by Andrew Lauck
I checked on Marcus to make sure his family was squared away. He told me Jessica had come by and asked about his experiences in the south, but he felt bad because he hadn’t been much help. Everything he knew was months ago which was around the time the compound’s communications had gone down. I let him know his help was appreciated, and I was glad to see his family safe and happy before heading to the condo I had been assigned to.
I walked in and collapsed onto the bed where I’ve been ever since. As good as this compound is, though, I can’t help but miss Kat. I’m going to turn the radio on and set it on the small desk next to me before I get some sleep.
Chapter 47
Day 192
Cedar Lake, Indiana
Four days have passed without incident. I exercised by running around the inside perimeter of Cedar Lake, ate at the mess tent with Marcus and his family, and just enjoyed the feel of civilization. I could feel my spirits lifting. I talked on the radio with Katherine the second day I was here, and she sounded fine, but I haven’t heard from her since so I’m beginning to worry. She let me talk to Schafer about the supply situation, and he said he’d think about it, but two days was more than enough time.
The secure feeling within the compound was changing me, healing me, so much so that I prayed before bed last night for the first time in too long. I woke early this morning rested and ready to get the supply mission underway, so I put on my washed clothes and headed for Matheson’s tent. Like any good commanding officer, he was already behind his desk looking over more files with a troubled look on his face. He welcomed me in, and as I got closer I noticed he was looking at numbers and the rapidly approaching situation of overcrowding.
“What can I help you with this fine morning, son?” He set down the paperwork and removed the glasses he wore presumably for reading.
“I was hoping we could begin preparations for the trip to Crown Point.”
“You really don’t know what to do with downtime, do you?”
“Downtime gives me time to think, sir, and that is one thing I don’t need. Besides, I feel like I’ve been sitting around here not doing anything, and I need to keep myself moving.”
“I understand, son. I’ll have them begin fueling two vehicles. I’ll be sending Mills’ squad with you. You can—” The radio on Matheson’s desk chirped and interrupted him.
“Long-distance threat sighted at the front gate.”
“Where there’s one, there’s usually more. Permission to go take a look?”
“Granted, but my soldiers can handle it.”
I jogged out of the tent and ran into Jessica on the way to the gate. I followed her up the ramp to the walkway that ran along the gate and looked out. A lone zombie wandered toward the compound, but its movements were off. I turned to Mills and asked her for her rifle just to get a closer look. She had mounted a magnified optic on her weapon, so I knew I could see the threat more clearly before anyone took a shot.
Jessica reluctantly gave her M16 to me, and I brought the scope to my eyes, aiming downrange. The target came into view when I adjusted the focus, but something was wrapped around its head that prevented me from seeing the face. Next to me, a soldier had crouched and prepared to fire when the zombie came within range. While the M16 had the capability for longer ranges, the soldiers had been given orders to fire within fifty yards to increase accuracy and conserve ammunition.
To my right, I heard the soldier click off the safety of his rifle and knew he would fire soon.
“Come on, show me your face,” I whispered. Behind the target, two more zombies rounded the curve, but it seemed like they were following the first one. Either they were developing a caste system, or…
The target turned to look over its shoulder, and the wrap loosened enough for me to make out a face.
“Holy shit.” I lowered the rifle immediately. “Stand down. Everyone stand down. That’s a human.” I threw the M16’s sling over my shoulder and jumped down from the gate, landing in a roll. I came up in a run to get there before the two zombies did. Hitting a dead sprint, I got close enough to the zombies just as they closed in for the kill. Drawing my Sig, I snapped off two quick shots. One caught the first zombie in the head and sent it to the ground in an expanding pool of blood, but the other went low and caught the second zombie in the throat. The momentary stall the bullet created allowed me to reach the zombie and tackle it to the ground, shoving my handgun in its mouth and pulling the trigger.
I pushed myself off the ground and scanned the area for more enemies before holstering my Sig and turning around. Beneath the shirt around his head, the human looked to be in a weary and malnourished state and practically collapsed into my arms. I hurried to put my arms out and catch his weight. “I’ve got you, kid.”
Jessica jogged up with no less than six other soldiers and helped me get Matthew inside the compound after checking for signs of infection. We took him directly to the medical unit and set him on a bed. I stepped back and let the medics work, but I did notice numerous wounds and abrasions that could only be the result of a physical beating. Outside of that, his cheeks were sunken, and the look in his eyes was distant. Pissed at myself for leaving him alone, I strode out of the unit and into the hot sun where I cursed at myself. Jessica was waiting there for me and put a hand on my shoulder.
“Hey, you okay?” she asked consolingly.
“Yeah,” I grumbled. She gave me a look of concern, but didn’t pry. I wasn’t exactly in the mood to share emotions.
“Can you at least tell me what the hell that was all about? You can’t just go running out like that! That action could have endangered everyone in this place, not to mention gotten you killed.”
“I know him. His name is Matthew. We met a while back, but I didn’t trust him because of the people he was with, so I sent him away on his own. I didn’t even give him a chance.” I ran my hand through my hair. “Dammit, he’s just a kid.”
“You couldn’t have known—” She tried to reassure me, but I held out a hand to stop her.
“Yes, I could. We both know what kind of shit happens to people out there.” I paused for a moment and cleared my throat. “Let me know when he wakes up.” On that note, I went back to the barracks and replaced the three rounds in my magazine. I also checked to make sure the radio was on the right frequency because there was still no message from Kat, and I was starting to worry.
Knowing that nothing was ever accomplished by getting emotional, I headed out to walk around the compound again. The compound felt like it was split, with living quarters on one side, and the military operations on the other. While civilians had cookouts and talked about their days, the soldiers were training. Makeshift gun ranges had been erected in a section of the compound for target practice, combat training took place near that and, of course, Matheson’s tent was in the center of the military housing. With all the preparation, though, I wondered silently if it would ever be enough since the odds weighed so heavily against humanity.
I made my way back to my room and impatiently waited. Lying in bed and writing relaxed my thoughts a little, but nightfall changed that when Jessica came in to alert me to Matthew’s condition. The medics had fixed him up and he was awake, but she said they wanted to keep him calm, so if I wanted to talk I would have to take it easy. Unfortunately for the kid, I had several questions, and only he had the answers.
I hadn’t noticed in all the chaos of bringing Matthew inside, but the medical tent was surprisingly well-stocked. Matheson must have executed supply runs with instructions to bring back all medical equipment. Matthew’s bed was in the back of the tent surrounded on all sides by white curtains that I brushed aside. Nodding to a nurse to let her leave us, I sat down and looked at the kid. One of his eyes was swollen shut, and there were several cuts on his face and arms, but thankfully nothing serious remained.
“Why did you save me?” His voice was raspy from dehydration.
“Well, I could say that every human in the fight is one mor
e in our favor.” I shrugged. “Honestly, it’s because Katherine would kill me if I turned you away twice.” At the mention of Kat, Matthew looked past me and around the small space.
“Where is she?” He sounded hopeful, and I wondered if he had a crush.
“She’s in Crown Point with some guys we met. She didn’t believe the compound at Cedar Lake would still be here, so I escorted a small family while she stayed there. I was just talking to Matheson about going back—”
“She’s with them?” Matthew suddenly jerked up and grabbed my arm. “You have to get her out of there!” From the look in his eye, I knew the answer to my next question, but I had to ask it anyway. The nurse ran in and made like she was going to stop me, but Matthew told her he was okay, and I gave her a look that made it clear there was no way in hell I was leaving now.
“Kid, who did this to you?” He looked away and his face got serious. In that instant, he looked much older than he was, and I knew I was to blame.
“I had been on the road for a while before I turned back and decided I’d try and talk you into letting me stay, but you were already gone. I figured you kept going in the same direction, and that I’d run into you eventually, but then the truck ran out of gas. Without any options, I took all I could carry and continued on foot. There’s still some stuff in the truck if we ever get back there. I had to kill some zombies on the way, and I ran out of water, but I saw the sign for Crown Point and moved a little faster. I walked around the town for a while before I got to an intersection at the courthouse. Some guys came out of nowhere and jumped me, telling me I had to give them everything I had or they’d kill me.”
As Matthew told his story, I began to understand. Schafer and his men had survived this long by raiding stores and stealing from anyone that passed through there. They kept everyone out through guerilla tactics and brutality, hording the entire city to themselves. Whether from fear or trust, they didn’t take anything from me because I gave them the only thing I had with me that mattered.
“Son of a bitch.” I stood up and paced beside the bed. “Matt, did you see Katherine? Did they say anything?”
“No, I’m sorry. I do remember that when they were hitting me, they said something about a dumbass giving them a girl. Now I know who they were talking about.” Apparently, all the beatings didn’t keep the kid from looking smug with that one.
“Look, before I left I gave Kat a radio for emergencies. She hasn’t said anything for forty-eight hours, so I’m gonna go try to hail her and get some of this shit explained.” I put a hand on his shoulder and left the medical tent, fear and anxiety building in the pit of my stomach. Pushing into my barracks, I went straight to the radio and sat on the bed.
“Katherine? Kat, come in.” I let go of the button for a full minute before trying her again. “Kat, if you’re there you need to answer. You need to get out of there now.” Panic was about to set in when I heard the click of the other end coming to life. Instead of Katherine’s voice, though, I heard a low laugh over the frequency.
“Eric, you are a persistent son of a bitch. I mean, I didn’t figure you as the sentimental type to keep in touch. It really warms my heart, you know?”
“Schafer, where’s Katherine? Put her on right now or—”
“Or what? Eric, in case you haven’t noticed, you’re not here anymore. In fact, since you’re still alive I can assume Cedar Lake is still standing, and you’re enjoying the better side of life right now. Food, shelter, working showers. Why risk all that by worrying about the girl?”
“Let’s just say she and I have been through too much together for me to just give up, and I made her a promise, but then again you wouldn’t know anything about that seeing as most of your men are dead.” That shut him up, but I felt kind of bad for that one. Not too bad, though, since he was an asshole.
“If you were trying to get her back with kind words, you just screwed the pooch big time. Tell you what, though, I’ll cut you a break since I know we’re both tired. How about you promise to leave me and mine alone, and I’ll give her to you. You get her back and just leave the compound. Forget about the supplies and Cedar Lake and just walk away from all of this with the girl, because I know the head honcho is probably gearing up to take us down.”
“Only if I get to pick the location.”
“Done, but if you try anything, you’ll never see her again. I know I didn’t have to say that, but I’ve kind of always wanted to.”
“Alright, Schafer. I spotted a good place for the drop about two miles out of Crown Point. I’ll be there tomorrow, two hours before sunset.”
“I’ll see you there.” He paused. “Oh, and Eric, the men under my command were good men, but being out here has shown me a few things. One of those lessons is that good men are the ones that don’t seem to make it.” The radio clicked off, and I set it down. I wondered for a moment if I was still considered good after everything I had done.
I found out three things of importance from that conversation. First, tomorrow’s meeting was definitely a trap. Second, Schafer was scared of what I could do. And third, he had every reason to be. Katherine was alive, and the only thing standing between her and the safety of this compound and me was Schafer. Oh, yeah, he should be afraid.
Chapter 48
Day 193
I could tell it was late August by the chill in the air this morning causing my breath to run as cold as the ice in my veins. I ran through every scenario I could think of in my head, trying to stay one step ahead of Schafer in each case. It would literally mean the difference between life and death, possibly of more than one person.
I pictured the spot, an area I had passed on the way to the compound. A hill overlooked the southern side of a small warehouse that I chose for the meeting which would provide an excellent vantage point if one were so inclined. On the ground, several shipping containers provided cover in case things went south. It was a good location given the circumstances and lack of options, but I still had to focus. My gut was screaming a warning that, if the past was any indication, I planned to listen to.
I got dressed in my jeans and long-sleeved shirt, putting on a black jacket to prepare for the colder weather. I left my room to fill in Matheson and Jessica on the situation and my potential exit from the compound. Obviously, Matheson had some choice words to say on the matter, but he understood. He knew what it was like to make a hard choice, but this was Katherine. There was nothing hard about my decision. I left the command tent, and Jessica jogged out after me.
“Are you feeling alright?”
“I feel pretty good considering the situation, yeah.”
“Then what the hell are you doing? You’re going to get yourself killed if you just walk right in there. You even said you know it’s a trap!”
“I know, but it’s not like I have much of a choice. If I just storm the courthouse, I’ll be gunned down before I can even knock on the front door. At least this way, there’s a chance I can end this without any more bloodshed on either side.”
“Are you that stubborn, or are you as stupid as you sound? Schafer doesn’t care about bloodshed, Eric! He cares about survival and the survival of his men. If he thinks for a second that your girl will promote that concept—”
“He won’t be the first to think it!” I raised my voice to cut her off, but lowered it when I noticed several heads turn around us. “But he will be the last. Schafer played me back there, but like everyone else, he underestimated what I would do. Big fucking mistake. I screwed up and left her with those guys without a second thought because I believed in something here. I thought maybe things would be good enough if I found a civilization that I wouldn’t need her anymore. I was wrong. I’m going to get her back, Jessica. I have to.” I paused, collecting myself. “Look, it’s not like I’m going in there blind. I have a plan, but I’ll need equipment and maybe transportation if you can spare it.”
“I can have the guards give you access to the armory. We don’t have much, but we have a f
ew nice toys to play with. As for transportation, I can see what I can scrounge up. Just try to bring it back in one piece along with yourself. I’ve already lost enough good people in my life, Eric.”
“Thanks, Jessica. I’ll keep that in mind.” With that, I headed for the medical tent and caught up to Matthew as he was exiting. He was still in his gown and looking around like he was in some sort of trouble. “They discharged you already, kid?”
“Not in so many words, but I needed to move around. I have too much on my mind to just lay in bed, you know?”
“Yeah, I know.” I nodded slowly, contemplating my plan. “How would you like to get some revenge?” That caught his attention.
“Those guys beat the shit out of me for no reason and left me to die. Not to mention, they have Katherine.” The look in his eyes shifted, and I could see he was ready. “Revenge sounds pretty good.”
“Get yourself some real clothes, and meet me at the gate in five minutes. I’ve scheduled a rendezvous with Schafer between here and Crown Point to get her back, and it wouldn’t hurt to have some backup.”
“You think he’ll actually show?”
“I think someone will, and they won’t have Kat with them, which is why I have a back-up plan. Hopefully, we’ll be getting some wheels for the trip.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you in five then.”
Two soldiers were posted outside the armory, and they let me inside without a word, even opening the door for me. The room had been an outdoor storage shed, but they had been busy converting it into an armory full of shelved weaponry. While most of the shelving was barren, there were about a dozen M16s, M4s, shotguns and scoped rifles of various models, handguns, and a pair of sniper rifles. I grabbed an M16 and checked the magazine, finding it satisfactorily full of .223 ammunition. A large table on the opposite side had boxes of ammunition stacked and organized by caliber, extra magazines, and a half-full crate of grenades. I took two extra magazines for the M16 and loaded them, then reloaded the 9mm magazines for my Sig. I set my .22 rifle down and stared at it, then looked to the sniper rifles. The .22 was lighter, but if I got into any heavy long-range combat, I preferred to have a heavier caliber. I went with the M21, sticking with the single 10-round magazine it came with. If I needed more than ten rounds, I could move in and switch to the M16 since I was pretty accurate with the weapon within five hundred yards.