DEAD: Darkness Before Dawn

by Brown, TW

  I had no idea where I was going with this, but now that I had the undivided attention of the group and had gotten a head of steam, I pushed on and just let my big mouth take me where it would.

  “Everybody in this room has seen what is out there…there has been some really bad stuff, and the way that people have become a bunch of animals is mind blowing. What makes us any different? We come to town and start enforcing our will and decide that we are going to unify this place and claim the entire region. Those already here can either accept it or be rolled over? Is that who we are now? Are we the bullies?”

  I saw Erik’s face. He’d been acting sketchy after that situation with those lunatics at that RV park. He’d enjoyed taking them down just a bit too much and I had discovered that he had been the target of bullies back before all of this. Yet, he had not seen how quickly he had engaged in that same behavior the moment he was in the position with the upper hand.

  I’d always hated bullies. And being as big as I was in high school combined with being on the football team had given me a position where I could do something about it when I saw it happen around me. Just because society had gone to hell in a hand basket did not mean I had to abandon my principles.

  “This isn’t about being a bully,” Jake spoke over the buzz that had started to ripple through the crowd. “This is about assuring our safety and well-being. This is about trying to get back to some sense of a normal life.”

  Yep, Jake wasn’t going to be able to fool anybody with his country boy charm any longer, I thought.

  “But you are talking about wiping out a group of people who, in their defense, were here first. We invaded them, and if they don’t join us, we are going to declare them enemies.”

  “That sounds good coming from the guy who had one of our people’s fingers left on his doorstep. I thought you wanted to save Carol, well I got news for you, kid, you can’t have it both ways. You say one thing, but you said yourself that we have to do what it takes to get our friend back. ‘One of us’ is what I believe your exact words were.”

  “Then maybe we accept their deal and leave,” I retorted. “We had a sweet set up in the mountains. Why can’t we go back there? Yes, we would have to build shelters for everybody, and it would be hard work, but we would not be taking from others, we would not have to make the decision to kill living, breathing human beings.”

  I heard a chorus of approval and could see heads starting to nod. I hid my relief; honestly, I was afraid that I had been spinning out of control on a road to nowhere.

  “Why should we build from scratch when everything that we need is in place right here?” Jake spoke above the rising noise of the crowd. “We have ample housing, a water supply, and farmland to spare. Why should we step aside and let some other group have this? At least if we take control, the people that are here and those that may find us later will be treated fairly and welcomed.”

  “As long as they don’t disagree with your policies,” I shot back.

  This was not at all how I had seen this turning out. I had no intention of causing such a divide in our group. I certainly had not expected to be going up against Jake. Yet, I could see and hear our group splitting. I had my supporters and Jake had his; something in my gut told me that this was not going to end well.

  “So you think maybe some flowers and a box of cookies is gonna get you that old lady back?” Jake snapped. There was something ugly in his voice.

  I’d had my issues with Jon, Jake, and Jesus before. And I knew a secret about Jake that I was pretty sure he was not too enthusiastic about revealing no matter the fact that his alter ego had been put to rest today. However, I’d always thought he and the others were on the same page as the rest of our group back when we were up at the forestry center cabin at the campground. Now, maybe I was not so sure. Perhaps I had failed to see things clearly. I was just part of the group back then; for the most part, it had been Steve’s group.

  “Her name is Carol!”

  And just like that I remembered a confrontation between Barry and Steve shortly after we had escaped the FEMA shelter at the high school. Thalia had been suffering from some terrible nightmares and often cried out in her sleep. Barry had said something and referred to her as “the little girl” which had pissed Steve off. He told Barry that her name was Thalia, not Little Girl.

  Teresa had come to Steve’s defense and Jamie was right at her side. Since I was with Jamie, I had stepped up as well along with Joe and Aaron. Barry had backed down quick. I waited to see if history would repeat itself.

  Sure enough, I heard voices of approval. However, I also could see people separating from each other. It was physically splitting the room; the real surprise was just how much in the minority my supporters were compared to Jake’s. Did that mean I was on the wrong side of this dispute?

  “So tell me,” Jake glanced around and seemed to realize for the first time that he had the lion’s share of people backing his stance, “how do you propose that we deal with these people? How would you get Carol free from her captors?” His emphasis on her name came with a sneer that made me take an involuntary step back.

  “If we show up with numbers, I think it would at least make them see what they were dealing with. Maybe that would scare a little sense into them.”

  “So you aren’t above scare tactics and intimidation,” Jake said. And like a stupid fish, I bit.

  “Not if it will gain her release.”

  “So you are okay with being a bully as long as you can define the limits,” Jake scoffed while turning to what was fast becoming his crowd. “That makes you the typical bully, doesn’t it? I mean, you are all about talk and bluster, but if somebody punches you in the nose, I bet you turn tail and run. All talk and no action.”

  That wasn’t what I was trying to say. I opened my mouth to argue, but nothing came. Jake was now a shark in a feeding frenzy.

  “So just what is your plan when they send us the fingers of the other hand or whatever they intend on cutting off next? More talking until we eventually get her head in a box?”

  “No…I…” This was going poorly and I could not think of what to say. At that moment, I felt exactly like an eighteen-year-old boy.

  “These types only understand one form of communication. If we are going over there, it is with the idea that we will be willing to take it by force.”

  “Fine,” I conceded. “But does that mean that we have to extend that same mentality to any other groups in the area who oppose our taking this town?”

  “There will be tough choices ahead,” Jake said with a shrug. “Do you want to live, or simply survive?”

  That was a much bigger question than I could answer at the moment. Was this just a case of my wanting to have my cake and eat it too? I felt my shoulders slumping under every single word.

  “I will be leaving within the hour to where this other group is camped.” Jake turned from me and gave the people his full attention. “We will give them one chance to release Carol, and then we will come in and take her.”

  “If they don’t kill her first,” Melissa spat.

  “If they do, then it is likely they would have done so anyway. After that, they will be given the choice to become part of the solution…or seen as part of the problem. If they will not join us, then we will allow them the same courtesy that they extended to us. We will give them forty-eight hours to leave the area. In any case we will make it clear that this is an all-or-nothing proposal. The time for talking is over. If we are going to succeed, we need to act now. There is a lot of work ahead, but when it is over, we will be living…not simply struggling to survive from one day to the next.”

  “Until the next group doesn’t do what you want…then will you have a reason to kill them all or sentence them to exile?” Melissa had suddenly found her voice again. “What if we had acted that way when you, Jon, and Jesus arrived at our camp?”

  “And if that was your child they held…where would you stand on this idea?” Jake knelt down, h
is face just inches from Melissa’s. He had completely changed the subject and not answered her question, but I had a feeling he was simply trying to get her out of the picture before she could turn the tables.

  “Bastard.” The slap was loud enough to silence the entire room. Melissa turned on her heel and stormed through the crowd. I saw that as a victory for Jake. The only person who had spoken up against him besides me was now out of the picture.

  I stood on the desk after everybody had filed out. Even those who supported me had cowed to the mob mentality. It seems nobody wanted to be seen as a coward or whatever. More than anything, I think Jake had dangled an imaginary carrot in front of their faces.

  If they were leaving within the hour, then I had to decide right now what I was going to do. The way I saw it, I only had one real option.

  ***

  I peeked up over the hood of the huge pickup truck that sat partially up on the curb. The stains in the seat and the busted out windows told me that the occupants of this vehicle had not met a pleasant ending.

  I had to admit that I was impressed with what I was seeing. I also felt that perhaps Jake might have bitten off more than he could chew. Even more amazing, I had no idea how we had missed this place when we had first come through. I chalked it up to how limited your ability to really know your surroundings can be when you are on foot.

  We’d come out of the mountains and down the highway that was at the northeast corner of La Grande. Had we veered a mere three blocks south, we would have seen their fortifications. Of course Winters had been the one to bring me, Jon, and Jake here that first time, so that was likely by design. And when we returned, we had an objective in sight. After that, I had been recovering from injuries.

  These people, whoever they were, had worked hard. They were in even better condition than Winters’ people had been. Maybe that was why they had gone on the attack. These folks had prime real estate. I put myself in their place and, except for the capture and torture of Carol, I could see their reasons behind wanting us gone.

  They had about ten square residential blocks, a school, a golf course, and about four football fields worth of farmland according to what I’d seen from up the hill a ways. Now that I was close enough to see their barricade, I was even more impressed; as well as doubtful about Jake’s ability to beat these people.

  The fencing was not as much about being high as it was about being sturdy. In fact, it was maybe five feet high all along this front section. They had towers set along the length, which seemed to be pretty standard these days. I also could see patrols walking along the inside of the fence.

  Much like our setup back at the campground, these people had dug a trench. I’m not sure if it goes all the way around or not, but it is deep enough that no zombie can climb out of it. I know that because in just the few minutes that I have been here, I’ve seen four topple in. So the trench is deep enough that I can’t see so much as the tops of their heads.

  “Thought you could use some company,” a voice whispered from behind me, causing me to jump and damn near wet my pants.

  I spun to find Katrina crouched down beside some sort of huge bush that was just starting to show little buds of blue that would become flowers before too long. She was in her field gear and had a crossbow in her hand.

  I was embarrassed on two fronts. For one, she had come right up to within a dozen feet of me without me hearing a thing. For another, my first reaction was to throw my hands up; I had briefly expected her to fire that weapon at me. If she was bothered by my reaction, she didn’t let it show, she simply scrambled over to get up beside me next to the pickup truck.

  “So…what are you thinking about doing?” she asked.

  That was the very question that I had put to myself the entire way over. The problem was, that I still did not have a definitive answer. I could perhaps walk up to the fence and simply ask to talk to somebody, but my prior encounter with these folks had not left me with the impression that they were open to hearing much of what I had to say.

  “I…I don’t know,” I admitted.

  “Well, Jake and his army are on the way, so you might want to figure something out in a hurry. Something tells me that they won’t be in the mood to listen to anything after that.”

  “Fine, I guess I have no choice.” I swallowed hard; suddenly my mouth had gone very dry. “But I want you to do me a favor.”

  “If it involves leaving, you can forget it.”

  “Just hear me out.” I went on to explain about Dr. Zahn and Sunshine. “I have no idea what they are up to, but all of this is going down with the doc basically absent. I have a feeling it would have been different if she’d been at that little meeting. I need you to go tell her what is happening. If nothing else, she might want to get back to Melissa and run for the hills.”

  “She doesn’t strike me as the run for the hills type.”

  “Me either, but she still needs to know what is about to happen. Even if these people listen to me, it is all going to change the moment Jake shows up.”

  Katrina nodded and started to scurry away, but stopped suddenly and scrambled back. She kissed me, and then touched the tip of my nose.

  “Don’t go getting yourself killed, Billy Haynes,” she said with a wink and a smile.

  I watched her move away and promised myself to do my very best to try and keep that from happening. Once I was certain that she was gone, I returned my focus on the tower closest to me. There were two people inside and they were sipping from something back and forth while carrying on a conversation. I heard a few laughs and briefly considered the possibility of sneaking in. I just as quickly discarded that notion. Even if I were to miraculously make it inside, I had absolutely no idea where they were keeping Carol, and there was far too much ground to cover.

  It was getting close to sunset. That meant that we were now approaching twenty-four hours past the deadline and they would be sending another piece of Carol before too long. I could no longer stall…it was now or never.

  Rising to my feet, I laced my fingers together on top of my head and started walking towards them once I was certain that no zombies were close. I made it about five steps from behind the truck when a voice called for me to halt.

  “That’s far enough, mister,” a woman’s voice said from the tower.

  It actually took me a second to realize she was talking to me. I mean, nobody called me “mister” except my mom, and that was usually when she was angry.

  “I need to talk to somebody in charge,” I called back.

  “What you need and what you get might be two very different things.” This voice belonged to a man, and he sounded pretty annoyed. Maybe I’d interrupted his hitting on the female.

  “Listen, you people have a friend of mine in there, I am here to make a deal for her.”

  “Got no idea what you are talking about,” the man replied.

  I could see him more clearly now that he was leaning over the rail of the watch tower. He was easily in his fifties with gray hair that was pulled back in a ponytail. Why did men who were growing bald think that, by letting their hair get long, it would make up for the big part in the middle that was void of hair? As for the woman, she was actually not as young as her voice indicated. She looked to be up there in years as well, maybe as old as the man. Her hair was gray also, sticking out from under a black stocking cap like a silver halo.

  “A couple of days ago, some of your people took one of ours and said that we had forty-eight hours to leave or they would start sending back pieces of my friend, an elderly lady named Carol Wills.”

  I had heard on some crime show or another that it was important for you to give your name if you were ever taken hostage, something about how it humanizes you to your captor and supposedly makes it harder for them to kill you. I had no idea if that counted for Carol, but I was prepared to try anything.

  The couple put their heads together in some sort of conference. I stood where I was, but it was reaching a point that I would nee
d to do something soon; a half dozen zombies had homed in on me and were shambling in my direction.

  “Not sure what you are talking’ about, young man,” the woman finally spoke up. “But we are going to have you make your way to the gate. It would really be best if you kept your hands where they are.”

  I looked around for a gate and did not see one. At least until the barricade folded down in a spot about twenty feet away to not only provide me a way to enter their compound, but it also acted as a bridge over the trench. Yep, these folks had their stuff together. Jake was in way over his head.

  I did as instructed and entered through their open gate. I was in a chute that reminded me of the kind you would find at a rodeo, only this one had a cover on it that looked to be made of old pallets. I had to duck to keep from hitting my head and there was very little room to maneuver. I looked down to find the ground almost black with blood stains. Also, there were bits and pieces of what had to be rotten flesh on some of the rough slats and nails. This thing had not been made for anything more than a utilitarian purpose. Twice I felt my clothing catch.

  “You might want to be careful in there…you cut yourself moving around too much and…well…” The man let his voice trail off, he didn’t need to explain. It was clear that these people had figured out that you didn’t just need to get bit to be infected.

  There was a squeak and click as the section of barricade returned to its normal shut position. I was now effectively trapped and at their mercy. I decided that the best thing I could do would be to just stay still. I let my hands drop to my sides after I turned sideways to minimize any contact with the surfaces in this stinking cesspool of a chute.

  I was just starting to wonder if this is exactly where I’d be when Jake and his mob arrived when a voice called down, “Is your name William Haynes?”

  “Yeah.” I saw no reason to lie, although I was curious as to what they might have done to Carol in order to obtain that information.