Hammond looked out to the audience. “Does anybody have a problem with this?” he asked, and the crowd replied in the negative almost in unison. “Good, good. I’m glad to hear that everyone in this community is on the same page. That from here on out, you’ll be welcoming of newcomers, and not exclude and terrorize outsiders.”
“You see Sergeant,” Dutch piped up, voice more confident now, “we can turn over a new leaf! And I will personally ensure that every last civilian from Pinos Altos finds a safe place to live within our community.”
“I’m pretty sure you should delegate that,” Hammond replied immediately.
He stared the man down, expectant until Dutch understood what he meant, and flailed his arms until a skinny man in a suit strode up onto the stage.
The Sergeant cocked his head. “This is your second in command? Since Diego is gone?”
“Oh yeah, he’s very capable and great leader,” Dutch replied quickly.
“This town is lucky to have him, then,” Hammond replied. “Because they’re going to need a good leader.” He pulled his handgun and immediately fired, shooting the cowboy point blank in the face. Blood sprayed across the stage, soaking the man in the suit, and many in the audience screamed.
The Privates held out their hands to calm people down, and soon the room fell silent again, so silent that when Hammond raised his hand to wave over the man in the suit, the sound of his shirt sleeve rustling echoed.
“What is this town now?” he asked.
The man hesitated, and then slowly leaned into the microphone, clearing his throat. “Wel… welcoming?”
“There it is!” Hammond exclaimed, spreading his hands, making the new leader flinch. “This town is welcoming! Now tomorrow, my friends and I are leaving this town, and assuming you all behave, none of you will ever see us again. However, and let me be crystal fucking clear on this point, because it’s an important one. If we get word that this town is no longer welcoming, well…” He pointed to Dutch’s corpse. “You see that fat sack of shit that’s missing a face? That’s going to be whoever isn’t playing nice. Does anybody have a problem with that?” Nothing. “I’m going to take your silence to mean that nobody has a problem with it.” He walked away from the mic, and pointed at the bloody suited man. “You, with me.”
The man didn’t waste a second, rushing after the Sergeant and hopping down to join the cluster of soldiers.
“Hell of a speech there, Sarge,” Landry said.
Hammond grinned. “I’d like to think I got my point across.”
“Well, if you didn’t, then I’ll be the first to tell you about it,” Sofia said with a wink.
“New leader, this is Sofia, and Simon.” The Sergeant motioned to the couple. “First thing in the morning, you’re going to grab a few unarmed men to go up there and help them move down here. And just in case you want to get some cute ideas about eliminating them after we’ve left, if I don’t hear from her we’re coming back. Do you understand?”
The man nodded. “Yes, yes sir.”
“Good boy,” Hammond replied, and waved him off. “Run along now, you have work to do.”
He nodded emphatically before scampering off, melting into the crowd filing out of the auditorium.
“I can’t say I agree with all of your tactics,” Simon said slowly, eyeing the body on the stage, “but I can’t argue with your results.” He extended his hand, and they shook. “I’ll get your car ready to go.”
Sofia shook Hammond’s hand as Simon headed off. “It’ might be a good idea for you all to stay the night at our place,” she offered. “We will make sure you have armed guards outside. While I’m pretty sure you scared them straight, I’d rather not take chances.”
“That’s very kind of you, thank you,” Hammond replied. The thought of a safe night’s rest had him feeling heady.
“Before you go, however, I was wondering if I could borrow Mister Mathis for a moment,” she said. “I need a hand with something.”
The Sergeant inclined his head. “He’s all yours.”
As they left, Landry turned to Hammond and spread his arms, eyes wide. “Okay. How in the holy fuck did we survive that?”
“Maybe we’re better than we think we are?” the Sergeant asked.
“Speak for yourself,” Whitaker scoffed. “I know damn well how good I am.”
“Gotta love that modesty,” Landry said.
“Come on, let’s head out to the SUV and get loaded up.” Hammond laughed, and rubbed his face. “I don’t know about you guys, but I could use a nap.”
“A-fucking-men,” Landry agreed.
Outside, Simon and a civilian were loading some gas cans into the back of the SUV.
“What’s this?” Hammond asked, motioning to the load.
Simon smiled. “I was getting this packed up, when these two gentlemen came up with an offering.”
The soldiers tensed, and the two men held their hands up in surrender.
“We come in peace,” one of them said. “Just wanted to show our thanks for getting rid of Dutch.”
The second one nodded, taking his hat off and clutching it in his hands. “That sack of shit was bleeding this town dry, soaking up all the resources for himself.”
“Motherfucker was planning a purge in the near future of those who didn’t pledge loyalty to him,” the first one added.
“Thanks to you, we might have a chance at surviving this,” his companion said. “You have safe travels, now. And watch it out there, not every place is as friendly as Silver City.”
The tension fizzled out into chuckles as the soldiers stepped forward to shake their hands, and then they parted ways.
“Are we ready?” Whitaker asked.
Landry shook his head. “Not yet, Mathis isn’t back from helping Sofia.”
“Where the hell are they?” Hammond asked, and then a roar of cheers rose up across the parking lot. The soldiers strolled over, and dissolved into laughter as they saw the track through the fence.
Sofia and Mathis were neck and neck all the way around, and she pulled forward at the last moment, crossing the finish line first. They both slowed down, chests heaving, and shook hands.
“Told you I could keep up,” she huffed.
He grinned, wiping the sweat from his brow. “I’ll never doubt you again.”
“Shit Mathis,” Landry bellowed as the duo approached them, “maybe we should leave you here and take her with us.”
“I don’t think that would be fair to the Cartel,” Mathis replied. “Gotta give them a fighting chance, after all.”
They headed back to the SUV and the soldiers got inside. Whitaker cocked her head as the duo stayed standing.
“Not coming with us?” she asked.
Sofia shook her head. “No, the new leader wants to help us get set up here, and we accepted,” she explained. “But Andy and Marshall have your rooms set up in our house, and will stand guard tonight for you.”
“If you need anything…” Hammond began.
She nodded. “I know how to reach you.”
He smiled and nodded at them, and then started up the vehicle, pulling away from the town.
“So how far is El Paso from here?” Landry asked.
Whitaker pursed her lips for a moment. “Couple hundred miles, give or take.”
“Might be a bit longer, since we can’t go straight through,” Hammond replied. “Leon is going to talk us in tomorrow.”
“But first!” Whitaker held up a hand. “We’re gonna have ourselves a nightcap.”
Landry clasped his hands together. “For the love of god though, nobody touch her ass! I need some sleep before I have to kill someone else.”
The soldiers laughed as they drove off into the darkness.
END
Coming Soon: The action heads back to Portland as Zion works to unify the survivor groups.
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Dead America The Second Week (Book 9): Dead America: New Mexico Page 7