by Thomas Baker
They walked three more doors down and opened a door on JT's left.
"All right, go in. I'll be back to get you at suppertime." Charlie pushed JT through. The door closed and JT heard the click of the lock.
JT looked around. He wanted to get his bearings. The small window in the room had no covers, so bright sunlight streamed in, filling every corner. The room was stripped bare of any decorations it must have once held. There was an empty desk and chair, a bed plainly made against the back wall, and an open door leading to the bathroom. There was a dorm fridge next to the desk. JT opened it up to find a few bottles of water inside, room temperature, since the electricity was out.
Why did I think it would be cold? Old habits die hard I guess.
He kept exploring, not finding much else. A nightstand stood under the window of the room, with, of course, a Bible in the drawer.
Pretty spartan. Let's see if I can find anyway out of here.
He looked through the window. It faced the church. He saw no one out there at the moment. He could see they nailed it shut in several places. He could break the glass, but it was, in his opinion, too far to jump. He already had one bad knee. Everyone would be fucked if he broke an ankle or leg. He checked out the door he came in through. He pressed his body against it, putting more and more weight on it. If he got a running start, he was sure he could knock it open.
Then what?
He would have to find some way into Hannah's room. It would be another door he would have to knock down. That would be lots of noise and take precious time. After getting Hannah out, the two of them would have to get away before anyone came to investigate. He doubted he could do all that quickly enough not to get caught. The way those two with the rifles acted, it would probably result in them getting shot. What would happen to Gus and Tyrone without him and Hannah? He had no real idea if they were being watched all times. Maybe for now, the best thing was to wait until they had this talk later. He had to hope this Reverend wasn't full of shit.
In his frustration JT had the urge to open up the desk, take out the Bible, and tear it to shreds. He stopped himself though. He figured, just in case God was up there and watching, he didn't need Him pissed off. Instead, he wandered around in circles for a while. It was stuffy and warm. His stomach burned. Trapped, helpless, his mind raced with possibilities of out to get out of the situation.
After who knows how long, JT gave in to the tiredness he was feeling. He thought he might as well get a little rest while he waited. He would need all his strength and a clear head if they were going to get out of this mess. He went andlaid on the bed. He closed his eyes, but his brain wouldn't shut off. He didn't think he would get much rest.
The light had dimmed considerably when JT awoke to pounding on the door. His head was fuzzy. His eyes felt glued shut. Apparently he ended up falling asleepafter all. He tried to move his legs, but they didn't want to cooperate. Meanwhile, the pounding continued nonstop.
"I'm coming. Hold on a damn sec," JT shouted. He got to the door and pounded on his side in sarcastic protest.
The pounding stopped, and he heard the rattling of keys and the clicking of the lock. Charlie looked at him impatiently as the door swung open.
"Come on, the Reverend is waiting. It took so long to get you up dinner has probably started. Your friend we took back thirty minutes ago."
That woke JT up completely. He had to hold himself back from racing off. As they approached the church, JT tried to put himself in as calm a mood as possible. He wanted to get them out of here as fast as they could. He worried not only for them but if Gus would even still be around by the time they got back.
JT was led through the hallway. As he walked into the room, laughter erupted from Hannah. She was covering her mouth to keep the food inside, and the Reverend had a cocky smile on his face. It was a little surreal, seeing the two of them sitting at the table alone, candles lit. Like they were having an intimate dinner at a five-star restaurant, instead of the inside of a church while outside zombies roamed the world.
A quick glimpse around the room suggested this room was originally a small cafeteria or coffee house. There were a few tables with chairs arranged in a way to face a television screen on the far wall. The Reverend and Hannah went on acting like they were the only two people in the world. JT could already feel his temperature rising. Charlie cleared his throat, getting the attention of the Reverend.
"Oh, thank you Charlie. Come join us JT, "Reverend Albright beckoned. "Hannah was just telling me an amusing story about the first time she was teaching her mother how to use a cell phone. A good memory from a better time."
JT's feelings of hope evaporated. He kept his face blank though, not giving Albright the satisfaction of seeing he was getting to him. Charlie left after JT took a seat. It was just the three of them now.
"Yeah, it was better back in the day, in that dead people weren't trying to eat my face," JT said casually. He didn't even look down at the food. He wasn't interested in eating. He wanted to get Hannah and himself out of here.
JT glanced at Hannah. Hannah gave him a look he didn't know how to take. She went back to picking at the plate of food. He continued. "There were still lots of other kinds of problems though. It wasn't all unicorns and rainbows, that's for sure."
"You are right my friend," agreed Albright. "Nothing has been perfect in the world since the Garden of Eden. Since our original sin. There I go already, talking about the Bible. I did warn you, though."
Albright laughed. JT thought it was a canned laugh, but he had to admit it was a good one.
"We can save the talk of church for later. First, I want to hear about you two. Where you have come from, where you are going. Convince me we can trust you. That I can trust you. I can't let you go then have you come back with thirty people and attack us. As others have."
"Look, we're regular people trying to survive," JT tried to put on the calmest voice he could muster. He wanted to match Albright's awe shucks attitude with his own hey-we-are-all-friend's tone. "We were lucky we escaped out of the cities with our lives. We have fought off zombie attacks, and we have survived. We have never attacked any other people. We have never stolen anything from other people. All we want is to find somewhere safe and be left alone. Bring me out a stack of Bibles and I will swear on them thatwe will leave here and not come back."
"I see. Do you have any more to add, Hannah?" Albright said, pausing between bites.
"Not much," Hannah said, staring and smiling at Albright. "JT has saved my life more than once. I'm not sure I would have survived past day one if he hadn't run into us-me. I don't know what better act of kindness I could tell you about than that." Hannah took two sips out of the half empty glass of dark red wine in front of her.
"It's just the two of you? No one else is with you?" Reverend Albright asked, raising his eyebrows.
JT looked the Reverend straight in the eyes and without hesitation answered. "No."
The Reverend took a big bite of food. JT could see him mulling it over while he chewed. Hannah picked at her plate, while stealing glances at JT.
I hope he didn't catch her saying us.
"It's dangerous out there for just two people," Albright finally commented. "Ever think about joining up with a group. Is that something you have been looking for?"
"Is this where you give your spiel about the church? Are you about to offer us divine protection?" JT's tone was sarcastic. He couldn't help it. He was done with this high school drama crap. "Don't bother, we have no interest in staying here."
"Hannah, does he answer for you as well? Are you your own person?" Albright said, still speaking calmly, ignoring JT's belligerence. He smiled warmly at Hannah.
"JT," Hannah turned to face him. "I don't see the harm in listening to what he has to say."
"Sensible. I like that in a woman," Albright said.
JT ground his teeth, so he wouldn't explode. What was she thinking?Was this supposed Reverend hitting on her? What was going on here?
He doubted anything this guy was saying was true.
"We have a small community here. I'm not going to give you two any numbers," Albright said, continuing on in a you can't bother me way. "We stay here, on the church grounds. Like I said one day I hope to expand into the college. There is a town down the road aways. We work diligently to keep it zombie free. It has been our supply base, if you will. The Lord provides." Albright chuckled. "Everyone here has a job to do, a contribution to make. If you stayed, we would find a place for you. We are Christians here, so I would expect you to follow the rules of God, straight from the Bible. You would be baptized and brought into the congregation."
"You mean, you get to tell people what to do and what not to do?" JT asked, rolling his eyesin the process.
"No. I like to think of myself more like, God's CEO." Albright chuckled again, not rising to JT's bait. "The Bible is the contract we all agree to follow. I'm the congregations guide. Unfortunately, sometimes, I also have to be God's enforcer."
"I have heard enough. Come on Hannah, let's go," JT rose.
"Sit down! I am afraid I can't let you leave." The Reverend's voice dropped low, causing goosebumps to rise on JT's arms. "We still have some things to clear up first."
"What the fuck do you mean? We are leaving! We don't need your permission."
JT grabbed Hannah's hand and pulled her up. JT didn't know what was going on with her. It was like she was stunned.
The Reverend stoodtoo, calmly setting his napkin down on the table. He called out. "Charlie, can you come in here now?"
Charlie came through the open doorway. Behind him, his hands in cuffs in front of his body, was Tyrone. One of Tyrone's eyes was black and half swollen shut. Hannah audibly gasped.
"You doknow this young man then?" Reverend Albright asked. "Like you two, he and the other person we found, Gus, claimed to be alone. It looks like you are all a pack of liars. I am highly disappointed. You are the first new survivors we have come across in a while, and you can't even pass a simple test of honesty." He made a tsk, tsk sound.
"This changes nothing," JT said furiously. "How do we know we can trust you? You have no right to hold us. Let him go, tell us where Gus is, and let us be on our way or I will kick your ass right here, right now!"
Reverend Albright laughed. "I've caught you in your own web of deceit and you think I'll let you go, just like that? What do you think I am, some country fool? I can't trust you to tell me about your situation but you expect me to trust you won't attack us and rob us? Have your way with our women and kill our children? If you had been honest, we could have welcomed you with open arms, helped your hurt friend."
Albright made a hand signal to Charlie. "Now you will be taken away JT, along with your friend here. We will hold you someplace safe while I pray to God for guidance. While you are there, maybe you should pray, for forgiveness."
Two more armed men stepped in and took a place beside Charlie. All three looked at JT like they dared him to give them an excuse to shoot. JT turned his hands into impotent fists. He felt like his jaw would snap under the pressure he was placing on it.
"Charlie, take these two men to the Sheriff. They are to be locked up for now," Albright, pointed at JT and Tyrone. He shook his head in disappointment as he walked past him and Tyrone.Albright stopped and stood beside Hannah.
"What are you going to do with Hannah?" JT shouted, struggling against the handcuffs they slapped on him. "Answer me. Tell me you fucker! What are you doing with Hannah?"
Charlie and the two men roughly led JT and Tyrone out of the room. Reverend Albright never answered them. He only smiled as he turned to Hannah, his hand resting on her back, seeming to invite her to return to their dinner.
JT and Tyrone rode in the darkness in the back of a farm truck, cold sprinkles hitting them from time to time. They could barely make each other out in the red gloom of the taillights.
"Sorry," Tyrone said. He sounded afraid that JT would lay into him about his disappointment. JT had to admit there was a time in his life when he would have. For now, he was angrier at himself. A portion of his rage he held for this Reverend.
"They got the jump on me. I didn't even know they were there until they were in the house. I was getting a drink. I walked out of the kitchen when I thought I heard something moving. Walked straight into a face full of stock. You know what I mean?"
"Hey man," JT tried not to sound angry but was probably not succeeding."Nothing to apologize about. They did the same thingto me. Turned around and poof, there they were like Casper the fucking ghost. I'm surprised they found you guys so fast. What happened with Gus?"
"They took some sheets and wrapped him up like a mummy or something. Used some pillows to put him down on in the back of this truck. Said they had someone that could fix him up. They acted all nice like they didn't pop me in the face with the butt of a rifle and cuff me."
"What happened next?" JT felt that old temperature rising in his belly.
"I don't know what they did with him when we got to the church. They held me in some room until they paraded me out to you and Hannah," Tyrone shifted around."What kind of outfit is this, anyway? I thought I saw some dead people hanged from the big tree out in front. That can't be? Right?"
"They claim those people they hung were attackers, scavengers. This Reverend guy is in charge, says they have a group of people living here. They could be on the up and up, trying to survive like us. So far though, he isn't making a good impression with me. With our luck so far, after Harold and all that, we need to take no chances."
"A Reverend, huh? Yet attacking people, taking them hostage seems to be okay," Tyrone seemed to consider something before continuing on. "Hanging people too. That's murder. You know, I never wanted anything to do with the church anyhow. Or the invisible old man in the sky with mystical powers. You know what I mean. That's the one thing me and my mama would get into big arguments about. Sunday would come and I would tell her I didn't want to go to church and listen to those fairy tales. She would get so mad. Say things like she couldn't believe she'd raised a heathen. I think it broke her heart a little too. You know what I mean?" Tyrone's voice cracked. "I regret not just playing along and making her happy now."
Tyrone snapped his mouth shut. He sounded like he was on the verge of tears there at the end.
JT never put much thought into itone way or the other. He didn't grow up any certain way. He didn't know what that made him. He knew however, things looked to be turning from bad to worse.
The truck pulled to a stop outside a government brick building, low and long. Charlie knocked on the door while the other man dropped the tailgate on the back of the truck.
"Out," the man said, waving his rifle.
JT dropped off the tailgate awkwardly. It was hard to jump down with both his hands cuffed and having to watch the knee. They were ushered towards the building. As they approached, a man stepped out and held the glass front door open. Weak light from the inside cast him in vague shadows. JT could make out he was wearing a police uniform. He looked to be in his forties, with black hair slicked back, going gray. Gray streaks ran through his bushy mustache too.
"These are the two the Reverend told me about earlier?" The policeman asked, in a gravely voice.
"Yes sir, Sheriff," Charlie replied. "Glad he walkied ahead."
"All right. I'll take them back. You two have a good night."
Charlie glared stiffly at the Sheriff. It seemed he wasn't as happy being ordered around by the cop as he was by the Reverend. Charlie and the other man turned around. JT and Tyrone went inside and the Sheriff followed, closing and locking the door behind him. He pointed over to a door across the open roomfilled with desks. Each desk had a Coleman lantern sitting on it.
"All right, you two gentlemen will follow me through that door," The Sheriff talked in a slow Midwestern drawl. "We'll get you set up in two cozy little rooms for the night."
"This is bullshit!" JT blurted out. "You have no right, no authority to lock us up.
Get these handcuffs off of me and my friend now!"
The Sheriff seemed unfazed by JT's outburst. He shifted his stance, putting his hand on his hip and the other he laid across the gun sitting in its holster on his belt.
"In the morning we can talk about authority, rights, and whatever else you would like to talk about. If you want to talk about the man who lives on the moon, well we can do that too. We got all the time in the world to fucking talk. Right now go back to those cells without starting any trouble, then I won't have to finish it," The Sheriff rubbed his eyes. "I got woken up for this. So if you're smart, you wouldn't piss me off.Don't fight it son, this will probably be one of the safest places you have been in since this whole Outbreak mess. Get a good night's sleep. We'll see if we can get this figured out in the morning."
Powerless to do anything else, JT bode his time again. It hurt though, to swallow his pride. He moved towards the door.
"You're going tolet Cowboy Curtis here take us back without more of a fight? Just like that?" Tyrone said, astonished.
"He's wiser than he looks, son. I suggest you follow his lead. It's not like you will be able tocall up the NAACP and lodge a complaint."
"Oh are you some kind of racist on top of being a po po. Color me white, why am I not surprised?"
"Tyrone, let's not do this now," JT sounded tired. He was. At every turn, every decision seemed to be the wrong decision. Maybe the Sheriff was right, and a good night sleep was all that was in store for them.
"Believe about me what you will. Call me what you will. I'm sure someone had called me it and worse while trying to do my fucking job. Believe this you two if nothing else. I don't want anymore trouble. I don't have much of a janitorial staff, and I don't want to make too much of a mess I'd have to clean up. Let's just go back, and we can talk about this in the morning." The Sheriff grabbed one of the lanterns off a desk. He passed them both and led on.
Tyrone was not happy about this, but he followed JT to the door. The Sheriff unlocked it and led them down a narrow corridor. At the end was another door that had to be unlocked. This opened into a room divided into four jail cells, two on each side.