“It’s horrible,” said Miriam.
Alissa agreed. “So many who go on the run wind up either eaten or as sex toys for a gang.”
“It’s the new norm,” added Steve.
“That sucks,” chimed in Miriam, a hint of depression in her tone. “Is this what society has become?”
“It’ll get better,” said Alissa with a sense of false hope. “It has to or people will give up and die. We can’t let that happen.”
An awkward silence followed.
Steve broke the mood. “Are they going to stay with us?”
“For now. Which reminds me,” began Alissa, brokering a touchy subject. “Would you mind if the kids bunked with you?”
“Of course not,” said Miriam.
“Though I’m sure the princess will bitch about it,” added Steve.
“She’ll get over it.” Miriam’s mom voice kicked in.
“Thanks. I wanted to put Diana and the kids in Little Steve’s room and Rebecca in Kiera’s.”
“Where will Nathan sleep?” Miriam’s question had a sultry tone to it.
“Shit. I forgot about him.”
Steve laughed. “I promise not to tell him.”
Miriam grinned. “He could sleep with you.”
Alissa quickly changed topics. “Where are they?”
“They’re outside checking on the vehicles.”
“Let me guess. Kiera is with them.”
Steve nodded. Miriam rolled her eyes.
Alissa stood and headed for the door. “I’ll go save them.”
Chapter Three
“How is it?” asked Kiera as they stared at the caved in passenger door of the Ram.
“It drives fine,” answered Chris. “You can’t open and close the side doors. Plus, the windows are busted out and I don’t know how to replace them. Whoever sits there would be exposed to deaders.”
“That’s okay,” said Nathan. “Next time we’re in town we’ll ditch the Ram for a pick-up.”
“What a shame. I liked the idea of going into battle with this.”
Nathan frowned. “Too much of a gas guzzler.”
That’s the difference between you and me, thought Chris. You’re the cautious type. I go for what I want.
Except Alissa.
Chris tried to push that thought out of his head. Easier said than done. He had the hots for Alissa from the first day he had met her, even when she had a shotgun pointed at him ready to shoot. Of course, that could be his way of thinking. He liked strong women. The only reason he had not made his desires clear was because of the situation with Nathan. He knew Nathan wanted to be with her. Yet it didn’t seem like Alissa and Nathan were an item. Sure, the two of them were close but, as far as he could tell, they weren’t involved. Chris also got the vibe that Alissa really liked him. Well, maybe not really liked him. She didn’t detest him, which counted for something. Normally he would have asked her out by now and being afraid to make a move irked him. But the last thing the group needed during the apocalypse was a love triangle.
The front door to the cabin closed and Alissa came down the steps. Chris checked her out. She had a nice figure and, truth be told, he had imagined her naked several times. It went beyond beauty. Alissa was smart, tough, independent, and could hold her own in combat better than most guys he knew. That combination attracted him more than anything.
“Kiera,” Alissa said as she approached, smiling. “Are you bothering Chris and Nathan?”
“I’m trying,” she responded flirtatiously. “They’re more interested in the Ram.”
“Is there anything wrong with it?”
“It’s mobile,” answered Chris. “The propane tank did some major damage to the door.”
“Whose fault is that?” asked Nathan.
Before Chris could respond, Alissa came to his defense.
“Granted, shooting the propane tanks was a bit extreme, but it saved us from a horde of deaders.” Alissa walked around the Ram, examining its condition. “Only be more careful next time. We only have so many cars.”
Chris took being chastised in good nature. “I figure we can get another in better condition next time we go off compound.”
“That will be tomorrow or the day after.”
“Why so soon?” asked Chris.
“I want to set up a roadblock across the driveway as soon as possible. We’re lucky Nora came by herself to lure us into town. If they had tried an armed assault, we probably would have been overrun.”
“How would a roadblock stop them?” asked Nathan.
“It wouldn’t, but it’d slow them down enough to give us time to prepare. I also want it to look like it belongs here.”
“You mean like a fallen tree?” asked Kiera.
Chris shook his head. “We could chop down a tree easy enough, but it would be impossible to move. We’d have to leave the cars outside the compound.”
“If you don’t want to draw attention to us,” began Nathan, “I recommend a chain link fence with a gate or a double- or single-arm swing gate. The first would give us more protection but the latter would be easier to install.”
“I prefer the chain link fence. It offers more protection. Can we extend the fence around the cabin?”
Chris and Nathan stared at each other and then back to Alissa. Chris answered for both. “We could, but there’s a lot of work involved—”
Alissa interrupted. “Steve is back on his feet and we now have Rebecca and Diana.”
“—and it would require either constantly going back to the store to pick up enough fence or stealing a flatbed truck, both of which will attract a lot of attention.”
“Plus,” added Nathan, “while a chain link fence in the middle of the woods will stop the deaders, it’ll look suspicious to any humans and will draw attention to us.”
Kiera cleared her throat to get their attention. “What about stringing two or three more strands of barded wire around the compound. It’ll have the same effect as a chain link fence and not stand out as much.”
Chris patted Kiera on the shoulder, eliciting a warm smile. “Her idea is best.”
“Do you have enough barded wire to do it?”
“If not, we can pick some up when we get the materials to build the gate.”
Alissa nodded her approval. “It’s settled. We’ll set up a chain link fence in the driveway and increase the barbed wire around the compound. Do you two know what we need to get it all done?”
Chris and Nathan stared at each other again. Both responded with a yes that didn’t sound is if they were certain.
“Since Lowe’s burned down, find another place on the map. We’ll head out in two days. That’ll give us a chance to relax. I want to stay close to Brian in case anything goes wrong with his recovery.” Alissa paused. “Which brings up another matter.”
Nathan rolled his eyes. “Oh boy.”
Kiera snickered.
“What?” Alissa glared at the three of them.
“Whenever anybody uses the phrase ‘another matter,’ it can’t be good,” said Chris.
“You sounded like my mother,” added Kiera.
Chris chuckled.
“What I wanted to talk to you about are the new living arrangements. Diana and Rebecca will be staying with us for a while. I wanted to put Diana and the kids in your room.”
“Where will I sleep?” Kiera asked.
Alissa raised an eyebrow.
“No.” Kiera shook her head. “There’s no fucking way I’m sleeping in the same room with my parents. Have you ever heard my father snore?”
Chris motioned for her to tone down the language.
Nathan was sterner. “Kiera, we all have to make sacrifices.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that.” Alissa forced a smile. “I’m giving your room to Rebecca.”
“What?”
“We all have to make sacrifices,” mimicked Kiera.
Nathan glanced over at Kiera and grinned. “I guess I could sleep on the couch
for a while.”
“There’s enough room in Alissa’s bed,” said Kiera, only half joking.
Both Nathan and Alissa flashed her a dirty look.
Chris offered a suggestion that got Kiera off the hook and prevented Alissa from agreeing to that horrible idea. “Nathan could stay with me and Shithead. We have plenty of room.”
“That’s sounds good,” Nathan agreed.
Alissa shook her head in frustration. “Then we’d have to call your cabin Testosterone Tower.”
Chris grunted.
“We can discuss this later.” Alissa headed back to the cabin. “I’m going inside to have lunch and a drink.”
“Can you make us a sandwich?” joked Chris.
The finger Alissa raised over her shoulder as she walked away told Chris he would have to make his own lunch.
Chapter Four
Alpha led the pack of deaders along the road, surrounded by his five Betas for protection. They did not stagger aimlessly like the less advanced of their kind but moved steadily with a fierce determination, like every carnivore that sought out prey. Three members scouted twenty-five yards ahead for food and potential danger.
Both were scarce around here. They last fed on that stray human whom they cornered in the gully several days ago. He had satiated their appetite for a while. The insatiable hunger had returned shorty after, that inner force that drove them to constantly wander and hunt.
After feasting on their last human, Alpha had led the pack along the path the human had traveled, hoping to find more food. Instead, they came upon a road and followed it through a landscape of charred trees and grass. None of them recognized that they passed through a burnt-out wasteland devoid of life. They followed the road because experience had taught them the best sources of food followed these paths. The living things that occupied the woods, the things its brain recalled as animals, provided nourishment. They were not as filling or as tasty as humans. For some reason unbeknownst to Alpha, the flesh of humans quelled their appetite more fully than any other creature and provided more sustenance, maintaining their mobility and keeping their minds sharp. That was why Alpha always fed first. The pack could only be maintained if its leader thrived.
Others of their kind had fallen in with them, swelling their numbers and lessening the amount of food each pack member could have. Some adapted, learning from the others how to hunt and scavenge. They proved vital, increasing its numbers and, in turn, its chances of cornering prey. Those that did not adapt straggled along behind, occasionally becoming a feast when the hunger became too great. They had learned long ago that the flesh of their own kind offered the nourishment necessary to keep going, although it did nothing to quell the all-powerful hunger.
The charred forest turned into the burnt wasteland of a town destroyed by fire. None of the pack noticed the change in their surroundings. Nor did they notice the road sign at the entrance of the town, its paint partially seared off by the heat, that welcomed them to North Conway.
The pack spread out and strode through the carnage. Occasionally, they stumbled across a blackened body. One of the pack members would wander over and sniff, determining it belonged to their kind, yet for some reason was not edible. The fifth deader that checked out a carcass dropped to its knees and tore off a chunk of flesh, expecting a moist and tender meal. Instead, the tissue crumbled. Despite this, it shoved the burnt flesh into its mouth, savoring the morsel. Only there was nothing to savor. The meat broke apart in its mouth like ash. The deader gagged and spit out the remains, snarled in frustration, and climbed to its feet.
A commotion erupted to the far right. Some of the deaders on the fringe of the pack had stumbled across two corpses belonging to humans, neither of which had been burned. Both were several days old, and the one that had been torn apart during its death had decayed rapidly and become infested with insects. It didn’t matter to the deaders. Scores of those not belonging to the pack descended on the bodies, tearing off chunks of flesh and tissue or ripping out organs, which they fought over. Those lucky enough to grab food shoved the meat into their mouths and ate frantically, a deader feeding frenzy. Those who did not get their fill dropped to their knees and gnawed on the remains, chewing the bones clean.
One of the Betas, dressed in the blood-stained camouflage uniform of a National Guard officer, its arms and torso ravaged in an earlier attack, became angry that the deaders forgot protocol and fed before Alpha. It howled in protest until Alpha stopped it. The deaders feeding first did not belong to the pack and, as such, did not know better. If Alpha could have experienced emotion, it would have been pity. These were the weak links, the unevolved, the least useful and adapted of their breed. They would die out soon from lack of food and an inability to hunt or would become food for the pack. However, Alpha could not relate this to his Beta. It merely groaned, ordering his subordinate to stop, a command readily obeyed.
Alpha led the pack deeper into the scorched town. It expressed no concern over the lack of prey. Experience had taught Alpha to stay alert and keep moving. Food would eventually come to them.
Chapter Five
“We’re on a lucky streak,” said John.
“I’m not complaining,” Brad responded as he lay spread out in a hammock. “I’ve got my fingers crossed it’ll continue.”
The group had lucked out big time. Yesterday they had found the horses and spent the night at the farmhouse recharging with a long, restful sleep in real beds in the safety of an isolated home. All of them had overslept, though God knew they needed to. Brad had wanted to spend another night there. The others out voted him, wanting to continue while things were going well. Although they started late, the group had traversed farther on horseback than they did on foot and were far less exhausted than usual. On top of that, an hour ago they stumbled across this camp site.
Not just any camp site. This one had been set up by experienced outdoors people. It sat adjacent to a fresh-water river with enough space between it and the woods that nothing, living or living dead, could sneak up on them. The camp had three large, heavy-duty tents, a hammock that Brad called dibs on, and a cooler of beer, the ice long since melted. Not that it mattered. It was the first beer any of them had drank since the dead came back to life. Brad wondered what had happened to its occupants. There were no signs of a deader attack, no indications that the owners left in a hurry, or even that anyone other than themselves had been here since being abandoned. Brad refused to look a gift horse in the mouth, pun intended.
David crouched by the river, his hand in the water and enjoying the feel as it flowed by. John and Tina sat in folding chairs on either end of the hammock, drinking warm beer. Sheri strolled around, rubbing her butt.
“What’s wrong?” asked Brad.
Sheri squeezed her cheeks. “My ass hurts from all the riding.”
“I know how that feels,” John whispered.
Tina smirked. Brad burst out laughing.
“What’s so funny?” asked Sheri, oblivious to the double entendre.
John steered the conversation in another direction. “At least we found a nice place for the horses for tonight. I worried we’d have to bunker down in another service station.”
Sheri made the sign of the cross. “God has been good to us.”
“He has,” agreed Tina.
David returned from the river. “This place is beautiful. Too bad we can’t stay here.”
“I hear you,” John responded. “Sooner or later either the deaders would find us or we’d run out of supplies.”
David sighed.
“Which brings up something I wanted to discuss with all of you.” Brad positioned himself so he sat in the hammock. “I think we should abandon going to Canada and head for Nova Scotia instead.”
“That’ll make the trip even longer,” said Sheri.
“We have the horses now, so it won’t be that bad. Plus, it’ll be safer.”
“How so?” asked Tina.
“We’re going to have to cross
three major highways, all of which I’m sure are overrun by deaders, plus pass through the populated areas around Montreal before we reach safety. If we head northeast, once we cross I-93 it’s clear sailing through small towns and forests. If we’re lucky, we might even find a good place to shelter in sooner. What do you think?”
“I’m with you,” said John.
“I trust in the Lord,” added Sheri.
Tina nodded. “I’m in.”
Only David seemed reticent.
“You don’t agree?”
“It sounds good, I guess.”
“What’s wrong?” asked John.
David shrugged. “I have a bad feeling.”
“About heading for Nova Scotia?”
“No. What you said makes sense. I….” He paused.
“What is it?” asked Brad.
David searched for the right words. “We’ve been fortunate so far. Too fortunate. My gut tells me there’s trouble ahead.”
“If we go to Nova Scotia?”
“In general. It’s like waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
“Trust in the Lord.”
David seemed about to snap at Sheri, so Brad jumped in. “I understand where you’re coming from.”
“I’m being paranoid,” said David.
“You’re not.”
“I am.”
Brad slid off the hammock. “Deaders have taken over the planet. As far as we know, we’re the last people alive. My reasoning is we stand a better chance if we take the path of least resistance.”
“Ah,” said John, trying to lighten the mood. “The survival instincts of a physics major.”
The others laughed, even Brad. “Would you feel better if we continued north?”
David shook his head. “I’m not going to feel better until we find a place where we don’t have to worry about deaders.”
“Amen.”
“Then it’s settled? Tomorrow we head northeast.”
Everyone agreed.
“To be on the safe side, we’ll post a guard all night. John will take sundown to midnight. I’ll take from midnight until dawn.”
Nurse Alissa vs. the Zombies | Book 4 | Hunters Page 2
