Mountain Man - 01 (30 page)

“Anything?” Scott asked.

“Not a goddamn thing,” Gus grumped. “Damn funny.”

“What do you think?”

Gus looked at him. “I think we have a problem. Something just occurred to me, and I don’t like the sound of it.”

“All right. What? You don’t like the sound of what?” Roxanne asked.

“I first noticed that bodies were disappearing down in the city. That was the first place. Now it’s here they’re disappearing. And I smashed the joints of those last bastards…”

“So?” Roxanne prodded.

“So something’s dragging them away. Or something is eating them.”

They became quiet, listening to the idle chug of the engine.

“What could feed on the dead?” Roxanne asked.

“Dogs,” Gus said. “Maybe raccoons? Bears? I dunno, but I’d say dogs. They’d be strong enough to carry off a body. Wild ones would eat anything, I imagine.”

“Dogs,” Scott said.

“That might be a problem.” Gus said.

“Why?” Roxanne asked.

“Well, I know how the disease affects people, but I don’t know how it’ll affect animals. And if it’s all the same to you, I don’t want to meet up with an infected bear or dog.”

“A lot of the animals died in the first year, I figure,” Scott said quietly. “But there’s bound to be a few that adapted. That survived.”

“Until they got infected,” Gus added. “Well, shit.”

Silence ruled once again as they contemplated what might lurk out there beyond zombies.

“Well,” Gus finally said. “No use worrying about it now. Dead is dead until I see it walking.”

Their first stop was the liquor corporation. They filled up one bin of the van with cases of Bacardi rum, various bottles of whiskey, alcoholic cider, and moscato wine. The loading went quickly with Roxanne helping Gus with lugging the cases from the gloom of the storeroom to the van. Next, they decided to look for a new street to house pick.

“Why not the malls around here?” Roxanne asked.

“Been picked over already. Nothin’ in there. When the fall happened, that was the place that was the most looted, and dangerous. The dead zoned in on it like it was a magnet. Most of the big shoppin’ centers are like that. I stay away from them. Nah, at this point in the game, the big stores are done. Too dangerous. I stick with the houses now. Most don’t have anything because the people that lived there took what they could, but some are treasure troves. Like the shotgun and pistols we found the other day.”

“Could be more out there just like that,” Scott added.

“Oh, I guarantee it,” Gus agreed. “We just gotta keep lookin’.”

“To what end?” Roxanne asked. “I mean, sooner or later, probably sooner, this is going to be all looked over right? Everything that could be found will be. What’re you gonna do then?”

Good question.

Gus looked back at her. “Move?”

“Where? It’s the same out west, if not worse. It’s the Dark Ages all over again out west. I mean, I came from it.”

Gus looked at Scott. “Like your Tenner.”

Scott didn’t reply, but his face became pensive.

“Who’s Tenner?” Roxanne asked.

“A killer,” Gus said. “Anyway. Good point on what happens next. I’m thinking on it.”

“Think faster,” Roxanne said.

“Well, right now…” Gus looked up at the cloudy sky. “I think we can get in a few more houses. You guys up for it?”

“We have time,” Scott said.

“Oh, guaranteed you’re keepin’ track of the time,” Gus said, shaking his head. “No worries there. Nerd.”

*

The sun descended behind the hills as they returned to the mountain and backed the van into the garage. They had done well for the six houses they managed to search—more toilet paper, stationery supplies, history books on the world wars, and sealed condiments. Roxanne had also made the suggestion of taking blankets found in linen closets for the upcoming winter, which filled the rear of the van and gave her something to sit on for the ride back to the house. Scott and Roxanne unloaded everything that same evening while Gus prepared canned beef ravioli for supper. They had their welcome home shots of whiskey and settled in for a night of Scrabble.

That night, Scott lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling. He heard Roxanne go to the washroom and return to her room minutes later. She was a little rough around the edges, but she wasn’t a bad person. She also played a mean game of Scrabble. Of course, he and Gus had been pleasantly buzzed at the time.

Then, Tenner crept back into his mind. Tenner was still out there.

Tenner was unfinished business.

It disturbed Scott how easily Tenner had gunned him down and executed Teddy and Lea. It disturbed him that the man still lived and was probably killing whoever crossed his path for whatever reason. The pleasure? The thrill? Or just because people were there?

Scott exhaled.

Then, he heard a soft knock on the door.

Roxanne opened the door and stepped into his room. He could tell it was her from the shadowy outline. Her hair fell over her shoulders as she eased herself inside, keeping a hand on the knob. Even more interesting, she wore only a T-shirt that halted just at her upper thighs.

“Scott?” she asked quietly.

“Yeah?”

“You up?”

“Mmhmm. What do you want?”

“Gus is asleep, so I thought…” Her shape leaned up against the wall, and Scott was aware of her T-shirt slipping upward. “I thought you might like… to talk.”

Well,
shit
.

Scott took a moment to collect his thoughts. He realized he was on extremely delicate ground. “Uh, no, I’m fine, Roxanne. I was about to drift off when you came in.”

“Really?” she said softly. She lifted one leg, running her toes against the instep of the other, before placing it behind her as if stretching. She thrust her chest out, and he saw that she wasn’t wearing a bra.

For a moment he didn’t say anything, then, “Yeah, really. Good night.”

She didn’t leave right away. Scott closed his eyes and then opened one just a crack. She remained in place, and for a moment, he felt a bolt of awkwardness surge through him.
Oh, sweet Jesus
, he thought.
What if she strips down in here?

He didn’t need that. He closed his eyes again. Then, he heard the door click closed. He cracked open an eye and relief flooded through him. Roxanne was gone.

Exhaling, he shook his head. He didn’t need that. He hoped it wouldn’t make things awkward. He was, in his mind, still married.

And then there was Gus.

He wouldn’t mention the episode to Gus. He couldn’t.

He wasn’t certain, however, what Roxanne would do.

*

Over his bowl of instant rolled oats sweetened with sugar, Gus watched Scott emerge from the hallway, yawning and scratching at his belly.

“Morning, sunshine.” Gus smiled with a spoon in his mouth. “How you doin’?”

“Good,” Scott said. “How you doin’?”

Gus winked at him. “Pretty good.”

“This mine?” Scott pointed at the bowl on his end of the island.

“Yeah.”

“Clear weather out there today.”

“Hmm,” Scott grunted.

“Hey.” Gus lowered his voice. “Guess what happened?”

“What?”

At that moment, Roxanne came around the corner, dressed in white socks, sweat pants, and a sweater. She nodded coolly at Scott, before running her hand across Gus’s hand and planting a kiss on his cheek. Without a word, she went to her chair and picked up a spoon.

“Wow,” Scott said sardonically, and resumed eating.

“Yeah.” Gus squinted at Roxanne. “Well, someone got lonely last night.”

Roxanne gave him a half-scolding look, then started eating.

Scott inspected his coffee mug, then got up to pour more. “Well, that’s great.”

“I thought you’d say that.” Gus beamed.

“I hate to ruin your morning, though,” Scott said, sitting back down at his breakfast.

“Why? What’s up?” Gus asked.

Across from him, Roxanne looked up with concern on her face.

“I’ve been thinking. It’s time for me to get movin’ on,” Scott said.

“What?” Gus dropped his spoon.

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Something’s been botherin’ me,” Scott said, softly stabbing his rolled oats with a spoon. “Tenner’s still out there.”

“What?”

“Yeah. I’m not one to forget things. I mean…” He met Gus’s gaze. “The prick shot me and gutted down two people I knew.”

“What?” Roxanne said, shocked.

“Yeah,” Scott took a spoonful of rolled oats and tasted it. “Well, the way I see it, I’m the only one that knows of him. Sorta. Knows what he sounds like anyway.”

“You’re kiddin’.” Gus stopped eating and stared at him. “You’re serious. You’re goin’ after this guy?”

“Yeah,” Scott answered, taking another bite.

“Will you stop eatin’ for a second? I mean, he could be anywhere out there. Anywhere, Scott. And fuckin’ winter’s comin’ on, for fuck’s sake.”

“I know.”

“And you’re still goin’?”

Scott didn’t answer right away. “Yeah.”

Gus sat and stared at him as he continued eating.

“You’ll be okay,” Scott said, glancing furtively in Roxanne’s direction.

“That’s not what I’m sayin’, man.”

“What, then?” Scott asked.

“You saved my ass out there,” Gus said quietly.

“You saved mine first. We’re even. Well, there is one more thing.”

“What?”

Scott pursed his lips as if in pain. “Can I take the SUV?”

The request stunned Gus. He couldn’t believe this was happening. Last night, when Roxanne came knocking at his door out of the blue, he’d thought he might have been dreaming. For the first time in two years, he felt as if he didn’t need a shot of whiskey in the morning. Then, Scott had dropped his bomb.

“You’re really doing this?”

Scott looked him in the eyes and nodded. “Never said I’d be stayin’ here forever.”

Silence bloomed around the island.

“No,” Gus said finally. “I guess you didn’t. Sure, you can take the SUV. We can get another from the city.”

“Thanks.”

“You’ll need food, too. Supplies. I’ll… I’ll outfit you.”

Scott nodded.

“So, when are you headin’ out?”

“This morning, I guess. Daylight and all.”

“Yeah. Smart.”

Gus got up from the table, his appetite suddenly gone. “I’ll start things then.” Feeling dazed, he moved away from the island.

“All loaded up,” Gus informed Scott, with his arm on the open rear door of the Durango. The back was filled with bottled water, cases of canned food, a first-aid kit, his share of the Ruger ammunition, shells for his shotgun, one of the bandoliers, a bowie knife, clothes, a few books, and anything else he might need while on the road. Two filled gas containers were tucked in tightly with the supplies. A dozen rolls of toilet paper were even pushed in there. Everything and anything that Scott had found while he was with Gus was freely given. Gus had thought that Scott might reconsider, but the blond man never said a word on the subject. He merely loaded things aboard the SUV in grim fashion like a hunter about to go on safari, only asking Gus if it was “Okay for this?” or “Fine to have that?”

Gus didn’t refuse him.

Roxanne watched from the doorway leading into the house, her face drawn and pensive- looking, her arms folded across her chest.

Scott faced Gus and nodded. “Thanks for everything.”

“You’re really going to head out there?” Gus asked.

Scott nodded. “He’s out there. And he’s worse than the deadheads. He’s hunting whoever’s left.”

Gus nodded. “You… you got a place to come back to, you know that, right? Anytime.”

“I hear you,” Scott said and smiled. He looked at Roxanne. “Take care of this one. And yourself.”

She nodded, still brooding.

Scott held out his hand.

Frowning, Gus took it and pumped it twice.

“Time to get goin’,” Scott said.

“Yeah.”

“Get the garage door for me?”

“Yeah.”

Sighing, Gus opened the door, cranking the lever with both hands. He heard the SUV’s door slam behind him and turned to see Scott wearing his lightning bolt helmet, visor up, sitting behind the wheel. He gave a thumbs-up.

Shaking his head, Gus walked down to the wall and removed the timbers bracing the gate. As he worked, he heard the SUV growl toward him, closing, and finally idling. He opened the gate and stood back, looking once from the wilderness beyond at the man behind the wheel. Standing in the open garage bay was the white figure of Roxanne, watching with her arms still folded.