Mad Swine (Book 2): Dead Winter (14 page)

“My first night I made it as far as the luxury homes and slept in one of the models. In the morning, I checked them all out and they were all empty. I didn’t find much there except for Paul’s pencils and some tools that were left behind by one of the contractors. All the homes were still inventory and no one lived in them even before the outbreak.

“The next morning I started my trek down 20 again, planning on making Pingree Grove forest preserve as my next stop, but I didn’t make it. A group of the crazies, about six or so, came up on me around Switzer Road. I don’t know exactly where they came from because there’s nothing out that way.

“Anyway, you know when they get in a group they’re dangerous and it’s not a good idea to mess with them. I figured I could outrun them, so I booked for about a half mile until I got freakin’ winded but the bastards were still on my tail. I made it a little further and saw the Kountry Pet Resort. I busted in through one of the windows and blocked it up with a table. I don’t think they knew where I went in and after about twenty minutes they didn’t find me so I figured I was clear.

“I scouted the place and found one of the vets who had become infected and turned. He must have gotten trapped in there or someone locked him in there. Anyway, I killed him with a fire extinguisher.”

Ray started to laugh and he dug another cigarette out of his pack and plucked it into the corner of his lips. “Those things are supposed to save lives, not take them.”

“Seriously, Ray? If that was a joke you really need to work on your delivery, man. Anyway, there were a bunch of dogs kenneled there and I let them loose. I tore open three huge bags of food and left it for them. I filled up some metal buckets with water, too.

“I scrounged over the supplies that were left over and I found a bunch of stuff I’m sure Ravi would love to have. They’ve got a lot of machinery and diagnostic stuff and the like. When the weather is better we can probably transport some of that equipment and Paul can rig up some solar panels or something.”

“What about meds?” I asked, although Brian had said we should wait until he was done to ask.

“There were a lot of meds. Not sure if any of them can be used on humans, but I guess it’s worth looking into.”

“All of that will be gone by the time we can get back there,” Stanley said. He took off his glasses and started to polish the lenses, as was his habit.

“There are very few folks around those parts. The ones that were there took their leave and probably aren’t coming back. No, the stuff will be there. And I found a few other places along the way that have things that we need. I have them all marked on my maps.”

“That’s great news,” Sam said. I could see that all this talk about supplies had really pushed her buttons. Sam took our diminishing supplies personally, and felt she was to blame for not stretching our meager stockpile further.

Brian nodded his head. “It’s good news. But it’s not great news. If we gathered all the supplies I found we’d be in decent shape for another few months, certainly no longer. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll take a few months if that’s all I have, but without food we won’t make it more than a few months.”

Stanley blew hot breath on his lenses. As he expertly rubbed the lenses he said, “There’s bound to be trade. If we can’t trade to our east, then we trade to the west.”

“There’s only one place I found that would have the amount of food we need. They’re seventeen miles away.”

“That may seem far at the moment,” Stanley continued. “But when the weather clears travel will be easier.”

“If we make it through the winter here, which from what I heard it doesn’t sound like that’s going to happen…” Brian said. “I hope I’m not out of line saying that.”

We were all silent, remembering our conversation from just yesterday morning. As the seconds ticked away, Kat stood at the head of the table and stared at each of us. Almost a full minute passed before Kat finally spoke. Her voice was not harsh, but her tone was firm. “Let’s not pretend like we don’t know what’s been going on around here. This isn’t a place for self-righteous preaching or to lay blame. We’re all in this mess together and we’re not where we are because of any one person.

“We’ve all known for the last couple of months that our food and supplies were getting low. After we lost so many in the war with Providence and to the walking dead we worried a little bit less because there were fewer mouths to feed.

“We all know why Brian left in the first place; to find supplies, a trade route, and friendly folks that want to help humanity survive. So let’s hear what he has to say before we start jumping all over each other and pretending like we’re victims who don’t know we’re on the verge of death.”

“Thank you, Kat,” Brian said, taking his cue to continue. “I’m not one to mince words. And I don’t apologize for being blunt. If we stay here we won’t make it through the rest of winter. That is a fact.”

His eyes moved from person to person, locking gazes with each and every one, until he was sure they were absorbing his words. “I’ve been out on the road and I’ve seen what the rest of the world looks like. We’re the lucky ones, trust me. We’ve fared well, considering.”

“If you’re trying to scare us, it’s working,” Sam said. “Now tell us what you really came to tell us. No more beating around the bush, please.”

Brian smiled and shook his head. “Fine. All those things that Kat said I went out there looking for…I found. I found everything. I even found friendly folks with lots of food who want to help us.”

Murmurs arose around the table as excitement came back into the voices of the council.

“And what is the catch?” Stanley asked. “There’s always a catch, isn’t there? Providence wanted half our supplies to leave us alone, so what do these folks want from us?”

“Stan you always piss on everything,” Paul said.

“I’m just trying to be the voice of reason here,” Stanley said. He took off his glasses again and began polishing the lenses in that nervous way. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t drink the Kool-Aid. If the rest of you are so naïve, it’s a good thing that I’m still grounded in reality.”

“I’m with Stanley on this one,” Al chimed in. “I have a wife and kids I have to think about. I want to know what we have to give in return.”

“The place is called Finnegan’s Farm. Its thirteen acres run by the Finnegan clan, headed by Ethan Finnegan,” Brian said. He reached down and lifted his bag again, placing it on the table in front of him. As he continued to speak, he started pulling out jars of fruits and vegetables and setting them out on the table in front of him.

“They grow corn, gourds, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, pumpkins, squash, onions, lettuce, green beans, peas, blackberries, okra and something called Job’s tears…I have no idea what that is. They also raise some sort of red hens that produce brown eggs. How long has it been since you’ve had eggs for breakfast?”

From his bag he retrieved jars filled with purple and red jellies. He said, “Megan also cans some of the best jams and jellies I’ve ever tasted. She and Sarah bake fresh bread so thick and soft and crusty all at the same time.”

Brian scooped up some of the jars of varying sizes and shapes and started to walk around the table. He placed jars in front of each person as he talked, providing them with proof and not just words or promises.

“The Finnegan clan is eleven strong, two generations of farmers who immigrated to the United States thirty years ago,” Brian said as he laid a jar of what appeared to be strawberry jam in front of Sam. “They’ve farmed their land successfully for three decades and they just want to live to farm it another thirty. Ethan, Megan, Ian, Maureen, Liam, James and Jenna are good people. I lived with them for more than a month. I trust them completely.”

Picking up a jar of green beans that Brian placed in front of him and turning it between his palms, Ray said, “You’ve made a good show of what they can give to us, but you still haven’t said what they
want
from us.”

Nodding his head and sitting back in his seat, Brian addressed the council again. “There is no ominous secret here. The Finnegan’s have agreed to give us food and shelter for as long as we want it. And all they want in return is that we help them work the land and provide protection for the land and their family. They help us and we help them. And together we’re stronger; together we have a better chance to survive.”

“You said this farm was how far away?” Al asked.

“Seventeen miles.”

Al nodded his head. “I thought that’s what you said. Look, I’m all for being able to feed my family. They obviously have the kind of food we can only dream of having. And they may be nice people that just want to help. But in case you haven’t noticed, we’ve got a lot of folks who aren’t ready for travel, especially that distance in this weather.”

Ray growled, “I’m not an invalid. I can make the trip.”

“I wasn’t just talking about you,” Al blanched. “Paul has a dying kidney—“

“Jesus Christ, Al!” Sam blurted out.

“What? I’m just saying the truth here. And what about the children? Seventeen miles is a long ways away, especially for the kids. The weather is bad enough but what happens if we get attacked by those things out there?”

“As much as it pains me to say, I agree with Al,” Stanley said, standing up. He put his glasses on the bridge of his nose and looked at us primly. “If they go out there on a long trek, in this weather, with those physically unprepared for the journey, as well as children, they’d die out there.”

“There are dangers in making this trip, yes,” Sam said. “But we have to weigh them against the dangers we face if we stay here. Yes, we are relatively safe from the outside behind our walls, but without food and supplies, the walls will become a tomb surrounding our dead bodies. I’ve crunched the numbers and done the math. If we continue consuming food at our current rate which is already at half rations, we have less than two months.”

Sounds of shock and surprise rose up around the table. Although deep down each man and woman in this room knew that our supplies were diminishing, they obviously never realized how close to we were to the brink of disaster.

Stanley spoke again, taking the opportunity to rehash his ideas from yesterday’s meeting. “Why not just make the peace with Providence and see if they are open to trade? If they’re in as bad a shape as we are, maybe they’re ready for help.”

Kat responded, “There will be no peace with Providence, we all know that. Sometimes the taste of bad blood just stays with you no matter the circumstances. Besides, we have nothing to offer.”

“There has to be some other way,” Stanley said.

“What do you suggest?” Kat asked. “Providence controls all roads in or out to our east. There’s nothing but cold dead fields and forest preserve to our north. Beyond that railroad tracks and more open field. There’s nothing that way for us.”

The room was quiet again as we all considered the arguments on both sides. After a moment, Sam asked, “Matt, what should we do?”

“This is not my decision to make alone, Sam.”

“Okay, but before I make a decision, I want to know your thoughts. I’m sure we all do.”

“I do,” Kat agreed.

“Me, too,” said Paul.

“You’re the boss,” Ray said. “I don’t care about what the rest of these fools have to say anyway. You’ve kept me alive this long so I’m with you, whatever you decide.”

“Well, I know this is going to be hard for some of you to hear because, although we’ve been through a lot and lost a lot, most of you still feel safe behind these walls.

“We kept Providence at bay; hell, we kicked their asses and sent them running with their tails between their legs. We’ve kept those creatures out mostly and when the infection made it inside our walls we survived that, too.

“We carry on behind our walls with our lives and daily routines, the moans out there are just background noise to us now. But it’s no longer the infected outside our walls that threaten us right now. Those same walls that keep the bad things out have also trapped us.”

I paused a moment and pulled myself out of my seat. I was full of nervous energy now. It was time to be leader, time to take the burden of the many on my shoulders and carry the weight without complaint.

The strawberry jam in front of me glistened like a ruby as the light of the chandelier reflected off the glass. I picked it up, holding it in front of my face. This was not just a jar of jam I held in my hands, no, this was life. This jar represented all the things that I could not give to these people. Ray said I had kept him alive and that was probably true, but I had battled tangible things that I could strike and kill. Hunger was an unseen enemy over which I had no control.

“I am grateful for the protection this community has offered; not just the walls that surround us, but each and every man, woman and child that lives within and fought right beside me. But…this place can’t keep us forever. We’ve taken all that we can from Randall Oaks and she has nothing left to offer us. If we want to survive, well, we have to realize when it’s time to move on.

“I think what the Finnegan’s have offered us is survival and in turn we can offer them the same. But with that said, this decision is too big for one man to make. In fact, it’s too big for just the people in this room. Everyone has to make their own decisions on this one, I’m afraid.”