There is a wrecked sheriff's car that has crashed into a tree up ahead. Kate slows down parks next to the battered guardrail. The both of us get out and step off the road.
She opens the driver's door and checks inside while I pull open the fuel tank and sniff. The fuel has a soft scent rather than a strong, pungent smell.
Kate is rapidly striking something inside the car. It's probably the shotgun holder in the front of the vehicle. I feed the syphon into the tank and put the other end in my mouth. Nice and easy. I breathe in, and a rush of gas hits my mouth. Bitter fluid burns my tongue and causes my gums to flare up with irritation.
I spit the fluid out and feed the syphon into the gas tank. There's a steady stream of gas flowing through the clear tube. Fluid sloshing over the bottom of the red gas can makes a pleasing sound. This should be enough fuel to get us to our destination. Knowing I won't have to walk makes it even better.
Kate walks around with a black pump action shotgun, a case of shells, a sidearm hip holster, two olive drab Kevlar vests, and a couple of gun cleaning kits. She loads the stuff into the backseat of our car.
I remove the syphon and close the gas can. Kate pops open the trunk of the sheriff's car and lets out a pleased chuckle. She pulls out a gun case and waves it up in the air with excitement.
"There's something in here Matt!"
"Open it up and let's see!" I say as I stick the gas can nozzle in our car.
She sits it on the trunk of our car and briskly rubs her hands in anticipation. Hopefully something is in there. I'd be pretty pissed off it happened to be nothing.
Kate releases the locks and throws it open. She reaches in and pulls out a unique looking rifle. It looks like the kind the Special Forces of Europe favor for their special operations. Kate folds the collapsible stock out and braces it up against her shoulder.
If it's what I think it is, then it will be chambered in 556. NATO, and since it belonged to a member of law enforcement, it should feature a selector switch on the side. Something my AR-15 doesn't have since it's only semi-automatic.
The person driving this car probably imported the gun so he could use it for a situation that would require something bigger than a sidearm. Departments in smaller towns have a choice to carry what rifle they want instead of having to use a standard issue like in the city.
The only downside is that the gun Kate found only has two magazines, and it can't accept anything other than magazines designed specifically for it. A double-edged sword, but it doesn't discourage Kate any.
"I'll only use this on special occasions since ammo for a rifle like this is really hard to come by." Kate says.
She sticks the rifle back in the case and puts it in the car. I finish filling the vehicle up and head back to the Sheriff's car. Kate sits on the hood and intently watches as I feed the syphon back, and gently breathe in.
"How exactly does that work? Like how does the gas flow up and over?" Kate asks as she kicks her legs back and forth out of boredom.
I spit the gas out and shove the tube back in the gas can, "I don't really know. I just read it in one of my manuals."
"Were you one of those preppers?" Kate teases.
"Not really. I mean, mom and dad said I was an idiot for wasting my money on those survival manuals. That something like this was never going to happen. Then I was criticized at school because I read those apocalyptic manuals all the time. Even the guy claiming to be my best friend thought I was crazy."
"But when this happened, you became everyone's hero?"
"Those people didn't need a hero, they needed a lunatic, and I fit the bill." I answer.
As much as I wanted to get away from Eric and the others, I didn't realize how much I actually cared about them. Even Emily started to grow on me, and we hated each other for the longest time.
Kate doesn't say anything. The gas can reaches its limit, and I pull the syphon out. Now we have a reserve. Kate jumps down, and I follow her back to the car. It looks like she wants to ask me something but is holding back.
I still don't trust her, but I do feel bad about what happened back there at the intersection. What if she was just trying to get away, and what I interpreted as her going for a gun was really just a mistake? Would those guys still be alive?
I want to say something, but anything as of now would be sudden and insensitive. We get in the vehicle, and I stow the gas behind my seat. Kate starts the car back up, and we are off again.
Budding magnolia trees line both sides of the road. The white pedals haven't fallen yet since it's still early April. In a couple days though, the tree will shed its white coat and develop green leaves just like every other tree.
Samantha and my parents were fascinated by this event. Especially when the magnolias would shuck the pedals off. Samantha told me that the part of Oklahoma she was raised in had so many magnolia trees that it looked like snow glistening in the warm Spring breeze. That sounded like an overstatement to me, but I shook my head because she was always right.
Before everything happened, she asked me if I wanted to go with her to her hometown and watch the magnolia's shed their coats. At the time, I thought they were just trees, but I said yes because I wanted to be around her. I never really took the time to appreciate how beautiful it was until now.
Kate turns onto a concrete driveway that leads to a huge iron gate. The headlights pull the black curtain of darkness apart. Shimmering gloss of a stained window from a distant mansion flickers within the fenced in area.
"Just let me do the talking. Stay in the car." Kate says as she gets out.
The gates open, and a group of people charge out. Kate opens up her arms like she's expecting a welcome. One guy grabs her and forces her arm behind her back. Someone rips open my door and grabs hold of my shirt.
Someone pushes Kate into the hood of the car while another guy tosses me to the ground. A man holding a hunting rifle points his gun directly at me as my captor forces me into a position I can't fight back or attempt to free myself from.
"Oh wonderful. It looks like Kate found another mouth to feed or better yet, something to spend a bullet on." A voice states.
The gate opens all the way, and a man steps out into the headlights. His ash-colored hair partially covers his red eyes. A leather vest adorned with various patches cover his grey undershirt. The title ROAD CAPTAIN rests on the right side of his vest.
"Tell me son, are you sick?" He snaps his fingers, and three guys gather around me. Two hold me down while the other pulls my shirt off. The guy with the rifle kicks the safety off as they look my body over for anything that might resemble a bite.
"What's this?" The inspector asks as he pokes the white bandage on my arm.
"Slashed with a knife. Don't touch it." I snap.
They talk to one another and nod in agreement. The guy with the rifle shakes his head but keeps the gun on me. Kate shoves the guy trying to touch her down and backs off. Everyone puts their guns on her.
"Get your hands off me! I'll do it myself!" Kate shouts as she pulls her black tank top off and spins around. "See? Nothing!" Kate turns her back to the group and closes her eyes in frustrated humiliation. "Fucking perverts." She silently mouths.
"Let me guess, you two got into a knife fight with one another." The road captain states.
"No, we got ambushed, got slashed a couple times and had to fight our way out!"
"So that's why you left with a handful of people and came back with one that isn't even from around here. I'd expect nothing less." The road captain states as he walks over to me and crouches down. "So little boy, who are you?"
"Matt."
"Driver's license." He holds out his hands.
"I lost it back in Coaltown."
"Is that so?"
The guy points at me, and the inspector hands my backpack to him. He opens it up and looks directly at the nametag. His demeanor remains unchanged as he flips the tag out and reads it. He looks at me with a stare so cold and heartless that it's taking everything within to prevent from showing any kind of weakness.
"Matt Slater. I thought those eyes looked familiar. You know, I spent five years in Cushing because of your daddy." He states in a monotone voice.
"Liam, please. Don't hurt him. He saved my life back in Coaltown." Kate begs.
"And that's supposed to be a good thing?" One of the guys asks.
Kate bites her lip and refuses to retaliate. Considering neither of us are in a favorable situation. Kate and I should have just went to my house and waited until morning. It's bad enough Blair is after me, now Kate has dragged me in front of an ex-convict, possibly a current convict that knows who my dad is.
"I'm not going to hold what his daddy did against me. However, these bandaged arms concern me."
"Then let's just kick them out!"
"Or just take a machete to them both."
Liam stands up and looks directly at the men that made the statements, "Why are you so eager to kill someone over something so trivial?"
"No, no, no. I was just saying…"
"Just saying? Just saying always turns into just doing, and that's what gets you buried."
"You're right. I shouldn't have said anything."
"That's what I thought." Liam states as he kneels back down, "So tell me something Matt, are you a hero, or a hinderance?"
"With what I've seen, heroes are hindrances. People who get results are the only ones still alive." I answer.
"Excellent answer. You haven't been here five minutes, and I'm already considering on letting you and Kate into the house. However, I can't. It's safe to assume that what's under your bandages aren't bites. Otherwise, I would have already busted your skull open with a hammer, but for the group's sanity, I cannot let you into the house as of tonight. If you are still alive by tomorrow though, you'll be free to come in."
"I don't care as long as you don't shoot me."
"Glad that you understand. I'll tell the others you'll be on the property." Liam tosses me my shirt and stands up.
Several of the people sigh but come to respect Liam's decision. Although I can hear several people whispering under their breath. Everyone backs away, and the gate completely opens. Kate and I put our shirts back on and get in the car. A black veil swallows up the gate, and there is nothing other than the luminescent glow of the group's combined flashlights and Kate's headlights.
She pulls up to a side garage and gets out. As dangerous as it would be to sleep in a tent in the middle of the forest, it would probably be safer than staying in that house. That Liam guy seems to be unstable at best. Yes, his paranoia did save me and Kate from getting our necks slit, but a man that's always on edge like that is always looking to end someone for any reason.
Kate knocks on the garage door and steps back. The white door folds up, and a couple guys inside make a motion for Kate to bring the car in. She gets back in and parks us right between a green van, and a beige truck with a missing bumper. Liam makes his way towards a storage shelf and digs out a bag with a folding tent.
"There's a shotgun, a couple shells, some armor, and a tank of gas in the back." Kate says as she grabs the rifle case she found earlier.
"What do you have there?" Some older guy asks.
"It's a hunting rifle I found while I was searching for supplies."
I remain quiet as Kate turns around and walks out of the garage. The guy looks like he's deep in thought. Almost like he's contemplating on whether or not Kate is lying.
"Pretty big case for a hunting rifle? Don't you think?" He indirectly asks me.
I shrug my shoulders, "It holds a gun, and she says it's a hunting rifle, then it must be a hunting rifle."
Liam comes back and hands me a collapsible tent. It's one of those that doesn't require stakes or pitching. Thank God. It would be a nightmare if I had to do that in the middle of the night. Especially in hostile territory.
"Go set up by the ponds. If you're still alive by morning, I'll give you a ration for your trouble." Liam says.
"Thanks." I say as gratefully as possible.
Well, it's better than nothing. Considering that I could be sleeping by the pond with nothing but the clothes on my back. Kate is sitting under a nearby tree. The grain of her pocket knife scrapes against a course whetstone as she makes a pass.
"I got a place we can stay for the night." She flips the handles around her hand and points the tip at me, "but don't get the wrong idea though. I'm only letting you stay with me because you spared and saved me. The moment you put hands on me, I'll run this in your throat."
"Who's to say you won't do it anyway?"
"Because I had several clear shots when you were running away from me back in Coaltown."
"Fair enough."
Kate folds her knife up and grabs the gun case. I turn my flashlight on and follow her to the back of the property. The pond Liam was talking about is on the other side of the fence. A makeshift, dirt bridge crosses through the middle of the body of water.
What looks to be a path that has been trimmed with a brush hog leads up to a small house surrounded by trees. Kate eases up to the door and gently jiggles the knob. Her knuckles rap across the grey door, and she stands back. The door opens up and catches on the chain lock. A voice on the other side silently swears as the door closes. The sound of a brass chain scraping against the metal door rings out. Two green eyes in between the gap and doorframe peek out, and two barrels that rest side by side one another eases out.
"It's okay Jamie. He's with me." Kate says.
The sawed-off barrels disappear back into the house, and the door opens all the way. A girl with crimson colored hair motions for us to come in. Kate slings her backpack off and sits down next to the fireplace. The girl locks the door and carefully peeks out the window.
"Something wrong?"
"I'm just making sure you weren't followed. Those guys give me the creeps." The redhead named Jamie answers.
"How did everything go today?" Kate asks.
Jamie sits down in a chair and puts her shotgun on the coffee table, "I saw a couple croakers off in the distance this morning, but they took off running away from the property."
"How did she do today?"
"She's asleep right now, but you're more than welcome to go say goodnight." Jamie smiles.
Kate heads down the hallway and disappears. Jamie reaches under the couch and goes to grab something. Adrenaline fills my body, and instinct forces my hand to the revolver in the seat of my pants. For some reason, it doesn't feel any safer in here than it would back at Liam's house, or outside. Plastic scrapes against the floor and Jamie slides out an unopened case of water.
"Kind of jumpy, aren't you?" Jamie asks.
Her statement doesn't deter me any. I unholster the revolver and hold it to my side. She takes out a pocket knife and cuts the top of the plastic off.
"It seems you're pretty rattled. I can't say I blame you. When I first arrived, the people inside let me in. That's when the men wrestled me to the ground and tore my clothes off. They said it was just a precaution. Just to make sure I didn't get bit, but I knew what was really going on. That's when Liam shot one of the guys holding me down in the back of the head."
Jamie sits down on the couch and takes a drink of her water, "Liam helped me to my feet, and then shot the guy that was on top of me. When I thanked him, he looked into my eyes with that evil, emotionless face and said, 'You're welcome, and thank you because what happened was the excuse I needed to bury someone.' I was thankful. Sure, but it was almost like he took the pleasure in killing them more so than saving me."
Her words resonate with me. I wasn't the only one that realized that Liam is truly a psychopath. I holster the revolver and sit down in a chair across from Jamie, "That's why you and Kate are here."
"Everyone here is scared of him, but that's why there's some kind of order. However, Liam isn't around much during the day because he's out with his patrol. When they're gone, anything goes, and with some of the stuff that goes on at that house, and the things I saw when I was trying to escape Brookhaven, I find myself wondering who the real monsters are."
"The shamblers and croakers don't really worry me. It's people that should be feared." I state.
"You're more than welcome to sleep over by the ponds if you want, but it's safer here. Just as long as you don't do anything stupid." Jamie states as she grabs a bottle of water and holds it out for me.
"I wouldn't have survived this long if I was stupid." I reply as I take the water bottle and open it.
"Good answer." Jamie says.
The lukewarm water slides down my throat and offers some temporary relief. Jamie pulls out a couple cans of food from under the coffee table and hands me one. The label has been peeled off so I have no idea what I'm eating.
I pull the tab back and break the tin seal. The unsavory smell of uncooked soup hits me in the nose, but I'm too hungry to care. The yellow gelatin of artificial chicken and slimy noodles coated in preservative slides into my mouth. The taste is so horrendous that it's making my throat salivate to try and distort the flavor. Jamie runs a spoon through the fire a couple times and opens a can of chili.
"Well, it really is better than nothing." Jamie grimaces through a chunk of brown, consolidated jelly. She covers her mouth and gags. Her breathing gets out of control, and she grabs her bottle of water.
"Certainly, no steak and lobster." I reply.
"God…I miss those days…" Jamie states in between gasps. She shakes her head side to side and takes another bite.
"Do you want to trade?"
"I don't think that piss in a can is much better than this." Jamie states.
"What's this about pissing in a can?" Kate sarcastically asks as she walks back into the living room.
Jamie hands Kate a can that looks like beef stew, "This food we're eating. It's pretty terrible."
I catch a glimpse of someone peeking around the corner of the hallway. A speck of white quickly snaps back into cover. Jamie grabs a can of peaches and hands it to me. I shake it around and hold it out in the direction of the hallway.
"It's okay. He's not going to hurt you." Kate says in a calm voice.
The little girl hesitates to leave where she's hiding, but it seems that the peaches have her interested. Kate sits the beef stew down and walks over to the little girl. She takes a hold of Kate's hand, and she escorts the girl into the living room. A stuffed orange cat with a white face rests firmly within her arms. Her eyes glow like two sapphires.
My mind locks up, and the room around me transforms into the hallways of the school. A group of shamblers are rushing towards me. Before I can react, one fazes right through me and continues to rush forward.
At the end of the intersection, Samantha is fighting the shamblers with a knife, and a makeshift shield formed out of a locker door. A shambler closes in from behind and grabs her. It sinks its teeth into her shoulder and tears out a chunk of flesh. Samantha yells in agony as she yanks away and clobbers it with the locker door.
I jerk back and panic sets in as something touches my hand. Sweat beads form on my face, and I rapidly pant to try and fight off the ensuing stress. The little girl hides behind Kate as the illusion of being there at Samantha's final moments disappear. The delusion fades away, and I realize that I'm in some guest house around Black Breech.
"Matt? MATT!" Kate shouts as she shakes me to my senses. I snap out of it, and the aching in my head vanishes.
"Are you okay?" Jamie asks.
"Yeah…It's just…these bad memories come back every once in a while, and it causes me to lock up." I hold the can back out, "I'm sorry little one. Here."
"Go on sweetie. It's okay. He was just scared." Jamie says.
The girl reaches out and takes a hold of the can. I let go, and she quickly jumps back behind Kate again.
"What do you tell him?" Kate says.
"Thank you."
"What's your name?" I ask.
"Rebecca."
"That's a really nice name."
"How about you?"
"Matt."
Kate picks Rebecca up and sits her on the couch. Jamie reaches over and helps Rebecca open the peaches as Kate picks her beef stew back up.
Light from the fireplace reflects off of a silver bracelet around Rebecca's wrist. The curiosity is killing me, but I don't want to be rude. I ease closer and try to make out what it says.
It looks like some kind of medical bracelet special patients have to wear when undergoing some kind of treatment or physical therapy. Words are etched into the metallic piece of jewelry, and a barcode grows in size when I get closer, but the words are obscured by shadows. However, I can tell by the symbols and some of the exposed letters what it is. That's why Kate was desperately trying to get to the medical center and pharmacies.
"Hey Jamie?"
"Yes Rebecca?"
"Are we going to play that game like we did the last couple nights?"
"Of course!"
"What are we doing?" I ask.
"Every night, we all share something we enjoy doing, or something we did." Kate replies.
"I think since you're the new one, you should go first." Jamie teases.
I wash the terrible food down my mouth with some water and let out a sigh of relief, "Well. When I was in the eighth grade, mom wanted to go to Colorado and try white-water raft."
"You're joking right?" Kate gasps from interest.
"No. I'd just graduated from middle school, and it was mom and dad's wedding anniversary, and all they wanted to do is take the kayaks to Aspen and ride the Roaring Forks River."
"Did you get tossed?" Kate asks.
"Oh yeah. Rivers in Oklahoma are laid back compared to Colorado's. My brother, and I got tossed several times before we got adjusted to the differences."
Kate is in disbelief. She throws her head back and lets out a strained sigh of frustration, "What I wouldn't give to do that once."
"Your turn Kate." I say.
"Well, every year, mom and dad would take me and Rebecca to Court Lake in North Dakota and go camping. Remember that?"
"That was fun. We would take our big canoe and sail across the water. Mom and I would sit in the middle and fish while you and dad would row." Rebecca says as she finishes a can of peaches.
"What about you Jamie?" I ask.
"Well, I wasn't the outdoor type like you three, but the most fun I had was when my family would take me to Miami Beach every summer."
"Was it all it was amped up to be?" Kate asks.
"I mean, it was a Florida beach. If that's what you're asking. My dad was a high liner, and he did some work for a man that owned a bunch of condos down there. Every summer that guy would rent out his best condo to dad for a really cheap price. The best part about the trip is that the condo was more of a resort. It had a swimming pool, a sauna, hot tubs, and we had it all to ourselves for five days." Jamie answers as she finishes her chili and sits the can in the trash.
Rebecca rubs her eyes and yawns. I guess it's almost bed time for her, or I sure hope because I'm pretty tired myself. Kate picks Rebecca up and carries her down the hallway. "Come on sleepyhead. It's way past your bed time."
Jamie stands up and stretches, "Come on Matt. I'll show you where you'll be sleeping."
On the other side of the living room is another hallway that has a series of rooms. The one to the right looks like the room Jamie has been sleeping in. Right across from it is another bed room that hasn't been touched.
"Have a goodnight Matt." Jamie states as she welcomes me into the room.
"Goodnight Jamie."
She closes the door and walks off. I flop on the bed, put the pillow of my face and let out a frustrated sigh. My fingertips dig into the peach skin pillow and burrow into my skull. First it was my parents, and then Samantha, and that kid at the school followed.
Now it's Eric, and the others. As sad as it makes me, I am still clinging onto what little hope that remains. Eric, and the others are alive, and no matter what, I will find and save them. As for now though, it looks like I'm part of Kate and Jamie's group…