McCann nodded, and like Lee put her hands behind her back. A smirk crossed her face. “Major Stein.” She said towards a door at the far end of the room. A moment later a brash looking man in a green flight suit appeared.
“Yes, Ma’am?”
“Prepare a flight of four Black Hawks, two unloaded, two with armed landing personnel. And let’s get at least one Spooky in the air.” She turned back to Lee. “I intend to annihilate this hostile force, Captain. Is this your suggestion as well?”
Lee then noticed for the first time what kind of C-130’s Little Rock AFB now fielded. How he hadn’t seen the guns protruding from the planes’ port sides before he didn’t know, but Air Lift was no longer this base’s primary mission. To cement that fact, a giant poster behind the radio operator depicting an AC-130 in flight with the caption “THE AC-130. NOT JUST A PLANE, BUT MORE LIKE A FLYING FUCKING CASTLE OF DOOM” dominated a good portion of the wall next to a map of Arkansas.
“Permission to accompany the Black Hawks, Ma’am. I want to see the gang pay for what they’ve done.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way. We launch at noon.” Colonel McCann said. There wouldn’t be time for getting to know any of the women on this base.
Lee theorized that the gang must not have known who was in control of Tupelo when they attacked it, otherwise he was pretty sure they never would have attacked. He had been loaned body armor, a flight suit and was given a door seat on the first Black Hawk in the flight. They reached Tupelo just before 1300, a shock to the disorganized victors as they lounged about on the airfield, either doing nothing or repairing the fence. Apparently they had decided to set up camp.
The first flyover sent the gang into a panic, scrambling for their guns and to just get out of the way in general. The thundering blades of the helicopters also served to confuse them and they started shooting at just about anything, muzzle flashes aimed at nothing were easy to spot even in broad daylight.
The second bird in the flight peeled off from the rest and came in low next to the main terminal. The crew chief raised his mounted M240Bravo and turned several men with sagging pants and bandanas into pizza sauce. The chopper hovered low and two men dropped down on ropes while the remaining three choppers provided cover fire. The recon team ran into the terminal and within two minutes returned empty handed. The chopper landed and in less than ten seconds they were aboard and lifting off again. There were no survivors of the gang attack, not even hostages.
Lee couldn’t hear the radio chatter, but he was pretty sure it had something to do with pulling the flight of Black Hawks out, because within a minute’s time they were several hundred feet higher and orbiting the airfield just out of small arms range. What happened next the gang could never have seen coming. Since the Vietnam War the US had mounted cannons and Gatling guns on cargo planes designed to orbit a combat zone and rain death from above. Soldiers referred to these planes as “Puff the Magic Dragon” or “Spooky.” Three solid lines of fire and hate poured from the sky onto the overrun Tupelo airfield from a plane that was barely in view. Lee couldn’t help but hum Puff the Magic Dragon to himself. This was sweet revenge.
11
Kenly and Rowe were the first to greet the three men as they stepped off the plane home. The arrival time had been kept secret so that Mary couldn’t show up and cause any problems, but of course she was still camped out at the airfield, so she was only minutes away while Lee handed the secret briefcase over to Kenly. The fire storm that was Mary Cally was already in sight.
Arriving like a hurricane just moments after Kenly tossed the case into his Cadillac, Mary first embraced Ethan, showering him with kisses, and then slapped him. Then she slapped Lee too, and went for Kenly, but the old man had already climbed in his car and was leaving. He’d get his later, Keith and Reynolds had already felt her wrath for the last week. If Ethan didn’t make it home, she’d said, Reynolds wasn’t going to have to worry about getting better and Paula might even help her hide Keith’s body.
Mary turned to Ethan again. “Well?” She said.
“Well what?” He shrugged. That only infuriated her, her eyes widening with a look that could set a man on fire. “Look, I’m sorry. I wasn’t exactly a willing participant.” Ethan tried to defend himself.
“Well, while you were gone the entire department has been running rampant trying to hold down the fort. We’re seeing a lot more military traffic for the power plant, it’s making people uneasy.” She said, finally calm enough to speak. The real problem wasn’t the military traffic, the problem was she was just upset. Ethan held her and let her scream into his chest. This wasn’t the first time Mary had gotten so stressed out the world was on her shoulders alone, and sometimes the best thing to do was let her scream it all out. Or get into a wrestling match, which she usually won. Damned Marines and their fucking MCMAP.* Whatever, wrestling usually became sex. No problem there.
“And they should be worried.” He sighed at long length. “How much are Reynolds’ kids selling a wood stove for? I know we have one from my old house, but we need more.”
“Why?” Mary grew concerned again.
“We can discuss that later. I have to get to the police station as soon as possible. Will you go find out for me?” Ethan looked over at Keith. “Here’s your stuff back. Well… some of it anyway. We kinda ran into some trouble along the way.” Ethan handed Keith what was left of the tattered uniform he’d been wearing. It was covered in dried blood.
“…gee…thanks…” Keith discretely put the garment in the trash and used hand sanitizer.
“Trouble?” Mary saw Allen finally, his bandages making him look like a mummy. “Oh my God. Is he okay? Does he need to go the hospital?”
“Wood stoves. Please. Go.” Ethan didn’t want to be short with Mary, but he really couldn’t sit around and give her the entire story now. They needed to report to the station and be debriefed, and come up with a strategy for dealing with just over two thousand people who were about to lose all semblance of modern comforts. Again. The last winter had proven deadly enough, and they’d had electric heat, lighting, phones and sometimes internet access, albeit at dialup speeds.
Fully aware that they smelled like they’d been in the field the entire time, Lee and Ethan sat uncomfortably in front of Kenly’s desk, stewing in their own smell. They explained the entire ordeal, not leaving out a single detail besides the drinking. They finished with the Texan’s plans, and about the possibility of Federal Agents being amongst the townsfolk soon, if not already.
“We may have to crack down on immigration to the town.” Reynolds said, all for the idea. Lee knew Lieutenant Reynolds had been suggesting just such an idea for some time. There was already a screening and tracking process for newcomers, but security was a little lax as the enemy had been fairly obvious up until now. It wouldn’t be too much longer and mankind could go back to killing other people and instead of zombies, a task we are uniquely suited for.
“And what would you suggest?” Lieutenant Rowe said testily. “We turn people away in the middle of winter? We can’t do that. It’s inhumane. We expect our population to swell another five hundred this winter when long range Scrapping Crews return from the outside. How are we going to have fuel for them if the Texans leave?”
“We may not have a choice.” Reynolds countered.
“Look, there’s a way.” Ethan sighed, “What we need to do is send as many tanker trucks as we can to a petroleum distribution point, get as much diesel as we can and as many industrial grade generators, like the ones at FOB Alamo, as we possibly can. That way we can heat some buildings. People who don’t have a wood stove or a fireplace are going to need to get used to the idea of communal, or barracks style housing during the cold months. Otherwise, Reynolds will be right, and we won’t be able to take on any new people.”
Everyone turned to Kenly, seeking his approval. “Sheriff’s right. However, we also have even more problems.”
“What now?” Lee rolled his eyes.
He was definitely too tired to be doing this crap.
“Elections.”
“I quit.” Lee stood, throwing his hands in the air. “We seriously don’t have time for this shit.”
“We don’t have a choice. If you haven’t noticed, Captain, I’m not the most politically correct sonofabitch in town. I’ve made a lot of enemies, especially with the churches and some of the business people.”
“This isn’t about Those Old-T motherfuckers is it?” Ethan rolled his eyes too.
“Partly, yes. We tossed a lot of prominent members of town out on the streets, and we don’t have any idea what’s become of them. It’s a real mess.” Kenly took his orange framed, tinted 1970’s glasses off. He had purple rings under his droopy eyes, his ancient acne scars seemed deeper than before. Office was aging him, fast.
Ethan mulled the idea over in his head for a bit. “Sheriff’s an elected position… I guess I’m up for the chopping block too?” He smiled. “I think I’m going to enjoy being unemployed.” He stood and walked out of the room. Though Lee’s job wasn’t up for grabs, nor was he really allowed to quit. He too was disgusted by the whole thing and followed his brother out the door.
Ethan barely got to take one step inside before Bogey made a running jump and landed in his arms like a football. Out of sarcasm Ethan held the dog backwards as he walked, petting the pup’s rump as if it were the front of the dog. Bogey didn’t seem to notice the difference, but then beagles aren’t known for being terribly intelligent. Mary was holding Samuel and sitting at the kitchen table reading a book. Before he could say anything she pointed to the living room. He looked into the dimly lit room and on a pallet were two rather large Franklin stoves, tags from an antique store almost half an hour South were still on them.
“Wow. I’ve only been gone two hours.” He leaned in to kiss her, but she pushed him off.
“Shower. Go.” Ethan didn’t argue and went to take what he was afraid might be his last hot shower for some time. They both might have to start bathing at the barracks, and that would suck. The very notion of sex in the showers at the barracks was not only impossible, but reasonably disgusting. As soon as he’d scrubbed the entire weeks worth of bullshit off of himself, Ethan felt the shower curtain open and immediately raised his arms to sucker punch whoever, or whatever, it was in the face. He’d found too many zombies reanimated in showers to feel entirely safe.
Lucky for him he didn’t throw the punch because it was Mary, already completely nude, and groomed, ready to climb in the shower too. She wasn’t as interested in bathing as he was. She smiled at his stance, ready for combat with his junk hanging out like a Roman gladiator. Intimate encounters like this were among Ethan’s favorite, reminiscent of the crappy plots to grainy porno flicks on channels you weren’t supposed to get, but that your parents forgot to turn off. Reaching out he helped Mary into the hot shower and wasted no time touching every inch of her. He thought long and hard about how to make sure he never lost Mary. She was as vital to him as their son, unable to fathom life without one or the other. There were no definite answers, but the least he could do was have a plan in case Texas’ worst fears came true. Canada was probably a safe bet. The cold meant fewer living people and more houses that were built to withstand the weather. He’d share his idea with Lee and Allen later, but right then Mary had to shock him out of his train of thought as they basked in the warmth of the afterglow.
“Ethan.” Mary whispered, her voice muffled by the waterfall.
“Yeah?” Ethan answered, nuzzling her neck as the water rolled over them.
“Will you marry me?”
Ethan didn’t hesitate, as if the very question had been on the tip of his tongue. “Today, or tomorrow? Because I think I’m about to start the honeymoon early…”
Ethan and Mary tied the knot the next week on the first day of October. Allen was the best man. Keith and Lee made it clear they’d rather see Allen stumble through a speech than either of them. Even though his head was still bandaged, Allen’s little brother had ironed his uniform and polished his boots and made him shave so at least he was presentable. Ethan didn’t want any uniforms at the wedding, but Kenly had basically said if the two of them wanted a full week for their honeymoon the men would wear uniforms for the cameras. This was the beginning the PR campaign Kenly was going to wage against his opposition, Jenny Kopland, but a week off was a week off and both Mary and Ethan took it while they still could.
The night before Ethan caught Mary writing her own vows. He had no intention of doing the same, in his mind there was nothing wrong with the standard vows. There was a brief argument and Mary continued to write hers. Ethan continued to not write his and they lived happily ever after on that subject.
Just as they kissed as husband and wife for the first time the next morning someone who had over packed the gunpowder in the confetti poppers set them off and the shower’s force nearly blew a few people out of their seats, which made Ethan feel like he’d ruined their wedding video because he immediately started laughing. On their way back down the isle every deputy not on duty slapped Ethan on the ass with the stock of their rifles because there were no ceremonial swords to be found. The newlyweds jumped in a glittering 1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda a friend had loaned them for the wedding, and drove to the park’s ball fields next to the swimming pool for the party. Friends and family were gathered already and had set up a reception, anyone who was in the area at least stopped by, hundreds of people danced and drank all night, and besides being obliterated himself, Allen managed to take two girls home with him. His little brother, still not old enough to have a serious girlfriend, also got his first kiss under a picnic table. Hard work had ensured his Xbox-body was now a model of fitness. He enjoyed the attention, even if he really didn’t know what to do with it all yet.
Celebrations like this were few and far between. Everyone who didn’t hate Ethan and the other “Townie Aristocracy” was there to have a good time. No arguments, no politics. Mayor Kenly, already soused, showed as many people as he could how to square dance. For a while it looked like the style might make a comeback, though when he tired and had to sit down the band played what was mostly recognizable as Aerosmith’s Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.
Ethan, covered in sweat from Mary dancing him to death, finally took a breather and flopped down next to Sabrina on a park bench. She was smiling and watching Tammy awkwardly try to dance with a little boy, maybe six or seven. She was having a good time, the height difference making the whole scene a worthy addition to the blooper reel of the wedding video.
“I… am going to pass the fuck out.” Ethan said, loosening the collar of his shirt. The first cool breeze of fall swept through town, rustling the leaves of the trees. In the last year he had been sad to see the trees of his home covered in thin layers of dirt and soot, reminding him of the sickly stalks he’d seen day in and day out in Iraq, struggling just to make it to the next day like all the inhabitants of that godforsaken land. To see the leaves after summer rains, their greens fading to yellow, orange and red made him smile again. This was rare.
“Do you think I should ask her to marry me?” Sabrina said out of the blue, not looking at Ethan, but watching the love of her life try desperately to hunch over far enough to dance with her pint-sized partner.
Ethan was taken aback by the question. “I don’t know. Do you love her that much?”
“Do you love Mary that much?”
“Yeah. Yeah I do.”
Sabrina smiled. “I’m glad you love her, and aren’t marrying her just because you got her pregnant. That’s why my husband and I got married, but we got divorced after I came to grips with being… well, gay, you know?”
Ethan shrugged, watching Mary try to spin around in the high-G turns of the second round of square dancing. “Ah. Well, I hope you let your husband down easy. No one likes hearing they turned their lover gay.”
Sabrina laughed. “Hardly the situation. I caught him cheating on me with the neighbor’s sixtee
n year old nice, and my little self-discovery was a product of revenge sex with his sister. I was really petty once upon a time. I divorced him of course… But he had custody when… because of the Undead, and me in the Guard.”
Putting an arm around his friend’s shoulder Ethan took in the smells and sounds of happiness. “Do what makes you happy, Sabrina. I doubt you’ll get anyone around here to sign off on a legal certificate, but I mean, how legal is anything we do here? At least one of my deputies is setting up a medicinal marijuana clinic outside of town, and another is making corn ethanol in his neighbor’s abandoned barn because he blew his neighbor’s abandoned house up during the last snow fall... I’m sure there is someone in town who’d perform the rights for you though. People around here don’t worry so much about the little things anymore.”
“Oh, I already found someone who’s willing to perform the marriage.” Sabrina laughed when the boy accidentally tripped Tammy. She stumbled and went ass first into the grass. “I just don’t know if she’ll say yes.”
“You can’t be serious. That girl thinks the sun rises and sets with you.” Ethan stood up and helped Sabrina to her feet. “I have a dance to get back to. You don’t have to do it tonight, but I want you to think about it while you’re laying there next to her tonight. Are you okay with waking up next to her for the rest of your life? If that isn’t even a question to you, then you already know the answer.”
“Are you? I mean, what if tomorrow your girl from before showed up?” Sabrina seemed genuinely concerned. “I think about Luke and Cyndi, our baby ballerina… I miss them. I wish they’d walk back into my life. I’d do anything to have even one more fight with Luke, to hear her laugh at Barney again... That’s all we had in the end. We were good friends once, me and Luke. I miss the friendship part.”
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