The Swamp (11 page)

             
“You have something more important to do...” he pointed over Sam’s shoulder. Mark stood there. Sam turned to him and they stared at each other for a minute.

             
“About mom…” Mark started but Sam interrupted.

             
“Mark, Moms fine, she made it out, they lied to you. She is at the tower.”

             
Sam enjoyed the play of emotions, his brothers face went from sad, to confused, to disbelief, and finally to joy. They again embraced, and this time held it.

             
When they eventually separated, Mark asked, “Have we heard from anyone else, Dad, Annie or the kids, Liz or Rene?”

             
Sam could just shake his head. “No, until Mom showed up, I was beginning to think I was the last one.” Sam filled Mark in on what he knew, which wasn’t much.

             
“But you are sure mom is okay?” Mark finally said.

             
“I am positive, she is stronger than ever, and you know that is saying something. She showed up out in the swamp and found me half eaten by a hog. She saved my life and had we not found Paul and his brother, and his brother not been shot, she would be here now. She had to stay home and take care of him, of which I am very thankful. I didn’t want her coming back out here.” Sam said.

             
Mark sat in silence for a few moments. “Me too, I don’t ever want to go back there again.” He paused as if something had finally dawned on him, “Eaten by a hog?”

             
Sam laughed and rolled up his sleeve to show the pale and healing skin beneath. “I had a craving for bacon, and went hunting. I ended up in the brush with a big black bastard that seemed a little angry. He got me pretty good here on the arm, and gave me a nasty cut on my leg.”

             
Mark tried to hold a straight face, but eventually cracked a smile “I bet you wimped out after that and didn’t even get your bacon.” They had been typical brothers, always harassing the other in that endless brotherly competition. It made Sam feel better. It meant Mark was feeling better

             
“Nah, he seemed pretty attached to it, your girlfriends have always been selfish.”

The laughed together at that
one and talked like it was old times.

             
By noon Sam stood watch from the top of the RV while Mike moved around the group, giving what medical care he could. The people they had rescued seemed to be doing well all things considered. He was surprised. He knew he wouldn’t have been doing as well as these people had he been through the same thing.

             
Mike climbed to the roof and sat with him.

             
“How are they doing?” Sam asked of the people below.

             
“Not bad actually, there are a lot of sunburns and bruises, plus a few cuts. Nothing seems to be life threatening. The problem is a lot of these people have scars that won’t show.” He indicated a cute girl in her early twenties, “We have to watch that one, she was raped over and over again, everyone knows it even if she doesn’t say anything about it, and that will make her feel bad. Her name is Laurie, and she really is a sweet girl.”

             
“What happened to the other girl, weren’t there two young ones?” Sam asked.

             
“We were just a little too late for her, apparently she killed herself the night before we arrived, snatched a gun from one of those soldiers and shot herself, that’s why I am worried about Laurie.” Mike shook his head.

             
“I just can’t imagine. I hope those guys rot in hell. I saw at least one get away. I saw the truck leaving as we did.”

             
“Yeah, me too,” Said Mike, “We can’t worry about that now, I bet he hauled ass anyway. He is probably still going.”

             
“I hope you are right, but part of me wished I could find him.” Sam confessed

             
“Me first,” replied Mike.

             
That sat quietly for a few minutes, watching the people mill around below them.

             
Then Sam decided to raise the big question. “How long are we going to give Paul?”

             
“I don’t know, we can’t stay here, our food won’t hold out much longer, they have already eaten most of it. But wasn’t it pretty how he did his little trick. Best damn distraction I have ever seen.” Mike slapped his knee and laughed.

             
Sam thought back to his confusion over the events at the farm. “What happened back there? All I know is a saw an ice cream truck and then there were zombies everywhere.”

             
“That’s right, you couldn’t see that,” Mike laughed again, “Right at the appointed time, Paul showed up in that damn truck, music blaring, and while the soldiers stood there with their mouths hanging open, Sam busted through the fence, drove through the yard and busted back out and took off. I’m guessing he went into town, because two minutes behind him came about a thousand dead people, as soon as they saw all those soldiers, dinner was on. The soldiers looked at the approaching dead, then looked at the holes in the fence and ran back into the house but that was all she wrote!”

             
Sam pictured it and laughed. That was far better than anything they had planned, Paul must have had a brainstorm after they left. They talked about it for the next hour, before deciding they couldn’t wait any longer. They started to get everyone inside the Fleetwood to get going. Before the RV had seemed huge, but once you got all 14 survivors and the two of them in, it had shrunk considerably.

             
They started out, but hadn’t made it a mile before they came across a lone figure in the road. Paul stood there with a thumb out and a big smile to greet them. They wedged him inside. Now Sam could consider the rescue a success.

             
Paul’s poor truck had given up its ghost shortly after he drove off from the farm and left him stranded. It had taken him a while to work his way back to the dairy while avoiding the remaining undead. The feeling of elation lasted less than ten miles.

             
Underneath the Fleetwood a loud series bangs was heard that reverberated through the entire cab. The big RV started to rumble and lurched slightly to one side. Sam was forced to lean into the steering wheel to maintain control as he braked.               People in the back screamed at the sudden noise, still frazzled from their recent situations.               After a few short seconds that felt like an eternity, they had pulled to the side of the road.

             
Mike was already to his feet and headed towards the door. “Everyone stay calm, everything will be ok.” The door slammed behind before Sam made it half way. By the time he made it outside, he could already hear a long tirade of four letter words in Mike’s voice.

             
“All Flat, every damn one of them,” Mike exclaimed as he examined the wheels on the passenger side, “they are full of holes.” To further show his anger he kicked the front tire.

             
“What the hell? How? I know I didn’t hit anything.” Sam said defensively.

             
Mike had crouched for a closer look, he seemed to concentrate on something, “the tires are full of screws and little strips of medal, and I don’t see how…” then suddenly rose to his feet with a gun in his hands as he scanned the trees. “Caltrops.” He muttered under his breath and then “Get back inside and get us moving, run it on the rims, but we have to get out of here.”

             
Just inside the tree line they heard someone yell “whoop”, drawing the word out to an animalistic sound. Seconds later the voice was answered by howls and more ‘whoops’ on both sides of them. Mike spotted something and fired, Sam didn’t see what because he was already on his way through the door.

             
The engine started and Sam slammed it into gear. The crowd in the back had grown quiet, listening to what was going on. Mike jumped into the doorway and kept firing. Sam had the pedal down but the acceleration was slow. Mike fired one last time, the bolt on his pistol locking open as the last shell was expended. He yanked the door closed, secured the lock and reloaded.

             
“We’ve got trouble.” Mike called out and in the rearview mirror, Sam could see several wild looking and very dirty people were chasing them.               They were on foot, but gaining, the RV just wasn’t able to gather enough speed with all its wheels on one side. Sam pushed down on the pedal harder and was answered by a heavy groan from the engine. The maniacs had closed the distance and some pounded on the walls. The sounds echoed through the enclosed space. The RV finally started to pick up speed.   Sam could see the followers getting further behind and let out a sigh of relief. The road curved ahead, and Sam lost sight of the crazies.

             
Paul yelled “Watch out!” from the passenger seat and Sam jerked his head around in time to see a large tree lying across the road. They were only doing about 35 miles per hour, but there wasn’t time to react. They slammed into the tree and everyone in the vehicle was thrown forward as it was violently wrenched to a stop. The engine made a long groan and died. Sam shook off the cobwebs that the wreck had cause and tried the engine, turning the key produced no response. The displays on the dashboard were all dead.

             
Sam glanced over his shoulders at the passengers regaining their feet. Mike was already up and helping others. To his right, Paul was holding his forehead with a hand covered with blood.

             
“I’m ok, just bumped my head and got a little cut.” Paul explained.

             
Behind them, Sam heard the whooping again. Their pursuers would be here soon and mike was already passing out their weapons. Sam drew his and looked to mike for guidance.

             
“We will have to fight; our people aren’t well enough to run and we are in their territory.” Mike said to Sam and then turned to the crowd               “Anyone that can, we have to get outside and make a stand.” Mike opened the side door and stepped out... Sam of course joined him and about 5 others followed.

             
Mike took a position on the ground under the fender of the Fleetwood. Sam stood above him, half hiding behind the corner of the vehicle, the others fanned out around them. Sam was comforted to see Mark take position right beside him.

             
“Everyone wait until I fire, then give them everything you’ve got. They don’t seem to have guns, or at least they haven’t used them yet. Stay together, pick your targets, and keep your eyes open.” Mike ordered and Sam just had time to think how lucky they had been to find him, and how many times they would have died by now without him, when the enemy rounded the corner. Sam almost lost his mind as they closed, but he held his fire.

             
There were about twenty of them, all running straight at them. They were only one hundred yards away, and Sam could see them more clearly. Their clothes were dirty and tattered. Most were covered in blood and he felt it was a safe bet that it was not their own. If they weren’t making those maddening wild noises, Sam would have wondered if they were the dead.

             
They crossed what Sam judged to be 50 yards away before Mike fired and one went down. Sam fired at one and missed, and the others joined in. they sent about 20 rounds at the enemy and saw about 5 go down. They knew they hit a few others by the way they jerked or slowed. The remainder turned and made for the tree lines on both sides, another volley from Sam’s crew took down another five before they made it to the safety of the trees.

             
“Everyone all right?” called Mike, getting back to his feet.

             
Everyone indicated they were, and Mike turned his attention to Sam “Any ideas?”

             
“Not really, do you think they are gone?” Sam said.

             
By way of answer, the man to Sam’s left, a thirtyish man named Matt, suddenly screamed and fell backwards to the pavement, an arrow protruding from the center of his chest. He jerked twice and then laid still, his life gone just that quickly. Everyone outside the vehicle dropped to a crouch and looked around.

             
“It came from over there!” yelled another and fired wildly into the trees.

             
“Hold your fire and get back inside. Never fire unless you can see your target.” Mike snapped and herded the men inside. He slammed the door behind him. “They have us pinned down, stay away from the windows and keep quiet. Everyone hit the ground” Everyone obeyed immediately.

             
They sat in silence and listened for any sign of the enemy. Suddenly, Paul gasped and stumbled back from the front winds. Sam looked up to see a face peering it at them. It drew back its fists and pounded them against the window. He expected the window to shatter, but was surprised to see them hold.