“Cool car, Sara’s is going to be jealous. Can I drive it,” Luke said excitably not even stopping to breathe.
“No hello for your mother,” Sandra asked joking.
“Hi,” Luke said quickly.
“Can I drive it,” Luke said looking at Dan expectantly.
“Luke,” Doug started to say.
“Why not Sara’s always driving the other one,” Luke said quickly looking at Dan.
He could see a slightly embarrassed look cross Sandra’s and Doug’s face at the reminder of this.
“We’ve have talked to Sara about this,” Doug started to say before Dan just shook his head smiling.
“Don’t worry, as long as I am not using it I don’t mind,” Dan said wanting to avoid any argument that might involve him between Sara and Sandra. Lately they have been a little argumentative.
“Tell you what Luke, you mow and weed my front yard and I will let you drive me to the store and back,” he said looking at Sandra and Doug who nodded their agreement.
“Yes,” Luke exclaimed as he ran for the backyard where Dan kept the solar powered lawn mower.
“If you will excuse me. School may be out for a few days but I have tests to grade,” Doug said giving Sandra a hug before leaving.
“Promise me you will come to dinner. I have to go talk to Commander Hudson about this morning,” Sandra said looking sternly at him.
“Sure,” he replied watching Sandra turn and leave heading for her golf cart.
The sun was starting to set behind the trees casting long shadows of the homes across the street towards Dan. He was still organizing the boxes and other items in the garage, when he saw Sara pull up to Sandra’s house in his low to the ground yellow metal maintenance cart. She stepped out of the partially enclosed cab consisting of a roof with built in solar panel over the seats. She almost made the front door of the house before she realized he was home and waved to him before entering the house. As he started to wave back he had to stop and wonder how life had changed lately he remembered a time not long ago she would have come across the street to talk to him. He had made enough room in the garage to pull the golf cart in, before closing the garage door and pulling the locking security gate shut.
The walls of the old apartment showed signs of the paint peeling with some areas scraped off leaving a patchwork look to the wall. Mr. Pennington sat behind a desk looking at some papers next to a satellite phone. The high pitch crack of an assault rifle caused him to look up from the papers. Shaking his head, he went back to the papers until hearing a knock at the closed door.
“Come,” he called out looking up from his papers to see the door open. Looking up to see the light watery brown eyes sitting over the thin nose on the sallow face of Captain Jones entering the small room. She look down with disapproval at the bright multicolor Hawaiian shirt Mr. Pennington wore.
“You wanted to see me,” she stated in her monotone voice
He looked up at her with his blue eyes looking odd on the orange complexion of his tan face. He studied her for a moment.
“What happened on the bridge today,” he voice sounding business like.
Captain Jones rolled her eyes as she looked down at him.
“It was in my report,” she started stopping as Mr. Pennington slammed his hand on the desk.
He stared at her as he shook his shoulder length blond hair regaining his calm composure.
“Yes I read the report and went to see the mayor,” he stated.
Captain Jones frowned at him as she rolled her eyes again. As she half turned looking bored.
“So,” she said sounding sarcastic.
Mr. Pennington looked at her as he reached up to rub his temples before looking at her again the calm composure leaving his face. Replaced by a unfriendly look.
“I read your report and the fact that everyone at the bridge tells the same story,” he started. “That does not match your report,” he stated for emphases. His gaze cutting off the response she was starting.
“I know you pulled a few favor’s to get back here,” he stated smiling slightly at the startled look that crossed her face.
“But the fact is this,” he stated looking at her. “If you mess up the negotiations for the train project,” he started.
“I do not see why you are negotiating with them just tell them to do it,” she stated.
Mr. Pennington started drumming his fingers on the desk as he listen to her statement. Before he sighted and reigned his calm composer.
“We are the government just tell them to do it,” Captain Jones smugly stated.
“I am glad you feel that way Captain,” Mr. Pennington started causing a smile to start crossing her face.
“You give your soldiers orders and they follow them because you are in charge,” he stated.
Captain Jones smiled making her sallow face look evil.
“Yes they follow my orders because I am in charge of them,” she stated.
“Excellent Captain. I am glad you understand the chain of command,” his calm voice going back to business like. “I am in charge of you,” his hard voice said causing the smile to leave Captain Jones’s face.
“Your actions have cost me a Doctor and creditability with the town,” he stated. Shaking his blond hair and going back to being calm and laid back.
“We have enough places draining our resources due to relationship problems with the government. I will not tolerate that here,” he finished.
Captain Jones stood silently as he went back to looking at the papers. After several long moments she looked down at him.
“Is that all,” her monotone voice asked.
Mr. Pennington did not respond as he set a paper down and picked up another in silence studying it for a moment and without looking up.
“Dismissed Captain,” he said.
Captain Jones frowned at him before turning and leaving the room.
Dan entered the dining room of his house carrying a towel in his hands. He stopped to spread the thick large colorful beach towel on the round light color dining table. Placing the Colt assault rifle on it with the Beretta ninety-two auto pistol and a K-bar knife he had. Sitting down in one of the four chairs set around the table he started going about unloading the rest of the pockets and pouches of the M.O.L.L.E vest. He wore of the spare clips for the weapons and other items the vest contained onto the towel. Dan then walked down the light tan hallway to the white door set into the wall about halfway down it, opening it to reveal a small closet. He hung the vest on a hanger before removing a small clear plastic box with a blue lid before returning to the table. He sat back down in the chair before he opened the plastic container top reveal a couple of cans of gun cleaning oil and cleaning kits. Starting to break each weapon down giving them a good cleaning and oiling before reassembling them. He wiped down the K-bar with the oily rag before returning it to his sheath. Dan removed the unused ammunition from the extra gunmetal blue magazines wiping them down as well. Before replacing, the cans of oil and cleaning kits back into the plastic case and returned them to the hall closet. He returned to the table picking up the weapons as he headed into the kitchen to a door set in the wall.
He opened it to reveal a wood stairway heading down. Dan flipped the switch on the wall near the door to turn on the basements light. He went down the wood steps to place the weapons on an old metalwork bench that was there. He stopped looking around the basement for a minute making sure nothing changed since he had been down here last. Before he headed over towards two large black metal gun safes in the corner. Stopping near the support column for the basement to remove two metal pins. And continued to place the pins in to the trigger mechanism of two different trip wires that where almost invisible in the basement light. He did not want a crossbow bolt in his chest before he finish opening the safe on the left. Opening the safe before returning to the metal bench to bring back the weapons he had placed there. Picking them up from the bench, he went back to the safe and placed them inside. He s
tood looking into the open safe for a moment lost in thought before deciding to reach into the gun safe once more.
He removed the three foot black sword from the safe and swung it over his shoulder by the leather belt onto his back. He reached into the safe to remove a black nylon Blackhawk shoulder holster. Taking a moment to fasten it so the holster was under his left arm. Then removed his Springfield Armory GI, model black parkerized forty-five caliber autoloader with dark brown hardwood grip and low profile government sights. Pulling back the slide of the autoloader locking the slide open before holding it to the light inspecting the weapon. He seemed satisfied before reaching into the safe to remove a gunmetal magazine, checking it to make sure the Two hundred and thirty grain full metal jacketed bullets where loaded into it. Dan slipped the magazine into the grip of the gun. Using his thumb. He released the safety catch allowing the slide to release chambering a two-hundred and thirty grain full metal jacketed round from the magazine with a loud metallic clack of the slide slamming home.
Flipping the safeties on the auto loader off before he eased the hammer down before he pushed the gun into the shoulder holster. He reached into the safe to pull out a black nylon pouch holding four spare loaded gunmetal blue seven round magazines. These he clipped onto the shoulder holster under his right arm. Before he reached into the safe one last time removing a fifty two inch dark brown wood gain Bear archery recurve bow. With a black leather quiver with twenty for arrows in it before closing and locking the gun safe door. Dan walked back to the metal bench and repeated his earlier performance, this time placing the bow and arrows onto the metal bench. Before removing, the pins from the trigger mechanism of the trip wires rearming them. He picked up the Bear archery bow and the black leather quiver in his one hand before heading to the stairs and turning out the light to the basement. Dan returned to the round dining table and placed the bow and arrows on it before checking his watch. He would have to check the bow later; stopping what he was doing so he could wash his hands and change his shirt before heading over to Sandra’s for dinner.
Dan enjoyed dinner with Sandra and her family while not biologically related to them. They accepted him as family. It was after dinner finished when everything started getting interesting. They went to the living room with Dan sitting in a brown recliner by the window that he had always liked.
“So what’s new,” he asked leaning back into the chair as the footrest came out lifting his feet.
“Sara has a boyfriend,” Luke said from where he sat on the love seat.
“LUKE,” Sara shouted at him as her light brown skin took on a red tinge from the opposite end of the love seat. Luke jumped off the seat to avoid the lunge at him by Sara.
“Settle down you two,” Doug said calmly as Luke sat back down. Dan could not keep the smile from his face. Watching the amused looks on Sandra and Doug’s face and was glad it was not him on the receiving end of the embarrassment this time. Before Sara could recover from this Sandra, still smiling asked her.
“How is Steve,” Sandra asked with an amused smile on her face.
“Fine,” was all Sara could manage still showing that red tint to her face. After a moment she recover enough to ask.
“Where is Katrina, you too are not arguing are you,” Sara asked him trying hard to change the subject. Dan smiled at this was that jealous he heard, a few months back when Katrina and her mother Mabel had found them outside Clarksville and had given them a ride back to Hope. Katrina had stayed with them for a couple of days while Mabel and her son Larry finished a run to Natchez before returning to pick her up. The odd part after meeting the first day the two of them had some friction and tension between them he could not understand. Until Doug pulled Sara aside for a few minutes, from then on they formed an unspoken neutral peace between them. This did not surprise Dan, Doug was a psychologist before the plague. He still had a habit of using those skills sometimes.
“No,” Dan said slowly before adding. “We had finish the job to Little Rock that I was helping them with. When they received a urgent and profitable job offer. While they were getting ready I ran into a couple of people at the truck stop that Manny and I had worked with in the past. Since Mable did not need me I would just be along for the ride. I hooked up with them. I’m to meet Katrina and Mabel back here soon,” he said slowly trying to keep his face from revealing the painful memories from the past few days from his face and voice.
He looked over at Doug and Sandra she seemed unaware of his try but the look Doug gave him made him think he was unsuccessful.
“Is that how you got your cool new golf cart,” Luke added.
“New golf cart,” Sara, asked trying to sound innocent; Dan could see the smiles breaking out on Sandra and Doug’s faces once again.
“Yes and I get to drive it,” Luke added. Dan was starting to relax and smiled for the first time in days, but did not say anything.
“So, you are only going to need one of the carts right,” Sara asked with a hopeful tone entering her voice.
“Probably, but the new one needs to charge. And I’m going to need the other one to run some errands tomorrow,” Dan said as he watched the hopeful look fade from Sara’s face as they continued to talk.
Over the course of the evening conversation, Dan found out Sara had finished her paramedic training and was working with Doctor McGee at the clinic she had started in town. Doctor McGee had received a message from Taddish the other survivor from Memphis. She had made it home safely to her family in Shreveport. Dan had to laugh as he found out that council member Jarvis was still mad at the defeated of his bill to make it unlawful to booby trap homes. Dan smiled at this one shortly after he move into his house, the council member’s bodyguard. The same one that tried following him once with disastrous results someone found him wandering down the street as a zombie an arrow sticking out of his chest. Council member Jarvis had tried to blame him for it, but he had been downtown at the farmers market at the time. Now he was trying to get a town election started, seems he wanted to run for mayor.
Dan blew that one off. He had only gotten himself elected to the town council first place time. Because he moved all his family and what few friends he had to one section of town to form his own district so they could elect him as a council member. Dan glanced at the stainless steel wristwatch it was starting to get late. Luke and Sara had gone to bed, and Luke out of boredom had fallen asleep on the love seat and Sara because she had to work the next day. Dan finally got around to asking Sandra.
“So you told me why Mr. Pennington was here, but why did he bring Captain Jones back,” Sandra paused to think for a moment before speaking.
“I don’t think Mr. Pennington is happy Captain Jones is here.”
She had a thoughtful expression to her face. This intrigued Dan and he leaned forward in his chair, but before he could press for more information. Sandra started speaking again.
“You see Captain Jones has been causing trouble for Mr. Pennington.
“How so,” Dan asked with interest.
“Well today for an example, at the bridge she was sent to help guard it, to build up trust with the town people. Instead she tries to search and question everyone coming in, then when you and the zombies showed up.” She left the sentence hanging there.
“I suppose she said I brought the zombies on purpose,” Dan replied sarcastically he could see Doug look with interest at him.
“She tried,” Sandra replied. He was unsure if she was joking.
“What else,” Dan said thoroughly intrigued now.
“The other big problem she caused was with Bill and the farmers. The good captain and her soldiers went out to the farms and started asking them questions.”
Dan had a puzzled look on his face that Sandra noticed.
“Questions on how long they have lived there. Where did they come from originally. How many of them originally lived there. Had any new people shown up recently and other stuff like that,” she said trying to answerer the look he had.<
br />
“You know how they are about people prying in to their business.”
A smile broke out on Dan’s face he had seen that firsthand at council meeting once that Manny insisted they go to once. He said he would find it interesting. Dan remembered being board until council member Jarvis made a proposal to move the farming council under his control. The meeting got interesting after he made that proposal.
“So a soldier tells them that they need to supply them with some fresh food, that it was their duty,” Sandra continued with a smile.
“So how did that go,” Dan asked with amusement in his voice now.
“A twelfth year old stuck a pitchfork in the soldier’s rear end,” Sandra finished with a smile; causing every one to laugh.
“That explains the poking back joke,” he added. He was getting up from the chair and ready to leave when Sandra finally asked him.
“About this afternoon, when I asked if you knew where any generators or solar panels where. You had this look,” she was watching him for a reaction. He slowly sat back down in the chair, and looked at Sandra quietly for a moment.
“Do you need privacy,” Doug asked as he made a motion to get up from where he sat next to Sandra on the couch. Dan shook his head no.
Dan looked at them is silence, now both Doug and Sandra could see a troubled look on his face and where about to say something when he spoke.
“What would you say if I could tell you where a whole town of them are,” he said slowly and quietly all the while looking at the floor.
If Dan had looked at their faces, he would know he had their attention.
“What are you saying,” Sandra asked slowly.
“Just that, I know where a town full of wind turbines, solar panels and other stuff is,” he said as he looked up from the floor to the look of amazement in their eyes.
“But,” Sandra started stopping as Dan held up his hand.
The Aftermath Trilogy (Book 2): The Aftermath [Town of the Dead] Page 4