Roland: Reluctant Paladin

by N. C. Reed

  -

  There were nine of them that he could see. The crew from the other vehicle must have caught up with the action his mind told him, somewhere far off. Roland didn’t care. Not anymore.

  Cold and calculating, Roland started shooting. He had always had an aptitude for it, which had surprised his instructors since he had never even held a weapon before joining the Army. After testing him on several different rifles and handguns, the head shooting instructor had simply shrugged and called Roland a ‘natural’.

  Some people are just born shooters, the Warrant Officer had told him.

  And now, Roland shot. Again and again and again. Taking his attackers by surprise, he had killed three of them before they could react, and then rolled a grenade under their vehicle, destroying it. That would prevent them from following Ralph.

  He slipped behind the truck again, running to the back of the overturned U-Haul. From there, he attacked again, hitting his assailants from a new angle. Apparently, it had never occurred to the idiots that he could or would do that. Nor had they tried to flank him.

  Amateurs.

  Roland shot two more, then felt a tug at his left sleeve, which he ignored. Thumbing the selector switch to full auto, he emptied the remainder of his current magazine into the figures trying to move away from the car. At least one fell, but Roland couldn’t tell if he had hit the fallen attacker or if they had been injured by the car blast.

  And he didn’t care, either.

  Dropping the expended magazine, Roland ran back to the front of the truck, and this time kept running toward the buildings along the road. He snap shot another of the attackers, seeing him fall, before taking cover in a doorway. Leaning out quickly, he took a look at the scene before him. There were seven of nine now down, though not necessarily out. He saw movement through the smoke behind the burning vehicle, and snapped a three-round burst in that direction, grinning ruthlessly when he heard a cry of pain.

  “I know you’re out there!” he called mockingly. “Your buddies are all down, and now I’m coming for you!” There wasn’t an answer, but he hadn’t expected one. He just felt like taunting the survivors.

  “I’m going to kill all of you!” he sing-songed to the wounded. “You killed a little boy who didn’t even know how to use a gun. And now I’m gonna kill you all. And I’m gonna hunt down your family, and kill them, too!”

  “You leave my family outta this!” someone yelled back, and Roland smiled. One of his rocks had hit a dog.

  “Not gonna happen, tough guy!” Roland called back. “Only way you can protect your family from me is to kill me! Only I don’t think you got the stones for it, know what I mean?”

  “I’ll kill you!” someone screamed, and Roland heard feet pounding the pavement. Smiling, he leaned around the door frame, to see a lone man running toward him.

  “AHHH!!!!” the man screamed, firing his rifle from the hip, just like in the movies. Roland smirked, and shot the man in the head.

  “Dumb-ass,” Roland shook his head. “I don’t even know where your family lives.” Leaving the cover of the door frame, Roland worked his way to the body, finding his aim had been true. Satisfied, he started checking the rest.

  He could feel exhaustion creeping over him, now that his Calm had gone. His rage was still there, boiling beneath the surface, but there was no one to take it out on anymore.

  He heard a cough, and smiled again. Turning, he saw one of the thugs trying to crawl away.

  “Wait a minute, now,” Roland called, unsheathing his knife. “You can’t leave now, we’re just gettin’ started! What will the guests think?” The man crawled faster.

  “Now, now, I know the party isn’t everything you hoped for, but still, is this any way to be?” Roland taunted, following along. He caught up to the crawling figure, and a hard kick to the ribs turned him over on his back.

  Only it wasn’t a him. It was a her.

  “Le… leave me… a… alone!” she gurgled weakly.

  “Now why would I do that?” Roland asked, head tilting slightly. “Maybe you didn’t hear me earlier? About killing all of you? I can’t hardly do that by leaving you alone, now can I?”

  “Y… You’re crazy!” the woman almost screamed, her face showing fear. Roland leaned down, the smile still on his face.

  “That’s what the doctors tell me,” he whispered, right before he cut her throat.

  The rest were already dead, having died from their wounds, or bled out afterward. Roland walked slowly to where his pack was sitting, weary and light headed. It was time to get out of here before…

  He never felt the pavement come up and hit him in the face.

  CHAPTER TEN

  “…st a lot of blood, but the wound wasn’t all that bad. He should be fine.” From deep in the depths of wherever he was, Roland heard a female voice, quietly talking.

  “That’s a relief,” he heard a male voice answer. Did he know that voice? It sounded familiar for some reason.

  Roland stayed still, regulating his breathing, allowing himself to come fully awake. He didn’t know where he was, so the first thing he had to do was…

  Suddenly the memory of Willie’s lifeless body sprawled across the door of an overturned U-Haul came to him, and Roland forgot his discipline. He sat straight up.

  “Whoa, Sarge! Take it easy, bro, you took a round, and lost some blood. But you gonna be alright, my grand done fixed you up shiny and new.” Roland felt an arm on his shoulder, and suppressed the urge to break it. Instead, he looked up at the source of both the arm, and the voice.

  “Jesse?”

  “Aw, you remember me,” Jesse Fuller grinned, his white teeth contrasting with his dark skin. “How you hangin’ Sarge? Found you in the street, almost bled out. Looked like you’d had some trouble.”

  “Willie,” Roland replied. “There was a little boy on the truck, named Willie. Did you...?” Jesse shook his head sadly.

  “Sorry, Ro’. Boy was gone. I brung him along, and buried him. I’m sorry.”

  “He was just a kid,” Roland whispered. “Fifteen years old.”

  “You know well as I do, Sarge, age don’t mean nothin’ to the Reaper. Bill come’s due, you pay it,” Jesse shrugged. “I made sure he was took care of proper, though. He wasn’t. . .Sarge was he family?”

  “I ain’t got no family, Jesse. You know that,” Roland shook his head. “I found a bunch of kids holed up in a warehouse, living on garbage about three weeks ago. Been trying to figure a way to keep ‘em alive, and get ‘em out of the city. Somewhere safe, maybe.”

  “Ain’t no such thing no more, bro,” Jesse shook his head again. “Whole country, whole world, done lost its mind.” Roland looked up at this old teammate.

  “Jesse, it’s good to see you,” Roland shook his own head, smiling. “How long have I been here?”

  “Four days,” Jesse told him. “You was almost bled out, Ro’. Gran didn’t know you was gonna make it or not.”

  “I told you it was up to the Good Lord’s will did he live or not, Jesse Owens Fuller,” a short, elderly and scratchy voiced woman corrected, walking into the room on a cane. “That ain’t the same thing.”

  “Yes, Gran,” Jesse rolled his eyes where only Roland could see them. The woman rapped Jesse on the back of his head with her cane without missing a step.

  “Don’t you roll your eyes at me, boy,” she snapped. Jesse rubbed his head, but stayed quiet.

  “Ma’am, I’m...”

  “I know very well who you are Roland Stang,” the woman groaned a little as she sat down. “Been knowing who you was since my sassy mouthed grandson brought you through my door.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Roland nodded. He didn’t know what else to say.

  “How you feelin’?” the woman asked. “‘Spect you got a headache, and your arm is achin’ something fierce by now,” she added. Roland nodded.

  “Yes, ma’am. And I’m...”

  “Boy, go and get the man some water,” the woman hit Jesse aga
in with the cane. “Sit here slack-jawin’ when a hurt man done been asleep four days and ain’t had no water but what we could get down ‘im. Get on!”

  “I’m going!” Jesse snapped back, but waited until he was out of reach of the cane before doing so.

  “Crack brained idjit,” Roland heard the woman mutter. He decided to stay quiet.

  “‘Spect you’ve got a story to tell,” the woman spoke. “Hush boy, ‘fore you tear your throat lose tryin’ to talk with a dry body!” the woman snapped as Roland opened his mouth. “I can talk for both of us.”

  “I heard you say you was protectin’ a bunch o’ children. Why? They yours?” Roland shook his head.

  “Reckon a man such as you ain’t got no children, do he?” the woman asked, her voice softer. Gentler. Roland shook his head again.

  “You got a long, sad road ahead o’ you Roland Stang,” she said softly. “Lord have mercy on you boy, ‘cause you done walked the Devil’s Road, and now you got to make amends, ain’t you?”

  Roland looked at the woman wide-eyed, but nodded slowly.

  “You won’t save them all, boy,” she continued. “Accept that now, so that you can keep goin’ when things look bad. No matter what you do, or how well you do it, you won’t save ‘em all. Hush!” she slammed her cane on the floor. “I said you ain’t to speak.”

  “You think you can atone, boy, for all the blood on your hands? Think you can wash all that away, by doin’ this?” Roland looked at her angrily this time, and shook his head, no.

  “Good, cause you can’t,” she nodded in approval. “Ain’t nothin’ but the blood o’ Jesus can save you, child. You too far gone for anything else. That dark man inside you done been let out to play too many times.” She leaned forward, working her way to her feet.

  “You lay here and rest a while, Roland Stang. Where you’re goin’, you gon’ sho’ nuff need it.” With

  that she hobbled out of the room, meeting Jesse at the door.

  “Here’s the water, Gran,” he smiled, offering her the bottle.

  “Well, give it to him, idjit! I look thirsty to you?” Jesse walked in and handed the water bottle to Roland, who almost drained it in one draught.

  “Nice woman, your Grandmother,” he gasped.

  “You ain’t got to lie, Ro,” Jesse chuckled. “She’s good as gold though. Took one look at you and started in fixin’ you up.” Jesse settled into his chair.

  “So, feel like tellin’ me what you been up to?”

  -

  “And that’s when I found all them kids,” Roland shrugged, leaning against his pillows. He had drunk three more glasses of water as he and Jesse caught up on old times, and new.

  “Hell of a thing,” Jesse shook his head. “Seen that too many times overseas. Never thought we’d see that day here in the World.”

  “Tell me about it,” Roland nodded. “Anyway, me and Ralph, and W...” the name hung in his throat for a moment as he remembered once more that Willie was gone.

  “Anyway,” he forced himself to continue, “me, Ralph and Willie were looking for a truck to help us get away. Something heavy that I could beef up a little, in case we hit a roadblock. Only truck we could find, with all the fuel we could get, and now it’s gone,” Roland commented bitterly. “And on top of that, I let Willie get killed. All for nothin’,” he almost spat out.

  “Ro’, I know you tried to save that boy,” Jesse frowned. “How you figure you ‘let’ him get killed? I counted the bodies, Roland. Was twelve to one against you.” He frowned a bit. “Couple of them was. . .I thought you was seein’ a doctor about that, Ro’.”

  “I was,” Roland admitted. “Til there wasn’t no doctor. Things has gone to hell in the Army, too, Jess. I was the last man left in my platoon at Campbell.”

  “You discharge?”

  “Nope, just walked off. Like most everyone else. Family people left first, I guess. Trying to protect their own. Then folks drifted away in two’s and three’s, going to see what was happening, I guess.”

  “Well, I guess that ain’t a problem, way things are right now,” Jesse shrugged. “And there sure ain’t no authority left nowhere. Like you said, folks is tryin’ to care for their own, now.” He looked at Roland.

  “How is it you got stuck with them kids?”

  “I told you, they ain’t got nobody to look after ‘em no more. Parents are dead, or just plain up and left ‘em behind. I guess they figured someone would step up.”

  “Looks like someone did,” Jesse said seriously. “What do you aim to do, now you got ‘em?”

  “I haven’t the slightest idea,” Roland admitted. “I wanted to take them south, maybe to a state or county park, where they could be outside. Maybe raise a garden to keep ‘em fed. Or if I could find a community that was still functioning that might take them in. They still need an education.”

  “That’s a tall order, bro,” Jesse observed. “Who else is involved?”

  “It’s just me and six. . .five other kids, now,” Roland replied. “Three teen girls, and now two boys.” He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking about how badly he had let Willie down.

  “Roland, you got to forget that boy,” Jesse said softly. “Wasn’t your fault, and you can’t bring ‘im back.”

  “Of course, it was my fault!” Roland shot back. “Wasn’t for me, he wouldn’t have been out there! Probably still be alive.”

  “Or not,” Jesse replied evenly. “You said yourself that bunch in the warehouse was gettin’ ready to trade ‘em out. At least Willie had a chance because o’ you. You could o’ just left ‘em there, and moved on. But you didn’t. Give yourself a little credit, at least.”

  Roland turned his head, looking out the window. It was dark. Where had the day gone? And what time was it?

  “I need to get back,” he said suddenly. “I… they’re probably scared stiff right now. I need to see if Ralph made it back, too.”

  “You can’t go nowhere, shape you’re in,” Jesse said. “Rest tonight, then I’ll help you tomorrow. We’ll get you back there, and see what’s what.”

  “I can’t ask you to do that, Jesse,” Roland shook his head. “Your Gran needs you here.”

  “You didn’t ask,” Jesse replied, standing and stretching. “Now rest. We’ll get a start after light.” With that Jesse left the room. Left Roland to rest.

  If he could.

  -

  Roland awoke sometime during the night, needing to use the bathroom. This was the first time since he’d been awake that he’d had to. He wondered if he had been nearly dehydrated.

  He slowly got to his feet, noticing he was still in his BDU pants, but shirtless.

  “Your shirt’s done for, I think, but it’s wearable, ‘til you can do better,” Gran Fuller spoke from the shadows. “Bathroom through yonder,” she pointed in the dim light of a single candle. “Get done, come to the porch and sit with me, Roland Stang.” He watched her light another candle, leaving him the one now burning, and make her way out. He used the candle, finding the restroom. Out of habit he went to wash his hands, but found there was no water. He shook his head. He had known that.

  He found the old woman in a rocker on the porch, first light still distant. He took a seat near her, downwind since he was pretty ripe, and breathed out a little heavy. Just the little movement he’d made had cost him a lot.

  “You ain’t fit to be up,” she told him. “But ‘spect you ain’t got much choice.”

  “No ma’am.”

  “You want to know about what I said before.” It was a statement, not a question.

  “If you want to tell me, ma’am,” Roland replied.

  “I got the sight, boy,” the old woman said after a few minutes. “Got it from my Grandmother, my momma said. Some says it’s a blessin’, but others tell of it as a curse.”

  “Which do you think it is?” Roland asked.

  “Ain’t never rightly decided,” the old woman cackled with quiet laughter. “Truth be told, I ain’t never thou
ght on it over much.” She sat forward, and even in the dark Roland could tell she was looking right at him.

  “You got a dark cloud hangin’ about you, boy,” she said gently. “Ain’t your doin’, and you don’t like it, but it’s there, just the same. Like me, you ain’t never took no thought about it, whether it’s a gift or a curse.” She sat back again,

  “Knowed men like you a'fore, son,” she went on. “Some good, some bad, and a few just plain indifferent. I ‘spect you was one o’ the indifferent kind, at least 'fore you found all the young’uns.

  Yeah?”

  “I guess so,” Roland answered honestly. “Like you said, I never thought on it much.”

  “You like the violence, don’t you boy?”

  “I don’t like having to be violent,” Roland thought about his answer. “But once it’s on, I...”

  “You enjoy it,” he could almost hear Gran nod. “There was a time when such men was needed, Roland Stang. And that time’s comin’ again. Already on us in some ways, but it will get worse. Don’t expect to see it get any better in your time. This is bad, boy, but it ain’t the end. Understand?”

  “Yes. At least I think so.”

  “Then you listen to me, Roland Stang,” Gran leaned forward again. “There’s people you ain’t met yet, that will influence and help you. And there’s some that will do anything to stop you. You got to be watchin’, boy, and be wary, like a lamb in the lion’s den. You don’t keep watch, you’ll get et.”

  “I know all about how well you can take care o’ yerself,” the woman waved Roland’s attempt to defend his abilities away. “But you’re vulnerable now, Roland Stang. You got people to look after. That gonna influence your thinkin’. And your doin’, too.”

  “Train the acolyte,” she continued. “He’s more like you than you know. One day he’ll have to carry your burden. No, it ain’t right, nor fair, but it is, that’s all. Train him. You can’t change his path, so make sure he can walk it, comes the time. Understand?”

  “You mean James,” Roland answered her.

  “You know who I mean,” Gran nodded. “You can trust him. Reckon he looks up to you. Somethin’ to aspire to. And he’s more like you than not. Understand?”