Badlands Trilogy (Book 3): Out of the Badlands (28 page)

“Ambush?” Ed said, pointing to the vehicles sitting idle near the truck.

“As good a theory as any,” Terry replied.

Ed heard car doors open and close behind him. He turned to see Trish, Emily and Jasper walking toward them. The area seemed clear enough, but he kept the pistol in hand just in case.

“I’ll check for any survivors,” Emily said, breaking off from the group.

“That’s him,” Jasper said, pointing at one of the bodies. “The guy who got Sue and me, the one with the curly hair.”

“Tex’s brother,” Ed said.

“What?” Jasper replied.

“Tex told me in confidence, after we arrived at their place,” Ed said. “He was the leader of this group, if you want to call it that.”

“Do you recognize any of the others?” Trish asked.

Jasper looked around at the bodies. “Yeah,” he said, pointing. “That big guy over there. He had some kinda dumbass name. He’s the guy who killed Sue and jacked up my face.”

“We should go,” Ed said. “I don’t want to stick around here for long.”

“Agreed,” Terry said. “We’ll collect as much fuel as we can and get the fuck outta here.”

* * *

They took all the gasoline that remained in the truck, stacking the plastic containers into the back of the pickup. Treated gasoline, stuff that hadn’t turned to useless sludge, remained a precious resource. After that they took a few of the M16s, along with all the ammunition they could carry. It was heavy stuff and expensive to carry, but given the world in which they now lived firepower had become a necessary evil.

They ate whatever rations they could scarf down quickly. Knowing how limited the resources were along the ravaged countryside and exactly how dangerous it was to collect more, Ed had the group pack up as much as they could possibly fit into the vehicles.

With the fuel and other supplies loaded—and the gas tanks topped off—the group gathered near their small convoy.

“This could happen to us, you know,” Terry said, gesturing toward the carnage surrounding them. “These highways, they belong to road gangs now.”

Ed surveyed the destruction, noticing the bodies in particular. He glanced toward Zach and Jeremy sitting in the cab of the pickup truck. “We need to get off these interstate roads. Take the side roads instead.”

“How do we know they’re any safer though?” Jasper asked. “We’ll burn up a lot of fuel that way too.”

“It’s not like the highways are clear,” Ed said. “There are so many cars and other roadblocks in the way we’ll likely make the same pace. And as far as safety is concerned, who knows? Nothing’s safe these days.”

“Fair enough,” Jasper replied.

“How long do you think the fuel will last?” Emily asked.

Ed shrugged. “I don’t know. Halfway?”

“And after that?”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Might be on foot. Bikes? I’m open to ideas.”
 

“That little twerp,” Terry said, referring to Dario. “He asked for this.”

Ed didn’t argue.

They found a house along the way that appeared to have been empty for some time. Tall grass grew in the front yard, obviously undisturbed for years. No footprints on the porch or any other sign of human life revealed itself. After Ed and Terry had cleared the house, they parked the cars in the garage, using the same hiding technique as they had in the prior house.

After an unfulfilling and barely sustaining meal of canned chicken served alongside reconstituted peas and mashed potatoes that tasted like whipped Styrofoam, the group settled in for the night. As had become habit over the years, Ed and his family kept their packs close by, pistols at the ready.

As night consumed the day, the shrill cries of the carriers pierced the night. Ed felt goosebumps rise on his arms. “If the sound of the original carriers was bad, this is even worse,” he said.

“These things aren’t people,” Sam said. “Not even close. Maybe they used to be, but they’re not anymore.”

“Yeah, I don’t even know if I’d include them in the same species anymore,” Jasper said. “These apex carriers are something altogether different.”

“Have you seen them up close?” Sam asked. “Have you been right next to one that’s alive?”

“Not that close.”

“Well, I have,” Sam said. “They’re awful.” He recounted the night his mother died, when the apex carriers had taken advantage of a downed fence to invade the school and massacre those inside. He retrieved his camera from his pack, unused since that night, and showed the rest of the group the horrific close ups it contained.

“The camera blinded them?” Trish asked.

“For a while. They didn’t give up, but it bought us some time.”

“Resourceful,” Terry said. “I like that. Good thinking, kid.”

“Thanks,” Sam said, blushing slightly.

“I keep thinking about Pastor Dan,” Jasper said, “and all those carriers he had rounded up.”

“Hopefully he had the good sense to finally kill them when they started to change,” Ed said.

“Who’s Pastor Dan?” Chloe asked.

Jasper retold the story of when he and Ed had met “Pastor” Dan after barely surviving a carrier attack on the way to Kansas City. They escaped with Dan from a rabid herd of carriers, only to find out that he’d been locking carriers away inside of an old high school football arena.

“Why did he do that?” Chloe asked.

“He felt sorry for them,” Ed said. “He didn’t want them to hurt anyone else, but he didn’t feel like he had the right to kill them.”

“After what they did to my mom, I want to kill them all,” Sam said.

Silence ensued, until the faint sound of a carrier screaming in the distance broke it.

“Do you really think there’s any way we’re going to make it to California?” Chloe asked. “And then on to Hawaii? I hate to be a downer, but it seems impossible.”

Ed considered the question as he glanced at Zach and Jeremy. Guaranteeing they would be successful felt like a lie. “I think so,” he said and that much was true. “I hope we can. But yeah, it’s going to be tough.”

“Fair enough,” Chloe said. “I hope that when we get to Hawaii they have fried chicken there. It’s been forever since I’ve had a good chicken leg.”

The group laughed, lightening the collective mood. The horrific events of the previous day were still palpable but temporarily out of mind.

“What if the whole thing is a hoax?” Emily asked. “I don’t want to be a downer either, but somebody’s gotta say it. How do we know it’s real?”

“We don’t,” Ed said.

“So we’re just going on blind faith?”

“I wish I had a better answer, but it is what it is.”

“Way I see it, we don’t have much to lose,” Terry said. “Suppose it’s all bullshit; then we figure it out from there. But if it’s not, then I might finally get that Hawaii vacation I always said I wanted.”

Emily smiled. “I like the way you think.”

The group fell silent again in the darkened room. “We should get some sleep,” Ed said. “We have a long way to go still and we need to make the most of the daylight.”

“I’ll take first watch,” Terry said.

The others agreed and said their good nights.

As Ed lay awake next to his family, he considered the doubts that Emily and Chloe has raised. What if the entire story was a hoax? They could be walking into a trap. Or they might just as likely find nothing but an empty port. No ship, no captain and no passage to their safe haven. Where they might go after that he had no idea. At the edge of the continent they could run no further. To the north and south, mystery awaited them. Going back the way they’d come would only take them right back into the same storm from which they’d come.

They’d put their faith in so many other places. St. Louis had only been a respite from the wastelands and Kansas City had turned out to be a prison. If Hawaii didn’t play out…

He didn’t want to think about that. Instead, he closed his eyes and focused on clearing his mind. But the events of the prior day clouded his thoughts. The dead, staring eyes of all the people Lester had killed accused him. Why
had
he allowed a maniac into their group? As much as he told himself he couldn’t have foreseen what would happen, he couldn’t help but shoulder the blame. And he could only imagine how Chloe and Sam felt, bringing him into the fold.

Ed eventually drifted off to a fitful sleep as the carriers howled in the distance, stalking their prey in the darkness.

After leaving the temporary sanctuary of the small house behind, Ed navigated a consecutive series of side roads while Trish sat in the passenger seat, map in hand, navigating their way through the maze of cracking concrete and asphalt. Zach and Jeremy sat in the back seat keeping watch behind. Terry piloted the vehicle in the rear, carrying the rest of the passengers and the remainder of their meager supplies.

They drove for nearly five hours, the pace excruciatingly slow at times. Ed began to wonder just how much time it would take them to get to the coast. More importantly, the amount of gasoline required to make the journey seemed disproportionately high compared to the reserves they carried with them. At this rate they’d run out well before completing the journey. The only outstanding question seemed to be when.

The side roads led them along a mixture of old stores and houses, all intermingled with each other. Burned out gas stations, disintegrating corner stores and small office buildings with broken windows and doors lined the street.

Ed began to wonder as they passed these empty relics whether or not they were actually better off avoiding the highway. Anything or anyone could be inside these old structures, just waiting for an unsuspecting victim to pass by. But after they carnage they’d experienced on the highway, the apparent desolation of the side roads had become a welcome respite. Either way they faced a risk, mitigating that risk was about the best he could do now.

They stopped along the way for bathroom breaks, reminding Ed of normal road trips taken with Sarah, back before the kids were born and the virus destroyed the world. Back when things had been so simple and easy. Maybe they could have something like that again in Hawaii.

With several hours passed since the last stop, Ed signaled with a hand gesture to Terry to stop the convoy. Ahead of them sat a small corner gas station, its windows broken and door askew on its hinges.

“Be ready,” Ed said over the din of the jeep’s engine. Zach and Jeremy nodded, gripping pistols tightly, their eyes darting back and forth. Ed pulled into the parking lot in front of the gas station, drawing his own pistol as they rolled to a stop. He left the engine running, placing the gearshift in neutral before applying the parking brake. His heart beat loudly in his ears as adrenaline pumped into his system, placing him on high alert as Terry pulled in behind him.

They waited in the lot for a minute before killing the engines. With no activity from any of the inside buildings, Ed decided to chance it. “I hate these buildings,” he said to Trish. “Puts me on edge.”

“Would you feel better on the highway?” she asked.

“I doubt it,” Ed replied. “Let’s just get in and out.”

“Yes, let’s.” Trish exited the jeep, followed by Zach and Jeremy. They stepped onto the cracked and weed-strewn asphalt as Terry approached from behind, pistol in hand.

“Want to check out that store while we’re here?” Terry asked.

Behind him Jasper and Emily got out of the car, Emily extending a hand and helping Jasper to his feet. He stood, unsteady, leaning on Emily for balance. Sam and Chloe piled out of the car, stretching tired muscles.

“I’m not sure it’s worth it,” Ed said. He looked around at the surrounding buildings. The windows stared back like deep, black eyes. “These buildings give me the creeps.”

“They’re not giving up the goods like they used to, that’s for sure,” Terry replied. “But we can’t keep passing places up forever. The food’s gonna run out before long, shitty as it is these days.”

“We should do some hunting,” Ed said. “Plenty of game around now.”

“I agree.” Ed watched as Zach and Jeremy walked to the edge of the lot to relieve themselves. Trish checked the map against their surroundings, ensuring they remained on the right path.

Movement from the front door of the gas station caught Ed’s attention and he turned quickly, raising the pistol. An unmistakable white figure emerged through the opening, emitting a low growl as its sharp claws scraped against the surface of the parking lot.

The growl became a piercing shriek as the beast charged toward Zach and Jeremy.

The carrier took another step before a loud gunshot crackled through the air. The massive, muscled beast took another step forward before collapsing face down in the parking lot. A pool of dark, red blood formed around its equally massive head. A whoosh of air escaped its lungs as it exhaled, bloody bubbles forming around its mouth.

Ed looked at Terry. “Did you…?”

Terry shook his head. “No, that wasn’t me.”

Ed glanced around at the other members of the group. They all shook their heads.

“Where did that shot come from?” Trish asked.

As if in response, two men approached them from the end of the street, rifles balanced on their shoulders.

Ed and the others watched with one part curiosity and one part concern as the two men approached. They kept their weapons pointed at the ground, but didn’t stow them. No one spoke as the men approached. The pair neither dawdled or rushed, choosing instead to walk at their own steady pace.

As the men approached, Ed tensed. “Boys, get behind me,” he said, his voice low. Zach and Jeremy did as instructed.

The men continued toward them. They wore denim jeans and army jackets. Both stood roughly the same height. Long beards draped from their chins. As they neared, Ed could better make out their features. Brown hair, darker brown beards with touches of gray. Ed put them in their mid to late thirties.

The men continued toward them at the same pace, stopping twenty feet away. The man on the right, slightly taller than his counterpart, cocked his head sideways as he shot them a confused look. “Are you guys dense in the head?” he asked.