Surviving Day By Day (Book 2): Fears, Flames, and Future
Page 26
Charlie was surprised, “How do you know all that?”
Ceara looked embarrassed, “Beth told me some of it, and Colt told a bit that night that you walked off not wanting to talk. I think Beth only told me so I would stop being mad at Colt for getting Maximus shot.”
They both laid under the tree just enjoying the quiet solitude.
Alden looked at his watch it had been exactly one hour. Getting up from his chair he went to the kitchen and pulled a six pack of beer from the refrigerator, then turned and went out the front grabbing a silver whistle that hung on a chain by the door. Setting the beer on a spool table he looked out to the woods, placing the whistle in his mouth and blew on it hard using three quick blasts. Heath and Tabitha looked at each other. Tabitha smiled, “His master beckons.”
They laughed and got up from their chairs and walked around to the front porch. Ceara looked at Charlie, “I guess our hour is up, daddy’s calling.”
Charlie smiled as he got up and helped Ceara to her feet. As they headed to the house he reached down and took her hand.
Colt looked at Beth, “General quarters I guess, all hands on deck.”
Beth giggled, “Colt sweetie Alden was Army not Navy.” Colt got up, “Yeah… okay, whatever, he’s wanting his meeting, so I guess we better go before he sends that dogs to get us.”
As Colt helped her up, Beth looked at him, “Now listen hear, I don’t know what Alden has in mind. I don’t think anyone does at this point, but I do know we all, including you and Charlie, better be on your best behavior.”
Colt gave Beth a Boy Scout salute, “On my honor, I’ll behave. Besides what’s he going to do, spank me?”
Beth squeezed his hand, “Honey I really don’t think Alden’s ever spanked anyone, beat the hell out of them yes, but not spanked.” Colt got her meaning, “Yeah I guess you’re right. Charlie packed a punch, but I don’t think it was anything close to what that old man could do.”
As Charlie and Ceara came from one direction, Beth and Colt came out of the woods from the opposite way. As they reached the porch Heath and Tabitha had already grabbed the porch swing leaving four plastic outdoor chairs for the others. Alden looked at the couples, “Take a seat and grab a beer.”
He watched both Charlie and Colt as they got to the table. Before they could grab their beers he grabbed both of their arms before they knew what had them, “You two, will right now shake hands. I don’t want to hear fucking word, I just want a handshake got it?”
The two men looked at each other and shook hands briefly, then took their beers and sat down. Alden stood there watching as they all opened and took a drink. Heath looked at him, “None for you?”
Alden shook his head, “Nope. Now all of you drink up.”
They all took another drink and then another. Soon they were all finished. Alden stepped off the porch as Maximus and Tonto joined his side. Ceara whispered to Charlie, “How the hell did he get them to both come without saying a word.”
Charlie leaned over a little, “Shhh I think the dogs know he’s pissed.” Colt heard and snickered as Beth squeezed his hand like a mom in church.
Alden took a deep breath and began, “Today we fought two battles as a team. The outcome was we won as a team. Sadly though we fought with others who we did not know, and they figured we lost. That was on them and them alone. We will not judge others for their decisions. Those are theirs.” He was pacing back and forth. “When we got back all of our team decided they wanted to discuss the other person’s actions, which resulted in a breakdown of discipline. This, I will not tolerate.” He stopped directly in front of the porch right between Maximus and Tonto. Everyone was watching him as he reached into his side pants pocket and pulled out six sheets of lined paper. Alden handed the papers to Tabitha who took one and passed the rest out to the others.
SIMPLE AGREEMENT
From this day forward I promise to fight and defend all members of our team. Holding their safety, and well-being first and foremost. Any discussions of actions by those other than the teams are of no concern from here on out. Their decisions are theirs, and have no bearing on the team. Finally, I agree that if any member of the team is in anyway scratched, bitten, or infected, I promise to put that person out of their misery in a humane and kind manner, without reservation or hesitation.
Alden watched the looks in their eyes as they read the simple statement, “I think you all know by now, that I, myself, will have no problem putting any of you down if you become infected. What I need to know is, are you all ready to make the same commitment?”
Everyone looked back down at the paper, while Alden looked right at Tabitha allowing her to talk but gave her a look as if he was going to say, “There needs to be no discussion on this matter.” Reaching down Tabitha picked up the pen that was on the table and wrote her name, ‘Tabitha S. Montgomery’ then handed it to Alden. “I don’t like the word ‘team’. We are a fucking family and we all know it, so this will make it harder, which is the only problem I have.” Tabitha sat back down and folded her arms.
Ceara sat looking at the paper, there was one pen and it lay on Tabitha’s signed paper. Ceara tossed her paper back on the table standing up, “I didn’t agree before and I don’t now, I won’t shoot, stab or otherwise kill any of you. I don’t care, I won’t!” She looked around to everyone willing them to understand her, “We have all had to kill ones we loved, I don’t want to ever do that again.” Tears were spilling down her cheeks and falling onto the discarded contract and she leaned on the table forcing the others to listen. “Alden is the leader, I get that okay, I do, but damn it, he doesn’t get to tell me I have to kill the man I love or the people I care about!”
She seemed to realize she just told everyone she loved Charlie, before she had even told him, her true feelings. She threw her hands in the air, “Fuck this!”
She turned to storm off but Alden caught her arm, “Sign the paper..”
His calm surprised her, “No, sign it, if you want, I’m not!” She yanked her arm out of his grasp and ran off to her jeep to just get away from everyone.
Charlie started to get up but Colt held up his hand, “I got this.”
He stood, grabbed the pen off Tabitha’s signed contract, as he signed the paper he spoke to all of them, “It’s easy to say you will do it, but a lot harder once you are truly faced with that choice.” With that, he laid the pen in the middle of the table and walked off the porch. Colt approached the jeep and noticed Ceara crying on the steering wheel, “Ceara, I agree with you ok?”
Ceara turned to face Colt but kept her head lying on the wheel, “I saw you sign, so go away, I don’t want to hear lies.” Colt leaned on the window, “You do realize that the paper don’t mean shit?”
Ceara glared at him, “Yes it does! Oh and nice shiner!”
She had added the last just to make Colt argue but it didn’t work, “Yeah, your boyfriend has a mean right hook.”
That got a small smile from Ceara and Colt thought he was getting her to listen. “Ceara listen to me, I signed the paper because I have seen what the result is if you don’t put someone out of their misery. Jessica, my wife, was the love of my life. I would have done anything for her. The thing that laid in our bed wasn’t her, it took me a month of trying to save her to know that. She was worse than a rabid animal; she was nothing but a shell of a human with the sole intent to feed.”
Colt looked over the yard as if remembering, “There were times that I convinced myself that her blood was cleaning itself, you know, like it was fighting the infection. One day, I had actually started untying her thinking she was getting better. My dog, well her dog, jumped on the bed just as I got her first arm undone. Ceara, she ripped the little dogs head off with her teeth. He stepped away from the jeep, “You do what you think you need too, but you are wrong on this one. What you need to agree to is that, yes we will be merciful but first and foremost we fight to keep each other safe. That is what Alden is trying to make sure everyone sees.”
Ceara leaned back into the seat, “That isn’t what he said!”
Colt shook his head, “Not if you just read it, but go back and read between the lines.” Colt turned to walk off to rejoin the others.
Heath picked up the pen, “I’ll sign. I know I haven’t been with you all that long, but I hope that all of you would be willing to put me down, as Alden said. I can’t even imagine living like that and what’s more, who’s to say that those thing out there don’t in some way, possibly deep down, know what they’re doing and just can’t stop themselves.”
Signing it he laid the pen on the table and looked at Charlie. Charlie held the paper tight in his hand as the echoes of Ceara’s words kept running through his mind. He was also remembering Carl and having to bash his head in. He looked to Alden, and then to the others, “I’ll sign this under one condition. Any one of you can put me down, but promise me it won’t be Ceara. Please don’t make her do it.”
Alden reached over and put his hand on Charlie’s shoulder, “Son I promise, if I’m still alive, I’ll do it.”
Charlie picked up the pen as his hand was shaking he signed it then turned and walked away stopping only to pet Maximus. Maximus got up and followed Charlie off towards the jeep.
Beth looked up to Alden and shook her head, “You and I, Alden haven’t even had our talk yet about the other morning, and now all of the sudden you put this in front of each one of us and demand us to sign? Something else….. You give us a beer first and then give us this??? That just doesn’t sit well with me.”
Beth looked down once more at the paper and picked up the pen, “Tell ya what Alden, I have become much stronger today, than I was when I worked for the CDC. So if this is what you want, is a signature from me telling you that I will put each and every one of you out of your misery if you become infected, well I guess I will.” Beth signed her name, ‘Beth A. Canter’, and then shoved the paper over at him.
Standing to her feet and after she took a deep breath she calmly spoke directly to Alden, “I really do love and care about you like a Dad, but damn man, you got some sick ass ways about you. I get what you’re trying to do. I thought that this was going to be a talk, not a damn draft board meeting.” Beth turned and went over to see if Colt had helped Ceara and hoped that she was alright.
Alden watched as they all were walking away except Heath and Tabitha. Turning to all of them he gave a whistle, “JUST SO YOU ALL KNOW, I DAMN SURE AIN’T THROUGH YET. YOU ALL HAD YOUR SAY. NOW IT’S MY TURN. SO BRING YOUR CANDY ASSES BACK HERE.”
Charlie opened the door to the jeep and took Ceara’s hand, “C’mon honey, we need to get this settled and it won’t be if we keep running away.”
Ceara looked at Charlie pouting, “I don’t want to. I don’t want to hear any of this, don’t you understand?”
Charlie smiled and gently pulled her out of the jeep then put his arm around her, “It’s like getting a tooth pulled, it’ll only hurt for a while.”
Ceara was still wiping tears away as they got back to the table. Alden turned and looked to Colt and Beth, “I’m waiting and trust me we’ll be here all night if we have too.”
They too walked back over. “Good,” Alden began, “Ceara I trust you understand the gravity of what I was requiring. We all need to be on the same page on this, and I think from our time together we all know that not one of us want to turn into one of them.”
He pushed the paper to Ceara along with the pen. Ceara took the paper and signed it then handed it and the pen to him, “Yes sir, I understand.”
Alden knew that the ‘SIR’ was a jab to get to him, but he let it go. Alden looked at the group, “Here’s the deal folks, we have to function as a team, and as such, we all must know what the other will do. I did this paper so you would all know that you agree, like everyone else, to do right by them if the time comes. I gave you all a beer for two reasons. First, you all needed it, especially Colt and Charlie. Second, because sharing a drink is a time honored tradition of sealing a pact. Its roots go back to medieval times. In a time when Kings would share a meal and drink when combining forces or declaring non hostilities to each other. I had Colt and Charlie shake hands in the beginning because, no matter their differences these two are still brothers, they have fought and been wounded trying to fight for the group and each other. Flares up will happen, people, but I won’t let them drag out or become something else.”
He watched as Charlie and Colt looked at each other and then nodded. “Next up, was an issue I knew we would have, and have warned against it. That being relationships have been formed. I can’t undo what’s been done, but I give you all fair warning, I won’t let it affect the fighting effectiveness of the group. You all can work out the details, but I don’t want couples fighting together anymore. They’ll only get each other or someone else killed. Finally, security will be down to two hours per shift now, I will allow couples to do shifts together since they sleep together, and I’ll take my watch with the dogs.”
The group seemed to breathe a sigh of relief with that last statement. Heath looked at Tabitha and snickered, “Gee guess we’re a couple now.”
Tabitha poked his ribs and laughed, “You got a problem with that?”
Heath smiled and shook his head, “err no?…”
Alden smiled at the two, “One more thing before I turn you all loose, we’ll be leaving the day after tomorrow. We’ll spend tomorrow packing things up.”
Alden turned to walk away and stopped. The others had started to move away too and saw him stop.
He turned and looked at them, “I want you to remember this day. This was the day that we went to aid a fellow man’s family, as a family. We fought as a team, but in the end we came back as a family. Remember this, families fight amongst themselves sometimes, but they never give up on each other.”
Chapter 15 – Unknown
Alden turned and walked around back to a stone built fire pit. Next to it was a small locked ammo box. Taking his keys out, he unlocked the box, took out campfire coffee pot and can of coffee. He stacked wood in and soon had his pot going. Charlie held Ceara’s hand as they both watched, “Damn that man has coffee stashed everywhere.” The two giggled as they walked away.
Colt watched as the others began to leave, he pushed his chair back and held out a hand to Beth, “You want to go for a walk?”
Beth laid her hand in his as she stood, “That sounds very nice after all this.”
They left Heath and Tabitha on the porch, as they headed toward the woods. Colt and Beth walked in silence for several minutes, just watching the stars begin to pop out in the violet sky. Colt leaned over whispering in her ear, “Make a wish.”
Beth stared to the first star she had seen, Colt kept his eyes on her. She was so different from Jessica; Jessica had long brunette hair that had just enough of a wave to make it bounce with her every step. She had been five foot nothing and thin as a rail. Colt had never thought he could be attracted to anyone else after he meant Jessica. He now looked at Beth, who stood close to his own height and deep brown eyes that he loved to look into. Her shoulder length brown hair caught both sun and moon light in the highlights. She was still staring at the star and he started wondering just what she was wishing for.
She smiled and looked to Colt, “Wonder if it will come true? Did you make your wish?”
Colt had forgotten all about the stars, “No, I was distracted.”
Beth smirked, “And just how did you get distracted in the time it took you to tell me to make a wish, and you looking to the sky to make your own?”
Colt looked deep into her eyes, “By you…”
Beth blushed, “Oh ok.”
Colt pulled her close kissing her deeply, her hands moved to his chest and he worried he had moved too fast, but her hands slid around his neck as the kiss deepened. Time stood still as the kiss deepened, they broke apart, both flushed with the unspoken need to continue. Colt smiled, “Damn, I thought I might have forgotten how to do that.”
Colt gave her comforting hug, “See I didn’t need to make the wish on a star to get what I am wanting.”
Beth kind of elbowed him, he laughed, “Well what did you wish for?”
Beth looked up to his eyes, “I can’t tell you that, you know what they say… I won’t come true if you tell the wish to anyone.”
They silently started walking holding hands, both wondering just what would happen next. Would they have the romance they both wanted, or would they just turn into killing machines… or worse would both even survive long enough to find out either answer.
Alden’s was leaning back in his chair sipping coffee from an old thermal mug. Heath walked up with Tabitha beside him, “Mind if we join you?” Heath said.
Alden motioned for them to have seat. Heath turned and pulled an old wooden bench over. Alden smiled at Tabitha, “There some mugs in that box there, if you want coffee.” Tabitha looked at Heath and he nodded. Reaching in, she pulled out one mug and poured Heath a cup, handing it to him as they both sat down. Alden was simply staring at the flames in the small fire watching them as the wood was crackling, sparking every now and then. Heath and Tabitha soon found themselves doing the same thing.
Heath finally broke the silence, “Honestly, all bull shit aside, how hard is this trip going to be?”
Alden looked at the fire, “Damn hard son. Damn Hard.” Tabitha was sitting there watching the two men talk with her hands in her lap.
Heath looked at her and then went on, “What do you think our chances are in getting there?”
Alden stared at the fire for a few minutes, then turned to the two, “I’d say they’re a hell of a lot better than if we stay here. Those things are migrating into the hills now. My personal thought is it’s because they’re running out of fresh meat in the cities. What’s more, they seem to moving in groups more and more. The way I figure it, we need to get away from populated areas….far away.”