by James Gurley
“If we stay, more will come. It’s better to get away now.” He turned to Jessica. “Do you have the keys?”
“They’re in the jeep.”
“Good. You and Reed go out the side door into the enclosed area. I’ll draw them inside the building after me. Open the gate when they’re past and crank the jeep. Don’t shoot unless you have to.”
Reed stared at him shocked. “Are you kidding?”
Jake pointed to the group blocking their escape around the side of the store. “We don’t know how many more are around the other corner. I don’t know where they came from. This is a business district. The safest way out of here is past the theater in the Arizona Pavilions.” Reed continued to stare. “We don’t have time for this. Move! Take the cart.”
“The cart?” Reed moaned.
“Yes, we need the supplies. We can’t come back after it.”
Jessica and Reed sprinted for the side door with Reed pushing the cart. A trail of black, viscous oil dripped from the cart. Jake walked to the door and showed himself to the zombies. They wasted no time coming after him. When both Reed and Jessica were safely through the side door, he began backing inside the store, shooting zombies as he retreated. He killed almost a dozen of the creatures but more came in. Where were they coming from? There were no houses nearby. He couldn’t hold them off for much longer. When he heard the jeep crank, he raced for the side door. Outside, just ahead of the Runners, he began toppling stacked rolls of barbed wire in their path. The first ones became entangled, but the ones behind them went around. He cut the rope holding together a bundle of fence posts and pushed it over to slow them down.
“Come on!” Jessica yelled to him.
He abandoned trying to contain the zombies and ran for the jeep. Reed was still emptying the contents of the cart into the rear. Jake grabbed an armload of clothing, tossed it into the jeep, and shoved Reed in on top of it. They would have to abandon the rest. Reed fell into the rear of the jeep huffing and puffing, reaching for his inhaler. Jake cursed under his breath. Reed would be useless for a few minutes as he caught his breath.
“Go,” he called out to Jessica, as he leaped across the jeep and slid into the passenger seat. He fired two quick blasts of the shotgun as two zombies came through the gate
Jessica floored the jeep and slammed him back into the seat. She clipped one creature with the front bumper, sending it rolling across the asphalt. Jake began shooting into the mass of zombies in front of them as fast as the automatic AA-12 would fire. The triple-ought buckshot cut a wide swath through the creatures, but sensing food, they continued to press forward. Most were Shamblers, too slow to present a major problem, but their numbers were increasing. A few were Runners. These nimble creatures seemed to know where the jeep was headed and attempted to cut them off. Jake marveled at their ingenuity even as he fired into their midst.
“That way,” he said, pointing to a road leading toward the Pavilions Center, an area shopping and restaurant district.
Jessica drove straight through a chain link fence and across a parking lot. The jeep skidded as she turned down Arizona Pavilions Boulevard. After they passed the KOLD TV station, more zombies appeared from the movie theater parking lot, blocking the road and surging toward them. Jessica stepped on the brakes. The jeep skidded to a stop.
“Which way?” she asked.
He pointed to an open lot their left. “That way, toward the river.”
Jessica started the jeep, cut across an empty lot, and dove over the river embankment. The jeep caught air as it went over the edge. The wheels touched only momentarily on the lower slope. The vehicle bounced wildly as it struck the sandy river bed bumper first, almost throwing Reed from the jeep. The wheels spun in the loose sand before finally finding traction. She pointed the jeep north along the river, dodging large mesquite and brittle brush plants that proliferated in the sandy bottom, slowing down only when they had left the horde of zombies far behind.
Ahead, scores of zombies stared down at them from the Cortaro Road Bridge over the Gila River. The starving creatures were moving like migrating herds of bison from the neighborhoods at the foot of the Tucson Mountains toward the city seeking food. It now seemed no place in the city was safe from their threat.
Reed puffed from his inhaler, but his eyes revealed the guilt he felt at letting them down while on guard. Jake saw no reason to further exacerbate the situation by accosting him again. He had learned his lesson the hard way, by almost dying. Jessica had proved her mettle behind the wheel. They had come through alive. That was a plus in Jake’s book.
15
June 20, 2016 Split Rock Canyon –
The wind picked up late in the afternoon, howling down the canyon like a pack of raging wolves. Sudden gusts birthed dust devils that careened drunken-sailor wildly until they crashed into the stone wall and dissipated. The animals became restless, pacing nervously in their pens. Like Jake, they could smell the ever-increasing moisture in the air. A storm was brewing. The sky was mackerel-streaked with cirrocumulus clouds, foreshadowing an early onset of the monsoons. The prospect of rain pleased him, but a flash flood could damage his garden. In spite of all of his preparation, he was entirely at the mercy of the unpredictable weather. He blinked as windblown sand stung his eyes.
“Will it rain?” Jessica asked. There was a tinge of hope in her voice.
Jake glanced up at the darkening sky. Already, dense mushroom-shaped cumulonimbus clouds were peeking over the mountain tops to the southwest. By nightfall, they would sweep in with a vengeance, bringing heavy downpours. “Fast and hard. Soon, I think.”
“You’re certain?” She stared at him, but then she glanced away. “At least it’s cooler.”
Jake pulled her close and hugged her. At first, she stiffened in his arms, but then pressed against him. He thought it odd how contented he felt. The world was in its death throes, and yet, he was at peace for the first time in years. It was a strange turn of events. A loner by choice, he now had friends and a lover. It had taken the end of the world to force him to see the error of his solitary ways.
“Cooler but with a higher humidity,” he pointed out. “It’s a trade off.”
It was dark enough that the lights were on in Reed’s trailer. His shadow passed in front of the window, as music blared from his stereo, a waltz.
“Is he dancing?” he asked Jessica, incredulous that the non-athletic Reed could dance.
She smiled. “Probably. He’s a romantic at heart.”
He looked at her, frowning. “Really? And I’m not?”
“You’re trying,” she said after a short pause that left him wondering.
“You’re helping. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
She winced and blinked rapidly, as if sand had gotten into her eyes as well, and then nodded.
A drop of rain splashed his face, presaging the deluge to follow. “I guess it’s time to close the windows and enjoy the rain from inside.”
Night fell over the valley like a hand smothering a candle flame. Peals of thunder shook the windows, as rapid-fire lightning flashes cascaded across the sky, creating a mosaic of light. The rain came down in torrents, a solid sheet of water that reduced visibility to near zero, deafening in its fury. Gusts of wind drove the raindrops almost horizontally onto the windows, tapping an unreadable Morse-code message. The lights flickered. Jake worried that his solar panels might be ripped from their frames.
Sipping a whiskey while Jessica read, Jake couldn’t shake the sense of gloom that enveloped him. A storm even of this magnitude shouldn’t trouble him so much. He had survived many Arizona monsoons. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end, and he didn’t think it was from static electricity. He rose from his chair and began to pace the room.
After a few minutes, Jessica set aside her book and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Jake shrugged and took another sip of whiskey. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m getting paranoid.”
She
smiled up at him. “Maybe you just need another drink.”
He downed the remains in his glass. “No, I think maybe I’ll go talk to Reed. See if the monitors show anything.”
“In this storm? Don’t be silly. You’ll get soaked. Besides, it’s as dark as the inside of a paper bag out there. The rain is like a veil. The cameras will be useless.”
Jake nodded. “Yeah. That’s what worries me.”
He didn’t bother with a raincoat or umbrella. The wind would have ripped the latter from his grip, and the former was useless against such a downpour. He pulled his baseball cap tighter on his head. Muddy water cascaded down the slope and over the ledge, making the path slick. He almost lost his footing on the wet wooden-plank bridge. Only his grip on the rope railing prevented him falling off. The roar of Split Rock Falls grew louder, as water funneled down from higher up the slope and into the narrow creek. The wash was running swiftly. He hoped it didn’t overflow its banks.
He knocked on Reed’s door. Reed answered the door clad only in his underwear. He saw Jake’s soaked condition and frowned. “What’s up?”
Jake brushed Reed aside and stepped into the trailer. He scanned the bank of monitors they had installed in a cabinet against one wall, studying their hazy, dark screens. Even the infrared camera positioned along the road showed nothing.
Noticing the direction of Jake’s gaze, Reed said turned down his stereo. “It’s raining too hard to see anything.”
“That’s what bothers me. I didn’t consider a storm.”
Reed shrugged. “It’ll just last a few hours.”
Jake shook his head. “A lot can happen in a few hours.”
Reed started to reply, but Jake cut him off. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this storm. I’m going to patrol the wall, maybe walk down the road a bit.”
“Do you want me to come along?” he motioned toward his pants and shirt thrown across the back of the sofa.
“No. Go stay with Jessica. You remember where I stored the ammo?”
“Sure. You buried it beneath the chicken coop.”
Jake nodded. “Just outside the north-facing chicken coop wall, I buried another crate. If things go badly, dig it up.”
Reed began dressing. Jake went back outside. It was impossible to see if any Staggerers or anyone else lurked outside the wall. He would just have to trust to luck. He pulled his pistol, opened the gate, and stepped through. Immediately, he knew he had made a huge mistake. Shadows rushed at him from the darkness. He raised the pistol, but something hit him across the back of the head. He went down, coughing up a mouthful of mud as he tried to rise. A foot pressed down between his shoulder blades, forcing his face back into the mud. He was drowning in a mud puddle. He sputtered out his last breath just as the boot eased its pressure. Hands rolled him over onto his back. He gasped to take in air. Illuminated by a flash of lightning, a face grinned down at him. Water dripped from the brim of a Stetson. It wasn’t a Staggerer, but he wished it was.
The Cowboy!
“Last time we met, you tried to kill me.”
Jake spat out a clump of mud. “I regret missing.”
Levi stared down at him. “You’ll soon regret it more.”
With a defiant tone, he said, “Levi, right? Get it over with. It’s wet out here.”
“Oh, I think I’ll take my time. Why don’t we go visit your friends?”
“What friends?” Jake regretted sending Reed to stay with Jessica. Now, they would have no warning. He had failed them all.
“The fat guy and the chick,” Levi replied.
Two men grabbed him by the arms, stretching them to their limits, almost wrenching them from his shoulder blades. They half-dragged, half-carried him though the open gate and up the path. Six men broke away from the large group. Two went to check out Reed’s RV. The others headed toward the smokehouse and work shed. In total, Jake counted fifteen men. He suspected more lurked in the shadows outside the gate. Levi had a small army.
To his astonishment, one of his soldiers was a woman. She stared at him for the entire journey. Her eyes were as dark as her cropped black hair. They were cold and calculating. She seemed amused at his plight. The scar on her forehead lent her an air of fierceness. When he smiled at her, she jabbed him hard in the stomach with the butt of her AK47.
“It’s not polite to stare,” she said.
“My pardon,” he gasped.
They were on Jessica and Reed before the pair knew what was happening. Two men slammed Reed to the floor. The woman pointed her AK47 at Jessica. Jessica wisely tried nothing foolish, but she continued to stare at the woman with the gun. Levi plopped down the couch and shook out his Stetson, sending water flying everywhere.
“Nice place you’ve got here. I’ll bet you’re wondering how we found you.”
Jake was, but he wasn’t going to give Levi the pleasure of asking. “I suppose you floated here down the wash like all the other trash.”
His captors tossed him to the floor. One of them delivered a swift kick to his ribs. The pain radiated through his abdomen and chest like a fire brand.
“Okay, bad guess. The Yellow Pages?” He waited for another blow.
“I watched the jets. They seemed to favor this area. I wondered why. Yesterday, one of my men found fresh jeep tracks. I knew it was you.”
“Now that you know where we live, why don’t you drop by sometime? Leave your cell phone number. We’ll chat.”
This time the blow landed near the base of his spine, sending a spasm of pain racing up his back and radiating out into his arms and legs. His lower body went numb. He hoped it wasn’t a permanent disability. He decided that his barbed remarks were serving no useful purpose and might hasten his demise.
“Oh, I think we’ll stay. It’s a nice place. You’ve done a good job.” Levi picked up a University of Arizona throw pillow. “Though I think your taste sucks.” He tossed the pillow into the corner, knocking over and breaking a lamp. He covered his mouth with his hand and arched his eyebrows in mock regret. “Oops. Never mind. I’ll do a bit of shopping.”
Jake couldn’t resist one more jab. “Just when I had it the way I liked it.”
This time, Levi raised his hand before he received another kick. Jake was grateful for the brief respite of pain. “Be careful with our guest,” he said to the two men standing above Jake. “Mustn’t damage him too badly. There’s no sport in mercy killing.”
Great, Jake thought. They want to play games with me before killing me.
Levi’s gaze strayed toward Jessica. The tall female with the AK47 noticed the direction of his gaze and frowned. “She can stay,” he said.
“I’ll take whatever you’re going to do to him,” she snapped, nodding her head in Jake’s direction.
Don’t be stupid, Jake thought. Play for time.
Levi shook his head. “I don’t think you really mean that. I owe him and he’ll pay dearly. You … might be useful.” Several of Levi’s men laughed. Fear flashed on Jessica’s face. He turned to Reed. “You, fat man, what do you do?”
“I’m a science teacher,” Reed answered. He tried to keep his voice calm and even, but failed miserably. “I built the bomb that almost killed you.”
Levi stared at him a long moment before pronouncing, “You might be useful as well.” He turned back to face Jake. “I’m not sure just how to deal with you. I’ve contemplated this moment many times in my mind, but the reality is much sweeter. Oh, don’t worry. Your death won’t be quick. That’s too easy. I have something extra special in mind for you, Copper.”
“I can’t wait,” Jake replied. “I love surprises, and I’m not a cop.”
Levi reached down ripped the Arizona Ranger’s badge from his shirt. He stared at it a moment before saying, “The badge says otherwise.”
“It’s a souvenir.”
“You act like a cop, so either you’re a cop wannabe, or you’re an ex-cop. I hate cops.”
He tossed the badge across the room. It struck a photo of Jak
e standing beside a hunter kneeling over a trophy elk and shattered the glass. He turned to his men.
“Take the fat guy and the girl to the shed. Check it good for anything they might use to escape, and then post a guard. I’ll deal with them later.”
“You want us to tie them up, Levi?” one of the men asked.
“Duh! Of course I do, you dimwit. I said I don’t want them to escape.”
The dimwit and two others forced Jessica and Reed’s hands behind their backs and tied them with rope. Reed cried out in pain as the rough cord bit deeply into his flesh. Jessica said nothing, but the tall woman smiled as the ropes were tightened. Jessica cast one last forlorn look in Jake’s direction before they were forced from the room with guns jammed in their backs.
I’ll get you out of this, he promised, just as soon as I figure out how to save myself.
Levi nudged Jake with the toe of his boot. He winced as the boot touched a sore spot near his ribs. “When the rain stops, I’m going to stake you out like a scarecrow and watch you die slowly.” He smiled. “Unless a Staggerer gets to you first.”
He jerked his head and two men grabbed Jake roughly by the arms, tied his hands behind his back, and then dragged him from the room. He fought his way to his feet and staggered between them on numb legs, biting his tongue to keep from crying out as the feeling slowly returned. They escorted him down the path and across the canyon floor, applying a liberal amount of blows to urge him to move faster. The stream, fed by heavy rains higher up the slope, was now a raging river lapping hungrily at the top of its banks. The roar of water echoed down the canyon, almost drowning out the claps of thunder that accompanied the fireworks coloring the sky. At first, he was afraid they were going to ignore their leader’s orders and toss him into the raging waters to die when the water slammed him into the narrow drainage pipe running beneath the wall, but after standing him at the edge of the crumbling bank for a few minutes and laughing, they marched him to the smokehouse and locked the door.
