Surge (90 page)

“We gotta walk two miles,” Cory announces. “There was a road, but it was blocked off to create the barrier.” Olivia looks at each member of the group, obviously not me, before talking.

“There shouldn’t be anything around here since there’re lakes surrounding us on both sides, but just in case, stay as quiet as possible. Lighten your steps, and if you do happen to see anything, stop moving, but don’t drop down. Think Jurassic Park. The wheezers are the T-Rex, so if you stay still, you won’t capture their attention as easily. Any questions?” No one speaks up. “Alright, carry as much as you can, but don’t bring anything that isn’t essential.”

John opens the trunk and passes everyone his or her pack; he was even kind enough to throw mine at my feet. I shrug and scoop it off the ground; they’ll all get over it eventually. Like when Olivia ditches us in less an hour, which she’s already said that she will be doing; and now that I’ve upset her, she’ll be even more inclined to run as fast as those leather clad legs will carry her.

Shutting the trunk, I see that the group’s already hit the trees. I don’t go running after them like some kid afraid to be left behind, nope, I keep my pace nice and steady as I follow after them. It’s not like they’re going fast, they’re in between a walk and a jog, so it’s pretty easy to the cover the distance with my longer legs.

The woods are actually pretty nice. Back in the suburbs, we were lucky to have a few trees since we were so close to Boston, most of the area was industrialized. But since we’re out in the boonies, there’s more wilderness than what used to be civilization. There’s not even a trail for us to walk on, so we’re trudging through brush and tree roots. Olivia’s leading point, so a lot of it’s been cut back with her machete likes she’s a freaking professional jungle explorer, but at least it makes it a little easier to navigate.

I’ve been seeing plenty of birds, bunnies and squirrels, all things that could be excellent sources of food for us, so I’m not worried about that. What I am worried about is the amount of people. What if they aren’t equipped to take on ten more? What if we’ve come all this way, only to be turned away? What if their security isn’t as good as Olivia thought and they’ve been breached, so then when we finally get there, it’s nothing more than a pile of smoking rubble with wheezers leafing through the debris to find scraps to eat? All of these things take up residence in my head and push my worries about Olivia, the pissy attitudes of the group, and my own dislike for myself, to the back burner.

They’ve also distracted me, so I don’t see Olivia’s hand signal to stop until I bump into Mike’s back. I gave him a confused look when he scowled at me and pointed at Olivia. She has her head cocked slightly and her machete held out a few inches in prep for an attack. I pull out a knife from my holster and listen in with my own ears to hear whatever it is. Then I hear it, scuffling. Fucking wheezing bastards. I see Mike raise an ax, Whitney a bat, Akio a tire iron, Tommy a club, Carlos his bowie knife, Oscar and John their bows, Danny his handgun, Sarah has a bat like Whit with Morris meowing in protest from inside his carrier on her shoulder, and Cory has knives in both of his hands.

We’re all armed to the teeth, so you can see why I’m a little confused when Olivia tucks her machete into its strap on her back, and dives into the trees. What the fuck? Obviously this girl has a death wish. I push people out of the way and see Olivia have a wheezer pinned to the ground. At least I thought it was a wheezer until I see him flip her onto her back and pin her chest with his knee. Olivia pulls her arm across her chest and swings it to knock him over. Coming up on top, she pins both of his arms with her knees and places her knife to his throat. Instead of fear entering his features, the guy grins. Again, what the fuck?

“Hey, Webby, long time no see,” Olivia says and returns his grin as she tucks her knife away.

“Yeah, like three fucking months, what the hell Ollie?”

‘Ollie?’
Who the fuck is this guy? Olivia climbs off the dude and offers him her hand, which he accepts and pretty much has to lift himself up since he’s fucking huge. He’s 25ish and rivals Cory in height, so he’s gotta be at least 6’4,” 230 pounds. And no, it isn’t fat; this dude is built like a bodybuilder, thick neck and arms that strain the fabric of his fatigues. His hair is black and curly and reaches down to his collar, his eyes are brown, and I’d assume he has some Greek heritage with his olive skin tone, but it could just be from summer having just past. The fucker’s even handsome, he kinda looks like a young Billy Zane; you know, the asshole from
Titanic
? Yeah, too bad he seems to not be like his namesake’s persona since Olivia likes him.

He reaches down and lifts Olivia off the ground in a bear hug that I’ve only seen Cory give her since she’s opposed to touch. Or she was, since this fucking guy is all over her and she hasn’t slit his throat. Pulling back, he sets her down on her feet before looking at our rag tag group.

“So, who’re y’all?” The man Olivia referred to as Webby asks.

“I’m John, that’s Cory, Sarah, Danny, Akio, Whit, Mike, Carlos and Oscar, and that fucker in the back is Jared,” John introduces us. “And you obviously know Olivia already.”

“Hell yes I do,” Webby confirms with a fond smile at the pixie next to him. “And I’d know her better if she’d stop running away from me.” Oh Jesus, looks like she’s already got a beau dogging her steps. She’s probably used to it by now and chooses it to just ignore it.

“Later, Webs,” Olivia says. “Let’s get them inside, processed and housed. I gotta go out again.” Webby’s face falls.

“You just got here,” he says with a pout. Yes, an actual pout with his bottom lip pushed out and everything. What a bitch. And obviously Olivia isn’t falling for it since she rolls her eyes. “Fine, if you have to go so soon, I guess you won’t be able to hear about the new lead I have for you.” Fucking prick knows how to lay his cards. Olivia looks like that Yorkie flipping for treats again like she did back at Hal’s, and Webby knows he has her right where he wants her when he grins and turns his back on her. “I guess that you’ll be joining us for dinner then.”

“Nuh-uh,” Olivia denies as she trails after the towering giant. “I never said nothin’ about no dinner.”

“Come on, Ollie, you just got here,” he counters. “You can stay one night. I’ll tell you about the lead, you can see the kids, Sammy misses you, Ally’s pissed at you, and Melly will be pissed at you if you don’t come and say hello at least.”

“She still alive then?” Olivia asks and he nods. “Old biddy, I thought she’d of croaked by now.”

“Nah, she’s still alive and kicking, literally. She kicked me in the shin earlier and I think I even have the bruise to prove it.” Olivia laughs as Webby waves toward the trees. I look over to where he waved, and see three more men in fatigues pop out of the woodwork, literally. “You remember Wally, Patsy and Ace, right?” Olivia shoots him a look. “What? You could have forgotten them since you left last time.”

“Please,” she says and wiggles her fingers at the three guys. “Miss me, boys?”

“‘Course, now get your tiny ass over here,” one of them orders and points to the ground in front of him. I scowl, who the fuck does this ginger bastard think he is, ordering her order like she’s some kind of goddamn barmaid?

“Patsy, you know better than that,” another one says to the first. “Ollie doesn’t come to you, you go to her.”

“Yeah, but she’ll come to me,” the third one says as he elbows the second one out of the way and holds his arms out.

Olivia runs on over and embraces that assumptive mother fucker. He’s young, maybe around my age, and not as tall as Webby or the other two, so he’s probably 5’10” and about 170 pounds. He’s got brown hair and eyes, and a kind smile, but he hasn’t seen a shave in days. Not that I can talk since I haven’t gotten around to shaving the half side of scruff on my face in a couple days myself, but that’s me. This dude’s just lazy. Shut up, I ain’t lazy; I just don’t have the proper equipment to deal with it yet. When I get some shaving cream and a new razor, I’ll take care of it.

Olivia pulls back from the hug and holds her hand out at the group. “Guys, these are the new recruits. Group, these are Ace.” She tilts her chin at the one she just hugged. “Webby.” She points to the Billy Zane look alike. “Wally and Patsy.”

“But no one calls me Patsy without earning it,” Patsy says with a stern look at us.

Olivia laughs at that and Patsy grins. He’s probably in his mid-twenties and just about six feet tall, with red hair that’s more of an auburn, but it shows his Irish heritage like his freckles and green eyes. He reminds me of the Sherminator from
American Pie
for some odd reason. Honestly, the guy looks nothing like that actor, but Sherminator is the first thing that comes to mind when I look at him, and I don’t know why. Maybe I’m a little punch drunk.

“Patsy, no one can take you seriously with a name like that,” Wally says.

Wally’s a thirtyish African American guy at little over six feet tall, a shaved head and he kind of looks like Michael Clarke Duncan with his big friendly smile. I’m waiting for him to ask Olivia
‘to leave the light on, boss
,’ like his counterpart did in
The Green Mile.

“Where’s my hug, baby girl?” Wally asks.

“Right here, John Coffey,” she answers and holds her arms up to him. See, I’m not the only one that thought he looked like Duncan. Wally gives her a tight squeeze that makes her look like a tiny tyke before stepping back.

“You stayin’ this time? Or are ya sneaking out without saying goodbye again?” Wally asks.

“I’m staying for the night,” she says. “And I’ll say goodbye this time if you promise not to try and come with me.”

“Sorry, Ollie, ain’t gonna happen,” Wally replies.

“Then I’ll be sneaking out,” Olivia tells him as she gives Patsy a hug.

“We’ll see, baby girl. We’ll see.”

“Yeah, but you won’t be gettin’ far this time,” Patsy counters. “‘Cause I’ll be following your every step. That’s three times that you’ve left without a word.” Olivia waves him off.

“Let’s just get inside, alright?” Olivia asks as she eyes the frowning foursome. “Or else I won’t come in at all.”

The new guys grumble their discontent, but listen to her. Obviously they’re used to her coming and going and don’t like it one bit. See, I’m not the only one that doesn’t approve of aimless gallivanting across the northeast, that’s dangerous for many reasons. Including infected animal like creatures that want to eat you since they’re predators and we their prey, then there’s hostile survivors and weather conditions that could also prove challenging. So really, any sane person would fear for the safety of a lone person, regardless of them being a woman or not, travelling alone. But then when you factor in that she is a woman, an extremely attractive one at that, and she’s pint sized, that doubles and triples the danger level.

All of this now pushes thoughts of our new home to the back burner, as my renewed fear for Olivia sets up camp in the forefront of my mind. They even hammered down stakes, so I know that they won’t be going anywhere soon. Even with my mind bouncing around thoughts, I’m still capable of following directions, so I’m able to get back in line when we get the signal to move. Wally takes point this time, so he must be the one in charge, which makes sense since he looks to be the oldest. The other three line up in a triangle formation behind him, and then we walk.

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The rest of the trip is silent, and thankfully short, since the sun has been setting earlier with fall taking effect. We finally arrive at this huge, thirty foot tall, cement blockade that disappears into the woods and is topped by barbed wire. It was pretty hidden, and I wouldn’t have been able to find it if I hadn’t been here before or was escorted at least.

There are two giant metal doors that are the same height as the structure, but are wide enough to drive a vehicle out of. Where the hell the vehicle would go, or come in remains a mystery since I don’t see a trail. Oh no, actually there are a few faint tire impressions off to the left that run along the fence, so obviously it’s used occasionally.