With a sickening crunch, the pick-up landed over to the other side. At the same time, it pulverizes at least 2 undead on its back wheels. The crater was at least 4 feet deep and 3 feet wide, with the speed at which Bennie was going, we weren't sure we were going to make it with all the unclean lumbering towards us. I thought we were going to crash in the middle of the horde.
I learned to close my mouth this time. I look back just in time to see a motorbike that tried to follow us but landed smack dab in the middle of now a swarming horde. The crash and the screams while being torn apart were apparent for us to hear. It was bone-chilling but they will get no mercy from me.
The other group of bikers at least 10 of them were looking in our direction, and after a while, they turned around and drove back in the direction they came from.
I came closer to the driver's seat. "Everybody okay?" I asked our group. I got some nods and okays. That was a close one. "Remind me to put my seatbelt on next time," Bennie said while chuckling and nervously looking at the side mirror of a pickup truck.
I found Amber cradling Amy and making sure she was okay while Abigail lay sprawled behind me clearly exhausted. I also laughed with Bennie while we were navigating the congested exit of the port city.
~~~~~~~
As the sound of motorbikes got closer, a man in his late 30s was sitting at a bar, perked up as he was enjoying his glass of vodka. A bearded man entered the bar along with 12 other men wearing the same leather jackets with a laughing coyote as a logo.
The bearded man walked forward to the man sitting at the bar, "Angelo, they got away." the bearded man said.
Angelo paused while the cup was half empty in his mouth. He set down the glass and trimmed his black hair with his hand. His bob haircut has white strands showing off because of old age. His beard, a bit unkept, he stood up and stared right into the face of the one who reported. He said nothing. He stared blankly. Angelo looked around. "13" he whispered with a deep voice. "What?" the man asked.
"I assigned 13 of the pack to you," Angelo muttered darkly. "Why is there only 12?" he added, moving closer to the bearded man's face. The bearded man stumbled backward as he was unnerved by Angelo's uncaring tone.
"He uhm ... he got into an accident while chasing the pick-up that we saw." the bearded man answered with a bit of a panic. Angelo caressed his mouth with a hand walking back and forth slowly.
"You're telling me, not only did you let a pick-up with maybe some supplies and cargo get away, but you also let one of the pack .. what did you say again? Get into an accident?" Angelo stated with a bit of anger in his voice emphasizing the survivors as the cargo.
He smiled and walked slowly towards the stumbling man. Angelo yanked him quickly and put him in a headlock with his left hand and pulled out a .357 Viper with a custom grip and pointed it at his own temple. It looked like Angelo was committing suicide but the angle of the gun was also perfectly aligned to the bearded man's head.
"Isn't it because you failed at the trap that I so carefully devised that it led to an unnecessary chase, and killed one of us," Angelo asked with a bit of sarcasm. "So tell me, Michael? How. the. fuck. did. they. get. away." Angelo asked while tapping the gun with every word in his head while still head-locking Michael.
"It isn't because of us I swear! They started speeding halfway through the trap! We sprang it like we always do! You got to believe me!" Michael hurriedly explained. Angelo stopped tapping his temple and let go of Michael. A fluke? or just got lucky or do they know that kind of tactic? Maybe? Angelo thought while crossing his arms with the pistol still in his hand.
"Maybe." Angelo looked at Michael again. "But it doesn't change the fact that you failed. Now, in the worst-case scenario, they would warn other people. Then we will have less traffic. Less traffic means fewer supplies. Fewer supplies mean more angry and hungry people." Angelo shook his head while answering.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
"You see the original members of the coyotes are busy with uhmmm securing your meager community from .. what do your people call it again? Ah.. zombies." Angelo explained. " You newcomers to the gang and the community recruits were given the honor to help provide for those in need. We cayotes kinda like it here, or we could just leave?" Angelo said with a sarcastic tone while pointing his thumb toward the door.
"But!" *BANG! A shot rang out. Michael crouched while grunting in pain clutching his left ear. "No buts, don't forget you still owe us for your betrayal, If it were up to me I'd feed you all to the stinkers," Angelo said moving closer to the sprawled Michael. "I tried to work with you guys. Really! I did." Angelo clutched his chest like he had a broken heart. "The first ones tried to kill us even if we just wanted to help you guys out. The second wanted to use us to be some lapdogs and the third one," Angelo paused and slowly pointed at the top shelves of alcohol.
An unclean head of a man was decorated on the top shelf. Still moaning and rasping even if it was disconnected from the body. "One of our own. Tried to betray our creed by siding with you ingrates who were ungrateful for our help. The city is so big but we only secured a measly 4 blocks of buildings." Angelo sat back down on the stool and poured vodka in his glass again. "The government is silent. Even the army showed no signs of a proper response." Angelo said while twirling the glass. "The local authorities are already dead and your so-called politicians fled the scene. Who's coming to help?" Angelo asked.
"Is it hard to ask you people for a small favor, after we helped your little community from being surrounded and eaten by your so-called zombies? Even after we didn't kill the lot of yah after siding with the beheaded man over there?" Angelo exclaimed while pointing at the unclean head with the glass still in his hand.
"Find them, the next town and city are at least a hundred miles away. They couldn't have gotten far without stocking up on some fuel." Angelo ordered. "Don't fail this time Mickey." Angelo dared. " or your head will be next on that shelf." Angelo said with finality.
"Debts are meant to be paid you know?" Angelo stated as he drank the glass of vodka in one gulp.
~~~~~
After driving for another few miles, we were seeing less and less of the unclean. "It should be around here," Bennie exclaimed over the sound of the engine that was a bit smoking.
"Yeah. The fauna could've covered the dirt road that the company used as a shortcut but it should still be there." I bellowed. "It would be hard to spot. It has been nearly a year that it wasn't used." Bennie added.
"Wasn't used?" Amber questioned. "Yeah. There wasn't a road then from the port city to the mesa or border town. So to save time the company decided to create an alternate route that would take us directly from the port city to the location where the mesa would be built while they're still constructing a road to the soon-to-be-built border town." Bennie explained. "Oh. Isn't that kind of redundant?" Amber replied.
"I think so too," I answered back. "But by the time they were able to finish the road leading from the port city to the border town. We were able to finish the MHP. It saved us a lot of time." I added to the conversation. "MHP? Oh, Mini electric power plant?" Abigail added to our conversation. "Mini Hydroelectric Power Plant but that's close enough." I corrected Abigail.
The pick-up truck suddenly stopped, "Do those two uneven mounds look familiar to you?" Bennie asked me. It was two small mounds already covered in small bushes and young trees and the dirt road was covered with natural fauna.
"It was funny how we drove with container trucks through here back in the day huh Ben?" I asked Ben with a bit of nostalgia.
"Yeah, There wasn't much vegetation then. It was a lifetime ago wasn't it?" Bennie replied.
"It's fine if the pick-up won't make it. It's just a straight shot from here to the plant so we won't get lost." I assured the group.
"Let's hope your gamble plays off Richie," Bennie commented while driving the pick-up through the vegetation.