Death Has Fallen: Freedom Rock Chronicles: Book 1 (6 page)

              “Yes we will, but I have been barefoot for quite some time and have begun to get used to it.”

              As she said this the smile had left her face and her previous experience shown through.  Not wanting to push her to tell me anything more than she wanted about her past I dropped the subject and once again began looking through everything they had.  I began sitting out all of their belongings so we could see what they had.  To my shock they had a couple pare of sandals.  I asked Jaime to come try them on once she was done helping cook breakfast.

              She did and as the straps cinched up they seemed to almost fit.  She stood up to try them out.  They jiggled only a bit as she walked, but for the most part would stay on her feet.  Perhaps there would be some way to tighten them up.  I asked her “How do they feel?”

              Before she could answer Amanda brings her the shoes she had made as well.

              “Now you have two pair.” Amanda said gently.

              She turned smiling and said, “These are much better than going barefoot.”

              “Glad to help.” I smiled back then stood and helped Amanda serve the breakfast into the bowls we used last night.  They had all of the food mixed together in a large bowl over the fire.  It was difficult to identify all the different ingredients.  The corn was easy to identify and the Vienna sausages stuck out as well, but somehow they found a nice tomato sauce that brought it all together.  Amanda filled her own bowl and went to sit down.  I scooped a large portion for Jaime and myself.  I handed the bowl to Jaime then we both went and sat next to Amanda.

              The silence was once again thick Jaime identified the tension quickly between Amanda and I. 

              To break the silence I asked, “Would you two like to come with me to see if that quarry holds any hope?”

              Jaime looked up quickly with a confused look on her face.  “Quarry?” She asked.

              “Yes an old friend who was travelling with us told us about the quarry where people had begun rebuilding.”  As I discussed Caz my thoughts once again fell to the sadness which his death had caused me.  Looking over towards Amanda I could see her gaze intently at the food before her contemplating my statement.  Finally she spoke and very quietly said “I suppose it would be safer for us to stick together, now I know what type of people are around.”

              “Glad you are coming Amanda, what about you Jaime?” I asked, but already knowing she would accept.

              “I would love to tag along.” Again it was almost startling to see her with such optimism, but it seemed to be a part of her character.  With her able to lighten the mood in such dark circumstances she would be a valuable companion.  The two men had done a wonderful job packing up for a long stay.  They had every piece of survival gear needed to survive in the wilderness.  Looking in my pack it was quite full of all the weapons and ammo I grabbed from the pawn shop and from Caz’s pack. I emptied all the supplies and grabbed Amanda’s pack which had been dumped out by the two men.  I then looked through the camp finding a pack that would be suitable for Jaime. 

              With the three packs empty and spread in front of me I began going through all the different camp boxes lying around.  The organization system the two men had made it easy to pick and choose the best things to place in each pack.  I packed my backpack first.  Starting with survival gear I placed a compass, my lucky board, canteen, lighters, 7 different cans of food, and two pots.  Most of the items fit quite well into all the little pockets covering the front of the pack.  I then grabbed a couple blankets and one of the men’s set of clothes that would be a suitable change.  Since it was getting so cold at night I picked the flannel. I then picked one of the 9 millimeters and a half box of bullets.  

              Amanda’s bag came next.  In her bag I placed an extra canteen, one lighter, the large cleaver from the pawn shop, a couple bowls and the boxes of plastic silverware.  Walking over to where they dumped her things on the ground I picked up the little clothes she had, some blankets, and a couple pistols and placed them in her bag.  In the extra pockets on the outside of the bag I placed the can opener, two cans of food, and a box of ammunition for the pistols. 

              Julie’s bag was next and I was worried about how much weight she could carry.  Trying to keep the load light I only packed a few extra shirts and a couple cans of food.  In the front pockets I placed a box of .22 ammo and handed her the rifle so she would have something to protect herself with.  It was cool enough we needed jackets, so we left them out ready to put on once we left the warmth of the fire.

              It was still early morning, the little sun that made it through the thick cover of pines above felt good on my face.  Since we were far from other people and hopefully the walking dead I felt safe and we stayed put for a couple hours just enjoying the day.  It seemed Amanda had begun to forgive me since she began asking me about my life before the disease. With the question, my mind floated back in time to a much simpler place where death wasn’t waiting around every corner.  I told her about my passions which included reading, playing games, and spending time at the old folk’s home back in Jackson.  With the last passion her eyes perked up showing interest. 

              She asked, “What would you do there?”

              “Usually read, play chess, or just take time talking.” I said.

              Thinking more about it I realized it was the one part of my life I knew mattered.  In our society we quickly throw the old aside and with them their wisdom.  The newer generations constantly felt that wisdom was worthless and if someone could not pull their weight then they didn’t need the basic respect every human deserved.  I knew that going into the home twice a week did little to circumvent the societal structure years and years put in place, but it was all I could think to do.

              “Wow that’s incredible.” She said smiling at me.

              Her adoration shined and for the first time we had shared a personal moment together.  I realized this was the first time in a while I thought about the world before.  The peace, love, and happiness which was expected in everyday life.  I thought of the miserable people I knew, who even though safe and loved were still not content. I wondered if they were still miserable now, or were they able to find meaning and happiness with the little things in life now. I looked over at Amanda, she seemed to be waiting for more conversation.

              “What about you?” I asked.  “What things before all this happened filled your day to day life?”

              She sat silent for a moment then with a look of tremendous sorrow said “My husband.” Looking down I realized she was wearing a wedding ring.  I supposed due to the circumstances it had taken till now for it to register. She continued, “They devoured him right in front of me.  We would do everything together, we had one of the rare relationships which were perfect. We both worked in the First bank on Main Street.  I was a teller and he was a loan manager.  We bother enjoyed the work, but also working together.  After work we would go out to dinner, or to a movie, whatever we wanted.  For five years we spent every waking moment together and neither of us wanted less.”

              As she looked down remembering her life previously, I understood why the death of our other companion shocked her so severely.  Just recently she witnessed those things tear apart her husband and a few days later I kill a man right in front of her.  These events were anything, but the norm and I was the instigator of one.  Perhaps the deaths of the two men who would have held her prisoner letting her starve to death brought some perspective.

              I suppose there was nothing in this world besides time that would allow someone to become accustomed to our circumstances.  If you had asked me a week ago if I would have murdered three people in the coming week I would have laughed, yet here we are.  The blood is on my hands and even with justification nothing will wash it away.  Amanda seemed to be zoned out, our conversation must have drained her.

              Jaime on the other hand was quite perky.  Even with the terrible story we discussed nothing seemed to break her spirit.  I looked at her asking, “What was your life before all this Jaime?”

              “Well, I came from a pretty simple family who lived out in the country.  Being so far removed from the thrills of big city life I relied on books and tv when it came through.  I also found happiness simply out in the woods near our farm. Have you ever rode a horse for days on end not sure where you would end up?”

              “I can’t say that I have.”

              “Oh it is such a magical feeling.  It feels like all the worry of the world will have to wait until you get back.  Time, money, and everything else people in the world live by mean nothing in the woods.  Nature is the only place that can strip everything away and let you simply be yourself.”

              With thinking like that it was easy to see why her happiness would not be shattered.  She had found something Amanda and I have never even seen.  She had found herself and found it by being alone. 

              “What did your parents farm?” I asked wanting to hear more of such happiness.

              “Mostly sunflowers,” she replied smiling.  “They smelled amazing and would go on for miles. They were so big.  As I walked into the field they were taller than I am and would surround me on all sides giving me this feeling of security.  I remember sitting on the porch reading some old book my parents owned and watching the sun go down.  Whatever color the sunset would be it seemed to reflect off the flowers and fill them with its light.  My favorite sunsets were the ones that turned the flowers into a deep dark red.  It was so beautiful I loved every second.”  Again the happiness in her voice was contagious.  I myself saw the fields she gazed upon and my mind loved every second of it.

              “That really sounds wonderful.” I said sincerely.

              “What time do you think we should go?” I asked them both.

              “Whenever you want” Jaime quickly replied.

              Amanda still seemed to be in a daze not really caring much for Jaime’s story, but more for her own. “Amanda, what about you?”

              She looked up slowly, “What?”

              “When would you like to leave?” I asked kindly understanding the pain she was going through.

              “Yea we can leave now.” She said quickly attempting to conceal her pain.

Chapter 8

              The sun was getting much stronger making it a bit warmer.  We each grabbed a bag.  I grabbed the compass out of my front pocket.  I took the .357 out of the pack and placed it in my belt line. I helped Jaime with her pack since she was still quite weak from the starvation and torture inflicted.  She placed the pack on her back and held the .22 rifle I found in the men’s supplies.  Amanda decided only to leave her cleaver out of the pack for quick retrieval.

              “Why don’t you take a gun out?” I asked.

              “I would prefer not to shoot anyone.”

              Understanding I shrugged looked down at the compass knowing only that we should head north and began walking.  Both the women began as I did and together we began our search for the hope of a disease free civilization.  We were unable to move at a quick pace.  All three of us were quite exhausted.  The pine grove was still very thick.  As we walked the sounds of birds and animals gave me a good feeling deep inside. 

              After an hour or so walking the pine forest slowly began to thin.  From what I could tell we were heading up an incline making our journey all the more difficult.  The incline was barely noticeable at first, but quickly began making each step more and more difficult.  Every couple hundred feet I would turn back and make sure the other two were doing well.  Both of them seemed to be ok, but very tired. As we reached a plateau I turned and asked if they would like to rest.  Without either saying a word they dropped their packs and sat down.  If I had to guess we had crossed around ten miles or so in the last couple hours.   My canteen still had a bit of corn water which was amazingly good being cooled the night before.  I passed it to Amanda who looked disappointing feeling how light it was realizing that it did not contain much liquid.  She took a drink and passed it to Julie.

              We sat quietly for a few minutes letting our bodies rest from the climb.  Our packs made good seats and it was difficult to find the motivation to get moving again.  The chill of the morning was completely gone and the sun beat down on us.  It was only seventy or seventy five degrees, but all the physical exercise made it feel much warmer.  All three of us were dripping with sweat and the bit of water from the cans of corn would not be suitable if we expected to gain any real ground over the next few days.

              Slowly we stood and began climbing the mountain once again.  With the heat and exhaustion our movement could be categorized as a crawl.  It felt as though we were not moving at all and the mountain would go on forever.  The ground was a bit sturdier than the mountain I had to climb to catch Amanda, but every so often one of us would fall forcing the other two to stop and help whoever fell.  Finally the top was moving closer and seeing the climb almost accomplished our speed increased.  The three of us were out of breath, but reaching the top gave us a sense of real accomplishment.  The view was breathtaking though offered no hint of any civilization.  We all sat on top of the mountain with a smile that we had made it this far.  Looking at the compass towards the north there were not many major obstacles other than one hill which looked as if it could be bypassed.  In the distance towards the North West I saw a break in the trees and what looked like increased growth which could be a creek or river.  That is what we would head for.