Torn Apart (Book 1): Terror In Texas (23 page)

Before Liz could act, Harry cleaved the man’s head open. Harry caught her by her arm and held her still for a moment. “You okay?”

“Yeah. I could have finished the job.” Liz responded. “It’s just...well.” Finally, she shrugged and fell silent.

John caught up just as they jogged through the garden center. “That was ugly. I had to take out the cashier in the break room.” John caught up and continued. “Her legs below the knees were eaten clear to the bone. The rest of her was big as a brood sow carrying a litter.”

Harry glanced over his shoulder at John and commented. “Better pick up the pace, old man. Customer service is heading our way.”

Harry hopped on his bike and pulled Liz up behind him then cranked the engine. He eased forward while John got his bike started and began moving. They put helmets on and led a following of infected as they pulled away. After the first two blocks, they lost sight of their pursuers when they turned around a corner and made their way back out on a main street heading back through town.

“Keep an eye out for a place to pick up some guns,” Harry ordered.

Steve debated about removing his prosthetics, but in the end didn’t trust the safety of the barn enough to make himself that vulnerable. The barn was sweltering despite the sun setting. Della and the girls pulled bedding from the camper to take advantage of a hint of a breeze.

Jimmy and Zack arranged bales of hay at the back of the camper as makeshift beds. Della and the girls cleaned up from their meal then spread bedding on the bales. They sat around the dim glow of the lamp speaking softly.

Martha glanced over her shoulder at Steve and Zack working on the van. “Why do we have to stay here? There’re people over there. They have lights and running water.”

Della sighed. “We don’t know who they are.”

“Why does it matter? People are people.” Martha argued.

Della stood up and looked down at Martha. “You need to understand the world is different than it was. There’s no one left from the military base to contain the infection. Not everyone will be out here helping each other. We can’t take a chance.”

Martha eyes filled with unshed tears. “Mathew was on the base.”

“I’m sorry,” Della whispered. “But we have to be realistic.”

Martha jumped to her feet and ran to the ladder leading up to the hayloft. She scrambled up and when Jimmy started to follow, she turned a screamed. “All of you! Just leave me alone.”

They could all hear her crying in the dark. Finally, Della asked. “Who is Mathew?”

Sandy answered. “Her fiancé. They just got engaged last week.”

Martha refused to come down from the loft despite attempts at talking to her by both Jimmy and Della. Cloaked in the gloom of the barn and with only the sound of Martha’s muffled sobs overhead, Steve and Zack went back to the van and began the task of removing the wheelchair ramp.

“Damned thing is just too slow. Besides, using a wheelchair is a death warrant now.” Steve commented.

Zack opened the toolbox and found wrenches. After looking around, he pulled out two pins that anchored the aluminum ramp extension to the lift mechanism. Once the extension section was out of the way, Zack held up his hand. He used a flashlight to look under the van, around the floor by the door and then back under the van again.

Finally, he stood grinning at Steve. “This won’t be bad as I thought. The unit is designed to fit in the van without modifying the vehicle. I think we can remove the rest of the unit by taking off two plates on the undercarriage and then the assembly at the door.”

Steve and Zack worked late into the night disassembling the hydraulic system from the van. It was a tough job with the limited tools available. After a brief discussion, they left the electronic close mechanism on the side door but disconnecting the safety that would cause the door to reopen if obstructed.

“A punch of the button and it’ll close, no matter what,” Steve warned as he glanced toward the hay loft. “I hope she’s alright.”

Zack glanced toward the loft. “I guess she hadn’t figured it out.”

“It may be a while before any of us know about families if ever.” Steve wiped moisture from his face with a rag and shrugged. “Time to get some rest. We need to get outta here first thing in the morning.” He glanced toward the back of the barn. “I think I heard screams a few minutes ago from the buildings back there.”

Zack shrugged. “I’ll wake Jimmy and he can keep an eye on them.”

Steve nodded and went to lie down on a couple bales of hay. “Tell him to wake us if any lights head this way. Otherwise, stay in the barn.”

The first rays of sunlight turned the darkened interior of the barn into a gray gloom. Della and Steve were the first to wake. When Jimmy heard the conversation near the camper, he came down from the back of the loft to speak to Steve.

Jimmy whispered. “It’s quiet now, but people were screaming and crying over there last night. I told Della and she found binoculars and I saw they have guards posted that don’t look real friendly. Something isn’t right over there.”

Steve nodded. “Then we need to get out of here. Go wake up Martha then get down here. We leave in fifteen minutes.”

Della rousted Sandy with a gentle nudge. “Get up and pack up as quickly as possible. Be very quiet.”

Suddenly Jimmy scurried down the ladder gasping for breath. “There!” He pointed up to the open door at the apex of the roof. With the fading of night and the glow of dawn dawning, they all could see the silhouette of a body hanging from a rope. The rays of the rising sun glistened off Martha’s copper hair. Her body moved with the slight breeze of morning.

Della yelped then slapped her hand over her mouth. “Oh my God...oh my God.” She whispered under her breath.

Sandy looked up and screamed. The sound shattered the quiet of dawn with a long piercing shriek. She kept up the screech until Zack slapped his hand over her mouth and pulled her into his arms. There was no way the sound could be mistaken for an animal.

“Shit!” Steve cursed.

“You have to be quiet,” Zack whispered. “Please, Sandy. You have to be quiet.”

“Do you think they heard?” Della whispered.

“We can’t wait to see. Throw what you can in the van.” Steve ordered. “Zack, get Sandy in then help Jimmy, open the door!”

Della balled up bedding and threw it in the back of the van. Steve threw camp supplies on a blanket and gathered up the corners into a knot. He pulled the bundle toward the van while Zack pushed Sandy inside and into a seat. Once Zack had belted her in, he pulled the bundle from Steve and then went back to the camper to pick up the last box of supplies.

Zack shoved the blanket full of provisions inside the van and called out as he lumbered off toward the door. “I got it. Come on Della!”

Della jumped into the passenger seat.

Zack and Jimmy raised the board from the door and Zack tossed it aside. Jimmy pushed against the right door and Zack took on the left. Jimmy’s door pushed open easily enough until it caught on a clump of weeds. Jimmy struggled a moment, then a splinter of wood whizzed past his face. The rifle report echoed as the sound of the van engine roared to life.  Light streamed in the open barn from the back of the structure as a door was opened.

Zack charged against the left side door and slammed it back against the wall. Steve accelerated toward the door as Zack ran across the entrance to help Jimmy. The doo lodged open and they turned toward approaching van.

The front of the vehicle reached the entrance and Steve slowed enough for Zack to dive into the van with Jimmy close on his heels.

Zack turned to pull Jimmy into the van. With a determined grimace, Jimmy reached out and raised his right foot to leap. Zack grabbed his out-stretched hand just as Jimmy stumbled. His left foot was anchored to the ground, caught on something. He yelped and looked back to see a beaten and bludgeoned infected woman clutching his leg.

Zack called out. “I got ya’” Zack wrapped his massive hand around Jimmy’s right wrist and pulled. “I won’t let go.”

Jimmy fell to the ground with Zack still clinging to his wrist. He kicked at the claw-like hand still clinging to his pants while being drug along.

“Stop!” Della screamed. “Oh God!”

The ping of a bullet hitting metal and report of a rifle echoed from the back of the barn. Three men clambered over the pile of hay bales with raised rifles.

Steve slammed on the breaks and stuck the handgun out the side window. He squeezed off three quick shots at the men.

“Get in here now! We gotta go!” Steve yelled as he slammed on the breaks.

Another shot rang out. The bullet clanged off the back bumper of the van. Steve returned fire again.

Zack jumped from the van with a stainless steel rod clutched in his hand. He slammed the knee joint down on the head of the woman then pulled Jimmy to his feet. He pushed Jimmy toward the open door.

“Go, Jimmy!” Zack yelled.

Jimmy jumped into the van. He stepped aside and Zack lunged for the door. He rolled to the side and pulled his feet inside just as Jimmy slammed the red button.

“Go!” Yelled Jimmy.

Steve slammed his hand on the accelerator as he fired three more shots toward the barn. The door slid closed and they lost sight of the barn as they turned the first curve. Steve battled the van to keep it on the narrow path as they raced away from the outbuilding.

Della turned to the trio in the back seat. “Are you three, okay? Are you hurt Jimmy?”

Jimmy laughed nervously. “That was intense. I’m fine, though.” He got to his feet and pushed the bundle of supplies toward the back of the van. He finally settled on an upturned crate.

“Intense. Are you fucking crazy?” Zack asked. “That infected bitch tried to eat you.” He got to his feet and duck walked backed to settle in the seat next to Sandy where she sat whimpering.

Steve sighed. “We have to be a lot more careful from now on.” He sent the van through the weeds and overgrown fence rows.

“Why were they shooting at us?” Della asked.

Steve sighed. “My guess is the dead girl had something to do with it? They were doing some things that they didn’t want anyone else to see.”

“But we didn’t see anything.” Della protested.

“Do you want to go back and tell them that?” Steve asked with a sigh of frustration. “Things are different now. We have to be careful even with people that are not infected.”

The van grew quiet as everyone contemplated Steve’s words. He guided the van onto the blacktop and headed north.

Sandy whispered. “What happens if they follow us?”

They wrapped the body of the infected child in a garment bag and laid it in the back of the Humvee. Matt looked at Jenkins then back at Pierce.

“You have to let me come with you. I don’t want the kids to see me turn like the others.” Piece demanded. “You know that’s what’s going to happen.”

Finally, Matt gave a quick nod. “I know.” He whispered. The implication was not lost on anyone.

He turned to Larry and the soldiers to be left behind. “No more accidents. Work in pairs or small groups, one person with a gun out and ready at all times. Double check all the buildings including the out building down by the lake. Set up the recreation center to bed down the kids. Close off the outside entrances to the restrooms. They can stay open during the day, but I want the camp buttoned down by dark. Two men on the gate.”

Larry made a careless salute. “Got it. No worries.”

He turned to Jake and Jenkins. “Let’s go.”

When he looked at Pierce, he saw she was sweating profusely. He had not seen early signs or symptoms so he had no idea how quickly the changes were occurring. Her complexion had grown synodic. Her lips were dusky and dark circles under her eyes had developed. The whites of her eyes turned blood red and the color of the iris had started to fade.

Pierce nodded. “I don’t think I have much time.”

As she walked toward the Humvee, she began removing items from her pocket and passing them to the soldiers walking beside her. She removed her gun belt and pulled off her vest then stripped down to her t-shirt. By the time she got to the Humvee, she no longer wore the trappings of a soldier. She wore only camouflage cargo pants and a t-shirt.

She pulled a necklace with a cross over her head and held it out to Jenkins. “It’s my mother’s. I want you to have it.”

“I can’t take that.” He protested.

“Then give it to Lawson when she gets over this shit about blaming herself. This was no one’s fault. You have to make her see that.” Pierce responded.

Jenkins nodded then stuck the jewelry in a pocket and sealed the Velcro tab.

Matt, Jake, Jenkins, Pierce, and another soldier by the name of Ramirez got in the Humvee. Pierce settled in the middle of the back seat and began unlacing her boots.

“What are you doing?” Ramirez asked.

“That pregnant woman can use them. I saw she had on sandals.” She sighed. “Can you beat that?” Pierce gave a rasping chuckle. “It’s the end of the world and she’s wearing designer sandals.” She handed the boots to Ramirez.

No one answered and she poked at Jenkins. “Lighten up guys. We saved those kids. I figured we were all dead three days ago when Bishop rammed the Stryker into the ditch. I got a reprieve. Reprieve is over.”

Pierce leaned over to wave at the gathering of soldiers. They quickly came to attention and saluted. Matt guided the Humvee through the gate and saw Pierce wave through the open window at the two soldiers standing guard. He slowed.

“You boys, take care.” She called out.

“God speed, Pierce.” One of the men whispered.

“Bye, Pierce.” The other choked out.

The faces of both men tightened around the mouth as they raised their hands to salute. Their eyes followed the Humvee as they secured the gate and the vehicle drove away.

Pierce groaned. “This hurts like hell.” She pressed both hands to her head. “We need to get this show on the road, guys.”

Matt accelerated around the corner and onto the highway. Trees flew past, as they raced toward Martinsville. Minutes ticked by while Pierce’s breath grew ragged and she groaned.

“Stop!” She moaned. “I can’t stand it anymore. My insides are on fire and my head feels like it’s going to explode.”

Matt slowed and eased the Humvee off the road under a huge live oak. All four men jumped out, Jenkins reaching back to help Pierce slide across the seat. She struggled to stand, but her legs could barely support her weight.

Jenkins and Ramirez draped Pierce’s arms over their shoulders and wrapped their arms around her waist. They carried her across the grass and spring bluebonnets on the roadside to the edge of a deep ravine overlooking a small winding creek.

The forested hill country lay ahead of them in all its rugged and vibrant beauty. Longhorn cattle wandered a meadow bright with wild flowers on the far side of the creek. Houses in the distance gleamed white and pristine as if they could not be touched by the ugliness of the world when the dead rose up to devour the living.

Matt walked up to the trio and looked at the glory of Lady Bird’s beautification project. Lady Bird Johnson would always be remembered for seeding Texas roadways with native wildflowers. Those same wildflowers spread to meadows and pastures resulting in collages of colors for all to enjoy.

Jenkins fell to his knees in front of Pierce. “God, I’m sorry. If I could....”

She laid her hand on the side of his face. “I know.” She smiled at him. “I guess I shouldn’t have held out so long.” She sighed deeply. “You need to go now.”

He opened his mouth to protest, but Pierce shook her head. “No. You go. I won’t have this on your conscience.” She turned to Matt. “I just want to enjoy the view a few minutes longer.”

Jake and Ramirez grabbed at Jenkins’ arms but he shook them off. He slowly raised his hand in salute as tears glistened in the afternoon sun. Jake and Ramirez followed suit. With a nod from Pierce, they turned and walked to the Humvee.

Matt stepped behind Piece and quietly pulled his handgun. “I don’t even know your first name.”

Pierce stared out over the river and shrugged. “Sallie. Can you believe it? I was named after a grandmother I never had a chance to even meet.” She struggled to take a breath then continued. “I hope she’s there when I cross over.”

“I’m sure she will be.” Matt answered. He fired and Sallie Pierce slumped to the ground. “Sorry, Sallie.”

Jake walked past Matt with the child wrapped in the garment bag. He laid the small body next to Sally Pierce. Together they stood looking at the bodies.

Finally, Jake asked. “Should we try to bury them?”

“We can’t. We don’t have time. It’s nearly three and we have to get supplies for thirty people and get back to make sure we’re buttoned down for the night. Matt turned and headed back to the Humvee.” Matt walked to Pierce and straightened her limbs and slid his hand over her eyes closing them. He covered the bodies with a tarp then turned and headed for the Humvee.

Jake followed. When he caught up with Matt and spoke softly. “That was bad.”

“It’ll be with me for a while.” Matt answered. When they got in the vehicle he continued. “A long while.”

Jenkins was quiet for the remainder of the ride to Martinsville. When they got to the edge of town, he finally spoke. “She was as good a soldier as any of them.”

Matt nodded. “She died like a soldier.”

“Dead is dead.” Jenkins’ face mirrored his distress. “She should have been home having babies or some shit like that.”

“She had a better chance of surviving this as a soldier than as Suzie-homemaker.” Jake responded. “It was just bad luck that infected kid got in the luggage compartment. Not the kid’s and definitely not Pierce’s fault.”

Jenkins shrugged. “It still sucks.”

Everyone fell silent until they saw a sign announcing a discount store in town.

Matt announced. “First thing we need to find is a truck or oversized van. It needs to be big enough to stock up for more than a couple days at a time.”

“What about a rental lot like U-Haul? Keys would be on-site and we’d have a pretty good choice of sizes.” Jenkins answered.

“That sounds like a plan,” Matt answered. “Probably sooner rather than later.”

The Humvee got to the edge of town and the first retail business park included a small storefront advertising: veterinary services, a dry cleaner, a tax office and sports supply center. Matt slowed to examine the businesses then suddenly stopped in front of the sports store when he saw the advertisement for school soccer supplies.

“What are you stopping here for?” Jenkins asked.

Matt jerked a thumb toward the business and grinned. “Kid’s clothes. There wasn’t much in the luggage for the kids. This is single stop shopping, should be a lot of shorts and t-shirts, warm-up sweatshirts and pants.”

Jake laughed. “Sounds like a plan. All we’ll need later is underclothes, shoes, and socks.”

Matt backed up to the door. The four men stepped from the vehicle. The others watched the street and area around the strip center while Matt tapped on the glass. When he heard nothing, he turned to one of the soldiers.

“Ramirez, watch our backs. Anything at all looks bad, give us a holler.”

When he found the door locked, Jake slid a crowbar between the door lock plate and jam. He leaned his weight into the bar and pushed the door from the jam and facing. The door popped open. Matt, Jake, and Jenkins stepped into the gloom.

Matt made his way toward the back of the store and found the office. Inside, he picked up the local yellow pages. He found pages for a city map, and located a listing for truck rentals. He folded the phone book and stuck it into his back pocket.

Jake and Jenkins found garbage bags under a counter and began sweeping clothes off shelves into the bags.

Matt walked to the back of the store to a door that sported a sign identifying it as a stockroom. He knocked on the door. When there was no sound from within, he opened the door a crack and peeked inside. The store room wasn’t as full as he had hoped, but he found several boxes of children’s sweat pants and shirts.

With his arms full of clothes, he stepped back into the storefront and found both Jenkins and Jake stuffing bags with clothes. Matt opened a bag and dropped his armful of clothes into the plastic bag then carried two more bags into the storeroom and filled them with sweatshirts and sweatpants.

He stepped into the front room and cross the room to drop his bags by the front door. “Lets’ get moving.” He looked out the window.

Ramirez was looking off into the distance, his face reflecting the concern. Obviously not getting a clear enough view, he stepped on the bumper of the Humvee. A moment later, he dropped to the ground and bolted toward the door.

Matt stepped out to meet him. “What is it?”

“It’s a military convoy with three Strykers. If it’s Bishop, he’ll try to take us out!” Ramirez declared.

Matt stuck his head back in the store. “We gotta leave now guys. Trouble headed our way!”

They tossed bags into the back of the Humvee and Matt guided the vehicle out onto the street. A few minutes later he turned down an alley then circled around a paint store and pulled behind a garage. He killed the engine and watched the alley entrance. Three infected on the street turned and headed toward the alley.

“Fuck!” Matt cursed.

“I got this.” Ramirez chuckled. “These fucks are really stupid.”

Ramirez eased the back door open and stepped out on the pavement. As he walked to the alley entrance, he pulled a slingshot from his pocket and slid a metal ball into the leather patch. He pulled back on the sling, aimed and released. A glass window nearly half a block away shattered. The trio of infected turned in mass and stumbled back toward the distant storefront.

“Long as they don’t catch a whiff of us, we’re good.” Ramirez hustled back to the Humvee as the roar of the convoy grew louder.

Matt pointed toward the corner of the building and they watched the convoy’s approach. The convoy was moving fast, crushing any of the infected that stumbled into their way. They barreled through town and past the garage without slowing.

“Where in the fuck are they heading at that speed?” Jake asked.

Matt picked up the radio and began scanning channels. After nearly a minute, garbled voices demanded. “Stop! Return...base...charges...Bishop! Court....” Then the reception dissolved into static.

“Well, that answers a couple questions,” Matt stated. “Bishop has gone rogue. He’s going to shoot anything in uniform.”

“Can we hook up with regular military?” Jenkins asked.

Matt shrugged. “I don’t know how. The reception is sketchy at best. We don’t dare transmit. Bishop can hear any channel the military is using. They could be anywhere up to twenty miles away. We can’t load up the kids and start driving around the country looking for an FOB. Not with Bishop going out there shooting at anything military.”

Jenkins nodded. “We have a pretty good setup at the campgrounds. It’s a lot more secure than that damned park Bishop stopped at. Our asses were left hanging out for anything that came down the highway.”

“Let’s move out.” Matt pulled the phone book from his pocket. After a quick perusal of the pages, he pointed to a small map of the town at the front of the yellow pages.

“There’s a rental store on the east side of town and a discount store down the street from there judging by the address.”

Matt tossed the phone book on the dash and shifted the Humvee into drive. He pulled out of the alley after a quick glance in the direction Bishop had taken.

Jenkins hooked a thumb toward the back of the vehicle. “We need a cargo van or small moving truck to haul the supplies we’ll need to take care of all those kids. We can only carry enough for a meal or two.”