“They deserved it,” I said.
“That’s not for you to decide,” he said, putting a bandage over my ear.
“Then who decides?” I said. “A bunch of jackasses sitting around in a warehouse?”
“Listen,” he said. “I didn’t come in here to argue. I think we can all agree that Nathan is an asshole. Officer Rupe is an asshole—“
“Hold up there,” Somerville spoke up again. “I won’t disagree with the asshole part, but Willy Rupe is not in any way an officer of the law. He was stripped of that a long time ago.”
“He’s had law enforcement experience, so he’s the best we have,” Dr. Barr said over his shoulder.
Somerville grunted a disagreement. Dr. Barr shined his light in my face again.
“When we joined with Willy’s group, it seemed like things got a little more strained. There are more of us, and there is strength in numbers, but I don’t feel any more safe than I used to. I had hoped that this new group would become something. Maybe we could start to rebuild, but—“
“Hell, Doc, why don’t you go tell them,” Somerville said. “The others might just be waiting for somebody to stand up to Willy and Nathan. You could do it, too, because you’re the only one they actually need to keep around.”
“I’m not a politician like you, I—“
“Shit,” Somerville said, “stop whining. Man the hell up.”
Barr closed his bag and stood.
“What are we supposed to do?” I said.
“I don’t want to stay with them,” he said. “I don’t necessarily want to go with you two either, but until I can find an actual group of decent human beings who are more interested in fighting our enemy instead of each other, I think it would be best to go in with you.”
My pride wanted to argue with him, but I knew we needed him more than he needed us. He knew that, too. I capitulated.
“Sure, Travis…we’ll take you, I guess. You got the keys to these handcuffs?”
“No,” Dr. Barr said. “I don’t have the handcuff keys, but I will get them. Am I right in assuming the two of you are friends? Wanda said you knew each other from before. Are you going to stay together? Are there more in your group?”
“Sure, we’re old pals from way back,” Somerville said. “Now go get the keys.”
“We haven’t spent a lot of time together,” I said. “But yeah, we have talked about working together to do what you were saying—rebuild Clayfield.”
“So is it just the four of you?”
“What’s with all the questions?” Somerville said.
“I just like to know what I’m getting into,” Dr. Barr said.
“Why don’t you answer something for me,” Somerville said. “Aren’t you concerned about what the man from Jackson said?”
“How do you know about that? Did Wanda tell you?”
“Yeah. Is it true?”
“It’s true that we found the guy,” Barr said. “He was on the parkway. We saw him when we looked down from the overpass between the hospital and the county high school. He had climbed up on top of the trailer of an eighteen-wheeler. He was surrounded by infected. He must have been there for days. We got him out of there. His face and arms were burned, and he was dehydrated. He was going to require a lot of care. The others were relieved when he refused to stay—“
“But what about what he told you about Jackson?” Somerville said, sounding impatient.
“Personally, I think he was delirious. I didn’t believe him. I want to stay in Clayfield, but I think if I don’t get away soon, the others will force me to leave with them.”
“What’s so special about Clayfield, Doc?” Somerville said. “We grew up here, so it kind of makes sense that we’d want to stay…not you.”
“No, I’m not from here,” he replied, “and to be honest, before all of this happened I’d been looking forward to taking a job at Vanderbilt, but right now, Clayfield is familiar enough to me that I can stay alive. I have no idea what is waiting on the road.”
“You don’t think we need to evacuate?” I said.
“To where?” Dr. Barr said. “The virus is everywhere. If someone is setting off nuclear weapons—and goddamn them if they are—then show me on a map where it’s going to happen, and I won’t be there. Otherwise, one place is as good as the next. Don’t misunderstand; I plan to leave this rat hole eventually once things have settled enough for me to do so. Why you would chose to live your entire lives here is beyond me.”
“Home is home,” Somerville said.
“I’ll be back,” Dr. Barr said and left the room, closing the door behind him.
The room was completely dark.
After a while, Somerville said, “Do you trust him?”
“Yeah, I guess,” I said. “But don’t count on him doing much. I get the feeling he takes it easy because he can. I don’t think he’d be able to survive on his own.”
“We can deal with that,” he said.
We were both quiet for a while. I tried to make out the words of the muffled voices in the other room, but I couldn’t. Soon, Somerville was snoring. I suppose I fell asleep, too, but I can’t remember. I know we were in there a long time. Dr. Barr didn’t return.
Chapter 27
I started hearing a lot of movement and excited voices in the other room. The door opened and there was light coming in through the skylights in the main part of the warehouse. Somerville and I both looked up at Willy Rupe who was standing in the doorway. He didn’t speak; he just stared at us.
“Well?” Somerville said.
“Dammit,” Rupe said. “I don’t know what to do with you.”
“You could undo these cuffs so I could kick your ass,” Somerville said.
“If this was before, you’d both be goin’ to prison,” Rupe said.
“If this was before, you’d still be the incompetent, philandering drunk everyone knew you to be.”
“You’re the one cuffed to a pipe, councilman,” Rupe said, taking a step farther inside. “We’re leavin’. Bad shit is comin’, and we’re leavin’. We ain’t animals—I told you that before—we ain’t animals, but I can’t just let you go. I couldn’t live with myself knowin’ the two of you were out and about.”
He pulled his revolver and pointed it at me.
“Ah, man,” I said. “Don’t.”
“What about Sammy? Huh? What about him? You’ve both been found guilty of your crimes and you have to pay for them. The question is, do I put you down quick here and now or do I let the livin’ dead get at ya?”
Lee stepped into the doorway.
“We’re loaded up, Willy,” he said. “We need to get going. Jack said its gettin’ bad in town. We’ve gotta stay ahead of it.”
I looked past Willy Rupe and Lee into the warehouse. People were carrying bags and guns and getting into vehicles. I looked back up at Rupe, and he was still staring at me, pointing his gun. I could tell he was trying to muster up what he needed to pull the trigger on a restrained, unarmed man.
“I ain’t no animal like you,” he said.
“No, you’re worse,” Somerville said.
Willy turned and pointed the weapon at Somerville.
“Oh,” the councilman said, “I didn’t realize my crimes warranted a death sentence.”
“In the old days they hanged people for less,” Rupe said.
“You would have swung before me,” he said.
“Asshole,” Rupe spat.
“Pussy,” Somerville said.
At that, Rupe pulled the trigger. The sound in that little room was deafening, and visibly startled all four of us, Willy more than anyone. Nicholas Somerville slumped forward. His left arm, handcuffed to the metal pipe, prevented him from going all the way into the floor.
I looked up at Willy again. The gun was still extended, pointed at Somerville. Smoke hung around the end of the barrel. Willy had his other hand up to his mouth as if shocked by what he saw.
“What the hell?!” I shouted. “
What did you do, man?”
More people stood behind him now, trying to see into the room. He let his arm drop to his side then took a quick look over his shoulder.
“Get back!” he yelled. “Ain’t nothin’ to see in here. Goddammit, everybody get to the vehicles!”
Slowly people walked away until only Willy remained. We stared at each other. He tried to keep an air of righteousness about him as if what he’d done was justified. He broke eye contact first and holstered his weapon.
“You don’t deserve a quick death,” he said and walked away, leaving the door standing wide open.
Two large garage-type doors were lifted up, and I watched the group drive out into the daylight. There were six vehicles in all that left, and one was pulling a little fishing boat on a trailer. There was still a small car, a motorcycle, and the glass truck left in the warehouse. Soon I couldn’t even hear the sound of their engines anymore. A strong breeze came in through the doors. It looked like the rain and clouds had moved on. It was a pretty day.
Nicholas Somerville slouched a few feet away. His body still leaned forward from his arm. His chin rested on his chest. Because of the way he was turned I couldn’t see the front of him. I couldn’t reach him because of the handcuffs. I stretched, but I could only get to within a couple of feet. I tried talking to him, but he never stirred. I didn’t see where he’d been hit, but the blood was starting to pool on the floor.
“Mr. Somerville? Can you hear me?”
I stretched my body out and tried to touch him with my foot. I was just able to tap his knee.
“Nicholas, are you still with me? Talk to me if you can.”
He never moved; he never made a sound. I sat up again, and leaned back against the brick wall. I didn’t like the news that it was getting bad in town. I didn’t know what that meant. It was already bad in town. I wondered if it was just more creatures coming in because of Sara or if it was something new. I kept telling myself that whatever was going on in town, if it headed my direction, would pass by without noticing me. Any other time, if I had been handcuffed to a pipe in a little room and abandoned, I would have wanted to be found, but not this time. It was imperative now that I find a way out of there.
The pipe to which I was fastened was heavy and metallic. It was strapped and bolted to the wall. It would be easier to gnaw off my own arm than to pull the pipe loose. I looked around the room for anything I could use for leverage, but there was nothing.
“Mr. Somerville? Come on, please move for me. Talk to me.”
I sat there all day. The warehouse was well off the road, but looking out the door of the little room, and out again through the garage doors, I could see the highway. I never saw anyone or anything pass by in that time. If it had been getting bad in Clayfield, it wasn’t heading north. I feared it was bad there because of Sara. I hoped she was safe.
Just as the sun crept down to the horizon, Nicholas Somerville stirred. It was just a twitch at first, and I caught the movement out of the corner of my eye. I looked at him for a while, waiting for him to move again.
“Mr. Somerville? I can’t reach you. Are you badly hurt?”
He moaned a little and his right leg moved. It was sticking out now, and I thought I could touch his foot. I leaned out on the cuffs, and grabbed the toe of his right boot. I shook it gently.
“Mr. Somerville? Wake up.”
He took a deep, rasping breath and shifted. His head came up slowly, and he turned toward me. I was still leaning out there, the cuffs biting into my wrist, with his boot in my hand. His eyes opened.
“Mr. Somerville?”
He moaned. I moved back to give my wrist and arm a rest. I could see he had a wound in his chest. The entire front of his shirt was soaked. He looked up at me. There was something about his eyes that worried me.
“Mr. Somerville, are you….”
He sat there and stared at me for a few seconds then—
“Am I what?” he said hoarsely.
“Shit,” I said, relieved. “I thought you might have…might have…”
“Turned? Nah, boy, I told you before I’m a tough bastard. If I do go, it won’t be Willy Rupe that does it.”
“You’ve been out for so long. I thought you were dead.”
He shifted again and rested against the wall.
“My shoulder hurts like hell. It’s been twisted all this time.”
“What about your chest?” I said.
He looked down at his chest.
“What the…? That son of a bitch,” he said. “He shot me, didn’t he?”
Using his free hand, he pulled his shirt open and felt around inside.
“Feels like it hit me under my collar bone. I didn’t feel it before.”
He looked out the door into the warehouse. It was starting to get dark.
“Did they leave us?”
“Yeah,” I said.
“Judy will come,” he said. “I’m sure she’s been keeping an eye on this place.”
“What if she followed them north? What if she thinks you’re still with them.”
“I’m really tired,” he said. “Be alright if I sleep some?”
“You’ve lost blood,” I said. “It looks like a lot. Is it still bleeding?”
He didn’t answer, because he’d fallen asleep.
Chapter 28
I had another miserable night. The breeze from the day continued through the evening, and it got uncomfortably cool. Occasionally, I would hear one of the creatures howling in the distance. Sitting on the cold concrete with my hand chained up, combined with my hunger and thirst prevented me from sleeping at all.
I had drunk rain while handcuffed to the rack on the back of the glass truck two days prior, but the day before all I had was the condensation I had licked from the metal pipe to which my arm was attached. I hadn’t eaten in about 36 hours. I was dehydrated and weak.
Somerville slept most of the night, but it was fitful. I heard him mumbling in his sleep several times. He’d had something to eat and drink more recently than I, but his blood loss put him in a worse predicament.
When dawn came, I was almost too stiff to move. I tried to stand but I couldn’t. I pulled myself up enough to catch some of the drops of water beading up on the pipe. That’s when I saw a figure appear in the large doorway on the far side of the warehouse. I couldn’t make out their features because they were backlit, but it looked like a man. He was carrying a bag, so I was confident that it wasn’t a zombie.
As he got closer, I saw that it was Travis Barr. I was a little pissed that it had taken him so long, but I was so relieved to see him that I didn’t mention it.
“Sorry,” he said when he got close enough. “It couldn’t be helped. Is the councilman still alive?”
I nodded, finding it difficult to speak. The doctor set his bag on the floor. It was a different bag he had brought in previously. This one was bigger. He unzipped it and pulled out some bolt cutters.
“I couldn’t get the keys,” he said. “This will have to do for now.”
He snipped the chain and my arm fell to the floor. He then moved over to Somerville and cut his chain, too. Then he started examining the chest wound. I crawled over to his bag and opened it up. There were lots of loose medical supplies and medication bottles. There was a multi-tool, a handgun with extra magazine, flashlight, a small bottle of bourbon, some clothes, and a box of protein bars. I found what I wanted in the bottom--four little bottles of water.
I unscrewed the lid on one of them and drank. Dr. Barr came over and dug around in the bag for some of the medical supplies.
“The bullet cut a groove across his left pectoral and went into his left shoulder,” he said. “It must have come in at an angle. I can’t find an exit wound, and I can’t get the bullet out here. I’m going to bandage him up, and I’ll try to do it later.”
I didn’t say anything. I was finishing off the bottle of water.
“You can have another,” he said. “I’m sure you’re dehy
drated. Save the other two for the councilman, okay?”
I opened a second bottle.
”Are you strong enough to help me carry him?” he asked.
“I don’t think so,” I whispered.
“I’ll be right back,” he said.
He pulled the pistol from the bag and ran back through the warehouse then outside. A minute later, a pickup truck backed through the open door. There was a second person in the truck. He backed right up to the entrance to our little room then turned off the engine. He got out of the passenger side and came around to let down the tailgate. The driver’s door opened and the second person got out.
“This is Ellen,” he said. It was the woman that had arrived with Willy Rupe two days before.
She was still wearing her mask, so all I could see were her eyes. She had shoulder-length dark hair that poked out from under a blue sock cap. Her eyes didn’t look friendly toward me at all. She was holding a shotgun.
“Come around and help me,” he said.
She propped her shotgun against the truck, and the two of them dragged Somerville over to the truck then hefted him onto the tailgate. Dr. Barr gently laid him back in the bed then they pulled him in.
“Can you climb in on your own?” Barr asked.
“I don’t think so,” I said.
“We should leave him,” she said. “Give him some food and water and go.”
“No,” he said. “He comes, too.”
“I don’t like him,” she said.
“You don’t know me,” I said.
“You’re just another thug.”
“I’m not—“
“No time to debate,” Dr. Barr said. “Come on. Help me get him in.”
Begrudgingly, she obeyed. She was rough about it, too. I helped them some, and once they got me to the tailgate, I was able to scoot myself into the bed. Ellen grabbed her shotgun and climbed into the cab while Dr. Barr shut the tailgate. He handed me one of the water bottles.
All That I See - 02 Page 16