by Mark Clodi
“Tell him...well hell if I know. We'll deal with that if we get to it.”
“That doesn't give me warm tingly feelings.” said Stewart.
“Well Jane I know from experience that the check points have been set up at the exits to the highway, chances are we won't run into another checkpoint until we change highways again.”
“We didn't exit here.” Max pointed out.
“We did, sort of, you just weren't paying attention. We exited highway twenty nine for the bypass, highway six eighty. We might have another checkpoint when we get on highway eighty, maybe. I guess we should be planning for that too. If you come up with a way to handle it better let me know.”
The three of them thought for awhile and decided to just let Bill handle it the best way he could, hopefully his gift of fast talking would see them through a few more checkpoints. Their worries were in vain, there was no checkpoint to get onto highway eighty, nor was there one to get onto highway thirty five south to Osceola an hour and a half later either.
By the time they pulled off at Osceola it was about ten o'clock. There was a checkpoint there but Bill just asked the one older solder how to get to the train station and the man waved him through, saying, “Just stay on highway thirty four and follow the signs. Ain't no one there.” The man, didn't even ask why they were going that way.
Bill followed the directions and they found the train station with no problem. It was deserted.
“You feeling anything Max?” asked Stewart.
“Just tired.”
“No, I meant do you 'see' anything with your zombie sense?”
“Oh.” Max concentrated a little, “Huh there are too many people here, I can't see any zombies. Just human, living people, I mean.”
“Anyone moving around?”
“No and no one near here either, no one at the station. Do you think that is the train?” Max asked, gesturing at the train sitting in front of them on the tracks, the engine was pulled up ahead of the main building and many of the cars were strung out behind the other side of it to the west.
“How many trains do you think they have?”
Max nodded, then said, “Fuck. That one is empty.”
“Well folks it won't hurt to get out and walk about a little.” said Bill.
The three of them hopped out of the car and walked up onto the platform, looking for some evidence that this was the train Max's kids had been on.
“What do you think they did with the others?” asked Max to Stewart.
Stewart shrugged noncommittally, “How should I know? They probably left them in the cell in O'Neill.”
“Nothing here.” said Bill. “I thought maybe there would be a monitor or something, like an airport, where we could see arrivals and stuff.”
“Well how do we find out where they took the kids?” Max asked.
They looked around and saw a bank of pay phones, Max went up to them and picked on up. “I got a dial tone!”
“Let me call Trisha.” said Bill.
“Yeah, you do that, I will try Nick's cell phone.”
The two men tried calling their loved ones, Max's call did not go through, not even to voice mail. Bill's however was picked up on the second ring.
“Hello?” came his wife's voice.
“Oh God! Trisha! It's me, Bill!”
“Bill?”
“Yeah I am okay. Are you okay?”
“Bill?” her voice sounded numb.
“Yes, Bill! Are you okay?”
“Bill!” then away from the receiver she shouted, “ It's your dad! He isn't dead! He is alive! Bill? Oh Bill where are you? Are you okay?” in the background Bill could hear the voices of the children screaming and crying.
“I am fine, I am in Osceola. Are you okay?”
“We are fine, they sent John home with the news that you were missing and presumed dead.”
“John is there? Oh my....I don't...I thought he was dead!” Bill said, tears trailing down his cheeks.
“No he is fine, not a scratch on him.”
“Well don't tell anyone where I am, just wait for me to get home.”
“You are in Osceola? What are you doing there?”
“We just got here, we were looking for Max's kids.”
“Nick and Jessica? They are here with me I went and picked them up from Vet's stadium this afternoon when they called me. How did you know...”
“I found Max! Or rather he found me by the side of the road, up in Sioux City.”
“Sioux City?”
“Yeah, we got across the river and Max said they told him they were putting his kids on a train, so we drove down to the train station here, but there isn't anyone here.”
“No, they bussed the kids up to Vet's, as a staging area. You said the train is still there?”
“Yeah. I am looking right at it.”
“Huh, Nick must have been wrong, he said they were going to send it back to Nebraska for more people.”
“Maybe they didn't want to travel at night?”
“I picked the kids up around two o'clock, there would have been plenty of time to get back there with it. He must have been wrong is all, it is no big deal Bill. Tell me what happened to you?”
“I...Trish, I better not, I better just get home as quick as I can. I couldn't use a cell phone to call you, I tried to let you know I was okay.”
“I don't care Bill, I don't care, just as long as you are okay now.”
“I can be home in an hour.”
“Then come home. We will all be waiting for you.”
“Let me give you the number on my cell phone, just in case, okay?”
“Sure, Trudy get me a pen and paper.”
Bill waited until he wife was ready then read the number off of his cell phone to her over the radio, for good measure he read his wife Max and Stewart's numbers as well. “I don't know if it will do any good, but at least you might be able to get a hold of us. Okay hon, I am going to let you go. I will see you real soon.”
“I love you Bill and...be careful!”
“I will be. I love you too.” Bill hung the phone up. And looked up at his two companions who were staring at him waiting for the news. Behind them Bill saw a man approaching with a military rifle. Bill nodded to the middle aged guy who then slung his rifle up over his shoulder. His nodded alerted Stewart and Max who both turned to watch the man approach them.
“Evening.” the man said, he was wearing a full set of fatigues and Bill noted that he was a Sergeant, “What are you folks doing here?”
“My kids were supposed to be on that train.” Max said.
“If they were, you missed them by about eight hours, they bussed them up to Des Moines. They will be okay, they took them to Vet's Stadium, about the middle of the city, anyone can tell you how to get there if you ask.”
“Thanks!” Max said.
“No problem, how come you weren't on the train?”
“I got held up by some medical guys for the physical. I was madder than hell that they did that, sent my kids on ahead, so I got to find them now.”
“Well you'll find them at Vet's, I am sure they are okay.”
“I just got off the phone with my wife, she said something about them sending the train back to Nebraska?” Bill asked.
The man shook his head, “No sir, that train ain't going nowhere. There is a big hubbub up around Lincoln now some massive group of zombies moving towards us, so they grounded the train here. Of course this was after they fueled it up and got it ready to go. The engineers are staying over at the high school in the shelter there. The military impressed them into service and there are some wild ideas going around about putting some guns on the train and sending it back to Lincoln to blow the living hell outta the zombies. I can't say I mind that at all. You folks see any zombies?”
“Well sarg we saw a few in Sioux City, came over the bridge there.”
The old soldier's eyebrows went up a notch. “Hm, you don't say huh?”
“Yeah
, we did okay, killed a few ourselves and left the rest for the military to mop up.”
“You in the military...uh, I didn't get your name?”
“Jim.” said Bill, holding out his hand. “Nah, I never was in the military.”
Max saw the suspicion on the older man's face and asked, “How long have you been in? And I am Max, by the way, what is your name?”
“Clyde Dartman. Pleased to meet you Max. I retired from the military did my twenty five years and moved into high school sanitation.”
“High school sanitation?” Max asked perplexed.
“I'm a janitor up at the school here, they put a uniform back on me right quick when this happened, put me in charge of the train station, keeping the riff-raff out of here.”
“We aren't riff-raff sarg.” said Bill. Making Max wince.
“Hm, yes, well that remains to be seen. Sioux City is awful far north for someone whose kids were on this train. I believe that part of your story.”
“What, well, yeah that is true, we couldn't help where we crossed though.” said Max.
Clyde looked Max over in the florescent lighting on the train platform, then nodded. “You know I believe you Max, I believe your name is Max and lady I believe everything you've said too.”
“I haven't said a damn thing.” Stewart said.
“I know, and I believe that more than I believe every other word out of 'Jim' here.” said Clyde hitching his thumb at Bill.
Bill started to protest, but Max cut him off, “Let it go Bill. So Clyde what do we do now?”
“He was in the military, not for long he hasn't got the old timer's look, I bet he was pressed into one of the new units they are shipping out everywhere. No civilian reads ranks 'Jim', what are you, some sort of deserter?”
“No I...”
“The truth son. I am a reasonable man, as long as people aren't pissing on me.” warned Clyde.
“Yeah sarg, I was in a new unit, I was shipped west and was serving up in Sioux City." Bill seemed to sag a little, then squared his shoulders and said, " I got cut off from my unit and found Max and his friend on the west side of the river. We came across and I am helping them find their kids.”
Clyde nodded, “Sounds closer to the truth than farther from it. Go on, tell me how you two got separated from your kids.”
“My kids.” Max said, “We met up a couple weeks ago in Colorado, she is a cop and has been helping me get to Bill here, we were friends before and it was just dumb luck that I ran into him in Nebraska. The kids and I got separated in O'Neill, Nebraska. They got bussed south to catch the train, we got sent west on account of us being cut up a bit. We weren't bit! And we aren't infected either. I just want to find my kids.”
“They probably are at the old stadium in Des Moines.”
“They aren't.” said Bill, “My wife picked them up this afternoon, they are at my house.”
“My understanding is things are pretty bad out on the lines. They need every man to keep the zombies out of Iowa. I know it is just as bad down towards Kansas City as it is up north, so you should have gone back to your unit.”
“And I will, but I have to help my friend first.”
“There is no helping friends, there is only with your unit or 'Absent without leave.' Guess which you are right now? What rank were you?”
“Sergeant.”
“You're lucky then, they will just bust you down to private, put a rifle in your hands and send you back out.”
“It doesn't have to be that way.” Bill said.
“I am cutting you some slack. These two can go, they should go get his kids. And I know they probably didn't pass the physical either, but I am willing to look the other way for them. You though, well I never had much use for deserters.”
“I am just helping a friend out!” said Bill, visibly angry. “Besides the army left me to rot on the wrong side of the river before the bridge blew up!”
Clyde raised one hand and nodded, “Alright, alright, no need to get upset, you tried something and you got caught. I can see being called a deserter bothers you. You don't want to think of yourself that way do you? This is good, it means there is hope for you yet. I am a reasonable man, so I have a reasonable proposition for you.”
“What is it?” Bill asked suspiciously.
“You led your friends here out of a sense of obligation and now that they are here you feel you need to get back to the fighting to save us all, so you reported to me and I will arrange for transportation back to your unit.”
Bill hesitated and Clyde shook his head, “You won't get busted not in these times, and you won't get a better offer either.”
“We could tie you up and run.” Said Stewart menacingly.
Clyde just smiled and held out his hands, “Go ahead, I won't fight you on it. But unless you kill me I will spill the beans about everything. How many kids do you think got picked up at Vets? How many children knew people in Iowa? I'd bet not many, so I might spend a few hours uncomfortable but they would find 'Jim' heres wife pretty darn quick.”
“We could take you with us. Toss you in the trunk.” Stewart offered, as much to Clyde as to Bill and Max.
Bill shook his head, “No, he'd make noise at the first roadblock. We won't kill him either, we aren't cold blooded enough. He's right. Clyde you are right; I should be getting back to my unit. I have done what I needed to do, I found my friend's kids, and let my wife know I am not dead and now, well now I guess I better get back to my men.”
“See? He might not have the look of an old soldier about him, but I can recognize a military spirit when I see one. He is the type who just needed to be reminded of his responsibilities. Now where do you hang your hat 'Bill'.”
“Bill Carson.” said Bill extending his hand to Clyde again. The older man shook it and then Bill said, “I am up outside of Perry.”
“Perry? Ugh, a lot of Mexicans up there, if I remember. That's right off highway one forty one.”
“Yes, it goes right through there.” Bill said, he chose not to remark on the 'Mexicans' comment, his experience with immigrants was that they tended to work harder for less money and with less complaints than people who had won the birth lottery by being born in America.
“I might be wrong, but I am pretty sure if you stayed on highway one forty one it will take you to highway twenty nine that comes into the south side of Sioux City. I will give you until noon tomorrow, then I will call up there after your unit and make sure you got back okay. That gives you a few hours with your wife and family, which is more than I have to do. Don't let me down sergeant.”
Bill looked at Clyde for a minute then said, “I won't sergeant, I promise.”
Chapter 29
Max was sitting at Bill's dinner table across from Stewart. The two were not arguing so much as glaring at each other. Two days had passed and Bill was back in Sioux City, but his son John was still home officially on 'leave' to mourn his father...who was very much alive and fighting. The kids were all outside to give the adults a chance to talk in private. Despite the size of the house there was virtually no guarantee of privacy when all the kids were filling it.
“We have to go.” Stewart said.
She was referring to Chicago, of course. They two of them had been debriefed by the military the day after arriving at Bill's house. It still amazed them both how quickly the debriefing turned into action. The military overflew middle Nebraska with a helicopter and verified that there was a large group of 'hostiles' heading towards Iowa, a group they may not be able to defeat. They also reported similar groups of zombies massing in Kansas City and along the Iowa-Illinois border. In short the military and leaders of Iowa realized how bad things were going to get in about a week when the groups converged on the state. The military also had driven out to the high school near Bill's place and tested Max's ability to tell how many people were hidden at various places around the school campus. They believed he could 'see' people through walls and across short distances. Stewart had announce
d that Max could single out super zombies as well and both of them had warned the military that the actions of the masses of zombies were being controlled by someone in Chicago. All in all Max felt they had done everything that needed and could be done. Their disagreement with that statement was why they were glaring at each other over the table now.
“Refill?” Trisha asked, bringing a pot of coffee to the table.
“Yeah, thanks Trish.” said Max, Stewart nodded and Bill's wife refilled both of their cups and her own as well. She sat the pot down on the tile island and returned to the table.
“Max, we have to go and you know it. We won't survive if all the zombies headed our way hit us at once. The military practically came out and said so.”
“We just got here. I won't leave my kids. I can't, I am all they have left.”
“No. They have Trisha. Look I know this is hard, but your kids will not survive if we do nothing.”
“We've done okay so far.”
“By luck.”
Max paused and rubbed his chin. “No. Seriously no. I have been thinking. All we need to do is get past one group of zombies. We were foolish to leave Denver, we could have just stayed and lived there. We can go back. Even to Tom's farm. The zombies will all be gone from there by now. Maybe if we had a plane....”
Stewart shook her head, “I know you are not serious, you would leave Trisha and the kids to die?”
“No, we would get a plane big enough to haul all of us.”
Trisha put up a hand to forestall the argument from escalating, as it had done several times in the last twenty minutes. “I won't leave. I won't leave the neighbors or my friends. The kids will stay here too.”
“Trish...” Max began.
“No. That is final Max. What happened to you? I want to feel for you, I really do. But this isn't who you are. You have never gotten lazy when there was work to do. I've know you for twenty years now.” Max nodded, “In all that time I have never known you to let someone down who was depending on you.”
“This is different.”
“Yes, the stakes are higher. This is life and death. If we don't make a stand here then we die. Sure some small groups of people may live out behind the zombies, but they won't last long, this is our best chance to live.”