Joseph Talluto - Taking It Back

I guess I was wrong in thinking that after a winter of freezing temperatures, sub-zero wind chills, and over three and a half feet of snow would actually have an effect on the zombies. Well, it did, but not the effect I was hoping for. I was hoping the virus would have been killed off, and we would be able to just stroll back and pick up where we left off, tossing zombie corpses into the fires and becoming gentlemen farmers or some such.

No, the zombies came out of hibernation hungrier than ever, and more tenacious than ever, if that was possible. Nate had reported serious attacks on the fence down his way, and I had seen more activity in areas I thought were quiet. It was like the first wave of the virus was the opening salvo, and this increased activity was the second wave, coming forth to wipe out the vestiges of humanity that somehow made it to survive the first.

We had managed to make the move to Leport, the warming weather being a nice change from the cold we had endured. It was nice to be able to open the windows and let in fresh air. Spring was a time of renewed hope, although in our current situation, hope was a dangerous ambition.

We had decided to leave a contingent at the condo complex and I had put the question to everyone as to who wanted to leave and who wanted to stay. Charlie was coming with, Rebecca as well. Sarah and Jake were coming with me, and Jason Coleman, who was recovering nicely from his bullet wounds, along with his wife. Tommy was coming along, and John Reef with his wife, Mary as well. Mark Wells and Teri were leaving, and Stacey Wood, Tommy’s new interest, was coming along too. Duncan decided to stay, likely at Pamela’s urging, as well as the Kowolskis. The Stricklands were staying, as well as most of the women from Pamela’s group.

I was saddened at the prospect of not seeing Duncan for a while, but I understood where he was coming from. Lately he seemed to be needing something in his life, and maybe this was it. We would only be ten miles or so down the road, but that could be a long distance sometimes.

At Tommy’s recommendation, I told the group Duncan was going to be left in charge. Duncan brightened at this, and I thought I saw the smug smile on Pamela’s face replaced by a serious look when she made eye contact with Sarah. I made a mental note to once again ask Sarah what she had said to Pamela that one time.

Goodbyes were difficult and bittersweet, with a lot of ‘Good Luck’ on both sides. I took Duncan aside and gave him his standing orders.

“Nate pushed to the river and left behind a secured area. We pushed to the river and are leaving behind a secure area as well. Nate is coming up to join us in Leport and that will be our permanent home. We will stand there or not at all. We have access to farmland, roads, water and woodlands.” I walked Duncan out to the edge of the parking lot. “I need you to push north, clear the area to the canal, and then head east. Your job is to create a safe corridor for any possible survivors out there to find us. Get them to this road, McCarthy road, or the waterway. Keep the area clear. When you head east, always keep the way clear.”

Duncan nodded then offered his hand. I brushed it aside and wrapped him in a big hug. “Take care of yourself, brother. You’re welcome wherever I live,” I told him.

Duncan smiled. “We’ll see you in a while. And if there’s anyone out there, we’ll find them. Who knows?” he shrugged. “Besides, what could be worse than what we’ve been through?”

I grimaced. “Every time I hear that I feel Karma herself take a serious interest in the proceedings.”

“Ride easy.” Duncan said, slapping me on the shoulder.

We walked back to the vehicles and mounted up. Sarah, Jake and I took the tried and true CR-V, while Charlie and Rebecca followed in the pickup. The rest of the group was in various vehicles, but all of them capable of off-roading if needed. We had found additional vehicles to leave behind for Duncan and his crew, and we were leaving the snow plow with him as well. I had other ideas for Leport, and the snow plow wasn’t needed.

We headed out and rolled down the road, moving towards what I hoped would be our permanent home. I smiled over at Sarah, and she returned the smile, giving my hand a squeeze. She and I had gotten even closer in the past couple of weeks, ever since her abduction at the hands of psychotic teens and subsequent rescue. I will admit something had been building between us for some time, but it took the possibility of losing her that caused me to finally make my feelings known. That was the plus side. On the down side, there was now another person in my life I cared a great deal for, and I had to make sure they both were safe. Up side of that, I would fight even harder to make this a safe place for them.

We moved at a decent clip, making our way once again into Leport. We had spent the last week moving our supplies and gear into the old school. It was as secure as a place as I could find, being on top of a hill and overlooking the river. It was an older building, built back when they took pride in their schools and built them to last. The doors and windows on the first floor had been secured with iron grates, and the heavy doors would be effective barriers if needed. It would only be a temporary place until homes were secured, then it would resume its duties as a school.

The areas surrounding the road seemed peaceful, the only reminder that things were out of kilter were the skeletal remains of homes we had torched. I passed by the burned-out remains of the estate home we had visited earlier, and I felt another pang of sadness as I remembered what that escapade had cost us. Jake rode alone in the back seat, sitting forward like a big boy these days, but even his little voice couldn’t make me forget we were supposed to have another passenger.

Moving slowly through a wooded section of the road, I saw shades of green poking its way into view. I also saw ghostly shapes moving erratically, stumbling over vegetation and hidden pitfalls. A flash in the rear view mirror let me know that Charlie had seen them as well. I stopped the car and got out of the driver’s seat, opening the back door and picking up my rifle off the floor. Jake waved his arms at me and opened his mouth to give me a squeak of greeting. God, I loved that little guy.

Sarah called out of the car. “What are you doing? Those guys aren’t any danger to us.”

I shrugged. “Something is bugging my spider sense. I want to check this out.” I moved back to Charlie’s vehicle and Sarah got out of her side and got into the driver’s seat. I could hear her talking to Jake as I approached Charlie’s truck. “Hi big guy!” That wasn’t for me.

Charlie rolled his window down and looked at me quizzically. “Any real reason why we should care about those Z’s?”

“None that I can think of, just a feeling I have.” I replied, keeping an eye on our friends who had now seen our convoy and me walking, and were desperately trying to get through the brush in our direction. They weren’t having much success, as their tattered clothing got caught on nearly everything and spun them every which way. Eventually they would reach us, but it would be a minute.

Charlie got out of the truck, Rebecca sliding over to the driver’s seat as she had seen Sarah. He reached into the back seat for his gun and said simply “Good enough for me.”

We checked our guns and clicked off the safeties, the chambers already having rounds in them. We moved towards the woods, spreading out to take one zombie each. Mine was a man about my age, completely missing his shirt and major portions of skin. His face was badly decomposed, and I realized the winter had actually preserved these things. His grey skin was pulled back from his face, giving him a skeletal look. His head flopped as he came nearer, and I couldn’t figure out why. But his eyes were locked firmly on me and I believe I actually had a look into the hunger driving these creatures. It was a desperate look, a mindless look, a look that lacked intelligence but was full of purpose.