Zombie Revolution Page 14

  Damon waved a heavy hand at the tall marine. “Eh. That was just the booze talking.”

  Riley looked positively disappointed, but he was determined. “Nah, you were dead serious.”

  “Will someone tell me what the fuck is going on?” Harper was completely lost. Both Damon and Riley ignored him. Damon slumped forward and brushed his hands over his face then the back of his stiff neck. “Yeah. I was serious.” He glanced up at Harper who looked like he was ready to rip one of them apart if they didn’t tell him what was going on in the next two seconds. Damon sighed. His breath reeked of whiskey and common morning breath. Mental note: Brush teeth ASAP. “I want to turn Vail into a safe zone.”

  The look on Harper’s face told the mechanic that he was not expecting that. Not knocking the idea, he asked. “What for?” “Think about it Harper. Wouldn’t be nice if we could actually walk the streets without the threat of zombies…and to be around people?” He paused for a moment, and then added. “Well, more people than the six of us.”

  “Remember the church?” “Come on, man! Women!?” Riley raised his eyebrows. The big marine nodded. “Hmmm... It would be nice to see women again.” He shuddered when he thought about Juleen. He would never touch the redheaded hag with a ten foot pole, even if she wasn’t Keith’s woman or the last woman on Earth. His thick shoulders heaved when he drew in a deep breath. “That sounds like a lot of work.”

  “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Riley chimed in. Damon and Harper nodded. “Well let’s get some breakfast, and we’ll talk about the plan.” Damon pulled himself off the floor and followed Riley out of the small room. The big marine lumbered slowly behind. When the three made it to the dining room table they found Chloe in the middle of a very animated story. After the month spent at Keith’s home had let the real Chloe come forward, and as it turns out she was a very animated teenager who loved telling stories, especially with her hands. It seemed that she was talking about wild animals. Damon sat in his chair at the opposite end of his brother next to Chloe. Riley took his seat on the other side of Chloe which left the high-backed oak chair next Hesitantly, Harper took the seat. mornings. When the big marine slouched in the chair Juleen glanced at him with heavily painted eyes. She smiled sweetly, which he tried to mimic but miserably failed. Riley broke under the pressure of his own laughter.

  to Juleen open for sitting.

  Everybody mumbled good Chloe gave the tall marine a pinched look because he had just interrupted her story. “I’m sorry, what were you saying?” He said apologetically.

  “I was just saying that I think the animals are coming back. I heard what sounded like a wild pig or something last night.” She imitated the sound of a pig.

  It was Damon’s turn to laugh. “Sorry to burst your bubble, Chloe, but that was Harper snoring last night.”

  Chloe slumped in her chair. “You sure? ‘Cause it sounded really real.” Her defeated voice stung Damon’s heart. “Don’t worry Chloe the animals will come back. It’s just gonna take time. I saw a robin the other day.” He didn’t want to bring up the crows they saw when they first came into Vail.

  Chloe smiled again but a little weaker than before. She took a small bite of hash browns and chewed it longer than necessary. Damon watched everyone eat. Keith was staring at their new guest as he shoveled food in his face probably wondering how long their new food supply was going to last. Juleen was watching Harper, not looking at how the big marine was eating his food, but at the beautiful muscles of his arms. Riley ate faster than normal, and Chloe was just moving scrambled eggs around her plate. Well this is a good time as any. “I have something to say.” Everyone continued to eat except Keith. Damon had been rolling around what to say to his brother since he woke up. “I’ve figured out a way to solve your problem with us.” Keith gripped his fork a little tighter. Oops not the way to go. “I mean a way set up a safe haven for people that happen to stumble upon us.”

  “A safe zone?”

  Riley interrupted. “Yeah! Isn’t it a great idea?” “I don’t know. That would mean that more people would be in the area.”

  Damon spoke again. “There were people here before the zombies came…a lot more people.”

  “True.” He took one last bite off his plate. “What’s the plan?” Good question . “Well I have the initial idea, but I need help with the details. I figure we pick a section of Vail to be our safe zone, and then fence the perimeter. One problem, I don’t know what to do about all the zombies that would be fenced in with us.”

  “That does pose a problem. Let me be clear about a couple of things. I will help you, but I won’t go out there. Another thing…no more visitors here.”

  “I figured you wouldn’t. If we make the safe zone then there would be no need for anyone to come back here.” “Does this mean we can be outside the fence? Oh my gosh, I’m so excited.” Chloe had completely forgot being sad about the animals. She was bouncing in her chair. “When do we get started?”

  Damon quickly finished his plate. “We’re gonna need that map again Keith.” He nodded and got up from his chair. He disappeared into the living room and came back unfolding the map of Vail. “Here ya go. Which part did you plan on using?” He spread the map out of the table. Juleen had cleaned the plates off and took them to the kitchen.

  Damon studied the map. “Well, we need to include the hospital. I think the fire department would be good for headquarters. It’s solid brick and has small windows, big trucks, medical supplies and plenty of beds.” He traced the river with his finger. “We need to include the river too. It would be a source of water and fish. That will be a little tricky to fortify, but I think that could be an easy fix.”

  The three looked down at the map with Chloe bobbing over their shoulders like a parrot. After what seemed like hours of thought, Damon traced the streets that marked the perimeter of his safe zone with a black permanent marker. The safe zone was going to include the fire house, hospital, the Welcome Center, an apartment building and a housing development. Harper wanted to include the police station, but that would be stretching the perimeter to a near impossible feat. It was already hard enough as it was. Damon posted the map on the corkboard hanging on the dining room wall. They were all quiet as they studied the map.

  Harper finally spoke. “What’s the total distance?”

  “It’s probably twenty miles or so.” Keith guessed. “Where are we going to get that much fencing?” Riley’s brow furrowed as he looked at the map for any location that would have chain-link.

  Damon contemplated, but Keith got up from his chair again. “Lemme get somethin’.” He came back with another map. This one was a Colorado state map. Keith pinned it up next to the other map. “In some of these bigger cities you will find Lowes and Menards. Also, not far from here is Limon Prison. I’m sure you will find some fencing there.”

  “Sounds like we are going to need a couple of big trucks…and trailers.” Harper surmised. “My truck is down at the ski shop…well in the ski shop, but I can get it going again. We need to find another one, and some trailers.” Damon tapped the Vail map.

  “There is a trailer rental company on the outskirts of town. It shouldn’t be too hard to get to as long as the roads are clear. ” Keith spouted.

  “Okay. First we get some trucks and trailers, bring them back here make sure they are ready for the work, and then head to the prison. We’ll hit the stores later if we need to.” The men nodded in agreement.

  Chloe raised a hand like she was in school. Damon nodded at her. “I think we need to dress differently too.” When the only thing she got was deer-in-the-headlights looks she explained herself. “Yanno…like reinforced clothes…leather, chainmail or shark suits. Yeah shark suits would be awesome. Then the zombies couldn’t bite us.”

  The men chuckled. Riley stopped mid Ha when he looked at her face. She was serious and pissed that they were laughing. “Hold on there girl before you explode.” He turned to the others. “It’s a good idea.”

  �
�Gonna be hard finding shark suits and chainmail in Colorado.” Keith rubbed his gray eyebrows. Damon caught on. He remembered his visit to the gas station when he almost lost a hand. “We could use leather jackets and gloves. Hell I’m sure if we went down to the police station I bet they would even have riot gear. Probably nothin’ your size though, Harper…” He joked to the big marine and got flipped off in return. “The police station is probably crawling with zombies.”

  “Yeah…we probably should stick to the leather for now. Once we get the fence set up then when can worry about getting in the police station. Now let’s go find us some trucks.” Damon moved away from the table. “Oh Keith…Do you think you have something for Harper in your special room?”

  The plump man frowned. He wasn’t fond of the idea of more weapons leaving his home and going into the hands of complete strangers. He grunted and hefted himself out of the chair. “I suppose we could find something. Come on you.” He pointed a stubby finger at the big marine who was sporting a confused look.

  “Don’t worry it’s nothing sexual.” Riley joked.

  Damon caught the big arm before he could pummel Riley. “Weapons, Dude. Keith’s gonna get you a gun.”

  “Fucking right.” With that Harper was off. “Lead the way.” Keith and Harper disappeared into the kitchen.

  “Let’s load the Jeep. We have a lot of work to do.”

  Chapter 13

  Damon retrieved both of his guns from the bedroom. When he got outside Riley was already loading both of his weapons into the Jeep. Chloe was sitting on the passenger side in the back like she always did. Damon knew she was clutching her pistol even though he couldn’t see her hands. He looked up at the clouds and noticed that the sun wasn’t glaring today like it had for the last week. The sky was the same shade of gray as a zombie’s skin. Great! Just what we need. It hadn’t rained in weeks so Damon shouldn’t be bitching, but he didn’t like the omen of impending rain. He climbed into the Jeep and rubbed his aching knee. Riley was sitting in the passenger seat straddling his M16 with his face shoved into a tourist map of Vail. “What ya lookin’ for?”

  “Right here there’s a motorcycle shop. I’m sure they’ll have all the leather we’ll need, and it’s close to where your truck is.”

  “Good. Hopefully the old girl isn’t beatin’ up too bad.”

  “Harper needs to hurry up.” Chloe interjected from the back seat. “Let’s get this party started.”

  Damon glared at her in the rearview.

  “Oh you know what I mean.” The other Jeep door opened. “Well, speak of the Devil.”

  Harper ducked inside; in his hands was a slightly used M16. “Feels good to have a weapon again.”

  “I see you went with something old.” Riley cracked, thinking about his new sniper rifle in the back.

  “Not old…familiar.” Harper heard Riley say whatever. He looked over at Chloe. “You ready for this?”

  “I was born ready.” She sassed. “Plus, we’re just getting some new clothes and a truck.” From the driver’s seat Damon mumbled. “Yeah…Just another day in the neighborhood.” He started the Jeep and put it in reverse. Once the Jeep was lined up with the fence gate he shifted to drive. The gate started to slide apart slowly along with the annoying screech of the metal. “Here we go…”

  Once outside the fence, they followed the same pattern as they did before. Riley got out, assembled the rifle and picked off as many zombies as he could, which was more than the day before. Damon and the marines surmised that it was from the gun shots at the grocery store. The Jeep rolled down the hill after the tall marine was back inside. They worked their way through the dead streets looking for any vehicle that would work. The store came into view before they were able to find any trucks, but it wasn’t even noon yet. So Damon wasn’t too worried. He just hoped it wouldn’t rain until they got back to his brother’s. From the building’s exterior the coast looked clear. Damon parked the Jeep in front of the store. They all seemed to follow the same routine. Look left, then right. No zombies. “Alright, let’s make this quick. Keep the gun shots to a minimal if possible.”

  “Yes drill sergeant!” Riley joked, and Harper gave Damon a half-assed salute, which Damon ignored and got out of the vehicle. Damon, Riley and Harper cautiously made their way up to the orange and black building. Immediately the two marines fell into their military learned ways which made Damon feel a little out of place, but he brushed it off and copied their movements. Slowly they worked their way inside the dark building with Harper in the lead. Damon cursed because he forgot a flashlight, but Riley unclipped something from his belt and clicked it on. A ghostly beam of light was cast into the building. The only sound in the store was that of their feet whispering across the laminate floor. Damon couldn’t help but admire the brand new motorcycles on the display floor even though he wasn’t much of a motorcycle man himself, the bigger the vehicle the better. He guarded the door while Riley and Harper cleared the building. It didn’t take the two long at all. Damon spotted the leather jackets on the wall. When he saw the marines come back into the main room they nodded to him that the building was clear. He moved to browse the racks. The first jacket was glossy black decorated with metal studs and chains. He shook his head and put it back. He moved down the wall to the plain ones. The first one on the hanger was his size. Setting his shotgun down, he tried it on. It hugged his frame, which was good because he didn’t want to give those dead bastards something to catch him by. He looked at the price tag…$250…He tore it off, and felt a smile inch across his face. He was getting use to the idea of everything being free.

  “Looks good.” Riley came up from behind and starting sifting through the racks. “What I like the best, is not having to pay for it.” Damon smiled again and went off to get himself some leather gloves which were at the end of the aisle closest to the corner. He passed Harper on the way who was trying on one of the more flashy coats.

  Ten minutes later they were on their way out of the store when Damon remembered he hadn’t gotten anything for Chloe, and not wanting to have a pissed off teenager on his hands he went back to the girls section. He was never any good at guessing sizes, but he held up a plain black leather jacket. He immediately went to the black because she would have thrown a fit if he came back with pink. She told him that she was totally like out of the pink phase. He nodded in approval, snatched up some matching gloves and then headed for the door. Each one of them had come away with new gloves, jackets, pants and boots. Damon shook his head. They were going to look like a bunch of dorks when they suited up.

  Once in the Jeep, Damon tossed Chloe her things. She was excited until she saw that she only had two items. “Damon, I need more clothes. I don’t have any jeans that fit, or shirts for that matter. I don’t care if all they say is Harley on them. Can we please go back inside?”

  The mechanic absolutely did not want to go back inside, but Chloe used the puppy dog eyes on him again, and he did feel sorry for not at least letting her out of the Jeep. They cleared the building. What’s the worst that could happen? He shook his head. He wouldn’t think about that. “Alright, but we can’t be in there forever. This isn’t shopping with grandma.”

  “Yay!” Chloe was out of the Jeep faster than Damon. She ran into the store clutching her pistol. Damon followed her into the store and found her already tearing through racks. She held T-shirts up to her chest measuring. The shirts either got put right back on the rack or they went over her shoulder. She had quite the pile already. Damon watched her for a couple of minutes then his eyes started wandering. He noticed the electronics next to the cash register. He strolled up to them making sure he could still see Chloe. He thumbed through mostly useless things until he came upon some walkie-talkies. “These would be helpful.” He said to himself. He plucked off a couple of packages. He was extra excited that batteries were included. The mechanic looked up and his heart stopped. Chloe was gone. He whipped his head around and then blew a sigh of relief when he saw her looking a
t the jeans. He went behind the counter and grabbed a few bags. He hoped that two was going to be enough. After looking up at the teenager again he grabbed another one. The pile had gotten too heavy for her shoulder and was mounding on another rack. He started shoveling the clothes into the bag when he heard Riley shout, then the sound of rifle fire. “Let’s go, now!” He wrapped his hand around the teenagers arm and tugged. She quickly snatched the bags from the rack and hung onto them desperately. She needed new clothes.

  When the two emerged from the store they saw Riley positioned on top of the Jeep, and Harper was leaning over its hood. Both of them were firing at a group of zombies heading straight for them. There must have been at least twenty; Damon didn’t know he wasn’t counting. He was too busy throwing Chloe and her new clothes in the Jeep. He jumped into the passenger seat then crawled across the center console into the driver’s position. He rolled down the window and started firing his pistol. “Get in!” He hollered to Riley. The marine jumped off the Jeep and into the door Chloe had opened for him. Harper stopped firing too. He was inside in a split second, and they were tearing out of the parking lot in another. The two marines put down over half the group, but there was no telling how many more would be joining them. They weren’t going to be able to look for trucks in this area now.

  “Which way to the other side of the city?” He asked Riley.

  “Take a left here. Then go straight.” Damon turned to Jeep at the next intersection. He looked back a Chloe. The teenager seemed to be doing fine. She was staring out the window watching for any sign of movement.

  “That was exciting.” Harper said from the other seat. Riley immediately agreed, followed by a more hesitant Chloe. Damon didn’t respond at all. He kept his eyes forward on the road.

  “Eyes open for any potential trucks.” Damon instructed. The four rode in silence except for the occasional…how‘bout that one? They were nearly in East Vail when Harper shouted for them to stop. “Ooh my God. That’s what I’m talking about.” Damon stopped the Jeep and turned to see what the big marine was looking at. It was parked in the lot of an outdoors store. The thing was more like a monster truck than an actual truck. It was a blazer with what Damon thought was twelve inches of lift. The monster was sitting on 44 inch tires too. Damon had worked on lots of big trucks and SUVs in his day. This one was a beauty even if the paint job was just canned spray paint. Some things just weren’t that important.