Текст книги "Deadland's Harvest"

Автор книги: Rachel Aukes

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 13 (всего у книги 19 страниц)

Chapter XX

 

I stepped around the Humvee. Don climbed to his feet. No one spoke while we waited to see how big a herd we had to deal with.

Finally, a single shape emerged. We all let out a collective sigh.

Maggie’s hand fluttered over her heart. “Oh, thank God.”

The huge, mangy wolf—or large dog; it was too hard to tell from this distance—stepped out from the shadows, eyed us as though deciding which would be easier prey, and then slowly turned to follow the deer. The deer had made a large U-turn around us and stopped only a couple hundred meters from where we stood. Wolves had multiplied since the outbreak. Large dogs were now joining their ranks, and these new packs feared neither humans nor zeds. Both became their dinner.

Once the wolf was a safe distance away and no others appeared, I let out the breath I’d been holding.

“Anyone in the mood for some venison for dinner?” Jase said from atop the Humvee.

I glanced at Clutch, and his lips curved upward.

We each raised our rifles. “I’ll take the big one on the left.”

“I’ve got mine,” Clutch said.

“Three,” Jase said quietly. “Two.”

We fired at the exact same instant.

Two deer fell, and I grinned, thinking of the first real meal I’d have since the catfish ordeal.

“Let’s hurry up and grab them in case the noise draws attention,” Griz said.

“They’re all yours,” I said, still smiling. While I enjoyed eating fresh meat, I hated seeing it when it was still literally doe-eyed and bushy-tailed.

Griz smirked. “I’ll haul them back, but I think I’ve got the better end of the deal. You guys will have to haul this group if they’re coming.” He gestured toward the small band of stranded newcomers. Then, his features hardened. “I’m sorry, but we can’t take in a casualty. It’s against protocol. You know that, right?”

I swallowed, glancing back at the woman who was starting to groan again, holding her stomach. The morphine was wearing off too quickly. Don was already growing tense again as he watched us.

“Get us a kit,” Clutch said tightly. “I’ll handle it from here.”

Griz gave the slightest nod before heading around the back of his Humvee.

“What kit are you talking about?” Don asked. “What are you doing?”

Clutch didn’t say anything, and Don turned to me. “What are you talking about doing to my wife?”

My lips tightened and I gulped before forcing the words out. “We can’t heal her, but we can take away her pain.” I liked to think I could bring peace for someone I loved if they were doomed, but I wasn’t so sure I had the strength for it. Seeing the agony on Don’s face, I was thankful it wasn’t my decision to make.

Griz walked back with a vial and syringe and held it out for Clutch. “We’ll meet you at the RP in twenty.”

Clutch took it. “See you there.”

Griz gave the group a troubled look before heading toward the van.

“What is that?” Don asked, backing up step by step.

“It’s an anesthetic,” Clutch said and held up the vial. “It’s called pentobarbital. Just one shot, and your wife will fall asleep. She won’t hurt anymore.”

“But she’ll wake up, right?” Don asked, his voice rising in octaves. “Right?”

“She won’t wake,” Maggie said. “That’s the same stuff they use to put down dogs for good. They want to kill Brenda.” She hobbled over to stand between Brenda and Clutch. She crossed her arms over her chest. “I won’t stand for it. I will not allow you to commit murder.”

I stood near Clutch, my rifle ready, in case they tried to attack. A quick glance at Jase showed that he had us covered.

Clutch held the vial out to Don. “It’s the humane way. Your wife won’t feel any pain. She has no chance of recovery and can’t come with us. I’m offering her a peaceful way out.”

Maggie scowled. “Who are you to decide who lives and who dies? Only God can do that.”

“Zeds do a pretty good job at it, too,” I snapped.

“Don,” Brenda said, her voice barely above a whisper.

He moved like she’d shouted. He dropped down and clasped her hand. His young daughter, being held by the teen, took a couple steps closer.

“You-you must keep Alana safe,” Brenda said.

He brushed hair from her face. “I won’t leave you. Not like this.”

She winced and fisted her shirt. “You have to go.”

His body shook as he held back sobs. “No.” He turned back to us. “You have to let me take her. We’ve been married eight years. We’ve never been apart.”

“You’re only prolonging her suffering,” Clutch said. “She has a day left at most. If you want to stay with her today, we can take one of you to get a vehicle. It’s your call.”

“You can’t give us ultimatums,” Maggie countered. “We’ve done nothing wrong. You’re taking all of us with you.”

“No,” I said, exasperated.

“Take us!” the other man stepped forward, pulling the teenaged girl alongside.

“Hugh,” Maggie chided. “We don’t leave anyone behind. We stay together. Always.”

“If that’s how you feel,” Clutch said with far more calm than I could manage. “There’s a vehicle not far from here. We’ll take one of you to go get it.”

“You can’t leave us!” Maggie cried out.

Clutch pointed to the man named Hugh. “You. I’ll take you to get the vehicle.” He turned and started walking back to the Humvee, and I stayed at his side. I glanced up to see Jase still standing at the .30, alert and ready.

Hugh ran forward, dragging his daughter with him.

“She stays. Just one of you can come along for the SUV,” Clutch said.

The man looked none too pleased, not that I could blame him. He didn’t know that Clutch was only protecting us by minimizing risk inside the Humvee.

The man glanced back at his group and then pulled his daughter with him. “I don’t need the SUV. Just take us with you,” he pleaded.

“Hugh!” Maggie shouted. “You can’t be serious!”

“They don’t get it,” Hugh continued. “We can’t stay out here. The herds are coming. I don’t plan on staying out here.” Then he thrust his daughter at Clutch. “She’s all yours to do with as you please. Just take us with you!”

The girl’s eyes grew wide and she shoved against her father. “Dad!”

Uncaring, he pushed her again at Clutch. “She’s pure! Hali will do anything you want. That should cover our room and board. Don’t leave us behind.”

Clutch grimaced at the daughter and then glared at the father. “Christ. Do I look like a pedophile to you? You’d sell your own fucking daughter for safety?”

The man winced but then stood firm. “I just want us to be safe. Take us with you. If you leave us behind, the zeds will get us for sure. You don’t understand. We barely made it this far.”

“Stop it!” Brenda cried out, her pale face twisted in pain. “All of you stop it!”

Everyone turned toward the dying woman. She turned to Don. “You must save Alana.”

Don shook his head. “I won’t leave you. I can’t.”

“Save Alana,” she said with more strength than I thought she’d be able to muster for how close to death she looked.

He sobbed and then buried his head in her neck. “I love you so much.”

“I love you.” She looked up to their daughter. “Come here, my little garden sprite.”

The young girl ran over to her mother with tears in her eyes. “Mommy!” Though she couldn’t have been older than five, she still clearly understood the severity of the situation.

Brenda released her husband and hugged her daughter. Don held both of them in his arms. They cried and kept repeating their love for one another. After several long minutes, Don held out his hand and motioned for the syringe.

Clutch handed it to him.

“Don’t do this, Don,” Maggie said. “It’s murder. Don’t let these devils lead you astray.”

“Maggie, I need you to look after Alana right now,” he said.

When she didn’t move, Don yelled, “Do it, Maggie!”

The old woman glowered, but she pulled the crying girl against her.

“You should go through the vein,” Clutch said. “It will go faster.”

Don’s hand shook like crazy. His wife watched him and tried to smile but it was all too quickly drowned by pain.

He’d nearly pierced the skin and then tore away. “I-I can’t.” He grasped his hair with one hand while the other hand holding the syringe fell limply at his side.

“Okay.” Clutch stepped forward.

“No. I’ll do it,” I said, stepping around him. Clutch had enough nightmares already. He didn’t need another one. To make it easier, I’d already figured I’d imagine her as a zed and that I wasn’t taking a life. At least, I figured if I did it quickly enough I wouldn’t think myself out of it.

He grabbed my wrist, gave me a sharp look, and then tugged me back. He cupped my cheek and shook his head. “I won’t let you do this.”

He turned, bent down, and took the syringe from Don. Clutch didn’t waste any time. He grabbed the woman’s arm and rubbed his thumb over the vein at her elbow.

As the needle pierced the skin, her eyes widened, and she tried to yank away. “No! I—”

Her eyes fell closed, and she never finished whatever it was she’d had to say.

“Brenda!” Don cried out and pulled her to him.

Clutch fell back on his heels, and I pulled him up and away from the pair. He stared at the syringe, gave it a look of disgust, and then threw it across the road.

We stood around, silently waiting as Don held his wife’s body. I held onto Clutch, knowing it had nearly killed him to do what he’d just done.

Maggie glared at us. “You committed murder. You are a sinner and will burn in hell.”

I glared right back. “We’re all sinners, lady. And if you don’t back off, we’re leaving your ass on this road.”

Did euthanasia feel wrong? Hell yeah, but the alternative was so much worse. That woman was going to die anyway. We simply took away a few hours of suffering. At least that’s what I told myself. I didn’t try to think of the few hours of life we also took.

A strange sound in the distance yanked my attention back. “What was that?”

Clutch, shook his head and looked around for the source. “Sounded almost like a jet.”

I looked to the sky but saw no trails. The ground…I bent down and put my hand on the pavement. The slightest sensation of a vibration. The noise, while distant, was becoming audible. There was no breeze today, yet the leaves began to tremble on the trees.

“No! They’re here!” Hali yelled.

Hugh twisted around and reached out to me. “We have to go!”

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this, guys. I think we’d better boogie,” Jase called out.

“It’s too late,” Maggie said, standing stoic, looking toward the north. “They’re already here.”

My brain finally deciphered the sound of a gigantic swarm of mosquitoes into a hundred thousand moaning zeds. Cold filtered through my blood, and my breath came short. My legs nearly gave out.

The first herd had arrived.

Chapter XXI

Clutch yanked open the back gate of the Humvee and motioned everyone in. “Move it!”

“But our things,” Noah said.

“We’re going to be packed like sardines the way it is,” I said.

“No time!” Jase yelled. “Move it, people!”

Hali didn’t even hesitate as she shook free from her father and bolted for the Humvee. Jase grabbed her arm and pulled her on board. No one else had yet moved.

I rolled my eyes. “We’ll come back and get it later,” I said. “Now, get inside or else you’re getting left behind.”

My words finally got through to Hugh, who then caught up with his daughter.

Maggie was still praying over Brenda’s body, and Don stayed by his wife’s side. “I can’t leave her here like this.”

I ran over and squeezed Don’s shoulder. “We have to go.”

He wiped his eyes and picked up his wife’s body. He laid her inside the minivan and closed the door.

“Come on, Cash,” Clutch said, climbing into the front seat of the Humvee.

I ran around the front of the vehicle and climbed behind the wheel. Don pushed Maggie in and then climbed in, holding his daughter in his arms.

“Daddy! Mommy’s still back there!” the little girl cried.

Jase pounded on the roof. “Everyone’s on board. Go!”

I stepped on the gas, and we lurched forward. Don’s kid was crying for her mother, and everyone was talking over one another. Clutch pointed to a lone zed on the roadside, and I swerved around it. Shots from Jase’s .30 cal echoed non-stop through the Humvee. Alana cried out and covered her ears.

I glanced in the side mirror and saw zeds pour out from the woods. I would’ve said, “Holy shit,” except my jaw was clenched too tightly to speak. I sucked in air.

Clutch said something, but I couldn’t hear.

“Would you guys please shut the hell up!” I yelled, rubbing a hand down my legs one at a time before gripping the wheel just as tightly again. “I’m trying to get us out of here.”

They quit trying to talk above the .30 cal.

“Drive,” Clutch said. “I’ll keep an eye out for the herds.”

I had the gas pedal floored and didn’t let up until we reached the bridge. Every muscle was tight. I slowed down only to pull off the road, and then drove down the steep slope of the east bank and stopped hard just before the ramp. Griz and his team already had their payload loaded on the pontoon and were waiting for us.

Griz’s smile faded when he saw us. “What happened?”

“The herds are here,” Jase said as he jumped down.

“Shit.”

Everyone tumbled out of the Humvee and toward the pontoon in a chaotic mess.

“Where are we going?” Maggie asked.

“Get us out of here,” Clutch ordered Griz.

“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Griz jumped behind the wheel and started up the boat’s engine, and we scrambled for seats on the pontoon. Little Alana clung to her father. Jase had managed to grab one of the duffels filled with canned food on his way out of the back of the truck. Maggie limped on last, nearly tripping over one of the deer carcasses as she found a seat.

I helped shove the pontoon away from the boat ramp, and Griz throttled the engine full forward to get us into the river. But we weren’t safe yet. We still had to get to the Aurora without attracting the attention of any zeds. It only took one zed to home in on us, and others would notice. Griz ran the engine full out to close the short distance to the barge.

“Is that where you’re going?” Hugh asked.

“Yes,” I said, and then turned to Jase, who was busy searching the surrounding area. “Any sign of them yet?”

“Not yet,” he said without looking at me.

“Hopefully we were able to get in enough distance between us and them that they won’t find us,” I said as we pulled up to the dock.

Fortunately, the small dock for the Aurora was on the south side of the towboat to better hide us from predators. “We should be safe now, as long as they don’t smell or hear anything,” Griz said.

“Not if they see anyone on the deck,” Clutch countered and squeezed Jase’s shoulder. “Hustle up and warn Tyler.”

“You got it.” Jase leapt off the boat and climbed up the rope ladder.

Wes waved from the deck above and lowered the platform.

Tyler’s voice came over the loudspeaker. “Code Red. Code Red.”

He didn’t say anything else, and he didn’t need to. Everyone had been prepped for this moment since we’d arrived at the Aurora.

Maggie, Don, and Alana were sent up on the platform since none of them were in any condition to climb the ladder. We slid the deer onto the platform with them, not wanting to let the meat go to waste. I scrambled up the ladder as quickly as possible, with Clutch coming up right behind me.

Griz was already moving the newcomers toward the barge.

Jase waited for us. “Everyone’s headed below decks. I think we’re set.”

We crossed the deck as quickly as Clutch could walk and entered the galley. The room was packed, but no one said a word. Not even prayers were voiced aloud. People huddled together, many holding hands. I squeezed my way through to look out a window.

Time dragged by more slowly than my Corporate Finance class my junior year at college. I focused at not making eye contact with anyone except Clutch or Jase. We played cards, but even that grew dull. I eventually settled on daydreaming about flying the Cub over fields free of monsters.

As the sun set, dark shapes filled in the landscape, making the land look like an eerie ocean of ripples. By morning we’d know if they’d zeroed in on the Aurora. Until then, all we could do was wait.

And so we waited.

* * *

We were able to move above deck freely after the sun had set, though silence was critical. With over fifty people crammed on board the Aurora, whispers and the sounds of shuffling feet were the only breaks in silence. We’d all prepared for this moment, we’d practiced it over and over. But the five newcomers were foreign to us and our plans, adding a huge element of risk to our plans. Maggie and Don avoided us, glaring at me whenever our paths crossed. I wanted to glare right back. Instead, I tried to take the higher road and simply ignore their unthankful asses. Hali, still pissed at her father for offering her up, had isolated herself in a corner of barge One.

Even though Clutch thought it too risky, Tyler allowed Vicki to cook the deer for dinner since the wind was out of the north and the bay door was closed over the barge. Everyone ate in silence. The tension was higher than it had ever been.

Through the hull, the sound of the moaning herd made nails on a chalkboard almost melodic. As I lay in my bunk and stared at the springs and mattress of Jase’s bunk above, I prayed that they would have moved on before morning. I tried to sleep but settled for staring at the ceiling.

I headed up to the galley sometime before dawn. I didn’t bother checking my watch. Upstairs, Jase was kneeling on a bench, his hands clasped and his head down. Clutch sat at a table nearby, cleaning his rifle. I took a seat next to him and watched Jase. I hadn’t seen him pray since we’d buried his dog, and it worried me to see his façade gone.

Clutch glanced up before turning back to his work. “He’s been at it all night,” he said softly, also looking worried.

Seeing Jase’s ragged appearance, it was clear the stress was getting to him. His hair was mussed and dark circles underlined his eyes. I headed over to the countertop and poured a cup of coffee, and then set it down next to him.

He looked up, startled. “Oh. Thanks.”

I sat and wrapped an arm around him. After a moment, his tension gave way and he leaned into my embrace. “It’ll be okay,” I murmured. “We’re safe here.”

He nodded slightly before reaching for the cup and taking a drink. Holding the cup, he watched me for a moment, and then placed his forehead against mine. “I hope we’re safe.” When he pulled away, he put the cup down and traced the fresh scar on my face and he winced. “That’s still a doozy.”

“Do you think it’ll hurt my chances at getting a date?” I asked.

He gave me the smallest hint of a smile before he looked back out the window and wrapped his hand around the cross he wore.

I sat there, with my arm around Jase, while he prayed. Clutch eventually joined my side. We watched the night sky turn from black to dark gray with hints of gold in the east. As light gave definition to the shapes and trees, any hope I had plummeted.

I could make out the zeds filling the bridge and road to either side. Not a blade of grass remained. They’d filled in the entire area to the west, disappearing into the trees, and were still spreading out. Our Humvee at the boat ramp was being rocked as zeds fought to get whatever they smelled inside.

A leaf in the wind caught my eye, and I noticed it was blowing north, which meant the wind had switched direction sometime during the night. My eyes widened, and I grabbed Clutch’s arm. “The wind.”

He looked. After a moment, he nodded tightly and then pointed at the zeds. “I think we just entered hell.”

“No,” Jase said.

Clutch wrapped an arm around him, then another around me. I clung to him but could find no comfort in the embrace. My stomach clenched with terror. A tear rolled down my scarred cheek as I held onto Jase and Clutch and stared outside. One hundred thousand pairs of eyes were focused on Camp Fox, and they looked ravenous.

GLUTTONY

The Sixth Deadly Sin

Chapter XXII

Two very long weeks later

 

“It seems like the ones in back and on the edges are moving on,” Tyler said as he walked down the steps and into the crew quarters. “Only problem is that there’s still at least fifty thousand or more out there sticking around.”

“Figured that was the case,” Clutch said while he did another lunge. “I have to hand it to them. Once they zero in on something, the bastards are persistent.”

“It really sucks being at the bottom of the food chain,” I said, matching Clutch’s lunge.

Eight of us were going through daily exercises. We’d just finished several sets of push-ups and sit-ups. We tried to keep it interesting by having each scout come up with an exercise, but after a while, even that got old. There were only so many variations to a push-up.

But the herds outside just kept coming. Even though it seemed like tens, if not hundreds, of thousands continued on their journey, enough stayed behind, seemingly too hungry to continue for the slight chance for prey. Two herds currently surrounded the Aurora from the bridge and both sides of the river. They couldn’t reach us, not through the water, but at least a hundred tried—or were pushed—each day, and at least a couple dozen of those made it onto the island. I’d quit looking out the window on the fourth day. It made it easier to pretend that we weren’t caught in the middle of the world’s worst shit storm.

“C’mon. Just one.”

I turned to see Griz with his open hand stretched out.

Jase shook his head. “No way. Go find your own.”

“Why? You have a whole case of them.”

“I risked my life for them.” He held up a half-eaten candy bar. “These Snickers are my one and only joy in life so you’ll have to pry it from my cold, dead hands.”

“Don’t tempt me.”

When I turned back to Tyler, he had moved closer to Clutch.

“We need to ration harder. Vicki says we need to move to a diet of at least ninety percent grain,” Tyler said in a low voice. “Without fresh meat and vegetables, we’re going through our food stores four times as fast as we calculated.”

Clutch’s lips thinned. “People aren’t going to like to hear it.”

I winced. They weren’t going to like to hear that news at all, but we had no other option. Heading to the mainland was out of the question. Worse, enough zeds had fallen in the water and scared the fish away, not that I could yet take a bite of fish without gagging. More and more zeds were washing ashore and now lingered on our island.

As long as the zeds were out there, we were stuck in what could easily become our tomb. “We need to get the zeds away from the Aurora,” I said my thoughts aloud.

Tyler chuckled. “Want me to get on the bullhorn and order the zeds to leave?”

Clutch was watching me all too closely.

“I’ll do it,” I said after a moment. “I’ll lead the herds away from the river barge.”

“Cash…” Clutch warned.

I gave him a pleading look. I knew the odds. I’d been an actuary before the outbreak, but I figured the odds out on the river couldn’t be any worse than staying on the boat. Staying on the boat was only delaying the odds. “If we don’t do something, who knows how long the herds will stay. If we wait until we are out of food, it’ll be too late. You know how long it took to build up the reserves we’re burning through. The winter may kill the zeds, but without our livestock, it’s going to kill us, too. I’ll take a boat and run the Pied Piper plan.”

“We’ve only tried that with tiny herds, a few dozen zeds at most,” Tyler said.

“The plan hasn’t failed yet,” I countered.

Clutch watched me for a moment—it was a calculating gaze—and then turned to Tyler. “I’ll lead the mission. I want Cash and Jase to stay on the Aurora.”

“Like hell,” I said. “Camp Fox needs you more than it needs me.”

Clutch grabbed my arms. “What happens when you come up against a lock or a dam?”

“I’ll figure out something. What would you do?”

He shook his head. “Leading them away is one thing. How are you going to turn around and get past them and back to the boat?”

“I’ll bring plenty of supplies and hide out until the coast is clear.”

His brows rose and his lips tightened.

“The idea could work,” Tyler mused. “But it’s dangerous. It’s awfully dangerous.”

“What other option do we have?” I asked. “If I fail, you still have time to figure out other options.”

“If we fail,” Clutch added. “We’re a team.”

I tried not to look relieved, but the idea of not having Clutch along terrified me. I smiled and gave a single nod.

“I’m in,” Jase said, and I looked around, realizing we’d drawn the attention of everyone in the room.

Clutch glared at Jase. “Now, hold on a minute.”

“This is a Charlie team mission, right?” Jase asked. “I’m a Coyote. You’re not going to make me sit this one out. We’re in this together.”

Part of me wanted to scream at Jase to stay behind where it was safer, and I suspected it was exactly how Clutch felt about both Jase and me. But Jase was right. We were in it together.

Clutch sighed. “We don’t even know if the plan could work on this scale.”

“What could work?” Manny asked as he entered the quarters.

“We’re forming a small team to lead the zeds away,” Tyler said.

“I’m in if the kid ponies up a candy bar from his stash,” Griz said.

“Heck, no,” Jase said, and the two poked jabs at each other.

“This is not something to take lightly,” Tyler said harshly. “I won’t order anyone on this mission. It will be volunteers only.”

“Well, son of a bitch. You guys can’t go without me,” Wes said. “I’m the best mechanic around here. With a herd that big, you can’t afford to break down.”

Tyler held up his hands. “Whoa. That’s enough. Five of you will fill a boat and have eyes in every direction. Clutch, you’re senior officer so you have lead. Now, we all need to take time to think through this. If anyone backs out, I won’t hold it against you. Everyone, take sixty. We’ll meet in the galley in an hour to work out the mission details.”

Clutch nodded. His features were still set hard, so I rubbed his back. He sighed and looked from Jase to me. “I know trying to talk you two out of this is a waste of breath, so either of you want to spar instead?”

I grinned. Whenever he was stressed, he needed action. Of course, I was the same way. “You bet.”

“Yeah, why not,” Jase said after stretching his neck from side to side.

I grabbed my thermos from my bunk. By the time I returned, Jase and Clutch were already chatting about setting up the boat.

“Mind if I join you guys?” Griz asked as he caught up.

I motioned him along. “Only if you’re ready for an ass whooping.”

Griz chuckled. “Oh, it’s not me who’s—”

Shouting erupted from above deck and I snapped around. “What’s going on?”

We ran up the stairs and to the galley. Outside, Maggie was screaming at the herds. “Go back to hell, you devils! You’ll never get to us! Never!”

“Shit,” Griz muttered. “Our first cuckoo has flown.”

No!

I reached for my pistol, but the others bolted outside, and I followed.

Griz reached her first. He yanked her back and covered her mouth. “I should’ve figured out you’d be the first to go nuts.”

She mumbled something but he kept her mouth covered.

I scowled at Maggie, keeping my hand on my holster. “Fucking nut. You trying to get us all killed?”

Lucky for her, Griz still had his hand over her mouth because if I heard what she seemed to be saying, I might have changed my mind and shot her right then and there.

Clutch and Jase helped drag Maggie back inside.

Before I reentered the galley, I looked out at the herds to see every pair of eyes watching us. The wind whipped at my face.

“Well, that does it,” Clutch muttered. “This mission just became critical.”

“Yeah,” Jase said. “The tough part is that it sounds more like Mission: Impossible.”

I swallowed and turned away from the ocean of zeds.

No, it wasn’t just an impossible mission.

It was a suicide mission.