Danforth was both good and bad. Bad because we had a daylong fight with dozens of zombies, but good in that we were able to find a big load of supplies, including a large cache of ammo. In fact, the toolbox behind the cab of the truck Tommy and Duncan rode in was filled with lethal lead pills.
I knelt near the garage door and peeked outside. The way seemed clear, but I wasn’t going to take any chances. We were spread out in this place, and for the moment, the zombies didn’t know we were here. If we could keep it that way, learn where the majority of them were, then we could start a gather to a central location. That was the general plan. Get the Z’s drifting and following one or two people to a pre-selected location, and then destroy the location. The stragglers we would deal with, and then move on after we left a sign for the army.
I pulled a small mirror out of my pocket and slowly brought it out to check the corners. Not seeing anything, I rolled quickly out and flattened myself against the building. All of the zombies I had seen were on the other side, just standing around. Most of the time they wouldn’t move unless something motivated them. Knowing my luck, some stupid rabbit would run through town right past me.
Looking back and forth, I moved quietly to the other end of the building. Using the mirror again, I checked the side of the building.
I jerked my hand back as the mirror showed a skeletal hand reaching for the shiny object. Jamming the mirror in my pocket, I waited until the arm showed at the corner. I grabbed the arm at the wrist, pulling the zombie forward. When the elbow appeared, I leveraged the zombie around the corner and pulled it down to the ground. The Z, a young man of about twenty who was turning a rather uniform shade of grey, tried his best to bite my hand, but all he managed to do was bite a chunk out of his bicep. I knelt on the man’s shoulder blades while his feet scraped the ground. His head moved back and forth, trying one way and then another to bite. I pulled my knife and stabbed him in the base of his skull, ceasing his movements. He wasn’t dead yet, as his mouth opening and closing told me. Pressing the point of my blade against the side of his head, I jammed the palm of my other hand onto the pommel, driving the knife into his brain. His movements stopped completely, and I wiped my blade off on his shirt. I’d clean it completely later.
I went back to the building and checked the corner again. The way was clear, and a quick look behind me showed that there hadn’t been any alarm raised. I moved across the street, reaching another building and moving along the side. I kept my movements slow and steady, trying not to attract attention to myself. Don’t worry about me, I’m just a part of the scenery, no need to get upset or think you can eat me. Just keep ghouling along. Everybody stay cool.
The street was empty, but that didn’t mean there weren’t zombies around. Chances were pretty good there were some in the buildings. But as long as they didn’t hear or see me, they weren’t my problem. If they did see me and couldn’t get out to cause a ruckus, still not my problem. If they were banging on the doors and windows, then they became my problem.
I stayed in the shadows which was tough because the sun was rising and the shadows were disappearing. But zombies had a hard time with quick light shifts, so the more contrast the better.
I found a dark corner that was unoccupied and slipped in. Pulling my radio out, I whispered into it.
“Tommy, you there?” I asked.
“Yep. I see you. Nice work with the Z, by the way.”
“Thanks. How’s Charlie?”
“Still stuck. I think they might suspect something is nearby, which would explain why they aren’t leaving.”
“How many?”
“Fifteen. But there’s a crowd of thirty nearby, so it’s going to be close,” Tommy said.
Damn. “All right, where’s Duncan?”
“Trapped like Charlie. He went to go help and nearly ran into a small horde.”
“Hang on. I’ll call you back in a minute,” I said.
I didn’t want to just run over and start firing. While it would be effective, we found that sound carried really well over the prairie, and zombies’ hearing was exceptionally good. By the time we had cleared these out every zombie within ten miles would be converging on this spot.
I sprinted past the Gilman Flower Shop and over to the Dollar General. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, but something had to be of use. The door was busted wide open, and no doubt the place had been looted years ago, but I wasn’t looking for food. I began to get an idea in my head, and if my hunch was right, what I needed was still in the store.
I slipped through the front, leading with my pickaxe. I didn’t want to waste any time killing something that had been resting in here. The floor was littered with boxes and clothes, and things that people didn’t need during an apocalypse. I had been in Dollar General Stores before, and even during the best of times their shelves were stuffed with goods. I had to pick my way over all of the goods that had been discarded in search of more valuable items. I did pick up and stash in my backpack a couple of overlooked long stem lighters. Those were always useful. I made my way over to the toy section, and to my very little surprise, it had been hardly looked at. Who needs a Barbie when the zombies want to come out and play? I found a box of what I was looking for and grabbed a handful. It was a long shot, but it was the only one I had.
I went back outside and kept myself as low as possible. Moving across a wide‐open space in between two buildings really made me sweat. Fortunately, there was a solid fence for a good part of it, so if there were any zombies on the East side they wouldn’t notice me. I sidled up next to a place called Docs Drugs and carefully looked around the corner.
Across the parking lot was a large grain elevator, which seemed to be a requirement in order for any rural gathering of buildings to call themselves a town. This one was bigger than most, with three huge silos and a control building that had to be over thirty stories tall. Around the base of a small trio of silos were about fifteen zombies milling about and seemingly agitated. When they were like that, they knew something was wrong in their world, but they couldn’t place where it was. A line of trucks waited for loading that would never come, and around them were another dozen zombies. If I was a betting man, I’d say my friends were somewhere around the trucks and silos. Knowing Tommy, he was up in the tower looking down on us all. I waved absently to the tower and got a confirmation double click on my radio.
I went around to the other side of the building and crept around to the back. I had to be careful not to trip or cause a ruckus. While that would get my friends out of their predicaments, I’d rather we didn’t share everything.
I took one off the toys I had taken from the Dollar General and with a sweep of the arm and a quick flick of the wrist, I let the Frisbee fly. It sailed out over the grass and collided with the nearest metal silo with a noisy thump. Instantly the zombies went into high alert, stumbling and walking over to the spot. The Z’s around the trucks left their post and came over, curious as to the source of the noise and to see if the buffet was any good.
I liked my efforts and wound up another Frisbee. I sent this one further out into the field, where it ‘thunked’ onto the ground and rolled away. The zombies caught the sight and sound and immediately pursued. The entire horde went chasing after a Frisbee, and for good measure, I threw another one, really giving this one a heave and getting it over the heads of the ghouls. It too bounced and rolled, taking the crowd with it.
My radio came to life again as Tommy made contact with Charlie and Duncan.
“If you’re going, go now, they’re out of sight around the north silo. Go!” Tommy’s voice was urgent, and I imagined he was on his way out of the tower as well.
From my vantage point, I could see Charlie get up from a catwalk and swing down, not even wasting time with the stairs. Duncan popped his head out of the back of a grain truck, slipping over the side and running away from the grain elevator. I threw one more Frisbee, just going for distance, and the wind gave me an assist on that one. The
zombies were just about to turn around when the black and gold flying disc skimmed their heads, hitting the ground and rolling a ways before coming to a stop against a fence. That was enough sight and sound to move them along, and I went back around the building to meet my friends at the front of Docs Drugs.
“Let’s get to the trucks and out of sight,” I said, running past the cheap motel. I would bet the contents of my bag that the green water in the pool was green before the Upheaval, not after.
“Nice work getting the zombies gone without a swarm. What did you use?” Charlie asked as we ran.
I pulled a Frisbee out of my vest. “Useful little things. Bet the maker never thought to put “Zombie Distracter” as one of its attributes.”
Duncan laughed. “That’s awesome. I used to play with those things all the time. You can actually throw them around corners.”
“We’ll keep the last three just in case. Push comes to shove, we can use them as plates,” Tommy said.
We reached our trucks and climbed aboard, wanting to put some miles behind us. Tommy had already left a sign for the army so they would know what they were facing and where. On the tower he had managed to spray paint the letter Z, the number forty and a plus sign, and the letters S and E. That told the army there were zombies here, at least forty in a horde, and we were headed south by south east.
We drove south on County Road 850 E until we hit E 1600 N road. Why the north/south road was labeled as East and the east/west road was labeled as North was as confusing a mystery as it always was. My guess as usual was the morons making the names up had the map facing the wrong way. Tommy just said he drove by actual direction, not what the stupid roads were called.
East on North road brought us to a small farmhouse, and by the looks of things, someone was still alive in there. We parked outside the driveway on the road and called up to the house. We didn’t get an answer, and we called again. The house was in good condition with no parts needing repair. A high fence surrounded the entire estate, which by my estimate was around five thousand square feet. One house with a large garage, barn, and small silos made this place a decent working farm before the end came. Chances were pretty good they were fairly self-sufficient.
“Hello the house. Anyone home?” I called again. We waited patiently for another ten minutes before I shrugged, and we moved back towards the trucks. Just as we loaded up, a voice came calling from the porch.
“Hello yourselves! Come on up!”
I looked for the owner of the voice, and it was an older man, about fifty years. He was dressed in a simple button down shirt and pants. A battered hat rested upon his head, and very clear brown eyes gazed at us as we walked up the long driveway.
I had the feeling more than one pair of eyes watched us as we walked up, and the moving curtain on the second floor confirmed it. The man on the porch was not alone, however. He was flanked by a huge black lab that watched us with curious eyes.
As we walked up, I saw the yard had been cultivated to grow crops, and a small creek had been diverted to irrigate the crops and provide water for the family. A tank had been sunk into the ground, and as we passed I thought I saw the flash of a fish as it neared the surface.
“Welcome! I’m Jerry Blackburn. Don’t get many visitors these days.” He cradled his rifle, a used but loved Winchester .30-.30. At his side was a simple leather holster in which rode a revolver. “You folk look like you’re riding to war.”
“In a manner of speaking,” I said. “We’re actually scouts for the Army of the New United States which just recently formed up north. We’re scouting the towns and local areas, assessing the number of zombies that are around and taking care of what we can.”
“No kidding. For a while now I figured we were all alone out here. Mr…?” Jerry asked.
“My apologies. I’m John Talon, and my friends here are Charlie James, Duncan Fries, and Tommy Carter. We won’t bother you any longer, Mr. Blackburn. Just to let you know, there’s an army heading south. There’s a large community north of here on the Illinois River, that’s what we call the capital now.” I looked around. “Not that you would have a reason to leave, but if you hankered for a little of what civilization we have to offer, there is a place up north.”
Jerry leaned on a porch post. “I’ll be damned.” He put the rifle down and patted the lab on its big head. “My apologies for the weapons. We’ve had a few encounters that leave me wary of strangers. “You four look like you could cause a heap of trouble if you were of a mind to.”
Duncan spoke up. “That’s why you didn’t answer our first call. If we tried to break down the fence, you knew our intentions. But since we were willing to leave well enough alone, you figured we were all right.”
Jerry winked. “You’re dead right, son. I’m not alone here, but only a fool shows his whole hand.”
I liked Jerry, and I hoped we met more like him. “Anything we can do for you?” I asked, preparing to leave.
“Well, there is one thing,” Jerry said. “But it’s not really my place to ask.”
“What’s that?” Charlie asked.
“Any of you fellers single?” Jerry asked.
Inside, there was a gasp and a startled “Pa!” that reached our ears. We were polite enough to smile but not laugh. I couldn’t blame Jerry for trying. There was definitely a new twist on the dating scene these days, and the pickings were slim indeed.
“Well, sir, as a matter of fact we are all spoken for. However, I do know that there is an army of several hundred men and women headed this way. I’m sure you could find a suitable partner somewhere in there. If you were to join up, the chances would likely increase.”
Duncan spoke up. “Every one of them a veteran zombie fighter. No worries about being able to do the right thing, since they already have.”
“I’ll think on it son. Thanks, kindly. Anything you need for your trip?” Jerry asked.
I shook my head. “Just information. What’s the best route south of here to come in the cities on the interstate without getting on the interstate?”
Jerry thought about that one. “Route 45 is your best bet. Take you alongside most of them, but I can’t say for sure past the ones I haven’t visited.”
“Fair enough,” I said. “Nice meeting you, Jerry.”
“You, too, John. By the way, how do you fit in the new government up north?” Jerry asked.
“Nothing major,” I said. “I was elected President a few months ago. Charlie there is the Vice President. Have a good one!”
We walked off the porch leaving Mr. Blackburn open mouthed behind us.
Route 49
Back on the road, we headed south, and then turned east. I wanted to head west, but Tommy reminded me the sign we left the army said we were headed east. Fair enough. According to the map I read, we would have decent luck heading south following Route 49. County Road 1500 North took us there but by no logic I could come up with.
We stayed on 49 for a little while, slowing down and looking into several homes and farms. If there was anyone alive, we didn’t see them. At around noon we stopped at a house that was close to the road. It was a ranch house with a detached garage and an above ground pool in the back yard. I circled the house to see if there was anything in the yard, and nothing told me that this house had been anything but abandoned. The pool was empty, as one side had caved in. The grass was really green around one side of the pool, which told me it recently had let go. I looked into the rear windows and the large sliding doors, but nothing came looking back.
Around the front of the house Charlie was rummaging around in the back of the truck. He pulled out a small bag, tossed me a chunk of beef jerky, and sliced me a piece of bread. I pulled my water out of my pack and quietly shared lunch with Charlie on the tailgate of the truck. I figured Tommy and Duncan were in the house, since they were nowhere to be found.
“Inside?” I asked, working a tough piece of jerky to the back of my teeth.
“Mmf,” said Charlie, wrang
ling a bite of bread and meat.
I heard a bit of commotion in the house, but there weren’t any shots, so I figured everything was okay. If Tommy or Duncan, especially Duncan, came running out, I was definitely bugging out.
“You hear that?” Charlie asked.
“Hear what?”
“That humming sound.”
I listened for a minute. “Now I do. Is it getting louder?”
“Seems like it. Coming down the road, you think?” Charlie asked.
“Well, that car is,” I said, pointing to our back trail.
Down the road, kicking up dust and debris, was a car that was travelling way too fast. As we watched, it banged its way around some potholes, bouncing its passengers around.
“What do you think?” I asked, finishing my jerky and working on my bread. I liked to pull it apart and eat it in pieces. Hard to eat sandwiches that way, but old habits are hard to break.
“I think I’m going to get onto the other side of this truck and let the Trouble Twins know we may have company,” Charlie said, hopping off the truck bed and moving over to the house. Sticking his head in the door he whistled three times and then came back to the truck.
I kept eating my bread, keeping an eye on the rapidly approaching car. It was an old Monte Carlo, big enough to carry six people in comfort, but lousy with gas mileage. Still, the old steel frame could likely wipe out a horde without taking a dent. The car roared past, and I managed to get a glimpse of the passengers. There appeared to be four of them, but I thought I saw a fifth. I watched them go by, and then I heard them slam on the brakes, shuddering the car to a halt. The driver wrenched the car in a tight circle, punishing the engine to reverse course. Whoever was driving seemed to be operating on the principle that if you had to go somewhere, you had to get there as fast as possible, even if it was only a few hundred feet. I’d heard about that sort of driving happening in Italy in days gone by.
The Zombie Wars: Call To Arms (White Flag Of The Dead Book 7) Page 6
