“What’s the problem?” Tyler asked quietly at my side.
I leaned back and opened my eyes. “You heard the engine. This plane’s not going anywhere. With both mags running rough, it’s not going to be running for much longer. If the engine goes out while we’re in the air, we have to land, and it doesn’t matter if there’s a town of zeds below us or not.”
“Will it help if you let it sit for a while?” Jase asked.
“I don’t think so.” I scratched my head. “Fuck, I don’t know. I’m a pilot, not a mechanic. I have no idea how to fix it. I just know it’s not safe to fly it like this.”
“Then we won’t risk it,” Tyler said. “We’ll find another way back home.”
We climbed out of the plane and stood on the bridge.
“Can I see the map?” I asked Jase.
He dug into his cargo pocket and pulled out the folded sectional.
“Thanks.” I knelt and spread it out on the pavement.
Tyler came down on a knee next to me while I could feel Jase and Griz at my back.
I pointed to a spot on the map. “The closest small airport is here. It’s not far, but it’s on the edge of town. If we can’t get to the airport, we should at least be able to find a car. Jase has been marking the routes on the map.”
“Too bad Otto didn’t stick around,” Griz said, looking out over the river. “A lift could’ve saved us hours.”
“That would make things easier,” Tyler said. “But I’m not seeing any boats around here that we can use, so it looks like we’ll be hoofing it. There should be a few farms between us and the next town. One of those farms is bound to have a vehicle we can use.” He came to his feet. “Take five, and then we head out.”
I was already dreading how much my leg would ache tonight. I headed back to the plane. I tried to reach Clutch on the radio but had no luck. Giving up, I rummaged through the baggage compartment. I pulled out a plastic bag and handed it to Griz to add to his rucksack. “There are a few protein bars, a couple bottles of water, and a first aid kit in there.”
“It’s time,” Tyler said. “Let’s get a move on. We’ve got less than four hours of sunlight left to get back to Camp Fox.”
Chapter VIII
After an hour of jogging, we switched to walking once we realized there was no way in hell we’d make it back to the park before dark. My calf had ached for the first forty minutes until pleasant numbness finally settled in.
The rural road was rough but wide open, with trees to our right, where the river was, and fields to our left. A group of four zeds emerged from the trees and blocked our path. Luckily, only one of them was fresh enough to be halfway fast. Tyler took it down with a heavy swing of his sword. I pulled out my machete, and the rest of us each took down one without firing a shot. The zed I killed had been a man, wearing stained khakis and a golf shirt. My first swing knocked it to the ground. My second swing put it out of its misery.
Sounds came from the trees, but thankfully, no more zeds emerged. Still, we made haste to continue on. The first farmhouse we came to we didn’t dare approach. Jase had counted at least three zeds inside, and we had no intention on riling them up. The truck in the driveway sat with the driver’s side door open and no keys in the ignition. When Jase tried to hotwire it, nothing happened. The battery was dead.