Infected: They Will Eat You!: A Story of Family Survival in a Zombie Apocalypse (26 page)

There was plenty of fishing gear in the basement of the house. I packed a few things and drove over to the pond. It was fairly large surrounded on three sides by oaks with a small dock at the southern end. Unfortunately it was being choked out by lily pads which made it seem smaller than it actually was. Next to the dock was tied upside down a ten foot aluminum flat bottom boat. I tossed a stone at the boat, it bounced off with a clank. Nothing moved. I flipped the boat over to find ores and lifejackets then slid it into the water.

After loading my gear into the boat I rowed into the middle of the pond and cast my first line. It took fifteen or twenty minutes and three lure changes before my first strike. It was a good sized small mouth bass and a good fighter. Once the fish was on the stinger I took my shirt off and cast out again. It wasn’t another minute before my next strike and second small mouth. This was proving to be a great fishing trip.

-——————————————

As I drove up to the farmhouse Caleb and Jesse came running up to the truck. “Did you catch anything?” Jesse yelled.

I smiled, got out and pulled the stringer of eight bass from the bed. “Yep.” I said holding them up high.

“WOW!” they yelled.

“Mom! Daddy caught a lot of fish.” Jesse hollered out.

“Let’s wash ‘em off and start cooking, I cleaned them over there.”

That night we feasted on fish and corn and greens. The boys wanted ‘Fish-on-a-Stick’, Christine and I wrapped a few in foil with Dandelion greens and Sweetgrass. It was a delicious dinner and a fitting last night.

After dinner the boys went on playing while I continued writing my notes of our stay. Christine sat down next to me adding her thoughts. By dusk we had an extensive recount of our days in Farmer City, the fun we had and dangers we discovered.

“I’m still wondering where everyone might be. There are a couple thousand residents here and we found fewer than five hundred.” I said.

“The others could have left or got sick and wondered off.” she replied.

“Yeah, I guess. There could be a lot in houses and but I didn’t see much movement in any.”

We sat quietly together under the tree for a moment then I said “I have something I need to do, I guess I’ll do it in the morning, it’s getting too dark now.”

“What do you need to do?” asked Christine, she was puzzled more by the manner of my announcement than that I had more to do.

“There was spray paint in the hardware store, I need to get some and do some graffiti. I’ll get up in the morning and do it after it gets light.”

“We can all help.”

“OK. I know everyone is worn out from yesterday and today, I thought you guys could rest.”

“The boys can rest while we’re driving. I’ll be fine. Besides, I don’t want us to split up on the day we leave. That didn’t end too well last time.”

We called the boys in and locked up the house. This was the last time we’d stay on ‘the farm’ and we were all feeling sad and disappointed. Christine hadn’t mentioned it but I could tell it was weighing on her that none of our friends or family had shown up. The meanings of that could be many, few were good. If anyone showed up after we left they knew our plans and the signs we left would let them know we were well.

We didn’t know where we would be heading or where we would settle but we were together.

-——————————————

A box of paint sat next to the back door. A stack of signs lay on the table along with duct tape and a staple gun. It was not quite six and still a little too dark to be outside so I sipped my coffee and went over the plan for the morning and the day in my head. It wasn’t necessarily a dangerous job I wanted to accomplish before leaving but since that smell, since I knew that they were here, I was a little more on guard.

“Hi honey.” Christine greeted as she came into the kitchen.

“Hi.”

“Are these signs?” she asked.

“That’s what I want to do this morning. I need to put up warnings and help before we leave.”

She could see my concern on my face. “We can help, just tell us what we can do.”

“I want to put these signs up around town and paint warnings on the grocery store and a couple other buildings. It should take an hour or so then we can get going.” I told her.

“I’ll get the boys up now.” she replied.

“We can have a quick breakfast but I want to be leaving when it’s fully light. That gives us about thirty minutes.”

She went upstairs to wake Caleb and Jesse and start getting ready for our mission.

What’s next? That’s the question I still couldn’t answer. When we did leave here we’d drive west but drive to where? The sound of a herd of buffalo stampeding down the stairs interrupted my thoughts. Caleb then Jesse came into the kitchen arguing about a shirt or something.

“Hi dad.” Caleb greeted me.

“Hi daddy.” Jesse followed with a hug.

“Hi guys. Did mommy tell you our plan for this morning?” I asked them.

“She just said we had to eat quick because we had something to do before we left.” answered Caleb.

“I want to put up these signs and paint some warnings and information to help people who come here after us.”

“That’s a good idea.” Caleb said.

“Yeah, we can tell them not to go to the grocery store.” added Jesse.

“Exactly!” I said, “I want to get going as soon as it’s light so we can leave.”

It didn’t take long for us to grab a bite and be ready to go but I kept finding small jobs to do to delay us waiting for more light. When the sun finally broke the horizon and it was fully light we piled in the truck and left.

The boys sat in the back seat reading the signs “Stay in the light.” Jesse read.

“Don’t be out after dark.” Caleb said.

“Food, water and a cross?” Jesse said puzzled. “What does that mean?”

“There is food and water at places where that cross is.” I answered.

“OK.”

“Stay away.” read Caleb.

“These are the same.” Jesse commented.

“Yeah, I couldn’t come up with anything else so I just repeated some.” I said.

We posted signs on telephone phone poles and we painted information on buildings with brushes and spray paint. It was fun for the boys and somewhat enjoyable for Christine, she started getting
artistic
in her work, my mind was fixed on the grocery store. When we pulled up next to the building I paused before turning off the truck.

“You guys listen to what I say and do exactly what I tell you. I don’t think we’ll have any trouble but just in case we all have to work together.” I instructed.

They all agreed and we exited the truck going to the blank grey back wall of the store. I took a can of spray paint and wrote:

DANGER! DO NOT ENTER!

STAY AWAY!!!

“Is that clear enough?” I asked.

“Absolutely.” answered Christine.

“Good. Let’s put more up around the building.” I said.

I let the boys paint on the brick wall on the north side of the store then we moved to the parking lot in front. A canopy covered the entrance and windows. There were display tables of dead flowers and gardening items lining the walkway entrance area.

“Caleb, Christine, you be ready with rifles. Jesse, you help me with the sign.” I instructed.

Jesse and I approached the entrance area “I hear the bussing.” he whispered.

We started nailing up a large warning sign. I was pounding nails when Jesse said “Dad…..Dad! look inside.”

I stopped hammering and looked to see infected massing at the windows. There were twenty or more pushing at the glass with clouds of insects flying around them. I looked beyond the infected, through the bugs and just into the darkness saw glowing red eyes staring intently at us. They
were
here!

“Hey, walk slowly toward us and look to the left and past the infected with the Deere hat on.” I instructed.

Caleb and Christine walked forward and stopped next to me. “I see it.” said Caleb.

“I don’t, where……the one with red eyes?” Christine asked.

“That’s one. Smell it?” I asked.

“Yeah, there is a different smell.” she answered.

“Let’s go.” I said.

We backed away watching the eyes ‘till we were far enough that they disappeared in the darkness.

Driving back to the farm we started talking. “I’m sure that thing is what Caleb and I ran into on the golf course. Did you see how it didn’t act like the other infected?” I asked.

“It stared at us.” Jesse said.

“Are you sure it was something bad and not just light reflecting off of something red.?” Christine asked.

“I’m sure.” I said “I saw it come into view and move sideways behind that infected head. I’m sure,
very sure
.”

Back at the farm we quickly cleaned up. Driving away was difficult, this had been a pleasant few days, a well needed rest and time of hope. Being on the road again, alone, meant that our hopes were unfulfilled and our search for a new home continued.

Jesse sat in the co-pilot seat of the RV next to me watching out the window as we passed the raceway and familiar sites. Once we were into unfamiliar territory he settled back quietly staring down the road.

Joey had curled up on the master bed in the back bedroom, Caleb road with Christine following in the hummer. We had picked up new passengers, three new rabbits, a rooster and two hens. We had left containers of food and water in two places in town. At
our
farm house we left food and water for four for a week and on the kitchen table was our notebook and a Bible. Any help that we could give to those who followed we wanted to give. We were certain we were not the only people searching for a safe new home and it was becoming more and more evident that we needed to help each other every way possible.

CHAPTER SEVEN

“They don’t look dangerous.” Jesse said looking though his binoculars.

“No they don’t.” I acknowledged as I scanned the compound, “They have guard posts set up on the left and right ridge above the rampart.”

“I see them. There’s two guys in that clump of pines under that big rock outcropping to the north.”

“I bet there’s more around.”

Jesse and I had decided to ride to Cody scouting the south fork of the Snowshoe. We’d come across a settlement built back in a small valley to the east of the river. They looked harmless but ya could never be too sure.

“What do we do?” I posed the question to Jesse.

“We watch, we wait, we look for clues.” he answered.

“OK.”

I was amazed at times how patient the boys had become. Some of that came with age, I think mostly it was their survival instinct kicking in. Quiet and stillness often meant the difference in life and death, food or no food. We had been watching for over three hours and Jesse’s only movement had been his head as he peered through his binoculars. I on the other hand had to stretch my legs.

“I count fifteen.” he said when I returned from another short walk, “There’s five kids, looks like three families. They have a deer hanging in a tree so they have food.”

“I guess it’s time to say hi.” I said.

I rode up the creek leaving Jesse behind just in case. As I approached the southern guards one stepped out from the trees.

“Hold it!” he yelled pointing a rifle.

“Don’t’ mean any harm.” I answered holding my hands out to my sides away from my guns.

“Who are you?” he shouted, “Where’s you come from?”

“I’m Jeff, from Riverton, headin’ to Cody.” I answered.

He looked sideways at me lowering his rifle a bit. “Cody burned, Riverton’s infested with those things.” he returned, “Hey, throw down those guns, and be careful doin’ it.”

“Cody burned but there’s a settlement at the south end of the lake. Riverton’s mostly safe now and has been for a couple years. There’s a town over on Jackson Lake as well.” I replied.

He looked at me puzzled then nudged his rifle in my direction and said “I said throw down those guns.”

“That’s not going to happen.” I said, “Listen, I rode up here in the open so you could see me. If I wanted you dead you’d be dead. We don’t want any trouble, actually it makes since for us all to work together.”

“I’ll put a hole through you if you don’t.” he shouted.

“Before you got your safety off you’d be dead, and your friend over there would be dead.” At that a small stone about ten yards beyond us exploded. The man jumped back startled, his friend crouched, his head darting back and forth eyes searching the trees along the creek.

“If I wanted you dead, you’d be dead, and your friend, and the two in the outpost above and the others. We’d be eating that deer you have hanging if we wanted.”

He stood straight and looked back at the other man then at me, “What do you want?”

“We’re heading to Cody. We didn’t know you were here but welcome those we can call friends.” I said.

“We don’t hurt nobody.” he said, “Haven’t seen any strangers in a year.”

“Well, there are some nice people all about and we’ve got the area safe, for the most part. Mind if we head on up the valley?”

“I’ll take you up.”

We headed up the valley slowly, within a few minutes Jesse was trotting up behind us. The man looked around when Jesse got closer. “He’s just a boy, he wouldn’t shoot anybody.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time if he did.” I said staring down at the man.

“Daddy.” Jesse said.

“Yeah.”

“Remember when we used to play
Clash of Clans
?”

“Yep. That was fun but took up a lot of time.”

“Yeah.”

We had been driving for two days stopping only to refuel and at dusk to sleep. We’d find truck stops or warehouses with parking lots full of tractor trailers and hide the vehicles amongst them. Conversation had been sparse after leaving Farmer City. I think we all had high hopes for staying or at least finding family and friends who we told we’d meet there.

Jesse picked up the radio, “Caleb, over.”

“Yeah, over.” Caleb answered.

“Remember when we used to play
Clash of Clans
? over.”

“Yeah, and
Metin
and the
wii
…….over.”