The Undead World (Book 8): The Apocalypse Executioner

by Peter Meredith

  “Ten,” Rodriguez replied immediately. Neil pretended to think it over and Rodriguez added: “She’s perfect for you: young, hair the color of night, a perfect ripe body.”

  Neil dug in his pocket and held out ten 5.56 MM rounds. “Where?”

  “The Colonel has her.”

  Chapter 28

  Captain Grey

  The following morning, as Jillybean and Neil left the mountain cabin to begin a long day of driving under a ceiling of heavy cloud, Smitty lined up his prisoners and inspected them. He didn’t like what he saw. “You are all disgusting. Pecos, Doug and Bill, we’re going to need a lot of water. Find some buckets and fill up the bathtub. The rest of you get enough wood to get a fire going.”

  “I’ll bathe the girl,” Doug whispered. He was too loud and Smitty heard. The leader of the bandits kicked Doug in the thigh hard enough for him to curse and limp away.

  “No one touches the girl! If she turns out not to be who she says she is, we’ll all get a shot at her. Until then we play it smart.”

  The cold made fetching water and wood unpleasant, however the men didn’t complain all that much. They repeated things like: “Top dollar,” and “It’s just about payday.”

  The prisoners were bathed without regard for any modesty and then the soldiers were told to shave. At the same time, their clothes were cleaned in new water and set to hang over the fire to dry. By noon, they were ready to go.

  The Colonel had moved his base of operations from a boggy, mosquito filled island to Rock Island, what once had been a military installation sitting smack dab in the middle of the Mississippi River. It had many advantages over the previous base. It was far easier to defend, it allowed the Colonel to control river traffic from the north, and, with his three ferryboats running day and night, he could charge people looking to cross the river.

  He was a direct rival of the River King and, from what Grey had seen and heard of him, he was a dangerous man. Even the bandits feared him. There was no law in the world beyond might makes right, and this close to the Colonel’s base, he was definitely the mightier.

  Smitty, the leader of the bandits, sent Matt to begin negotiations as the rest of them hid on the west side of the river in the city of Davenport. Not only was it a possibility that the Colonel would try to snatch Sadie without paying for her, they also feared he might try to take the men from Estes. As Smitty put it: “He’s a soldier, they’re soldiers, who knows if they got some sort of weird bond.”

  Since trust was such a difficult commodity to come by, the Colonel sent his own team out to check that everything was on the up and up. Only then did he leave his island with a heavy escort to meet in a Davenport bar. His soldiers came in first, their weapons at the ready.

  The Colonel came in last, walking slowly, making an entrance, Grey thought. He swaggered right up to Sadie, lifted her chin, and then made a face. “She’s not one of mine and neither are these men. You’ve wasted my time.”

  He turned to go and that was when Captain Grey ordered him to stop in a voice that was like thunder. “You would be wise to turn around. We’re not just any soldiers.”

  This piqued the Colonel’s curiosity and he did just as Grey commanded. He came right up to Grey and stared him in the face. The Colonel was a tall man, taller than Grey, though not nearly so thick with muscle. He had intelligent blue eyes that bored into Grey.

  “I know you…Grey, isn’t it? You came this way about six months back. You tried to recruit me into Johnston’s division, hiding up in the mountains. In fact, didn’t you try to order me to go?”

  “In the general’s name, sir. I had my own orders to follow.”

  The Colonel continued to stare. “And how did that work out for either of you?” Grey had been standing at attention, now he glared at the Colonel, who suddenly smiled easily and smacked him on the shoulder. “I’m sorry, son, Johnston really was a good guy. Sorry to see him go. And I should be thanking you Estes boys for giving the Azael such a fine whupping. They needed to be brought down a peg or two.”

  “We would have preferred a peaceful solution,” Grey replied, still stiff with anger.

  “That was always the problem with Johnston,” the Colonel said. “He was always too much of a wimp. It’s no wonder he went and got himself assassinated. How’d they do it? I heard all sorts of things: poison, strangulation, I even heard it was a knife in the back, Brutus style.”

  This morbid talk was fascinating to everyone except Grey’s squad. They glared, while the rest leaned in to hear Grey’s answer which wasn’t what the Colonel was expecting. “Why do you ask, Colonel? Worried about your own neck?”

  “Just curious,” he answered. “I’m curious about a lot of things. Like, who’s in charge over there? I heard it was a civilian.”

  Before Grey could say anything, Smitty suddenly barked: “Don’t answer that! Sorry, Colonel, but we’re not here to reminisce or gossip about crap. We’re here to make a sale. Do you want these people or not?” He was clearly put out that they had lied about Sadie and didn’t want to waste another second.

  The Colonel shrugged. “Not really. I’m just trying to be polite. It’s a quality that you should consider cultivating. For your own good, of course.” There was an underlying current of danger in his cool words.

  “Of course, sir. My apologies.” Smitty’s anger dissipated and now he was practically groveling. “It’s just I’ve got supplies to purchase before we get moving and the sun is uh, you know, it’s getting late.”

  “Sure,” the Colonel said. “I understand. Grey, good luck.” Again, he turned to leave and again Grey stopped him.

  “You’re making a mistake,” he said, “and so are you, Smitty. Give me a minute alone with the Colonel and I’ll get you a sale today.” Smitty made a show of eyeing Grey and looking even more put out, but everyone knew he wanted to make his sale and go.

  When he and the others left the room, the Colonel only raised an eyebrow, suggesting by it that Grey should make his sales pitch and be quick about it. “You wanted to know who the new leader is in Estes? A personal friend of mine. We’re so close that he’s made me Council Minister of Defense. I run the military in Estes.”

  This statement had the Colonel reappraising Grey. “Interesting,” he said after a time. “And what am I to make of this? Will your president, or whatever he is, reimburse me for what I pay this slaver? If so, it would have to be with interest. As we’re both fellow soldiers, I would think thirty percent to be proper.”

  Grey hesitated. There wasn’t any money in their treasury to pay ransoms, interest or no interest. “Actually, we’re in a bit of a financial bind. The war with the Azael really made things tight. I was hoping you would free us as way to facilitate diplomatic relations between our two people.”

  The Colonel groaned: “Please. Whatever pathetic, rural, let’s all get out and vote, government you have there now won’t last and then what? My money will have been wasted and I’ll be asked to suck up to someone else.”

  “What about doing it for my men and the girl. Colonel, you’re a soldier first and foremost…an American soldier. That used to mean something. It used to mean we were the good guys. It used to mean we sacrificed for the weaker among us. It used to mean…”

  “I know what it used to mean to be a soldier, but those times are gone. Hell, America is gone. Sorry, but we live in a different time. It’s survival of the fittest and there’s no room for charity in this undead world, Grey.”

  Grey wasn’t naive, he knew how evil the world had become, just as he knew that Sadie and his men would suffer horribly because he had led them into the simplest of traps. If he could keep them safe he would, no matter the consequences.

  “Then do it for the bargaining power,” he suggested. “The River King has a score to settle with me and I guarantee he’ll pay top dollar for me. Please, buy us all and then sell me to him and let the others go. You’ll make money and you’ll be the good guy.”

  The Colonel rolled his eyes. �
��I really doubt you’re worth that much. The girl alone will probably set me back three grand. What could you have possibly done…oh, wait. Were you with the team that blew up his bridge? We heard rumors that there was some sort of military strike.”

  “Yes, I did it, sir,” he lied, “and I know the River King will pay a good deal to string me up, but he won’t care about my men. He’ll just use them up in his arena. They’re small potatoes. Please, be the bigger man, set them free.”

  He looked to think it over for a few seconds, tapping his chin, as if weighing the pros and cons. But he had no intention of doing the right thing. “I think I’ll be the richer man instead. Thanks for the heads up concerning the River King.” He was about to leave when he caught Sadie glaring at him and something clicked in his eyes.

  “Hold on. Do I know you from somewhere?” Sadie immediately dropped her chin to her chest once again, but he took her by the hair and hauled her face upwards. She came up spitting and at first he grew angry, however his eyes crinkled in amusement a moment later. “You’re that goth-chic! The zombie killer…no it was a zombie hunter you pretended to be. The last time I saw you, you were dead, drowned like a rat. Well, this is a small world. Whatever happened to that runt you were hanging around with?”

  Sadie glanced toward Grey, who warned with his eyes. “Dead,” she said without adding more.

  “Well, that’s too bad. You two were a hoot.” He gave her a closer look and was just sniffing her hair when Smitty pushed in exclaiming that the minute was up a long time ago. The two men took to arguing over the price of the prisoners.

  Smitty was no idiot. He knew something was up and drove a hard bargain, trying to get the Colonel to take all of them at once. He tried to sell Sadie on her youth and pretty face, to which the Colonel only laughed: “I actually know this girl. No, she wasn’t one of mine, but I met her twice last year and I pity the man who tries to bed her. He’ll end up with his throat cut.”

  The slaver had seen some of Sadie’s fiery nature and now his face fell. He cut his asking price, and a minute later they concluded their deal. Smitty was suddenly relieved and jovial. “Good luck,” he said to Grey as he left.

  “It’s nice that everyone wishes me luck,” Grey said, feeling as though he would need a healthy dose of it if he was live out the week.

  “None of us really mean it,” the Colonel said. “It’s just some leftover niceties from the old days.” He turned from Grey and spoke to one of the men who had accompanied him. “Gilmour, I need you to find out if any of those bounty hunters are still around. I want to see if there’s any money on this guy’s head. Also, see if that slaver is still in Moline, maybe we can unload the rest of them, tonight.”

  The group of prisoners were escorted to a waiting truck by sharp-eyed guards and soon they were whisking east through the perfectly cleared streets of Davenport. They sped right up to a dock where a small boat waited to take them across the Mississippi. It was a twenty foot pontoon boat that looked like it had been pulled out of a far-off lake and was now thrust into the role of ferry.

  There wasn’t any shelter from the stinging wind raking across it from north to south. The prisoners were without coats and so they huddled together against the cold. Sadie sat in the middle, tears dripping off her chin. “So, do I tell them who I am?” she asked in a frightened whisper. “Which will be worse for me, being a sex slave or being brought back to my father? He’ll kill me, I know it. I just know it. The only question is will he do it publicly or privately?”

  Grey spat over the side of the boat. “With him it’ll be whatever way benefits him the most. Sorry Sadie, but if I get the chance to kick him in the throat, I won’t hesitate.”

  “He needs to die,” Sadie said, rubbing the tears from her eyes with her cuffed hands. “I’d kill him if I could and the only way I can do that is by getting close to him.” She smiled at Grey. It was a sad, wan smile that was nowhere near the usual impish one she wore. “I don’t want to be a sex slave, Grey. I can’t do that. I’d rather go down fighting.”

  Lieutenant Wilson, who was crushed up next to her left side, said, “But you won’t be fighting. After all the escapes and the bombs and what have you, he won’t give you the chance. Hell, you can’t even escape now. And it’ll be worse in Cape Girardeau. Do yourself a favor, do the slave thing, bide your time and wait to get lucky and then go…go back home and never leave the valley.”

  He didn’t look at her as he spoke; he looked down at his shackled hands. The other soldiers were equally glum. Before, they had been prisoners, but they had just been bought. It made them slaves. It changed them.

  Grey didn’t like the look in their eyes. “Okay, all of you listen up. You are soldiers of the Valley, but you are also soldiers in enemy hands. What were we trained to do in captivity? Escape. You do not give up that attempt, no matter what. Each of us will persevere. Each will take what they dish out with the goal of escape always in the front of our minds. Those are your orders. Escape, evade, and survive. I have faith in each of you that you can do this.”

  The soldiers nodded, each muttering: “Yes sir,” under the sound of the wind and the twin engines pushing them slowly toward the island.

  Only Sadie didn’t answer like the rest. The wind had dried up her tears and seemed to have blown away any evidence of her momentary display of cowardice. “You already know what I want to do and it doesn’t involve escape. In fact, if I could I’d start with that jackass.”

  She glared at the Colonel until he noticed and came strutting over. “Lovely day for boating on the river, isn’t it?” he asked, snug in his cold weather gear.

  “You are a slave master,” Sadie declared. “I remember last year you said all your slave women were free to come and go. You said they were providing a ‘service’ of their own free will. What a joke. Are you still going to stick with that crap? Are we free to come and go?”

  The Colonel smiled easily, as if he had been hoping Sadie would say something along these lines. “It must be nice to be so amazingly ignorant.”

  “Yessa massa,” Sadie shot back. “It is nice, massa. I loves being ignorant.”

  “I’m willing to bet that your ignorance is what is going to get you killed. Oh wait, you were already killed and why? Because you blundered about ignorantly. You didn’t know how to fight. You didn’t know Cassie could swim. You didn’t know that practically everyone in New York was your enemy. I could go on, but why bother? You’re still so ignorant about so much.”

  “And what does any of that have to do with you being a slave master?” Grey asked. “You can’t deny that’s what you are.”

  “Oh, please, Grey. You act like slavery is a new invention. Let me tell you that it didn’t start with America. People have been enslaving one another since time began. Every race and every people enslaved each other and they were still at it even before the apocalypse. There was still slave trading in Africa, in Saudi Arabia, in Pakistan and the far east.”

  Grey looked around with wide-eyed astonishment. “And is that where we are? Is this Pakistan?”

  The Colonel surprised Grey by his answer. “It might as well be. There’s nothing special about this land, or this river or the people who used to live here. Americans are and were no better or smarter than anyone else in the world. Supposedly, we were ‘civilized,’ but in reality we were nothing but human animals doing what animals do. They survive. The strong survive at the expense of the weak. They thrive on the weak. And you are the weak.”

  Grey could tell that Sadie wanted to reply with a snarling, cursing comment. He told her: “No,” in a soft yet commanding voice. Now wasn’t the time. He could tell that the Colonel had worked himself up and was on the verge of displaying his “strength” or his “greatness.” It might have been why he had come over in the first place.

  The Colonel stood over his slaves for a minute before saying: “Weaklings, pathetic weaklings.”

  The ride across the river was over soon after and the Colonel all but igno
red them. They were marched to what had been the base military police headquarters and were placed behind bars, two to a cell, except for Sadie, who was given her own.

  To their delight, the handcuffs were removed and they were fed and watered, but not spoken to. No one would look them in the eye, except for Sadie. She had plenty of visitors who came in to stare, including a trader named Rodriguez who was bald and fat and smelled of woman’s perfume and diesel fuel.

  “Take off your clothes,” he said to Sadie from outside the bars. “Let me have a look at you.”

  “Go fuck yourself,” Sadie answered.

  He made a grumbly sound in his throat as he appraised her through narrowed eyes. “How about this, take off your clothes or I’ll have the guards come in here and take them off for you. I’m willing to bet they won’t be gentle and they may take some, how should I put it delicately? They may take some liberties with you. In fact, they’ll like it if you fight them. They’ll like it a lot. They might even like it so much that they come back for more. Do you want that?”

  Sadie shook her head and the trader said: “Then do this the easy way. I just want to see what your value is and I can’t do that with you in that silly dress. It’s awful, by the way.”

  “I didn’t pick it out,” she answered through teeth that barely parted to spit out the words. To Grey, she didn’t look spitting mad, she looked biting mad.

  “Just take it off and get this over with.”

  Sadie glanced around. There were no real walls between the cells, only bars, which meant every one could see her. Although it wouldn’t be the first time the men had seen her naked during the humiliating trip, she seemed uneasy and so Grey ordered: “Eyes right!”

  No one but Rodriguez looked as Sadie dropped her dress. “So skinny. Why do all the girls have to be so skinny? Turn around. Oh, well that’s better. Nice tush. Okay, put your clothes on. I can use you if the price is right.”