by J. Walker
“Emily. This is Josh, Jenna, Sam and Mike.” I said, gesturing to the group standing just behind me.
Before he could say anything further, Josh blurted out. “Where are you guys coming from? Is it all over?”
“Seriously, does it look like it’s over?” I glared at Josh with annoyance. “Settle down, we’ll get some answers, don’t worry.” I hissed at him.
“No.” The soldier replied. “It isn’t over by any means. We’re just trying to find a secure location for a bit. We’ve got some wounded in the APC.”
There was something vaguely familiar about his voice but I quickly pushed it aside. I was more concerned by what he’d just said.
“What do you mean, wounded?” I asked with concern, wondering if they had people in their care that had been bit. “They’re not bit are they?”
“No, not at all.” He answered quickly, returning his gaze to mine. “About an hour or so behind us, to the southeast, we were ambushed by some unfriendly survivors. Some of my people were hit but no one is critically injured. No one is bit, trust me but there are some wounds that need to be treated.”
Sam and I looked at each other, eyebrows raised and eyes widened with concern.
“How far back exactly? How close are these people?” Sam asked, with a concerned edge to his voice.
It was enough to worry about the undead threat to our survival. The last thing we needed to add to the list of concerns was a mercenary group of survivors who were firing weapons at military vehicles. If they could ambush a small convoy of our tattered armed forces, there was no telling what they could be capable of if the compound was discovered.
With winter coming, the zombies would likely be halted for the season. This also meant any survivors in the area would be coming out of hiding to scavenge much needed equipment and supplies. We might be putting our lives at risk by stepping outside the walls of the compound.
Scavenging the countryside was crucial because some of our supplies were beginning to run low and we needed to replenish them. Renewing our inventories meant leaving the comfort zone. It meant more risky endeavors into the outlands. Initially, we believed the dead to be our only threat. This news did not sit well with me or anyone else.
Our concern was silently noted by G.I. Joe and his companions.
He quickly replied. “Okay, listen, I know you folks have a lot of questions but we need to bring these people to someplace more secure. I’m asking you folks for your assistance.”
I answered him hastily. “We’re just about done here. Follow us back. It’s about two hour’s drive from here.”
I noticed something in the northbound lanes of the highway and I turned to the rest of my group.
“See that Medical courier van?” I pointed across the concrete barrier as I spoke. “There’s got to be some medical supplies in there. Most likely some medication too. We should empty it.”
Jenna and her brother hopped across the short concrete wall separating the north and south bound lanes of the highway. Once they’d made sure the area was secure they proceeded to quickly and efficiently empty the contents of the courier van. While they busied themselves with their chore, Sam and Mike returned to filling the trailer of the last truck.
I turned back to the soldier.
“Will your wounded be okay to wait a bit?” I asked.
“I’m sure they will and thank you. I’ll get some people to give you a hand.” He motioned to a group standing idle nearby to assist my friends with the loading of supplies.
“Who are you by the way?” I asked, remembering that while I had introduced myself and the others, he had not introduced himself.
I couldn’t shake the feeling of familiarity about this man.
“I’m sorry, ma’am…..” He began to say and I immediately cut him off.
“Okay buddy enough with the ‘ma’am’ shit. My name is Emily. I said that already, right?”
He laughed. “Sorry, again. Um, Emily. I was with the U.S. Special Forces. Sergeant Derek Mackenzie.”
My jaw dropped and all I could do was stare at him in disbelief.
“You’re fucking kidding me.”
He returned my stare with his own puzzled look.
“No, that’s what is says on my dog tags.”
“Derek.” I said slowly. “We’re alive because of you!”
Again he stared at me with a puzzled, blank look before he asked. “What do you mean?”
“Derek!” I exclaimed and started to laugh. “Wolf!”
The mention of his old gamer tag struck a chord of remembrance, judging from his grin.
“Okay, okay, now we’re getting somewhere.”
“You remember John? John Farlow. You guys used to play online, like ten years ago. It’s me, Emily, his ex-wife. I used to be email buddies with your wife, Gina.”
Recognition gradually spread across his face. He shook his head and rubbed his chin in astonishment.
Laughing he replied. “Wow! I remember John! Holy shit that was a long time ago. We lost contact for a bit but reconnected on Facebook about a year ago. I remember you too, Emily. You guys had a little girl. But I still don’t understand what you mean. You’re alive because of me?”
“You sent your wife the DVD with the SD card. She made copies and sent them to everyone you told her to. John told me and my husband. We bought a huge place up here and it took us almost two months to make it secure but we did it. We got out of Windsor when the shit hit the fan and we’ve been here ever since.”
He smiled in earnest and leaned in to hug me tightly.
“I’m glad you made it! Is he here? Is John here?” Derek asked
I shook my head slowly and kicked at a pile of casings on the ground as I answered him. “No, he didn’t make and neither did my husband Marcus.”
Derek’s face darkened and he shook his head sympathetically.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Emily. It’s a story I’ve heard a thousand times. I’m really sorry.”
I brushed off his kindness and straightened my shoulders. I didn’t come out here for sympathetic gestures.
“We came out here today to scavenge what we could from these trucks. We’re running low on some supplies. If there are questionable survivors in the area, we don’t want to have to come back this way. I guess we’ll keep to the northwest corridor. What do you suggest we do? We’ve got six young kids in our care. We can’t risk a run in with these kind of people.”
“Well, they’re at least an hour or so behind us and to the southeast. If you want to avoid them, you’ve got the right idea, keep northwest. They’ve taken control of territory that lies southeast of the highway. We attempted peaceful contact with them but they weren’t cooperative. We came under fire and we hauled ass out of there as quickly as we could.”
“That’s fucking wonderful.” I said angrily. “In a time like this, we should be helping each other out not claiming territory and shooting at people. Isn’t it enough to have to deal with the zombies? Seriously, what the shit??”
“This isn’t the first time we’ve encountered individuals like these. They’re scattered throughout the areas we’ve gone through from southeastern U.S. to here.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
At this point, I stood back and took a good look at Derek. He’d changed since the last time I’d seen a picture of him and that was more than ten years ago. His wife was one lucky woman. Derek was tall and broad shouldered, with sandy blonde hair and hazel eyes. I could stare at him all day and not get bored.
“Hey you lazy bitch!” Jenna’s voice called out jokingly.
I turned around hastily and gave her a dirty look.
“I’m coming, I’m coming!”
I apologized to Derek and hurriedly explained that I should be helping out as well. Once again, he flashed me that good natured toothy grin. He walked over to the APC to inform the injured that they would have a safe place to rest and recover very soon.
I climbed over the low wall dividing the
highway to help Jenna unload the Medical courier van. Just as I’d thought, it was full of plastic bins loaded with prescription medication and medical supplies.
“Jackpot!” Jenna said excitedly. “The expiry dates are still a year or more away but I’m not sure how good they’ll be after sitting in the hot sun all summer long.”
“We’ll ask Amy about it. But it’s better than nothing. The kids are starting to come down with colds so it’s best to be prepared, just in case. We should see if they need anything for their injured.”
“Damn, he’s smoking hot, eh?” Jenna whispered to me as we worked.
I laughed and stole another peek at G.I. Joe. “Oh that he is. And he’s also married with three kids.”
Jenna looked around. “Really? Because I don’t see them.” She replied with a wink.
“Oh no you don’t!” I called out to her.
In less than half an hour, the two tractor trailers were fully loaded up with the contents of the other three trailers. The goods inside the medical courier van had been piled into the back of the pick-up truck and carefully secured. The ad hoc members of the ragged military crew were climbing into their vehicles. Sam, Jenna and I climbed into the truck and the last two members of our group climbed into their rigs.
I called over to Derek in the Jeep. “Just follow us! The roads are pretty clear all the way there.”
With a quick wave we were on our way back to the compound. The pick-up truck was in the lead with the two tractor trailers following and the military convoy trailing closely behind. Within a few hours we were pulling onto the familiar dirt concession road, the lonely red mailbox welcoming us home at last.
Chapter Fifteen
I noted the look of surprise on the faces of Ashley and Sarah, who were guarding the entrance with Charlie and Ben. They swiftly opened the gate and with a wave, we pulled onto the tree lined drive. The two tractor trailers passed through the entrance next and the military convoy followed. The gate closed and we were safe behind the walls once again.
I stopped the pick-up truck and leaned out, speaking to the four teens carefully monitoring our arrival.
“Can you guys stay up here for a bit longer?” I asked.
“Sure.” Charlie said. “Everything’s good?”
Charlie and Ben surveyed the military vehicles with ill-concealed excitement.
“Yeah, it’s fine. We’ll find out more eventually but for the moment, they’ve got some people with injuries who need to be looked after. Nothing life threatening though. I’m sure all our questions will be answered soon enough. We’ll let them get some rest tonight.”
“No worries, Emily. We’ll stay up here as long as you need us to.” Ben gave me an assuring smile and returned with the others to the scaffold.
“Ashley!” I called out. “We’ll talk later, okay, hun?”
Ashley waved in acknowledgement and stared suspiciously at the lineup of vehicles.
“We’ve got to make sure there’s no stragglers under the vehicles.” Jenna reminded me.
“Right. Let’s do this.”
We stepped out of the pick-up truck and motioned for the other drivers to do the same. We met up with them and explained to the mixed crew why we needed to stop.
“Sometimes they get stuck under the vehicles. We can’t risk anything getting inside. So we need to clear the trucks first and then we can go inside.”
Derek smiled. “Ah, yes that makes sense.”
He turned to the other drivers. “Let’s clear the vehicles!”
Jenna and I cleared the pick-up truck and sure enough, the partial but still moving remains of a pathetic looking zombie was wrapped around the axle. A long line of rotting entrails led us to the shattered remnants of the zombie.
We were having difficulties trying to remove the cursed thing out from under the truck. Finally I gave up and grabbed Jenna’s knife. I crawled under the truck to find a better way of removing the carcass. The flesh of the zombie’s head had peeled back from the skull but it gnashed its teeth and groaned at my approach. As long as the brain was intact they remained active, even if those shattered remnants were nothing more than a head.
“Goddamn it, I’m gonna be sick!” I yelled to no one in particular. “This fucker is really stuck!”
I stabbed it through the eye with the knife and rolled away before the thick, oily black blood spilled all over me. As soon as I was certain that the ugly thing was dead for good, I started to pull the corpse from tight space beneath the truck. Not so fortunate for me, the grotesque and reeking half carcass fell right on top of me, spilling vile fluids and festering maggots across my torso.
“Jenna!” I yelled again. “Pull me out of here!”
I felt hands grab my ankles and pull me out from under the truck. I looked up at the row of faces grinning down at me.
“Look!” Jenna exclaimed. “Your dry spell has come to an end! And what a sexy beast!”
“Fuck you.” I replied, giving her a dirty look. “Get this thing off of me!”
Derek leaned down and pulled the corpse off me. The pile of maggots and vile mixture of slimy, congealed black ichor was already seeping into the fabric of my outer gear.
I stood up and pulled the thick heavy outerwear off and threw it to the ground.
“I think I’m gonna puke.” I said, moving to the other side of the truck so I could vomit unseen but all I could do was retch uselessly.
“Hey, Sarge.” A voice said. “I think that’s the most fucked up thing we’ve seen yet!”
Laughter ensued from the group that had gathered to watch.
“Thanks everyone for your support.” I said as I walked back to the group. “Now let’s get these bodies out of here. We’ll pile them in the ditch across the road for now. I see there’s already a few there. Tomorrow we’ll haul them off for cremation.”
“We’ll take care of getting the bodies out of here.” Derek said, motioning to his group.
“At least let us get the injured inside. Everything’s clear?” I motioned to the remaining vehicles.
“Yep.” Mike answered. “We’re clear.”
“Let’s go.” I climbed back into the pick-up truck with Jenna and we crossed the remainder of the long, winding drive.
The caravan parked itself just outside the chain link fence. Amy and Amber stood with the children, mouths agape, as they watched the arrival of the trucks. I walked over quickly and kneeled down to give the twins a kiss through the chain link fence. Their noses and cheeks were rosy from the cold but they greeted me cheerfully.
“I missed you!” I said to Liam and Laken while I tried to tickle them through the fence.
They squealed with delight and giggled cheerfully.
“We missed you momma!” They replied in unison and showered me with wet, sloppy kisses.
“Why don’t you and your friends go see what those big boys are doing over there?” I motioned to where Sarah’s brothers walked in the orchard.
“We sent them on a hunt for kindling.” Amber said, holding Chloe on her hip.
“Where’s Bree?”
“She’s not feeling well, she’s resting inside.” Amy replied and looking over at the array of trucks and Jeeps, she asked. “Who are they?”
“The leftovers of some military units, I think. They’ve got some people who were hurt. I was thinking we could let them stay in the empty tack rooms in the barn. It’s heated, it’s quiet for the most part, clean and safe. Not sure about the rest though. Maybe they can pitch some tents in the fields? We’ll figure it all out. They just need a safe place to stay for a few days’ time.”
“Are they really military? U.S. or Canadian?” Amber asked, setting Chloe down to join the other children on their hunt for kindling.
“I don’t know anything Amber. We’ll find out soon enough. But neither one of you is going to believe who’s with them.”
“Who?” Amy asked.
“Amy, its Derek! It’s Wolf! Can you believe it? And I’m not kidding either.
”
“Are you serious?”
“Who’s Derek?” Amber queried, her brows furrowed with confusion.
Amy answered her. “He’s the reason we’re alive.”
“Oh my God, is he the one who sent the info about the outbreak?”
I grinned widely. “Yep, that’s him!”
“Let’s get these people settled.” Amy said as she moved to open the gate just as the remaining vehicles pulled up.
I walked over to the APC, where the injured soldiers were being transported. I shook hands with a woman in fatigues who seemed to be waiting for instructions.
“Bring the APC to the barn. It’s warm, it’s clean and it’s quiet, for the most part. The tack rooms are not being used. It should work out fine.”
“Thank you.” The woman answered in a tired voice.
I peered curiously into the interior of the vehicle and saw three people resting on the floor. Each seemed to be nursing various wounds. None of them appeared to have serious wounds. I noticed the gauze wrappings bloodied and strewn across the floor and realized they would need to be looked after in a more suitable atmosphere very soon.
“Amy.” I called out. “Maybe you can help out?”
“I’ll meet them at the barn.” She replied and held the gate open for the vehicle to enter.
I walked to the decontamination sheds and removed my gore stained gear. I hung everything up on the lower branches of a tree and hosed them down, leaving them to dry where they hung.
The night was quickly approaching and carried with it a deep chill. I shivered and went back to the shed, digging inside the bins for something warmer to wear. I pulled on a long wool sweater and a pair of ugly brown, beaten up Uggs.
Derek climbed out of his Jeep and we met at the gate. I spoke to him quickly.
“Derek, make sure everyone removes any soiled clothing. They can be hosed down over by the sheds and hang everything up to dry. Make sure they have something else to put on or we can find something for them to wear. I just don’t want to risk anything with zombie guts on it getting inside.”
“No worries Emily. I’ll pass it along.”
