Chapter 6
Travelling
Stephanie who was driving Betsy had been keeping up just fine. I slowly came to a stop next to an empty field and hopped out of the truck and headed back to the girls to discuss what I was going to do.
“Howdy ladies, thank you for keeping up. I made a quick change of plan. I want to go check out the bridge while there is still light. I am going to head forward at a much slower pace. When I see the bridge I am going to stop and get out and scope it out on foot. I would like for you to follow me about 5 minutes behind. Don’t go more than 15 mph unless it is an emergency. That should give me enough time to check the situation out. If you come up on the truck before I get back just stop and wait for a few minutes. Before I head out let me get my binoculars from the glove box.”
After being handed the binoculars I headed further down the road until I could actually see the bridge. Everything looked fine at first glance. I pulled over to the side of the road and stood on the hood of the truck for a better sight line. It looked like there was either a wreck or several stalled cars on the far side of the bridge. They were not blocking the route but I was not happy to see them. No one would leave their cars there unless they ran out of gas or something happened. The chances of three cars running out of gas at the same place on a back road like 121 was next to nothing. This was starting to make me nervous.
I searched the cars through the binoculars and realized that something or someone was moving inside one of them. What on earth was that. I am going to have to get closer. I got off the hood of the truck and grabbed the .30 .30 rifle and the pistol from the cab. Now was not the time for silence. I walked forward until I was at the edge of the bridge and tried the binoculars again. It was hard to make out in the closing dusky light, but it looked like someone was trapped by a seatbelt and moving around in the front red car. Was that a zombie? I need to check this out, but I don’t want to cross the bridge with no cover in the light. I retreat from where I was and head back to the truck. A few minutes later Stephanie drives up in Betsy. I explain the situation and tell them that we would need to wait a few minutes. I wanted it to get dark before I tried to cross the bridge without any cover. They would stay here and wait while I went and checked out what was going on.
After waiting about ten more minutes I deemed it dark enough to cross. I tooled up with a pistol, and my axe bar. I wanted to be able to fight if necessary, but I did not want to weigh myself down. Widow Allie stood at the hood of the truck with the .30 .30 rifle waiting to cover me if necessary. There was just enough light to see shapes, but it was dark enough that I felt safer crossing. I crouched down and scurried across the bridge as quickly and quietly as I could. As I got closer to the three vehicles I started to smell copper. Not a good sign. Usually a strong copper or iron smell like this is associated with, yep there is blood all over the cars. Whatever happened here is obviously not a good thing. The upside is that it is probably not an ambush.
I walk a few feet further and hear the moaning grunting noise that I was starting to associate with the zombies. It sounds like more than one. I see what looks like one crouched down in between the cars and I think the moving object that is trapped by the seatbelt is another one. Time for a decision. Do I try and eliminate them or just go back and drive on by? Safety first. I don’t need any supplies. They can’t hurt me or the family following me if we stay in the vehicles. There is no reason to risk it. I back up quietly and explain the situation to Widow Allie and Stephanie. I fire up the truck and pull out onto the bridge with the gals close behind. As soon as we get near the stopped vehicles the zombie outside stands up and starts moving towards the vehicles. I speed up just enough that it won’t get close and we continue on down the road. A couple miles later I find the transmission lines I was looking for.
What most people don’t realize is that all major power transmission lines have an access road either next to them or running under them. They are not the highest quality road, but are easily driven if you have a four-wheel drive vehicle. Since all power lines will eventually lead to cities, where the power is needed, they make for an excellent alternative route of travel. If gangs or survivors are setting up checkpoints or attacking people it should be on established roads. Everybody just seems to ignore power line roads. They are so common, but since no one uses them in society they are mostly ignored. These alternate routes will be viable for vehicular travel for several years after any disaster. The only issue they have is they don’t install bridges at power line points. The power lines just cross over.
This is why I had to go down HWY 121. I needed a way to cross the Saluda which was to wide and deep for my vehicle to make it across. Since there are no more significant bodies of water to cross before Aiken, I could follow these transmission roads until I was close to the family farm and then cut over with a minimum of interaction with other people. The next two hours pass easy enough. We took two breaks and I made sure there was no problems with the group following me. After the second break I told the ladies to be especially on their toes for this last part. We were getting close to Aiken which meant that even though we were taking a non-traditional road we may run into problems or people from surrounding houses as it got more built up.
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About five miles from mom’s house my fears were validated. I heard the breaking of glass, a large hole appeared in my windshield with cracks radiating from it and the sound of a gunshot echoed through the night. I slammed on the brakes, turned off the headlights and dove for the floor board. Someone had taken a shot at me. I yelled at the top of my lungs hoping that the following vehicle will hear me, “Turn off your lights and get down!” The darkness of night soon replaced the glow that the headlights had produced. I hear another two gunshots, but no sounds of glass or metal being hit. Could it just be idiots shooting or drunken people?
I better play it safe. I reach up and make sure the dome light is turned off. The last thing I want is to be highlighted when I open the truck door. I leave the truck running just in case and grab the larger caliber rifle. I slowly ease the door open. Good the light did not come on. I slide out of the truck and head towards the darker outline of Betsy which I can see close behind me. As I get closer I make the universal PSSST noise to grab their attention. I explained what happened. All they saw was that I had slammed on the brakes and swerved out of the way. Then they heard me yell and they turned off their headlights and heard the follow up two gunshots. Nobody was hit.
I told them that I was going forward to check out the situation. Whatever they did they needed to make sure to keep the noise down and the lights off. I quickly went back to the truck and turned it off and grabbed the pistol to go along with my rifle. Since I have heard nothing since the last shots I just crouched and ran ahead about fifteen to twenty meters at a time. I then stopped and listened for any sounds and looked around for light sources. This seemed to haphazard to be an actual ambush. After advancing about 100 meters I could see the flickering of a campfire off to the right. Getting low I leopard crawl forward as quietly as I can to investigate. As soon as I get within about twenty meters I start to hear conversation.
“Did you see that? I was amazing, one shot one kill like the movies. Shut up Barry and quit hogging the whisky. It was my two shots afterward that stopped all the lights. Do you think we hit anybody? Joe there is nobody else anymore. That must have been ghost lights.”
Drunken idiots with guns. At least two of them. I crawl a little closer and see three guys about my age or at least in their 30’s. They are drunk or well on their way too it. I sneak behind the closest one, which is not as hard as I thought it would be. I am making too much noise but they are loud and inebriated. I stand up pushing the rifle into the gentleman’s back who is in front of me and holding my pistol ready in the other hand.
“Good evening gentleman. I am the person who you just shot at and I am not happy.”
The person I was holding the rifle against squeaked then slumped over. Did he just faint? The one across from me started swearing after jumping back and tripping on the log he was sitting on and the last one, either wet his pants or spilled the whisky. This was what almost killed me? I am starting to feel a little insulted.
“Who are you?” stuttered the one with damp pants.
“I told you, I am the person you were shooting at a few minutes ago.”
“But we weren’t shooting at you, we were shooting at the ghost lights.”
They are too drunk to even argue with.
“Look just stand up and wait over there. Drag this guy with you.” I said while nudging the fainted one with my toe.
With a few stumbles and bumbles the three stooges were lined up on one side of their campfire.
“Now I am going to make this easy. You with the wet pants.” When I said this I could actually see him blush in embarrassment in the flickering firelight. “Carefully take your pistol out of the holster and toss it over here. Don’t make me nervous or I will shoot.”
Pee pants Macgee did what I suggested and carefully tossed over the gun. I collected it two other pistols, one shotgun, and two rifles. “I am going to walk back the way I came and I will leave your guns about 50 meters from here. Wait 30 minutes and then you can come collect them. I just want to drive by without you idiots shooting at me again.” The drunken trio nodded their heads and I carefully balanced the now significant load of weaponry and faded back into the night. Luckily the rifles and shotguns were on slings and one of the pistols I collected was in its holster or I do not think I would have managed it.
Once I was out of sight I sped up a little, just in case they had another weapon I did not see. As I was leaving the area I heard them muttering about ghosts, stupid Barry, and needing to sleep. It may have been wrong, but I was not going to leave the guns like I said. I did not need three hungover revenge seeking people with weapons looking for me over the next few days. I had a suspicion that they would not last long anyway. Anybody that made that much noise, was drunk, and made such bad decisions in an apocalypse situation would most likely be chow soon. Although God does love protecting fools which is why I was going to claim the weapons as compensation for being shot at.
As soon as I got near the parked vehicles I called out low to alert them of my arrival. I explained once more what had happened and put the extra weapons in the cab of the truck. I started up the truck and kept low while turning on the headlights. Safe, nobody is shooting. I eased the truck into drive and drove another mile or two before I started to recognize the land. Once I realized that I was that close I got onto the C.B. radio and tried to make contact with the family.