Dark Days | Book 2 | Retribution

by Davis, James

  “Ok Daddy.”

  An old blue pickup skidded to a stop outside the gate and honked its horn several times. Two men pushed the gate opened, letting the truck drive through before closing it again. The truck stopped just inside the gate and Bailey quickly hopped out of the passenger's seat, holding a small black backpack.

  "He’s down in the bunker!" Johnny called out as he walked over to greet them.

  "I'll show ya." Dub said, motioning for the woman to follow him as he started toward his bunker. She threw the pack over her shoulder as she jogged to catch up. Dub led Bailey into his bunker and to the room where Bear layed on a table. Danny was standing beside him, pressing a bloody towel against both holes in Bear's side.

  "How bad is it?" she asked, entering the room and stepping over a pile of shattered dishes.

  "Oh no!" Bear moaned, hearing the woman speak.

  "What's wrong?" Bailey and Danny asked in unison.

  "I knew it! I've died and gone to heaven!" Bear said, wincing as Danny applied more pressure onto the wounds.

  "Heaven?" Dub laughed, "looks more like a dirty ol’ shithole to me." he muttered, looking around at the state of what used to be his neatly organized sanctuary.

  "Then where did the angel come from?" Bear asked, looking over at Bailey and doing his best to smile through his gritted teeth.

  "Smooth." Danny chuckled.

  Bailey rolled her eyes, as she made her way up to the table.

  "Let me see." She said, stepping in and grabbing the towel Danny was holding. Once she had the towel held tightly, Danny let go and stepped back. She peeled it back, just enough to see the entrance wound, pouring blood.

  "Okay, I'm going to need more towels, and clean water, lots of it. I need you to come back and hold this towel." She instructed, looking over her shoulder at Danny. She removed her backpack and sat it down on the table. She opened it and began removing her supplies.

  "I'll get someone down here with all that." Dub said, turning to leave the room.

  "Get me a shot!" Bear called out to Dub.

  Dub poked his head back into the room. "A shot of what?" He asked with an arched eyebrow.

  "Anything." Bear replied.

  Dub nodded, "Anything else I can get for ya, son?"

  "A kiss from a pretty nurse?" He replied cheekily, looking up at Bailey, closing his eyes and puckering his lips.

  "I hope you're talking about him, because I certainly don't kiss strangers who I don’t know their first name." she said with a grin.

  "Not even a handsome stranger on his deathbed?" he asked.

  Bailey laughed, "Yeah, maybe when I'm done sewing you up, I'll go see him." she teased.

  "Ouch." Bear whispered.

  Danny laughed.

  Dub waved his arm, turning to walk away, having already wasted more time listening to the banter than he cared to.

  Dub stepped out of the bunker into the cool night breeze. He looked around at people chatting and laughing. The blue pickup had moved closer, and was surrounded by people. The tailgate was open and Dub could see several boxes stacked in the bed. Johnny pulled a bottle of amber liquid from the box and handed it to a middle-aged woman. A few feet away, Clay and Hank sat with their families, Jeff and Randy sat with them. Dub watched for a second as they all passed a bottle of scotch around and enjoying spending time as a family. It was the closest he can remember seeing someone that resembled the old Clay since his return. He walked toward the group.

  As he approached, Jeff turned the bottle up to take a drink. Dub grabbed the bottle, pulling it away and spilling several shots worth onto Jeff's face.

  "What the hell Daddy?" He sputtered, wiping his face with the front of his shirt.

  "They need towels and water down in the bunker and grab one of those bottles for Bear." He said, pointing to the boxes in the back of the truck.

  Jeff nodded and stood up, running toward the house.

  "Anybody seen Betty Sue?" he asked, looking around

  "I think she's over by the garden." Karen suggested, looking around.

  Dub nodded, and turned to walk toward the garden. He spotted Betty Sue sitting alone on the ground next to several rows of tomato plants.

  "Hey hun, you doin alright?" Dub asked, walking up behind her. She didn't reply, just stared blankly at the ground. Betty Sue hadn't spoken much to Dub or anyone else over the past few weeks.

  "Brought ya a drink." Dub said, forcing a smile and holding out the bottle he had just taken from Jeff. "Had to wrestle it away from my boy." he added, awkwardly attempting to start a conversation. Betty Sue continued to stare at the dirt in front of her.

  "Everybody’s real worried about ya darlin, you wanna come join everyone?" Dub asked. She slowly shook her head side to side a few times. Dub had never been good at expressing his emotions. He hadn't encountered a problem in a long time that he couldn't curse or smack to change the outcome. He turned the bottle up, taking a long drink.

  "Sure, wish there was something I could do for ya. I miss my dumplin." he said, dropping down to sit on the ground and throwing his arm around his lady. He pulled her close.

  "We'll all be here when you're ready." he said quietly, planting a quick peck atop her grey hair. The two sat quietly staring into the dark for a long time. The sound of the fence rattling startled them, causing both to jump a little and look toward the fence. Dub scanned the fence line. A few feet down, at the usual spot, he found the source of the commotion.

  He squinted, waiting for his eyes to focus in the dark. Four eyes stared back at him. The fence rattled again, accompanied by a whimpering sound.

  "I reckon yer hungry." he said almost to himself, "I'll do ya one better." He planted one more kiss on the top of Betty Sue's head before getting to his feet with a grunt.

  "Come on then!" he called to the dogs walking toward the front gate. The two dogs followed him the entire way.

  "Open ‘em up." he said, approaching the two men at the gate. The two men pushed the gate open halfway. Dub stepped up to the opening and let out a few short whistles. Sarge and Bella rushed past him into the fence for the first time since it had been put in place. They spent a few moments sniffing the area around the gate, as the two men pushed it closed again.

  "Well, let’s go pups, got somethin to show ya!." he said, turning to walk away. As he approached the area where he had left Hank and Clay, he could hear Lynyrd Skynyrd playing through the open doors of the pickup truck. Johnny and Gene sat on the tailgate chatting. Dub lifted his arm up, waving to get Clay and Hank's attention.

  "Got somebody here to see yins." he called out as they looked over at him questioningly.

  "Sarge!" Emma cried as the large dog bolted toward them and jumped into Clay's lap next to her. She giggled as Sarge squirmed his way onto Clay's lap licking her face and whimpering. Clay wrapped his arms around Emma and Sarge, hugging them both.

  "You've lost some weight. We'll fatten you up quick." Clay said, scratching the dog’s ears.

  "Bella!" Toby shouted, jumping up from his mom's lap and running to the massive dog. Wrapping his arms around her neck. He hugged Bella as she strained her neck to lick the boy's face.

  "She could use some fattening too." Hank chuckled, walking over to pet the dog.

  "Oh my god, and a bath!" Karen exclaimed, catching a whiff of the dog and covering her nose with her hand.

  "Feed them pups and enjoy your night. I'm gonna go get Betty Sue into bed." Dub said, smiling toward the reunited families. "And don't think that just because the blue hats ain't in charge, yins won't be taking your asses to work tomorrow." he added, turning to walk away.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Alright lardass, it’s time to get up and go to work! Those damn blue hats made a godawful mess of the place and we have to get it cleaned up!” Dub barked, bright and early the next morning as he walked around his home kicking people’s feet.

  “Lardass? I barely have an ounce of fat on me, old man.” A young fit man said. Clay heard the guy and
sat up quick. There was no way in hell he was going to miss someone else making the mistake of calling Dub old.

  “Ouch! What the hell was that for?” The young guy shouted after Dub doubled back and slapped the shit out of him. Clay, Hank, Randy, and Jeff all started to laugh loudly.

  “Don’t you call me old boy, and the rest of you retards, get your asses up and get to work!” Dub shouted over the laughter.

  “Geeze man, you could have just asked me not to call you old instead of slapping me!” The young man replied snarkily.

  “I find that a slap upside the head works best on most people. ‘Cept that idiot over there.” Dub said pointing a finger at Clay. This got a fresh new round of laughter out of everyone but Clay.

  “Screw you guys!” Clay said as he got up and looked around the room. Emma was still curled up in a ball under the covers, as were Karen and Toby when Hank got to his feet. Clay walked past Hank and into the kitchen to find a coffee pot. He started rummaging around the counters and sweeping trash down into the floor. After a few minutes he found the coffee pot smashed into several pieces across the countertop.

  “Those worthless sonsabitches!” Clay growled, as he picked up the plastic handle that used to be attached to the pot and slammed it down on the floor. Dub walked into another room as Clay stood there bitching about not getting any coffee. Dub walked back in holding a brand new, still in the box Mr. Coffee.

  “Simmer down Tina, we’re all going to have some coffee in a few minutes.” Dub said to Clay as he walked past him.

  “Mean old bastard!” Clay whispered under his breath, after Dub had passed.

  “I’m sorry what was that?” Dub asked as he cupped his hand behind his ear.

  “Uh, nothing.” Clay said, tripping all over his words. Dub eyed him suspiciously for a few seconds, and then went back to setting up the coffee pot. Twenty minutes later, they were all sitting around the large table sipping fresh coffee and waiting for breakfast. Karen and a few of the other women were busy cooking up a storm when Johnny and Bear walked in.

  “How you feeling today boy?” Dub asked Bear as he slowly eased himself down into a chair.

  “Little sore, but I’ll manage I suppose.” He replied. Dub nodded his response and took another sip of his coffee.

  “So, what’s on the agenda for today?” Hank asked.

  “Pretty much getting this place back to normal. If you’re going to stay here you’re going to work. There is plenty that needs doin’ ‘round here.” Dub said as Karen went around the table setting steaming plates of food down in front of each person. As they all ate, Dub started handing out assignments to each one of the guys at the table.

  “Jeff, Randy, you two dipshits get out there and clean my damn workshop up after breakfast. I better not find one tool out of place in that barn this afternoon when I come to inspect it.” he said, pointing the plastic fork at each of them. He looked over at the young man that had called him old.

  “And you princess, I’ve got something real special lined up for you! Best eat your fill cause you ain’t gonna like your job one bit. You just follow me after we eat.” Dub added. He paused to take a few bites of his food and then took a gulp of his coffee.

  “Clay, Hank, you boys are smart enough to know what needs doin’ around here, so I’ll let you figure it out.” Hank jumped in before Dub could say anything else.

  “Actually, we had a talk about our plans for today last night. We got plenty of gas now, both regular and diesel so we’re gonna go find a flatbed and start hauling those portable sheds from Wilson’s Wood Creations out here for people to stay in. We can rig up some kind of power to them so people don’t freeze at night. We’ll get rid of the tent city and set up there. I figure we’ll keep one of those big olive drab tents set up out back for a community kitchen instead of trying to cook for everyone in here.” Hank said pointing around to the small kitchen. Dub nodded.

  “That’s a damn fine idea son. While you boys are out you might as well go by the Home Depot and get the stuff to build an outdoor kitchen. That’ll make it a bit easier on the ladies if they had a nice set up to work with.” he said before finishing his last bite of food and gulping down the remains of the coffee.

  “I’ll get a few of these other bums around here to start taking down a few of the tents. Don’t want to take them all down now in case we can’t get all the sheds we need today.” Dub added, as he pushed away from the table.

  “Sounds good. We’ll holler at you when we get back.” Hank said.

  “Well, don’t just keep sitting there, princess, you got a few shitters to clean out!” Dub shouted back to the young guy as he walked out of the house. A half hour later the property was a hive of activity. People were running around picking up trash and cleaning everything up. Clay heard the sound of someone gagging and turned to see the young guy throwing up next to the outhouses. He started to chuckle at this, as Hank walked up next to him.

  “What’s so funny?” Hank asked.

  “Kyle doesn’t seem too fond of shitter duty.” Clay said, pointing a finger toward the young man.

  “Yeah I wouldn’t be either. Let’s go find that flatbed.” Hank replied, dismissing Kyle and his duties for the day. Clay followed his brother to an old green 1970 AMC Gremlin. The U.N. soldiers had brought the car in at some point and Clay figured who ever had owned it before was probably dead now from an unfortunate bullet to the head.

  Clay got in the driver’s side and twisted the key. The engine sounded like a thirty-year smoker getting out of bed in the morning until it warmed up. He put the car into gear and eased down the throttle. They passed through the front gate a few seconds later and were gaining speed as they drove down the road toward town.

  The streets seemed empty as they made their way through the small town. Clay had an ominous feeling come over him as they sat at a stop light that didn’t work and looked around the area.

  “Just go right down Main Street. Should take us right to Wilson’s and I bet you anything they already have a flatbed there we can haul the things back on.” Hank said, pointing a finger straight ahead. Clay eased on the gas and seconds later they were cruising down Main Street.

  Hank caught movement through the buildings and told Clay to speed up. As they raced down the street Hank strained his eyes trying to make out what it was keeping pace with them. All of a sudden Clay swerved hard to the right, barely missing a car that had rolled out in front of them from the side street.

  The tires screeched as the Gremlin began to spin, the sound amplified by the tall brick buildings on either side of the street. Clay frantically spun the wheel left and right as he tried to regain control of the car, but it was too late. They would just have to ride it out. The sound of shattering glass and crunching steel filled the car as the rear end slammed into a telephone pole. Hank sat slumped forward in his seat after his head smashed out the passenger side window.

  Clay quickly flung open his door and racked his rifle, the sound announcing that he was not a man to be fucked with. He ran around the car watching for the ambush that was surely going to come and slapped Hank’s cheek a few times. Blood ran down the side of Hank’s face from a large gash on his temple. Finally, after a few hard slaps, Hank’s eyes popped open.

  “What happened?” he asked, as he put his hand up to his face.

  “Ambush, someone rolled that car out and we almost hit it. You alright?” Clay asked, looking around for any sign of the enemy.

  “You dumb bastard! You were supposed to keep your foot on the brake!” A voice sounded followed by the slapping sound of feet hitting pavement. Three teenage boys rounded the corner and stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Clay’s rifle aimed at them.

  “We’re real sorry, mister. Dummy here was supposed to be holding his foot on the brake until we were ready to start pushing. You guys alright?” The boy asked. Hank stepped out of the car a bloody mess.

  “What the fuck do you think?” he said, pointing an angry finger at his split open
head.

  “Where are your parents?” Clay asked.

  “They’re all dead sir. Blue hats got them.” The boy replied, dropping his gaze down to the ground, shuffling his feet.

  “I’m sorry to hear that son. What the hell are you doing trying to push that car anyway?” Clay asked.

  “We were planning on rolling it down that little hill and popping the clutch to start it, but dip-ass here can’t follow directions.” The boy said, as he whacked his friend’s arm. Clay looked over the boys and noticed that they were way too skinny for their age. They looked bad.

  “When’s the last time you boys had anything to eat?” Clay asked. The boys looked everywhere but at the two men as if they were embarrassed by their answer.

  “A few days ago.” The lead boy muttered.

  “Come over here.” Clay said as he reached back into the wrecked car and grabbed his pack. Hank already had his pack out, dabbing at the gash on his head with a gauze pad.

  “Give me your MRE.” Clay said, holding his hand out to his brother. Hank reached into his pack and pulled out a MRE and two bottles of water and handed them to Clay.

  “You gonna make it or should we head back now?”

  “I’ll be alright. It’s just a cut.” Hank replied. Clay nodded and pulled the MRE from his own pack along with some water and stood back up from the car to see the boys still hadn’t moved. Clay shook his head and chuckled.

  “Chill out guys I’m not going to hurt you. Here, take this.” he said holding out the food and water.

  “It’s not much, but it should hold you over until we come back through. I want you guys to stay right here in this area and wait for us. We’ll be in a flatbed hauling a portable shed when we come back through. We have a camp not far from here. You boys should come back with us. You’ll get plenty to eat and a safe place to sleep as long as you pitch in and do your part.” Clay said as he took a few steps toward the boys.

  “You’re not a perv, are you?” The lead boy asked, a dead serious look on his face. Clay burst out in laughter.

  “No, I’m not a perv and neither is anyone else at the camp.” Clay said still chuckling. The boys looked at one another and finally took a few steps forward. Clay put the food and water in each of their hands and took a step back.