Firestorm: Walking in the Rain Book 5

by M. C. Allen

  Moving to the next man, he started telling me things that the first two had left out. I never even had to touch him. Number four jumped on the bandwagon and started telling me his life story. These guys were disgusting individuals, but they had started out as decent people who fell in with this larger group. They didn’t want to do the things they had done, but they felt that the group would kill them for resisting. They set up roadblocks along major highways and offered food and water to the starving people, but abused or murdered them instead. Except for Clarence over there. He had been like this even before the pulse.

  They didn’t know who the Regional Authority was exactly, but they thought they had someone nearby listening in on radio transmissions and directing troop movement. It was similar to the story told by Lisa and Danielle. I felt some empathy for their plight, and when I was satisfied with the information, I leisurely cut their throats. Well, the three under the tree were dispatched in this manner. That was a small measure of kindness. They deserved worse.

  Clarence was a special case, and I let him suffer for what he had done. He started begging for his life up until I started cutting on him. It was messy, but I disemboweled him and left him to bleed out. He got to sit there and watch the flies gather on his entrails before he finally lost consciousness.

  “Damn, Mr. Metcalf. Why not just put him down like the rest. That’s mean even for you.”

  “Language, Kofi. You know I don’t put up with rapists, and I have a special hatred for pedophiles too.” I started removing the wire restraints and getting it all tucked away in my headband. I definitely needed to get more soon.

  “This ‘man’ was doing things to children long before things went to crap.” I felt disgusted with myself, so I went ahead and finished him off with a quick swipe of my blade.

  “Sorry, Kofi.”

  “It’s fine, Mr. M., you just need us to help you remember who you are at times.” I nodded and sighed. He had admitted that the kids thought I was nuts. Great.

  We took the truck over to the barn, where the tractor had been pulled out for me to finish inspecting it. I looked in the fuel tank and noted that the diesel smelled fine. Then, I traced the path of the fuel line from the filters back up to the tank. There was a valve there that was turned perpendicular to the flow of fuel instead of parallel. This was not a factory-installed option, but something farmers used to keep their equipment from being pilfered. I turned the petcock and started checking the injectors for air. I showed Kofi where the primer pump was located, and I loosened the injector bleeder valve as he pushed fuel through each injector.

  In fifteen minutes, we had all four of the injectors bled of air. I climbed up to the operator’s seat, checked to see it was not in gear, opened the throttle a crack, and turned the key. It started after a few seconds of chugging and ran with slightly sooty smoke from the upright exhaust stack. The smoke cleared up after only a few seconds of operation. I let it run for a minute before trying the hydraulic bucket up front. It worked smoothly and the temperature gauge was slowly rising into the correct range. I got off and did a walk around but didn’t see any leaks. I shut it down and checked the oil and the coolant level. It was all in order.

  The farmer must have hidden it in the barn and shut off the fuel flow to keep it from being stolen. When the cannibals and then raiders tried to crank it, they got it to run for a few seconds before it shut down. That didn’t save the original owner’s life, but it left us with an important tool. I had some bodies to bury. This was an older tractor model without all of the modern gadgets, so it worked when the newer models were fried.

  I headed up the hill with Kofi following in the truck, and I started moving dirt near the earlier unmarked graves. The bucket was not really designed for digging deep holes, but I was able to produce an excavation big enough to bury the dead without all of the sweat and exertion. Joseph showed up with a small convoy carrying all of the bodies of the other raiders piled up in the beds of the three trucks.

  A fourth truck was pulled off to the side. In the back were two bodies carefully wrapped with blue tarps. I left the tractor and walked back to the barn and got a shovel and was back within a few minutes. I didn’t even know their names, but they had died under my orders. The least I could do was make sure they had a proper burial. Barbara had driven that truck. These were her people too. I stood in silence and looked at the two forms lying next to each other. They could have been one of my kids.

  I turned to Barbara and asked softly, “Who were they? I never did catch their names.”

  Barbara pointed to the form on the left. It was smaller than the other. “Nicole Buckley was her name. She helped me with food preparation. She was willing to help out any chance she could. She wasn’t really a fighter. Nicole was all alone when she got to us. Her car had died on the highway, and somehow she found us.” Barbara’s voice caught, and I hugged her in understanding. Nicole Buckley had been family to Barbara. Maybe not by birth, but by sweat and hard work they had formed their own tribe.

  I squeezed Barbara tightly and replied, “She fought for all of us, and I won’t forget that. My family was out there too on the line.” I lost an entire neighborhood once, so this was just another stab in the heart.

  Barbara pulled away and pointed to the other body. “The other was one of William’s buddies, Rolando Delatorre. He was trying to save face for hitching his wagon to that asshole Pogozelski. I guess his dishonor has been forgiven?”

  I nodded at that. “I never did have hard feelings for those who sided with William. He was pretty persuasive in his own way. It’s too bad that William was on the wrong side; he probably would have been a decent leader in his own right.” He really had influenced about half of the camp to stay to be food for the cannibals.

  I started to dig. I wanted their graves to be proper. I never did get to bury my friends and neighbors. Maybe in some way, I was making up for that now. Angel, Ashley, and Pamela came up and offered to help. I accepted and went to get water for us while Angel took over. His head wound had stopped bleeding, but he really looked a mess. Ashley and Pam just sat on the tailgate softly crying and hugging each other.

  When I came back with the water bottles full of cool well water, I offered to switch back with Angel. He had been hit twice to my once, so I knew he was hurting more than I was. Pam said she had next, so we pulled Angel out and let her take a turn. Ashley remained sitting stiffly on the tailgate, watching Pam work.

  “Ashley, so you and Pam are not really sisters, right?” She took in a sharp breath, and Pam stopped digging.

  From the grave, Pam spoke quietly. “I guess we were not that discreet. People were going to find out eventually. No, we are not sisters.”

  I answered back immediately. “Cool, now you two can stop walking on eggshells and be yourselves. Try to keep the public displays of affection to mild groping please; there are children here.” Ashley started laughing, but reached for her injured side.

  Angel grabbed his head and moaned. “Don’t make me laugh, David. It hurts.”

  Well, I could agree with that. It was a bit dark to be laughing at the graveside of our comrades, but I think they would understand. We laughed to keep from crying.

  “So have you decided on when the wedding will be? We don’t seem to have any laws against it on the books since we are making up the rules as we go.”

  Ashley shook her head and replied, “We were going to do that soon.”

  “When things settle down, let’s see about finding someone who is qualified to do the ceremony. Why did you keep it secret from everyone?”

  Pam fielded that question. “The camp knew. We just didn’t know how new people would respond to us, so we decided not to tell anyone until we got to know them better.”

  “Well, nothing like an insane firefight to really get to know someone. I wish we had bonded over a ropes course or a weekend retreat.” I wondered if this was the new normal. Bonding over death and mayhem.

  We traded out with the digging. It
was close to six feet down, and a little narrow at the bottom, but we did try to get the two graves close to normal for our departed friends. Anyone who gives their life for me and mine are officially friends in my book. Even if they were total tools in life. There—another new rule I made up. We attracted most of the camp when we had finished and placed their bodies in their final resting places.

  Nicole Buckley and Rolando Delatorre were buried on the slight hill overlooking the site of our early morning battle. Joseph said the words and someone began singing “Amazing Grace.” I didn’t know all of the words, and honestly, my singing voice is not that great. I let them do the singing. We decided out loud that we needed to erect a marker for them, and a team set off to find some suitable lumber for the job.

  I drifted over to the house and sat under a tree near the water tank. I draped my rifle across my lap and fell asleep. My last thought was that what we really needed was more bodies. I had a feeling we would find them at the locations marked on the maps we had found in the trucks and on the dead we had stripped. It was time to go hunting, but first I needed a nap.

  CHAPTER

  EIGHTEEN

  I was sweating when I finally woke up. Not due to a horrible nightmare, but the shade had shifted and I was roasting in the sun. I was alone. Everyone else was off doing chores, but I had just fallen asleep. I’m such a horrible leader.

  Walking over to the back door of the farmhouse, I knocked and waited. I didn’t want to intrude, but I needed to take care of some things before nightfall. Doris answered the door with a curious look.

  “When did we decide that you had to knock on your own door?” I was a little shocked.

  “My door? When did I inherit the house?”

  “You took it, so it belongs to you and your family.”

  “No, technically Joseph took the house. I just sat out there and killed the guards. So really it belongs to Joseph.”

  “Nope, you planned it. He says he just followed your orders.”

  I needed to get this straight or every house I scout and take back from raiders would become mine. “Is Joseph in? We can clear this up really quickly.”

  “He is in the dining room looking at all the maps we took with Lisa and Danielle.” Doris waved me in and pointed back to the dining room. It had a full-sized formal dining table that was pushed against the wall to allow more room for people to sleep on the carpeted floor. We need to pull that out and burn it in a few weeks otherwise if would be a breeding ground for all sorts of parasites.

  “Joseph, what are you doing in my house without my permission?” I was screwing with him, and he knew it.

  “I’m so sorry, David. Please don’t throw me out!”

  “Can we get one thing clear? If we take a house like this in the future, it is common property for the entire group. If we can locate the owner, it immediately reverts back to their ownership. Otherwise, we will build the future based on finders-keepers.” That got a nod and laugh from Joseph. Lisa and Danielle looked between the two of us like we were about to fight there in the formal dining room. They started to look frightened.

  “Ladies, relax. Joseph and I are not about to hit each other. I know you have seen some crazy behavior on my part, but this is how we work. I crack a joke, and Joseph acts like I’m a monster. Then we kiss and make up.”

  “Not until you shave, you wild man. Your beard tickles!”

  I laughed and slapped Joseph on the back. “I need to borrow scissors and a razor. It’s time to get rid of this beard. It’s driving me nuts.” I looked at Lisa. “See, nobody is going to hurt you or each other. It’s common to have that kind of reaction when you have experienced what you did. We are going to need your help as we start releasing other prisoners.” I turned back to Joseph. “What’s the plan, boss?”

  “Plan? That’s your job. I just have intelligence for you to plan. Lisa and Danielle remember some of the farms circled on this map. We are at the end of this road.” He pointed at the end of a tiny line that moved north after numerous twists and turns before joining a slightly thicker line of another road. He continued, “They have taken farms all along this road. In some cases, the owners are being held and forced to work their own farm or be killed. According to the ladies, they are being treated terribly.” Joseph stopped and waited for me to digest everything. I started asking questions.

  What I learned was close to what Clarence and his compatriots had spilled earlier. Spilled, literally.

  “Each house will need to be scouted and taken down quickly and quietly. In a few cases, we are going to take out two farms at once. They are not all armored, and they are spread too thin. After what we did to their numbers today, we have the upper hand. If we give them time to consolidate the forces they have left, we will lose the advantage.” I looked at Joseph and shrugged.

  “When do we start?” Joseph asked.

  “Oh, I’m leaving right now. Just let me change batteries on my radio, but don’t plan on hearing a lot from me. Someone is listening in, and they may know everything about us. Keep all transmissions short and don’t give any names or locations. You have the farm. Keep it and my family safe and get everyone ready to fight. Use my kids as trainers on the M4s and Angel and Ashley can train people on the 240s. I have a feeling that we may need to repel an attack soon.” I pointed to the first farm I was going to scout. “I’ll collect information on that farm first. I’m taking one of the trucks, but I’ll stash it somewhere along the road near those farmhouses. I plan on being quiet. Call me when you get close. Once we reestablish contact I will lead your assault team in.” I turned to Lisa and Danielle.

  “After what happened to you two ladies, I can’t sit back and let that continue when I can act.” They didn’t say anything, but Lisa nodded in understanding.

  I left the house and went to the barn to collect my bag. The kids saw me come in and start to pack my gear. Kofi and Regina started to do the same. I held up a hand.

  “Hold up, guys. Joseph will be bringing you up in two days to start taking farms back from these guys. Get rested and geared up. Spend some time practicing with your rifles and moving in the forest silently. You are also tasked with training more of Joseph’s people. Teach them the same way I did you, and we should be fine. When we hit these murdering bastards, it’s going to be quick and brutal.”

  “Who is coming with you? Angel is hurt. I can come,” Kofi offered.

  “Nope, you will need to lead the rest of the kids. I’m taking one of the trucks to move in closer before I have to go in on foot. I’ll hide it like we did our truck before. Joseph will know where to look. I just need to grab some tools to take out the battery.”

  Alex and Dale walked up at that point and looked at the pack already on my back. Dale pointed at it and asked, “Are you going out again? We just had a major battle, are you sure?”

  “I have to, they are holding people at different locations and abusing them. There are some kids involved too. You know me. I can’t sit back and let that happen. Joseph has a set of maps in the house. Get familiar with them because we will be hitting those houses soon.” I shrugged and felt my chest twinge a bit. I hope I don’t get hit in the same spot again anytime soon. The vest might take it, but my ribs were sore.

  I left my Remington with Kofi and took my M-14 with me to a nearby truck. It was painted olive drab and looked like it had seen better days. The seat was covered in dried blood, and the windshield had a single bullet hole right where I was trying to look out. I had caused that mess this morning. At least someone cleaned out the pieces of brain. The passenger side had another hole in it. Yup, definitely my work. I looked at my kids standing there watching me. I called out in a goofy high-pitched voice with my thumb to my ear and my pinky to my mouth, “Call me.”

  With that, I pulled out and went looking for my next group of scumbags to scout. Who was I kidding? I was going to execute them. Every last one of them I could find.

  CHAPTER

  NINETEEN

  The whole “s
couting mission” was fiction at best. The kids would have revolted if I had told them my real plan. I drove up to the house that was the closest to my new farm and got out. I waved to the guard on the porch and acted like I belonged there. I carried my M-14 slung across my back. That is the most non-threatening way to approach someone when you have to carry a gun. The barrel was facing down and to my left, and I had adjusted the sling all the way out so it hung loosely. My silenced pistol was holstered on my left side, and my favorite knife was on my right hip. I introduced myself as the new commander of the farm down the road. We had to clean out some trash this morning and wanted to introduce myself personally.

  The moron led me into the house to introduce me to his boss, who was probably raping the wife of the owner or his daughter in the front bedroom. I smiled at the guard and asked where everyone else was, and if I could have a turn.

  He frowned and said it was just the two of them left. The other guys had been in on the raid that morning. Where were they?

  “Oh, you will see them soon.” I drew my blade and stabbed him in the throat with my right hand while I pulled my silenced pistol with my left. I pumped two rounds into his forehead and lowered him to the floor quietly. I walked to the bedroom door silently and turned the knob.

  The scene within was what I expected. A piece of garbage furiously pounding at a crying child. I shot him twice in the back of the head and pulled him off the girl. I dragged him out of the room and laid him beside his buddy. Then I went back to the bedroom and gently knocked on the door. I introduced myself.

  “My name is Mr. Metcalf. I’m from the farm down the road. Well, that’s where we are now. We’ve started cleaning out these bastards. Are you alone, miss?”

  “My mom and dad are tied up and locked in the shed by the house. That’s where they are kept.” Her voice was almost incoherent.

  “Not anymore. In two days, the rest of my family will be here to help out. I’m going to get your mom and dad out of that shed and drag these two assholes outside before they stink up the place. I’ll leave you alone. I won’t come in your room, but promise me you will make it.”