Land of the Dogs (Book 1)

by S. L. Rowland

  They stopped walking. “We’re leaving with Simon and Claire,” said Kirk. “It’s time for us to move on.”

  “You’re leaving? Why on Earth would you do that? Have we not been good to you here? Have you not been provided for and kept safe?” asked Justice.

  “We have. But we need to go,” said Kirk. He stood his ground as Justice stepped closer.

  “There is no coming back,” said Justice. “Ever. If you take one foot outside that door, we’re done.”

  Kirk looked up at Justice, and for a moment, Simon thought he was going to turn back towards the school. “I understand that,” said Kirk.

  “I hope they’re worth it,” said Justice, looking at Simon and Claire. “I hope the lives of your daughter and wife are safe in their hands.” He turned and walked away. Kirk let out a sigh of relief.

  Simon pulled Kirk aside. “Are you sure you want to follow through with this? I don’t like the way he is acting.”

  “It’s too late to turn back now,” said Kirk. He turned towards the exit. “Let’s go.”

  At the kiosk, the same man was on duty who had taken their weapons yesterday.

  “We need our weapons,” said Simon.

  “One second,” said the man. He walked back and pulled out the two guns, bat, and spear out of a locker and handed them to Simon and Claire. The guns felt lighter than usual.

  “Where is our ammo?” asked Simon. The chamber on his shotgun was bare, as was Claire’s clip.

  “It’s property of Justice now. You best be moving along,” said the man.

  “That’s bullshit!” yelled Simon.

  He was about to lift his bat when Claire grabbed him by the arm. “Simon, let’s just get the hell out of here. It’s not worth it. We don’t need to cause any trouble now.”

  They left the small building and started walking towards the highway. It was early, but the humidity was already stifling. Simon seethed on the inside.

  “What the hell?” said Simon. “The gall of that man.”

  “I know, but it’s like you said, we knew what we were dealing with. We’re lucky we even got our weapons back,” said Claire.

  “Yeah, but—”

  A single shot echoed through the air. Hope took off running into the distance. Cindy screamed. Simon turned around and saw Kirk lying on the ground, blood pouring from his chest. He tried to say something to his wife, but only gurgling came out. Blood ran down his chin and pooled on his chest.

  Debra was leaning over his body as he slowly faded away. “NO!” she screamed. “NOOOO!”

  Simon spotted a man in the tower with his gun pointed at them. Next to him stood Justice.

  “We need to run, now!” said Claire. “Debra, Cindy, let’s go. You have to leave him here. He’s dead. And we may be soon if we don’t run.”

  Simon picked up Cindy and carried her in his arms. Claire lifted Debra, who was covered in her husband’s blood, and helped her walk. Her body convulsed as she sobbed.

  “It’s gonna be okay,” said Claire. “We’ll get you somewhere safe.”

  They walked as fast as they could to the highway, out of range of the school, before they stopped. Debra was a mess. Cindy was too. She had sobbed the whole way, unable to process what had just happened. Finally, Debra spoke, her voice trembling as she slowly spat out each syllable between sobs.

  “I knew this was a bad idea,” said Debra. “We needed to leave, but I knew he wouldn’t let us. And what now? How can I take care of her by myself?” She fell to her knees and bent over. Cindy sat in the grass next to the road crying silently to herself.

  “You won’t have to take care of her by yourself. We’ll take you somewhere safe. Where there is a real community,” said Claire. “Just give me a second to talk to Simon.”

  Simon and Claire stepped away to where they couldn’t be overheard.

  “What do we do now?” asked Claire.

  “We have to get them somewhere safe,” said Simon. “We have to.”

  “I can’t believe that piece of shit. Why couldn’t he just let them go?”

  “He had to send a message,” said Simon. “Dammit!” A dawning realization came to his head.

  “What?”

  “We should have stabbed him in the head. Justice is going to retrieve the body and use him in those screwed up games of his,” said Simon.

  “You can’t let Debra know,” said Claire.

  “I know.”

  “So where do we go from here?” she asked.

  “We are going to take them back to the Farm.”

  “Can I take a look at the map the Mayor gave you?”

  Simon handed Claire the map and she looked over it, tracing routes with her finger.

  “I think we should split up,” she said.

  “No way. I’m not going to risk losing you again, we do this together or we don’t do it at all.”

  Claire placed her hand on Simon’s shoulder and looked him in the eye.

  “Simon, I need you to hear me out. Our mother and brother are out there. We’ve lost a lot of time already. I think you should go to this camp and check it out. We can meet back at Town Hall in a week. Either you’ll have them with you or we’ll pick out our next place to go.”

  “Why Town Hall? Why wouldn’t I just meet you at David’s farm? I don’t like the idea of you traveling alone.”

  “After what happened with the Mayor, I feel like I need to check in on the place. And Town Hall is a lot closer to the other camps on this map than the Farm is.”

  “I don’t like it one bit,” said Simon. “We promised we would stay together.”

  “Neither do I, but it’s the best option we have. I’m a big girl and I can take care of the three of us. I trust that you can handle your own. We’ll make this work. Knowing that Mom and Dan left without any weapons or provisions, I’m worried and I don’t want to stop our search while I take them to safety.”

  Simon didn’t want to leave Claire, but he could see the fire burning in her eyes that meant she wouldn’t take no for an answer.

  “Fine.”

  They walked back to Debra and Cindy. Debra was holding her daughter in her arms. They were both crying, having lost the most important man in their lives.

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” said Simon. “Kirk was a brave man. He was doing what he thought best for you. Justice will pay for what he did at some point. I promise you that.”

  “Where do we go from here?” asked Debra, choking back tears.

  “I’m going to take you to a farm nearby. They will take care of you. It’s a good community there,” said Claire.

  Debra looked at Simon. “You’re not coming?”

  “I have things I have to do. We’re on a mission of our own. Claire is more than capable of taking you. She has saved my life many times, and she knows how to use that spear,” he said. “You’ll like it there. It’s a beautiful place. Like nothing else around.”

  Claire reached down to help Debra up. “We better get going. We only have a gallon of water and we want to make it to the Farm by sundown tomorrow.”

  Simon hugged his sister. “One week from today, we will meet back at Town Hall. Judging by the map, I would think you can take a few days at the Farm to poke your head around and see if David might have any leads. Hopefully, I’ll be there with Mom and Dan and this will all be over. I love you.”

  “I love you too, Simon.”

  They parted ways. Simon called for Hope, but Hope was still nowhere to be found.

  Darkness towered over Simon as he made camp for the night. The clouds blotted out the moon and stars, and what was left was a darkness so black that he could not see his hand in front of his face. The silence was so powerful that Simon would wonder if he had gone deaf, only to wince at the sound of his clothes brushing against the fabric of the hammock. He had spent the entire day hiking towards a settlement west of Town Hall. A red circle on the map in the town of Griffin’s Hollow. It was forty miles away, but he figured he could cover it in two
and a half days by himself. I hope Claire is doing okay with those two. I trust her, but it is different with a kid. Should I have fought harder for us to stay together? It seemed like we had no other choice if we wanted to stay on the trail.

  Simon camped in a spot off the road beside a small clearing. The grass rustled in the wind, mimicking the breathing of the undead. He had only seen one of the monsters while hiking and had dispatched it easily enough. It had come running at him out of the woods. Simon heard the branches snapping long before he ever saw it. A big, blundering fat man that fell down twice before it was even in range of Simon. He would fall, leaving a yellow puddle where his face hit, then stumble up, never fully regaining control, and then fall again. Slugger had no problem rearranging its white matter. How is it that they stay so fat, even though they barely eat and walk all the time, Simon had thought at the time.

  He hung his hammock high enough off the ground that no one could reach him. His stomach growled with hunger. The only thing he had eaten was a pack of crackers he found in an abandoned truck on the freeway. They were stale and crumbled in his mouth, but at least it was something. Simon ditched the highway for smaller roads he thought were less likely to have been looted. Every few miles he would stop and check a house. So far he hadn’t had any luck.

  Sleep came easy that night. He had tired himself out and the lack of nourishment had taken its toll on Simon’s body. His feet felt relieved when he loosened his boots. Simon was careful to never take them off at night, in case something happened and he needed to be ready. When he awoke, his stomach was in knots and he felt weak; the first thought he had was I need to find food. Simon’s drained the last of his water. He packed up his hammock and set out towards the next settlement. If he didn’t find something to eat soon, it was going to be a long and terrible day.

  He made it several hours before he could not physically continue. The pain in his stomach was all he could think about. Simon had finally made his way to another tiny town. He stared down at a row of small houses. Each one had the windows boarded shut. The cars were still parked in most of the driveways.

  Simon approached the first house. It was blue with yellow shutters. He twisted the doorknob, it turned and he heard the click of the bolt receding. Simon stepped inside and looked around. No one had been there in a long time. The kitchen was empty. It had been ransacked long ago.

  The next house fared no better. Once home to a family of four, at least according to the pictures on the wall, it now offered nothing more than old furniture and toys. A brown stuffed bear lay on the floor, one button-eye missing and a few frayed threads dangling in its place.

  Simon was about to give up on these houses altogether when he had a feeling in his gut that he should check one more. The door was locked on the next house. The brick house had a yard that had once been well manicured. Even in his weakened state, Simon was able to kick the door in after a few tries. Walking through the door, he immediately knew something was different. Someone has been living here. Inside, the house looked lived in. There wasn’t layer upon layer of dust covering everything, but books spread on the table and clothes on the couch. He walked into the kitchen and heard the click of a shotgun behind him.

  “You think it’s okay to just kick in people’s doors and do whatever the hell you want?” an old, gravelly voice greeted him.

  When Simon turned around, he could see that the man was in his fifties. His gray hair draped over his shoulder and his beard hung low on his chest. He wore suspenders with a plaid shirt and jeans. The twin barrels of the shotgun pointed at Simon’s chest.

  “Well?” he asked, looking sternly at Simon.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know anyone lived here.” He put his hands up in surrender. “I’m hungry. And thirsty. Been on the road two days now with no food,” said Simon.

  “I suppose that is a fair enough point. There aren’t too many people around these days. Still, it’s going to take me a lot of work to fix that door.” The gun barrels drifted a little lower, now pointing at Simon’s midsection.

  “I can help fix it,” Simon offered. The last thing he wanted was to get shot. The man’s face softened at Simon’s words and he lowered his weapon.

  “Damn, son. You look like hell. Have a seat at that table over there.” The man went to a cupboard and pulled out a plastic bottle of orange flavored soda. “Drink this. I’ll grab you some jerky.” He disappeared off into a side room and came back with a bag of store-bought beef jerky.

  Simon devoured the food and drink while the man looked on in wonder. “Haven’t seen anyone in these parts in a while. Caught me off guard. I was upstairs reading. What brings you around here anyways?” he asked.

  Simon began to feel rejuvenated. It had been a long time since he had had any processed food or sugar. It gave him a familiar high from long ago. His thoughts began to run clear again.

  “I’m headed out west. I’ve been searching for my family. I’m going to stop by a few settlements and see if they have seen my mom and brother,” said Simon.

  “Ah, you’re on an adventure then.” The man took a seat at the table next to Simon. “Not me. No way. I just sit around here all day. I read a lot of books. You know, before all this, I had a library of over one thousand books. Nearly, three quarters of them were unread. I just kept buying them. Any time I saw something that looked interesting, I picked it up. I always said I would get around to them some day. Right now, I only have a handful left to read.

  “I’m pretty well stocked on food,” he continued. “When everyone left, I stayed. I snatched up food from every convenience store I could in those first few weeks. I didn’t know how this was all going to play out, but better safe than sorry, that’s what my ma always said. I think I’m set for a few years. And then I went to all the neighbors and took everything they left behind. Every room besides the one you walked in is stocked floor to ceiling with drinks and snacks and canned foods. I’m sure it’s not the healthiest thing, but who can be concerned with their health in a time like this, am I right?” He let out a loud chuckle, slapping his knee.

  Simon was still devouring the snacks the man had given him. “I suppose,” he mumbled between chews.

  When he ate the beef jerky and drank all the soda, Simon could finally concentrate. “What’s your name?” he asked.

  “Once upon a time I was called Hanzel,” he said. “I don’t get called much these days though. It’s been months since I last saw another human.”

  “Really? That’s insane,” said Simon.

  “It’s not so bad. I spent a lifetime dealing with people. It’s kind of nice just dealing with the characters in my books. What’s your name, kid?”

  “Simon.”

  “You have a last name?” Hanzel asked.

  “Finch.”

  “Wow. What a great name. Like Atticus. Now that’s a good man if I ever knew one.”

  Simon bypassed the response. “Don’t you ever wish you were around other people?”

  “Not really. I lost my wife a few years ago. She was my everything. After losing her, things were never the same. I knew I could never replace her, so I never tried. I checked out from the world, and then the world checked out from me,” said Hanzel. He paused before asking, “Where’d you come from, Simon?”

  Simon told Hanzel his story. He told him everything that had happened since he jumped in the lake and came up in a new world. Hanzel’s eyes lit up as the story unfolded.

  “You know, that reminds me of something. In certain books, there exists a gateway from one world to another. It may be an old cupboard or a clothes closet or a cave in the woods, but when the characters walk through it, they find themselves in a new land. You don’t think your lake might have had a gateway, do you?”

  Simon had never considered the idea. It wasn’t logical, but now that he thought about it, it was just as logical as anything that had happened since then.

  “In your books, when they go through the gateway, how do they get back to where they a
re from?”

  “Usually, they have to find the counterpoint. Sometimes it is a mirror image, sometimes not. I would think you would recognize it if you saw it.” Hanzel stroked his beard in thought.

  “You’ve given me a lot to think about. I’d offer you some advice if I can. I just came from the High School. It’s a terrible place. You should stay away at all costs,” said Simon. Hanzel had unknowingly given Simon a direction to go in once the search for his mom and brother was over. Hopefully, he could save Hanzel a lot of trouble in exchange.

  “Oh, I don’t have any plans to leave, but I know about those guys. They were here a few times trying to loot the houses, but I beat them to it. It’s funny, you know, I have two empty houses to each side of me, and that’s usually the number people will go through before moving on to the next area. When they get to mine and see it’s locked, they don’t even bother. But you did, though,” he laughed. “So you said you’re heading out west?”

  “Yeah. My sister and I are searching for our mom and brother. We’ve been to two places so far, and we’re kind of at a dead end, so I’m heading out west in the slim chance they made it that far. I’m supposed to meet my sister back at Town Hall in six days, so I don’t have much time to spare,” said Simon.

  “I’d say so. I won’t hold you up then. Let me fill your bag up with food and water before you go. It’s not the healthiest stuff, but it’ll keep you going for a while at least. Come in here with me.” He motioned towards the hallway.

  “Can I ask you something?” said Simon.

  “Sure, kid.”

  “You said everyone left. Where did they go?” he asked.

  “We were a very small town. Everyone knew everyone and their business, and we trusted each other. Pastor Rick said that we’d be safer in a bigger city, that they would be more equipped to deal with something like this. I told them it was a terrible idea, but they left anyways. About twenty people all walking to Greenville. It’s sad to say, but I doubt they are still alive.”

  Simon followed Hanzel out of the kitchen and into what once was a dining room. One corner was packed floor to ceiling with sodas and bottled water. Another had racks of canned food, chips, jerky, and candy. There was more food than Simon had ever seen in one place, besides in a grocery store.