Red River Blue
Chapter 88
After he found the backpack with the photos in it, Owen had his wolves search the surrounding area. They were looking for the town in the pictures. And for its residents. But after searching for days, they still weren't any closer to finding the place. They eventually gave up and made camp on the roof of a small grocery store. While the area seemed devoid of life aside from the biters, Owen knew a grocery store would draw in survivors eventually. Just like the food trucks did. And since they had plenty of food and supplies for the present, he decided it wouldn't hurt to wait a while and see if maybe the people he was searching for might come to him.
"Across the street at that strip mall," one of the men said as he rushed over the top of the roof ladder. In his haste, he scrambled and nearly fell face first. "It's that asshole with the stick that jumped you!"
Owen felt the anger rising inside him at just the thought of seeing that man again. That sneaky bastard might have got the jump on him last time. Owen wasn't expecting his little stick tricks. But this time Owen was ready for him. And he could see the rest of his group felt the same. Most of them were already scrambling for knives and hatchets.
"Was he alone?," Owen asked. The man shook his head. He told Owen the man was with two other men. The stick man rode in a car with one of the other men. The third pulled up behind the car on a motorcycle. That's how he was able to hide in time and get a good look at the small group. He heard the motorcycle coming.
"Wait!," Owen said, turning to his companions and holding up his hand. "No one goes anywhere yet. Give me the binoculars." People started grumbling and complaining. But they did as Owen ordered and waited. Owen lifted the binoculars and peered through them at the shopping center across the street. It only took a few minutes for the men to emerge from the jewelry store with large pillowcases full of what Owen had to assume was expensive jewelry. He scratched at his head, wondering what sort of use anyone would have for that type of junk. You couldn't eat it. It wouldn't save your life. It was essentially worthless.
They forced in the door of a small baby boutique next. Owen felt the excitement start to rise inside him. Three men had no use for baby items. Or jewelry for that matter. If they were collecting these items, it had to mean they were taking them back to their camp for their women. And if they were worried about such trivial items, that meant they had to be set up somewhere good. Like the town in the pictures Owen found.
"All of you get down and stay quiet in case they come over here next," Owen said, lowering himself to the ground, his busted knee sticking out at an awkward angle due to the brace he had to wear to keep his leg from buckling under him. He could already almost taste the revenge he was going to get on the mouthy bitch that shot his knee out.
Owen leaned back, grabbing for his pack. He drug it over and fished around inside of it until he found the thin stack of folded pictures. Pulling them out, he handed them to the man that got an up close look at the group of strangers.
"You think any of them might be the people in these pictures?," Owen asked. The man slowly flipped through the photos, pausing on the last one. He pulled it out and stared at it. Then he glanced up at Owen.
"This guy," he said, pointing to an asian man in the photo that had his arm around a pretty brunette. Owen raised his eyebrow, asking the man if he was sure. He took another hard look at the photo. Then nodded his head. The man was asian with a thin mustache and shaggy hair. He was sure it was the same person. It had to be.
The sound of a motorcycle engine broke through the quiet. Like Owen hoped, the small group headed in their direction. They parked outside the front door of the place, pushing several cartloads of food out and loading up their car until it was obvious that nothing else would fit. Owen's people were grumbling, wanting to jump the men now before they took off with a large portion of their food supply. But Owen made them wait. When the men climbed back into their vehicles and left, Owen lifted the binoculars and watched them. He might not know exactly where their town was. But at least now he knew where to look.