Eaters (Book 2): The Resistance (22 page)

"No matter," Jordan said, crunching on a piece of hard candy as he plopped into a chair. "It's all good."

A little while later when everyone crowded into the living room to eat and chat in small groups, Cheryl still had a burning thirst to know what had happened back at Lobos Mart. "Some of those bodies back at the store…the fresher ones…you think they were gunned down by O.N.E. when they came through here?"

"Probably," Mark said. "I think they were refugees that had holed up in here, defending their food supply."

"There were no guns, so if they had any I assume the perpetrators took them, but…I wonder why they didn’t take the rest of the food."

"Maybe they were planning to come back for it.

"That's not going to help me sleep easier tonight."

"Sorry," she said. "I suppose I should just be thankful for my sugar rush instead of looking for the downside."

Aidan overheard their conversation and it prompted him to start a plan for an overnight guard rotation. Cheryl didn't volunteer this time. She was enjoying her total pig out on sweets and looking forward to a few hours of rest to sleep it off.

A while later, they were still eating and relaxing when the sound of grunting made them pop to attention and grab their guns. There was nervous laughter when they saw the source of the sounds on the far side of the living room.

It turned out that Zach and Diego didn’t need a mess of dumbbells to compete against each other. They'd decided on a
friendly
competition of calisthenics in the living room instead. It turned into a contest of pushups and sit ups. Then, Diego tried to show off by offering to bench press Cheryl, which made her choke on a marshmallow before she politely declined. Zach made a kissy face at Edmond who replied a little less politely that he had no intention of becoming a human barbell.

After a few more minutes of the exercise antics, Aidan spoke for the weary spectators. "Will you two just stop? There's no need to wear yourselves out like that."

"What else is there to do?" Zach whined, obviously reluctant to give up the sport.

"Why don't you just…oh I don't know…get some rest?"

"Uggh! We sat on our butts for too long at Jeremiah's."

That was it
, Cheryl thought
.
Having gotten used to the go-go-go of survival, they were anxious to have a new challenge, something to keep their minds and bodies occupied. That was probably a big part of their artificially maintained rivalry. If they didn’t kill each other in the process, it served a purpose by keeping them sharp.

Later in the evening when they all separated to various parts of the house, Cheryl turned to Mark and said, "Something's strange."

"Hmmm…what's that?"

"We haven't seen a single Eater since we left Sabre."

"That's right. We haven't."

"What do you make of that?"

"Dunno. Guess we should just be thankful."

The
off feeling
she'd had back at Jeremiah's was back. Was it because she just didn't know what to make of a situation where she didn't have to fear for her life every second? Or, was it because they were headed into some new, uncharted territory where the game had changed. She nudged Mark to see if he was still listening. "We shouldn't let our guard down…"

He didn't hear her, because he was already snoring. There were others sawing logs around the house too. Many of the men passed out early, going into a food coma after their feast. She listened, wondering if everyone was asleep now, except for her. When Aidan and Deanna chose the room next to Mark and her, Cheryl winced, knowing it would be a long, uncomfortable night if she heard the two of them knocking boots, bumping against the wall between them. Thankfully, there were snores quickly sounding from that room as well.

In the morning, some were anxious to hit the road, but the majority of them agreed that it was safer to travel by night. Since none of the motorcycles had more than fumes left, it was decided that they should spend the day searching out to the further perimeters of the town to see if they could find some gas. Unfortunately, by late afternoon, all the groups returned empty handed once again. The mood was somber as despair settled over them like a dark cloak.

"We just have to take the bikes as far as we can get then…" Jake said.

Diego threw up his arms with a scowl. "And when we get stranded? What then? There's got to be something else for transportation around here. Hell…I'd rather ride a bicycle up to Utah than walk all the way. I'd rather kick up there on a scooter!"

Cheryl visualized the lot of them riding scooters and skateboards up the highway, kicking off fast with one foot and turning back every few seconds to fire at a horde of Eaters coming up behind them. It would never happen, but the image provided a brief moment of comic relief.

"No," Jake said. "We'd use up too many calories on bicycles, and it would be easier to hide quickly if we were on foot."

"He's right," Aidan agreed. We'll go as far as we can get then wing it from there.

The dissent was immediate.

"This is bullshit!" The old bearded Vulture said. "I say we stay here or we all go back to Jeremiah's."

"We don't have enough gas to get back there."

After a huddle, most of the Vultures decided they were staying put. They refused to leave because of the food supplies still left at Lobos Mart and their feeling that staying in Payson was safer than chancing any better place further north. Only Diego and one of the youngest men decided to venture on.

Aidan didn't argue with those who chose to remain. He simply wished those who were staying
good luck
and began packing his backpack, before giving instructions to the others. "Bring food and drinks, but keep it light; a heavy pack will weigh you down and use more gas."

When the sky grew dark, they gathered on the driveway.

Being as fond of his Harley-Davidson as if it was his child, Diego grumbled the most. "So, what do we do when the motorcycles start stalling? Leave each unlucky bastard behind?"

"No. We stick together no matter what. Once we start having downers and there's not enough gas left to share…we're not going to have any choice but to go on foot."

There was audible distress amongst them at the mere mention of abandoning their motorcycles, but it was tempered by the realization that without fuel, they were useless.

When the splattering of stars was in full view across the sky, they began to ride. Single file, they went, penetrating the darkness. As the cool spring wind caressed her face, there was only one thing for certain on Cheryl's mind:
There be monsters in the land ahead.

She just didn't know if they'd be zombie or human.

Chapter 16

They were hoping to make it to the town of Pine or Strawberry with all motorcycles still running, but their luck ran out. Cheryl's motorcycle was the first to sputter and quit. That meant she and Mark were going to have to split up and hop on the back of one of the other bikes that had an open seat. When Diego offered her a ride, Mark declined the invite for her.

"I'll ride with him," he said. "Why don't you ride with Jake?"

"Okay," she said, feeling more comfortable about riding with Jake because he was Mark's friend and seemed more likely to be a gentleman.

Their riding arrangement didn't last long, though. They were only a few miles further down the road when more engines coughed on empty and petered out. Since there weren't enough open seats for everyone, the hard decision was made to abandon the bikes.

"Let's hide them in the brush," Aidan said, pointing to a copse of shrubs. We'll camouflage them…you know…just in case…"

No one had any optimism that they'd be back through this way in their lifetime, or that the world would revive and gas pumps would flow again, but they complied, because it seemed like a better thing to do than just leave the motorcycles by the side of the road.

And then, they began to walk.

The moon was high above them, lighting their way. They kept a few yards off to the side of the road where they could easily run behind the scrub and duck down if they heard any vehicles coming.

By the time they'd walked an hour, Cheryl didn't have high hopes for their success. Having lost their sails, they no longer looked like a confident group. Instead, this small, mismatched crew of ruffians, former military men, and civilians, hunched over as they walked, carrying their backpacks, sacks of food, and water, looking like a band of bedraggled refugees. And they all knew it was a long, long way to Provo…

After another couple hours of walking, Kai was the first to notice the high beams of headlights behind them. They ran away from the road and ducked down, remaining still and quiet as a caravan of trucks passed. Some of them were the familiar white trucks with the O.N.E. symbol on it and the others had open beds carrying men with automatic rifles. Whatever doubts there were about the group being an organized, militant outfit, vanished once they saw the troops up close.

Once the trucks passed, Jake said, "Maybe we need to stay further off the road."

Everyone agreed that had been too close of a call. So, they waded into the brush, risking tripping over rocks and twisting an ankle rather than being seen.

They hadn't gone more than another quarter mile when a new threat emerged.

At first, the silhouettes looked like a clump of tall cactus. Then, they rose up and spread out into gnarled forms, heads and limbs distinct, making guttural snarls and hissing sounds.

"I guess O.N.E. missed a few," Mark said as they all raised their guns.

Aidan held up a hand. "Wait…there's only three. Let's save bullets."

That seemed to be a cue to Diego and Zach. They both picked up football-sized rocks and move forward to confront the trio. After a couple of kicks to knock down the Eaters down, the men got to work, smashing their heads in like they were in a carnival strongman game.

Zach finished off his monster first and rushed to put down the third, a female zombie with a tattered dress and long hair that was matted with blood.

"Look!" Cheryl said, pointing to the square shape on the side of her head. "She's got the box."

After she was put down, Aidan said, "Maybe it was no accident they were out here. We could be getting close to a O.N.E. camp."

Jake shielded his eyes, looked ahead as if he was peering at something in the distance. "If we are…we don't want to let them see us first. We need to stay quiet and in the shadows. No shooting if we can avoid it."

They hiked for another hour, skirting around a few seemingly abandoned farmhouses, before deciding to rest underneath the branches of some oak trees. They'd only been kicked back for a few minutes when Cheryl felt something tickle her hand, causing her to hop up and scream louder than she'd intended while trying to flick the object off.

"Scorpion!"

While she stomped around on the ground, gesticulating wildly because she wasn't sure if she'd rid herself of the thing, Mark peered down at the ground with a flashlight he'd found at Lobos Mart. "It's only a spider."

She sighed a breath of relief.

"There's another one on your shoulder." He flicked it off before she could scream.

Not ashamed to admit that she was more afraid of creepy crawlies than other dangers, she offered an alternative travel plan a few seconds later after she calmed down. "Since we're away from the road, couldn't we travel by day when it would be easier to spot things like snakes, scorpions, and Eaters? Then, while it's still light out, we could find a house or something where it's safe to spend the night."

There were murmurs of agreement as Deanna and some of the men moved away from the trees, checking their clothing.

Mark shrugged. "I guess we could. As long as it's not too hot, because if it heats up, we'd sweat too much and drink up our water supplies too quickly. What do the rest of you think?"

"I'm in favor," Edmond said first.

The other agreements came in nods and grunts.

Cheryl felt emboldened to make another suggestion. "Okay…that's settled. How about somewhere less spidery to spend the rest of tonight then?"

All were in agreement after Diego flicked a spider off his head with a very girly yelp.

After walking another mile without seeing any sort of building, they found the remnants of a horse corral. They stayed away from the barn and leaned against the fence posts where the brush was sparse enough to prevent too many insects from hanging out.

When dawn came, they scattered in different directions to relieve themselves. Jordan came back reporting there was a stream a few yards to the west. They all followed him to it and used the crisp water to wash their faces and refill empty water bottles. Then, after a quick meal from whatever goodies they each had in their packs, they began to walk again.

By late morning, the sun was high and it was warm enough to cause them to shed a few layers of clothing. They'd only gone another three miles, because of the difficulty navigating through the prickly scrub and tall grasses. Cheryl preferred the daytime travel but was beginning to doubt their choice to stay away from the main road, because they were trekking through some pretty tough terrain. They were all walking with their heads down, trying to avoid getting stabbed by yuccas and prickly pear. Then, something flashed ahead of them, causing them to look up.

Twenty yards ahead, there were railroad tracks, gleaming bright silver in the sunlight. Without a word, they all veered off their course and started heading towards them.

After they leapt up the ridge to the tracks, Jake said, "They're heading northwest. We should follow them."

"Sweet," Edmond said. "When a train comes, we can hitch a ride. My feet are in so much bloody pain."

"If you had some real shoes, instead of those girly loafers…"

Edmond opened his mouth to return Zach's volley, but Cheryl cut him off.  "Boys…"

They bowed their heads like scolded children and shut up.

Mark disavowed anyone of the notion that the tracks denoted any sort of rescue. "There's no train coming, so you all might as well give up on that fantasy."

"Well, at least it's nicer walking along them than through all the prickles." Edmond patted Cheryl on the shoulder. "And we might not have noticed them if we were still walking at night. So, points for you."

"Thanks," she said. "It's nicer walking in the sunshine. Kicks my depression down a notch."

"Mine too."

He walked along with a loopy grin after that making Cheryl think about some old saying about mad dogs and Englishmen, and the midday sun.
Sometimes, she had to remind herself that Edmond wasn't really British—he just wished he was.

As they walked, she kept her eyes on the horizon, alert to any sign of movement that could signal danger. As far as she could see, there was nothing but oaks, pines, cactus and scrub. The beautiful scenery and endless blue sky above made her wonder what it was like over a hundred fifty years ago when she might have been scanning for Apaches, herds of buffalo, or wild horses instead of hordes of flesh-eating dead or men with automatic weapons who wanted to kill them. She figured she would have liked living in those golden times. As wild as the west was then, it was even wilder and more hazardous now.

By early afternoon, they were hot and sweaty and ready for a rest. They plopped down on the tracks to have some food and water. Before they finished eating, Diego stood up and stepped a few feet away from the group. They all watched as he stood completely still, eyes closed. The guy, who Cheryl always thought looked grungy and rough around the edges, seemed to take on a more peaceful expression as he became a statue. His long blond hair with dark roots drooped down over his leathery cheeks, and his face relaxed, producing a look of total serenity.

"What's up with him?" Kai asked.

"Just watch," Aidan said.

Diego's hands and arms began to move from side to side as if he was swishing the air, controlling it with his movements. Then, as he sliced diagonally with an imaginary sword to the left and the right, his chunky limbs and fingers became pure grace, moving as light and fluid as butterfly wings.

Edmond's eyebrows rose up to his hair line. "What in the world is he doing?"

"Looks like "Tai Chi", Cheryl said.

Zach watched with a scowl. "
Ballerina…
"

"Pretty impressive, actually." Edmond said. "He's got a lot of weight to move around like it was nothing."

A few minutes later, Diego finished his routine and held his hands up in the air before taking a bow. "It's good for stress reduction and focus. You should all learn it."

There was a round of chuckles. Zach guffawed the loudest, making Cheryl think that he was actually jealous of Diego's performance.

"My older brother taught me. He was into a lot of Eastern stuff. He even turned me on to Sun Tzu before he was killed in a bar room brawl."

"What's that?" Kai asked before taking another sip of warm soda.

"Not what…
who
. Sun Tzu was a Chinese military general around 500 B.C. A very wise man in the philosophy of war."

Zach made a fake yawn.

Diego ignored him. "I wish now that I'd been less of a chump back than and had paid more attention to what he taught me. There are probably a lot of things I've forgotten that would help us deal with this O.N.E. group."

"Like what?" Zach asked.

"Like…tips on asymmetrical warfare." He took a stick and drew a small circle and a large circle in the dirt. He was the one who said, 'All warfare is based on deception.'"

Mark jumped in. "He's right. A lot of U.S. military tactics go back to his ideas."

"Another thing…he was very good at using the terrain and the environment to his advantage. He was observant of any condition or small event that could turn a battle in his favor."

"For example?"

"Well…for instance…see that flock of sparrows settling down in that oak over there?" He pointed to a large tree in the distance. "Because they're calm and resting, it means we're safe here for the moment. If they were to startle and scatter, it would mean someone was coming.

"They could scatter for any reason, though. There could just be a stray—"

The birds they were looking at suddenly took off in mass, flying high in the sky.

"Ha!" Zach said. "Like I was say—"

Jake dropped to the ground and put his ear on one of the rails. "There's a train coming."

By then, they had all stopped and turned around to look behind them, because they could feel the vibration on the track and hear the rumble in the distance.

"That's not possible!" Mark yelped. "There hasn't been a plane or train running in this country for months."

Aidan shrugged. "Well…there's one coming now. Hide!"

They hid behind the clumps of mesquite and palo verde on the east side of the tracks, and a few minutes later, they watched the train wind into view. The engine was pulling a long load of cars behind it that went as far as the eye could see.

Zach spat on the ground. An insane grin bloomed across his face. "Maybe it's a good sign."

"Depends on who's running it," Mark replied.

The engine approached, roaring like some great beast. It was as bright red as a fire truck and looked as if it was freshly painted, but the first two dozen cars behind it were the standard, steel box cars, rusty and ancient, covered with panoramas of colorful graffiti.

The sun reflected off the engine's windshield and side windows, so they couldn't see the conductor.

"What's it hauling?"

One of the older Vultures grunted. "It's a
black snake
. See the coal bins?"