Dead Alive: Eden Lost Book Two (Hunter Wars 8)

by SD Tanner

  “What are you doing?”

  Without thinking, he replied, “Leaving.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Within ten minutes, he’d pushed a few clothes into his backpack, loaded more ammo into his tactical vest, and was walking through the door.

  Still naked, Faith followed him out of the front door. “Take me with you.”

  His anger wasn’t about her, and not wanting to leave her worried, he briefly pecked her on the lips. “No, I need to go alone. You’ll be fine. Travel with Axe and Leo, or stay here and wait. Either way, you’ll be safe.”

  Without waiting to hear her reply, he walked across the road intending to take one of the trucks. He didn’t know where he was going, but he was confident the town leaders didn’t have the answers he and his brothers needed, and staying wasn’t going to get him anywhere. Gears had said they should use their brains and look for the problem, so he decided to follow his gut and see where it led.

  CHAPTER TEN: Roy

  “Carlton! I need more ammo.”

  Carlton didn’t reply, but continued to shoot while pushing the heavy metal box in his direction. They were defending a homestead on the edge of their land in western Oklahoma. It wasn’t a particularly special house, but next to it was a good-sized lake, which they used to supply fresh water to their two thousand strong settlement. The next town over was known as Granite, and they’d decided they wanted to use the lake to supply water to their crops. He wasn’t happy about that, the town was growing a plant with similar properties to marijuana. It wasn’t dope exactly, but it had pretty much the same effect. It wasn’t fair. They needed the water so their people could live a comfortable life, and the other town were effectively drug dealers. In his mind, they were taking what Eden had to offer and corrupting it.

  For the past nine months, the homestead had become the symbol of who owned the rights to the lake. His side didn’t want to share the water anyway, but now the other town were leveling the forest around them to plant more of their drug crops. There was only so much water available in the area, and it wouldn't be long before their town was dry and surrounded by their druggy crops. The other town was already attracting undesirables to the area, and one of them was going have to move. In his view, they were destroying their beautiful landscape to plant crops nobody should need. It was wrong, and after reloading, he determinedly placed his eye against his scope, trying pick out his next target.

  He and Carlton were on the second level of the homestead, so they had a good view of the area surrounding the house. They had fifteen shooters with them, and they were positioned at various points around the house and property. The drug dealing water stealers had turned up with twenty shooters, and were using their vehicles as cover. It seemed like a pretty stupid tactic to him, and he punched the engine of the closest truck with three well-placed bullets.

  “Don’t waste ammo like that,” Carlton complained. “What’s the point of shooting the trucks? If they can’t drive them, then they won’t leave.”

  “Sure, they will. They’ll use the forest as cover and run home with their tail between their legs.”

  Carlton sighed and fired several more rounds at the two trucks they could see from their window. “The problem is this shit never ends. They attack us, we defend the house, and then they leave for a week or so, but they always come back.”

  “Eventually they’ll give up.”

  “Maybe, but in the meantime we’re wasting time. We don’t even kill one another.”

  The Water of Life made it pretty difficult to kill anyone, and he supposed that’s why he didn’t really care about their gunfights. He’d been shot in the shoulder a few weeks earlier, and although it hurt like a bitch, a small splash with the Water of Life and he was as good as new. It did change the nature of a fight. His wife was only telling him the other day that several boys had been caught stabbing one another, and then using the Water of Life to recover from their injuries. Being forty-years-old, he remembered when they relied on medicine to heal them. Back then, nobody would stab one another for a laugh. They were living in strange times, and he wasn’t sure he liked it much. The law of consequences was failing them.

  One of the men hiding behind the truck suddenly popped up and hurled a burning bottle at the house. Expecting it to bounce against the brick exterior, he was surprised at the sound of a window breaking below them.

  “Dammit,” he swore. He shouted through the open door behind him. “Someone go check downstairs.”

  “On it,” A man’s voice replied, and it was followed by the sound of heavy footsteps on the stairs.

  Carlton was firing at the spot they’d last seen the man who threw the Molotov cocktail. “Did you get him?”

  “Don’t think so.”

  “It’s a bit much when they start throwing bombs at us.”

  In a tone of disbelief, Carlton replied, “That wasn’t a bomb.”

  “I don’t care what it was, it's was effing uncalled for.”

  Flicking his AR15 to semi-automatic, he opened fire at the truck, unloading his entire magazine. The shattered windows became a cloudy white, and holes appeared in the sticky, cracked looking glass. The doors developed rows of puncture marks, and eventually he hit the gas tank, making the truck jolt when the fuel ignited. Men were running from behind the pickup and into the forest. Aiming higher, and over the back of the truck, he managed to bring several of them to their knees. Fellow shooters grabbed the lame men, and pulled them towards the edge of the forest. Satisfied, he reloaded his gun.

  “Time to get serious, my friends,” he said grimly, and he prepared to shoot the man closest to him in the head. He wasn't a great shot and he expected to miss, but it gave him a sense of control to even try.

  “Shit, Roy, what the hell are you doing?”

  “No more fucking around. It’s time to call this crapshoot to an end. They need to know if they come back again they’d better be prepared to die.”

  Nestling behind his gun, he was about to pull the trigger, when a gust of wind exploded through the open window. Dirt and leaves were thrown into the air, filling his eyes and forcing him to pull back.

  “What the fuck?”

  Hiding behind the wall next to the window, he rubbed the grit from his eyes and stared blearily at Carlton. All he could hear was a roaring whumping noise, and the curtains continued to billow wildly inside the room. Grabbing the netting from the curtain, he held it against his face to protect his eyes from the flying dust. Peering intently through the gauze, he found himself looking directly into the barrel of a really big gun. Behind the weapon, he could just make out the outline of a man wearing a helmet and dark goggles. The soldier took aim, and judging by the missiles attached the helicopter, he was pretty sure they could kill him and destroy the house without even landing.

  “What do we do?” Carlton shouted.

  “Surrender.”

  “How?”

  Holding his AR15 outside the window, he dropped it from the second floor. Carlton saw what he did and copied him. Removing his hand from the heavy weapon, the gunner on the helicopter gave him a thumbs up.

  “Now what?” Carlton asked.

  “Guess we better go see who they are.”

  “Umm, do you think that’s a good idea? They might kill us.”

  “Nah, if they were gonna do that they would have done it already.”

  He met their other shooters on the landing. Everyone was milling around and asking what was going on. Several went into the room he’d just left, only to confirm there really was a heavily armed helicopter hovering between the house and the shooters from the other town.

  “Who are they?”

  “What are we gonna do?”

  “Are they gonna kill us?”

  His town wasn’t really full of killers. Most of them had been hard working people barely getting by before the outbreak and calling it a life. The arrival of the hunters had been a terrifying time, and then
one day they’d all disappeared. No one really knew why people had turned into hunters, or where they went, but it didn't matter. When the land was reborn as Eden it meant they could all go back to living peacefully enough. Fighting with the town next to them had simply become a way of life. Given no one died, or was even permanently injured, it gave them something to do in an otherwise mundane existence. They weren’t really ready for a life or death battle with anyone.

  He raised his hand to quieten the group. “Shut up!” When the confused looking men and women became silent, he said, “If they were gonna kill us they would be firing on us. They’re not doing that, so I’m guessing they just wanna talk. I’m gonna go outside and see what they want.” The group stared at him numbly, and he added in an exasperated tone, “If you want to do something useful then give me cover, but try not to shoot me. Some of you aren’t the best shots.”

  The smell of burning wafted past him as he made his way down the stairs to the front door. Nothing appeared to be on fire, so he assumed the Molotov cocktail had done limited damage. They really did need rules for their hostilities. Burning down the homestead was a step too far. It was a good sturdy house, and there was no need to waste it like that.

  The helicopter had landed between the house and the shooters, and a man in ACUs stepped out with his weapon trained on him. Raising his hands in the air, he stood still watching the man warily. Although Eden had its fair share of skirmishes, people didn't tend to kill one another for the hell of it. He didn’t think the soldier would shoot him, but he wasn’t entirely sure. His bottle of the Water of Life was sitting snugly in his pocket, and he hoped he wouldn’t have to use it.

  While he waited, the helicopter rotors were slowly coming to a halt. Several men who he knew were from the other town appeared from behind the helicopter, and were being escorted at gunpoint by the soldiers dressed in ACUs. The men were pushed to stand next to him, and all three of them continued to wait with their hands above their heads.

  Without moving his head, he said, “I’m Roy.”

  “Jay.”

  “Parker.”

  A scowling man built like an ape stamped towards them. No longer aiming his gun at him, he held it loosely in its sling against his side. He wasn’t wearing a helmet, and he walked with an aggression he rarely saw in Eden. The other men and women wearing ACUs were entering the house with their weapons trained.

  “Tell your guys not to hurt them,” he shouted at the apish man as he drew near.

  With a dismissive wave, the man replied, “They ain’t gonna shoot ‘em. I jus’ don’t want ‘em shootin’ at us. I’m Pax. We’re with a group in Florida.”

  “I’m Roy.” He flicked his head at the other two men next to him. “This is Jay and Parker.”

  Pax stood opposite the three of them looking them over, and then he shook his head in disgust. “I ain’t interested in whatever bullshit you dumbasses have got goin’ on here. Fact is, ya gotta quit screwin’ around.”

  Nodding slightly to acknowledge he’d summarized their shoot out pretty well, he asked, “Why did you stop?”

  “We just intercepted a Crusader attack in a town less than fifty miles from here.”

  “You mean Wellington?”

  “How the hell would I know? It ain’t like there’s a map of the new towns.”

  His wife was from Wellington, and forgetting he was under armed guard, he immediately lowered his arms. The Crusaders were legendary, but none of them had ever been seen in their region. If they’d extended their borders to include their towns, then the apish man was right, they needed to quit screwing around. The Crusaders were nobody to mess around with. Originally they'd tried to recruit people to their cause, but lately they'd become more aggressive. They attacked towns, killed the men or forced them to join their army, and the women would disappear never to be found again. They didn’t usually take the children, and they would be found wandering lost and in shock.

  “What happened,” Jay asked worriedly. “I’ve got people there.”

  Turning to him in surprise, he said, “Me too. Who do you know there?”

  Jay was about to reply when Pax said irritably, “Doesn’t anyone stay on point anymore. You can have a little tea party after I leave, but right now I’m here to warn ya.” He flicked his head at the helicopter. “The Crusaders aren’t the problem. I’ve got a hunter on that bird.”

  The word alone sent a shock of adrenalin through his body. His heart began to beat faster, and he knew he was sweating. No one knew why the hunters had died, but many had surmised they couldn't survive the other viruses and bacteria on earth. The leading theory was the hunters had caught a cold and died. There was a competing story that someone had formed an army based out of Florida and they'd killed the hunters. That tall tale included a gift from God who told the hunters to go home and they did. He wasn't sure he believed either story, but he was more inclined towards the scientific one that the hunters had died of another virus. If the hunters were back, then the scientific theory was wrong.

  “What? B..but they’re gone,” he stuttered anxiously.

  Pax shook his head. “No they ain’t, and I haven’t got the right people to clear that town. That’s what I’m here to warn ya about. The town was overrun and we hadda pull out, but you’ve got hunters fifty miles from here.” Jutting his chin at them, he added sternly, “You’ve gotta quit screwin’ around and team up. Get ready to defend yourselves. You’re in enemy territory now.”

  While they were talking, the rest of their shooters were slowly walking onto the graveled driveway, listening intently. Like him, they looked shocked and terrified to learn the hunters were back.

  Raising his voice, Pax said, “You’ve got a little time to get yourselves organized. Use it wisely.” Pointing to the three of them, he said sternly, “Bury this shit between ya.”

  When no one spoke, he added, “And you should know the hunters have changed. The Water of Life can harm these ones. If you’ve got water pistols, I suggest ya load ‘em.” He was about to turn away, when he added thoughtfully, “They infect slower, so watch out for anyone bein’ bit, it might take ‘em a little while to turn.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN: Hunter Luke

  The heart he didn’t have leapt with joy at the sight of the two-story house with its wide porch. Horses were grazing opposite the front door he knew so well, and long stretches of corn stalks swayed like an ocean on the light breeze. Without even needing to look, he knew there was a line of pretty trailer houses behind the main property. Each was painted a different bright color, and the blue one belonged to him. He was home again.

  Something hit his body, throwing him slightly so he jagged to the left. He snarled at the assault, but the little female hunter clicked and growled at him to stand down so he did. She led them into the cornfield, and he was confronted by hardy stems with long, light green leaves. He was still running, and they tugged at his face. It felt like he was being stroked by a faintly hairy silk cloth, and he remembered the plants weren’t corn, but a grain they ground down to use like flour. His mind filled with happy memories of harvesting the field with Ted and the odor of baking bread.

  The little hunter told them to wait, so they all stopped at the edge of the cornfield, crouching amongst the stalks. He was so close to the gravel driveway he could hear the voices of the living.

  “Did you see that?”

  “Yeah, they looked like hunters.”

  “I hit one, I’m sure of it.”

  They sounded anxious, and he wanted to tell them they were safe, but he didn’t have the words. His mind could still think and feel, it just didn’t translate into language they would understand. The little hunter wasn’t moving or making a sound.

  A voice he knew well called out, “What’s going on? What the hell are you shooting at?”

  Recognizing Ted’s voice, his non-existent heart jumped with joy again, and in his excitement, he ran out of the cornfield and onto the driveway. Weapons clunked noisily as they were raised a
nd aimed directly at him.

  “Hold your fire!” Ted shouted.

  “But it’s a fucking hunter.”

  “And mind your language. There are kids living here. How many times have I gotta tell you guys to watch your damned mouths?” When one of the men sniggered, he added in a resigned tone, “You know what I mean.”

  Returning his attention to him, Ted asked, “Who are you?”

  “It’s a hunter, Ted, I don’t think it can talk. They’re mindless killers.”

  “No, not all of them are. Lucie wasn’t mindless and she lived with Benny for years before she disappeared. And Benny’s a hunter, and he's far from being mindless.

  “How do you know this one’s the same?”

  In tone of disbelief, Ted asked, “Are you being attacked?”

  “Err, no, I guess not.”

  “Then it’s not a mindless killer, now is it?”

  There was a rustle to his right, and the little hunter cautiously walked onto the graveled driveway. The other four hunters followed her hesitantly. Finally all six of them stood on the driveway, unmoving and watching the men warily. The word sanctuary popped into his mind and he tried to say it, but all he heard was a strange clicking sound, much like the noise the little hunter made.

  Ted swung his gun under his arm and held out both hands. “You’re safe here. We know you’re not the same as the other hunters.”

  It was less his words than the tone he understood. It was soothing and reassuring. This was why he loved this man and felt such a deep shame at letting him down. Ted had rescued him and he owed him his life. Moaning unhappily, he tried to express his sorrow, but Ted wasn’t looking at him anymore.

  “Lucie?” Ted asked.

  Stepping forward, the little hunter chirped warmly at Ted. He hadn’t realized she knew Ted as well, but he should have guessed. The little hunter had known where to bring them to be safe. There was more happening here than he understood, but he was grateful he’d made the right choices for once. That thought reminded him he hadn’t always done so, and he moaned unhappily again.