The Renegades (Book 5): United (11 page)

I
hated walking
. Hell, even back when I was in Castle Rock and high school was only ten minutes away. My thighs were protesting at the distance I knew I was going to have to walk to make it back to the boat. I still couldn’t believe that Ben and Elijah had left us. It wasn’t that I didn’t understand their reasoning. It made sense. For a brief few moments I had even considered going with them. But that didn’t last long.

I was in the middle of siphoning out gas from several trucks in the hope that I could collect enough to start an old truck I’d seen two hundred yards away. Searching the back of abandoned vehicles by yourself wasn’t safe at all. I jammed a crowbar under the trunk of a Ford and put my whole weight on it to open it. The metal creaked and bent. No sooner had it popped open than a hand came out, but not just one — three. Someone had loaded up the dead into the back of a car and left them to bake. I stumbled back, my heart racing. Sliding out a bowie knife I jammed it into their fucked-up skulls and silenced their snarls.

I must have spent over half an hour gathering enough fuel to power a banged-up Chevy. The beauty about the apocalypse was most vehicle owners left their keys behind. Either they were bitten while in their vehicle or they tried to make a run for it. Either way, they had no need for keys. So finding a working truck was as simple as hopping in and turning over the ignition. Fuel was another thing entirely. Once the Chevy had enough juice, I turned it over and felt a wave of relief wash over me as it rumbled to life.

Jamming it in reverse I backed over three bodies and carefully navigated my way towards my destination. Silence filled the truck. I was so used to hearing the jabbering of Baja or one of the others. It felt odd to know that we had come apart at the seams. I don’t think I had ever felt as alone as I did in that hour. The radio wasn’t picking up any channels and with no one to talk to, I was left with my own thoughts. That wasn’t a good thing. At least when I was at the camp or on the road with the guys, I didn’t have to think.

It was being alone with your thoughts that killed you. You didn’t need to have Z’s chasing after you, or the living insane threatening to take all you had, your mind could provide plenty of torture.

As I rounded a bend that took me from 24 on to Route 25 I slammed the brakes on. Up ahead were twenty Z’s. Several of them were feasting on the ass cheek of some unlucky guy who had probably been obese in life. It was one hell of a sight to see a Z with its head jammed so far up someone’s ass, I thought it was mining for gold. Their milky eyes turned at the sound of the truck. I jammed it in reverse and backed up fast keeping my eyes on them. I couldn’t have plowed through them. There were too many. I had taken my eyes off what was behind me for only a few seconds when I found myself slamming into a flatbed trailer. The Chevy coughed and spluttered and the engine died.

“Shit, c’mon.”

I turned it over but it wouldn’t start. The undead started heading towards me. The fast ones bounced along like apes. I banged on the truck. “Come on you piece of shit, start.”

It chugged a few times as if trying to catch its breath but the rust bucket wouldn’t come to life. My chest tightened at the thought of being trapped inside while surrounded by twenty skin eaters. I kept trying but it was useless. There must have been a part loose or something dropped off. Who the hell knows?

Thud!

The impact of the undead against the truck made the entire vehicle shudder. Two of them bounced up onto the hood and began smashing their meaty paws against the window. The thought of shooting them through the window had occurred to me, except the moment I did that, the window would weaken and the others would crawl in. At least right now it was holding, even if it was cracking.

I turned over the ignition again, each time the Z’s got even more agitated. Their jaws snapped up and down. An eyeball hung from one man’s socket. A female was completely naked. What the heck? Was she having a bath when she was attacked? It was fucked up.

The truck wasn’t going to start, no matter what I did. I pulled my Glock and kept it in front of me just waiting for the first one to break the glass. I didn’t have to wait long. Its head came through first, the edge of the glass pushed back the skin on its face leaving only bone exposed. It was inches from me, snapping up and down. I stabbed it in the temple and let it hang there. It smelled so bad but with it plugging up the window it meant the others couldn’t get in.

They were all over the truck blocking out the sun, smashing up against the windows from the front, side and behind. I knew it was only a matter of time before they broke through and devoured my flesh. I slipped down to the floor and pressed myself as tight as I could against the dirt-ridden floor. With my assault rifle in one hand, the Glock in the other I waited for the inevitable. The noise they were making was so loud I just wanted to place my hands over my ears but if I was going out, I was taking some of them with me.

My body jerked at the sound of gunfire. Two shots, then six and then a flurry. Slowly light seeped in through the mass of bodies pressed up against the truck as they collapsed. With blood covering the windows it was hard to tell what was going on outside but someone was shooting up a storm.

I didn’t move a muscle. With my heart hammering in my chest, the door cracked open. I just assumed it was a Z that had managed to get its arm caught on the handle. Shouldering the assault rifle, my finger twitching on the trigger, I was about to unload when I heard a stranger’s voice.

“You can come out now.”

I would like to say I leapt out of there and high-fived them but I didn’t. Hesitant at first, I slowly unraveled myself from my pretzel position and clambered up onto the seats. I slipped across and peered out, expecting a bullet to the head. Instead I saw four people, each of them looked different but they all looked like they had stepped out of a steampunk film. Their clothing was leather with all manner of shit tied to it. One wore a brown top hat and full-length leather jacket. He was also sporting goggles as if he was anticipating a sandstorm. A girl with bright red flyaway hair wore a leather corset with tight pants and was grinning. A Chinese dude had a sword over his shoulder and a gas mask on the lower half of his face. Another one wore a bowler hat, a white shirt and ammo across his chest. Who the hell were they?

Gingerly I stepped out of the vehicle. They looked amused.

“At least he didn’t piss himself,” the guy in the bowler hat said.

“Yeah, remember that fella who actually shit his pants?” the Chinese one replied.

They both started laughing.

“Who are you?”

“Your worst nightmare,” the girl replied. They stared at me all serious then burst into laughter. “I’m just shitting you. I always wanted to say that. Uh, gets me every time.”

I snorted wondering if they were in some way related to Baja.

“Anyone else with you?” they asked.

“Nope, just me.” I turned back to the vehicle to see if I could get it started.

“Where are you heading?” the girl asked.

“Conkling Point.”

“You’re going our way. We’ll give you a ride.”

I squinted and cupped a hand over my eyes to block the glare of the sun. I tried a few more times to get the truck started before I gave up. I looked at the miles of road ahead and then back at them.

“We don’t bite. Well, Axel might.”

“Fuck off.”

“What? I’m just saying you swing that way. It’s all good.”

The Chinese guy eyed me with a look of embarrassment on his face. I grabbed up my rifle and strode over to them. They were driving a truck with oversized wheels. There was only enough space in the front for two of them, the rest of us piled in the back. The truck bumped away down the road. My eyes drifted over them, still not convinced that they were safe

“Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to take a ride with strangers?” the guy in the bowler hat said.

The girl slapped him. “Brolin, shut the hell up.”

“I’m just having a little fun. You are so uptight.”

He stood up and grabbed a hold of the truck’s light bar. I glanced at the huge machete he had attached to the side of his leg.

“So what’s your name?” the girl asked.

“Johnny.”

“Rayne. This is Brolin, guy driving is Lincoln and of course, Axel.”

At the sound of his name he looked over at me.

“So you’re from that community?”

“What makes you think that?”

“We saw you come over on the boat.”

I nodded. “Where are you guys living?”

“Orient Point at the far end.”

“Is it safe?”

“We’ve made it as safe as it can be. There is only one way in via the main road. The other is by using the beach around Dam Pond.”

I wondered how many other towns were doing the same. Living in areas where there was only one road in and out. It certainly made it easier to protect.

“How come you haven’t visited the community?”

“And deal with all their rules? Screw that,” Brolin said looking down.

“What about where you are? Don’t you have people ruling over what happens?”

“Fuck no. Why would we need that headache?”

“I dunno, to prevent people getting out of control?”

Brolin burst out laughing. “I think you’ve spent far too long behind those walls.”

Rayne continued staring at me. “Why are you going back by boat?”

Brolin was intrigued by her question. He waited for me to reply. All of them did.

“Let’s just say that things aren’t what they used to be. I need to check in on a friend. Discreetly.”

She nodded.

“You left the place, didn’t you? Where are the others?” she asked.

“They went their separate ways. One of them went back into the camp through the main gate.”

Brolin tapped out some tune on the top of the truck with his hands. “That’s why we stayed away from the place. Communities rarely bring people together; instead they tear people apart. Everyone is in everyone’s business. Everyone has his or her opinion on what everyone else should be doing. Screw that shit. We go where we want, when we want. None of us tell the other what to do. If it gets them killed, tough shit.”

I raised my eyebrows. “You don’t care about surviving?”

He looked back at me. “Of course we do, but not if it means giving up our personal freedom. I mean think about it. What is freedom? Abiding by a set of rules that some chump has thought up?”

“There are seven that make decisions.”

“Seven, one, who gives a rat’s ass? You still are going to end up being someone’s bitch.”

I kind of liked his way of thinking. It was refreshing after spending the past year feeling confined. What was freedom? America was meant to be the land of the free, but was it really? Long before the apocalypse I had learned about people wanting to live off the grid. Good folks who just wanted to live a peaceful life unattached from city utilities. Could they do it? No! Some of them ended up being dragged through court. Of course there would always be those who would rant about how rules prevented anarchy. In many ways it was a two-edged sword. There wasn’t a right or wrong approach that suited everyone. But everyone should be given the right to determine that for themselves.

“In all fairness the rules were created in response to what people were seeing not work in the community. It’s not all bad and believe me, I don’t like rules as much as you.”

“I doubt that,” Brolin replied.

We continued driving for another ten minutes before Lincoln slowed the truck down. He hopped out and instinctively they all knew what to do. A large number of Z’s were clogging up the road in front of them. All four of them dropped down to a knee and began picking them off one by one. It was quite something to see. No one told the other what to do. They just did their part. If only it could have been that way among our group. We were like a disjointed family that couldn’t agree on what TV show to watch.

Axel looked back at me. “You gonna help or just sit there?”

I shrugged, hopped up behind the light bar and rested the gun on the top. In two fast bursts, bullets tore through heads and like dominos they dropped in front of us.

“Never gets old,” Brolin said hopping back in the truck with a bounce in his step.

“So how many of you are there?”

“About two hundred.”

“I’m surprised we haven’t seen you in the city.”

“We go in. Just under the cover of darkness.”

“A little dangerous.”

“Yeah, if you’re an idiot.”

They peeled away. The rest of the journey was zombie free. When we arrived at Conkling Point I hopped out.

“Heads up. You might want to keep your eyes open for a group of men who wear shemaghs. They killed fifteen of ours for nothing.”

Lincoln nodded. “We’ve seen them. If they come, we’ll be ready.”

I didn’t know if he was naive or dead serious. His face showed little emotion.

“Thanks for the ride,” I said patting the side of the truck.

“Tell me something,” Axel asked. “You hooked up with anyone?”

They all burst out laughing, to which he responded, “Oh shut up.”

“Yeah, actually I am. Good girl too. Well, I think I am.”

It dawned on me that I wasn’t sure where I stood with Wren. A wave of guilt washed over me at the thought that I hadn’t answered her question about whether or not she was important to me. The truth was, I hadn’t spent a great deal of time thinking about it. I simply went with the flow.

“Too bad,” Axel said. Lincoln patted him on the back as though soothing his wounded heart.

“Anyway, thanks again.”

They nodded and studied me as I made my way down to the boat. Not once had they asked if I wanted to head back to where they lived. They were cautious. That was smart. You couldn’t be too careful now. As I hopped into the boat that was tied to a mooring post, I glanced back at them. There was something about their group that I was drawn to. Maybe it was the sense of unity. The very thing that we once had.

T
he resistance hadn’t put
up much of a resistance. At first I scoffed at the very thought of how quick they were to accept James Fritz and his psycho army. Then I realized that Ray was right, not everyone knew. Jess sat with both hands clasped together, it was almost like she couldn’t fathom that it had come to this.

“Are you sure?” Rowan asked.

“Go see for yourself.”

“No, it’s impossible Ethan wouldn’t allow it. Neither would any of the leaders. They were the very ones that fought back against Fritz in the city.”

“Listen, I’m just telling you what I saw and what he told me. Now I don’t know what has happened to the other six leaders but I’m pretty sure anyone who objected would have been dealt with in a swift manner.”

“Leaders or not. The people wouldn’t allow it,” Rowan replied looking out the window as if Fritz’s men would be patrolling the streets.

“All I know is that they have seized the armory. So whatever weapons the people had at their disposal they don’t have them now. Three thousand people or not, it doesn’t matter. They are seizing back weapons that anyone has. If anyone resists, they are shot immediately.”

Rowan shook his head and paced back and forth. “It can’t be.”

“I saw it with my own eyes on the way over here. Douglas Randall tried to put up a fight. He’s dead now.”

“We need to fight.”

I frowned. “Didn’t you just hear what I said?”

“We need to get out of here,” Jess said, objecting to Rowan’s idea.

I’d never seen her look so fearful. Losing Izzy had broken what little inner strength she had left. In times gone by she might have been ready to fight but not now.

“That’s not the worst of it.”

I brought them up to speed on what Fritz had said about the cure.

“Johnny is on his way here.”

“What?” Wren exclaimed

“He wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Why didn’t he just come in with you?”

“And get thrown in the can?”

“But that could have happened to you.”

“Might still. But at least with one of us out, we stand a chance.”

“Does he know about what Fritz needs?”

“No.”

Rowan looked as if he was contemplating what to say next. “If they see him, he’s screwed.”

Wren immediately jumped up and headed for the door.

“Where are you going?” Rowan asked.

“To warn him.”

“Might be too late for that.”

“I’m not just going stay here and do nothing.”

I looked at Jess, she was beside herself with worry. But I didn’t think it was for Johnny. Something had broken inside of her. We all had experienced so much on the road. Everyone was bound to reach their breaking point eventually. For her, it was now.

Jess got up to leave and Rowan grabbed her arm. “It’s best if we stay, Jess.”

“And let them kill us the way they killed Izzy?”

“Then we fight.”

“Fight? Are you out of your mind? There are hundreds of them. You saw yourself,” Wren said.

The resistance was not comprised of three thousand people, it amounted to about three hundred who were initially part of the first thousand. So the idea that they could have immediately fought back wasn’t smart without access to the armory.

“She’s right,” I said. “Whatever home you think you can have here, it’s gone. It’s over.”

Wren was already out of the door. Rowan chased after her. She had jumped in a jeep and was about to leave when he stood in front with his hands out. “Just wait a minute.”

“What is there to wait for? We should have left with them.”

“And go where? Where is home? This is our home.”

“Not anymore,” I said drawing closer.

“Listen, just give me half an hour. Maybe I can work out some kind of deal with Fritz,” Rowan said.

“I highly doubt it. If anyone is at the top of his shit list it’s you. You screwed him over at the Hive.”

“He doesn’t know that. I’ll reason with him.”

I shook my head and walked up to Rowan. “Just forget it, Rowan, we need to leave now.”

Rowan’s head dropped. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he knew that if Fritz was now in control of the community, no one was safe.

“Alright let’s go. Jess,” he shouted towards the house and then told Wren they would grab a few things before they left. When Jess didn’t reply, he frowned and called for her again.

“I’ll go see,” I said. When I returned to the house, I called for her but there was no response. I entered the kitchen and noticed a note on the counter. It read:
I’m not leaving until he’s dead.

“Shit!”

I charged out of the house. “She’s going to kill Fritz.”

“Wh… What?” Rowan stammered.

“Jess, she’s going to kill him.”

I slapped the note against his chest and hopped in the vehicle.

“I’m going with you,” Wren said.

“No. You go meet with Johnny. Wait for us by the beach. If we don’t return by nightfall — leave.”

“But…”

“No buts, Wren. You have to promise me you will get the hell away from this place,” Rowan bellowed.

She stared back at him with her mouth partly open.

“Promise.”

“I promise.”

Rowan kissed her on the forehead before jumping in the other side. I gunned it out of there hoping to catch up with Jess before she reached section A.

“She couldn’t have got far on foot.”

“Not if she took the motorbike out back.”

Rowan slammed his fist against the dashboard. “Shit, Jess.” His eyes were scanning the road ahead. A look of desperation masked his face. It was a good forty-minute drive, thirty if you really drove hard. We passed by several guards patrolling. No doubt they were keeping an eye out and making sure that no one decided to resist. One of them stared at us as we shot by. I looked in the rearview mirror and saw him dart out into the road. He was speaking on his radio, no doubt alerting section A to our arrival.

“If I lose her…” Rowan trailed off.

It had been strange to see the development of his relationship with Jess. I’d been so used to seeing her with Johnny. It just felt wrong, but it was clear he cared for her.