Surviving The Zombie Apocalypse (Book 2): Conflict (24 page)

By the
time the area was cleared, bodies littered the road. No one had been bitten,
but the manner in which they slaughtered the zombies had created an entirely new
obstacle. The things had to be dragged away, not only those in front of them,
but the ones that had come from the opposite direction as well, those Tony and
Harvey dealt with. Lizzy participated directly with this, finding it difficult
to order others to handle corpses while she kept her hands clean, but the twins
were left on guard duty. The sun was low on the horizon when they finally
finished.

“You may
want to take a good look at the town when we go through tomorrow,” suggested
Lizzy.

“Why’s
that?” asked Harvey.

“Cause,
since we killed so many of the zombies in it, we’ll be back soon to loot the
place. Might as well empty out the stores while doing so is easy.”

Chapter VIII

With the
addition of little Asher, we went from fifty five people to fifty six. Shortly
thereafter, we skyrocketed to three hundred and eighty two. It would have been
three eighty four, but two of those injured in the accident failed to pull
through. That sucks, to put it succinctly, and there’s nothing like a solidly
depressing start to your new life in the Nebraska National Forest to bring out
the emotional in a person, or several hundred of them as the case might be.

The
first day was spent getting everyone situated and calmed down. We were forced
to remove all the vehicles from our parking area, something no one particularly
wanted to do, in order to make room for tents. We also removed those that had
been within the new palisade, so they wouldn’t be in the way, and construction
of the cabins was accelerated.

Residency
in our so called townhouses was altered as well. These went to pregnant ladies
who were having difficulties or anticipated giving birth in the near future,
and to anyone with infants. Briana and I kept ours, as did Steph who was still
sharing with Lisa. A fourth boy, again an orphan, would be joining their ever
growing brood as well. She was becoming quite the dedicated foster mother. My
unit also doubled as a meeting spot for the leadership.

Our
common hall was far too small to handle even a fraction of the group.
Therefore, we altered its purpose – you’ll notice that the changes were coming
from all sides. It is now an extension of the kitchen. For the most part, only
those involved with cooking are allowed inside. Sofie was an exception, justified
in part by her telling or reading stories to the children off to one side when
we needed to keep them from being underfoot, but also because she was getting
worse and couldn’t be left alone. Additionally, Harlan was in there as usual,
fiddling with the transmitter.

Meals
were served in the courtyard, cafeteria line style. They weren’t as detailed or
nice as previously enjoyed, but it was the best we could do. Fortunately,
several of the new refugees had once upon a time worked in the food industry,
and these were quickly drafted to help out. Most ate standing up or on one of
the benches or picnic tables we had scattered about the area. There would be
complications when it rained, but other than that, things were manageable.

This
wouldn’t last of course. It was almost the start of summer, which meant we
didn’t have all that much time before fall and winter rolled around. Snow and
ice, not to mention plunging temperatures, would force an end to the practice.
As such, Marcus was instructed to identify anyone with construction experience
and start drawing up plans for a new building, a long house, old Viking style,
that could be placed behind the palisade. This would serve as a new common hall
and a place to eat.

Regarding
leadership, there were no questions, complaints, or suggestions. Thank God. The
bulk of the newcomers were women, the old, and children. We had very few able
bodied men, or able bodied women for that matter. Most were pregnant, injured,
in poor health, or whatever. To put it bluntly, the three hundred plus were
largely useless. They were also so happy to be with us that all readily
accepted our system of governance. The tiny number of rules, all of which were
simple, straight forward, and easy to understand, probably helped.

The
biggest concern was what to do about the raiders. There were plenty of
opinions, most of which were of minimal value, and several days of near
constant discussion, which was also largely worthless. In the end, we narrowed
it down to three possible courses of action:

1)  Make a break for the west coast and
try to reach one of the islands secured by the American military

2)  Stay and fight, as needed

3)  Run away

Let’s go
over these in order. As far as escaping to an island, this was probably
impossible. We had to travel hundreds of miles over unfamiliar, zombie filled
terrain. The Rocky Mountains were in the way, along with the Sierras and
several other ranges depending on our exact route. We didn’t know what supplies
we would find, although with the speed in which civilization collapsed, grocery
stores and people’s homes tended to be untouched with plenty for the taking,
provided there wasn’t a band of survivors in the immediate area. Also, there
was no guarantee we could arrange for a pickup – we were still out of contact
with the military – or that we would find boats of our own to take. Add in the
fact we were talking close to four hundred people, probably a lot more if
others from Wyoming joined in or maybe less if some wanted to stay, and
logistics became a nightmare.

The
second option was the most popular. People wanted to protect their homes.
Nothing wrong with that. It’s good to fight to defend what’s yours, especially
when you know the enemy is motivated by an irrational desire to torture and
kill and won’t accept anything less. Negotiations were out. That simplified
matters tremendously and removed a lot of doubt and second guessing.

I vetoed
the majority decision to the surprise of many, including Briana and Lizzy.
After all, I had gone back to protect the castle from the raiders once before,
even after we’d been driven off by our own. My ruling was only a partial
refusal however. I agreed that we would fight if we had to, but it was only
sensible to have a place in which to escape. We needed a very secure, well
stocked, and carefully positioned sanctuary. Most importantly, the location had
to be secret. In all honesty, I was leaning, at that time, toward simply
leaving the national forest. I was never the sort to become attached to a
place. It didn’t bother me to abandon my home back in Denton when this all
began – I wonder if the house is still standing – and I wouldn’t lose any sleep
over fleeing the castle. Regardless, I was careful not to imply or hint at
this.

But
where to go? That was the question.

*
* *

“Are you
sure you want to set up another place, even bigger than this one?”

I curled
up against Briana. Asher was asleep in his cradle, and probably Lizzy and Mary
as well, up above us. Still, I wouldn’t put it past either to be listening in,
so I kept my voice low.

“It has
to be bigger. This place was a fast build, back when we had a lot less people.
We can do better, and we should if we’re starting from scratch. Since it’ll be
wilderness again, we’re going to be light on zombies. That means we can really
focus on getting walls and houses up with less people having to fight or be on
watch. We can also plan ahead and gather the materials in advance, set up work
crews, all that stuff.”

“Where
though? Wyoming is out.”

“Obviously.”

She
pinched me.

“Kansas
wouldn’t be any good either,” continued Briana. “It’s just as flat and open,
and we wouldn’t have the forest to hide in.”

“I’m
thinking further north.”

“Jacob,
please tell me it’s not Canada. I get cold enough where we’re at now, and I
like to think there won’t always be snow on the ground come my birthday.”

“If
there’s snow on your birthday that means we’re all but certain to have a white
Christmas, which is always charming…” She was probably rolling her eyes, even
if it was too dark for me to see. “…but I wasn’t planning on anything that far
away. Instead, I think we should consider the Black Hills, just a short hop
north in South Dakota.”

“By
Mount Rushmore?”

Briana
didn’t seem convinced

“That’s
too close to the edge. I mean to go up into the center. We can build some farms
and move our animals too, so food won’t be too much of a worry. But the key is
to make sure it’s hard to reach and to be away from the roads. That terrain is
rough and hard to traverse, one of the reasons the Sioux liked the place so
much. It’s easy to hide and defend.”

“I
thought it was sacred to them, something like that.”

“Quite
possible. I’m sure we can find some books up there on the subject, get a bit of
background history.”

“And
maps. There are probably tons of those around. If anyone else comes by, they
could look at one and figure out where we are.”

I shook
my head. “It’s bigger than that, and we’ll take any we find. I plan on looting
all the towns and resorts. Anything that can be used against us, or that might
show where we are, is going to go up in flames.”

My hand
made its way inside her nightgown and was promptly pulled out.

“No
telling anyone about this,” I continued, returning to the conversation. “I want
it to be a super secret and then some.”

“Everyone
who goes will know where they are. It’s going to be obvious.”

“True, but
those who get relocated are staying put. Only me, you, Marcus, Lizzy, and a few
others will travel back and forth. That way it’ll be less likely the
information leaks out. Even if the prophet captures and tortures some of us
there wouldn’t be anything to actually tell him. We stay safe.”

“What if
it was you who was caught?”

“I’d
kill myself first so they couldn’t ever find you or Asher.”

Those
words popped right out, and while they were the absolute truth, it was far from
the best thing to say.

“It
didn’t bother me,” she whispered, a few minutes later, “all the killing last
year, not like it should have. I miss our friends, but we were alive, me and
you, and that was the most important thing. I was happy we made it, and I think
I was able to rationalize or something, to make myself not care so much about
the others.”

I
understood and agreed. I also missed them and wanted the entire lot to be
breathing and with us again – this excludes Cherie who deserves her place at
the bottom of the latrine – but I rarely thought about that battle. My focus
tended to be on the future, on staying alive, and on my family. Sometimes it
just hurt too much to dwell on all that had been lost.

“But… I
think you’re right. We should be able to run away, and if they come anywhere
near us, we are going to do just that.” Briana’s grip tightened. “You’re
leaving tomorrow to go look. Find us a new home.”

*
* *

I set
out the next morning accompanied by Lizzy, Mary, and the Zablocki twins. I
hadn’t planned on taking them at first, thinking Marcus or Laura, possibly a
few others, could fill out the expedition instead. Those two would have been of
greater use remaining behind and keeping an eye on the castle. We had the
weapons necessary to defend the place but lacked the shooters needed to protect
our large non-combatant population. However, Briana nixed that outright. She
stated, unequivocally, that not only would I be taking them with me but that I
would allow them to keep me safe. If I refused I would never again get to touch
her and specific body parts of mine would be severed with a hacksaw and stuffed
down my throat. I found both reasons compelling. I also decided to speak with
her at some point in the future regarding the frequency with which she issues
such threats.

Briana instructed
the twins, while I was standing there, in her official capacity as co-head of the
settlement, to make certain I did not get killed or infected. As she put it, I
was the glue that held everything together and no one could take my place. I
have to disagree with her on this. Many possess similar skills at organization
and maintain the requisite grip on reality. Marcus in particular is quite good,
although he does hate managerial work. Running the outside security back in
Martin was about the limit of what he could tolerate. Still, that is an example
which proves my point.

For
transportation, we were taking the Jeeps. Mary would ride with me in the
Wrangler, with the twins and Lizzy using the Grand Cherokee. As usual, the two
vehicle rule was being maintained. We didn’t want to be stranded if one
happened to break down. Regarding gear, there would be extra containers of
gasoline, backpacks, hiking boots, tents, and so forth. While I generally
mandated sleeping in locked vehicles while traveling, we would be going into
the back country where there were no roads. Some adaptation was going to be
necessary.

Of
course, there were plenty of weapons accompanying us. Again, Briana forced me
to upgrade. I think she might be getting somewhat paranoid, and anytime I
argued, she would point at Asher, a very unfair stratagem. All of us had a
minimum of two pistols with plenty of extra clips. I was carrying .40 caliber
automatics. Lizzy and the twins had .45’s. Mary had little 9 mm’s. We each had
a heavy weapon as well. Lizzy and the twins had M-16’s. Mary got an UZI which
she seemed to handle better – I’m not sure how since I find the larger gun
easier to control, but whatever works. I took a .50 caliber sniper rifle with a
top of the line scope that included night vision. By the way, we all had night
vision goggles. Like most of our gear, they were taken from the raiders who’d
attacked us months earlier. Rounding it out were some small, silenced pistols
for quiet work.