When the Fitzgerald clan left Bristol and came to Mount Weather, we planned for them to live at Marcus Hook for six months and then we’d fix them up with a fortified house in the area. The fact that they were now intending to live permanently at Marcus Hook was indeed good news. In fact, there was a need for at least fifty more people at Hook. This was where our diesel fuel was produced. Without it, we were reduced to bicycles and horses for travel.
“They want me to join them,” she said.
“Join them, as in they want you to come live at Hook too?” I asked. She gave a reluctant nod. “But you don’t want to.”
“No,” she said quickly. “I’d rather continue living here.”
I thought it over for only a second. Despite her quiet, often aloof behavior, she had easily integrated herself into the Mount Weather community and was well liked. She never shirked any work assignment and was always willing to help. Besides, our male to female ratio at Mount Weather was severely lopsided.
“Consider it done.”
Her face lit up. “Really?”
“Of course. I’m glad to have you here.”
She smiled now. “Thanks, Zach.” She then stood. “I’ll let you get back to your dinner.”
I stood as well and walked her back to the elevator. Once I’d activated it, she suddenly turned and kissed me. It wasn’t a simple peck on the cheek either. More of a lingering kiss on the lips. The elevator door opened, and she hurried into it.
“See you later,” she said as the door closed.
To say I was befuddled would be an understatement. I walked back to my office and tried to finish my meal, but I couldn’t focus. On her first day here, she made it clear she was in search of a man. She’d briefly hooked up with one of the O’Malley brothers, but it ended before it even started. Since then, she’d been single. There’d been plenty of overtures from several single men, and probably a few married ones, but she’d rejected them all.
Riley’s living issue was an easy fix. Her finding a man was an issue only she could deal with. I had to admit though, the kiss lingered, both on my lips and in my mind. And it bothered the hell out of me.
“Dang it, Kelly, why didn’t you bring my lunch instead?” I muttered to myself.
As I chewed on the rest of the roast beef, I scrolled through the unread emails. I had no doubt every mail was some sort of problem that I was required to fix.
I found one from President Stark and opened it, but before I could read it, the klaxon alarm sounded.
Chapter 17 – QRF
I sprinted to the TOC and burst through the door. Ruth was there and turned to me in alarm.
“Fort Detrick is under attack,” she said, the worry on her face obvious. Her husband, Captain Justin Smithson, was the commander of the military contingent there, and that only consisted of a dozen people.
“By zeds or humans?” I asked.
“Zeds. The QRF is assembling and will be ready in a couple of minutes. I’ve gotten radio checks from all but guard post five.”
“Alright, I’ll go check on it,” I said. I grabbed a handheld radio and a rifle out of the armory before heading back outside. Surprisingly, Lisa and Frazier were there.
“What’s happening?” Lisa asked. “Everyone’s running around but nobody will tell us anything.”
That’s because nobody likes you, I thought. “Fort Detrick is under attack and we’re going on alert.” I hustled over to a golf cart and got in. Riley came running up.
“Is there anything I can do?” she asked.
“Yeah, ride with me,” I answered. She did so, but Lisa jumped in as well.
“I don’t have time for your nonsense, Lisa,” I said.
“I want to come too,” she said.
I didn’t answer and mashed on the accelerator. The cart jerked forward, almost causing Lisa to fall off. She glowered at me, but I ignored her and rushed to guard post five. Stopping, I got out and climbed the ladder. Ruth was right, the guard post was unoccupied. Riley and Lisa had followed me in. The guard posts were small on purpose so the occupant would not lay down and go to sleep. So, three people in there, along with the chair and small table, made it a little cramped.
“I don’t know who was supposed to have guard duty, but we need someone here,” I said.
“I’ll stay here,” Riley said. She was standing close and staring at me with those bright eyes, waiting for my response. I thought it over for a microsecond.
“Alright. You might need this.” I handed over my rifle along with a couple of extra magazines. “It might be a while, but I’ll get back to you,” I said.
“I know you will,” she said and gave me a small smile.
That smile made me a little anxious for some reason. I replied with a tentative nod, squeezed past her, brushing against her breasts as I did so, and hurried back down the ladder with Lisa following closely. I raised the handheld radio to my mouth.
“TOC, this is Zach. Post five is now occupied by Riley. I’m heading back.”
“Roger that,” Ruth replied. I pointed the cart back toward the TOC and hit the accelerator. Lisa was ready this time and held on tightly.
“Is Mount Weather under attack too?” she asked.
I tried to explain as I drove. “At this time, it does not appear so, but one must always anticipate that an attack on one of our other locations may be a ruse to ambush us. If you guys decide to be a part of the Mount Weather network, you would now be receiving a radio alert advising of the attack. It’s like an early warning system.”
I glanced over at her to see if she understood, but her expression was that of puzzlement. I started to say more but decided at this point I was probably wasting my breath. I’d tried to explain the Mount Weather protocols and contingency plans to her and the three stooges multiple times, but they never listened.
First Sergeant Crumby already had the QRF assembled by the time we got back. He performed a quick check of everyone’s assortment of weapons and ammunition before ordering them to load up in a converted school bus. The process went smoothly and quickly, a result of endless hours of practice. He turned toward me. His expression was grim but determined.
“Justin said they’ve been hit by a couple of waves. Maybe fifty or more. Damned odd,” he said.
I nodded. “You better get going then.”
The first sergeant wasted no time. He climbed in and the bus began moving before he had the door shut.
“Where are they going?”
I turned to the voice. It was Frazier.
“Fort Detrick,” I said and motioned to Lisa. “She can explain.”
He gestured toward the disappearing truck. “Why aren’t you going with them?”
“I’m part of the home guard,” I replied.
“That seems stupid,” he said. “The zeds are up north and you’re staying here? That’s stupid.”
“The attack may be a ruse or an opportunity for somebody to attack Mount Weather,” Lisa said. I looked at her with a bit of surprise. She’d never defended me to Frazier before.
“Zeds ain’t that smart,” Frazier said.
“There’s a new strain out there,” I said quietly.
“The fifteens,” Slim said. He had walked up during my conversation with First Sergeant Crumby. He was armed to the teeth with an AR-15, a Glock handgun, and a tactical vest loaded down with ammunition.
“Yeah, the fifteens,” I replied. “They’re doing things we’ve never seen before, so we have to be careful.”
“Yep, they’re not so stupid now,” Slim added.
I was done explaining things to Frazier and gestured at Slim. “Let’s get the main gate secured.”
“You got it, boss,” he replied.
We walked up to the gate and watched as the electric motors came to life and closed the fortified gate. I manually closed the heavy steel latches and turned to Slim.
“I’m going to make one more circle of the perimeter and then head back to the TOC, but if you need anything, I’l
l be monitoring the radio.”
Slim hastened a glance at Lisa and Frazier and lowered his voice. “Be careful, Zach,” he said and locked himself inside the fortified guard shack.
“Can we ride with you?” Lisa asked. The cart was one of those that could hold up to four adults. I thought about it a moment. I still had not received an answer from her about their living situation, so I guessed this might be the time to push them for an answer.
“Yeah, okay, but if something happens and I start giving orders, I expect you to obey them and not give me a rash of BS.”
“Okay,” Lisa said. Frazier merely frowned.
Ruth called me on the radio before I got started.
“The president is calling for you to give him an update,” she said.
“Tell him everything is secure. I’m checking the guard posts and will get back to him as soon as possible. Oh, and find out who was supposed to be in post five. They’ll need a good talking to when this is over.”
She answered in the affirmative and I headed toward post two.
“So, these fifteens are real?” Lisa asked. “I thought that was some kind of boogie man tale.”
“They’re real enough,” I said.
“I keep hearing this nonsense. Why are they called fifteens?” Frazier asked.
“It’s our designation for them,” I answered.
It was common knowledge among almost everyone living here about my original zombie rules. None of them really mattered anymore, but my last rule, number fourteen, declared the zeds were evolving. Since the Ohio debacle, we now had a new generation of zeds. Somebody, I’m not sure who, started calling them fifteens, as in rule number fifteen, and the name stuck.
We drove to every guard post and checked them personally. When we got to post five, I told them to wait with the cart. I climbed the ladder to find Riley waiting expectantly.
“I haven’t seen anything,” she said. “No zeds or other hostiles.”
“Good. I doubt we’ll have any trouble, but you may be stuck here a while. I’ll make sure you get food and water.”
“Okay. If you’re able to, stop by and hang out, if you want,” she said.
Yeah, it made me a little nervous. I stammered an answer and hurried back to the cart. I got in, refocused, and pointedly stared at them.
“Let’s get this over with. Y’all should have reached a decision by now. What is it?” I asked.
“We need more time to discuss it,” Lisa said.
“You guys don’t understand. Your time is up. The house was my idea. The rest of Mount Weather, and I do mean all of them, have decided you guys are out. Period. Tomorrow morning one of two things will happen—I’ll carry you guys to the house, or you’ll be escorted out under armed guard.”
Lisa scowled in seeming disbelief. “You’d really allow that to happen?”
“What is your decision?” I asked again.
Lisa glanced at Frazier before answering. “It’s not that we don’t appreciate the offer, Zach, but we feel like we’re nothing more than slaves here, and if we live in that house, we’ll still be slaves to Mount Weather.”
“You don’t have to live there. Have you guys considered going back to Kentucky?” I asked.
Lisa exchanged another glance with Frazier. “We had some trouble with some people back home. If we go back, we’ll probably be killed.”
That explained a lot. They never told me this before. I wanted to know more but decided now was not a good time to get into it.
“Alright, I have a suggestion. You guys go live in the house. Get some crops planted and prep for the winter. If you guys are still dissatisfied when spring rolls around, you can move along to somewhere else. Or maybe you’ll find another community to join. There are a lot of possibilities, but unfortunately, you guys must leave Mount Weather.”
“Are you going to give us your word you’ll get us set up with provisions and equipment?” Frazier asked.
“As much as I am able to, yes,” I answered.
Frazier took a deep breath and let it out before responding. “Alright, we’ll do it.”
“Good. I’ve already talked it over with Slim and he said he’d be glad to help. We’ll get the ball rolling in the next couple of days.”
“I don’t like it,” Frazier said. “But I guess it’s better than nothing. If you people don’t treat us right, we ain’t going to have nothing to do with this so-called network.”
“Fair enough,” I said. Inwardly, I sincerely doubted both their sincerity and their ethic, but I said nothing.
“Alright, for now, I need to put you two to work. How about you assist Slim manning the main post?” I suggested. To my surprise, they readily agreed.
When I made it back to the main building, I went directly to the president’s office. He had his VP and favorite senators with him. I was hit with a litany of questions before I got the door closed. When I answered what I could, they settled down a little. I then changed the topic.
“Alright, I have a couple of things I need to say. The first is, I have convinced my sister and her companions to move into a house nearby and act as an observation post.”
“That is excellent news, Zach,” President Stark said. There was a small chorus of agreements. Like I said, nobody liked them.
“The second thing I want to say is this. When we have gone on alert in the past, you guys have gotten into the habit of sitting around here in the office and not actually doing anything. Don’t think for a moment that the rest of the people here haven’t noticed. They have and they resent it. I know all of you have read those anonymous fliers that are circulating around and you’ve dismissed them as the work of one or two people, but let me tell you, there is a growing dissension among some people and you guys aren’t helping any.”
The men, six of them, glanced at each other, but said nothing. Kate bent down and whispered something into Stark’s ear. He nodded slightly before speaking.
“What do you suggest, Zach?” he asked.
“Get out of this office and go to work. Post five only has one person in there, one of you could go there. Ruth could use some help in the TOC, and it wouldn’t hurt to have a couple of you strap up and perform a roving patrol around the perimeter. Mister President, I think that would be a good job for you. You’ll be seen by everyone and they’ll see the old Abe Stark who was always willing to pitch in and help. I’ll be glad to join you.”
A couple of them had sour expressions. They didn’t like being told what to do, but they complied, albeit a bit reluctantly.
“I’ll be in the cafeteria,” Kate proclaimed before leaving.
We waited as the men grumbled some more as they shuffled out of the room. After they’d left, Stark turned to me.
“About your sister,” he began.
“I got it all squared away, boss,” I said. “The house I’m putting them in is better than anything they’ve ever lived in.”
He nodded somberly. “I know she’s your sister, Zach, but it’s for the best,” he said.
“Yeah,” I replied. “Alright, let’s get out there.”
Chapter 18 – Do You See That?
Fred jerked his pants on and barely had time to retrieve his revolver before the barn door slowly opened with a creak. As soon as the door began opening, he brought the revolver up, but he did not shoot immediately. Instead, his eyebrows arched a millimeter in surprise. But not as surprised as the interloper. The man’s name was JR Malloy. A couple of years ago, Melvin had found the Malloy family somewhere near Richmond. They’d been wandering aimlessly, on the brink of starvation, so Melvin did what he normally did and brought them back to Mount Weather.
They were trouble from the start. JR and his brother, Calvin, were lazy men. They shirked their duties and had been caught more than once stealing from others. Zach put them up in a nearby house, but that didn’t help and finally they were evicted from the Mount Weather community.
Fred and Rachel happened upon them one day while they were out exp
loring the countryside on horse. The family was in terrible shape. They were city dwellers back before, so they knew nothing about farming, gardening, hunting, fishing—none of it.
Fred thought back to that day as he looked the man over. The man looked rough. Fred guessed JR was a fat man at one time. Now, he was thin, and his loose jowls were covered by thick gray whiskers. He was armed with a shotgun, which he had cradled in one arm. His cowboy hat hid long, greasy hair. The crown of the hat was heavily stained with sweat and grime, to the point where Fred could see hints of mold.
“How are you, JR?” Fred asked.
“Times have been tough, Fred,” JR responded. “You haven’t been around lately.”
Fred did not care for the two Malloy men. He thought of them as shifty and lazy, but Rachel had insisted they help them out. So, once a month they’d drive down to the house with provisions. They’d been busy with their own lives though and the last time they’d paid them a visit was back in February.
“Been busy,” Fred replied. “Why are you here?”
“We’re needing help,” JR said. As he said it, he casually moved his free hand closer to the shotgun.
Fred narrowed his eyes at the man. “You have a funny way of coming here asking for help.”
JR looked nervous and his eyes kept shifting back and forth from him to Rachel. Normally, Fred would have understood. Rachel was only wearing a pair of panties and was covering herself with a horse blanket. He was probably ogling, but Fred’s intuition was tingling. There was something wrong.
“Where’s your brother, JR?” he asked.
JR, not being the brightest of men, subconsciously peered toward the back of the barn. Fred reacted by cocking the revolver’s trigger and pointing it at JR. When Fred spoke next, his tone was measured, but cold, deadly.
“What the hell’s going on, JR?”
Suddenly, the sound of a shotgun blast ripped through the air and a torrent of splinters blasted through the back wall. Rachel screamed out and fell to the ground. Fred did not hesitate and fired twice, striking JR center mass. The man dropped his shotgun and grabbed his chest as he fell to the ground. Fred spun and dropped into a crouched with the speed of a rattlesnake and fired two more times toward the source of the shotgun blast. His ears were ringing, but even so, he heard the distinct thud of a body falling to the ground.
Zombie Rules (Book 7): The Fifteens Page 11