“You might think so. Everything you ever wanted is yours for the taking.”
“Sure is!”
Cole nodded. “I know, right? Any house you want, whatever is inside it, and if you need more, you just find another empty house or a warehouse and discover whatever is inside it, and it’s yours. It’s every person’s fantasy, in a way. Although I bet nobody ever admits to it.” He raised an eyebrow, giving them a sly grin, nodding in a ‘am I right?’ kind of way.
Giving each other a knowing glance, the men shrugged and chuckled.
Spreading a hand on his chest, Cole dropped his voice, as though telling a shameful secret. “Speaking for myself, I had a helluva good time walking into a department store and plucking whatever I wanted from the shelves, piling into a dozen carts before loading it all into a truck—a free truck, mind you—and hauling my find back home to my family.” He pantomimed chucking goods into a shopping cart and driving home the point of how much fun it was by pulling on an imaginary air horn in celebration. The men got the reference and threw their heads back in laughter.
Cole grinned in return. The men relaxed their stances, their rifles clasped loosely as they listened. That was his intended effect. The men who had stood in the distance came closer. He counted a total of seven men on the other side of the gate. Was anyone left in the house? He saw a couple were older than he was, and two looked to be barely more than teens. He nodded to them, acknowledging their presence.
He glanced at Amanda to find her listening as well, a smile teasing around her lips. He included her in the scenario. “Amanda, here, found some cattle whose owners were deceased, and she and her family survived the winter on beef that literally walked itself to her front door!”
It was an exaggeration, but even Amanda laughed. Cole ambled to the front of the Jeep and sat on the bumper. Leaning back, he crossed his feet at the ankles, propping his elbows on the hood. “Damn, that was fun!” He left out the part where he’d been shot. Or the part about the dead babies, flies, maggots, rats, and all the other horrific things they’d seen. He waited for the scenes to set themselves in everyone’s head. Whatever they had personally experienced, he expected that they had all seen horrors. He finally added, his voice cracking, surprising him, but maybe it added truth to his next statement. “But most of the last year really sucked.”
A shadow crossed the shorter man’s eyes, and the taller one dipped his head, scuffing a foot on the ground before he nodded his head in agreement.
Cole remained silent, letting the images they saw in their heads coalesce and linger. Now that he knew they weren’t cold-hearted bastards, he sighed and leaned forward. “Everything we got was free— none of it cost us one red cent—but I would bet every last one of us would agree that the price was too high.”
The shorter man cleared his throat and slung his rifle over his shoulder. “I lost my wife and kids. I don’t know how I was spared, except I’d freaked out and spent every blasted minute I could out with the cattle. I rode from morning to night, even camping out, telling Lucy that I thought wolves were killing our steers.” He paused. “I shoulda been there to help her. She had to watch the kids die first before she got it. It was almost a blessing then, because she didn’t want to live without them. Every time I’d come up to the house, I’d hear one of them laughing that weird, crazy laughter, and I’d hightail it back to the barn.”
“It’s okay, Scott.” The taller man rested a hand on Scott’s shoulder. “Almost same thing happened to me, only they all got it the same day. Tami died at work, and the kids at school. At least I was spared having to see them like that. But, I was out harvesting the damn beans. So, I had a mountain of beans, but nobody to eat them.”
“I’m really sorry, Scott. And I’m sorry about your loss… ?” Cole raised an eyebrow at the taller man.
“Don. I’m Don.”
To his left, Amanda leaned against the side of the Jeep, her eyes fixed on the ground ahead of her, tears rolling down her face. Cole hated that he’d caused her to cry, but when he heard a sniff in front of him, he turned and caught the Don swiping at his eyes.
Cole stood and approached the gate. “I mean it. I’m sorry about your families.” He hoped his sincerity showed.
“Thanks.” Scott drew a deep breath. “Life goes on.”
“Yes, it does. As hard as it is. And this is going to sound almost callous, but I don’t mean it that way. It’s simply the truth. This horrible virus has given us an opportunity to start with a clean slate, so to speak.”
“A clean slate? I don’t get it.”
Cole shook his head. “I’ll explain more at the meeting. We’re planning it for three days from now …”
He cast about for a location to give them, but he didn’t know the area. Damn it. Amanda caught his eye, catching on to what he wanted.
“We’re meeting at Veteran’s Park, five o’clock. It’s going to be a potluck, so bring food.” And she gripped the bars of the gate. “And, please, I’d like to see my father. I want to make sure he’s okay.”
25
For a minute, tension ratchetted up as the shorter man said, “No. We can’t do that. We told you he’s fine.”
“And I’m supposed to believe you and just walk away?”
Cole put out a placating hand. “Hey guys, she needs to see her father and make sure he’s okay. That’s a reasonable request. You said you weren’t barbarians…”
The shorter one met the taller one’s eyes, and some kind of agreement must have been struck because the shorter one seemed abashed. “Okay, fine.” He reached for the padlock on the chain, and dug in his pocket, withdrawing a key. “He’s up in the house. His room is first—”
“I know my way around, thanks.” Amanda gave the men a hard stare.
Just when Cole thought the easing of tensions was going to revert back to hostilities because the shorter man stiffened at Amanda’s tone, the guy shook his head and said, “Yeah, I suppose you do.”
The men parted to let her through and Cole thought about following her, but decided against it. He remained where he was, hoping to keep the men engaged.
“Like I said earlier, my name is Cole.” Now that the gate barrier wasn’t blocking him, he stuck out his hand to the shorter man.
“Scott. Nice to meet you, Cole.” His grip was firm, his palms rough with callouses.
“Hi, Cole. I’m Don.” The taller man thrust his hand out, and Cole clasped it.
The other men introduced themselves and, deciding there was nothing to see, wandered off.
Cole fought the urge to wipe his hand on his jeans. It wasn’t that the men were dirty, although they had been working on the ranch, so who knew what they had come in contact with. He could handle routine dirt. He was used to working with the horses, after all, but forever in his mind was the thought of the virus. Was it still active?
Did he dare believe Holland’s claim that Cole was the lone person immune to Sympatico Syndrome? None of them wore masks although he saw no signs of the virus present in any of the men. If anything, everyone was very low key, almost taciturn. He’d considered wearing a mask, but initially, there was so much distance between them and the other men that he hadn’t felt the need. When the opportunity came to approach them, he wasn’t about to break the fragile truce, of sorts, by whipping out a mask.
He pondered how to broach the subject of these men stealing Amanda’s home. “Hey, so—” But Scott spoke at the same time, cutting Cole off.
“So, what’s your story, Cole?”
“My story?”
“Yeah. You’re not from around here.”
“How do you know that?”
“Your accent.”
“Ah, yeah.” Cole rubbed the back of his neck. “I didn’t think I had much of one, but I guess it’s noticeable?” He slanted Scott a grin.
Scott agreed. “Yup. I’d peg you for Chicago or Detroit. Something like that.”
“Close. Just north of Chicago, but actually in Wisconsin.”
“Did you live here before the virus?”
“No. We only arrived yesterday.” Cole took the opening to voice his concerns, but couched in what he hoped was non-aggressive language. “Amanda and her family thought we were you, ironically. She chased us down the highway until we took a stand. Once we realized we had nothing to fear from each other, we decided to stick together, at least temporarily.”
It was a bit of an exaggeration as there had been no talk of sticking together, but if he could let it seem like Amanda’s family and his own were together in this, they would be a force to be reckoned with.
“Us? Who is us?” Scott seemed skeptical of his claim.
Here’s where Cole needed to make them sound formidable. “I’m with a group of men and women from Wisconsin. We battled our way here across raging rivers and through land occupied by hostile locals who tried to steal our supplies back in Kansas or thereabouts.”
He gave a wry shake of his head. “This ranch belongs to Amanda and her family. Why take everything from them when you could, literally, have almost any other ranch in the area?”
Scott’s amicable expression twisted at Cole’s words. “Because we can. Because it has better water than any of the others. Because it’s not fair that they lived and my family didn’t. Let them see what it’s like to suffer.”
“Amanda has suffered. We all have lost loved ones. You have to realize that. And how do you think inflicting more suffering will make you feel better?”
“What difference does it make? Like you said, they can have any other ranch—and they did.” Scott’s eyes narrowed. “And what makes you think you’re in a position to bring together a bunch of folks from these parts?”
“I don’t know if I can, but I think it’s worth pursuing, don’t you? We can create a future for ourselves.”
Don shrugged, joining the conversation. “Or we could all be dead tomorrow. Might as well live in the moment.”
Scott laughed, but it was laced with bitterness. “Yup. We’ve got nothing left to lose.”
Cole conceded his point. A fatalistic attitude was understandable after surviving the horror they’d all endured. “You’re right. And I’m a complete outsider. Hell, I’ll admit a big reason we came out here is because we hoped there’d be electricity. We were right about that.”
He looked at Don, then back to Scott. The men had withdrawn, bringing their rifles up, holding them across their bodies. Damn it. He had to get them back. He’d intended to be completely honest and win them over by not hiding anything but he’d hit a nerve. “Listen, that’s not the only reason or even the most important one. The other reason was we thought this area would be a magnet for other survivors. Right now, we—as in survivors— have stuff. Food, tools, clothing—basically, everything we need to get by, at least for the near future, but what we don’t have are people.”
Scott scowled. “We have all the people we need right here.”
Despite not wanting to anger anyone, Cole couldn’t hold back his reaction. “A few minutes ago, I thought you were someone with a little compassion, but I was wrong. You have none, and what’s even worse, you have no common sense.”
“The hell you say?” Scott’s jaw thrust out, his arms fisted at his waist as if he was preparing to do battle.
Cole wouldn’t back off. “A man with common sense would realize that with most of the world dead, every single life is precious. Every. Single. One.” He paused, teeth clenched as frustration boiled inside of him. It was tempting to throw up his hands and walk away, but that wouldn’t help anyone. He consciously relaxed his jaw and tried again. “Cooperation is not just desired, but required for all of us to have the best chance of long-term survival. You have to listen to reason.”
“No, you listen. We’re doing just fine. We have all the food we need and a good place to sleep— we don’t need you.”
“You may think not, but my education is in epidemiology. I studied diseases and their transmission. You said you were worried about catching the virus if you mingle with other survivors, and I can address that. It’s a valid concern.”
He didn’t point out that they were all talking in close proximity without masks. “But besides myself, there are others with me who have medical training. Our goal is to get at least a clinic up and running and this area seemed like the most likely to have everything to make that possible. Isn’t ranching a dangerous job? Accidents happen all the time. If you fight with us on this, when our clinic is up, do you think we’d be willing to help you or your men when you need it?”
Scott dropped his fists and shuffled, sending a look at Don. “We’ll find someone else to help.”
Cole laughed. “Have fun with that. Hospitals were the first and hardest hit. If you can find so much as a candy striper still alive between here and the Pacific Ocean, I’d be very surprised.”
This wasn’t going how he’d seen it in his head, but he had to keep trying. These men were key. He could feel it. From their earlier comment about knowing Amanda’s family had settled at another ranch, they were actively scouting the area. He wanted to use their knowledge to help everyone, not just allow them to keep tabs on other survivors comings and goings. It also meant they must know more about who might have survived and who hadn’t than Amanda’s group, who had secluded themselves.
“Come on, guys. We need to share ideas. Share resources. We could form a community again. Without that, what’s the point in surviving? I don’t know about you guys, but I’m not ready to revert to prehistoric living conditions. Are you?” He didn’t wait for them to answer. “It may not happen in our lifetime, but if our children and grandchildren survive, and that’s a big if, then it’ll happen in their children’s lifetimes.”
Scott shrugged. “Yeah, I guess, but by then the government will have everything worked out. This is just temporary.”
He hadn’t won them over yet. Shit. “Don’t you understand? There is no government. Not anymore. Not unless we create one.”
Don shook his head and spat to the side, taking a step back. Any second, Cole feared they’d close the gate, locking him out, and worse, locking Amanda in. He should have kept his big mouth shut. His fears were nearly confirmed when Don reached for the edge of the gate, but he didn’t close it. Yet.
“Why even bother, Cole? We don’t need a government. I like being free to do what I want.”
“You mean like being free to force a family off their ranch just because you feel like it?” Stance wide, arms crossed, Cole leveled a look at Don and held it until the other man shifted his eyes. He shifted his focus to Scott. A part of his mind looked on in disbelief, wondering if he had a death wish. The other men held the weapons as he’d purposefully left his in the Jeep. And yet, here he was poking a stick in a hornet’s nest.
Tension radiated up Cole’s neck even as adrenaline flooded him and his body ramped up for a fight as he and Scott locked eyes.
Then Scott looked down, sweeping his toe through the dust and scattering a few pebbles. “It’s not like they had nowhere else to go. I know for a fact they’re living it up just a few miles away. This ranch has more water and we’ll do a better job running it.”
Sensing he held the upper hand, Cole took a step forward, his voice dropping low. “Did you not understand what I just said? You might not care about living in a state of anarchy, but I don’t want to live that way and I don’t want to raise my own child or see my grandchildren brought up where might makes right.”
He paused, noting the other men had returned and stood listening to his little speech. Sweeping a look around, including them in his next words, he stabbed a finger down towards the ground. “Right here, right now we have a chance to start over. We can’t let billions of people’s deaths mean nothing.” His voice broke slightly on the last word, and he drew a deep breath. Had the other men taken it for a sign of weakness? Well, let them. He couldn’t do this alone. He needed help.
Cole stared pointedly on the men’s rifles until they lowered them
muzzle to the ground. “Here’s the reality. I spoke to someone who has seen D.C. What little government that remains only has electricity a few hours a day, and the city itself has been devastated just like every other city. There’ll be no help from the government way out here for years. Are you willing to wait that long? Can you afford to wait that long?”
The men shuffled their feet, giving each other looks, before many shook their heads.
Cole eased back, his tone quieter, but confident. “Scott…Don…and the rest of you…none of us can do this alone. We have to work together. We can do this.”
Scott and Don exchanged a look and Scott turned and surveyed his men, apparently coming to a consensus before facing Cole again. “Veteran’s Park, you say?”
“Yes. Three days from now.”
Cole looked beyond them for signs of Amanda, but she must still be in the house. Now would be a good time to leave. What if she didn’t come out? What if someone in the house made her stay?
A movement caught his eye and Amanda appeared. Cole hid a sigh of relief. A man hobbled at her side. Her father? When they got to the gate, she walked right past Scott and Don without a second look, hanging onto her father’s arm and helping him into the Jeep.
“Hey! Where are you going, Will?”
“With my daughter. Did you actually think I’d choose you over her? You shot me!” He climbed in the rear seat on the driver’s side.
Cole walked backwards to the passenger side door. “Veteran’s Park. Three days from now. Five p.m.”
26
Amanda wheeled the Jeep around and threw up gravel as she peeled away, the force of her acceleration pinning Cole to the back of his seat for a few seconds.
“I can’t believe you still invited him to join…to join whatever it is you have planned!” Amanda shot Cole a venomous look.
“Yeah—who the hell are you and who made you in charge?” Will added from the backseat.
“I’m not in charge. If you all want to be on your own, my family will leave. There’s a lot of space out here. We never have to see each other again.” Cole angled against the back of the seat, one shoulder pressed hard against the frame of the car as he leaned his elbow on the window sill. He stared out the window. What had he been thinking? These people barely knew him and he didn’t know this area.
Sympatico Syndrome Trilogy Box Set Page 76