Zombies on the Rock (Book 2): The Viking Trail Page 21

  "Come on, Eric." Jason was getting anxious -- they were at the turnoff from the highway and could be at Frank's cabin in less than thirty minutes.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR:

  HOWLEY

  The crowd gathered outside had grown restless, demanding action against the Viking visitors. Frank wished he knew where to go to find them because he hated sitting here and waiting for them to return. Nathaniel decided that the strangers should be trusted, but Frank adamantly disagreed with him. If Frank didn't need constant medical attention from his old friend, he would have headed back to his own cabin and gotten a task group ready to deal with the Vikings. Ruth kept a close eye on Frank, changing his bandages and administering his medication under the guidance of the doctor. Nathanial was just as stubborn as Frank and refused to socialize, turning to his only true friend left in the world: a stiff drink. The pain Frank felt in his back made him nauseated, but the doctor refused to waste precious resources to treat the minor symptoms. The only thing Doctor Winston allowed were antibiotic ointment for the wound and oral antibiotics -- medication designed to prevent infection only. Frank had to deal with overwhelming agony and intense torment as his broken ribs seemed to be cutting into his flesh with his every action.

  "Time to take your meds, Frank." The steps creaked loudly as Ruth descended the staircase.

  Frank dreaded the oral meds; they were hard on the stomach, often causing him to vomit and making him wonder how effective they could be regurgitated on the floorboards. "Can I have something for my stomach? I'm not keeping them down." Frank tried to sound as pitiful as possible. Maybe Ruth would have more empathy then Nathaniel.

  "I'll see what I can spare." Ruth disappeared into the bathroom.

  Frank could hear the chatter of the mob outside -- somebody was rallying the crowd. They were ready to take action, the defiant shouts and rumbles spreading through the pack like wildfire. Hoots and hollers grew louder as the people grew too confident. If they weren't careful, they would soon draw the hordes of zombies from Deer Lake right to their door. This tight-knit community was no longer equipped to deal with a throng of those awful dead creatures. During his brief time in Corner Brook, Frank had noticed that the zombies’ behaviour had begun to evolve. They acted more organized, their awkward shuffle maturing into an adept shamble. The vast majority of guns and ammo he’d gone to collect a few days ago had been left behind in the wrangled wreck of Frank's pickup truck. Frank wanted to send out a search party to retrieve the weapon cache from his mangled wreckage, but didn't want to put anyone else at risk.

  The door opened with a creak and Ruth appeared in the hallway, tears running down her face. "What's wrong, Ruth?" Frank felt it was his duty to console any member residing in Howley. Frank had only known Nathaniel's wife -- he had been very surprised to have met Ruth despite Frank having known about the doctor's affair for years. They had met in secret at the doctor's cabin, and while everybody knew, no one ever told his wife.

  "Nothing, it’s just one of those days I guess?" Ruth sounded removed. "Here, I found you some Dimenhydrinate. It should take care of your stomach for you." Ruth handed Frank a tiny orange pill along with the usual red and yellow capsule. "It will make you tired."

  "Thanks." Frank tilted his head back and took both medications at the same time. "I could use the sleep."

  Ruth turned and headed back up the stairs -- whatever was bothering her, it had something to do with Doctor Winston. Was she afraid that he would find out about the extra meds? Or was something else going on? Frank got as comfortable as he could in the old recliner. The scratchy fabric made his arms itch and his ribs throb, but it was better than nothing. Once Frank woke up from his short nap, he would go outside and give the orders to scout the Pelley compound.

  KNOCK KNOCK

  A loud rap on the door rustled Frank out of his rest. The door swung open and one of the new members of the community walked through the door. He looked familiar. With his wavy blond hair and a wild beard that hid his facial features, Frank couldn't help but think the man needed a haircut. "Lieutenant Byrnes, I was told you're the man to speak to?" The man's voice was deep, but was still soft.

  "State your name, son." Frank did his best to hide his pain, but the excruciating twinge in his stomach wasn't making it easy.

  "It's Garrett." Garrett wore a thick, heavy black jacket with a logo embroidered on the breast pocket that Frank couldn't pick out. Frank's vision blurred, a side effect of the new medication? All he could see was a comic looking red car with oversized wheels. It looked familiar, but he just couldn't place how he knew it.

  "What do you want, Garrett?" Frank was shocked by Garrett's boldness. Who was this man, and why did he bust into the cabin the way he did?

  "You're not safe here." It was a brash statement that confused Frank.

  "If it's not safe here, what are you doing here?" Frank was annoyed, how could anyone be so ungrateful for the protection he provided.

  "We were able to walk right into your little group with no resistance, these days not everyone's so peaceful." Garrett's tone was mocking Frank's authority.

  Normally someone would have been on guard at the gate, but Frank took the two men most capable of the duty with him to Corner Brook. "We offer safety to all those who need it."

  "Is that really such a good idea? What if the wrong person gets in, like one of those barbarians. They'd run you through before you even knew they had arrived." What Garrett said struck a nerve with Frank.

  "We've done just fine so far." Frank tried to stand up, the room started to spin making him lose his balance before falling back into the chair. The impact sent a shockwave of pain, radiating outwards from his broken ribs.

  "You need a leader, I'm going after those Vikings." Garrett was brutally blunt.

  Frank had been the leader here, and he wasn't ready to give up just yet. "Do you even know where to look for them?"

  Garrett brushed his hair back, revealing a pair of piercing blue eyes. "No, but they shouldn't be hard to track."

  "So you go out looking, leaving us vulnerable here. You aren't a leader; just some hot headed little shit. You need to protect the majority, that's how we survive now." Frank's voice was winded from the exertion of talking.

  "You have a better plan; we can't just sit here and wait to die." Garrett countered.

  "I do; have you ever heard of the Pelley Compound?" Frank still had the upper hand for now, but he could feel his grip loosening over his town.

  "You don't want to go there." Garrett placed his hand in his pocket and looked down at the floor.

  "Why not?" Frank was surprised the youngster knew anything at all about the Pelley Compound. Most outsiders have never heard of it before, unless you were a druggie looking for a quick fix.

  "You'll never make it back if they see you." Garret's voice flooded with fear. "You'd only have one chance to take over that compound."

  "Do you mean to tell me that the Pelleys are still alive?" It bothered Frank deep down inside knowing that after all those innocent people died at the hands of the dead, that scumbags like those criminals were allowed to survive. Maybe this was God's way of punishing his evil children, by leaving them behind in this nightmarish purgatory and rescuing the virtuous from this living hell. If this were true, Frank knew he would be down here for a long time

  Garrett looked over his shoulder out the window where yellow rays of sunlight beat through the glass compounding Frank's headache. "They’re still operating their drug operation. Forcing slaves to make their drugs and trading those drugs with the biker gang in Grand Falls."

  "How do you know the Pelleys?" Frank was intrigued. He needed to know who he was dealing with.

  "I used to run drugs out of Grand Falls for them. I tried to seek refuge with them, but they’ve gone nuts." Garrett had his back to Frank. Frank tried to see his reflection in the glass window, but his vision was muddled.

  "What's this one chance you mentioned?" Frank felt faint, the pain clouding his better jud
gement.

  Garrett turned to Frank, an odd smirk on his face. "They are heading to Grand Falls any moment to set up a new drug lab. They’re delivery a new group of slaves to the city. They have a deal brokered with another biker gang so they have to expand their capacity to manufacture drugs. This group of jaded mercenaries and cruel gang leaders plan to build a new crime empire in Newfoundland. Once the apocalypse is over, they will have tremendous power. While the Pelleys are gone, we could take control of the compound over unhindered."

  Frank was thrilled with the opportunity to keep everyone safe, and it would only take a small risk. "When do we leave?" Frank discovered a newfound strength as he stood up.

  "We need four of your most able-bodied men to accompany me and Chester." Garrett looked out the window, sizing up the members of the crowd of fifteen gathered outside.

  Frank cursed the lack of able-bodied men he had at his disposal. "Nathaniel, Eddy, and Louis should do fine."

  "Who's the fourth man?" Garret grilled Frank.

  "I'm going with you." Frank was in no state to do this, but he wasn't willing to risk the mission with four people he didn't trust to complete the task. Frank needed to make sure this went well -- the future of the community rested in his next move, and it needed to be carried out with his supervision.

  "Alright, Chief. We should leave as soon as possible." Garrett ran outside to join his fellow friends.

  Frank counted four people with Garrett, meaning he was leaving the community in the hands of just two men, who would be outnumbered by the three newcomers. If they wanted to do anything sinister, now would be their opportunity. Frank was overcome by a sudden feeling of dismay; had he acted too abruptly? He didn't even know who these men were and now he was putting his trust and faith in a criminal delinquent. With a heavy sigh – it was too late to change anything now -- Frank headed up the stairs to get Nathaniel ready. It was his turn to abuse his authority.

  Nick drove down the gravel road, the sloppy snow on top splashing out from underneath the tires. The bright sunlight was melting the snow on the treetops and the green needles had already begun to poke out from underneath the recent snowfall. Nick made the turnoff towards Frank's cabin only to find the road had been block by a large metal gate. "Was that always there?" Jason pointed towards the newly erected barricade.

  Nick shook his head. "No, that's something brand new." Nick felt a surge of hope. Maybe his parents had survived the outbreak and lived safely behind those bars. Maybe Frank had rescued them before it was too late.

  "You think your mom and dad are in there?" Jason sounded hopeful.

  "I hope so, man, I hope so." Nick looked at the lock on the gate, thinking about busting straight through the barrier, but didn't want to jeopardize the safety of those living behind the roadblock.

  "How do we get around that barricade?" Eric spoke up from the back, the gate directly ahead of the ambulance.

  "You up for a walk, Deputy?" Jason quipped. "You bring your boots this time."

  Eric laughed, remembering that he had left the rubber boots Jason gave him in the trunk of his car. "You going to be able to keep up?"

  "No problem, bud." Jason jumped out of the passenger’s seat, his boots sinking into the slushy snow with a loud splash. Jason started walking down the bank already, trying to get a sizeable head start on Eric.

  "Nick, you stay here with everyone. If you see trouble, get everyone out of here." Eric felt Dana pull his jacket. What?" he asked, turning to face her.

  "I'm coming too." Dana looked angry. "You're not leaving me behind again."

  "Just let her go, man, it's just a stroll through the woods." Nick knew Eric didn't want to put Dana in any danger, but it was only a twenty minute walk to the cabins from here.

  "Alright honey, but you run if anything goes wrong." Eric reluctantly agreed to his wife's request. It seemed like every time he left her alone she found danger, maybe it would be best to keep her close. "We'll get Frank to open the gates, just stay put and keep a look out."

  "You got it, Deputy." Nick watched Eric and Dana jog to catch up to Jason.

  Jack made his way up front to join Nick. "You must be tired, why don't you get some shut eye. I'll keep a look out." Jack knew that Nick had been up most of the night. His offer was the least he could do.

  Nick felt his eyes burning; the offer was too good to turn down. "Sure, thanks, Jack."

  Nick shut his eyes and figured he may get about an hour's nap. Even with the excitement of being so close to his parents’ cabin, his fatigue was too formidable to ignore. Nick drifted off into a sound sleep the moment he shut his eyes.

  Dana found it difficult to keep up with Eric and Jason as the slippery snow was making the journey extremely treacherous. They had veered far to the right from the gate, and the road had disappeared from sight about five minutes ago. Dana had no idea where they were, but she was certain that they were no longer on the right path.

  "Wait up. We're going the wrong way." Dana called out to her husband.

  Eric spun around and put his finger up to his face. "Keep your voice low, we don't know what's waiting for us out here," Eric scolded her.

  Dana felt her face flush with anger. She wasn't a child and didn't want to be treated like one. Stomping the rest of the way towards Eric drew out a sour look on his face. "Why are we sneaking around?"

  "You didn't learn your lesson at the cabin, those creatures are drawn to noise." Jason's voice was hushed, but still deep and authoritative.

  Feeling like a scolded child, Dana remained silent and walked alongside the two men in silence, struggling to keep pace with them.

  Drops of water dripped down from the tree branches, and broken rays of sun shone through the forest ceiling. Ominous looming shadows encompassed them. Eerie silence crept through the forest with only the sounds of their footprints accompanying them on their strange journey. It seemed like they were moving through that mysterious forest for hours when they reached the edge of the clearing. The charred remains of a cabin rested underneath the snow. Its blackened structure was a sharp contrast to the clean white layer trying to conceal the vulgar truth hidden beneath the ashes.

  "What are we doing here?" Dana questioned.

  Jason led the way towards the scorched remains. "This was Nick's parents’ cabin." He paused for a moment. "What do you think happened to them?"

  "We don't even know if they were in the cabin when it burnt down." Eric must have spotted something behind the demolished building as his gaze was fixed on something to the right side of the destroyed shanty. Dana stood far away from the edge of the woods, she didn't want anything to pop out from the shadows and snatch her. Something felt wrong here. An evil presence lingered around the seared earth, sending chills down her back.

  "Jason, this isn't Nick's parents’ car!" Eric called out from the driveway.

  Jason hustled over towards Eric. "You're right. Maybe they’re in Howley, but if they're not, what do we tell Nick?"

  "We tell him nothing. This car belongs to Harry's Auto Body." Eric sounded concerned, examining the vehicle through the window of the driver’s side. Eric opened the door and started to rummage through the glove box.

  "What would they be doing at Nick's parents? Isn't Harry's Auto Body located in Grand Falls?" Jason started to look through the debris of the abandoned cabin.

  "No idea? Nick's parents weren't caught up in the drug trade, but Harry's a known drug smuggler. They ran drugs for the biker gangs operating out of Grand Falls. They worked the entire west coast for the Pelleys." Eric popped the latch of the trunk.

  "What do you think? They were on a drug run and got trapped here during the outbreak?" Jason examined the rubble, searching for signs of Nick's parents.

  "Most likely, but we'll never know. I guess we should head to Frank's. Get that gate open and get everyone safely inside." Eric walked to the trunk of the car. "Jason, come take a look at this." Eric’s upper body disappeared into the trunk. Jason slowly walked over to join him, a st
artled look on his face. They started pulling out large duffle bags and placing them on the ground. The bags made loud thunking sounds as they dropped them to the burnt sod; whatever was inside those bags weighed a ton.

  "What is it?" Dana wasn't sure if she wanted to know the answer.

  "Guns and ammo, just sitting here." Eric didn't sound to impressed by the discovery.

  "That's good news, right?" Dana was puzzled by Eric's lack of enthusiasm.

  Jason and Eric both shot each other nervous glances. "Well, if they had all these guns, you'd think there would be a slew of dead zombies around here. So whoever set the fire, it wasn't because they were overrun by those dead creatures," Eric tried to explain.

  "So?" Dana wasn't sure what point Eric was trying to make.

  "If they had guns, they wouldn't have given up without a fight. Maybe Nick's parents burned the cabin before these people showed up, or there was foul play involved." Eric scanned the edge of the clearing for any signs of footprints.

  "The snow may have covered the tracks, but my guess is we'll find some over this way." Jason pointed towards a trail that led into the woods. "This is the way to Frank's cabin." Jason cleared the snow away from the old dirt path and found footprints in the mud underneath the slush.

  "This doesn't seem right to me." Eric paced back and forth, searching within for the right answer.

  Dana felt uneasy about the whole situation, it was bad enough that the dead had risen and were hungry for flesh. Now, they had to deal with desperate people. This violent world had turned people into dangerous, rash human beings who acted out of a base instinct to survive.

  "You think something’s wrong?" Jason looked down the menacing woods trail. The trees leaned inwards from above, the branches looking like arms reaching down for you.