“Are you or Chris armed?”
“No, of course not. Chris is five years old.”
“Ok. I’m going to come downstairs. Stand where I can see you with your hands visible in front of you. I won’t hurt you, but I have to make sure I’m safe too. Do you understand?”
“Look, just let us go. You’ll never see us gain.”
“Leaving is your choice, but you don’t have to go. I won’t hurt you and we can work together.”
“That’s what Mike said, and all it got me was raped for the last three nights and now almost killed.”
“Not all men are like that, Nancy.”
She laughed a mirthless laugh. “What, are you gay then?”
“No. But not all men rape women and steal from others. Some have morals and live by a code.”
“How can you say that when you just shot Mike?”
“I gave him every chance to give up first, but he wouldn’t, so I had to kill him in self-defense. You’d be free to go at any time, but I wish you’d consider the alternative of going it alone.”
Nancy didn’t respond, and Jim wasn’t sure if she had left or planned her own ambush. He couldn’t let this go on forever, so he eased down the stairs toward the direction her voice had come from. Jim turned the corner at the bottom of the steps and came face to face with a woman pointing a hunting rifle at him. She was shorter than Jim but tall compared to most woman and had long greasy black hair. If she wasn’t wearing the weight of the apocalypse on her shoulders, people would consider her pretty. They both stood across from each other, pointing their weapons. Big Jim recognized the rifle from the glass cabinet in the other room, so he wasn’t worried about being shot.
“Have you ever used a gun before?”
“Yes, and I’m not afraid to shoot you.” The shaking of the barrel of the rifle betrayed her attempt at the brave words.
“Then I’m sure you checked that weapon before you removed it from the cabinet.”
“Of course… Why would you ask me that?” Nancy swallowed hard and frowned after she spoke.
“Because you took it from the cabinet in the other room. The owner of this house is more into looks than hunting since none of those rifles were loaded. As a matter of fact, the one you’re holding isn’t even capable of firing a round.”
Her shoulders drooped, and the barrel of the rifle dropped toward the floor. Jim closed the distance and took it out of her hands. Nancy slumped to her knees, and the tears fell. After hearing her story about being raped, Jim wasn’t sure if he should comfort her or let her be. He hadn’t been trained as a psychiatrist.
“I know you’ve been through a lot. I want to help you and Chris. I won’t hurt either of you. Where is he?”
Nancy’s chest heaved, and the sobbing intensified. Jim had empathy, but he didn’t know how to help this woman. Some might put a bullet in her head and move on, but even though Jim had killed others, he wasn’t a cold-blooded murderer. While she continued to cry, Jim scanned the room looking for a five-year-old boy. Where could he be hiding? Based upon his age, probably anywhere.
“I really want to help you, but we should make sure Chris is safe first. Where is he?”
“He’s… Dead…” The sobs intensified again as Nancy delivered her grim message.
“Shit!” Her words hit him harder than a punch to the solar plexus.
Jim decided to let her cry it out on her own. He wrapped Mike’s body in a sheet and carried it outside. One round had punched through Mike’s neck, one had punctured his chest, and a third entered through his jaw and exited the top of his head. The chest shot must have stopped his heart since he had bled only a little. The fourth had missed, but Jim considered it good shooting in the dark with a sub-compact pistol. Since he didn’t plan on making this home, he stashed the body behind the house out of sight. No need to bury the scum bag.
When Jim returned to the house, Nancy had stopped crying, but she laid in a heap on the floor. He helped her up from the floor and onto the sofa. Nancy didn’t resist his efforts to help her up, but she collapsed onto the sofa as soon as he put her down.
“I’m going to make myself some breakfast. Do you want anything?”
She didn’t respond, only stared off into the distance with a blank. Jim didn’t know what she saw there, if anything. He left a bottle of water on the coffee table in front of her and he hoped she would drink it.
In the kitchen, Jim prepared himself a breakfast from the supplies he had pilfered. Jim made toast from a loaf of bread he liberated from the gas station store and covered it with strawberry jelly and chunky peanut butter. It wasn’t gourmet, but far from the worst breakfast he ever had eaten. While he ate, Jim tried to decide the best course of action. He could leave Nancy behind or force her into the truck to head out. Both seemed like poor options to him. The only remaining option required him to stay put for the day and see if he could build up some trust with Nancy before moving out. That way, she could decide what she wanted to do.
When Jim returned to the living room, he noticed Nancy had stopped crying and sat up on the sofa. He handed her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich he had made for her.
“I hope you’re not allergic to peanut butter. There isn’t an enormous variety of breakfast choices.”
Nancy took the plate from him and ate. She ate slow chewing each bite thoroughly before taking another. Jim knew nothing about her or how to deal with people who recently experienced traumatic events, so he did not understand if her reactions were normal.
“I don’t know what you’ve experienced or heard, but the world has gone to hell. The dawn of the dead struck first while I was in DC. I escaped the city just before a nuke leveled it. My plan is to get to the mountains in Tennessee. That should be far enough from any major city, and with any luck I can find more survivors. You’re welcome to come with me or go your own way. Your choice.”
Nancy stared at Jim but said nothing. She continued to methodically eat her sandwich and drink her water. Her lack of response put Jim on edge. He felt the urgency to move on but didn’t want to leave Nancy behind.
“Why don’t you think about it while I finish packing my stuff up.”
Still no response. Nancy just stared at Jim like he was an animal on display at the zoo. Jim got up and went upstairs to pack the few things up he had left in the bedroom. If she didn’t snap out of this soon, he didn’t know what to do with Nancy.
As he returned to the living room, he found the sofa empty except for Nancy’s clothes. What the hell? The sound of singing came from outside of the open door. Jim didn’t remember leaving the door open. He looked outside and Nancy skipped around the yard singing at the top of her lungs buck naked.
“Shit!”
Jim raced toward the door and before he could get there a zombie emerged from the tree line and tackled naked Nancy, pushing her to the ground. It bit down on her neck and pulled a chunk of flesh from her body. The zombie’s buddy joined him for the feast of Nancy. She was beyond saving now, so Jim grabbed his stuff and drove away from the log cabin. This once peaceful retreat had become the place of nightmares.
###
The rest of the day passed with no other drama. Jim wasn’t sure how much more death he could handle. He came to a large town which sat in a valley surrounded by mountains. With no clear destination in mind, he decided this would as good a place as any to stop. A two-story house sat on an elevated lot overlooking the entire town, and Big Jim made it home base. At least for now. It provided him the ability to observe any activity taking place in the empty community below. There had to be other survivors out there Jim could help. He just had to find them.
An oversized three-car garage occupied the back corner of the lot. After Jim cleared the house, he parked the F150 in the garage in the one open bay. The other two bays held a newer Honda SUV, and a restored 1967 GTO Convertible. Jim’s eyes lingered on the GTO, but there would be time later to check it out.
Electricity had gone off here, but someone
had equipped this house with solar panels and a battery bank to provide power overnight. Jim would have to be careful since turning the lights on would be an invitation to trouble. He wanted to find a group of survivors to help, but he knew human nature. Humans are naturally evil, and this base motivation will drive them to do terrible things to each other with the fall of civilization. Big Jim might be a giant, but he couldn’t take on the world.
After being awoke by intruders early this morning, Jim took a page from Home Alone and left some surprises for any would be visitors. Good thing Jim wasn’t a sleepwalker, or he would have gotten a painful wake up call.
The home’s master bedroom had a walk out balcony overlooking the town below. It provided an excellent perch for him to view any activity on the streets below. He moved the bed so he could see outside while still laying in the bed. Being surrounded by death had exhausted him. Sleep claimed him quickly and Jim slept soundly until dawn.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Two Years Earlier
BIG JIM HAD never planned on becoming a farmer again, but here he was a year after his retirement. His brother Judd grew corn on all of his 350 acres on his Iowa farm. Jim’s plans had been to stay and visit while he got his head and life together. Lily leaving him and the end of his service in the Problem Solvers left an unexpected hole in his life.
If he told the truth, the farm hadn’t kept him in Iowa this past year. His time in the Problem Solvers left him with the resources to do anything or go anywhere he wanted. Jim loved his little brother, but Judd’s presence didn’t hold him here either. Hard work recharged and strengthened the body, but physical training could be found anywhere. Jim spent most of the last year restoring his Dad’s old GTO, but Jim’s hobby didn’t lock him in Iowa either.
What kept him on his brother’s farm was Melody. When he had been a senior in high school and the starting quarterback, Melody had been the awkward junior high school girl who crushed on Jim. He enjoyed her company at the time, but thought of her as way too young. A star quarterback should think about all the college women he would soon date.
In the time of Jim’s absence, Melody had grown into a beautiful woman and the four-year difference in their ages didn’t seem quite so large now. Judd had given Melody a call during Jim’s first week in Iowa and she had been a fixture at the farm ever since. An electricity flowed between the two when their eyes first met and now, they were engaged to be married.
Jim didn’t understand Melody’s desire to be a vegetarian, but he respected her for it. You didn’t get to be Jim’s size, being too particular about what type or amount of food you ate. She didn’t criticize Jim for eating meat, but he kept the meat lover’s pizza night for him and Judd during one of their rare evenings alone. He honored her desires and didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable in his presence. What they would eat once married would be a different story.
This was one of those meat lover’s pizza nights that Jim and Judd enjoyed together. Two large pizzas decked out with peperoni, sausage, meatballs, and veggies sat before them along with their ice-cold beers.
“So, when are you going to make Melody an honest woman?”
“She wants to wait until after the harvest two years from now. Her parents will retire by then, and that will finish their time on the farm.”
“I love having both of you around and you can stay as long as you both like. However, the corn is my responsibility. You don’t have to worry about it. I’d be happy to buy her parents out and let them get on with their retirement.”
“You know them, Judd. They have a lot of pride and feel like they need to put the time in. I’m sure you’ll eventually get all the land, but they won’t retire early.”
“Yes, some generations had pride in a job well done. Let them know my offer is serious and they could get a jump start on shuffleboard in Florida.”
Jim laughed. “Could you imagine those two actually playing shuffleboard in Florida?”
The image of two retired corn farmers from Iowa playing shuffleboard caused them both to roar with laughter. Jim relished this time with his brother after Judd lived through the pain caused by his absence because of his career in the Problem Solvers. Even his brother had no idea what Jim did for work the last 15 years.
“What are you and Melody going to do once you’re married?”
“I don’t think we’ve figured it out yet. I’ve got my retirement from the Marines and I saved some money while I was in. Maybe we’ll buy a corn farm?”
Judd enjoyed another hearty laugh after Jim’s comments.
“Stop, you’re killing me! I’m not sure what’s funnier. Melody’s parents playing shuffleboard, or you farming corn the rest of your life.”
“Well, Melody is a vegetarian. How else am I going to feed her?”
“I think vegetarians eat more than corn. Dad’s GTO is looking good. You’ve spent a few bucks fixing it up.”
“Thanks. It’s my little tribute to Dad. I want to make his car look like it did when he bought it new. I’m glad you hung onto it.”
“I knew the car held a special place for both you and Dad. When he passed, I didn’t have the heart to get rid of it.”
“Sorry I wasn’t here when he passed.”
“Jim, you weren’t here when Mom passed either. Your military service was always more important than us.”
“Judd, I’m sorry.”
“You keep saying that, Jim. Maybe someday you’ll actually believe it too. Thanks for the pizza. It’s time for bed.”
“Judd, wait.”
Judd stood up and stomped away from the table. He inherited the same fiery temper both Jim and their father had. Jim had to learn how to harness it to survive during the tough missions the Problem Solvers sent him on. Uncontrolled emotions would’ve gotten him killed. There would be no going back in time, but Jim wished he could relive the past and make different decisions this time. He let both his Mom and Judd down by being AWOL during both funerals. Big Jim swore he wouldn’t let his brother down again, but he didn’t know how to make up for the lost time.
To burn off the negative energy of the evening, Jim cleaned the kitchen and then took the GTO out for a ride. The 400 cubic inch engine roared to life and produced a symphony from the twin tailpipes. Jim shifted into first and mashed the gas pedal, leaving twin streaks of rubber in Judd’s driveway. Judd might get pissed in the morning, but he should be used to his big brother’s childish behavior with muscle cars by this point.
Shifting into second gear produced a chirp of the rear tires. The GTO looked stock, but Jim hot rodded the Pontiac’s drivetrain beyond his Dad’s efforts. He enjoyed driving fast and taking risks. For most people danger produced fear, but for Jim it produced euphoria. He drove the car right to its limits along the deserted country roads. Traffic laws were lax here because only corn farms, for as far as the eye could see, lined the streets in this part of Iowa. No one would even notice the GTO as it streaked by at triple digit speeds.
Clutch, brake, shift, and stomp on the gas again. The comforting actions of driving allowed Jim to clear his head and think. He had been too self-focused all his life. He wanted to serve. He wanted to save the world. What had it gotten him? Jim missed out on burying his parents and had a brother who resented his absence. He’d give back the $10 million and the retirement to change the past, but going back was impossible. You can’t ever atone for the bad things you’ve done; you can only move forward and try to make better decisions next time. Big Jim swore he would do things differently this time with both Melody and his brother. He’d be there for both of them this time, and he’d help rather than hurt other people. It was a new day and a new attitude for a new man.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Day Five
AFTER THE NIGHTMARE of awakening to Nancy and her captor the previous day, Big Jim appreciated the quiet he found this new morning. The sun broke over the horizon of the clear blue sky, signifying another warm summer day. He scanned the town and found nothing out of place duri
ng this early hour. A pleasant way to start the day with no trouble. Jim still hoped to find a group of survivors he could help and protect. His experience as a farmer and a warrior held remarkable value in this dead world.
Small groups of zombies roamed the streets below haphazardly, and Jim decided he would deal with them after he ate breakfast. A breakfast of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, again. He’d check for some proper food while he eliminated the zombies wandering around town. Jim knew he wouldn’t find a meat lover’s pizza, but anything would taste better than PB&J.
While eating, Jim checked the television and radio for any programming. The house’s solar system provided adequate power for all the home’s needs. He turned on the TV first and found nothing but static as Jim clicked through the channels. Finding the morning show playing and life carrying on normally in another part of the country was too much to hope for. Jim moved to the radio and discovered the same lack of signal, except for one station at the extreme end of the AM band. It played the same prerecorded message on a continuous loop.
“When the siren sounds, proceed in an orderly fashion to your local evacuation assembly point. For your safety, do not bring weapons. The military working with local law enforcement will have the area secure. Do not bring food. They will provide you all your needs in the government's sanctuary camps. Your government has the terrorist threat isolated and neutralized. This mandatory evacuation is for your safety while agents round up the remaining enemy combatants. The sanctuary camps will be your temporary oasis during the last phase of Operation Z.”
Jim laughed out load at the message. “An oasis?... They have the threat isolated?” He wondered if anyone bought this obvious propaganda. Was anyone left to even consider the message? The grim thought wiped the smile from Jim’s face. No sense waiting for help to come, Jim would make his own help today.
Before he headed into town to start his work, Jim climbed the stairs to the bedroom for one last look out from the balcony. He didn’t expect to see law enforcement or government officials, but he wanted to minimize the chance of any surprises waiting for him. When he served in the Problem Solvers, he had been a part of a four-man team. Here Jim had no backup, so he needed to rely on his skills alone. No living humans present, but Jim counted 27 zombies. They roamed the streets in small groups with no discernable purpose, like teenagers on a Friday night before the world fell. He assumed there would be more zombies waiting down there outside of his view. Better to predict trouble and not find it than to be surprised.
Operation Z | Novella | Everyone Dies Page 4