Z14 (Zombie Rules)

by Achord, David

  I looked at the tanker, wondering how I was going to get it back from him if he didn’t want to give it back “It’s a good rule.” I said.

  We sat in silence for a long minute. I was wary of the Captain. He was being downright cordial, but I suspected it was a facade. Plus, I was fully aware the chair he had waiting for me was strategically placed so his boy would be behind me. All I wanted at this point was to get the tanker and be gone.

  “Zach, what are your plans?” I looked at him questioningly. “Your plans Zach, what are your plans for the future?”

  “Well Captain, I’m all for rebuilding a productive society. I would like to hope we can avoid the mistakes of past generations. There is no need for pettiness, racial strife, or domination of one group over another. The people who have survived this apocalypse have far more important things to worry about.”

  The Captain clapped his hands once in mock glee. “Spoken like a true idealist.” He stood and stretched. “It’ll never happen, Zach. People are people, after all. They covet. They harbor grudges and ill will, sometimes for several years. Their petty egos and jealousies will never allow them to be satisfied with the social utopia you envision. I’m thinking you are an avid reader Zach, have you forgotten all of the history books you’ve read?” The Captain laughed without mirth. “Ah Mr. Gunderson, your naiveté is somewhat refreshing, but oh so misguided.”

  I thought about what the Captain was saying. I thought of Leon. I thought of Jason and his boys. Men who had behaved exactly what the Captain had said. They coveted what I had, and had even tried to kill me for it. “You have a valid argument, but I’m not looking for conquest. I only want a peaceful life.”

  “What do you think Andie?” He asked the boy.

  “I think he’s an idiot.” The boy standing beside the truck opined. The Captain looked at me as if I had been challenged. I shrugged my shoulders dismissively. However, there was something in the boy’s voice. I looked at him and was met with a defiant glare.

  He gestured toward the tanker. “That was very clever Zach. We had no idea the lug nuts were missing until we tried to drive off with it. Is there any reason why I should give it back to you?” The Captain asked. He was smiling pleasantly, but there was a cold look in his eyes.

  “Before I answer you Captain, please allow me to ask a couple of questions.” He waved a hand. “How’s your fuel supply?”

  The Captain shrugged noncommittally. “It could be better.”

  “Do you have any tankers like this one?” I asked.

  “We have one.” He paused a moment. “We also have a storage tank back at the compound. Why do you ask?”

  “Bring that tanker to me and I’ll get it filled up with gasoline.”

  The Captain’s eyes now piqued with curiosity. “Did you hear him, Andie? Zach here seems to know where a supply of fuel is.”

  “Bullshit.” Andie said.

  “So call my bluff then. What do you have to lose?” I challenged.

  The Captain laughed. “Oh, I like you Zach. I’ve not been amused in quite a while now. But you must tell me, where is this cache of gasoline? Do you have it at your own compound?”

  I shook my head. “Nope, it’s in a fuel reservoir in downtown Nashville, on the east bank of the river, near the old Titan’s football stadium to be specific.” The Captain stared at me in amazement a moment, and then laughed uproariously.

  “Zach, it’s impossible. There are thousands of zombies in the downtown area. I’ve seen it myself. I sent in a team a few months ago and they were surrounded within minutes. They didn’t make it Zach. They were annihilated.”

  I held my hands out, careful not to raise them. “I have a plan. It might even go better if you want to help out.”

  He looked at me, unbelieving at first, and then with concern. “Do you have a cadre of soldiers Zach?” He asked quietly.

  I did not answer directly. “I’m going to try it out with a small group. If everything goes according to plan, we’ll gain access to the fuel. There are a lot of variables, and to be honest it might not work. But I think we should try. I could use a few people with rifles.”

  “What do you think Andie?” He asked.

  “I think he’s full of shit. He’ll probably get eaten or blow himself up.” Andie replied.

  “Did you hear that? My niece thinks you’re full of shit.” I glanced over at her quickly. Ah, so that explained it. He was in fact, a she. I could see the feminine features now. She was very much a tomboy, but yes, definitely a she.

  The Captain sat back down and pulled his chair closer. He leaned forward and placed his big meaty hands on his knees. “Alright Mister Gunderson, you’ve got my attention. Tell me your plan.”

  Chapter 2 – A Matter of Trust

  “Don’t tell me you trust him?” Howard asked. We were standing around, near the burned out house. I told them about the conversation between the Captain and me as Howard gathered some dead wood and debris.

  I shrugged. “Short answer, no.” Once I proposed my plan to the Captain, he agreed to assist in the endeavor. He even helped me reattach the wheels to the tanker and shook my hand before driving off. I waited for five minutes before I drove away.

  Fred had been inspecting the tanker for any signs of sabotage. “I have to go along with Howard on this one, Zach. He can’t be trusted.”

  I nodded. “I agree Fred, but in spite of the trust factor, I think we can pull it off. We’re going to need the extra firepower if we have any hope of getting into downtown Nashville. Besides, this will give us an opportunity to learn who and what we’re up against.”

  Howard chewed on his lip a moment. “You might have a point Zach. Know your enemy, that’s what one of them war generals said, right?” I smiled and nodded. “You’re thinking if the racist bastard sees we’re an asset, he won’t try to kill us. Like when I fixed his bus. Is that what you’re thinking?”

  I nodded again. “He has a grand scheme of rebuilding the world. He’ll view us as nothing more than minions, but it should be enough for him to not try any nonsense.”

  “So, he wants to rebuild the world, with him being the king of this new society of course. He has grandiose delusions.” Fred said. He stacked the corpses together and Howard began stacking the kindling. Soaking it with some of our newly acquired fuel, he lit it carefully.

  I nodded. “Yeah, I suppose. The point is, he claims he wants to rebuild, not go around killing everyone. He may be Machiavellian, but we can work with it, at least for a little while. What do you think guys?” I asked as we got the bodies burning sufficiently. Both men thought about it as we got in the truck and started toward home.

  Fred pointed at the two of us as he drove. “You two decide and I’ll help out however I can. I’m leaving soon and I don’t know if I’ll even make it back. So, I don’t believe I should have a vote on the matter.”

  I looked at Howard, who shrugged noncommittally. “We need fuel, that’s a fact.” He rubbed his face. “I don’t trust him. He’s not right in the head, I’m thinking. But, I’ll go along with it if you think it’ll benefit us, Zach.”

  We ultimately agreed. We drove back to my farm with Howard chitchatting about the weather. Fred was his usual quiet self.

  “It won’t be long now.” I finally said. Howard glanced at me. I had brought up the subject none of us wanted to discuss.

  “Yep.” Fred responded. “I figure the day after we get the gas, I’ll head out.” He looked over from the driver’s seat. “You two have been a tremendous help. Zach, you’ve thought of stuff I never would have dreamed of. Howard, you’ve got that truck in tip top shape. I actually think I’m going to be able to make it, thanks to you two.” We were getting close to the turn off to the driveway. He suddenly stopped the truck in the middle of the road. I thought maybe he saw some zombies or something and looked around hastily. Seeing no threat, I looked at Fred. He was staring straight ahead.

  “Give me a year. If I’m not back by then, and you haven’t heard fro
m me, you’ll know I’m dead. You’ll know what to do.” He was quiet then, and then proceeded up the driveway without waiting for a response.

  I looked at him a moment and then stared out of the window. I wanted to say something, anything that sounded reassuring, but came up empty. We had planned, prepared, rehearsed, all in secrecy. Fred did not want the girls to know what he was going to do until the day he was leaving. I guess he hated long goodbyes. I watched him as he readjusted the guns on his hips.

  “If you’re going to keep carrying your pistols, you might want to wear a set of shoulder holsters. Those holsters you’re wearing now aren’t meant to be worn by someone sitting in a car seat for hours at a time.”

  Fred nodded. “I believe I have one sitting on the shelf of my closet. Good idea.”

  I couldn’t think of anything else. I stepped out and unlocked our recently installed gate. Fred drove through. We were at the house a few minutes later.

  “Uh, Howard?” I asked as we got out of the truck.

  “Yeah buddy?” Howard looked at me as he stretched and wiped the sweat off of his brow.

  “Our garden is doing pretty good. In fact, we have some extra stuff. Now, please don’t be offended, but we grew a lot of watermelons and I was wondering if you wanted any.”

  Howard looked at me with a serious expression. “Why sure, as long as you don’t tell the white folks.” He then laughed uproariously. Even Fred cracked a smile. We walked over to the garden and I pointed them out.

  “Dang Zach, those melons are big.” Howard said as he rubbed his belly.

  “Thank Bernie’s bees. According to him, melons are dependent on bees for pollination. Oh, and the ample supply of cow manure is a good source of fertilizer.”

  “Well, they sure look good. How many can I have?” He asked.

  I shrugged. “Help yourself. Hell, let’s eat one now.” We grabbed one and went to the front porch. Fred pulled out his bowie knife and cut up a bunch of slices. We dug in, and within seconds we had juice running down our chins as we ate. The girls walked outside and gaped at us.

  “Look at you three slobs!” Julie lamented. “I’ll get some napkins.” She ducked back inside the house. Fred cut Macie a slice and handed it to her as Julie came back outside with a handful of napkins.

  “Dig in.” He said. “The baby will love it.” Macie smiled, sat on the steps and took a bite. She spit out a seed a moment later. It landed at her feet. Howard got up from his chair and sat beside her.

  “Girl, you gots to learn how to properly spit out a watermelon seed. Watch the master.” He took a bite, chewed a moment, and then spit a seed across the yard. Macie took another bite and mimicked his actions. The seed flew in an arc and landed a foot away from Howard’s seed. He gave a deep belly laugh. “There ya’ go. You’re now an expert seed-spitter.” Macie smiled as she and Howard took turns spitting. Fred and I watched quietly while the three of them laughed in glee.

  “I want to spit too!” Julie said laughingly. Fred already had a slice cut and handed it to her. She sat beside Macie and the three of them took turns spitting seeds. Fred looked over at me and smiled sadly. I knew what he was thinking. He was downcast about leaving. After a few minutes of their antics, Howard stood.

  “I’ve got to be getting home or else Lashonda will jump all in my ass. Thanks for the watermelons.” Howard said. We helped carry him to his Hummer and bid our goodbyes.

  “I need to get home as well. I’ll see all of you tomorrow.” Fred said. He started to walk toward his truck. He stopped suddenly and turned around. He walked back to the girls and took turns hugging them. He looked at Macie. “I think you’re going to make a wonderful mother.” He said before getting into his truck and leaving. Her cheeks turned a rosy red as she muttered thanks.

  The three of us ate a dinner of chicken with a mixture of canned vegetables. Our salt and pepper was running low, so we used it sparingly.

  “I’m trying to get my head wrapped around your plan.” Julie said.

  Dabbing at my face with my napkin, I attempted to explain.

  “First, we recon the objective. If the plan is feasible, I’ll call in fire support. That will be the Captain’s duty. He’ll come rolling in with his bus firing his machine guns, killing every zombie in sight. The trucks with the tankers will be following the bus. We bring them in to the fuel reservoir, fill them up, and then follow the bus back to the rendezvous point.” I said.

  “And you trust him?” Macie asked.

  “Up to a point.” I answered.

  “Zach, what’s stopping him from pointing those machine guns at you and taking the gas? Maybe even killing you to boot?” Julie asked.

  “I’m working out the details, but I think I have a way of avoiding that.” I said. I finished my food and retrieved my notepad.

  “I’m all ears.” Julie said. Macie snorted.

  I smiled. “It involves you and employing your sniper skills.” I turned to the page where I had a hand drawn map of the intersection of Old Hickory Boulevard and Nolensville Pike. The girls peered closer while I explained.

  Chapter 3 – Operation Gas

  The evening sky was hazy, overcast, and there were inky ominous clouds creeping up from the south. I saw the faint glimmer of lightning and stopped the truck. I had been waiting for three days since the meeting with the Captain for optimal weather conditions for what we were going to attempt, and I believed it was finally here.

  Howard Junior, or Lil’ H as we called him, looked at me when I stopped the truck. Seeing no zombies, we got out. We were on a bridge on Nolensville Pike. Mill Creek flowed under. I saw lightning again in the distance.

  “Listen Lil’ H.” I started counting off the seconds out loud. I got to the count of seven before hearing the rumble of thunder. “Seven seconds. The storm is about seven miles away. We’re going to wait a minute or two and then do the same thing over again. Do you know why?”

  Lil’ H scrunched up his face in deep thought, and then shook his head.

  “We’re going to determine if the storm is moving toward us.” Another flash of lightning illuminated the horizon. “Start counting.”

  Lil’ H counted out loud as I had done. We heard the rumble of thunder when he got to five.

  “It’s getting closer.” He said.

  “How do you know?” I challenged.

  “Because light travels faster than sound, and when the time between the lightning and thunder gets shorter, it’s because it’s moving closer.” He said. I smiled and nodded.

  “Alright, let’s check the level of the creek.” The two of us got out of the truck and walked over to the edge of the bridge.

  “What are you looking for?” He asked.

  I pointed at the water. “I’m looking at the water level of the creek.” I pointed. “Do you see the marks on the bridge abutment?”

  “Yeah.” Lil’ H responded.

  “I looked at those marks yesterday. The creek is up by about a foot. And, it’s going to keep rising, which is good for us.” I put my hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “It’s going to be raining soon, time to put our plan into action.”

  Lil’ H looked up at me and grinned. “Alright!” We got back into the truck and drove to the Allen’s home, a former tire shop located at the intersection of Nolensville Pike and Old Hickory Boulevard.

  Howard and Lashonda listened as I got in touch with Fred on the shortwave radio. He answered after a few attempts. “Rain is heading our way. Operation Gas is a go.”

  “I’ll bring the boats and tell the others. ETA is one hour.” He signed off. I rotated the dial on the radio until I found another frequency.

  “Come in Captain, this is Zach.” I said into the microphone.

  “Go for the Captain.” A voice responded after a minute. It sounded familiar.

  “Andie, is that you?” I asked.

  “10-4, what do you want Zach?” Her tone was curt.

  “Operation Gas is a go. If you guys are still in, be here in two hours.�
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  “I’ll relay the information. Stand by.” I sat by the radio and waited. Mrs. Allen came in with a cup of coffee and a half a loaf of hard bread. I nodded gratefully, tore off a piece and dunked it in my coffee. It was then I realized Mrs. Allen was standing over me looking very worried.

  “I’d like to hear what your planning again and why you need little Howard so badly.” She asked.

  I put the soggy bread down on the saucer. I had gone over it with everyone more than once, but she was understandably worried. “Okay, it goes like this. It’s a two person operation. Lil’ H and I are going to camouflage ourselves and use john boats to traverse down Mill Creek. Mill Creek meanders its way through the south Nashville area and eventually dumps into the Cumberland River. We’re going to plant noisemakers at various points along the river banks and wait. When the noisemakers attract the zombies away from the reservoirs, the others will move in and we’ll fill up our tankers. If we’re successful, we’ll have enough fuel to last through the winter.” I finished my bread and drank some coffee.

  “What if there are too many zombies? What will you do then?” She asked.

  “I’ll get on the radio and tell everyone to abort. Then, we simply reverse course. We’ll be home in a few hours.”

  She stared at me pointedly. “Why do you need my son?”

  “It’s a two-man job. He can swim and he’s small. The boats are going to be full of stuff. We’re going to need all of the room we can get.” We had found several old style ‘boom boxes’ at a pawn shop. Batteries were much harder to find unfortunately, so I had rigged them to run off of car batteries. The advantage was they were going to play loudly for several hours. “When the zombies have moved away, Fred and Howard will come in with their truck and tanker, along with one of the Captain’s men in their truck.”