by Jack Hunt
“Don’t be sorry. Help me find him.”
14
The very notion was absurd. Sam was all for helping but it was a simple matter of weighing risk and after everything they had just been through, it would have been ludicrous to stay.
“You want us to stick around and search for your father?”
“He’s still out there, and so is Bryan.”
“You can’t be sure of that. For all we know they have been turned into one of the insane.”
Tom pulled the covers back and eased his legs over the edge of the bed. That’s when Sam got a good look at Bryan’s handiwork. He had brutally tortured that kid. For what? Calling him a bastard. It might have seemed absurd to anyone else but after seeing what some of the skinheads did to those who disrespected them, he was lucky to have walked away alive. Then again, Bryan needed him alive as a means to lure Sam back. And yet that hadn’t worked well. Where was he?
Sam turned to go out the door.
“Sam. He’s all I’ve got.”
“I’m sorry, Tom, but you can’t expect me to try and convince the others to go searching through the town. It’s a suicide mission. You saw what happened last night. We can’t lose any more people. And besides, it’s not my call.” He paused with his hand on the handle. “I want to help. I understand what it’s like to lose a father but it’s on you to convince the others.”
“So be it,” Tom said rising to his feet. Sam noticed how much weight he’d lost. At one time he was a healthy-looking kid. A jock in high school. The kind of guy that would have ribbed him over the clothes he wore, or the people he hung out with but now he was looking at a very different person. Suffering stripped people of their ego, their pride and false bravado. It could show a person how strong they were faster than anything else.
As Sam stepped out into the hallway, his eyes drifted over the faces of locals. Among them, he spotted Ally returning to her room. Everyone had lost someone, and even those that were initially saved would die later. Maybe not at the hands of a nuclear bomb, a skinhead or the monstrosities that roamed the streets but eventually everyone would taste death. The country had gone to hell and it brought with it a massive amount of challenges. Some of these folks weren’t strong enough to endure daily challenges in their life when the country was fine, how much faster would they buckle under the strain of the country they now lived in?
Sam weaved his way around a group of kids, and past a young mother. She gave a weak smile. If not for this place, they would be dead by now. And who knew how long those windows or doors would hold. According to Corporal Stigers, these things were evolving. Getting smarter. What would happen then? He’d seen it for himself in the church. Some of those that dropped in from the roof had ducked behind pews as a means to protect themselves. Not all of them rushed. Was it possible that the initial infection attacked the brain and overrode all the senses to the point they would react without thought for danger, and then once it worked its way through the system it became something the body adapted to?
“Sam, you ready?” Aaron said. He was standing on the far side of the room by a set of double doors that would take them to the east wing. Billy and Corey were with him. He jogged over and Aaron led them out, down a corridor until they reached the end. With assistance he shifted several sections of heavy-duty wood to reveal a large hole in the wall. It looked as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to it. He handed them each a flashlight and led the way in. It was dark. Under the glow of the light, he could see mannequins. It was a clothing store. They threaded their way around the mass of clothes until they reached the next wall. Again they repeated the same process of removing wood.
“You guys make these holes?”
“We had to. We never made it into the hotel initially. We were on the east side down at the U.S. Bank. Let me tell you, that was one hell of a wall to try and get through. We must have been at that two days until we made it through to a restaurant on the other side. After that the walls that divide each of the stores along this block were fairly easy to get through. The next store was your typical convenience shop. The shelves were bare. It was the store after that that caught our attention. It was a bar.”
“Oh now this is what I’m talking about.”
Billy immediately went behind the counter and began to pour himself a drink.
“Steady, Billy, there is more than enough of that for later. You need to keep your wits about you.”
“Buzz killer.” He downed a shot and then they continued on through two more stores until they arrived inside a general store that sold all manner of gifts, crafts, toys, hunting and fishing supplies. It was an odd combination to see under one roof. Unlike the hunting store that was owned by Kip Thorne, this was attempting to offer a bit of everything. Sam remembered there had been talk of it closing because they had been struggling to define themselves. Hunters didn’t want to go into a store that didn’t look serious, and young mothers didn’t want to have their kids look at rifles, knives and bows. Much of what had been sold there was gone. Aaron said they had stripped out what they needed and distributed it among the survivors. What remained was mostly ammo.
“If you need to stock up, better do it now.”
As Corey and Billy went behind the glass counter and began pulling out boxes, Aaron asked Sam if he was okay.
“You look bothered. Anything I can do?”
“We are heading out today back to the lumberyard but Tom wants to find his father. We can’t be out here much longer. I’m already going to get in some serious shit from Murphy for allowing his daughter to come with us.”
“Leave it to us. We aren’t leaving this town.”
“Why not?” Sam asked. “It could take the military months before they bring back a large enough group of soldiers to wipe out the threat here. The ones that are here now aren’t staying. Even they know when the odds are stacked against them. They’re planning on regrouping with their platoon and finding out what their next orders are. If ever there would be a good time to leave, it would be now while it’s still daylight.”
Aaron leaned against the counter. “This is home.”
“It was for me but right now home is safety. You might be able to hold them back from those doors and windows for a while but these things are evolving, changing and starting to act smart. And you are going to run out of ammo. Look around you. This isn’t a means of surviving.”
Aaron nodded. He must have known it was true.
“Listen, there are others, lots more in Hayden. There is fence that is going to be constructed around the community. Some are military.” He paused. “I know you love this town, Aaron. But living there is your best chance of survival.”
“When are you heading out?”
“In the next hour. I don’t want to be here at night. Once we get back to the lumberyard I’m going to get them to give us a lift to our truck.”
He shook his head. “There are too many of us, Sam. We would need transportation. If these things have made it this far north, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them have made it to other towns. Without the protection of a truck or building, we would be like sitting ducks out there. It’s a long journey.”
Sam hopped on the counter and placed his AR on his lap. Billy was winding Corey up about his new relationship with Kiera.
“So come on, come out with it. How did you convince a girl like that to fall for you?”
“Don’t act surprised. It’s luck and charm.”
“The only luck and charm you have, is from all those Lucky Charms you ate as a kid.” Billy pinched Corey’s stomach. “And look what that did to you.”
Corey punched him in the arm and they went back to filling a bag full of ammo. Sam had lit a cigarette and was puffing away, trying to think over what Aaron had said. He was right, without a means of transportation the journey north would take forever and it would place them all at risk. There was no way of knowing how many of those things were out there. He was tapping his fingers against his leg when t
he idea came to him.
“A Hayes truck. That’s how we’ll do it.”
“What?”
He hopped down off the counter. “At the lumberyard there were a number of Hayes trucks that usually carry freshly cut tree trunks. The last time we were here, Luke used one. We’ll just load up everyone in the back of the open trailer and gather together tarps to cover it. Then, we’ll have the armored vehicle along with several of us create a distraction to draw away those on the west side over to the east. You guys will roll out and away you go.”
Aaron smiled. “Brett would have been proud of you.”
“Well, let’s not say that too soon. We still have to get everyone over to the lumberyard.”
“They had two armored vehicles. Just get them to do some runs back and forth this morning,” Corey muttered.
They were in the middle of discussing the logistics of how it would all work when one of the men came rushing through the hole in the wall.
“Aaron. You need to come see this.”
He immediately shifted and followed him out. Sam and the other two followed close behind. Two stores in, they went up a staircase that led them to the roof. Outside a cool breeze blew against their cheeks and they cupped hands over their eyes to block the glare of sunlight.
“Look.”
They turned and took in the sight of the town. From up there in daylight they could see right across Mount Pleasant. The pine trees still soared in the air all around them. The forest pressed in looking as though it was choking the life out of homes. Many homes were on fire in the distance. Great billowing smoke rose in the air. They rushed over to the edge and looked out. That’s when they saw them. They were everywhere, and far more than there were before. It was like last night all over again but this time it was morning.
“This doesn’t make sense.”
Sam shook his head. “Yes it does. Stigers said they were adapting to the light.”
They weaved their way through the streets, shrieking and hopping up onto fire escapes only to drop down from great heights and move on without even a limp. It was like watching the tide come in from a distance. It wouldn’t take them long to reach their street and by that time they needed to be long gone.
“Get everyone inside,” Aaron said. He turned. “That includes you guys.”
“No, if we don’t leave now, we won’t be getting out. We’ll come back for you.”
Sam shifted gears and double-timed it down the flight of stairs. He emerged in the dining area of the hotel and shouted for Ally, Luke and Kiera to get their ass moving.
“What’s going on?”
“We are heading out now.”
“And Tom?”
“He’s in no state to come with us. We’ll be back.”
By the time they had grabbed up their weapons and the bag of ammo, the door that led to the roof was already sealed.
“I’m sorry. I can’t let you go out there,” Aaron said posting two of his men by that stairwell. “There are too many and they are moving too fast.”
“Get out of the way.”
Aaron pushed him back. “Don’t be an idiot, Sam. You go out there, you’re not coming back.”
“If we stay, we die.”
“You don’t know that for sure. We’ve held them back before.”
“That many?”
Aaron cast his eyes away.
“Right now we have a small window of opportunity to get back to the lumberyard. If we don’t, they will leave and whatever hope you had of getting these people out of here will be gone.”
The moment was tense as if Aaron was trying to weigh the options. He stepped to one side. Sam knew that he wasn’t the kind of person that would have enforced his will upon others. He’d been a good friend of Brett’s and he was always the first to admit if he was out of line. Sam and the others rushed by him and pried open the door to the roof. They scrambled to the back of the building. Sam waited at the top hurrying them down the fire escape. He heard the sound of screaming getting closer. The last image he had of Aaron was of him closing the roof door. That was it. They were on their own now. As much as he wanted to admit he was right, his fear told him otherwise. Once they were on the ground, Sam slipped down holding the rails without even placing a foot on the ladder itself.
“Corey, make sure everyone has plenty of ammo. This is about to get…”
Before he could finish, three of the insane holding gardening tools came rushing around the corner. They spotted them and their bodies shook violently as they raced towards them. Gunfire erupted as they took them down and began to sprint towards Sixth Street, which would take them down to Bank Street.
They burst out on to Sixth Street and looked north. Sam’s blood ran cold at the sight of a large group pressing forward. They weren’t walking. They were running.
“Go!” he yelled as they sprinted towards Bank Street. They were about to go west down Bank but they saw even more.
“This way!” Luke shouted as he continued bolting south down Sixth, which shoehorned around to Hotel Street. They veered off at the corner and cut through a cluster of trees while firing behind them. They made it onto Residence Street and were going to run west down Elm but they knew they weren’t going to make it. Moving as fast as they could they rushed towards a large blue house. They hadn’t got within twenty feet of it when rounds were being fired at them. Dirt flew in the air, and bullets ricocheted off a parked car.
“Holy shit!” Billy hit the ground but Corey grabbed him and told him to keep running. There was no time. All six rushed up to the single garage beside the house and tugged on the metal door. It lifted, and they slipped inside. Outside they could hear the insane running and more gunfire coming from the residents of the home.
15
The clatter of hands beat violently against the garage door. Each one placed dents in the metal. All six of them backed up, with weapons raised. In the empty space, which stunk of vehicle oil and grime, Sam’s pulse raced. The only light came from a single small window off to the right. The noise of them outside intensified as more gunfire came from the home. Slowly those who were focusing their attention on the garage moved away. Sam shuffled over to the window. It was covered in cobwebs and had been partly blacked out by paint. He peered out and saw them rushing the house. They leapt through closed windows, beat in the doors and went around the back. Screams of those inside filled the air.
“Now let’s go.”
Luke grabbed a hold of Sam’s shirt. “Are you joking?”
“They are distracted. We stay here, we’re next.”
“You don’t know that.”
“You want to stick around to find out?”
There was no easy way to weigh the risk. Whoever had barricaded themselves in that house assumed they were safe. They weren’t.
Sam lifted the garage door ever so slightly and rolled out the bottom. The others followed suit. They slipped around the side and used the cover of trees to make their way over to the next property. All the while they could see what was taking place through the windows. A man inside was firing at them but they smothered him. A young woman rushed out of the back hoping to escape. She made it ten feet across the yard when they took her down and began stabbing her. Her screams cut through the air. Each time they attacked it was never the same. More often than not they would just vomit blood, other times they would beat the victim to death with whatever they had in hand. How did they decide who to change and who to kill? There didn’t appear to be any pattern.
They had managed to get close to the second home when they were spotted. A woman let out a shriek, her bony finger pointed and then she took off like a bat out of hell in their direction.
The tree line divided the homes from the stores on Bank Street. They rushed up behind one of the stores and saw that the exit was open. Slipping in fast they pulled the heavy door closed and four of them gripped it tight while Ally and Kiera went into the store to find something to secure the door. Shots were fired in the store. As m
uch as Sam wanted to pull away to help, it was taking all four of them to hold the door from one insane woman trying to pry it open on the other side. Fortunately, the rear exit door didn’t have a handle for them to grasp on the outside. It was a straightforward double door fire exit with a pump lock on the inside. Kiera returned with all manner of items, one was a thick leather gun belt that might have been used back in the days of the Wild West. She threaded it through the double door handles. Ally showed up and jammed five different metal swords in between the handles.
Slowly but surely they all backed away and waited to see if it would hold. When the shaking stopped they breathed out a sigh of relief and collapsed on the ground from exhaustion. Adrenaline was still pumping through his veins and making Sam’s heart beat rapidly.
“Anyone hurt?” Corey asked. Everyone examined themselves to see if they had been cut, grazed or had got blood on them.
“Come see this,” Ally said. She motioned them into the store. They didn’t want to get off the ground. After being chased all of them were tired, scared and overcome with emotion. But Ally insisted.
It was a trading store. Sam remembered passing by it on numerous occasions in his time living in the town but he’d never gone in. Now it was like stepping back in time into an old museum. It was full of antiques and collectibles. The store itself had wooden panel walls like something out of the sixties. It looked like a log cabin inside. Every inch of the shop floor was taken up with shelves and items. The walls were covered in flags, wood-cutting tools and old oil lamps. Everywhere they turned there was something unusual. The counters were made from glass and inside were old coins, rings, watches and tons of knives, including machetes. To the right was an old stove, a telephone and some electrical equipment. Plastered on the far wall were different animal heads. It was a taxidermist’s paradise.
Billy pulled out an acoustic guitar and strummed a few chords before placing it down. Corey was observing some of the old musket guns lined up against the wall behind the counter. There were all types of old handguns on display. Some were Winchesters and a few were modern.
