Trudge: Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse (10 page)

“I think the waitress was just embellishing. Good stories usually equal good tips…right?” Shelly said.

“Not in my book. I just wanted to add what I saw on the boob tube this morning. Some youths got out of hand yesterday and attacked cops and soldiers and innocent bystanders downtown. It was the craziest thing I have seen since those Kent State shootings. It looked like the National Guard were firing on the crowd.”

“In Portland?!” one of the blondes said her voice laced with skepticism.

“Right there in the Courthouse Square…hell of a sight to watch. The news anchor also alluded to troubles, bite wounds and such, cropping up in some of the emergency rooms in and around Portland…”

The freight train roar of Harley Davidson motorcycles reverberating up the basalt canyon walls from the interstate two hundred yards below the Vista House cut Harry off before he could finish.

Looking over the edge, Cade and Rawley watched the horde of Harley Davidsons and SUVs speed east up the gorge. Cade lost count after 30 and then returned his attention to the conversation.

Rawley nudged Cade and said cryptically, while looking at him over the top of his sunglasses, "Looks like the Sheriff opened the road.”

“We better keep our eyes open for those bikers. Chances are that the Sheriff wasn’t left with much of a choice” Cade said in a hushed voice.

“One man against that group... no way he could deny them passage. Not without a SWAT team." Rawley agreed.

The thought caused an icy ball to form in the pit of the former Delta Operator’s stomach, he made a mental note to himself,
I need to get these kids somewhere and teach them how to handle the guns. We could use more shooters, especially if we get in a skirmish with a group of that size.

Pointing west Harry Conrad said, "Does anyone know what’s causing all that smoke?”

Rawley answered, with a serious look on his face, "Sir, I’d tell you, but I doubt that you’d believe me.”

"What do you mean…? Shelly asked.

“When you all leave here, turn on your radio. I promise this isn’t any Orson Welles War of the Worlds hoax. There is some credence to what Harry here just said about the city going to hell in a hand basket…and then some.”

"We’ve got some road to burn up. Good luck to you all. If I were you I'd steer well clear of Portland." Cade said as he opened the door, held the grab handle near his head and climbed into the driver’s seat.

"Is there a forest fire coming?"

"No, that's Portland. Surely, the creatures are following the living that are fleeing the city and I can almost guarantee they will come this way" Cade answered Leo as he fired up the Toyota, adding, "Let’s put some more miles between us and them.” He stared at Leo and then at Ike, before saying “We need to find a place to teach you guys to shoot a pistol and maybe the shotgun."

Cade, Leo and Ike were in the Sequoia and Rawley drove solo in his Bronco. Harry and the two women were still having an animated conversation in the parking lot. Rawley watched them in his rear view mirror until they were but tiny specks.

The two vehicle convoy exited the Vista House parking lot, veered left and continued east on the scenic highway. Leo passed out energy bars and bottled water as they wound through the back roads of the Columbia River Gorge.

"Let’s stop so we can eat some real food” then he caught himself, “I guess calling an MRE real food is stretching it a bit. I’ll let you judge for yourselves" Cade said with a chuckle.

Back at the Vista House, just minutes after Cade, Rawley and the boys made their exit, a man in a Dodge Ram pickup arrived and pulled up next to the Camaro and VW. The man looked the three over before rolling down his window and greeting them “How are yall doing? My name is Duncan, Duncan Winters” He had a nasally Southern twang and matched with his ruddy complexion. His Stetson hat and squinting wise eyes made him seem one hundred percent cowboy.

Harry removed his dark glasses and extended his hand upwards towards Duncan and made his acquaintance.

The twins introduced themselves.

“Sheila Olsen, hi”, she said smoothing her hair behind her ear.

“I’m Shelly Olsen” she greeted him with a wave of her small hand.

Duncan stayed in his truck with the window rolled down, letting the engine idle and proceeded to recount what he had just witnessed thirty minutes ago.

The twins were visibly shaken. Harry shook his head slowly side to side, staring at the ground.

Shelly broke the silence, “I think that we saw them heading east a couple of minutes ago” remembering the pack of noisy motorcycles.

“Looks like I’m not going back to Portland anytime soon” Harry said.

Sheila opined, “I think we ought to go the same way those two trucks just went. What do you think Sis?”

Before Shelly could add her opinion, Duncan Winters said that he was going to head east and see if he could find a lawman to make things right for the murdered little girl.

“If the law isn’t around these parts any longer, then I may have to take things into my own hands.”

When the cowboy finished Shelly finally answered her sister with a silent nod of agreement.

They headed eastbound on the Columbia River Gorge scenic highway.  Harry’s yellow Camaro took the lead with the little red convertible in the middle and the dually 4x4 pickup driven by Duncan bringing up the rear. Duncan couldn’t help but obsess about that poor little girl and how horribly she suffered. He was sure that there was a special place in hell for monsters like the ones that butchered her. Duncan had indirectly sent his fair share of them there himself during the Vietnam War, and he had not a shred of remorse.
If only I get a chance,
he thought as he kept an eye on the road behind him.

Chapter 21

Day 2 Wahkeena Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

The two truck procession wheeled into the Wahkeena Falls parking lot. There were roughly twenty parking spots and a one way circular drive all ringed by tall fir trees. In the middle of the drive was an expanse of green grass with a number of picnic tables arranged near the center.

A small white school bus with a bright yellow “Little Learners Preschool” logo on the door occupied the spot nearest the trailhead.

The bathrooms were built to resemble miniature log cabins. Beyond the bathrooms a trail snaked down gradually about a quarter of a mile to the waterfall. The summer before last, when he was home from deployment, he and Raven had a father and daughter outing here. He remembered the falls to be beautiful but rather small and unimpressive. It seemed a perfectly safe and short hike to take a group of preschoolers on.

Except for the bus, the lot was empty.

Cade backed the Sequoia into a parking spot near the preschool bus. Rawley slid the Bronco in right next to it. They all got out and stretched their legs. Ike ran and played on the grass in the middle of the parking lot, Leo chased him around the picnic tables; finally his longer legs prevailed and he scooped up his wiry brother and tickled him until he cried uncle. The two boys continued to playfully wrestle each other.

Cade looked on, awed by the boy’s resilience. Their mom and dad had just died and the trauma had drawn them closer to each other. To survive they would have to have each other’s back at all times. The scene choked him up and made him long to hold his family again. He composed himself and called the boys over.

“Times a wasting let’s eat.”

Cade wanted to eat quickly and continue on. The need to reunite with his family was stronger than ever.

They all assembled at the open rear of the Sequoia. Ike passed out the MRE’s (meals ready to eat) from the case calling out the flavors as he grabbed them.

"Leo gets chicken ala king."

"Mmmm" Leo said inspecting the olive drab bag.

"Cade gets spaghetti and meatballs" Ike tossed him the package.

“What. I don’t get to choose?”

“Take it or leave it” Ike said matter of factly, grinning at Cade.

"Rawley what do you want? Chili-mac... or sweet and sour pork?" he said showing off both identical looking packaged meals.

"I'll take the swine, thanks Ike" Rawley snatched the one he suspected might be his.

“You give him a choice now?” Cade said feigning a hurt look.

“Just playin with you” Ike opened the left over chili-mac. It was the one he secretly wanted anyway.

The boys were amazed by the self-heating MREs; you just add a tablespoon of water and wait for a couple of minutes, grab a spoon and dig in.

"Not bad at all" Ike stated.

After everyone had finished with their meals it was time to shoot guns. Normally Cade wouldn’t advocate discharging a firearm in a state park. Normal went out the window when the dead started to walk.

One at a time, Cade checked the magazines for the Glocks. Satisfied that they both held 17 rounds he inserted the clips and chambered a round in each pistol. Next he put on the combat harness and nestled each Glock in its holster. He hefted the matte black Mossberg 590 Roadblocker; it was a mean looking 12 gauge shotgun. He loaded eight shells into the weapon alternating between shot and slug.

With the gun on safe, he called Ike and Leo over. Holding it up so they could see, he pointed out the safety, where the spent shells were ejected and how you load the ammunition. He also stressed that "you NEVER point a gun at someone unless you are willing to use it on them.” Keeping his finger to the side of the trigger guard he demonstrated how to carry the gun properly, barrel pointing towards the ground. Cade handed the gun to Leo with the safety on, being careful to practice what he preached.

“Point it towards that tree and show us what you’ve got!"

With some apparent trepidation Leo put the gun to his shoulder. Rawley called out “Hold it firm against your shoulder and gently squeeze the trigger, remember they do tend to kick."

The shotgun boomed. The recoil knocked the 5'5" teen on his butt. Shredded leaves fluttered down from the tall oak tree.

"Alriiggghhhttt!!" yelled Leo.

"Kicks a little more than your PlayStation" Rawley said bugging his eyes out and mugging at the boys.

“Yeah hurt my shoulder too” Leo said, suppressing a tear.

*****

Standing in the eddy of the falls the group of undead had been mesmerized by the small fish swimming there. They clumsily stumbled and splashed around in the water pursuing the fingerling trout. A few of the little undead preschoolers had actually caught some of the fish, consuming them hungrily.

Barely audible over the noise of the rushing water, the gunfire caught the attention of the twelve undead preschoolers and their two undead chaperones. In unison they all started moving toward the sound of the shooting. Somehow instinctually they knew there was a connection between the noises in the distance and the possibility of food.

Following the little ghouls, the obese woman trudged up the trail towards the commotion. The wet sweat pants that the undead woman wore sloshed with each plodding step. Literally on Norma’s heels, the legless Stu pulled himself out of the water, through gravel and mud and slowly trailed after. His shattered femurs carved wet bloody furrows in the dusty path.

*****

 The day before, during their short hike to the bottom of Wahkeena falls, Norma had been moving a little slower than usual, and lord knows Stu regularly got after her to pick up the pace.

In addition to her preschool job, Norma worked on the night shift at Providence Hospital in Portland. At the end of her graveyard shift the previous evening a severely dehydrated patient had bitten her on the finger. She had been swabbing water in the man’s mouth and he lunged forward with a wild look in his eyes and nicked her finger. The bite barely broke the skin. They cleaned the wound and gave her a tetanus shot. Norma had been feeling sick since.

Norma was sitting on the bench by the water’s edge when she passed out and stopped breathing. Stu struggled but couldn't find a pulse through her fat. He tried, but he couldn’t summon the strength to move her three hundred pound body from the bench.

Not sure of what to do, Stu rounded up the kids and was preparing to go get help. While his back was turned Norma slowly stood up, her eyes glassy and staring; she started a low guttural moaning. Stu was so startled he nearly had a heart attack. When he touched her skin just a minute ago it was cold and lifeless, now she was standing before his eyes. Stu blinked not once, but multiple times, he went so far as to shake his head vigorously, none of these actions changed reality. He tried to protect the kids from Norma and herd them up the path to safety. In the process he slipped on a moss covered rock and sprained his knee.

Norma went after the nearest kid, focusing on a four old named Becky. The tots couldn’t comprehend what had happened to their teacher. They didn’t know what to do, but instinctively followed Stu’s earlier instructions and stayed close to him. They became easy prey.

Teacher Norma killed Becky first, and fed on her little corpse until it reanimated. By now the kids were really confused, and terrified at the same time. They huddled together beneath one of the many towering Douglas fir trees.