by M. C. Allen
With that, Dale headed back with his load.
The “toll collectors” were easy to pick off. They were located exactly where I thought they would be. They were a local family that thought they had a right to take from anyone who came down their road. I don’t like to kill females, but these two were armed. The two scrawny teenage boys were hard to take, but in the end, I didn’t really have much choice. After I dropped the two women, the wives of the two guys eating rabbit, the teenagers started shooting up the area. When they were quiet, I came around and checked to make sure they were out of the fight.
A heavy .308 round did a lot a damage. The kinetic energy alone turned the area around the wound into a massive bruise, and the internal damage was messy as hell. I had taken deer with that round, and I learned to be careful, otherwise I would waste a lot of meat. Humans to me were deer on two legs without the sense of smell or hearing. Humans could shoot back though.
None of the people at the roadblock were getting any better in this lifetime. I took the time to move the bodies out of view and collected the weapons. A quick pat of the pockets revealed silver and gold coins as well as wedding rings. I kept all of these. Not for value or trade.
Some of the rings might have inscriptions, and if the world ever went back to normal, I wanted the kids to donate everything to a museum to see if they could track down the rightful owners or their family. It was like the damn holocaust all over again. Wholesale slaughter of an entire group of people. This was far more random. Everybody was at risk of being exterminated.
The smell of rotting flesh drew me to an area about fifty yards from the barricade. There had to be at least a hundred bodies laid out and rotting in the sun. Some were just skeletons, while others were fresh and bloated. The vultures, we call them buzzards here, were so heavy that they didn’t try to fly away. I took the time to add the family to the stack. Screw them. Let them rot alongside their victims.
I looked at the barricade and figured out where to attach the chain to pull it open. The kids definitely didn’t need to see that pile. When I finally made my way back up the road to the kids’ location, Regina saw me first creeping in the heavy brush along the roadside.
“Halt! Who goes there?” Her voice carried well. She had purposely made it deeper than her usual chipper self.
“Oh crap! I forgot the password. Um, don’t shoot, it’s me?” I really had forgotten it. Bad habit. I would look it up when I had a chance and continue the routine. Everything had been so hectic lately. I had the book in my pack buried under a set of freshly cleaned clothes.
“Well, come on in then. I’ll let you live today.”
“Thank you, Regina.” I worked my way around the dense blackberries, not without pausing to snag a handful to give to my youngest guard. She shook her head at them.
“What do you think I’ve been doing all day? I’m stuffed with blackberries right now. There was nothing to do but eat and wait since you got to have all the fun. Dale was not happy to be sent back with all that gear. He said he felt like the ‘faithful pack mule.’” She turned to return to our vehicle. I fell in behind her and followed her steps.
“I had to interrogate some guys and kill their entire family. I didn’t want him or any of you to have to see that.” I said it quietly, and she knew how doing these things weighed on me.
“Mr. M., I know you hate hurting people. Kofi once told me that you were one of the kindest people he had ever met when he was in school. Now he says you are one of the scariest.”
“It’s true. Both accounts are true. I had to become what I am to keep you all alive. We may not be safe, but we aren’t dead yet.”
We were getting closer so she called out to Kofi. “He’s back, let’s get ready to go. Alex! Dale! Come on in. It’s time to get to work!” I chuckled at her squeaky voice calling out. How did she pull off carrying all of that body armor and ammunition and keep on smiling? She made me feel old.
Alex and Dale quickly fell in on their positions and smoothly loaded up like old professionals. I creaked and groaned as I loaded up my rifles and wedged myself behind the wheel. I never did like these things, but the armor was a tradeoff I could live with.
We used our tow chain to open the roadblock all the way in case we had to haul tail through there again. The idea was to clear an avenue for retrograde action. If we were attacked by a larger force, we would run like hell away from them. This was a spot we could utilize in that event. By pulling it shut, we could delay a force long enough to give us some breathing room. I had some goodies back at the truck I really wanted to get out and set up.
Before we left to get my truck, Joseph told me they had found a stash of fertilizer; I was giddy. When he added that there was some old drilling pipe stacked behind one of the farmhouses, I started to dance a jig. The only missing part was thirty miles away and buried with the rest of my heavy gear. I just prayed it was still undisturbed.
As we slowly crept down two-lane, asphalt farm-to-market roads, then dirt roads, and finally back to a paved surface, we kept a close watch on everything. It was driving me nuts to not know what lay ahead. We saw countless piles of luggage and blowing plastic bags. Bodies lined the ditch, and in one case, the road was littered with remains that had been run over at least once. Cars were an obstacle that could conceal an ambush at any time. Once, the road was blocked by a full-sized tractor-trailer. We backtracked and cut through a nearby field.
Dale finally broke the silence. “You do realize that Lisa is pissed that Tammy is making a play for you, right?”
“What are you talking about? Lisa and I don’t know each other that well, and Tammy is just one of those people who’s not shy at all about anything.” I was a little confused. Regina laughed at my discomfort while peering out her window.
“Well, you did sleep together once.”
“What!?”
Alex snorted while Kofi started laughing. He was loud enough to be heard over the engine and the noise of the Hummer.
Alex shook her head and added to the conversation. “Yes, you did. Right in front of all of us.”
“That does not count! We were just sleeping, and I’ll have you know that we stayed fully clothed and snoring.” At least I hoped that was what happened. I was so tired that night that anything could have happened.
Dale just could not let it go. “You kept most of the barn up all night with all the noise you and Lisa were making. Tell him, Alex!”
She laughed. “Well, they were loud, but I think they really were just snoring. They were curled up together like a pair of puppies at one point.”
Oh, this just gets better and better. “Oh, God, what have I done? I promised myself to Lisa and now Tammy will be heartbroken! How can I let her down easy?” We were joking around to pass the time. Then some asshole shot my windshield. Dammit.
“Kofi get down! We’re taking fire!” He dropped to the area between Dale and Alex so quickly, I thought he had been hit. Instead, he pointed ahead just to the left near a large tree.
“Shooter is behind that large tree. I saw the flash right before I dropped. Do you want me to engage?” He was ready, but I needed to be sure before killing everyone in the county over one shot fired.
“Hold off for a minute.” I tapped the brake and waited a second. I turned on the headlights and flicked them off and on a few times. A universal symbol for “Hey!” No other shots were fired, and we didn’t see any other movement. I could move on, but we had to come back this way in a little bit. I didn’t want my truck shot up. Kill them now, or talk? I can always kill them later if I need to. Alex was a mind reader though.
“Don’t you dare go out there to talk to whoever that is.”
“Whomever I think is the right word, but for now just sit tight. Kofi, slide into the driver’s seat when I get out.” I slid the gear selector to park and opened the door just enough to slide out with my M-14.
Regina turned to me and said, “Don’t get shot.”
I agreed. That was not the ide
a. Before I closed the door, I looked at Kofi.
“If this goes bad, pull back and kill anyone you find in the area.”
He shook his head at that. “Heck no, we are running away like you have always told me.” He smiled at me. Finally, my students are learning. I shut the door and stepped away from the relative safety of the armored beast.
I called to the shooter or shooters. “Can we talk, or are you going to try to shoot me in the head again? Not cool; I have to look through that windshield, and that will not buff out!” I tried for friendly neighbor, but probably sounded deranged. A voice responded. Female.
“I had to get your attention somehow!” She sounded normal, but like most of us, she sported a bit of a southern twang.
“How about next time you send flowers first? I like roses, but I hear carnations are more of a friendly gesture and less romantic for the first time.” Well that shut her up for a second.
“You some kind of smartass, mister?”
“No ma’am, I’ve been told by most that my humor is witty, but my delivery can be a bit dry. Can we chat instead of yelling? It’s a little awkward with my audience listening to me as I try to score points with a girl I just met.”
“Come toward my voice until I say stop. For the record, you haven’t made any points with me yet.”
I laughed. “Oh come on, and I’m actually using my manners and everything.”
“You just stay between me and your freaking machinegun please. I hope that thing is empty, otherwise I’m going to feel really stupid.”
I started moving toward her voice. I didn’t drop my rifle or any nonsense like that, and when I was close enough for us to talk normally, she stopped me with a soft, “That’s close enough.”
The tree blocked my view of her, so all I had to go on was her voice at that point.
“Ma’am, I’m David. We don’t mean any harm to normal folks, but have a habit of killing raiders and cannibals. We were on our way to scout some roads when you got my attention.”
“David, I’m Melanie Burgess. I didn’t know the windshield was armored, and I’m sorry for that.”
“Sorry it is armored, or sorry you shot at me with intent to kill?”
“Honestly, a little of both. I’ve been out here for so long that I got desperate and tried to get your vehicle. I’d hoped to score some food and water and possibly some extra firepower.” She sounded like a wounded animal needing to be put down.
“Do you think of yourself as a criminal, Melanie?”
“No sir, I’m just so hungry I was willing to kill for a meal.” She could have run away at any moment, but she had stayed right there and waited for her fate. Damn, that speaks of true desperation. I made a quick decision.
“Have you run across anyone else in this immediate area that could be dangerous?”
“No, that’s why I stayed here. There is little water or food to scavenge so most of the walking skeletons pass through this area without staying. With no rain, it’s all just dried out. I’m too weak to try to find another spot.” By her voice, I could tell she was just sitting there waiting for me to end if for her. I had that same feeling before.
“Are you scared, Melanie? Of what comes next?”
“Not really. I just want it done, but I’m too much of a coward to end it myself.”
I reached into my cargo pocket and tossed a water bottle to the right side of the tree, but over near her side. “Go ahead and drain that bottle, but do it slowly. When you are done, come out and meet the family. I can’t let you give up yet. I need everyone I can get who is willing to try.” I turned and walked back to the kids.
I would give her ten minutes to decide, then I was moving on. Oh, wait! Idiot. I still didn’t have a working watch with me. We had taken some off the raiders, but I never did get one. When I got back in, I asked for the time. They all had working watches. How the heck did I miss out on that?
“Please tell me that someone grabbed an extra watch for the mighty leader to keep up with the time?” I shook my head when no one spoke up. “Seriously?”
Dale laughed behind my seat.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-FOUR
I told the kids to break out some food and eat something and drink up. It was hot in that damn armored giant. Alex asked the difficult question.
“So are we going to bury him, or just leave the body?”
“Oh, it is a her, and neither. I’m waiting for her to make a decision. Let me know when ten minutes go by. If she doesn’t show, we are leaving her ass behind. I think she shot at us hoping to either take the vehicle or get us to kill her. Melanie Burgess is her name, if she shows up. She is at the end of her rope, so I might just need to go ahead and let her go anyway. She might be salvageable, and we could use some extra trigger pullers.” We waited for a bit and finished our lunch. Melanie started walking toward us right about then.
Dale digested this and waited a second before speaking. “That’s a cold way to put it, but do you want someone we don’t trust out here with us?”
Alex answered for me. “She may be useful, or we just cap her and clean up the mess. Either it works out, or we give her what she wants.”
“Yup. Guys, she could end up soaking up a bullet meant for one of us.” It was hard math to stomach sometimes. I looked at each of my kids and made the decision to let Melanie live for now.
I had Regina scoot over and sit between Alex and Dale near Kofi’s feet. We didn’t have a long drive ahead of us, but I made sure Regina had some padding. I wanted Melanie sitting in front of Alex. If our new gal went a little nuts, Alex would turn out her lights. I pointed to the now empty seat and Melanie took the hint. She looked at the barrel of the big .50 pointing down the road, and Kofi gave her a wave.
“Welcome to our humble battle wagon. The family is waiting. We just finished lunch, and we have more if you would like something.” She gaped at him as if he was a little off.
“What do I have to do for it?” She clutched the rifle tightly and glanced inside of the passenger side window.
“Well, it would help if you got in so we could get on down the road, ma’am. We are heading to pick up some supplies and a truck we stashed about a month ago. Mr. Metcalf had to ditch it when people kept shooting at us. He said we were a ‘bullet magnet’ at the time.” Kofi sounded pleasant and welcoming.
Melanie opened the door and looked inside. “Wait, they are all kids!”
She was shocked, but Regina waved and said, “Hey, Melanie, I’m Regina. That’s my brother, Kofi, up there. Alexsandra doesn’t say much, but Dale makes up for all of us.” She pointed to the two sitting to either side of her in their seats. Melanie still needed some convincing. I took over for Regina. We didn’t have time to play twenty questions.
“Melanie, we are on a schedule so either get in or close the door. Alex, can you toss her an MRE? At least get a meal out of us if you decide not to come with us. Either way, make your choice.” She got in finally. Her darting eyes betrayed the fear boiling off of her. Alex tapped her on the arm and handed her a familiar plastic pouch.
I glanced her direction. “Just tear it open and eat the entrée. There is a spoon or spork in there somewhere. The newer ones are much better than the shit we ate when I was in the Army.”
She barely had the hand strength to get the brown plastic bag opened. Regina handed her a pocketknife to cut into the smaller packs inside. I started driving after she passed the blade back with a “thanks” to Regina. Alex smirked at Regina and nodded toward the back of Melanie’s head. She would have made a mess of the interior if Melanie had tried to use the knife for anything but opening the food pouch. I finally got a better look at our new passenger. She looked pitiful.
Her jeans were more holes than fabric in most places. They had started off as stylish skinny jeans, but now they were baggy and shredded in too many places to count. Her t-shirt was stained with salt and body oil around the neck and armpits. She smelled like … well, it was bad. The shirt was at one time
a light blue. It was now mostly stains and holes. She had an ill-fitted trucker hat that advertised for a beer company. Melanie had a small backpack that looked like something my students would have carried, and it was mostly empty based on the shape and how easily it sat in her lap. She could have been eighteen to thirty. A good scrubbing would not erase the lines of worry and stress. She was spooning up the food quickly. When she was done, she started squeezing at it like a tube of toothpaste, trying to get that last little bit.
“Pour some water in it and swish it around a little,” I suggested. She nodded and pulled out the now empty water bottle. Alex handed her a fresh bottle for her to consume.
“Thank you for everything. What do I have to do?”
She must be thinking we were horrible people. I tried to calm her fears. “I could use someone watching out the passenger window of our truck. I can’t really shoot and drive at the same time, and I have an extra vest for you to wear and my spare M4.” This would be the time for the kids to revolt, but they held off and let me work with her as we drove. I kept my eyes on the road, but used my peripheral vision to watch for her reaction. She looked surprised at the trust I was showing her.
“Why would you do that for someone you just met? I already tried to kill you.”
“If you had taken a shot at Kofi, I would have shot through the tree and finished you off right then and there. At some point, we have to learn to put our trust in people. I lost that for a while when all of my neighbors were slaughtered back in the city. I’m just now getting to the point where I can start to believe in people who are not my direct family again. These kids are all I really care about in the world, but to keep them safe, I need to surround them with people who can help me defend them. I’m using you. I’m not going to lie, and if you prove to be untrustworthy, as much as it hurts me, I will end you.” There, just lay it all out.
I stopped and waited for her to decide. She shifted in her seat and seemed to consider it for a second. Finally, she started to cry. Not an annoying cry or wail, just a sad shedding of tears. I took that as a sign she was staying, so I let my foot off the brake and hit the accelerator. She would eventually tell us everything. Or we could end up shot to hell in a ditch somewhere, and her mystery would die with her.