Beginning of the New Beginning, Vol. 2

by W. Joe Taylor

  With no further questions, everyone went about their assignments for the day. Bob and his crew arrived at the airport a few minutes before the Kentucky guys. Dave came over, shook Bob’s hand, and seemed well rested. Vinny was all smiles, and even GM seemed pleased with his new surroundings. GM wanted to have a conference with Bob, Dave, and Vinny to find out more about the guys living on the south side of town.

  “Dave told me last night you have a problem with some guys encroaching on our territory. What can you tell me about them?”

  “Our territory? I do believe you just got here last night.”

  “Yes, and now it’s mine. Thank you for taking care of it until I could get here. Now, I know you don’t know me”—GM put his massive hand on Bob’s shoulder and squeezed—“But you want me to be in charge now. Please don’t piss me off on the first day. Let’s get to know each other first. Tell me about these guys that think they can own part of my town.”

  “W-well, anytime we go past Central Avenue, they chase us off by shooting at us. They killed a good friend of mine last week.”

  “Do you know them?”

  “I have no idea. I haven’t been able to make contact with them to find out. Like I said, they shoot first and never ask questions.”

  “Ok, so how do we get there and not have them shoot?”

  “I don’t know. We haven’t tried. We just avoid that area.”

  “Fine. See, this is going so much better now. You’re a handsome man, Bob. I like you. Maybe I’ll have you over for dinner later.”

  “Oh, well, I’m flattered really, but I don’t like men that way.”

  “Very well, then,” GM replied, and he flashed a smile over at Vinny.

  “You see, Bob, if GM decides he likes you, you’re not going to have much of a choice in the matter. So, it would be best if you went along willingly,” Vinny said.

  “Oh. I see. Well, for now, it would be great if we could do something about the south gang. There is a ton of resources down there we could…”

  GM moved behind Bob and pressed up against him. Bob could feel a large lump of flesh pushing into the small of his back. He was beginning to panic. He desperately needed to divert GM’s attention to something else.

  “…w-we could use. There are several large grocery stores, and sporting goods stores. Maybe if we go down there with a white flag or a sign or something.”

  GM walked away, and Bob slowly let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.

  “Yes, let’s do that. We need a large sign that says something to the effect of ‘We come in peace’ ‘We just want to talk,’ or some shit like that. And an armored car in case they try to shoot at us anyway. Bob!”

  Bob jumped slightly at the sound of his name being yelled, and GM chuckled.

  “Bob, it’s ok. Relax. I’m not going to push your sphincter in yet. I can see that you’re going to be a great asset to my team—as long as you and your people continue to be helpful and go along with our way of doing things. So, tell me, where can I get an armored car?”

  “There are some armored trucks at the Army Reserve Center. Dave and I were there yesterday. We cleared out all the pilferable stuff from the vault.”

  “Yes, Dave did have some very nice things to say about you. I think that is a great idea. Once the plane is empty, we will pick up some paint. We will paint a sign on the sides of the truck and head down there. I want to be in contact with them by noon. Make it so.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Per GM’s wishes, they had two armored personnel carriers painted with signs and loaded up with people ready to fight. Vinny was driving the lead truck, with Bob in the middle and GM in the passenger seat. Charles was driving the second truck. They headed south on Fifteenth, turned right on Central, and turned left on Twenty-fourth to head south past the mall. They’d gotten to the middle of the block that housed the mall when two city dump trucks came flying out of the mall parking lot and screeched to a halt in front of them, blocking the road.

  “Don’t come any closer. We will open fire. You’re on the Don’s turf now. If you don’t turn around now, we will kill you,” a voice from a bullhorn blared at them.

  GM rolled down his window and barely stuck his own bullhorn out to speak back.

  “We come in peace. We want to work out a treaty. We have armored trucks. If you open fire, it will do you no good. Take us to Don.”

  “The Don doesn’t see anyone unannounced. Turn around now.”

  “You need to make our presence known. He will want to work with us. We have guns, ammo, and food. We want to turn the power back on. We need the Don’s help to do all of this. Things don’t have to be the way they are.”

  There was some conferring amongst the people in the two dump trucks. Vinny could see movement in a building to his right, and he turned to look. He could tell there were people with guns pointed at them, crouched down below the window sill with just their heads poking up high enough to see. He told GM what he saw.

  Bob was scanning radio frequencies with a handheld radio he’d picked up at the Reserve Center. He couldn’t get anything, and he figured it worked on a different band because it was military issue. He didn’t want GM to know that it probably wouldn’t work, as he had been pleased with Bob’s line of thinking.

  “We have you surrounded. We’re sending a few guys over to talk to the Don, and they will be back in less than an hour. You so much as move, and we open fire, armored trucks or not.”

  “Sounds fine to me. We got all day.”

  An hour later, a truck pulled up on the other side of the dump trucks from where the armored trucks sat. Until that point, nobody had hardly moved a muscle.

  “All right, the Don will see you. Follow us and do not try anything, or the meeting is off.”

  The first dump truck pulled off and paused down the street a few car lengths from where it had been sitting. The two armored trucks pulled up behind it just as the dump truck started moving again. The second dump truck fell in the fourth position, and the small truck behind that. They followed the leader across town and noticed that it was also remarkably void of Z’s. The Don’s group must have been very busy the last two weeks with clearing them out. Bob and the others would occasionally see a body part here or there, but nothing more. The line of trucks pulled into the parking lot of the jail.

  “How original of them,” remarked Vinny with a smirk on his face.

  “Hey, like I said before, jails are very defensible. As long as there isn’t some asshole already inside that lights it on fire,” GM replied.

  “I take it you guys had a problem with this before?” Bob asked.

  “You could say that. Seems some guys we grew up with named Mike and Steve didn’t like how I ran things. They won’t be making that mistake again.”

  “Oh, what happened to them?”

  “Well, they ran off with a group of other assholes. In RVs of all things. But we found Steve’s girlfriend up in Illinois and shot her dead. Vinny here seems to think he is going after them in a few days. We will see about that.”

  Vinny gave GM a side glance. He was going after them if it was the last thing he did.

  Before Bob could ask any more questions, the dump truck guys were ordering, with guns pointed, everyone out of the armored trucks. Several other people had materialized from the building and had GM and his minions completely surrounded.

  “We’re going to need you guys to hand over your weapons. Depending on how this little meeting goes, you might get them back,” said one of the men.

  “Oh, we will be getting our weapons back. Don’t you worry your pretty face about that,” GM said as he got out. Then he stood as tall as he could, shoulders back, chest out, making himself as large as he could without being overly obvious about it.

  “Damn, you’re a big fella, aren’t you?”

  “Why don’t you drop your pants and bend over. I’ll show you just how big I am. HAHAHAHAH!”

  “What the fuck ever, dude. Just ’cause y
our tall, doesn’t mean shit about your dick size. Now, hand over your weapons. Only you three will be going in,” the man said as he pointed his gun at GM, Vinny, and Bob.

  After everyone was disarmed, the three headed in with an entourage of nine armed guards. The power was still on in this building, and they could hear the thrum of a diesel engine somewhere in the distance. GM knew the Don and his men had chosen this building for this reason.

  They were led into the dining facility. All the dining tables and chairs were stacked up along the wall to the right, and most of the room was otherwise empty. Along the serving line was a large, very ornate oak desk. A gentleman in a three-piece suit and a fedora sat in a large, high-back leather chair. He was flanked by two armed guards who looked like a Secret Service detail for the POTUS. GM knew it was all for show and that if they needed to kill someone, all they had to do was hose down the floor and wash everything towards the floor drain in the kitchen. There were three traditional office armchairs placed in front of the desk. The three sat when they were told to.

  The Don did not acknowledge their presence. He continued to look down, writing a note on a legal pad. His hat blocked most of his face while he was writing. He tore the note off the pad, stuffed it into an envelope, and handed it to one of the nine guards. When the Don looked up, Bob recognized him. He stared wide-eyed at the man behind the desk. He didn’t dare speak yet.

  “Make sure only Marcel reads that. Burn it when he is done.”

  “Yes, Don,” the guard replied, and he scurried away.

  “Now, who the fuck are you, and why the fuck did you interrupt my lunch? Hmmm?” the Don said in a very calm voice, like he was already bored with them. The Don looked at the three men for the first time, and his eyes locked with Bob’s.

  “Bob, how nice to see you. I figured you for dead after you tried to steal my shit.”

  “Harvey? What the fuck, man? You knew I was alive and didn’t bother to fucking come find me? You little piece of shit!”

  Bob stood up, obviously angry. GM reached over and forced him back into his chair with a hand on his shoulder again. Then he turned to face Bob.

  “You obviously know this man. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I had no idea. I told you I didn’t know who was down here.”

  “So, how do you know each other?”

  “Bob here is my brother. We haven’t seen eye to eye with each other since high school.”

  “Yea, since you stole from our fucking parents, you cocksucker.”

  “Ok, hold the fuck up. Both of you,” GM said, his deep voice booming across the cafeteria. “Look, I don’t give a flying fuck about your little high school spat. We have real-world issues here to work out.”

  “You’re right. I’m sorry, I didn’t get your names.”

  “I’m Vinny, and this is GM. We just moved here from Kentucky yesterday and would greatly appreciate it if we could work out a deal or trade agreement. We want the same things you do: a happy, peaceful life and to put back the pieces since the government abandoned us. Those no-good politicians were too busy kissing babies and stealing from the taxpayers to prevent something like this. So, it’s going to take strong leadership like yourself and what we have to offer to make things right.”

  “GM? Are you named after a one-ton truck or something?”

  GM was beginning to feel his blood boil. He was outgunned at the moment, though, and had to wait for the right opportunity to get things his way.

  “I was born Gary Michelson. But my friends call me GM for short.”

  “And what is it you have to offer me? Besides weak insults from my little brother.”

  “We have guns, ammo, food, and knowledge. We want to turn the power back on and make this town defensible. Prevent anybody from taking what is rightfully ours. If you know what I mean.”

  Man, these guys are slick. Totally different from what I saw a couple of hours ago, Bob thought.

  “You mean rightfully mine. You see, you’re the new kid in town, and I don’t intend on sharing what I have worked to build with you. Surely, you can understand that. From where I’m sitting, you are the bad guy trying to take what I have.”

  Now GM was pissed.

  “Look, Harvey, is there somewhere we can talk more privately? I had no idea this guy was your brother, and I think it may have started us off on the wrong foot. You, me, and your Secret Service guys there.”

  “Fine. We will reconvene up in my main office. Bob, it was nice to see you again. You are still flesh and blood, after all.”

  “Fuck off, Harv.”

  Without another word, Harvey stood up and escorted GM away. The eight remaining guards escorted Vinny and Bob back out to the armored trucks.

  Upstairs in what used to be the warden’s office, Harvey sat behind an identical desk like the one down stairs. The two guards resumed their normal positions. GM stood and looked at a map tacked to the wall. He made mental notes of red lines and circles placed strategically on it, one of them being the airport.

  “I see you are calculating your next move. When did you plan on moving north and taking out those guys?” GM said, breaking the silence, and he turned to face the other three men in the room.

  “In a few more days. We had a helluva time clearing out the dead. Now that it’s done, I was giving my people a few days to rest and enjoy their hard work. Tell me, why did you move here? I presume you’re the ones with the airplane we heard flying around.”

  “Yup, that was us. We needed to get away from the nuclear plants that are going to start exploding and spewing radiation soon. Looking at a map of the US, this seemed like the most logical answer.”

  “I see. Now, convince me. Why do I need you to work with us?”

  “Since yesterday, my guys have cleared out the whole north side of the dead. We have a year’s worth of dry goods we accumulated from around the country. We have an airplane. In the spring, we can go other places and collect more of whatever we want,” GM said with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

  “You do realize that soon fossil fuels will expire?”

  “Yes, but jet fuel has a shelf life of a couple of years.”

  “I see you have done your research.”

  “Like I said, I’m interested in rebuilding society, not just having a good time with what is left. I want a legacy that people for generations will talk about. And the way I figure it, you can be a part of that legacy too, or die like everyone else that gets in my way.”

  “Oh, that’s where you’re wrong, my friend. Just ’cause you’re large doesn’t mean you intimidate me. And I don’t like the tone you’re taking with me right now.”

  GM was done playing nice. It was time to shit or get off the pot.

  “Oh, well, soooorrryy, I’m just telling you like it is,” GM said with as much attitude as he could muster.

  Harvey made a motion with his hand, and the two guards started to move towards GM with their pistols drawn.

  “Fellas, escort our guest out, please. And GM, if that really is your name, don’t came back. Be expecting us on your side of town soon,” Harvey said with air quotes around “your side of town.”

  As soon as the first guard was within GM’s long reach, he grabbed the top of the pistol with his left hand and locked the guard’s hand in place. GM then pointed the gun at the other guard. He stepped forward and grabbed the guard by the back of his neck. With the momentum of the first guard being off balance, he shoved him towards the second guard. They crashed into each other, and the second guard dropped his pistol. GM pulled back the first guard and slammed the two guards’ heads together with his left hand still on the pistol. The first guard was knocked unconscious from being whipped back and forth so quickly, while the second was only stunned. GM tossed the unconscious guard at the door. He stuffed the pistol in the back of his pants while he grabbed the second guard’s hair with his right. He kneed the guard in the face so hard that Harvey could see it cave in. GM dragged the limp body and laid it onto that of the
first guard. He reached down and snapped the first guard’s neck leaving both to block the door from being easily opened.

  “Look, I’m sorry for how rashly I acted. We can still work this out,” Harvey said in a higher-pitched voice.

  “You’re right. We are going to work this out. I need you alive to call off your people and make sure they are going to cooperate with me. But first I’m going to work out some of my frustrations on you. I haven’t nutted in almost two days now,” GM said as he grabbed Harvey by the collar from across the desk.

  He hauled Harvey up and over to the other side of the desk like a rag doll, spun him around, and bent him over it. GM carefully placed a few punches to Harvey’s kidneys. He didn’t want to leave visible bruises. He then leaned in close to Harvey’s ear and whispered, “Take off your pants. This will be much easier for you if you cooperate.”

  “No, please. Please don’t do this. I’ll do whatever you say. Please.”

  “I love when a man begs. It gets me so hard.”

  GM pressed the bulk in his pants up against Harvey’s ass. He heard Harvey swallow loudly. Then Harvey reached down and undid his pants.

  An hour later, a sweaty GM and a defeated-looking Harvey emerged from the building.

  “All right, everyone, we are going to follow the big guy’s lead. He has a good plan, and I like the direction he wants to take the town. Give his people back their weapons and let them have free reign of whatever they want. We are all on the same team now.”

  Harvey tried to sound authoritative, but Bob could see a marked difference in his demeanor. He also noticed that he walked differently than he had an hour ago. He didn’t want to imagine what had happened upstairs. He almost felt sorry for his brother. While they had been waiting, Bob had found a pen and a piece of paper in the truck and secretly written his address on it. He wasn’t sure if he was going to give it to Harvey until now.

  “That’s right, people, there’s a new sheriff in town. We’re going to make the future great. Harvey and I will make you the legends your great, great grandchildren will talk about. We have some things to take care of today, but I will be back soon to discuss the way forward. Thank you for your cooperation.”