"I don't know," Todd said. "What should we do about this one?"
"If it were a bear or a cougar or a fox, I would say leave it alone. Let it be. But it isn't anything natural. I think we should destroy it so it can't hurt any other unsuspecting person."
Mike looked around. "That reminds me. Where is Ricky?"
"He stayed in the truck. Said his head hurt."
Mike nodded. "I'm sure it does." He looked over at the truck. Ricky was watching through the rear passenger window. Mike waved at the boy.
Ricky opened the truck door. "Yes, Scouter Mike?"
"Ricky, could you bring me the axe, please?"
"Sure thing." The boy hopped out of the truck, winced a little at the impact, and ran around to the back. He opened the canopy and grabbed the axe.
He ran the axe over to Mike. "Here you go Scouter...Hey! What is that thing doing now?"
The undead had changed directions once again. As Ricky took the axe to Mike, it turned away from them and moved toward the field on the other side of the ditch. It climbed up the slimy slope and encountered the barbed wire fence. The thing pushed at the wire as if unaware of it.
Mike watched, his mouth hanging open a little. He held the axe, forgotten in his right hand.
The creature struggled against the wire, showing no emotion on its ravaged face. It got snagged on some of the barbs and fought harder.
Mike remembered that Ricky was standing beside him. "Ricky, why don't you go back into the truck? I can take care of this."
"Sure thing, Scouter Mike. My head still hurts. I think I'll go cover my head for a while so the light doesn't hurt my eyes so much."
Ricky trudged back to the truck. As he did so, the undead creature stopped fighting with the fence and turned back toward the ditch. The fence creaked as it pulled away, leaving large gobbets of flesh behind.
The creature re-entered the water and continued its journey toward town. As it left the Scouts behind, it angled until it was back on the road.
Mike looked down at the axe. Should he follow it and dispatch it or get away while the going was good?
He looked over to Steve and Shaun. "You're all done with that wheel, right?"
"Just tightening the lugs. Give me another minute," Shaun said without looking.
That was enough time to rid the world of another monster. Mike followed the creature, the axe held ready.
For the first few steps, the creature paid no attention to Mike whatsoever. Then it stopped and raised its head, moving it back and forth for a moment.
Mike gripped his axe and raised it to strike the creature. When it spun around to face him, he was caught flat-footed. He took a step back in surprise and tripped, falling heavily to the ground.
The creature reached down to grab Mike almost before he had hit the ground. Mike desperately scrabbled back, crablike, from the monster. It kept coming for him.
Mike tried to twist and get up, but the loose gravel skittered under his feet and he fell again. The creature kept inexorably coming.
Mike tried crawling out of danger, the sharp pieces of rock cutting into his hands and knees. He looked wildly around but no one seemed to be paying attention. “Guys, help!”
“Coming, Scouter Mike,” a voice called. It sounded like Ricky, but Mike couldn’t be sure. He concentrated on scrambling for safety, his hands and knees now bleeding.
Sweat was starting to blind Mike and his muscles were cramping. But he didn’t stop. The idea of the shambling horror behind him kept him going.
“You can stop, Scouter Mike,” Ricky said, his voice coming from right beside Mike.
Mike looked up, blinking at the boy. “Huh? What?”
“The creature has turned around again. It’s going back toward town.”
That didn’t make any sense. Mike sat down and wiped the sweat from his eyes. Sure enough, the monster had turned around and was once again moving away from the vehicles and down the road.
“When did it start doing that?” Mike asked.
Ricky shrugged. “I was running toward you to help and it just stopped. If I didn’t know better, I would say it was confused. It turned around and moved away.”
“How close was it to me?” Mike asked.
“It was actually reaching for you. I think it could have caught you. Then it stopped,” Ricky said.
That made even less sense. Mike wished he could ask someone what the heck was going on.
Shaun appeared from the back of a vehicle. “Mike, what happened to you?”
“Bloody creature almost got me!” Mike said.
“Did it sneak up?”
“No. I went to take care of it.” Mike shook his head. “Those things can really move fast. Caught me by surprise.”
“Who was backing you up?”
“I didn’t think I needed anyone,” Mike said. He looked down at his lacerated hands. “I guess I should know better. Maybe practise what I preach.”
Shaun slapped him on the back. “Someone was watching over you. That thing doesn’t seem too interested now.”
“Yeah. And I can’t help but wonder why,” Mike said.
***
Peter stood and watched Scouter Mike’s close call with the creature. It had never occurred to him to step in to help. It was just something interesting to see.
When Ricky approached and the creature wandered off, the fun was over. Peter looked the opposite way up the highway and noticed another of the undead approaching. It was just below the crest of the hill and Peter could only see its head.
“I can do better than Scouter Mike. I won’t make the mistake of underestimating those things,” Peter muttered under his breath.
He grabbed a stick from the side of the road and made his way toward the creature. It was time to show everyone how killing the creatures was supposed to be done.
He was only a few metres from the undead thing when he heard yelling behind him.
“Peter! What do you think you’re doing?” It was Scouter Shaun.
Peter ignored the Scouter. Shaun didn’t know what he was doing. That much was clear. Once Peter was done with this thing, everyone would follow him. That was the only thing that made sense.
Peter and the creature hit the top of the hill about the same time. Sometime in the last few steps it had noticed Peter and was coming directly for him. That was fine with Peter. He lifted his stick to strike the undead monster.
The first blow was low; on the right arm. The impact almost jarred the stick out of Peter’s hand. The creature reached out for Peter and he danced around it, watching its hands. The boy gripped the stick again and struck the undead thing once more, this time near its knees.
CIt stumbled and almost fell. Peter felt a surge of excitement. He’d show them. He would show them all how to destroy the creatures the right way.
He followed that blow with a third. The creature fell to the road that time. It immediately started to get up.
Peter ignored more yells from the Scouters. He stood over the creature and looked up to grin at his fellow Scouts. He took a moment to savour the feeling of victory, waiting for everyone to notice him.
Scouter Shaun was running toward him, shouting something unimportant. The Scouts were all watching, their mouths hanging open.
Finally, Peter would get the recognition he deserved.
He raised the stick just as a moan sounded behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see three more of the undead almost on top of him. Where the heck had they come from? The one at his feet was reaching for him. There was nowhere to go.
Peter started swinging the stick at the three new monsters, ignoring the closest creature. He hit one, knocking it back a step, and was about to whack the next one when he felt teeth close on the calf of his left leg. He looked dumbly down it gnawed through his pants.
The pain of the bite broke through his shock and Peter screamed.
***
“What are we going to do?” Shaun asked Mike and Steve. “We can’t risk the other
boys by bringing Peter along; there just isn’t room in the vehicles to keep him away from them.”
Steve shook his head. “I’m still trying to figure out what the heck that kid was thinking.”
“Peter has always been an odd kid,” Mike said. “We should have been watching him more closely. But, we didn’t and now it’s too late. So, what do we do with him?”
“He hasn’t changed yet,” Steve said. “We can’t just leave him here in case nothing happens and we can’t take him for the opposite reason. Logic dictates that we stay here and see.”
“As much as I agree with you,” Mike said, “I don’t like just sitting here. This highway is too exposed and there is an entire town behind us teeming with undead.”
“But the creatures are avoiding us,” Shaun said. “It doesn’t make any sense, but they are going around instead of coming for us.”
“True enough,” Steve said. “I think we should keep the Scouts in the vehicles - all of them except Peter – and be ready to leave if it gets too hairy here. We wait for at least three hours to see if anything happens to Peter. If, after that time, nothing has happened, we put him in the back of your truck, Mike, and move on. If not…well, we can decide then.”
Chapter 17
The undead threat was not getting any better the closer the Scouts got to Calgary. If anything, it was getting worse; more people meant more possible undead.
To date, the troop hadn’t seen a single live person.
Peter had undergone the change after only an hour. He had wandered off to join several other undead shortly after that. None of the Scouters wanted to destroy the undead boy and had let him go.
“So, what do we do next?” Shaun asked.
Mike shrugged. “How is your fuel level?”
“I’m still above three-quarters of a tank,” Shaun said.
“Me too,” Steve said. “I’m good to drive for several more hours before I need to start worrying.”
“Okay. That gives us more than enough to get to the city. What about food?”
“Lots,” Steve said. “We got everything we will need for a few weeks at the farm. You know that.”
“Yes, I know,” Mike said with a sigh. “I’m just trying to cover all of my bases. I have this terrible feeling that it will be something small that kills us.”
“I know what you mean,” Steve said. “I’ve been thinking that we should just find somewhere safe to hole up. Forget the city entirely.”
“You’re suggesting that we abandon our families?” Shaun asked, his right eyebrow raised.
“I think it’s time for us to be realistic,” Steve said. “We haven’t seen a single living person since we left camp. Our families could be dead by now like all the rest.”
“Or they could still be alive, waiting for us to come rescue them,” Mike said. “You have to admit, we haven’t really spent any time searching for living people. We’ve only seen the dead as we have travelled.”
“That’s true, I suppose,” Steve said. “But why should we expect it to be any different anywhere else? We have been in and around several homes. They were empty of life just like everywhere else we have seen.”
Mike shook his head. “That may be true, but I refuse to believe that we are the only people still alive. There have to be other survivors out there. Why couldn’t some of them be our families?”
“So, what do you suggest we do?” Shaun asked. “We have already lost several of the boys, not to mention two leaders. Every time we go through a town or a city, we risk losing more.”
“I was thinking about that,” Mike said. “We need somewhere that is fenced, with buildings and maybe food.”
“Like a prison?” Shaun asked.
“Something like that,” Mike said. “The problem with a prison is, all the ones around here are inhabited. Most likely, they have the outbreak of walking dead like everywhere else.”
“You can’t just assume that,” Shaun said.
“Why can’t I?” Mike replied. “At this point, I’m considering our continued survival. Besides, I don’t know that I would be willing to leave the boys in a prison. Even if it was safe, what would conditions be like there? I want to keep them alive, sure. But I don’t want them physically or emotionally traumatized in the process.”
“Then where?” Steve asked.
“I don’t know,” Mike admitted. “An abandoned military base would be ideal, but there aren’t any of those around here.”
“Scouter Mike?” Ricky’s voice came from behind the men. “I’m sorry, Scouter Mike, but I’ve been listening to you talk. I know where we could go.”
The men turned to face the boy. “Where, Ricky?” Mike asked.
“What about Citaview Park?” the boy said.
“Citaview Park?” Mike said.
“Yeah, you know. The amusement park that is just outside of the city. It has a fence all around it and there are offices and other buildings there too.”
“What about people?” Scouter Steve asked.
“That’s the best part!” Ricky exclaimed. “The park closed when school started. There shouldn’t be anyone there.”
“You know, that’s not a bad idea,” Mike said. “They even have a trout pond and candy store there. I don’t know if they will have been cleaned out or not, but in case they haven’t, there are two other possible sources of food.”
Steve put his hand on Ricky’s shoulder. “That’s an excellent idea, Ricky. If you get any more, please come see us right away.”
Ricky grinned. “Sure thing.” He went running over to some of the other Scouts, no doubt to tell them about his contribution.
“Sounds like we have a destination,” Steve said.
Mike shook his head. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of that. It really is a perfect solution. It’s relatively close to the city, there are a number of RV dealerships across the road that will have supplies we can use and there’s also an airport nearby.”
“Don’t forget, just down the highway from the park is a truck stop,” Shaun added. “When we need fuel for the vehicles, that will certainly be handy.”
“True enough,” Mike said. He looked at his fellow leaders. “So, it’s agreed? We will take the Scouts to Citaview Park? If things look good enough, we can leave them there while we decide what to do next. Personally, I want to go into Calgary to check on my family.”
“I think that it’s the best plan we have,” Steve said. “Shaun, do you have any other ideas?”
Shaun shook his head. “No. I’ve got nothing to add. It is a good choice and gives us some options for what we do next. Assuming it isn’t overrun, of course.”
“There is that,” Mike said. “Let’s just keep our fingers crossed that the place is empty like we hope it is. If not, the RV dealerships have fenced yards to store the trailers in. We could leave the boys in one of those as our backup plan.”
“Good idea,” Steve said. He looked at Mike and Shaun. “Well, if there isn’t anything else, we should probably get going. Daylight is wasting.”
Chapter 18
The Scout convoy continued down the highway, now with a plan and a destination in mind. Ricky had quickly spread the word of his idea to go to Citaview Park and there was an almost celebratory atmosphere in each of the vehicles. The amusement park was a popular summer destination that most of the boys had gone to many times. They all had their own fond memories of various trips and the stories flew back and forth between the Scouts as they travelled.
As they drove, they encountered occasional dead wandering aimlessly down the highway. Mike was still in the front and, as they neared, the walkers moved out of his way.
Mike didn’t even try to run them down. His family’s safety was all he could think. His worries grew as they got closer to the city. Would he find them alive and waiting for rescue when he finally found them? Would he find them at all?
“Dad?”
“Hmm?” Mike shook his head and looked over at his son. “Sorry, what was
that, Kyle?”
“I asked what you would have from the candy shop if there’s still stuff in it.”
Mike smiled at the boy. “I hadn’t really thought about it, Kyle. I’m sure I’ll find something,” Mike said.
“What were you thinking about, Dad?” Kyle asked.
“Nothing much,” Mike said.
“Yeah, right,” Kyle said. “That’s why you didn’t hear anything I said. I know that look on your face, Dad. You are worried about Mom and Diana.”
Mike nodded. “You’re right, Kyle. I am worried about your mom and sister. I wonder if they are all right. I wonder if the dead walk around our house. I wonder a lot of things.”
Kyle bowed his head. “I wonder about that too.” His eyes were shining when he looked up again. “They are both smart and tough. They’ll be okay.” Then under his breath he murmured, “I hope.”
“All we can do is hope and pray, son,” Mike said. “Knowing your mother, the dead are probably on the run trying to get away from her.”
Kyle smiled. “Yeah! I can just see Mom chasing some dead guy down the street.”
“What do you think? Axe or my katana?”
Kyle considered that question. “Neither. I think she would use a two-by-four.”
The two shared a laugh and the tightness in Mike’s chest momentarily released. Kyle was right. His mother was a very capable person. She would have seen something strange was happening and taken steps to protect herself and Diana.
He tried to focus on the stories the boys were telling each other. It wouldn’t do to be too self-absorbed. They would sense it and worry themselves. Mike smiled when he realized the story Kyle had just launched was one where the two of them had tried to set the record for most consecutive times on the log ride. It had been a cold May afternoon. By the time they had finished neither of them could feel their fingers or toes.
Yup, good times!
The main highway was coming up. Mike gripped the steering wheel, hoping to see other vehicles for the first time. He watched for the truck stop to become visible as he came up to the overpass.
The highway was visible first. There weren’t any vehicles on it that he could see. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing though.
Scouts of the Apocalypse: Zombie Plague Page 10
