The Next Ten: Beginnings Series Books 11 - 20

by Jacqueline Druga

  “I understand but you have to understand that we aren’t bothering anyone.”

  “I won’t argue with that,” George said. “Imagine this side of the country is your house, Mike, and then imagine Lodi as a non-paying border. How long would you wait until you asked that border to pay up or move out?”

  Mike breathed out heavily. “It’s not the same thing. No one owns the country. Last I recall, this is a free country.”

  “It is, but it’s a country that needs to be strong. I have argued time and time again with my counterparts, Beginnings and UWA, that this country has a lot to offer. We need to rebuild it and build it strong.”

  “By armies? I don’t understand.”

  “We haven’t a clue what’s out there, Mike,” George said. “We don’t know what’s across our ocean. Before this world ended, we fed seventy-five percent of the population. Seventy-five percent. We’re an open hand right now, exposed and vulnerable. I want to protect that hand from some other country coming over and slapping it. To do so, I need a strong country, undivided.”

  “You really think Russia, China, or anyone else for that matter is gonna come and want to take this country.”

  “Why do you not think it’s a possibility?” George asked.

  Mike scoffed, “The world ended.”

  “The world still needs to eat. We are a resource country. If they don’t have it, where are they gonna go? I have a strong feeling about this.”

  “Why?”

  “Why? Because if we’re rebuilding, so are they,” George said. “Like I said, I need an undivided country. It starts on this half. It starts with you. I want Lodi with us or against us. If you are going to be with us, fine. You will still have authority over this town and this town can reap the benefits of what the Society has to offer. But this town will also pay rent, pull its weight, and be a part.”

  “If I turn you down?” Mike asked.

  “I’ll ask you to leave,” George said.

  “If I refuse?”

  Pause. A serious quiet took over and George looked at Mike. “I’ll evict you at any cost.” George saw the red form on Mike’s neck. “Before you get yourself steamed up and spew something from that mouth, listen to me. I cannot have you here on this side if you are not with us. You are located in a prime spot, a spot that Beginnings can utilize. I know Beginnings has been here. You have a Beginnings phone.”

  “There is a reason for that phone other than taking on their freedom fight.”

  George nodded. “Then it would be one of two other things, a resource for food or health.” He caught glimpse of Mike’s reaction, a reaction that screamed ‘Bingo!’. “Ah-huh.” George nodded. “Keep in mind, we have medical technology too.”

  “I know you said you don’t want a decision today but …”

  “I don’t. Stop,” George said. “When I leave here, I want to leave here without tension. Understood? I’ll leave tomorrow and one of my people will stay behind a couple more days and await your response. Once I get that, we will take the next step.”

  “I don’t need a couple of days.”

  “Take a couple of days to think, Mike,” George said. “Think of your town. Think of your people. Put it to a vote. You said it was a free country. Don’t make a decision for your people without knowing exactly what they want. You don’t know that unless you’ve already put it to a vote. Did you?”

  Mike was silent.

  “I didn’t think so. Now … I’m looking at this as a mini vacation. I rather like this town.”

  Mike grumbled.

  George chuckled. “It reminds me some of Beginnings, especially the town square out there.” He pointed. “We’ll conclude this. I would, however, like to sit down with you and just sit. No business. No enemy to enemy, just man to man.”

  “For?” Mike asked.

  “Just to see who you are.”

  Mike nodded once with a mouth swished to one side. “I’ll let you know.”

  George stood up. “Good. I look …”

  “Hey, Mike.” Johnny bolted in without looking. “You think it’s okay if I went …” Johnny’s eyes shifted to his left. He froze.

  So did George. He was only able to whisper out in his shock, “Johnny.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  “It’s a typical Beginnings outlandish circumstance induced migraine.” Danny rubbed his temples as they drove in the truck to Jordan. “Only normalcy will make it better.”

  Jason snickered. “And you think going to Jordan to check on the meteor madness will be the aspirin you need?”

  Danny only shifted his eyes to Jason. “Put me in your time machine. Send me back. Just send me back pre-plague.”

  Jason only smiled and then went serious. “No.”

  Danny groaned. “He says that this day. Going Jordan is going to be the aneurysm that does me in.”

  Elliott had to chuckle. “Danny, you’re overreacting. Calm down.”

  “I can’t.” Danny shook his head. “I want to have everything in order for Joe, free and easy. You know Dean has news to deliver to him when he returns. Dean won’t say what it is but you know it has to do with his health.”

  Elliott sighed out. “Then maybe we can relieve some of this pressure.”

  “I wish,” Danny said. “To do that would mean we have to remove the things on his list and you and I know there’s no way to remove or hide the fact that Forrest was attacked and his toenails were removed.”

  “Any idea on who did it?” Elliott asked.

  “None.” Danny shook his head. “Jason, what do you think?”

  Calmly and seriously, Jason answered, “I think he got drunk. When he does that, he likes to sit alone. He probably told someone ‘take the bar stool but if you ask’ and they thought he said, ‘Take the bar stool I’ll kick your ass’. It’s happened before.” Jason shrugged. “He’ll grow the toenails back. It’s no big deal.”

  Danny swung a view Jason’s away. “You and Dean have this nonchalant attitude about this.”

  “It’s his toenails. Admit it. It’s funny. You have to know Forrest to appreciate the humor in this.”

  Danny’s mouth went agape.

  Elliott disagreed. “We still need to view this as a crime.”

  Jason shrugged. “Some of us will. Some of us won’t.”

  “Okay.” Danny held up his head. “Leaving Forrest topic behind for a moment, Sgt. Ryder, let’s discuss your solution for us entering Jordan.”

  Jason nodded. “I think it’s brilliant.”

  “It was,” Danny said.

  “What’s wrong?” Elliott asked.

  Danny scoffed a laugh. “Frank is huge. Hal is huge. Robbie is almost huge. So tell me how we’re gonna pull off that he … is Jimmy Slagel.” Danny pointed to Ellen’s brother Richie, who just smiled.

  Elliott shrugged. “It’s Beginnings. Anything is possible.”

  ***

  The hard cold dirt sprayed upward and landed in a pattering spray onto the paper Ellen had perched on her lap. “God, Frank,” She dusted off the dirt with a swipe of her hand.

  Frank’s laughter precluded his emergence from the hole. “El, come on down here. We got another one of these claws.” He lifted it up.

  “Don’t say ‘rah’.”

  Frank growled, laughed, and then tossed the raptor claw Ellen’s way. “Pretty soon you’ll be able to make a necklace.”

  “Won’t I be the envy?” she said sarcastically and lifted the claw.

  “Come on and dig with us.” Frank beckoned.

  “I’ll pass. I’m just gonna sit here and stay warm.” She indicated to the small can fire.

  “If you change your mind …”

  Ellen gave a thumbs up. “I’ll let you know.”

  Frank smiled, turned, and yelled something about Robbie not touching the big bone.

  Shaking her head, Ellen checked out the claw and laid it on the ground. It ‘clicked’ as it landed with the others in a pile. Blowing more dirt from her paper, Ellen raised
her pen.

  “Quite the collection.” Hal’s voice startled her.

  Ellen jumped some. “I didn’t see you.”

  “I just got here. Mind if I warm with you?” he asked.

  “Be my guest.” Ellen scooted over.

  “Good heavens.” Hal checked out the pile of claws. “Did we find this many?”

  “Yep. Frank keeps tossing them up. I will say …” Ellen rummaged through the pile. “This one that Joe found is the biggest.”

  Hal checked it out. “I don’t think this is a raptor claw.”

  Ellen shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. How is Joe with the digging?”

  Hal sniffed and reached his hand over the fire. “He’s annoyed at Frank but he’s enjoying it. You should join us.”

  “Hal, really,” Ellen scoffed. “I’m not seeing the big deal.”

  At first Hal stared then he blinked. “Big deal? Ellen, they are dinosaur bones.”

  “Okay.”

  “Dinosaur bones. Sixty million years old.”

  “Hal, this isn’t the old world. Who’s gonna care?”

  Hal fluttered his lips. “I don’t know … maybe everyone?”

  Ellen snickered. “You’re funny.”

  “I’m funny? I’m … funny.”

  “Hal, stop that.”

  “Ellen, we’re having a blast in that hole.”

  “Getting dirty,” Ellen said.

  “And digging for dinosaur bones.” Hal sounded offended. “I cannot believe you’d prefer to sit out here.”

  Ellen lifted a finger. “Correction. I’d prefer to stay in the cabin but Frank said I have to stay out here and freeze.”

  Hal shook his head. “You have a fire.”

  “In a bucket, but I’m keeping busy.”

  “What exactly are you doing?” Hal asked. “Frank said you’re writing poetry.”

  Ellen laughed. “No, I told him that so he’d leave me alone. Actually, I’m writing my letters to Elliott. They’re like journal entries. It’s a thing he and I do.” She shrugged.

  “I know. He takes great care in writing you letters.”

  “It’s fun. It’s like the post apocalypse email system. Back in the old world, we emailed our friends, even when we saw them, right? Well this is the same thing. I know you probably think it’s dumb.”

  “Actually to be honest …” Hal leaned to her and whispered. “I’m a bit jealous of Elliott Ryder and that he has someone in which to share his day.”

  Ellen smiled then winked. “You can share your day with me any time you want.”

  “Ah, I would like that.” Hal stood up. “But if I did that, then poor Elliott would seem drab and you would lose all ambition to listen to him.”

  Ellen laughed. “Listen to you. Go dig.”

  “I’m going.” Hal walked backwards. “But I’m sure you won’t be alone for long. Another of us should be over the edge shortly.”

  Ellen snorted a quiet laugh at that comment. As Hal disappeared, she whispered to herself, “You’re all over the edge.” She heard a roar of Slagel men laughter carry her way. “Oh brother, are you over the edge.” Reaching down, Ellen reached for her coffee. She lifted the mug and shook it. It was empty. As cold as it was, she needed her coffee and was not going to sit there without it. She contemplated whether or not to bother Frank—since he was the one to tell her to stay put—but after thinking a spell and determining since it was only a short distance so it would only take a few moments, Ellen set down her notebook, laid some claws on top to hold the pages in place, and then quietly slipped from her safe spot.

  “Oh, yeah.” Arrogantly, Frank bobbed his head when he heard the small shove hit against it. “I got another one.”

  From across the way, Jimmy looked up. “No way.”

  “I’m telling you.” Frank crouched down and using his hands, began to unearth. “Oh, yeah.”

  “Fuck.” Jimmy groaned out and turned to Robbie. “How is he doing it? I found one.”

  Robbie shrugged. “Don’t ask me. I haven’t got one yet.”

  Joe, who was within earshot of the pair, commented, “If you asked me, he put them all in one spot.”

  “Beautiful!” Frank lifted the claw. “I’m not gonna have a dinosaur to put together. I’m gonna have a whole fuckin flock of dinosaurs.”

  Hal slowly gazed up. “Flock? Flock of Dinosaurs?”

  “Yeah. Flock means more than one,” Frank explained and proudly smiled at his claw. “You’re just jealous because you can’t get one while wearing that sword.”

  Hal gasped. “What does my sword have to do with it?”

  “What does you sword have to do with dino digging?” Frank asked. “Huh?”

  Hal lifted his sword and stuck it in the ground. “It breaks the hard dirt a lot easier than a shovel.”

  “Pansy.”

  Hal chuckled airily in offense as he replaced his sword.

  “Yep, got one.” Frank lifted the claw. “Add another to the pile. Heads up, El.” He tossed the claw.

  Nothing.

  That caught Frank’s attention so he stood up straight and took a step.

  Hal noticed, “What’s wrong?”

  “El didn’t say, ‘God, Frank’.” He moved to the hill and crawled up. “Fuck.”

  Catching up, Hal saw what Frank did. No Ellen. “Where did she go?’

  “You were with her last,” Frank said.

  “She didn’t say anything about leaving. She was content …” He paused. “Frank, look.” Hal pointed. “She left her papers but took her cup.”

  “She went to get coffee,” Frank grumbled. “I told her to stay put.” He took a step in a storming manner.

  “I’ll get her.” Hal grasped his arm. “I want to get some coffee myself.”

  “But you won’t yell at her.”

  “If you’d like, I will.”

  “Please.” Frank put his hands on hips.

  “Shall I add fuck to the yelling?” Hal asked sarcastically.

  “It would be more effective.”

  Hal gave a single nod. “Go dig. I’ll be back.” Glad for the brief break, Hal began to head to the cabin.

  Like Little Red Riding Hood on her way through the forest, Ellen moved merrily along. In fact, it could have been construed as a happy skip that she made on the porch with the cup dangling from her hand.

  Thinking, ‘warmth’, Ellen reached for the cabin door.

  “Fuck,” she spoke out loud. “He locked it. Fuck. I forgot. Shit.” Stepping back and thinking about how bad her luck was needing to go all the way back to the dig, she caught the reflection in the window. Hoping it was her imagination, Ellen turned with full intent to run if she wasn’t seeing things.

  Sure enough, the moment she spun around, it was confirmed. It wasn’t her imagination. Her first step to run was halted by the Society soldier who covered her mouth. He whistled short and soft with a twitch of his head and two more soldiers emerged.

  Using her best instincts, Ellen kicked out and bit into his hand. Her moment of freedom and chance to escape was stopped when the soldier extended his leg. Ellen tripped over his foot and tumbled to the ground. Her mouth opened to scream when the main soldier held a gun point blank at her face.

  “Don’t even think about screaming.”

  Ellen scooted away. Her back hit against the step of the porch. The two others stepped over her.

  “We got one, huh, Sarge?” a soldier asked. “Is she enough?”

  “One is better than none,” the sergeant replied.

  Ellen looked up at the three men who blocked her way. Only one of them aimed a gun at her. “What are you, leftovers? Go home. Go home alive. I’m killing Frank for not taking you guys all out. Assholes.”

  The sergeant chuckled sadistically. “Little woman, we have you at gunpoint and you’re giving us attitude. I would think you would come up with much better last words.”

  “I …” Ellen stopped and then she smiled as she whispered out an airy relief filled, “Hal.�
�

  Before the Sergeant could even muster up a, ‘huh’.

  Whoosh!

  The blade of the sword moved with such high velocity and accuracy, the Sergeant’s head remained balanced on the neck until a jolt of his dead body severed it. It dropped to the ground with a ‘thump’ and Hal swung out a second time, taking off the head of another soldier as Ellen hovered from the spewing blood.

  The third remaining soldier fired, not through aiming but reaction as the sword plunged into his chest and sliced upward. His body folded on the sword, blood coughed from his mouth, and the gun toppled from the soldier’s hand. Hal released him.

  The small siege was over.

  ***

  There was a lot to be said about the fact that Mike told George to wait in his home while he pursued Johnny. To George, Mike was either very trusting or a complete and utter moron for letting him alone in the house. Whichever the case, George stayed put in the living room until word of what happened to Johnny came to him.

  He thought about his first face to face in Mike’s office and how Johnny stopped, looked, then turned and ran out. No more was said. George was left standing there. He guessed Mike couldn’t deny Johnny’s presence in Lodi and decided to lay the cards on the table—so to speak—with retrieving Johnny for George.

  So George waited in Mike’s living room. Not that he would venture elsewhere in the house, but even if he had an inkling to do so, the mantel above the fireplace would have captured George’s attention.

  His eyes went to the line of photographs and he examined them with familiarity. He was so caught up with the photo of the blonde woman that George failed to hear someone enter the room.

  The slight clearing of a throat alerted George to Lars’s presence.

  “Lars Rayburn,” Lars introduced himself.

  “Why does that name sound so …” George snapped his fingers. “Goddamn, Lars Rayburn.” He extended his hand. “Head of World Health Organization - Plague Division in Africa.”

  “That’s me,” Lars said. “George Hadley, one time President of the United States of America. You’re waiting on young Johnny.”

  “Yes. Yes, I am.”