Rick had served with pride and honor, but there had come a time when leaving felt more right than staying. With honorable discharge papers in hand he tried to leave the battle where he found it, but it had followed him home, as it does with all soldiers.
Rick returned to Hannibal, took a factory job and kept his head down. He had few personal relationships, preferring to keep to himself. Romance was difficult for him, getting that close to anyone meant letting them in. He knew what was inside him, the horrors of war and leftovers of combat life. He did not like looking at those parts of himself, letting someone else see them terrified him.
Allen Tanner was the first person since returning home that he developed a close friendship with. Despite Rick’s efforts to keep him at arm’s length, Allen was persistent in his offers to join him for a beer or come to barbeques. Rick gave in, and over time they bonded, becoming good friends. Slowly, Rick became a part of a family.
Tyler and Trish would never want for anything as long as he could provide it. He would keep them safe and care for them as if they were his own children. He owed that much and more to Allen and Mary, who invited him not just into their home, but into their family.
“Hey Rick, you want to get in on this conversation?”
Rick had not been following the talk around the campfire, and Jack pulled him out of silent contemplation into the conversation.
“Uh, yeah, what are we talking about?”
“Were you sleeping with your eyes open again?” Jack asked. “We’re talking about long term living arrangements.”
“Tam was right that we needed to get out here, on the river, when she first suggested it,” Sam said, “but this won’t do for the long term. Winter will be coming soon, staying out here for that will be a death sentence just as much as if we had stayed in town.”
“So what are our options, or do we even have any at the moment?” Rick asked.
“Well, not many options,” Jimmy answered, “especially if we want to stay close to the river. Which I think we should, by the way. Saverton is obviously right there across the river, on down there’s the Ted Shanks conservation area. Ted Shanks’ has that headquarters building, but it sits right out in the open. Lots of land out there, farmable and a lot of hunting land too. It just depends on how far we want to go and what we want to be there when we show up.”
“I don’t think we’re in a hurry here, not like when we left Hannibal. We have more than a few days to figure this out.” Gordy looked around the fire, engaging everyone. “We know winter is on its way, we also know that staying out here on this river during the cold simply won’t cut it.
“For me personally, I don’t think we should travel too much. Finding a place close, maybe buried in the woods with a few buildings, would be ideal. We have the know-how and manpower to make something defensible, we just need the right place.”
“So, you’re saying you want Camp Oko Tipi, which we could probably hit with a rock from here.”
Gordy gave Mike a puzzled look for a moment before it dawned on him what he was talking about. “You mean that kid’s camp, off Saverton road? I had forgotten about that place.”
“It’s not really a kid’s camp, more like a family camp. You could rent the place out for a day or a week, take your families there. Place had a ball-field, pool, a bunch of little cabins spread out all over. Lisa and I have taken the kids on a few hayrides out there; Jimmy’s been out with us before.”
“Oh, I remember,” Tamara said, “we talked about renting it for a weekend sometime. Get a bunch of us to go in on it together so it would be a lot less expensive. We all liked it out there quite a bit, didn’t we Jimmy?”
Jimmy nodded his head, thinking for a moment before answering. “Yeah, we did like it. The hayrides were fun. There were little propane tanks out there at the cabins, as well as the larger meeting hall place. The entire place is almost completely surrounded by deep woods.”
Jimmy went quite, losing himself in thought while everyone kept talking around him. He thought that they might be able to make it work at that Camp. It was close, housing already available, and with a little work they should be able to defend it fairly easily.
“I think we should go check it out, just a few of us. See if anyone else has moved in, or if we can even defend the place. Probably wouldn’t hurt to start scouting out Saverton anyway.”
“Yeah, I agree,” Gordy said. “Saverton is small, probably less than one hundred people, so scouting it now might be a good idea. We can decide on who’s going over tomorrow morning, I’m going to get some sleep.”
Slowly the camp quieted as people went to their tents. Restless children dozed fitfully, their dreams plagued by unseen things. Parents held them close, hoping to calm the sleeping fears that haunted their little ones. Many of the group would not sleep until exhaustion took them.
Chapter 3
The camp woke early and easily. No matter how tired people were, everyone was always up with the dawn. The last people to stand guard had started a fresh pot of coffee just before daylight, so that the earliest to creep from their tents had a cup waiting for them.
Once everyone was awake, with a cup of coffee in them, the group gathered around the fire to decide on who was going across the river to Saverton and Camp Oko Tipi for the initial scouting mission.
Mike and Jack were both staying at the camp, since they had stood final guard duty that night. Calvin wanted to complete the platform at the other end of the island, and had asked his sister Anna to help.
It was decided that Jimmy, Gordy, Rick, and Sam would go over, until Lisa said, “Oh bullshit. Why is it always the men that go?”
Mike looked hard at his wife, shaking his head. “Don’t start on this, Lisa. It has nothing to do with being sexist, and you know it.”
“No, I don’t know it. Every time a group of people have to go somewhere it’s always the men. You can’t tell me that isn’t being sexist.” She looked at Gordy, as if demanding an explanation from him.
“It’s not sexist in any way, Lisa. It has to do with skill and training, nothing more.”
“I’ve spent nearly as much time at the range as Mike, and most of you. I can out-shoot half of you.”
Gordy took a breath before speaking, “Sam spent three years in the Sheriff’s department, and four more years on the Hannibal Police force. Rick is ex-military, with combat experience. Jimmy is ex-military, though he never saw combat. Dean is skilled in martial arts as well as firearms. Your husband has run through countless drills with us, as has Dean. I’m telling you it has nothing to do with being a woman, Lisa.”
Lisa glared back at Gordy, then at her husband. Just as she opened her mouth to continue arguing Mike said, “Let her go.”
Everyone looked at him, not sure if he was serious or not.
“Everyone has to handle surviving in this crapped out world now, so she might as well go.” Mike looked at his friends, “If one of you doesn’t mind staying back that is.”
After a brief moment of silence, Sam said he would stay back so Lisa could go. He was not going admit that he did not like it, that he felt that women should be back at the camp while the men did the dirty work. He knew it was an old-fashioned notion, but he couldn’t help it. Was he being chivalrous letting her go in his place or was he trying to force chivalry on the females of the group by thinking that their place was at the hearth while the men hunted and gathered? He gave up thinking about it; it was giving him a headache.
“Thanks, Sam. Babe, you better gear up. Don’t want to be late for the boat.”
Lisa looked at her husband, glad that he wasn’t arguing with her about this. She wanted to go, wanted to prove that she was just as effective and important as the men. Not to the group, but to herself.
Mike looked back at his wife, holding her eyes while he spoke over his shoulder, “Hey Jimmy, don’t let my wife get bit. That’s my job.”
“Your job is what, to let her get bit or to do the biting?” Jimmy was smiling h
ugely as he said it.
Mike glanced at his closest friend, grinning back at him. “Jimmy, you’re a bit of a dick, you know that?”
“So I’ve been told.”
The scouting party dispersed, each gathering the gear they would take, including the daypack they always carried when more than a few feet from camp. It was a suggestion that had quickly become a hard and fast rule. Your daypack went everywhere you did, no matter what. Each kit held: water, food, small handgun, ammunition, knife, and a fire starter. This was the most basic kit; everyone carried one, including the children though their kits did not have the handgun.
Everyone met down by the boats, and goodbyes were quick. Lisa had slung a SOG Kukri over her back, like a short sword. She wore her Kel-Tech 9mm on her right hip, and a hunting knife on her left. She carried Mike’s suppressed DPMS Oracle on a one-point sling.
The jon-boat they would take across the river was pushed out and ready. The scouting party climbed aboard and waved to those watching from the shore. It took Jimmy a few good pulls on the starter rope to get the motor to cough into uneasy life. He easily turned the boat towards the river, leaving those on the island behind.
Chapter 4
From their inlet to the tiny jut of land where they intended to put ashore was just under half a mile. It wasn’t long before they had the boat tied up, and were following a small creek that let into the Mississippi. A two minute walk from the boat brought them to the railroad tracks that ran alongside the river.
Just a few steps past the tracks and the group stood on Saverton Drive, which ran just over a mile from State Highway “E” to Okotipi Drive. They could see a house to the south, partially shielded by a few trees and a couple of run down sheds. They were headed north up Saverton Drive, to Okotipi Drive.
As they were on foot, the group intended to check out the camp only, on this trip. They would venture further out, into Saverton, once it was decided that the group would move to Camp Oko Tipi.
The group had not gone far along the road when Jimmy spoke up, “Hey, let’s cut across this yard. Don’t see a reason why we have to follow the road, and we get there faster.”
The shortcut was across a large expanse of lawn leading up to a large beautiful house. The light green painted house was set back from the corner where Okotipi and Saverton Drives met.
“You guys want to check the house. Hate to leave something nasty behind us.”
“Sure Rick, sounds like a good idea. We go slow, make sure there’s nothing that could bite us in the ass later,” Gordy said.
Leading the way, Gordy was just a few steps from the front porch when he heard, “Stop right there. No one move or you’ll end up with a bad case of lead-belly.”
Everyone looked up to see an old man, Rick guessed him to be in his mid-seventies, standing behind a window with the barrel of a large shotgun poking out of the open window directly at the group. They were standing close enough together that one blast from the gun could hit at least two of them.
As soon as Rick saw the shotgun he began to slowly sidestep to his right, in the direction of Okotipi Drive. He wanted to make it harder for the old man to get all of them in one or two shots.
“Uh uh boy, move back over here by your damn thieving friends. I may be old, but I’m not blind, yet.” Rick watched the barrel as it followed him until he was standing next to Gordy.
“You folks turn yourselves around and get on outta here. I don’t have anything left but for myself and my wife and I’m damn sure not going to let some thieving bastards take it from us.”
Gordy stepped forward, stopping abruptly when he saw the gun jerk in his direction. “Sir, my name is Gordon Fletcher; these are my friends Lisa Phillips, Jimmy Mitchell, and Rick Tillerman. We aren’t out here to steal from you or anyone else. We came to look for someplace safe to stay, before winter comes.”
“Well you can’t stay here, so go on.”
“Sir, if you’ll let me explain, we wanted to see if anyone was staying up at the Camp. We thought that we might spend the winter there.”
“No one’s up there, I’ve run everybody off that’s come back here. Just the same as I intend to do with you.”
Just then they heard a crashing from inside the house. The noise was muffled, but noticeable. “Sir, is everything ok? Do you need help?” Gordy asked.
“No I don’t need your help. And no, everything’s not ok. The dead walk! World’s went crazy and dead people are up walking around. My wife probably dropped a jar of pickles in the basement. Now you get the hell outta here or I’ll shoot you were you stand.” He jerked the barrel at them, punctuating his statement.
Gordy took a breath and said, “No, we aren’t just going to turn around and leave. I have families, children that need safety and security. We are going to keep walking right on up to that camp, right past your house. If you want to shoot us in the back, then I suppose that’s what you’ll have to do.”
Gordy sucked in another breath and began walking around the side of the porch, away from the old man with the shotgun. The others slowly began to follow.
“Now, gawd-dammit, what the hell…” the old man came out the front door, shotgun raised, “you think you’re doing boy. I told you I’d shoot you.”
Gordy and the others kept walking, though Lisa glanced back over her shoulder afraid of a dose of buckshot in the back. She happened to catch the man’s eye for just a moment, then she turned around and followed her friends.
“Wait!” The old man nearly shouted. “Wait, please!”
Gordy stopped at the “please”, the sound of exhaustion and desperation suddenly very apparent in the man’s voice. He turned back to look, saw the old man looking shrunken, almost too frail to hold the shotgun which now dangled at his side.
“Please wait, I…” The old man hung his head, unable to find the words he needed.
Gordy led the group back to the foot of the steps, and stood there quietly waiting for the old man to speak.
“Come on up here, have a sit.” Weary, but wary, the old man sat down heavily in a sun-faded glide-rocker porch swing, shotgun across his lap.
“Listen folks, I’m sorry to be so unkind, but I can’t take a chance on people anymore. Damn ugly world got a lot uglier. You guys want to go up to the camp, you go right ahead, I won’t get in your way.”
“Sir, we appreciate that,” Lisa said, “we have no intention of causing you any trouble.”
“Enough with the ‘sir’ call me Jonathan. My wife Martha is,” he hesitated a moment, a sad look troubling his face, “is in the house.”
“Please tell me your last name is Kent,” Jimmy said, a huge smile on his face. Lisa smacked him on the arm, while Gordy and Rick both glared at him.
“Even during the apocalypse you’re bound to find one joker,” Jonathan looked at Jimmy for a moment, then gave him a small grin. “Last name’s Cambrey and I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that or something like it in fifty-four years of marriage. Today, it’s not so bad, though.”
“Sorry, Mr. Cambrey, our friend Jimmy here is a great guy, but he can be a bit of a…” Gordy trailed off, leaving the word unsaid.
“Think nothing of it. We all need a chuckle in the midst of this hell we seem to have found ourselves in.”
They heard another crash from inside the house, this time louder.
Gordy stood up from the top step where he had been sitting. “Mr. Cambrey, is something wrong? Is your wife ok in there?”
Jonathan looked at Gordy and the others sitting on his porch, weighing each person in turn. When he felt he had their measure he said, “Folks, that’s my wife making that racket in the basement.” He hung his head for a moment, resigning himself to what he was about to tell these strangers. His voice hitched, a weak sob building in his chest. “She’s one of them, one of those dead things.”
Chapter 5
“We went into town the day after the power went out. Martha has a newer car, only a few years old, and it wouldn’
t start so we took my old Dodge.
“Just driving through Saverton we could tell things weren’t right. People running around, gunshots, some folks just wandering in the street. Didn’t really know what to make of it, just knew that with the sickness and then the power going out we needed to go get some things and find out what was going on.
“I usually take my time going into town, what with these curvy damn roads out here. That day I speed it up a bit, felt a little extra speed was warranted, considering the state of things. We didn’t see hardly anyone else out, no more than a few vehicles and one beat-to-hell old motor home.
“Coming over the hill on 79 you could see a good ways into town. I could see smoke rising from a bunch of different places, looked like half the town was burning. I wanted to turn back right then, but Martha insisted we go on.
“We had plenty of food here at the house, what with everything we have canned in the basement. And I can still shoot well enough to bag the occasional squirrel. I told Martha as much, said there wasn’t anything we needed that was so important that we had to drive through this mess for it. Besides, I was inclined to think that maybe shopping at the grocery store was a bad idea.
“I told her that we would be fine, and when things calmed down we could come back to town and get what we needed then. She looked at me for a moment, and I could tell what she was thinking right then. She was thinking ‘What if it doesn’t calm down.’ I’m fairly certain of that, as I was thinking the same thing.
“About this time we pulled up to the stoplight at Third and Broadway, stopped even though the light was dead. Checked both ways, saw some fella leaning against the lightpost, checked again, as I always do.
“No sooner than I turned my head Martha says my name. I turn back to her and this fella who was leaning there was stepping toward the truck, he looked something terrible. Like he’d been beat six ways to Sunday with a big stick. He reaches both arms out to us, and I’m thinking that maybe he needs help.
American Revenant (Book 2): Settlers and Sorrow Page 2
