The men were quiet, very subdued. Of course they were, they had suffered a major loss. Robert made sure they had good food, mostly out of the root cellar. He sent a couple of them scouting, and they found chickens at the next farm. The chickens were very skinny, but still alive, and there were a lot of them. It wasn’t a real farm, not like this one. Just a place some hippies clearly put together. The chickens were in a very large pen, and had been scrounging. He had a few of them killed and put together a small feast.
Three days. He gave himself three days and then he hit the road. They were on foot of course, but he was giving some thought to finding horses. They were quieter, maybe they wouldn’t attract zombies the same way a car running did. They also had the ability to fuel themselves if there was grass, and you could eat them if needed.
They kept moving from farm to farm. There were people on most of them, but they were already dead so they didn’t mind when he took over. He eventually found a farm with horses. He was already an experienced rider, and most of his men caught on quickly. Sure, it delayed them a couple of days to get everyone up to practice. Mona had a hard time with it, but in the end she was good enough. At first she wasn’t really trying, but a bit of attitude correction on his part and she got better at it. He did feel bad though. Her teeth really were pretty bad, still, he didn’t mean to knock one of them out.
Abandoned
The group was moving fast, faster than they had since the world ended. They got a few kilometres on the highway, then had to take smaller roads. Even so, this was passthrough country, no real towns, a few houses by the side of the road with a sign saying "Welcome to..." and then more empty countryside.
The radio in the truck wasn't picking up anything so they drove in silence. In about an hour they made it further than they would have over the course of a week on foot. They arrived at a spot where the only way forward was across a bridge. One of the support pillars was half collapsed, and the deck was listing heavily to one side. "What you guys think, should we risk it?" Sasha said.
"Fuck no. You crazy? That ain't holdin this truck. Don't know bout you, but I don't feel like swimming right now."
They climbed out of the truck, and got as much of the contents as they could on their bodies. They had to leave some of it behind, so they sat down and had a picnic before braving the structure.
Matt took on the job of distributing the gear, filling the packs and handing them to people. Jasper noticed that Naomi ended up with mostly lighter things. He didn't think she realized it.
Jasper hung on to the railing of the bridge as he went, feeling every moment like he was going to fall off. It wasn't a big drop, only twenty feet or so, but the bridge was shaking underfoot, and every breeze felt like it was going to take the whole thing out. Over the worst section he was using his arms to hold himself on, his feet struggling to find purchase. Naomi had sweat dripping down her face, and Jasper could see the strain in her arms. She was visibly trembling with effort.
Finally, they reached the far shore, back on solid ground. Naomi collapsed from the strain, gasping for air. She was drenched. "Guys, I'm good. Just give me two minutes, I be back on my feet."
She was true to her word, after two minutes she stood up, still looking green, and started walking. Matt looked at Jordan, shrugged, and started following her. The rest of them fell in line, Jasper in the back.
They trudged off road most of the time now that they had abandoned the truck. It was hard going sometimes, but still they were in farm country. They passed fields of corn, and cows wandering wild by themselves.
Late one afternoon they decided to stop at a farmhouse when a gunshot split the air, echoing around them. The bullet hit the ground at Naomi's feet. "Alright, no need to get upset," Naomi said, "We go somewhere else. It's all good."
They turned and kept walking down the road, confident another option would turn up.
That night they spent in a different farmhouse, one that was closer to a mansion. It had a very large outdoor pool, now full of dirt and leaves, and a well that couldn’t draw water due to lack of power. They distilled water from the pool over a wood stove that was in the house, and filled up all their water containers. Like most farmhouses this one had a fair bit of food in stock. Still no paper maps though.
Days stretched into weeks. The group kept heading north and west. Their wounds started to heal, but they were moving slowly. Infection was a constant risk, and the whipping had left deep tissue bruises. It hurt to draw breath. Jasper had been whipped the worst, so he was the last to heal. Every breath was agony.
They were running into zombies by the ones and two, and even then not often. Sometimes they would go a few days without spotting a zombie. With so few they were not a real threat. This was the sticks, the backwoods of the province. Most of the homes were derelict. Even before the world ended nobody lived out here.
They almost started to relax. Jasper thought it was late September and the nights were starting to get colder, but the days were beautiful for the most part and the leaves were just starting to change colour. The bugs had started to die off over the colder nights, but they still had lazy flies buzzing near them during the day. There were fields of ripe corn, golden in the sun. As they passed orchards brimming with unpicked apples they ate their fill. It was almost peaceful, if you ignored the diminishing food stores, the constant exhaustion from walking all day, and the occasional zombie that wandered close enough for them to need to put it down. Jasper was feeling broken, like he had nothing left to give. He wanted to push on, to try and reach Taylor faster, but he didn't know how to make himself do it anymore.
Finally, they reached the ocean. They were almost out of supplies, and exhausted. The weather began to take a turn for the worse. Rain was starting to come down hard. At first they thought they had reached a river, the visibility was so bad. There was a bridge across part of the harbour, blocked by two sets of burnt out cars, and some bodies in between them, also burnt and blackened. The cars appeared to have been set up as a barrier, a place to trap people, or zombies, as they crossed. They couldn’t see very far. It wasn’t until they got on the bridge that they realized it was actually the coast, the area was covered in steep hills limiting visibility as much as the rain was.
The ocean looked leaden and angry. Dark waves occasionally whipping into white caps, and the rain was lashing down stronger. They had liberated rain gear from the farm outside of Truro, but were all soaked to the skin anyway. The rain was cold, and the wind was strong. They saw a sign for Tatamagouche. Their goal, at least the short term one. Jasper had gradually drifted into the lead again, not by any sort of design, mostly by walking a bit faster, knowing the area a little bit. Naomi kept them on track, so it was usually the two of them side by side, with the rest of the group splayed out behind them.
Jasper said, "I think we need to find a place for the night, ride out the storm. Tatamagouche is small, shouldn't be too many zombies," yelling to be heard over the wind and rain.
The group agreed and they started into town on the main road, passing a burnt out car dealership and a couple of houses. One of them had burned to the ground, the other showed signs of fire, but was still mostly whole. There was a sign by the side of the road, clean and intact, as if it was still being maintained. It read “Train Station Inn Country Inn Shop Eat Sleep” and pointed to the entrance to a small side road. Jasper said, "Let's try it. Maybe it's still intact."
Jasper led them down the road just as the first crack of lightning hit. The deep rumble of the thunder filled the air, already thick with the sound of spitting rain. They could hardly see, water streaming down faces. Then they saw the Inn. It was dark, yet somehow inviting. There was a train behind it that didn’t look like it had moved in many decades.
They walked up to the inn and tried the door. It was unlocked. As they opened the door they were greeted by a warm light, cheery and friendly, emanating from a pair of oil lanterns hanging from the wall. They appeared to be in gift shop/lobby area. The
re was a plump older woman behind the counter, grey hair tucked into an old fashioned bonnet. She had on square spectacles and an old fashioned dress, something right out of the Victorian era.
“Hello. Would you like a room for the night?”
They were taken off guard, first no light had shone through to the outside and they had not expected a person. Second, the inside was warm and dry. There was a large wood stove, clearly retrofitted into the space, against one wall.
“Um… yes?” Jasper said.
“Alright, you look a fright. Let’s get you taken care of. Don’t worry, things being what they are the rooms are free. We would like a bit of help if you don’t mind though. Need to make sure the place stays ship shape. Come on, upstairs with you, let's get you settled.”
The woman talked in a singsong accent, somewhere in the UK Jasper figured, and she didn’t seem to need to breathe from the amount she talked. Finally, she said, “Well, look at me now. All talking your poor ears off. Sorry, it’s just we haven’t really had any guests since the dead started walking. I miss the people you know? Normally we would be closing for the season right about now, but there’s nowhere else to go really, and the walls here are good and strong. Harry and Mason make sure the zombies don’t build up too much then, good lads that they are, and people need a place when the road gets too hard.”
She led them up to the second floor and into a room that was completely unexpected. It was a Victorian sitting room with three doors off of it. There was a piano in the room, and all of the furniture appeared to be authentic period antiques. “Don’t suppose any of you play do you? Would be so nice to have some music. Don’t worry, the walls here are thick, won’t carry to the outside. No? No worries. Just nice to have new faces, hear some new voices.”
The three doors all led to bedrooms. The rooms had fireplaces in them, although it appeared that they had been recently modified. Each room had a double bed, and one room had a day bed as well. “Sorry about the fireplaces. They do work, but the rooms get a bit smoky. They converted them to electric a while back, so we had to tear out the electric and hook them back into the chimney. No grid means we do things the old way. Harry is good with masonry. Funny enough Mason isn’t. Like I said, good lads. Supper is in an hour, we have a hog on the spit in the kitchen, so lots for all. Come down once you’re settled.” With that she was off, never even having given her name.
The group stood in shock for a few minutes, then started getting settled for the night. "Watches? Who wants to keep a lookout while the rest of us get dry?" Jasper said.
Jordan volunteered, he usually did.
They discovered that each room had a washroom of sorts, although only two of the washrooms were full baths. The third was just a toilet and a sink. Each washroom had a large bucket of water. The reason was evident as soon as they turned on the taps. The place didn’t have running water. The fireplaces were also empty, although each one had dry wood, some tinder, some paper, and a box of long matches.
They were suspicious, and cautious, but they also needed to get warm and dry, so they started a fire in the largest of three bedrooms and stripped. By this point none of them was shy around the others. There was a large pot in the room as well. They heated water in it and set their clothes in front of the fire. Each room had towels and a pair of soft white robes, so they dried off and put on the robes. Afterwards Jordan took his turn. He looked a little blue. It was one of the most surreal experiences of Jasper’s life. One reason for that was the windows. They were boarded up, and the boards were covered with thick black paper. They were completely light tight. The place was lit with oil lanterns and candles, helping to create a cozy atmosphere.
Jasper felt sleepy as soon as he got warm, and was fighting to stay awake. Only the thought of hot food downstairs was keeping him on his feet.
None of them had the energy to get changed back into real clothes. They all tucked small weapons into the pockets of the robes though, and went downstairs to find food.
The smell was amazing as soon as the door opened, roast pork and vegetables, with a hint of spices. The old woman greeted them. “Sorry, forgot to mention. My name is Susan. I guess my husband I are the owners of the Inn now. I used to work the guest shop while Jim did odd repairs. After the zombies came our son started working with us. They lived just down the road. We have some livestock nearby; our daughter keeps the farm. Mason, our son in law is a good lad as well, handy as anything most of the time, keeps the place ship shape. Wendy will be joining us with her husband Brent.”
The dining room had originally been a restaurant, but all the tables were pushed together in the centre of the room, making a single long table for them to use.
The hog was whole, head intact. It even had an apple in its mouth. There was dark bread, cheese, butter, it was a feast. The best meal Jasper could recall eating. As they ate they got to know their hosts a bit. Occasionally someone who wasn’t Susan would speak, but for the most part it was her. Jim was a somewhat taciturn older man, physically fit and wiry. There were three younger men, Harry who looked a lot like his father Jim, Harry's husband Mason, and Brent. Mason was trim and well dressed, almost impeccable despite the end of the world, while Brent was shabby, obviously more used to working a field than sitting a table. The final member of the family was Wendy. Plump, much like her mother, with clear skin and arresting blue eyes. Her and Brent seemed completely lost in each other, madly in love. The family looked happier than anyone the group had seen since the end of the world.
“We know this is a lot to take in, always is. You folks are welcome as long as you want, but in payment for dinner and lodging we have a few larger chores that need tending. The boys can do it, but many hands make light work and all that. Tomorrow it’s going to be moving a tree off the back of the roof. I know you probably couldn’t see it today, the weather being what it is, but it could get bad if we don’t deal with it soon. There are a couple of other tasks. Jim has an idea for setting up a gravity flow water system, needs a big tank hoisted with muscle power. Eventually he thinks we can get ourselves set up for hot showers again. Sorry you missed out on that, it seems like heaven on earth to me, the idea of a hot shower. Look at me, talking my fool head off again. Eat, eat.”
After supper it took moments for them to fall asleep. They meant to set a watch, but never got to it. Each room had a fire by that point, and between the food and the warmth they were out cold almost immediately.
They woke the next day a bit later than usual. Jasper was groggy, fighting his way to consciousness. The darkness of the room was a major factor, but so was their long term exhaustion. They dressed and headed downstairs. Susan had a large pot of oatmeal bubbling on the wood stove, fresh berries and cream on the sideboard. There was also a pitcher of maple syrup and a pot of honey to use as sweeteners. "Eat. We have lots and lots. It's not like any of it will keep for long. We just had a little bit of a harvest, so this is harvest bounty. There's a couple of cows as well," Susan kept talking the entire time they ate. After breakfast the group headed out to help move the tree.
The tree was a small one, but it was resting on the roof of the inn, putting pressure on the shingles. The family had set up a block and tackle, so the job was hard labour pulling ropes and making sure they didn’t slip. Even Naomi pitched in. After the tree was moved they switched their effort and the block and tackle to a large steel tank. Jim said, "It's four hundred litres. Boys liberated it from an empty farm down the road."
There was a wooden platform and some connectors built on the roof already. They lifted the tank and nudged it in place, then a second one of the same size, and finally a two hundred litre tank went into a niche that was partially sunk into the roof. The two hundred litre tank was fed from one of the four hundred litre ones. "Bit left to do, it's all detail work though. Don't need a big crowd for that. You folks made this a lot easier," Jim said.
They had a final meal at the Inn. Susan surprised them with a change of clothes each. Not only were the cloth
es in good repair, they were very close to the correct size. Simple outdoor clothing, the kind used by hikers. "There's an outfitter in town. A lot of tourists used to come through here, and there's trails around. The place was empty when the change happened. I got the back door unlocked a few weeks ago and now we get all our clothes from there. It's so nice to have guests again. Are you sure you don't want to stay on?"
"Sorry, my daughter was in Charlottetown when it happened," Jasper said, "I need to get there and find out if she's okay. Have you checked the Centre yet?"
The Tatamagouche Centre was the kind of place that would be well stocked with food.
Mason said, "Yeah, I went in a while back. There was a group of hippies, doing some new age thing. Nice folks. All of them were turned. It took me a week to take care of all of them. It should be empty now, but I haven't bothered to check it out in too much detail. We aren't lacking for anything, it's just us in the town."
The journey through town was much, much less tense than expected. There were very few zombies, only the occasional roamer. Mason had a compound bow, and appeared to be an exceptionally good shot. He didn’t talk much, it seemed that nobody who spent time with Susan did. Maybe it was just that she was using up their entire quota of words by herself.
They moved through the town and out the other side. There was a small road with a broken down sign listing the Tatamagouche Centre on it. The sign was almost impossible to see; the grass had grown tall around it. At the end of the road was the building. It was low and long, obviously built in the seventies. The parking lot was full of dead cars, broken down and beaten by the weather.
They raided the property. It was dark inside the main building, claustrophobic. The windows should have allowed in lots of light, but they were covered in fallen branches and dirt. The stench inside hit them like a wall. Rot and death were everywhere. They saw signs that the building was being used by huge numbers of rodents. Jasper was worried that the rodents would have destroyed all the food stores, but apparently they were too busy chewing on the corpses that littered the centre to bother with harder to access things. The kitchen contained large amounts of canned goods, all untouched.
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