“We’re just grabbing some things. We mean you no harm!” Tess yelled.
“You see, this store here is ours. I don’t seem to have you on a list to come and take what’s in it,” the man barked.
“I don’t think you’re a rep from Barnes and Noble, so why don’t you and your friend just take off!”
“That’s not going to happen. You must not be from around here, but this town is controlled by James Renfield.”
Tess could see the impossible situation they were in. She didn’t want to have this turn ugly, but she predicted one of the next things the man would demand was the Humvee and the machine gun. If he just allowed her to leave, she would, but if he had further demands, she’d have to take this to another level.
“We don’t know a James Renfield, but we’ll leave. It’s that simple,” Tess answered.
A crooked smile appeared from beneath the man’s thick beard. He cocked his head to his colleague and asked rhetorically, “Just leave, she says. Now, should we just have her and her pretty little friend leave?”
“Nope,” the other man responded, his rifle pointed at Tess.
The whole while this back and forth was happening, Alex was watching from the shadows in the store.
Brianna pivoted the machine gun and aimed it directly at the second man. “This pretty little thing knows how to use this, and I won’t hesitate to push this trigger.”
“Ha, ha.” The man laughed.
“Alex, come out here. We’re leaving,” Tess yelled.
Hearing her, Alex immediately responded and left the safety of the darkened store.
The man watched Alex slowly walk and get in the Humvee. “I know you, boy, don’t I?”
Alex slammed the rear door and didn’t answer.
“I know that boy. We know that boy, don’t we?” the man asked the other.
“Yep.”
“He was with those other kids we ran into over on Topsail. Oh boy, those teenie girls were something else. They’re a bit loosened up now, but wow, that was some ass!” the man yelped.
Anger grew inside Tess; the pressure her finger was applying was becoming greater. What the man mentioned verified Alex’s story. These were the men that had come into the neighborhood and stripped them of their food stocks and taken the teenaged kids.
“Which one was it that you sampled?” the man asked the other.
With that question, Tess was convinced this situation was going to end bloody. She applied more pressure.
The man turned his creepy gaze on her and smiled. His hand slowly migrated to the pistol grip of the AR.
Tess ran the optimal scenario through her head. She’d squeeze off the first few rounds and quickly sidestep, creating a moving target for the man who had his sights on her.
She applied more pressure and was about to squeeze the trigger when her peripheral vision spotted the movement of something to her right.
Out of the alleyway appeared a large white-tailed deer, a buck with eight points.
The deer stopped and looked at them; it was just as startled as they were to see it.
The men looked and were dumbfounded.
That was it, Tess thought, the distraction they needed. She looked at the man, who also realized the opportunity the deer had given them. She squeezed hard, the rifle roared, and a single 5.56mm round exited the barrel. Within an instant it hit the first man squarely in the chest. The impact of the shot forced the man backwards till his body hit the quarter panel of the truck. He looked down at the hole in his chest, looked at her, and then fell to the pavement.
Tess moved just like she envisioned.
The second man took several shots but missed.
Brianna pressed the butter trigger of the .50 caliber. It roared to life; a short volley of rounds blasted out of the long barrel and ripped the second man apart.
Tess advanced on the first man, but Alex had without notice jumped out of the car. He walked up to the first man, who was still alive but squirming in pain on the ground.
“Where’s my sister?” Alex asked, and then kicked the man in the ribs.
The man looked up at Alex. He went to respond, but he coughed up a small pool of blood.
Tess went to sidestep Alex, but the boy stopped her.
“Where’s my sister? You took her. Is she alive?”
“Fuck you!” the man responded, his shaking left hand reaching for a pistol.
“No, fuck you!” Alex screamed, and then shot the man in the face.
Tess jumped, startled by Alex’s lethal response.
Alex looked at the man for a second. He then spit on him and walked back to the Humvee.
Tess didn’t say anything; she was in shock from what had happened. She glanced at Brianna and then back to the dead men. She looked around and knew that the gunfire would draw others. They needed to flee. However, Tess couldn’t leave their car and guns.
“Bri, get behind the wheel. You’re driving the Hummer; I’m taking this,” she said, pointing at the truck. Not wasting another moment, she gathered up the weapons and tossed them in the truck as she climbed in. Taking one last look at the grisly scene, she started the truck, and with Brianna following, she headed back for Topsail Island.
Outside Livermore, Colorado
Travis and Lori had spent the greater part of the early morning packing everything they thought they’d need into the minivan. The rush to leave such a perfect spot tore at them, but Travis could not risk having those men return with far greater numbers. He was confident he could hold them off for a while, but it all depended on the numbers. He knew the road didn’t guarantee safety, but neither did the ranch now.
He pulled up to the end of the long driveway and stopped. He looked both ways, then into the rearview mirror.
Noticing the long pause, Lori asked, “You good?”
His focus still on the mirror, he answered, “Yeah, I just hate leaving the place. It was perfect.”
“It wasn’t that perfect.”
“No, it was. I just wish there was another way.”
“This is it. I need the vaccine, and I couldn’t stay there by myself. This is the best idea. We have to go. It was great for when we needed it. Look, I promise you we’ll find another place, even better.”
Travis just hated having to take her on the road, but she was right. Leaving her there after what had happened last night was not an option. “Okay, let’s do this,” he said and turned the wheel hard to the right. As he began to accelerate to crest a hill, several large trucks came over, heading the opposite way. Were those the men? he asked himself.
Lori craned her head to get a better look and exclaimed, “That’s them, isn’t it?”
Travis put his full weight down on the gas pedal and his eyes on the rearview mirror.
“They’re turning, they’re turning!” Lori cried.
“They’re coming after us?”
“No, they turned down the drive. I saw them turn left down the driveway. It was those guys, and they did have a lot more people coming this time.”
Travis glanced at the rearview mirror, but it was too late, they were over the hill and heading away at over ninety miles per hour. “I guess our timing was impeccable.”
“No doubt.” She sighed.
With that threat literally behind them, they relaxed and enjoyed the ride. Together they watched the rolling hills unfold before them as each mile melted into the next. Their conversation started out discussing the task before them but soon turned personal.
“What does Tess look like?” Lori asked.
“Hot.”
“Hot?”
“Oh, I can describe her, like her hair and wonderful breasts, but all I see is just hot.”
“Wonderful breasts? Guys and breasts.”
“No, really, I think she’s incredibly hot, but it’s much more than her looks. I mean, is she beautiful? Absolutely, but I just love her attitude, her strength, the way she’s attentive. For me, how someone is—you know their personality�
�enhances their looks. Tess was already a solid eight, but who she is makes her a ten to me.”
“I don’t think David would describe me as a ten.”
“He wouldn’t? He’s crazy. You’re definitely a ten.”
Lori blushed when Travis made the comment. She had resisted exploring this before but decided to test the waters by asking a probing question. “Remember when you ask me to sit with you at the cafeteria?”
“Yeah.”
“Why did you do that?”
“I told you before; you looked lonely and kinda lost.”
“Nothing more?”
“More like?” Travis asked, but he knew exactly what she was fishing for. The conversation excited him a bit. He gripped the steering wheel tighter and sat up straighter.
“Were you flirting with me then?”
Travis shot her a glance and smiled.
She hit him on the arm and said, “I knew it, you were.”
“I’m only human, yeah, you’re beautiful. What man wouldn’t?”
Lori held back from honestly answering his question. For her she knew the type of man who would was looking and was not completely settled down. She put her finger in her mouth and bit down ever so gently. Flirtation was in the air, and it didn’t help that she was nearing her second trimester, because for her sexual desire was heightened then. Needing to divert the topic she started, she asked, “How long will it take to get there?”
“All depends, in a perfect world, we can arrive in a couple days, but I don’t think that will happen. We’ll need to refuel in a couple hours, and I want to find a safe place to crash, somewhere off the main road.”
“Makes sense,” she replied, her tone changed. The flirtatious conversation was fun, but now she regretted it and felt guilty. Her thoughts now focused on David and Eric.
Sensing a shift, he asked, “You all right?”
She answered, “Yeah, just thinking about David and Eric. If anything has happened to them, it’s my fault. I put them in that situation. I should’ve known something was wrong.”
“You did.”
Tears began to flow from her eyes.
“Hey, I thought we discussed this before. It doesn’t make sense to beat yourself up.”
“Easier said than done,” she said as she wiped her face.
A loud beep sounded in the car.
“What’s that?”
“Fuel light, but the gauge says we have a quarter tank.” He hit the dash. The force from the impact jarred the gauge, and it floated down to below empty. “Shit.”
“We have a can, right?”
“Yeah, but only five gallons.”
Travis pulled over and quickly poured in the five gallons. He looked around, but there was nothing but rolling plains surrounding them. They thought it best to take small highways and county roads. He remembered that DHS had set up roadblocks and checkpoints on major highways before, and running into them was something he wanted desperately to avoid. The winds chopped and gusted, but thankfully the temperature was moderate. By his calculations he was close to the point he’d begin to head due north, and with a good five hours of daylight left, they’d be halfway by nightfall. Not wanting to waste another minute, he got back in and began the trip again.
“We’ll try to find some fuel at the next town,” he said.
“Okay.”
The fuel light alarm sounded again.
He stared at the light and smacked the dash again, hoping the gauge would read something better than empty. “This is impossible,” he barked and pulled the minivan off the road again. He jumped out to inspect the vehicle; he had a suspicion what it might be.
Lori didn’t like car trouble before, but now it was more than an inconvenience. It could spell death for them. She overheard him cursing; this told her something was terribly wrong.
Travis opened the door. A gust of warm fresh air rushed in. He sat down and slammed the door shut. “Just as I thought. Fuel tank is leaking, rusted and looks like it has a small puncture.”
“Oh no.”
“Now I think I know why they left this piece of shit.”
“What are we going to do?”
Travis started the minivan, put it into gear, and sped off. He looked at her and replied, “Keep driving till we find another vehicle or run out of gas.”
North Topsail Beach, North Carolina
Devin paced the driveway, not saying a word. The conflict Tess and Brianna had just fought frightened him. By the sounds of it, this group sounded eerily similar to Mayor Rivers’ gang back in Reed; he just hoped they weren’t cannibals too. The thought of having to deal with another group of barbarians didn’t thrill him, especially considering it was only the three of them and a bunch of kids.
Tess also told him what Alex had done.
He wasn’t shocked; he’d seen the lethal potential Alex had the minute they met him.
“I know what you’re thinking. I know that walk,” Tess said to Devin.
He looked at her but didn’t answer.
“We can’t leave just yet. They’ll discover their bodies, but there’s nothing that ties them to us. It’s impossible. I’m sure they’ll chalk it up as some random gang violence,” Tess explained.
Devin stopped and asked, “Are you saying that to reassure me or you?”
“You.”
“You’re confident they won’t track you here?”
“They’re not going to know it’s us.”
Devin pointed at the truck and asked, “But you’re not confident they won’t stop by here randomly and see that?”
“Stop panicking. We’ll park it in a garage.”
“Stop panicking? I’m not, I’m just worried!” Devin snapped.
“Get a hold of yourself. We didn’t have a choice!” Tess fired back.
“Both of you, enough! All you ever do is argue with each other. I’m tired of hearing it. Just stop!” Brianna yelled.
Tess and Devin were shocked by her loud and vocal response.
“We don’t argue,” Devin said.
“Yes, you do, all the time! Just kiss her and be done with it,” Brianna fired back.
“What?” Tess asked, her mouth wide open at Brianna’s comment.
“That’s right; I’ve seen the tension between you both since we left Reed. I also see how you two look at one another.”
Tess was flabbergasted, and Devin remained speechless. He looked at Brianna, who was now standing, both feet solidly on the ground, firm in her conviction.
“Now that makes things very awkward,” Devin commented.
“I’ll be right back; I’m going to park the truck. When I get back, let’s begin our discussion on just what we’re going to do,” Tess said and stormed off.
Devin watched her go; he then turned his attention on Brianna, who was staring at him.
He began to think about everything, and Brianna was correct about one thing, at least one thing he was willing to admit to. That being he had become someone who complained all the time. He also had to admit that he and Tess found themselves in constant debate and disagreements. He admitted to himself that it was not only him but her as well. There were countless incidents where she would just start in on him, just for making a reasonable comment. For some reason they had a hard time not having a conversation that didn’t devolve into a fight. He found Tess attractive and had thought of her sexually, but what man didn’t think about sex all the time?
He stepped up to Brianna and said, “I apologize. You’re right about the fact we fight a lot. I’ll do my part to not do it anymore.”
Brianna held her stern look for a brief moment but finally relented and said, “Fine, but trust me on this, she likes you. When the timing is right, give her a kiss.”
Devin’s face turned red as he blushed. He said, “I don’t think I’m going to do that.”
Brianna put her hand on his shoulder and said, “I might only be seventeen, but I know when girls like boys. Believe me, she likes you.” She patted his s
houlder and walked up the stairs and into the condo.
Tess walked up just then and asked, “What’s going on?”
Startled and embarrassed, he said, “Nothing.”
“Hey, she’s right. We need to stop bickering and work together. So for my part, I want to say I’m sorry,” Tess said.
“Me too.”
“I had a chance to look through those medical books. I believe my amateur diagnosis might be right.”
“That’s good, so what do we do?”
“Bad news is nothing but provide comfort. I think we should continue to give her antibiotics just in case, but we have to let the tetanus just run its course.”
“We can’t find the vaccine and give it to her?” Devin asked.
“Too late for that. We’ll give her fluids, IV if we have to, and monitor and make her comfortable.”
“Can she travel?”
“I think we’ll be fine here till she gets a bit better. I don’t know if she’ll travel well. She needs rest.”
Devin wasn’t happy with staying, especially after the confrontation earlier today, but there wasn’t any security on the road. In fact, the road was more dangerous. He nodded and said, “Let’s bunker in, then.”
“I want to move the other kids out of that shit hole they’re in.”
“There’s not enough space.”
“Yes, there is; some of us will sleep in the garage. I’ll take Alex with me, and we’ll grab every blanket, pillow, and sleeping bag we can find. I need you to dig two more latrines in the front yard, put up some poles, and hang tarps for privacy.”
Devin took mental notes of his responsibilities.
Alex came down and said, “What can I do?”
“You’re coming with me,” Tess said.
As she entered each house along her old street, a surreal feeling came over her. She tried to explain away the feeling, but it was hard to process. For the first time since the outbreak she felt like she was breaking into houses. She had known the people who owned these houses; they were her neighbors, her friends. Before now it seemed like she was living in a nightmare. Everything she had encountered was outside her past experiences and knowledge. Now she was immersed in a world she was intimately familiar with, but it was destroyed, it was dead. She had first experienced this feeling when they had driven across the bridge to the island; then it struck her when she first saw her street and then at her house. Now going in and out of her neighbors’ houses brought it out of her again.
The Death Trilogy (Book 2): The Death: Eradicate Page 6
