Keep Your Crowbar Handy (Book 4): Death and Taxes
Page 34
Jake kissed the top of her head. “We got lucky.”
“Is that all it was?” Kat asked, still thinking about all the seemingly random events that had to transpire in perfect order to get them to that place. “Just blind luck? Or were the vengeful sky-beasts toying with our lives? Actually, here’s a better question. Are they finished toying with our lives?”
“Who knows? Nothing is certain anymore since zombies showed up on the scene. Not even death and taxes, apparently…Does the “why” matter?”
His lovely wife flattened her palms against the center of Jake’s chest, and put her chin on the backs of her hands. Jake ran gentle finger through her still-short, still-blue pixy cut, as she pondered the question.
“Not one damn bit.” Kat moved up and pressed her lips to his. “Life has turned out pretty good. I teach at my own martial arts academy. I’ve got a beautiful little girl. Oh, yeah. I also married the greatest guy a few years ago. One with a butt you could still bounce a quarter off of. Who sweated and bled and fought about a million zombies to get me and some of our friends here to San Fran. And now? Now I going to spend the rest of my life reminding him that he made me a promise.”
“What was that?”
Her dark eyes twinkled. “Well you see, a while back he told me he was mine.”
Jake realized he’d known that, since he’d first seen her, working behind the counter of a Super-center pharmacy and doing her best not to throttle rude customers. From that instant, even though he’d fought it for a long time, his beautiful, blue-haired, wife had owned him. Body and soul. “He still is. He always will be.”
She settled closer. “Damn straight. So, husband. The urchin is all tucked in and sleeping soundly. What should we do tonight?”
“Well, wife,” Jake replied with a smile, “Seeing how these are still troubled times, we need to keep ourselves fit. Just, you know, on the off chance we need to stomp a little zombie tail. Or overthrow a psychotic dictator. Or outrun a wildfire. So I’m thinking calisthenics are in order. A little strength training, a few bodyweight exercises. Maybe an hour or three of nocturnal gymnastics for some cardio? What do you think?”
Cho’s smile lit up the gloomy loft the same way it always lit up all the shadowy places in his heart. After the many horrors, they’d faced trying to survive in the awful zombie apocalypse, he loved the way she could still send his demons whimpering back into whatever dark place they went to hide while the sun still shined.
She murmured into his ear. “I think I’ll race you to the bed.”
“Gods…I love my life!”
Now it was Jake’s turn to smile.
United States Safe Zone Military Archives
Document number: 004.33717-GFW
***Classification: Top Secret***
Much information survived the Second Uprising, but little else is known about just what role Jacob O’Connor, and his spouse one: Katherine Brightfeather O’Connor, had—if any—in respect to the Safe Zone’s survival at that time.
When RUST (Reintegrated United States Territories) forces attacked USSZ facility of Groom Lake —more commonly referred to as “Area 51”—many of its electronic storage devices were seriously damaged over the course the battle and were rendered inoperable. These servers had been the ones holding digital records (along with transcribed written accounts) pertaining to the O’Connors’ post-journey activities after reaching the West Coast, and were beyond salvaging.
Though Mr. O’Connor was designated by the USSZ Department of Defense as a “Zombie Survival and Improvisational Tactics Advisor,” and Mrs. O’Connor considered an “Independent Self-Defense Instruction Specialist”—therefore not technically under obligation to the USSZ’s military chain of command—written eyewitness accounts from the Pecos Historical Archives confirm them to have performed above and beyond expectations for even the most valiant of our nation’s warriors, let alone civilian personnel with no official training or background in combat.
Official reports place a Captain O’Connor (first name unknown) at The Battle for Denver during the Second Uprising; but no records exist as to which one (Jacob or Katherine) it was, or indeed, if either were the soldier present. What is certain, is that said engagement was the final time the USSZ MATTOC (Mobile Armored Troop Transport) designated “The Screamin’ Mimi” was used in battle, prior to its decommissioning.
The Mimi now sits in memorial on the northern-most corner of Fort Winfield Scott, overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. Upon entry, visitors will find a display with items once carried by its crew including a few disabled sniper rifles, tactical vests, a “Hello Kitty” shirt of unknown origin, and—strangely—a crowbar. A hastily painted note (now encased under glass for its preservation), believed to be from one of the Mimi’s original crew, on the vehicle’s interior hull just inside the entry hatch treads:
“I’m yours. Always.”
*Note: The origin of the note, to which crewmember said quote is attributed, and for whom their affection was expressed, will likely remain unknown...
—Fin—
Table of Contents
Death and Taxes
Copyright
Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Epilogue