The Last Bastion [Book 2]

by K. W. Callahan

  “Midnight to six am shift is next,” Michael said. “Why don’t Caroline and I take that one so that you two can be with Justin during the night?” he said to Josh and Julia.

  “Sounds good,” Josh nodded. “And Justin is up by six o’clock half the time anyway, so we’ll be awake for the six to noon shift.”

  “Perfect,” Michael nodded. “After a day or two, we can re-evaluate, see if any adjustments are needed, and rotate Patrick into the mix somewhere. “For now, though, I think we should get our sleeping area set up and put some extra clothes on to stay warm throughout the night. It’s cold already, and based on our experience trying to stay warm in this place last night, it’s not likely to be any better tonight.”

  * * *

  “It’s so dark down here,” Margaret whispered to Manny, clutching his arm as they sat beside one another in several metal folding chairs they’d found. “And my butt is freezing!” she stood up. “Uhh…” she shivered. “It’s so doggone cold in here! I miss home.”

  “Me too,” Manny agreed. “I wish I was back in the clubhouse, at happy hour, having a few drinks, and watching a ballgame on television.”

  “Mmm hmm,” Margaret nodded as Manny stood as well. She looked around her in the blackness. The only outside light came from small cracks between the barricades they’d formed before the tower’s two entry doors. “Why do you think they bricked over all the windows?”

  “Probably due to vandalism,” Manny gazed around him. “I don’t know that much about this place, but obviously it has been here a long time. And if it has been sitting here empty like this for even a small portion of that time, then I’m sure vandals and weather have certainly taken their toll. But I’d say that it was likely vandals more than anything…rock-throwing kids. That’s why the windows aren’t bricked over on some of the higher floors. Kids couldn’t get rocks up that high.”

  “Makes sense, I guess,” Margaret nodded.

  There was the sound of scratching from the other side of the tower’s front entry barricade. Suddenly, a board that had been used to wedge some of the larger pieces of the barricade in place was knocked askew from its position and clattered to the floor.

  Manny rushed to pick it up and wedge it firmly back in place. Giving it a wiggle to ensure it wouldn’t be dislodged again, he walked back over to where Margaret stood shivering.

  “Thankfully these things don’t have more brains. With as many of them as there are out there, they could easily overwhelm us if they could get organized.”

  “Do you think they’ll learn…that they’ll figure out how to use doors or pull things away or smash windows or use weapons?” Margaret asked timidly.

  “Hope not,” Manny shook his head in the darkness. “They do, and we’ll be in big trouble. If they knew how to utilize basic physics to pushing or pull things out of the way or even just figure out how to punch through our barrier using the brute force of their numbers, we’d be in bad shape. But for now, they just don’t seem to get it. They seem to have lost all…or at least most, of the skills they maintained as humans. Hopefully it will stay that way.”

  There were more sounds from outside the tower entrance. Margaret shivered inadvertently. “Ugh,” she hugged herself. “Gives me the creeps, those things lurking out there only feet away.”

  “Those ‘things’ used to be just like us,” Manny reminded her.

  “For the grace of God go you or me,” Margaret shook her head sadly.

  They were silent for a few moments contemplating the possibility.

  Eventually, Manny said, “If I get bit…or worse, I’m getting eaten…”

  “Don’t talk that way,” Margaret cut him short.

  “I don’t want to, but it’s something we should discuss.”

  Margaret remained silent.

  “If something like that should happen, please end it. End it fast.”

  “Manny,” Margaret breathed, “you know I could never…”

  This time Manny interrupted, “I know you couldn’t, but in that sort of situation, you need to. It’s better that way. I’d prefer it. I know it wouldn’t be easy, but please. I don’t want to end up like those poor bastards outside. And I definitely don’t want to be eaten alive.”

  Margaret nodded. “I understand,” she said.

  “Promise me,” Manny insisted.

  There was silence in the darkness.

  “Margaret…please promise me,” Manny pressed.

  “Okay,” she said at last. “I promise…but only if you promise to do the same for me.”

  “It’s a deal,” Manny confirmed quietly. “Hopefully a deal we’ll never have to transact,” he added after a few seconds.

  Suddenly there were sounds behind them and a light. It was Michael. A flashlight guided his way down the darkened stairwell and into the tower’s ground level.

  “How you two doing down here?” he asked.

  “Fine,” Manny answered. “Cold, tired, but otherwise okay.”

  “We could use something better to sit on,” Margaret said.

  “Right,” Michael nodded, shining his light around the darkened space in which they stood.

  “Metal chairs are cold to sit on, but we get tired of just standing,” Margaret continued.

  “Will do,” Michael agreed. “I’ll have someone look around for some more comfortable chairs from upstairs…maybe a couple of those desk chairs. I’ll have some food brought down to you here in a bit, too.”

  “Good, I’m starving,” Manny nodded.

  “And a flashlight,” Margaret added. “I’d like to look around down here and see if there isn’t anything we could use upstairs. It’ll keep me busy and make the time go a little faster.”

  “Speaking of which, how long are we going to be down here?” Manny asked Michael.

  “Probably a while. We’ve decided to break into four pairs of adults for watch duty. That means six-hour shifts for each pair. You guys will be down here until six. Then you’ll be relieved.”

  “Ugh,” Margaret moaned, but Manny remained silent.

  “We’ll get a couple sleeping spots set up for you upstairs for when your shift is over.”

  “Sounds good,” Manny said. “So I take it that if we’re setting up sleeping spots, we’re looking to be here for a while.”

  “Looks that way,” Michael sighed. “We talked it over upstairs, and I don’t think that there are many other options. Well, I guess I shouldn’t say that. There are options, just not good ones.”

  “I suppose you’re right,” Manny agreed.

  “Okay, so food, flashlight, and a couple good chairs.”

  “Yes please,” Margaret nodded.

  “Let me get on that,” Michael turned to go. “Oh, and don’t forget your radio. Anything happens, and you don’t hesitate to call. I’d rather have to run everybody down here needlessly than wait too long and be overrun by biters.”

  “Okay,” Manny and Margaret voiced their understanding of the situation.

  After Michael was gone, Margaret said, “So what do you think about him calling all the shots for the group?”

  “He’s not, really,” Manny considered. “I mean, he’s kind of our de facto leader, but I wouldn’t say he’s calling the shots.”

  “Seems like he is,” Margaret huffed.

  “In a situation like this, the group needs a leader. And I don’t think Michael is a bad choice…for now at least.”

  “I don’t exactly remember choosing him, do you?”

  “Not really, but it works.”

  “Does it?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, here we are in this cold old tower, half our people are dead or missing, and we’re trapped,” Margaret sounded a little more than frustrated.

  “What are our other options? I mean, you heard Michael, and he’s right. There are other options, but none of them are good. And it wasn’t his fault that our escape from the city hit the roadblock it did. We voted on that. Remember? Michael didn’t
force us. We chose to try to get out of the city. And all things considered, I don’t think this…fortress…tower, whatever the hell it is, is exactly the worst spot we could have ended up. Honestly, if we’re facing the zombie apocalypse or whatever, I’d rather be here than in our house. This place seems a heck of a lot easier to defend.”

  “I guess you’re right,” Margaret considered.

  “I think Michael is doing his best to protect us. And I’m pretty damn positive he would never ask anything of us that he wouldn’t ask of himself.”

  “You’re right,” Margaret agreed. “Sometimes I just don’t like other people telling us what to do. Makes me feel like a kid.”

  “If there’s anything you don’t feel comfortable with or don’t want to do, you just speak up.”

  “Huh,” Margaret snorted. “I’m uncomfortable with this whole damn thing. And I don’t want to do any of it. But what choice do we have?”

  “True,” Manny nodded. “But right now, it’s the hand we’ve been dealt.”

  * * *

  It was another cold, and for most, sleepless night inside Hofmann Tower for the Blender remnants. For those Blenders not on watch duty, the discomfort suffered in sleeping bags and blankets on the freezing concrete floor made the minutes feel more like hours. And as dawn to the seemingly endless night finally began to break, the group faced the hard truth that help might not be on the way anytime soon.

  Chapter 15

  Over the course of the following day, the Blender remnants worked to relocate the majority of their supplies upstairs to the tower’s third and fourth floors. But this was just a portion of the work that Michael had in mind to prepare the tower for an extended stay during which they had to hold out against the biter hoards lingering outside.

  They positioned their sleeping and living areas on the second and third floors. They chose these levels for multiple reasons. First, these floors were away from the ground level should the rabid beasts outside breach the tower’s defenses. Second, these floors were still close enough to the ground level that people could quickly make it downstairs should they need to defend the tower. Third, because the majority of the windows on these floors had either been bricked over or covered with plywood, the levels were extremely dark. This made for better sleeping, especially on the second floor where all the windows were sealed. This would prove especially beneficial for those on night watch duty to try to grab a few winks during daylight hours. And fourth, the bathrooms were located on the second floor.

  After the group had finished organizing their supplies, and had created somewhat comfortable sleeping spots, there was still work to be done. Next, they used items they found around the tower – plywood, chairs, small cabinets, a couple desks, trash bins, some filing cabinets, and various other furniture, office supplies, and building materials – to create barriers on the stairwells between the first and second, and second and third floors. These blockades, erected in the stairwells themselves, made the stairs virtually impassible. Only a narrow gap, just large enough for an adult to fit through was left near one side of the stairwell. At the top of each landing, additional materials were left to quickly block this gap should the tower be infiltrated and combatants – biters or otherwise – tried to breach the upper levels.

  As the group continued settling in and unpacking their belongings, Michael pulled Ms. Mary aside.

  “Mind if I borrow you for a little while?” he asked.

  “Nope. Not at all,” Ms. Mary did her best to smile pleasantly.

  Michael could see right through her façade. He could tell that she was exhausted, both physically and mentally.

  “I want to take a quick inventory,” Michael explained. “We need to get a general idea of what we have and how long it’s going to last us.”

  “I agree,” Ms. Mary nodded. “Let me find a notepad and pen. I think I have one in my purse.” She turned to go and then paused. “Hmm,” she chuckled to herself. “Kind of strange to think that of all the stuff I brought, I included my purse. Seems silly now, but I’m so used to taking it everywhere with me that it’s just second nature.”

  She came back a few minutes later with a small spiral notebook and a pen.

  “I keep this,” she held up the notepad, “for when I think of something I need to put on my grocery list. Most people nowadays just use an app on their phones, but you know me, old school as always.”

  “That’s what I like about you,” Michael smiled at her.

  “You count and I write?” she asked.

  “I’ll do my best,” Michael snorted. The daylight was already starting to fade. “This natural lighting that we’re working with isn’t great, but I think we’ll make due. If we can just get a general idea of what we have, it’ll help us be able to start coming up with a menu of sorts and ration our food so we don’t blow through it too fast. Plus, with an inventory list, we can begin to figure out what we need to eat first before it spoils.”

  “Sounds like a plan to me,” Mary agreed. “That’s the one good thing about the cold in here. It’ll help preserve our meats and other perishables.”

  Ms. Mary had a funny way of saying certain words when she spoke. For instance, if she said her own name, it would sound more like Meery than Mary. Or she might say Tearie instead of Terri. So when she said the word “perishables”, it sounded more like “peerishibles.”

  Michael found it a sweetly endearing quirk of the group’s grandmotherly figure.

  The two got quickly to work, and within an hour, they had sorted through the majority of their relocated supplies to compile an inventory list. And while some supplies had been lost in the Mendoza and Hines vehicles, there was still an extensive accounting of items at the group’s disposal.

  It read as follows:

  15 cases bottled water

  12 cases Ramen noodles

  2 cases peanut butter

  6 cases assorted canned vegetables

  2 cases diced tomatoes

  5 cases canned fruit

  50 lbs white rice

  30 lbs dried beans

  2 cases jam/jelly

  4 crates of boxed salted crackers

  2 crates of cereal

  4 containers of powdered milk

  3 lbs salt

  1 lb black pepper

  10 lbs sugar

  3 lbs brown sugar

  3, 12-pack juice boxes

  20 lbs dried pasta

  2 cases canned pasta sauce

  4 cases canned tuna fish

  2 case assorted nuts

  5 bags dried fruit - (2) cherries, (1) blueberry, (1) apricot, (1) prune

  2 containers powdered parmesan cheese

  6 packs of beef jerky

  2 cases canned corned beef hash

  1 case canned corned beef

  1 case old fashioned oatmeal

  3 cases canned soup

  2 cases canned ham

  5 lbs boxed American cheese melt

  1 case grits

  2 cases creamed wheat

  5 boxes assorted toiletries (toothpaste, mouthwash, soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, cotton swabs, tissues, contact solution, etc.

  65 rolls of toilet paper

  1 case ranch dressing

  2 cases black olives

  1 case green olives

  1 case apple sauce

  1 case beef/chicken bullion cubes

  2 case granola bars

  1 case fruit chew snacks

  4 bags pretzels

  5 bags assorted potato chips

  4 loafs bread

  3 coolers meat/cold products (12 pork roasts/3 beef roasts/3 corned beefs/2 hams/12 packs hot dogs/10 packs of link breakfast sausage/10lbs. chicken breasts/10 packs of assorted sliced deli meat/5 lbs. butter/80 cheese singles, 4 ½ cartons eggs

  Assorted fresh fruit and vegetables

  Assorted graham crackers, salsa con queso, cheese in a can, chocolate sauce, various salad dressings, ketchup, mustard, mayo, and other condiments.

  They also to
ok stock of the guns, ammunition, and fuel they had at their disposal.

  “Looks like we have enough weapons to fight World War Three,” Ms. Mary eyed the array of rifles, pistols, and shotguns spread out across the floor beside box upon box of ammunition.

  Michael had set the various types of accompanying ammunition beside the particular gun or guns that it could be used with.

  “Seems like a lot,” Michael nodded. “But you have to remember how many biters are out there,” he reminded Ms. Mary.

  “What about fuel for the generators?” Ms. Mary asked. “We only have about three gallons, plus what’s inside the generators now.”

  “It ought to keep us going for a while if we don’t use them all the time. I’m thinking that we will probably have to fire them up mostly at night in an effort to use the space heaters we brought to heat our sleeping spaces. We could siphon more fuel from the vehicles outside if it wasn’t for the damn biters. If they ever leave, maybe we can try to get out there. But we’ll need containers to put the fuel in, and a hose to siphon with.”

  “We have extra containers around,” Ms. Mary said. “I saw a couple five-gallon buckets downstairs. A hose…well, that could be problematic. I don’t know where we’ll find one, but I’ll keep an eye out for something.”

  “It might not have to be a hose like you’d find in a garden. Rubber or plastic tubing of some sort could work just as well.”

  “Okay,” Ms. Mary nodded. “If I find something, I’ll bring it to you and see what you think.”

  The two stood in silence for a moment before Ms. Mary said, “How long you think we’ll be here?”

  Michael shook his head and took a long breath. “No idea. I suppose as long as it takes for this thing to shake itself out.”

  “And if it doesn’t?” Ms. Mary prodded.

  Michael bit his lower lip and then began chewing the inside of his cheek. “Don’t know. And I don’t really want to think that far out. I can’t think that far out…not now at least. All we can focus on right now is securing this structure and staying safe. That’s priority number one. All the rest of it can come later. Food, water, guns, ammo, and security. Those are my priorities. Right now, we can’t get to those who can keep us safe, so we’ll have to wait for them to get to us.”