Dead in the Valley Page 23
“I’m fine. This isn’t over yet,” Wade said, trying to pull away.
“Oh. Do you have a medical degree I don’t know about? No? Then stand your ass there until I have a look at this wound,” Bones said with authority.
◆◆◆
Bull and his group crept towards the tree barrier and saw that the trap had been sprung. Rico and Suave both came from opposite directions when they spotted Bull.
“Report,” Bull said as soon as Suave was in range.
“There were at least fifty men who moved off to the east. I assume they were going to check the defenses at multiple points. There were about twenty who were here at the trap,” Suave relayed to Bull.
“Okay, spread out. Looks like they will be easy to track. I can see the trail of their passing from here,” Bull ordered.
A novice could have tracked them through the underbrush of the forest. Bull ordered his men to spread out in a line to either side of his position, keeping ten-yard intervals between them as they followed the obvious trail the gang left behind.
Just a couple hundred yards around the eastern side of the settlement, Rico signaled to Bull. Bull halted the advance and made the men aware there was danger ahead. Bull and his men moved slowly and came up behind a group of men firing on the eastern section of the container wall. Rico, Suave, and one other soldier moved forwards, each selecting a target. Almost as one, they fired and were rewarded with three of the men dropping to the ground. Before the others could even fully turn to face the threat, the second volley was going down range. Three more targets fell to the ground. The remaining half dozen men turned and returned fire. The defenders on the wall popped up and began peppering the men from behind. It was over quickly. Bull and his men continued the hunt, moving towards the barn and greenhouse on the northern side of the farm.
◆◆◆
Guillermo decided to cut bait when the men he had sent to the barn didn’t come out again. His calls for Dante on the radio had gone unanswered. He had gathered the stragglers and had about a dozen men with him. They were still coming under fire, but they had managed to stay in cover, and they were at the maximum range of the weapons being fired from the wall.
He directed the men to pull back and work their way up the ridge on the eastern side of the camp. He knew there was another tree barrier in that direction, but he doubted anyone would look in that way for the gang members. This attack had been a disaster from the start. Now they needed to regroup. Guillermo who had always respected Dante also understood that he often made rash decisions when he was angry. The fact that he couldn't reach him or Gloria on the radio did not bode well.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Aftermath
Looking down on the bodies of Gloria and the leader of the Lord and Masters, I felt little remorse for taking their lives. The atrocities committed by the gang, along with Gloria killing one of my oldest friends, they had gotten exactly what they deserved. The shooting had slacked off, but there were still shots coming from the western side of the property which approached from the road. There was also sounds of fighting on the northern and western side of the farm, but it was sporadic. I took a deep breath and looked around. Bodies littered the ground as far as I could see, like leaves covering the ground in fall. The bulk of the bodies were infected, but there were gang members and my people mixed in as well. I became aware that Bones had finished triage on my shoulder. I had been in an almost fugue state looking at the death around me. Then, hearing my name being shouted over the radio, I was snapped out of my thoughts. I was needed at the barn.
Wade Marshall
◆◆◆
Bones was finishing up with Wade's wounded shoulder. Luckily it was through and through. Suddenly the radio blared, and Harvey Smallwood called for Wade.
"Wade, we need you at the barn. Better hurry!"
"On my way," Wade replied, turning towards the barn.
Wade started around the front of the container wall. Moving carefully, keeping his eyes open for enemies, he began crossing in front of the wall. Wade looked up at Derek in his position atop the wall and learned the path to the barn was all clear of living combatants. He picked up the pace, knowing he had support from above. The pit was practically full of infected, all the way across the front of the property. There was still infected shambling towards the fortifications, but the group of defenders on top of the wall and the heavy weapons on the two Strykers were systematically dispatching them as they neared the pit. The approach from Route 7 was still teeming with the reanimated dead. There was still a lot of work to do in order to rid the farm of all those infected.
Wade ran into the barn and saw a group huddled just inside the doors. There were several bodies of gang members in and outside the barn. Then Wade parted the crowd and saw Ben lying on the ground, his shirt saturated with blood and pooling beneath him. His breath came in short, ragged gasps as Doc Haynes worked on him. Wade fell to his knees, tears already streaming down his face. He took Ben's hand and struggled to get words past the lump in his throat.
"Hold on, Ben. Doc is going to get you fixed up," Wade said, looking to Doc with hope in his eyes.
By the look on Doc's face, Wade knew time was short for Ben. The man who had always been there for Wade and his brothers through childhood and beyond was slowly fading. His preparedness had saved not only Wade and his family but many other families around the area. Along with more than a few complete strangers.
"Did we win, Wade?" Ben asked weakly.
"Yes, Ben. They are all gone except for a few stragglers. Just rest easy. Save your strength,” Wade pleaded.
"I'm done for, Wade. I am going to be with Gerty. This farm belongs to you now, Wade. You've done good. You saved a lot of people that otherwise might not have survived this catastrophe," Ben rasped.
"What am I going to do without you, Ben?" Wade said, choking out past the sobs.
"You'll carry on and survive. I'm proud of you, Wade," Ben said with his final breaths.
Wade closed Ben's eyes. He remained there, holding Ben's hand for some time, until he felt hands on his shoulders. He looked up to see Kelly standing beside him, tears rolling down her cheeks. Wade let go of Ben’s hand and stood, grabbing Kelly and holding her as a drowning man would grasp for any lifeline. They supported each other for several minutes until Wade finally got himself under control. He radioed Jerry to have him come to the barn. Doc Haynes apologized and assured Wade he had done all he could. Ben had taken multiple rounds to the chest. If Ben could have chosen his own death, he would have been just fine going out defending his farm. It didn't ease the pain of the loss any, but Wade knew it would eventually.
Epilogue
We have managed to defend the farm against some truly evil people. Most of the gang were wiped out. Bull found some tracks and estimated a dozen or so men managed to escape the slaughter. All told, we’ve lost thirty-one people, including Ben, which is a devastating blow for my family. Ben was the man all my siblings and our children looked to for advice and wisdom. We’ve had about forty others injured during the fight.
It’s taken us nearly two weeks to finish off the massive horde of undead. Disposing of all the bodies will likely take months. We had hundreds of survivors working twelve hours a day to clear the aftermath of the fight. We’ve buried our dead and held a service for those we lost. What is now considered the community cemetery is larger than I like. It is a nice, peaceful spot next to the river.
We had originally thought to lure the remaining dead away, but decided it’s better to eliminate them while we have the opportunity. If we are ever going to reclaim our world, they will need to be dealt with at some point anyway. Better to remove them now while manpower, and especially ammunition, is plentiful.
The council has decided to start with the massive project of clearing Winchester of the dead. Who knows how long it will take, or if we can even accomplish it, with the small number of living who still remain in this world. My hope is we continue to grow in numbers.
>
Despite people like the Lords and Masters, I have to believe that most people are fundamentally good. We have had a steady trickle of survivors continue to show up at our community. Mountain Home will continue to expand, and I pray there are others out there who’ve banded together.
It will take hard work to return to any type of normal life. The infected have made us a minority like no other in history. For now, we survive. We are shaping the things we can control and dealing with the things we have no control over as they arise. Mountain Home has a strong group of people who have banded together for the common good. God willing, we will continue to flourish in this harsh new existence.
Our community is firmly established. We will still have to work hard to keep supplies and improve the area, but now we have to focus on reclaiming our world. We will start with Winchester. Destroying the undead threat and continuing our search for survivors. I refuse to stop until my children can have at least some semblance of the world we once knew.
Wade Marshall
The End
About the Author
C.M. Rutherford lives in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia with his wife Kelly and their kids Jarred, Diana, and Charlie. An avid reader all his life, he began beta reading for several authors about five years ago. With the explosion in the Zombie Apocalypse genre (one of his favorites), he was exposed to a lot of great independent authors. The books he read inspired him to begin writing his own stories. Currently, C.M. has several short stories in print and this, his first novel, is just the start. While finishing the editing and publishing of this novel, he is working on several new projects in multiple genres including fantasy, horror, and paranormal. To keep up with new material, please visit his website: www.bookscapes.net.
Afterword
Thank you for reading my first novel. I hope you have enjoyed the story. There will be more to come in this series. For indie authors, it is important to get reviews. I ask that you take a few minutes and give an honest opinion of the story. You don’t have to be elaborate or write a novella, just a few sentences on what you liked or didn’t like. All constructive input is much appreciated. I hope you will check out some of my other stories listed below. I have several more projects upcoming.
A Very Zombie Christmas (Anthology)
Santa Crawl
https://www.amazon.com/Very-Zombie-Christmas-ATZ-Special-ebook/dp/B00R7RU27A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1516662670&sr=8-1&keywords=ATZ+A+Very+Zombie+Christmas
The Black Cat Anthology
Soul Witch
http://www.lulu.com/shop/horrified-press/the-black-cat/paperback/product-21816984.html
Idle Hands Anthology
Variety is the Slice of Life
http://www.lulu.com/shop/thirteen-oclock-press/idle-hands/paperback/product-22502755.html