Rise Once More (21 page)

Was it possible that the infection hadn't spread this far? Could Woodburry be a safe haven?
The words rambled around Haus's mind, and as far as he could tell there was nothing saying otherwise. The thought of hope gave him an optimistic feeling, a possibility of a normal life, a real future might be here, in this tiny town that time has seemed to forgotten.

“
What was the name of the street we are looking for?” Amy asked.

“
703 West C street.” Haus said.

“
We need to turn around then. I saw C street back there a few blocks.” Amy said as she did a U turn in the road. She drove back to the edge of town, until she saw the road marker indicating C street, and turned on it. It was exactly opposite from her first defiant right turn into the so called infected town. This time they were heading west, past a cattle farm, Amy could see a lake to the north, and she knew it would be a great spot to snag a large catfish or two.

The road snaked around to the north, she watched each house number, all of them very low, and she finally came across 416 several miles out of town. “What was her name again? Eicca what?” Amy asked.

“Eicca Laine.” Haus replied.

“
She must live way out of town. We are already a few miles out, and we are still in the 400's.” Amy said, as she drove forward, soon finding the paved road stopped, and seeing nothing but a twisting gravel road ahead. The terrain had turned from hills, to low lying wetlands, trimmed pines gave way to wild Cyrpress trees and the swamp began to resurface.

Amy drove for several miles, this time at a reasonable pace of 40 miles per hour, a much welcomed change in pace for Haus, as both of them watched the uptick of house numbers. Finally they arrived to the so called 700 block, and her house should be one of the first. Haus motioned for Amy to stop, he had seen this before, even for just a moment, as Rednek was trying to show off his home.

The trees seemed familiar, their locations a little different from the ground level, yet unmistakeable from the air. The peculiar pattern of alignment, looking almost like a giraffes neck, the head being Redneks home, and the neck lining his drive way. Haus looked at the aged trees, glanced down at the worn mail box almost 50 meters away, and spotted the name. LAINE. Crudely brushed on the side, with white paint, and unlike the box itself showed signs of being rather recent.

“
This is it.” Haus said.

“
We're here?” This is the place?” Amy asked, the car settling to a stop, and placing it in park. Amy looked over, eying the property, it had seen many years, passed through just as many hands, and despite its age showed signs of being well taken care of.

Two huge weeping willows marked the entrance of the property, clearly it was once a plantation, back in the days of old. The willows towered above the ground, its branches outspread and almost touching the ground. Standing tall and proud like two massive guards protecting the ancient ground.

A large white washed home sat in the center, with several out buildings dotting the landscape, one in particular was covered in rusted corrugated roofing.  A small chicken coop, several sheds, a fenced in pen designed to hold some kind of livestock, and a massive garden. The garden rows wrapped around the edge of the house, around the back, and resting next to the out buildings. The sheer size of it utilized almost every square foot of space available.

Haus thought back to the seemingly endless supply of fresh vegetables Rednek kept in his rancid smelling apartment. The source of all that bounty lay before them, cared for by none other than Eicca. It almost seemed like too large of a task of a single woman, and then Haus remembered the picture of Jake.

Oh yes Jake. Redneks mentally retarded brother. Where he lacked in smarts he must have made up for in physical labor. Retarded? Rednek would have smashed my skull in for saying that. He preferred the term different.
Haus thought to himself.  Haus hadn't gotten to know Rednek very well, but what he did know was that Rednek loved two things in life. Eicca and Jake.

There might have been a third thing if you counted food. That disgusting, drenched in god knows what spices, grease soaked garbage Rednek called food. The same crap he tried to unload on everyone that was silly enough to hang out near him at lunch time. You couldn't pass by the guy without being offered some kind of “delicacy” from back home.

Maybe it wasn't the food. Hell even Rednek's twisted taste buds had to know it was terrible. Maybe it was because of WHO made it, not what it was made of, that made it so damn special.
I get it now. That thick headed hick, wasn't trying to expand our minds with different tastes, he was showing off. He was subtly announcing to all of us, that someone cared enough to make him something, and that is what he was sharing. His own way of bragging about this wife of his, one that he was so proud of, no matter how many times she burnt the proverbial gumbo.

Haus tried to think, an image of Eicca, yet he had never seen her. Rednek had bragged about her for sure, but he had never actually seen what she looked like. Sure he had seen the picture of Jake, but never Eicca. One thing was for certain, of the two things Rednek loved in this world, no one fucked with either of them. Rednek wouldn't stand for it, even if it took his final breath, or cost him everything, they would remain safe.

Haus's man logic took over and it all made perfect sense. Rednek had intentionally not showed a photo of Eicca to him. It was a defensive tactic. The crap food, the whole charade was a front, Rednek was hiding something, and Haus knew why.
You landed yourself a real bell ringer didn't you Rednek? You married up and you were intimidated that I might move in on your turf. Well played sir. Well played.

Amy shifted the car out of park, and pressed on the gas, only to be stopped by Haus. “No.” Haus said.

“What do you mean no?” Amy asked her foot now firmly pressed on the brake.

“
Turn the car off. We don't want to startle them. We go in on foot, try not to make a scene, and talk to them. If we just barge in there, claiming to be friends, we might be met with hostility.” Haus said.

“
These are your friends.” Amy said.

“
What about the infected? Sure Woodburry looked safe, but we are miles away from it now, and there is no way to know for sure. Not to mention that Eicca has never seen me before, and couldn't recognize me from Adam. How would she know that we are friendly?” Haus said.

“
Your right Haus. Maybe a little covert spying is the best option now.” Amy said.

Chapter Twenty Three

Not So Fast

Haus and Amy exited the car, crossing the aged wooden fence, and make their way to a row of trimmed trees. The trees rose above the ground about twenty feet, the lower branches made excellent cover, as they suspended only slightly above the ground. As the two of them moved towards the back perimeter of the property, it would be very difficult to spot them, only their feet were visible below the thick foliage.

Amy hung back slightly, only a few feet from Haus. She let him advance first, pausing at times, peeking out from behind the branches to survey the area. Once he determined it was safe to move forward he would hop to the next tree, and wait for her to catch up.

This game of tree leap frog kept up for nearly thirty minutes, until Haus stopped suddenly, his gaze focused straight ahead, and motioned for Amy to stay still. They were very close to the back part of the property, another fence, similar in style stood directly in front of them. The foundation of one of the outbuildings would be the next spot to take cover, as the trees stopped just short of the property line.

Haus looked forward, his movements slow and deliberate. He could finally see her.
Eicca.
He thought to himself, and all of the assumptions he held to this moment were one hundred percent accurate. Eicca stood before him, about 30 meters away, tending to a section of the massive garden, and completely oblivious of his presence.

Eicca pulled at the weeds, removing the invading vermin from her well kept rows of vegetables. She bent down again, grabbing another handful at the roots, and plucking them from the black Earth below. She stood up, arcing her back towards the sun, and wiping the sweat from her forehead.

She wore a white floral print dress, knee high, modest, and stained in spots with dirt. A fabric sash tied around her hips, that was connected to a crimson apron on the front side with two deep pockets. The bow tied behind her, resting on the lumbar region, the tails flowing down, and framing her apple shaped rear end.

The clothes seemed out of place, like some attire from the senior section hanging on a mannequin from the young woman’s section. The silhouette of her youthful frame poked out in defiance of the bland choice of fashion. A vibrant soul buzzed under that motherly outfit, restrained by the confines of modesty, and shackled by the chains of responsibility.

Eicca was focused on her task, moving forward a few feet, as she pulled the weeds, and tossed them over her shoulder. Haus started to exit the trees, but was blindsided by a flash, and knocked to the ground by an unseen force.

The force of the impact caught him completely off guard, seemingly coming from no where, but had leveled him out just the same. Haus tried to stand, only to be pinned down by the hands of a another man.

The arms were muscular, blood vessels bulged below the pale skin, but were lacking in thick arm hair. A few black hairs peeked out, but were mostly adorned with peach fuzz. Not the arms of a man, but rather a boy transitioning into manhood.

Jake let out a terrified screech, it didn't even sound human, more like an animals distress call. He grunted loudly as he climbed on top of Haus, Jakes knees pressing into Haus's biceps holding him firmly in place and began to flail his fists like a child throwing a tantrum. Jake was surprising large for his age, at only 13 years old, he resembled a fully grown adult man in stature but his baby face told of his true age.

Haus looked out towards the garden, towards Eicca, who now was on her feet and running toward the two men fighting. Eicca starting screaming something, but Haus couldn't make it out because one of Jakes punches had landed on the right side of his head leaving his ears ringing.

Amy however must have heard what she said because she rushed out to intercept her. Amy held her arms up in the air signaling Eicca not to interfere, but Eicca would have none of that. Amy rushed in front of Haus, her hands waving around in the air, but Eicca kept running strong. Eicca reached out, grabbing a handful of Amy's hair, and yanked back hard. Amy felt the pressure first, then the shooting pain, starting at the top of her scalp, it arced down her neck to her shoulders. Then she heard the loud pop in her neck as one of vertebrae darted out of place.

The force of the pull wasn't spent just on her head and neck. Amy felt her head pulling even harder towards the ground, another pop in her neck, followed by a forearm against her neck. Amy was already losing her balance due to the unnatural contortions of her neck and head, but the glancing blow to her throat over came her. Eicca shoved once more, this time with both hands into Amy's chest and she fell into the grass.

Haus saw Amy go down, and he had been kind enough to the young Jake. Haus flung both of his feet upward, until the crossed in front of Jake, crossing his feet together, Haus slammed them back in the opposite direction. His feet collided with Jakes adams apple, Jake tried to grab them, but it was too late. Jake let out a sickening gurgling noise, as his body fell backwards, guided by Haus's legs.

Jakes head struck the ground with a hallow thud, like bone meeting an unforgiving object, possibly a rock, but Haus wasn't sure. The impact wasn't enough to knock him unconscious, Haus at least knew that much, as he watched Jake roll over and clasp his hands around his throbbing neck. Haus stumbled to his feet, only to be met by one pissed off Finnish woman named Eicca.

Haus tried to dodge her at first, stepping to the side at the last minute, but she stumbled a bit, reversed course and ran back towards him. Jake was still rolling around on the ground, his hands firmly gripping his neck as he let out several high pitched yelps. Haus tried to reason with her, searching frantically in his brain for the right words to calm her, but it came out far worse than if he had just kept his mouth shut.

“Back off you crazy bitch!” Haus said. Eicca actually stopped her advance, for just a fraction of a second, long enough for her eyes to flare up wildly, and remind Haus of his poor choice of words. Eicca launched into a jump, clipping Haus on the shoulder, and forcing him to stumble back a few feet in order to regain his balance.

Haus spun around, expecting a retaliatory charge from Eicca, but to his relief watched as Amy grabbed a fist full of Eicca's hair, and yanked her down to the ground. Amy didn't waste any time, jumping on top of Eicca and clawed her fingernails at Eicca's face. Haus watched for a few moments, as they traded claw filled swipes at each other, each pass drawing fresh wounds that started to seep blood.

It reminded him of watching two cats battle, one would scratch, another would hiss in response, and another round of batting would begin. Amy was the first to abandon the feline fighting style, her fully clenched fist landed on Eicca's left cheek, and she let out a muffled whimper. Amy after all, had been raised like a man, and when being female wasn't getting it done, was not afraid to give an old fashioned knuckle punch.

Eicca fell limp, arms resting by her side, and her eyes rolled back underneath her eye lids. Haus turned to look for Jake, finding him still prone on the ground, and grunting away. He turned back to Amy, who had stopped her assault, and looked back at him. Her eyes were filled with fear, and started to raise her hands to warn him. It was too late, the dull thud sound echoed in Haus's ears, followed by a lot of pain in the rear of his skull, and his eyes exploded with tiny stars. He felt his legs give out first, an unexpected exhale from his lungs, the feeling of falling, and then the world went black.

***

Haus's eyes fluttered at first, allowing small pieces of light to enter, a fractional picture revealed to him each time he tried to look out. He felt his head resting on something soft, possibly a pillow, but the aching pain made even that intolerable. He turned his head to the side, and despite the pain, forced them to open for a few seconds.

He saw Amy, Eicca, and Jake. He saw them sitting in chairs looking back at him. He saw that they were inside, possibly a house, there were furnishings, at least from what he could gather from that flash of his eyes. He noted that they were not fighting, they seemed calm, a mix of emotions on each of their faces. Haus closed his eyes again, the pain seemed to surge throughout his entire body, the most notable of the pain was on the rear of his head.

“
OW! It hurts...” Haus deliriously raised his right hand towards the back of his skull. His eyes remained closed, each time he opened them brought on more pain, and he had enough of pain for now. His hand was stopped, pressed down towards his chest gently, another mans hand rested on his forehead.

“
No touch brotha man. You make it worse.” The voice said.

“
But it hurts.” Haus said. He tried to raise his hand again, but it was held down firmly on his chest.

“
Open ya eyes brotha.” The voice said once more. Haus struggled to move his eyelids, they were heavy, very heavy, and he couldn't quite open them.

“
I can't. It hurts too much.” Haus said. “Where is Amy? Is she safe?” Haus asked.

“
She is safe. So is you brotha. If I had knows it was you, I wouldn’t have done it. I don't like it, but was done is done. Open yo' eyes brotha. I need to see em.” The voice said calmly.

Haus struggled for a bit, trying to open his eyes, they resisted, expecting more pain, but he recognized the voice. How could he of not heard it before, that familiar southern accent, his deep archaic voice. “Rednek!” Haus said, voice filled with excitement, and his eyes burst open. Searching the room for a familiar face.

Haus's eyes finally found their target, and there kneeling before him was the deep fried friend of the past. “Your here!” Haus said.

“
I am brotha. Welcome to my home. How did ya find us?” Rednek said, as he gripped Haus for a gentle hug.

“
Is Jake and Eicca OK? We didn't want to hurt them. It just went down so fast.” Haus said.

“
Everyone is OK brotha. Just a little scuffle. No bad blood here.” Rednek said.

“
Good.” Haus said. He rolled around, forcing his eyes to stay open, as he sat up and glanced around the room. “What about everyone else? Reese? Omega Phi?” Haus said.

“
Its all gone Haus.” Rednek said.

“
What?” Haus said.

“
Me and Reese. Olaf threw us out.” Rednek said.

“
Who the hell is Olaf?” Haus asked.

“
He da boss now. He owns Omega. Told us to pack up. Reese dropped me off here, and went back. Said someting about finishing it.” Rednek said.

“
We gotta follow him Rednek, get back to Omega Phi, and warn everyone.” Haus said.

“
He long gone brotha. Dropped me off a few days ago. You is safe here with us. Reese told me 'bout them bugs. Saw what it does on the way here. I was so scared, but I see the bug didn't bite here.” Rednek says.

“
No one is infected this far south?” Haus said.

“
I reckon us country folk are too strong.” Rednek said with a chuckle while flexing his massive arms.

“
Or too isolated...” Haus said. He laid his head back down and drifted off to sleep once more.
I must have a concussion.
Haus thought to himself, right before the darkness closed in on him. Rednek stood up, and walked over to the others.

“
He going to be sleeping for a while. Your welcome to stay with us ma'am. A few days I reckon.” Rednek said calmly, turning to face Eicca, and gave her a wink. “Hows about we get our friend here something to eat.” Rednek said.

“
Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.” Amy said blushing slightly, she had never been called ma'am before, and it felt so proper laced with a southern accent. Or maybe it was just the sincerity behind his voice that made it feel that way. She hardly knew anything about Rednek, with the exception of what Haus had told her, but she already was starting to warm up to him. Like a giant over stuffed teddy bear, comforting, always there to listen and never judge.