Jacob's Odyssey (The Berne Project Book 1) (23 page)

I was hoping once we got up into the East Bench neighborhoods, we'd travel a couple blocks before settling in somewhere. If we could do that, it would leave about eight blocks to get to 45th South and Wasatch. I figured we could get there in a day or two.

We crossed Wasatch after we passed the end of the backed up cars, then headed back toward the intersection. We were only a block away now. We kept our heads down and walked quickly, hugging as close to the cars as we could. I was beginning to feel confident everything would work out okay. When I looked back to check on them, Raj flashed his trademark smile and nodded. He was adjusting nicely. Sarah and Becky seemed to be doing well too. They seemed much more relaxed than when we first started.

Halfway to the intersection, I thought I heard a rasping sound close by. I knew it wasn't the infected man from Upland. This was too close to be him. The hair on my arms stood up and I froze in my tracks. It could have just been my imagination. It was hard to distinguish local noises from the persistent drone of moans coming from the mall area. I glanced in every direction but saw nothing. Just in case, I reached back and grabbed the bat's handle and listened more intently.

Then I heard a frightened groan behind me. I turned and drew the bat from my backpack, my senses on fire. A slender dirty-gray arm had emerged from under a car. It had blackish cord-like veins and its bony hand had found Raj's ankle. Becky screamed and her high-pitched wail split the air. Sarah grabbed Becky and pulled her back. Raj groaned hysterically, and he leaned back, desperately trying to pull his foot from the hand's grasp, but he fell backwards instead and landed hard on his butt. A second thin arm and a man's scraggly head emerged from under the vehicle. He made a sickening liquidy rasping sound like a death rattle. He dragged himself with determined resolve toward Raj, ignoring the rest of us. I brought the bat down as hard as I could with an ax-like swing on the infected man's wrist. The bone cracked with a clear distinct sound as if it were made of porcelain. But he didn't let go. He moved with a fierce urgency toward Raj's leg, dragging himself forward with his free forearm. He was no more than a foot away now, his eyes wild with excitement. Raj wailed and tried to shake his foot free. I hesitated for a moment, then brought the bat down with everything I had on the man's head. I didn't hold anything back. And then he stopped and it was over.

Raj was in shock, murmuring incoherently to himself, staring at the infected man's hand and fingers that were still wrapped around his new mini-crew socks. He meekly tried to tug his foot away from the dead, infected man's grip but to no avail. The mumbling moans from the mall area had turned into a crescendo of excitement in the few seconds it took for everything to unfold. I took a breath and tried to think. Sarah held Becky tight against her body.

I took my backpack off and dug around for the cleaning gloves I'd brought with me from my condo. I knew I wouldn't likely get infected from simply touching the infected man, but I wasn't going to take any chances. I put the gloves on and began to pry the fingers from Raj's ankle. Once free, Raj pulled his legs up into his chest, still murmuring to himself.

I had to act quickly. I grabbed one of the towels I used to wrap my stuff with and meticulously wiped off a few drops of blood from the bat. The blood was a dark muddy color and the splatter from the blow was minimal. Neither Raj nor I had any blood on us. The infected didn't seem to bleed much when they'd been infected for a while. I tossed the towel and the gloves away and put everything else back in the backpack.

The infected man's right leg was shattered below the knee and twisted at a nasty angle. He must have been hit by a car at some point.

Raj and Sarah and Becky were each off in their own world, but I needed to get their attention. We had to get moving right away. "Hey!" I yelled at them. "We have to go. Right now." Sarah gave me a cold look, but she bent down to Becky's eye level and gently stroked her daughter's head and told her we had to go.

I looked down toward the Olympus Hills Shopping Center and saw them moving toward us like a slow-moving herd. They were bunched up on the other side of the intersection and getting through the mass of cars at the intersection would take time. I wasn't worried as much about them as I was the Swimmer. I knew he had to have heard Becky's scream. I didn't have any idea how far he'd gone up the mountain, but I knew we needed to get out of sight before he made it back to 39th South and Wasatch.

I bent down and told Raj he was all right and helped him get to his feet. He had a pained expression on his face from a mix of fear and embarrassment. I told him we were okay but we had to get going. I gripped his upper arm and pulled him along. I made sure to keep him away from the cars.

Then I looked over at Sarah and Becky. "We need to run now," I told them. "Not too fast. Just a little jog. Remember, they can't catch us. They're too slow to catch us."

Becky was visibly shaken and her eyes were red and teared up. Sarah took her by the hand and they started to move, slowly at first. Raj was staring wide eyed at the horde of infected down at the mall. I started to jog and kept my hand on his arm to pull him along. "C'mon," I barked at him. I had to drag him a few steps before he began to run on his own. Then I let go of his arm.

I glanced over to where I thought the infected man from Upland Drive would be and saw him scrambling over a car. His eyes bulged with excitement when he saw us and he reached a hand out toward us as if he could reach us. He stumbled on the hood of the car and fell head first down to the pavement.

It only took us a few minutes to get to the intersection. I looked up the street as it rose gently up the hillside. Upland was now East Millcreek Canyon Road, and it was the road that led into Millcreek Canyon. I had a sudden feeling of nostalgia. But it wasn't because I had fond memories of Millcreek Canyon. I'd only been up the canyon once or twice in my entire life. I felt nostalgic because the canyon had been my imagined route out of the valley.

East Millcreek Canyon Road had been cut out of the foothills and was nowhere near as steep as 39th South or 45th South. The road sloped quietly up into Millcreek Canyon. 39th and 45th shot straight up into the foothills before winding in different directions. And like Upland, they had a name change once they crossed Wasatch Boulevard. 39th South became Jupiter Drive and 45th South became Brockbank Drive. We'd be using Jupiter and Brockbank to get where we needed to go. But right now we just needed to get to Parkview Drive. Parkview was the street that would give us the most direct access to Jupiter Drive. Once on Jupiter, we'd be on our way.

The infected were agitated and buzzing with excitement. They crawled and clambered across the hoods of cars to get across the intersection at 45th. Some of them slid off the hoods of the cars and disappeared. A few of the infected had already made it through the dense clutter of cars and were now lumbering eagerly in our direction.

I ducked down so they couldn't see me, and Raj and Sarah and Becky mimicked me and ducked down too. We needed to go two blocks up to get to Parkview. It was the first residential street up East Millcreek Canyon Road that headed south.

"We need to keep down so they won't see us when we head up the hill," I told them, speaking quietly. "We need to be very quiet. We don't want them to know we've gone up this street. We want them to be focused on this intersection. Nothing else. Okay?"

Raj looked distressed. "Jake, maybe we should go back. There are very many of them coming now." His eyes were alive with fear. "I think there are too many. Maybe going back would be for the best."

Before I could answer him, Becky chimed in, pleading with her mother, "I want to go home, mom. Can't we go home? I don't like it here."

I couldn't blame either of them. But going back wasn't an option. "It's not a good idea, Raj," I told him. But I didn't explain to him why it wasn't. Raj had been so focused on the group at the mall, he still hadn't noticed the group of infected on Upland, and I had no intention of telling him or Becky about them.

"If we can just get up to that area up there..." And I pointed to Parkview. "...we'll be perfectly safe."

"We need to keep going, sweetie," Sarah told Becky. "It's going to be all right. I promise."

Raj relented. I suspect out of deference to Sarah. But he was less than thrilled. Becky followed her mother's lead. We kept low out of sight and began to move up the hill, and we made sure to keep our distance from the cars. I estimated it would take the infected from 39th South at least fifteen minutes to reach the intersection. And maybe the same for the Upland group who would have to climb over all the cars at the intersection we'd just left.

Once I was sure we were out of sight, I straightened up and began to jog, and I signaled them to follow me. We ran up the road's gentle slope. The cars were backed up a block. When we passed the end of the cars, we moved over to the right side of the road. It was then I noticed the homes on the right side of the road were built up on a terrace, a good forty feet above the surface of the road. And there were no streets or outlets that led to those homes.

I wanted to get to Parkview Drive quickly in case there were any infected on the street. We needed to get into the backyards along Parkview. And not just for safety. It was imperative for us to use Parkview. Since there weren't any through streets to get to 45th South and Wasatch, Parkview offered the most direct route. It would lead to South Hale Drive, and from there we could dip down to Jupiter Drive, and Jupiter would lead directly into Brockbank which would take us to 45th and Wasatch. It was the most direct route by far. For the most part, the East Bench was a crazy maze of winding streets that often led nowhere.

I had a sinking feeling as we approached the stop sign at Parkview Drive and East Millcreek Canyon Road. The corner house was up on the same terrace. And it occurred to me that all the homes along Parkview would be located on terraces too. If that were true, there wouldn't be any easily accessible backyards to travel through. Raj and Sarah stared up at the house. The look on their faces was a blend of bewilderment and dismay. We would have to climb up a steep forty foot slope to get into one of the backyards.

And then I had an idea. I knew they were already tired from our run and likely wouldn't last long going over fences. I motioned for them to stay put, and I headed for the corner to get a look down Parkview.

The street was perfectly clear for as far as I could see, which was about a block and a half before it forked left and right. I used my binoculars to get as detailed a look as possible. Parkview looked a lot like a country lane, a narrow street bordered by steep banks on either side. And all the homes on both sides of the street were up on terraces. This street had been cut into the foothills of the mountain the same way the canyon road had been. There would be no infected here.

And I reasoned to myself that the East Bench was likely clear of the infected because of the gun shots and the crash from the other night. They would have been drawn to the loud noises at the shopping center like moths to a flame. I was certain most of the infected from the East Bench were likely at the mall, heading toward the intersection we'd just left. I was confident we'd be able to walk down Parkview without running into any infected.

I gathered them close when I got back and broke the no talking rule again. There was no time to write a note. The sooner we got moving, the better. "The street is clear for as far as I can see," I whispered. "It might be a lot easier to walk straight down Parkview Drive. There aren't any homes on the street and I couldn't see any infected." I paused to gauge their reaction. Mostly, they looked puzzled. I had spent the previous evening going on ad nauseam to them about traveling through backyards because it was safer. "Look, we can make better time if we walk down the street. If we hear or see any infected, we can climb up the bank and get into the nearest backyard where they can't get to us."

I waited to see if they would say anything. Raj looked anxious but didn't say anything. He just looked up the steep bank of the terrace. I doubted either option appealed to him. Sarah nodded. "Let's go," she said.

I looked back at the intersection and the infected from Upland were clambering slowly over the cars like a colony of crabs. They had made better time than I thought they would. But I wasn't worried. We would be out of sight soon enough. Raj noticed me looking and he looked back too.

"They are coming," he said, pointing back at the intersection. But it was more of a statement that anything. Raj wasn't as frightened as he had been. He seemed to have settled down.

We walked quickly. Parkview sloped upwards, but it wasn't steep at all. Though it wasn't noon yet, the sun had moved west enough to offer some shade from the steep bank on the right side of the road. We took advantage and walked in the shade. With the high banks flanking Parkview, it was almost as if we were walking through a canyon. And the canyon-like street had a strange feel to it. Muted sounds from air conditioners and the infected floated somewhere above us. High up on the banks, dusty, twisting roots from large trees leaked through the ground here and there.

We were in a confined space that left us vulnerable, but I knew we always had the option to make our way up the bank if the need arose. Still, it felt odd to be walking out in the open. I wasn't used to it. We walked about twenty minutes before we came to the fork in the road.

I ran ahead to take a look. Parkview Drive hooked left and headed to the top of the East Bench area while South Hale Drive forked right. We would be going right. I grabbed my binoculars to get a better look. The terraces had disappeared where the road forked. As Parkview had sloped upwards, the terraces on both sides of the street gradually diminished till they were gone.

There were no infected in sight, though I could only see about a block before Hale swung out of sight to its left. We'd made such good time on Parkview, I didn't see any reason not to walk down Hale. And the more I though about it, the more I liked the idea. It would be easier and we would be putting more distance between us and the infected down on Wasatch. It would also take us closer to our destination. We'd just have to be careful. I knew it was possible the Swimmer and the infected who followed him had never gone back down to Wasatch when they'd heard Becky scream.

If the Swimmer were still in the area, he'd likely be on Jupiter Drive. Jupiter swung to the right not far above Wasatch Boulevard and paralleled South Hale Drive. Once we traveled a couple blocks south on Hale, the Swimmer could be just a street below us.

When I suggested we walk on South Hale Drive, I didn't get any resistance. Even Raj seemed okay with it. The wild look was gone from his eyes. I looked back down Parkview and there was still no sign of the infected. Once we got into the neighborhoods, there was no way they could track us.

When we approached the bend on Hale, I had them wait while I checked out the street beyond the bend. Again, there were no infected in sight. Two blocks down I could see where Lois Lane t-boned into Hale. Lois Lane was only a half block long and its lone function seemed to be to connect Hale with Jupiter Drive. Another block or so past Lois Lane, South Hale Drive swung left again. If we could get down to Jupiter today, we could get to where we were going by tomorrow. A couple more blocks and we could settle down for the day.

We walked close to the homes on the west side of the street so we could walk in the shade of the houses. We moved cautiously as if we were treading on eggshells.

It might have been a typical summer day had it not been for the absence of people out tending their lawns. A month ago they would have been out mowing the grass and weeding their gardens. Before the virus hit, the East Bench was renowned for its beautifully landscaped lawns. Now the unkempt lawns gave the East Bench neighborhoods a shabby feel. The grass and weeds grew unfettered and it would only get worse with time. But the homes were still big and beautiful, and they still offered spectacular views of the valley. And the further you went up the bench, the bigger and the more expensive the homes became. But no one cared a whit about that anymore.

As we approached Lois Lane, I thought I heard moans in the near vicinity, but I couldn't be sure. Except for those times when the infected were very close or they were excited or agitated, it was difficult to distinguish nearby sounds from the pervasive moans drifting through the air. No one else seemed to have heard anything, but I didn't want to take any chances. I stopped between houses and pointed at a vinyl side fence two houses from the corner. It belonged to a large red-brick rambler that had been abandoned. Both Raj and Sarah looked at me as if I were daft. They apparently had gotten used to strolling through the neighborhoods and didn't see any reason not to continue to do so. Despite the frosty looks they gave me, I insisted.

At the fence, Raj hoisted his lead leg up to the top of the fence and pulled himself up easily in a single motion. And when he found his balance, he jumped down on the other side. Raj was agile and stronger than he looked. I cupped my hands together and Sarah stepped into them and I lifted her up. She had no problem either. I grabbed Becky under the arms and lifted her in a single motion up to the top of the fence in a sitting position and kept hold of her till Raj grabbed her. Becky never looked at me. She hadn't made eye contact with me since I'd killed the infected man down on Wasatch. Once Becky was on the other side, I climbed up and over.

It was a good-sized backyard with a walkout basement. There was a plain cement patio just outside the sliding glass doors and there was a hot tub on the patio. Wood stairs led up to a large upstairs balcony. I'm sure it offered a spectacular view. The backyard itself was all but bare. There were a couple apple trees in the back left corner of the yard and a garden shed in the back right corner. I guided them to the shade of the apple trees in the back. The sun had become stiflingly hot. I took a small notepad and a pen from my pocket and wrote them a simple note. "Need to check out Jupiter Drive. Back in five minutes." I showed it to Sarah first and then Raj. They nodded and sat down to rest.

I made my way over the fence and into the backyard of the corner house. I crossed the yard quickly. When I got to the fence bordering Lois Lane, I stopped and listened. I heard the moans again. I lifted myself high enough to get a momentary glimpse of Lois Lane. It was clear. I lifted myself over and walked across the street and then down to the corner house on Jupiter. I found a position next to some bushes by the front of the house. I didn't need my binoculars to spot them. They were a block and a half down the street slowly heading away from us. I assumed they were the infected that had followed the Swimmer up Jupiter Drive from the intersection. There were maybe twenty-five of them, but I didn't see the Swimmer anywhere, and I thought maybe he'd gone back down to Wasatch when he'd heard Becky scream.

I grabbed my binoculars to see if I could find him. He moved a lot faster than they did, so he could have been further ahead, but I couldn't spot him.

And then I heard the distinctive creak of a gate fence being swung open. It came from the general direction of where I'd left them. The infected heard it too. Two of them came to a stop and slowly swung their heads around. They hesitated for a moment before they began to shuffle toward the sound, toward us. The rest of them followed. I backed away from my perch behind the bushes and as soon as the house gave me cover, I ran hurriedly across the street.

I heard Becky scream. It was the same scream she had made back on Wasatch—a terrified, high-pitched wail. When I reached the fence, I heard Raj's frightened voice stutter, "What... what are you doing?"

Then I heard a fierce "No!" from Sarah, followed by a sharp smacking sound, a fist striking flesh and bone. Then I heard Becky whimpering and crying. "Mom!" she wailed. "Mom!"

I climbed the fence quickly, landing softly on the other side. I drew my bat from the backpack. I was frightened and resolute at the same time. I unbuckled my backpack and shrugged it off as I ran across the backyard. I could hear Raj groaning in fear. I jumped and lifted myself to the top of the fence with the bat in my hand. I had to fight to keep my balance. He was only a few feet from the fence. He held Becky up in the air and sniffed her neck like an animal. He had a bewildered look on his face, almost a look of wonderment. Becky shivered with fear. The bruise on the Swimmer's chest where I'd hit him had turned a brutal bluish-black.