“Were they just waiting there?” Laura yelled.
“Go, go, go!” Bjorn urged.
Jen slammed the Jeep in gear and jammed on the gas pedal, spinning the tires through the snow for a moment before they found purchase on the roadway beneath. The heavy, four-wheel-drive SUV pushed through the crowd of dead and back onto the road heading north.
“Were they just waiting?” Laura repeated, still freaked out by the whole thing.
“Maybe,” Will replied. “They might have followed us, knew we were near but couldn’t find us, so maybe they lingered?”
No one else in the Jeep offered any answers so they sat in silence for a bit.
“What motivates them do you think?” Tim asked.
“Hunger?” Will called back.
“No, I mean…they’re dead, right? Can they see us? Hear us? What draws them to us?”
No one else seemed interested in musing over the topic. After a moment, Will responded.
“I have a better question. Why are the dead moving at all?”
The conversation drifted into silence at that point, as all of them, tired and bleary eyed, stared out into the darkness, absorbed in their own thoughts.
They had driven far to the north the day prior, trying to move past the traffic backing up I-86. The landscape all around was an endless waste of white. For the most part, Jen had to guess at where the road was. The heavy snow that was continually falling was mesmerizing in the headlights and she had to force her attention to the roads, especially when the occasional undead moved out to intercept them. After more than an hour, the sky to the east, at last, began to lighten. Finally able to see in the dim glow of morning, they were able to read the atlas and set their course. Their primary motivation was finding the downtown of Cadoscia, New York, where they hoped to resupply, or at the very least get back on the interstate. The mood lightened a bit when they passed the first road sign that indicated both I-86 and Cadoscia lay ahead of them. No one knew what lay ahead, but the thing that warmed their spirits as they pushed forward into dawn was their hope.
About fifteen minutes further down the road, the rural farmhouses started clustering closer together. Fields and pastures shifted into pruned and manicured lawns. All around them the beautiful snow-covered Catskills loomed. In any other circumstances, they would be stopping to take selfies and posting them to social media. Now, however, only desperation or the promise of a meal would cause them to stop as they sat shivering in their newly acquired, ill-fitting coats. The biting winter air blew in from the shattered tailgate window, all but killing their spirit.
Jen gasped and they all leaned forward eagerly as a large building popped into sight. At first glance, it looked to be a restaurant or truck stop. They had eaten a bit in the attic, but it was mostly snack foods. They all yearned for substance beyond pickles and crackers. Their hopes for a hot meal were dashed aside a moment later when they spotted the small florist FTD sign hanging in the window and a greenhouse situated to the side of the main structure. Just past the florist, they first caught sight of the ribbon of interstate curling away to the west. As they neared the on-ramp, they saw a sign for Hancock, NY along with a list of restaurants and attractions it held. Jen let the Jeep slow to a halt on the snow-covered road with the sign just ahead of them.
“I don’t know about you all, but I’m not too eager to get on the highway with a busted-out rear window,” she said.
“Yeah,” Bjorn agreed, snuggling Sophie into his chest to help warm the young girl.
“Okay, it's decided then, let’s see what the Top’s food store holds for us, and maybe a pit stop for gas if we can,” Tim said hopefully.
*
Yen’s mother eyed him suspiciously for a minute before nodding and moving back down the hall. Yen gathered his supplies up in the top sheet of the bed and walked out of his bedroom, meeting his brother in the hall and seeing that he had done the same. They nodded to one another before moving toward the front of the house where they found their mother standing in the kitchen, gripping the counter and staring into nothingness out the window.
“Mom, please, we have to go now!” Ti called to her.
“No, I won’t be coming, boys. Let me pack some food for your trip,” she said, tearing herself from the counter and moving to the fridge.
“Mom, seriously, this isn’t the time to be difficult. They are talking about monsters and cannibals,” Yen said, raising his voice to a near yell. “Please. Get a bag and let’s go.”
The truth was that their mother had been secretly getting treated for pancreatic cancer. She didn't want to worry the boys with her problems so instead she ignored them. She moved through the kitchen, collecting some venison and frozen vegetables from the freezer and piled it in a bag with a few cans from the cupboard along with the bottom half of a twenty-pound bag of rice. She approached Yen, forcing the handles of the bag into his hands with tears streaking down her face. She reached up and caressed his cheek and pulled his face down to kiss him. She walked to Ti and did the same, finally she spoke.
“I am proud of you boys. You go, help whoever you can. This is my place, I will stay.”
Their mother then turned away from the two, returning to the sink to stare out of the window. Yen and Ti stared forlornly at her back, hoping desperately that she would reconsider; they could see her shoulders shaking from the sobs she was fighting to contain. Ti looked at his brother for an answer. Yen only shook his head and walked out the front door. Their mother was a difficult woman. Once her mind was made up, he knew that no one or nothing could change it. He sighed heavily, his heart filled with sorrow as he walked out the door of his childhood home for the last time.
Out front, he climbed into the saddle atop Petal. He swung his sack of gear onto his lap, hugging it against him as he held the reins. He knew he should have taken the time to lash the pack down, but not wanting to take the time it would require to do it as he was eager to be off. Ti, atop his mare, Cricket, joined him at the curb. Looking around the neighborhood, they could see many others also loading gear into cars and a few gathering on horseback.
“Should we take the car?” Ti asked, suddenly skeptical about the horses.
Yen thought about it briefly before answering.
“No, Mom will need it if she changes her mind. Besides, they are limited to the roadways. If they hit traffic, they are stuck. On horseback, we can travel across the canyon lands and over mountains if we need,” he said, pointing at the plume of black smoke billowing into the sky to the west. “Also, the nearest gas station in two hundred miles is burning over that way.”
Ti nodded, waiting until his older brother moved off before cantering up beside him. They both looked back at the side of the house, where they knew their mother would be watching out of the kitchen window. As soon as they saw her, she stepped back into the shadows of the house. She had said her goodbyes. A few other men and women on horseback cantered up to them before their hearts could get too heavy about leaving. Joseph, his mother, along with Raoul and his brother, Esteban, were followed by a gaggle of men, women, and children on foot. They milled about, uncertain in which way they were going when Walker appeared on his horse trotting up to them.
“Where are we all headed?” Walker asked the assemblage.
There was a lot of nervous jostling as no one was willing to take responsibility for the decision. They had all hoped that Walker would take the reins of the group and direct them. Seeing that this would not be the case, after a long pause, Yen finally cleared his throat and spoke.
“East seems best for now, away from Roosevelt. We’ll stay off the roads and try to make it to the work shed just east of Route 88 by nightfall,” he said, doing his best to try to sound confident. “We’ll follow the Green River into Jensen tomorrow and see where things stand.”
Before Walker could respond, the sound of many voices screaming to the west of them could be heard. They all twisted in their saddles or spun their mounts about to see. The group of for
ty or so stood or sat in absolute silence, trying to decipher what was happening. The sounds of many inhuman roars split the air, drowning out the screams. Goose-flesh could be seen on the arms of many of those present, if one were inclined to look, and the anxiety of the moment grew. After a long minute, the first of the things could be seen running headlong between yards. Half of its face hung, dangling from its jaw where it slapped against its neck and chest as its legs pumped beneath it. The creature veered to its right, quickly moving towards a small girl playing in her backyard.
“Tava!” someone yelled.
The warning came too late, and they watched in helpless horror as the creature tacked the young girl to the hard-packed dirt. Its half-exposed jaw tore into the soft flesh of her stomach. Yen instinctively turned from the scene in revulsion as the thing began feasting on her. Her screams came back to them, standing in stunned silence. A ripple of panic swept through the crowd, their screams of panic, outrage, and terror mingled with Tava’s. The little girl’s father, Marvin, came running out of the back door of the house and kicked the thing off her. They watched as what looked like dozens of the things came spilling around the sides of the houses, blotting out their vision of Marvin’s struggle. The sounds of screams, glass breaking, and wood splintering came back to them between the otherworldly sounds of the things roars. The creatures were only two blocks away now and moving fast.
“Go, now!” Walker said to Yen. “I’ll try and lead them into the canyon north of here to buy you some time, but you need to move now! I will try to meet you in Jensen.”
Walker kicked his mount into a gallop and headed directly towards the chaotic scene. Yen watched the man wheel his horse between houses, riding hard towards the approaching mass of ravenous, mangled creatures, drawing his pistol. Ti sidled up next to him, clearing his throat, urging Yen to assume the role he had taken on. Finally, Yen was able to break his attention away from the spectacle. He spun about and yelled to those around him.
“Go, we have to move now! You see how fast they are. Move!”
He and Ti kicked their mounts into a trot as they started eastward. It was incredibly difficult, with all the panic of the moment, for Yen to keep Petal from charging away from the group. Their bond existed since childhood, and she was well attuned to his posture and sensing his tension, so she wanted to flee. He looked back over his shoulder and could see Walker circling his horse two streets west of them, firing his pistol into the horde. As he watched, he could see the hills that lay between the reservoir and the reservation were alive with movement and activity. Worrying that the movement could be so many more of those things headed towards them, he spun back around, intent on moving east.
*
Twenty minutes later, having passed under the shadow of I-86, the Jeep was crawling across snowy streets into a business district. Will salivated at the sight of a small Bar and Grill on the left side of the road, thinking about a pint and a porterhouse. Ahead, they could see that they were about to enter a large town, the business strip leading into what looked like a village square. They all struggled to balance their hopes of finding food and supplies against the worries about how many undead might be lurking about. Jen expertly steered the SUV around an accident in the middle of an intersection, their crawling pace offered them a proper view of the area. To the south lay a river, so they concentrated their attention mainly northwards. Moving past the intersection, a park loomed to the right with a gazebo in the middle.
“Stop! Stop the car!” Will called out.
Jen mashed the brakes, causing them to slide out a bit. They came to a stop with the nose of the Jeep pointed to the northwest. Ahead, across the snow-covered lawn of the park, they could see the well-lit interior of the Top’s Market. They sat in silence for the span of a minute, staring at the welcoming light, a beacon leading them to food. The hope and hunger rapidly descended into fear and terror among them, at the thought of walking its unfamiliar aisles. Nothing was obviously wrong with the store; by all estimation it seemed deserted. The whole town seemed barren and desolate, but the dread of what most likely lay within the store, subdued their hopes like a wet blanket. They had left their meager supply of food behind while fleeing the house, and none had eaten since the previous afternoon.
“Plan?” Tim asked.
Silence greeted him, as if mentioning the idea of stepping outside the safety of the Jeep would be volunteering to do so. When he opened his mouth to speak again, Jen blurted out a suggestion.
“We sit in front and lay on the horn to draw all the undead to the front, then we blow them away?” she asked.
“It’s a good idea, but I think we’d draw a hell of a lot more on to us than just the ones in the store,” Bjorn interjected.
“Oh…yeah,” she replied, deflated.
“It is a good idea though. We did it before, in Chester,” Bjorn added quickly, seeing her disappointment. “I think we need to figure something out that makes a little less noise than the car horn.”
The mention of Chester brought Tim’s mind back to the early days of the outbreak, when Bjorn’s family was still intact. They had gone for supplies and to try and find a vehicle to replace the one that had been stolen from them and used the very tactic that Jen posited. It had worked well, but Bjorn was right, in the middle of a large town the horn would most likely bring their doom upon them.
“Someone can go inside and cause a raucous at the front of the store,” Will posed.
Tim sat silently, reminiscing about those first desperate days when Laura sat bolt upright next to him.
“I got it!” Laura beamed, nearly shouting, startling Luna from her chest.
All heads spun around, eager to hear the idea that would bring them salvation.
“Screw the store!” she said, pausing for dramatic effect before continuing “Look, at the side of the store, the loading bay!”
They all looked, but only Will got it.
“What are the chances that the delivery truck was emptied before the shit hit the fan?”
“I dunno,” Jen shot back, “but I like the chances a lot better than going into the store.”
“Me too,” Tim shot in, clapping his hands loudly and smiling broadly at Laura.
The loading area was less a dock than it was a roadside area for trucks to pull over alongside the store. Here, they could park next to the store and offload to ground level before bringing the deliveries in a side door of the market. The Jeep crept slowly past the truck, painted with a logo that said “Orchard Fresh” in two tones of green with a sunburst in the “O.” As they got to the rear of the truck, they could see that it was still padlocked.
“Bjorn, check behind the rear seat, see if we grabbed a crowbar,” Tim asked.
A moment later, Bjorn sat upright wielding a two-foot crowbar and a joyous grin. Jen maneuvered the Jeep into position and backed up to the tailgate of the truck. That way, once they opened the truck, they would be able to unload directly into the Jeep.
“Bjorn, can you and Jen handle it?” Tim asked abashedly, embarrassed that getting shot in his rear end would prevent him from helping.
“Yeah, not a problem,” Jen called from up front.
“Pop the tailgate, Jen, and crawl back here. No need to get out,” Bjorn called up to her as he spun and clambered over top of the back seat.
The tailgate clicked, signaling its unlatching. Bjorn worked for a minute to lower the back row of seats to increase storage room. The rest of the occupants shifted forward to accommodate. Once the seats were down, he waited for Jen to crawl back to him. Tim painfully took the driver’s seat in case they needed to make a quick escape. Bjorn pushed the tailgate outward, nearly clipping the back of the truck as it swung upwards. After a minute or so of struggling with the crowbar and padlock, the rusted lock finally gave way, popping off with a loud blast, followed by the clang of metal as the pry bar flew from Bjorn’s grasp. He threw the lockbar to the side, sliding the latch open and yanking the door up. He had a brief moment of
panic at the thought of undead being trapped within, but he could see that it was clear as he pushed it above his head. The trailer was still half full, palettes of shrink-wrapped groceries sat at the far end of the trailer, nearest the cab.
“Laura, take this and cover them,” Tim said, passing her the pistol back.
With that, he slid the moon roof open and stood painfully, brandishing the M4 out the top of the Jeep. Bjorn and Jen worked feverishly for the next twenty minutes. Bjorn produced a pocket knife and cut open the cellophane that bound the goods so they could sift through, pulling out whatever they thought they could use and leaving the useless goods behind. Into the back of the Jeep came case after case of canned foods; beans, corn, mixed vegetables, and greens. As quickly and quietly as possible, they filled up the back of the Jeep. Laura helped by shifting boxes into place as the two continued to ferry cartons. As an afterthought, Bjorn grabbed an industrial roll of cellophane that was tucked into the bottom of one of the palettes and ran to the back of the jeep. He and Jen spent the next few minutes passing the roll back and forth as they wrapped the tailgate in layer after layer of the stuff, covering the broken rear window, inside and out. Jen, followed by Bjorn, crawled to the roof after they slammed the tailgate shut, twice, in order to get the mechanism to catch with the added layers of shrink wrap. A loud roar split the air.
Their eyes shot open in panic and Tim slid back into the driver’s seat, leaving the opening clear for the two to drop inside. Jen and Bjorn tumbled clumsily into the now crowded interior of the Jeep and ended up lying across Laura, Luna, and Sophie on the middle bench seat.
“Time to go!” Tim called, seeing the first of the dead come around the corner from the front of the market.
*
Yen cantered his horse behind those who were on foot, urging them to jog or run as fast as they were able. Unfortunately, there were a dozen or so elders in the gathering that could do little more than a walking pace and most of them couldn’t ride a horse. After about ten minutes, it became clear that Walker had been successful in leading the cannibals away. They were able to get the group into the canyonlands to the east without being a visible sign of pursuit. In the true spirit of their people, the elders who were slowing the procession down, insisted that they be left behind so the others could press onward. Also, a testament to his people, no one would even consider leaving them, no matter how much it would increase their pace. Fear drove them onward, well into the freezing, high-desert night. Finally, after one too many lengthy pauses to help people over rough patches of darkened landscape, they stopped and made camp for the night. The moon was bright and the sky cloudless, allowing some of the men to scavenge effectively for wood and scrub brush. Before long, they had a handful of fires blazing to warm them.
Harvest of Ruin (Book 2): Dead of Winter Page 14
