Savage turned to the other Raiders and said, “This girl and her dad, we thought they were murderers, and we were gonna, well, execute them. They escaped, but before they fled one of them left me a note attesting to their innocence. Guess how they left that note? No takers? With a goddamn knife poking through it, planted into the pillow right next to my head! My ass was dead asleep, they could have slit my throat!”
Apparently, Savage thought this was all quite hysterical, so Abby and the others joined him in their laughter. Abby had to force the smile back onto her face though. Hearing the Lieutenant General mention Zach tugged at her heart a little bit, and she worried that he’d ask about him, but thankfully Jax interrupted the laughter.
“So, I believe you have some intel for where we’re headed, sir?” Jax asked.
Savage dried his eyes and composed himself. “Yes, that’s correct. Come and look at these reports.”
***
According to Savage’s scouting reports, both human and zombie activity in their area had dropped off significantly in the last few years. They hadn’t seen a single zombie in seven months, and the last decently large group they saw had been more than two years ago.
Even regular people had seemed to disappear. For years, the patrols Savage sent out would occasionally bump into folks, much like Abby and Zach had so long ago, but not so much recently. Since even before the overthrow of President Arthur, there seemed to be fewer and fewer people roaming the Wild. Of course, they did not venture terribly far from their base, so their scope was limited.
“Perhaps there’s another settlement somewhere that’s attracting other survivors away from here, but I have no idea,” Savage admitted. “If it wasn’t for the contacts we had with the government back out west, I’d be quite certain that we were all alone on the continent here. So be careful when you get closer to Chicago.”
“We will be,” replied Jax. “Thank you, sir.”
“Don’t mention it. Now, have you Devildogs been shown to your quarters yet?”
“No sir, we came straight here.”
“Alright, just a moment then.”
Savage strode across the room and pulled the door open. “Simpson!” he barked. “Report!”
Abby couldn’t help but giggle as she heard a door open and slam shut, followed by the pounding of boots against the hallway tile. The young Airman from the front desk appeared in the doorway a moment later.
“Yes sir?” asked Simpson.
“Take these Marines to the barracks right away and show them to their rooms for the night.”
“Yes sir!”
The group followed the young Airman out of the room, but Abby stopped when she heard Savage call her name.
“I just wanted to apologize for what happened here the last time you were under this roof,” he said. “I made a mistake and was too quick to judge you. Give my best to your dad next time you see him, and tell him I’m sorry, please.”
Abby gave a rueful grin. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, sir. He’s gone.”
“Oh,” Savage replied. “Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“It’s okay,” Abby replied. “And that whole episode a few years ago, it’s water under the bridge. You were trying to do what was right and I can’t fault you for that.”
“I suppose so, but one should be careful that conviction to a cause, even a noble one, doesn’t become fanaticism. You and your dad taught me that, and I’ll never forget it.”
Abby smiled and turned to go, but Savage stopped her again. “So sorry, just one more thing. I didn’t realize a woman was going to be with these guys, and I’d planned for two to a room, the usual arrangement. But if you’d prefer some more privacy, I can fix that.”
“That’s okay,” Abby said, her mind immediately running to Hiamovi. She didn’t want to speak that thought out loud, however, so she came up with an excuse. “I’ve been out in the Wild with these guys for quite some time, I’m sure they’ve all gotten an eyeful at one point or another.”
Savage chuckled and said, “As long as you’re comfortable. That's all I had, you can go on now. It’s been a pleasure to meet you this time.”
Abby hurried to catch up with the others, then walked with them to an old barracks. The Airman, Simpson, who led them there gave Jax six white keycards with room numbers written on them and said they could divide themselves up however they wanted. Jax got his own room since the group was odd numbered and the others paired off together.
“The chow hall is that building over there,” Simpson said, pointing to a large building not far from the barracks. “Dinner is from 1600 hours to 1900 hours, and Lieutenant General Savage has arranged for an early breakfast for you. That’ll be ready at 0400 hours tomorrow.”
“Thanks,” Jax said. The Airman nodded then turned and began the walk back to his post.
“Consider this a little vacation,” Jax said, talking to his squad. “Just hang out, get a little rest and relaxation in, and be well-rested for tomorrow.”
“And you two,” Jax continued, pointing at Abby and Hiamovi. “Keep it down, please. If I can hear you from my room, you’re getting a third roommate and he’ll be grouchy.”
Abby did her best to laugh along with the others as they cracked jokes once again. She was more used to it by now, but would still get a little embarrassed about how much of an ‘open secret’ her renewed love life with Hiamovi was. It had the occasional tendency to make things a little awkward. Like now, when she wasn’t even one-hundred percent sure they’d be fooling around, anyway. She wasn’t totally convinced that what Hiamovi had said after their horse chase wasn’t just a coping mechanism for the constant threat of death for both them and the horses. Now that they had a day to let their guard down and just relax, she feared he might walk back what he said about marriage.
Truth be told, Hiamovi felt roughly the same way about the open secret, though he did a better job of hiding it behind a masculine bravado. Probably the result of a lot of practice since he’d been with these guys for much longer than Abby had been.
“Jealousy, that’s all I hear,” Hiamovi said, laughing as the rest of the squad began to head off on their separate ways. He turned to Abby and asked, “You hungry?”
“Starving,” Abby replied.
“Let’s go get some dinner then. The Air Force always has the best chow halls.”
Chapter Nineteen
Hiamovi wasn’t lying, as Abby soon learned. Despite almost 1,500 miles of separation from the rest of the country, this base seemed loaded with enough amenities to keep the service members stationed here relatively happy, and that included a chow hall stocked with delicious food, cold drinks, and even snacks and desserts. A seed of bitterness began to take root in Abby’s heart as she ate, remembering how little food she and Zach had years ago compared to these folks, but she quickly nipped such thoughts. That was the past, and these people had no way of knowing the big picture.
After eating, Hiamovi told Abby he wanted to walk around for a bit before it got dark, and she agreed to go with him. It’d be nice to just wander aimlessly a bit for a change, anyway. They talked as they went, with Hiamovi insisting that Abby regale him with the tale of how she helped Zach and their friends escape this place.
“And then I think we headed that way, but I can’t rightly remember,” Abby said, pointing towards a long section of fence in the distance as her story came to a close.
“So they didn’t have any kind of internal patrols or anything?” Hiamovi asked, as he scanned the buildings around him.
Abby shook her head. “Nope. It had been pretty quiet around here when we pulled in. They were complacent, so you know how that goes.”
“Complacency kills,” Hiamovi said, still turning his head from left to right.
“Yeah, complacency kills but you know you can take it down a notch for now, right?” Abby said, nudging him with her elbow. She’d noticed that he hadn’t stopped scanning around them since they started their walk.
Hiamovi didn’t say anything, but he did take a moment to wink at Abby. She laughed and said, “Now what was that about? What are you looking for?”
“I was thinking about our sleeping arrangements tonight,” Hiamovi said, turning to look at Abby again.
“Oh yeah?” Abby said, wearing a sly smile as she expected a flirtatious remark.
“Yeah, actually I was thinking that I’m not too fond of us being seen as a booty call, you know?”
“Oh,” Abby said, her demeanor changing to one of confusion. “I guess, but who really cares what they think?”
“It’s not just about what they think,” Hiamovi insisted. “And it’s not like they’re totally wrong, either.”
“Well, what are you saying?”
“I’m saying…” Hiamovi answered slowly. He paused and narrowed his eyes as he stared at the building directly to their left. He finally saw the name of the building and steered Abby in that direction.
“Where are we going?” Abby asked, a bemused but uncertain grin on her lips.
Hiamovi ignored that question so he could answer her first. “What I’m saying is that maybe we shouldn’t be sleeping together or anything like that any more. Not until we’re married.”
“Wow,” Abby replied as Hiamovi tried the door handle of the building in front of them. “Uh, any particular reason for this sudden change of heart?”
“Not really,” Hiamovi said. The door opened and he and Abby stepped into a large, dimly-lit room featuring several rows of benches and folding chairs. He stopped to look into Abby’s eyes and said, “But it’s a commitment I aim to keep.”
There was a spark in his eyes that Abby had not seen in years, not since the last time they’d been dating, and the tone of his voice was far more serious than normal. Abby glanced around at their very church-like surroundings in the ensuing silence. “Wait a second,” she finally said.
“Hold that thought,” Hiamovi interrupted, holding up a finger. He turned towards the back of the room and called out, “Chaps! Hey chaps, are you in here?”
A door opened up, pouring a faint light into the room as a man in an Air Force uniform stepped out of his office. The twin silver bars on one side of his collar and the tiny golden cross on the other gave away his position as a chaplain, hence the military-wide nickname ‘chaps’. He adjusted the wire glasses on his face and said, “Do I know you? I’m sorry, but you’re unfamiliar.”
Hiamovi jabbed his thumb over his shoulder and said, “We’re the Marines who just pulled up, we’re only here for the night.”
The chaplain smiled and said, “Ah yes, of course. Of course. Are you here for a confessional?”
“No, uh, not quite,” Hiamovi replied. He continued speaking to the chaplain, but turned back to Abby when he said, “Actually I’d really like to marry this girl.”
That moment of suspicion Abby felt had not been nearly long enough to prepare her for the reality of what Hiamovi said. A gasp leaped from her throat before she could stop it. “M-marry?” she stammered. She looked to the chaplain, as if this was an elaborate joke in which he played a part, but he only stood there, still smiling.
She turned to look back at Hiamovi, but he was already down on one knee, rooting around in his pants pocket. “Abby,” he said, finally pulling his hand free from his pocket, “will you marry me?”
A ring. Hiamovi clasped a beautiful, silver ring with a single diamond set in it, holding it up to Abby.
Feeling more confusion than mirth, Abby laughed anyway, struggling to find words. “Where…where did you get a ring? When?”
“Back in Utah, the day I returned home,” Hiamovi replied. “I went and got this about an hour after we saw each other.”
“An hour after we saw each other?”
“Maybe less. It was the first thing I did after you left.”
“Why?” Abby demanded, her voice louder than she meant. She rubbed the back of her hand against her eye to dry the tears forming there and said, “I’m sorry, I’m not…mad or anything. I just…wow! This is happening really fast!”
“No, this is years too late,” Hiamovi insisted. “Like I said, I don’t want to go through the motions. I know what I want. When I stumbled into Granddad’s dining room and saw you sitting there after years of being apart, my very first thought was, ‘I have to marry her’. I don’t care what happened between us in the past. That’s over, we’ve both changed, and I only care about what’s going to happen between us going forward. But I want to go forward as your husband. Will you go forward as my wife?”
Abby covered her mouth with her hand, no longer able to keep her silver eyes from glimmering with tears. She again looked to the chaplain, noticing that he was now a little red in the face though still smiling as he looked on in respectful silence. When he met Abby’s gaze, he shrugged and gestured towards Hiamovi.
“A proposal like that deserves an answer, at least,” he said with a nervous chuckle.
Abby looked back to Hiamovi and the ring in his hand. An hour after we saw each other again, Abby thought, his words echoing in her mind. This stupid boy had went and bought a ring for his ex-girlfriend after seeing her just once after years of nothing more than exchanged letters. That was so like him. She smiled again, but it was not the nervous, perplexed smile of moments ago.
This smile was one of pure joy.
“Yes,” she whispered.
***
The impromptu wedding, though without guests, a bridal party, or even a ring for the groom, carried on in a largely traditional format as the gracious chaplain read from his usual lines.
“This is the part,” the chaplain said, “where I ask if anyone present has reason to object to this wedding, but I don’t think I’ll be receiving any kind of answer.”
Abby and Hiamovi, holding hands in front of the chaplain, chuckled at that, but Abby heard a separate laugh coming from the front bench.
Yeah, uh, how ‘bout the fact she fuckin’ cheated on him?
The smile on Abby’s face never dimmed and she didn’t look away for a moment. She didn’t have to; she knew who was sitting there. She wasn’t going to let that dark part of her past ruin this moment.
The chaplain, unaware of the shadowy guest in attendance, continued. “And of course I don’t believe you have had vows prepared, but if you’d like to speak from the heart, now’s the time.”
Hiamovi took a deep breath and said, “I just love you so much, Abby. That’s never going to change. I know we’ve still got a lot to figure out, but I’m not worried about that right now. All I know is I love you, and I don’t want to spend a single moment more not married to you.”
The chaplain smiled and turned to Abby. She wasn’t sure what exactly to say because she’d been trying to listen to and remember Hiamovi’s words while he spoke, and she hadn’t even known she was getting married until about five minutes ago.
Why even bother with a vow? Your word doesn’t mean shit. He knows it, you know it, I know it. You gonna promise not to open your legs for the next hot guy you see? How well did that work out the first time, huh?
Abby closed her eyes. “I’m not perfect,” she said, “and I’ve still got a lot of improving to do. But I know that I love you, Hiamovi. I love you more than anyone in the world. Nothing and no one will ever take me away from you. I was afraid to take this step, but not anymore. I’m getting out of my own way now, because I want to be happy. And you make me happy.”
Hysterical laughter pierced the silence, though of course Abby alone heard it. Instinctually her eyes darted to the side, just long enough to catch a glimpse of that wicked part of herself. She sat on a bench barely fifteen feet away, her arms wrapped around her stomach as she doubled-over, laughing at and mocking Abby.
“Present the ring now, Hiamovi,” the chaplain said.
Abby’s eyes snapped forward again, focusing on Hiamovi as he slid the gorgeous silver ring onto her finger. Tears returned to her eyes as he did so, and she noticed a tear run down his cheek, as well
.
“And we’ll stick a pin in the groom’s ring for now,” the chaplain said, sparking another chuckle from Abby and Hiamovi.
The chaplain cleared his throat and continued. “Do you, Hiamovi, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love and cherish, honor and respect her in sickness and in health, until Death do you part?”
“I do.”
“And you, Abby, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To love and cherish, honor and respect him in sickness and in health, until Death do you part?”
Look into those eyes, the malignant spirit whispered into Abby’s ear. That dumb son of a bitch loves you. You don’t deserve that, and he deserves so much better than you. Save him the heartache and leave him here. Now! You’ll fuck it all up eventually, and the longer you wait for that to happen, the worse it’ll be.
You look into those eyes, and you tell me that a selfish bitch like you deserves him. I dare you.
A pause, just long enough for Abby to release a contented sigh.
“I do,” she said, a message meant for two recipients.
We’ll see about that, whispered her ethereal self, and the apparition vanished.
“Then, by the power vested in me by the Lord above, I pronounce you man and wife! What God hath joined let no man tear apart. Oh, and you may now kiss the bride.”
The kiss Abby and Hiamovi shared next was as passionate as they would allow themselves inside a church and in front of a lone stranger, a chaplain no less. But it was a good kiss, one they’d remember for the rest of their lives.
The chaplain signed their marriage certificate and congratulated them one more time before retiring to his office in the back, leaving the newlyweds alone.
“Well, my wife,” Hiamovi said, trying on the title like an expensive suit, “shall we go?”
“Why yes, dear husband,” Abby replied through a grin that took up half of her face.
They exited the chapel together, hand in hand. “So about the honeymoon,” Abby said.
“Say no more, I know this great little barracks room about three minutes from here. I hear it’s a popular destination,” Hiamovi said with a wink.
His Name Was Zach | Book 3 | Their Names Were Many Page 16