“I would like to introduce you to the infamous man in the black hoodie, who Jack told us was named Brandon.” I said.
“This is getting to be too much.” Sass said as he walked over to a chair and sat down.
“So that’s why you knew you wouldn’t be killed when you came back here last night.” Jane said.
“That and the fact that Fred gave me exactly what I needed him to give me.”
“The inventory from Food City.” Fred said.
“Exactly. You see I knew that the plan called for us to grab Fred and Sam and haul ass for home as quick as we could. That’s why I wouldn’t leave. I knew it was killing Tabitha. She had to get us to leave so we would be the bad guys. She couldn’t attack us until we made a move against the med center that could be considered hostile. I refused to make such a move. I knew she had to be letting you have it, Fred. I figured every time I wouldn’t take the bait, you were getting into a deeper and deeper hole with the boss. I also figured that you would do anything to get out of the hole and get things moving back on schedule and as planned. So, once I thought the proper pressure was being applied to you I gave you a way out. I needed proof it was your boss that had attacked and burned Food City to the ground. That proof would sway the Head Hunters even if I was wrong and the man in the black hoodie wasn’t running things here.”
“But I don’t see how that inventory solved anything.” Fred said. “Somebody else could have killed those people and we just picked their scraps.”
“Not possible.” I said. “Did anyone else look at that list? It was way too long to just be grabbing what another group left. Also, you forget that Brandon here already knew who had done it. He just had no proof to back it up. When we got here last night, and I told him that not only did I have proof, but I could deliver Tabitha to him on a silver platter, Amanda and I became his new best friends.”
“You’ve got that right.” Brandon said.
“But, here’s where it quits making sense to me.” Fred said. “She knew this was the Head Hunter’s home. I know she knew. Why would she even set foot in here?”
“We talked about this last night and Brandon said he thought that at this point she was thinking of herself as unbeatable. I agree with that to a point, but I also think it was the chase that drove her on. Even if her mind had told her, “WHOA! That building is way too dangerous for you to enter.” I don’t think she could have stopped herself. She was angry at us and at herself. If we disappeared into the Head Hunter’s building, then she couldn’t take her fight to Wal-Mart because we didn’t go back to Wal-Mart. We came here. She would have to attack the Head Hunters. That not only was something she didn’t want to do, but there was no profit in it. The Head Hunters are in just as bad a shape, if not worse, when it comes to supplies. If she could beat her way into the building and kill everyone she would be able to load trucks full of tools and building supplies I’m sure. But she didn’t need any of that. She needed food. She came in here to try to convince Brandon to just let her have us. She could call a truce between the med center and the Head Hunters if he would just give her back her property.”
“But she must’ve known she wouldn’t get out of here alive.” Marky Mark said.
“Why would she think that? She had no idea that we had taken proof of her wrong doing when we left.”
“Oh snap.” Sass said which made me laugh. This has quickly become one of his go to phrases since he’s been passing around the football with Bill North’s son. It cracks me up every time he says it.
“She also didn’t know about Abbey, so she had no clue how personal this was for me.” Brandon said.
“What happens now?” Fred asked.
“Whatever you want. You’re free. You and your whole family.”
Fred looked at me for a long moment. “How long have you known?” He asked making me smile in response.
“I’ve known since my first talk with her. There was just something not there.” I said. Fred nodded his head saying, “I way underestimated you.”
“Happens all the time.” I said.
“Would somebody please tell me what the hell we’re talking about now?” Marky Mark said. I walked over to where Fred was sitting and took the hand of the woman who had escaped the medical center with us. I walked her out in front of Fred and Samantha and said, “I would like to personally introduce you all to Fred’s wife, and Samantha’s mother, Susie Baker.”
“How did I not see that?” Amanda said.
“How did you see it?” Asked Susie.
“There is a way you look at Fred, but more than that, there is the way you look at Samantha. There is a way you hold her hand and keep her tucked close to you when you feel you’re in danger. You have been trying to hide it, but the protectiveness of a mother is something that I am guessing is hard to control.”
Susie smiled. “You have no idea.” Then she pulled Sam to her and laughed. “Fred and I were worried what you all would think if you knew.”
“I imagine it went something like this. Tabitha put her plan together and Samantha was the only kid in the med center. Fred and Sam get drafted and told if they don’t do their job then when they get back home they will find mister muscles from maintenance has dumped poor Susie over the side of the building.”
Fred looked stricken, “It was something very close to that.”
“Well, that’s a burden you no longer have to bear. You’re free. You can return with us to Wal-Mart or you can go your own way. I’m sure the council will have no problem voting to give you all the supplies you could carry. Also, I have spoken to Brandon about this and he agreed to let you stay here and become a part of the Head Hunter's community, if you so wish. It’s all your choice now.”
All three of the Bakers looked at me speechless. This hesitant moment was followed by a flurry of action. Susie hugged me so tight I thought she was going to crush something. Fred stood up to shake my hand with tears in his eyes. As I took his hand he pulled me into a bearhug saying, “I have no way to ever thank you for this.”
“You don’t have to thank us. We took the round about way of doing it, but I think I can speak for us all when I say it was our pleasure.”
Amanda, Jane, Sass, and even Marky Mark’s pessimistic ass nodded agreement. Brandon said, “Any of you are welcome to stay. We don’t have much here, but we make do.”
I looked to the others and said, “I’m going home and sleeping about two days.” Yes, I know it was a lie. Quit judging me.
The others said they were returning to Wal-Mart as well. At least until we got to Marky Mark.
“Guys, I’m staying here.” He said.
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“Yeah. You’se guy’s won’t believe dis, but my sister is here. I saw her during the whole feeding the bad guys to the zombies thing, but she was gone before I could catch up to her.”
“What’s her name?” Brandon asked.
“Michelle Spacoli Thomas.” Marky Mark said. Brandon smiled. “Yeah, I know Chelle. I can take you to where her room is once we’re done here.”
“Speaking of that, before I go, are you still interested in that deal we talked about?” I asked Brandon.
“I am very interested. I will bring some guys up next week and we can look into the specifics of it.”
“Sounds good to me.” I said. “I hate to dump our problems on you and then leave, but we need to be getting back home.”
Brandon smiled, “completely understandable.”
I looked to the rest of my guys. “We ready to go?”
The others nodded and stepped over to those we were leaving behind. Sass hugged Samantha and gave Marky Mark a nod saying, “You all be good.”
“You’se try to keep dese guys in line.” Marky Mark said which made Sass roll his eyes as he walked towards me. “Yeah, like that is even possible.”
In turn Jane and Amanda said their goodbyes then it was just me standing there. I hugged Samantha and gave her a noogie. She laughed and punche
d me.
“You going to keep your mom and dad safe?” I asked.
“You know I am!” She said folding her arms across her chest.
I stayed knelt down beside Sam but looked up at the Bakers. “You all going to be okay here?”
Fred looked to his wife for a moment before looking back to me. “For the first time in a long time, I think we’re going to be fine.”
I nodded at the couple and stood up. “If you ever decide you want to come back to Wal-Mart, you will always be welcome.”
“Thanks Charlie.” Fred said. “I’m sorry for everything.”
“It was fun.” I said smiling at him. “Let’s never do it again.”
“Amen to that.” Marky Mark said from behind me.
I turned to look at my Jersey refugee. It honestly wouldn’t be the same at Wal-Mart without Marky Mark. I didn’t want to lose him, but the Spacoli’s were all about family and if his sister was here there was no way he was going to leave.
“The same goes for you and your sister. If you ever want a change of scenery I’d love to see you.” I stuck out my hand for Mark to shake but he smacked it away and pulled me into the biggest, most painful, bear hug I’ve ever experienced.
“Thanks for everything man. You saved our ass up of that roof last night.” I said.
Marky Mark laughed. “No, I didn’t, but thanks for saying. We both know Amanda coulda killed dat guy in like two seconds.”
I was released from the vice grip of Marky Mark’s bear hug.
“If there is ever anything I could do for you, just ask.” I said. Marky Mark looked thoughtful for a minute before he spoke.
“After you’se get back to Wal-Mart and they start making fun of me and my Jersey Shore episodes, take up for me, will ya?”
I’m not sure whose smile was wider.
“You’ve got it, Marky Mark.” I said. Those were the words that got me my last punch from our Jersey native.
Less than ten minutes later we were making our way down State of Franklin road. Nobody was talking. I was listening to the shuffling of our boots and Lou’s paws as we topped the hill beside the big mirrored glass bank. We could almost see Wal-Mart from here. The only obstacle left was the wrecks underneath the overpass and we had a straight shot for home. That’s when I remembered what was waiting for me. Veronica was there. Veronica would want to talk. That is her favorite pastime. Talking. Discussing. Working things out, as she puts it. I was not looking forward to this. The memory of our last discussion was still too fresh in my mind. The things I had said that ended up being lies less than twelve hours later. I had really screwed things up this time, but it couldn’t have been helped. There are some situations that you just can’t control. Maybe I could convince her of that when we got back. Maybe she would be in a better mood because I was back and safe. Somehow though, I doubted it. For no other reason than that last talk, it still haunts me.
THEN
DAY 122 OF THE INFECTION
ONE
It was ten o’clock at night. Veronica usually went to bed around this time. She said that there was nothing to do late at night. Once it became so dark that you couldn’t see three feet in front of you it was time to go to sleep. As you know, I don’t subscribe to that particular line of thought. However, tonight I was in the tent with her. Veronica wanted to talk. This meant she was unhappy with yet another thing I was doing or about to do.
“Charlie. Why do you keep doing this to me?” She said. She usually opens up with something like this. Something that will keep me on my toes and unsure of what she’s talking about. Veronica’s method of fighting is to create confusion until she can go for the jugular.
“What am I doing this time?” I asked. My method of fighting is saying what I need to say and moving on to the next item on the list.
“We’ve talked about this time and time again and it doesn’t matter what promises you make or how many times you tell me that you’re going to stop, you continue to do it.”
“Seriously? We’re going to do this about going down to the ground again?”
“I don’t think you understand what it does to me, watching you go down there.”
I was already getting angry. That was not a good sign.
“I went down and checked how much fuel we have in the box truck. I was all of five feet from the building.”
“All it takes is one foot on the ground to get attacked and infected.” She said in an almost whiney tone.
“Really? My god Veronica, grow up a little. We are living in a world where risk is part of living.”
“You want me to grow up? I’m not the one that is constantly lying to his girlfriend, am I?”
“No. You are the one that nags to the point that I will say anything to just shut you up. And I never told you that I wouldn’t set foot on the ground again.”
“You told me that you wouldn’t take any unnecessary risks. You did today. You took an unnecessary risk.”
“Checking the fuel gauge on the truck is an unnecessary risk?”
“Charlie, you are the leader. You could have assigned that duty to anybody up here and they wouldn’t have thought a thing about it. Why did you have to do it?”
“I did it because we check it once a week, it had been a week, it needed to be done.”
“But why did it have to be done by you?”
“Veronica, I swear to god, I am so sick of this.”
“I’m sorry I care so much about you. It’s evident that you don’t feel the same way about me.”
She had certainly hit the nail on the head with that one. This relationship had been nothing but a slow train wreck sliding towards hell since I had gotten back from the fieldtrip Jane, Shawn and I had taken. I think part of it was I scared her, but I think most of it was that Amanda had rescued me. Veronica was always so scared of Amanda taking me away from her. I told her that Amanda had never made any hint that she liked me as anything more than a friend and she was crazy to be worried about something that was only happening in her head. She had just laughed at me and said “men” before walking off. I wasn’t sure if that was an insult to me or not.
“I guess we have reached the portion of our evening where Veronica retreats back to her tired old arguments that are nothing but her own low self image being somehow my fault.”
“You don’t care about me. You think I don’t see it?” She said this very softly. It used to be a tone that gave her the upper hand, but that ended a few weeks ago.
“What don’t I see? As if I don’t know. It’s me and Amanda, right? That’s what you were going to say. I’m so tired of hearing that story as well, because that’s all it is, a story.”
“What if it wasn’t Charlie? What if Amanda wanted to be with you? You would drop me in a quick second wouldn’t you?”
Now that was a good question. Honestly? I have no clue what I would do. I would hate myself whichever decision I made.
“Wouldn’t you?!” Veronica spat at me.
“I don’t know V. But I will tell you this, these little talks don’t really help your case any. A person can only take getting yelled at for so long and I am nearing my breaking point. This goes on much longer I think I’d leave you for Marky Mark.”
I saw a quick flash of a smile on her face before it hardened again. The thought of me and Marky Mark had gotten through her wall of anger.
“Charlie, you have to promise me that you’re done with it. For real this time. I don’t want you to tell me what I want to hear just so I’ll be quiet. You have to promise me that you will only go down there if you have to. Promise me that you will send somebody else for the other stuff.”
“No.” I said flatly.
Veronica looked up at me, her eyes flashing warning lights. “Did you just say no to me?”
“Yeah.” I said.
“Oh no. You don’t get to say no to me.”
“Really?” I paused for a few second before leaning in closer to her face and saying, “No”.
“C
harlie…”
“No, no, no, no, no.”
I dodged the daggers that suddenly fired out of her eyes. She turned away and faced the back of the tent. When she turned back there were tears in her eyes. These tears are fake as well. It’s just another attempt to control me and the situation. It doesn’t work anymore either…most of the time. On this particular occasion I was having a hard time not letting her get the best of me. I walked over to where she had sat down on the bed and sat down beside her. This was my first real mistake. Veronica is much more convincing when you are within arms reach. If you are in the bed, at arms reach, it's even worse.
“You know how this is going to go V. I can’t just sit up here and do nothing while others put themselves at risk.”
“Yes. You can. You’re the leader. It’s what you’re supposed to do.”
I looked into her eyes. She seemed to be a hairs breath from breaking down.
“Every time you go down there, I die” She said, laying her head on my shoulder.
“You do not die.” I said in a teasing tone.
“I am scared out of my mind the whole time you're gone. Every time you go down there I just know you won’t be coming back. Why would you want to make me feel that way?”
“I don’t want to make you feel that way, but why would you want to force me into something I don’t want to do?”
“To save your life, you idiot.” She said it in a half angry, half playful tone. That was encouraging.
“You do realize I am capable of taking care of myself, right?”
“All it takes is one mistake Charlie.”
I was very aware of this. I was very aware that all of her arguments were valid except for the fact that I couldn’t stop. I had a responsibility. Why couldn’t she understand that? Veronica leaned over and kissed me. She has a way of kissing you that makes all the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and sometimes makes your eyes cross.
“I’m not asking for that much am I? Just sit out the stuff that other people, more qualified people, can do. Don’t risk yourself so you will still be here to lead and still be here for me.”
She kissed me again. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end again. I looked into her eyes and said, “Okay, I’ll do my best”. And with that, I had lied to her again. I knew it as I was saying the words and I proved it roughly four and half hours later when Fred’s screams pulled me from my warm bed and my naked girlfriend to see what was going on.
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