by Geo Dell
Their trucks were the only trucks left in the field when the driver's door of the truck opened.
“Wonder what this is,” Billy said aloud as Jamie and David walked up.
“Here comes someone,” Beth said as she straightened and turned toward a large man that had stepped down from the truck and was walking slowly down through the field. The man held a shotgun in one hand, pointing at the ground, there if he needed it. He stopped in front of the people gathered around the trucks.
“I have never seen a man as big as you that walked that easy,” a young, dark haired girl leaning against the hood of one of the trucks told him. The young guy at the front of the hood turned and looked at her.
“Easy, Iris,” he told her. He turned back to the big man. “Mac,” he said. He nodded at the young woman that had spoken. “Iris.” He turned and pointed at each of the people standing there in turn.
“Beth, Billy, Winston, David. There are a couple of kids sleeping in the back of the Suburban. You're pulling in?”
The man shrugged. “Bear,” he said. “We're heading out of the city... Saw you and stopped. The lady in the truck is Cammy.” He raised one hand, turned and waved it at the truck. A few seconds later, the truck dropped into drive and drove down the field. The woman stopped the truck, opened the door and stepped out.
Beth made the introductions once more. Mac walked to the back of the truck and Billy moved up to talk to Bear and Cammy.
“We were about to light out.” He turned and nodded at the woods across the field. “We have dead around here... Getting braver and braver. The posts and the fires don't seem to keep them at bay any longer. Little boy come up missing the other morning. Not one of ours, a group passing through. There at bedtime, gone in the morning,” Billy shrugged. “A little kid... Could have wandered off, and he did... Something got him though. We found drag marks... No kid. We went after them. Spent half the day scouring those woods. Found plenty of nests where they had been bedded down in the daylight.” he shrugged. “Gone when we got there, but they were there okay.”
“The others left because of that?” Cammy asked him.
“They're not with us,” Billy answered. “We all met here. Started a few months back with just a few of us came from L.A. and built up from there…” He looked off in the direction the vehicles had left. “They're going west, we're heading back down south. Beth, me, Jamie, Winston and David... Most of us came out of L.A. together. Met Mac and Iris; they got two kids... parents gone, crossed over from Jersey a few days back - Don Westfall and Ginny,” He pointed back at the third truck and a couple who stood talking to another couple. “Don is the tall guy with the bright red hair. Ginny's the woman next to him with the black hair. The two traveling with them are Danny Best and Rose Evans.” He turned back to Bear. He had been looking back at the others as he spoke. “You and your lady heading south?”
Bear looked over at Cammy.
“We were thinking of going across through Pennsylvania, over that way. We keep hearing... Bear keeps hearing, about the middle of the states being dead free,” Cammy said. She didn't correct the misconception Billy had that she and Bear were together. In truth, it really wasn't clear in her mind whether they were or not. They had both lost people they loved. It was probably too soon for both of them. Maybe it always would be, she thought now, as her eyes met Bear's and she saw the pain still riding there.
“I heard some talk, but I don't believe it. L.A. … A lot of the places we saw in between were so bad,” Billy said.
Bear nodded. “The radio, a few weeks back... They were talking about a city that was still safe... still held by people,” he shrugged again. “It's south anyway, maybe Alabama, just over and then down. I figured what the hell,” Bear finished.
Billy nodded. “Alabama is gone,” he said.
“Gone?” Bear's voice raised.
“Gone,” Beth agreed. “Billy and I drove right into the ocean almost... Maybe two hundred miles in from the border it's just gone. Water's not deep, and I looked through my scope... there is land a long way out,” she shrugged. “So maybe it isn't all gone.”
“Listen, I can't speak for everyone.” Billy said. “We threw in together. It wasn't a vote kind of thing, but we're heading south anyway,” he shrugged.
Beth shrugged. “We can go your way... I can go your way.” Her eyes met his. They were deep brown, liquid, intense.
Billy scrubbed at the growth of beard that covered his jaw. “I'm good with it.”
“So what is this place you heard of?” Iris asked.
“Somewhere south. It was back when this whole thing started. I rigged up a C.B. Just heard talk of a place in Alabama. People were gathering together. I think Alabama, maybe it isn't, but it was south... not on the coast. Really it was just a snatch of conversation. I got nothing better than that, but it sounded real. And I heard it more than once.” Bear scrubbed at his own beard. “Okay. Well, I'm heading for it... and, well... fuck it, I got to come out with it because I don't want a mistake about it later; I don't follow. I'm just not built that way. I didn't do it in the old world, and I won't do it now. As long as that's clear, you're coming with me... I'm not coming with you.”
“Harsh,” Mac said.
“Maybe,” Bear agreed. “But we can't have a shit load of chiefs and no Indians. I don't mean I have the only say, I mean that I don't... Hell, I don't know a better way to say it. I can't sugar coat it. I don't follow. It doesn't mean I don't listen though. I do. It's that simple. I guess that means what it means.” He threw up his hands.
“I don't need a leader,” Beth said. “I lead me, as long as that's straight.”
“Do you?” Bear said.
“Wow... Can you feel the love?” Billy said. Jamie cut her eyes over at him where she stood next to David. She rolled her eyes once she caught his, and then turned and looked up at David adoringly. He turned away from her, his eyes looking for Beth, but Beth had eyes only for the big man, Bear. Billy sighed, looked down at the ground, and then back up as the conversation picked up once more. He ignored Jamie. He deserved her anger, after all.
Cammy laughed, put a hand to her mouth, and then took it away and laughed harder. A second later all of them were laughing.
“Hey,” Billy said after a moment. “The two of you lead. Sounds workable to me. And I don't have even a slight wish to lead. Not at all.”
“Peace,” Mac said. “Along for the ride. As long as it's stable, you know?”
Beth eyed Bear. “You and me then?”
Bear nodded. “I can roll with that. First thing though, we need better weapons. If this thing is south, we don't know how far, and it could be dead by now. Not saying it ever even got off the ground. So we don't know how far we're going. We need good guns. How bad did you see it in L.A.?”
“Oh, Christ,” Billy started. He handed Bear one of the machine pistols they had picked up.
~
The morning turned to early afternoon before the four trucks pulled up out of the field together, followed the service roadway back onto route three and headed toward Clifton.
Plague Year One
September 28th
New York: Manhattan
The Night was black and cold. Winter was coming, there was no doubt about it. Fires smoldered and burned in the nearby park.
Behind her, thousands of the dead stood quietly, shifting in and out of the shadows cast by the tall buildings.
Donita stood silently, glancing from the dead to the park ahead of her, as the cool night air flowed past her and told her its story...
The Nation
Josh looked over the high meadow before he led the sheep and goats down into the first Valley. The dogs went with them and refused to leave them. The male dog seemed to be determined to mark every square foot of what he considered his new territory with his scent.
Down below the notch, with its entrance to the cave and the ledges, the trucks were unloaded with care. It was still early morning, quite some time until t
he mid day meal, so they had begun unloading the trucks first.
To the children it was like Christmas. Not only were there new and exciting things to see, touch and feel - Rain had ended up with a handful of wool as she had grabbed at a passing sheep - there were also new people to meet. A lot of new people.
They decided to use three large, dry rooms off the main meeting room to store the materials from the three big trucks, but they quickly filled up. Everything else that was easily transportable went into one corner of the huge living area of the main cave instead.
Bob spied the harvester and asked whose idea it had been. Mike pointed him to Josh and told him that Josh had been a farmer. Bob walked up to him and shook his hand heartily.
“Man, do I want to have a few dozen conversations with you,” Bob told him.
Josh laughed. “Good to meet you, Bob.” He turned and looked down the length of the valley. “Nice... Very nice,” he said.
In the distance the horses, cows and bison could be seen. The barns. The stone houses set back close to the sloping valley walls.
Bob smiled as Josh looked around. “When you're settled in I'll show you around,” he told him.
“Well, Bob, I don't have a thing to myself... Nothing to settle in,” Josh told him.
“Well, let's go then,” Bob told him. He turned and Josh followed him down the ledge and into the valley.
Mike stood next to Candace and watched them walk down toward the valley floor. Ronnie and Patty stood nearby. “Looks like the bridges are up... The corn's in too?” Mike asked her.
“Yep and yep, Baby,” Candace told him. She had his hand in her own two critically examining it. She sighed and looked up, meeting his eyes. “We've been busy. The babies and I have missed you so we've had to stay busy. Sandy grounded me though because I've gotten so big,” she added. She watched his face.
“Grounded,” he asked, and a split second later. “Babies?”
Candace grinned. “Babies,” she agreed.
His mouth hung open. “I don't even know what to say,” he told her.
“Say, I love you,” she told him.
“I love you,” he told her and pulled her to him. He kissed her hard.
“Wow. That was nice. Maybe you should go away more often,” Candace told him. She plucked at his hand. “Except this.” She looked at the bandaged hand and shook her head. “You have to let Sandy see this.”
“No... No more going away. I'm never going back out there,” he assured her.
Patty and Ronnie moved over closer to them. Patty's eyes were bright and she held Ronnie’s arm tightly to her.
Candace looked at Ronnie’s nose. “Nice,” she said, and cut her eyes back and forth between Ronnie and Mike. “Him short a finger and you with a smashed up face.”
“Man meets dashboard,” Ronnie told her.
“Looks pretty bad,” Candace told him.
“Yeah? Well, you should see the dashboard,” Ronnie said.
“I believe I owe you an ass kicking, my man tells me,” Patty said to Mike.
Ronnie pretended to look up at the sky.
“How come you have an ass kicking coming, Baby,” Candace asked him.
“Uh, I'm the guy that broke his nose,” Mike asked?
“You're not sure if you were the guy that broke his nose?” Candace asked. “Maybe it was the Nose Fairy?”
Mike laughed. “No... It was me. I confess, but, it was an accident. I'm sorry for it... Truly.”
“Good for you,” Patty said.
“Yeah,” Candace agreed. “You do not want to mess with a hormonally unbalanced woman.”
“I think she can take you,” Ronnie said.
“Oh, good, soup her up, Ronnie. Soup her up,” Mike said. He laughed and the others joined in. “But, really, Pats, it was an accident. I'm sorry about it, but it was an accident.”
“I know,” Patty told him. “I just had to see you crawl.”
“Hello,” a strikingly beautiful woman said as she hobbled up. She was leaning on a stick. Her black hair was straight and long, hanging well below her shoulders. She was no more than five feet tall. Her face unlined, concealing her age, a smile resting on her full mouth. Her skin a light brown.
“Oh, Jess, you shouldn't be up,” Mike said, turning to her as she walked up.
“I gave myself permission,” Jessie told him.
“Jessie Stone,” Mike said as he turned and looked from Candace to Patty. “Jess, my woman, Candace. And my friend Patty, Ronnie's woman. Ladies, this is Doctor Jessie Stone.”
Sandy over heard the introduction from just a few feet away and hurried over with Susan.
“This is Sandy and her woman Susan. Sandy is our nurse. She's been doing all of our Doctor stuff,” Mike said.
Everyone said their hellos and Jessie turned to Candace.
“I wanted to meet you, Candace. I have heard so much about you. You're a very lucky woman, you know... Your Mike, he saved my life. Truly and completely,” Jessie said.
Candace sensed that several things were being said at the same time. It made her slightly uncomfortable, but she took Jessie’s hand and clasped it in her own. “It's nice to meet you, Jessie. Mike told me all about you,” she said. She was suddenly disconcerted. She felt she had missed something. Something simple, yet serious
Jessie's eyes lifted and settled on Mike for a moment. It was brief, but it told Candace everything she needed to know. This woman had some sort of feelings for her man. Something that obviously wasn't returned, or there would be no need for her to tell her how lucky she was.
She smiled again as Jessie's eyes left Mike and rested on her briefly on their way to Sandy. She would have to ask Mike about it later, because the thing was, he had told her almost nothing at all about Doctor Jessie Stone. And nothing at all about the woman he seemed comfortable calling Jess. She pushed it from her mind.
“Sandy,” Jessie said. “Maybe you could show me around? ... You too Susan, of course.”
“A doctor,” Sandy said. She seemed flustered.
Jessie laughed. “From what I have heard, you are the doctor here. Believe me. I've heard only good things about you, Sandy,” Jessie said. She turned to Susan. “And you. I heard you are learning... Have learned a great deal.” She smiled at the tall, beautiful black woman and Susan smiled back.
“What do you want to see first,” Sandy asked? She was still flustered.
“Well, the golf course first, I guess. I hope it's a good one,” She said dead pan.
Susan laughed aloud and took the smaller woman’s hand in her own. Sandy's face froze between a laugh and surprise.
Jess patted Sandy's arm. “Kidding... I thought you'd expect the golf course joke,” Jessie said. All three of them laughed and Jessie turned back to Candace and Patty, “It was good to meet the two of you,” She said. “Michael.” She nodded at him and then turned and walked slowly away with Sandy and Susan, up the ledge toward the main cave area and the clinic Sandy and Susan had set up.
Patty's eyes slid to Candace. She knew that Candace knew. She missed nothing. Patty widened her eyes slightly and blinked. Candace shrugged her shoulders, just enough to send Patty a 'It will be okay' message. Mike and Ronnie had turned and were looking down into the valley where Bob and Josh were making their way toward the first of the barns, oblivious to the small drama playing out right next to them.
A few feet away, Rain and Alicia stood staring at one another. Alicia was a year older, but smaller than Rain.
“I'm a girl,” Rain told her.
“Well, so am I,” Alicia said.
“I have a little brother,” Rain told her. “Well, he's not my really brother. He's a orphoon.”
Alicia nodded “What's a orphoon?”
“It's a boy nobody wants, I guess,” Rain told her. “But, I'm not for sure.”
“I got a brother too,” Alicia said. “He's my for real brother, but he's really old and he don't like girls at all.” She told her.
“How old,” R
ain asked?
“I don't know,” Alicia said. “A lot.” She looked at her fingers and then held up all ten, fanned out. “Maybe this many... Maybe even more.”
“Wow,” Rain said. “That's crazy! ... We got a school. They teach us to count there and then you can know how many for sure.”
Alicia nodded and then scrunched up her eyes. “You play with dolly’s?”
“Yep,” Rain assured her. “And I got a lot of them too... Wanna see them?”
Alicia smiled. “We could play,” she said.
Rain smiled back, stuck her hand out, and Alicia took it. “Come on,” she said. “I'll show you, only you got to be careful and stay away from the ledge.” She had been pulling Alicia away, but she stopped and looked back at her seriously, still holding her hand. “We could fall down a long way... Auntie Janet said so,” she whispered.
“Okay,” Alicia whispered back. She followed Rain up the ledge, holding her hand as they went, looking respectfully over the rock wall at the long valley below.
THE ZOMBIE PLAGUES BOOK SIX
Published with Smashwords
The Zombie Plagues Book Six is Copyright © 2015 Geo Dell
Additional Copyrights © 2010, 2014, 2015 and 2016 by Wendell Sweet All rights reserved
Frequent Walker Lyrics Copyright © Wendell G. Sweet 2010. Used with permission
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This is a work of fiction. Any names, characters, places or incidents depicted are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual living persons places, situations or events is purely coincidental.
