Living for War: The Collin War Chronicles

by W. C. Hoffman

  “Don’t worry, Dad,” Brady said. “I wasn’t planning on fighting them all by myself.”

  Collin smiled as he stood up, pride in his son washing away the last of his pain.

  CHAPTER THREE

  “Thank you all for being here. Before we get started, I’d like to take a moment of silence to remember our friend and secret ally in this unification – Anna Horner,” Collin said, sitting at the head of a cheap folding table.

  Seated with him were Dr. Horner, Koby, Brady, and a Viper Collin had just met who went by the name of Tiny. Everyone closed their eyes and bowed their heads in respect. Julie reached over and squeezed Collin’s arm in thanks. He patted her hand.

  Collin looked at Tiny, a huge man with a ridiculous name. His massive arms stretched his t-shirt to its limits, and when he leaned his elbows on the table, it bowed noticeably under his weight. Collin wondered how long the chair would hold up under his bulk. Tiny had a young, boyish face, a calm, watchful demeanor, and a rumbling voice like a grizzly bear.

  Collin noticed that Brady had lifted his head and was watching him. He nodded at Brady, who smirked in return. Collin cleared his throat to signal the end of the silence. They all had a lot of work to do.

  The two cases left behind by Dr. Denard were still outside, untouched for the time being. Everyone was weary of booby traps, and there were more immediate concerns to deal with.

  “Thanks again. We are the new Council, a merging of two sides into one cohesive group. As most of you know, my name is Collin War,” he said before gesturing to the Goshenites. “This is Dr. Julie Horner, Anna’s mother.”

  “I’m sorry to hear about what happened to Anna, ma’am,” Tiny said. “She was a sweet young lady.”

  Julie smiled. “Thank you.” Tears glistened in her eyes.

  “As the only doctor in town, she’s in charge of the hospital,” Collin continued. “This is Gary Kobyashi, he keeps us powered and helps to feed us. He’s in charge of the dam and our gardening systems.”

  “Among a shitload of other shit,” Koby said sarcastically, grinning.

  Collin nodded at Brady.

  “I’m Brady War, leader of the Vipers, and this here is Tiny, my ... advisor?” Brady looked uncertain, shooting a sideways glance at his oversized companion. Tiny nodded.

  Collin stood to shake hands with Tiny. The table creaked as he pushed up to meet Collin halfway.

  “Pleased to meet you, sir,” Tiny said. His face lit up as he beamed at Collin. “It’s truly an honor.”

  “Well, I don’t know about that, but I appreciate the enthusiasm,” Collin said as his above average sized hand suddenly looked child-like in Tiny’s paw.

  “Jesus, you’re big. They don’t call you Tiny because you’re small,” Koby said. His head tilted and he laughed. “Unless, you know ...” He glanced pointedly at Tiny’s groin.

  Tiny gazed down at Koby, still sitting at the table. Collin smiled to himself. It was like watching a lion notice a mouse for the first time.

  “When I played football at Harvard, my coach thought it was hilarious. It’s an oxymoron based on the fact people judge me based on the size of my stature and the stereotypes it evokes. Unbeknownst to them, I have an IQ to match the girth of my chest,” Tiny said, flexing slightly, making his pecs bounce under his shirt. A little smile played across his lips. “And don’t worry, my little friend, everything else is super-sized as well.” He shot Koby a wink.

  Koby balked and turned away.

  Collin chuckled as his friend squirmed. He patted Tiny on the shoulder and went back to his seat.

  “Quick question, sir. Do you guys have any houses available for our people?” Tiny asked.

  “Come on, man,” Brady said, scowling at his advisor.

  Tiny leaned back and shrugged.

  “No, it’s okay. I understand the concern and I’d like to address the issue of housing,” Collin said. “The situation has flip-flopped from what we’re used to. We now have an abundance of people and a dearth of housing.”

  “We’re used to the forest. We can set up a camp here in the valley,” Brady said. “There’s no rush to cram everyone in.”

  Collin turned to his friend, Koby. “What’s our status?”

  “I don’t know about you, but mine is single,” he said, chuckling. When no one else laughed, he straightened up and looked serious. “We have about fifteen empty houses or so. In a pinch, we could put two families in each one. Not ideal, I know, but that’s what we’ve got for now.”

  Collin shifted in his seat. “What about the elementary school? It’s empty and we could easily turn the classrooms into apartments or dorms.”

  “I can look into it,” Koby said.

  “Great, thank you.” Tiny smiled, apparently satisfied.

  “We’ll get it sorted out immediately,” Collin said. “It’s important to welcome you guys right off the bat, so we can begin to mend the bad blood. The renovation may take a while, but we can speed it up if we put the whole town on it.”

  “Like I said, take your time. There’s no rush,” Brady said. “We’re used to living outdoors.”

  Dr. Horner raised her hand.

  “Go ahead Julie,” Collin said.

  She looked at Brady. “It’s a change of subject, but I’m curious ... how are you guys doing medically speaking?”

  “We’re all set,” he said, thinking for a moment before he shook his head. “Everyone had a dose of BT76 just a few days ago. Other than that, there may be minor scrapes. Nothing we can’t handle.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. If anyone is injured or ill, at any point, please feel free to bring them to the hospital. You’re a part of Goshen now, so don’t be shy.”

  “Thank you.” Brady looked like he wanted to say more, but he held it back.

  “How are you on medicine?” Tiny asked.

  “We have everything that was delivered with the exception of what ya’ll stole from us. Plus, a large cache we recently ‘discovered.’” Koby made air quotes around discovered.

  Collin knew he was referring to the stash Pastor Pendell had been hiding from the townsfolk. He thought about Doris and sighed.

  Tiny looked at him before turning back to Koby. “That’s good to hear. From what I understand, you won’t require it anymore. Is that true, doctor?” Folding his hands in front of him like a castle wall, he looked at Julie, leveraging the information her daughter had supplied them against her.

  She glanced at Collin. When he nodded, she said, “Yes, that’s right. If all goes well, we’ll be able to essentially vaccinate everyone against the fever, thus freeing ourselves from HAGS.”

  “How did you know?” Koby asked.

  Brady looked at Koby with a slightly surprised look on his face. “Anna was just as much a Viper as the rest of us. She helped us for years. Anytime we needed help, she was there for us.”

  His affection for Anna was apparent to everyone. Julie put a hand over her mouth and quietly wept.

  Koby patted her arm. “Anna was always helping people. One of her many gifts.”

  Collin couldn’t help replaying the night she died in his head. He kept hearing Pastor Pendell ordering her killed, his struggle with the Eagles, the wild shot, Anna’s body on the ground, and her wide, empty eyes staring at the night sky. It was a sight he would never forget. Or forgive himself for.

  “Of course, anything we have as far as medical assistance is for all to share. Once we get the vaccine in sufficient quantities, we’ll begin distributing it in an orderly fashion,” Collin said. He looked hard at each person seated around the table. “This is not us against them anymore. No Vipers vs. Eagles. No Goshenites vs. outsiders. We are one.”

  Heads nodded.

  “One for all,” Koby said.

  “And all for one,” Tiny finished.

  “Good reference,” Julie said softly.

  “The one exception to this is HAGS. That little incident on the bridge today was troubling to say the least,” Collin said.


  “Infuriating is probably the word I’d use.” Tiny looked annoyed as he remembered the sonic attacks. The invisible weapon felled even the big man.

  “So, I think we can all agree that HAGS is our real enemy. From what I understand, they caused this fever in the first place and it’s awfully convenient for them to be ‘running’ things now. We can’t forget the people we’ve lost because of them. Never again will we kneel before likes of Dr. Denard or anyone else from HAGS.” Collin slammed his fist on the table.

  “Goddamn right,” Koby said, nodding his head.

  “Denard mentioned Sector Charlie, which means there are other survivors,” Brady said. “Even if Charlie was wiped out, like he implied, there must be others: Alpha, Bravo, Echo, and more. They might be willing to join us against HAGS.”

  “I agree. We have to make contact with these other groups and see who else is willing to listen to our message,” Collin said. “We have a lot of work to do to accommodate the additional people, but I’d like to get started on outreach as soon as possible.”

  “Agreed.” Brady nodded.

  “We can share BT76 with the survivors since we’ll have a massive surplus soon. It’s a long shot, but I hope we can eventually free them from the medication as well.”

  Julie nodded at Collin. “That shouldn’t be a problem. Once I refine the process, it will be simple to create more.”

  “Excellent,” Collin said. His hands folded before him on the table, and he leaned forward slightly. “Please keep the vaccine private. It’s not common knowledge, and I don’t want HAGS to catch wind of it. Who knows what they’d do if they found out.”

  “Not a problem,” Tiny said.

  A loud knock on the door startled everyone. Koby made a strange squeaking sound that made everyone laugh at him.

  “Come in,” Collin shouted, slightly annoyed.

  An Eagle named Davies came in. He was the guy Collin had ordered to take Major Logan’s head to the morgue.

  “Sorry ... to ... interrupt,” Davies said, panting.

  “Catch your breath, soldier,” Collin said with some amusement. He glanced around the table. Everyone watched Davies with interest.

  After a few big breaths, Davies found it within himself to resume. “Sir, I was sent to tell you there’s a problem with Pastor Pendell.”

  Something banged against the table. Collin turned and saw Julie rubbing her elbow.

  She blushed deep red. “Sorry.”

  Collin turned back to Davies. “A problem? Can you be more specific please, we’re busy here.”

  “Yes, sir. Um ... the pastor ... he’s dead.”

  Koby cursed, while Collin just stared at the man. Questions ran through his head, but this wasn’t the time to ask them. He had to see for himself what the hell happened.

  “Dead,” Collin said with a heavy sigh. “He was in a locked cell. How did he wind up dead?”

  Davies shrugged. “I didn’t see him myself. The sergeant just told me what to tell you.”

  “Very well,” Collin grumbled.

  “You guys operate a prison?” Brady looked surprised.

  “Not really; it’s more of a room with bars,” Koby said. “In the church basement of all places.”

  Tiny’s eyes widened. He made the sign of the cross, kissed his fingers, and pointed to the sky.

  “This is just the sort of problem we don’t need.” Collin stood and started toward the door. “Oh, right,” he said, turning back to the table. “Meeting adjourned. You all have work to do while I go take care of this.” He jerked his thumb toward the door.

  Everyone nodded. Julie was still rubbing her elbow, staring at the table.

  “Koby, Doctor, can you join me, please?” Collin asked.

  Koby stood while Julie continued rubbing her elbow.

  “Doctor,” Koby said, nudging Julie. “That’s you.”

  Julie looked up at Koby, then Collin, and nodded silently. Collin frowned. Pastor Pendell had murdered Julie’s daughter. Was it wrong to ask her along? Or will it help her feel like justice was served? Collin shrugged to himself.

  Everyone shook hands and agreed to meet in a couple of days to move the Vipers into the elementary school. It was hard to say goodbye to Brady, but he knew they’d have time to catch up later.

  “Lead the way, Davies,” Collin said, falling into step behind the soldier

  CHAPTER FOUR

  “Hey, Dad!”

  Koby bumped his elbow against Collin’s arm and jerked his head in the direction of the yelling. Collin turned around and saw Brady jogging to catch up.

  “Jesus, man. You didn’t hear me say, ‘dad’?” he asked.

  Collin thought back and realized he’d heard someone, but was too caught up in his own thoughts to think much of it.

  “I guess I’m not used to hearing anyone call me that,” he said, feeling embarrassed. He looked at Koby.

  “I was waiting to see how long it’d take you to realize the kid was talking to you,” he said. “But you’re so slow, I got bored.”

  “I see.” Collin glanced at Julie, but she was lost in her own thoughts, staring at the ground.

  Brady caught up and took a deep breath. “We’re going to move our people into the forest along the river on the East side of the valley. Did you want me to get together with someone about assigning work around town? It would probably be best if we started integrating with your people.”

  “What kinds of work can you guys do?” Koby asked, stepping closer.

  “We have a wide range of skills. Some people used to be in law enforcement or the military, we have cooks, mechanics, and other technical people,” Brady said proudly. “One guy was an EMT, so maybe he could help at the hospital. That’s just the short list; Tiny could probably give you a better breakdown.”

  “That sounds good. Have Tiny meet with Koby and report back on what you guys come up with. I really have to see to this situation with the pastor,” Collin said, starting to walk. He motioned for Davies to keep going; he’d been standing a few paces off pretending not to listen. “Let’s roll, Davies.”

  Then he paused.

  Collin thought back to the time he took Brady fishing. The boy dreaded the idea of hooking a worm as bait. He hadn’t been a fan of gutting the fish, either.

  Turning to Brady, he said, “Care to join me? I can’t imagine you’re squeamish about such things these days.”

  Brady’s cheeks reddened, but he had a serious look. “I’d like that. Pastor Pendell was our enemy, so don’t expect me to get all emotional over his death. He slaughtered Vipers like we were worse than animals.” His anger was palpable.

  “Very well.” Collin waved him along. He looked over at Julie as they continued walking. She was pale and tense.

  “Are you okay doing this? If you don’t want to see him, I understand,” Collin said softly.

  Julie nodded and continued picking at a fingernail.

  He put an arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick squeeze. When she pressed against him, he smiled. They kept walking.

  Brady cleared his throat. “Who had access to the cell?”

  “Anyone Sergeant Gibbs put in charge, plus me and these two,” he said, motioning to Koby and Dr. Horner. “It was no secret where he was locked up, though. There were a lot of witnesses when I ordered him arrested.”

  When they arrived at the church, several Eagles were standing outside the door to the basement. Sergeant Gibbs saw Collin and started over.

  “Talk to me, Sergeant,” Collin said, approaching Gibbs and returning his salute.

  “Sir, Pastor Pendell is dead.”

  “I got that much from Private Davies here,” Collin said. “How about we go look at the body?”

  “Yes, sir.” Sergeant Gibbs led the group down the stairs, while the other two Eagles continued to stand guard.

  “How do you think he died, Sergeant?” Collin asked.

  “He was shot, that much is clear. How no one heard the shots is beyond me,” Sergeant Gibb
s said.

  “Someone could have made a silencer,” Koby interjected. “That’d be badass.”

  Everyone looked at him.

  “Or, since it’s in the basement, no one outside heard.” Koby scrunched his face at their lack of enthusiasm.

  “I personally assigned two guards to stand by his door. Were they incapacitated, Sergeant?” Collin asked.

  “Not to my knowledge, sir.”

  They approached the front of the cell. Tendrils of blood reached out from a smeared pool on the floor. Other than the puddle, Pastor Pendell’s body was conspicuously absent. In place of where his body should have been were bloody, non-military style shoe prints.

  “What the hell is going on here?” Collin asked. His brow creased as he looked from Sergeant Gibbs to Davies. “You said he was dead.”

  “Whoa, that’s freaky,” Koby muttered.

  Sergeant Gibbs grabbed the cell door. It swung open.

  “Looks like we have a security problem,” Brady said, folding his arms over his chest.

  “Private Davies, get the other guards for me, please,” Collin said.

  “Right away, sir.” Private Davies glanced at the empty cell and trotted off to fetch the guards.

  “Are you sure he was dead?” Koby asked.

  “He looked very dead,” Sergeant Gibbs responded.

  “Perhaps he rose and ascended into heaven, like you know –“ Koby said before Brady interrupted him by saying, “Jesus Christ what a mess.”

  “Exactly!” Koby added, but quickly backed off his joke as he felt the weight of Collin’s anger.

  “Un-fucking-believable,” Collin said, pushing open the cell door and stepping inside for a closer look.

  Footsteps pounded down the stairs and from the hall, and Collin stepped back into the hallway. The two soldiers shrank back from his withering glare.

  “Explain how a dead man gets up and escapes a locked cell? Did he fake you out and run off? What the hell were you two doing?” Collin demanded.

  “Sir, we –”

  “Did nothing wrong,” Dr. Horner cut in, stepping between Collin and the soldiers. Tears streaked down her face. She had stopped fidgeting. Her eyes blazed, despite the tears, and her voice was granite. “He was dead; I made sure of that. I killed him.”