by Ryan, L. T.
“Can I stay with you, Turk?”
“What? Me? I can’t even get my own family to safety.”
“Yeah, well, I’m afraid I’m not going to have a family to go back to.”
“Don’t think like that.”
“You think I’m wrong?” She looked back. Her eyes glossed over.
After a few seconds, Turk said, “No.” He paused again, then added, “But I can go find out.”
“No. If you come back and hesitate even for a second, I’ll know. And I don’t want to know. I don’t want to see them like that. Do you understand? And if we get close enough, I won’t have a choice. We go to shore, I’ll have to go find out. Does that make sense?”
Turk recalled walking down the tunnel that led to his bunker after it had been burned out. Seeing the shapes of his wife and daughter slumped together at the end. Dread filled him as he knew they had perished.
But they hadn’t. What if Rhea’s family were still alive? Didn’t they deserve to know she was too?
He stared at her. Saw the pain on her face. The pleading in her eyes. In those few seconds he weighed the pros and cons of returning to the beach house. Even worse than finding her family dead, he feared that the men from the fort would be there. He could walk right into a trap.
“Okay, look,” Turk said. “I’ll bring you to stay with my family. We’ll take it from there. Maybe in a day or two I’ll return to the house on my own.”
Rhea said nothing. She turned and continued paddling.
Turk cursed under his breath. What had he committed too? He’d already taken on an extra person with Sarah joining his family. Now he had Rhea to look after as well. He gazed toward shore, now a thin film of grey. They were probably lined up with the house. He could turn the kayak, swim to the beach and investigate. Staring at the back of Rhea’s head, he decided to wait. Every second that passed cemented the fact that Rob and Rose were dead.
Turk had left the enemy alive.
They had to pay for his stupidity.
Chapter 30
Addison had awoken before sunrise. The rain continued to fall. Thunder shook the floorboard, sending endless layers of dirt and dust upon her and the others. But the winds had died down. The worst of the storm had passed.
She woke Jenny, and together they opened the crawl access and verified that no afflicted were in sight. Jenny covered Addison while she raced for the woods and found the ATV. Summoning all her strength, she pushed it into the back yard, avoiding starting it and alerting anyone to their position before they were ready to leave.
They woke Emma and Paige and helped them out from under the house.
Addison had decided she would be the one to look inside. The guilt of leaving Barbara behind if she was alive would have weighed heavily on her.
There hadn’t been much left of the woman. The afflicted had torn her limbs off and stripped the flesh and meat from her bones. Addison had turned and vomited, a wretched event considering she had nothing to throw up.
Worse than the dead woman was that Marley was nowhere to be found. She thought back and could recall hearing the dog when the men had taken Sean away. Hopefully he’d taken off before the afflicted arrived.
Following the GPS, Addison navigated for two hours, keeping the rising sun to her left. After passing through light bands of rain, it had finally stopped.
The world had seemed cleansed by the storm. Shimmering and wet. Baptized.
Maybe it had rid the area of some of those afflicted. Or did that qualify as wishful thinking?
If not the afflicted, she knew not all survivors had made it. Hell, people died in hurricanes when they had advanced warning and could take suitable shelter. What of all those who were staying alive, traveling on foot, living in tents or sleeping under the stars?
Addison felt the temptation to let down her guard. They’d made it through the darkest hours, through the storm, and survived a horde of afflicted.
She had to resist that feeling, though. According to the GPS, they had another four or five hours travel to reach Turk’s.
There remained one last obstacle. I-40 loomed ahead. She had chosen a route that placed the crossing point fifteen miles due west of Jacksonville, North Carolina. To do it any further from the coast would have meant traveling in too far of an arc. There wasn’t enough gas for that kind of deviation.
They crossed a wide-open field. Tall grasses glistened in the veiled morning sun. The clouds looked like silver. Peaceful, not menacing. On the other side, trees lined the interstate. Seemed to be a deliberate distraction, shielding travelers from anything interesting at all to look at.
Addison’s plan had some risk to it. With Sean, they had been forced to use the on and off ramps to navigate across the I-95 and I-40 merger. Addison figured those preying on the weak would use the ramp locations to catch people who relied on a vehicle for transport.
So Addison determined that the best plan of attack was to pick the middle point between two exits with the greatest amount of distance between them. If her theory were correct, then they would be at the most deserted spot of the highway. She had found a spot that stretched four miles in either direction with no asphalt egress.
The one thing she couldn’t determine was what, if anything, separated the traffic lanes.
She stopped the ATV and cut the engine. The vibrations continued through her legs and back. She grabbed her M40 and stepped down to the ground. The smell of wet earth reminded her of her grandparent’s farm.
“Jenny, take my seat while I go look ahead. Anyone comes at you, don’t hesitate to go.”
The other woman nodded and slid over. Her hand rested on the ignition.
Emma opened her eyes and squinted at Addison. “What’s going on?”
“I’ll be right back. You keep watch over Paige.”
She jogged across the field, hunched over to avoid standing out and attracting attention. The woods consisted of ten or so lines of trees from where she stood to the interstate. She worked her way through, stepping higher than normal to avoid roots and vines. Her gaze remained fixed ahead, scanning for potential threats.
A squirrel chattered as Addison drew near. She heard it scamper up a tree. Leaves shook as it launched from the branch of one tree to another. Though it had rattled her at first, she welcomed the sight of another animal.
Hope filled her when she had a full view of the highway. It was empty as far as she could see in either direction. The perfect crossing point.
Except for the heavy gauge steel guard wire that also spanned as far as she could see.
With fuel as tight as it was, they couldn’t afford to backtrack to the north. Traveling south brought them closer to Wilmington. She wasn’t familiar with the town, but any center of civilization gave her reason for concern.
She considered her options. As disheartening as the guard rail appeared, it could have been a concrete jersey wall. Of the two, steel wire was preferred. They might be able to get the ATV past the barrier. Plus, didn’t they build in breaks for emergency vehicles? Something so innocent, she hadn’t paid attention to over the years, yet they always existed.
She backtracked through the trees, laying out the perfect path to fit the ATV through. Planned planting. Much better than the random pattern found in nature, where the woods were overgrown with brush that made navigating impossible. How Sean had managed when they weren’t on asphalt or old logging roads was beyond her. The guy had a second sense when it came to navigating through the mess. She figured he was a hell of a partner on a ten-thousand-piece puzzle.
Jenny’s face changed the moment Addison stepped out from the trees. The woman took a deep breath and slid back to her seat. Addison jogged to the ATV, exposing herself. What did it matter? If someone was out there, they surely saw the ATV by now.
Addison stepped up into the vehicle. As she spun to sit, she caught sight of a figure in the distance. She froze in place, one leg in, one out, hand on the wheel.
“What?” Jenny said.
“There’s something out there,” Jenny said.
“What’s out there?” Emma asked.
“Nothing,” Addison said again, turning the key in the ignition and struggling to remember the path she had laid out to get from the field to the road.
She glanced back again and saw the figure moving. Slowly stalking through the grass, hunched over so only its back was visible.
“Be ready,” she whispered to Jenny.
The woman clutched her M40 in both hands, across her chest, muzzle aimed out the side.
Addison pulled forward. The grass parted in her wake, leaving a trail behind them. She scanned the trees frantically in search of her entry point.
Get it right, or we’re fucked.
Ten feet out, she picked a spot and made a line for it. The sides of the ATV passed through the first couple trees with less than an inch to spare. The next pass required a hard right turn, followed by a left. The rear right fender and tire scraped against bark.
Had she underestimated the size of the ATV?
She continued to weave through the trees. It’s only a few feet, she told herself.
“I see him,” Jenny said.
Addison fought to keep from slamming on the brake. “Where?”
“He’s about ten feet from the woods. Stopped there.”
“Human?”
“Of some kind.”
“Armed?”
“Don’t think so. Can’t see his hands. He’s kind of crouched.”
“Like an animal about to lunge forward?”
“I guess.”
Addison stole a glance over her shoulder. She spotted the figure through the tangle of trees.
“Shoot—”
A loud slamming came from the front of the vehicle. The left side of Addison’s chest collided with the steering wheel, knocking the breath out of her. Her head whipped forward, mostly missing the wheel.
They’d collided with a tree.
Jenny said, “He’s coming.”
Addison tried to speak but the result was a grating sigh.
Jenny steadied her left arm on the seat back, extending the rifle over Paige’s head. The little girl was on her back, possibly thrown around when the collision occurred. She stared at the weapon with wide, wet eyes.
The shot echoed through the woods and off the pavement. Addison’s gaze darted wildly in search of the body.
“Get him?” she asked
“I think,” Jenny said.
Addison turned in her seat. Her left side burned. Every breath felt like sinking a knife deeper into her chest.
“Are you okay?” Jenny asked.
“I don’t know, but I can get us out of here.”
She backed the ATV up. Damage to the tree was minimal. Didn’t appear the vehicle suffered any either. She cut the wheel and continued.
“He’s up,” Jenny said seconds before she fired again. After the echo faded, Jenny looked over. “Dead.”
The relief Addison felt faded as fast as it arrived. They’d survived an attack, but in the process of doing so, alerted every afflicted in the area that they were there.
“Was it one of them?” Addison asked.
Jenny stared over the back of the ATV. “I don’t know. Maybe not.”
“Hey, either way, he deserved it. Should’ve never got that close to us. We gotta defend ourselves out here. Dammit, we have a right to.”
Jenny turned around in her seat. Her gaze drifted out, focused on nothing at all.
Emerging from the narrow strip of woods, Addison had a decision to make. Simple in terms of choices, yet it might determine whether they live or die.
“Right or left,” she said.
“That a question?” Jenny said.
Addison looked at her. She tried to smile.
Jenny leaned forward, the rifle across her chest again. She turned her head left, then right, then settled with her gaze fixed straight ahead. “How much you suppose this thing weighs?”
“More than you and I are capable of lifting. I already thought that. Even if we could get it up, we’d end up getting it stuck.”
Jenny nodded as she considered this. “Guess you’re right. In that case, left is south, and that’s the direction we’re headed, so that’s where we should go.”
Simple reasoning worked best sometimes.
It felt wrong as Addison drove across the shoulder and turned left. A month ago she would have been driving in the wrong direction, most likely resulting in a head-on collision with another vehicle. Now the interstate was a modern day desert. Barren. Inhospitable. A place to avoid altogether.
While driving, Addison heard shrieks from the woods.
So much for a cleansing.
The afflicted had survived the storm. Some, at least. Impossible to tell how many were left. Hell, she had no idea how many there had been. She assumed most people had died. Nature and the afflicted would take care of the rest. She tried to avoid letting her mind wander like this. The next question that would present itself would be how much longer she had until one or the other caught up with her.
“Up ahead.” Jenny stood and pointed.
Addison tensed. Her right hand dropped from the steering wheel to the M40 at her side. She stared ahead, looking for that familiar shape that was now so alien.
“See it?” Jenny asked.
Addison slowed the ATV. With the screams they heard every few minutes, stopping was not an option.
“No, what?” Addison said.
“The guard wire comes to a break up there. Hard to tell, but there’s a gap there. We can cross.”
Addison dropped her foot on the gas and raced toward the spot. A minute later, they were on the other side of the interstate, looking for a suitable spot to exit. She figured as long as the highway was empty, they’d continue on. So they did, traveling four miles and exiting onto the first of a network of country and back roads that would lead them to Turk.
Chapter 31
“Turk.” Rhea slapped the water with her paddle. “What’s that?”
Turk escaped the trance he’d been in for the past half hour and looked away from shore. “What?”
She extended her paddle and pointed east. “Over there.”
The sun reflected off the shimmering water in a million bursts. Turk shielded his eyes with his blistered hand and squinted against the light. On the edge of the horizon, he saw it. Small, at least from where he sat, bobbing in the rolling waves.
“Is that a boat?” she asked.
“That or a large piece of driftwood,” Turk said. “Come on, let’s go check it out.”
Turk approached with apprehension. The storm had claimed his weapons, leaving him with nothing but the oars and his bare hands. If they came upon a group of armed survivors, post-world pirates, there would be no chance in a fight. They were too far out to swim, and the kayak could not out-pace a boat with a working engine or the ability to sail.
They paddled closer. It became clear they were looking at a decent size vessel. A sailboat. It looked to be battered. Perhaps in need of work to get moving. But it was there.
Dumb fucking luck.
“Listen,” Turk said. “If something happens, you paddle as hard as you can toward shore. Don’t worry about me.”
They pulled alongside the vessel. Turk reached out for a stray rope that trailed into the water. He tied it to an eyebolt on the rear of the kayak.
“I’m gonna check it out.” He stood and grabbed the side of the boat. “Just pull the end of the rope hanging in the water and the knot will come undone.”
He pulled himself up and over. The deck was empty except for a couple plastic cups, a shirt, and several water bottles that rolled back and forth as the craft swayed.
That was it though. No one was on deck.
The mast looked to be in good shape. Solid. The sail had been pulled down. But even wrapped and bundled, Turk spotted obvious damage. Elana could repair it. Might take a while,
but she could do it.
The sailboat was equipped with an on-board motor. But with no source of fuel, that didn’t matter. Even if he could refuel it, the tank only held so much. Refilling would be impossible.
He pulled the hatch open and yelled into the cabin. “Hello?”
No one returned his call.
Turk walked back to the side and looked down at Rhea. “I’m going downstairs. If you don’t hear from me in three minutes, get out of here.”
It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting below. Sunlight spilled in from the open doorway, and a couple portholes along the wall. He called out again, in case someone was in one of the bunks. His attempt went unanswered.
He moved through the living area and checked the bunks. Two curtains were drawn shut. He pulled the first back. An unmade bed was empty. He pulled the second back, revealing a double size bed, also empty and unmade. The other beds looked untouched.
Looking around the space, Turk guessed he could fit ten people on board. Maybe more. Enough room for his family and a few others to live comfortably.
Couches lined the walls of the living area. He pulled back the cushions, revealing storage containers. One side contained two survival life rafts, life preservers, a first aid kit, MREs, bottled water, and other supplies.
He opened a bottle of water and took two pulls from it, waited a few seconds, then drank the rest.
On the other side he found more storage containers, holding three rifles and two 9mm handguns, and matching boxes of ammunition. Someone had departed prepared. He shoved a pistol in his waistband and pulled out a rifle and placed it on the tabletop along with the second pistol.
After clearing the cabin, he headed back to the deck and helped Rhea on board.
“No one here?”
He shook his head. “Guess the storm got them. Looks like only a couple of the bunks were used, so maybe only two or three people on board. They were probably working together to fight through the storm. Trying to prevent the boat from capsizing. Waves would have been monstrous at times. Probably swept them overboard. Or one of them went over, and whoever was left tried to help.”
