"Head's up," Cheryl said as he stood ten feet from David and put her weapon away.
A police cruiser pulled into the parking lot and parked behind the Raptor, blocking it in. The two men looked nervous but the leader was smiling. He crossed his arms and leaned on the Raptor as the officer got out of his cruiser.
He was an older man wearing mirrored sunglasses but he didn't even look at David or Cheryl. He walked right up to the leader and slowly took off his shades. "Is this your $50,000 truck, Bubba?" The cop looked at the Raptor and took a step back. "I'd say you paid another twenty grand in extras."
David didn't know where this was going, but being detained by the police was not on the agenda. "Thirty grand, actually."
The police officer chuckled and put a hand on the leader's arm, yanking him off the truck. "Where did I tell you to be?"
The kid was no longer smiling. He looked at his shuffling feet and his buddies took a few steps back. "Home."
"Excuse me?"
The kid, no longer looking like much of a leader, lifted his head but didn't meet the officer's glare. "Home, sir. With mom, helping her pack."
The officer turned to his two friends. "You two need to get home, too. There's a lot of trouble coming along without you starting any, especially stuff you can't finish. Do you understand me?"
The three boys nodded and turned, running off.
"I'm sorry about my boy. He's, well… he's an idiot," the officer said and smiled at David just as another convoy of military vehicles came into view.
"Not a problem, sir," David said.
"Are you coming from Iowa?"
David nodded.
The cop rubbed his eyes. "How bad is it?"
"It will be gone soon unless all these troops stop them. We've been running south," David said. "As fast as we can. This was our first real stop in a long time. Food and fuel."
The officer looked at Cheryl's bags. "They make some great pancakes here." He looked up and met Cheryl's stare. "I'm going to assume you have a permit for the Kimber 45?"
Cheryl nodded. "Good eye."
David said nothing more. He knew if he babbled the cop would think something was up, and he didn't know where this conversation was headed. Was he going to let them go, or bust their balls for awhile and show off his authority? David didn't want problems, especially so close to the front line.
"How far south you headed?" the officer asked David.
"Florida."
The officer nodded and seemed to be thinking as he watched the last of the military trucks barrel past the diner.
Cheryl casually walked to the Raptor with the food and opened the passenger side.
The cop turned to Cheryl and smiled. "You don't want good food like that going bad, ma'am. I'd eat it while it's hot." He turned to David and stared at him. "Have you seen them?"
David didn't know what to say at first, the question unexpected and direct. "Yes, we have."
"Like a horror movie?"
David nodded.
"My wife doesn't believe me and neither does my son, who you just met. They think I'm panicking for nothing and we'll leave our house and someone will ransack it by the time we return."
"Our house in Minnesota is gone," David said. "I'm sure, by now, there isn't much to ransack."
"I'm supposed to stay on duty as long as the Chief says we're needed ready. He thinks we'll be shut down in twelve hours when the mayor sees all the overtime we're generating, though. My gut tells me to run south like you," the officer said.
"It might be the only way to keep your family safe." David smiled but it wasn't warm. He wanted to get on the road. He wanted to eat his food before it went cold. He glanced at the Raptor and Cheryl was standing outside with her Styrofoam tray on her seat, picking at her food. She smiled at him and shoved another bite of French toast into her mouth.
"Where in Florida do you think is safe?"
David studied the man. Besides the police uniform, he was also a normal guy who genuinely wanted to save his family, but he was torn by duty. David could understand where he was coming from. "We're headed to St. Augustine."
"What have you heard about it? Are they making it safe? Closing the city?"
David shook his head. "To be honest, we left in a hurry. We've been dodging zombies and militia since Minnesota. This is the first time we've encountered normal people. So we're just trying to keep ahead of the enemy."
"And I'm holding you up," the cop said and smiled. He put his hand out. "I'm George Barnes. I'm hoping to meet you in St. Augustine, Florida in a few days."
David shook the officer's hand. "David Monsour and my wife Cheryl. We got separated from a family of four. The Everson family. If they head this way with Iowa plates, can you let them know where we're headed?"
"Lots of Iowa plates just over the border, but I swear, if I do run into the Everson group, I will pass along the message. I'd get out of here but don't break any speeding laws when you do. Got it?"
David smiled and watched Officer Barnes walk away before opening the driver's side door and joining Cheryl in their breakfast feast.
Chapter Fifteen
"We'll need gas again soon," Cheryl said. "And I need something to drink."
"I still have the whiskey."
"Funny. Save that for tonight." Cheryl looked out the window.
David was getting sick of being in the truck but wasn't tired of the normalcy all around them. Town after small town they'd seen nothing but people going about their business. The further south and east they drove the more he thought the last few days had been a nightmare and they were simply going on vacation.
The couple had driven into Illinois. They were going to turn due south at the next major highway and head into southern Indiana, and then Kentucky. If all went as planned, they could be in Florida within a day. But, so far, not much had been as planned.
"I say we use the credit cards as much as possible from now on. Pull the cash out of the ATM and start to buy items we can use to trade in the future," David said.
"Like cigarettes, batteries and beer?"
David nodded. "Technology is going to come crashing down around us. And the bills in our pocket won't be worth the paper they're printed on. We need to stay ahead of the collapse."
"Do you really think it will all go so far into hell we'll never recover?" Cheryl asked with a hitch in her voice.
David glanced at his wife. "God, I hope not. I'd love to get to Florida and find out the attack is over and we won. The military we keep passing is able to contain it. All is right in the world. Our homeowner's insurance covers all the damage our house might have incurred. The safe haven in Canada is intact, so we spend a few months in the woods while the house is rebuilt. Our parents are all safe. The Everson family is safe."
"But we're playing worst-case scenario today," Cheryl said and stared back out the window. "This is what we need to do. Everyone we love is dead and everything we own is now in the backseat of the Raptor."
"I don't like it when you put it that way," David admitted. He pulled into a gas station in front of a pump. "You pumping or bathroom break?"
"I'll pump. Stretch my legs for a bit. But don't buy anything without me," Cheryl said.
David nodded and went inside the gas station to find the restroom.
A soldier in fatigues was standing near the counter and he looked lost, a younger guy with his buzz cut starting to grow in and facial hair. He nodded at David as he passed and David returned it, realizing he probably thought David was also in the military.
By the time David was done in the restroom and came back outside, he saw the man talking to Cheryl, and she was relaxed. That was always a good thing. They shared many signals and her hand on her hip close to a hidden weapon was always an easy sign to read. But she was leaning against the Raptor and smiling.
“Honey, this is Scotty. He’s heading to North Carolina. He was at boot camp in Great Lakes when this started,” Cheryl said as David approached.
The two men shook hands.
“We’re not heading out to North Carolina. We’re going south, which I’m sure my wife has told you already.” David’s alarms weren’t going off with the guy. He wasn’t looking away or acting odd. He just looked tired and hungry.
“Sir, if you can take me as far east as you’re going, I’d be grateful. I’ll try to hitch a ride from there or see if the buses are still running to the coast. I just need to get as far away from Illinois as I can and get home to see my parents.”
“Have you spoken with them?” Cheryl asked.
Scotty shook his head. “I don’t have a cell phone. I tried calling from a pay phone but the line was down. I’m not sure if the Carolinas are already under siege.”
“You can ride with us until we get to Tennessee. Then try to get a ride due east to North Carolina,” David said after his wife gave him a subtle nod. “But we’re definitely heading to Florida. You’re welcome to join us if you find… if you need to. I won’t jeopardize our safety, either. Is that understood?”
Scotty nodded at both of them.
“Are you hungry?” Cheryl asked.
Scotty smiled. “I haven’t eaten anything since mess hall. And that was a couple of days ago.”
“I guess we’ll feast on gas station food for now and look for something with better nutritional value on the road. Like some burgers,” David said. “You two get us something to eat. I’m going to listen to the radio reports and check the GPS before we move.”
“Anything special you want?” Cheryl asked.
“Yes. Every Oreo cookie they have and a Snickers bar.” David wasn’t surprised when he climbed into the driver’s seat of the Raptor just as another convoy of military trucks rolled by. These were National Guard. And twice as many as he’d seen before.
A woman at the next gas pump was busy yelling at her children in the backseat to be quiet and trying to get her cell phone to work, all the while pumping gas. When she caught David staring at her, she gave a half-smile.
“Phones are out,” David said. “I’m thinking they hit a power grid or took out a tower, which doesn’t seem likely.”
She stared at him for a second before shaking the phone. “I think the battery is dead. I forgot to charge it.”
David laughed. “Could be that, too. Have a good day. I hope you head south.”
She nodded and looked like she was going to turn away before stopping. “Is it true?”
“Is what true?” David asked, but he knew what she was asking about. He wanted to hear her version. “What have you heard?”
“The graveyards are opening up and the dead are… alive. And eating people. Ripping out their intestines. The moaning so loud it paralyzes you,” she said slowly.
David shook his head. “The dead are walking, but they aren’t from the grave as far as I can tell. It is some type of virus passed from one to you by the bite.” He declined to tell her about the sexual drive of the monsters. It looked like she was already on the edge. “They don’t make a sound, either. No moaning. And as far as I can tell, they don’t go after your intestines. But they are real. I’ve seen them. That is why I’m heading south.”
“Where will you go?”
“St. Augustine in Florida,” David said.
“Is it safe there?”
David shrugged. “I don’t know yet. From what we can gather, everything south and east of where we are is safe for now. But the zombies are slowly moving south. I’m hoping at some point a front line is secured and we can be safe below it.”
“Did you go AWOL?” she asked.
David smiled and shook his head. “I’m not currently in the military. I’m just one of those crazy prepper people you see on TV. The ones everyone laughs at. Except now I have the weapons and supplies to survive. I’d head home as quickly as you can, pack the car with food and water and get those kids to safety.”
“I have family in Texas. Maybe I can head to them,” she said, no longer looking at David. He could see she was beginning to panic as the reality of the situation began to sink in.
“Good luck,” David said just as Cheryl and Scotty opened the doors to the Raptor and climbed in.
Cheryl put three plastic bags on the floor and smiled. “I literally bought you every pack of Oreo cookies I could find. I hope you’re happy.”
David turned his head to see Scotty going to town on a sandwich. “You hungry, kid?”
Scotty nodded between bites.
“They’re watching it on TV inside. Thousands of zombies marching across Iowa right now,” Cheryl said. “Maybe tens of thousands. It’s hard to gauge what’s real and what’s media bullshit. They keep talking about it being contained in certain cities and I heard the newscaster say the government would use any means possible to stop it, short of nukes.”
“They mentioned nukes?” David asked. “That can’t be good. Even mentioning those means it’s been brought up.”
Cheryl nodded. “They’ll blow Middle America into Hell.”
David started the truck and pulled out of the gas station, the woman still trying to get her cell phone to work.
Chapter Sixteen
Cheryl scanned the police bands and the radio for news, frustrated when she came across idle chatter about a speeder or country music instead of hard facts about what was going on in the northernmost portions of the country. “This is getting ridiculous.”
“What?” David asked. It had begun to drizzle and he turned the intermittent wipers on before reaching for another Oreo from the mostly-empty bag.
“No news.”
“No news is good news,” Scotty said from the backseat. “I’m just glad everything is normal right now.”
“You sure you don’t want to keep heading south with us?” Cheryl asked Scotty. In the few hours he’d ridden with them, she’d grown to like him. He was young and still a bit shell-shocked over his run from boot camp, but once he’d settled in and had some food and drink he was coming around.
“I need to get back to my family and see if North Carolina is still in one piece.”
“I get it. I wish I could find some real information, like how far this has spread and what highways to stay away from.” Cheryl kept hitting the search on the radio until she finally found someone talking and not playing music.
The radio was obviously a television feed, because of all the background noises and rapport between two announcers, a male and a female. It was from a local Tennessee station, and the news was grim.
“Oh, God,” Cheryl said when she heard them describing the flood of refugees heading south through the northeast and the southeast. The main highways were clogged with abandoned cars and so many people on foot it was slow going. Cheryl turned to Scotty. “Turn the TV on back there.”
David pulled into a fast food restaurant parking lot and followed Cheryl into the back of the Raptor.
On the small television screen, they could see chaos, video footage of hordes of walking dead moving like ants, swarming everything in their path.
“That’s Nashville,” Cheryl said. She looked at her husband. “We just left there. How did they get so close to us, as fast as they are moving?”
David pointed at the screen. “The planes coming in. The buses. Mass transit. We’re on the move and carrying the infected with us to remote parts of the country. This is spreading quicker than slow-moving undead. It’s already jumped behind the front lines, too.”
A newsflash from Memphis showed zombies at Graceland.
The Atlanta airport was overrun with them.
St. Louis. Houston. Greenville.
Scotty sighed and closed his eyes, sitting between them. “This isn’t happening.”
“We need to move before we’re overtaken,” David said. But he didn’t get back in the driver’s seat, staring at the news unfolding.
Cheryl wanted to scream. A map of Tennessee and the northernmost parts of Alabama and Georgia came up on the screen, showing angry red slashes on every major highway. The newsc
aster was talking about the influx of people heading south in such numbers it had closed roads and clogged bridges and packed people into major cities, where the undead were beginning to catch up. And add to their ranks.
“They are suddenly only miles from us,” Scotty said without opening his eyes. “Why can’t we outrun such slow creatures?”
“Because they have the luxury of putting one foot in front of the other and turning anything in their path into another killing machine. While we stick to speed limits and winding roads, they come south like a plague of locust. They don’t need to sleep, they don’t get tired, and they don’t feel anything but a hunger.” David got back into the driver’s seat. “Forget the law. I’m going to drive us out of here.”
“Do we even worry about the GPS?” Cheryl asked. “There doesn’t seem to be any open routes for us. Maybe if we found a place to hide…”
“There’s nowhere to hide from them. Hell, they’re pulling down entire buildings in their crushing numbers. A city like Nashville has a population somewhere around a million and a half residents, all about to become monsters heading south. How many others follow in their wake? Millions and millions. From Canada down. This isn’t being contained. This is anarchy,” David said. “The only thing we can do is keep running and hope we can get some distance between us and them again. Regroup and figure out a game plan.”
Cheryl nodded. “Scotty, I think you need to grab a backpack and put together a bug-out bag.”
“A what?”
“Fill a backpack with water, food, a First Aid kit, and weapons and ammo. If we get stopped at any point, the Raptor runs out of gas, or the road is blocked, we’ll have to go on foot. We already have two backpacks each to carry. You need to put at least one together. I would go for two, actually. And pass the food you don’t pack up front. I think we need to take inventory of what we have,” Cheryl said.
Dying Days: Origins 2 Page 7
