by J. D. Demers
We rounded the corner and I saw most of the civilian adults standing around, with the exception of DJ. He was sitting in a chair talking with Fish. Leanne walked up to Kat and gave her a kiss on the cheek. The rest were either talking or listening to one another. Campbell, Chad and the lady named Cheryl were not there, along with all of the soldiers under the LT’s command.
I couldn’t hear what Fish and DJ were discussing, but the rest of the people talked about anything from the events of yesterday to fear of the new rationing of supplies. I earned a few curious looks from them as I came closer, so I decided to stay just outside their semi-circle. Boomer lay down at my feet just as Campbell, Chad, and a soldier I came to know as Specialist Combs walked out the front door.
Chad’s face was swollen and his nose was wrapped in two lines of tape. He didn’t bother looking in DJ’s direction when he came out, and just focused on the concrete in front of him. He was holding his side, and was in obvious pain. Good, I thought at the time, he deserves worse.
I feel bad describing Chad like this. I wasn’t that understanding of the poor guy’s situation. He was arrested at eighteen for doing something stupid and then thrown in prison for a decade. How would I have turned out if that were me?
“Good morning everyone,” Campbell said as he peered over a notepad in his hand. Everyone nodded or grunted a response. There was a dark cloud that hung over the group. He looked up and let out a breath.
“Look, I know yesterday was rough. We lost two people. Kayla and Jared. The world is a bad place now.” Most people were looking at the ground, almost as if they wanted to pretend yesterday didn’t happen. “All I can say is that we have to keep going. We need to be strong and stick by each other. That is the only way we are going to get through this alive.”
He paused a moment and allowed his face to soften, then nodded toward Preacher.
“Preacher will be saying a few words this afternoon. I’m going to ask everyone to come that isn’t on duty. I feel it’s important we remember…” Campbell’s voice trailed off. I wasn’t sure if he had meant to say more or just decided to stop there.
The Lieutenant looked tired and worn. He probably viewed everyone here as though they were under his command. I didn’t think about that until then. He felt responsible for both Kayla and Jared’s deaths, as many commanders do during war.
When I met with him back at our place, I didn’t really understand how DJ let some snot-nosed green Lieutenant take charge when he seemed more of a natural leader. Being the boss wasn’t fun. You had to be part leader, part administrator, and part parent to everyone under your charge. DJ took his scavenging runs seriously. But would he even want, let alone have the patience, to lead this group? I knew I wouldn’t. Fish had to feel that way too, which must have been why he made sure to show respect to the Lieutenant in front of the rest of the people. No one wanted his job.
“We are going to make it through this,” he continued confidently. “This afternoon, some of us are going to try to develop a better strategy for our defenses. They won’t be perfect and I’m sure there will be a learning curve, but we will do everything in our power to make sure we’re all safe. We started yesterday with thirty-one, today, we’re twenty-nine. Let’s see what we can do to keep it that way.”
It wasn’t the most inspirational speech, but the general mood did seem to have a positive change.
“You’re still thirty-one,” a voice said from across the semi-circle. Fish, who was on his knee next to DJ, stood up. “Well, thirty-one plus a dog,” he said and winked in my direction.
I couldn’t help but smile. Fish had expressed more than once that it was just him and me against the world. As messed up as our relationship was, I wouldn’t leave him for anyone. It was a love, hate, hate some more, curse his name type of relationship, but we had bonded. If he said “let’s go”, I wouldn’t have hesitated to leave.
The Lieutenant seemed shocked to hear that as well. “Well, that’s some good news. Everyone, I’d like to welcome Master Sergeant Fischer and Christian to the fold. You will be a much needed addition to our community.”
Campbell continued talking, going over basic things like food and water distribution and rationing, sleeping arrangements, and other administrative matters. Occasionally, someone would speak up, expressing their opinion or answering a question he would ask. Kat and Chuck both expressed concerns over the security and the LT told them provisions were going to be made to make sure the compound was more secure, though I knew he wasn’t sure how to do that.
“Alright everyone, if there isn’t anything else,” he paused, waiting to see if there were any more questions, “we will adjourn. DJ, Specialist Combs, Master Sergeant, and Kat, please meet me in the office in fifteen.”
Campbell and the specialist walked back into the building. The group dispersed and Fish made his way over to me.
“That was a shocker,” I said to him, forming a grin.
“Grow up,” he growled, “and don’t look too happy, kid. We still have to move our things here. And my plan hasn’t changed.”
“I don’t understand.” Our original plan was to move, and then he said we’re sticking to that after he just told the LT we’re joining them?
“You will,” he said. “You’re coming with me to this little pow-wow. Leave the pooch.”
Fifteen minutes later, we were in the back office of the store. It was more of a break room than an office, though. They had solar driveway lamps lining the office but it was still pretty dark until Campbell turned on a lantern.
At first, the Lieutenant seemed annoyed when I walked in behind Fish. I clearly wasn’t invited, but he didn’t openly protest. There were only five seats surrounding a round table, so I stood behind Fish. Kat was to my left and DJ to the right. Specialist Combs sat next to Campbell.
“Let’s get started with you Kat, what’s our food situation?” the LT asked.
“Well,” she said, clearing her throat, “Even at rationing down to two meals a day, we only have about a week’s worth of food left. The water situation isn’t much better. Maybe two weeks if we stop brushing our teeth,” she said dryly.
Campbell looked at DJ. “Did Daniel tell you when you’ll be ready for some more runs?”
“I can still drive,” DJ said, “I just won’t be much good at loading goods up.”
“That’s not what I asked,” the Lieutenant returned.
DJ frowned. “A week, maybe two.” I could tell he was in pain, though he tried not to show it.
“Then you’re off of the runs until he clears you,” Specialist Combs chimed in.
“That’s bullshit,” the big man said in frustration. “I have a wife and kid that need to eat too.”
“He’s the best driver we have,” Kat added.
The arguing continued and rolled into a fight about security. Combs said they should add trip wires so that if another scab snuck in, it would set off an alarm. DJ said that would just alert any dead-heads in the area. The whole time, Fish and I sat quietly and listened.
“Hey, let’s slow down,” Campbell said after about twenty minutes. He glared around the table and settled on Fish. “Do you have any input, Master Sergeant?”
“Retired,” Fish corrected.
“Excuse me?” Campbell asked.
“I’m retired. Call me Fish.”
Campbell seemed to consider that for a moment. I knew what he was trying to do. If he could get Fish back into the military mindset, he would have a level of control over him. It wasn’t exactly a scheme to gain power, but rather to maintain it.
“Alright, Fish,” he finally said, “what are your thoughts?”
“I want to hear what the kid has to say first,” he said, jerking his thumb back toward me.
Campbell glowered at me, then back to Fish. “Okay, go ahead Christian.”
I really didn’t appreciate being put on the spot like that, not that Fish would care what I thought. I wasn’t quite sure what angle he was playing, so I decid
ed it was best to just be honest.
“To-to be honest,” I stammered, “this isn’t the best location.”
That earned ugly looks from everyone in the room except Kat. She seemed to agree. I wondered if she had voiced that opinion before. Little did she know, but her look of approval gave me confidence, so I continued.
“I mean, well, there isn’t any real water supply. Even if we put a duct system up on the roof, it would only take a week without rain for us to run out with this many people.”
“We know about this,” Specialist Combs said. “We plan on digging some wells outside the camp and piping them over.”
“I take it you’re not from Florida,” I said a little too quickly, earning an ugly look. “The water in the ground here is nasty. We could purify it, but it would take some know-how that I don’t have.”
“No offense, Christian, but we can figure that out easily enough,” the Lieutenant snidely remarked. “Besides, we’ll soon have sufficient enough power to have long range comms.”
“I’m not sure what you guys are waiting for. Sir,” I said to Campbell while trying to maintain my composure, “you said yourself that there hasn’t been any word from the government in weeks. And this ‘wall’ you have to defend the camp is crap. You get enough of these dead-heads pressing or tearing on the fence, and it’s coming down.”
“We spent a lot of time and sweat on that fence,” DJ said. “I know it’s not perfect, but we can make it stronger.”
“But-” I started to say, but was cut off.
“Have you ever been deployed to a hot zone?” Fish interrupted, glaring at the Lieutenant.
Campbell must have known where that was going, and shrunk back in his chair. Fish continued.
“This kid has,” Fish stated. “He may be green and never left the wire, but he sat in a compound long enough to know what security is. All you have here is a pantry waiting to be cleaned out by the Zulus.” He sat back and locked eyes with Campbell. I wasn’t sure if a big argument was about to break out or if the Lieutenant was going to ask us to leave the compound. Finally, Campbell broke the silence.
“Okay. You say we’re too vulnerable here. What’s your solution?” His eyes never left Fish’s, continuing the staring contest.
“I don’t have all the answers, LT,” Fish responded. “But I do see the problems. You guys have made a decent place here, but we need to think ahead. Food, fresh food, is an issue as is fresh water. We need natural barriers. Sure we’re surrounded by a thin line of woods here, but just across that tree line are five thousand homes with a bunch of hungry old tenants waiting for a dinner bell. All it will take is one large herd of those fucks to move through here and we’re nothing but a feast.”
He paused a moment to allow that last part to sink in.
“The kid and I,” he continued, “were about to scout a location yesterday when your call for help came in. It’s far enough away from the city where Zulus and scabs shouldn’t be an issue, but close enough for supply runs. Fresh water, fresh food, natural barriers on three sides and enough room for all of us.”
“He’s right,” DJ said. “These barricades wouldn’t hold up to a large group.” The big man heaved a large sigh. He had helped build this camp and was proud of the defenses, but now was coming to terms with how weak they really were.
“What is this place you’re talking about?” Campbell asked.
“A little airboat tourist area off of 192,” Fish replied. “It’s called Camp Holly.”
“I know this place. I never even considered it,” DJ said. “We would need to get an airboat. Maybe some canoes.” He sounded like he liked the idea and was thinking ahead.
We talked for another hour. Fish told them he and I would go ahead with our plans to scout it out. The Lieutenant, though not entirely convinced, went along with it. He told us that he wanted to wait a few days before we left. The compound was running short on supplies, and with DJ out of the game, he needed us to assist in some of the runs.
Campbell started assigning roles for people to prepare to move. DJ said he would want to get a few more vehicles and beef them up. I wasn’t shocked when he added a fire truck to the list.
Kat said she and Leanne would focus on the garden system, and I said I would help. I wasn’t an expert, but I had some experience. With the bucket system, we could easily transport anything that was growing in our garden back at our old house.
Fish and I moved as much as we could the next day over to the Ace Hardware compound. We decided to pack up the things we wouldn’t need right away and store them in the house. There was no need to move everything at once since we planned on relocating again. Besides, it would have taken us extra time.
We were also able to get one of the vehicles DJ wanted. It was a medium-sized fire truck with just a little superficial damage. The kids were excited to see it, and one of them even gave it a nickname: Big Red.
Fish and I, along with Jenna, made a few scavenging runs as well, earning us a decent bounty and extending the supplies in the compound for another week.
By the third day after we joined the group at Ace Hardware, Fish decided it was time to check out Camp Holly. Campbell, however, had a slight adjustment to Fish’s operation.
Chapter 20
Camp Holly
April 22nd Morning
“I would really feel more comfortable if you took Gardner or Combs as well. You could use the firepower if things got hairy.” Campbell wasn’t exactly pleading with Fish, but he did seem concerned.
“Look, you’re already forcing Gonzales on me,” Fish returned as he threw his backpack in the bed of our truck. “I don’t need more people to babysit.”
“You said yourself it looked like a trap at the interstate overpass,” the LT shook his head. “I just don’t want to lose any more people.”
“And you need your troops here to defend the compound!” Fish shot back. “Look, the kid and I have done a lot of hairy things and have learned to work together. I only agreed to take Gonzales because he’s been a stick in your ass lately. Maybe some time outside of the wire will remind that tool how good he has it.”
That was true. PFC Gonzales had been making more and more comments about how rank didn’t matter anymore. He was the rebellious sort, which was probably why Rachel was attracted to him. Personally, I kind of liked the guy, but I wasn’t sure why he had joined the Army. He wasn’t much for taking orders and that’s basically all you did in the Military.
I was the only one that could hear the two going back and forth. I pretended to check my gear by the driver’s side door, even though I had done so three times already. They weren’t yelling, but each exchange became more and more heated as the other stressed their point of view.
“Who knows what you’re going to find at that place? There could be a scab or maybe some undesirable survivors. You could use more eyes.”
Fish gave out a long, frustrated sigh.
“Alright,” the sniper finally gave in, “Give me Jenna.”
“Jenna?” the Lieutenant asked.
“Yeah, the redneck chick.” Fish stopped moving and faced Campbell. “From what I’ve seen, she knows her shit when it comes to the outdoors. She’s a good shot and has been outside the wire more than your troops. If I’m going to take on another kid, I at least want someone who I know can handle themselves.”
Campbell seemed a little offended, but if he disagreed with that last part, he didn’t say anything. Fish was right. Jenna was pretty tough and acted more like a tomboy than a lady.
“Alright, take Jenna,” Campbell conceded.
“Kid!” Fish called over to me. “Go get Jenna. Tell her we leave in twenty minutes.”
“Alright,” I said and jogged towards the store. I passed Gonzales on my way, and he gave me an odd look. He was probably wondering why I had a stupid grin on my face. I wondered the same thing. I guess I was a little attracted to Jenna. I mean, it’s not like there were a lot of single women I knew that were still aliv
e. But, truth be told, with everything that was going on in the world, having a relationship was pretty far from my mind. Not to mention, the attraction would have had to be mutual.
Jenna was excited to be invited on our excursion and rushed to get ready. I ran over to grab Boomer in the back of the compound. He had been a favorite among the children, and he played with them whenever the time allowed. Boomer shared their feelings, I thought. He was always excited to be outside with them. I probably didn’t play with him enough.
Somehow, Jenna beat me back to the truck, which earned me a glare from Fish. Not only that, but she was sitting in the front passenger seat and smiled at me as I approached.
“Shotgun, sweetie,” she said, grinning ear to ear.
There was no use in protesting. We weren’t in school anymore and I had a feeling she wasn’t going to give it up that easily.
I opened up the rear passenger side door and let Boomer jump in before me.
“I gotta ride with that dog?” Gonzales complained.
I shot him a glare as I climbed in, but it was Fish who had a quick response.
"You don’t have to, Private. You can always climb in the back with the gear,” he told him.
“I don’t know how I let Campbell talk me into this,” Gonzales muttered.
“Quit your belly achin’, Carlos,” Jenna said playfully as Fish drove the truck to the front gate. “Rach will be waiting for you when you get back.”
“Yeah,” Fish added, “if you’re that bothered, maybe Jenna can dig up some Midol for you. Besides, Lieutenant Campbell didn’t talk you into shit. He gave you an order.”
“Whatever Fish,” Gonzales muttered under his breath. I wasn’t sure if Fish had heard him until he slammed on the breaks, almost sending Gonzales and me crashing into the back of the front seats.
Fish spun around and locked eyes with Gonzales.
“I may be retired, but to you I’m Top, Master Sergeant, or Sergeant. You get me Private?” he asked in that stern voice I had started to compare to Clint Eastwood. For someone who said he didn’t want to be known as a Master Sergeant in the Military anymore, Fish was playing that card pretty hard. He was probably just doing it to put Gonzales in his place.