by David Achord
“And that’s Cutter’s brother?”
“Yeah,” I answered. “Their real names are Simon and Theodore Smith, but they like to call themselves Shooter and Cutter, like they’re some kind of badasses.”
“Yep,” Joker said. He looked at Flash. “What’s your real name?”
Flash chuckled. “I think I’m going to let that little bit of information stay with me. As far as everyone is concerned, I’m the Flash.”
He finished his glass of water. “How long are staying here?” he asked.
“I was thinking we’d bunk down here for the night and head out in the morning, unless you guys had something else in mind.”
“Yeah, sure,” Joker said. “I can use the sleep.”
I looked up to see Shooter walking over. He stood over me with his usual half-smile, like he was in on an inside joke. I hated that smile.
“How’s it going?” I asked.
“Can’t complain,” he answered. “How’s my idiot brother?”
“He’s doing great. He was one of the team leaders on our mission to Ohio. Even the first sergeant was impressed with him. Is there anything you want me to tell him when we get back?”
His little smile faltered for a second. “Nah. When are you guys leaving?”
“We’re going to spend the night and then see what tomorrow looks like,” I said.
“But our vehicle is broken down,” Joker said. “We’re going to need to borrow something.”
“Yeah, well, if you want transportation, Captain Fosswell is the man to speak to. Good luck with that.”
“Why’s that?” I asked.
“Hell, Zach, you know he’s an oddball. In fact, I haven’t seen him in a day or two. Maybe he moved to Florida or something.” He laughed at his own joke.
“Alright, if you see him, tell him we need to talk to him.” I paused for a moment. “If you want to send a letter or anything to your brother, I’ll make sure he gets it.”
I saw a microsecond of an expression. He missed his brother, but he wasn’t going to admit to it. His smile then widened.
“Pfft, I don’t have anything to say. I’ll see you boys later.” He then walked back over to the table with Stretch and his other friends. Stretch gave me a look as Shooter sat down beside her and whispered something in her ear.
Andre led us to an unused dorm room. “You boys sleep good,” he said and walked off before any of us could engage him in any other conversation.
The dorm room, living quarters, whatever you wanted to call them, had obviously not been used in a while. Everything was covered in a layer of dust and it felt like it was even colder than everywhere else in Fort Detrick.
Fortunately, there were several bunks, all made, so we stripped off some extra wool blankets and made do as best we could.
“How are we going to get back if the Stryker is broken down?” Flash asked.
“We’ll borrow or steal something,” I replied. “By the way, you should consider moving here.”
“Why’s that?” Flash asked.
“Mount Weather’s permanent population is capped at one hundred and forty. You’re part of our temporary population. Eventually, we’ll need to move you out to somewhere like this or one of the neighboring communities.”
Before Flash could respond, Joker spoke up.
“For the love of God, take it outside or go to sleep already,” he grumbled. I could hear the fatigue in his voice, and honestly, I felt the same way. I turned off the lights before crawling under the heavy wool blankets.
I didn’t remember falling asleep, but I was awakened by someone wiggling my foot. I instantly reached for the Kimber under my pillow until my brain activated and I realized it was Stretch standing at the foot of my bed. She put a finger over her lips and motioned for me to follow her out into the hallway.
I dressed quickly and found her standing beside a window. I could see her breath in the cold air.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey, it’s cold in here.”
She made a face. “Fosswell acts like the electric bill comes out of his own wallet.”
I gave a small laugh. “How’ve you been?”
She responded with a noncommittal shrug.
“Okay, I’ve got to ask you, what the hell is going on here? It hadn’t always been this way.”
“I don’t know, Zach. We’re kept in the dark around here, or in the cold, however you want to put it.”
“Is anything wrong with the general?” I asked.
She shrugged again. “Outwardly, he’s the same, but he’s more aloof now. We don’t see him for a day or two, and then he shows up to breakfast one morning and is acting like everything is normal.” She shrugged yet again. “It’s weird up here, Zach. All we do is our daily duties, but it’s a weird vibe. Shooter is on the inside, he’s Fosswell’s aide, but he doesn’t tell anything.”
I paused a moment, reminding myself that other people’s relationships didn’t concern me, but then jumped in. “How’s it going with you and Shooter?”
“It’s okay,” she said. “Good and bad, I’d guess you’d say. How’s Cutter?”
“He’s really coming into his own,” I said. “I think he misses you, but he’s not admitting it.”
I wanted to ask her why she chose Shooter over his brother. Theodore was far better in character, but I decided to keep my opinion to myself.
“Is there anything you want me to tell him for you?” I asked.
She looked up and down the hallway before pulling some papers from her jacket pocket. They were folded twice and held closed by a singular staple.
“Give him this, okay?” she asked.
“Sure,” I said and took the papers. She gestured at them.
“I couldn’t find an envelope anywhere. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t read it.”
“I won’t. You have my word.”
“Thank you, Zach,” she said. “Well, breakfast will be ready in about thirty minutes.”
“Okay.”
I watched as she quickly walked down the hallway, disappearing from sight, and then hearing a door. I admit, I was curious what she’d written. How do you explain to a man you were supposed to be in love with chose his brother over him? It didn’t matter how curious I was though, I’d given my word. I folded it up into a small square and stuffed it into my pants pocket.
Chapter 19 – The Road Back
I woke my two companions and we cleaned up before enjoying a hot breakfast consisting of two strips of bacon each and all of the runny porridge we could stomach. At least they had tea.
It’d stopped snowing, but the temperature stayed at the freezing mark, which did not allow the ice and snow on the ground to melt. But, the three of us were ready to get the hell out of Detrick.
“I’m willing to risk it, I miss my girls,” Joker lamented. “Besides, the weather ain’t going to get any better. I’ll walk it if I have to.”
I couldn’t help but smile. I don’t know how the two of them became enamored with each other, but they hooked up five years ago and now had a young daughter. I nodded in understanding. I missed Kelly and my kids as well.
“Well, I don’t have anyone waiting for me, but I’m ready too,” Flash said.
When General Fosswell walked in the cafeteria, I went to his table and declared our intentions of leaving. Unsurprisingly, he encouraged me to do so.
“I’ll have my son expedite you getting a vehicle. Safe travels,” he said and summarily dismissed me.
I walked back to my companions. “Yeah, we’re definitely out of here. Let’s grab our gear and find something to ride back in.”
Captain Harlan Fosswell Junior joined us at the motor pool. I’d not seen him in several months and he’d been strangely absent the entire time we’d been here. He’d lost weight and had a sallow complexion, like he’d been sick recently. I would’ve asked about his health, if I cared.
“The general said you three are heading back to Weather,” he said.
&nbs
p; “That’s right.”
“I guess I’d be anxious to get home too if I had a wife and kids waiting on me,” he said and looked over at the Stryker. “I take it you couldn’t fix it.”
“No, sir, we couldn’t,” Joker said. “It needs an ignition module.”
“Hmm, well, maybe we can spare a vehicle,” he said.
“Yeah,” I said. “The roads aren’t looking good, so we’re going to need something in four-wheel-drive.”
“No doubt,” he said and then gave me a quizzical look. “Do you still have your dog?” he asked.
“What? Zoe? Yeah, we still have her. Why?” It seemed like an odd question and I had no idea why he’d asked.
He nodded and looked off into the distance. “I bet your kids love that dog. Every kid should have a dog. I had a dog when I was a kid. He was a German Shepherd. His name was Roggenwolf. Roggenwolf 1199, to be exact.”
I looked at him, trying to subdue my exasperation. All I wanted was to sign out a vehicle and go home, not stand around and listen to a story about his childhood. Fortunately, he seemed to sense my state.
“Ah, well, you need a vehicle.” He looked around and pointed at a drab olive truck with six wheels. “Take the deuce and a half. It has six-wheel drive and a heater. As long as you take your time and drive slowly, you should have no problem getting home with that beast.”
I’d driven one before. It was a beast alright, but it was also loud and uncomfortable. I didn’t complain though. Out of all of the vehicles in the motor pool, this one could drive over almost any terrain. If we ran off into a ditch, the six-wheel drive, the multiple gears, and the added heavy-duty winch would ensure we’d get unstuck.
“Alright, that sounds good,” I said.
He walked with us to the truck and watched as we put our gear in.
“You people never cared much for me,” he suddenly said.
I was about to get in but stopped and looked at him. “I can’t speak for everyone, but when we first arrived at Mount Weather, you didn’t exactly make us feel welcome, now did you?”
He stared down at the ground. “I’ve always lived in my father’s shadow. I’ve never been my own man. I was never allowed to.”
Before I could respond, he changed the subject. “If you ever get another dog, consider naming him Roggenwolf 1199. Or, maybe you might want to use the name for something else.” He turned and walked off, leaving the three of us standing there in confusion.
“What was that all about?” Flash asked.
I shrugged. “Who the hell knows? Get in. Joker, you driving?”
“Absolutely.”
The good news was that the thick powder of snow had not been driven on, which would have compacted it into ice, so we had better traction than I would have thought. Joker drove slowly and had little problem keeping it out of the ditches. I was restless, and said as much to Joker.
“Why don’t you school my young protégé about our expressway between Detrick and Weather?” he suggested with a grin.
“That’s a great idea,” I said and turned to Flash. “We’re forty-four miles from Weather. We spent two years repairing the roadway, fixing all of the potholes, and clearing away any trees that may fall and block the road. So, now we can travel back and forth in under an hour. That’s when the weather is on our side. But, we can’t drive a normal speed today so it’ll probably take us three or four hours.”
“Yeah, someone said Melvin broke the record,” Flash said.
Joker laughed. “He damn sure did. That crazy bastard made it from Detrick to Weather in under twenty minutes one day on a motorcycle.”
“What’d he do that for?” he asked.
“Ah, that’s a story best told by Melvin,” I said.
“Where is he?”
“He and his girl, Savannah, are spending the winter in Oak Ridge, Tennessee,” I said. “It turns out there’s an old Special Forces soldier living down there that Melvin served with, so he stays there frequently. They’ll be back in the spring though. Alright, enough about Melvin. I want you to pay attention to this route so you’ll have every curve and bump memorized.”
“Alright, why?” Flash asked.
“Melvin said you were the reason your friends survived for so long, so that means you’re smart and resourceful. We’re always looking for people like you, and Joker has taken a special interest in you. So, we need you to start learning things about Mount Weather and everything around it.”
“Besides, we need to improve our racial diversity,” Joker deadpanned.
Flash glowered at him a moment before focusing back on me. “Alright, but don’t count on Melvin’s assessment of me like it’s the gospel. The truth be told, I was scared shitless and spent most of my waking hours hiding or running. Erin’s a badass though, and man can she shoot a gun.”
I glanced at him a second in mild surprise. I’d never interacted with Erin all that much, she didn’t seem like some kind of Lara Croft badass type, but I suppose she was an example of never judging a book by its cover. I made a mental note to get to know her better.
“Merritt, that’s Gunnery Sergeant Burns to you, also said you’ve got potential if you can keep your head out of your ass long enough to learn.”
“I thought he didn’t like me,” he said.
I smiled and didn’t answer.
“What about Fred?” he asked.
“He’s one of my best friends. What about him?”
“Everybody seems to think he’s something like Doc Holliday or something. They say he’s lightning fast with a pistol.”
“He’s even faster than you can imagine,” I said. “And he can be surly. The best thing to do is give him a lot of space.”
“Damn right,” Joker said in agreement.
“Why is that?”
I chuckled and hooked a thumb back behind us. “Junior Fosswell made the mistake of smarting off to him one day.”
“What happened?” Flash asked.
“Fred jabbed him in the throat.”
Joker chuckled. “Everyone thought for a minute Fred killed him. Oh, tell him about Stanley.”
“Stanley? Who’s he?” Flash asked.
“He’s a young man, about your age, cocky as hell and had a smart mouth on him. One day, we were conducting a training exercise and Fred admonished him about not keeping the barrel of his rifle pointed in a safe direction. Young Stanley told Fred to fuck off. Stanley learned the hard way smarting off to Fred was not a good idea.”
“Why, what happened?”
I chuckled. “Fred drew his pistol and fired twice in the blink of an eye. The result was, he’d shot little pieces of meat off of the top of both of Stanley’s ears.”
Flash’s eyes widened. “Really?”
“Yep. There was no permanent damage to speak of, but there was a lot of blood, and the way Stanley was screaming, it must have hurt like hell.”
Flash snorted. “Bullshit.”
“No, it’s true, I was there when it happened,” Joker said.
“Holy shit,” Flash said. “Did Fred like, get in trouble or anything?”
“Oh, it was discussed during the next staff meeting, but, in the end, everyone agreed Stanley was lucky Fred was in a good mood and that was that,” I said.
“Wow,” Flash said. “Okay, what happened to Stanley?”
“He and his people moved into one of the fortified houses over near Bluemont,” I said. “He’s doing okay.”
“So, are all of these stories I hear about you true?” he asked.
I glanced over and saw a smile creep across Joker’s face.
“Probably not. What’ve you heard?” I asked.
“Let’s see. They say you’re totally immune or something.”
“Yeah, that’s what the docs say,” I replied.
“They also say you a stone-cold killer and that you’re as good with a gun as Fred is, maybe better.”
I scoffed. “I’m nowhere near as good as Fred.”
“And they say you
’re as smart as Albert Einstein.”
Now, I chuckled. “I’m definitely no Einstein.”
“But, you’ve got to be. You’re like the number four man at Mount Weather and you’re only twenty-five.”
“The hierarchy of command is a little more convoluted than that. There are several senators who’d be quick to tell you I do not outrank them.”
“But, you have the ear of the president; he listens to you.”
“Sometimes he does,” I said and changed the subject. “You did okay back in Ohio, Detrick too.”
“Thanks.”
“When we get back to Weather, you’ll want to record your actions,” I said. “I’ll see about getting you an account set up on the Mount Weather Intranet.”
“Cool,” he replied.
I was about to say something else, but I suddenly spotted several figures darting across the road and into the wood line a couple of hundred yards ahead of us. Joker saw them too.
“What the hell was that?” he asked.
“Zeds, maybe. Stop where they crossed the road and we’ll check it out,” I directed.
He did so and set the brake. The tracks could be plainly seen in the snow. We grabbed our assault rifles before exiting the truck. Flash got out too. He watched as I looked toward the wood line where we’d seen the figures running and then crouched down beside the tracks.
“I’m guessing about a dozen of them,” I said after studying the tracks.
“Are they zeds?” Flash asked.
“Yeah, I’d say so,” I said. “All of them are running at a pretty good clip too. They’re chasing something, or someone.”
I looked up at the wood line again. “Alright, you guys stay with the truck. I’ll be back in a little while.”
Now Flash gave me a wide-eyed stare. “You’re going after them?”
“Yep.”
Chapter 20 – The Hunt
“Now hold on, big guy, you can’t have all of the fun,” Joker said with a grin and set the brake. “I’m coming too.”
“Suit yourself,” I replied. We traded a knowing look. We’d been on several missions together and shared guard duty more than once. During those long, boring nights, we’d had many long conversations and had confided in each other how much we enjoyed hunting and killing zeds. It was a thrill. We shared a few stories of our best kills and our scariest moments, and we also knew we couldn’t tell these stories openly, lest someone label us as psychopathic killers.