Forsaken World | Book 6 | Redemption

by Watson, Thomas A.

  Stabbing the food on his plate, he turned to see Ian eating. “Brah, Mom doesn’t say shit. She already gave me the ‘look’. She would’ve just shoved it down my throat,” Ian told him.

  As he shoveled food into his mouth, “Has everyone here gotten an area ready for more people in your groups?” Lance asked between bites.

  “I thought we were bringing that group near Field into Bravo?” Rhonda asked.

  “We are,” Lance answered, looking at the leaders of the groups.

  “Yeah, like you said,” Heath said, and the rest nodded.

  Finished with his plate, Lance pushed it away and pulled out several sheets of paper from a folder, passing each leader a stapled stack. “Heath asked Ian and I to choose his, so that’s why his are marked,” Lance said, then hit his chest to help some of the food down.

  “You keep eating that fast and I’ll feed you every day,” Sandy warned.

  “Mom,” Lance said, lowering his chin and trying to burp. “I agreed to teach twice a week like you wanted. Please stop,” Lance grimaced as the food finally went down.

  “Momma Sandy,” Lilly whispered loudly. “If he keeps that up, I’ll wrestle him down and hold him while you feed him,” Lilly offered.

  Lance rolled his head, then dropped his gaze to Ian still eating. “Don’t look at me in that tone!” Ian cried out. “Momma told me to slow down last week, remember? And what does Jennifer do? She goes and gets a fucking hammer to tell me she’s helping Momma!”

  Shifting his eyes to Sandy, “She’s my girl, and you can’t talk to her anymore,” Lance informed her.

  “Excuse me?” Lilly snapped.

  Reaching up and rubbing his temples, “I’m getting a headache,” Lance moaned.

  Leaning over the table and speaking in a low voice, Heath glanced at Sandy as he spoke to Lance. “Lance, a word of advice. Don’t ever make your mom and girl mad at you once they’ve bonded. You aren’t ever goin’ to win, so just do what they want. Grit your teeth if you have to, but do it, whatever it is. Trust me.”

  “Hey, bitch! I told you not to buy that corvette without talking to Robin! You’re lucky Momma left the belt at home before she came over to your house!” Rhonda cried out. Really wanting to hear that story, Lance filed that away to ask about later.

  “On those sheets,” Lance said, “are the names of sixty-four people who are moving from Bravo into the perimeter. You will choose who you want in your group. Each name has what they did before and can do. All have been cleared by Jarvis as hard workers.”

  “Smart,” Amie grinned. “We evaluate them before they come inside.”

  “What about Jarvis?” Seth asked. “He’s earned his place. I’ll let him lead the GTs.”

  “No,” Ian said, pushing his empty plate away. “Jarvis was asked, but he agreed to stay over Bravo to continue to lead them. Lance and I want him inside, but we have to have someone we trust over Bravo. Bravo will always be the largest of all the groups.”

  “He should be able to come in without someone escorting him,” Sandy pointed out.

  “He can,” Lance told her. “Jarvis has been able to come in since the wall was up, but he doesn’t want to appear above the others in Bravo so they can see him as equal to them.”

  Thinking about that, “Weird,” Sandy mumbled.

  “Anyone have any problems?” Lance asked, and none spoke. “Okay, Heath? Dwain?” Lance said as Ian shoved a folder over. “That has to be built at the cabin. You will escort Richard and whoever he brings each morning to help us.”

  Opening the folder, “What is it?” Heath asked.

  “A large classroom,” Lance sighed, and Sandy gave a deep growl. “At Christmas, Momma and Momma Mary are choosing eight boys and eight girls who’ll be allowed to move to the cabin.”

  Lifting both hands high, “Yes!” Patrick sang out.

  “Oh, we aren’t done yet,” Ian snickered and Lance flipped him the finger.

  “Starting next week, Mary and I are starting classes here at the clubhouse similar to what’s going on at the cabin,” Sandy said proudly, then passed out papers. “Since we have too many for one class, we’ve broken them down into two. Each group will come here two days a week.”

  “How long each day?” Seth asked nodding.

  “Seven a.m. to seven p.m.,” Sandy answered. “If you flip to the next page, we’ve volunteered some in each group to teach areas that you know. That person decides how they do it.”

  Raising her hand, “Um,” Amie coughed. “You have the Ladybugs listed to teach combat drills.”

  “Yes,” Sandy sighed, rolling her eyes to Lance. “They are good, but tend to be a little on the harsh side.”

  “They do great,” Lance snapped.

  “Lance, they could make a drill sergeant blush,” Sandy shot off. “They need to learn patience, like they do with teaching Jodi.”

  “Whoa,” Jennifer gulped. “Momma Sandy has found fault in the mighty Ladybugs?”

  Whipping her eyes to Jennifer in shock, “I most certainly have not!” Sandy cried out. “They just need to calm down a bit when they teach.”

  Nodding, “I stand corrected,” Jennifer stated. The meeting went on for an hour and then Seth put his hands on the table.

  “Ahem,” Seth cleared his throat. “I have to admit, my problem children have proven they are beyond hope. Can anyone give me some suggestions?”

  “Ah, don’t worry about ‘em,” Ian chuckled, and Seth looked at him in shock. “Their attitude is about to change. Lance and I are patrolling tonight and will stop by and talk to them.”

  Closing his eyes as he gave a long sigh, “They usually don’t get back from Bravo till three or four a.m.,” Seth stated. “To date, they’ve never returned sober.”

  “Seth?” Lance called out and Seth turned. “If they aren’t fixed by Sunday after this, I’ll wear a dress for lunch.” Not sure how to respond, Seth just blinked. “Any other problems, questions, or comments?” Lance asked.

  “The people on the list we choose know the rules for inside the perimeter?” Amie asked.

  “Yes, each has been asked and agrees,” Lance answered, and Amie just gave a startle.

  “Jennifer and I asked the ones on the list during clinic days,” Lilly told her, then turned to Patrick. “I couldn’t help but notice, every male you chose has a beard.”

  Crossing his eyes as he stroked his beard, “Duh,” Patrick droned.

  Chapter Fifteen

  West of Fields

  Teddy Umer crawled out of his tent into the cold frigid air. “Damn,” he huffed out with a cloud of fog. Dropping down on the log his family used as a couch, Teddy shoved his feet in his boots, really wanting to climb back in his sleeping bag. “Hate first guard shift,” he said with teeth chattering.

  With boots on, he reached back into the tent pulling out his jacket and FN FAL. “I’m getting a smaller rifle,” Teddy groaned slinging the long rifle on his right shoulder after his jacket was on. Giving his wife and two kids a last look, Teddy zipped the tent back up and turned around to look over the plateau that sat in the middle of the bowl.

  Hunting whitetail, he had found this site years ago before he’d been married. Even then, he’d known this was a spot to hide in if things went bad. There was a spring on the east end that provided plenty of clean water and flowed around each side of the plateau. The lip of the bowl was a hundred feet above the plateau and only in a few places could a person walk into the bowl, which meant fewer places that a stinker could.

  The stars were overhead and the sky was just beginning to darken before the sun would rise to start a new day on this hell on earth. Dropping his eyes to scan around at the tents lined up around the plateau and facing inward, he sighed. They had thinned the trees some in the two months they’d been here. It was hard living but it was living, and that was better than many could say now.

  Teddy and his buddies had always talked about surviving the apocalypse but had never really thought it could happen. If it did
Teddy had expected an economic collapse but no, they’d gotten stinkers. Only knowing that something from outer space made the dead walk, all Teddy had cared about was how many he had to kill. When civilization had fallen apart, he and his buddies headed for their hunting club outside of Olive Hill.

  They’d had more there, but a gang had discovered them. Teddy and his buddies had fought the gang off but knew they would be back with more. While the hunting camp had more luxuries, it wasn’t defendable. So much so, even the wives had started packing not long after the gang had been beaten off. They’d had a meeting and nobody had any idea where to go. It was then Teddy had remembered the bowl he’d found as a teenager.

  All his life he had told his wife, kids, and buddies about it and that night, they’d loaded up on ATVs and had taken off on a hundred and sixty mile journey. It had taken over a month to reach the bowl, and they’d lost friends along the way but had picked up new ones. On the journey was when they had heard about the Wild Ones for the first time on the radio.

  Twice they’d had to fight troops to keep from taking them in and once had gotten ambushed by a gang. But not everyone they’d met was evil and wanted to kill them. Some had joined in with them and others just wanted to trade information. It was from a farmer in Campton when they’d learned the area they were heading to was near the Wild Ones. Everything they had heard about the Wild Ones was if you left them alone, they would do the same.

  It had been only thirty miles from the bowl when they’d picked up the Borg Queen. Just hearing the Borg Queen, Teddy had wanted to find a new spot but the group voted to continue on because they’d still only heard good things about the Wild Ones, unless you were a gang out to pillage. When the group had reached the bowl, everyone loved it. The kids could move around and not have to stay right under their parents. It was on the way to the bowl that they’d spotted weird fences in the woods or valleys. They didn’t mark off anything, just formed a barrier. It was Teddy’s wife who’d pointed at the ground near a fence. They had all seen the footprints of stinkers that seemed to follow the fence but where the fence stopped, the tracks kept going. It was then they’d realized it was a diversion fence and they saw the proof it had worked. So that was the first thing they’d done when they set up in the bowl, set up diversion fences anywhere a stinker could enter.

  Teddy had been with the group going out on patrol when they’d found the first supplies and a note from the Wild Ones. Known only to his wife, Teddy had pissed his pants seeing a message signed by The Wild Ones. In the first three days they’d figured out the Wild Ones were to the southwest, and they would let them stay there. It was only when a group scouted south and found machines set up over valleys killing stinkers when everyone started getting scared.

  Two days later, a group had come back from Dewitt, or what was left of the leveled town, and had told a story of machines that drove around to grind up stinkers. When they’d recited the sign there left by the Wild Ones, more than just Teddy had been ready to leave. But the majority won because there were very few stinkers that did manage to get near them. It was the day before that first contact with the Wild Ones when a scouting group had found the remains of a blown-up camp and then headed into Pineville, only to find it was gone.

  A sign on the road proudly proclaimed, ‘Work of the Wild Ones’.

  Teddy was certain if the Wild Ones hadn’t made contact when they did, the group probably would’ve left. The Wild Ones could blow up towns, had killer robots, and the Borg Queen worked for them. Those were really sound reasons to find another place to Teddy.

  There’d been food in the boxes, but every adult had given sighs of relief to see coffee. Two days later another stack was left, and Teddy had asked the guard if they’d seen anyone and they’d said no. The group added the spot to be watched because they didn’t want to shoot at the Wild Ones by mistake and piss them off. From the radio they had heard the Wild Ones wore skull masks, and even Teddy had chuckled at that.

  On patrol for supplies the day after the second supply drop, Teddy had spotted one with a mask in the tree line two hundred yards away, just watching them. The way the figure just stood there relaxed with a huge dog unnerved everyone. Even from that distance they could see the mask, and it had looked creepy as fuck. On a hunch, Teddy had given a wave and then nearly fainted when the skull waved back.

  The others in the patrol with Teddy had started talking and telling Teddy that’d been smart. When they’d all turned back, the figure was gone. Teddy had wanted to go back to camp right then, but they’d needed to scout and gather supplies.

  It had been another week before the next drop. Now when a drop was left, the entire group came out. When the first box was open, they’d found the radio and none had moved. A note was on the radio that said, ‘Use only for emergency and help will come’. Teddy admitted to his wife that he wasn’t certain if he wanted to call on people who would bring killer robots and the Borg Queen.

  Also in the supply drop was a map. On the map there had been red Xs with a note saying to avoid those areas. What shocked everyone, there’d been an X to the east. They had seen robots at some of those marked areas, but they had all moved through the wide draw that was marked to the east. Since they had been there, only one stinker had made it near the north side of the bowl, the easiest way inside. And that one stinker had come up that draw. They had wanted to put a diversion fence there but it would’ve had to have been long, and they would have to put posts in the ground to go across the draw.

  Needing to know, Teddy had led a group to a cliff that overlooked the draw and they’d all nearly fainted, seeing a shredding robot they now knew was called a battle bot roaming the draw. Police lights flashed on the bot as it sat and waited or moved around.

  Realizing the Wild Ones were making an effort to protect them, the spirits of the group increased tenfold. They met more people when they scouted and spotted others. In the time they had been in the draw, the group had added twenty-two. Others had wanted to join but they weren’t asked, and three had tried to follow. Their bodies had been left in the draw and when they revived, the battle bot ate them. Trusting their gut was something nobody doubted anymore. If you didn’t feel right about something, you listened.

  Hoping a pot of coffee was on the fire, Teddy shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked through the camp to the community fire pit. He spotted the four others on logs sitting around the fire who were going to be on duty with him for the next shift, and smiled because the coffee should already be on.

  All thoughts of coffee vanished from Teddy’s mind as his feet rooted to the ground. There were five skulls sitting across the fire from the others in his group. One of the skulls turned to him, and Teddy thought the gray skull was grinning at him. Reaching up and wiping his eyes, trying to clear his vision, Teddy lowered his hands and the five skulls were still there and one was definitely looking at him.

  “You sleep hard, Teddy,” the skull called out.

  Hearing the skull call his name, Teddy felt his leg get warm and didn’t give a damn as urine trickled into his boots. “You sleep that hard sometimes, sweetness,” another skull said.

  “Only when the Ladybugs wear me out, baby doll,” Lance laughed, then motioned Teddy to come over to the fire.

  Turning to the four in his group, “Did the guards get you up?” Teddy asked and as one, the four shook their heads staring at the five skulls like they were make-believe. Realizing the Wild Ones had gotten in past the guards, Teddy was really terrified now. Turning to the five and trying to keep his voice from quivering, “You ah, didn’t bring any killer robots, did you?” he asked, then quickly added, “We have kids and I don’t want them to get hurt,” he offered, praying he hadn’t pissed them off.

  “No,” Ian laughed, and Teddy turned to the skull talking. “We try to keep bots and people separated. Well, people we like, we try.”

  “Not being rude, but you snuck past the guards?” Teddy asked.

  “Yeah, three needed to practice,�
�� Lance answered.

  “Bitch, they have guns and you said we couldn’t shoot back!” Jennifer shouted.

  “You got past, didn’t you?” Lance shot back.

  “Why in the fuck did I have to take the guard’s cup?!” Jennifer cried out throwing up her hands. “I swear, that man heard my heart beating and didn’t look down just to be nice!”

  “She took Jim’s coffee cup,” one of his buddies mumbled.

  “I’m going to give it back,” Jennifer said.

  “I’m soaked in sweat and it’s cold,” Rhonda announced. “Can we get this moving?”

  “Teddy,” Lance said turning to Teddy. “We have a proposal for your group if you’re interested. There are rules, but if you can follow them and do your part, we want you to join Bravo group in Bimble.”

  Teddy gave a startle. “On the radio they say Bimble isn’t taking any more and robots will shoot.”

  “Nah, we set it up and talked to Jarvis. He’s willing to give you and your group a chance to join in with us,” Ian said as Teddy turned to him. “How many do you have now?”

  “Seventy-one,” Teddy answered.

  “Yes!” Rhonda gasped throwing her hands up, then she turned to Ian. “Pay up, bitch! I told you I counted seventy-one yesterday.”

  Ian reached in his thigh pocket and tossed Rhonda a sucker. “Hope you choke and trip on your dick,” Ian grumbled.

  Teddy leaned over, looking at Rhonda and her mask hard. “Are you Reba?” he asked, and the other skulls busted out laughing.

  “I wish,” Rhonda huffed.

  “Dude,” Ian chuckled. “Reba never had a rack like that! Rhonda could make Dolly blush.”

  “Jennifer, your beau is irritating me,” Rhonda grumbled.

  “Well, he’s right!” Jennifer snapped. “You could give me some! You have enough boob to spare me a little!”