Can't Have Shit in Kentucky (Project Zomboid) ch.8 (Patreon)

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"It's a real damned pleasure to see you, Miss Wrynn," Elis said with a smile and he meant every word he said. One moment, the world was alright. And next, folk were dropping around like flies and acting like monsters from some insane fella's imagination. 

"And you too, Elis," Jackie nodded, relief flooding her in seeing someone she was familiar with. The Ingelman's were a known and beloved feature of Riverside, being perhaps the hickiest of hicks in their side of the county. Elis was practically their public face. Jackie paused in speaking as the bus began to lurch forward, Roy inwardly grumbling as he found his bus filled with much more people than he would have liked. But what was he going to do, say no to a soldier? 

"Alright folks, we're heading over to West Point now. Strap yourselves in," Roy announced, to the relief of the new passengers. A mix-mash of people, Jackie saw. Others were dressed in crumpled clothes quickly placed on themselves, some even wore their PJ's. A good amount of them were armed however, adding a blanket of safety to them. 

"Miss Wrynn, what the hell is going on?" Elis asked, cutting straight to the point. "I was just in the road when common folk decided to go...y'know," he then made a motion of stretching his hands out, mimicking a zombie. 

Jackie answered honestly. "Elis, I....I have no goddamn clue. And please, you know me and I know you, call me Jackie." she insisted with a slight smile." 

The young man scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, uh, sorry about that, Miss-" He caught himself as Jackie giggled slightly. Elis continued with a flush. "Is just, uh, my ma and pa raised me well and proper, y'know?" 

"S'alright." Jackie nodded. She then perked up. "Where's your ma and pa?" 

"I left them at home," Elis admitted, looking downwards. "I left early this morning to visit my buddy Keith, right? My ma gave me a sandwich, it's purdy good." 

"I see," Jackie said. She had met his parents once or twice when they visited Riverside for supplies. They were good people in her opinion. "Say, Elis, your parents...did they show any signs of the sickness before all this?" 

"You mean them symptoms the news said?" Elis asked. 

"Yeah. You don't have to say if it makes you uncomfortable, Elis." Jackie quickly added. Her relief was palpable as the folksy teen shook his head. 

"No, they're alright. Ma and Pa were healthy as a bull. I...I tried to go back for them but..." He trailed off. 

"But?" Jackie prodded gently. 

"The road was blocked by the biters, y'know? They run fast, like a bear. I saw one of em cross the distance between themselves and a deputy under eight seconds!" Elis said, throwing his hands up. "Eight!" 

Jackie had no idea of the specifics, she wasn't a scientist but surely, Elis was exaggerating. Whatever it was, all she knew that those things were fast. 

"Eight? I saw em' go at five," a voice interrupted. Jackie and Elis turned to see a woman behind them speak up. Her brown hair was frazzled and unkempt, her clothes a mix-mash of a messy white shirt slightly unbuttoned and dark blue jeans. Her breath smelt of alcohol and cigarettes. Her voice was deep, womanly. The sort of voice any man and a few woman would want whispering to them to sleep

"Five?" Jackie asked, glancing at her up and down. She felt somewhat put off by her appearance but then again, there was a zombie outbreak happening. There was some license to look a little bit unclean. 

"Yeah," the woman leant back, her voice quivering as she spoke. "But it was in a apartment hallway and the victim was the newspaper boy giving me the news. He never knew what hit him until it was tearing at him away." 

"Jesus," Elis swore.

"Well, we're heading somewhere safe so, I will do my damned best to forget what I saw," the woman proclaimed, her voice not entirely confident despite her declaration. She glanced at Elis and Jackie. "I'm Rachel, by the way." 

"Jackie," Jackelyn introduced herself. 

"Uh, Elis, ma'am," Ellis said, trying his best not to glance at her unbuttoned shirt. 

"I came from Rosewood. You two?" Rachel asked them. Jackie looked at her in surprise. Rosewood was apparently the worst hit by the muck smell weeks before. If she came from there then...she shivered just imagining the amount of folk that would be dead in the street.

"Riverside for me. I...saw one up close. The driver shot them three times, the last one put em down for good." Jackie answered. The more people knew how to defend themselves, the better. 

"Destroy their heads then," Rachel mused, leaning back. 

"If only it was that easy," Elis shook his head. "They're pretty fast." 

"Say, you came from Rosewood, right? What was it like?" Jackie asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. Rachel turned to her, hazel-colored eyes flashing with trauma. 

"You really gonna ask me that?" Rachel said. Jackie flushed with shame and guilt. 

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" she tried to apologize but Rachel shook her head. 

"Don't worry about it. It's just..." Rachel took a breath. "Chaos all around. People dropping in the street before rising up. When that newspaper boy got torn apart, I shut off my door and locked it but that...thing, it tried to break in. I escaped by climbing down by apartment window. The streets were on fire, people dropping or dying. End of the world shit." She leant back against her seat. "Fuck, I need to smoke." 

"My momma always say smoking's bad for you," Elis quipped. Rachel glanced at him. "I ain't your momma, boy. Unless you lookin for one?" she ended with a little wink. 

"Well. I...uh," Elis stammered, flushing at the wink Rachel sent her way. Jackie's face fell at that interaction. She shook her head as she turned away to look out of the window. It was hardly the time and place for joking and flirting but...she figured that it was best for them to laugh at something as a distraction instead of just dwelling at what happened. At times of trouble, people needed that to keep themselves sane. And now, at this time, it was more than needed. 

The bus ride continued unabated, the highway becoming choked with more cars and refugees. Those on foot tried to flag down the bus but it was far too full now and Roy didn't have a heavily armed soldier breathing down his neck and thus, he zoomed past them. Jackie felt that it was a cold decision but they were already doing their part in helping people out. 

She stood up from her seat, leaving Elis to suffer the machinations of Rachel. Scooting past, she stood next to Roy, looking at the road ahead. Roy acknowledged her with a nod. "How close are we to West Point?" she asked. 

"Traffic's a bitch but it's moving at least," Roy grumbled. He glanced up. "We're right about's nearly there now so best buckle up, Jackie." 

"Already? I thought it would take longer." Jackie blinked. They had just left the military checkpoint after all. 

"Thank goodness we haven't stopped at any bus stops then," Roy said. "Getting to West Point from where we went only takes ten minutes or so, provided we haven't stopped or got held up in traffic." 

"That's fai-" Jackie was about to say before suddenly, the air shrilled as jets zipped past by them. Jackie ducked slightly, looking at the sky as three aircraft flew low, towards the east. 

"I think those are called Warthogs," Roy blinked. "Close Support Aircraft." 

"Meaning?" Jackie asked, looking up at Roy. 

"Meaning that they are there to help out the infantry facing a superior force, to soften them up." Roy explained, his face growing more and more worried as he spoke. As he stopped speaking, he gripped the wheel of his bus. "Get seated and get ready, if...if what I feel is ahead is true." 

Jackie did not even reply, immediately turning for her seat. As she approached, Rachel and Elis saw her walk close. Elis's face fell as he saw the look on Jackie's face. "What's wrong? Something happened?" Elis asked. 

"Something's not right. Those jets that passed us, Roy says that they're only deployed when the army needs help." Jackie revealed. 

"The army has tanks and big mean guns. What would they need help with?" Elis asked, blinking. 

"When they meet a force that big guns and tanks just can't cut," Rachel said, glancing out of the window. The two turned and glanced out. Jackie's heart fell. 

Thick black plumes of smoke billowed in the distance, choking the sky with its haze. The jets that they saw had come close, loosing its cannons, missiles, and bombs at something. Helicopters were flying about too, its inhabitants shooting at something down below them. Jackie didn't need to be there to know what exactly they were shooting at. 

"Shit, shit!" Roy called out at the front. The people inside gasped and screamed as the bus suddenly halted. Jackie leant to her right to get a better view and saw that the cars ahead had also stopped, gunshots and explosions, and screaming in the distance. "Everyone, hold on!" Roy loudly announced as he then lurched the bus forward. Jackie held on to a railing for dear life as Roy drove the bus forward, and turned sharp right into a open field. As the bus turned, Jackie saw from the right windows the chaos that was happening ahead. Refugees running for their lives as sprinting zombies rushed them. Others held their ground to shoot or fight but they were overwhelmed quickly. She yelped as the bus did a sharp turn into the field before eventually turning back, the chaos ahead quickly a dot in the distance. 

Jackie glanced up, and stood, turning into the back. What people that came with them shivered violently from fear, others were holding on to their loved ones or even total strangers for comfort. Some prayed. Sighing, Jackie walked by towards Roy, leaning slightly. 

"Now what?" Jackie asked. 

"There's gotta be somewhere we can hunker down, and fast. I don't want to be out in the streets while those things are out there." Roy muttered. Jackie could agree with that sentiment. 

"But where? We can't go back to Riverside, it's hell. West Point...we just saw what was going on there." Jackie sighed. "Where do we go?" 

"Back to the checkpoint maybe? The army is there." Roy suggested. 

"It's slap in the middle of West and East, Roy. We'll be sandwiched." Jackie pointed out. 

"Where then?" Roy asked, looking up at Jackie. 

"I...I may know a place, Mister Driver!" Elis suddenly called out. Jackie turned to where Elis was sat, his face thoughtful. 

"Really? Where?" Jackie asked. 

"It's way up by the river," Elis revealed. "I was working there with my buddy Keith." 

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A/N: Castle time.