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Authors: M. Lauryl Lewis
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other. As my body shuddered in release, tears of a mournful type of joy fell down my face. I collapsed against Boggs’ chest, and heard him climax in a glorious moan of pleasure. We lay like that, holding each other, until our breathing slowed.
CHAPTER 6
We had spent a good part of the rest of the day organizing supplies and carrying things out to the step van. The sense of loss over leaving the cabin was upon my shoulders. I tried to stay busy and to not think about the bad things that were bound to come. Emilie did her best to keep my mind off of things, knowing I was worried. Susan followed Nathan around like a puppy every chance she got. I admit I felt relieved to see her romantic sights set on someone other than my own lover.
We sat in the living room for a final meal in what had become home. We reviewed travel plans, emergency plans, individual roles, covered different scenarios for weather, running into the dead, and so forth. I would be riding in the front of the van, constantly tuning my mind in searching for any living dead within range. The trip shouldn’t take more than an hour or so, assuming the roads were clear of snow and debris, and assuming we didn’t run into any hostiles. Bill and Gus both liked that term. Hostiles. A route had been mapped out with alternate paths for on foot, God forbid it come to that. Assuming we got to within running distance of the house, we would stop the step van several yards away and allow Bill and Nathan to announce themselves first, for everyone’s safety.
“Time to head out,” announced Gus. “Everyone ready?”
My breath caught in my throat. I wasn’t ready. I wasn't ready for any of this. I could feel my heartbeat speed up. The anxiety was unnerving. Everyone else stood except me.
“Zoe.” It was Boggs. “Zoe, we need to go now.”
I looked up at him, trying to comprehend the depth of those words.
“Ok,” I managed to say weakly.
He held a hand out for me and I took it. He pulled me up and wrapped his arms around me. “It’ll be ok, Zo.”
The next thing I knew, we were all standing outside in the cold rain. The back of the step van was well packed, including the deer carcass secured on each end by two ropes. A small walkway had been left between boxes of supplies in the event of needing to exit quickly. Susan, Nathan, and Emilie stepped into the back and Gus secured the back door by turning a handle. I heard them slide an improvised latch shut from the inside, making it so that hostiles could not gain entry from the outside. Gus climbed in through the driver’s door, and Boggs and I waited for Bill to climb in through the passenger door and into the rear of the vehicle where he would sit with Nathan and the girls. He had made a last minute trip to the shed to retrieve ropes he had forgotten to pack earlier. Once he was on board, Boggs helped boost me up into the cab, where I took a seat in the kitchen chair that had been placed between the existing driver's and passenger’s seats. I wrapped my arms around myself for warmth and closed my eyes to concentrate. My mind was gloriously clear of any signatures that belonged to the living dead.
“We’re clear,” I said as I opened my eyes.
Gus nodded at me, and turned the key. The step van roared to life with a shuddering rumble. Rain fell steadily, so Gus turned on the windshield wipers.
“We have a couple hours of daylight left,” said Gus as he started to pull forward. “We’ll leave the lights off as long as we can. According to the map we’re about as high as we’ll get in elevation, so hopefully the roads will only get better as we drive.”
I looked at the gravel driveway briefly and noted that patches of snow remained, but most of it looked like slush now. It was still cold out, but luck was on our side with the rain. The driveway was bumpier than I recalled it being. The van turned in a large loop and we began our trek away from the cabin. I wondered if we would ever see it
CHAPTER 6
We had spent a good part of the rest of the day organizing supplies and carrying things out to the step van. The sense of loss over leaving the cabin was upon my shoulders. I tried to stay busy and to not think about the bad things that were bound to come. Emilie did her best to keep my mind off of things, knowing I was worried. Susan followed Nathan around like a puppy every chance she got. I admit I felt relieved to see her romantic sights set on someone other than my own lover.
We sat in the living room for a final meal in what had become home. We reviewed travel plans, emergency plans, individual roles, covered different scenarios for weather, running into the dead, and so forth. I would be riding in the front of the van, constantly tuning my mind in searching for any living dead within range. The trip shouldn’t take more than an hour or so, assuming the roads were clear of snow and debris, and assuming we didn’t run into any hostiles. Bill and Gus both liked that term. Hostiles. A route had been mapped out with alternate paths for on foot, God forbid it come to that. Assuming we got to within running distance of the house, we would stop the step van several yards away and allow Bill and Nathan to announce themselves first, for everyone’s safety.
“Time to head out,” announced Gus. “Everyone ready?”
My breath caught in my throat. I wasn’t ready. I wasn't ready for any of this. I could feel my heartbeat speed up. The anxiety was unnerving. Everyone else stood except me.
“Zoe.” It was Boggs. “Zoe, we need to go now.”
I looked up at him, trying to comprehend the depth of those words.
“Ok,” I managed to say weakly.
He held a hand out for me and I took it. He pulled me up and wrapped his arms around me. “It’ll be ok, Zo.”
The next thing I knew, we were all standing outside in the cold rain. The back of the step van was well packed, including the deer carcass secured on each end by two ropes. A small walkway had been left between boxes of supplies in the event of needing to exit quickly. Susan, Nathan, and Emilie stepped into the back and Gus secured the back door by turning a handle. I heard them slide an improvised latch shut from the inside, making it so that hostiles could not gain entry from the outside. Gus climbed in through the driver’s door, and Boggs and I waited for Bill to climb in through the passenger door and into the rear of the vehicle where he would sit with Nathan and the girls. He had made a last minute trip to the shed to retrieve ropes he had forgotten to pack earlier. Once he was on board, Boggs helped boost me up into the cab, where I took a seat in the kitchen chair that had been placed between the existing driver's and passenger’s seats. I wrapped my arms around myself for warmth and closed my eyes to concentrate. My mind was gloriously clear of any signatures that belonged to the living dead.
“We’re clear,” I said as I opened my eyes.
Gus nodded at me, and turned the key. The step van roared to life with a shuddering rumble. Rain fell steadily, so Gus turned on the windshield wipers.
“We have a couple hours of daylight left,” said Gus as he started to pull forward. “We’ll leave the lights off as long as we can. According to the map we’re about as high as we’ll get in elevation, so hopefully the roads will only get better as we drive.”
I looked at the gravel driveway briefly and noted that patches of snow remained, but most of it looked like slush now. It was still cold out, but luck was on our side with the rain. The driveway was bumpier than I recalled it being. The van turned in a large loop and we began our trek away from the cabin. I wondered if we would ever see it
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