He tried to ease their discomfort. He smiled the best he could to put them at ease and made a self-deprecating joke, hoping that would make them more comfortable.
“You’ll have to excuse me for not shaving but I’m holding on to as much as I can.”
His attempt at humor touched Leandra and she smiled at him. She knew him better than the others, who completely missed the gesture and just stared.
“I think the beard works” she smiled. She could see Dale’s face relax.
“I first want to thank you girls for stepping up and working with us on this attempt to attract more donors in this rather desperate way. From what we understand, this infection is worldwide so we don’t see an end in the near future. As with everything, it will end though, so we have to make the best of the situation we’re in. But, we are the only place in our unique situation. For most people it’s a matter of food and shelter. With most of Walters, it’s that on a daily basis plus the need for our medicine, blood. I don’t need to go into why we so desperately need it. You’ve heard the screams of infected children and the moans of the adults. I can tell you first hand that it’s a miserable existence.”
Dale paused.
“So once again, thank you for your help.”
“You’re welcome” the girls murmured. As Dale talked in a voice that was familiar to them, they gradually got used to the way he looked.
“Old Joe has volunteered to be the lookout for incoming cars. His vantage point will give us about a twenty minute lead time to get into place. If someone is going too fast to allow time for you to arrive, Carson will go after them. Our goal is to not let anyone pass through without donating.”
“How are we supposed to stop them?” Leandra asked.
“Good question Leandra. You will stand in the middle of the street in front of the boutique and walk with your back to the incoming car. A young girl will not present a threat. People will naturally pull over to see if you are all right.
Carson, I, and a minimum of a dozen other residents who are on call as you are, will stay hidden.
When the vehicle stops to check you out, entice the occupants to get out. When they do, we will come out quickly to approach them. Once surrounded, we will carry on from there and you will be free to go. If they are lascivious in any way towards you, you need to let us know. Those type of people will not have any good intentions and we will detain them longer to meet the needs of Walters. We’ll coach you all on various methods of getting them out of their cars and how to handle yourselves.”
“Do you have any questions?” Dale concluded.
The girls looked at each other then back at Dale.
“No” they replied and the meeting was over.
32 A New Day
The situation had become dire in Walters when everyone met at the town hall. The healthy along with the infected assembled together, albeit on separate sides of the room, which was a rare occurrence now.
When everyone had settled down, Mayor Patel spoke.
“Thank you for coming. You all know that we are struggling with our blood supply. Those of you who are still healthy have been so generous and those who have been infected have been doing their best to go as long as possible between treatments.”
He had given a lot of thought as to how to present the next part if his speech.
“However, desperate times call for desperate measures so the town council has come up with a new plan. On a volunteer basis, we have approached four of the young women in our town about putting themselves in a position to act as bait to entice people to actually stop here instead of driving on. People drive through quickly because they think this place is deserted. Our main street is fairly short but Carson cannot be on the lookout for every motorist.”
He had Leah, Krista, Joyce and Leandra stand for a moment.
No one spoke so Leo went on.
“Old Joe has volunteered to be our main look-out person. There is a spot about four miles outside of town that has a perfect view of the road coming here.
Because of the switchbacks on the road, it will take about 20 minutes to arrive in Walters from the time Joe spots them.
Joe will let us know when he sees a vehicle approaching. At that point, our volunteer will position herself in the middle of the street so that curiosity should cause the person to stop. When they get out, a group of us will be waiting to surround the vehicle and encourage the passengers to get out. At that point we will confine them and take what we so desperately need.”
Old Joe grew up in Walters. He knew it when it was only scattered cabins dotting the lake. Arthritis had stiffened his joints but he still tried to contribute where he could. He was glad for the opportunity to help out and sitting in his truck with Jones didn’t seem like a difficult job at all.
The people present exchanged comments and thoughts and asked questions but in the end they realized they had precious few options because of their unique situation. If everyone were healthy they could shut off the road and make Walters reclusive. But, they needed fresh blood.
With no better options presented, the Mayor went over who would be baiting wanderers and their rotation schedule along with those needed for the ‘reinforcement’ committee.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dale and Carson started confining the people passing through Walters for longer periods of time.
Dale continued in his role as sheriff but every day was a little harder. Dr. Wiggins had insisted on giving more blood to Dale than the others because the town needed him to be as cognizant as possible. Those who were detained were held as long as they could be fed decently. For the most part, as long as they weren’t being exposed to the twilight people, they didn’t put up much of a fight because they weren’t being abused and they were at least getting to eat regularly. They were also let out, one at a time, each day to take a walk and absorb some sunshine. The twilight residents were aware of the scheduled walks and made sure they steered clear of the area.
Carson was doing a great job but Dale knew how to work with people. He stayed in the shadows and wore a hoodie to cover himself so as not to frighten anyone.
Although he was still in his own home, he and Shar had decided on separate bedrooms after the first week. At least Shar could have a place that didn’t reek with his decay. Because Dale was getting more frequent transfusions, the process was slower on him but it was definitely progressing and there was no way of camouflaging it.
Each morning he woke up to bits of flesh on his pillow and sheets. He could not shave so his beard grew which only made him nastier. The flesh just stuck in his beard.
Those in the twilight realm did not only stink but they were ghastly to look at.
33 Time
The day was warm and sunny. Leandra had gone for a walk down a familiar path, her thoughts looking forward to a day when life and everyone would be normal again.
Suddenly, the man appeared on the path. He was tall with sandy hair and moss green eyes. She couldn’t remember meeting him but yet, he was so familiar to her. She knew the lines of his face and that he was kind.
“Hi hon” he said, smiling and holding out his arms to her. Leandra instinctively went to him. She knew his name.
“Ja-“
With a jolt, she woke from her pleasant dream to the sound of knocks on her door.
“Someone’s coming” her aunt said. “Get up.”
Leandra had been chosen to be the first in the rotation to ‘bait’ a passerby.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
She was in position a full five minutes before the car arrived. She picked up a small rock on the road.
Then she heard the whistle that signaled her to begin walking slowly.
Just as predicted, the car drew up alongside her. The “Hey baby” that she heard next told her that these people were not going to be up to any good.
“Need a ride, sweetheart?” asked the driver.
“What am I supposed to do? Jump in while the car is moving?” she coaxed.
&
nbsp; A big smile lit up the shabby man’s face.
“Oh no, baby. I’ll even stop and open the door for you!”
Resisting the urge to throw her rock at him, she smiled instead, moving him into action.
Jumping out of his stopped car, he reached out to grab her but was pulled back by strong hands on his shoulders. In his lust, he hadn’t even noticed Carson coming over to them and moving in quickly when he stepped out of his car.
Quickly handcuffing the confused man, Carson marched him over to the jail.
The plan went off without a hitch and Leandra went home with Milly who had been waiting close by.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Time passed slowly for Leandra as Walters shrank even more. The healthy people had pretty much cleared out. Feeling hopelessness in Walters, they just had to find out if life was any different somewhere else. Never hearing news of any of them, Leandra assumed it wasn’t. Skippy was the only light in her nebulous life and he never left her side except when she had to do the ‘walk’.
Dr. Wiggins and Marcia continued to faithfully draw blood and disperse it. Marcia stayed because of her devotion to Dr. Wiggins. Dr. Wiggins stayed because his life had been in Walters and he was too old to take chances with the unknown.
The Patel family, although dusted, had not been compromised but they stayed in Walters to protect their family. If they went anywhere else, they would be shot on the spot if infected. Healthy parents stayed with infected children while the siblings left as soon as they were old enough to fend for themselves.
Joyce had become infected so she no longer was able to ‘greet’ travelers and Leah had run off with one of the older boys. Being one of only two left to bait people into stopping was becoming a huge burden on Leandra’s shoulders. As time wore on, she became more and more lethargic. The loss of hope and continual blood draws had taken the spark of life out of her. She had become withdrawn and only had contact with the Walters residents when she had to. She had tried to get her aunt to leave but age and fear of the unknown immobilized her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sunshine streamed through the window in Leandra’s bedroom.
Leandra woke earlier but with nothing to look forward to and feeling weak, she just laid in her bed thinking about the recurring dream she had of someone actually rescuing her. The people changed but it always ended the same. She would jump into their car and be carried away from this misery.
The tap on her door forced her to full awareness. Her aunt Milly walked into her room and sat on the edge of her bed.
“How are you feeling this morning?”
Leandra told her about the dizziness but her aunt just shrugged it off. Everyone experienced it now.
“Go see the doctor later on. He’ll give you something to perk you up. Right now you need to get ready. Old Joe saw a car coming this way.”
With that said, Milly turned around and left the room. She hated seeing Leandra waste away but she was at a loss for alternatives. The town needed her to continue in her assigned role. Everyone was doing what they could.
Leandra dutifully got up and washed and dressed in a light shift. Milly had a small breakfast waiting but Leandra could only choke down a very small portion. At nineteen years old, she was rail thin and pale. She pushed her plate away from her, got up and headed to Main St.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leandra knew the car would be visible any minute. It was turning out to be a very warm day and she was tired. She had stopped caring but she obediently took her usual position in the middle of the street and began to slowly walk.
Then she heard the car behind her.
‘Good’ she thought. ‘Now I can get this over with.’
Next, right on cue, she heard a male voice call out to her from the car, asking her if she was alright and whether she was alone. People were so predictable.
Leandra wanted to scream out “Do I look ok? Do you see anyone around?” But she didn’t and just kept walking. She didn’t want to waste the energy to answer him. Let the others do the talking.
She just kept walking as she had been instructed, wondering when Dale and the rest of the greeting team would make themselves known. She just wanted to go back to Skippy and her books.
Then she heard the car stop.
’Finally’ she thought.
She turned around out of curiosity when she heard footsteps behind her. Staring, she couldn’t keep the surprised look off of her face when she saw a tall red haired woman walking towards her. She was stunned by how healthy she looked. She was thin but tanned and muscular with beautiful green eyes.
Leandra just stared at her. She was so different. She was also clean and she carried a gun.
Leandra couldn’t remember the last time she had seen someone so in control and alert.
Then Leandra noticed a young boy standing outside the car with a weapon raised. He was protecting the woman.
Leandra couldn’t explain it but all of a sudden she wanted to protect these people, Dale and the rest would run out any minute and then it would be too late. Dale would never hurt anyone but Leandra could not imagine these people being confined to cells.
When the woman was only a few feet away, Leandra spoke only loud enough for her to hear.
“You need to leave. NOW!” she added for emphasis. “This is a trap.”
A range of expressions quickly crossed the woman’s face from surprise ending in resolve.
“Do you want us to take you from here?” the woman asked Leandra.
Stunned that the woman didn’t immediately turn around and run but thinking of rescuing Leandra instead, Leandra could only reply “They won’t let me go.”
The woman seemed a bit nervous as she looked from side to side.
“I didn’t ask you that. I asked if you wanted to come with us.”
Leandra’s mind flooded with scenarios of her being ostracized in Walters if this didn’t work out to envisioning a life again. These thoughts passed like lightning strikes through her mind. Maybe the dreams of being rescued were preparing her for this moment. All of a sudden she wanted to physically leave Walters more than anything. Mentally, she had left a long time ago.
With a quick glance over her shoulder, Leandra quickly said “Yes”.
“Fine, just start walking with me” said the woman and led the way. Leandra eagerly complied.
Then they heard the angry voices.
‘Oh no’ she thought. What she had dreaded was going to happen. The town desperately needed the fresh blood and seeing Leandra try to get away was too much to handle. They needed her but she just couldn’t do it anymore.
Dale and the others were not going to let her leave. In their eyes, these people were kidnapping which was cause for permanent imprisonment. Even if Leandra explained she had gone willingly, they would not listen because they needed permanent blood donors.
They both started running and then Leandra heard screams behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw a number of the residents on fire. Then the car was between Leandra and the others. The back door flung open and a young boy was yelling at her to hurry and get in. The woman all but shoved her into the back seat. The die was cast for Leandra.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dale yelled for the townspeople to try to stop the car as it dodged the healthy residents running after it. He was trying to douse the fire on one of his own legs. He saw it burning but the painkillers he took around the clock prevented him from feeling the full effect of it.
Groups of twilight residents were at various points to intercept the visitors so he focused on the current situation. Marcia was desperately trying to douse flames on a young man who seemed to have absorbed the bulk of the chemical. Most of his body had burned seriously.
As more residents came to help Marcia, she instructed them on transporting the wounded to the hospital. She sent a young boy to let Dr. Wiggins know what happened so he could prepare a room for the burn victims.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the hospital, Dr
. Wiggins set up a triage section to admit casualties from the attempt to obtain donations that had gone wrong.
Carson arrived with the first victims and stayed in case any succumbed to their burns.
As others came, the good doctor fervently worked to relieve their suffering.
Carson never got used to this part of his job, always being expected to terminate people he had known even though they had turned. He always kept his cool because Dale needed him so badly so no one knew he had reached his limit and his mind was set, as Leandra’s had been.
Now, it was a matter of finding the right time to tell Dale. That would be the hardest thing he had ever had to do.
Dale was always there for him, no matter what. Shar had fed him and cared for him when he was sick. They had loaned him money when he had financial downturns, and counseled him when female relationships had got too challenging. Dale had been the constant in his life and now he was going to abandon him in his greatest need.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Three weeks after Leandra’s departure, Leo and Suri also made the decision to move on. Walters had been their home for so long and while most of the people they knew were killed or had left, it was still home.
But now, Walters was no longer even the shadow of what it had once been.
The grind and strain of endless blood donations and trying to avoid contact with the twilight people and Turners had pushed them both to finding another way.
The Herculean task of providing protection and the day to day necessities for their daughters was all they were concerned about now.
They had heard of other places from people passing through that had been detained. They always relaxed a bit when Suri showed them kindness and brought them food and so, would talk easily with her.
Once the Patels had made up their minds, Suri started packing up necessities, ready to go as soon as Leo let Dale know. Only their long friendship with the Heathers prevented them from just leaving. After Dale, their only stop would be to say their goodbyes to Shar.
34 Goodbyes
The next day, Leo rode his bike to meet with Dale.
Sitting across from the sheriff, Leo was finding it more and more difficult to be in the same room with him. The smell was bad enough but the decayed form of the man was visually nauseating.
Turners | Book 2 | 90 Degrees Page 10