The Dead Divide Us (Book 1) (17 page)

“The Mayor knows you are running too, as soon as you didn’t take his offer as deputy. He knows your running!”

“I’m going to ask you to leave, now!” Roy demanded. Sheriff Baxter started to back away slowly, now with an evil smirk on his face.

“Mayor Schacht knew your grandfather. Did you know that, Roy?”

“Ok. Who cares?” Roy said from inside of the doorway.

“You will care. He knows about your little cabin up in the mountains. The Mayor has actually been up there himself, many years ago with your granddad.” the Sheriff said. Roy couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Goodbye, Sheriff!” Roy said, slamming the door hard.

From behind the closed door, Roy, Paul, Ruth, and Kirsten were all able to hear Sheriff Baxter yelling from outside.

“We are watching you all! If you try to run, we will get you!”

Roy returned to his living room.

“He’s scared Roy. He knows this town is fucked.” Paul said.

“Let him calm down, he’ll have his hands full soon enough.” Roy said back.

Then Kirsten, who had reentered the living room, let out a loud gasp.

“Look!” she cried out as she pointed at the television screen. Paul entered the living room, and he couldn’t believe what was on the TV.

The screen was black, no news reports, and no newscasters. But there was a brand new alert caption running along the bottom of the screen.

It read: PORTLAND, OREGON - UNDER ATTACK FROM VIRAL STRAIN - WAR ZONE, REPEAT PORTLAND IS A WAR ZONE

“Jesus Christ, already? Portland?” Paul said out loud. Portland Oregon was only a mere 150 miles away from Green Falls Washington.

And before Paul took his next breath, the television clicked off. Kirsten quickly tried to turn it back on, it wouldn’t work. Paul noticed the digital clock next to the couch was off too. And the sound of the refrigerator running in the kitchen had stopped. The children in the basement began to scream, now sitting down there in the dark.

Green Falls was officially without power.

And its people were already taking to the streets in massive drones of the desperate and frightened. Soon they’d all be coming to Roy’s house for answers.

“Get the kids, gather the supplies. We aren’t staying here any longer then we have to.” Roy said.

“Let’s go.” Paul confirmed.

Chapter 9: Back to Colton

1

“Paul! Holy shit, can you hear me?” Robert asked.

Robert was sitting in the back seat of his truck having cleared themselves of the farmhouse and large crowd of infected people. Rita had driven the truck up Forrest Inn Road and parked it at the bottom of the large mountain ridge that surrounded and looked down upon the entire town of Colton., The ten foot ridge wall, filled with rocks and stones of all sizes, stood up in front of them. Robert was extremely thankful that the ridge area was not overrun with the flesh hungry sick. As he jumped into the back seat, he noticed his cell phone was still sitting in the cup holder and had started to ring. He picked it up immediately expecting it to be Paul, and he did hear his brother’s voice, but the connection was extremely bad.

“Is it Paul?” Rita cried out, concerned about her other son.

“Yeah, but I can barely make him out.”

“You aren’t going to get any reception out here, up on the ridge.” Jan added, sitting in the front passenger seat.

Robert heard Paul’s voice but it was horribly muffled and disjointed; he was trying to speak. He also heard something else coming through, behind the mix of phone static and Paul‘s voice. A sound that was lying beneath the conversation he was trying to have, and somehow Robert could distinguish the connection with his brother and that of the phantom noise.

It was a faint series of beeps, seemingly falling in sequential order.

Morse code? Could it be? Who else was listening to them? Who was trying to communicate? Who else was out there? Could they be trusted?

“Paul, please listen to me if you can. Mom, Jan and I are heading back to Colton. Dad didn’t make it, but we are trying to save…” Then the connection was lost. Robert closed the cell phone shut and reopened it, trying to call Paul back.

“Shit! Lost the fucking connection.” Robert said.

“Well did he sound alright?” Rita asked, concerned.

“I don’t know; I could barely hear him. I thought maybe I heard something else too. Sounded like beeping, a code maybe.” Robert added.

Jan turned around in the front seat to look back at Robert.

“Morse code?” Jan asked, and then he trailed off in thought.

“That signal could be coming from town?” Rita asked.

“I suppose Colton would be the closest place to transmit a signal like that. But up here on the ridge, who knows.” Robert said.

“Could be coming from Barryville.” Robert added.

“Could be that someone is trapped down in Colton….” Jan said, and then his voice cracked as he was getting choked up.

“It could be Fran and your two girls, down there.” Rita said.

“That thought had crossed my mind, yes.” Jan added.

“That’s a lot of ‘could be’. We’re taking enough chances as it is.” Robert said.

“Chances are all I have left.” Jan said with great significance, and the three of them sat there quietly in the truck for one whole minute. The sound of a solitary bird, steadily chirping in its nest, echoed in the ridge around them. Jan was right. Robert had already forgotten the feeling he had once they escaped the hoard of the infected from the farm.
Hope. And chance.
That’s all they had left now. When the day was to be said and done, the probability of survival was determined to be bleak. The three of them had left the farm with hopes of reaching Jan’s family, and bringing them to safety. With the information that Major Frost had provided them, things did not sound very promising. He stated that Colton was overrun and lost. Yet they still clung to the hope that Jan’s wife Fran and his daughters Susie and Carol were still alive, hiding away somewhere. A long shot for sure, but Jan Goodman deserved a fighting chance at regaining his family. Jan also deserved the help of Robert Laundry.
Hope. And chance.

“Listen, all reception is lost up here on the cell phone. Let’s get out and climb up to the top of the ridge for a look down onto Colton. That’ll give us a better idea of what we are dealing with.” Robert said. He looked around inside the truck, out of all of the windows. The woods were behind them, but not one infected was around. That solitary bird still chirped and tweeted as the heavy snow continued to fall.

“Robert, should I turn off the truck?” Rita asked. Up until now the green and rusty Bronco was sitting parked with the engine still running. The starter was giving them issues, and if they turn the engine off now they may never get her started again.

“Good question. Jan what do you think? Kill the engine?” Robert asked.

Jan exhaled, thinking.

“Keep it running for now.”

“Ok, I got my bat.” Robert said.

Jan and Rita carefully exited the front seats of the truck. Robert followed behind Jan. Their feet hit the freshly fallen snow with a crunch. This would be the perfect day to build a snowman, or even a snowman family complete with snow dog and snow cat. Instinctively, all three started to look around, cautious of their surroundings.

“I think we are ok here.” Rita whispered.

“Yeah, a crowd of those things make a lot of noise. We’d be able to hear them coming. And I don’t hear shit right now.” Robert said.

“Just one of those things can be really quiet though.” Jan added.

“Well, just keep an ear out for any foreign sounds, like footsteps in the snow.” Robert said.

Jan approached the snowy ridge and began to climb up. It wasn’t a very steep incline but with the six inches or so of snow underneath his feet, Jan had to be careful with every step. Robert went to the aid his mother who approached the base of the ridge, holding one of her hands and trying to balance themselves as they climbed. Behind them the engine of Robert’s Bronco steadily kept running. A few rocks slid out from underneath their feet, combined with chunks of snow. Robert looked up ahead at Jan, who was now almost at the very top. He noticed Jan’s breath in the cold winter day; it looked as though maybe Jan was smoking a cigarette or a cigar. If they were going to be setting up camp on the ridge, then the possibility of making a fire became all too real to Robert. At night the temperature would drop well into the lower twenties, maybe even into the teens.

“You okay, Mom?” Robert found himself asking, almost surprised to say it.

“I’ll make it up the hill, I’m not completely unable.” Rita said back, trekking up the ridge. Robert was trying to keep the image and idea of his father out of his mind. His father Thomas was now in the place of his mind where the memories of his dead sister Felicia stayed. Locked away, but sometimes peeking their heads into the lives of the living. Still he felt awful for his mother. She has lost damn near everything.

Jan reached the top of the ridge a few feet in front of Robert and Rita. He stood there for a full second looking down on the town, arching his back up into a straight position. Then he fell to the ground immediately.

“Holy shit! Get down you two!” Jan cried back, now lying on his belly. Robert and Rita both fell to the ground, without thinking.

“What is it?” Robert whispered loudly.

“Crawl up here and see for yourself!” Jan said quietly.

Robert did his best impression of an army crawl through the snow and slowly moved up next to Jan. He then peeked his head up and gazed down on the small borough of Colton.

Nestled in-between to low mountains, down in the valley, the now snow covered town of Colton was anything but a winter wonder land. The streets were filled with people, and by the looks of it, they were all infected. Some of them were huddled around in mounds, swarming together. Robert could see a few mounds of infected on Main Street; they were undoubtedly feeding on some poor bastard. Or bastards. Robert noticed Jan was crying. This was not what they wanted to see.

“What is it?” Rita asked from her position behind Robert.

“Nothing, Mom. Just stay there for now.” Robert said back. He returned his gaze to the town.

A strong steady black smoke was billowing out of the Coal Mill, far across at the other end of town. And a few houses were on fire, by the looks of it one house down on Franklin Street and the other one slightly off the corner of Sixth and Raleigh.

As Robert’s shock finally subsided and his wild vision calmed down to the point where he could finally concentrate, he became aware of the noise. A low hum of that deep, dead and lifeless noise filled Robert’s ears. The entire town was singing that awful cry. The moans of the sick were carried quite well up through the town and onto the ridge. Robert had only one thought.
The town is lost.

“Look, Robert. Look!” Jan said suddenly.

“What? Where?”

“Ok look down past the Sure-Stop on First Street.”

Robert located the convenient store/gas station on First Street, at the gas pumps a small blue car was parked and being mauled by large group of infected.

“Ok, so what?” Robert asked.

“Well, now look past the two pumps, at the building behind it.” Jan said.

Robert looked past the pumps, squinted his eyes, and noticed that it was the back wall of the Colton Fire Company.

“That’s the fire company.” Robert said.

“Yes. Now look at the back door. What does that look like to you?” Jan asked.

Robert focused on the double back door of the Fire Company. It was locked and chained, from the outside.

“Holy shit, it’s locked up.” Robert said in surprise.

“I know, from the outside yet. Someone must have locked people inside there, for their survival.” Jan said, now renewed with confidence.

“My god, Jan. Your wife and kids could be in there!” Robert said, he too now feeling optimistic.

“I’d say there is a pretty good chance!” Jan said.

“What’s happening?” Rita said, from behind them.

Robert and Jan slowly turned and slid down to Rita.

“The town is totally lost Mom. It doesn’t look good. But it does look like someone chained up the Fire Company. There has to be survivors in there.” Robert said.

“Oh my goodness, that’s wonderful Jan. That is absolutely wonderful. Your family is probably in there.” Rita said, tears filling her eyes. It was been a very emotional day for them all.

“It would make sense. Also, I’m pretty sure the Fire Company has one of those old CB radios. That’s gotta be where you heard that beeping signal from Robert!” Jan said.

Robert, Rita, and Jan all smiled at one another and shared a laugh. They’d come back to Colton in hopes of saving Jan’s family. They now had a positive reason to continue.

Hope. And chance.

“Ok, we are going to the Fire Company. Just one question.” Robert said.

“Huh?” Jan asked.

“How the hell do we get there?”

“I got that covered. Robert, do you remember the summer job I had in high school?” Jan asked.

2

“The sewers?”

Robert and Jan had helped Rita back down the ridge and now they stood huddled around the Bronco’s front end.

“Yeah, man. Trust me it’ll work. I spent four summers working for the borough, at least a few times a month something would clog up the sewers. They’d send me down there to clear it out; usually some stinking animal would die and end up backing up the whole works.” Jan said.

“So there is actually enough room to move and navigate down there?” Robert asked.

“We might have to crouch down a little, but yeah.” Jan responded.

“How on earth do you expect to get into the sewer? I mean, where exactly can you enter them?” Rita asked. This made Robert think too, he hadn’t thought of that. If they traveled too close to the town in search of a manhole cover they would run the risk of being seen or heard. The entire mass of infected people could easily turn on them.

A town of the damned, turned up on its head, now filled with the dead.

Jan looked up at the ridge and raised his finger to the sky over the rocky terrain.

“This direction is north, straight ahead. The engineers of this old town put large drainage pipes at all four corners, on the outskirts of town. North, south, east and west.” Jan said, and smiled.

“So the south drainage should be located somewhere over this ridge, practically right in front of us.” Robert said.

“You got it.” Jan added.

Robert turned to his mother.

“Mom, I don’t think you’re going to be up for this.”

“Oh, you mean I don’t get to crawl around in tight spaces with feces and god knows what else? I’m ok with that.” Rita said.

“Seriously Mom, are you going to be okay here?”

“Yes, I actually think this area is safe. We’ve been parked here for a while.” Rita said.

“She’s right. If we were being followed from the farmhouse by that hoard, I think we would have at least heard them by now. We must have lost them.” Jan added.

“I’ll be safe in the truck. It’s still running after all.” Rita said.

“Well, there is still half a tank of gas left, and I don’t plan on staying in town for too long.” Robert said.