Dead Hunger III: The Chatsworth Chronicles (7 page)

I laughed.  “I wish there were only one thing that could screw up
my
theory about the granite substrate.”

“How far ‘till we’re there?”

Flo walked up from the back of the motor home and put her big head on Charlie’s elbow.  Charlie reached over with both hands and scratched the big girl on both sides of her face, not leaving out some ear rubs.

I punched some buttons on the GPS.  “Looks like
more than
six hundre
d
miles to go.  Better sit back.”

“Can’t.  Gotta pee.”

“
Unbelievable
,” I said.  “We’re just getting to
Woodstock
.  Still in
Virginia
.”

“Big fuckin’ state,” said Charlie.  “But I still have to pee.”

“
I don’t mean that.  I need to cross over the state line into
Pennsylvania
before I feel like I’ve gotten us anywhere.  No worries. 
I’ll check if we need a stop anyway.”

“I got it,”
Charlie
said, clicking the but
ton on the walkie talkie.  “Hey
Gemmy
, y
ou read?”

After about five seconds
,
Gem’s voice came on. 
“Yeah I do,
babe
. 
Gotta
pee?”

“At the very least,” she said.

“I need to str
etch my legs, too,” said Gem.  “And I know Flex would appreciate it if I empty my barf bucket. 
How are your passengers?”

Charlie craned her head around, then
unbuckled her seat belt and
got up, stepping over the unmoving
Great Pyrenees
, who just looked up at her
with a wagging tongue
as she stepped over.

She walked back, and I watched in the rear view mirror.

She said softly into the radio, “I think they’re still wiped out from their ordeal
.  Nobody stirring
.
”

We had the three women in the motor home, and had turned the small dinette table into a bed where Victoria and Kim now slept.  We’d taken two of the sleeping bags and put them in the main lab area, and the woman named Vikki slept there.

I believe they were the main reason Charlie kept the crossbow on her lap.  She still wasn’t completely sure
whether or not
something had happened to one of them and she just didn’t see it.  I knew Charlie would never be caught by surprise. 

She would be – and had been – the surprise to many of the infecteds, as well as to me, more than just once.

“So you’re th
r
owing up, huh?” said Charlie.  “Sorry you’re having a rough pregnancy.”

“
It’s bound to get worse from what I hear,” said Gem.  “But don’t worry about me.  If I got a little Flexy inside it’s all going to be worth it. 
Hemp, I know you can hear me, so pull that big bastard over when you see somewhere that might accommodate a pee and poop session.”

“Since when,” I said, “did I become an expert in that?” I was smiling, and Gem heard it in my voice.  She didn’t miss much.

“Hey, bangers and mash, we’re all experts at everything now.  Until people come along who were experts at something before the plague, anyone can claim it.”

“I reserve the right to be famous for something else, then,” I said.  Charlie held the button for me as I put Gemina in her place.  “You, Aunt Gemina, can continue to be expert at syrup.”

“I have no response to that,” said Gem.  “Find a spot.  I’m sure just all this talk of peeing has everyone ready to burst.”

“You got that shit right,” said Dave over his radio.

“How are things on the little bus, Dave?” asked Charlie.

“Just as you’d expect,” he said.  “We’re going to need to fill this puppy, so when you find a spot, make sure there’s propane.”

“
Bollocks
,” I said.  “I almost forgot that bus runs on propane
.”

“It’s not like we had a lot
filled with buses to choose from.
”

“It’s okay – there’ve been plenty of propane places along the way.  Good part about that is I can get that gas easier than the stuff in the underground tanks.  Hey, look.”

Charlie followed where I pointed.

“Hey, that’s a big rest stop.”

“Yep,” I said.  “The kind you need when you’re visiting the places where
America
’s founding fathers did their thinking.”

“
And the kind of place you go when you need a 60 ounce soda and a peanut log the size of a walking stick,” said Charlie.

“Damn, Charlie,” I said.  “Now I want a peanut log.”

“They’ll have them.  And they’ll be fine.  So many preservatives in there the expiration date is well after the Mayan calendar says it’s all over.”

“Push the button,” I said.  “Tell everyone this is the exit.  Ramp’s clear.”

She did.  We exited.

I could taste the peanut log already.

****

Rolling down the exit, another dog pack scavenged.  There were about fourteen to sixteen dogs in this one, and they were looking pretty rough.  Three or four of them started to give us chase, but when the others didn’t join them, they gave in to their exhaustion and stopped, just staring as we drove past.

It is a fouled up world where man’s best friend had lost his own best friend.  And the men that seemed so familiar to these canines – the ones that wouldn’t be frightened of them – were deceiving because they were now just as likely to try to eat the dogs as the dogs were likely to try to eat them in their desperate starvation.

And the cans of dog food just sat on the shelves, unopened.  These are the stupid things that went through my mind sometimes.  When I wasn’t working on something that might cure or kill these zombie-things, I thought about the ordinary.

The ordinary that is no more.  But at least we had Bunsen and her kids, and they would not know fear.

Not if we could stop it.

I pulled into the station and
parked beside the diesel pumps, and as agreed, everyone pulled into a rough star pattern to start.  We all got out and met in the middle.

“Wow,” said Flex.  “That felt like ten hours.”

“Only four and a half,” said Dave.

“Twenty-eight or so in dog hours,” said Gem.

“Feels more like it,” said Lisa.  “Where can we pee?”

“Got a gun?” asked Gem.

“No.  I’ll follow you guys.”

“And me.  I don’t need no stinking gun,” said Charlie. 

The girls walked toward the building, heads moving side-to-side
, ever scanning for danger
. 

“When you get back, wake up the ladies in the lab and see if they need to go,” said Flex.  “We’re going to want a good run before we pull off again.”

“I’ll keep an eye out,” Dave said.  “You guys do what you need to do to get us set up.”

“Good.  Get some of the other men to help you, but don’t arm them yet.”

“Got it,” Dave said, throwing his long hair behind his back.

Flex walked up to me. 
In a low voice he said,
“I don’t want these guys having guns yet.  Exc
ept for Dave.  I don’t know them
and I don’t trust
them
yet.
  Have you talked to the two nobody seems to know?
”

“
Not yet.  I think the big blonde guy’s name is
Pete
.  The other one I forget.”

Flex tapped his chin with his index finger for a second, glanced quickly behind him at the bald man, and said, “It’s
Rory
.  And I don’t want either one of them armed.”

“
I know, Flex.  But
some of these guys – maybe those two – aren’t
likely to
simply
accept
anyone taking charge
right now.  Sooner or later someone is going to try to assert their free will.”

“I expect that,” said Flex.  “But they’re gonna have to get their own guns.  We control the firearms for now.”

“I don’t like
this
dynamic where we have to worry about personalities.  I’ve been used to knowing who we’ve been with.”

Flex nodded.  “I know.  I feel the same.  But we can’t take this shit on alone, so it is what it is.”

“Cool,” I said.  “I gotta piss, then let’s get these vehicles filled and back on the road.”

****

Th
ere were too many people.  I didn’t enjoy trying to keep track of them, but when I needed help it was kind of nice
to have multiple avenues of delegation
.

“Sir?” said the boy, who I judged to be about fourteen years old.

“Hemp, please.  What’s your name,
s
on?”

“Matt.”

“Okay, Matt.  What can I do for you?”

“I want to help.  T
o t
hank you for the food.”

“You don’t have to work for food, but I appreciate it,” I said.  “
But you
can
help. 
See that big propane tank
over
there?”

Matt looked.  His
dark
hair was cut like Paul McCartney’s when the Beatles just took off.  M
op top.  It flipped, despite it
s need for a good wash
and trim
.

“There?”

“Yep.  Go check it and let me know if it’s locked.  If it is, I’ll show you a trick.”

Gem and Charlie
had come back and gone into the mobile lab.  Moments later, they
came back out with Kimberly, Vikki and Victoria.  “What can we do, Hemp?” asked Gem.

“I have a question first.  Dumb, maybe, but I have to ask.” 

I looked at Vikki and Victoria.  “How did
the two of you
get
the same name?  I was under the impression you’re sisters.
”

Victoria
blushed.  “Yes, we are.  And my name isn’t really
Victoria
.  It’s Jasmine.  I’ve always liked
Victoria
, and since Vikki has always been Vikki, then I thought this was a perfect point in time to take the name I want.  It’s not like anyone’s checking IDs.”

“Okay, then.  Good.  Charlie, do me a favor, would you?  Go over with the boy.  He’s unarmed, and I’d prefer someone be with him who can protect him.  His name’s Matt.”

“I can protect him,” said Charlie, smiling.  “He checking the propane tanks?”

“Exactly.”

Before Charlie could start walking toward him, the boy came running back.  He was practically panting when he arrived.  “It’s unlocked.  The lock’s on the ground
, and there’s a gauge on it with an arrow in the green part
.”

“Good observation,” I said.  “That means there’s gas in it.”

“Matt, I’m Charlie.  Come with me and we’ll get Dave and drive that bus over.  Want to ride?”

“Sure!” said Matt.

He seemed excited to be involved.  And he looked as though he felt safe.  I felt good about that.  It made this tremendous hassle worthwhile.

“Charlie,” I said.  “Dave’s armed.  He can go with Matt.  Would you mind accompanying these ladies into the mini-mart and see what kind of food is still okay?”

“I have no problem with that,
P
rofessor.”

“Professor
?
” I said.

“Professors are sexy,” she said.  “Right ladies?”

“No offense, but I like the big one with the goatee,” said Vikki.  Her short, red hair fell just past her shoulders.

“Then you’ll have your hands full with Gem,” said Charlie, smiling.  “You’ve met her.  She’s the one with the Uzi she named Suzi.  Best choose from available stock.”

“Gotcha.  I’ll occupy myself with shopping.”

“Just like the old days,” said her sisters in unison.

The four ladies walked away.  I watched my girl, took notice that her head moved side-to-side the entire time as she scanned the horizon for danger.  No BSN helmet for us now.  Not enough to go around, so the brain scent would still be rampant.  A waste of technology and batteries.

I was ready to pull the motorhome over to the underground tanks and get Gem’s hand-crank pump when the two men,
Pete
and
Rory
, approached me.  They both had their hands in their pockets, and they seemed to smile the same meek smile when they drew to within a few feet of me and stopped.