The Returners

The Returners

By

Thomas Washburn Jr

Original release Copyright © 2013 Thomas Washburn Jr.

Re-release Copyright © 2014 Thomas Washburn Jr.

All rights reserved.

ISBN-13: 978-1492368663

ISBN-10: 1492368660

Photo Credit-Jeremy Soderberg at Jackpot Design & Photo

www.facebook.com/wearejackpot

Cover Design & Layout

Thomas Washburn Jr

Special thanks- Jenni Plum & Amanda Farrar

All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and are not to be construed as real.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Questions and request for more information and reviews may be directed to
[email protected]

Visit Thomas Washburn Jr's Official Facebook Page

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DEDICATION

              This book is dedicated to two amazing people that I have the honor and privilege of knowing. Who I can always turn to for inspiration and advice.

              My mother Doris. Whose love and support in whatever I have chosen to pursue in my life means more to me than she will ever know. Thank you for letting me be me and supporting my creative pursuits, even when I know you want to say otherwise. Your huge heart and personality are something I cherish and always is a reminder to myself to treat people the way you do.

&

Kathy Kave who's tough as nails, D.I.Y attitude is always a source of inspiration. You're truly an amazing lady who has touched the lives of everyone who's had the honor of knowing you. Please don't ever change who you are.

Taken from the diary of Jacob Constantine. "I've found myself wondering more and more these last few weeks, '
what the hell really happened?'
It was like all of a sudden the world woke up and found itself in the midst of the biggest shit storm to ever hit mankind. This virus, (plague whatever you want to call it), makes the Black Death look like a blip on the radar screen of insignificance. All I know is everyday there are more and more of them and less and less of us. The world has gone to hell in a hand basket and the best I can do is try and survive.

The misty morning air hung over the thickly canopied valley like a blanket, wrapping everything in its grasp. Jacob Constantine sat next to a small fire trying to keep warm, feeding debris wood he'd gathered from the surrounding forest to the flame. His 12-gauge shotgun lay across his lap. A small backpack lay on the ground next to his dog Flash who lay curled up at his feet. The fire was now burning red hot and little smoke rose from it which was exactly what he wanted..

Jacob stretched his arms trying to get them to loosen up. The stiffness from sleeping outside in the cold mountain air often quickly went away by stretching. Not to mention it helped get the blood flowing. This routine was something he did most every morning upon waking.

He was easily in the best shape of his life right now. Although he had never been what most people would considered out of shape, he'd never been the pinnacle of fitness either. Best described as somewhere in between. Months of traveling by foot and doing everything the old ways had changed all of that. Feeling the warmth slowly starting to return to his body Jacob sat back down and let the heat from the fire finish the job.

The start of his day was like any other morning lately. Little sleep, even less food and a chill so cold that it ate away at his very core. The last few nights his dreams had been plagued by the same nightmare over and over. His two best friends and girlfriend being torn apart by a horde of Returners while he stood there frozen, unable to help. It was bad enough the constant thought of Returners wandering around in a mindless, killing stupor kept him from resting easy. Having those vivid horrible nightmares made it damn near impossible.

Jacob poked at the fire with a long stick, turning over the coals as he let the fire die down. The last thing he needed was to start a forest fire and burn down the one place he still seemed to have some refuge from the madness of the outside world. The cracking of several twigs off to his left caught his and Flash's attention. The beagle quickly got up and stared intently into the woods where the noise had come from. His hair standing up as he began to growl.

"What’s the matter Flash? Probably just a deer or something." More than likely it was just an animal of some sort. It had been days since they'd last encountered a Returner. Their encounters with them were usually few and far between out here in the forest.

Jacob patted the dog’s head and looked in the direction the sound had come from. His eyes searching for any signs of movement that would give away what had caused the noise. Flash moved behind him, whimpering. It was then he caught sight of what had broken the twigs. It was a man about six feet tall, or what used to be a man. Its face covered with blood, part of its nose missing. Its entire bottom jaw had been torn off, leaving a gaping bloody hole of rotten meat and flesh.

The creature's lifeless eyes were glazed over like its soul was gone. Jacob raised his shotgun, taking careful aim at the monstrosity's head. The Returner walked slowly towards him, gurgling noises emanating from its throat. Jacob almost felt sorry for it, but that was nothing more than a fleeting as he squeezed the trigger. The shot rang out loudly, echoing through the small valley as the Returner’s head exploded in a shower of bone, blood and flesh.

The Returner's body still stood and twitched in death spasms as the last remnants of reanimation left its body. Even though the head was mostly gone it stood twitching for nearly ten seconds before falling listlessly to the ground. It convulsed for a few seconds more then went still.

"That's definitely not a good sign boy, not a good sign at all. Hopefully that one was just wandering and there isn't any more of them." He knelt down and reached into his backpack, pulling out a small bag with a few pieces of dried meat inside. He took out a piece and took a bite, tossing the remaining bits to Flash.

"We're gonna have to go hunting or find some food, cause we're just about out." He shook the bag to emphasis his point. "This isn't gonna last us much longer."

He put the bag back into the backpack and threw it over his shoulders. "Think it's time to head out boy, what do you think?" Jacob watched as Flash began excitedly wagging his tail. "I take that as a yes. Then I guess it’s settled, we'll keep heading east towards Greenstone."

Jacob grabbed a few handfuls of dirt and threw them on the dying fire, smothering what was left of the flame. Today he'd head back to what used to be civilization. Something just weeks ago he told himself he wouldn't do unless there was no other choice. His thoughts raced as he tried to mentally prepare himself. Would it be better? Would it be worse than he remembered? Only time would tell, but it was apparent to him now he couldn't stay here.

He needed to find food and shelter. And most importantly, as much as he didn't want to admit to himself, answers to what was going on. There wasn't much of a choice in the matter at this point, at least that’s what he tried to convince himself as headed in the direction of the town.

The walk was going to be a slow one. Thick brush covered almost the entire valley, making the trek one that needed to be done cautiously. Blown down trees and moss covered rocks were just a few of the hazards. It was better to go through the woods and stay out of the open as much as possible. The Returners were less likely to be wandering around in them.

The majority of them were closer to civilization, which in a way made him more nervous about heading to Greenstone for supplies. The Returners weren't hard to handle when facing only a few. In large numbers they could easily overtake you before you got a chance to get away. They were usually slow, but when they were near people they seemed to hone in on them like a hound dog chasing a rabbit. They wouldn't give up.

After several hours of traveling the difficult terrain and seemingly making very little progress, Jacob came to a small clearing. Before him a stream had cut its way almost directly down the middle of the opening. The water was crystal clear and moving slowly. It was a picturesque scene as the sun began to rise in the early morning sky, glistening off the water and creating a cascade of dancing colors. 

A large tree had fallen at an almost perfect parallel angle with the stream, giving him a good place to sit and view his surroundings. Jacob wandered over to the fallen tree and set his backpack down beside it. 

"What do you say we stop and take a breather boy?" Flash wagged his tail happily and ran to the streams edge lapping at the cool water. "I guess that answers my question," Jacob said as he watched the dog play.

Jacob chuckled at the dog's excitement as he leaned his gun against the fallen tree and stretched his arms. He walked to the edge of the stream and took a long drink. The cold water a refreshing change from the piss warm water he'd been drinking from his canteen the last few days.

As the water cleared he paused and looked at his reflection. His dark brown hair was getting long and fuzzy, it had been a couple months since he'd been able to cut his hair or shave. The beard reminded him of ones the mountain men and prospectors in old westerns wore.

It was times like these when he thought about things like that. It was when the loneliness really hit him and long for companionship. He couldn't count the number of Saturday afternoons as a kid he'd sat watching those old black and white westerns with his father and grandfather. Those thoughts always brought the sinking feeling everyone he had ever known and loved was probably dead.

There was a good chance he would die alone out here in the woods, with no one knowing or caring about him being gone. Moments like these made him wonder if life was even worth living anymore. Maybe it would be better to just put a gun to his head and end it. No more pain, no more loneliness, the grim thought raced through his head.

Jacob dipped his hand in the water, dissipating his reflection. Splashing the cold water in his hand onto his face helped him snap out of his moment of depression and irrational thought. He took a few moments to take in his surroundings and tried to figure out how much progress he'd actually made. As far as he could figure he'd come about two miles since leaving his campsite this morning.

It wasn't fast progress, but it was steady and the ground seemed to be leveling out in this area. Overall, he figured he'd make better time from here on out. He wasn't so concerned with speed anyway. Cautious and careful was better than quick and dead in his book. He continued checking his surroundings and made sure he hadn't overlooked something that might help, or possible hinder him.

He noticed Flash chasing something in the water. The dog would run, then pounce, jump back and forth then stop. He couldn't help but laugh at the playfulness of the animal.

"What are you doing you silly dog?" Jacob said as he walked toward Flash.

Flash looked at him and yipped, then went back to playing with whatever was in the water.  Jacob was curious what he was so enamored with. As he got near the dog he noticed what Flash was chasing. There were several large fish in the water, they didn't look to be moving very fast either. They were just laying there lethargically, only moving when the dog got near them. 

Jacob pulled his hunting knife from its sheath and cut a small poplar tree down that grew near the edge of the water. Quickly carving the end into a point with a slight hook to it. The hook would keep the fish from sliding off if he could spear one of them.

"Flash, come here boy." The dog barked and then ran over to it's master. "Stay, be a good boy." The dog sat down on the ground next to where Jacob stood.  

Jacob slowly approached the edge of the stream. He'd spent a lot of time as a kid with his uncles spearing Suckers. They spawned in the springtime in many of the brooks near where he had grown up. He figured this shouldn't be any different. Even though he wasn't quite sure what these fish were.

Walking into the water with his makeshift spear raised he moved near where Flash had been. He could now clearly see the outlines of dozens of fish. Cautiously he maneuvered into position and thrust his spear into the water. His first attempt missing as the fish moved lethargically away, the spear slamming harmlessly into the water next to them. Retrieving the spear he tried again, and after several misses finally hit his target.

Pulling back the spear he examined the fish at the end. It was a good size fish, perhaps two or three pounds and looked to be some sort of Hornpout. It wasn't a species of fish he was familiar with so he wasn't a hundred percent sure. It didn't matter, it was fresh food. He was going to take advantage of the situation and get as many as he could. Jacob pulled the fish off and tossed it onto the bank where Flash went over to investigate. 

"Leave that alone boy. You'll get some after I cook it," Jacob said as the dog looked back at him with a '
I wasn't doing anything wrong'
look and ran back to the edge of the water.

Jacob spent another ten minutes in the stream and managed to successfully get three more fish. He went to where he had tossed the fish and paused to take in the beauty of his surroundings. The noonday sun was starting to warm up the chill in the air, the wildlife was becoming more active all around him. The sound of  red squirrels chattering from the trees and birds singing now filled the air. 

The growling of his stomach cut short his moment of appreciation. Pulling his knife from its sheath he began to clean the fish, making quick work of the task.

"Guess things could be a lot worse for us, huh boy?" Jacob said as he finished cleaning the fish.

Flash sat next to him wagging his tail, as he tossed the fish heads to him. "There you go boy. It's not fillet mignon, but it'll have to do." The dog sniffed the fish heads curiously and then began to munch on them.

Jacob took a few moments and gathered up what he could for dry wood in the immediate area. Only enough wood was needed to cook his catch and dry out the meat that wasn't going to be eaten right then. One thing he'd learned since all this had begun was to take advantage of any opportunities you were presented to gather food and rest. You never knew when the next time would be you'd get the chance.

He took a small box of wooden matches from his pocket and shook them. He was starting to get low and right now was down to about ten. He had been trying to save them for situations where he needed to make a fire quickly. Up until this point he hadn't realized it, but he was exhausted. The lack of sleep and food was starting to catch up to him. This was why he was using the match and not his hand-bow. 

Using his knife he cut a few smaller trees down that were about half the size of his spear. Using their branches to make a “Y” he placed them on either end of the fire. The fish were placed on the spear and laid between the Y’d sticks, making it into a cooking spit. The fish were put up high enough so they would cook, but not so close they would burn. This was a good way to slow cook and smoke the meat.

He carefully placed the wood in the fire pit so it would breathe, adding a small pile of dry grass under it. He struck the match and it quickly came to life. Placing it under the tinder the flame quickly took to the dry grass and lapped hungrily at the dry wood. Once it was burning he fed smaller pieces of wood to keep it going. Flash came over and laid down beside him.

Jacob patted the dog on the head while he sat there reflecting on his own thoughts while the fist cooked. When he was satisfied the fish directly over the fire was done he took it off and began to eat.