I nodded. “I appreciate that. I guess with the temperatures beginning to warm up, they’re starting to become active again.”
We waved at him cheerfully as he drove away. Kelly pressed against me as we waved.
“You owe me big time,” she exclaimed.
Chapter 9 – Code
“Well, it’s official,” Kelly said as we watched Floyd drive down the road and out of sight. “He’s definitely got a crush on me.” I eyed her.
“Oh, yeah?”
“Definitely.”
“Did you get anything out of him?”
“Yep,” she replied, but with a little hint of apprehension in her voice. “We should sit down first.” She led the way as we went back inside and sat at the kitchen table. She took her time and refreshed our coffee.
“Okay, they told him everything and he believes they were being truthful because he was told the same story by different people at different times.”
“Sounds like he was testing them to see if he was being bullshitted or not,” I reasoned. Kelly nodded. “Smart man.”
“Yep. He said he wanted to make sure he wasn’t hitching his wagon on with a group of people who’d sell out their friends.”
“Alright, sounds reasonable. What else did he say?”
“On that day back in September, they were visited by the Marines.”
“I knew it,” I growled. I felt my blood rising and started to stand, but Kelly put a gentle hand on my arm, causing me to sit back down.
“Let me finish, sweetheart.” She waited for me to calm down before continuing. “They told Floyd the Marines came to the school, questioned them, and then basically held them prisoner for about four hours. Apparently, the colonel came back to the school and told them not to worry and that they were taking your kids into protective custody but didn’t mention anything else they had done. They waited two days before going to your house. When they saw the carnage, they figured everyone had been killed, including you and me.”
I nodded. It sort of made sense, but there were still a lot of unanswered questions. Like, among other things, why didn’t they take the time and effort to bury the dead?
“So, why did they keep it a big secret?” I asked. “Did Floyd say?”
“Yeah, he said when they found out you were alive, Tonya and the others were worried to death you would hold them responsible, so they decided to stick with the story that they knew nothing. She told everyone about the conversation the two of you had and that she told you the truth. Some of them were worried you'd retaliate, but Marc and Ward told them you're an honorable man and wouldn't harm them.” She paused, waiting to see my reaction.
I drummed my fingers on the kitchen table, trying to keep my anger in check. Kelly kept stroking my arm, watching me with concern. I quickly finished my coffee, barely noticing that I’d burned my tongue. Kelly continued.
“For what it’s worth, Floyd said they told him you were a cold-blooded killer and he should keep his distance from you, but once he met you he knew it wasn't true.” I looked at her.
“And Rhonda went along with this as well? She thinks I'm a cold-blooded killer too?” I asked. She nodded.
“I don’t think she believes it, but she’s always been a follower.” After a couple of minutes, Kelly stopped stroking my arm and squeezed it gently.
“What do you think?”
“Well, it’s a lot to think about,” I said. "I must admit, I never thought Rhonda would think so badly of me."
“If you want my opinion, I think they were caught in the middle, so to speak, and had to go along or suffer the consequences.”
“Let’s hope you’re right.” I paused for a moment before looking at her. “Do you think I’m a cold-blooded killer? Be honest.” She returned my stare with one of her own.
“I know you’ve killed people. I don’t know how many, but I know you’ve killed. But, I’ve never thought for a minute you’re a cold-blooded psychopath.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled as I hugged her tightly. As I hugged her, I found myself hoping she’d never ask what the number was.
After dinner, we opted to snuggle on the couch and read. I had the service manual for the snowmobile while Kelly had a book of abridged Sherlock Holmes stories. After finishing with the manual, I stretched and kneaded the muscles in my neck.
“Which story are you reading?” I asked her.
“The Sign of the Four.”
“Yeah, I like that one.”
“Yeah, I love how he can figure out puzzles with only a few clues.” She stretched and yawned. “But I think I’ll finish it later. Do you want to go to bed?”
“Certainly.”
I slept comfortably, but it didn’t stop me from dreaming about Julie and the kids. I awoke the next morning with a wisp of a dream floating away. It disappeared before I could memorize it, saddening and frustrating me. Kelly had barely moved in the night. She was still snuggled up against me, breathing deeply.
Working my way out of bed, I washed up and dressed as quietly as I could. I tried not to wake Kelly, but that was like asking me to walk through a china shop and not break anything. She sat up and stretched before heading to the bathroom with her eyes barely open. It was a little chilly in the house, so I added a log to the fire, re-stoked the pot belly stove and put the kettle on it. While I waited, I picked up the book Kelly was reading last night. She had dog-eared a page and I read the chapter, remembering the scene and the dialog from when I had read it long ago. Kelly walked in the den and gave me a good morning kiss.
“Don’t lose my place,” she admonished in mock seriousness. I grunted. “You know, Sherlock got me thinking last night.”
“About what?” I asked.
“Bulldog’s chess moves. They’re almost like some kind of code.” I think the blood drained from my face as I stared at her. She saw it. “What?”
I quickly stood and walked over to the desk. Kelly joined me as I picked up the piece of paper. It was wrinkled and soiled now, but still legible.
“You are a fucking genius is what you are,” I said to her.
“When you say fucking, are you using it as a noun or an adjective?” she asked with a mischievous grin.
“I suppose both,” I replied with my own smile.
“It’s really a code?” she asked. I nodded solemnly.
“I believe it is.” I thought about Ruth. She didn’t have a lot of respect among her fellow Marines, but I knew from our conversations and chess games she was a smart one. Very underestimated. The whistling of the tea kettle barely registered in my brain as I sat at the desk and opened one of my notepads.
I never viewed farm work as a laborious burden. I liked farming. I liked working the crops and the livestock. But, today it seemed to take forever to complete the chores, and as any farmer can attest to, when it comes to farm work you’re never completely finished. Be that as it may, Kelly and I found a stopping point late in the afternoon and started toward home.
“What do you think about cooking something on the grill?” Kelly asked. “And I’ll fix up a green bean casserole.”
“It sounds wonderful. My stomach’s been growling for the last hour.”
“I’ve noticed,” she joked.
I was looking forward to getting home, but we were suddenly stopped by the appearance of some rotten bastards trying to get through the fence on the south side.
“Where did you nasty things come from?” I asked rhetorically as we approached the fence line. The three of them were snarling and gnashed at me as I got close. One of them was actually drooling at the prospect of taking a bite out of me. The fence kept us apart, which meant I didn’t need to waste ammunition. They looked pretty much the same as all of the other ones we’d seen lately.
“I’ll take care of them,” I said and stepped closer. I took the drooling one out first by taking the top of his head off with my machete. The second one leaned forward, burying the barbed wire into his skin as he tried to reach for me. I did a tomahawk ch
op on him, burying the machete all the way down to his furry unibrow. Then, before I could wrench the machete free, the third one backed off. He stared at me coldly with his black eyes before turning and shambling away.
“Oh, no you don’t,” I muttered. Kelly gasped as I used a fence post for leverage and climbed over. The third one turned his head as I landed and actually broke into an erratic run. He was having a hard time going in a straight line, looking much like a drunkard trying to flee from the police. I chased him down and swung at his neck. He went down in a clump. I landed a second blow to make sure he was done for and looked around anxiously. I didn’t see any others around, but you could never be certain these days.
“It looks like we’re not going home just yet,” I lamented. It took us an hour to drag them down to the sinkhole and set them on fire. We were exhausted and dirty by the time we finally made it home. I got some charcoal going on the grill and washed up.
“I hope that’s not a sign of what’s coming,” Kelly said as she washed up beside me.
“With the weather warming up, I think we can expect to start seeing them more frequently. We can’t be doing stuff on our own, that’s for sure. We’ll have to stick together like peas and carrots.”
“Fine by me,” Kelly said with a smile. I walked up behind her and put my arms around her.
“I don’t know why you like me,” I said softly. Kelly stopped fixing the casserole and clasped my arms.
“I’ve always liked you, Zach. You’re a good man.” Her voice lowered to a murmur.
“I think there’s something you should know though, I’m falling in love with you.” She paused again. “Hell, who am I fooling, I’m already in love with you.” She looked at me briefly before turning back to her casserole. It took me a long while to answer and I wrapped my arms tightly around her.
“I won’t lie to you. I think about Julie frequently, probably more than I should, I guess. But, I have to say, lately you occupy my thoughts quite often. I find myself watching you while you sleep, or while you’re brushing your hair, or while you’re doing nothing more than reading a book. Am I in love with you? I don’t know, Kelly. I’m all mixed up inside. I hope that makes sense.”
“More than you realize,” she said, turned and smiled at me. “Oh, I watch you when you sleep too,” she added. I looked at her skeptically.
“You do not,” I said. She continued smiling.
“Oh, yeah. Last night in fact. I watched you for about ten minutes and then I went into the den and figured out Bulldog’s coded message.” I think my jaw hit the floor. She giggled. “I was waiting to surprise you.”
“Are you shitting me?” I implored.
“I shit you not,” Kelly responded and retrieved one of my notepads out of a kitchen drawer. I started to reach for it but she jerked it away and grinned at me coyly. “Quid pro quo,” she said teasingly. I frowned and she continued grinning.
“Okay, so what am I going to have to do?”
“After dinner I want a hot shower and then a full body massage, from head to toes, and I especially want my feet rubbed. You’ve never done that for me.” She looked at me coyly, knowing I couldn’t resist.
“Your wish is my command,” I said with a flourish of my hand and snatched the notepad from her.
We ate dinner quietly as I read the product of her deciphering over and over, occasionally comparing it to Bulldog’s scribbling.
“The last part is only three letters, CDC. Is that what I think it is?” I nodded.
“The Center for Disease Control, it has to be. They’re in Atlanta.” I jumped up and got an Atlas out of the desk drawer.
“I-24 is the best route,” I muttered. “But, I’ve no doubt I’ll have to make some detours here and there.”
“When do we leave?” she asked. I continued looking at the map.
“Day after tomorrow. Don’t worry, I’ll get everything sorted for you before I go.” Kelly responded by shaking her head pointedly.
“Don’t even think about it, I’m going with you.” I looked at her coldly, candidly.
“That’s probably not a good idea, it’ll in all likelihood get very ugly.”
“Don’t be stupid, you know I’m going.” I was strongly inclined to be more forceful in my demand, but ultimately I knew better. I’d have to lock her in a closet or something to keep her from going. A part of me really wanted her with me, another part wasn’t so certain.
“Alright, if you’re sure.”
“Of course I’m sure.”
“Alright,” I said again. “We have a lot to do.” I thought a moment. “We’ll take the Volvo, so we need to get it prepped.”
“You take care of the truck and I’ll get some stuff packed,” Kelly said instantly. I grabbed her, kissed her, and held her tightly. It was sinking in slowly and I realized my pulse was racing. I finally knew where my kids were. At least, I hoped they were still there.
“You’re shaking,” Kelly said. She had her head against my chest. “And you’re heart is going a hundred miles-per-hour.”
“Yeah,” I mumbled. I was anxious, very anxious. All of the what-if scenarios were flooding my mind. What if it was a trap? What if they’d gone to the CDC and have since left? What if they’d been horribly mutilated in the experiments? What if they’d been killed? I continued holding Kelly and forced myself to calm down.
“There’s something I have to tell you.” Kelly pulled her head back and looked at me.
“I’ve killed more people than you know about. In fact, I’m not certain I’d ever be comfortable telling you exactly how many.”
“Okay,” Kelly responded tentatively.
“The point I’m trying to make is once we get down there, I’m not going to hesitate to kill anyone who gets in my way. That includes anyone who even looks like they’re going to get in my way. Maybe you shouldn’t be a part of that.”
“Fuck you, I’m going with you.”
“Okay,” I said. Can’t say I didn’t warn you, I thought, and hugged her again, tighter this time. After a long moment, she pulled away.
“We’ll get everything ready tomorrow, but tonight I’m going to have my hot bath and massage.”
“Okay,” I replied, knowing there was going to more than a bath and massage involved, and no, I wasn’t complaining.
My thoughts were preoccupied, which normally would have been an indicator of insanity. I mean, who in the hell would be preoccupied while in the middle of giving a full body massage to a beautiful, naked woman. Thankfully, by the time I got to her feet, she’d fallen sound asleep. I carefully got the blankets over us and I lay on my back, snuggled up next to her, thinking about my kids. I didn’t remember falling asleep; the last conscious thought I remembered was I wanted to jump in the truck and leave that very minute.
As fate would have it, we didn’t have to leave after all.
Chapter 10 – Children
I heard the noise of the vehicle before I actually saw it.
“Whoa, Hank,” I whispered forcefully as I pulled on the reins and jumped off of Hank, hurriedly pulling my rifle from the scabbard. I took cover behind a tree and watched as a military Humvee came into view and slowly made its way up the driveway to my former residence.
Julie and I… I mean, Kelly and I had spent all of yesterday getting everything ready, and this morning I was making one final check around the farm before the two of us headed out. But, what I was seeing out there in front of me meant our mission was going to be postponed. They’d finally come back for me.
The scene was like a surreal image in a movie. The vehicle, a dirty military Humvee, approached slowly, inexorably. I couldn’t feel anything below my waist, but my legs were steady. I made a concerted effort to control my breathing and keep my heart rate steady.
“I thought there’d be more,” I muttered as I used the side of the tree as a brace to steady the fore stock and take aim. This was it. I was going to take out as many as I could before they got me. There had to be more of them
. I wondered if there was another group moving in on Fred’s house at the same time and hoped Kelly wasn’t caught off guard. Jumping on Hank and hightailing back to the house would have been futile. If that was their plan, they were already there. Whatever her fate, I was going to kill as many as I could, and if I lived through this, I’d see what I could do.
They must have spotted me; the Humvee’s tires barked in protest as the driver slammed on the brakes. There were definitely two of them sitting in the front seat and the backseat had passengers as well. As I was about to shoot through the windshield, the driver got out and raised her hands.
It was Ruth, AKA Corporal Bulldog. I’d recognize her anywhere. She wasn’t looking so good. Her dirty combat uniform hung loosely on her, and her face bore the appearance of someone who’d not slept in a while. For a brief moment I felt sorry for her. She looked directly at me and waved tentatively. I held my position and waited, wondering if anyone was making a move to flank me, or perhaps they had a sniper out there somewhere and he was waiting for me to come out in the open for a clear shot.
All of these thoughts were rushing through my brain as I caressed the trigger, but suddenly, as I watched, something unbelievable happened. There was no controlling my heart rate now, it shot up like someone just popped me in the ass with a cattle prod. Two other people got out of the Humvee and as I kept watching, they helped two children get out.
My children.
I immediately took my finger off of the trigger and fought hard to settle myself. When my hands stopped shaking, I whistled for Hank, saddled up, and slowly made my way toward them, all the while holding the rifle at the ready. Stopping several feet away, I gave them the once over and peered inside the military vehicle. There were three assault rifles lying in the back seat along with some duffel bags stuffed in the cargo compartment.
“Hello, Zach,” Ruth said nervously.
Zombie Rules (Book 4): Destiny Page 7