Chapter 16
The plan was Fort Benning, a difficult, tiring, and rather dangerous journey. Days had passed since the CDC, but we were still numb, that vibe still hindered around the group. The worst of it was between Andrea and Dale, who accompanied me, Shane, and Glenn in the RV. None of us were really sure what had gone down during the escape, but something bad by the looks of it.
The time we spent travelling allowed for us to bond though, I learnt more about Glenn and Dale, their lives before the supposed apocalypse. It allowed for Shane and I to grow closer again, although I was still untrusting of him. Something had changed in him, and I guess it bothered me that I couldn't stop it.
By this point, we were approximately two or three days out from Benning, or at least that's what Dale told us. He was driving, always driving; no one else was allowed to drive his precious RV. Shane and Andrea were sat on the couch, talking about the pistol her father had gave her and Amy for their road trip. Meanwhile, I sat at the table enduring in a game of chess with Glenn, struggling to keep up with him.
"C'mon dude, no way you were a pizza boy before all this!" I teased him; we'd built a friendship around slagging each other off and making fun of each other as much as possible. "Yeah well, right now the pizza boy's whooping your ass." He loved making me look like a fool.
After another 5 moves, the game looked over for me, "and that would be a check-to-the-mate!" And he was right, I could never get my head around this game, my mom had taught me when I was little, before she passed, and after that it all kind of faded. "Dude, this is unfair, you're Asian!" That made Glenn and Shane laugh, no racism intended of course. "Hey," He said in between chuckles, "I'm Korea-"
He was cut off by the sudden halt of the RV, which sent multiple chess pieces flying off the board. "Hey Dale man, why've we stoppe-" Shane didn't need to finish his sentence, as when he looked up, the reason was clear. Ahead of us, the road was blocked by a mass of abandoned cars.
Daryl rode up alongside us on his motorbike, god I wished I'd been allowed one. I use to ride one of these when I was in the force, unlike Rick and Shane, I rode solo. After conferring with Dale and checking the blockage, Daryl insisted that the RV could fit.
We drove through, cautiously, taking in the sites around us. There were dozens of cars scattered around, all randomly placed, some were even turned over, how they'd ended up like that I had no clue. In some of the vehicles were walkers. Or dead people. Or dead walkers. It was kind of hard to tell the difference.
Suddenly, scaring the crap out of all of us, something in the hood of the RV blew fumes. I can't say I've ever had a worst jump scare in my life.
We re-grouped outside of the RV as Dale continued his rant, "I said it, didn't I say it? A thousand times. Dead in the water." He was surely going to continue until Shane intervened, "Problem Dale?" He asked as we took in our surroundings. No walker's, in clear sight at least. "Oh just the small matter of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with no hope of…" He paused, taking in the great amount of scraps around us, "Okay, that was stupid".
Everybody went on; talking about all the supplies we could scavenge here, a vision of promise, until Lori pulled us back down to Earth. "This is a graveyard," she announced, then, more directed at Rick, "I'm not sure how I feel about this." I understood what she meant, but at the end of the day, these people are dead. They don't need this stuff, but we do.
Despite her complaints, everybody carried on: Dale and Rick kept close to the RV, keeping watch and making sure we were safe; Daryl and T-Dogg ventured the furthest out, in search of gas; Shane and Glenn were on the opposite side of the RV, looking for a suitable radiator hose; Andrea hovered around the RV, dawdling as you may say; and I followed the women and children, making sure they were safe as they scavenged.
I lurked behind the ladies, watching them from a distance, ensuring a better site of the horizon. They both fiddled with boxes in the boots of cars as the kids carried on looking in the different cars. Carol eventually pulled out a pretty, red blouse from one of the boxes, sizing it up to herself. Lori watched, trying hard to hide the look of disgust on her face, yet still unable to peel her eyes from Carol. When she finally realised, Carol claimed that Ed had never let her wear nice things, god I hate men like that. Abusive, controlling pigs, but at least she's now free of him.
Disturbing my deep thoughts about Ed, I felt someone pushing me from behind. When I turned, I saw Rick, "Under the cars, now!" He whispered, commandingly. Immediately I turned my head towards the kids and ran towards them, crouching my body so that I was not seen. When I reached them, I ushered them under the car, and climbed under with them.
I hadn't even seen what was wrong, I trusted Rick enough to know it was bad, but then I heard them. So many moans, eerie, ear-wrenching, moans. Now we were in trouble.