And he thought about Josh. Poor Josh. He was curious about what had happened to the others, and they would be curious about Josh. They would ask about him, and they would ask about what happened. A lie would be easy. The truth would be painful. Seemed an easy choice, but the easy choices were the ones that came back to bite. This one could bite hard. He closed his eyes again, and after longer than he would have liked, sleep reclaimed him.

  When next he woke it was to daylight through the windows and the sound of the children over breakfast. He looked over to the bunk Danny had occupied, but it was empty. Carefully he swung his feet out. When he bent his knee, pain came, but once his foot touched the floor, the pain receded. It returned again when he stood. He used his right arm to pull himself up and his left arm to push, and somehow he made it. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and hobbled out.

  Sonya was nowhere to be seen, but Marilyn rushed over to help him to a seat at one of the tables. Bob was there.

  “We’ll have to cut you a branch for a cane,” Bob said. He held up the one he used.

  “Guess so,” Chase replied.

  Marilyn brought over oatmeal. “Sorry. I’m going to have to work on breakfast stuff. We need a cow, some of our own chickens, and we need to cure some bacon.”

  “Even oatmeal looks delicious. Thanks, Marilyn,” Chase told her. She went back to serving the kids and attending to their needs. Chase and Bob sat in silence while Chase dug into his oatmeal.

  “Your idea to bring these people up here?” Bob at last asked once Chase had begun to slow the trip his spoon was making between the bowl and his mouth.

  Chase smiled. “Yes. I wondered how you’d react.”

  “Me too, when they pulled up and everyone started piling out. I saw a big change coming for me. But I’ve made my peace with it. This will be okay.” Bob studied Chase. “But I guess you guys will still be going to Florida?”

  “Eventually. I’m going to have to heal up some. And make sure you guys are well-set, too. I think Danny and Sharon and you can handle it, but Marilyn will be a big help until we go. If she goes.”

  “What if she doesn’t?” Bob asked.

  Chase shrugged. “Then she doesn’t. I could be happy knowing she’s here, safe, taking care of everyone. But I think she will. Me and Sonya and Marilyn, we’re tied together now. And Honey, too, I guess. Until we get down to Florida, until Sonya says that’s it, then we’re with her.”

  “Is it just about finding Sonya’s dad?” Bob asked. “Doesn’t seem like that’s enough to me.”

  “You know it’s not,” Chase answered. “I mean, yeah, I like her. I hope we do find her dad. But I need answers, too. I have no idea on where to look for answers, and I’m not even sure I know what the questions are. But I know we’re not likely to find anything out sitting back up here in the hills.” He gestured toward Marilyn. “I don’t know what her motivations are. Probably spiritual. And that’s fine. But I know why I’ll keep on. Some of it is about Sonya. But most of it’s about me.”

  Bob nodded, satisfied. “I’d like to stop you from leaving. But that’s not up to me. All I can do is let you know you’re welcome to stay.” He looked around. Marilyn was gathering dishes to take them to the stream to be washed. The children were heading toward the cabins. Sonya and Sharon were nowhere in sight, and the sound of a hammer on the other side of the cabins told the story of Danny’s location. “Things got bad for you, didn’t they? Out there, I mean.”

  Chase sucked in a big breath, let it out. “Yeah. It’s going to get worse out there when we leave. The creepers were bad. Most of this,” he pointed to his forehead, his leg, “came from a wreck. I got away from the church. I got away from….” His voice broke and he cleared his throat before continuing, “I got away from Josh. I was up in the church, high up, and I watched the boat leave. So then I made it back to the tunnel and crawled out. Way out. I went as far as the tunnel would go. Because I’d seen that the creepers weren’t all focused on the wall anymore. I came up by a trailer park. I grabbed the first car I could find with keys, which wasn’t much of a car. I was on my way here and had a blowout on a front tire when I was weaving through a crowd of creepers. A lot of creepers. Adrenaline got me out of the car and away from them, but I wouldn’t have made it out if Honey hadn’t come out of nowhere and kept the creepers off of me. There’s something about that dog…” Chase stopped, really thinking for the first time about how Honey had come to be there. He realized Bob was staring at him. “Anyway, I couldn’t find anything else to drive.” He laughed. “Found a tractor with keys back at a farm, but I didn’t have a clue how to get it to go. So I walked.”

  “I think you probably left a lot out,” Bob said. “Up to you if you want to share or not. But you think the creepers are getting worse?”

  Chase nodded. “Yeah, I do. They’re getting…desperate. I don’t know. Whatever’s making them go is using up the bodies, and there aren’t many new ones being made. No chance of new infections. So they’re going all out non-stop, all weather. I wonder.... Maybe. The creepers wouldn’t get in the water just a couple of days ago. They wouldn’t get in the light, now they do. They wouldn’t get in the water, but they might, eventually.”

  “Sounds like a good reason to stay here to me. We can build defenses, and we’ll need people. Just going to keep getting tougher out there. You sure you won’t stay?” Bob asked again, but Chase didn’t think his heart was in it.

  “We’ll keep going. If it gets tougher, we’ll get tougher,” Chase said. Bob slapped Chase’s shoulder, and Chase did his best not to wince.

  Chapter 33 – Marilyn

  The Suburban was packed. They had gathered enough supplies to get them through a day or two of travelling. She would miss fresh meat and having all the time she needed to gather wild edibles. She sighed. Road food again. After putting in the last box of dehydrated food, she stood looking around at the camp.

  Since they had arrived two weeks ago, the camp had changed a lot. Danny had been a whirlwind of construction, and he still hadn’t stopped. The camp reminded Marilyn a little of the Chief’s compound, but since she had been a part of the building, it seemed warmer. Danny had cleared the original brush fence and put up chain link. He had raided a farm store for his fencing. He’d built a chicken coop for the chickens they had been able to salvage from a nearby farm. In one amazing trip he had appropriated a lot of stuff and loaded it all onto a flatbed truck from a lumber company by himself. He’d pulled a trailer full of tools in, too. She was amazed at everything he’d managed. The children would be safe from creepers. But Danny wasn’t stopping. He’d started putting up other defenses, too, starting with shooting platforms with enough protection to stop small gunfire. She hoped they wouldn’t need it, but there was a strong chance.

  In their trips for supplies they had come across evidence there were other survivors nearby. They tried not to go out too much and when they did go to get as much as possible, but they had gone out four times. They had needed food staples, and they needed clothes for the kids, building supplies, and all manner of things. And on one of those trips, they had found a sporting goods store someone had staked a claim to by spray painting the front with a message: This store and everthing in belongs to the remaning citizens of Talladega. Keep out. No one had been around so they had gotten what they needed, but they discussed it and they all agreed that maybe they’d stick to Sylacauga for supplies for a while. Marilyn had argued that maybe they could work with the other group, make contact, but everyone else had been of the opinion they could do fine on their own and were probably better off preparing for the worst before hoping for the best. When and if they actually met with someone from the other group, they’d deal with it then.

  Marilyn walked back down to the camp. Honey followed closely at her heels. Several of the younger children ran up to her and hugged her, and most hugged Honey, too, but some of the older ones avoided her. She wouldn’t say they were pouting, but they were definitely disturbed at the thought of her leaving. And Sonya and Chase, too. One of the oldest, a boy of twelve named Jeremy, did come up to her. She liked Jeremy. He was quiet and contemplative. Marilyn had spent a lot of time teaching him what she knew. What plants could be eaten, how to hunt, even how to cook.

  “You’re leaving tomorrow, huh?” he asked. He stood near her but wouldn’t look at her.

  “Yes.” She reached out and rubbed his shoulder. He pulled away from her hand but then turned and hugged her around the waist.

  “Who’s going to show me what to do now?” he asked.

  “Sharon. Danny. Bob.” Marilyn paused. “And you. You’ll figure a lot of stuff out on your own. And there’s books around, too. I picked up some on the last trip for you guys.”

  “Books ain’t the same.” He stepped back from her.

  “No, they’re not. But you’re a bright guy. And tough. You’ll be fine.” She reached for him to hug him again, but he stepped away from her.

  “Okay. Bye then,” he said, walking away. She thought he might be crying. Marilyn made a mental note to sit with him at dinner.

  She sought out Sharon who was working as usual. Her contributions weren’t as spectacular as Danny’s. If Marilyn were forced to look around and point at exactly what Sharon had done, she would have been hard pressed to find one. But the camp ran because of her. The kids got up every morning, were fed, and were clean because of Sharon. The cabins stayed neat and habitable. If you wanted to know where something was, how to do something, what everyone else was doing, you asked Sharon. She kept her eyes on everything. She never said a word of approval or disapproval, but she knew what was happening. Marilyn found her in the kitchen.

  Sharon nodded when Marilyn walked in, but continued to work in silence. Marilyn looked around with pride and sadness at the propane stove, the wood stove and oven, and the zeer pots. Especially the zeer pots. Bob had remembered something he had seen or read about how to refrigerate without electricity, and on a trip to town had found a survivalist book that showed how to make them. Unglazed pots, sand, water. Who knew refrigeration was so easy? Bob had a lot more ideas from the book, too. Bob and Danny made a good team. Bob found something, figured out how they could do it, and Danny could put it together. Marilyn almost wanted to stay around just to see what they might come up with next. She knew she wouldn’t stay, but she really hoped to come back.

  “Do you have everything you need for dinner?” Marilyn asked.

  Sharon didn’t turn, but continued working on some Queen Anne’s lace roots, chopping the wild carrots to put in the stew bubbling on the woodstove. “Everything we need. Guess that has a lot to do with you. Guess we’ll have to do it ourselves in the future.”

  Marilyn wasn’t put off by Sharon’s answer. She had worked closely with the woman, and she knew that was just how she expressed herself. “Do you have enough weeds? I can go get you some more. That’s what you told me I was bringing you first time we met.”

  Sharon turned to look at her. “Turns out weeds are pretty good to eat. I learned from you, Marilyn. I’ll miss you.”

  “I’ll miss you, too,” Marilyn said. And she meant it. She thought back to the days when she just didn’t want to get up and go, the days when everything that happened weighed her down, the mornings when she tried to keep her crying quiet. On those days, Sharon was there. Always. Sharon kept going. How could Marilyn not?

  “Good. Now go call everyone in for dinner.”

  Dinner was solemn. The youngest kids still acted up, but the older kids knew, and the adults, even Danny, didn’t have much to say. Bob was quiet, contemplative, which happened sometimes. He could go from talkative and excited to quiet and almost withdrawn in a matter of minutes. Marilyn looked at Sonya and Chase, sitting across from each other. Sonya was quiet by nature, but Chase was usually as loud as Danny. She wondered if Chase and Sonya were as nervous as she was. Not nervous. Scared. They would be stupid not to be scared. She found herself sinking into reflection herself, at least until Danny stood up.

  “This ain’t no way to act with you three leaving tomorrow. It’s like we’re at a funeral. Y’all going to be all right. We’re going to be all right. No sense us sitting here all quiet and sad. We’re going to have a real going away ceremony. Jeremy, Donnie, Luanne, y’all grab Marilyn. Hot Wheels, Colton, Cody, y’all grab Sonya. Ever’body else grab Chase. I want y’all to hold ‘em good and still, ‘cause we got to give them their going away faces.”

  The kids jumped out of their seats to grab the three. Confused, Marilyn and Sonya didn’t struggle much. Chase made a show of struggling, but the littlest kids were grabbing him so he didn’t struggle too hard. Honey ran around barking, adding to the confusion. When the kids had them immobilized, Danny approached.

  “Found some poke berries, first ripe ones I’ve seen. I may not know as much about plants as Marilyn, but I know what they’re good for.” He held a small bowl full of purple mush. He stood in front of Chase and dipped a finger in the bowl. He put the finger to Chase’s face, leaving a purple mark. “If y’all ain’t gonna smile, I’ll just have to put a smile on your faces for you.” Chase twisted his head away but Danny caught it in one work-strong hand. He drew a garish clown smile around Chase’s already smiling mouth, and then drew some lines and patterns for good measure. The children all laughed, egging him on. Marilyn couldn’t help but laugh as well, and even Sharon had a smile.

  “Danny,” Marilyn called, “that stain’s not coming off for a day or two, you know.”

  “Good,” Danny yelled back. “You’ll remember us longer.” When he finished and the children released him, Chase’s whole face was almost purple. “Your turn now, Sonya.”

  Sonya laughed. “Please, Danny, no!” She opened her eyes wide and batted them at Danny and mimed a sad face.

  “Your face is too pretty to paint up much,” Danny laughed. He put a purple dot on each cheek, and then kissed her forehead. When it was Marilyn’s turn, he did the same for her. Marilyn couldn’t help herself but to whisper, “Make sure you clean that bowl real good, Danny. Those berries are toxic. You’ll be the one sitting up with the little one who eats those and ends up with a belly ache.”

  He smiled at her then turned his back. “Okay, kids, dishes to the kitchen. Y’all know who’s on clean up. Hurry it up. We’re gonna sit around the fire tonight.”

  The dishes were cleaned and everything put away in record time. The adults, including Chase, Sonya, and Marilyn, were already sitting when the kids joined them. The fire area had been there when they first came to the camp, built for the original campers: a fire-pit surrounded by sawn-log benches. Danny had a good fire going.

  “What now?” Jeremy asked.

  “Hmmf,” Danny replied. “Don’t guess I thought that through. Just thought we sh’d do something.”

  “I’ve got an idea,” offered Luanne. “At Thanksgiving, we always used to say what we’re thankful for. I think we should tell Marilyn and Chase and Sonya what we’re going to miss about ‘em. I’ll go first.” She stood and cleared her throat. “I’ll miss Chase because he’s funny and smart. I’ll miss Marilyn ‘cause she knows where food is and can make it good when she cooks. I’ll miss Honey because she likes to play fetch. I’ll miss Sonya because when I’m sad I like to talk to her because she listens.”

  Marilyn was embarrassed, but happy. Sonya was blushing, and Chase sat grinning. One by one, the children stood and said what they would miss. The night settled in around them as they went around the fire. A lot of them repeated what the one before said, but some of them brought up specific things. When the last one finished, Sharon stood. She didn’t say anything, but the children knew it was time for bed. One by one they each hugged the three. At the end of the line Sharon came and silently hugged each one of them.

  “All right, now that the kids are gone, I guess we should talk seriously,” Bob said from his seat opposite Marilyn. The waves of heat rising from the fire between them made him look a little surreal. “You three are going. I guess that’s pretty well established. You’ve always got a place here. I think I’ve let each one of you know that.” He shifted around and reached down and thumped his artificial leg. “If I could, I’d go with you. But I’m old and slow.” He grew more serious. “I am really hoping that you do come back this way. You’re good people. And bring some answers. And your dad.” The last was directed at Sonya, who nodded. Sonya, Chase, and Marilyn exchanged glances, and then Chase spoke.

  “We’ll come back if we can. This place is more like home to me than the place I grew up. Probably not for Marilyn, and Sonya’s not home until her dad is around. But this is as good a place as any I’ve known.” He cleared his throat and tilted his head back like he was watching the sparks from the fire spiral upwards, but Marilyn was pretty sure he was close to tears. “We’re going, but we’ll be back. If we can.”

  That was it for the fire-side gathering. They all said their good-nights and turned in. Marilyn lay in the cabin with the girls and Sharon. She would miss the comfort of this bed. She would miss the soft breathing of the small bodies all around her. She would miss so many things. She said a silent prayer, telling God she hoped she was doing the right thing, but she already knew she was. There was a gentle force pushing her out into the world, a force from inside, a force that wasn’t necessarily her choice. She knew she had done good things here. She also knew that down in Florida, there was more to be done.

  END BOOK TWO

  Table of Contents

  Introduction

  Part One: If In A Lonely Place

  Chapter 1 – Sonya

  Chapter 2 – Marilyn

  Chapter 3 – Chase

  Chapter 4 – Sonya

  Chapter 5 – Marilyn

  Chapter 6 – Chase

  Chapter 7 – Sonya

 

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