Center City, WV
There was a certain amount of guilt Rigs felt in dropping off Penny with Dr. Stevens. The scientist was thrilled, even fatherly with her, telling her she would stay with him and his wife, and go to work with him.
“I’ll adore her,” Stevens said. “I will not poke and prod her, I promise.”
Rigs felt better knowing Penny was alright, even if he denied her one request for the Flaming Saffrons CD. He told Rachel that was a ‘No’ a part of him was sentimental about that.
“Let’s ask Kasper and see what he …”
“No.” Rigs cut off Rachel’s request before she finished. She had to stop seeing Kasper. He knew they had been close, best friends and inseparable. But the Kasper she knew was gone. There was no bringing him back, not to the way he had been and definitely not as an Eliminator.
Liz wanted everyone to come into her office, the remaining four of them. They left the RV where she instructed a team to stock it with the standard supplies. Especially since it was allowed and she wasn’t doing it on the side.
Rigs didn’t know how to describe Rachel’s reaction when she walked in. She had a giddy nature about her, smiling ear to ear.
“Congratulations Madam President,” Rachel shook her head and then embraced her.
“I know, right?” Liz said. “His Apocalypse Cabinet told me and I was … stunned.” She placed her hand on her chest. “Honored.”
“So cool for you. But …” Rachel cleared her throat, speaking somberly. “So sad about the former president.”
“Yes.” Liz nodded sadly. “Very.”
“So,” Rachel perked up. “What’s going on? We rushed back.”
“And I appreciate it. Please, all of you have a seat.” Liz waved out her hand before sitting behind a desk. “As you know, my first order was to bring back the Eliminators. This country as a whole, needs to be as one.”
Rigs asked. “What about the immune you stuffed into camps?”
“Rigs,” Rachel said. “Don’t be rude.”
“Me? Rude? Rach, you’re the one that jumped down her throat about it.”
“And it wasn’t my idea,” Liz said. “If you remember. I am in the process of putting Mid-West and Western Commands back in place and science and medical teams close to Survivor camps, along with protection when I can get it together. We will try to get them to form a council at each camp, just in case of outbreak. As for now, I want to have my Eliminator teams that are in the vicinity make regular stops by the survivor cities.”
“Aside from Penny,” Rachel said. “Was there a reason to call us back?”
“Yes,” Liz replied. “The Flaming Saffrons are one of my best teams. I have teams on this side of the country that I plan on sending back out there. But I need to retrack, get the Sweep teams together again, clean up, you know all that. I also have to locate my other Eliminator teams that went. The … defectors. They need to know they can come in for supplies and make contact. We lost contact.”
“Are you wanting us to help?” Rigs asked.
Liz nodded. “I’ll give you a list of places that were scheduled for E Teams, they have already been swept. We think the defectors may be working on that list. If you find them, send them back or tell them to contact us so we can reinstate them, stock them.”
“So … we aren’t cleaning towns?” Rigs asked.
“You are, you aren’t just on a search mission. If you come across a town that has been swept but hasn’t been E tagged, then do it. I would love to schedule towns for you, but again, we don’t know which towns the defectors did or the ones they are headed to.”
“Basically,” Barry said. “We go out as normal, look for the missing Eliminators and clean towns in between. Our supplies are usually only good for two towns and Sweep teams take anything useful. You said you are moving commands back out there.”
“True,” Liz answered. “It will take weeks. It was easier to pack up and run than set up. Hopefully by the time you need to restock you won’t have to come all the way back here. We will be re-established. However … they won’t be your first order of business.”
Barry asked. “Our first order of business?”
“I realize you four are a team, but a team is six people. It’s not safe to have any less and you know it.”
“So you have new members here for us?” Rachel asked.
“Possibly, we hope, but not here.” Liz stood and started to pace. “You guys are going on a search and retrieve. As we started the pullout from the west, we lost two teams. One at the beginning of the pullout and one when we got here. We aren’t sure exactly what happened to them. Contact was spotty. The one team was last heard of outside of Morrison, Tennessee, and we just heard from the lone surviving Eliminator. He is still in Morrison and I need you guys to get him. He’s more than willing to join the Flaming Saffrons.”
“Where will we find him?” Rigs asked.
“I have that info for you,” Liz said.
“And the other team?” Rigs asked.
“That is where it gets tricky.” Liz waved a finger. “You guys ever heard of the Eliminator Team Gold Cavalry?”
Barry whistled. “They are top dogs. I heard they cleaned town in days, not weeks.”
“The best.” Liz said. “Golden Boys. Unfortunately, we lost any contact with them outside of Jonesboro, Arkansas.”
Through the corner of his eye, Rigs looked at Rachel. “Rach, are you smiling about that.”
“Thinking about how much Kasper would enjoy hearing that,” Rachel replied. “They aren’t so golden now, are they? Are they all dead, Liz?”
“Rach, what the hell?” Rigs snapped.
“Jeremiah,” Barry warned.
“I know. Language.”
“We don’t know,” Liz answered. “We know one is not. We picked up a signal and have finally been communicating with their Navigator and Communications Specialist.”
Rachel crinkled her brow. “Navigator? Rigs, do we have a navigator?”
Rigs pointed. “That would be Barry, he drives.”
Rachel nodded. “Oh.”
“Anyhow,” Liz continued. “He’s given us his location for pickup. He’s outside of Memphis. He made it that far. Not much else said other than identifying himself.”
“That’s weird,” said Rachel. “Why isn’t he telling you anything?”
“Because not many people know Morse Code and that’s how he’s communicating with us. So he’s keeping it simple,” Liz explained. “His name is Aldrich Yates. I’ll give you the location for him, but obviously if you don’t know Morse Code, you’ll have to just hope he’s there.”
“Yates. Yates,” Barry said. “Senator Yates of New York?”
“His son,” Liz answered. “When the Senator got word of my initiative, his son put together the elite team.”
Rachel mumbled. “They aren’t so elite anymore.”
“Rach.”
“What, Rigs? Come on you know we always heard about them,” Rachel said. “I mean, how great can they be. Seriously. The Eliminators Force have only been around a year.”
“You are being petty and maybe even jealous,” Rigs told her. “Look at the bright side. We’re getting two new members. One an elite Eliminator.”
“As if we aren’t good enough?” Rachel asked.
“No!” Rigs snapped. “That’s not what I’m saying. I'm just saying having a well-trained man on our team is a good thing.”
“Man?” Rachel asked. “You are so sexist.”
“I give up.” Rigs tossed out his hands.
Liz smiled. “I love the banter. Just one more thing … both of these men have been out there alone for a while. They may just want to come here.”
Rigs nodded. “I understand. I doubt it. I mean, it gets in your blood being an Eliminator. I can’t see them wanting to do anything else.”
“Let’s hope you’re right,” Liz said. “Now I know you were all packed up and ready to go. But Morrison is about a seven hour journe
y. I suggest, staying back one more day and heading out at first light. You can get both men tomorrow. It’ll give us time to make contact and coordinate a pickup.”
“Sounds good.” Rigs reached out and shook her hand. “Thank you, Madam President.”
“You’re welcome and thank you.” Liz shifted her eyes. “Sandy? You’ve been quiet. Not saying anything. Is everything alright?”
“Oh, yes, sorry. I was thinking. These two men have been out there. What? Weeks? You’re just hearing from them.” Sandy said. “What in the world have they been doing with themselves all this time?”
FLAMING SAFFRONS LOG
March 9
Day 326
Entry: Jeremiah Rigs
After an understandable delay we are headed back on the road.
Our initial trip to leave yesterday, started as an unauthorized Eliminators mission. It quickly turned into official when Liz Nazinski became the new president.
In a way that’s a good thing. The president’s death is jarring but Liz carries a leadership needed in this world.
She leads with her head and heart. She thinks of her loss and wants to prevent it for others.
She wants the world to be safe again and created the Eliminators.
The typical town to town cleansing we do will be on pause while we perform a search and retrieve. Two Eliminators from two different teams will be joining us. Both had lost their teams and basically have been alone and abandoned in the world.
I welcome them and look forward to meeting them both.
While no one ever can or will replace Kasper, perhaps we can create a strong team that will play a huge part in rebuilding and bringing back this world we all know and love.
A world without the risen dead.
FOURTEEN – ODDITIES
March 9 – Day 326
Morrison, TN
Miles before they even arrived in Morrison, they saw the smoke. A thin trail of gray smoke steadily carrying to the sky, peaking through the mountains as a smoke signal. Barry spotted it first, suggesting it was some sort of calling card from the new guy they were to pick up.
Rachel hated the thought of getting new team members. Before it was easy. After Charles, no one was ever permanent. They knew the new guy would last one or two towns at most and then something would happen.
She would miss the days of speculating with Kasper. Scenarios based on apocalypse movies. But now Kasper wasn’t with them, and no one else really shared their passion over movies and books about the end of the world.
Shortly after they spotted the smoke and four miles outside of Morrison, they saw an Eliminator RV.
Barry pulled over.
Like theirs, the RV was more of a bus shaped vehicle, slightly bigger and probably a few years newer. The black and tan vehicle had tinted window. Above each window and door was what looked like a rolled up blind, when in place it was the metal grates that would protect each window in case of attack.
The vehicle at first glance looked unscathed, until they stopped their own.
The side of the RV not seen from the road was completely charred with slashed tires.
Barry ran his hand over the side. “Bullet holes. The dead didn’t do this.”
“Maybe they did it to themselves,” Rigs said. “Got into a battle with stiffs.”
“Unlikely,” Barry replied.
“Who would do this?” Rachel asked. “I mean everyone knows the Eliminators are helping, right? We’re like a commercial, we take care of the dead so you don’t have to.”
“Survivors,” Rigs replied. “Those not immune, those left over on this side with no means to protect themselves. Anyone and everyone knows we carry a lot of ammo.”
“This was a nice vehicle,” Rachel said. “It’s a shame. Why did they get such a nice one and we didn’t?”
“I think because we were one of the first teams and we got what we got,” said Rigs. “You saw the other early teams. Hell, Bosworth’s Team had a camper. And they never needed more than that.”
“I’m glad we didn’t have that camper. It was crappy. Ours is much nicer than a camper,” Rachel said.
“Ours isn’t that bad,” Rigs said.
“It is. The fridge works, the stove doesn’t. We have to keep checking the water …” Rachel commented. “And we can’t use the toilet.”
“We can use the toilet.”
“No, it doesn’t work right and the last time Kasper used it,” Rachel said. “You bitched because you had to empty it.”
“If I remember,” Barry added. “Kasper only used it because he was sick. He ate those bad apples.”
“They weren’t bad,” Rigs added. “They were fine. He wasn’t sick, he just ate twelve. And can we not talk about this? Just find the guy?”
“Do you really think like marauders got them?” Rachel asked.
“You don’t?”
Rachel shook her head. “No, we’re a couple miles from Morrison, right? If there was a band of bad people destroying things why would the only surviving Eliminator stay in a town so close? Let alone send up a smoke signal.”
“She has a point,” said Barry. “Maybe they were really overrun.”
“Well, there’s one way to find out,” Rigs said. “Ask the surviving Eliminator. And if the smoke signal is him, he’s not that far off.”
The town of Morrison wasn’t.
It didn’t take long for them to arrive.
There was no fanfare or signs when they pulled in. Morrison wasn’t a quintessential looking small town, with picturesque buildings like they had seen in many places.
It was a road with houses, repair garages, several churches and a few one stop shop and gas places. The big sign saying they had arrived was a Dollar General just on the outskirts of the tiny town with a pre-virus population of seven hundred.
At first it struck Rachel as clean, almost too clean, for there to have been any battle or violent aftereffects of the outbreak. She didn’t see the typical blood smears on the road from Sweep teams cleaning bloodies and dragging them. No abandoned cars just left anywhere, all of them were neatly parked on the road.
Almost as if someone deliberately cleaned up the town.
None of the doors were open to the homes or business as they usually were. But the letter E was clearly painted on all of them and big.
“M . . . o . . . o . . . n, that spells moon,” Rachel said softly.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Rigs asked.
“Jeremiah, language.”
“One of these days,” Rigs said to Barry. “You’ll let that word go. Rach?” he asked. “What are you talking about? Do you see a word?”
“No. I was just thinking of The Stand. This town reminds me of a scene. Not so much the buildings, but how cleaned up it is. In the book the one character cleaned up the town. But he was … special and he kept spelling the word ‘Moon’.”
“Okay.”
“You don’t get it,” Rachel said. “Kasper would have.”
“So you don’t see a word out there that you’re spelling.”
“No!” she blasted.
“But I do,” said Barry. “E…a…r…t…h, that spells earth.”
The RV slowed down and then stopped.
“Has everyone gone mad?” Rigs asked.
“No, Jeremiah,” Barry said. “Look out the window. You can see the letter E on each building, right? Well, Sandy wondered what this guy had been doing? Take a look.” He pointed. “Looks to me like he took the buildings marked with E and tried to think of words.”
“Yeah, but the town is marked as never being done by Eliminators.” Rigs said. “All these places are marked.”
“Let’s find out.” Barry opened his door. “Let’s see if we can find this guy. Hopefully it won’t be too hard since he never gave an address.”
“He is giving smoke signals,” Rigs said.
Rachel, along with Sandy stepped out the side door just after Rigs and Barry. She walked around to meet up with the
m at the front of the RV. “Listen,” Rachel said.
Sandy smiled. “Music.”
“What is up with that song?” Rigs questioned.
“Who knows.” Rachel shrugged. “It was there when we were assigned the RV.”
“Maybe it was in everyone’s RV,” Barry suggested. “A theme song for Eliminators.”
“And it has what to do with eliminating the dead?” Rigs asked.
“Think about it, Rigs,” Rachel replied. “Think about the words. It has a lot to do with what we do.” She walked ahead.
“No, Rach. It doesn’t.”
While Barry secured the RV, Rigs caught up to Rachel and they led the others following the sound of the song, American Pie, as it carried through the small town.
<><><><>
The trail leading to the new guy was a triple layered one. The smoke, the music and eventually the loud singing. Not that he sang the whole song of American Pie, only certain parts, more so because he could hit the notes better.
He had part of the Eliminator uniform on. The coverall version of the uniform like Barry wore, only he had it zipped half down, the top of it dangling at the hips, the sleeves tied around his waist. He wore a Hawaiian shirt with the sleeves cut out. A man of average height and build, he stood before a conveyor he’d built, watching stiffs roll into the incinerator.
“And the three men I admire most …” he sang.
Rigs cleared his throat.
“Father, son and holy ghost …”
Barry tried this time, clearing his throat even louder.
He continued singing. “They took the last train for the coast. The day … the music …”
“Hello?” Rachel called out softly.
He spun with a scream. “Died. Good God Almighty.” He immediately shut down the belt, halting the bodies that moved.
“We didn’t mean to scare you,” Rigs said. “Command sent us.”
“Flaming Saffrons,” he said with a country boy drawl to his voice. A bottle of hand sanitizer set on a chair, he took off his gloves, pumped a few times so it ran on his palms, rubbed then flapped out his hands. “I wasn’t expecting you until later. I was cleaning up.” He extended his hand. “Fred.”
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