Z.E.D.S. Series (Book 2): Z.E.D.S. Wayward Son

by Botts, Bradley

  The roar of the wind was louder and stronger than before. We stood and searched for the storm cellar, but we could not see it. The cyclone was getting closer, and our footing was slipping from the ground.

  “We’re not going to make it,” Farrah yelled.

  “Logan! We need your help,” I yelled.

  “Who is Logan,” Farrah asked.

  I gazed around and then I heard Logan shout, “Over here! Follow my voice.”

  I gripped Farrah’s hand and we started running. The rain fought against us as the wind kept trying to hold us back. It took all the strength we had to keep moving with the amount of force the wind was throwing at us.

  “Keep running,” Logan yelled.

  A tree flew through the air with no effort in front of us and a tractor crash landed beside us. Mud splattered onto us making our exhausted bodies even heavier. I kept the light shining ahead and the white cellar door glistened like a beacon of hope. Logan was waving his hands uncontrollably while standing at the door. The wind continued to slow us down, but the cellar door was right at our feet. Once we finally got close enough to open the door, I dropped the flashlight and all of the elements were forcing the door down as I tried to open it. Logan stepped around and gripped the handle with me. I screamed while lifting with every ounce of strength I had left. It slowly opened, and Logan held it against the wind.

  “Get in now, I’ll hold it open,” Logan yelled.

  “Farrah get in,” I shouted.

  Farrah ran down the stairs and Logan yelled for me to run in as well.

  “What about you,” I asked.

  “Don’t worry about me. I got this! Just get your ass in there now,” Logan yelled.

  I began to run down the stairs when I heard the door slam behind me. The rain pounded and beat the cellar door as Farrah and I stood in the dark below the earth. Our clothes were dripping, and the rain caused shivers on our skin. I could hear Farrah’s teeth chattering. I placed my bag on the dark floor and blindly searched through it for the candle I had found in an abandoned store.

  “I can’t see a thing,” Farrah said.

  “I know. Give me just one second and I will have us some light,” I answered back.

  My hand felt across the limited supplies until I felt the smooth wax. I pulled it from my bag and then searched for the lighter in the side pockets. Luckily the SOG bag I used had a waterproof barrier so everything was still dry. I pulled the metal zippo from the pocket and struck it with my thumb. My usual talent of pressing it against my pants to light it appeared to be a difficult task considering my jeans were dripping with rainwater. I held the candle stick to the flame until a fire brightened a small portion where I was standing. I roamed to Farrah. I could see her shaking and shivering with her arms crossed on her chest.

  “Hold the candle. I’m going to see if I can find some better light,” I said as I looked around the room.

  The flame was still exerting from my zippo and I searched along the walls. There wasn’t much in the old cellar. There were worn, dusty pictures hanging on the wall of an old farm couple with two kids. The shelves had small boxes on them labeled “Keep Sake.” Inches from it rested an old kerosene lantern with a dark floral pattern painted on it. The blue casing forced the kerosene to appear blue.

  “This should work better,” I said as I lifted the lantern off the shelf.

  I walked back to Farrah and I could see the candle shaking as her body became colder. I grabbed the candle from her hand and placed the flame to the wick of the lantern. After moments of twisting and turning the knob for the fumes to surround the wick it finally lit. There was a small amount of heat that exited the lantern, but not enough to warm us up.

  “Are you okay Farrah,” I asked. I could hear her breathing becoming heavier and could almost feel her body shaking uncontrollably, vibrating the floor. If she didn’t get her body temperature up, I don’t know that she will survive the night.

  “I’m freezing,” Farrah muttered.

  I nodded to her as I walked around searching for a blanket. I spotted an old camping cot stationed in the corner with one blanket and pillow.

  I grabbed Farrah’s hand and said, “Come with me.” She followed me towards the cot. I slowly placed the lantern on the floor as I said, “Take your clothes off.” Not thinking of how that may sound at the time, until I noticed how Farrah stared at me for a moment as I took my shirt off. “We can share each other’s body heat and it will warm you up faster. I promise I won’t do anything.”

  Farrah nodded and began peeling the drenched shirt from her cold wet skin. “I’m not making that promise,” she said behind the chatter of her teeth. I kicked off my boots and quickly pushed my pants to the floor. Stepping out of them I turned around and picked up the blanket. I held it up in front of me shielding Farrah to give her some privacy.

  “I promise I won’t look,” I said as she finished taking off her wet clothes.

  “I honestly wouldn’t care if you did, because I did,” Farrah said. Although I couldn’t see her, I could tell she was smirking even through her chattering teeth.

  Her pants hit the floor. I swayed the blanket around my back and stepped towards her with my eyes averted.

  “Wrap your arms around me and pull in tight like I do. It will keep your body warm,” I demanded as I wrapped the blanket around both of us.

  As her body pressed up against mine, I twitched for a moment from how cold and damp her bare skin felt as she wrapped her arms around me.

  “Ok, this is going to seem awkward, but step with me towards the cot. It’s a bit small, but we need to get your heart rate slowed down and your body to adjust,” I said as her head was pressed against my chest. She quickly stepped with me towards the camping cot. “I’m going to lay down first. Keep the blanket wrapped around you then quickly open it up and lay on me.”

  Before I left the blanket Farrah chuckled a bit and said, “You know, if I hadn’t gotten to know you during our time, I would think you were just trying to get me naked.”

  “Well, if that was the case it didn’t take much.” I said behind a chuckle. “Just took a bit of rain and some tornadoes.”

  “Oh, shut up,” Farrah said.

  “Okay, are you ready? Keep yourself wrapped up until you lay with me. You have to keep your body heat as much as possible.”

  Farrah nodded her head and I jumped out of the blanket. The sudden cool air caused me to hesitate for a moment, but I forced myself to the camping bed. Farrah hurriedly ran behind me and got onto the bed before I situated myself. The blanket wrapped around both of us, and her arms squeezed me tightly. I could feel her body shivering.

  We rested without making a sound for the moment listening to the wind and rain roaring above us. Farrah’s body began to adjust to the heat as the shivers became less powerful. Her hands seemed to venture up and down my upper body as she relaxed. I was a bit uncomfortable at first. I kept thinking about if Aurora had showed up right now, I would have a broken nose, black eye and tied to a tree to be left for the tearing of my flesh. But I knew if either one of us moved, our body temperature wouldn’t hold.

  As the night kept roaring, Farrah spoke under a raspy whisper. “Atlas, I know you are taken. I know you are deeply in love with Aurora. Her and Kiere is all you talk about. I understand that.” My thoughts began to question why she was saying this. I hope she doesn’t think what we’re doing is a bad thing. Then she continued saying, “I understand we wouldn’t be like this under any other circumstance, but I just can’t help feeling jealous of her right now,” she confessed as her hand was still tracing the outlines of my muscles. “If things were different and you weren’t with her, would you ever be with me?”

  I paused for a moment. I honestly didn’t know what to say. Yes, Farrah was beautiful, angelic even, but I only had love for Aurora.

  “I’m sorry, that was inappropriate. You don’t have to answer that,” Farrah said as she raised her hand from my body and tucked it between us. I knew she felt
embarrassed for asking, and she was trying to hide it.

  I answered her question the best way I could to give her some comfort. “Farrah, if things were completely different, you would be at my side at all times.”

  Her head rose from its hiding place and she smiled at me. Her hand locked in with my beard and she pulled my face close to hers. A soft kiss is all she planted on my lips and then she rested her head back on my chest.

  “Thank you, Atlas, for being with me,” Farrah said.

  “You’re welcome,” I replied.

  We laid in silence for the rest of the night wrapped around each other trying to stay warm. My eyes began to feel heavy as I stared towards the concrete ceiling. The wind and rain subsided, and everything became quiet. Farrah’s breathing grew softer and she escaped into her sleep. Her arms clutched around me tighter every other moment. I don’t know if she was just comfortable, or she was making sure I was still there. The lantern’s flame continued burning through the night as we slept only to fade like all other things.

  Chapter 17

  My eyes slowly opened, and I could feel Farrah’s arms still wrapped around me. Her breathing was slow paced, and her body was warm with a slight sweat glistening from her arm. As I began to situate myself to rise from the cot and get dressed, a click from a gun appeared. I looked up and saw a seasoned white-haired man with a coon hat on, aiming his shot gun at me from a distance. An older lady was standing in the far corner with a rifle aimed at us as well.

  “Slowly remove the blanket and show us your hands,” the man said before he spit a wad of tobacco from his mouth.

  “Sir, please put the gun down,” I pleaded as I raised my hands in the air.

  “Shut up you fornicator! I know what you and she were doing down here,” he yelled as more tobacco juice exited his mouth.

  Farrah slowly woke up and asked, “Atlas, what’s going on?”

  “Shut up you nasty whore,” the elder woman yelled.

  “Oh my God,” Farrah said while tucking the blanket to her chest.

  “Oh my God is right you nasty bitch,” the woman said.

  “Sir please, just calm down,” I asked while keeping my hands in the air.

  “Calm down you say? You are in my cellar, fornicating like a bunch of sinners and you want me to calm down? Stand up slowly,” the old man demanded.

  Farrah held on to the blanket as she rose from the cot covering her body.

  “Just shoot them both Earl. They have desecrated our fallen son’s bed. They deserve to go to Hell,” the old woman shouted.

  “Hush your mouth woman, I can handle this,” Earl said as he kept his gun aimed towards me.

  “If you don’t shoot them, I will,” the woman said as she took a closer aim towards Farrah.

  They began arguing back and forth distracting each other from us as we stood near the cot.

  “Farrah, let go of the blanket,” I whispered.

  Farrah released the blanket, and I gripped it with both hands. I tossed it over Earl’s body and gripped the barrel of his gun. I shoved it into his head, and he grunted as he fell backwards. The woman began screaming and pulled the trigger on her rifle just missing Farrah and hitting the wall behind her. Farrah ducked into the cot as I stole the shot gun from Earl’s hand and pointed it towards the woman.

  “Put the gun down mam,” I yelled as she stumbled backwards from the recoil of the rifle, losing her footing. She stumbled towards the old washing machine resting behind her.

  I could hear Earl grunting and shuffling around on the floor behind me. The woman attempted to reload the rifle and I fired a warning shot to the floor at her feet.

  “Put the damn gun down now,” I yelled.

  The woman’s eyes turned wide as she dropped the rifle to the ground. Farrah jumped from the bed and began dressing. I put my foot on Earl as I kept his gun aimed towards his wife.

  “Farrah, come over here and keep this gun aimed on her,” I demanded before turning my attention to Earl. “Now Earl, if you stay down on the ground, I won’t put a bullet in your brain. Do you understand?”

  Earl pushed the blanket off his head in a panic and stared at me with brown spit dripping from the corner of his mouth. My gaze didn’t leave his as my foot kept its spot on his chest. Breathing heavily, he nodded his head. I handed the gun to Farrah and she kept her aim directly on Earl. I took my foot off his chest and walked to the older woman.

  I kept my gaze on her as I kneeled down and said, “Listen, I’m going to take this gun and put it over there. I won’t hurt you unless you try something.”

  Trying to calm her breathing she panted as I gripped her rifle. I stood from her and walked to the cot where our bags were. I pulled out a black shirt, cargo pants and a pair of waterproof socks. It was the last bit of clothing I had. After dressing, I picked the rifle back from the cot and cleared the barrel as well as the removed the clip.

  “Here,” I said as I presented the rifle to the woman. She stared at me in a panic. “Look, we didn’t want to hurt you. We aren’t a bunch of… What did you call us? Fornicators. We just hid here until the storm passed last night,” I explained while still holding the barrel of the gun.

  “Then why were you two naked on our son’s sleeping cot,” Earl asked behind his heavy breathing.

  “Listen old man, we are sorry about that. No disrespect intended, but it was the only way to stay warm. Our clothes were soaked, and it was cold,” Farrah said while pointing the gun closer to his face.

  “I don’t believe you. You are nothing but a waste of youth I tell ya. Nasty, sex driven monsters. You’re the reason the world has turned to shit,” Earl yelled.

  “Sir, I don’t know why your belief is of horrible stance with us, but I’d be careful with what comes out of your mouth next. Farrah is the one with the gun pointed at you,” I said while pointing my finger directly at him.

  “Screw you boy and your filthy whore. You ain’t gonna do shit. You ain’t nothing but a talker with a desire to have sex wherever you feel like it. That’s what’s wrong with your generation. No damn morals. I fought for my country in World War 2. What have you done,” Earl yelled.

  Farrah cocked the gun and pushed it against his face. “That man right there has fought the modern wars you redneck dumbass. And I swear if you call me a whore one more time, I’m going to shove this barrel up your ass and fire a shot. That way you can taste all of the shit you keep saying,” Farrah said.

  “Earl, will you just shut up for once. Look at the boy’s tattoo on his arm,” his wife said. “Death Before Dishonor, I like that. Our son had “Death From Above” tattooed on him.”

  I turned to the woman and asked, “Was he Army Ranger Airborne mam?”

  “He sure was. They called him the “Angel of Death” because there was never a target he didn’t miss,” she said as she smiled. “I didn’t like that term, but he was doing God’s work and the Angel of Death is a part of God’s children, so I finally accepted his nickname.”

  “Will you shut up Edith! This boy doesn’t need to know about our son,” Earl yelled.

  “Oh, hush your mouth Earl. This boy is a soldier. Pay him some respect,” Edith said.

  “Thank you, mam,” I said as I reached for her hand to help her off the floor.

  “I’m sorry we threatened you two and called you evil names. We have been robbed so many times lately that we can’t help but be cautious,” Edith explained. “Earl is just a fussy ass when it comes to his cellar. We got caught out in the storm over at the Buckner’s place is why we weren’t here.”

  “It’s okay. I understand you have to protect your own. That’s why Earl is going to have to chill out if he wants off the floor,” I said as I turned my attention to him.

  “I’d rather this whore shoot me instead of listening to you,” Earl said.

  Farrah struck Earl in the face with the butt of the gun and yelled, “Call me a whore one more time! I dare you!”

  “Oh rats. Earl now you see what you did. That mouth
of yours got you hurt. I have been telling him for years that if he didn’t watch what he said he was going to get the shit kicked out of him,” Edith said behind a chuckle.

  “How dare you laugh at me woman! I’m going to teach you some manners after I show these heathens who is boss,” Earl said while holding his nose, and rolling around in the floor.

  “Earl can be a true asshole sometimes. He never has laid a hand on me though. His bark is worse than his bite.” Edith turned her attention to Earl and said, “Now hush up before this pretty lady hits you in the head again.”

  I looked at Edith and asked, “So where is your son now if you don’t mind me asking?”

  Edith bowed her head and replied, “He was killed over yonder in that place with the weird name. Afgisatan, Afgitistin.”

  “Do you mean Afghanistan,” I interrupted.

  “Yeah that’s it,” Edith replied. “After he hung up his wings, he joined in with a group of you. That’s how I recognize that tattoo. He told us stories of the Army Rangers that were on the ground.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” I sympathized.

  “It’s okay,” Edith replied. “He became a sergeant. He led his troop into a special mission and he unfortunately was killed.

  I looked at Farrah, and then looked back at Edith. Farrah kept the gun aimed at Earl who was still complaining about the impact from the rifle.

  “Well, Farrah and I will leave. Once again, we are sorry for breaking into your cellar,” I said as I grabbed my bag from the floor. “You folks take care of yourself.”

  Edith grabbed the gun as I presented it to her again. “Thank you young man for your service.” “Earl won’t say anything, but he is grateful as well.”

  “I’ll be grateful once they leave our home.” Earl said as he stared at Farrah.

  “We are leaving, you grumpy old ass,” Farrah said as she constantly cocked the shot gun, forcing all of the shells to hit the floor.

  “You’re picking those up,” Earl demanded to Farrah.

  “Get bent old man. Use your decrepit old hands and pick them up yourself,” Farrah said as she tossed the gun to the wall.