She smiled with relief, and finished her stitching, tying a knot in the end. “Okay, Zeke, you are good to go.”
He looked down at his arm and his eyebrows raised at the neat little line of stitches holding his wound together. “Well, I can safely say that this is the finest set of stitches I’ve ever gotten,” he declared.
Tommy appeared in the doorway and leaned against it, adjusting his glasses. “Is Zeke here good to go?” he asked.
“Yep, he’s all patched up,” the nurse replied.
“Did you give him a thorough examination?” he asked.
Terrell chuckled. “Come on Tommy, where are your manners?” he drawled. “A gentleman takes a lady out to dinner first before suggesting that.”
The nurse avoided his gaze, blushing again. “The doctor won’t be back until the end of the day,” she said hoarsely, and then cleared her throat. “I think mister Zeke here would be more comfortable with him giving the… thorough examination.”
“If you are really insistent on it,” Terrell said, getting to his feet, “I’ll be happy to strip down for you, Tommy.”
His guide wrinkled his nose. “That won’t be necessary,” he replied. “We’ll just keep an eye on you for the day.”
“Fine by me,” Terrell replied. “But I can put your mind at ease a bit.” He lifted up his shirt, showing off his well-sculpted torso, and turned around to reveal no wounds. He patted down his legs thoroughly, showing no pain and no blood coming through the fabric.
When he stood up again, he took the young nurse’s hand, and brushed a gentle kiss across her knuckles. “You consider that dinner offer, too,” he said, and then gave her a wink.
She swallowed and just watched them head out the door. Terrell stretched his good arm over his head as he followed Tommy back out onto the street.
“So where to now?” he asked.
His guide jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “I figured I would introduce you to our town leader, the Boss.”
Terrell swallowed a lump in his throat. If there was one person that could have identified him, it would be the Boss. His only hope was that the radio had distorted his voice enough that he wouldn’t be able to tell.
“The Boss, huh?” he asked. “That’s a heck of a name there.”
Tommy shook his head. “Between you and me, it borders on delusions of grandeur,” he admitted. “But he’s accomplished a lot for these people, so we just roll with it.”
“I’m not gonna argue with that,” Terrell replied, holding up his palms. “By all means, lead on.”
Tommy led them through the downtown street. More stores were open, including a large gun store. Terrell looked inside as they walked by, seeing all kinds of heavy duty weapons. Several beefy guys were in there, checking out military grade weaponry.
The Captain let out a low whistle. “That’s some solid gear there.”
“Yeah, we got really lucky,” Tommy replied. “One of our town’s founding members was a transport truck driver for a nearby military base. He was ordered to take a load of weapons to the coast, but he apparently didn’t like the direction things were going, so he uh… commandeered it. He had it stashed a good ways away, so we’re just now getting it moved in and distributed.” He waved a hand around his head. “Makes the threats outside these walls seem just a bit less severe, you know?”
Terrell took a deep breath, another lump forming in his throat at the thought of facing down all of those weapons. “I can see why,” he said, to keep the conversation going. “You could invade France with a weapons cache like that.”
“Well, we’ve had some issues of late,” Tommy admitted, “and we’re hoping that this quells our troubles.”
Terrell had no doubt in his mind that they would. Taking down hunters with deer rifles was doable when one was outnumbered five to one. Taking on trained killers with military grade weaponry on the other hand…
They walked down a few blocks, finally ending up at a cozy house just outside of downtown. Tommy led them up to the front door, where two armed guards stood on either side.
“Tommy,” one of them greeted.
“Gentlemen,” he replied. “This is Zeke. He just showed up on our doorstep. Thought the Boss would want to say hello.”
The guard inclined his head. “Go on in.” He opened the door for them, and they walked inside.
The interior looked like it was straight out of a country home’s magazine, with farm-themed decorations on the walls and a flowery pattern on the furniture. A few moments passed before a portly man came out of the back room. He had a used car salesman look about him, with beige slacks and a black polo short.
“Tommy!” he bellowed, opening his arms. “How the hell are you? Come on in and bring your friend, there.” He approached them and extended his hand for a shake.
“Boss, this is Zeke,” Tommy said as Terrell shook his hand. “He just came a knockin’ on our little town door.”
“Please have a seat, Zeke,” The Boss invited, “looks like you could take a load off.”
Terrell plonked himself down on the plush sofa, enjoying the comfort for a moment. “I appreciate it…” he trailed off, unsure of what to call him.
“Oh, you can just call me Boss,” the rotund man replied as he sat down across from him. “Despite popular belief, it’s actually just a nickname back from my high school football days that stuck to me like gravy on a biscuit.”
“Football, huh?” Terrell asked with a smile. “Guessing a big fella like you was a linebacker?”
The Boss waved a hand at him. “Nah, running back,” he replied. “I loved hitting people, but I loved scoring more, so that was the best of both worlds right there.”
“Gotta love what you do, right?” Terrell said with a smile.
The large man nodded and leaned back in his seat. “That’s for damn sure, son,” he agreed, resting an arm casually over the back of his sofa. “So, what about you?” he asked. “You ever strap on the pads?”
“Wasn’t really my thing,” Terrell admitted. “I was more into weightlifting and bodybuilding back in high school.”
The Boss inclined his head at him. “Well, looks like you’ve kept up with it pretty damn good.”
“At least until the last month or so,” the Captain replied. “Recent events have put a bit of a damper on my workout routine.”
His opponent chuckled. “Among other things,” he said. “So what’s your story there, Zeke? Not every day someone comes knockin’ on our door.”
“Well, as I was telling Tommy here,” Terrell said, motioning to the other man, “I was heading back from the Outer Banks to the Charlotte area when all this hit. Wrecked my ride, and I’ve been scavenging ever since.”
The Boss pursed his lips and nodded thoughtfully. “Well, I for one am glad you found your way to us,” he finally said. “Let me ask you, Zeke, you ex military or anything?”
“No sir,” Terrell replied, shaking his head. “My pops was in for a while, and it messed him up in the head pretty good. After living with that as a kid, signing up for Uncle Sam wasn’t exactly high up on my list.”
His opponent clucked his tongue. “Understandable,” he agreed. “My grandfather was the same way. Used to hear a lot of stories from my grandmother about how different and vibrant he used to be before coming back home.”
Terrell lowered his gaze, biting his lower lip. “It’s rough.”
After a tense moment of silence, The Boss clapped his hands on his thighs. “Well, Zeke, let me ask you something,” he said, leaning forward. “I know you’ve been surviving the last few weeks on your own out here, but how willing are you to fight alongside some other determined young men for a chance at a better life? Might not be the life you had before all of this started, but I can promise you it’ll be a whole hell of a lot better than what you’ve had recently.”
Terrell made sure to look serious and thoughtful for a few moments before nodding his head. “Yeah,” he said slowly, “I’d be willing to do that. No
t sure how much good I’m going to be to you, but I’ll give it the best shot I can.”
“Hot damn, looks like we got ourselves a player!” the Boss exclaimed, snapping his fingers and pointing at his new subordinate. “I don’t know how much Tommy here has filled you in on our current situation.”
Terrell shook his head. “Not much at all.”
“Allow me to remedy that real quick,” his opponent said, clapping his hands together and rubbing them for a beat. “Long story short, is that we got some rabble rousers to the south of us who have been hoarding food and other supplies. They secured all the farms around here, and didn’t leave any food for the rest of us. To make matters worse, they’ve been hunting down my boys when they’re out on runs for anything they can get their hands on.” He pointed to the door. “Now, as I’m sure you saw while walking up here, we have a fair amount of women and children here. Don’t you think they deserve a chance at living through this?”
Terrell nodded, that knot in his throat tightening again. “Absolutely.”
“Well, our friends to the south don’t think so,” the Boss replied, shaking his head. “Which is why we’re preparing a little visit to them.”
Before he could stop himself, Terrell asked, “When’s that gonna happen?”
His opponent studied him for a moment, a suspicious gleam in his eye. “Well,” he finally said, “we’re still doing some internal debating on that. But it’s gonna be sooner rather than later, I can assure you that.”
“With any luck, I’ll be right there on the front lines with you,” Terrell said, and his enthusiasm seemed to impress the man.
“That’s the kind of spirit I like for my men,” The Boss said, and pointed at him. “And to show you that I’m not bluffing on that better life, I’m gonna have Tommy here set you up with a house a few blocks over.”
Terrell feigned surprise, blinking at him. “A house?” He chuckled. “Kind of a shame it took a zombie apocalypse for me to upgrade my digs.”
“Now don’t get too excited,” his opponent replied with a half smile. “We don’t have working power here yet, but we have comfy, safe living.”
The Captain patted his stomach. “Any chance there’s some food, too?” he asked.
“We’re running a little low,” The Boss admitted, “but seeing how you just came in from the wasteland and all, I’ll have Tommy take you over to the restaurant.” He glanced at his companion. “Free reign, let him get whatever he wants.”
Tommy nodded. “I’ll take care of it.”
The Boss stood up, prompting the other two to follow suit. He extended his hand, and Terrell took it, giving it a shake.
“Hate to cut this short, but I’ve got a lot to do today,” the Boss said, motioning to the door.
The Captain nodded. “No worries, I totally understand,” he said. “You do your thing.”
“Glad to have you aboard, Zeke,” his opponent said, and crossed his arms. “You get settled in and we’ll talk soon.” He led them to the front door, and gave a wave before locking it behind them.
Tommy turned to his vetted companion. “So, what do you want to do first?” he asked. “Check out your new house, or get some food?”
“Food for sure,” Terrell replied, and the growling in his stomach wasn’t a ruse. “Been a while since I’ve had anything that was actually cooked.”
Tommy grinned. “I got just the place for you, come on.” He waved for his companion to follow, and they headed off away from the downtown area. After a short walk, they approached a nondescript house sitting in between several buildings.
As they headed up the block, Terrell noticed a large group of men come out of the building. They were in army fatigues with short cropped hair, shoulders bulging.
“Military?” Terrell asked.
Tommy nodded. “Yep, quite a few of them actually,” he replied.
“How did y’all find them?” the Captain wondered. “This doesn’t exactly look like a military stronghold.”
Tommy shrugged. “Most of them ended up here after disagreeing with their orders to abandon their positions,” he explained. “I wouldn’t swear to it, but I believe a couple of them are from this town and ended up bringing their friends along with them. Regardless, I feel a lot safer with them here.”
“I bet,” Terrell agreed. “They look like they can throw down.”
Tommy nodded. “I certainly wouldn’t bet against them,” he said.
“But if you’re having trouble with those…” Terrell began, snapping his fingers, “rabble rousers, as the Boss put it, why haven’t these boys been sent out?”
His guide sucked his lip for a moment, tilting his head from side to side as if he were unsure he was comfortable sharing too much information. “They’ve…” he trailed off, “been dealing with other priorities.”
Terrell’s brow furrowed. He could hear something was up in Tommy’s voice, but he knew better than to press the issue further. He didn’t want to be any more suspicious than he already was.
The duo got to the door and opened it up, finding the place mostly empty. There was a large open space, with several tables set up. The old farm house had been renovated into a nice sit-down restaurant, with oil burning lamps on the tables.
An older woman approached, with graying hair and a frail physique, despite her movements still seeming like she was okay zipping around.
“Hi there Tommy, the usual?” she asked.
“Yes Maude, thank you,” he replied politely.
She turned to Terrell, a notepad in hand. “And the new guy, you want the chicken or the beef?”
He smirked. “Um, both?” he asked hopefully.
She raised an eyebrow.
“Zeke here just got in today,” Tommy explained, “so the Boss wants to give him the grand treatment.”
She chuckled. “Both it is, then,” she said, scribbling on her notepad. “You boys sit anywhere you like.”
“Thank you,” Tommy replied, offering her a warm smile. He motioned for Terrell to pick a seat.
The Captain moved over towards an open window that looked to the north. As he sat down, he saw the military boys vanish a few blocks up into a warehouse. He kept watching it as Tommy scribbled away on his own notepad that he’d produced from his pocket.
Several more men came and went into the warehouse over the next few minutes, some carrying large crates.
Tommy finished writing and put his notepad away, folding his hands on the table. “So, Zeke, you got anybody waiting on you back in Charlotte?” he asked.
“Just a couple of old buddies from the block,” Terrell replied, shaking his head and giving the man his full attention. “Assuming they’re still alive and kicking, that is.”
His guide offered a reassuring smile. “I’m sure they are,” he said. “If they’re hanging out with you, they got to be tough, right?”
“If you only knew some of the shenanigans we’ve gotten into over the years,” Terrell replied, letting out a whoosh of breath between his teeth.
Tommy leaned forward. “Well, I’d love to hear any stories you’d like to share.”
Before Terrell could scramble up a story to tell him, Maude approached with two plates of food. The Captain’s eyes widened at the barbecue sauce covered chicken breast, a gravy covered slab of flank steak, and some green beans and mashed potatoes.
“Man, this looks fantastic!” he gushed. “Where the heck you get this stuff at!”
Tommy inclined his head in thanks to Maude, and then picked up his fork. “Despite the best efforts of that other community, we were able to find a few goodies while out and about,” he explained. “Please, dig in.” He motioned to Terrell’s plate.
The Captain didn’t need to be asked twice. He hadn’t seen a spread like this since before everything went south. While he had a mission to complete, he felt it would be a crime against humanity to let this beautiful plate of food go to waste.
He dug in like a pig at a trough.
Tommy
laughed, eyebrows raised. “We have all the time in the world buddy, no need to shovel it in like that.”
Terrell slowed down a bit, swallowing his massive mouthful. “Sorry,” he said, and cleared his throat. “It’s just been a minute since I’ve had something that wasn’t served cold out of a can.”
“Can’t imagine having to survive off of cold beans from a can,” Tommy said.
The Captain shook his head. “Beans were a good day,” he said. “Imagine unheated cream of mushroom soup.”
They both shuddered, and then ate in silence for a time. As they cleaned up the last remnants from their plates, Tommy set his fork down.
“So, are you serious about wanting to help out protecting this town?” he asked, folding his hands in front of him again.
Terrell nodded vigorously. “Absolutely,” he said. “If it means I can eat like this and sleep with both eyes closed, I’m in.”
“I tell you what,” Tommy said, pointing a finger at him. “Before we get you settled into your new house, why don’t we take a little drive?”
The Captain raised an eyebrow as he set his utensils down. “Drive?” he asked. “Where do you want to go?”
“Well, we have a little training compound just up the road a bit,” Tommy said, and Terrell’s heart skipped a beat. “I’m sure some of the trainers would like to meet with you.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Terrell managed to hide most of his concern, but some of it must have shown through, because his guide noticed his discomfort.
“Don’t worry,” Tommy said, putting up his hands, “we aren’t going to be putting you through boot camp just yet. I just know some of the trainers haven’t been thrilled with the quality of the newer recruits as of late, so meeting you might boost their spirits.”
Given how quickly we wiped the floor with them, it’s not a surprise they weren’t happy, Terrell thought darkly.
“So, what do you think?” Tommy asked.
The Captain nodded. “Absolutely, let’s do it,” he said. There was no graceful way out of this one. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and tossed it down onto the polished plate. “Do you mind if I hit the john before we head out?”
Dead America The Third Week Box Set | Books 7-12 Page 25
