"Victor, go up and relieve James on watch," Cesar said.
"It’s Remmy's turn up top," he replied with a snarl.
"Yet I told you to go take watch,” Cesar said, his hand slowly lowering to the twelve-inch hunting blade sheathed at his waist.
Victor had seen that knife at work and he had no interest in getting firsthand knowledge of its effects. With much grumbling, he gathered his gear and took the stairs to the roof. Victor had once had juice with his former gang. Dante and his two cronies now held sway over everything. Everyone else was expendable, simple foot soldiers. Lords and Masters had given all the local gangs a choice: join them or be eliminated. They had made examples of several smaller gangs and killed them to a man. It didn't take long for the rest of the gangs to fall in line.
Settling in for another six hours of boredom, Victor pulled out a smoke. Cesar had warned them not to smoke while on watch, but who would see other than the dead. There had been no signs of the living downtown since they were assigned to this location. The dead ruled here, not the living.
Had he been a smarter man he would have realized he was giving his location away. Yet he was none the wiser to the fact that he was being observed closely the entire time from nearby. He would much rather be relaxing back at home base where he could maybe get a turn with one of the women they had taken. Getting high and getting laid were the important things as far as Victor was concerned. He certainly did not enjoy taking orders from a bitch like Cesar.
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Larry Phelps sat in his customary position on the rooftop of the judicial center. He came here every day to get away from the bickering and complaining of the people inside, namely the mayor. He still held out hope that someone would eventually come into range, so they could signal for help.
Larry caught movement out of his peripheral vision. Slowly moving his binoculars that direction, he noticed one of the men who had been watching from the auto-park. Larry had spotted this same man eleven days ago. This one seemed to be a little less careful than the others. He smoked and moved around a lot. He even stood up above the wall in plain sight frequently.
Larry was sure these men were not the type to help their fellow man. Unfortunately, their presence was going to make it even more difficult to signal for help if the military made another appearance. Larry assumed they were part of the group from the apartments. It made sense that they would want to find the men who had lowered the boom on their gang.
Larry caught a sound in the distance to the north.
He scanned the streets, finally spotting movement. It was a military vehicle and they were heading in his direction. He laid his hand on the flare pistol at his side. He felt like he was sitting at a high-stakes poker table. The flare, without a doubt, would reveal their location to the men in the auto-park. If the military vehicle didn't see the signal, then they would be forced to defend against the gang who was sure to try to take them over. There was no telling when they would have another opportunity, if he did nothing. This was an all-or-nothing gamble. With no better alternatives, Larry decided he couldn’t let this chance slip away.
Keeping the air-conditioning unit between himself and the auto-park, he readied the flare pistol. The Hummer was three blocks away and still moving in his direction. He waited another few seconds, then with a deep breath fired the flare. The flare arced far up into the air and made its way to the ground fifty yards in front of the vehicle. The Hummer immediately stopped and Larry could see them checking the area. Bringing up his binoculars, he threw his arm up in a frantic wave to help them locate his position. A soldier looked back at him and signaled the driver to proceed slowly. The soldier in back pivoted the big mounted machine gun in his general direction.
Larry ducked as several shots hit the opposite side of the A/C unit. The die was cast now. The soldiers were aware of him, but the gang was now alerted to the fact there were people in the judicial center. All he could do now was pray the good guys could muster some help before the gang could launch an attack. He either just saved fifty people or he sentenced them all to death.
◆◆◆
Victor saw someone ease from behind the A/C unit on the judicial building across the street. Then there was a bright flare soaring overhead. He popped off a couple rounds at the man knowing it was unlikely he could get a hit. He then ran to the top of the stairs and called out to Cesar and the others. They came up quickly, staying low below the wall.
“Get down, shit stain,” Cesar said as he grabbed the front of Victor’s jacket and yanked him roughly to his knees. "Pendejo! Why don't you jump up and down to be sure they see you, Idiota!"
Cesar risked a glance above the wall to the building across the street. One of the Hummers that had attacked the apartment complex made its way towards the judicial center. They watched as the men moved cars to block the exits to the grounds of the building. Cesar glanced to the roof and spotted a cop staring right at them. Victor had been spotted likely before today.
“Which direction did the soldiers come from?” he asked Victor.
“They came north down Cameron Street,” Victor replied.
Cesar pulled out his walkie and scampered back to the stairwell.
“Dante, this is Cesar, over.”
“Go,” was the curt reply.
“We have just spotted some of the soldiers who attacked the apartment. There are people in the court house across from us and they were able to signal the soldiers. Unfortunately, that puta Victor allowed himself to be spotted.
“Find another observation point. Radio me with their direction as soon as they move out. I do not think Victor will be required to attend. Dante, out.”
“Come. We must find another place to keep eyes on the soldiers,” Cesar called to the men still on the roof. “Gather your packs and weapons. We will leave everything else,” Cesar instructed.
When Victor turned to grab his pack, Cesar pulled his knife. Grabbing Victor by the hair, Cesar rammed the knife through the base of his skull to the hilt. The tip of the knife burst from just under Victor’s chin. Cesar pulled the knife free and let go to watch the body fall. A bright red pool of expanding blood slowly covered the oil-stained concrete.
"Pendejo!" Cesar said, spitting on Victor's bleeding corpse.
The men hurried from the auto-park and exited on the North Kent Street side. From there, the three ran north, crossing Piccadilly Street. They stayed low and utilized all the cover they could find to stay hidden from the dead roaming the streets. When they arrived at Fairfax Lane, they turned west. There was another parking structure two blocks down that would afford them an adequate vantage point.
◆◆◆
Over the next half an hour, a few more small skirmishes with the infected took place, in which they were easily dispatched. The four teams came together and mourned the loss of Earl. They took his body out and loaded it into the back of one of the pickups, so he could be buried on their return to the farm.
Wade sent one of the groups outside to maintain watch around the docking bays and entrance. Then, they set to work. They found a huge walk-in freezer filled with frozen foods. Keys for one of the refrigerated trucks were located and the food was transferred from the freezer. They relocated the bodies of the infected and sealed them inside. This would be a valuable source of goods in the future if nobody else discovered it. At least when the power finally failed, they would have the dead contained in an air-tight room.
The men who had checked the vehicles came in and opened the bay doors where the empty trucks were parked. They informed Wade they had found one that was already loaded with canned goods, water, Gatorade, and soda.
The work began in earnest then as the rest of the men split up and began loading pallets of goods into the empty trucks. Generators, bedding, tools, food, drinks, anything and everything they could find that would be of use. They also took as many freezers as they could find. They could leave the frozen meats in the refrigerator truck in the short term. Wade figured roughly a g
allon of fuel per hour to keep the truck running. They could get by a few days like that, more if needed. The more they could move off the truck, the better, though. With a solid supply of propane, they would be able to keep the generators running when the power died.
Wade had just backed the Towmotor out of the truck when Phil Tate came running inside the building. He made a beeline for Wade. Fearing there was a problem outside, Wade jumped off the Towmotor and started towards Phil.
"Wade, Derek is on the CB. He says he needs to talk to you right away," a breathless Phil spouted.
Wade ran out to the Range Rover and grabbed the mike for the CB radio.
"Derek, what's up?" Wade asked.
"We have some survivors at the judicial center downtown. There are approximately fifty people including the mayor. One of the sheriff's deputies signaled us with a flare. They also said there were some men in the auto-park across the street and that they’d been up there for days watching the area. Want to make any bets on who they work for?" Derek said sarcastically.
"We are going to have to be careful. I guess Dante took offense to our little rescue mission. I’m sure he would love to get his hands on us for some payback," Wade said.
"My thoughts exactly. My guys checked out the auto-park, but they had already cut and run. Seems they had a beef with one of their own as well. He had a rather sizable hole in the base of his skull. They must have been up there for a while, judging from the trash and gear they left behind. We’re going to need a way to transport these people. The dead are pretty thick down here. When they leave, they will need to employ the 50s, so it’s going to be loud."
"Okay, Jessie and I will be there in a few. We hit a gold mine here. I will leave everyone else to finish up here and we’ll bring a truck your way. I'll radio as soon as we are close," Wade said.
"No rush. They blocked the entrances and exits with vehicles. There are walls and fences around the building. They cleared the dead inside the gates, so it’s secure for now. Taco told me it looked like a dead Mardi Gras outside the fence, though," Derek replied.
"Copy that. Tell them we will be there in a few."
Wade gathered everyone and passed along the information Derek had given him. He gave instructions to the men to finish clearing what they could, then close and lock the gate. Grabbing Jessie on his way outside, he and Jessie hopped into one of the empty semis. Firing up the engine, Wade got off to a bit of a herky-jerky start but finally got the beast rolling.
◆◆◆
They were still about eight blocks from the judicial center but the gathering of dead was clearly visible. Wade grabbed the CB to let Taco know they were inbound. About two blocks away, the big front end of the Kenworth began mowing down the dead.
As Wade neared the entrance to the judicial center, he aimed the truck's path as close to the opening as possible, clearing a ten-foot wide swath through the dead pressed against the cars they had used to keep the infected from the parking lot. Swinging the front end away from the building, the Kenworth continued to crush the rotters. A large group was caught between the front end and the cars lining the opposite side of the street. Wade didn't slow as the Kenworth plowed into the vehicles parked there, sending the them onto the sidewalk and decimating even more of the dead.
Wade fought the big truck and after several attempts was able to line the rear end up with the entrance. He gave the engine some gas and the backend rammed into the car blocking the opening. Infected were pancaked between the rear of the truck and the cars. Wade had slid the vehicles several feet back, effectively keeping it secure.
Taco’s team pushed the car backwards a few feet to allow the big doors of the trailer to be opened. Quickly, the survivors who had not been outside of the judicial center for over a month came out and briefly felt the sunlight on their skin before climbing into the empty semi.
Wade saw Z-Dog pulling the GMV into position for Taco, who was manning the Ma Deuce. Suddenly, the big 50-caliber roared to life, rounds ripping through rows and rows of the infected with each pass. Within minutes, the way north was clear. Wade, receiving the ready-to-roll from Taco, put the big beast in gear and started creeping north on Cameron Street, moving away from downtown. Wade watched the rearview as the Ma Deuce sounded a few additional quick bursts and the GMV sped from the entrance of the judicial center.
“Wade, we are going to hang back to ensure there is no pursuit,” Taco’s voice came over the radio.
“Copy that. We will take the long way round back to the farm just to be safe. I don’t want any of the gang to be able to follow us,” Wade replied.
Reaching the end of Cameron Street, Wade made the right on to North Loudoun Street, which would take them to Route 11 North out of town. Up ahead in the distance about a dozen of the infected surrounded a car. A woman was on the roof trying to stay out of reach of the zombies grabbing for her. She plunged her knife into the top of one zombie's head and nearly slid off the roof of the vehicle.
Wade slowed the big rig and Jessie pushed his door open and jumped from the seat. He quickly shot the zombies on the side of the car nearest the street.
“Get in the truck!” he yelled to the woman as the zombies turned his way. Once the woman had made the street, Jessie dispatched the few zombies closest to him and sprinted for the rig.
Climbing back into the passenger seat, Jessie closed the door and looked back at the woman.
"Wow, sure glad you guys came along when you did," she said.
"Glad to help. How did you get caught out here in the open, Ms. … Ugh," Jessie began.
"Gloria Ruiz. I was checking that store for food. When I came out, they closed in from both sides. I did the first thing I could think of and climbed up onto the car," she said.
"Well, you were doing pretty good from up there," Jessie said, smiling.
"All things being said, I think I like it better in here," Gloria replied.
"I am Wade Marshall, and this is my brother Jessie. Do you have a group you were holed up with around here?" Wade asked.
"No. I’ve just kind of been moving from one house to another. Any place I can find a meal or a safe night’s sleep. Those things are making it harder and harder to feel safe anywhere."
“We have a large group gathered at a safe place. You would be welcome there,” Wade said.
“That sounds fantastic. Thank you both,” Gloria replied.
Soon they were on the back roads outside of town and the press of the infected was a bad nightmare left behind. They had once again forayed into the domain of the dead and came out in one piece. He wished he could have said the same for Earl.
When they at last pulled into the farm, Wade was happy to see four Wal-Mart rigs parked to the left of the barn.
Wade stopped the rig near the house.
“Go into the house and ask for Kelly. That’s my wife. Tell her you just arrived and she will take you to the infirmary so Doc Haynes can check you over. I am afraid we require everyone coming in to be examined to ensure they aren’t infected.
“That is a smart move. I have no problem with safety,” Gloria replied.
After dropping Gloria off, Wade parked the truck with the others they had procured. Today had been a good day. With the supplies they had acquired today, it would mean months of sustainability during the winter.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
True Grit
When this all began, I knew there would be a lot to do to gather the things we needed to survive. I was not prepared and had not thought about just how much work would be involved. With the numbers constantly growing at the farm, it required an unbelievable amount of resources on a daily basis. Everyone had worked tirelessly up to this point and we had stockpiled an incredible amount of supplies. With the first cool days of fall coming, time was running short to get prepared for the harsh winter months. The weather in the Shenandoah Valley was unpredictable at best. One winter could pass with barely any snowfall, while the next year we could be hammered with multiple storms wit
h accumulations measured in feet. I wanted to ensure we had supplies to provide for everyone in case this winter proved to be one of the tough ones.
Wade Marshall
◆◆◆
Wade unlocked the door for the NAPA auto parts distribution center. It was late in the evening and the sun was about to set. It had been another full day of collecting supplies.
"Everyone spread out and gather anything of use. Stay sharp. We cleared this building last week, but you never know, we could have missed something. Remember, Glenn has a list of the stuff Mario needs to convert our vehicles over to propane. Those items are number one," Wade reminded the group as they started in separate directions.
"Glenn, once you guys are done loading, lock up and head back to the compound. I have one more stop I want to make, but Jessie and I can handle it. There shouldn't be many, if any, rotters where we are going."
"You got it, Wade," Glenn replied as he turned to forage for supplies.
Wade motioned for Jessie to follow and headed back outside. Hopping into the driver’s seat, Wade watched the sun as it dipped below the horizon. Normally, he would just head back since it was dark, but he really wanted to check one more place, hoping to add to their stockpile of weapons. Jessie jumped into the passenger seat and looked at his brother.
"Okay, bro, where are we headed?" Jessie asked.
"I want to run out to old man Jenkins’ gun shop. He had a whole lot of guns and ammo. I know for a fact some of the guns he had in back were not exactly legal for over-the-counter sales," Wade said, grinning.
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