storeroom. Charlie didn’t even bother to try to avoid it, he just drove, crushing it to the pavement. If it was still moving after the truck, it was finished when the boat trailer pulverized it.
We stopped briefly at the condo complex for a quick reunion and a chance to burn off the zombie glop from our weapons. We exchanged stories and news and found out that the group had been especially active in finding other survivors and killing zombies. The entire area south of the complex was clear and I could see for quite a ways, as many buildings had been burned down. The fence was still in place, as there was the occasional roaming Z, but the people were happy and prospering. I told them about the other towns we had encountered and shared the belief that there was no reason not to think that far more people had survived than we thought.
Joseph Talluto
Taking It Back
33
Charlie and I drove back to Leport after another argument about the best route. We ended up taking the same route we took when we first headed out nearly a year ago. We got nostalgic as we passed the little house where Dot used to live and we shook our heads when we passed the home where we first encountered Dane Blake.
We reunited with Duncan briefly and there was lots of well-wishing and wishing in particular. I told Duncan he was welcome to join us when he finished and he said he was sorely tempted. He gave us a letter to give to Tommy and we rolled on to Leport. We ignored the burned out home where we first encountered the lunatics from the home improvement store who had eventually killed Kristen.
Charlie and I brought the boat to the dock and unloaded it. We got some approving glances and a few envious stares. But no one said anything, as we were the ones who went out and got the damn thing.
By the next morning, we had packed up our belongings and were ready to head out. Jake and Julia were happy as clams to wander around the inside of the boat and Rebecca and Sarah had their hands full chasing those two little demons and keeping them out of the cabinets. Just as we were about to pull out, Tommy came strolling by, with Angela in tow. Those two had become closer as the time had gone by and Angela rarely left Tommy’s side.
“Ready to go?” Tommy called as I gathered up the lines and Charlie worked the controls.
“Just about,” I called back.
“Nice place you’re headed to?” Tommy said.
I looked sideways at him. “Pretty nice,” I said carefully.
“Safe?”
“Needs work, but I’m bringing my son if that means anything.”
“Big place?” Tommy asked.
I grinned. “If you don’t get aboard, we’ll leave you behind.”
Tommy whooped and grabbed his duffle bags, which he had stashed out of sight. Angela hugged me as she passed and climbed aboard. Charlie slapped Tommy on the back and Sarah hugged them both.
I climbed aboard and gave Charlie the thumbs up, settling back into a lounge chair.
“What made you decide to come with?” I asked Tommy.
Tommy smiled. He pulled out the letter Duncan gave him. I opened it and it just said ‘Stay with John. I’ll join you later after the winter.’
“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” I said.
My easy cruise was short lived, as we came up to the outskirts of Joslin relatively quickly. I kept my Enfield trained on the buildings on the West while Tommy kept his on the right. Sarah and Rebecca were below with the little ones and Charlie kept the big boat moving steadily. The chain had not been replaced and I did not see anyone watching us. We heard the undisputed cry of thousands of hungry ghouls and saw many of them lining the canal, watching us drift on by. I wondered if the ghouls had finally won against the holdouts in Joslin and the city was truly dead. Given the number of Z’s we were looking at right in front of us, trying to find the answer would be deadly.
We moved down the canal, joining the river and moving past the towns that Charlie and I previously passed. Since that visit and the one we were making, we had established communication via ham radio and had actually sent some trade envoys down. Apparently the town of Seneca had a surplus of bread products and we traded regularly for flour and wheat.
Sarah, Rebecca and Angela took advantage of the lazy trip and the sunlight to get a little tanning in. They surprised us by disappearing into the cabin and reappearing in very slight bathing suits. Charlie nearly ran us aground as he had a hard time keeping his eyes on the river. I didn’t blame him a bit.
Jake loved the river ride and laughed as the water slapped the side of the boat. Julia was enthralled as well and gave Tommy the fits as she repeatedly tried to jump into the river.
We rode for a while and the sun was reflecting off the water as it started to work its way into the evening hours. The warm day had begun to cool off and a breeze from the south promised a comfortable night. By my watch, it was about three in the afternoon when we finally made it to Starved Rock. Charlie steered us closer to the monument itself, bringing the boat into a small inlet in the shadow of the Rock. Tommy volunteered to jump into the water to secure the boat, and we maneuvered the big craft up as close as we could without grounding it.
Securing the boat and hauling off our supplies, after a brief wait for the women to gear up, we headed into the woods towards the lodge. I didn’t get the same creepy feeling I got the last time we were here, although I still walked with my rifle at the ready. Sarah let Jake walk beside her and he and Julia shared happy baby sounds as they toddled through the woods.
We reached the first clearing and I glanced up at Starved Rock. I thought I saw a flash of tan fur in the sunlight, but I couldn’t be sure. As long as he left me and mine alone, I had no problem with a cougar in the backyard. We did see another zombie that had been chewed up by the cougar, so as long as he earned his keep, I was fine with him.
We settled into the main lodge itself after taking a while to secure the rooms. By the time we had finished, the sun was nearly down, and the evening light cast long shadows over the countryside. I figured we would take rooms on the second floor, just in case, and use the restaurant’s kitchen for food storage and preparation. The huge common area, with its enormous wooden beams and massive central fireplace was reminiscent of a medieval hall. Just outside the main hall was the paved porch area, which overlooked the entire preserve and gave us unfettered views of Starved Rock, the Visitor Center, and Plum Island. The land dropped away just beyond the patio, falling straight down by more than fifty feet. On the east side of the lodge was a small canyon which had a waterfall not twenty yards from the lodge itself, solving our water problem and providing additional security.
The front of the lodge was surrounded by forest, with an open parking lot area immediately outside, providing an unobstructed firing zone if needed. There was ample room for growing food and the island across the way would be perfect for livestock if we decided to keep any. In a word, the lodge and surrounding area was perfect. Standing on the patio, as the sun cast pink and red hues across the clouds in the sky, I watched as Jake walked with stumbling feet around a wrought iron gazebo likely used in the past for weddings. Sarah was with me and I wrapped an arm around her shoulders as we took in the view.
“Well, what do you think?” I asked, nodding to Charlie and Rebecca who were sitting on the lounge chairs watching Julia roam around. Tommy and Angela were exploring the park with an express caution about the cougar.
“I feel like we’re in a fairy tale,” Sarah said. “We live in a manor and are surrounded by our fief. Across the river there are monsters.”
I hadn’t considered it that way, but I thought it sounded pretty good. “You know, in the old days of this country, whoever could back up and hold a claim to land eventually was titled to it. These days, I would think the same rule applies. If you can hold it, it’s yours. I’d say unless things change dramatically, this lodge and land is ours as long as we can defend and keep it.”
“No trouble there,” Charlie growled.
I hoped so. My gut told me this was the place to stay, that this was the place I had been looking for. My
