Vengeance: A Post-Apocalyptic, EMP-Survival Thriller (Seven Cows, Ugly and Gaunt Book 4)

by Mark Goodwin

  Gwen took the field glasses. “More like a quarter. Those bottoms don’t qualify as half. The other two in the pool aren’t too concerned about who sees what either. I’d like to see them dressed like that around Miss Jennie. Ah, and here comes Hugh Hefner himself.”

  “Let me see.” Danny took the field glasses and peered toward the pool. An old man walked through open doors from the house to the pool. He had two scantily-clad blondes, about Danny’s age, on each arm. The man wore an open white bathrobe and red swimming trunks. The robe exposed a pot belly, which pulled the man’s spine out of alignment, making him slouch forward. He had wiry gray chest hair and two matching tufts of gray hair over his ears flanked an otherwise bald head. Two men in black polos walked several feet behind the two young women. The old man and the girls sat at a table covered by an umbrella, near the pool. A woman dressed as a maid brought out three glasses and a silver bucket, which appeared to have a bottle of champagne. She opened the bottle and served the man and the two girls.

  “Champagne? He must have ice.” Danny heard the light rumble of a generator that seemed to be coming from the other side of the house with the gray roof. “I see. He doesn’t want to be bothered by the noise, so he parked the generator three houses down.” Danny turned his attention back to the old man by the pool. His eyes were tinted yellow, like the dingy curtains in the home of a three-pack-a-day smoker. Beneath his yellow eyes hung sagging wrinkles of skin, like worn-out leather messenger bags hanging off the side of a broken-down pack mule. His ears were overly large, and like his eyebrows and nose, they were not manicured. The same gray hair that was on his chest protruded from his nostrils and lined the orifices of his ears. Danny watched as the old man raised his glass to toast the two vixens at his sides. The man’s fingernails were long, and the skin on his hands withered like the claws of an ostrich.

  Another man in a long-sleeved black shirt came out of the house walking with a familiar gait. He approached the poolside table then took a seat with the other three while the maid brought him a glass. The man in the black dress shirt poured himself a glass of champagne and chatted with the old man. Danny stared at the newcomer. His features were strangely common to Danny, as if he recognized the man from another time. “Gorbold!”

  Gwen asked, “Can I see?”

  Danny’s heart raced as he passed the binoculars to her.

  “Yep. That’s him. I’d know him anywhere. Do you think the old man is Schlusser?” She gave the glasses back to Danny.

  He held them up to his eyes for another look. “It has to be.” Danny began backing away from the river bank and motioned for Gwen to stay low and follow him. The two of them kept close to the ground until they’d reached the yard of the first house. Danny knelt behind the hedgerow and signaled for Gwen to pause beside him. “We don’t know for sure if that was Schlusser, so we won’t mention it to Jack or Chris.”

  “Why can’t I tell Jack? It’s bad enough that you won’t let me tell him that his father is still alive.”

  “If you tell Jack, he’ll tell Chris.” Danny paused and turned to face Gwen. He had to be sure he was getting through to her. “Chris still isn’t in control of his emotions. If he thinks his dad is alive, he’ll branch off and start his own rescue mission. If he knows he has a clean shot at Schlusser, he’ll snipe him off from the bank and ruin our whole operation. His little comment about killing Schlusser at the diner in Concord nearly destroyed any hope we have of taking down the infestation of evil at the airport. If we fail, the farm fails, Concord fails, Pickens fails, humanity fails.” Danny put a hand on each of her shoulders. “Gwen, I have to know that you understand the gravity of this situation. Chris is a loose cannon. He’s a valuable asset, but his rage has already almost cost us our lives and our freedom. Jack doesn’t see that. He can’t look past the fact that Chris is his brother. Tell me right now that you comprehend what will happen if you let this one slip. Tell me that you realize that one misspoken word from your lips could cost your life, Jack’s life, my life, Alisa’s life, and the life of my baby!”

  Her eyes welled up. “Okay, I won’t say anything, Danny.”

  “Say it! Tell me what happens if you do.” His fingers tightened their grip on her shoulders.

  “If I tell Jack, the mission fails, and we all die.” She wriggled out of his grip.

  Danny hoped with all of his being that she’d gotten the message. “Okay, let’s go.”

  The two of them rendezvoused with the rest of the team.

  “What did you see?” Antoine asked.

  “Lots of black polos. I’d say this row of houses is the dragon’s lair.” Danny handed the binoculars back to Chris. “Let’s keep going. We still have to scope out the train bridge. If it’s guarded, we’ll need to figure out an alternate method to get across the river.”

  “At least the water won’t be as cold as last time if we have to swim across.” Gwen walked next to Jack as they continued up the tracks.

  A light drizzle started to fall. “And it looks like we’re going to be wet anyways.” Jack paused to retrieve his poncho from his backpack. The rest of the team did likewise.

  As they walked, Antoine said, “One of the few clothing items I found at the flea market that would fit me happened to be a black polo shirt. I wondered if it might ever come in handy in such a situation as this.”

  Danny nodded. “Yeah, as a matter of fact, we should probably try to find as many of those as we can. Steven had a black polo that will fit me.”

  “My dad has a stockpile of black tee-shirts,” Jack said. “No collar, but they will stand out less than a shirt of another color if we can’t find enough polos.”

  “We can always take them off of a dead guard,” Chris added.

  Danny nodded. “If we have to, we can do that. Blood won’t stand out against the black, especially at night.”

  “Not me. I’m squeamish about having blood all over me.” Gwen winced in disgust. “I’ll find a black polo before the raid.”

  The crew continued until they came to the split in the tracks where the north-south leg of track curved into the section that ran east and west. Danny whispered, “Roll your feet to suppress the noise, spread out with ten feet between the next person, and no talking. Be ready to engage if we’re spotted. Once we reach our side of the bank, everyone find a place to hide while we look for guards. If we don’t see any, I’ll attempt to cross the tracks. If I come under fire, lay down heavy cover fire until I can get back across.”

  “We’ve got you covered.” Chris patted Danny on the shoulder as they moved cautiously toward the edge of the tree line.

  “Do you think he’ll have guards there?” Jack inquired.

  Danny raised his shoulders. “I don’t know. If he hasn’t been attacked via the tracks, he has no reason to change his complacent behavior.”

  “Wouldn’t he know you guys used the tracks to escape?” Chris asked.

  “He assumed we were spies from Cabarrus County. He thinks we slipped through the cracks on the north. If he made any changes it was probably to tighten security along the north and east. But, we’ll find out soon enough.”

  Once the team reached the end of the bank, Jack and Gwen took cover on the left side of the tracks while Antoine and Chris went right. Danny followed Chris. “Can I use your binoculars?”

  Chris passed the field glasses to Danny who carefully inspected the opposite bank. He watched for movement and any sign of Schlusser’s guards. Danny saw nothing. He passed the binoculars back to Chris. “I’m going to cross now. If I’m spotted, I’ll act like I’m going to comply until you guys open fire. So start taking shots the second you see I’m in trouble.”

  “We’ve got you covered.” Chris peered through his rifle scope.

  Danny removed his poncho, wrapped it around his rifle, and laid it next to Chris. “I’m going to leave this here. I won’t be able to return fire. The gun and the poncho will just slow me down if I have to run back across those tracks.”

  Chr
is did not take his eye off the scope. “It will be here waiting for you.”

  Danny checked to make sure his Glock was securely in his holster. He’d leave his trusted AK for a moment, but he wasn’t about to go totally unarmed. He slowly moved out from cover to the exposed train tracks. Danny breathed deeply as he took the first steps into the open. His eyes were keenly aware of shrubbery on the other side of the tracks. He paused each time the gentle river breeze rustled a branch. Danny was hyper-aware of every sound, like a deer listening for danger. He continued forward, crossing the tracks slowly. Danny finally reached the other side. He penetrated the brush and confirmed that no guards were around. He inspected the ground for footprints or any sign that might indicate that human activity had occurred in the area. He saw nothing. Danny stepped back out onto the tracks and motioned for the rest of the team to cross, one at a time.

  Chris came first, carrying Danny’s AK-47 still wrapped in the poncho. “She missed you.”

  “Thanks.” Danny cracked a smile as he took the weapon, unwrapped it, and pulled his poncho back over his head.

  Gwen came next followed by Antoine, and finally Jack crossed over.

  Antoine pointed at the house below the tracks. “It doesn’t look like that place has been disturbed since the last time we were here.”

  “We need shelter for tonight. Can we check out the house, Danny?” Gwen tugged the bill of her military poncho.

  Danny looked down at the house. Antoine was right. It didn’t look like anyone had been there. Danny had borrowed an inner tube from this particular house, which he used to retrieve Gwen from the other side of the river weeks before. “There’s an old box truck behind the distillery where the tracks split. We can sleep there.”

  “Sleeping in a box truck compared to a house. Danny, think about it. Can’t we just check the place out?” Gwen pleaded.

  Danny thought about the option. The box truck floor was hard, and as he’d learned last time, not very secure. He looked at Chris. “What do you think?”

  Chris nodded. “I say check it out. Jack?”

  “I agree.” Jack turned to Antoine. “What about you.”

  “I’m in no hurry to sleep in a truck. Let’s see if anyone is home.” Antoine looked at Danny.

  Danny nodded. “Jack and Chris, you guys check it out. We’ll be overwatch.”

  Chris and Jack slowly made their way down the hill to the house near the river. Danny and the others watched as the Castell brothers peered through windows. Jack quickly moved away from the window and jogged back up the hill. Chris followed him, but at a slower pace.

  Jack shook his head. “Where did you say that box truck was?”

  “Right on the other side of the tracks. Why? What’s wrong with the house?” Danny asked.

  Jack crinkled his nose in revulsion. “There’s a corpse on the couch and another one on the floor. They’ve been dead for weeks. You couldn’t pay me to go in there.”

  “Oh, gross.” Gwen covered her mouth.

  Chris made it up the hill. “I’d say the woman on the couch died first, then the man. It looks like he didn’t have the strength to bury her. I guess he just lay down on the floor next to her and died. I didn’t see any signs of violence or a struggle. I’m guessing starvation or dehydration.”

  “Surely they didn’t die of thirst.” Antoine crossed his arms. “Not right next to a fresh water source.”

  Chris looked at the river. “If they didn’t have the good sense to purify their water, they could have picked up a bug. Vomiting and diarrhea could have pulled liquids out faster than they could fill back up with the contaminated water.”

  “Let’s get back to the box truck. There’s no point standing around in the rain.” Gwen turned to walk back across the tracks.

  Chris pointed back toward the house. “They had an RV.”

  “Let’s check it out.” Danny perked up.

  Gwen turned around. “That beats the back of a box truck.”

  Chris led the way to the RV. The lock had been pried open. He whispered to Danny. “Someone else may be using the accommodations.”

  Danny gently pulled on the door. It began to open. “They didn’t bother with securing the entrance.”

  “Want to check it out then?” Chris asked.

  Danny nodded. “Let’s give anyone inside a chance to tell us to get lost.” He knocked on the door. “Hello, is anyone home?”

  No one answered.

  “If anyone is here, just tell me, and I’ll leave.”

  Still no response.

  “I’m coming in, and I’m heavily armed. If you try to harm me, I’ll kill you. But, all you have to do is let me know you’re here, and I’ll leave” Danny motioned for Chris to open the door, and he quickly entered the RV with his rifle drawn. Chris followed him in with his weapon drawn. Danny looked through the living area. Next, he checked the bedroom finding nothing. “All clear.”

  The team entered the RV and removed their ponchos.

  “Ahh, smell that?” Jack looked at Gwen.

  She looked curious. “No, what is it?”

  “A lack of dead people. It’s the best smell in the world.” Jack plopped down on the couch like it was his home.

  Danny assigned everyone to a watch schedule, then they all took out an MRE and ate together. Afterwards, some played cards. Danny had the next watch, so he went to the bedroom, closed the door, and took a nap.

  CHAPTER 8

  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

  Matthew 6:33

  Sunday morning, Danny woke up before daybreak. Jack was on watch, sitting in the captain’s chair at the front of the RV. Danny tapped him on the shoulder. “I’m up. You can get some sleep if you want. I’ll wake Chris before we head out.”

  Jack spun around in the chair. “I’ll take you up on that offer.” He slid his feet over to the couch and lay down.

  Danny retrieved a small New Testament from his back pocket. He spent twenty minutes or so reading and being quiet before the Lord. He prayed, asking God to watch over Alisa and the baby. He asked for wisdom, direction, and God’s protection on their mission.

  Next, he woke Antoine and Gwen. “Time to get up. I want to roll out at first light.”

  Antoine nodded. The big man stretched and dug an MRE out of his pack. Gwen mixed a scoop of instant coffee into her water bottle and had a granola bar. Thirty minutes later, the three of them geared up.

  Danny woke Chris. “We’re heading out. I’ll call you on the radio if we have trouble. Otherwise, I won’t break radio silence. You know where we’ll be, right?”

  Chris sat up and pushed his hair out of his sleepy face. “Follow the tracks to the tip of the Catawba’s distributary.”

  “Right. That’s where the work crew is digging the canal. We should be back by 2:00 PM.”

  Chris looked at his watch. “1400. Roger that.”

  Gwen knelt down and kissed Jack’s forehead as he slept.

  Chris winked. “He’ll wish he was awake for that.”

  “Don’t tell him!” Gwen quipped as she walked out the door.

  Danny led the way up the hill to the tracks and across the mile-long stretch of railway to the distributary of the river. Once there, they found a place to sit still and observe.

  Antoine pointed at the canal where the men had been working. “They’ve dug a lot of dirt out of there since we left.”

  Danny smiled. “Too bad we didn’t get to help with that, huh?”

  Antoine chuckled. “To be honest with you, I don’t miss it.”

  The hours passed, and Gwen tapped Danny on the shoulder. “Someone is coming!”

  Danny listened closely. He heard men talking, laughing, and moving toward their location. He hunkered down beneath a shrub and signaled for Gwen and Antoine to do the same.

  Minutes later, the work crew from the airport arrived. Danny recognized most of the men. Sly, Friendly, and Javier were all there. Jorge
was not. He’d obviously snitched himself off the crew. Whether he now held a better position or a worse position, Danny didn’t know.

  Friendly and Sly made their way over to a bush where they exchanged their shovels for a hidden pair of homemade fishing poles. They laughed amongst each other as they took a seat on the bank of the river.

  Danny and the others watched silently as Javier approached the two fishermen.

  Javier put his hands on his hips. “What do you guys think you are doing?”

  “We fishin’. It’s Sunday, Javi!” Friendly protested the interrogation.

  “We got to put in some work first.”

  Sly turned around. “Javi, come on now. That foreman title has done went to your head.”

  “What can I say? I run a tight chip.”

  “You run what?” Friendly looked curiously at him.

  “A tight chip. You know, the boat on the ocean. Chip.”

  Sly slapped Friendly on the arm. “Ship, man.”

  Friendly broke down laughing. “I know. I’m just messin’ with him over his accent.”

  Javi sat near Sly and Friendly. “Come on guys. You gotta help me out. We got three new guys on the crew. If you guys disrespect me, they won’t ever see me as the boss. Besides, we never know if they could be spies for Schlusser to see if we’re working.”

  Sly tossed a lure in the water. “Them guys ain't spies. They don’t want to be here no more than anyone else. Schlusser don’t care if we play hooky on Sunday. If he cared he’d send a black shirt around to check on us.”

  “I never saw you wanting to work on Sunday, back when Big T was the boss.” Friendly slowly pulled the fishing line with his hand.

  “I miss that guy. Antoine was good people.” Javier watched as Friendly made another cast. “Alright. I’ll go have a little talk with the new guys. I have to make sure they know we take it easy only on Sunday.”