Safe Zone

by Chesla, Gary

  Lisa was wearing pair of denim coveralls, work boots and green ball cap.

  As Doug and Lisa got into the van through the side sliding door. Lisa asked smiling. “How’s my outfit look?”

  “Perfect!” Megan answered and smiled back at Lisa.

  “Oh, by the way. Here are the clothes you lent me yesterday.” Lisa said holding up a bulging paper bag with the cuff of the jeans sticking out the top.

  “Just put the bag in the back behind you. Megan can change into them later.” Shaun laughed.

  “Oh come on. So I got slimed a few times. How long are you going to keep reminding me?” Megan complained.

  “A few times? How many times have you come home smelly?” Shaun asked.

  “I don’t know?” Megan answered sheepishly.

  “I don’t know either. I left my calculator at home.” Shaun smiled.

  “You’re lucky you made me hot oatmeal this morning.” Megan smiled.

  “OK. Let’s everyone promise not to tease Meg today. No matter how smelly she gets.” Shaun laughed.

  “OK, get serious now. You’ve had your fun. Anybody else? Get it out of your system.” Megan looked at everyone. “Good, time to focus.”

  Megan looked at Shaun and smiled at him as she shook her head.

  They drove down to Fourth Avenue and turned left, retracing their steps from yesterday.

  Soon they were driving down Route 217.

  There were none of the dead in sight.

  “This looks much better than yesterday.” Shaun said.

  “This is what it normally looks like down here.” Megan said. “I hope they are all somewhere else today so we can get our water.”

  They all sat quietly as Shaun veered left, staying on Route 217 as they now were on the leg of the road that led to Kingston Dam. When they arrived at the spot where Shaun had parked the van yesterday, he pulled further along the road, then backed the van down behind the trees.

  “In case we have to get out of here fast, I wanted to be facing out today.” Shaun said before getting out of the van.

  When they were all out of the van, Shaun led them over to the back of the van and opened the back doors. He started to pass out the metal pipes he brought today.

  “I wanted to be prepared today. These will work better than the branches we used yesterday. I broke my branch over the second dead I clubbed yesterday. Thankfully it’s head wasn’t too hard.” Shaun said. “We should probably carry these wherever we go for the next few weeks. With as many of those things we have been seeing lately, we don’t want to hope there will be a club lying around when we need one.”

  Lisa started swinging her pipe from side to side.

  “Just carry it by your side. Don’t swing it around.” Megan said looking at Lisa. “The extra motion and the swishing sound will attract those things. Just keep it at your side until you need it, OK?”

  “OK.” Lisa answered. “Thanks.”

  Shaun locked up the van and look around the area. “Let’s get started. Keep your fingers crossed that the rest of the day goes as smooth as it has gone so far.”

  Shaun took Megan’s hand and they started back down through the woods.

  They arrived behind the trees at the knoll and followed Shaun as he started crawling under the brush to look down at the dam.

  Shaun and Megan were staring down over the edge of the hill when Doug and Lisa crawled up next to them.

  They stared at the dam, seeing what Shaun and Megan had been staring at.

  Down near the dam, an old Toyota Corolla was pulled in the grass between Route 217, the bridge and the breast of the dam. Attached to the back of the Corolla, was a twenty foot egg shaped camping trailer.

  A half dozen people crowded around the open hood of the Corolla. The door to the camping trailer hung open. The driver’s door on the Corolla hung open. There appeared to be someone in the passenger’s seat. The back seat of the car appeared to be filled with kids who were pressing their faces against the window glass trying to see the dam.

  “What do you make of that?” Megan asked Shaun.

  “I don’t know. Their car obviously must have stopped running. The camping trailer is too big for that little car to be towing.” Shaun answered.

  “What do you think they are doing out here?” Megan asked. “Besides their car breaking down, why are they here?”

  “I don’t think they are out looking for food or stuff, not all of them with a trailer and kids.” Shaun continued. “I think they were heading somewhere and just broke down. I don’t think they were specifically coming out to the dam.”

  “Think we should try to help them?” Doug asked.

  “I don’t know. They look harmless enough with those kids and all. But you never know.” Shaun wondered out loud.

  “What do we do? Think we should go down and try to fill our water jugs?” Lisa asked.

  “Not yet. Let’s just watch them for a few minutes and see what they do and how they act. If they seem to be normal people, maybe we can try to go down and talk with them.

  Let’s see if they start fighting with each other, or if the stay calm and act decent. Sometimes those scum gangs will set up something like this as a trap to lure other people in close so they can trap them. Can you see how many women and kids are down there?” Shaun asked.

  “Why do you want to know how many women are down there?” Lisa asked.

  “If there are a lot of women, normal looking women and not motorcycle mama types, the groups are usually more peaceful normal people You can usually talk with them. But if the group is all men, or a combination of men and rough looking women, it’s best to stay away from them. “Megan answered.

  “And you and Megan never try to talk to any group of people unless Doug and I are with you. Even then, it is best that you stay hidden and just let us do the talking.” Shaun added.

  Megan looked at Lisa. “Most of the guys out there now have girls on their list of items to find, right behind gas and cigarettes. With that long blond hair of yours, you might be higher on their list, even above the gas.”

  “Oh!” Lisa looked startled.

  “If we let any strangers see us before we know they are safe, not only are we putting ourselves in danger, we put the guys in danger too. It’s just the way it is now days out there.” Megan grinned. “Equality and women’s rights don’t exist anymore. So no matter how much smarter you and I are than Shaun and Doug, you have to let them do all the talking and we stay out of sight. Got It!”

  “OK.” Lisa swallowed as she stared at Megan.

  “But we are still the boss when we get them home. Right Shaun?” Megan smiled.

  “Yes dear!” Shaun laughed.

  “Oh Oh!” Doug said.

  “What’s wrong?” Shaun looked at Doug.

  “Coming across the bridge, there are about twenty of them.” Doug said excitedly.

  Shaun quickly looked over at the bridge. Twenty of the staggering dead were coming across the bridge heading for the people around the car.

  “Those people don’t see them.” Megan said. “We have to warn them.”

  Shaun studied the small horde crossing the bridge. “Do you see anything else anywhere?”

  They all looked out over the area. There didn’t appear to be anyone else around.

  “You guys stay down.” Shaun said.

  “You’re not going down there?” Megan asked looking up quickly at Shaun.

  “No. I’m just going to go out on the ledge and yell down at them. All the rest of you stay hidden behind the brush.” Shaun answered.

  “OK.” Megan answered.

  Shaun stepped out on the edge of the ledge and started yelling and waving his arms.

  After a minute one of the people around the cars spotted him. The man got the attention of the others and began to point up at Shaun.

  Shaun stopped waving his arms and began to point towards the bridge. One of the people turned and looked towards the bridge, then started frantically grabbing the o
thers and pointing at the approaching horde. After running around aimlessly for a moment, one man hopped in the car and shut the door. The others ran back and got in the camping trailer and pulled the door shut.

  Shaun quickly went back in the brush and laid on the ground next to Megan.

  “Shit. That was the last thing they should have done. Now they’re trapped.” Shaun said.

  “What should they have done?” Lisa asked.

  “One of them should have lured the horde away from the group, while the rest of them went somewhere else. Then the guy could have circled back to meet back up with everyone.” Shaun answered slamming his hand on the ground.

  “Won’t they be safe in the car and trailer?” Lisa asked.

  “Not for long. If they could drive the car they could drive away, but those things will eventually break out the windows and get at them.” Megan said quietly.

  “Shaun. Can we help them? There are kids in the car!” Megan pleaded.

  “Count how many of those things are coming off the bridge.” Shaun ordered.

  Everyone started to count.

  “I count twenty-two.” Megan said.

  “I got twenty-three.” Doug said.

  “OK, low twenties.” Shaun said. “I think we can do it. But this is how we are going to do it.”

  “But!” Lisa started to say.

  “Not now, Lisa.” Megan ordered. “Listen to Shaun and be quiet.”

  Lisa shut up and stared at Shaun.

  “We are going to try and help them, but only if we can do it without putting ourselves in danger. All of us are more important to our survival then anyone down there. Because we are people and they are people, we will try to help them if we can.” Shaun stared at them all. “Running down over the hill would be the fastest route, but if a gang or a whole lot more of those things showed up before we got down there, we would all be screwed. We aren’t going to take that chance. It is too risky to our group. We are going to follow the woods around the field and come out down by the dam next to their car. Then we will go out to try and help. If we see anyone else show up before we get there, we stay in the woods, turn around and get back up here. Everyone understand?”

  No one said anything, but nodded silently.

  “Follow me.” Shaun said and began to lead the group along the edge of the clearing, careful to stay back in the trees and out of sight.

  Every few minutes, Shaun walked close to the clearing to see how close the horde was getting to the car and trailer.

  About halfway down, Shaun stuck his head around the brush. “Shit!”

  The others looked around the brush to see the horde surrounding the vehicles. They began groaning loudly as they pounded on the sides of the car and trailer.

  They could see the people in the car crowding into the center of the car. They were terrified. They could hear the kids in the back seat, screaming at the top of their lungs.

  “Come on!” Shaun instructed as he ducked back into the edge of the trees and continued down towards the dam.

  As they reached the end of the woods near the dam, they peered through the trees to see what was happening now.

  They all cringed at what they saw. The door to the trailer had given way and was lying on the ground alongside the unit. The dead were mobbing the doorway to get inside.

  They could hear screaming coming from inside the trailer. The screaming soon stopped and the dead started to come out of the trailer chewing on and carrying various bloody body parts.

  Another group was still pounding on the Corolla. The car windows had held so far, but there was a big crack in the windshield from the left top corner to the bottom right side of the glass. It wouldn’t hold much longer.

  Shaun turned to face the group. “Meg, Doug and I will spread out about ten feet apart and go first. These things are slow, but dangerous as hell. Hit them in the head and move on to the next one. If you can’t hit them in the head, hit them in the legs. Their brittle bones will break and they will fall down. Lisa, you follow us. Any of those things that are moving around on the ground, hit them over the head.

  Everyone, move around. Don’t let them get around you. Keep them in front of you. There are only twenty of them. We can do this fast. If you think you are in trouble, yell out. If you hear someone yelling, go help them right away.

  Meg you’re on my left, Doug on my right. Lisa, stay behind us and in the middle. Now let’s go!” Shaun ordered as he turned and started out into the clearing between him and the little Corolla.

  Shaun moved out front confidently. He glanced at Megan to his left and saw her normal determined look. He glanced to the right and saw Doug moving slowly with fear showing on his face. He quickly glanced behind him to see tears running down Lisa’s face.

  Shaun approached the Corolla. One of the dead noticed his movement and turned to look in his direction. It began to move in his direction as Shaun hit it across the head, dropping it to the ground. Shaun started running around the car, slamming his pole down on a half dozen of the thing’s heads.

  He stopped and looked around. The area around the Corolla was clear. Megan, Doug and Lisa were standing there looking at him.

  “You didn’t save any for us.” Megan shouted.

  “There are plenty more behind the trailer, let’s go.” Shaun yelled.

  “Between the three of them, it only took a few minutes to eliminate the dozen or so that were on top of the flesh scattered across the ground by the trailer, in a feeding frenzy. They were too occupied with the fresh flesh to pay Shaun and his group much attention and were quickly silenced.

  Shaun stood back and looked at all the now unmoving dead. He looked around the area and across the bridge to make sure no one else was coming.

  Then he walked over to the Corolla and looked at the cowering people inside.

  Megan and Lisa came and stood by his side. The sight of the two girls seemed to ease the fear of the people in the car.

  “We’re here to help.” Shaun said.

  The people stared out the window, but didn’t make any effort to move or get out of the car.

  “We are here to help. If you don’t want any more of our help, we will leave. We won’t hurt you.” Shaun said again.

  When no one moved, Shaun looked at his group. “Let’s go. There’s nothing else we’re needed for here.”

  He started to lead the group back towards the woods.

  The door of the Corolla slowly opened. They heard a man’s voice. “Thank You.”

  “You’re welcome.” Shaun said as he turned to look at the man, but didn’t move back towards the car.

  “I’m sorry we didn’t get here sooner to help your friends. Where they part of your family?” Shaun asked.

  The man got out of the car and stood by the door.

  “No, they were just some people we ran into on the road. Their car broke down. We stopped to see if we could help, but we didn’t know how to fix their car. We offered to tow their trailer and take them with us. We really didn’t know them very well.” The man said.

  “What’s wrong with your car?” Shaun asked.

  “We ran out of gas.” The man replied.

  “Where were you going?” Shaun looked at the man and at the people in the car. There was a woman in the passenger seat who must have been the man’s wife. The two kids that were in the back seat, both boys appeared to be around ten years old.

  “We were going to Ligonier.” The man smiled.

  “Why Ligonier? Everywhere has gone to hell. What makes you think Ligonier is any different? You have family there?”

  “We lived near McKeesport. It’s terrible down that way. We ran into a guy that had been in Ligonier and had come back to get his family. He said there is a group in Ligonier that have set up at the old historic fort. The fort protects everyone from all the dead. They are using the fort as a base and are working to take back the town and the area. They have got some of the farms back up and working and there is plenty of food for everyone. Peop
le stay at the fort until they have an area or a farm secured, then they move them out. Everyone is working together. They are taking as many people that can make it there. The more the better. I was hoping to get my family over there to someplace safe. But, I guess I’m screwed now.” The man dropped his head.

  Shaun looked at Megan then back at the man. “How many miles per gallon does your car get?”

  The man looked up confused. “I guess about 25 miles.”

  “If I gave you a gallon of gas, then that should get you to Ligonier. Right?" Shaun asked.

  “Yes, but I don’t have anything to trade you.” The man said sadly.

  “I don’t want anything from you. I’m just glad we could help you and your family.

  “Thank You!” The man exclaimed.

  “But you will have to walk up over the hill with us to carry it back. We came to get water. Our van is up on the hill. You can walk with us. We’ll carry our water jugs and you can carry back your gas.” Shaun smiled.

  The man looked back at his car. “What about my family?”

  “You can bring them with you, but I would recommend you have them hide in the woods over there and get some rest until we get back. It will only take about fifteen minutes.”

  “Don’t worry.” Shaun said. “They will be safe in the woods over there.”

  The man had his wife and boys get out of the car and follow him over to the woods near the side of the dam. After finding them a safe place back under the trees, he followed Shaun and the group up through the woods and back to the truck. The each grabbed two empty five gallon water jugs. Shaun filled a gallon jug with gas from his spare five gallon can and handed it to the man.

  The man almost cried he was so grateful for the gas and to find someone that was willing to help him.

  They all walked back down the hill, again staying back under cover of the trees.

  The man explained how he had worked in the steel mills near McKeesport, a small city on the outskirts of Pittsburgh. His name was Fred. His wife was Carol and his sons were John and George. When the plague started, being near Pittsburgh was horrible. The dead were everywhere. The living didn’t last very long and were quickly over run by the tremendous number of the dead. He quickly took his family over towards North Huntingdon. They had been living in a tent in White Oak Park. It was isolated. They rummaged through area stores to survive. They were about to move on to somewhere else when they met this guy that had been in Ligonier. He had come back to look for his family. They had found him sitting along the road with a flat tire on a road by the park. He didn’t have a spare, so they had given him one of their spare tires, so he could go look for his family. The man expressed a sincere hope that the guy had found his family.