by A. R. Wise
Laura’s coldness was startling.
“Is Aunt Annie dead?” asked David.
“No,” said Arthur. “Stay here, I’m going to go check on her.” He headed over to where Laura was standing, behind the pew where Annie was laid out.
“What are you talking about?” Clyde asked Laura, his furious tone tamed by her decision to evacuate.
“The fire is in the town now,” said Laura. “It’s only a matter of time before it gets here.”
“We can’t move all these wounded,” said Clyde. “We can’t move Annie like this.”
“We don’t have a choice.” Laura’s hardened demeanor broke for a second, and the pain she masked was revealed as a sob slipped between her words. She clenched her jaw and breathed deep, her eyes rimmed with tears. “We have to save these people.”
“Laura.” Clyde abandoned his combative tone as he continued to work on Annie. “I’m sorry.”
“Save my baby girl, Clyde,” said Laura as she turned to leave. “I’m going to save the rest of us.” She walked past Zack, who looked as if he wanted to hold her, but she ignored him and headed for Billy. “I need you to start consolidating crews.”
“What?” asked Billy, still nursing his bloodied nose. He was understandably shocked by Laura’s sudden change of attitude. It was as if he were speaking to a completely different person.
“We’re going to abandon some of our trucks. I need you to find me three or four trucks to leave behind and then siphon the gas out of them. You can start with Dante’s.” It was a cold decision as their old friend’s body still lay, not quite cold, on the post outside.
“Why?” asked Billy.
“We’ve got to make a trip south.”
“What are you planning?” asked Arthur as he walked with Zack to stand beside Laura and Billy at the entrance.
“We can’t go to any of our regular camps, so we’re going to have to head to The Department and ask for their help.”
“Wait a minute,” said Billy. “We’re not going to go to DIA? You want to just let these fuckers get away with this?” He motioned at the destruction outside.
“No,” said Laura. “And you’re going to fall in line with me.” No threat was necessary as she glared at her old rival. “We stand together, from this point forward. Understood?”
He nodded.
“Good.” Laura reached out to hold Billy’s hand with both of hers. “I need you, more than ever.” Then she looked at Zack and Arthur. “I need all of you. I can’t do this without you.”
“I’ll do whatever you need, babe,” said Zack.
“We need to get everyone to safety, and The Department’s the only place I can think of to take them,” said Laura.
“If they had tabs on us,” said Billy, “then they probably know about Jules too. The Department might not be as safe as we think.”
“It’s got to be a hell of a lot safer than here,” said Zack.
“Jules and his men might be willing to help with DIA,” said Laura.
“Are we taking the highway?” asked Zachary. “Last I heard the area was overrun.”
“It is,” said Arthur. “If we try to plow through there with a caravan, we’re going to attract a lot of unwanted attention.”
“I thought everything south of Denver was fairly quiet,” said Laura.
“It is, until you get near the Springs,” said Arthur. He’d made the trip down to The Department several times, although never with more than a couple vehicles. “And there aren’t many alternate routes through there. You could go through the Garden of the Gods, but that’s a pretty well-known raider den, and to the east you’re going to be plowing through no-man’s land. It’s fine if you’ve got a vehicle built for it, but the caravan’s not going to make it that way.”
“So we’ll have to plow through,” said Laura. “We’ve got too many people here that need medical attention. We need to get them somewhere they can relax.”
“Wait a minute,” said Arthur. “You don’t think Jules is going to take them in, do you? He keeps his numbers light. He’s never going to go for this.”
“He’s going to have to,” said Laura.
“No,” said Billy. “Arthur’s right. Jules will be willing to help us with DIA, but he’s not going to take these people in.”
“If we charge into his area with all these people, he’ll never show his face,” said Arthur. “He’ll hole up and we’ll never find them.”
“Do you really think he’d just leave these people stranded?” asked Laura.
“Yes,” said Billy. “Jules and The Department are about survival, no matter the cost. We can’t expect him to change just because we need him to.”
“Damn it,” said Laura. “I’ve always hated that piece of shit.”
“Hate him all you want,” said Billy. “He’s still alive, and so are the ones that follow him.”
“There’s a rehab clinic near Castle Rock that we could camp at,” said Arthur. “When I was working with Jules, we spent some time raiding the place. It was walled, and was still in pretty good shape. As long as no raiders took it over we should be able to camp there for a bit. Then Billy and I could head out to find Jules.”
“You’re in no shape for that,” said Laura.
“Jules knows me,” said Arthur. “He wanted me to stay with his crew. I’m our best shot at finding him.”
“You two gimps won’t make it twenty feet by yourselves,” said Zack. “Billy’s back is fucked and Arthur, that leg of yours is in worse shape than you’re admitting. I agree that you two are probably the only ones that Jules will talk to these days, but you’ll need someone to go out there with you. I can go with them if you want, Laura.”
“Let’s worry about that when the time comes,” said Laura. “First we need to find this rehab center. Also, we’ve got another problem to deal with.”
“What’s that?” asked Arthur.
“The guy that Harrison came with, Ben,” said Laura. “I don’t want to just send the guy out there by himself, but there’s a chance that the military was able to track him somehow. We’d be better off dumping him and his brother.”
“The guy saved everyone at Vineyard,” said Billy.
“I know,” said Laura, penitent. “I don’t want to abandon him, but I’m not sure he’s worth the risk.”
“Then why did we just make a stand against Jerald if we were just planning on dumping the guy anyhow?” asked Billy.
“Let’s get the lieutenants and take a vote,” said Zack.
“No,” said Laura. “With Kim and Hero gone, that’ll give Kayla, Clyde, and Dustin too much power.”
“What are you saying?” asked Zack.
“I’m saying we’re ending the old structure. You two are the only lieutenants now.” Laura pointed at Zack and Billy. “Sorry Arthur, no offense, but I need to cut out all the chatter I can.”
“I understand,” said Arthur.
“Zack, you and Billy are polar opposites, which is why I need you at my side. But you’ve both got to promise me that you won’t question what I say.”
They both agreed.
“Before we leave, I promise I’ll talk to Ben. I’ll see if I can find any tracking device on the pilot, but if we can’t then we’d be better off leaving them both behind. I hate the idea as much as you, but we’ve got no choice. But I promise I won’t leave either of them here to die until I get a chance to check them out. I owe the guy that at least for what he did in Vineyard. Let’s get going.”
“Kayla and Dustin are going to be pissed,” said Billy.
“I know,” said Laura. “They’re welcome to walk out on us if they want to. As long as I’ve got the two of you here, I feel good that you’ll help me make the right decisions. That means I don’t want either of you going off to look for Jules either. We can let Arthur take Dustin and Abe.”
“But, Laura…” said Billy.
“But nothing. No more debate.” Laura pointed out at the truck barricade. “Get out there
and tell them the plan. We need to cut down the size of our caravan by three or four trucks.”
“Okay,” said Billy. “I know Abe has some fireman suits in his truck. I’ll get him to give those to some of the Rollers so they can get to work on the outside of the barricade. That’ll protect them from any embers.”
“Great,” said Laura. “I’m going to start getting the people in here to pack up.”
“I’ll take care of that,” said Zack. “You go be with Annie.”
“I can’t,” said Laura. “I can’t see her like that. If I see her, I’m going to start crying. These people don’t need to see me like that.”
“They understand, Laura,” said Zack. “No expects you to be…”
“No more debating.” Laura pushed away from him and headed into the crowd of survivors.
“Damn it,” said Zack when he was alone with Arthur. “She’s going to kill herself.”
“She’s a tough one,” said Arthur.
“No one’s tough enough to deal with this.” Zack put his hand on Arthur’s shoulder. “She’s in denial and is trying to stay strong for the rest of us.” He shook his head. “It’s not going to last, kid. Trust me.”
Arthur watched as Laura moved through the crowd, telling the survivors of the plan to head south. He saw her hands shaking as she went, as if her body was trying to break, with or without her.
PART TWO
STAY TOGETHER
Chapter Six – Downright Nasty
Six months after the apocalypse
Hero, Billy, Clyde, and Reagan are planning an assault on the military.
The trip to the Rocky Mountains from the east coast had been an arduous one. They’d started in a helicopter, but it didn’t get them very far before they were forced to land on top of a small hospital that was overrun with zombies. It seemed certain that they would die there, but Reagan and Hero were able to secure a top floor and Clyde was able to save both Kim and Billy’s lives from the injuries they’d sustained in the fight on the island in Georgia.
The zombies that infested the hospital popped within a week, leaving the building a stinking tomb, but otherwise safe. There was plenty of food, and it seemed like a safe place to lay low for a while. Then the military came looking for them.
When they left the helicopter on top of the hospital, they’d also left a marker of their location. The military came looking for the man that had killed General Covington, but they weren’t looking for a fight. They seemed desperate to keep Reagan alive, which afforded the group an opportunity to escape.
They spent the next month moving across the ravaged countryside, desperate to find a place to rest. They scavenged supplies, and tried to help other survivors they met along the way.
The new military, outfitted in fatigues that were different from any that had been seen before, had done an efficient job of corralling the populace. Television and radio were effective tools in forcing most survivors into line, telling lies about the safety that could be found within the walls of the camps. People were urged not to trust anyone other than the new military. Video of police officers taking part in the spread of the disease was shown to dissuade the populace from relying on any local protection.
Social media and the internet had once been thought of as a source of free thought, but survivors quickly learned that it was just another tool of distorted truth. The people that had been responsible for the apocalypse left little to chance. They flooded social media with false promises of safety and freedom within the military camps, while also providing proof that the terrorists responsible for the virus were indistinguishable from everyone else. In the United States, the populace was eager to place blame on Arabs, or other foreigners, but the overwhelming proof was right in front of them. The people that were caught on film spreading the disease were indistinguishable from everyone else. Police officers, firefighters, and other authorities, appearing no different than anyone else, were caught on camera stabbing infected needles into people on the street.
Panic swept through the populace, and the new military came to the rescue. They provided food, shelter, safety, and were the only reasonable recourse for millions of survivors. Video and pictures were provided of the safe zones, ideal paradises devoid of the flesh-hungry demons that wandered the countryside.
Then all communication from the safe zones ceased.
The world went dark. Electricity stopped flowing, the internet was no longer accessible, and no one knew what was happening in the safe zones. It wasn’t until much later that they would learn the truth. The survivors that had retreated to the military’s safe zones were infected with the disease from within. When the camps were filled, the final extermination was enacted, and then the horde was set free.
Reagan said that he knew of an area in Colorado that was safe, and that some of the people responsible for the apocalypse had retreated there. He had a cabin in the area, near a piece of land that General Covington owned, and had learned that the general was going to retreat there. It was a long trip, but the group finally arrived only to discover the area was overrun with the military. Not only was it a safe zone for a few of the people involved with the outbreak, it seemed to be a gathering place for them.
“Where are we supposed to go if you don’t come back?” asked Laura.
Billy, Hero, and Clyde were in the room with Laura as they discussed the plan to sabotage one of the military’s transport vehicles. The three of them were wearing the blue fatigues that the new military wore, while Laura was still in civilian clothes. They had taken up camp inside of an apartment complex in an infected area outside of the military safe zone. The first floor was demolished, and the only way up was by using rope ladders, which gave them a sense of safety; at least from the undead.
“Don’t worry, we’ll be back. Just lay low for a few weeks,” said Billy. He was sitting rigid because of the brace that supported his back. “If we don’t, then head back to Boulder. You can look for the family we met there. I’m sure they’d take you in.”
“This is such a bad idea,” said Laura. “I can’t believe you three are going with him. I can’t believe you’re going to leave us.”
“We’re not leaving,” said Clyde. “We’ll be back in a few weeks at most.”
“Why do you have to do this?” asked Laura. “All you’re going to do is piss them off. What do you think you’re going to accomplish?”
“We’re going to kill a few people that deserve it,” said Reagan from behind Laura.
Hero looked over to the old captain as he stood in the doorway, a silhouette except for the red tip of his cigar. “You ready?” asked Hero.
Reagan walked into the room and put his hand on Laura’s shoulder. “All set. The van’s loaded, and the entrances to the complex are wired up. If someone tries to get in, you’ll know it, Laura. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”
“Yeah,” said Laura. “Except that my girls and I might be left to fend for ourselves after you four go out and get yourselves killed.”
“I’ve known you long enough to know you’d do just fine without us,” said Reagan.
“Why?” asked Laura. “Why do you have to do this? Why does it have to be you four that fight back?”
Reagan took a long puff of his cigar and then let the smoke drift away from his lips as he spoke, “Because no one else will, darling.”
“You’re risking our lives too,” said Laura. “My girls and I need you guys.”
Reagan flicked his cigar and a hunk of ash fell to the carpet. “Laura, I know this seems like a pointless fight. I know it seems like there’s no way we can fight back against the people responsible for this disease. And you’d be right to say we should cower, and be happy just surviving. I don’t disagree with you about that. We’d all have a much better chance of living if we just disappeared and tried living in the wreckage of what used to be our homes. The problem is, I just can’t do that. Every time I see a building falling to ruin, or a broken down car on the side of the road, o
r a school with no one in it, I’ll be thinking about the way things used to be. I can’t live that way without trying to do something about it. Even if I can’t win, I’m just the type of guy that has to try and fight. That’s all there is to it.”
“But you’ve got to see how stupid that is,” said Laura. “You’re risking everything on a fight you can’t win.”
Reagan grimaced. “Can’t win? Don’t count us out too quickly.”
“I need you guys.” Laura seemed desperate and on the brink of tears. It was late, and her daughters were asleep in an apartment across the hall. She was in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, with her hair tied back in a ponytail, looking the part of a domestic housewife caught in the middle of a long day of cleaning. “You’re the only family my girls and I have left now. I don’t know what we’d do if something happened to you.”
The four men were quiet, almost ashamed. “Come here, kid,” said Reagan as he took Laura’s hand. She stood up beside him and he took the cigar out of his mouth as he brought her closer. “Nothing’s going to happen to us. We’re just going to go let these fuckers know that the world’s not going to sit back and let them get away with this. We’ll blow up a few train tracks, pop a few tires, and just be a pain in their ass for a bit. Then we’ll come back and get you and the girls and take off. Okay?”
“We need you,” said Laura.
“We’ll be back, Laura. I promise.”
“You’d fucking better be.”
Reagan clasped the back of her neck and then kissed her forehead. He pointed at the guys and then waved them on. “Come on, boys. Let’s go start a war.”
* * *
August 24th, 20 years after the apocalypse
Hero has captured Beatrice Dell, one of the members of The Electorate.
“Lady, you’ve got some explaining to do.” Hero pointed at the couch. “Sit your ass down.”
Beatrice was ashen, just now realizing the trouble she might be in. Her hand was over her heart and she looked dumbfounded by how rude the black man was being. Then she started to fan her face as she took on a dismissive tone. “Well, Levon, I take it you’re one of Jerald’s men. Is that right? I can tell you, mister, you have no idea what sort of trouble you’re getting yourself in here. Do you know who I am?”