The Wild Ones, page 15
“Go back. Go!”
I shook my head. “We can’t. It’s taken us nearly an hour to get this far.”
“I don’t give a shit, there are too many. This is why we shouldn’t have brought them,” he said looking at the two old-timers clinging to each other. The sound of the dead, their groans, snarls and bodies hitting into vehicles, was sickening. I turned back to the others and asked them what they wanted to do?
“What if we wade into the water?” Eli asked.
“You’ll sink,” Jamal muttered.
“No, I mean lead them away from the road like rats.”
“What are you, the Pied Piper of Hamlin? Don’t be stupid. Two old folks. And one of us is injured. Those things might not be able to swim but it wouldn’t take many of them to catch your slow ass.”
“Fuck you, Jamal.”
He smirked. Ryland stared at a family locked inside a minivan.
“I say we do it,” he replied without even looking.
Jamal’s face twisted. “What?”
“Look, a few of us can lead them away. Eli’s right, it’s the only way we are going to get past them. Alexa, Eli and Scotty can take the others up onto the road and move across to the other side.”
“You want us to play Frogger in the middle of the road with those Zs?” I asked.
“You got a better idea? I might not agree with Jamal but bringing those two old folks was a bad idea.”
“Damn it!” I said. There was no easy way through this. We could die either way. I contemplated it for a few minutes then nodded. “Alright.”
Jamal scowled. “Um, how did it go from Eli volunteering to be a water rat to me?”
“Suck it up, Jamal,” Ryland replied. “It’s just a quick swim. You can swim, right?”
“Damn right I can.”
“Then stop being a wuss and get in the water.”
Ryland tapped me on the arm. “We’ll see you on the other side.”
I nodded as a look of concern spread on my face.
“Relax, Scotty, it’ s a walk in the park. I mean, a swim in the park.”
He breathed in deeply and I wondered if that was just his way of psyching himself up to do this. It certainly was odd. Ryland was the only one among us who didn’t seem to be swayed by the fact that an army of dead were about to come after him. We watched them wade into the water until it came up to their hips. Quietly they moved away doing breaststroke.
“Alexa, Eli, you take Tobias, I’ll keep my eyes on these two.”
Alexa was the first over the barrier. None of us would move until Jamal and Ryland started yelling, and yell they did. When they began, it was a sight to see. Arms waving in the air, heads bobbing above the water.
“Hey, assholes. Over here. Come on in, the water is beautiful!”
Ryland began splashing the water with both hands furiously. We prepared, ready to make our move. The dead pressed up against the barrier farther down and the sheer weight forced them over. They spilled into the water and disappeared beneath the murky depths. They might not have been able to swim, but walk along the bottom, that was very possible. Alexa climbed over and with the tire iron at the ready she darted from one vehicle to the next, with Tobias draped over her. He was more alert than before but nowhere close to being ready to run if need be. Eli was on the other side, a knife in hand. We crept by a group of Zs that were feasting on some poor soul. We thought they would be distracted, and they were, but their buddies roaming nearby weren’t. Now the only thing that was protecting us from the horde was the large truck that was blocking the way. We were on the west side, they were on the east but that didn’t mean the passage to the north side of the road was clear. There was still the fourteen farther down, and several stragglers. The group on the ground turned, their milky eyes fixed on us, their gums pulling back to reveal black teeth. I didn’t wait for them to react, I darted forward stabbing the first one in the head, and kicking his pal to the ground before…
Alexa wasn’t going to stand by aimlessly, she hurried over and struck a Z that was about to take a chunk out of my arm. The deafening crack of the tire iron as it caved in his skull was enough to turn anyone’s stomach. One final jab into an eye and it was over — at least for those. We stayed low, still hearing the yelling and splashing of water coming from our decoys. Cold fear washed over me as we turned to see more of the dead coming our way. Tobias was against the hood of a red SUV while Eli was struggling to hold back an oversized woman that had pinned him to the ground.
“Tobias!”
He turned, and I tossed the machete to him. He clasped it and plunged it into the head of the woman. I pulled out a small hunting knife and jabbed it into the nearest Z who was seconds away from attacking Edith. The old-timers clung to each other unable to fight, unable to do anything except stand frozen in place. I pushed them forward. “Move.”
But it was too late. The fourteen that we had passed by were making their way up. Now had they all been slow we might have managed to reach the other side of the road in time but some of them were the fast suckers, shuffling along like apes.
I gripped the knife and prepared for the onslaught. Out the corner of my eye I could see Ryland and Jamal swimming away and I began to wish I’d gone that route. I gritted my teeth and burst forward plunging the knife into the head of one, only to be taken down by another from the side. Not even Alexa could help me as she was fighting off her own. This Z’s decayed face was inches away from mine, his teeth gnashing, black gunk and bloody drool dripping from his lips. For something that was dead he sure had a lot of strength. I stuck the knife into the side of his head and rolled it off just as another came barreling towards me. Shit. It was like being overwhelmed by one huge wave after another. I didn’t even get a chance to catch my breath.
In the right-hand lane was an RV, I rolled underneath it just as the Z reached me. It dropped down, its torn hand reaching beneath as it inched its way forward clawing at me. I watched as the fingernails on its hand tore on the asphalt leaving long streaks of blood. My heart rate was through the roof. I stabbed, swiped and rolled out the other side straight into the path of another. It hit me with such force as I was getting up that I went over the barrier, rolled down the short stony embankment and into the water. Even though it was summer, the water sure as hell wasn’t warm. It took my breath away, and I gasped as I came up to find the face of my attacker, his teeth latched onto my jacket. For a split second I thought he’d bitten me. The knife that had been in my hand was now gone. Here I was struggling to stay afloat while keeping this vile, unnatural force of nature away from my throat. One scratch, a bite, that’s all it would take, wouldn’t it? Right now I was going on theory. Nothing more than ideas pulled from Hollywood. But this wasn’t a film, and no one was going to shout, cut!
I punched this thing in the face, twice, three times and used my feet to push him until he began to sink. I swam away from where he disappeared below the water and dragged myself up onto the stony causeway.
“Scotty!”
I heard Alexa’s cry for help but my clothes were heavy with water and my shoulder was in agony from being ground into the rock like a ship against the shore. Using every ounce of my strength, I crawled back up and over the barrier just in time to see a Z sink its teeth into Edith’s throat.
I gasped for air as everything in that moment slowed. My eyes scanned to see Tobias struggling with a Z, Alexa fending off three while Eli was being attacked by two. One pounced on Harry, taking him down behind the hood of a vehicle. A scream filled the air, my head turned to see six more closing in on me.
Friendlies
The staccato sound of an automatic rifle was music to my ears. The six walkers heading towards me dropped, and I instinctively did the same, unsure of where the gunfire was originating or who was behind it. Rounds ricocheted off the tops of vehicles. I didn’t remain there but snuck along the side of an SUV and with an explosion of force slammed my foot into the side of a Z’s face that was close to tearing into Tobias. It was like squashing a melon. I caved in its jaw, separating it from the rest, then scooped up the machete Tobias had dropped and finished it off. Without missing a beat, I slid over the top of a hood, ran up onto another and launched myself off the top bringing the machete down into the skull of the second one attacking Eli. I left him to fend off the other while I went to assist Alexa. She’d sought safety inside one of the vehicles and was using her legs to keep two of them out. I came up behind them, grabbed a shirt and pulled one out so I could drive the blade into the side of its temple.
I glanced over my shoulder, still hearing more gunfire.
Alexa finished the other Z and crawled over the top of it to get out. I extended my hand, and she clasped it and I hauled her out. Eli came jogging over, his shirt covered in blood. We all looked a state and smelled like we’d taken a shower in rotten guts.
My eyes squinted to where the original fourteen had been in the distance. Heat waves danced on the tarmac blurring the sight of a figure emerging from behind a truck. My jaw dropped.
Daniels? He was holding an AR-15 down low and scanning his surroundings for more threats. There was one other person with him, I couldn’t remember her name but I recognized her from town. I went over to help Tobias up. He staggered a little, and I leaned him against a van. “The gunfire. Is it my father?”
“No,” I said before looking over at the bodies of Harry and Edith. My stomach dropped as I felt a mixture of guilt and sorrow. If they had stayed home would they have survived? Maybe. But for how long? The old would have been the first to die as society collapsed. If it weren’t from a bite, it would be from the cold. With the power out in town, it wouldn’t be long before they would succumb to the elements. Still, I couldn’t help feeling to blame in some way. Should we have brought them? I shook my head and looked down the causeway. At the sight of fewer Zs, other survivors emerged from their vehicles looking tired and in shock. The young woman beside Daniels finished off the slower Zs with a handgun.
“I should have figured,” he said casting a glance at me as I approached.
I extended my hand. “I appreciate what you did back there.”
He glanced at it but didn’t shake it. Without even a smile or a greeting, he brushed past me. “Oh let’s not get emotional, kid. What I did was as much for us as it was for you.”
“Dad,” the girl said. She scowled at him. “I’m Lola.” She shook my hand and apologized for her father’s cold shoulder.
Eli and the others appeared at my side. Daniels seemed to be scanning for more threats — when he was satisfied that there weren’t any, at least not on this side of the truck hauling propane tanks, he asked where Jamal was.
“Taking a swim,” Eli replied pointing to the wetlands.
“Good to see you’re still alive, kid,” he said to Tobias. “Well it’s time to get out of here,” he moved on calling for Lola but not even looking at her. I caught up with him and asked where he was heading.
“Tupper Lake.”
“That’s where we’re going. Well, through it, to the hospital but…”
“Well best of luck to you.”
He didn’t seem interested in having us tag along.
“I’ve got to ask, how come you didn’t use your guns sooner?”
His daughter replied, “We got pinned in, my father’s weapons were in the trunk. He went to help a family farther down and we had to seek shelter in their vehicle as there were just too many.”
“So you’ve been there for…”
“Many hours,” she nodded.
It was beginning to make sense now. He didn’t just abandon us, he left his home to collect his daughter. It was all about priorities. We assumed, at least Jamal did, that Daniels was hiding in his home but that wasn’t exactly the truth, or was it? A little perspective could make a cold-hearted decision make a lot of sense.
“Why are you going to Tupper?”
“It’s where my mother is. My father and her are divorced.”
“Lola,” he said, scowling at her.
“Well it’s true.”
He continued on towards the overturned propane truck.
“Listen, we could use your help.”
“You seem to be coping okay,” he muttered without looking at me.
He looped the rifle strap over his head and swung the rifle around his back so he could climb up and take a look over the top of the overturned truck. I joined him and saw that numerous Zs were now in the water. It had worked. Not all of them had followed but enough. Still, it didn’t make it any less dangerous. All it took was to stumble, to not be looking in the right direction, and it was game over. In the distance on the far side of the causeway we could see Jamal and Ryland, they were climbing up the rocks after getting out of the water. I clambered back down.
“What are you going to do?”
“You’re looking to me?” Daniels asked.
“You got the gun,” I shot back.
He jumped down. “Like I said, you’re on your own.”
“Not now we aren’t.”
He chuckled. “Kid, you really don’t know when to give up, do you?”
Daniels gestured for Lola to follow him as he went around.
“You know what, if we hadn’t come up, you would still be stuck in that vehicle. We drew them away from you. So maybe a bit of thanks is in order,” I bellowed.
Daniels stared back at me and cupped a hand to his ear.
I shrugged. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Waiting for thanks. Oh you might have drawn them away, kid, but you were a hair away from getting your throats torn out, so I think we are even. I don’t owe you shit.”
He climbed over the barrier.
“Time to get wet. Lola, keep that gun in the air. Last thing I need is to have to dry it out.” We watched as he eased into the water on the side that didn’t have any Zs. With his back turned, Lola motioned for us to follow. I motioned to the others. Whether he liked it or not, I was going to be like a fly on a horse with that man. He might not have wanted us there but the way I saw it, we stood a better chance of staying alive in numbers and as he was going our way, we were going to follow.
I helped Tobias over and down into the water. I swam on my back with my arm around him the way a lifeguard might bring a drowning victim to shore. I spat water and we did our best to remain silent as we made our way around the remaining Zs that were on the other side of the truck.
Areas of the water became hard to wade through as the water turned into marshland full of thick reeds. When we made it to the other side, I was exhausted. We climbed up onto dry land and took a few minutes to catch our breath. Eli took off his top and twisted it out giving everyone an eyeful of his gut.
As Jamal made his way over he paused at the top of the incline and looked down at us. He shook his head and ran a hand over his head. “Oh you have got to be kidding.”
“Believe me. I don’t like it any more than you do,” Daniels replied. “But don’t worry, we’ll be heading our own way shortly.”
“I hope so,” Jamal muttered brushing past him.
I don’t know what the deal was between them but it sure wasn’t helping our situation. I was in the middle of yanking my boots off to empty the water when he edged his way down. Water poured out, splashing against the rocks as I glanced up at Ryland. He crouched and patted me on the back. “Good job, Scotty boy.”
“Same,” I replied.
“While you were taking your good old time to get over here, Jamal and I commandeered us some transportation.” He held up a pair of keys and jangled them. “Seems like a lot of people were in some kind of hurry. I’m not sure why?” He grinned.
“Well, that’s good, maybe the wilderness gods are smiling down on us.”
He chuckled, then walked over to Eli to say something. I glanced at Alexa as she removed her top and squeezed out the water. She didn’t seem too bothered by the looks she was getting. A few seconds later she put it back on and undid her jeans. I turned my head away as I didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable. Jamal, well, he looked on like it was some peep show.
“Jamal.”
“What?” He shrugged. “Always admired the view of this lake.” He chuckled. “I like it a lot more now.”
Tobias rose to his feet but dropped down. He winced in pain and then threw up. “You okay, Tobias?” Eli asked. I went over to him, placed a hand on his forehead and then took a look at his leg. The water had soaked through — I figured the wound had to be infected.
“He’s burning up,” I said. “Come on, we need to get him to that hospital and fast.”
I put his arm around my shoulders and Jamal did the same with the other and we lugged him up the rocky incline until we made our way back to the road. We loaded him into an old Ford 150, and the rest jumped in the back. Jamal started it up and did a U-turn. As we turned to leave we passed by Daniels and Lola. I tapped Jamal on the shoulder. “Stop the vehicle.”
“Why?”
“We can’t leave them out here.”
“Fuck him. He did the exact same thing to us.”
“Maybe but if he hadn’t helped us back there, we would be dead.”
Jamal didn’t ease off the gas. I could see them growing smaller in the side mirror.
“Jamal.”
“Don’t mistake him helping you for helping himself. I’m not stopping, and that’s final.”
I tapped the dashboard. “Then pull over and let me out.”
“What?”
“You heard me, stop the vehicle.”
Jamal swerved over and I opened up the cab in the rear of the truck.
“Scotty,” Ryland said, shaking his head. “Don’t do this. Look what happened the last time you helped someone.”
I jabbed my finger towards him. “That wasn’t my fault.”
“No? So bringing them along knowing full well they would slow us down wasn’t your fault?”
“I didn’t know the causeway would be blocked and we needed their vehicle.”
“Guys, stop it,” Alexa said.
Ryland glared at me. “I’m just saying, we are in a different world now. You can’t save everyone.”
