Deadland Rising (part 3 of the Deadland Saga)

Uncertainty (Chapter 1)

"You're always starving," Clutch retorted.

The insatiable teenager shrugged and headed straight for our small campfire, where Vicki was busy making some kind of wild herbal tea to go with a bucketful of walnuts and two small trout Frost had caught.

As we all gathered around the fire, Clutch and I shared our ideas regarding the store. While no one was excited about entering a sporting goods store so soon after the run-in with the bandits in a store far too similar to this one, everyone agreed that we would freeze to death without warmer clothes.

If only we had food and supplies, I would've preferred to skip the store and head straight for Fox National Park. Several of us knew the area blindfolded. Alas, we had neither food nor supplies, and there was snow on the ground. Overnight, we had changed from the survivors handing out the food to begging for food.

Marco, the only person in our group not from Camp Fox, was the only man left alive of a squad sent to search for survivors. Marco's home base was New Eden, a large sanctuary in Nebraska. He'd said New Eden had enough supplies to feed hundreds well into next year. Even better, the town had been built around a missile silo. They'd survived the herds by going underground, and could do it again. Marco was anxious to get back to New Eden, and his hope was contagious. The decision had been unanimous.

We'd accompany Marco to New Eden.

Little Benji finished breakfast first to hustle back to playing fetch with Diesel, a massive Great Dane that stood taller than the boy and would protect his short master with his life. Benji had Down syndrome, yet he'd managed to survive the outbreak on his own and ride a bicycle for miles through a zed-infested landscape to search for his grandfather.

I chuckled while I watched the two chase each other. Benji, oblivious to the ruined world around him, proved more resilient than the rest of us. He didn't seem to carry the emotional or physical scars we'd collected since the outbreak. Sometimes, I wondered if we needed Benji more than he needed us. Frost smiled at me before turning back to watch his grandson play. The older man rubbed his knuckles, a sure sign his arthritis was acting up again.

A cold wind blew through. "Brr," Hali said as she snuggled closer to Jase. The teenagers tried to look casual about their friendship, but everyone knew the pair carried a flame for each other. Even the apocalypse couldn't stop young love.

"Here you go, dear. This will warm you up." Deb poured steaming tea into Hali's water bottle. Deb was moving slowly due to her daily bouts of morning sickness. She wasn't showing yet, but Vicki had said the first few months of pregnancy were always the hardest. That Tack, Deb's lover, had died only a couple weeks ago, didn't help. The woman was struggling to hang on—physically and emotionally—and there wasn't a goddamn thing any of us could do.

"I say we take a full day in the store, pull together what we can, and then spend the night inside," Griz said before quickly adding, "Assuming it's safe."

"I was thinking the same thing," Clutch said. "But, I don't like how many assumptions we're operating on right now." Clutch and Griz could've been twins with how they thought alike, despite their different personalities. I suspected much of that came about because both men were Army Rangers and every day was another mission.

"Then we'd better get packed up and check out the place," Jase said. "Maybe I'll find a new backpack. Did I mention that I'd like a new backpack?"

"Every day," Clutch groaned, giving Jase a small smile before his features tightened. "All right, everyone. We head out in fifteen. Cash, Jase, and Griz, you're with me to recon the store."

"Got it," I said, echoed by affirmations from Jase and Griz.

Clutch continued. "Marco, you'll lead the second Humvee with everyone else crammed in. I know it won't be comfortable. You'll park at the far edge of the parking lot to watch for zeds. At the first sign of trouble, you'll radio us, and we'll rendezvous back here. Otherwise, we'll bring you inside once we have a defensible position for the night. Any questions?"