed like they were moving to the east. We drove into them.”
“We ran into them coming from the Northwest. It would seem like they are going someplace, wouldn’t it?” Lori asked.
“I think you’re giving them more credit for intelligence than they deserve,” Al said.
Jermaine thought for a minute and then agreed with Al, “Yea, from what I have seen, Al is right. They don’t act like they have a lot of smarts.”
“Not all of them, but some seem pretty smart in an animalistic way. Smart like a wolf pack hunting its prey,”
“I’ll give you that. So what are
you trying to say? Because I am not following you,” Al asked.
“I think we need to get the supplies loaded and get on the move. I have a bad feeling that something is coming; we don’t want to be here when it gets here,” Lori stated.
“I don’t know you very well, but from what I have seen I will trust your judgment. I will get Joey and that other fella and get started now,” Al replied.
As they started into the bunker Jermaine laughed and pointed towards Virginia and the lads, “What are they supposed to be doing out there?”
Al stopped and looked, “I don’t really know but I would take her out there with that crossbow and the dogs over just about anyone else.”
It didn’t take long at all for them to fill the bed of the truck with supplies. Zoe came forward and dictated what went on the truck first, and where it should go when they reached the barn. She wanted the bulk of the medicine to be in the bus with a small amount of each in the RV. Once that was done, she wanted ammunition and the firearms to be divided up between the truck, bus, and the RV. That way, she had explained, if they lost any one vehicle, they wouldn’t lose all of their supplies. After that came the food, against Al’s protestations. Al didn’t think there was a reason to carry most of the food and waste space that could be used for water; not until Lori had interjected that there was a good chance a lot of the perishable foods would be rotten by now. Lori understood foraging in unknown homes when much of what they might find would be rotten and put them at risk was not the right move. Brining along all they could was far safer. Once that ran out, they would form teams to search houses.
