“We have to get inside,” I said. “They’re so close.”
“I can smell them,” he answered.
The moans of the dead were unnerving to say the least. Some sounded like dying cattle while others sounded like choking pigs. My stomach lurched in protest at the stench of decaying flesh. I looked behind us. Oddly, I didn’t sense or see anything but slow Roamers; about a dozen or so. They were usually accompanied by at least one or two of the faster Runners. Fear ran through me that we were not running from them, but rather being herded.
Don’t try to guess, Darlin’. Just keep moving.
Gus squeezed my hand and I eagerly returned the gesture. We advanced on the roadway, focused on the tower that stood on the other side of the bridge. No longer caring about making noise, our footfalls upon asphalt grew heavy as we sprinted the last hundred yards or so. The road was in rough shape with many cracks and potholes. A gust of wind swept by, bringing with it the smell of ash and soot.
“Zoe, as soon as we get there we’ll try the door first. If it’s locked I want you to climb the metal ladder that’s going up the side. I’ll be right behind you.”
I didn’t answer, focusing my energy on reaching the structure.
As we reached the tower door, it suddenly opened inward.
“Quick, get inside,” came a deep male voice.
We paused for a brief moment, knowing that no one was to be trusted.
“Unless you want those bastards to eat you, get inside,” repeated the man.
I pulled on Gus’ hand, urging him to accept the invitation. We quickly rushed inside and were met with darkness. The door slammed shut and the moans from the dead instantly quieted. The sound of the locks on the door engaging brought much needed comfort. The stranger struck a match and the light from the flame danced around the room in which we stood.
“No idea who you people are, but the Deads will be here knocking in about sixty seconds. If you can help shoot we can knock ‘em all out within a couple minutes. Guns are up top,” he said as he lit a candle and set it on a small table.
“Show me where,” said Gus.
The man nodded and quickly began climbing a narrow metal ladder that led to a loft. Gus followed.
“Zoe, stay down there so you don’t hurt your arm,” Gus called back to me.
They quickly reached the loft and their voices carried down to where I waited.
***
“I assume you know how to shoot?”
“Ayup.”
“Goes without saying, but get the closest ones first.”
“Ayup.”
Their awkward discussion was interrupted by gunfire as they shot the advancing Roamers. Ignoring Gus’ instructions to remain below, I climbed the ladder one-handed. As I scaled the rungs, each resulting jolt of my body sent a sharp pain through my shoulder.
“That’s all of them,” said Gus.
“We need to dump the bodies over the bridge rail or they may attract unwanted guests. Name’s Sam, by the way. Let’s get to work.”
“I’m Gus.”
I cleared my throat as I pulled myself onto the floor of the loft.
“I’m Zoe.”
“Zo, you were supposed to stay down there.”
I rolled my eyes at my husband, irritated by how he was treating me like a child.
Are you injured?” Sam addressed me.
“Yeah. She banged up her shoulder and I need to patch up her backside. I’ll tell you right now she’s been bit.”
“Crap,” said the man. “Any signs of turning?”
“None. She and I are both infected. Have been for a while. She won’t turn.”
“That seems to be the way it goes. My brother’s infected and got the shit torn out of his arm. I watched him like a hawk for almost a week before I finally realized he wasn’t gonna turn into one of those bastards. We’ll get rid of the Deads then she can get cleaned up.
“We’re headed out to clear bodies,” said Gus.
“I heard. I can help.”
“Not with your shoulder,” said Gus.
Sam looked at me and winked. “He’s right. You can’t afford to be broke any more than you are. We won’t be long. There’s clean water in gallon containers downstairs. Feel free to use the wash basin on the table. Only drink from the 1-liter plastic bottles, though. The other water hasn’t been boiled.”
“Thanks,” I said.
“Darlin’, I’ll check and re-bandage that bite as soon as we get back inside.”
“Okay, but I don’t like you going out without me.”
“You’ll want this,” said Sam as he handed Gus a strap-on head-lamp to wear. “Miss, there’s more candles downstairs on the table. Feel free to light them if you need to. The way the loft is constructed, the light won’t reach up here. We keep it dark so we’re not noticed.”
“Thanks.”
“Okay, let’s do this,” said Gus.
The three of us took turns climbing back down the ladder and I watched as they opened the door and stepped out into the night air. Bodies in various stages of decay littered the bridge deck. Sam handed Gus a pair of thick work gloves and the two of them began lifting bodies and tossing them over the rail and into the river below. I left the door open and walked to the small bistro table that sat off to one side. It became increasingly hard to see as the dark of night laid its claim on the tower. The candles were where Sam said they’d be, but I opted to not waste resources by lighting a second. Shadows danced on the walls in eerie patterns. The footprint of the stone tower was small, perhaps the size of a child’s bedroom. A stash of water sat along the bottom of one section of wall, in both gallon and 1-liter sizes. Four cardboard boxes were stacked next to the water supply, labeled “MREs.”
The only furniture in the space consisted of the bistro table, an overstuffed easy chair and small ottoman, and two plastic patio chairs. I helped myself to a 1-liter of water and guzzled it quickly. I hadn’t realized my throat was dry. As badly as I wanted to sit, my backside hurt too much to do so comfortably. I used my good arm to gingerly remove the ace-wrap-sling that Gus fashioned back on the boat. My shoulder was stiff, but not hurting as badly as before. I attributed that to my being infected and my resulting accelerated healing. I moved it slowly, trying to get back some range of motion. I was still damp from my dunk in the river, so peeled off my remaining clothes and grabbed an afghan that I found on the back of the easy chair. The tower wasn’t roomy and I grew claustrophobic quickly. I wrapped myself in the afghan and once again climbed the metal ladder to the loft. The loft floor was metal and covered only two-thirds of the floor below. Safety railing extended the length of the open side, save for a small opening where the ladder met the floor. Windows stood knee-level to about six feet up the wall, lining every other angled wall. A mattress and sleeping bag sat on the floor to my left. A simple home-made wooden gun rack stood between two of the eight windows. Two rifles remained, along with several boxes of ammo. The remainder of the space was empty.
Exhausted, I made my way to the mattress and allowed myself to lay down. It wasn’t the most comfortable and smelled strongly of must, but was by far better than the hard floor. I closed my eyes and pictured Hope in my mind. I refused to think of her scared, or alone, or worried about us. Instead, I pictured her on a sunny day running through a mountain meadow.
***
I woke to the sound of Gus and Sam talking. I was surrounded by darkness and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust.
“Gus?” I called out.
“I’m down below, darlin’. I’ll be right up.”
His voice was reassuring. I knew where I was, but I had fallen asleep and woke disoriented.
Sam’s voice carried. “Go ahead and turn in for the rest of the night. I’ll keep watch and Hans should be here at first light.”
“Wake me up if there’s any trouble,” replied Gus.
He made a bit of a racket climbing the ladder as his boots fell heavily on each rung. The loft remained dark
aside from a very faint glow from the candles burning below.
“Sorry I can’t turn a light on, love. The windows up here stay uncovered at all times.”
“It’s okay.”
“How are you feeling?” he asked me.
I quickly, and carefully, tested my shoulder and found it to be stiff but much less painful.
“Shoulder’s stiff but better,” I offered.
“How’s your butt cheek?”
I moved my hips and found the wound to be tolerable. It felt odd, though, so I tested it with my hand.
“I bandaged it while you were asleep. It’s already healing well, so no need to suture after all.”
“It’s not as painful.”
“Good.”
“Who’s Hans?”
“Sam’s watch partner. They take turns here. Four days on, four days off. Hans is relieving him in the morning.”
“Are they with the group that has Hope?”
“Yeah. He knew enough about them to know it’s the same group. Dayton’s hooked up with his brother, Sam says he’ll take us with him to their camp.”
I sat up, excited by the news. “It hasn’t been forty-eight hours yet.”
“He says it will be. It’s a bit of a trek. Lay down and try to get a little more sleep, Zoe. It’ll be light soon.”
CHAPTER 8
Morning came, and along with it a sense of both excitement and dread. Gus quietly nudged me awake and I already knew he wanted me to stay quiet, but he confirmed it by placing his index finger to his lips. Our eyes met and I listened. He filled my mind with his own worry, and I desperately tried to clear my head in order to “search” for any dead that might be nearby. There was nothing but Gus. I sat up, glad to find relief in pain from both of my injuries. Gus kept a hand on my arm and tapped his ear with his other, telling me to keep listening. I nodded in understanding.
A single small metallic tap. Then nothing but our shallow breathing. Tap. I looked toward the top of the ladder and cocked my head to one side. Tap.
“What is it?” I whispered, nearly inaudibly.
Before he could answer, something below us crashed to the floor.
“Damnit,” grumbled Sam.
“Sam? Everything okay?” Gus called down.
“Yeah. Sorry if I woke you. I’m just trying to fix the door on the wood stove.”
“I’ll head down and lend you a hand.”
“Thanks,” Sam called back.
I pulled the blanket back and sat up. The room was cold and I was still nude.
Gus looked at me with longing. “I can stay up here for a few minutes,” he said, his voice a bit distant.
I simply shook my head side to side. A romp in a cold loft while our daughter was somewhere unknown to us was the last thing I wanted to do.
“Can you bring my clothes up, though?”
He winked at me and proceeded to lower himself over the edge and onto the ladder. I stood and wrapped myself in the blanket to keep warm. I walked to the window. The sky was dark, heavy with clouds and ash. Volcanic debris fell from the sky lazily, resembling dirty snowflakes. We had hoped the volcanic fallout would travel a path away from us, but instead it remained a menacing shadow. A layer of gray covered the ground. The river below was murky from debris. Swirls of ash laced the river’s edges where small eddies churned. A tree had fallen into the river, its branches creating a trap for anything that might float by. A dead bird had fallen victim to the tree, bobbing gently in the current. My breath caused a layer of fog to form on the pane of glass in front of me. I raised my right index finger and drew a heart for my Hope.
“Zo? I brought some clothes up for you. Your shirt and panties were dry, but your socks are still damp. Sam had these hospital scrub pants that should fit you.”
I turned to face my husband. “Thanks.”
“Whatcha lookin’ at?”
“The ash.”
“Yeah I saw that too.”
“It’s going to make our trip longer, isn’t it?”
I heard him sigh. “Sam says their community is only about a day’s walk from here. As long as it doesn’t get much worse I think we’ll be okay. We’ll need to cover our mouths, though. We don’t have masks, but can use cloth. Just something to keep the ash and soot out of our lungs.”
I slipped into my underclothes while he spoke.
“When will we leave?” I asked.
“Hans is due here this morning. Sam said he’ll be ready to leave within an hour of that.”
“Gus?”
“Hmm?”
“Do you think we can trust him?” I asked, keeping my voice low as to not be heard by Sam.
“I think so, darlin’. I got a bad vibe from Adams but no one else so far. We’ll figure it out once we’re back with Hope.”
Hearing her name spoken out loud made my heart sink. Gus wrapped his arms around me and I melted into him. I refused to cry. We’d need all of our energy to get to Hope and I wouldn’t waste any on tears.
***
Hans’ arrival was welcomed by us all, but Sam especially. The new man didn’t seem surprised by our presence.
“I brought breakfast,” said Hans with a smile. “We all hoped you’d end up here since it’s on the way to camp. I brought a few potatoes, seven eggs, and some ketchup and parmesan cheese. Hopefully the ash hasn’t gotten into my backpack and ruined any of it.”
“You’ve seen our daughter? And our friend Hoot?” I asked.
“Yes, ma’am. They’re well. I’ll fill you in while Sam cooks breakfast.”
Hans’ coat and shoes were caked with volcanic fallout. He put his canvas backpack on the small table, causing a cloud of dust to envelope the pack.
“Hans, get out of those damned clothes before that crap gets all over,” said Sam.
Hans was an older man and chuckled at Sam’s command. He obliged, though, by removing his coat, shoes, and pants.
“Gus, Zoe, we’ll start out right after breakfast. It’ll give Hans a chance to update us on road conditions.”
“Sounds good,” said Gus.
The three of us sat at the small bistro table.
“First,” he began, “Hope is a sweet little thing.”
I smiled. “Thank you.”
“She’s taken to the other children really easily. They’re like her...” He paused. “...from parents like you. Infected. She’s been with the other kids most of the time she’s been in camp. If not them, then Hoot or the new woman that came with them. Autumn.”
“So she’s safe, and healthy?” asked Gus.
Hans smiled. “Very. There’s a dog in the compound that she’s become fond of, too. A little mutt named Flower. That dog follows your little girl everywhere.”
Gus chuckled.
“Anyway, Hoot wanted me to let you know that Hope’s okay. She misses you, but as long as he tells her you’ll be there soon she seems okay with things.”
I sighed in relief.
The smell of frying potatoes filled the room.
“Hans, are these from our chickens?” asked Sam, holding up one of the eggs.
“Four of them are. The other three are from a duck clutch I came across on the way here. I just wish I could have gotten an actual duck.”
“Eggs are great,” I said. “Thank you.”
Hans nodded at me. “You’re welcome. The roads are getting pretty messy. The ash is a fine powder for the most part; we’re far enough from the mountain that larger debris should be southwest of here. You should have a pretty easy trek home today, as long as you tie a bandana around your mouth and nose.”
I was nearly drooling by the time the eggs hit the skillet and filled the room with their aroma.
“How’s the Dead count?” asked Sam as he stirred and scraped at the eggs.
“A bit higher than usual. They’re Rotters, though. Slow as hell and sloppy. They shouldn’t give you too much trouble.”
I looked at Gus and smiled. I could sense that he was as anxious to get going as I
was.
“We had a horde here last night,” said Gus while still looking into my eyes. “They followed us from the river.”
“Bastards,” mumbled Hans.
***
We ate breakfast quietly. The food was warm and bland due to lack of spices, but we welcomed it eagerly. The ketchup supply was meager, so I only used one of the few small packets that Hans brought with him. I didn’t skimp on my portion of the food, eating just as much as any of the men.
Once we finished, Sam and Hans helped us fashion bandanas out of an old t-shirt. I used a knife to cut the bottom of it into strips, which we tied snugly over our mouths and noses. The material was thin, making breathing easier than it might have been otherwise. I used the top of the t-shirt to fashion something to protect my head and face. Hans insisted that I wear his bulky coat, since he’d be staying behind. Standing just outside the structure, I slipped into it. Ash continued to fall, quickly dusting our clothing. Gus and Sam each had a rifle slung over a shoulder. Sam wore camo cargo pants that were heavy with ammo tucked into the pockets. I opted to stick to one hand gun and a hammer. To allow both men to fight the dead without a burden on their backs, I took the only back pack, which was heavy with bottled water and basic supplies. I still nursed my shoulder, so wouldn’t be of much use if we faced the dead. I tugged on the edge of my makeshift head scarf, pulling it closer to my eyes for protection. We set out single file, crossing the remainder of the bridge. Our footfalls fell quietly on the layer of ash. Tendrils of powder drifted up each time we stepped. It was disconcerting leaving tracks, but we were left with little choice. The world surrounded us in a blanket of silence aside from the lull of the flowing river below.
***
Ash obscured our view of the sky, making it impossible to track the passage of time. Our first footfalls turned into hundreds, and then thousands. There was a profound lack of dead as we continued, which made us all nervous. Hans had reported higher numbers. We walked for hours on high alert, which in itself was draining. By the time we came to the first signs that civilization had ever graced the land around us, the ambient lighting was already fading.
State of Grace Page 5
