Dead America The Second Week (Book 8): Dead America: El Paso Part 3

by Slaton, Derek

  Clara shrugged. “I didn’t get shot or bitten, and I came back with a bottle.” She set her high-end bottle of tequila in front of them.

  “With the way this week is going, we’ll chalk that up as a victory,” Leon declared from his seat.

  She looked up at the Detective. “Did you guys get the drugs?”

  “Cutting right to the chase,” Rogers replied, an amused glint in his eye.

  Clara noticed the nurse sorting through a table full of bottles, and headed right up to her. “I need you to find me something to treat an infection.”

  “What kind?” the nurse replied, pausing to address the woman that had sidled up very close to her.

  “Don’t know,” Clara admitted, “but it’s from a bullet wound.”

  The nurse pursed her lips. “Give me a minute, and I’ll see what I can do.”

  The young woman nodded and turned back around to her comrades.

  “Who got shot?” Trenton asked, trying to sound casual.

  “One of our new friends who gave us that bottle,” Clara explained, motioning to the tequila. “They have a case of that stuff that they’re willing to part with if I can bring back something to help their friend.”

  There was a pregnant silence as everyone processed that information.

  It was Leon who broke the silence. “El Guapo wants booze more than drugs, so I say make the trade.”

  “I think he’s right,” Rogers added. “Take whatever you need to take and make the trade tomorrow. A case will get us through a couple of weeks with the Cartel.”

  Trenton raised an eyebrow. “I don’t suppose they were up for joining us, were they?” he asked. “Because we could really use some more manpower.”

  “They said they’d think about it, which was good enough for me,” Clara replied. “Taking this back tomorrow isn’t going to hurt, though. They sure would be an asset here.” She glanced over at the monitor, and stepped up behind Leon. “Can you pull up Fort Davis?”

  He punched a few keys and the camera repositioned. “What am I looking for?”

  “Close up shots,” she instructed. “We need to see if there is a group there, and if there is, how defended they look.”

  Leon furrowed his brow as he worked. “I know I’m not the best at directions, but how the hell did you end up near Fort Davis?”

  “Ran into a group of them in Marfa, and they were not too friendly,” Clara explained with a shudder.

  Leon gazed up at her. “How bad?”

  “They crucified a couple of Cartel guys,” she said. “Literally crucified. With railroad spikes.” She poked her palm with her index finger to accentuate her point.

  “So… bad,” Leon replied, and took a deep breath as he zoomed in on the fort. There were rudimentary fortifications, and several people milling about, but then the screen began to go dark. “Dammit, satellite is out of range. Next time it comes up, though, I’m honing in on them first. If they are crucifying people, we need to keep an eye on them.”

  “Cartel to one side, pissed off Roman cosplayers on the other,” Rogers muttered.

  Trenton sighed. “And a shitload of zombies in between.”

  “Life is good, huh?” Reed said brightly, and everyone chuckles, diffusing the tension to avoid breaking down from the stress.

  “I don’t know about anybody else,” Trenton declared, “but I need a change of clothes and some food.”

  Reed raised his hands into the air. “Hear, hear!”

  “I gotta add a nap in there, too,” Clara said. “Gonna have to take off early to make it back to the other group.”

  The nurse waved at her. “I’ll pack a bag with the drugs you need and some notes on how to use them.”

  “Thank you, I really appreciate it,” Clara replied, and the trio headed for the door.

  “Hey,” Rogers said, stopping them. “Y’all did a hell of a job today. If you can keep it up, we might actually get through this in one piece.” He offered a sincere smile.

  Trenton returned it warmly. “Thanks, Detective. We’ll see you in the morning.” They all exchanged goodbyes, and the three young soldiers of the apocalypse departed.

  “Nurse, can you give us a few minutes, please?” Rogers asked gently. “I need to discuss something with Leon.”

  She nodded. “Of course, Detective.” She grabbed her empty mug and the still half-full pot of coffee, and headed in the direction of the kitchen.

  Leon swiveled in his chair, crossing his arms. “What’s on your mind, my friend?”

  “We need to do something about the Cartel,” Rogers said firmly.

  His partner barked a laugh. “Man, I wasn’t aware that Captain Obvious got demoted to Detective.”

  “I’m being serious.” Rogers furrowed his brow.

  “Oh I know,” Leon replied, “that’s why I’m laughing. Man, look at what we’ve got at our disposal. It’s me, you, and three college kids. That’s not exactly a formidable force against a fucking army.”

  Rogers nodded. “I agree, we’re not ready yet. But we’ve got potential.” He straightened his shoulders. “If we can get to those people in the school, and get Clara’s friends here, that’ll bump up our numbers.”

  “Did you miss the part about them having an army?” Leon demanded, eyebrows rising to his hairline.

  “We don’t have to take them all out, just sever the head,” Rogers said, holding up his hands. “Rodriguez is second in command, after all.”

  Leon sucked in a breath, nodding slowly. “So, if El Guapo goes down, the Cartel goes from adversary to ally real quick. Okay, I’m tracking now.”

  “As long as we keep the new recruits hidden from view, they’ll never know what hit ‘em,” the Detective continued, voice rising in excitement.

  Leon turned back to the keyboard, bringing up a schedule. “I’ll tell you what, I’m supposed to talk to my military buddies tomorrow. You know, the ones who said fuck it, and went to New Mexico? I’ll feel ‘em out, see if they’re interested in helping.”

  “If we can get them on board, we just might have a chance,” Rogers mused.

  Leon nodded. “Yeah, then all we have to do is figure out how to assassinate the head of the most powerful Cartel while he’s surrounded by guards, all while not being detected because even if Rodriguez takes charge, he’d have to make an example out of us to retain power.”

  “See, nothing to it,” Rogers replied with a lopsided grin.

  Leon reached out and grabbed his friend’s mug of coffee, taking a deep whiff of it, and then held it out. “Just making sure this shit wasn’t Irish.”

  Rogers laughed and took the mug back, downing the rest of it in a deep gulp. He pulled a flask from his inside jacket pocket, and dumped a generous amount into the empty cup before offering the metal receptacle to his friend. Leon graciously accepted it, taking a swig.

  “First things first, though,” Rogers said, smacking his lips, “we’ve gotta figure out how to get those people out of the school.”

  “You get more coffee, and I’ll pull up the map,” Leon declared, and turned back to his keyboard.

  “Should I brew us up some regular?” the Detective asked.

  His friend chuckled. “Unless you think we can come up with a plan to wipe out a few thousand zombies in the next fifteen minutes or so.”

  “Regular it is,” Rogers replied, and toasted him with the last sip of burning liquid from his mug. As he headed off to make a fresh pot, he blinked back the exhaustion behind his eyes, ready for what was sure to be yet another long planning session.

  END

  Up Next: The action shifts to New Mexico as Leon’s military friends deal with an explosive situation they inadvertently triggered.

 

 

 
with friends