Page 54 of Hollow Valley
“I can recheck my map if you want, but I do think that’s it,” I said.
“There’s no way around it anyway.”Boden motioned to the sheer mountains that jutted from the earth on either side of the village.“If we want to get to Glacier Valley on the other side, we gotta pass through.”
“Looks like a bloody porcupine,” Fergus muttered.“Here’s hoping none of us end up with a spike in the gob.”
“Probably they’re being prudent,” Edie theorized as we continued.“Everyone wants to find a way to keep the zombies out and stay safe.”
The mountain trail leveled out and led directly to a heavy wooden gate set into the formidable fence, the only visible entrance.The gate itself was reinforced, flanked by watchtowers, and looked every bit as impregnable as the rest of the barrier.
“You there!”A woman leaned her head out of the second story window on the watchtower and shouted down at us.
“Do you mean me, or the group as a whole?”Boden asked, stepping out in front of us.
“Whoever speaks for you,” she replied.Her hands gripped the window frame, and her black hair was pulled into a long braid.
“I’m Charlie Boden, and I’m travelling with my family and friends.”He motioned back toward us.“Can I ask who you are?”
“I am Daiyu Chen,” she said.“I am the Warden of Xwechtáal.”
“I have heard your town is open to visitors,” Boden said.“Is that not true?”
“It is, but only those that are deemed physically fit,” she said.
“What do you mean by that?”Fergus piped up.
“Any signs of the lyssavirus are not permitted inside the walls,” Daiyu said.“These signs include but are not necessarily limited to: evidence of exposure such as bites and scratches, uncontrolled aggression, hydrophobia, and fever.”
“Fever?”Edie echoed, and she stepped forward, joining Boden.“But there are so many other reasons for a fever outside of the lyssavirus.”
“We don’t needanycontagions here,” Daiyu replied.“All of you will need to pass a health inspection before you are granted entrance, but I can see from here that one of you is unwell.What is the nature of his ailment?”
Fergus and Leandro had set the stretcher down when Daiyu began her questions, and Fergus stepped forward now, moving closer to Boden and Edie.
“That’s my brother, Dougal,” he said.“He’s been feeling off for some time now.The rest of us are grand, so I doubt it’s catching.Sure it’s been weeks, so it’s not the zombie virus.You can give him the once-over for bites, if it’ll settle you, but he’s no danger to your lot.”
“If he has a fever, he will not be allowed in,” Daiyu said definitively.“All who pass the health assessment at the gates will be allowed in.All who do not will have to stay beyond the fence.”
“It’s as simple as that, is it?”Fergus asked with a sardonic smile.
“Yes, it is as simple as that,” Daiyu said, her voice unyielding.“I cannot risk the safety of those in my community, no matter your assertations.”She glanced toward Dougal.“Those we cannot enter are welcome to stay outside the walls, and others in your group can barter on their behalf.”
A tense silence settled over us, and Boden and Fergus exchanged a look.
“I’ll stay out here with Dougal,” Fergus said.“Go on in, the lot of you.I won’t have you missing your chance just ‘cause the doors swung shut for my brother.”
After the agreement had been reached, the gate opened for us.Daiyu stayed in the tower, watching as our group split in two.We gave our brief goodbyes to Fergus and Dougal, and we promised to help set up the camp and take turns outside with the two of them.
A thin woman in a trench coat greeted us, and then took us into a small room at the bottom of the watchtower for our inspections.Each of us went on our own, except for Fae and me, who were allowed to stay together.Fortunately, it was a quick once over for bites, getting our temperature taken, and drinking a glass of water.In under twenty minutes, Boden, Edie, Leandro, Fae, and I had been cleared and were free to explore Xwechtáal on our own.
Beyond the sturdy gates, the village sprawled across the uneven ground, its layout dictated by necessity more than design.Weathered timber formed the walls of squat buildings, their roofs patched with anything that could keep the temperamental weather at bay.
Smoke curled from chimneys here and there, hinting at life inside the makeshift homes.Narrow paths wound between the structures, edged with wild grass and spiky purple and blue lupine (Lupinus arcticus).
In the shadow of snow-capped mountains, the people of the village moved about with ease.Chickens flocked in the streets, and I spied an orange tomcat dashing between buildings, chasing after a fat rodent.Near the center of town were communal gardens and greenhouses made from repurposed windows and scrap metal.
Unlike in Fort Lately, the townsfolk here paid us no mind.The Revvers had all stared at us, but then again, we had also been brought into the fortress by armed guards.Here, we were allowed to freely walk around.Daiyu had pointed us down the main street, letting us know the inn was across from the gardens.
The main lodging of the town had existed long before the virus broke out, dating back to the 1970s based on the gabled roof, faux-stone exterior on the main floor, and peach cladding on the second.Nine rooms and a small dining room took up two stories, with the rear wall nestled into the mountain behind us.