Darnell didn’t like the look in the young man’s eye so he decided to play it safe.
“Good evening, Carson. How are you?” Tibbles said, careful to strike a neutral tone with his boss’ son.
“Oh, passable. Just passable,” Carson Hobbes said smoothly. He let his eyes drift out over the canyon, allowing a full minute to pass before he asked his question.
“So, what did my father say about the scouts?” Carson was actually the one who sent the men out; Darnell had covered for him, and they both knew it. Carson wasn’t yet ready to challenge his father’s authority, but he wasn’t above letting others take the heat if he could convince them it was worth their while.
Darnell whistled softly. “He wasn’t happy, that was for sure. Next time I’ll let you take the blame.”
Carson gave Darnell a half smile. “Now, Tibbles, you know that almost sounds like you want to back out of our deal.”
“Deal?” Tibbles snorted. “You didn’t give me much choice, did you?”
Carson smiled again. “Well, you do have a pretty daughter. Maybe I should pay more attention to her after all.”
Darnell’s eyes turned cold. “I’d recommend against that kind of thing, Hobbes. I respect your dad and what he’s done here, and me taking the blame for you isn’t a big deal as far as that goes. But if you think you can back out of our deal, you’d best be ready to go all the way.”
“You threatening me, Tibbles?” Carson’s eyes lit up at the prospect of battle, and the only thing he wished for right now was an audience for him to fight in front of. He’d never lost a fight in his life, thrilling at the feel of landing blows on his opponents. But for all his fights, he’d never actually faced a zombie. He had been made safe too soon for that to happen, and others had done the fighting for him. It was the one thing he longed to do.
Darnell held out a hand. “Not at all. Just letting you know where I stand when it comes to you keeping your word.”
Carson reached for the older man’s hand. He’d teach him a lesson right now. Carson had a strong grip, and he liked to prove it whenever he shook hands. Grasping Darnell’s hand, he gave a hefty squeeze.
Carson’s grin fell off his face when his hand exploded in pain. His knuckles felt like they were being folded in half, and his fingers were suddenly numb. He very nearly fell to his knees when the pain stopped abruptly.
Darnell Tibbles gave Carson a smile of his own as he explained.
“What do welders do all day, son? They grip things and hold them steady. I’ve been a welder a long time, boy, and no one besides another welder could try that little game on me.” Darnell winked at the young man. “Not even your dad would do that with me, boy. You do it again, and I’ll crush your hand to a pulp.”
Darnell whistled a little as he walked away, leaving a very hurt, but slightly wiser, Carson Hobbes behind.
Darnell kept walking, following the well-worn trails that wound through the community on the mountain. The paths were lit with small lanterns, and as he looked back, the great peak was covered in ropes of lanterns like a gigantic Christmas tree. Moving through the sparse trees, Darnell waved at folks who were sitting out on their porches, looking out at the incredible view they enjoyed every single day.
He kept walking, moving up the trails until he reached a small level area on the side of the mountain. It wasn’t very big, but it was big enough for a small two- bedroom cabin that Darnell shared with his seventeen-year-old daughter, Alison. His wife had actually passed away from breast cancer ten years ago, and Alison was all he had. He’d been fortunate that his sister had helped him and Alison through the rough times of loss and Alison growing up, but she had been taken by the zombies in the first wave of the Upheaval.
The cabin was small but snug, and it was as comfortable as the two of them could make it. Darnell only wished for one thing in this world, and that was for Alison to find a good man to take care of her when he was gone.
Darnell walked through the door and immediately felt the tension in the air. It was a heavy feeling of dread, like something horrible had happened. Tibbles reached behind the clock on the wall and pulled out an old but cared-for Smith and Wesson revolver. It had been his father’s when he had been a state trooper many years ago and had been in Tibbles’ possession ever since he passed away.
“Alison?” Tibbles called out.
“In here, Dad!” Alison’s voice didn’t seem to have any danger in it, so Tibbles relaxed. He kept the gun, choosing to tuck it in his coat pocket as he walked over to the living room.
Darnell found Alison sitting in the living room talking to a man about twice her age. He was clean-shaven with a short haircut, and his clothing was pressed and clean. His Native American features went very well with his coal black eyes and hair, and there was a hint humor in his face that he claimed was part of his Irish heritage a couple of generations ago.
“Well, Luke Blacktail. What can I do for you?” Darnell asked of his visitor, shaking his hand as the man rose to greet him.
“Well, Mr. Tibbles, there is not much I need these days that requires welding,” Luke said, smiling. His entire face changed when he smiled. His stern features melted away, and he seemed genuinely human. But his smile was gone in a minute when he became more serious.
“I do have a question I would like you to answer, if you would, please.” Luke Blacktail sat back down, indicating that Darnell should do the same.
Darnell stood his ground. “I’ll stand, and I’ll excuse my daughter from this conversation.” He waved a hand at Alison. “Why don’t you head to your room, sweetheart? This won’t take a minute.”
“It might take a little longer than that, and she can stay,” Blacktail said.
Darnell shook his head. “It won’t. And neither will she. Please, honey. Into the other room.” Darnell watched her leave the room, a worried look on her face.
Luke’s eyes were hard. “You are a stubborn man, Mr. Tibbles.”
Darnell’s eyes were equally hard. “Learned it from our boss.”
“That might be considered a dangerous thing to say,” Luke said.
“Are we there, then? Have we reached the point where we are no longer a community but a kingdom?” Darnell asked.
Luke Blacktail leaned back and sighed. He’d had similar thoughts himself, and lately it seemed more often than not Cole Hobbes was acting more like a ruler than a leader.
“Not yet. But I caution you to choose your words with care around others,” Blacktail said.
“I’m the soul of caution,” Darnell said, with a smile of his own. “Now that we have that out of the way and know where we both stand, what was your question?”
Luke spoke softly. “What do you want me to do with the scout that came back?”
Darnell’s heart suddenly leapt into his throat. He had no idea the men would return so soon. “He’s actually here? He made it back? What about the other one?”
Luke shook his head. “Only one returned. He said they ran into some trouble in the Dakotas, and his partner was killed by some ghouls that surprised them one morning.”
“That’s too bad. Was he married?” Darnell explained his conversation with Col,e, regarding the care of any family members of the scouts.
“No, lucky for you. I have the other in a remote cabin right now. Cole doesn’t know he’s returned yet.”
“Might have been good to know this before I gave my report just a little while ago.”
“Not my worry. What is my worry is what he had to say,” Luke said.
“Well, the day can’t get worse,” Tibbles said. “What did he report?”
As Luke Blacktail explained in detail what the scout had to say, Darnell Tibbles realized his day actually could, and did, get worse.
Half an hour later Blacktail left leaving Darnell standing on his porch. The sun had set while they were talking, and the night sky was in full bloom. Constellations and celestial bodies moved in a perpetual dance across the darkness. Darnell watched for a mome
nt, thinking about what he had learned. The big decision now was what to do with the information. Did he bring it to Cole now, letting things fall where they may, or did he risk waiting to see what happened, knowing Cole’s wrath should he ever find out that Darnell knew something and didn’t reveal it? It was a gamble that Darnell wasn’t sure he wanted to take. Had he been alone, it might have been easier, but since he had his daughter and her future to think about, it altered the equation.
The good news was he wasn’t required to give another report for a week, so he had a day or so to think on his course of action. He also had to think about what was best for the community. Did he run the risk of a hostile takeover, or did he take his chances that the army the scout reported on was benevolent and would be good for the people at large?
In the end, Darnell decided that the best plan was to just report on what was seen, and let things fall where they may. If the army was as large as the scout had reported, then there wasn’t much Cole Hobbes could do about it. If all of them were as good a shot as the one the scout talked about, there wasn’t much Hobbes could do about that either. At least, that’s what Darnell thought as the night grew darker and colder.
In the morning, Darnell walked back around the mountain and back to the main lodge. The community always looked different in the morning, and to Darnell’s eyes, it just felt better. The row of homes that made up the main street were close together and represented the first families that had arrived behind Cole. After that space had been taken up, the rest spread out around the mountain. The core group kept to themselves, treating others a little differently, a little disdainfully. Tibbles never knew why, they were all tradesmen to some degree. Even the schoolteacher had been a journeyman carpenter.
The main lodge was a collection of buildings that happened to be built attached to each other. There was a meeting hall, a dining hall, a lounge that had a bar, and a small planning room. Cole liked to call it his ‘ready room’, although Darnell never could figure out why. Everything was built well, and built to last.
Darnell stepped inside the lodge and walked silently across the main hall. He headed towards the door that led to the Hobbes family cabin when voices in the Ready Room stopped him. He stepped over to the doorway, keeping out of sight. He could hear three distinct voices in there, and recognized them all.
“So the scout returned the other day? Funny Tibbles didn’t mention it.”
Darnell scowled. That would be Carson speaking, the little shit. Should have broken his hand, Tibbles thought to himself.
“He did not know until I visited him last night and gave him the news. So he could hardly be faulted for not wanting to tell you in the middle of the night.”
Darnell’s scowl deepened. Luke Blacktail was here selling him out! Son of bitch! Darnell’s mind raced ahead trying to figure out what this meant.
“Well, we’ll see what he does today. He’s always been a loyal man, so I have no reason to doubt him now.”
That was Cole. Darnell breathed a small sigh of relief when he realized Cole wasn’t going to do anything stupid. But what was he to do now? If he walked in, they’d know he had been listening. The only thing he had to worry about was the other thing he and Luke had briefly spoken of.
He listened while Luke outlined what the scout had told him, and it was telling that Cole just let Luke talk without much bluster. In a way, that was actually more frightening. At the end of the description, Carson was the first to speak.
“What can they do to us here? We run this land, we own this mountain. We have our own army should it come to that. Let them come. I’ll be happy to tell them to fuck off as I piss over the canyon rim at them,” he said.
“I doubt it would come to that,” Luke said. “But you have other things to watch for right here.” Luke went on to discuss the controversial items he and Darnell had talked about the night before.
Darnell didn’t bother to hear the end of the story. He retreated out of the lodge as quickly as he could and as silently as he could. Once outside, he bolted for his home, grateful that most people were still asleep at this early time. His progress wasn’t as quick as he would have liked, for he slowed to walk by the houses that were next to the trial. He didn’t want to give the appearance of anything being out of the ordinary.
It seemed like forever, but he finally reached his cabin. Getting inside, he was grateful his daughter was already awake and had finished her breakfast.
“Alison. Sweetheart. We need to leave, here. Now,” Darnell said, going to the closet and pulling out two large backpacks.
Alison was confused. “What? Dad, why? What happened? Did you see Hobbes?”
Darnell stopped his packing to look Alison in the eye. “Luke was there, and he told Cole everything.”
Inwardly, Alison groaned. She knew what loyalty meant to Cole and how difficult life would be for them here if word got out that Darnell was causing trouble. But her loyalty was to her father, and she immediately began pulling out canned and dried goods for their trip.
Darnell paused to take his daughter’s hand. “I’m sorry it came to this, honey. It’s my fault. I should have watched what I said,” he said, sadly.
Alison gave her dad’s hand a squeeze. “I was getting bored on this mountain anyway.” She smiled and went back to her packing.
Darnell shook his head, grateful he had such a wonderful daughter. He wished briefly that his wife could have lived to see her now, but as he always reassured himself, her mother was always watching over them both.
They didn’t have much, and in the end were able to get most of their belongings into the two packs. The rest they would have to leave. Darnell helped his daughter get her pack on, and she helped him with his. As they adjusted straps, Alison asked the question of the day.
“Which way do we go?”
Darnell smiled. He had been thinking about that since last night. “We get over the canyon, and we’ll head southeast. Come on, let’s head out the back and get to the east bridge. There shouldn’t be anyone guarding it at this hour.”
Alison turned out the lights and shut everything off. If anyone came within the next few minutes, it would look like they were still sleeping. It might buy them a few more minutes.
“Let’s move!” Darnell led the way, leaving the cabin he had built behind. He didn’t give it much thought, it was just a place to sleep and be alone. He’d find another. He worried a bit about Alison, but she was so much like her mother that he figured she’d be fine. She tended to take life as it came and not ask too much of anyone.
They worked their way through the back trails, avoiding the homes and cabins that spread out a little more. Further away from the main community, the homes were much farther apart, and the trees on the mountain provided decent cover for the fugitives. Darnell didn’t know for sure that people were coming for him, but it suited him to be ahead of the game when it came to this.
As they walked, they kept their heads down and tried to move as quietly as possible. Darnell figured that if they could get over the East Bridge before the alarm was raised, they would be in great shape.
A half an hour later, they were finally at the East Bridge. Tendrils of mist rose from the canyon, caressing the steel work with vaporous fingers. The morning sun had not yet risen over the far mountains, so this area was still in a shade of night. Darnell was relieved to see that no one was guarding this side of the bridge.
“Okay, let’s go. When we reach the other side, if there is a guard, you know what to do,” Tibbles said.
“Right. You’re not going to hurt anyone, are you?” Alison gave her father a stern look, one that on her pretty face was actually quite silly.
“No one I don’t have to,” Darnell promised.
The pair crossed the spooky bridge and on the other side expected to be challenged by a sentry. They looked around, but no one seemed to be in sight.
“That’s weird,” Darnell whispered. “Usually there’s someone in the guardhouse right there.”
Alison walked over and peered in. She came back with her report. “No one’s in there,” she said. “May as well keep moving.”
“Good enough for me. Hopefully we can find a vehicle of some kind soon,” Darnell said as the two of them walked down the road. On this side of the canyon, there were more of the community, but they busied themselves with expanding food fields and killing the occasionally nimble zombie.
Darnell wasn’t kidding himself. Leaving the community meant leaving safety and security behind. Once they crossed the fence line, they were on their own in a big world full of ghouls.
The pair got ten yards towards freedom when a voice behind them stopped them both.
“Figured I’d find you here.”
Darnell’s heart sank as he heard that voice. He’d hoped there would have been more of a delay at the cabin and a general search through the community before they started covering exits.
Darnell turned around, keeping his hands in his pockets while he stepped in front of his daughter.
“Something I can do for you, Carson?” Tibbles asked casually.
“Where you headed, old man? This side of the canyon, there’s monsters in the dark. Not so sure you can protect that daughter of yours.” Carson smirked and adjusted the rifle he had slung over his shoulder. It was an old bolt-action rifle, but Darnell knew Carson could hit anything he wanted within one hundred yards. They’d never get away with him behind them.
“I’m leaving, Carson. The ‘why’ of it is none of your goddamned business,” Darnell said.
“Well, you can leave. Your daughter has to stay,” Carson said. “I won’t ask you twice.” The young man adjusted the rifle on his shoulder in a significant manner.
“No need.” Darnell removed his hand from his pocket and drew out the revolver with it. He pointed it at Carson’s midsection, and if he was honest with himself, he appreciated the look on Carson’s face when he did so.
The Zombie Wars: The Enemy Within (White Flag Of The Dead Book 8) Page 4