by Flacco, Jack
“Soldier’s passed the news between the squads about how this place existed and there was no interference with anyone wanting to do things. They called it Paradise because it’s the next best thing to Heaven.”
“The military couldn’t allow all these desertions. How did they stop it?” Randy asked.
“They didn’t. They had no choice. The military knows about Paradise, but let it be. At least according to what Sergeant Baskins said. He also said the military would one day take care of Paradise, but that day had yet to come. Most of the soldiers still serving in the army are too afraid to approach this place because of the zombies roaming about. They would first have to take down the undead then attack the reinforced walls, which the settlers had built for the specific purpose of thwarting not only chewers but also the army. They have running water, electricity and a mini government where no one can interfere with their plans of survival.” Abigail walked in the middle of the circle and looked around expecting someone to interrupt the next few things on her mind. “It’s not going to be easy getting in there. Sergeant Baskins made it clear the only way in there is if we know someone on the inside who would invite us in. Otherwise, we’re no way closer to getting in without that help.”
“Great. I was expecting they were the bad guys.” Ranger scratched his day-old stubble on his face.
Abigail turned to Ranger and said, “I can get us in.”
“What do you mean you can get us in? How?”
“Friends of Sergeant Baskins had already made it in. If I can contact them, then I can get us in.”
Ranger laughed, which prompted the others to laugh. It was a relief for the others to think that Ranger thought Abigail’s plan was as ridiculous as it sounded. They weren’t expecting his reaction and it came as a good way to relieve the tension.
Abigail stood there watching everyone laugh. She could see it in their faces they needed it. She waited until the laughter died a natural death.
“How do you suggest getting near the place?” Ranger pinched his mouth removing the smile from his face. “Knock on their doors?”
“I’ve got a plan.”
* * *
Ranger and the kids stood on the hill overlooking the San Francisco Bay where Paradise made it its home. They took a better look at the place, passing the binoculars between them as a way of sharing in their observations.
One road led to the fortress’ gate. Not really a gate but more of a box, the undead blocked the box. Matty saw it first. If a vehicle needed to get out, the back entrance could open, let through the vehicle, close the back entrance then open the front entrance to let the vehicle pass without worrying chewers would attack the inside.
The walls stood twenty to thirty feet in height. No one knew for sure and Ranger thought it more in the thirty-foot range than anything else. Made of solid concrete, someone took the time to make sure nothing could break through the barrier. At the top, sentries patrolled the area, monitoring the chewers below. They didn’t do anything other than march and look over the wall to ensure nothing would pose a threat.
Inside the walls, homes, shops and factories sat in their own sections like a regular city would except individual fences stood between them to discourage breaches. The residents weren’t taking any chances. If the walls came down, they’d have fences to prevent the chewers from spreading. Unlike the compound where Ranger and the kids had come from, where the residents there had built makeshift walls out of papier-mâché, these were chain-linked fences bolted into the ground with barbed wire grooming the tops.
At the back of the fortress, water lapped along the shore. It contrasted the meticulous care the residents had taken for the front and sides.
“That’s how we’re going to get in,” Abigail said. “If we can find a boat, we can dock from the bay and get in that way. The security is minimal and the—”
“Slow down there, little lady.” Ranger said, passing the binoculars to Silver. “First, we don’t have a boat. All the boats I see are miles away. We’d have to travel around the city with the hope of missin’ the horde, and hop on a boat, which we’d have to make sure chewers hadn’t overrun. Second, we don’t even know if these boats have any gas left in them. Do you know what a chore it is to findin’ one that would even start? And that’s not to say we’d find one. If we do, how do we know it’ll run? Third, I don’t like sailin’ boats.”
“Yeah, Ranger, but I do.” Silver said, looking through the binoculars at the docks nearby. “I got my boating license a few weeks before this mess with the eaters started. I don’t have a problem sailing a boat.”
“Well?” Abigail asked.
Ranger shook his head then said, “Somethin’s not right. It sounds too easy. A place where all this trouble went into guardin’ the front but then leaving the back free for anyone to come in? It doesn’t make sense.”
“Maybe that’s what the residents were hoping.” Jon said, looking up at his hero.
The others suddenly found what Jon had to say interesting and shifted their gazes on him.
“Maybe those people in that city made it that way. Think about it for a minute. Zombies can’t swim. Why protect an area where those things can’t attack? That would have saved the people time building the thing and it would have left an open door for those who would consider joining them. Makes sense, right?”
“He’s got a point.” Matty said.
“Yeah, he sure does.” Ranger nodded.
“Okay, what if we do get one of these boats from another dock. Why not take the boat and ride off into the sunset.” Randy said. “It would make better sense to do that than to join another group thinking we’d be safe. If we get the boat and ride it out to a small island somewhere, then we’d be sure that no one would bother us for the rest of our lives. What do you think of that idea?”
“The reason that wouldn’t work,” Jon jumped in not waiting for anyone else to come up with an answer, “is because we don’t even know how much gas we need to get there—wherever there is. We need a plan, and this seems to be the right one. Right?”
Heads nodded. Faces smiled. What Jon said made the most sense. Why spend the time building a wall somewhere when zombies couldn’t swim in the first place?
“All right, then we have a plan.” Ranger said. “We’ll drive along the outer edge of the fortress where the chewers can’t get to us, head to the shore and hope by some miracle there’ll be a boat for us to take. From there, we’ll sail it to the fortress and we’ll ask whoever’s in charge permission for entry.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. However, even though Matty heard Ranger’s reassuring words, she knew him long enough to understand why he had doubts about the situation. She thought he had a point and wondered why no one else noticed his cautious attitude.
That was when the sound of guns cocked behind them. Two men with shotguns held their ground, standing firm as a barrier to the pickup. The men, one short and large, the other lean and tall, couldn’t look any different from each other. They motioned with their guns for the kids to drop their firearms. Everyone did as instructed, except Matty. She dropped her knife but held her silver Colt .45 in the small of her back.
Lean One gathered the weapons in a pile in front of the group. Then he turned his back while Bulky One held his gun on Jon and Abigail. He figured no one would try anything if he held the youngest kids hostage.
“Where are you coming from?” Bulky One asked.
Ranger and the kids knew better. They stared at the two of them without a word.
“C’mon, now. Where are you from?”
Again, no answer.
“Listen, we don’t have all day. All I want to know is if you’re one of them or one of us.”
Right there, Ranger’s head swam in thought. One of them? he thought. What did he mean by that? Did they mean the folks in Paradise are not what they seem?
“They wouldn’t be one of them, boss.” Lean One said. “They’re too young.”
“Except for the cow
boy here.”
They both laughed pointing at Ranger’s boots and baseball cap he wore.
“If I haven’t seen a redneck in all my life, I’ve seen one now.” Bulky One said.
Matty studied both of them. Like the rest, she had her hands in the air and waited for an opportunity the pair would slip. Then she’d go in her back and pull the gun she so loved using on the zombies. She hadn’t used it on humans though, which could prove a problem.
“Look, what are you? On a scouting mission? Looking for food? On your way to that place down there? Be honest. We’re like you. We’re the hunted ones. We don’t want any trouble. Take a chance and tell us what you want and we can help.”
Not a word passed anyone’s lips. They stood in one spot motionless. Whatever the two wanted, Ranger and the kids weren’t about to tell them anything.
“All right, be that way.” Bulky One said.
“What should we do with them?” Lean One asked.
“Cover them from behind. Let’s go see if anything’s in the truck.”
Lean One strolled around them and as Bulky One swung around thinking Lean One had it under control, Matty pulled her gun on Lean One while Ranger dove for his shotgun and pointed it at Bulky One.
Now it was an even fight, Ranger thought.
* * *
Lean One and Bulky One sat next to each other on the pickup’s hatch with their hands tied behind their back. Randy and Silver had their guns aimed at the pair’s faces while Ranger and Matty stood several feet away so as the prisoners couldn’t hear what they were saying. Jon and Abigail flanked the sides listening.
“What are we going to do with them?” Matty asked.
“That’s not what’s botherin’ me. I wanna know what they meant when they asked if we were one of the folks livin’ in that fortress.” Ranger cracked his knuckles. “If they were good people, why would they ask? They’ve been there or have heard of stories of other folks being there.”
“And what did he mean when he said we were too young to come from that place?” Jon asked. “What do they do in there, eat kids?”
“Maybe they have child sacrifices.” Abigail said, but she was being sarcastic.
“I’ve got to find out.” Ranger said, pulling at his belt to settle himself in his jeans.
In the meantime, Silver had his own agenda. Unbeknownst to Randy he saw the men sitting on the hatch as enemies, and like every enemy, he saw them as people who posed a threat to his friends. He had nothing else in his heart other than to squash them both.
With that thought in his mind, Silver walked up to Bulky One and placed the barrel of his gun on his forehead, “Do you believe in God?”
“What?” Bulky One said as he trembled.
“God. Do you believe in him?”
Without anyone holding him back, Ranger sneaked from behind Silver and pulled the gun from his hand. “Not now. I have a few questions for him.”
Randy placed his hand over his mouth having all he could do not to laugh.
Ranger gave Silver back his gun and said, “Go and stand over there where you can’t cause any more damage.”
Silver did as Ranger asked while Randy stood with his gun in his hand pointing it at the men. One thing was certain. If Ranger knew anything about people, he knew how to get his point across.
“Now,” he said, crossing his arms, “What’s this you said about me being a redneck?”
“You look like one.” Bulky One said.
Ranger walked up to him and threw him a punch to the face. “I’m offended.”
Bulky One dropped on his back, knocked out cold.
“What about you? Do you have anything to say?”
Lean One shook his head, but asked, “What are you going to do with us?”
“I’m tryin’ to decide whether I should kick your ass now or wait until he wakes up.”
“Listen Mister, I had nothing to do with anything. My pal here thought it would’ve been a good idea to find out where you came from. Nothing else.”
“Did I say you could talk?”
“No, you didn’t.”
“Good. Then shut up.” Ranger said and walked away. After several feet, he focused on Lean One while Randy smiled.
Randy knew Ranger couldn’t forego an opportunity to get information from someone who thought could outwit him. He’d try his best to get what he could.
“Where are you boys from?” Ranger asked.
“I can talk now?” Lean One asked, wiggling his nose from a sneeze.
“Yeah. You can talk.”
“We’re from Nebraska. We heard there was a place here in California that would help survivors cope with the mess that has taken over the cities. We travelled through towns and across mountains to get here. No one knows this area like we do. We’ve been trying to get into that place since we got here.”
“What did he mean when he asked if we were one of them?”
“Don’t pay attention to my friend here. We just haven’t found a way to get into that place and figure you knew more about it than we did.”
“Right.” Ranger rubbed the dull headache away with his thumbs to his temples. He turned to Randy and locked his grip on the teen’s arm, then dragged him as far from Lean One as he could. The zombie slayer asked, “What do you think?”
“He’s lying.” Randy said. “The guy is totally nervous. Did you see how he was biting his lip? It’s as if he hadn’t eaten for a week.”
“What do you think we should do?”
“I think we should make him tell us what he knows. He knows something. I don’t think we’ll get it out of him by being nice.”
Ranger thought the same thing. He marched to Lean One and asked, “Where’s your vehicle?”
“Vehicle?” Lean one said. He bit the inside of his lip harder than ever. “It broke down several miles east of here.”
“On this road?”
“Yeah, that’s it. On this road. We walked all the way here from our car.”
“That’s funny. I didn’t see a car broken down on this highway.”
“We hid it in the bush so that no one would find our supplies in the trunk.”
The thought of the two men walking several miles only to find Ranger and the kids overlooking the San Francisco Bay seemed too convenient. He said it in the simplest of terms, “A nice little package.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lean One asked.
“I’m gonna wait until your friend here wakes up. Then you, him and me are gonna drive to your car. If it’s like you said, then you have nothing to worry about.” Ranger stepped closer to Lean One staring at him directly in the eye, “But if you’re lying to me. God help you.”
Chapter 19
An hour passed before Bulky One woke up from the punch in the face Ranger had administered as a cheap sedative. Jon and Abigail had kept a close watch on the two men sitting on the pickup’s hatch. Ranger had instructed the kids to call him when he came to.
They called him.
In the middle of having a semblance of a lunch, a can of tuna, which Ranger said he’d never have in his life, but had ate it anyway, Ranger rose from sitting on a log where the others continued to munch away at the leftovers from the goods they had plundered from the hotel they had stayed in Las Vegas. He tossed the leftovers by the side of the road. He held his stomach and sneered at the thought he had eaten what he hated the most.
With a sneer on his face, Ranger wasn’t about to relent on manhandling the strangers in the truck. They had it coming. He asked the kids to wait for him there. Of course, Matty had her own ideas, as did Randy. They wanted to go with Ranger. He didn’t argue but asked her, who would look after Abigail and Jon while she was away? If something were to happen to her, would she feel bad having left the kids alone with Silver? He said all this in a whisper then added they could certainly go with him, if they were okay with leaving the kids. Matty backtracked and decided to stay. Randy stayed behind as well only because of Matty.
T
hat was when Ranger called to Silver to ride with him. Ranger didn’t feel like arguing with anyone while he was away and thought Silver could help get the men out of the truck when the time came for him to ask them questions. In his mind, Silver had a practical way of solving problems Matty and Randy didn’t have. He felt the boy didn’t have a conscience in order to be nice to the strangers. Ranger was sure Silver would do what he asked without questions.
With the men’s hands still tied behind their backs, Ranger hopped on the hatch between them, grabbed them by the scruff of the neck and dragged them to lean against the back of the cab. Ranger was humming as he did this, which made Lean One and Bulky One glance at one another with fear in their eyes. They weren’t sure what kind of person Ranger was, but whatever he was, he enjoyed what he was doing.
Ranger jumped from the back and slammed the hatch to the pickup shut. Silver scooted to the passenger side while the zombie killer asked the others to hide in the woods. He wouldn’t be long.
* * *
Once Ranger left, Matty led the others into the bush where the fortress called Paradise remained as their topic of conversation. The situation worked perfectly for them. The sun had peaked in the sky and the heat began to beat on their heads. The shade was a cool welcome to their wet brows and sticky shirts.
As the kids passed the binoculars to one another, they examined the sentries pacing their posts on the walls while several feet at the bottom, zombies growled their hatred for the humans that reigned over them. The undead roamed about, dragging their limbs as they screamed and hollered. Every single area where a wall stretched, an eater covered it with its paws. Above all else, the entrance had double the chewers rocking back and forth waiting for someone to leave the safety of the city.
Through the binoculars, Jon held his gaze on the back of the fortress where he spotted men moving crates from the docks to a boat anchored to the shore. He couldn’t read what the crates held, but he saw two men hauling them. Next, he also spied on men in military uniforms chatting by the side on the docks, then laughing. He couldn’t figure what any of it had to do with keeping the people in the fortress safe, yet he remained adamant knowing Ranger would find out.