“That is freaking nice! Hopefully the keys are in it.” The door was wide open. Damon parked next to the blazer so they could check it out. There were no zombies that they could see. Everyone got out to look around. “It’s even got a drop hitch.”
Harper looked in the cab by craning his neck. After he decided it was fine to get in the big man threw a leg up and climbed in. “Jackpot!” Damon heard him say. The marine emerged jingling a set of keys with a skull key chain. “Now we have to see if she starts.” He ducked back inside. A second later the engine roared to life. It was deafening. Chloe clapped her hands over her ears, which made Damon laugh.
“Looks like luck is on our side today now, let’s go pull my truck out before we have a hoard of zombies chasing that loud ass thing.” Damon, Riley and Chloe got back in the Jeep. Riley guided Damon to where his truck was at. They found it without a problem. Once there they followed the same routine. Check the perimeter. Nothing. Check again. Nothing. Okay move. Damon was out of the Jeep in a flash. It warmed his heart to see his truck again. There was something about it that reminded him of better times. He looked under it and all around it. He noticed that Riley had gotten out too. “It looks like the bumper’s just stuck on the wall. I think we can pull ‘er out.”
“You did a number on this building. If the owners were still alive they’d be pissed.”
“Good thing they aren’t then.” The two turned when they heard the blazer rumble up from behind. Harper rolled down his window, and before he could say something smart Damon started talking again. “Hey we are going to pull her out. Back up to the truck.”
Harper nodded and did as he was told. He maneuvered the blazer, which wasn’t an easy task because of the tire size. While he was getting the blazer into position, Damon grabbed a tow strap from the bed of his truck at secured it to the frame. When the blazer was in place he wrapped the other end around the tow hooks on the blazer. Damon got into his truck, thankfully it still started. He shifted it into reverse and gave the signal. Cinder blocks crumbled as the truck moved slowly from under the rubble. Damon knew they were going to have to move quickly because they were making so much noise it was impossible that the dead couldn’t hear it. Once they were clear of the rubble he gave the signal for Harper to stop. He jumped out of the truck detached the tow strap checked out the truck again. He was mostly concerned with the tires. Everything checked out. No transmission or fuel leaks. Damon jumped back in the truck, Riley got into the driver’s seat of the Jeep and Harper was in the blazer. They were ready to go back to the house. They began to move just as a few visitors showed up. One of the visitors was completely naked except for long blonde hair that hung down her chest and back. The bare breasted zombie showed no modesty as she limped towards them. The other zombie was teenage boy dressed in skater attire. He was missing his left arm. The three vehicles moved away from the wrecked ski shop before the zombies got too close.
Damon felt strange back in his truck again. The last time he was in it he was being shot at by the marines that took over the town after the zombies came. Two of those marines happened to be his friends now. Crazy! The world was crazy. It seemed like an eternity until they got back to the cabin. Damon watched the monster blazer crawl up the mountain side in his rearview. When they got within eye sight of the cabin the rain finally started to come down. It was then Damon remembered that three of the windows were broken. He would figure that out once it stopped raining, and he had time to rest. He listened to the soft patter of rain drops while he waited for his friends to get through the fence gate. He let himself relax again. As much as he wanted to get out from behind the fence, it was easy to be at ease when they were back behind it. Once every one was in, he parked the truck under the overhang on the side of the cabin so the inside of his truck didn’t get soaked, and he would have a dry place to work.
Chloe hopped out of the Jeep with her pistol and sacks of new clothes and ran for the cabin. She had a lot of new outfits to try on now. It would keep her busy for a while. Damon walked over to the blazer. Harper jumped down. “How does she drive?” The mechanic asked.
“Like a dream. I was half tempted to run those zombies over. Just to see how it feels.” Damon knew how it felt. He didn’t know how many zombies had become victims of his aftermarket bumper. “It feels good. I don’t blame ya. I probably would have.” Damon looked over at his truck. “Well you can go inside if you want. I have to check my truck over again and figure out something for the windows beings that I don’t have any.”
Harper chuckled a little. “Yeah sorry about that.” “Eh…It’s fine. At least we’re not dead, and I was thinking about changing her appearance anyway.” Damon walked off. He was on his way to his brother’s tool shed. If he had any luck, maybe there was something useful inside. Damon prayed luck was on his side…again.
Chapter 14
After rummaging through the shed it turned out Damon was in luck. He worked through the rest of the day and most of the next morning. By changing his truck’s appearance, he meant fortifying it…making it zombie proof. He had a close call when that zombie smashed his way through the passenger window in Kansas. When he was finished his vehicle looked more like a death machine than a Chevy Silverado. He has used some Plexiglas to patch the broken windows and some leftover chain link to make a metal barrier over all the windows of the truck, including the windshield. He nodded to himself in approval and went inside to have the guys come take look at it.
The first words that escaped Riley’s lips were. “Damn!” He walked around the truck nodding his head and then came back to stand by Damon. “Definitely looks like it’s ready to kill some zombies.”
“That’s my plan.” He crossed his arms and then leaned closer to Riley. “Well and not get eaten.” Riley threw his head back and laughed. “Yeah, we don’t want that.” He walked around the death machine bobbing his head to some inner music. “So when do we go out again?”
“Whenever everyone is ready, I guess. I went through this baby with a fine toothed comb it runs like new.”
“Well…let me just go get Harper and Chloe. Are you sure you don’t need to sleep a little? You’re looking a little rough.” Damon rubbed a dirty hand over his tired face. “Nah, I’m okay. I just need to wash up.” Riley and Damon walked inside the cabin and returned shortly. Damon was dressed in a fresh white T-shirt but wore the same jeans. Chloe ran passed Damon and jumped in the newly formed death machine. The mechanic followed her with a weak smile; he had to respect her energy. He got in the driver’s seat and started it up. He checked the rearview to see that Riley and Harper had made it in the blazer. He grabbed the walkie and pressed the button. “Now we are gonna have to split up to find two trailers. I don’t think it matters if they are car trailers or hauling ones, can’t be too picky under the circumstances.”
“Roger that.” He heard Riley say followed by a static buzz. They maneuvered the vehicles through the gate and started their search. The group returned by the time the orange sun touched the mountains. Behind both vehicles were large trailers. The trailer rental lot was no go. The trailers that were left were too small to haul much of anything. Damon had found a yellow car trailer that had been parked in a driveway in the residential area, and Harper was lucky to find a hauling trailer at a construction site just out of the city. Chloe was the first one out. She jumped from the black Silverado with a yawn escaping her mouth. She tried to stifle it but failed; it looked more like a facial spasm than a yawn. Keith and Juleen stepped onto the porch. “How’d it go?” He hollered to Damon who was getting out of his death machine.
“Meh…it was uneventful. We only ran into a few zombies-”
“-but we took care of ‘em.” Riley interrupted and hopped out of the tall blazer poking a thumb at Harper who followed. “Yup. They did, and it was awesome.” Chloe validated before she disappeared inside to claim the first shower.
Keith nodded. “I’m glad everyone’s fine.”
“I’ll get supper ready.” Julee
n said as she followed Chloe inside. “We’ll just hang out here while you’re working on that.” Keith gave Juleen a smack on the ass and then plopped himself down in a chair under the tin cabin roof. The other three men sat in the overstuffed chairs scattered on the porch. Riley picked the ugliest duckling of them all. It looked like it came out of his grandparents’ basement. The four sat in silence for a few minutes. Harper drummed his big fingers on his bent knee waiting for someone to say something. Riley picked his teeth with dirty fingernails finding something interesting between his molars. Keith finally cleared his throat. “So tomorrow you guys are going to get the fence?”
“That’s the plan…” Damon spoke not to his brother, but the cabin’s front lawn his mind adrift.
“It’s gonna be dangerous.”
“Yup.”
“One of you probably won’t make it back.”
Riley stopped biting his nails. “Gee thanks, Keith.” He spit out a severed thumbnail. “That’s reassuring.”
Harper shook his head. “We’ll make it…All of us.” Damon nodded in agreement, hoping that the big marine was right. “We’ll let’s check the map again and see where you guys should head. You are gonna need to go to a place that has a lot of chain-link in one place.” With that Keith slapped his knees and hoisted himself up out of the sunken chair. Damon followed his brother inside leaving the two marines on the porch.
Once Riley and Harper were alone, the big marine sat forward. He intertwined his sausage like fingers. “Do you really think we can pull this off?”
“Of course we can.” Riley’s undaunted attitude surprised Harper.
“When did you become Mr. Optimistic?”
“Ever since I found Damon on the street. Plus it would be nice to be able to walk the streets again.”
The big marine relaxed a little. “You mean pretend everything is normal.” He mused. “Normal enough for me. Just think. Some place safe equals people and more people equal more women.” He reminded, tantalizing Harper further.
Harper smirked. “This is starting to sound like a pretty good idea.” He adjusted himself. “I think I just found the motivation I needed.”
The tall marine hopped out of his chair and disappeared inside. He reappeared a second later with a dark brown bottle and two whiskey glasses. “Care for a drink?”
“Fill ‘er up.”
Chapter 15
The next morning came much too early for Harper and Riley. The two stumbled out of the cabin looking like the very thing they hunted. Riley held his head with one hand as he made his way to the blazer; a stiff cup of black coffee in the other. Harper blinked his eyes cursing the bright sunlight. Jack Daniels had succeeded in besting them the night before. Even though the two marines emptied the entire bottle, both suited up in their motorcycle leathers and armed themselves with their rifles with expert skill.
After packing the only saw Keith had in the truck, Damon sat patiently on the Silverado tailgate while Chloe whined about what was taking them so long. “Finally.” She grunted and jumped off the tailgate with hands on her hips. “Hurry up!” She hollered at the slow pokes.
“Yeah…Yeah…” Riley grumbled, waving her off and joined them next to the Silverado. “So where we headed?” “The only place that Keith knew that has chain-link the height and quantity we need is at Limon Correctional Facility. If we take county roads we can avoid Denver.”
“A prison?” Harper hiked up his eyebrow and puffed his chest slightly. “There is going to be a lot of zombies there.”
“The more to kill.” Riley added. Damon ignored Riley. “It’s really the only option we have. Otherwise we would have to search different cities for properties with a lot of fencing. That would take us into metro areas.” He scratched his head. “That could get kinda hairy.”
“Well let’s get going then.” Harper said somewhat reluctantly. The big marine turned and walked to the blazer with Riley on his heels. Both marines easily climbed into the lifted blazer.
Damon and Chloe got into the truck. Through the walkie Damon said, “Remember to stay in touch with these. We don’t want someone left behind.”
“Let’s go.” Chloe urged. Damon shifted the Silverado into drive and made his way through the creaking gate. His gut fluttered with excitement. His dream was actually happening. He wasn’t thinking about the danger ahead, only the end result. Both Damon and Chloe stayed quiet as they rumbled down the streets. It was slow going due to the congestion and trailers. They were forced to circle around Vail just to get to the interstate. The mechanic checked the rearview to make sure Riley and Harper were close behind. Satisfied, he focused his eyes on the road before him. “Which turn is it up ahead, Chloe?”
The teenager checked the list of directions made by Keith the night before. “Take the next right and then two streets down take a left. We should be on the interstate after that.”
Damon steered the truck right. He took a deep breath and blew it out over his sweaty fingers that gripped the steering wheel. The excitement about the construction of the safe zone withered in Damon’s gut as soon as the first zombie was spotted. He prayed their journey to the prison would be more uneventful than the other times they had passed through the protective galvanized barrier. The trailer bounced behind the black death machine with the hulking beast of a blazer in tow. Damon could see Riley through the chain-link covering the window. The marine was bobbing in the passenger seat, not even trying to pretend that he wasn’t having a good time. His gaze then turned to Chloe, and once again he was wishing that she would have stayed at home. He had a deep ache in the pit of his stomach warning him that something bad was going to happen. “Everything will be fine.” She said as if reading his mind. “Just stop worrying for crying out loud.” Her sarcastic, yet playful tone was always the same.
“I’m not worried.” He lied. Her response was a sarcastic huff. The modified Silverado turned again, and Damon remained vigilant for any zombies that may be shuffling about. He wasn’t exactly anxious to try out his new, industrial modifications. The mechanic heard a couple of sharp pops from behind. He checked the rearview to see the tall marine hanging out the window like a dog with his rifle in hands, and the wind in his hair. Two zombies standing shoulder to shoulder in an alley fell in a lumpy pile. They passed from view before Damon could tell if they were man or woman, but he didn’t care either way, just as long as they were dead.
“DAMON LOOK OUT!” Chloe shouted. Damon snapped his head around, but it was too late. The reinforced truck smashed into a herd of shambling zombies. Red mist immediately splattered the window followed by a sickening crunch. Actually…multiple crunches. Chloe shot forward in the cab nearly kissing the dash board, but Damon’s strong arm pushed her back. It all happened so fast he didn’t have time to even tap the brakes. He glanced sideways at the teenager. “Buckle up.”
“Ooo…gross.” The smell of rotten flesh infiltrated the cab. Chloe pinched her nose in disgust as she clasped her seatbelt. She repeated the statement when she looked at the windshield covered with gore.
Damon rolled through the mess of bodies without seeing. “Shit well, we’ll see what this does.” He hit the windshield wipers. The blue fluid sprayed over the windshield. He continued to spray the fluid until there was a break in the red. Once again he was able to make out where he was driving. The thundering sound of an engine made both Damon and Chloe look behind. They turned just in time to see the jacked up blazer plow through the remaining moaning zombies crushing skulls as it passed through. The trailer bounced right along after.
Once again they were on their way down the side streets of Vail. Damon only spied one or two more undead as they merged onto the interstate. Riley dispatched them with skill. He settled into his seat listening to the truck engine and feeling the rhythmic pull of the trailer. He watched the pleasing scenery pass by. The mountains rose up on both sides of the interstate, and the crumbling rock faces comforted Damon. Out here there was little evidence that zombies walked the Earth, an
d civilization was crumbled just like the rock faces. Damon let out a sigh of relief. He glanced to the side and saw Chloe already bobbing her head. Her eyelids fluttered as she slept. “I guess I’m keeping myself awake.” He mumbled.
After nearly two hours, Damon took a county road exit that would take them south and away from Denver. Chloe blinked her eyes open from the change in speed and direction but closed them once more when she realized the truck hadn’t stopped. Damon checked the map and directions again. Yup, heading the right way. On the map he saw that they passed through a few small cities before they got to the prison. He figured he would scan the area for any sizeable fence if there weren’t too many zombies around. It was going to be a feat gathering chain-link over eight feet tall that weighed hundreds of pounds while fighting a horde of hungry zombies. The mechanic didn’t dwell on the unknown for too long. He kept his mahogany eyes on the road.
The next ten miles passed in just as many minutes, and they found themselves next to the city of Eagle. Damon was forced to slow down as traffic increased. The traffic was frozen in a stand still. Abandoned and burned out cars littered the highway with doors hanging open. Most windows were painted with blood and gore. The mechanic imagined what horrors had probably taken place here when the infection broke out. He shivered as he steered the Silverado around an overturned sedan. The fire had long since burned out, but the smell of burned upholstery and flesh remained. Its rubber tires were nothing more than melted blobs molded to the alloy wheels. Harper followed close behind with the monstrous blazer urging Damon forward. The mechanic scanned what parts of the city he could see from the road for any useable chain-link but found nothing. He heard the walkie-talkie beep, and then Harper’s deep voice came through the speaker. “I don’t think we are going to find anything off the highway.”
Zombie Revolution Page 15
