by Diane Butler
CHAPTER 5
Gretchen enjoyed the trip on Jenny and was glad to get out of a place with cement floors and massive machinery which still carried a putrid smell. They had managed to get the bay doors of the warehouse closed again and the place provided shelter, but that was its only asset. The men had started to build cubicles within the factory so that people could have some privacy or for families to bunk together. If a person had a specific request they would go with the next supply run on Jenny and search on their own while Lucky and Brandon concentrated on food and water. They knew that they were putting their life at stake to search for a bed to sleep in or a rug to soften the concrete floor, but some people were desperate to create a home again however feeble it may be. Lucky and Brandon were not totally unsympathetic to their cause and if time allowed they would take curtains or sheets to drape over the cubicle framework to create a door. The men fished or hunted but their diet was very sparse on fruit and vegetables since they had lost people tending the gardens outside the compound and many were afraid to go outside the fence. Twice the car had never returned from one of these runs and they had to put others into danger to scout for it on foot.
So Gretchen put her face to the wind and smiled as she stood on the deck of Jenny, feeling as if she were on holiday. Larry came up to her and put his arm around her. “You would never know that anything was wrong with the world from here,” he said. She put her head on his shoulder, “I know, but it will be thrown in our faces once again when we meet Roxanne. I keep telling myself not to show shock on my face when we meet her and to try not to stare. But if she limps and has scars on her wrist and face as Brandon said, then it will be a sad, sad thing to see.” She turned and looked up at him, “I don’t think she will remember us any more than she remembers them.”
“I agree,” Larry said. “But he has a point that Roxanne has not met any other woman and you may be a comfort to her. I can’t help but wonder where she has been, but more so who she has been with. She has hinted at a group, but was not forthcoming with more information than that. But you know something?” he smiled. “The coyote does not surprise me. This I have got to see but somehow” he paused, “somehow it just fits Roxanne.”
Jenny slowed as Brandon brought the riverboat to the inlet that led to the town of Mamou and she left the river behind. The inlet was filling with the green pads of lotus flowers which would bloom in summer and which could prove a hindrance to the boat if they became tangled in her paddlewheel. Brandon would have liked to stay closer to shore to get a better look at the homes and cabins but he stayed in deeper water to avoid anything hidden under the lotus pads. He stepped outside the bridge and yelled down to Larry. Once he had Larry’s attention he tossed the binoculars down. “Check the places on shore and see if there is movement.”
Lucky came up behind Brandon, “Do you think she has taken a place on shore?”
“That would be my guess,” Brandon answered. “She seems more comfortable with her pirogue near her so I don’t think she would have settled in town unless she stayed near the Tackle Shop.”
They went past the house that Roxanne had chosen but it was in the far distance and separated from the inlet by tall reeds so they did not see her pirogue tied up at the dock. But Roxanne saw them and did not emerge from the house to let them know where she was housed. This home had become her domain and she did not want it invaded by strangers who constantly questioned and tested her. She had left them a note as agreed upon and that would need to be enough for them this time. Perhaps the next trip she would meet them at the Tackle Shop. She struggled with whether she should go to Lance and inform him that he may see people on the road but then decided that the group may not come this way.
Mutt came up and licked her hand and gave a low whine. She looked down at him, “Do you want to see your friends? I will not keep you here if it makes you unhappy Mutt. But if you go to them you are not to lead them here, do you understand? Even if they should order you to take them to me, you are not to do so. Understood?” Mutt sat down and looked up at her. Roxanne knelt and cupped his jaw in her hand, “I realize that you want to protect them, keep them safe and away from danger. I will not deny you that. Just let me meet them on my own terms, okay?” Mutt gave her a head-butt and then trotted from the room. She heard the front screen door bang and knew that Mutt had left the house.
Morgan picked up the note that Roxanne had left at the Tackle Shop, read it and handed it to Lucky. “Arrived safely,” Lucky read out loud. “Arrived safely!” he yelled. “That’s it? That’s all?”
“Lucky, I think you should realize that we are not dealing with the same Roxanne that we once knew,” Morgan said.
“Oh, you are wrong Morgan,” Lucky was sarcastic. “This is exactly like Roxanne. Remember that she took over the Park all alone, thinking that she could take care of herself. Remember how guarded she was when your group arrived and she kept me locked up until she felt she could trust me. No, this is exactly like Roxanne. She’s probably watching us right now.”
“I remember that I was afraid of her at first,” Caleb said. “But once she sees that she can trust a person she will fight with you, not against you. We just need to start all over again, that’s all.”
“So, do we go look for her?” Gretchen asked.
“Let’s at least see if she left some road marks for us,” Morgan said. “Maybe she didn’t want to say too much in a note for fear that someone else should come along. If we don’t see signs of her on this street then let’s go about our business of finding supplies on the other streets that we haven’t covered.”
A quick check of the street showed that Roxanne had not taken up residence in any of the houses, nor had she searched them. Morgan came from behind the house with the well that he had fallen in and said, “She’s been picking the tomatoes that I told her about, so she does come this way regularly.”
“I feel certain that she has taken a place on the water,” Brandon said. “Let’s search these other homes for supplies and maybe she will show up.”
After Gretchen and Larry had searched a home and were coming back out into the sunlight she stopped Larry on the porch. “Have you noticed? No zombies since we’ve been here and we haven’t been all that quiet.” She looked around at some of the flowers blooming in yards that were no longer attended. “I could get used to this place. There are enough houses here that we could start our own town.”
Larry patted her hand, “This is just one dead-end street, Gretchen. We don’t know how big the town is or what it holds. Let’s make a few more trips back with Brandon before we decide if it’s a safe place.”
Everyone loaded what they had found of some value including baby clothes and a bassinet for a woman who was pregnant at the paper mill. They stood at the Tackle Shop deciding which street to try next when Mutt appeared and sat down on the wharf looking at them. Everyone gasped and began talking at once, some thinking that Roxanne had sent him, some that Mutt had just happened upon them while on his own exploration. Caleb rushed over and knelt down beside Mutt, petting and greeting him.
Lucky came over and began to give orders. “Take us to Roxanne, Mutt” he said pointing down the street. “Show us where Roxanne is.” When Mutt continued to sit he ordered, “Go!” But Mutt laid his head on his paws and ignored everyone.
Gretchen was almost in tears, “You don’t think she was bitten do you and….turned? That’s why he won’t go to her?”
“No!” Caleb shouted then calmed himself. “He’s not sad like when Roxanne disappeared. And he became mean back then.” Mutt sat back up again to show that he was not in mourning.
“He came from the street we just searched,” Brandon said. “It looks like it goes north and Roxanne was telling me that she was heading north. Maybe she continued by foot and ditched the pirogue. Let’s stay together since I don’t see any houses beyond those we have searched.”
Lance glanced out his window and saw a small group of people coming up the road from the direct
ion of the tackle shop. “This is becoming a busy place,” he whispered to himself. He put his gun in his holster although he had run out of bullets a long time ago, but no one needed to know that. After studying the group he decided that they looked harmless, lost and confused and then he spotted Mutt following behind them. If Mutt had showed himself to them then the dog must trust them since it appeared that Roxanne had him well trained not to be friendly to strangers. One guy was limping and used a cane, there was a boy of about fourteen, what appeared to be a husband and wife team and then two men. It was the two men who were leading and the only two in the group with guns on their hips. The boy had a crossbow, the woman had a bat, the man with her had a staff but they could also carry knives. Only the two men in front had a backpack and Lance shook his head that people were so unprepared on the road.
He decided to take a chance and opened the door to step out on his porch. Everyone in the group froze except the two leaders who unholstered their guns. Lance ignored the gesture and walked over to the railing to sit in a casual way. “Looks like you’re traveling light,” he called out.
“Put your hands up where we can see them,” one of them yelled.
Lance did as he was told. “No reason to be hostile. I wouldn’t have come out of the house if you looked dangerous,” Lance answered. “Two backpacks for six people? Looks like you need advice to get where you’re going.”
“How many of you are there?”
“Five,” Lance lied. “The others are out on a supply run but we’d be willing to share. Can I put my arms down now?” Only the two men had approached the house but the boy had armed his crossbow and had him in his sights. The leader told Lance to turn around to retrieve the gun from Lance’s holster and gave it to the boy. He told the boy to keep Lance in his sights while they checked the house. The boy moved up into a closer position along with the older gentleman on the sidewalk but the husband and wife team stayed out on the road and did not turn into his section of the corner with the four houses.
The two men came out of the house and holstered their guns telling him he could put his hands down. “How long have you been here?” the leader asked.
Lance resumed his seat on the railing as the others came up to join them but stayed off the porch. “About a week and a half. The pickings are good in town and so far we have been able to manage the Z’s.” At that moment they heard a banging from the second house across the street and the two men drew their weapons again. “It’s just a locked up zombie. He’s not a danger but then I’m not usually yelling at people on the road to attract its attention either.”
“Name’s Lucky. We have a boat docked up at the Tackle Shop. Never came by foot this far before but we have visited the place. These five people that you are with, is one of them a woman?”
Lance felt a chill go up his spine and became suspicious that they were looking for Roxanne. He crossed his arms while sitting on the railing and looked Lucky in the eye, “No. No women. You’re not in that trade, are you? We are a peaceful group and the idea would not go down well with the others.”
“No, nothing like that. We’re looking for a woman who became separated from us and we have reason to believe that she came this way.”
Lance shook his head, “Haven’t see anyone, man or woman since we arrived.”
“What about the dog?” Lucky tilted his head to Mutt who had not turned into the street and was still sitting on the highway.
Lance turned around and looked at Mutt, “Haven’t seen a dog either. Thought it was yours.”
The zombie continued to bang on the window and they could hear the muted growl of its hunger. “Why the hell didn’t you just kill it?” Brandon asked looking across the street. Lance shrugged, “Hasn’t been a bother until now. I think it’s just that one in there. Go ahead if you want and break in. We haven’t searched that house and you can have any supplies that you find. We don’t have any claim on this town.”
“I don’t trust him,” Lucky said as they walked back to town. “He’s lying. The kitchen showed use by one person, not five and he didn’t reveal anything more after further conversation with him.
“I can understand that,” Brandon said. “If he’s alone he doesn’t know who to trust and at first he suspected that we were slave runners,” he laughed. “You need to change your method of questioning, Lucky.”
“They’ve been here a week and a half and never searched the homes immediately adjoining them? They’ve only searched the northern part of town according to Lance. I can understand that if he’s alone, but not five men. Five men would have covered more ground.”
“Ok,” Brandon said. “Then if he’s alone it’s very possible that he hasn’t seen Roxanne. She may not be in this part of town. I still think that she would have chosen a place on the water so she could keep her pirogue and it sounds like Lance is concentrating on the town itself, not the outskirts.”
“Well,” Caleb said, “next time we come back we’ll see whether there are five men or not. He seemed interested when we told him about the paper mill. If he were alone he would have jumped at the idea of the Mill. His gun was empty. I checked it before I gave it back to him. No one wants to be alone in this fight against zombies.”
“That’s my point Caleb. He is not with five men, he’s with Roxanne. I’m sure of it,” Lucky said.
“I saw no sign of Roxanne living in that house,” Brandon said.
“She’s not living there but he knows where she is,” Lucky said. “I could smell cooked fish in the house but didn’t see any fishing gear. I think Roxanne may be providing for him.”
They walked the rest of the way in silence until they reached Jenny and Lucky looked back. “I don’t like leaving without seeing her. You saw her limp, saw her wrists. We don’t know how well she can fight anymore. I believe that she has been taught how to live off the land, but eventually you are confronted by zombies. Lance is alone, she is alone and they have joined up as a team. That’s what I think.” He looked down at Mutt who had followed them back. “Damn you Mutt!”
Caleb tried to get Mutt to join them on Jenny but the dog refused and sat down on the wharf. “I hate leaving him behind. I don’t think that Roxanne is hurt or he would have led us to her,” he sighed. “I guess she just wants more time. I hope that she doesn’t disappear again and if she goes back to the bayou that she leaves us a note.”
Morgan came out of the tackle shop, “I asked her in a note to meet us next time. I told her six days,” he said looking up at Brandon. “But I don’t know what day of the week it is so it’s her guess as to when we were here.”
“Oh, she knows that we are here,” Lucky said sarcastically. Suddenly an idea came to him. “Damn! Mutt! She sent Mutt to bring back a message! Find me a bandana to tie the message into and I’ll put it around his neck.”
Everyone was excited then, and feeling foolish that they hadn’t thought of it before.
Lance watched them go with growing suspicion toward both Roxanne and the group. She had not mentioned any other group, had in fact stated that he was the first human that she had seen. Unless they were from six months ago, remembering she had said something about leaving the bayou to gather information back then. He didn’t know who to believe but he had seen the scars on Roxanne and was very skeptical of anyone who said that they knew her or were looking for her. He wondered if Roxanne was running from danger.
They hadn’t taken any of his supplies so they weren’t thieves. They hadn’t killed him so they weren’t murderers. The only thing they and Roxanne had in common was the paper mill which both had told him about. He wondered if Roxanne had left or escaped the paper mill and that it wasn’t a safe haven but a dictatorship.
He continued to watch the road to see if anyone circled back when he saw Mutt trotting toward him at a fast pace. He put some water in a bowl and walked out on the porch. “Here, Mutt. Do you want to stop for water?” he put it down on the top step. While Mutt drank Lance noticed the addition of a kerchief aroun
d the dog’s neck. He went inside to get his backpack, knife and hammer to follow Mutt when the dog darted off past his house and down the street.
But Lance was hard-put to keep up with Mutt and after ten minutes he ran out of breath. He could just barely see Mutt up ahead on the road and since there weren’t any houses along the way he decided to explore the area further. It was another twenty minutes before he came to a driveway and by then Mutt had been well out of sight. He stood looking down the long dirt driveway and then glanced further up the road again. If there were any houses along this road they were well hidden behind overhanging trees or long driveways. Since this was the first driveway he had come to he decided to venture further into the darkness caused by thick foliage on each side. He felt a cold chill go up his spine and shivered, thinking that it would be the type of place that Roxanne would choose. It fit her perfectly. He only hoped that she wouldn’t suddenly materialize in front of him.
As he emerged from the thick trees and out into the sunlight he smiled to see that there was a pleasant cottage with a front porch at the end of the driveway. He stopped and scanned the place, spotting Max sitting in a window upstairs watching him. The screened door opened and the coyote came out to watch him too. Lance advanced to within ten feet of the coyote and stopped again. “Well, isn’t anyone going to announce my arrival to Roxanne? I have a long way back and I don’t want to get caught out at night.”
