The Mississippi Zombie Chronicals

Chapter 31: On the Horizon

The morning came quickly and violently.

I felt the pain in my head as the sun shines through the windows of the barracks.

Maria layed beside me in the bed, I could still smell the alcohol in the room and her hair.

Either she had a shit ton of shampoo stashed somewhere, or her hair was magical, because it still smelled clean.

I sat up in the bed, the room was spinning.

Shane, Cody, Zig, and some of Shanes group, including Philip, were passed out in their beds.

Bob and Morgan walk in with their rifles, they were soaking wet.

Must have rained in the middle night.

"Jake, we need your help with something." Said Bob.

I got up and got dressed and followed them to the gate.

"Look out there maybe a half mile to the south." Said Bob, handing me his Mossberg hunting rifle.

I look through the scope, seeing about ten houses, and something strange.

Men with rifles looking back at me.

"Do we know who they are?" I asked.

"I noticed a green Jeep, it looks like Wade's." Said Morgan.

I look up on the roof of a white house, seeing a bearded red headed man, he was putting a pinch of snuff in while sitting in a lawn chair. I could see his bolt action rifle in his lap.

"Yep. That's Wade alright. We need to meet up with him. Make sure they don't need our help with anything." I said.

"Well, let go pay him a visit." Said Bob.

We grabbed our gear and I grabbed my M-4, loading up in the Hummer.

I pulled up to the fences around the houses, two snipers trained on me.

I stepped out and was confronted.

"State your business!"

"I'm here to see Wade. Wade Hall."

"How do you know that name?" Said a man standing in the gate with a facemask on.

"Because I'm Jacob Henderson, Wade and I grew up together, he's a good friend of mine." I replied.

"Then its good to see you, buddy." Replied Wade, pulling his facemask down.

He waved off his snipers, the men returned to their post.

"How the hell you been buddy?" I said, shaking his hand.

"Been better, but it costs more." He said, laughing.

"I feel you. How'd you survive?" I asked.

"Very carefully. Kate and I just barely escaped the football game the night it happened. I was ambushed by two of the infected, I was bitten in the shoulder and I thought I was done. It's been a year since then and I'm still fine. Either I'm lucky or immune. Either way, we made our way here, finding survivors and banding together to stay alive." Said Wade as we walked down the street in their community.

So, Wade's immune to the virus.

"How many people you have here?" Bob asked.

"About twenty. We have rotations of snipers and guards, a doctor, an armory, and hell even a garden. The one thing we don't have is fuel or medical supplies. Booze is a luxury and so is tobacco." Said Wade.

The cogs in my head started to turn.

"Well, have I got a deal for you. We just took over the fuel depot down the road. Still full of fuel. And a clinic but no doctor. Maybe we could work out a trade. We give you fuel and some medical supplies for food and a few of your guards. We can set up a supply line and both our groups can go out on runs for supplies. We'll even throw in a crate of vodka, a couple cases of beer, and some cigarettes and snuff." I replied.

"Then I guess it's your lucky day, you've got a deal." Said Wade, sealing the deal with a handshake.

We made the arrangements to do the swap.

I was glad we had found Wade, I always wondered what had happened to him.

We followed Wade up to his office, two guards standing by the door.

We walked in and find his office is that of an old study, the old house was the biggest in the neighborhood, and the sturdiest.

The study was huge, a fireplace sat in the middle of the room, with a large ornate desk on the other side of the room.

I had seen the design before, it looked so familiar but foreign.

"Who's house was this?" I asked.

"Alexander Hardy's." Said Wade.

A chill ran down my spine, the cold reality of it sent pure and utter terror through my soul.

I collapsed in the floor, the world going black.