Brent Acuff - Undead Nation 01 (12 page)

"And where do we go?" Josh shouted. "Fuck that, how the hell do we get there? Have you thought about that? We don't have enough cars to get us anywhere and even if we did, with what you two are telling us, we won't even be able to get out in cars." Josh's eyes were like daggers at Alex. "What's your plan for that genius?"

"Simple," Alex said calmer than anyone would have thought. "We get a truck. A really big truck."

-----

All of the women had been asleep for hours now, too exhausted to even let the sound of nearby zombies keep them awake. Alex, Liam, Sam and Josh, however, had been in a quiet, but very heated discussion about what exactly they were going to do. Josh had stopped trying to convince anyone to stay where they were. Liam had suggested his family's farm in Eustance, TX about eighty miles southeast of Dallas. Even Josh agreed that there was a significant enough distance from any major populated areas to provide them with some form of buffer zone. Provided what Alex was saying was correct.

With the destination agreed upon, the men set about to come up with a plan of how to get there. Of course, no one agreed.

"I don't understand why we can't just get in to a couple of cars and drive there. Nothing is moving on the roads except for the zombies, and they can either be outrun or run over. It's a win-win situation." Josh's attempts at pushing everyone's buttons had subsided, but he still felt the need to try and prove he was right in every decision.

"Are you kidding? Any truck we get into will draw those things from miles around. Get enough of them blocking the road and surrounding the car and you are screwed. Jesus, can't you understand that?" Sam's frustration with Josh was still as strong as it had been hours before. Sam looked on the younger man as a showoff and know-it-all, and Sam could not stand those traits in anyone. Especially when they presented themselves at the same time.

Liam and Alex sat quietly listening to the to men argue back and forth. Or at least, that's what Sam and Josh thought they were doing. In reality, Alex and Liam had already quietly plotted out just how they were going to get out of the city and make their way up north. Their only sticking point was where to find what they were looking for.

"God dammit, boy! You think you know everything don't you." Sam's lost what self control he had remaining and yelled at Josh. "This isn't about you. It is about everyone here. We have to look out for everyone, not just your ass." Josh was also losing his composure for the first time today, his face flushing red and murder flashing in his eyes.

"Listen, old man," the words were spit out with such disdain and contempt that Alex winced. "If you send us out there you are going to get us all killed, and I'll be damned if I let that happen to me and my wife." Both men were looking for a fight and it was only a matter of time before someone started throwing punches if no one stepped in.
 

"Lookin' out for your own ass and don't give a shit about anyone else. That's just what I would expect of a selfish pissant like you!" Spit flew from Sam's lips and he jabbed the air with his finger to drive home his point. Josh jumped up from his seat and drew back his fist to punch Sam. Liam stepped in front of Josh while Alex moved to block Sam.

"Okay, gentlemen," Alex said. "I think that we are all getting just a little worked up here," and Alex gently pushed Sam back down in the chair. "I think that both of you are trying to come up with the best ideas possible, it's just that all of your ideas are shit." Alex spoke casually as if what he were saying was in no way offensive or inflammatory to the situation. "While you two have been bickering and arguing over what we are not going to do, Liam and I have decided the best course of action."

"Sit down, Josh" Liam said to his friend. He was still weak, but was ready to do whatever it took to keep peace among everyone in the room. "Sit down Josh, or I will put you down." Josh snapped his gaze away from Sam and stared hard at Liam. Alex moved to stand just over Liam's left shoulder, prepared to back up his friend if necessary. Josh eased his posture and retreated slightly.

"So this is how it's going to be?" Josh asked as if he had been hurt. "Nothing that I have to say will be considered, it's just up to the three of you."

"Actually, just Liam and I," Alex chimed in.

"Shut up," Josh snapped at Alex. Liam stepped closer to Josh and squared his shoulders to the man.

"Sit down. Sit down now," Liam said, pointing at the chair behind Josh. "Your opinions, both of them, have been heard. And they are both crap. I know where we have to go and Alex knows how to get there. So shut the fuck up before we have an issue here." Josh huffed out a breath and stared each man in the eye before resigning to his seat. He crossed his arms and looked as if he were about to pout.

"So what IS this brilliant plan that the Wonder Twins have devised to get us killed?" Josh's voice contained only sarcasm and a hatred.

"Well, we had only planned for you to get killed..." Liam began. Josh jumped in his seat and Alex put a firm hand on his shoulder to keep him where he was.

"Liam is messing with you, Josh. No one is going to die, not if we all follow through with the plan." Alex could feel Josh's tension ease in his body and took a step back from the man. "Everything has been planned out except for the transportation. At least the major part of the transportation."

Josh looked between the two men standing in front of him. "Just what do you need?" The sarcasm was fading from his voice and he almost sounded as if he were willing to help with the preparation. Liam and Alex looked to one another and smiled.

"Any idea where we can get a semi truck?"

-----

Josh and Sam spent the next forty-five minutes listening to Alex and Liam as they detailed their plan to get everyone to Eustance safely. They would commandeer a semi truck, load everyone in the back of the trailer with enough food, supplies and ammunition to get them to the Beard family farm and, as quickly as the roads would allow, make their way north. A second truck would follow the semi carrying two to three people who would be used to draw off approaching zombies and help to thin out any crowds of gathered dead that would most assuredly mass around the truck. It was the hope that the semi, if driven carefully, would be able to navigate the choked highways by either driving the shoulders and dividers, or gently pushing its way through the mass of cars.

Both Alex and Liam admitted that there were lots of unknown variables that they would probably meet along the way, and hoped and prayed that they would be able to handle anything that cropped up until they could reach the farm. Those who were in the back of the truck would be able to take care of any zombies who might crowd around the back of the truck, and a retaining wall of bags filled with dirt and mud would provide them with added protection and safety. Josh and Sam listened intently for the majority, only interrupting here and there to interject something, ask a question or to get clarification. At the end of the description of what they wanted to do, everyone remained still and quiet for a minute or two, digesting what was said.

Josh broke the silence. "You're going to need more people," he said. "We'll never be able to pull that off with just the eight of us..."

"Nine," Alex interrupted. "Gemma can help."

Josh shook his head, dismissing the idea immediately. "It's all well and good to say that your daughter can help, but this is serious. She'll never be able to perform out there the way that she would have to in order to do any good. I mean no offense, but if you insist on her helping, she will actually do more harm than good. She's just a kid; let her stay that way just a little longer." Alex blushed and started to protest before he stopped himself.

"You're right, Josh. On both accounts. But if we need more people, where do we get them from?" Alex was stumped and honestly did not know what to do next.
 

"Now who's being self centered?" Josh mocked. "There are more people still alive out there than just those of us confined to this house. We advertise, and see what we get. They'll have to provide for themselves and anyone who can't will have to be left here. There's nothing that can be done about that."

"That's not an option and you know it," Sam snapped. "If there are people out there and they want to come, we will take them, no matter how useless you think they may be." Sam's face flared red again, and he was not going to compromise on this.

"We can't save everyone," Liam piped in. "It's just not practical or logical. We can only take those who are going to give something back to the group; not just on the way there, but once we are at the farm. Those without any useful skills will only be a drain..."

"Do you even hear yourself? We are talking about intentionally leaving people here to die..." Alex interrupted his father-in-law.

"It can't be helped," Alex said, again with his matter of fact, this is the way it is tone in his voice. "To save everyone that we come across would do nothing but overburden our resources. Instead of helping them, we would be condemning them to certain death, as well as everyone else who is with us." Alex put his elbows on his knees and leaned forward, staring hard into Sam's eyes. "The great ideals of 'what can you do for your country' are dead. As dead as those things walking around out there. You'll see real quick that everyone is going to be looking out for number one."

As if to accentuate his last statement, the front window exploded in glass shards and a hail of bullets began eating at the wall. The crack and pop of gunfire echoed just outside the house and everyone dived to the floor to escape the death that was flying just over their heads. More glass shattered, this time smaller as if a glass bottle had broken on the floor. Orange flames erupted in the front room of the house from the bottle that had just smashed against the wall.

"Fuck!" Liam shouted and began crawling across the floor towards the kitchen. "Somebody tell the girls to get on the floor and stay in that room." Liam snaked around the corner of the kitchen, moving surprisingly fast for someone who had only hours ago been shot. Sam rolled and crawled towards the back bedroom to take care of the women and Josh and Alex grabbed for the nearest weapon they could find. Josh grabbed his M4 rifle and rolled until his view had cleared the hall corner and he could see into the front yard of the house.

"Shit! There's a whole truck full of them," and Josh squeezed the trigger of his rifle, dropping one of the gunmen who was careless enough to be standing in the open. Liam reappeared from the kitchen, wet towels on his shoulders and two pots filled with water in each hand.

"Cover me!" he yelled as he ducked his head and ran down the hall towards the front of the house. The flames were quickly crawling up to the ceiling and would engulf the house in flames before too much longer. Once Liam passed through Josh's line of fire, the M4 cracked again, followed quickly by two more shots. Alex flattened himself against the wall and steadied his aim before firing is own .22 rifle out the destroyed front window.

Liam ducked behind the front door, just missing the incoming fire from the attackers outside. "When I count to three," Liam shouted back to Josh and Alex, "lay down heavy fire for five seconds. Once you stop, I'm going to douse the flames." Both Alex and Josh nodded once to indicate they had understood. "One...two...three!"

Both Alex and Josh pulled the triggers of their rifles as quickly as they could, emptying their rifles of their ammunition. When the rifles clicked empty, Liam jumped up from his position and threw both pots of water on the rising fire. The flames sputtered and Liam again threw himself back against the front door. Taking the wet towels from his shoulders, Liam proceeded to pinpoint the small pockets of flame still clinging to the wall. With pinpoint accuracy he was able to knock out most of the remaining flames.
 

The gunfire from outside increased and Liam had to crouch into a corner and cover his head from the flying debris. A bullet struck the wall just above Josh's head. "The fire's out," Liam yelled. "Get me out of here!" Alex and Josh let loose another volley of heavy gunfire as Liam raced back up the hallway, hugging the wall to provide the lowest profile possible. Their guns clicked empty just as Liam was about to cross their one of fire. "The fire's out," Liam repeated over the sound of the guns outside. "Now what do we do?"

Alex shoved the rifle he had been holding into Liam's hands. "Keep them busy," he said and rounded the corner into the next room. Alex grabbed Liam's Kel-Tec Sub 2000 9mm rifle from the room and as many magazines as he could stick in his pockets. Then Alex headed into the garage.
 

A moment later Liam and Josh could hear the attic stairs being lowered followed by footsteps in the attic. The sound of a circular saw buzzed to life above them. 
 

"What the hell is he doing?" Josh asked between shots of his M4.
 

"Beats me," Liam replied, just as confused as Josh was. Thirty seconds later and the sound of something heavy slammed to the rafters in the attic. "Hey Alex," Liam yelled, "I don't think destroying my house is going to make them leave!" Footsteps pounded across the rooftop and the sound of a 9mm rifle rang out from above.
 

The attackers outside were thrown into confusion and chaos as Alex rained down pinpoint accurate fire on them. The laser sight on the Kel-Tec Subcompact and his vantage point from the roofline gave Alex an overwhelming advantage against the men in their trucks outside. And in the darkness, hidden below the roofline, the attackers could not locate him. Alex shot five out of the eight remaining men before the wounded and dead were abandoned by the others in their hurry to flee. Alex remained at guard on the rooftop for another four or five minutes before relaxing his attention. The moans of the walking dead could be heard in the near distance, and the sounds were getting closer.
 

"You didn't have to try and cut down my house, man" Alex looked back to see Liam with his head poking out through the hole in his roof that Alex had just cut.