The refugees were ready to go after a few hours of preparation. August planned for them to arrive at the store by dusk.
The survivors all had made a decision for August not to allow Doctor Grayson to go with them. He wasn’t trusted by any of the refugees and they accused him of wanting to leave all of them behind so they could end up like the others back in Farmington. They asked August if their suspicions were real, and she couldn’t lie to them. When they were ready to leave, three of the guards held the doctor off by gunpoint while the others began their exodus to Dearborn.
They also left behind a Dearborn police officer who had decided he’d save himself instead of helping people get to safety. They discovered the truth when he was busy gathering his things. His badge had clattered to the floor and a young boy picked it up. The officer was interrogated by twenty other survivors, and he was nearly killed when they didn’t believe his story and they realized his cowardice act.
-----
Alex and his team scouted ahead as they took down any of the reanimated ahead of them. Just to the east of the group was a squad of six deserters from Colonel Hummsfeld’s command. They spotted Alex and his team who were also out of uniform. The squad approached Alex and his team cautiously, but discovered that Alex was a guardsman. Alex realized the squad was armed with much better assault rifles than the Farmington camp had been granted.
Alex was mortified when he learned of the Warren massacre. The specialist in charge of the squad went pale with the news of what occurred at Farmington.
Alex suggested that the specialist and his men keep the events in Warren from the lieutenant until they were settled. After the squad raided a few abandoned houses to change into civilian clothing, the specialist ordered four of the men to go and assist with the refugee group. The other two stayed with Alex to help clear out any remaining undead. The forward team marked the path with the bodies of those they had put down.
-----
“Are you ok?” Robert asked Sarah.
Sarah was sitting against the wall in the fenced in area that use to be lawn and garden. She looked up at him with a strained smile.
“That wasn’t convincing,” Robert said.
Sarah tried again, but the forced smile made her look silly. Robert chuckled.
“Want to sit down?” Sarah offered.
Robert took the invitation and sat next to Sarah. He caused a lot of clatter when all the tools and weapons around his waist struck the wall and ground.
“I’d be the death of us both if we were out there,” Robert joked.
“Yeah, I’m afraid so,” Sarah agreed.
They sat together quietly for another minute. When they to speak, they both spoke at the same time about the same thing.
“Have you come to a conclusion to what happened in Warren?” Sarah had asked.
“Any thoughts about what we saw in Warren?” was Robert’s question.
They both laughed, and Robert allowed Sarah to go first. She repeated her question, and Robert sat quietly for a moment.
“I can only think of one reason why they killed all of those people. It goes along with what we found in the first camp. They wanted to prevent those people from turning.”
“Robert, you’re saying those soldiers committed genocide on a hunch?” Sarah asked. “We didn’t turn into shamblers. Why didn’t they give those people a chance?”
“I can guarantee you that not all of the troops committed to killing those people,” Robert said. “I also can’t accept that there aren’t any survivors from Farmington.”
“I can’t either,” Sarah agreed. “No survivors came today.”
“I heard that from Scott,” Robert said quietly.
“Speaking of Scott, have you noticed that he might be cracking?” Sarah whispered.
Robert answered with a nod.
“He was an assistant manager,” Robert said. “He’s not a leader of a gaggle of survivors searching for answers.”
“Someone needs to take up the leader role,” Sarah said.
She gave Robert a suggestive look.
“Oh no,” Robert replied. “I may have been a marine, but I loved being a grunt. I did what I was told and did my time. You be the leader.”
“I’m a widowed, former special education teacher with a seven-year-old daughter. I’m not a leader,” Sarah said with a grimace. “I’d also have to play a politician and kiss a lot of asses to get people to listen to me.”
“Don’t allow politics into it,” Robert said. “You’ve just gotta lead by example and show people the way. Make them kiss your ass. I’ll back you.”
Sarah studied Robert’s face to see if he was poking fun at her, but he seemed to be serious with his suggestion. She was really beginning to like this man. All she needed was time to grieve for Mark, and then she’d see if he felt anything for her.
Chapter 7: What This World Needs
There was a hiss of hydraulic breaks and a squeal from the bus’s gears as it came to a stop. The driver yawned and stood up. He was the only occupant in the extremely luxurious vehicle. He had ‘borrowed’ the bus to escape the horrors from the town of Pine Ridge.
He had no intention in giving it back.
His name was Cameron Talltree, a member of the Oglala Sioux nation. He stood at six feet, eight inches tall. His hair hung in a single, thick braid down to the small of his back. His most unusual feature was his jade-green colored eyes. This feature literally tore his people’s opinion of him in half.
The traditional Sioux took the eye color as an omen. They saw Cameron as a future spiritual leader. He was someone who they could rely on in keeping the culture of his people intact. He did all that they asked of him, like become fluent in the Sioux language. He was a member of the reformed American Indian Movement to promote Native American Awareness in schools.
The modern members of the tribe used the eye-color to deny that he was a full-blooded member of the tribe. In a way, they were right. They were also wrong. His mother had Shoshone blood, but the rest of him was all Sioux.
As of two weeks ago, none of that mattered. That was when the first member of his tribe stood up after the old man was declared dead. The man had died of a heart attack, and he was taken to the coroner’s. The assistant coroner was doing an autopsy on another man when he heard the old man get off the table. The coroner instinctively panicked and hacked at the old man with a bone saw. He then drove the saw into the old man’s mouth. The saw dug into the old man’s brain which finally ended the old man’s existence.
Two weeks later, Cameron was on the road to see what was happening to the rest of the country. The bus had an internal Wi-Fi system that allowed him to monitor the internet across the globe. He found little more than speculation, chaos, and then silence. There were reports of airports recalling all flights and said the purpose was fear of terrorist attacks across the nation while local websites gave very vague reasons for people to report to refugee camps, and again, things went quiet.
The bus he had taken was one of the three that had come to the reservation, along with a half-dozen black SUVs. When he left South Dakota, he was with his father, Bruce, and close childhood friends, Patrick Wagner and Frannie Lowell. They were all under the protection of Bureau of Indian Affairs agent Steve Schneider, who was another close friend of Cameron’s.
Sleep was difficult for Cameron. He would have horrible nightmares about the events that occurred in Pine Ridge and Rapid City the last two weeks. He would finally fall asleep, and then get woken up two hours later from a dream. Most people couldn’t function without a consistent sleeping pattern. Cameron was just barely functioning.
He was nearly thirty miles to Albuquerque when he was starting to get too tired to drive. The sun was descending with amazing colors. After he stretched, he got back into the driver’s seat and he continued his long journey to Arizona.
“I need to stop, or I’m going to crash this thing,” Cameron thought out loud.
He kept driving another two mi
les until his mind started to play tricks on him. He thought he saw people pitching up tents on the side of the interstate. He stopped the bus and drove in reverse. In the rear view mirror, a boy was calling some people to look at the bus.
Cameron stood up and looked at the axe next to the leather sofa. He decided to leave it so he didn’t look like a threat. Cameron opened the door to the bus as his mind spun with uncertainty. He walked down the steps and turned toward the group he had just passed. There were eight people looking at him with the same look of caution that he thought he had. Two men approached him before he got close to the main body.
“Hello,” Cameron said. “I’m not here to cause any trouble. I’m just seeing what you all are doing out here.”
“Hello back,” a man in a green golf shirt said. “We’ve decided to call it a night. We were just about to serve up some food. You’re welcome to join us if you want.”
The other man wore an Arizona Cardinal t-shirt and faded jeans.
“I could use the rest, and I’m pretty hungry,” Cameron said. “I’m Cameron Talltree.”
“I’m Evan Carter,” the man in the green golf shirt said. “And my friend there is Doug Silver. Come on up.”
Doug whispered something to Evan, who nodded at him. Doug seemed to relax with Evan’s response and went to shake Cameron’s hand. Cameron took it firmly and shook it with a direct look into Doug’s eyes. He told them he was going to move the bus and then join them.
When Cameron got back onto the bus, he looked at the axe again.
“Thank the Great Spirit I didn’t take you,” he said to the axe.
Edward turned in early without eating anything, claiming he wasn’t feeling good. Nikki and Mary were getting Eliot and Simon to bed, and John and Adam were walking on opposite sides in a large ring around the camp to keep an eye out for trouble. Each held a hunting rifle that they had brought with them from John’s collection from Albuquerque. John also had his shotgun strapped over his shoulder for easy access in case there were many biters in the area.
“There was nothing but biters in Flagstaff,” Evan said. “There were barely any of those in Phoenix.”
Cameron’s face was expressionless as he listened to the reports Evan, Doug and Mandy told him while they ate. He was also petting Brewster, who appeared to love the tall Sioux. Matthew sat next to Evan, and served as his eyes and ears silently.
“There weren’t that many in L.A. or Pasadena either,” Mandy said.
“I’ll just waste my time by going west,” Cameron said. “I wanted to check the Navajo. I thought I could find a place for what’s left of my tribe on their lands. Guess that’s not an option now.”
“Why don’t you bring those people to Detroit?” Evan asked. “You could join us while we try to create a new life.”
“I’m not sure,” Cameron said. “There may be some bad blood with some of the traditionalists.”
“There doesn’t have to be,” Evan said. “We don’t have any problems with having you with us. The more people we have with us, the better chance we all have to survive this fucked up world.”
“No, there doesn’t,” Cameron agreed. “I’m grateful that you offered.”
“It’s the right thing,” Evan said. “Right now, we don’t have any idea why these streets are nearly deserted, or where. I just want to get everybody in a safe place, and then we can start working on the questions that I know plague us. Who here agrees with me?”
All five of the travelers raised their hands. Nikki stuck her arm out of the Silver’s tent to add her vote. Doug chuckled at her constant improvisation. From the short time he knew Doug and Nikki, Evan had noticed that Nikki was great at finding ways to help not just her family, but the entire group.
“Did Colleen and I have that kind of marriage?’ Evan thought. ‘Nikki’s willing to risk her own life to protect him as much as her children.’
Evan knew that Colleen loved him, but she would have serious trouble coping with what was going on if she had lived.
‘She didn’t live,’ Evan thought. ‘My whole family is dead. My son and daughter are gone. Oh, my baby girl. Why didn’t you get a chance?’
Evan noticed that Doug was watching him. Evan cleared his head and went back to listening to the rest of the group.
Evan watched the Sioux as the man pondered the decision before him. He felt that Cameron may turn him down, taking into consideration his remark about the bad blood. Cameron cared about his people, and his family and friends were among them. Evan knew Cameron had to go get them.
“I’ll travel with you to Oklahoma City,” Cameron said. “By then, I’ll have an answer. If it were just me, I wouldn’t even think about it. I’d say ‘yes’ in a heartbeat, but I have fifty people waiting in Holdrege, Nebraska. They are relying on me to make the best decision for them. There are sixteen children, and they can’t afford to go through anymore of this shit. Most of them are already orphans.”
“We understand,” Doug said.
“Speaking of children,” Cameron said. “I’d feel better if the women and children slept in the bus.”
Doug looked at Cameron with astonishment.
“I can’t ask you to do that,” Doug said.
“You didn’t,” Cameron said. “I offered, and I insist. I’ll take a tent. There’s a nice bed that can fit three people, more people on the floor. There’s a couch that the driver can sleep in.”
“I have no idea how to drive that beast,” Doug said.
“I can,” Evan said. “Do you want the cruiser?”
“Sure,” Cameron said. “I thought the bus would come in handy for someone. I guess I was right.”
“Nikki, are the kids asleep?” Doug asked.
“Simon is,” Nikki said from the tent.
“I’m not tired yet,” Eliot fussed.
“Take Eliot to the bus,” Doug said when he went to the tent. “I’ll take Simon.”
“Doug, you can take the couch,” Evan said.
“Are you sure?” Doug asked. “You’re the one driving.”
“Be with your family,” Evan replied. “I’ll come get you when it’s our watch.”
“Don’t bother,” Mandy said. “I’ll take his watch.”
Nikki guided the nine-year-old to the bus. Mary gathered their sleeping bags and went with them. Doug came out with a sleeping child in his arms and went into the bus.
“We’re in your debt,” Evan said. “Matt, you should go in too.”
“If it’s ok, I’d like to sleep out here with you.”
“Ok, it’s your decision,” Evan said. “You’re good company anyways.”
Matt held out his fist, and Evan bumped his against Matt’s. Matt was finally looking like a kid without fear living behind his eyes. Evan wanted to continuously give the young boy encouraging words and allow him to make his own decisions, but Evan would back him up.
‘A twelve year old having to make adult decisions,’ Evan thought. ‘What a hand to be dealt.’
“No, I wanted to read it,” Mandy said to Evan. “But I missed out on the first issue. I went to buy a copy at Collector’s Paradise, but it was already a hundred and fifty dollars!”
Evan and Mandy leaned back against the cruiser’s hood while they guarded the camp. They would make a complete loop around the camp to check for incoming trouble every half-an-hour.
“I have a box full of them in my garage at home. Marvel sends me boxes of each issue to promote locally once they’re designed and set for released.”
“No more issues though,” Mandy said glumly. “No more Sunday night football. No more new movie releases or Applebee runs.”
“On the bright side,” Evan said. “No more Snooky, or Justin Bieber, or Lady Gaga. No more Honey Boo-Boo. It’s time for another loop.”
“Don’t dis the Biebs,” Mandy said. She watched to see the reaction on Evan’s face. “I’m kidding. I totally had you there.”
“That’s good, because I was quickly losing faith in the last
girl from Cali.”
They were passing Evan’s tent on their latest circle. In the tent, Evan heard Matt humming to a song.
“You’re funny,” Mandy said. “And you’re cute.”
Matthew got quiet in the tent. He then snorted after hearing Mandy’s comment. Evan illuminated her with his flashlight, and saw that she was blushing. At that moment, he felt a stirring from within that she was special.
“I hope that wasn’t bold of me,” Mandy said.
“No, it was fine,” Evan replied with giddy smile.
Something scurried away that made Mandy jump. Evan went to see what it was, and his light revealed a large armadillo. They both watched the animal scamper off together.
“I’ve never seen one of those,” Mandy said.
“Neither have I,” Evan said. “Hope a biter doesn’t get it.”
“Son of a bitch,” John said suddenly from the tent he shared with Adam. “You’re cheating.”
“Bullshit,” Adam told John. “You just suck.”
“Says the man, who before tonight, had never beaten me at blackjack,” John said.
Evan and Mandy laughed at the two men bickering.
“This is a decent group,” Mandy said. “I like most of the people here.”
“I’m sure I know who’s holding off the unanimous opinion.”
“Something about that judge makes me worried,” Mandy said loud enough for so that only Evan could hear her. “I’m not sure if you noticed, but he tends to stare down Mary quite a bit.”
“He’s losing control,” Evan said. “The group is on the verge of forcing him out.”
Matt had gotten a shirt on and came out of the tent to join them.
“Not tired huh?” Mandy asked.
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