Snareville II: Circles

by David Youngquist

  “Getting’ dark, Boss,” Wally said. “We camping out or headed home?”

  “Home, as fast as we can get there. Pass word. People need to keep awake. Keep alert. We topped off back there when we loaded up so we should have enough fuel to get home.”

  Wallace nodded. He picked up the microphone and passed word. He flipped frequency and radioed home to be expecting us to come in on the run. Cherry took his hand as we rolled on into the night.

  “I’m not leaving you,” Cindy whispered. “I lived through being a freak. God brought me to you. I’m not leaving.” She rolled her blue eyes up to look at me. “I could feel him, Danny. Before he shot me, I could feel him worm his way into my mind. He’s crazy. Crazier than I ever was.”

  “It’s okay, Baby. We’ll get home. We’ll get away from him and get you patched up. We’ll be home in a couple of hours.”

  “He’ll find us, Danny. He’s coming. He can find me. All he has to do is reach out his mind far enough.”

  Chapter 17

  Cindy lay in the hospital bed. She had finally dozed off. Pepper sat with us in the soft chair. I had the hard-backed one. We’d built a small hospital in Snareville, behind the library: small emergency room, an office, two birthing rooms and a surgical room. Beyond that there were five patient rooms. Supplies and furnishings came from the Perry Hospital in Princeton. It was a bad run when we had to go snag supplies. The place was outright creepy. There was still blood all over the place, along with half-eaten corpses that had rotted to bones. We took what we wanted and left.

  It was touchy going with Cindy. With her pregnant, Doctor Leary had to be careful with what he used as a pain killer and what he used to put her asleep when he patched up her shoulder. She had a tube in the wound to help it drain. The exit had been closed. Leary had her arm immobilized. Her regular breath was nice to hear. I knew she was scared. Not really of the wound, but of that nut finding us.

  I turned at the soft knock at the door. Tess stepped inside, followed by Lieutenant Gibson. “How’s she doing?” Tess asked.

  “Physically, okay,” I said. “That’s not what I’m so much worried about.”

  “I’ve heard some weird rumors, Danny. I need you to confirm them.” Tess sat as I stood. She and Gibson were having a baby soon as well and I didn’t want her on her feet.

  I told her the story of the king and queen in a soft voice. Tess said little. Asked a few questions as I explained as best I could what happened. It was hard for me to get my mind around, but I had no reason to doubt what my wife said. At the end, Tess nodded. She looked up at Gibson. He took her hand.

  “You want to go home and get some sleep, Boss, we’ll look after her,” Gibson rumbled. “You look about all in.”

  “Thank you, Tony,” Pepper said. “We appreciate it. I didn’t want to leave her here alone. C’mon husband. Let’s go. We can’t do anything more tonight. They’ll send word if anything happens.”

  She held out her hand, I took it and helped pull her to her feet. I kissed Cindy on the forehead, told her I loved her and started back the few blocks to the house. I noticed on the way out one of the other rooms was occupied, but there were usually one or two beds occupied throughout the week, so I thought little of it.

  We took our time getting home. I liked having time with Pepper. We didn’t say much. I knew Cindy would be okay. I knew she’d heal. It worried me that she was scared of this nut, but there was little I could do about that. Pepper told me that Bill and his family were moved in across the street. We could start decorating the spare room for the new babies.

  “One of these days, we’re going to have to stop making babies, you know?” Pepper said. “We can get condoms and such now.”

  “Thought you liked being pregnant, Pep.” I pulled her close with a smile.

  She looked up at me, gave me a soft kiss. “I do silly but I need a break. Two in two years is a bit hard on the body. Let’s take a breather and just practice awhile after this one. Besides, we’re already doubling them up. We keep this up, we’re going to have to build a bigger house.”

  I pulled her close. She still fit under my arm, but her belly led the way home. “Okay,” I chuckled, “next year or so we just practice. Promise.” I patted her side. The baby thumped me back. “Boy, she wants out.”

  “Won’t be long, she’ll be out to see her brother.”

  Ella met us at the door. I updated her on Cindy, gave her a hug and went upstairs to shower and go to bed. Rachel and Michael were asleep in their little beds. I could hear them breathe as I stood outside the door. It was strange to see the empty bedroom across from ours, but it wouldn’t be long before it was occupied. I stumbled into our room. Pepper waited for me, naked. There’s something about pregnant women that is so sexy, I’ve never been able to put my finger on it, but she always amped up my motor. Too bad she was at the stage where we couldn’t do anything about it.

  “I saved you something to do,” she said as she handed me a jar of cocoa butter. I laughed as I took a handful of the stuff and began to rub it on her belly, up around her breasts, down along her sides. I kissed her shoulder.

  “You’re not helping my blue balls, you know?”

  “I thought you’d be too tired to think of that.”

  “I was until I got in here. Do you know how beautiful you are?”

  She wriggled in my arms as I rubbed more of the cocoa butter down her side. “I feel like an orca, but thanks for thinking different. It’s weird this far along. I just want it over. Early on, you feel sexy and then it just gets hard.”

  “Sorry, Babe.”

  “Don’t be. It’s a little different than what I dreamed of as a little girl. I never figured to have a husband and a wife. I never figured there actually would be such things as zombies, but I’m happy and content.”

  I finished and we lay in the bed together, my arm around my wife and child. Last thing I remember was the crickets outside and the soft sounds of sleeping children.

  Morning brought a knock at the door. A young Raider stood on my porch. I opened the door for her. She came in with a formal salute and stood at attention until I returned it.

  “What can I do for you this morning, Private Smith?”

  “Captain Death, Sir, Colonel One Shot requires you and Sergeant Pepper to accompany me.”

  “Where to, Private?”

  “I was told not to say, Captain, but the matter is pressing. Lieutenant Gibson is already there and the other officers are gathering.” She paused a moment. “Please, Sir.”

  I headed upstairs, met Pepper on the way down. We went upstairs and pulled on our clean BDU’s. If all the officers were going to be there, I figured we better look like a unit. I even put on my polished boots. Pepper wore about the largest shirt we could find, to cover her belly. Smith waited for us, led the way outside and down the block. We turned a street before the library and headed for the hospital. Pepper and I looked at one another, but I figured Smith wouldn’t say anything. She was a good soldier.

  “Room three, Sir,” Smith said as we walked through the doors.

  I peeked in on Cindy in room one. She was still asleep, so I went down the hall. A soldier stood on either side of the door. One Marine, the other a Raider. Both saluted as we stepped inside.

  Gibson was there with Tess. A few other officers stood around the walls. Leary stood at the head of the bed. Only Hunter and Bill were missing and they came in directly behind us.

  Kenny lay in the bed, eyes closed as if they hurt. What breath he took in was raspy, weak. His face was sunken, damned near the color of the white cotton sheets he lay on. He’d trimmed his beard not long before, as it was cut close to his face. The door closed behind Bill and we were all crammed inside. Pepper slid her hand into mine as we waited.

  “All here?” Kenny asked without opening his eyes. Leary murmured we were.

  “I’m dying,” Kenny said in a forced whisper. No one said a word. “Uncle Sam can notch one more victim on his belt. Killed in Vietnam, ju
st didn’t know it for awhile.”

  We looked at one another, but I had an idea what Ken was talking about. Gibson did too. I could read it on his face. Leary spoke up.

  “Colonel One Shot has poisoning from Agent Orange. With some people it took them sooner than others, but mostly, the end result is the same.”

  “I used to spray the stuff out the side door of choppers when I was a Crew Chief in the First Cav. Quite a thrill to hover over a minefield and spray weed killer, but it beat going into a hot LZ. Didn’t know it’d kill me too. The stuff just wasn’t as fast as a bullet.”

  “Anything we can do for you, Kenny?” Pepper asked.

  “Yes. You can listen up and not argue with me. I can’t keep leading you folks. I didn’t really want the job in the first place, but that’s how it fell three years ago. We’ve lost a few and gained a few. Lots of babies being born. A few of you learned what you’re doing. Some better than others.”

  He reached under his blanket, pulled out a little black box.

  “Danny, come here. My last official duty is to promote you to Major. I’m giving you command of this outfit. When I’m gone, you can debate it, or elect someone else. But right now, I don’t want no argument. You’ve learned well. You do one hell of a job. Do your best, Son. You’re on the right track.”

  I took the box. Inside were the small gold oak leaf clusters of a full Major. “Kenny…I can’t do this.”

  “Yes you can. You got good people around you. Some pros, like Gibson. Some good self taught people like Hunter. If I didn’t think you could do it, I’d have given it to someone else. I already called your brother Tom and told him what was going on. He’ll support you too.” He closed his eyes again.

  My throat got tight. “Thank you.” That was all I could think to say.

  Gibson stepped forward. He took the Captain’s bars from my collar, handed them to Pepper. Silently he took the Major’s leaves from the box and put them in place. With that, he took a step back and saluted. The rest of the group followed. I returned the salute while trying to keep the tears out of my eyes. It didn’t work well.

  “Now go. Let me die in peace,” Kenny said quietly.

  Everyone in the room turned, gave him a last salute. He returned it, briefly. “Dismissed,” he whispered. We left.

  Chapter 18

  King Fredrick sat on his throne in the center court of Sandburg Mall. He was still. His body well fed and pink. His troops had recently discovered a small cluster of humans in a small town to the south and brought him two of the survivors of their raid. He had dined well on the man, his flesh brought strength and life back to Fredrick. The girl, his dinner’s fourteen year old daughter, sat chained to a steel ring on the platform beside him. He had used her twice already. He tried to plant the seed that was taken from him by the blond woman. In three days, he would know whether he had obtained a new queen, or another subject.

  Now he sat quietly, eyes closed and blocked out her soft sobs. His mind drifted out; away from Galesburg and the confines of his body. Cornfields unfolded around him, dead stalks fallen in a tangle in the long prairie grasses. He felt a tickle to the east and turned his mind that direction. Galva sat empty. The Cock Blockers were gone. A breeze sighed through the open buildings. Glass lay scattered through the streets. He wondered where they went; wondered if they followed these interlopers.

  More to the east now. Kewanee sat, a burned out hull. Skeletons littered the streets here. Rusted guns lay in the grass. Those who survived the coming of the new order took it upon themselves to kill off others. It was senseless to waste all that food, but people were difficult to understand. Some lived through the war, but left the town. He didn’t know where they had gone to. There was no way for him to track them, either.

  Still, the tickle pulled him east. More empty fields. More prairie. The ground began to rise and fall with the cuts of time and water. His mind fell down a long valley, followed a wide creek, until it came upon the town bristling with defenses, guns and people. She was strong here. He could feel her. Feel inside her. She was like him. He followed. She lay in the hospital. Her name was Cindy. The bullet hurt her. She feared for her baby. For her husband. Fredrick, sitting on his wooden throne, smiled. He wouldn’t kill this one. She was like him. She could be his queen. All he needed to do was remove her husband from her. He brushed her forehead with the tips of his fingers. She shivered as if frost touched her brow.

  As he left Cindy, he felt another tickle. This one different, but somewhere close. He let his mind follow. This time he drifted across town. Past homes where children played. Past horses and dogs. Past the homes of fleshies. He felt himself begin to drool as he watched all the fresh meat walk through their little world. Then he found her. She kneeled in her garden, wide brimmed hat upon her head to keep away the sun. She pulled weeds from around the plants and dropped them into a bucket. Tess. This one was Tess. Her belly was swollen less than Cindy’s. Another queen for his kingdom. He smiled as he pulled his mind back to his body.

  He became aware of the mall again. The low moans of his subjects, the sob of the girl. A serpent smile slid across his black teeth.

  “I know where we are going, my people,” Fredrick said as he stood. “We must go to the east to find our new beloveds.”

  Moans, garbled words flowed back at him from all corners of the building. Many of his subjects hungered, as there were not enough people in the town to feed them all.

  “We leave soon, but we must eat well, for it is a long march.”

  “Whu…What about me?” The girl at his feet whispered. “I don’t want to go.”

  Fredrick looked into her big hazel eyes. Fear, desperation reflected back at him. For a moment, he felt something other than hunger. “You are free to leave,” he said. He bent to unlock the chain around her neck. “Go quickly now. Don’t look back.”

  With the speed of a cat, she jumped from the stage. She glanced back once, then ran through the wall of rotted flesh, dodging, twisting her body around the molded corpses. She got twenty yards before Fredrick nodded to his subjects, allowing them to engulfed her. Her screams filled the hall as she kicked and flailed at them. One silenced her as he twisted her head backward until her spine popped and her eyes glazed over.

  “Save me a breast, boys, I need a snack.”

  Chapter 19

  Four days later, they buried Kenny “One Shot” Rodgers. All the communities in the area sent representatives. Colonel Tom Jackson came down from the Rock Island Arsenal with a small gaggle of helicopters. Kenny was buried with full military honors in the new cemetery established in town. Some said he wouldn’t like it and he probably wouldn’t have, but Dan wanted to honor the man who had served his country and then his people so well. As Taps rolled away through the valley, it was chased by rifle fire from the squad who gave the twenty one gun salute. Normally, no one wanted to fire that many rounds, for fear of attracting attention, but with the mood people were in, it was a foolish zed who would stumble up to the wires.

  Afterward, there was a ceremony in which Dan was recognized as the new leader of the Raiders. He was given a small ribbon by his brother, Tom, who spoke for the Military Branch of the Northern Illinois and Eastern Iowa Alliance. Dan’s own people already accepted him as Kenny’s natural successor. The representatives from the towns in the area came around during the wake and affirmed him as well. It was an emotionally draining day. For all in attendance, it was the end of an era. The first three years people had relied on the guidance of a veteran who was a great organizer and a good leader. Now, they would rely on the star pupil.

  Dan stumbled into his house at the end of the wake. He couldn’t take one more conversation. One more quiet congratulatory handshake. Cindy, Ella and Pepper followed him through the door. He turned the bolt behind them and threw the boards across the brackets. They were in for the night.

  “I look like I’ve got a harem,” Dan said as he sat Michael down on the table. His son was bundled into a carrier. Dan set ab
out undoing the snaps and buckles. Ella set Rachel on the floor and started to undo her coat. Rachel was off in a flash to play with her toys. It had been a long day for her and she fussed the last hour. Silently, Dan began to change his son’s diaper as Pepper sat with a gasp. She was surely tired of being pregnant and ready to get the extra weight off her back.

  Cindy wrapped her good arm around Dan from behind. He could feel her push into him. He leaned back into her as he returned to his task. “You okay with all this, Husband?”

  For a moment, he said nothing. “I have to be, I guess, Wife,” Dan said. “Ken gave me the job. I don’t know whether I’m up to it.”

  “Kenny wouldn’t have given it to you if he didn’t think you could do it,” Pepper said. “No one’s said any different. You’ve got the backing from Tom’s headquarters. Your Marines will follow you to Hell and back. So would any Raider worth his patch.”

  Dan gave her a crooked smile. “Yeah. You don’t think that’s a lot to live up to?” He set Michael on the floor. He scampered off to join his sister.

  “You’ll do fine, Daddy. We’re all family. You’ve got us. You’ve got the rest of the town. We’ve gotten this far because we’ve all worked together. I don’t think you’re going to change that and turn us into some communal dictatorship thing.”

  Dan laughed and shook his head. “Where’d you learn about communal dictatorships?”

  “History class. But we’ve already got the commune thing going on.”

  They looked at one another and laughed again.

  “Yeah, you’re right there,” He pulled down a cribbage board as Pepper put some water on to boil for tea. They would play teams for an hour or so before they went to bed. Dan got his notebook from the desk in the living room, opened a page and annotated Ken’s death. Under that, he wrote he had been promoted and given the leadership of the Raiders. He sat for a moment, then he decided he would add more later and closed the book.

  Cindy’s legs twitched. Under the sheets, she walked. She was propped up with pillows at her back. Dan lay curled around Pepper next to her on the king sized bed. Cindy’s arm was still immobile and it was a bitch for her to sleep. Her feet took on a faster pace, small whimpers escaped her throat. Dan stirred a moment beside her.