Ian could tell she didn’t want to be left alone, and he didn’t want to leave her here. She was right; this would be a death trap and virtually indefensible from infected and uninfected alike.
Ian finalized the decision. “That’s settled then. We’ll load the food into the enclosed trailer while you go and get some of your personal things. Then we’ll caravan up to Scottsdale and plan our next steps from there.”
It wasn’t much of a plan, but it was all Ian had. Uninfected life had suddenly become very precious, and if what he suspected was coming did come, it would take every man, woman, child, and dog to see it through. These were suddenly no longer people; they were a resource and one that couldn’t be wasted.
Chapter Three
Scottsdale Arizona, April 29th
“This seems to be more than a simple safe house. How did you find this place?” Beverly said as she looked around.
“Let me tell you what I know, and then we can get into some questions and figure out if there is anything we should do about it.” Ian then went on with what he had been putting together in his head. The table was full with everybody, including the Toms. The dogs who had been stressed and underfed for the last few weeks were circled around, sleeping. They twitched from dreams and growled or let out a bark, but, for the most part, they were quiet—other than Jasper, who had a definite snoring issue. The odor permeating the room said that all the dogs had gas issues, but in the apocalypse, Ian’s crew had been exposed to far worse, so it wasn’t so bad for the group. It still made their eyes water, but they dealt with it.
Ian began by explaining about the fuel depot they had established and pointed to a red mark on the map, showing exactly where it was. Then he pointed to the other blue marks.
“By the color, I would assume that these too are fuel depots,” Kinsey said.
“Yes. Do you remember that safe house in Talladega where we got our beloved truck?” Ian pointed to a green mark.
Toby, Jose, and Kinsey nodded.
“Yeah, that was more than a safe house. We didn’t even get into every part of the building,” Jose said.
“Same thing here. This place is huge, and way too supplied for a couple of agents passing through town. There is enough food in the pantry to last a hundred men more than a year. Plus, look at the color.” Ian pointed at the green dots on both Talladega and Scottsdale. “I think it is safe to assume all of these green dots are representing well-fortified bases just like this. I am almost positive that when we look into it further, we will find an armory as well as barracks of some sort.”
“So…” Beverly started and then paused, unsure how to frame her question.
“So, what does it all mean?” Ian finished for her, and she nodded her head. “Well, due to the number of bases, as well as safe houses like what we had in Shreveport, which are marked here in yellow, I would suspect they have been planning this for several years.”
Beverly’s brow furrowed. “Didn’t we just sign a peace treaty with North Korea?”
Ram interjected. “That’s what the paper says, but how realistic that is, I don’t know.”
Ian paused again, hoping they would stay quiet so he could talk. “Who it is, is irrelevant, to be honest…”
“Really? I think it is very relevant.” Ram was obviously not happy with what Ian was telling him.
“Okay, I’ll bite. Why is it relevant?”
“Well, we gotta know who we’re fighting, or you’re just talking shit, dontcha think?”
“We’re not to the fighting point yet, Ram. I am simply trying to explain what I think happened,” Ian said, pleading with him to just shut his mouth and listen.
“I think you’re full of shit. I am heading out to find my kids first thing in the morning. Right now, I am going to bed.”
“I haven’t told you the plan yet.”
“It’s your plan, homey, not mine.” Ram pushed his chair in and headed toward the bunk room.
“Do you at least want a dog?” Ian said, hoping he could relieve himself of some of the canines they were suddenly laden with.
“Hey, those aren’t your dogs to just give away.” This time, it was Beverly who spoke up to put Ian in his place.
“I’m a cat person, anyway,” Ram called back as he headed down a hall.
“Figures.” Ian’s childish comment was enough to get Ram to stop and glare at him for just a second before disappearing around the corner. Ian looked to Jesse.
“I appreciate your help. He does too. Remember that he just spent the last few weeks tied to a bed, all right? The last thing he wants is restrictions.”
“So, are you going with him?” Ian asked.
“Of course. We watch each other’s back; we’re partners.” She then moved over to Jose for a more private conversation.
“In any case, this is a lot of information to digest.” Beverly yawned as she stood. “I’m going to try to sleep. You should too, Ian. Who knows what tomorrow will bring.”
It was a good idea. Ian was beat and so was the crew. A good night’s rest in a cot or bed was high priority right now.
Chapter Four
Scottsdale Arizona, April 30th
“What do you think, Gene? Can we take them?”
Armand’s question was addressed to the man who had been his neighbor before all of this went down. Together, they managed to get most of their families out and have been hiding away in any mangy basement or rooftop they could find. They had tried to contact others on the run, but that never worked out well; they either had too much interest in their wives or daughters or they were so inept, they were dangerous.
The two men had known each other all their lives, though they were never close or even friends really, but they felt their fates were intertwined before all this even came around. In high school they played on similar teams. While Armand was athletic enough to be a fullback on the varsity football team, Gene was a solid player on the junior varsity squad. He only made the varsity squad his senior year and played little as a linebacker.
After high school Gene went into the Army, where he was shipped overseas. Armand went to college, received an internship from Haliburton, and spent two years overseas managing their commissary infrastructure. He worked out of an office on the Army base. His office was right next to the office of the supply clerk, whose name just happened to be Gene.
When they first saw each other, they froze for several seconds, not understanding what they were seeing, before giving a quick laugh and shaking hands. They rarely spoke after that and never of home. It was as if this was the new reality, and the past was gone or didn’t exist between them. Same age, different friends and hang outs, never meant any harm to each other, but they weren’t buddies.
Five years later, Gene was working construction and bought a fixer-upper. He spent months fixing it up and had met one of his new neighbors—the wife of a person named Armand. The day Gene moved in, Armand welcomed him with a smile, a beer, and a handshake. They had never become close friends, but at odd times they would find each other relying on the other, and they knew the other would be there, no questions asked, and simply because they trusted in the nature of the other to do no harm.
Gene thought for a moment before answering Armand’s question. “We have to take them. It didn’t look as if that other vehicle was coming back, but we can’t be sure. It might be best to just go for it.”
“Okay, so do we go in hard or just knock on the door?”
Gene hadn’t observed anything negative about the group since they arrived the evening before. He and Armand had heard the trucks come into the city and had seen the infected move toward the sound, but it took a while to locate where the group had holed up. Once they spotted it, they wondered why they hadn’t tried to scale the fence and set up in there themselves. It was a huge facility that looked like a cross between a highway department building and a juvenile penitentiary, with tall poles strung with razor wire at the top and thick chain link panels.
“No,
I was clearing rooms in the Sandbox for a couple months, and we always hit it hard. Intimidate them then make friends; that’s how we should do it.”
Armand wasn’t so sure. “What if they think we’re from the west side? Those fuckers are brutal. I’d shoot them right as they burst through the door.”
“I know there’s no good option, but we need to get in there—or someplace like it. Christ… we almost lost Elise this morning just taking her to the bathroom.”
“I know it, Gene, I was there too. We lost half our gear having to run away without warning like that. Maybe we could circle around and pick it up later.”
“No, not for a few days. That area is going to be swarming with infected for a while now,” Gene said as he watched the front door. “We need this, Armand. Follow my lead. And if I drop, get out of there. One of us has to get back to the girls.” Gene repeated the same thing they said to each other every time they went into the shit.
“I swear it, Gene.”
They ran down the slightly sloped road, using the scattered warehouses for cover. It left them exposed for long stretches but, for the most part, offered them some protection. It didn’t seem as if anyone was watching or that they had posted guards. Not even so much as a lookout.
Gene stepped out in front of the door and kicked it hard. It didn’t budge.
When Gene stepped back beside the door, Armand said, “What are you doing? Kick it again!”
“I can’t… I think I jammed my hip.”
“Then we gotta go.”
“I don’t think I can; it really hurts. Can you dislocate a hip?”
Before Armand could answer, the door clicked and slowly began to open. Both men stared at the opening, frozen in place. Looking up at them was a freshly showered boy with blonde hair and blue eyes.
“You have to be quiet, everybody is still sleeping,” the boy said as he opened the door wider. Then he turned and walked back inside.
Gene looked at Armand and shrugged. “They’re all sleeping.” He smiled and followed the kid in, wondering what kind of fools left their base unguarded.
Armand closed the door and locked the dead bolt before turning around to see that Gene had stopped and was and shaking from fear.
“Gene, what’s go—” Now it was Armand’s turn to freeze as he saw a pack of German shepherds, each one staring them down.
The braying sounds of a beagle made them want to run screaming from the building, but the intent gaze of the bigger dogs held them in place. Soft, low growls started to fill the room, and the men realized the dogs were all around them, even by the door Armand had just latched. Their hands started to sweat, and the guns they carried suddenly became heavy.
A large sable dog stepped forward, baring his teeth and snarling a low rumble.
The boy who let them in turned to the men. “Oh yeah, they don’t like guns. Just set them on the table, and I’ll get you something to eat.”
They both set the guns on the table, and the dogs calmed down and went back to their own business, which seemed to be eating or sleeping. Gene and Armand inched their way to another table and sat down as the kid returned with an MRE and two bottles of water.
A woman in her late forties came into the room. “Hello, my name is Beverly. Are you with Ian’s group?”
“Ah, no. We’re just survivors looking for a place to hole up,” Armand said, causing Beverly to look at him suspiciously.
“Just the two of you?” she asked, as if this would make a difference.
In Armand’s mind, it did make a difference. Two men alone could be viewed as wolves instead of the lost dogs they were. “No, we have family, and we should be getting back to them.”
Gene glared at him for revealing so much.
The woman’s cautious posture relaxed a bit. “Well, you should go and get them so we can get them cleaned up and fed.”
Gene wasn’t quick to trust people these days, but he did like the idea of getting out of there. “Thank you, we will.” He rushed to stand up, nearly collapsing when he put weight on his hip.
“You’re hurt. You stay here, and your friend can go get your family.” Beverly looked concerned.
“No, he needs me to watch his back.”
“Nonsense.” She signaled to the largest shepherd that had blocked their way and spoke in a firm voice. “Thor.”
The dog went instantly to Armand’s side.
“I’ll go with him.” A man, fully geared up and charging his weapon, stepped out of the shadows. He held out his hand. “Jose.”
Armand shook Jose’s hand. “Armand. And that’s Gene,” he added with a nod toward his partner.
Jose stepped forward to shake Gene’s hand. It was more like meeting members of a study group for the first time than post-apocalyptic survivors. Armand couldn’t believe it was happening; the normalcy they lost just a month or so ago was here. Just walk through a door and the world is a different place. They needed this. Another month like the last, and they would all be dead, insane, or just like the animals they continually had to run from.
Armand had noticed Gene’s hesitation to trust this group, but they didn’t have any other options at this point. He had to admit as he led Jose to where their families were hiding out, he felt unnerved. Being out there without Gene—not to mention with a fully armed soldier he hadn’t even known five minutes and an attack dog—made him feel vulnerable. But this was their new world; it was a risk he had to take.
They had left their families up high in an apartment that was only accessible by ladder. It was a place they used as a safe spot when they were on the run, but it was too exposed to be a permanent site. The stairway had been torn out over a week ago, and they were able to keep a few supplies stashed there, but it was by no means a safe place, and they had to keep watch twenty-four-seven.
Their life in the last few weeks had been nothing but cut-and-run, and it was starting to show on their bodies and mental health. A week ago, he would never had turned his back on Jose or his dog. It was just another sign of how desperate they were. Is this some kind of trap? Am I leading my family to their doom? He didn’t know at this point… it really didn’t matter. One way or the other, they were doomed. There was no way to run and hide anymore; it was killing them and not slowly, either.
They came to a courtyard where an orange contractor ladder was stretched to a window on the third floor. Several infected began to move on the two men, and Armand took aim with his shotgun. Jose pushed Armand’s weapon toward the ground.
“We don’t need that kind of noise right now. Get your family, and I’ll take care of this,” Jose said.
Armand watched as Jose started taking out infected with single puffs from his suppressed rifle. An assault rifle, according to Armand’s way of thinking. Something he had voted against and felt should be denied to society. Now he couldn’t count how many times he wished he had one in the last few weeks.
Thor moved out in a fanning motion, ignoring the obvious threats and scouting the perimeter. Armand looked up and saw Julia looking out at him, and he signaled to get everyone moving down the ladder. Stephanie, the oldest of the children, came first with Elise, the youngest, almost in her arms. Then it dawned on him—Stephanie was his child, and Elise was Gene’s, yet Armand was looking at them as being sisters. Gene’s children had become his, and vice versa.
Only in the apocalypse.
Once everyone was down the ladder, a few belongings in hand, Armand quickly briefed the two families then said to Jose, “Okay, we’re ready.”
Jose gave a short whistle and Thor bounded past him, surprising the five children tucked between their mothers, who drew back at the sight of the thin canine. Then Jose signaled toward the safe house, and the dog responded instantly, taking point as they headed back the way they came.
Though much of the walk was through the unpopulated warehouse district, it wasn’t completely free of infected. Thor proved his worth when three infected rounded a corner, nearly stumbling into the group. Be
fore anyone else had a chance to respond, Thor leaped onto the back of one and latched on to its neck before giving it a violent shake and dropping the limp form to the ground. Jose made sure the other two fell before they knew the dog was there—and, more importantly, before they could let out a scream or even a moan.
When they reached the safe house, Jose waved the others through the door and into the secure building, where they were greeted by screams. Gene was lying on a table as a soldier Armand hadn’t met twisted his leg. Gene’s wife, Chianti, rushed to his side, thinking he was being tortured. She stopped short, however, when the man making her husband scream released Gene’s leg and patted his hip.
“Does that feel better?”
“Yeah, Ian, it does… thank you.” Gene sat up and smiled in relief. “Chianti, Armand, this is Ian.” Then he pointed toward a small group of onlookers, saying, “That’s Kinsey, Toby, and Beverly. The boys there are Tommy.”
Armand recognized the blonde Tom as the ten- or eleven-year-old boy who opened the door. The other Tom was about the same age but had dark curly hair and brown eyes.
Chianti gave a small smile. “Hello. It’s wonderful to meet you, and I can’t tell you how grateful we are for your hospitality.”
“Hospitality? None of this is ours. You have as much right to it as we do,” Beverly said, drawing amazed looks from the newcomers.
“Oh… well, I guess I don’t know what to say to that… I’m a bit overwhelmed.” Chianti waved her hand. “Anyway, this is Julia. She is the other mom in our group, and this is Elise, Stephanie, Jonah, Michael, and Desirae.”
“I’m impressed that you were able to keep your families together,” Kinsey said.
Julia spoke up. “It’s what has kept us alive, actually.”
For Which We Stand: Ian's road (A Five Roads To Texas Novel Book 3) Page 4