“I sincerely do appreciate the compliment Lester, but I'm guessing you two can come up with a couple of tricks too.” Ria suggested.
Gideon started to speak, but Ria stopped him with a wag of her finger as she shifted her eyes towards Les. Gideon looked directly at Les. “You're running security here Les.”
“Okay. For starters I was thinking we could pull some equipment from Jefferson. Dig some pits along the main road. Then if we drop a line of trees up from these front corners, it'll give us a natural fence and some sight lines to boot.” Les said, before pausing to see if Gideon approved.
“Sounds like a plan. Pick your team, you'll be starting in a few days.” Gideon responded.
The next few weeks saw a flurry of activity to get the new location ready for the community to move in. As predicted the noises and activity drew the dead to them. The defenses put in place snared the majority of them. This still meant Les and his team were kept busy on the high risk work of cleaning out the pits, removing the dead entangled in dropped trees and clearing the fences.
The river that ran by the location was deep enough and fast enough that the dead could not cross it. This did not stop the dead from being drawn to the drone of their generator, powering their saws and lights. The dead that waded in from the far side of the river and were swept downstream by the current did so with enough frequency that Harve and his builders began calling them 'bobbers'.
Ria and Andy we're doing double duty. Taking out a team to pre-emptively distract any dead ones into moving away from the sounds of the build. Then leading salvage teams to supply the community for the winter. The immediate need was cool weather clothes and blankets. Their salvage efforts initially focused on isolated homes. Early on they had success on this low hanging fruit, but as the weeks passed they were increasingly finding that someone had ransacked these homes ahead of them.
The leaves were beginning to change when Gideon lead his group to the new location. The relief the community expressed to be surrounded by high fences and to sleep in a solid building, put a grin on Gideon's face that stretched from ear to ear. Gideon was fully aware of the dangers that existed just outside of those fences and how much these people needed, but damn this was a huge step forward.
The years first frost had happened weeks ago and the Georgia winter was coming into full swing. Mildred's fall plot was providing the community with winter greens and they were looking forward to harvesting carrots and beets in the spring. Food was still an issue, forcing the need to constantly form hunting parties. All in all Gideon's community was hanging in there and since no one had been really tracking the days, Gideon decided one morning to declare it was Christmas.
They had rationed food from day one, on this occasion for their evening meal everyone was going to be allowed to eat their fill. Gifts had little meaning, if someone needed something and the community had it to give, that person had it. However, some treats of candy were given out. Ria was one exception to this. She had constantly refused to take a coat or sweater choosing to give it to another. She had made do with a ratty, oversized mens coat.
At the end of the meal Gideon and a teenaged girl came to Ria and presented her with a package. Ria opened the package to find a coat, handmade from tent canvas and lined with the remnants of a wool blanket.
Ria held up the jacket, blinking tears from her eyes. “Gideon Morrow, I do declare you are a man of many talents.”
Gideon shook his head. “Oh I can make or stitch or two in a pinch, but Bess here is the true seamstress.”
Ria turned to the young women. “Bess you are a gem. As rare and fine as they come. I am truly grateful to you.”
Bess blushed at the praise and rushed to point out the detail of the coat. “The cloth is treated against rain and the liner comes out if you get too warm. It has lots of pouches for your gear. Your rifle magazines go in these ones and the ones for your pistol over here.”
Ria slipped on the coat and moved her hands over the pouches as Bess described them then hugged the girl. “I will thank your thoughtfulness every time I wear this, Bess.”
As the girl slipped away Ria turned back to Gideon. “Any word from Andy or Rex?”
Gideon shook his head. “Not in a while. Rex radioed, some time ago and said they were on the trail of some hogs. Hunts have a way of dragging on and those two can fend for themselves.”
Ria feigned a smile, trying not to worry, as Les came over to them carrying a large jug. “I found a use for those dried up raisins we found.”
Gideon's eyes fixed on the jug and his hand shook a little as he took the glass of fermented raisin jack. “Well I guess a little taste wouldn't hurt.”
The sun had long set when Rex entered the community dining hall, to see his lifelong friend in a state he had hoped would never happen again. Gideon was surrounded by a crowd and was entertaining them with stories from his past. The scene seemed innocent enough, but Rex recognized the signs.
As Rex approached Gideon called out to him. “Rex where you been son, we've been frettin about you.”
“No need to worry. Andy bagged a huge boar and we've been wrestling it out ever since. Why don't you head over to the shack and help him break it down.” Rex replied.
Gideon perked up “A boar you say. Remember when we went on that Russian boar hunt? Meanest bunch of tuskers we ever saw.”
Rex nodded. “I do. I'm sure Andy would be glad to hear all about that.”
When Gideon went out, only a little unsteady from the raisin jack, Rex pulled Les and Ria to the side. “I'm going to need your help. Gideon's been my friend for more years than I remember. The only time I ever thought of calling things quit with him, was when the bottle took ahold of him. I've kept him off the sauce for ten years and now that is all gone.”
Les immediately felt guilty for sharing his homemade moonshine. “I didn't know. I'll dump the rest of it out and won't make no more.”
Rex waved away Les' concerns. “It's not your fault. It's not something that just comes up, but that cork is out now and the next several days are going to be hard. Keep this clamped down, these people don't need to hear about Gideon's demons.”
Ria put her hand on Rex's arm. “Whatever you need. Just tell us.”
Rex gave her a wan smile. “Help me keep him distracted. All it takes is a little taste and he's going to be looking for hooch wherever he can find it. The days should be okay, but the nights. The nights are going to be rough.”
As winter slowly became spring the success of the hunters waned. With nearly a hundred mouths to feed, even with rationing, that amounts to a lot of food every day. They were still a month away from planting the fields, they were in the final stages of clearing and it would be longer still before those fields started producing. The long and short of it was, they needed to go into the towns overrun with the dead to find supplies.
Rex was looking angrily at the carnage in front of him. He and Andy had scouted three small towns this morning and found the same scene at each town. Some group came in before them and unleashed a hailstorm of bullets at the dead. Then wantonly smashed and destroyed as they cleared out the goods. “What are we up against here Andrew?”
Andy shook his head. “I got no idea. Let's take a look back at the map and come up with a plan.”
Rex and Andy marked off the three small towns off of 85 that had been hit. Rex scratched his head. “Okay I give you it looks like they are moving south and west down 85. Which is away from us, still this is scary shit. Whoever this is they are not afraid to spend bullets. If they find our group, it could be a bloodbath.”
Andy sucked his teeth, considering his response. “Like you said they are headed away from us. Let's not jump to conclusions on who this is, could be they are just pissed off at the dead. Our camp is off the beaten track, I think we should do that to. Makes it a little slower getting around on back roads, but if we run into this group, I want it to be on our terms.”
Rex nodded. “We'll run this by Gideon, give him a
chance to chew on it for a bit. Before we head to the backroads, indulge me in a little trip up 129. There are a couple of bigger towns, we may see something that could be a big score.”
On the outskirts of Pendergrass, Rex and Andy stood looking at a large warehouse. The fence around the canned goods distribution operation was holding back more dead than they could count. “This could be the score we're looking for Andy.”
Andy's eyes widened with incredulity. “You got a set of wings I don't know about? Otherwise we step one foot in there and those things will chew us down to the bone.”
Rex smiled. “I got some ideas. We need to know if there is anything in there first. I hate heading back empty handed and bearing bad news to boot. We need a morale booster, especially if we cut rations again.”
The next morning Rex and Andy pulled out again, followed by Ria and Darnell. The bed of the pickup was filled with a collection of items meant to draw the attention of the dead alongside a large duffel tossed in by Rex. As they rode to the warehouse Darnell, as usual prior to a mission, kept up a stream of nervous chatter. Normally Ria would humor him and respond back, but worry on the dangers of today's mission, kept her in a pensive silence.
They pulled up a distance from the warehouse and surveyed it through binoculars. The enclosed area in front of the building was entirely paved over. A single semi trailer was sitting neatly to one corner. Down each side of the enclosure was a narrow grassy strip, about thirty yards wide. The massive number of dead milling around in the enclosure had the grass tramped down, but Rex still thought it could provide him some cover.
Rex pulled his ghillie suit out of the duffel bag and began putting it on as Andy tried to talk him out of this harebrained scheme. “Rex, you don't have to do this man. We'll find another way.”
Rex shook his head. “I won't go in until I'm sure you've lured the dead away. They won't see me in this get up. All I want is a quick look inside to see if it's worth the effort to plan this out.”
Rex followed the brush line down to where he was planning on opening a hole in the fence. Andy jumped into the back of the pickup where Ria was already seated in the elevated blind, attached to the bed of the truck. As they waited for Rex to radio that he was in position, Ria opened the flap to speak to her brother. “Andrew I do not have a good feeling about this.”
The seriousness of her words conveyed by using her brother's given name. “I tried more than once to talk him out of this. I figure he is better off in our hands than anyone else he might drag into this.”
The radio chirped and then Rex's voice came across. “In position, bunch em up.”
Andy tapped on the roof of the pick up and Darnell backed it up near the fence. The dead began moving towards the fence as the pickup came to a stop. Andy hopped out taking a bag of fireworks with him and took up a position behind the semi-trailer. Andy began sending up bottle rockets over the trailer, to bunch the dead up, but keep them from rushing the fence. Darnell climbed out of the cab and joined Ria in the blind. Darnell used a slingshot to send bombs that emitted plumes of colored smoke onto the center of parking lot.
Ria rested the butt of her rifle in her lap and used her binoculars to watch Rex make an opening in the fence and stretched out on his belly to proceed across the grassy strip on his fingers and toes. When Rex was getting close to the building, Ria had Darnell toss a few packs of firecrackers over the fence to focus the attention of the dead away from the building.
With a quick glance to make sure the coast was clear, Rex inserted the pry bar and popped the door open. With Rex inside they slowed the barrage of fireworks to a trickle, only setting them off when the dead became to curious about the pickup. Ria was so focused on watching for Rex that she was startled when the radio chirped and Rex questioned. “Is it clear?”
Andy and Darnell increased the rate of their fireworks, as soon as the dead were fully engaged on the fireworks Ria answered. “Clear.”
Rex came out, secured the door with a chain and smiling reached into his pockets and held up a can of spam and a jar of applesauce. Pausing just long enough to make sure Ria saw, he turned and put the spam in one pocket and began to slide the applesauce into another. As she replayed the events back through her mind, Ria was never sure what happened, but the blood drained from Rex's face as the jar of applesauce missed his pocket and shattered on the pavement.
The dead turned to this new sound as Ria screamed. “Rex. Run.”
Ria became a machine sending bullet after bullet at the mass of dead moving on Rex. From his position Andy couldn't tell what happened, but if Ria was firing it couldn't be good. He jumped into the back of the pickup and joined his sister firing at the dead. Ria emptied her magazine, pulled it out, handed it to Darnell to reload then slammed in a new one. At first Ria tried to keep a path clear for Rex, but as the dead swarmed on him she only wanted to end his pain.
Ria ripped out the empty magazine and thrust it to Darnell, but he refused it. Ria growled. “Load it.”
Darnell placed a hand on her shoulder. “It's over Miss Ria. You done did all you could.”
Ria turned and looked up at Darnell, tears filling her eyes. “I tried to make a hole. Take him out, but there was always another one in the way.”
Gideon took the news of the death of his lifelong friend with a surprising amount of stoicism, showing more concern in consoling Ria. “You can't blame yourself, my Dear. Rex was always a high risk, high reward guy. He gave his life trying to help these people, in my book that makes him a hero.”
Andy stepped up and gave Gideon a manly hug. Gideon patted the younger man on the back, before stepping away. “We gotta keep moving forward, my boy. Tomorrow, I'll take Rex's place on your run, Lester can take care of things here. I just ask that we take a little side trip so I can say goodbye to my buddy.”
The community took the death of Rex hard. To them it represented a failure, that they could ill afford. To see Gideon pull out with the salvage team, had many wondering if Gideon would be the next to die. While others were wondering if Gideon could fix their declining rations.
After a short stop at the warehouse, where Rex gave his life, Gideon rode in the lead truck as they headed north to the next small town. There they found a gas station, a bar and grill and a dollar store. The team had done these operations enough that they quickly fell into their routine. Gideon wisely let Andy take control and took his cue from the others.
They hit the dollar store first, with Andy testing the main doors and finding them unlocked. Andy tapped on the doors to lure any dead inside to show themselves. There were only two dead inside and they were able to use the doors, opening them just enough to stab each one under the jaw up into the brain.
Disappointment set in, when they found anything that hadn't already been taken, had been ruined by rats and mice. Stuck in a corner shelf of the back store room they found a few jars of peanut butter and bottles of soft drinks. They also loaded up a goodly amount of soap, shampoo, maxi-pads and somewhat mouse chewed toilet paper.
Ria, perched in her blind, caught Andy's thumbs down when he exited the dollar store. Ria took a pensive breath, when Andy took Garcia and Cam to the gas station, while Gideon lead Arlo and a lanky young man, they always called Skinny, to the bar.
Andy's group, was able to pull a few gallons of diesel and gasoline. Arlo and Skinny came out of the bar, with a big jar of pickled baloney, under each arm. Ria watched, as Gideon followed the two out and surreptitiously, slipped something into his coat pocket.
Over the next few days, the team went out searching for supplies. Some days, they would go house to house and others, they would go into a small town. They added small bits to their food supply, but not nearly enough. Back at their community, the final preparations were being made to the land they had cleared for planting, but it would still be a few weeks, before they could plant and weeks, or months, depending on what was planted, before they could harvest. Each day, groups would go out and fish the river, moving further and
further downstream.
Each night, after their meager supper, Gideon would retreat to his trailer with a map tucked under his arm and try to find someplace to supply them. It was obvious to Ria and everyone else, that Gideon was spending most of his time drinking. On more than one occasion, Andy had to remind Gideon, that the location he had selected, had already been picked over.
This all came to a head, a week after Rex's death, when Mildred confronted a group, pilfering their food stores, a couple of hours before dawn. The shouting match that broke out, soon had the rest of the community up.
“You don't want to do this Benjamin.” Mildred cautioned.
“This place is going to hell Mildred, Morrow can't be trusted and you know it.” Benjamin countered.
Gideon staggered out of his trailer and in a slurred speech, demanded. “Wass going on here?”
“See what I mean, it's almost dawn and he's still so drunk, he can barely stand up. Just give us our share of the supplies and we're out of here.” Benjamin demanded.
Dead Reckoning_HZA, Vol. 3 Page 5