Born in the Apocalypse 2: State Of Ruin (6 page)

Chapter 13

I remounted Judy and we rode away at a mile-eating trot, taking us away from the edges of civilization and out to the countryside. It happened suddenly, unexpectedly. Judy and I crested a hill and before lay nothing but road and empty land. There were pockets of trees in the distances, and I knew from experience that those were where farmhouses usually were, or had been in the past.

The world was greening up, turning from the yellows and browns of the winter to the warm tones of spring. A warm breeze blew up from the south, and it carried with it the promise of rain to come in the evening. I was hoping to gain at least the outskirts of Joliet, but I may need to find shelter before then.

I passed a huge structure as I traveled further west, a large building with rows and rows of benches that climbed into the air. As we went by, both Judy and I looked into the large structure, and saw a huge road that made a single loop. It served no purpose that I could see. Why would anyone want to watch cars drive in a circle?

Further west, the land began to dip downwards, and I knew from the maps I had studied that there was a river ahead of me. To the north was a large town, but I had no idea what kind of mess it might be in. My dad always told me that the larger the town, the bigger the problems. This was true even before the Trippers came out to play.

I decided to walk Judy down to the river, and from there, I would try and find a place for us to spend the night. Ideally, I would stay on a farm that had a barn or someplace that I could put Judy up. Push come to shove, I’ll just bring her into wherever I manage to find shelter.

The land opened up into a large valley, and across the way, about a mile or so, was a ridgeline of trees standing sentinel to the river. The waterway itself, a ribbon of dark green and brown that flashed in the evening sun bouncing off the placid surface, wound through a collection of bridges, trees, and stone embankments to disappear to the south. I looked at the river and felt a weird pull, like it wanted me to follow it to where it ended. Large buildings to the south and north broke up the scenery, and I would be guessing as to what they were ever used for.

Right now, I needed to find a way to cross before I was caught outside with a large city directly to the north of me. The lack of any human activity at all told me that Trippers were frequent visitors to this part of the state.

We followed a road that took us closer to the river, and as we did, I kept Judy to the grass. I didn’t want her horseshoes clicking on a hard surface if I could help it.

As we passed a low white building, my fears were founded. The door of the building was open, and I could see blood splatter all around the ground inside and outside the walls. There were bloody handprints on the door frame, and near a truck lay a corpse, torn open from its neck to its legs. It looked like they tried to get under the truck for protection and were dragged out and consumed. Scattered around the parking lot was a bunch of gear and supplies, but I wasn’t going to go anywhere near it. There were a few dead Trippers in the parking lot as well. Those were the ones in the ragged clothes with the bullet holes in their heads.

I pulled my bow from Judy’s back and replaced my backpack with my quiver. The blood on the ground was still red, which told me this had happened within the last hour. If there were any Trippers around, they would be close.

We went through a tunnel that took me under a railroad, and I winced every time Judy’s hooves hit the pavement. Nothing to be done for it, I just hoped the Trippers weren’t just around the corner and were about to jump us. I’d read about leather cups for horses hooves, but I never got around to making them.

Our luck held, and we headed out across the river on a small, two-lane road that served as a bridge across the water. Judy tugged at the reins, and I knew she was anxious to get a drink. We’d been on the move since this morning and hadn’t really stopped for much at all.

I don’t know what made me look back. Maybe it was what my dad called survival instinct, maybe it was Judy’s ears twitching back, whatever. But I turned to check the road behind me, and there was a Tripper not ten feet from me. He was tall and charging fast, his face twisted and grotesque. His left arm reached out for me while his right formed a white-knuckled fist.

I didn’t have time to do anything with my gun or my bow. I ducked as his hand passed over me, and I shoved him in the hip backing away when he fell down. I moved away from Judy, as I didn’t want her to get hurt if I had to use a weapon. The Tripper got up quickly and rushed again. This time, I got out of the way and pushed him as he went past. I watched him head for the side of the road, stumble, hit the railing, and tumble over the side.

I got to the rail and looked over just in time to see his head disappear under the waves.

I walked back to Judy feeling proud of myself when I looked back down the way we had come. Ten more Trippers were on the street, and heading my way quickly. One of them had blood dripping off his hands, leaving a gory trail I could probably follow back to his last victim if I chose to.

I quickly climbed aboard Judy, who was already skittish from the fight I just had. “Move it, girl! Go!”

Judy didn’t need any more encouraging. I held on and just gave her her head and let her run. She stretched out and her ears were flat back as she ran. As she hit her long stride, I was pretty much just a spectator. Judy ran easily away from the Trippers, leaving them stumbling along behind on the bridge. I didn’t bother to stop and kill the infected, I just left them behind. The sun was setting, and I didn’t want to spend the night out in the open. If there were ten Trippers behind me, I had a hundred out there ahead of me. In a perfect world, I would have a secure house with a secure wall around me. Of course, in a perfect world, there weren’t any Trippers and my parents were still alive.

Judy ran west and we cleared the river and the trees on the other side. I slowed her to a trot and led her out into the open fields. I could see a house in the distance, and I hoped I could use it for a haven for the night. If not, we’d have to keep moving, and I could tell Judy was getting tired and could use the rest.

The house was set far back from the roads, and was accessible only from the one driveway. It was a ranch-style house, with thickly overgrown bushes blocking the windows. The rest of the yard was thick vegetation, choked with large weeds and feral shrubs.

I did a quick walk around, and didn’t see any signs of life. For that matter, I didn’t see any signs of death either. This house may have been one of the ones abandoned early on in an attempt to outrun the disease. The sun slipped behind the horizon, and while it was still light out, I was actually out of time. It was this place or I took my chances in the woods by the river.

I pulled the bushes out of the way of the front door, and with a few twists of my knife, managed to get the door open. I went through the house, and checked every room. There was nothing out of place, everything seemed normal. I would give the house a more thorough check in the morning, right now I needed to be able to survive the night.

I took Judy in through the front door, and leading her through the house, I brought her into the garage. Her ears were about as far forward as they could be, and she stamped her displeasure when I brought her through the kitchen.

“Sorry, girl. But there’s no time and I need you out of sight. You know better,” I chided, leading her into the garage. Judy calmed down when she had more room to move around and the garage must have smelled somewhat similar to the one she was used to because she settled down quickly. I took the saddle and bridle off, and filled a bucket of water from a rain barrel outside.

Once Judy was taken care of, I went back into the house and settled in for the night. I kept my guns nearby, and spread my bedroll out under the front window. Anyone looking in would not be able to see me, so I figured I was safe enough.

During the night, I thought I heard some shuffling and movement outside, but I knew that if the Trippers had no reason to think anyone was in here they would pass the house by. My only concern would be someone else would try to use the house for shelter and led a horde here. It made for a long, light-sleeping night.

Chapter 14

In the morning, I rose quickly and quietly. I ate a quick breakfast and spent some time watching the outside for any signs of trouble or movement. Over the years, I had learned that while Trippers were very dangerous, especially at night, they were more likely to kill you in the early morning because they themselves would instinctually look for some kind of shelter from the sun. I always maintained that the sun hurt their eyes and that was what pushed them indoors.

A brief walk around the house showed everything was well, so I opened the garage door to a very excited Judy who pushed me with her nose.

“Whoa, girl, easy,” I laughed as I put her halter on and picketed her in the backyard. She happily started cropping the grass and I was content to let her. While she ate I went through the house a little more carefully. Several cans of food were discovered in the kitchen while some dried goods came out of the pantry. I was especially happy to see some small oatmeal packets. Those would make a quick meal whenever I needed one and all I needed was the water from my canteen.

I looked over the rest of the house, even going into the basement and didn’t see anything that would be of any use to me. The house, and all its belongings, I decided, were useless.

Disappointed, I went outside to saddle Judy and was startled to see a man holding his hands out to my horse, talking in a low, steady voice. Judy had backed to the end of her picket rope and her ears were back. She was about to do something serious if I didn’t intervene.

“That’s my horse,” I said. I stayed in the garage keeping me out of sight of anyone who might be lurking nearby.

“Jesus!” The man who was approaching Judy jerked suddenly and his hand slipped under his coat. I moved my hand to the butt of my gun and waited for him to figure out what he wanted to do.

The move was not lost on the man, who looked to be about thirty. He was a little shorter than I was, with sandy blonde hair and very bright eyes. He smiled at me, and it seemed to be a genuine smile, except for the fact that it didn’t reach past his mouth.

“Whoa, kid. You scared me there. Thought you might be a Tripper,” he said. He pulled his hand away from his coat.

“Trippers don’t talk,” I said, keeping my hand on my gun. “You need something?” I walked over to Judy’s picket pin and pulled it out of the ground, walking her back into the garage so I could put her saddle on her. I kept her between me and the man. I didn’t get a bad vibe off of him, except that he seemed unusually interested in Judy.

“I could use a ride, and when I saw your horse just standing there, I thought my luck had changed for the better,” the man said. “My name’s Kevin. You are…?”

“Josh. Take one of the bikes over there. They should get you where you want to go.” I said, pointing to the corner where two well-kept bicycles stood at the ready.

Kevin looked at the bikes, and went over to them. The first one was a girl’s bike, which he put aside to take out the second one. It had an attachment for putting a basket on it, and Kevin quickly located the basket.

“These are great! Thanks!” Kevin put his pack on the rack and tied it down. He located a bike pump and managed to inflate the tires while I saddled Judy and got my gear situated. I watched Kevin get on the bike and start to ride off. He stopped about fifty yards off.

“Hey, Josh!”

“What?”

“Where you headed?”

“West.”

“Why?”

“Already been east,” I said.

Kevin smiled. “Good answer. Luck on your journey!” He turned and rode off, heading out and down the road. I hoped he wouldn’t run into the Trippers I had left on the bridge. He seemed like a decent sort, much better than what I normally ran into.  I finished saddling Judy and once all my gear was in place I mounted up again and we headed west, the rising sun illuminating our way with brilliant orange and yellow hues.

Chapter 15

Two weeks later, I rode up on the outskirts of Rockford. Judy and I had traveled overland, and avoided most towns and cities. I must have been in every farmhouse from here to Aurora, and in all, I had to say it was a pretty nice trip. The weather cooperated, only dousing me once in the open, and the scavenging was pretty decent. I found some more dried goods, a very small semi-automatic pistol that came with a nearly full box of ammunition, and a couple of bowie knives. I wasn’t interested in them, as my own knife was better, and besides, I’d never trade away the knife my father gave me.

The land was open around the city, with large tracks of farmland. Over on a hill, I could see several herds of cattle and sheep. I was amazed there were no walls, and the only defenses in sight were several small towers to look over the land. I rode in unchallenged, and as I got closer, I dismounted and led Judy in by the reins. I figured a welcoming committee would come to meet me soon enough, as visitors were not all that common these days.

Sure enough, three men came riding out on horses, and Judy perked right up. I stopped walking and waited for them to arrive.

“Howdy!” The lead man was an older gentleman, with a graying beard and dark, deep-set eyes. He sat on his horse like it was an extension of himself, and I figured he knew a fair bit about riding.

I looked at all three men before responding. No one was putting a hand near a weapon, at least none that I could see, so I figured this might work out better than the last damn town I travelled to. “Howdy,” I replied cautiously.

“Name’s Brewster, Mack Brewster, Sheriff of Rockford. My deputies here are Tobin McGrath and Dave Hewitt,” Brewster said. His deputies nodded their heads at me but otherwise stayed in the background.

“Josh Andrews, nice to meet you.” I looked around. “Nice place you have here.”

Mack nodded. “We do what we can with what we have. Figure if we’re the last ones out here, we need to make a stand of it. You planning on staying or passing through?”

I shrugged. “Passing through, mostly, but if there’s a reason to stay, I might be persuaded.”

Mack looked over Judy. “Two guns and a bow. You any good with either?”

I nodded. “I’m better with the bow, but I’m pretty good with the guns.”

Mack’s deputy, McGrath, a man of large girth chimed in. “Hell, if you’re
sorta
good we can use you.”

Mack looked over his shoulder then back at me. “We’ll talk. I’m glad you have your own weapons. Makes it easier all around.”

Before I could respond, a bell began chiming. I looked behind me and saw a watchtower raise a red flag. About a hundred yards in front of the tower, coming out of a small grove of trees, was a large Tripper. It stumbled this way and that way, but remained steady on its course. It was about two hundred yards away and closing fast.

“Shit, here comes another one!” Hewitt, the other deputy spoke up.

Sure enough, another Tripper was coming out of the woods. This one was smaller and looked to be a lot faster than it’s companion.

“Josh, you’ll have to excuse…What the hell?” Mack swore, and then swore again. “I’ll be damned.”

When I saw the first Tripper, I took my bow off Judy and an arrow out of my quiver. I measured the first Tripper and fired at where I expected his head to be on his next step. The arrow streaked through the air, wavering on the wind like I thought it would, and punched through the infected man’s skull like a spike from heaven.

The second one walked steadily forward, and I took another arrow out and waited. The Tripper kept coming, and I was a little startled to see it was actually a woman, not a man like I had originally thought.

Oh, well. I always figured by killing them I was ending their nightmare of an existence. Sometimes I wondered if the real person was locked away somewhere in their subconscious, watching their bodies wander the earth killing and eating whoever they find.

I raised my bow and fired, killing the Tripper with an arrow through its eye. It actually took three steps forward, with its head tilted back before it crashed to the ground.

I put my bow away and looked back at McGrath. “Can I stick around for a while?” I asked.

McGrath grinned. “We might not let you leave!”

Mack Brewster shook his head and nodded. “I think we can make some room for you here, Josh, and you can decide if you want to stay or not. Tobin will set you up with a place and once you’re settled in, come on by my office and we’ll talk. Fair enough?”

It was the best offer I had in a long two weeks and I said so. I got back into the saddle and followed Deputy McGrath into the town proper.