Alaskan Undead Apocalypse (Book 4): Resolution (46 page)

Cody became aware of how out of breath and
lightheaded he had become, and sat down inside the truck. He
wondered what had happened to the other men. Why would they have
abandoned their vehicle?

He didn’t have time to consider any of it.
He could hear the creatures now. They were only a few steps away.
He pulled the gearshift down and pressed the accelerator. As the
truck veered away, Cody could see that there were others already in
front of him. Crowds of the walking dead staggered forward toward
the opening at the far end of the tunnel.

He felt safer and more hopeful now, but a
nagging wooziness wouldn’t let go of his mind. Keeping his eyes
open was becoming more and more of a challenge. When his lids did
finally close and refuse to reopen, he was completely unaware.

The truck crashed into a concrete barrier at
the end of the tunnel, spinning to a rest. The impact against the
wall caused the horn to raise its claxon voice without end.

The blaring car horn served as a beacon for
the amassed horde on the far side of the mountain. It called to
them like a dinner bell and drew them into and through the
tunnel.

Neil couldn’t believe he had been talked
into it, but there he was riding back into Whittier in William’s
Serenity. The whale road that they traveled was rough but not
threatening to anything but Neil’s mood and confidence. The weather
had cleared after the snowfall, though the skies were still somber
and gray.

They passed a few rocky promontories rising
up from the cold, watery depths below. The mossy piles of rocks
were like inhospitable islands populated only by hardy birds.
Perched in the countless sheltered pits in the aquatic boulders,
the birds were oblivious to the elements. Neil couldn’t take his
eyes from the feathered critters as the boat passed them, a brave
few rising up against the raging elements only to return again to
their sanctuary.

The beautiful boat skipped along the
white-capped surface, rising and falling into some of the troughs
created between waves. His familiarity with the personality of the
local waters helped William to pick and choose the paths between
Shotgun Cove and Whittier Harbor.

When Neil decided to go out on the boat’s
aft deck, he was surprised to find that ice had started to form on
the railing and other exposed surfaces. Neil was afraid that if he
stood in one place for too long, the ice might form on him too.

The cold air against his face helped him to
focus. And focus was what he needed. He had chosen not to be a part
of any planning and now found himself at the mercy of plans made by
others.

Apparently much of the discussion while Neil
slept was introduced by Jess. She suggested that perhaps they
should use William’s boat, while they were still able given the
approaching weather, to explore other areas away from Shotgun Cove.
She reasoned that maybe there were still people elsewhere and the
boat made it much easier to get into and out of places.

Everyone knew Jess’ ultimate reason for the
suggestion. Her daughter, she believed, was still out there
somewhere. If she could convince them to take to the water, then
maybe she could get closer to finding her daughter. When pressed by
the others for her true intention, Jess was unabashedly honest. She
fully admitted to wanting to eventually use the boat to find Syd.
For now, however, she attested that it was simple practicality.

Surprisingly, both Emma and William agreed
with Jess. William did so because he was more comfortable on the
water than on land. He felt that perhaps it was in this way that he
could contribute. He could lead them to fish or steer them to...
anywhere the tide cared to carry them.

Emma agreed based upon much deeper,
resonating sentiments and emotions. She was tired of running. She
was through with the fear and the doubt. They could be much more
aggressive from the water and reach further. From the water, maybe
they could start striking back. They might stand a chance of
reclaiming some of what had been lost. There was a not too subtle
growl lurking behind all of what she had said and all of them could
sense it.

Danielle, needing a supply of insulin in
order to avoid all the complications up to and including death,
reluctantly agreed as well. Danielle had absolutely no interest in
venturing back into the hell the world had become despite her own
pressing need. Her own limited experiences in the land of the dead
had convinced her she needn’t frequent those festering
neighborhoods ever again. Danielle was also a realist and knew that
she above all the others would need supplies that could only be
gathered from the former places of men, and she was unwilling to
lay that burden on others’ shoulders. She could and would do her
part given her need.

Neil could think of a thousand reasons why
he wouldn’t have chosen to leave William’s well-stocked, warm, dry,
and isolated lodge. Before he could offer any protest, however,
Neil listened to a quiet voice in his head, which suggested that he
should listen to others’ ideas. The voice was accompanied by a
somber parade of faces of those who had died as a result of Neil’s
ideas. The sorrowful procession of memories ended poignantly with
Meghan’s empty death smile looking up at him as he placed the last
stone over her body.

At that moment, Neil decided he would just
release control and go with the flow. Using the time to his own
personal advantage, he retreated to an upstairs bathroom to shower.
Everyone noted his silent departure from the table as the
discussion went on.

He couldn’t remember the last time he had
felt anything so glorious. The hot water was as scintillating a
sensation as he had experienced in his entire life. It was as if
every nerve in his body was stimulated simultaneously. The first
burst of hot water took away his breath and his vision went dark
for a moment. And in that darkness, all of the pleasure of the
moment faded into the building guilt he was feeling for his
joy.

His stomach turned over on itself and his
shoulders felt like he had traded places with Atlas. He spent
several stunned minutes letting the water spray against his face
and trail down his body.

He was no more animated than a zombie as he
stood there and would likely have stayed that way for much longer
had Jerry not interrupted him.

“Everything okay, Neil?”

Jogged from his stupor and realizing the
water was cooling precipitously, Neil turned off the tap and looked
out from behind the flowery yellow shower curtain.

“Emma made me come ask about you,” Jerry
said.

Feeling somewhat refreshed, if not
completely at peace, Neil nodded and caught the towel Jerry threw
to him. “I’m good. I’ll be out in a minute. What’s the plan?”

Closing the door and talking to Neil through
it, Jerry answered, “As soon as you’re ready to go I think we are
going to go into Whittier Harbor. Emma thought that maybe we could
go check out the cruise ship for supplies. Kind of like a test. We
figure that most of the people on board probably were in Whittier
when all hell broke loose. There might even be people still alive
on the ship. It has food and its own power source. We might just
luck out and find some help.”

Neil’s first instinct was to point out why
he thought it was a bad idea, but he stifled it and said, “Good.
Who’s going?”

Neil walked back into the cabin, his
thoughts more clear, and assessed his companions. William was at
the helm, which resembled a combination of an aircraft’s cockpit
and an automobile’s driver seat. There were dials aplenty, knobs,
buttons, a silent radio, a beeping depth finder, and a steering
wheel.

Sitting near to William’s partially
partitioned perch, Jess was poring over some of the nautical maps
now at her disposal. Her eyes were focused and her forehead was
furrowed in concentration as she ran her finger over the contours
of the charts. She quietly asked William a question, and he pointed
to something in the distance as an answer.

Emma was cleaning one of her pistols and had
parts scattered in front of her on a white hand towel. She used a
fine brush to wipe away dirt particles and bits of unwanted grease.
Her pistols and the assault rifle leaning next to her had become
absolute necessities to her survival, so she spent the time
required whenever it was allotted to her to care for her
firearms.

She smiled at Neil when he walked over to
them, leaning into the cabin’s wall to steady himself against the
rough current. He sat down next to his friend at the table. “It’s
still cold outside...if you were wondering.”

Emma feigned disappointment. “Damn. William,
you said you were taking us to Hawaii. Neil says that it’s still
cold outside. What the hell?”

“We’re coming into the harbor now,” William
said. “You should probably put your pistol back together. You may
need it.”

The city of Whittier gradually came into
view on their left. Whittier was no longer dormant. Even from this
distance, they could all see that there was more movement in the
diminutive community. Whittier looked to be infested with hundreds
of the agitated demons wandering the streets. Something had stirred
up this undead hornets’ nest. Neil suspected that their foray into
Whittier a few days earlier may be to blame. Regardless,

Their destination, the cruise ship anchored
in the deeper water offshore, awaited them to their front. Though
not as large as its more robust cousins that traveled the world’s
sea-lanes, this particular model was still impressive given its
proximity to the much smaller craft anchored in the harbor.

As they approached the bigger ship,
everyone’s anxiety rose. Doubt crept into William’s, Jess’, and
Emma’s otherwise steadfast resolve. Using a pair of binoculars
given to him by William, Neil scanned the ship’s deck but didn’t
see anything. There was no movement, not even a breeze-stirred
windsock or flag fluttered. He would have been more satisfied had
he seen the ship was crewed by the undead. At least he would have
known what to expect. He swallowed his doubt and worry, trying to
trust his friends’ judgment despite his misgivings.

William slowed
Serenity
to a crawl and pulled alongside a retractable
gangway that still reached down to the waterline. Trying to retain
a business as usual facade in his actions, William exited
Serenity’s
cabin and tied her to the
gangway. Emma followed William onto the deck and kept watch.
Nothing was moving about on the ship, but they all knew better than
to assume the ship would be clear of zombies.

Neil and Jess joined Emma and William on the
Serenity’s
deck where they shared a final
quiet moment.

“No one is ever alone,” Neil said. “We don’t
carry any more than we can handle and still move easily. Staying
alive is a hell of a lot more important than anything we might be
able to grab. We’re not here to clear out the ship. We’re just here
to look around and see if it’s even possible. If it looks like it’s
too hairy, we get outta Dodge quick. Understood?”

Everyone nodded. Jess and Emma were relieved
to hear Neil shift back into his leadership role. Things tended to
go better when he was in charge.

They climbed up the slick gangway slowly,
feeling watched the entire time.

Carter was standing in the Inn at Whittier’s
dining room staring out at the harbor when something exceptional
drew his attention. He could have sworn that he saw people...real
live people, running onto the derelict cruise ship. There were at
least five of them and they were armed. They’d have to be to
consider going onto that ship.

They were out of sight before Carter could
grab a pair of binoculars. That was okay. They’d have to come back
the way they entered. That was, of course, if they came back at
all. Carter couldn’t think of any good reasons to go down that
path, and yet there they went.

He was temporarily distracted from his
viewing by the sound of shouting coming from the front of the Inn.
He would have to return to his vigil later. Hopefully, the party of
strangers wouldn’t be on their way before he was able to return. He
entertained the thought of ignoring the shouts but thought better
of it when they grew louder and more insistent.

“Goddamnit,” Carter snarled, stepping away
from the window.

The Colonel was already standing in the
lobby, his round face glowing red as he struggled to regain his
breath. Seeing the Colonel walking around, Carter was reminded of
just how large of a man he was. Colonel Bear was a mountain unto
himself. He stood at well over six feet and his frame carried the
girth of more than two average-sized adults. He was physically
massive and cast a formidable shadow.

“They’re comin at us!” the monstrous man
roared. “I need you and your men to throw them back into the
night!”

Carter enjoyed it when the Colonel spoke so
dramatically. It reminded Carter of times he had never known but
had only experienced in movies, books, and stories the Colonel told
him. He remembered the Colonel telling him of a great warrior
orator named Pericles. When the Colonel spoke the way he just had,
Carter was reminded of Pericles.

Feeling a surge of confidence and faith in
his leader, Carter said to the Colonel, “I think I may have just
found you some good news.”

“Good,” the Colonel said more calmly. “Then
get this done and come back and tell me.”

Carter saluted and stomped away like a
Titan.

“Not one gets through!” he shouted. “Any man
who doesn’t do his job had better just hope he gets taken down by a
skin because that’ll be better than what I’ll give ya!”