“Yeah, we get the odd one every few days on the west side in that small clearing at the head of the draw. I’ll bet they are using the same trail we do when we’re checking the south ridgeline. The easiest slope to get around the draw is under the ridge line then they just follow the path of least resistance to the small west clearing. We know the path they are taking on the other side of the draw before they get to the stream. I bet we can put up obstacles to turn them away from us,” Lance explained.
As Lance drove through the woods, Ian looked around thinking and finally nodded. “Okay, you are making a very valid point, but that just means we have more shit to do,” Ian huffed.
Reaching up and grabbing his PTT (Push to talk) box, “Allie, have you seen the tigers?” Lance asked.
“Yes, they ran past camera twenty-four when you drove out,” she called back.
Ian looked over at Lance with a grin. “They were running away from us,” Ian chuckled.
“Kitties need to play nice,” Lance grunted, passing the powerhouse and heading up the draw. Stopping outside the small clearing, they climbed off and Dino jumped out panting. Pulling the four stinkers that the tigers had torn apart in a pile, they lit it up and climbed back in.
“Okay, you have me sold,” Ian said as Lance turned around. When Lance didn’t answer, Ian looked over and saw Lance was in deep thought. “Brother, get your mind here. When you think of diabolical shit, you have a one-track mind.”
“I have a cool idea for a trap,” Lance said in awe. “I need to try a few things, but I’m sure it will work.”
Glancing back at Dino and seeing him panting and just looking around, Ian nodded before turning back around. “Get your head in the game and when we get back to the cabin, knock yourself out. I’ll help Lilly and Jennifer cut boards.”
“Open the gate,” Lance called over the radio.
“Waiting on you,” Jennifer called back.
“Man, she is so awesome, it should be a crime,” Ian said with a grin.
Lance chuckled, turning the buggy toward the cabin. “Well, don’t run off the next time she tries to kiss you,” Lance grinned.
“Lance, I’ve never kissed a girl for real,” Ian cried out. “I don’t know if I’m doing it right. I’ve just been copying her, but what if I’m supposed to do something different? Those skin flicks don’t really show much on kissing.”
“Well, you damn sure aren’t practicing on me,” Lance snorted.
Pulling onto the dirt track, Lance pulled over the rise and saw Jennifer opening the outer gate with Lilly covering her. “How can Lilly walk around without falling on her face? Her hooters have to weigh like ten pounds apiece,” Lance mumbled.
“Worst comes to worst, we can use her bra as a slingshot for boulders,” Ian snickered.
Driving through the gate, Lance stopped as Jennifer closed the outer and Lilly the inner gate. When they climbed in, Lance sped around the cabin pulling up to the shop. Jumping out, Lance ran to the back wall and opened it up.
“Ian, what is he doing? I’m not sure I like his excitement,” Jennifer asked, getting off.
“Ideas on traps he wants to try out,” Ian answered, climbing out. “Let me change and I’ll come out and help with the sawmill. I told Lance to work on his project.”
Walking over, Jennifer stood on her toes and kissed Ian on the cheek. “Okay, but check and see if the ladybugs need a break,” Jennifer said as Ian blushed. Nodding, Ian spun around and darted to the cabin.
“Wonder what Lance is going to work on?” Lilly asked, moving into the shop to the sawmill.
“Lilly, you know those deeds they did?” Jennifer asked walking in with her and Lilly nodded. “The part that excited them the most was they didn’t have to worry about getting in trouble if they killed someone.”
“Whoa,” Lilly gasped, hanging up her AR. “Glad they are on our side.”
Chapter Four
After supper, everyone was on the sectional with a laptop, studying. They more or less had to drag Lance inside from the shop, but he finally came in. “Holy shit!” Lance cried out and everyone looked over at him.
“What?” Jennifer said.
“The blue pins on the gang’s map, they are rally points to meet up at,” Lance said, looking up.
Leaning over and looking at Lance’s laptop, “What are you reading?” Ian asked.
“What I downloaded off Bone’s computer,” Lance answered. “We got the others right. Red is a place that has supplies they want. Silver are ambush points. Yellow are storage sites. White are listed as friends.”
“I knew it!” Jennifer cried out, pumping her fist.
Since Jennifer had explained the map downstairs, Lilly didn’t feel totally lost. “So, how does that help us?” Lilly asked.
“Oh it doesn’t, but now we know,” Lance said, staring at his laptop again. “And we were right. Only Bones had all the locations, and he also had the largest stockpile of weapons and ammo outside of the school they are holding up at in Pineville.”
Hearing the tone in Lance’s voice, Ian sat up. “Lance, we drove by there four days ago and stinkers were everywhere.”
“Yeah, I have several transmissions recorded that the Devil Lords have gone by there, but Boss won’t let them shoot at the house afraid it will blow up,” Lance replied.
“They have more than we do, so we aren’t going to get that stuff,” Ian said, sitting back.
Grabbing a notebook, Lance started making notes. “Bones has an inventory of what’s there and if we don’t get it, we are burning the house down,” Lance responded.
“Why don’t you just print the list?” Ian sighed.
“I already did. Bones has notes on the command structure of the Devil Lords, along with bios,” Lance told him.
Closing his laptop, Ian rolled his head on his shoulders, popping his neck and preparing for the argument. “Lance, we burn that place down and the explosion will be heard from a long way off. I don’t really want more stinkers around here,” Ian pointed out, setting his laptop on the coffee table.
“What if we can think of a way to lead the stinkers off?” Lance asked, looking over at Ian.
“Oh, so when the little dicks come back and see the place empty, they start looking around hard for who did it?” Ian answered, throwing up his hands.
Lilly looked from Lance to Ian. “Well, if we emptied it, then we could burn it down,” Lilly offered.
Slowly, Ian turned to Lilly. “Did Jennifer show you the video of what was there?” Ian asked and Lilly shook her head. “It would take us months to move that shit here.”
“Ian, we don’t have to bring it here. Well, not right away. We could just hide it in the woods around the house and every time we scout the area, stop and load up a trailer full to bring back,” Lance offered.
Reaching over, Jennifer grabbed Ian’s hand. “Ian, if we don’t get it, we need to destroy it,” Jennifer said softly.
“Guys, there is shit like that all over the place,” Ian cried out.
“Yes, but we know where a pile is that’s very close and could be used against us,” Lance reasoned.
Giving a long sigh, “What have the little dicks been up to anyway?” Ian asked, feeling tired.
“Not much besides killing stinkers. Seems all their riding around and making noise has led a bunch back,” Lance said.
“Maybe the stinkers will get rid of them,” Ian offered, then turned to Jennifer. “How long would it take you to empty that stuff?”
“Jennifer can’t even pick up some of that crap,” Lance snapped and Ian whipped his head around to glare at Lance.
“But we can and she knows how to pack shit!” Ian shouted, then turned back to Jennifer.
“How long each day and how far are we moving it?” Jennifer asked, pinching her bottom lip.
Looking up as he thought, “Eight hours a day and no further than two hundred yards,” Ian finally answered.
“Four days,” Jennifer answered and Ian dropped his eyes
to his lap.
“Ian, Lilly and Jennifer can swap out each day to come with us. That way, someone is on guard while we work,” Lance offered.
“We can help,” Allie said and Carrie nodded.
With a serious expression, Lance looked at the two sitting beside him. “Ladybugs, I told you, not on patrols outside the draw until you’re ready.”
Looking back down at her laptop, “Okay,” Allie mumbled.
“Man, we are never going to get caught up!” Ian cried out.
Thinking about that, Lance nodded. “I don’t see us getting caught up until late fall, but I’m sure by then we’ll find other stuff we need to do,” Lance admitted, making Ian slump over in defeat.
“Having a man card sucks,” Ian groaned. Lilly took a breath to speak, but Jennifer looked over and glared at her hard, so Lilly kept her mouth shut. “Let’s start tomorrow.”
“We can use that radio with the remote control to pull the group away,” Lance said and Ian barely nodded as he got up.
“I’m going to bed,” Ian sighed, bending down and giving Jennifer a hug. Walking past Lance, Ian held out a fist and Lance bumped it. Rubbing Allie and Carrie’s heads, Ian headed to the bedroom.
“Why is Ian sad?” Allie asked.
Reaching over, Lance patted her leg. “Because we have a lot of work to do to keep everyone here safe,” Lance said with a smile. Getting up, Lance turned to Lilly and Jennifer, “Do whatever girls do to see who comes with us tomorrow,” he told them and then headed to the bedroom with Ian.
When Lance shut the door, Lilly leaned over to Jennifer. “I was just going to say, they don’t have to do it all,” Lilly whispered.
“Lilly, you’ve seen how little they sleep and how much they do. I can’t go with that amount of sleep and no matter what, they won’t slow down. They are going to do as much as they can to make this place safe because that’s who they are. It has nothing to do with the man card,” Jennifer said, closing her laptop.
Feeling exhausted, Lilly looked over at George and Judy lying beside Dino. “So, they’ve always been like this?” Lilly asked.
“Moving at hyper speed? Yes, but before this, they were doing sports and other activities. Now, they are protecting us. Because they don’t want to lose anyone else and neither do I. I’ll do as much and learn as much as I can, but I’m not ashamed to say, I won’t be able to equal them,” Jennifer admitted with no shame as she got up.
Closing her laptop, Lilly stood up. “Come on, ladybugs. We have busy days ahead,” Lilly said, holding out her hands.
Chapter Five
May 12
Laying on a ridgeline with binoculars to his eyes, Johnathan scanned the road running through the valley below. The tree-covered mountains slowly gave way to brush-covered mountains and hills. Now just fifty miles north of Reno, scrub brush was all they could see. “Mary, do you understand now why we won’t use a vehicle?” Johnathan asked an hour after a car had sped down the small blacktop on the valley floor. Stinkers were still heading north after the long gone car.
That was the third car they had seen moving, and the only one that had gotten away. The other two cars had run into groups of stinkers ahead of them. Watching from a distance, they’d watched the stinkers bash into the cars, pulling people out.
Adjusting her baseball cap, “Johnathan, I admitted I was wrong the last two times,” Mary said, watching the stinkers file below them. All four were wearing camouflaged ball caps they had taken from the store. Even after a month, Mary and Sandy were still getting used to them.
“Let’s pull back to the gully and rest,” Bill said as Johnathan passed him the binoculars. “We will have a full moon tonight and I say we use it to travel all night.”
“Sounds good to me, we can cook those rabbits you two shot this morning,” Sandy said.
“You want to cook with stinkers that close?” Mary asked.
Jerking her head, Sandy looked at Mary with a pained expression. “Shit, didn’t think of that,” she moaned.
“We can use the tinfoil and wrap them up and bury them with some heat tabs,” Johnathan said. “That road is seven hundred feet below and half a mile away, so I doubt they would smell that.”
Looking to the south with the binoculars, Bill saw several black columns of smoke in the distance. “With all the smoke from Reno, I’m sure they can’t smell it because I can’t smell the stinkers,” Bill said, lowering the binoculars.
Crawling back off the ridgeline one at a time, so they wouldn’t skyline or attract attention, Johnathan led them to a small ravine where they had stashed the bikes. The dirt road they had taken was right beside the ravine and ‘road’ was a very loose term. Johnathan was leaning more toward ‘abandoned coyote trail’.
Looking around at the scrub brush that covered the area as far as the eye could see, Sandy sat down. “I want the trees back,” she huffed.
“If we see any isolated structures, we need to check them for food,” Bill said.
Leaning back beside Sandy, Johnathan nodded. “Yeah, living off meat and a few plants we scrounge up takes a lot of time.”
“I can’t believe we haven’t seen more people,” Sandy noted.
“I would be just as happy not to,” Johnathan replied dryly.
Glancing over at Johnathan, “I know that but I mean, I was just expecting to see more people,” Sandy sighed.
“This hit worldwide and fast, honey. There was never any chance we could have contained it,” Johnathan said. “I feel the figures are about right, seventy to eighty percent of mankind are now stinkers. By the end of summer, I figure only five percent of mankind will still be alive.”
Sandy pushed up and started preparing some food. “I’ll start food, Johnathan, will you go keep watch?” she asked as Mary moved over to help.
Getting to his feet, Johnathan grabbed his recurve bow and stepped over to kiss Sandy. Moving to the tip of the ravine, Johnathan sat down and noticed Bill coming up. “I’ll take the top half of the compass, you take the lower,” Bill said, sitting down and facing north and Johnathan turned to face south.
Glancing down at the wives at the bottom of the small ravine, Johnathan watched over his shoulder, “Still can’t believe we made it out of California without shooting the guns,” he mumbled.
“Have to say the bows are excellent, but I don’t like getting that close. Twenty yards may seem like a good distance till you have a stinker coming at you with its mouth open. I would like to shoot their asses from a hundred yards away,” Bill admitted, pulling his sunglasses off and cleaning them on his shirt.
Turning back south and giving a grunt, “I would feel better shooting them at the curvature of the earth,” Johnathan added. “But after watching that one car getting swarmed when they opened fire, it really increased the pucker factor on using guns.”
“My ass chewed a hole in my underwear,” Bill said with a serious voice, trying not to shiver. “If you shoot a gun, you have to move fast. I’m willing to bet even suppressed you’d have to move fast.”
Nodding as he lifted the binoculars, “Any unnatural sound draws them in. They seem to be able to triangulate better than we can,” Johnathan said, scanning.
“Hell, I never knew car tires made that much noise just going down the road,” Bill scoffed, lifting his own binoculars. “Yeah, I’ve put up noise barriers beside highways but with the world so quiet, tires make a lot of noise.”
Lowering the binoculars and putting the lens caps back on, Johnathan gave a sigh. “I’m almost certain that if you kept your speed at thirty miles an hour in a newer car, stinkers wouldn’t hear you until you were on top of them.”
“Johnathan,” Bill mumbled with a sigh. “We were in the backcountry and saw groups of over a hundred just moving along. Hell, I bet we’ve killed over two hundred with the bows.”
“One hundred and seventy-six,” Johnathan said. “I think if we would’ve been using guns that number would be triple.”
Impressed, Bill gave a slight n
od. “Helps when you can reuse your ammo,” he sighed. “We only have like a thousand rounds of .22, twenty-five 12ga, three hundred 5.56, and a hundred .40 cal. Think we should risk going closer to a town to get more ammo?”
“No, we couldn’t carry enough ammo on a semi trailer to shoot our way home,” Johnathan said. “Our best chance is to sneak home avoiding stinkers and humans when at all possible.”
“Yeah,” Bill moaned. “That’s what I think too, but I was just hoping you could argue me wrong. We’ve lost so much time going around groups of stinkers and we haven’t even gotten to the populated areas yet.”
“Bill,” Johnathan said in a low voice, glancing down the ravine at the wives twenty yards away. “What do you think about moving at night while we are in Nevada? It’s arid as hell now and it’s only the middle of May. Moving under the sun, we are using twice the water I thought we would.”
Stroking his beard as he thought, “I like it,” Bill replied. “We can see more than good enough to move around. Stinkers may move more at night, but I swear we can see better than they can.”
“Oh, we can, but their sense of smell is reportedly three times better than ours is,” Johnathan said.
Glancing around, “How the hell they can smell anything with the funk coming off of them is a miracle,” Bill mumbled. “Water is heavy as hell to be pedaling on a bike.”
“What do you think the wives will think?” Johnathan asked, lifting his binoculars back up.
“To be honest,” Bill said, lifting his own binoculars. “As long as we are moving east, they won’t give a shit. That would actually be better because we could hunt in the mornings when we stopped and in the afternoon before we left. The days we take off can actually be for rest.”
“Didn’t think of that,” Johnathan mumbled while looking southwest. “Got three stinkers half a mile away,” Johnathan said, zooming in.
Turning around, Bill scanned southwest. “Got ‘em,” he said. “Doesn’t look like they are heading for us.”
“No, they are following that ridge. I swear they act just like water, flowing along the easiest path,” Johnathan said as Bill turned back around.
Forsaken World (Book 3): Rite of Passage Page 4
