Chapter 26

“Shit,” Hunter repeated, this time not in unison with Jack and Raven. His mind was bombarded with scenarios resulting in his death, and worse, Lainey being left alone. And worse still, Him surviving, but too late to save Lainey. That lasted until Raven broke the silence.

“Okay, we need a plan,” Raven started, speaking quickly. She pulled out a pad of paper, and tied her hair back with a red bandana. “I think our issues right now are clear.” A bridge out, and a horde gaining on us.

Nova, extending her black feathered wings said, “We didn’t pass other roads on our way down this one.” She took to the sky, so Hunter thought it best to approach the bridge for a closer look.

The only metal signs were very close to the bridge, leaning on its side concrete rails. It looked like the builders were in the process of removing the old bridge. Across the river, several dump trucks were lined up, and a crane still held a piece of the bridge. On it’s left side, the sidewalk or shoulder was still extended across the river, but they wouldn’t be able to use that for the trucks. Dammit.

“We don’t have a good way to do this.” Jack scowled, Nova touched back down, and nodded, confirming Jack’s assessment.

“The main portions of the bridge are out, there’s scaffolding and the left shoulder, but that’s really it.” Hunter said, slamming his fist into the toolbox on his truck.

“We don’t have all that long left,” Raven said, glancing at Hunter’s knuckles. “We need to get ourselves and our shit over.”

Hunter agreed, still trying to bury the sense of despair inside him. Nova took to the skies for several more moments, then gave them the eta of the horde. 15 minutes. Gods.

Hunter pulled the large wheeled first aid kit from the truck, then ran it across the bridge. The others followed suit, bringing their weapons out, as well as spare fuel. Jack tried and failed to get Rhett or Darwin on the radio. In all, they were lucky they hadn’t brought very much on their trip, the main point was just to recover the others.

The horde was upon the trucks in minutes, but the crew were able to get over. Jack lit the fuse to a piece of explosive, and successfully downed the rest of the bridge. They walked the rest of the way to the 378 highway. The woods were silent, which was both eerie and pleasant to walk through.

Nova periodically took to the skies, but didn’t see any sign of the others. The radio was part of the truck they’d abandoned, which concerned Hunter. They had no way to contact the others. There was hope, as they were alive. Jack wheeled the medical aid cart, and Raven strode beside him. I’ll bet she likes him. They were so close even while Charlie was alive. Raven had a way about her, much like her sister, as they were twins. The red bandana was even more reminiscent of Charlie.

Hunter hadn’t known any of the other people very long, even Alaina, but it was good they seemed to get along. He’d even warmed up to Nova. But it helped, she usually covered up her face. The world felt like sand under his feet, changing and moving constantly.

There was another mile until the main Dixie 378 bridge. It was possible Rhett and the others were still beyond the bridge, closer to McCormick South Carolina. Hunter made sure to check the surroundings, the gods only knew what could be in their way.

“Reckon they got enough room in their trucks for the four of us?” Nova asked, with a half smile.

“Hope so. But I suppose it would be a good problem to have if they didn’t.” Hunter laughed.

Nova smiled, looking away from Hunter, and toward the final bend in their short journey. She’d been saving her energy, flying so often could sap it right out. Thus, when they rounded the corner, they stumbled upon the horde.

“Fuck,” Jack said, louder than he probably should have, “We need to go the other way.”

“Dammit.” Hunter barked, putting his backpack onto both shoulders, rather than just the right. The horde were walking, more briskly than normal humans. Their rotting flesh was slinking off of their bones, but some remained like unblemished corpses at a funeral viewing. What about Lainey? Hunter found himself asking in his head. She had proven to be resilient, as with Rhett and Rose, but it scared Hunter. He knew it was selfish, but if anyone were to die, it would be him.

Nova shot up, scanned the horde, and went back down. “We can’t worry about them right now. I see no sign of them. We need to get back to Ironsoul. The horde is massive, and we ain’t got a car.” Is she slipping into a southern accent? In all the time he knew Nova, she was either flat toned, or accentless, until just recently.

“Dammit,” Jack scowled, and assessed the loads everyone carried. “We have our shit spread out pretty good. We need to head toward Washington.”

Lincolnton would be the next stop, maybe seven or so miles away. That distance took infinitely longer on foot versus in a truck. Hunter’s feet started to ache after the second. “Dammit, those maws are still so close.”

Nova nodded, “I hate this. I should have checked again. I did not realize how close they were.” Her voice was now how it once was, flat, and accentless. Hunter figured she was using her powers to numb herself, making it easier for her to walk without pain. What I wouldn’t give for that power. To be numb at will.

“We just need to keep going. It will take several hours to get there. We can be there before dark.” Jack rubbed sweat from his forehead. Even with the cool breezes, it was still very easy to sweat.

“Then they’ll be on us in the city. We need a better plan.” Raven said, removing her bandana, which just held her hair back, and pulled out a hair tie. She made a bun, keeping her medium length hair off her neck.

“Diversion?” Hunter asked, running through different scenarios in his head. Diversion was the only one that made sense, but how could it be done without vehicles?

“I don’t like any of this,” Jack scowled. Raven put a hand on his shoulder, which did seem to calm him down. They’ve been friends for a very long time, it’s normal. “Nothing works without a truck.”

“The one thing I see is we need to hide somewhere elevated until they go.” Hunter said, scratching his beard.

“Whatever the case, we can’t send them to Athens.” Raven pulled her hand from Jack’s shoulder and adjusted her backpack straps.

“I’d prefer not to send them north either.” Nova said, still in a flat tone. “The others would have continued north.”

“So whatever the case, we need to go south.” Jack gestured to a sign for state route 43. They were coming upon Lincolnton, but with the horde behind, they wouldn’t be able to stop. Hunter couldn’t stop picturing another scenario, with a bridge being out, no way across. Stop being so paranoid man. Be positive, but smart. You’ll get to see her again.

“Hunter?” Alaina asked over the radio. She’d been asleep when the others had contact with Jack’s group. Gods, poor girl. Rose thought. “Dammit Hunter, come in.” With more dead air, Alaina slammed the microphone into its holster.

Rhett picked up the microphone, more carefully than Alaina put it down, and spoke. “Darwin, we need to go north. The bridge is overrun.” Rhett was driving, Alaina in passenger, with Rose in the back. The other car was driving by Darwin, with Holly and Violet as passengers.

“I wish we could contact the others,” Darwin said, reverse lights flashing as his gear selector passed reverse. He pulled off, going straight, then a right up a small state road. There wasn’t a sign, or a name on the map they used, but it lead up toward Calhoun Falls. The horde was far to close for comfort while they attempted to contact Jack and Hunter, but they made good separation on the run-down road.

The state road was almost gravel, roots of trees cracking and ruining the edges of the asphalt. The trees hadn’t been trimmed in years, growing up into the power lines. There were no lines, if they were, they had faded significantly. The deer fences were the only things that were in decent shape, likely from reserves, public or private. It reminded Rose of her first trip to the east with Rhett.

She’d grown very close to Rhett over the months since the fall. She knew he was initially concerned with the age difference, but they were both adults. Not a day is guaranteed. Rose couldn’t imagine losing Rhett. They may not have known each other long, but there was so much more connection.

The dead followed all the way to Calhoun Falls, but continued North, not noticing the group’s turn to the west, toward Elberton. There were some large neighborhoods, newer construction, a half mile outside of Elberton, so the four women and two men got out, and started toward the houses.

“It’s such an odd place for a neighborhood as nice as this.” Rhett said, kicking in a door, then signaling for Rose to pass him. A maw stumbled out, but was put down by Rhett before anything could happen, “Jesus I should have waited. I’m sorry.”

Rose took several moments to catch her breath, then laughed at the absurdity of the situation. “I’m in Elberton, a city in the middle of nowhere, with my boyfriend of 2 months, in the middle of the end of the world.” Rhett perked up at the word boyfriend, and chuckled with Rose. “And the fact I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else just makes it so much better.”

Rhett helped rose to her feet, then pushed her behind him. A shot rang out, and another undead body fell. “Everyone and their mother is home.”

“I guess it would be weirder if these were starter homes.” Rose observed, standing back, as Rhett kicked in the master bedroom door. Or, he tried. Rhett’s foot went right through the particleboard and cardboard door.

“God dammit. Freaking American doors. It’s the one thing better about Europe.”

“If you ignore the mass beheadings, sharia law, and knife violence, It would be very nice to have real wooden doors.” Rose kicked the door nearer to its knob, and successfully got it open. She stabbed the first maw, then Rhett threw a knife into the second. “All pretty well off. Why’d they come here, of all places, rather than a proper city?”

“I mean, if I had the means back then, I’d have moved far away from everyone else.” Rhett said, leaving the room for the next bedroom, this one clearly belonging to a child. He said ‘back then’ As if the pre fall world was a long time ago. In some ways, it was. It had changed so much in just four months, now unrecognizable. Killing a human was once seen as horrible, now a necessity.

Rose kicked down the child’s bedroom, the door covered in crayon wax. ‘Rynlin’s room.’ Fucking weird name for a kid. Rhett entered first, but froze in the doorway. Rose touched his shoulder, but he didn’t budge. “Rhett?” She asked hesitantly.

He didn’t reply, instead he turned to the side, and looked at her, “This may be the worst thing I’ve seen in my life.”

“I have to know.”

Rhett nodded, resigned, and stepped out of the room. Rose froze when she walked in. Blood coated the walls, and a corpse sat in the middle. It was badly decayed, which Rose should have noticed. It seemed like the corruption that created the undead, also removed people’s senses of smell. The corpse was small, the equivalent of a seven-year-old. The blood coated every surface, splattered in thin lines. Off cast from a blade. Glad I took forensics.

The skin of the corpse was rotted off, but A knife remained lodged in the skull. Gods. Rose didn’t say anything else in the house, just shut the door, and backed away.

Rhett and Rose sat inside their truck, waiting on the others to finish their respective houses. They’d decided to split into teams of two, raid one house apiece, and meet back together. They’d spend the night in Elberton, before making their way back to Athens.

Vaelix, if you still exist, fuck you.

27 Sore