Sometimes We Ran (Book 2): Community (15 page)

I stepped to the window. Greg was trying to run away. He took one last look back.

“Six…Seven …” I raised my voice, but Greg was already out of range. He disappeared into the junk and debris of the lot.

It was the Red-Eyes’ problem now.

I stepped back into the ice cream parlor. A sudden wave of nausea hit me, and I nearly fell to the ground. All at once, I felt like was going to throw up and pass out at the same time. The room started going black, and my legs felt like rubber bands. I stumbled a bit.

Ben rushed over. He knew I was in distress. “Easy big guy. You okay?”

I couldn’t answer him. All I could do was point to the ground near the counter.

Ben understood. He took my gun, and helped me to the floor. I sat and leaned against the counter. “Doc? What’s wrong with him?”

Doctor Connelly looked concerned. She looked into my eyes, and checked my pulse. “His heart is racing. Could be a reaction to stress.” She held my chin and said, “John? Are you all right?”

I managed to nod and gasp out a “Yes.” The doctor sat down beside me. “He’s going to be okay.”
“Thank Jesus.” Ben rubbed his hands together nervously.

Doctor Connelly put her arm around me. I put my head on her shoulder for support. “He just needs a little space and air. It’s a delayed reaction to stress.”

“Okay. I’ll go watch the window.” Ben kneeled down and said, “Get better big guy. We need you.” He stood up, and went to the window to keep watch.

I had broken out into a cold sweat and had a deep case of the shakes. At least, I didn’t feel like blacking out anymore. My breathing and heartbeat were slowly returning to normal. “What’s wrong with me, doc?” I croaked.

Doctor Connelly checked my pulse again. “It’s a reaction to stress. You’ll be okay.”

“Why now?”

“Everything you’ve been through, it builds up. Believe me you’re entitled.”

“I feel so weak.”

The doctor smiled. “From what I’ve seen this afternoon, you are most certainly not weak.”

“Then why am I on the floor?” I felt a little panic begin to rise in my chest.

The doctor checked my pulse again. “You’re human. Just like everybody else. Humans are a very tough species, but too much stress can knock us off our feet.” She patted my wrist. “You’ll be okay.”

“Ever happen to you?”

The doctor’s face darkened. “Oh, yeah. Seems to happen a lot more, these days. It will probably happen to everyone that’s been dropped into this hell eventually. The key is getting up again. You have to get up and stumble on.”

Amy came over and sat down beside me. She handed me a cookie.

“Thank you Amy.” I took the cookie, but didn’t feel much like eating. I took a couple of bites anyway to see Amy smile. The weakness was fading. I went to stand up. Everyone needed me to be strong. This was not a time to be sitting on the floor, sick.

“Are you sure? How do you feel?” the doctor asked.

“Not one hundred percent, but I need to stand or I might never get up.” The doctor nodded, and stood up with me.

Ben came over. “You okay?”

“Yeah. I guess.”

“What’s the plan, John?” Ben sounded a lot like Claire with that question. It was her favorite. I really missed her.

I sighed. “Doc, is Ryan mobile?”

She nodded. “Yes. He can be moved.”

I rubbed my eyes. “Okay. Let’s load him up, fill up the truck with gas and supplies, and then get the hell home. Cannon Fields may need our help.”

Without a word, we went into action. It was time to get home. The shadows were getting long, and the afternoon was escaping us.

I just hoped Cannon Fields was still there when we pulled up.

Best laid plans.

Ben and I struggled to get the lug nuts off the flat tire on the side of the road. One of the dangers in using a car or truck during the end of the world is all the debris. You drive around, and eventually something sharp gets stuck in one of your tires. Our tire’s sidewall was basically shredded into rubber spaghetti.

The lugs refused to give up their grip. Ben and I nearly blew blood vessels in our brain trying to get them off. Someone must have put them on with the strongest machine on the face of the earth. Even standing and kicking the wrench couldn’t budge the stubborn lugs.

“Damn,” Ben said, after yet another unsuccessful attempt. “Those things are on there.”

“Yeah.” Time was wasting. We needed to get home. “Ben, how far is Cannon Fields from here?”

“We’re pretty close. Can we ride on the rim?”

I checked out our damaged vehicle. The blowout had been a violent one. Ben had to wrestle the large SUV to a stop after the tire let go. The rim was flattened on the bottom and cracked in various places. “No. Looks like it’s toast.” I glanced at a few of the nearby vehicles. None of them looked serviceable. “Our options for replacement transportation look limited as well.”

Ben kicked the blown-out wheel. “We’re going to have to walk.”

“Looks like it.”

“What about Ryan?” Ben nodded to the back seat. “And all the supplies we put in the back?”

Ben and I had packed as many supplies from Safety One into the SUV as we could. We made food, water, and medicine our priorities. The rest of the stuff that didn’t fit in the back would have to stay. With the window shot out, most of it probably wouldn’t be there long, anyway.

“We’ll leave the supplies here, and get them later. As for Ryan… ” I looked around for a solution. I caught sight of an totaled ambulance in the ditch a little bit down the road. “Let’s check out that ambulance. Maybe it still has a gurney aboard.”

Ben’s face broke out into a big grin. “Pretty smart, John.”

“That’s why they pay me the big bucks.”

We called the doctor over to the truck. She had been watching over us, wearing Ryan’s rifle. The brutal looking weapon was in stark contrast to her peaceful doctor’s coat.

“What’s up?” she asked.

I pointed to the ambulance in the ditch. “I think we’re going to have to walk. Ben and I are going to check for a gurney in that ambulance. Could you stay here and keep an eye out?”

“Sure. Just be careful.”

“You, too.” I pointed to the rifle. “You know how to use that?”

“The end with the hole points towards the bad guys, right?” the doctor said, with more than a little sarcasm in her voice.

Ben and I both shared a little laugh. Doctor Connelly was a pip. “Right.”

We jogged to the ambulance and took a quick look. It was a big, truck based unit from a private firm. The big vehicle was nose down in the ditch, with a crumpled fender. The windshield was shattered as well. On a good note, there were no bodies in the cab, but we did find a few bullet holes.

We walked around to the rear doors. They were slightly open. I bent forward, took a listen, and a quick sniff. It seemed clear, but something nasty could be inside. Whatever it was, it could pop out when I opened the door. Claire used to call them “Jack-in-the-Box” zombies, and they were always trouble. I took hold of the handle and prepared myself for what may come out.

“Maybe we should think about this,” Ben said. “Something bad could be inside.” He got his rifle ready.

“Okay. Go ahead.”

I really hoped nothing was inside. I was feeling better, but was still recovering from my little panic attack at Safety One. A pop-up zombie would probably knock me right out. I took a deep breath, threw open the door, and got my ass out of the way of Ben’s rifle.

It was clear. Furthermore, there was a gurney in the back. The rest of the ambulance was picked clean. Ben and I manhandled the gurney out of the back and set it on the concrete. It had a bad wheel and the coverings were gone, but it would have to do.

We wheeled it over to the SUV. The broken wheel made a godawful racket on the asphalt. Ben made a face. “Damn. Pretty noisy. I wonder if the deadheads will hear it?”

“Hope not. I don’t think I’m up for a jog pushing a gurney around.”

Ryan was carefully withdrawn from the backseat and strapped to the gurney. “Careful,” the doctor said. “I don’t want to jostle him too much.”

I tightened one of the straps around Ryan. “No promises, Doc.”

After placing Amy on the gurney so she could ride to Cannon Fields, the world’s slowest ambulance service was ready for its maiden voyage. Ben acted as the engine, pushing from the back. Doctor Connelly and I each took a side and helped Ben guide the damaged gurney down the road.

We were so close to home.

The broken wheel made a rhythmic thumping noise on the pavement as we walked. I modulated our speed so that the noise wasn’t so loud, but no matter how fast or slow we walked the gurney made that horrible sound. The Red-Eyes were surely listening.

“We tried to clear the roads around Cannon Fields as much as we could. Denise sent teams of fighters out around the subdivision to take care of any swarms. We took care of about a hundred or so.” As he spoke, the bushes and weeds next to the roads rustled as something moved through them. “Could be a few stragglers left,” Ben said, as he picked up a little speed.

After pushing and guiding the problem-child gurney down the road for about an hour, the reinforced, stucco-covered wall of Cannon Fields finally came into view. Our spirits brightened as we saw its cool, brown color. We picked some more speed. We were home. Ben, Ryan, and I had completed our mission, and the doctor had a new address. Amy would be safe. Jenny was gone, but she had not died in vain. There had been a few setbacks, but everything was going to be all right.

“Good to be home,” Ben said.

I agreed. “You got that right.” The doctor smiled at Amy.

Then we saw the bread-box shape of Wallace’s UN wonder truck with handy roof-mounted machine gun.
It was parked at the gate with all its doors open. The large gun was tucked away in its panel. Something wasn’t right. The vehicle looked deserted, and abandoned on the road.

The three of us pushed the gurney into some nearby tall weeds. Ben pulled out a small pair of binoculars to take a look. “ What’s going on?” I asked.

Ben shook his head. “Something’s doesn’t look right. I’ve never seen a truck like that before.” He swung the binoculars to the gate. “There’s no guards at the gate. We usually keep a few watching over the road. Looks like the gate is closed though. You think it’s this Wallace, character?”

“Yeah. That’s definitely his truck.” Wallace was inside with an unknown number of his guys. I took the glasses from Ben, and took a look. The doors were all open and unguarded. Bloody handprints were plastered on the side. “Looks like they were attacked.”

“What should we do?” Ben asked.

I rubbed my chin, and the accompanying afternoon beard shadow, in thought. “Let’s approach the truck and see what’s up.” I turned to Doctor Connelly. “Doc, stay here and wait for a signal.”

The Doctor nodded. “Okay. We may have to hurry. Ryan needs help.”

Ben and I went from wreck to wreck on the road in front of Cannon Fields till we got close to Wallace’s truck. When we got to the last car, a few feet from the truck, the full horror of the scene unfolded. I was right. The truck and its occupants had been attacked by a group of zombies. Several undead corpses lay around the open door, all shot through the head. Uniformed soldiers, and parts of soldiers, were interspersed with the undead. Blood and shell casings littered the road. The casings made little metallic clinking noises as we knocked them aside with our boots.

“Damn,” Ben said, as we walked up to the large opening in the truck. “Must have been a massacre.”

“Yeah.” An overwhelming stench of death hit me, causing me to draw my gun. Ben got ready as well. We raised our weapons and looked inside the door. The inside was definitely worse than the outside.

The truck was wall-to-wall blood and guts. A female Red-Eye dressed in civilian clothing sat in the middle of it all, tearing the meat off a human leg. As we watched, she pulled off a long string of skin and muscle, and greedily stuffed it into her mouth. Her meal made a wet squishy noise as she chewed and swallowed. If I live to be a hundred, I don’t think I will ever be able to get that noise out of my head.

“Oh. Jesus. It’s one of ours. Sue Johnson,” Ben said, covering his mouth.

The Red-Eye saw us and tried to stand up. An angry growl escaped her blood-covered lips as she stumbled and began to crawl. Her legs had been shot up, and her arm was shattered. She reached the ramp and came towards us, hissing and making low growls. I aimed my gun at her head.

“Wait!” Ben said. “Somebody will hear the shot.” He walked over, drew his knife, and drove it into the zombie’s eye socket. The hissing stopped, and silence returned. He turned the corpse over.

“Yeah. Sue Johnson. Lived a street over from me.” Ben stood up. “Wallace and his guys must have attacked and attracted a few deadheads.”

I walked around the truck, following the shell casings and blood. “A group from Cannon Fields must have come outside to negotiate. Something went wrong. Either a gun battle ensued, or the zombies attacked.” I imagined it was chaos outside the gates. I continued to follow the blood, guts, corpses, and shell casings right to the front gates. The trail continued inside Cannon Fields, right down the road. I turned to Ben. “The battle came to here, then went inside. Someone closed the gates behind them.” I looked down the road. Wallace must be in there. I gently shook the gate. “Ben, is there another way to get inside?”

Ben gave me a crooked smile. “No, but I can climb the gate and unlock the clamps. I’ve been practicing the climb, just in case.” With that, he shouldered his rifle and scurried up the gate like an oversized squirrel. It took only a few seconds for him to climb over and jump down to the other side. He ran to a small guardhouse, unlocked the gate, then slid it aside.

Ben remained at the gate while I went to get Ryan. Doctor Connelly and I unstrapped Ryan from the gurney. He groaned a little, and said a few incomprehensible words. I put my arm around his waist, as he couldn’t walk. It looked like I was going to have to drag him a little. The doctor took hold of Amy’s hand. I watched for the go signal from Ben.

After a few seconds, Ben waved the all-clear. Doctor Connelly and Amy went first, followed by me and Ryan. We crossed the street and entered Cannon Fields. Ben closed and locked the gate.

We were safe from the zombies. That is, if none were inside with us.

Ben took hold of Ryan to help me, and we proceeded down the road to the administration building. There was no talking as we tried to hurry down the road. I looked ahead and saw the roundabout in the center, with it’s cluster of buildings in the distance. It was empty. The usual frenzy of activity was absent.

“Where is everybody, Ben?”

“Don’t know. Maybe they’re being held by force.”

A bad feeling began to creep over me. As we walked, it looked less and less that everything was okay. I had developed a sixth sense about danger in my travels among the dead. Cannon Fields was a ghost town, and it didn’t look good.

“John, there’s a body on the road,” said the doctor.

We stopped to check it out. It looked to be a middle-aged man in a flannel shirt and baseball cap. A small splotch of blood surrounded him, and a small revolver lay in the road nearby. He had been shot multiple times. Ben leaned down to identify the man. “It’s Lee Downs. Damn. He was a good guy.” He picked up the gun, and checked out the chambers. “Empty. Good old Lee…went down fighting.”

We found three more bodies nearby. One was a female resident, the other two were in uniform. All had been shot. Ben recognized the female. “Sally Downs, Lee’s wife. I don’t know the other two.”

“Wallace’s men,” I said. “Ben, do you guys have an emergency plan? A place to retreat to if things go bad?”

He thought for a second. “Yeah. Most of our residents don’t have a lot of gun experience, so Denise designated the admin buildings main dining and gathering room as a shelter. If we were ever overrun, we were all supposed to lock ourselves inside.”

“Okay. We’ll head over there. I’ll bet that’s where everyone is.” Ben and I shifted our grip on Ryan and started our journey.

We got to the last house before the admin building, and stopped to take a look. Ben peered at the front door, and the area in front of the administration building through his binoculars. He swept the battered glasses back and forth.

“Anything going on?”

“Nope. Looks quiet. Wait…the front door is opening.” He handed me the binoculars.

Through the binoculars, I saw Wallace exit the building first. He was followed by one of his men, a large fellow with a rifle. The soldier directed a group of Cannon Field residents outside to a small grassy area inside the roundabout. Denise was first, followed by what I assumed was the homeowner’s association and a few other select citizens. They all looked unharmed, but scared. I couldn’t hear what was being said, but Wallace looked to be making a little speech. I watched as the large uniformed soldier pushed each citizen to the ground in front of Wallace. Claire was not among them. Hopefully, she was inside. We had to make a move.

I gave the glasses back to Ben. “What do we do?” he asked.

I thought for a second, then pointed to his rifle. ”How good are you with this rifle and scope? Can you take out a target at a distance?”

Ben nodded. “I’m pretty good. What do you have in mind?”

“We have to take care of that soldier with the rifle. One advantage we have is that they don’t know we’re here.” I grabbed Ben’s arm. “You go find some high ground and target that soldier in your scope. When the time comes, you take the shot. A clean head shot, and drop him. Can you do it?”

Ben nodded. “I can do it. Taking care of the deadheads prepared me.”

“No. This is different than killing zombies. This is going to be a human being up close and personal in your scope.” All the times that I had to hurt or kill the living came flooding back. The feelings of guilt and remorse washed over me. I usually told myself that things had to be done to survive, but it didn’t help. Every person I killed, regardless of what they did to me or Claire, weighed heavy on my heart. I wanted to warn Ben about those feelings. I wanted to warn him that he wouldn’t be the same person. “You’re going to cross a line, and you won’t be able to go back. Sometimes it’s going to eat you alive, but it has to be done. This is the world we live in now. So you have to ask yourself: Are you prepared to do what you have to do to help your people? Can you do the things necessary to survive? I need a straight answer, because you can’t hesitate. We have to drop that soldier.”