Bill watched him a moment, unsure if the old man would actually return. He looked at the Buick SUV sitting in the driveway and turned to the garage. Lifting the door, he saw Richard’s pickup inside. It was a standard cab and both vehicles were two-wheel drive. Considering they would be traveling on paved roads and away from this mess, he figured the larger cabin of the Buick would be much more comfortable. Maybe they could take turns riding in back and catching a nap while they drove Jason home.
Slipping in behind the wheel of the maroon Buick, he slipped the key into the ignition and turned it. It chimed at him and purred to life. The digital dash came on and he smiled at the site of the gas gauge. Three-quarters of a tank. They wouldn’t have to stop for gas anytime soon.
Jason crawled into the back seat and had already buckled up. He stared at Bill who hiked a brow at him. “Are we going to hit any more ‘zombie mans’?”
“Not if you keep your eyes on the road,” Jason said, his eyes never leaving Bill’s. Bill felt a cold chill run up his back, and he honestly didn’t think it was the air-conditioned leather seats.
The passenger door opened and Richard got in. He handed Bill a bottle of water and handed Jason a box of graham crackers and a small ice chest. “There’s extra water in there, in case you want more later.”
“Grandpa, these are cinnamon,” Jason said as he looked at the box.
“Sorry, buddy. That’s all I could find.” Richard laid his head back and closed his eyes.
Jason laid the box in the seat next to him and stared out the window. Bill studied the two of them and put his foot on the brake. “Are we ready?” he asked. Neither said anything as he pulled the shift lever into drive. “Let’s try this again.”
Bill started rolling the Buick forward when Jason suddenly yelled, “Stop!”
Bill slammed on the brakes and stared wide-eyed at him. “What’s wrong, kid?”
Richard had snapped out of his stupor and turned in his seat as well. Jason sat in his chair as if something had him frightened, the color drained from his face. He stared out the front of the car and Bill slowly turned to look. Nothing was there. He turned back to Jason, “What’s wrong, kid?”
“Army mans,” he said softly.
Bill turned again and looked down the driveway. He couldn’t see anything. He looked to the woods and didn’t see anything there, either. He continued to stare out the windshield and muttered, “Kid, there ain’t nothing out there…” just as a Humvee drove past the end of the driveway going in the opposite direction.
Bill turned and looked to Richard, “What now?”
Richard shook his head. “I dunno. Make a run for it?”
Both men shrugged. Slowly they turned and looked at Jason. He was fumbling with the box of graham crackers.
“Hey, kid?” Bill asked softly. “Is it safe to go now?”
Jason looked up absently and shrugged. “They’re gone now.” He went back to peeling open the box of crackers.
Bill looked to Richard once more for confirmation. Richard shook his head. “It’s up to you.”
Bill sighed and let the brake off slowly letting the Buick roll down the driveway. When they reached the end of the drive and the road was clear, Bill pulled out and turned the way the Humvee had come from.
“Let’s try to put some distance between us and them.”
Buck kept rising up onto his knees and peering through the thick brush in the direction that the three adults had went. “I’ve got a really bad feeling,” he whispered to Skeeter.
“Please don’t do anything stupid, Buck,” Skeeter whispered back.
She sat with her knees drawn to her chest and her arms wrapped around them, doing her best to keep her body as small as she could. The large pine tree that she leaned against hid her from the roadway on her right and Fisher’s soft snoring had almost lulled her to sleep more than once. Every time her eyelids got heavy, Buck would scurry over to the edge and peer out again.
“You can’t leave me here alone. Not with him,” she whispered, motioning toward Dwayne.
Buck didn’t turn back to face her as he continued to stare out toward the edge of the rise where the three officers had stopped and studied the concert area. “I just want to take a look. I need to know what’s going on.”
“No!” Skeeter almost yelled. “You can’t. You heard what the dark-haired guy said. He wants you to stay here. You know how to use the gun…and the bow. If anybody came while you were out there, we’d be sitting ducks.”
Buck finally turned and faced her. “I’ll only be a minute. I just want to take a look.” He pointed above the bushes. “It’s dang near light out. I won’t be able to once the sun is up,” he argued urgently. “I’ll just be a second.”
He rose to slip out when Skeeter pulled his shirt and dragged him back. “Shh!” she whispered. “I hear something.”
Buck glared at her, convinced she was lying. Then he turned his head a bit. There it was; a low rumbling sound coming down the hill. He heard it, too. He quickly crawled to the other side of the small clearing and spread the limbs slightly so he could see toward the dirt road with all of the cars parked along it. He could just see the lights of a vehicle coming down the hill on the woods side, between the cars and trees. Whatever it was, it was bouncing around roughly.
“They’re going fast,” he whispered.
Within moments, a military transport vehicle roared by, dust and debris rising in its wake. It crested the hill and disappeared down the other side. “Something is happening, Skeeter.”
“Maybe they’re bringing back some of the zombies? Or, maybe they have a way to help them.”
Buck shook his head. “You heard what Daniel said. They
