Along the road
"Well I'll be damned, best news I heard in a long time!" Kenneth's deep voice was now loud and cheerful, making their spirits rise to a new level.
"It will be nice to be able to have a full night sleep, 'decent' food, and a lot of people with big guns." Nicole was enthusiastic about reaching a safe place now more then ever.
CJ and a bottle of Hennessey, ever so cheerful in his own little corner of the shuttle, hooped and hollered.
Light came through some of the openings in the siding, still no fresh air, but at least the birds are singing. Every moment after the mall was a blessing to Michael, even after losing everything; he still has something he could care about.
Anna took the news in stride, he never did see her overreact, and only once did she act fucking crazy; once is all he needed.
She looked out the narrow opening which she called her 'window to the world', a small view of the nightmare outside, a reminder to herself that this is far from over.
Morning passed by slowly, a few of the spots along the road smelled so clean, it was a shame they couldn't stop. A gust of wind would pick up; a rotten stink would always be accompanied with it, that's how it would be for awhile.
They made their turn, each turn brought them closer to others; would some be infected, are they truly friendly. Things they all thought about that morning.
Birds chirped, cows roamed the fields with their former owners, in a drive way along the road was a mail box. A pack of dogs were having their fill with a bloated corpse. It sat up when they drove by.
Small towns, big towns, big blade on the front took care of them; it will be different near the city. Trees and farm land, miles of road and a blazing hot sun.
"Its so fuckin' hot!"a yell came from the back.CJ's wife beater was soaked with sweat.
Around a big turn, cars were parked along the highway, the same image as before of cars broken and burnt along the now still river of concrete and metal. A few corpses were in the ditches, running head first into cars while trying to get the fresh meat rolling down the road.
The big green sign said Sioux Falls twenty miles, smoke could be seen from where they were at; none of them doubted that you could see it from forty miles.
Road signs, bill boards, advertisement, truck stops, McDonald's, it would all be normal if the corpses were gone. The median can be a bit bumpy, Kenneth was having fun when mud was in the way, and Anna prayed they never got stuck.
The highway became more congested with traffic and walking dead, dirt was soon replaced with concrete, time for side streets, EXIT.
"The map says head north, so I guess that's the way we go." Michael didn't know these streets; chance is their best friend now.
"What do you mean 'I guess' what does the map say?" Kenneth hates it when people try to screw around, mistakes happen that way.
"The map doesn't go into that much detail Ken, I say wing it."
Kenneth couldn't believe what Mike was saying: "Wing it? Are you out of your damn mind I don't want to run out of gas in this place because we decided to chance it, hell no bro that shit don't fly." Blood was being pumped to Ken's muscles, a less grotesque version of Bruce Banner.
Michael remembered then how much smaller he was compared to the cop sitting next to him.
"Sorry Ken, to be honest I don't know what we should do, make it to the north side of town some how I guess." He was scared, scared out of his mind about going into the city.
But who wouldn't be, Kenneth thought to himself, since he first found Anna and the rest of the group too the here and now, none of them are ready for some of the horrors yet to come.
The shock of their first introduction with the new world hardened most in those first few bloody minutes, though some he knew couldn't handle it.
Nicole was one, sheltered her whole life, trauma from losing her family and then her father made her grow up a lot faster.
New responsibilities to herself and the group, once her mind got ahead of her (for a goddamn dog); it cost the life of a good man and their early departure from the mall.
They drove the side streets, minutes seemed like hours, and the smell of rotten flesh always filled the air.
"Hey bro, if it makes you feel any better… I'm not scared anymore." Kenneth's eyes never left the road.
Michael looked at his driver; a smug look was on his face. "Yeah well we have shotguns-that's what their used for right, to either scare the shit out of somebody or blow their heads off."
He looked over at Michael, his brown pull over sweater and oversized blue jeans made the middle aged man look like a street hood back on Kenneth's old block.
Another right turns onto another dead street.
"You're starting to sound like Steve bro." Kenneth laughed while looking at the ceiling, enjoying how easy it is to torque up his 'Best Buy Guy'.
" KEN!" Michael's voice was desperate, Kenneth knew they were about to hit something.
Thu-THUMP…BANG…. Broken metal could be heard being crumpled underneath the frame of the shuttle.
"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!" CJ hollered from the back.
"Take a peek and find out?" Anna said to him as she stood up to go see Michael.
He knocked over his empty beer bottles and soda cans, a bit of a buzz still clung to him, it would have been long gone if not for the rude awakening.
The aluminum grating gave him a limited view of what was behind them, but it was enough for him to see a sad sight.
He sighed deeply before turning back around; he's been through just as much as anybody else, but the broken wheel chair and legs of a body was enough to disturb him this afternoon.
"What was it CJ?" The look on CJ's face made Terry worry, it was something awful.
He looked down at the young man sitting on the blue cot, CJ figured Terry could handle just as much as anyone else, but he didn't want to tell him about this.
"You don't want to know." It was all he said before he sat down and starting bubbling Jim Beam.
"You should slow down CJ, were going to be hitting tough shit pretty soon." His words had truth to them and he knew it.
He tipped the bottle down off his lips, its sweet pungent smell reached terry's nostrils, he never did like that smell.
"I guess your right… been hittin it too much anyways, I say we eat!" He said cheerfully.
They've all noticed CJ's attitude and behavior towards them has changed a lot since they first met.
When that elevator door first opened he didn't give a shit about anybody, but after Michael and Kenneth took control, and after a little time in lock up, the nice side started showing itself in him.
He would take a bullet for me, Ken thought to himself when he saw the drunken fool in the mirror, maybe even a bite.
Up over a hill and down another street, downtown could be seen smoking and burning, every now and then a few gunshots could be heard, there are still people trapped in the city.
Kenneth was urged to drive to the nearest gunshot, his years protecting people brought back that old cop instinct, and if he went with it they would most surely die. The truck sped on.
Another turn, stop signs, dead streetlights, dead people, each turn made them all more nervous as they slowly reached the heart of the city. Small shops, banks, hotels, even a Denny's was infested with the walking dead.
A small crackle on the CB got their attention.
"… keep blocki…up that stairway… don't waste your…" gunshots could be heard on the other end before static once again took over. As the group of traveling refuges listened to the radio transmission, they all looked at each other knowing one of them was going to speak first about doing the right thing. It came from the most unexpected person.
"Damn they sound like their thigh deep in shit creek, try getting a message to them Mike." CJ's stink revolted Terry and Nicole, it didn't bother Anna one bit though, her years at the hospital dealing with Saturday night bar fights made her quite used to the rank odor.
"Hello… is anyone there…please respond." The squelch was turned up to high as a distorted message came through the com.
A quick adjustment and they heard it loud and clear: "Wha- who is this, what channel are you on?" The static seemed to make everyone in the bus panic fearing they might lose the signal.
Kenneth took the radio from Michael, an annoyed expression was on his face.
"This is Rot Crusher were on U-com channel 19 over." It was just like talking to Linda back at his old station, he should have taken her out, he wishes now that he did.
A few seconds later a voice came over the radio loud and clear:
"Thank god, we thought there were no more rescue units left in the city. Officer Rob Ferguson speaking." The voice on the line was full of happiness and relief.
"What's your situation Rob, how are you guys holdin up?" Kenneth swerved to avoid a pack of dead kids running towards them.
"Shit man were trapped in an apartment building about a mile from down town, these dead fucks have the streets packed, I don't think you could help us unless you got a whirly bird.?" Static
Kenneth looked down one street as a big purple dump truck sat at gas station with its driver dead at the pump, a dozen corpses wandered around the parking lot, unaware of the living flesh watching them. An idea clicked in Kenneth's head.
"Hey Rob how many people do you have in your group? Over" static
It would only be a short while before the rumble of the engines caught the attention of the dead. The plan was now or never and none of them even knew what Ken had planned for them.
"I have eight men left of mine and sixteen survivors, over" static
Ken looked at his friends, he knew they would listen to him now, they would have to.
He put the radio down and took a deep breath.
"Alright, you all heard, we have to help them." Michael now knew why they stopped. Ken's eyes stayed on the behemoth in the distance.
"How the hell are we going to do that? You heard him, downtowns packed man." CJ was just as enthusiastic about helping them as Ken was, he needed some excitement.
They all looked at Ken knowing he already had a plan.
"See that dump truck over there." He nodded with his head toward the gas station.
"It sits pretty high off the ground and that box should be able to hold about twenty people."
They all started to see where he was going with this, each of them had a feeling it would work, though very risky...
"We need that truck." Kens voice was flat, he meant to get that truck, and if they left those people up there he couldn't ever live with himself.
He brought the radio up:
"Hey Rob, were gonna try something to get ya'll outta there alright? you just hang ten for now ok, I call back in five, Ken out" static.
"Alright boss, do what you gotta do but watch your back ok." Static
Ken reached under his seat pulling out a glock 40. pistol, he let the clip slide free, checking the magazine he popped it back into place and pulled the slide back. They watched him turn his head back toward them, that killer instinct was in his eyes.
"You guys ready?" he said in a monotone voice.
"CJ already had his shotgun ready, a fresh round loaded in the chamber, he loved buckshot. Anna had her 9mm locked and loaded, Terry was finishing loading up a clip for his mini-14, and Nicole dropped the final round into the loaded tube on her pump action 22. long rifle Ken found for her.
"What you waiting for Mike?" As he noticed that his friend didn't have his piece out.
"Who's gonna drive the truck?" Anna stopped what she was doing then and listened.
Ken's eyes wandered back over too the dump truck, more started wandering over.
"I'll do it!" CJ enjoyed the new risks he was about to take, "what's the use of stayin alive if you aren't gonna risk your neck for some good people" he thought out loud.
"You'll ride shotgun then cause I'm driving." Anna knew Mike would volunteer for the deed.
She spoke up quick: "I'm riding with you, they might need some medical help, plus an extra gun onboard should help." She was becoming easier about doing this.
"Well I guess that takes care of that then." CJ sat waiting to get their new ride.
"I see about sixteen of them, but to me it's strange how all these houses are empty, like there should be more of them you know." Ken felt uneasy about that one thing the most, he didn't want to get ambushed by a whole street of corpses.
"Yeah that's right, ever since we've been in town most of the houses down this way are empty, they must have followed people trying to escape up north into… downtown."
Anna brought about a reality to the situation on how they would manage to save those people while surrounded by tens of thousands of flesh eating corpses.
"Well lets get the fuck moving damn it before more show up, for Christ's sake it'll only take twenty seconds." CJ's words were just the right kick in the ass they needed to switch into survival mode.
Ken put the Rot Crusher into drive, its engine revved up as it sped towards the stop n go gas store, one thump, two thump, a loud thump, and then a crunch.
Ken stopped less then ten feet from the gas pumps; the seven corpses that were scattered around the parking lot rushed the mobile fortress, though they never made it as hot lead pierced their skulls.
Ken opened the doors, Mike followed him out, CJ and Terry jumped out the back covering their rear, Anna and Nicole sat topside watching for movement. Chips had his muzzle on but even he was quite alert of the presence of more corpses.
Michael walked towards the dumper, its driver lay on the ground, the sick sight revolted him as he grabbed the keys out of his shirt pocket. He looked up at the pump, $54.70, more then enough.
BANG … Everyone looked towards Ken, the smoking barrel was leveled at the front blade of the shuttle, Terry walked over to check on Ken, the sight made him puke up his light lunch of canned pears. Ken knew more would be coming now.
"Michael how's the truck coming bro?" Ken asked as he scanned the area with his binoculars.
The sound of a big diesel filled the air as Mike revved up the engine, sending black smoke skywards, drawing attention to them. CJ through his duffel bag into the box of the mammoth dumper, it would indeed be difficult for the dead to get up here as CJ pulled himself up on the back
A light crack filled the air, another, another, a louder report came next, Nicole was knocking off the dead who ran across the street, Terry let half his clip fly at a group of six bloody bodies.
The crew loaded back up in their rigs, Terry, Nicole, and Kenneth were already rolling down the road by the time Michael and CJ had Anna safe and secure.
A hardware store parking lot a few blocks back is where they met up; thankfully none of the corpses followed them as they pulled into the wide open parking lot. Hugging each other as their latest mission became a success at the safe return of all survivors and rigs.
Michael walked up to Ken with the back to business look in his eyes.
"So what's the plan?" everyone looked at the two standing by the handicap parking sign, a bird flew over head, the wind it rode on rattled the aluminum sign. They saw the tick in Ken's right eye as the next move came back to him.
"We need a boom-box, a loud one. Two of us get to play rabbit while the rest of us pick up captain Ferguson and his crew, the rest is pretty easy." He laughed a under his breath at the last part.
"But how do you ditch ten thousand undead corpses chasing after you when the streets are jammed?" CJ's words stuck home as to who would volunteer to play some decoy.
"Cause I'll ride rabbit, don't bother me too much either, and if they catch me I'll be listenin to my music while burnin cookies on those dead fucks!" He enjoyed the risk, why the hell would he not want to do this if he didn't.
After hearing this most of the group cringed at the idea.
"I'll ride with him." Nicole piped up, she never volunteered for something like this, Ken still wondered if she could handle it.
"What!" Terry's face turned a whole new shade of pale when he heard her speak up; he didn't want to lose her, especially if he wasn't there to protect her.
CJ reached over and slapped Terry on the back: "Its alright bro she'll be well taken care of, you think a few thousand of these dead fucks can stop this baby at top speed." He walked over to the Rot Crusher hitting the metal siding with his fist.
"It's alright Terry, I have my gun and a few thousand rounds, and as long as they don't get inside we'll be alright." Those soft words still didn't make Terry feel any better.
"Right CJ!" she yelled at his as he clambered around inside.
"Yeah, yeah, perfectly fine, no dead getting in here…" he kept muttering to himself as he started throwing duffel bags out the back door.
"You guys better grab your gear, don't know what kinda shit you're bound to meet up the road." Another black duffel bag flew out the back.
"We still need to find a stereo CJ." Michael said as he walked over to grab his bag.
"Hey man look at all the cars around here, you know somebody has to have a car stereo and some subs, just check'em out." He was doing something under the dash, sharp curses and grunts of pain filtered out to the group.
"Well lets start seachin shall we?" Anna said as she walked towards a black Ford pickup.
The wish list was there, so many toys. All the latest gadgets, the most kick ass stereo systems. Dead pets, a few cars had children in them, passing to the other side either by the heat of the sun, or thirst.
Tears welled up in the eyes of those unfortunate enough to come across the steel and fiberglass tombs.
Breaking glass could be heard, Terry was ripping an old Pioneer out of an old Laredo.
"good man Ter'." CJ was checking the harness, everything fit just right.
CJ's excitement doubled when the head unit lit up.
"YES!" he flipped through the stations, nothing but static was on the air.
"Mean man, now all I need are some six by nine's, think you can find some?"
"Already did bro." Kenneth stood at the passenger door; two speaker boxes were in his arms.
"Beautiful, just what I needed, thanks bro." Some twisting wires, a curse or two, static filled the shuttle as CJ tested the volume.
"Now I'll take care of the last part, some tunes boys." CJ went car hopping.
Michael walked over to Anna, his touch always made her feel better. The two watched CJ searching cars for music, a cheerful "Hell Yeah!" filled the lot. An echo came back off the red and beige building, CJ's head popped out of an old 73' Cougar, a cd in one hand and a clear bag in the other.
""what you got there bro?" Kenneth threw his survival bag into the dumper as CJ walked towards him.
"A whole collection of new and old rock, whoever owned that car should get some undead comps in my opinion, plus." CJ unwrapped the little clear baggy. "Some killer Hydro bro… wanna get high?"
Ken looked at him quizzically; the smell from the unopened bag worked its way to his nose. My god he thought to himself, fourteen years is a long time.
"Yeah sure… why the hell not." He took the cd's from CJ, they landed hard on the floor of the shuttle. He turned back to his comb over buddy: "Fire then."
After listening to Ken, Captain Rob felt a bit uneasy on how this simple plan might go wrong, he and his group cannot stay here any longer. "As long as the rabbit does its job" he said to himself.
He looked towards his men and the survivors, his eyes steadily scanned the small group, god help him if one of them died now.
The gravel crunched under his feet as he walked back to the group: "Ok people... I just made contact with some people who are gonna try to get us out of here." Some of them cheered, others were as quite as ever.
"Boys I need you to start loading up our supplies, you others carry only what you need ok?" The group didn't even acknowledge him as they started packing up.
He stared out into the south horizon.
Annie watched the sad policeman look towards the south, she followed his gaze looking out along the edge of the world, and she could see that all the streets were moving. A police man with a red beard walked up to her an mommy.
"Do you need any help lady?" He asked, his deep green eyes were beautiful to the little girl. Her mom looked at the handsome man; they didn't really have anything, a few clothes and essentials, which was all they could grab as the undead pushed them up.
"Not really, do you know when the rescue will be here?" the idea of getting off this roof was a great relief to her. It was the lack of privacy and security she missed.
"Soon I know that, it's going to be dangerous so listen up ok." He couldn't stand the face of that little girl; his morning was just as fucked up as anyone else's, walking away he left the two sitting there.
"Nothing will happen to them as long as I live." An oath he would live up to.
She watched him walk away, she felt scared again.
Rob thought twice for a brief moment seeing how many undead jammed the streets, from side walk to side walk, block to block, a constant moving motion covered the streets. To him it was like watching the wind blow through the prairie grass.
But their situation was desperate, they must have faith in these people if they wish to make it out of this city alive. Since the fall of the fifth floor he's lost seven men so far. Each one of those selfless men deserve an honorable buriel for the way they died, some never stopped firing even when they were a buffet.
Thinking about those screams made him want to tear up. He reached inside his shirt, a steel chain and cross hung from his neck. Its soothing touch and his stalwart faith kept him going. His grip tightened around the cross as he looked up.
"God let us make it out of here alive, please."
WOW... took long enough enet' lol sorry about the wait, if you actually readin this story there's still more to come. Survivors and salvation will always be a dream to some. WOPILA