The Zombie Plagues Dead Road: The Collected books.

by Geo Dell

  Chloe's rifle came up and she fired almost as soon as Mike had found her with his eyes. Mike's head spun trying to track what she was watching. He saw it all in a short burst. Less than a second.

  Two zombies scrambled over the hood of one of their own trucks. Alice was between them. Already bitten. They gnashed their teeth and bit as they tried to drag her off. She clawed and fought. Mike's own gun started up, but another spoke from behind him. All three blew apart in front of him and then the silence fell hard for a few seconds. The stench of gunpowder hung in the air. A blue-gray haze hung heavy in the air. The daylight was hanging by a thread.

  Alice's body slid off the hood of the truck and slumped to the ground. The next gunshot came as a surprise. Mike spun around to find George collapsing to the ground. One hand held to his stomach. Blood streaming over his fingers as he toppled over. Brad, Alice's brother turned to Bear and his rifle started to come up.

  Ronnie yelled Bear's Name. The words came from Ronnie's mouth at nearly the same time that his rifle bucked in his hands. Mike watched it all happen in slow motion. He had simply reacted. Bear finished turning and watched as Brad flew back and slammed into the fender of a nearby car. His eyes moved from Brad to Ronnie whose rifle was still clutched tightly in his hands. Barrel smoking. He had called out Bear's name and then fired. Chloe rushed over to George but he was clearly gone. Debbie came from a crouch near the fender of a truck and stumbled to her feet. Her eyes were wide and shocked. The others stood slowly and looked around.

  The dead were gone. Run off into the shadows of the lot, faded back into the trees. Chloe began to stand from where she had crouched by George. She had not made it fully to her feet when his leg twitched and he started to move, his hand reaching out to grab at her. Three rifles spoke quickly and his head blew apart splattering Chloe as she tried to spring back, too late. She collapsed onto the ground and began to sob. Debbie came over, pulled her into her arms and began to cry softly with her. Mike spun and kicked the fender of a truck with one heavy boot, crushing it inward.

  “Easy, Baby,” Bear said in his bass rumble. “Easy.” He walked to Chloe and pulled her to her feet. “Crying don't cut it,” he told her. “I'd like to give you that luxury, but I can't. Out here this is the way it is. I've lived with it for the last several months.” He pulled Debbie up too. “You had to do it and you did. And a good goddamn thing you did it fast too... No telling how many more of us might have gotten dead if you hadn't.” He turned to George and Brad. “Did anybody see what that was about?”

  “George shot her too,” Debbie said. “So Brad shot him... I don't know from there... She was his sister... I suppose...” She was still upset and her voice hitched and caught as she spoke.

  “Can't have that shit,” Bear said. His voice boomed out.

  “Bear's right,” Mike said loudly. “Does anybody here want to be a zombie, because if they had gotten her over the hood of the car that's exactly what would have happened to her. She was on the way already... They already had her,” his voice lowered. “Listen... Let's get some fires going... Right now... Then we're going to lay out the ground rules for the rest of this trip...Bear?” He waited until Bear looked at him.

  “I don't know... You do... I should have already done this, but you're going to tell us what we need to do to get our heads out of our asses so we can get home in one goddamn piece.” Bear nodded slowly. He turned back to the others. “Fires, dinner, then we talk this out. Meanwhile, watch everywhere... Hard.”

  ~

  Once the fires were going the night and the concerns seemed held back by the flames along with the darkness. Soon the smell of roasting beef filled the air. Mike found himself leaned back against one of the vehicles, sipping coffee. Debbie sat next to him.

  She sat her own coffee cup down, reached over and covered his hand with her own. His eyes met hers. She leaned closer to him.

  “I was wondering what a woman has to do to get you to notice her,” she said. Her eyes were red, her smile vague.

  The Nation

  When they had thought about setting aside an area for burials they had discussed it as a committee. They had chosen the enclosed area for a reason. The rock walls went straight up on all sides. The entrance was an iron gate specially built and kept locked. The soil went deep, but nothing grew here. What soil there was, was in near constant shade except when the sun stood straight up in the sky. It wasn't long enough to encourage anything to grow.

  The first times they had used it they had been unsure whether the dead they put here would stay dead. The radio waves were filled with horror stories, but they had listened, followed advice, and the dead had stayed dead. The sheer rock walls were an added protection they had not yet needed.

  It was early morning and Arlene was tired as she and Sandy carried the body through the gate and set it down. Lilly had spoken words over it from her Bible earlier. Looking at the dead man, knowing what could become of him, Arlene had an uneasy feeling about her baby. She shrugged it off, pushed it to the back of her mind.

  “I got it, Sandy.” Arlene told her.

  Sandy looked relieved to be able to leave. Susan peeked in through the gate. Nothing had stopped her, but her own unwillingness to step through the gate and into the cemetery. Sandy slipped out through the gate, stood momentarily embarrassed, unsure, and then walked away with Susan. Craig came in through the gate. He took the shovel from Arlene.

  “I have to... I have to make sure,” Arlene told him.

  Craig looked at her.

  Arlene sighed. “They almost always come back now... They never used to... Even so I would... I would have to make sure... You probably don't want to see this... Be here for it.”

  “Out in the world, this is part of life. I know that sounds crazy, but after you do it a few dozen times it becomes part of life. I don't want to say a normal part of life, but in the sense that it is an ongoing routine, it is a normal part of life now. Who knows if there is anything that can be done for them... Some people believe there is. That is the biggest problem I have seen. People unwilling to do what must be done...” He smiled, a small smile, sadness riding with it across his face. “I can dig or I can take care of him... It shouldn't all be on you,” Craig told her.

  Arlene nodded, tears threatening. Whether from emotion, the exhaustion she felt; the acknowledgment of what needed to be done, or just the simple act of kindness from Craig, she didn't know.

  “In fact,” Craig told her. “Just rest... I got this.” He took the pistol from her hand. She had been unaware that she had drawn it. The tears escaped and streamed down her cheeks and he pulled her close, whispering in her ear as he hugged her close. “Just go out and sit. Close your eyes. Let the sunlight fall on your face. Feel alive... I'll be there in a few minutes... Okay?” Arlene nodded against his chest. She pulled back.

  “Thank you,” she managed. She turned and walked out of the rock enclosure and into the soft sunlight of the morning beyond the gate. A few minutes later she heard the shot she had expected. She leaned her head back against the rock, feeling the warmth of the sunlight upon her eyelids and fell into a light sleep.

  On The Road

  Mike smiled. “I have a woman in my life that means everything to me, but if I didn't...” He let his words trail off.

  “Oh sure,” Debbie said, a little embarrassed. “The old 'But if I didn't' brush off.” She smiled to show she was kidding. “So, everything, huh?”

  Mike nodded. “Everything... And we'll have our own child running around by this time next year. She's pregnant. I miss her and I can't wait to get back.”

  “I'll have that, I hope.” Debbie said.

  “I think you will. I wasn't kidding. You remind me of Candace. Straight forward. No Bullshit, real,” Mike said.

  Debbie laughed. “I'll take that as an endorsement. Anybody asks I'll tell them what you said.”

  “Hey,” Chloe asked. “Anybody join this party?”

  She sat down on the other side of Mike, but she o
nly had eyes for Debbie. Mike saw it immediately, and he didn't know what to think about it. After all she had just come on to him, did Chloe stand a chance in her pursuit? You don't even know if that is her intention, Mike told himself, but inside he knew it was true; felt it. She was interested. It was the way she spoke to her. The way she looked at her. It was probably just attraction right now, but given time. A second later Ronnie sat down across from him.

  “Those little cows are fast,” he said. “And mean too.” He held up skinned knuckles.

  “Maybe they have a little cow complex,” Mike joked. They both laughed.

  Lisa came over and sat down a few minutes later. She was nothing like what he expected. He wasn't sure what it was he did expect, but it wasn't the pleasant, well spoken woman in front of him. Even knowing Candace's past he had still had certain misconceptions, he thought unhappily.

  Ronnie caught his eyes and shrugged as if to say, 'Who thought' Mike shrugged back. At least, he told himself, he was not alone in his misconceptions, but that wasn't really a comfort.

  They ate their dinner of fresh beef and corn, washed down with coffee. The night air had a chill in it and Mike reminded himself that everyone would most likely need jackets and probably even heavy coats for the coming winter. As he got up to exchange post duty to let Josh come and eat, he noticed that somehow during dinner Debbie had apparently noticed that Chloe was interested in more than talk. It looked to Mike like maybe Debbie was discovering her own interests, or at least reexamining what she believed her own interests were.

  The way Chloe looked at Debbie reminded him of the way he found himself sometimes looking a Candace. The way he had seen Molly look at Nellie. All the happiness in the world, yet you felt you could burst into tears in a moment. Your heart just couldn't contain it.

  It made him sad immediately. He would be missing Molly and Nellie for a long time. They had become part of him, his world, just that fast. He hoped Chloe found happiness, and he allowed those thoughts to remain. She had been through so much that happiness was something he felt she deserved. He was only glad to see that it had not killed the love inside of her.

  The Nation

  “Littlejohn. I knew some Littlejohns when I was a kid,” Bob said. “Mohawk Nation?”

  “My Grandmother on my Mother's side. My dad was African American. I have his skin on her features. I never really got too far into any of the culture on either side though... I guess I considered myself no race, really,” Craig said. “Either way, Bob, it's good to meet you and I like what you have here.”

  They had been back for about two hours. It was heading toward evening and they were up on the ledge watching the sunset. The smell of cooking food came to them, venison, Tom had shot a small deer on the way back, the seafood they had bought back, and fresh corn roasting in the husk.

  “You lost two,” Tom said. “I was sorry to hear that.”

  Craig nodded. “I knew Sissy was gone. I just didn't want to face it. John surprised me....” He met Tom's eyes. “I'll tell you though, we're all of us lucky to be here at all,” Craig said.

  “From what you said I would have to agree,” Sharon said.

  “I had no idea there were those kinds of crazies running around,” Craig said. “I guess that sounds crazy... I mean I knew there are crazies, did someone say Death and Taxes are the only two things you can count on? Well, no more, but I didn't know how deep it goes. Didn't expect what happened.”

  “Oh yeah,” Arlene agreed. “Them and many more... But there's none of that here... We've had about close to fifty parties come in... Like you, maybe not as dramatic or as hard a road to get here. A lot call and talk to us. Come in that way... Right here it's good, Craig. You couldn't do any better,” she told him.

  “I can see that... It's funny, ironic, but we came looking for something like this... The whole thing started that way... If you're offering a place to stay,” he paused.

  “I can't speak for everyone. We don't do things that way here,” Arlene said. “We have a committee. We talk it over, but if you want to stay I'm sure you can,” she finished.

  “That's the way of it, Craig,” Tom said.

  “Yeah. We all met on the way out of the north,” Patty said. “We didn't know each other at all. We grew as we came along. If not for that what you see wouldn't be here. Most of us either. I don't know where we would be,” she finished.

  “There are more on the way,” Annie said. “And more of ours who are out in the world who will be back in a few weeks... We hope.”

  “We've been through a lot together,” David said. “But we have a way to go too. We need other people. There is always room for more.”

  “What about Roberta and Bonny. Do you think they'll want to stay,” Lilly asked. She was sitting next to Tom.

  “Like me,. This is exactly what they signed up for. We just signed up with the wrong man... Or the group was wrong... I don't know. I think Carl had the right idea... I don't know why it went the way it did.”

  “I think it did because this is not a thing you do lightly,” Bob said. “People think they can survive anything... Well, most people do, but the reality is much different...” Bob paused, seemed to gather his thoughts.

  “Some people fell apart right away. They couldn't deal with it. Too radical. Too much change, too fast, but most people bounced back and were sure they could do it. The problem is, all the things you take for granted are gone. No grocery stores. Gas stations. Cash, money, none of it is any good. I suppose the barter system we've seen spring up will be useful eventually, but if you have nothing it's hard to get something. If you don't know how to get fresh meat, hunt, recognize edible plants... Stay warm... It's a lot. It's not a simple thing... I think your man had the right idea he just didn't have the information he needed. Or, he may have had that too. From what I understand he had some knowledge about this area, but maybe it was simple bad luck. And bad luck in this world is very bad. There is no one to help... To call,” Bob shrugged.

  Craig nodded. “I think that is it exactly. He believed it. He sold us on it. We believed... But things are so bad out there that we would have jumped at just about anything,” he shrugged. “At least I would have.”

  “What is it you used to do, Craig,” Cindy asked. She had come back out on the ledge just a few moments before.

  “Marines... Communications,” Craig said. “Phones. Radio networks, I mainly hustled equipment from one spot to the next on special details. There were four men on my team. We could each walk forty miles with a ninety pound pack on our back. Seems like we did it all the time. Started in basic and we thought they were just pushing us to show us what someday might have to happen... Like a one time thing, but it became the norm. We'd hump it out to where it needed to be, setting up relays along the way. Did it for a few years,” he met her eyes.

  “You don't seem the type... I met a few,” Cindy said.

  He nodded. “Yeah, so did I. I'm not that kind of guy. Never have been that kind of guy,” he said.

  “You carried that girl even though she was in such bad shape. Even though it might have taken you down too,” Cindy said. Everyone else had stopped talking, listening to the conversation between the two. Cindy didn't talk a great deal. Bob, Tom sometimes, but she was shy and preferred to remain in the background, but here she was at the lead of a conversation. A conversation she had initiated.

  “I couldn't do that. I couldn't leave her. You don't do that to people, otherwise you're like those others you and I have dealt with,” Craig said quietly.

  Cindy blushed. No one would have told him about what she had gone through. He had guessed it from what little she had said. “I hope you stay, Craig. I'd like that,” she said every bit as quietly.

  The conversation picked back up around them after a few seconds of silence. Candace had stood in the doorway listening to the two of them talk. It had surprised her. Cindy had asked her no more than an hour ago how she and Mike had met, how it had happened.

  “I saw hi
m and I knew he was it,” she had told her. “I didn't wait, I just walked right over to him and asked him. I let him know I wanted him, Cindy. I knew if I waited someone else might do the same thing.”

  Cindy had only nodded and looked pensive. Then she had nodded again and walked out onto the ledge like her mind was made up. Candace had followed her out and listened to the conversation. She had realized then what the question had been about. She smiled now, and as she did, Cindy looked up and caught her eyes. They both smiled again and Cindy turned back to the conversations going on around her. Craig's eye's were on her, Candace saw. Cindy had made the first move and made her point. The rest was up to Craig.

  Fresh roasted Venison. Crayfish, boiled this time along with the crabs, and roasted corn on the cob along with mollusks and chunks of Venison, cut up and fried together with leeks, wild radish and hot peppers as well as green peppers from the gardens the community had planted. Everyone ate hugely, celebrating the new arrivals, Annie's safe return and the fishing trip.

  Candace, Lilly, Patty, Bob and Janet, as well as Arlene, made the invitation for them to stay and join, formal, being the members of the council present.

  All of them accepted. Craig's party and the ones who had come back with Annie. Cammy, Bear's woman told them that Beth wanted nothing more than to stay. The kids were already fast friends, Billy had pointed out. Winston, the old man that had come in with Cammy, Billy and Beth seemed relieved to have a place to call home. They had been traveling with Bear and Cammy all the way from New York. It was time to settle down, Billy said. Although he added that he didn't believe for a second that Bear would ever be ready to settle down. Cammy, a sad look in her eyes, had agreed.

  The people from Craig's party ate carefully, their stomachs filling quickly, but Sandy thought it would do them good to eat solid food, as long as they were careful and didn't over do it.