Liz clung to Randy. “You don’t know how glad I am to see you.” Liz whispered. “My father? Is he alive?”
Randy laughed. “That old goat is just fine.” He stepped back to get a better look. “You’re skinny as hell, but at least you’re alive! So glad to see you and the girls got off the base. Where are they?”
Liz leaned into his arms. “They’re gone.” She sobbed against his chest. “I couldn’t save them.” Her knees buckled and she collapsed.
Randy held her limp body and reached under Liz’s legs and pulled her into his arms. She hung there, limp as a dishrag. Randy looked to Harry and John for an explanation.
“What in the hell is she talking about? What’s wrong with her?” Randy demanded.
“It’s a long story. I think she exhausted and then add worry about the kids. We’ve been on the road since the day this shit happened.” Harry answered. “Let’s take her into the camper to lie down then we can talk.”
Randy made a curt nod then followed the two strangers toward the camper. On the way, he nodded at Miguel. “Take the trucks back to that stand of Pin Oaks down the road and set up camp. Leave room for the camper to pull alongside. Be sure to use a Dakota Fire. I don’t want the fire being seen after dark. We don’t know who’s out there looking to pinpoint survivors.”
“Sí, Senor Randy.” Miguel answered then jogged back to the other three men standing at the vehicles.
John stepped into the camper and called out. “It’s okay kids. Come on out.”
Cody and Trace appeared in the back bedroom doorway looking a little like deer in headlights.
“These are friends of Ms. Lizzy’s. Come sit down so we can put her in the bed.”
“Is she dead?” Trace asked.
“Harry laughed. “No. Of course not. She’s just not feeling well and really tired.”
John added. “She’ll be right as rain, soon enough.”
Randy deposited Liz in the bed and after taking the time to lay a damp cloth on her forehead, walked to the sitting area at the front of the camper.
“My names Harry Walters, this is John Tilman. Lizzy has had a tough time of it.” Harry began. “She told us about her dad’s place up in the mountains. I take it you know each other.”
Randy nodded. “Couple years now. What happened to the girls? Are they really dead?” Randy asked.
Harry sighed. “We got no way of knowing, for sure. Lizzy had to put them through a fence to protect them and led the infected away. By the time we met and made our way back they were being picked up by three soldiers. It was pretty fucked up with the infected, men yelling and gun fire. We tried to follow, but we lost ‘em. We’ve been trying to find them but they seem to have disappeared around Kerrville.”
“In other words, they’re probably dead.” Randy answered.
“No. We don’t think so. We saw a message on a trailer. It was something Lizzy recognized.” Harry continued. “Before we could check out the area we got ambushed and had to spend some time in the camper yard recuperating. Then the kids and their father showed up. Things got complicated and we ended up here. She can’t keep going on like this. I put an end to it for the baby’s sake.”
“Baby?”
“Yeah. She’s pregnant.” Harry nodded.
“What about her husband?” Randy asked.
John folded his arms across his chest. “No idea. He warned her. Who knows what happened to him after that. I know from everything we saw on television early on, the base was overrun early on. We have no idea if he survived.”
“All I know now is we need to get someplace safe. We got an exhausted pregnant woman and two malnourished kids that just lost their dad.” Harry lamented.
Randy nodded. “We’re only sixty miles from canyon. We’ve been out searching for supplies. Tomorrow we’re making a quick trip into Dell City then we’ll be heading back to Pine Springs Canyon.”
Harry glanced through the windshield toward collapsed house and dying fire. “Sounds good to me.”
John added. “We got less than a quarter tank of gas we could maybe find enough to get to Pine Springs.”
Harry chuckled. “Yeah. This is a gas guzzling bitch for sure.”
Randy directed Harry toward a stand of Pin Oak clustered together about half a mile from the highway. They parked the camper and John opened the side door to expose the waning light. A cooling breeze was a welcome relieve from the stuffy camper.
Randy slapped his hands on his knees. “It’s settled then. Let’s get busy. My guys will set up some traps. If you two don’t mind, we’ll split the watch three shifts, two each for four hours.”
Harry nodded in agreement. “Sounds like a plan. We can take care of that while Lizzy and the kids get a good night’s sleep. When we hit that town tomorrow we’ll get filled up while you get your supplies then we’ll be ready to head out.”
Liz stood in the doorway watching the two men frowning. “So, I guess you have it all worked out?” She said crossly.
Both men turned toward her looking a little guilty.
“Now, Lizzy. We’re just….”
“I know what you’re doing. You’ve decided I don’t get a say in what happens to me and the kids.” She railed. “This is not circling the wagons protecting the women and children time.”
“Now Lizzy. You’re in the family way and all.” Harry began then grew quiet when he saw the scowl on her face.
“I think it’s time I see to making the camp safe.” Randy pulled himself to his feet and headed across the camp with Harry and John on his heels.
When they were gone, Liz dropped to the seat next to the table. She felt tears threatening and bit at her bottom lip. The ache in her side was crushing.
“Ms. Liz. What’s wrong?” Trace asked sadly.
Liz took a shallow breath and squared her shoulders. “Nothing. Let’s see if I can get you two clean shirts. You can get cleaned up and I’ll get your clothes washed. They’ll be dry by morning, but in the meantime Trace, you can wear an oversized t-shirt and Cody can borrow a pair of pants to wear around camp tonight.”
An hour later the kids were clean, the camp was set up with two men on watch and the rest sitting around a small campfire getting to know each other.
“Spyders?” Randy asked. “You got that far on tricycles?”
“Fuck you, asshole.” Harry laughed. “We did alright until some assholes waylaid us on the outskirts of Odessa.”
Charlotte Hoaks. . . .(C. A. Hoaks) 