Stumptown Survival: The Complete Collection

by Noah Porter

  Taking a deep breath and fully expecting some flippant remarks in response to her attempt at an earnest conversation, Claire opened the door to the roof of Mary Hill Museum.

  "You don't need to say it," Mason's back was to the door.

  "Um," was all Claire could manage to his surprising greeting.

  "You are welcome.” His back still to her, Claire could tell he was focused on something, but from this angle she could not see what it was. “ Now, if you don't mind, I did come up here to be alone while the crew of fools swept through the building."

  Claire was frozen. Did he really know it was her? That greeting would have worked for pretty much all of the survivors; surely it was just a tactic to get rid of anyone who came to see him.

  Mason's head dropped and she heard a barely audible sigh. "Was there something else you needed, Claire?"

  She shook her head. Of course he knew, why was she surprised? She walked forward. "You may not need to hear it, but I need to say it."

  Mason took his hand off of something and turned to look at her, making sure to obscure his work. "For the entirely brief time I knew him, it was obvious that Jackson was a good man. Of course, that might have worn off if I had known him for at least 24 hours, but compared to most of these remaining specimens of humanity he was positively delightful.” Mason stepped forward, “I deeply regret I was not there to stop him from his heroics. In the end all he wanted was for you to survive and I'm not about to let him down."

  Claire took a deep breath and looked at the sky. “You can’t let him down now.” She could feel the tears starting to form. Not again, she wasn’t going to cry again, not while she was trying to thank Mason for saving her life. That would only look like a ploy for more attention, and that was not what she wanted.

  Before Claire could react, Mason had wrapped his arms around her. After a second or two, he placed one hand on her head and with the other he reached into his pocket. He handed her a handkerchief. (“Who carried those anymore?” she thought, “And where on Earth did he even get a clean one?”) Perhaps it was the shock of this highly uncharacteristic act of kindness on his part, but Claire was unable to move. She allowed herself time to battle the emotions and get herself under control. Mason made no move to separate, no move to return to his work, and he did not speak. It was the first moment of peace Claire had felt since Jackson died.

  When the constricted feeling in her throat subsided, Claire pulled back and looked up at Mason. “You know it wasn’t your fault he died.” It was a statement, not a question, Mason never took responsibility for the actions of others. “I just wanted you to know that I don’t blame you either, not even a little.”

  She glanced down at her feet; the shoes on them now so soiled, bloody, and torn it would be difficult to tell what type of shoes they were. Five months ago she had spent almost $200 on them hoping to get some good use out of them, and they had served her well. The momentary lapse in concentration allowed her to recover again. Then, looking back up at Mason, Claire pressed forward, “And I wanted to say thank you. Thank you very much for forcing me out of the building because you were right, there was absolutely nothing anyone else could have done for him. I even understand why you slapped me and, to be honest, he would have done the same thing. Probably with more love, less force, but for the same reason. I know I was horrible to you afterward, and I am very sorry. I’ll let you be now.”

  She tried to hand back his handkerchief without success. He shook his head and pushed her hand back toward her body. “It’s a nice gesture, but I’m afraid the others will be here, ah, right about” he paused for a second and pointed at the door, “now.”

  Sure enough the door opened. Paige strode through and stopped when she saw the pair on the roof, Mason’s hand on Claire’s arm, and the damp handkerchief in her hand. Dylan barely stopped in time to avoid running into her, but Andrew was less astute, and he walked into Dylan’s back, who in turn bumped into Paige.

  “Ah, the three stooges. I have not laughed in a while. Bring on the entertainment.” His hand still rested on Claire’s arm as he welcomed them to the rooftop.

  Andrew chuckled and apologized while Dylan made sure Paige was all right. She just rolled her eyes at Mason and walked forward. “I did not mean to intrude upon your little interlude.”

  Claire’s mouth was slightly open as she looked from Mason to the newcomers and back. Mason removed his hand from her arm and waved off Paige’s welcome, “Oh, don’t be silly, Paige. You are much more my type and Lily is much more interested. We were just having a nice little conversation about what we did before all this began, and it was so funny poor little Claire here was brought to tears. Poor dear hasn’t laughed so earnestly in so long, I’m afraid it might make her rust.” He moved back to his original position when Claire had first arrived.

  The others took different positions. Paige walked over to Claire and put her hand on Claire’s shoulder, “Have you been making more people cry, Mason? It is one of your greatest gifts.” Dylan leaned against part of the outer wall, folded his arms across his chest and began to analyze the situation. Andrew went to the opposite side and froze. He was the only one with a clear view of what Mason had been doing.

  “Well, we can’t all be quiet enigmas like you. If I don’t make someone cry at least once a day, then I risk my head exploding from bottling up all of my accurate and well-considered opinions. And where would we be if that happened?”

  Claire patted Paige’s hand, “I’m fine. Just thinking about everything, and being able to feel safe for the first time in a long time has gotten to me. Unfortunately for me, when I came looking for a quiet place Mason was already here, so, you know, rotten luck for both of us.”

  Paige looked at them with her eyes narrowed. It was their business, but still they didn’t have to lie about whatever it was that had happened. Still, not her place and she can only hope that it had not been something Mason did or said that triggered the tears.

  They all turned their heads as Andrew cleared his throat, “So what were you saying about what you used to do that was so terribly funny, Mason?” His eyes had moved from Mason’s work to the man’s face. Andrew then allowed his eyes to sweep across the grounds below them. Sure enough, there were downed zombies in places where the group had not been, and some of them were suspiciously down in what would appear to be straight lines, as if something had taken out several at a time.

  “Oh, a little of this, a little of that, and a huge helping of why do you care?”

  “Yeah, I didn’t think so. You know, to really impress women you should stop making them cry,” Andrew looked at Mason with an arched eyebrow and a smirk. “To be honest, I’m really interested in hearing about what you are doing in the here and now.” Andrew cocked his head to the side and mouthed, “Where did you get that?” He gave Mason a pointed look then looked at the spot where Mason had been; Mason gave him a weak smile and shrugged. The other three had not picked up on the exchange going on between them.

  Claire smiled, “It’s fine guys. I just slammed my finger in the door on the way out, smashed it pretty bad.” She had wrapped the handkerchief around her hand to hide the lie.

  Dylan put out his hand, “Here, I’ll take a look at it.”

  Pulling her hand back, Claire shook her head, “It was more of a surprise than anything. It’ll be fine.”

  Paige looked at the guys; they could be so nosy sometimes. Didn’t they know when to drop it? “Well, make sure you get Karen to check it out if it’s still bothering you later.”

  Andrew looked at them, entertained by how oblivious they were at the moment. “You know, I was at the airport when this happened.” All heads turned to look at him; Andrew had always been friendly and open, but one thing he had always been pretty adept at avoiding were questions about his past. Sure, he would give bits of information, but it was never a lot, and never about his military career. “I was about to go out on my fifth deployment to the Middle East. After my first deployment, I was alw
ays on special assignments, doing things that I was never supposed to discuss with civilians.”

  Dylan looked at him. A man like Andrew would never open up about classified actions; then again, no one was even sure if there was still a United States to fight for. Would it really matter what he divulged now? Dylan had some of his own stories, tales that he had hoped to erase from his memory, tales that paled in comparison to the world now. They were entering a new dynamic, a different age where what he learned in combat applied to the new, every-day life. Dylan shuddered. Paige saw this, walked over to him, and put her arm around him. She could tell exactly where his mind was going with this conversation. Claire stood quietly by. She had told them everything about herself, yet she knew so little of their pasts. Mason pulled out his crossbow, turned his back to the group, and began taking down some of the zombies around the base of the building. He knew exactly where this conversation was going.

  “Maybe I’ll tell you guys about some of them if you are ever interested. I mean, there’s no point in hiding the past now, right? I don’t know how far this has spread, but I’m pretty sure that there are no countries in the Americas now, maybe anywhere in the world. This little outbreak can’t just be in our little corner of the world, right? Anyway, I’ve spent more time in the Middle East over the last decade than I have here at home. They gave me a year off, and after seeing my family for a bit, I traveled. There was so much of this country I was told I was defending that I had not seen, so I wanted to see what was worth such a high cost. I mean, there was no chance I was ever going to be fit for civilian life after my career.” Dylan nodded his head; he knew exactly what Andrew meant.

  “I’m proud of you Dylan, for trying. It’s not the kind of life you can ever fully leave behind, no matter how much you want to. The past is never over; the scars don’t heal, yet I wouldn’t have traded it for anything. The people I’ve worked with have been remarkable, and I will remember them until the day I die.” He looked up at the sky, his clear blue eyes reflecting the grey clouds that constantly threatened drizzle.

  “But this is a different world now, and what really matters is that it made me stronger. My past has made me who I am, but I don’t like that people just see me as some military meathead, even in this twisted time where nothing is right. I’m not the smartest person in the world, never have been, yet I’m still alive because what I do know is how to survive.” He looked back at the group. Dylan was staring at the ground, Paige was looking at him, Claire was watching him with concern, and Mason seemed oblivious.

  He continued, “I’m far from home, but I’ve come to think of you guys as my family. Every last one of you.” Claire looked like she was going to step forward, but Andrew held up his hand to stop her. “That doesn’t mean that I like everyone in the group. A lot of the people downstairs are like cousins you see once or twice a year. You know, not really all that close. But you guys here are like my siblings. I hate that this happened, and I worry about my family every day, but I am really glad that I’ve had you guys. All of you.” He gave them a full grin, his eyes passing over the group and landing on Mason for his last sentence.

  Paige nodded, “It’s been miserable, and a day doesn’t pass where I don’t worry about my family. I wish there was some way to get to them or find out if they are all right. Someday I will try to get back to find them. On the other hand, I cannot imagine leaving you guys ever. The timing was rotten for this whole thing. I was only supposed to be here for a few nights and then go back to Bend. Funny how plans change when a few zombies show up. There are a lot of similarities between fighting fire and fighting zombies though. Both mindless, destructive forces, easy to handle in small quantities, but you have to have a great team when the situation gets too large.”

  Dylan shook his head, “This is nothing like anything I’ve experienced before. There are some mornings where waking up it seems unreal, like my first time in Iraq, just impossible that it is happening. Every morning the first thing I have to do is accept it. Over and over and over again. That would be impossible if not for you four and a couple of the other people. Survival may be instinctive, but anguish is the poison that can weaken it. I have to admit, there are several people here I would really rather not be with us,” he looked down at his hands, “I wish I were even ashamed to say that, but I’m not. We have several people in this group who are not worth the protection they have gotten and I’m afraid they will be detrimental to us, just like Hood River. You have to use your head now, and some of them simply refuse to accept the reality.” He looked at Andrew,

  “Sorry man, I know, we never leave someone behind, and I won’t, but at some point it’s going to be our downfall.”

  Dylan sighed and continued, “ At this point I’m afraid of going home, of seeing what has happened to those I love. My family is on the other side of the continent and I have nearly no hope of ever reaching them. I have accepted that I will probably never see them again. I guess what I’m saying is, I agree. You guys are my family now, even the people I can’t stand. I’m just glad that you guys are here to hold things together. Thank you.”

  A tear rolled down Claire’s cheek, “I lost the only family I had in Hood River, so you guys are my only family too. I just wish I could do something more to help. I’m just no good at this kind of thing. I’ve no background for this kind of fighting.”

  Andrew smiled at her, then moved over to her and gave her a hug. “There are a couple of guys downstairs who would love to help you out there. You are perfect just the way you are. You’ve done what you could, when you could, but if you want to learn how to fight, you should go find Kyle and Ben. This is the perfect opportunity to go learn how to kick their butts.”

  Claire smiled up at the big guy, nodded, and went back inside.

  “All right, Mason, your turn,” Andrew said looking at Mason’s back.

  “I didn’t realize we were in therapy. Sorry, I didn’t sign up for it and really don’t feel like participating.” Andrew grinned. It wasn’t a flat refusal or one of his typical responses that brooked no argument.

  Andrew grabbed the crossbow, “You are going to need to save the arrows.”

  “I’m going to collect them in a bit.”

  “Why don’t you go back to doing what you came up here to do? This isn’t the right weapon.”

  Mason rolled his eyes, snatched the crossbow out of Andrew’s hand, “That’s it, you are not allowed to touch Angelica again.”

  “Sorry, Angelica, but your man is being a bit of an idiot and I needed his attention.”

  “She’s not speaking to you now,” Mason placed her back in his bag.

  “But you still are,” Andrew was smirking, “Claire’s gone, so I’m going to bring it up.”

  Mason gave him a steely-eyed look. “You know I was never in the military.”

  “I know.” The smile had dropped from the big man’s face. Dylan and Paige were at a complete loss. When did this turn into a showdown, and why was Andrew provoking Mason? They both wanted to say or do something, but they were completely helpless. This was entirely uncharacteristic of Andrew, but he never did anything without good reason. They looked between the two men. “That’s why I’m extremely curious how you came to get something like her.” He appeared to be pointing at Mason.

  “Really, must we do this in front of the other children?” Again it was not a flat refusal. Andrew folded his arms, and Mason continued. “Alright, fine. You tell me why I have something like Dolly and I’ll confirm if you are right.” Mason stepped aside to reveal a highly specialized sniper rifle, silencer and all. Dylan gasped. Paige looked at the three men uncertain what was wrong.

  Dylan said, “Where did you get that?”

  “Uh, uh.” Mason wagged his finger in Dylan’s face, “That’s not how this works. You tell me, and I’ll tell you if you’re right or not.” Mason leaned back, the edges of his grey coat billowing in the breeze.

  “Sorry, what’s wrong?” Paige didn’t know what to make of the sc
ene unfolding in front of her.

  Dylan pointed at the gun perched on the roof, “That is not something a civilian can get their hands on. There are very, very few people in this world who can get something like that.”

  “We’ve been to plenty of gun stores, so it shouldn’t be surprising.”

  Andrew looked at her, “You don’t understand. This isn’t something you could buy in a store, gun show, or military surplus. There are only a dozen of these in the world, and mostly they belong to very dangerous men.”

  “I would say very dangerous people,” Mason corrected looking at his nails.