“It’s just a precaution,” Coleman assured him. “We don’t expect them to-”
Before he could finish, several shots rang out in the distance. The front guard tower exploded with gunfire, shards of wood raining everywhere. The three guards on top dove for cover.
“Get Miles and our guns,” Terrell barked, “meet me at the guard tower!” He turned to Xavier. “You get people to cover!”
The old man nodded and immediately rushed off as Terrell sprinted across the town square towards the guard tower. As he approached, there were several more rounds of fire, pinning them down.
When he reached the tower, Hoyt and his teenage snoozer crawled down the stairs, as their third partner popped up and tried to aim at something relatively close to them. Several bullets pierced his chest, and he flopped forward over the barrier and to the street below.
Terrell met Hoyt at the bottom of the stairs, the young teen staring up at him with wide, tearful eyes. “Give me your gun,” the Captain demanded, and Hoyt handed over the hunting rifle. “Now you get to cover and stay there!” he said.
Hoyt nodded and rushed off, dragging the panicked teenager behind him.
Terrell cautiously walked up the stairs, rifle aimed upwards. As he reached halfway, a set of hands planted themselves at the top of the platform. He paused on the stairs and aimed, and as soon as a head popped up he fired. The bullet ripped through a man’s face, sending his body flying back.
There was another torrent of gunfire, forcing Terrell to remain on the stairs as the wooden barrier above him was shredded to pieces. He bolted in another round and readied himself, slowly moving up the steps as a couple more rounds came his way.
When the firing finally subsided, he peeked over the threshold, seeing out in the darkness. There were two gunmen standing about thirty yards away on the street, aiming in his direction, but he stayed low enough that they couldn't get a good read on him.
He backed down a step, reading his rifle before quickly popping up and firing, hitting one of them in the chest. He ducked back down quickly as gunfire exploded around his position once again. Looking up, he saw two more sets of hands on the top of the barricade.
He quickly aimed and fired, catching one of them in the shoulder and sending the body tumbling back. He tried to bolt in another round, but he was out. He reached for his knife as the other man climbed up and readied his weapon, but there were a couple of gunshots from above, sending Terrell back to cover.
He glanced up and saw that the invader on the platform was down. Terrell looked up and saw Coleman and Miles standing on the roof above him, laying flat on the ground.
“Cap, you need to come see this,” Coleman hissed. “But stay low when you get up here. You’ll see why.”
Terrell swallowed hard, a knot forming in his stomach as he climbed up to the roof. He slithered forward on his stomach, about halfway across the rooftop. As he moved, he could see dozens of lights moving in the distance.
“Looks like the Boss is upset we paid him a visit,” he snarled.
Miles shook his head. “That seems like an understatement.
“So, any ideas, Cap?” Coleman demanded.
Terrell took a deep breath. “Start scoping it out, and hope you find something.”
The sniper scanned the horizon with his rifle, hoping to find a weakness in the silhouettes of countless armed men dancing in the distance.
“See anything?” Terrell asked.
Coleman shook his head. “I see plenty of stuff,” he replied, “none of it good though.”
“Can we attack them from the flank?” Miles asked.
Terrell clenched his fists. “Not enough ammo or cover to make that work.”
“I got something,” Coleman said.
“What you got?” the Captain asked, as he and Miles studied the lights.
“Looks like they’re going to try another breach,” Coleman replied. “I see four men in formation coming across the field.”
Terrell squinted. “Where?” he asked.
“About twenty yards to the right of the road,” the sniper replied.
The Captain focused, and finally spotted shadows moving in the darkness. “You boys cover me,” he said, “I got this.”
“I’ll do my best,” Coleman said. “Once they get away from the lights, I’m going to be hard pressed to find them.”
Terrell nodded. “Just keep an eye on me, then, and I’ll lead you to them.”
Coleman nodded as the Captain rushed down the side of the building, landing on the platform below. He dropped down over the side, hugging the wall to remain in the shadows. He rushed over to the edge of the building, seeing nothing but blackness. Once his eyes adjusted, he finally saw the outline of the four attackers, about sixty yards away.
He took out his hunting knife and crouched as he moved forward, using the darkness to his advantage. The grass in the field wasn’t too high, but with very little light, he was able to blend into it. As the group approached his position, he saw that all of their guns were down as they moved, assuming that they wouldn’t be attacked unaware.
When they got within ten yards, Terrell sprung up, darting quickly towards them. The first man heard Terrell before he saw him, but couldn’t make a noise before the knife did its work into his chest.
“Contact, contact!” one of the others yelled, and they scrambled to raise their weapons, but Terrell was quick.
He shoved the first man back into two of the others as he moved to strike the other one. There was a gunshot, but he was able to deflect the barrel so it hit harmlessly on the ground. He jammed the knife into the man’s throat and ripped it out again.
The muzzle flash gave Coleman the visual cue he needed, so he quickly took aim and fired, striking one man in the chest. The blood splatter hit the last remaining man in the face, stunning him. He blindly fired, narrowly missing the Captain as he rushed forward.
Terrell drove the blade through the man’s heart, and then startled when the entire battlefield lit up.
He looked around frantically, and saw that large flare had been shot up into the sky, leaving him completely exposed. He took off running back towards the town as gunfire erupted behind him.
Terrell managed to get to the gate, leaping up on top of it to safety as the gunfire behind him subsided. He breathed heavy as he collapsed over the fence and onto the platforms as the flare hovered in the air. The bright light illuminated the field as constant gunfire echoed in the distance.
Miles peeked his head over the edge of the neighboring building, taking a break from being a spotter for Coleman. “Cap, you all right?”
“Had my fill of cardio for the day,” Terrell replied, holding a thumb up, “but other than that I’m peachy.”
“Well you’d better check this out,” Miles replied, pointing to the road leading into town. There were four military armed guards standing in the road, with the Boss standing directly in front of them, holding a large white flag.
“Didn’t peg them as the surrendering type,” Terrell muttered.
Miles stared down at him. “What do you want to do?”
“Given we’re still outnumbered forty to one, I guess I should go have a chat with him,” the Captain said.
Miles nodded. “I’ll make sure Coleman has him directly in his sights.”
Terrell gave him another thumbs up. “And I’ll make damn sure he knows that.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Terrell peeled himself up off of the deck, hopping down onto the pavement below. He looked around at the ground, several dead bodies littering it. He took out his knife and sliced a piece of a rapidly reddening white shirt and held it above his head.
He walked apprehensively towards the Boss and his men, knowing that this could go bad very quickly. He looked past them, still seeing dozens of lights still moving about, the shadows of an army in the distance.
When he reached ten yards away, the Boss held up his hand to get him to stop. “That’s far enough there, Zeke,”
he bellowed. “Or should I say Terrell?”
“Liked my acting job, did you?” the Captain asked, lowering his arm.
The Boss cocked his head. “I’ll admit, I had my suspicions when you showed up on our doorstep, but I mistakenly put them aside,” he said, and his gaze darkened. “I can promise you, I won’t be making that mistake again.”
“And like you,” Terrell replied, putting a hand over his chest, “I’ve learned from my mistakes over the years, which is why my sniper is currently aiming at your head. Anything happens to me, you die first. We clear on that?”
The Boss nodded. “Wouldn’t expect anything less.”
“So, I’m curious about something,” Terrell said, crossing his arms, “if you’d indulge me.”
His opponent raised his chin. “Of course.”
“How did you boys figure out I was a threat?” the Captain asked.
“Well, lucky for us,” the Boss replied, motioning to his entourage, “and unlucky for you, just before you demolished our little training camp, they had called for the Doc. He got there about the same time you got to us. One radio call later, and the hunt was on.”
Terrell shook his head. “That’s a shame,” he said with a faux sigh, “I would have loved to go back to that little restaurant. Would you be so kind as to compliment the chef for me?”
“Maude will appreciate that,” the Boss replied.
The Captain took a deep breath. “So,” he said slowly, “why don’t you tell me what we’re doing here?”
The Boss began to reach into his pocket, and then paused. “Would you be so kind as to tell your man to hold off for a second?” he asked. “I’d hate to get a lead migraine just for getting something you need to see.”
Terrell nodded and put his hand up, signaling Coleman to stand down. He furrowed his brow as the Boss pulled out a video camera, and then tossed it over.
The Captain caught it and turned it over in his hands. “Home movie?” he asked.
“Of sorts,” his opponent replied. “Why don’t you flip it open there and hit play? Got it cued up and everything for you.”
Terrell complied, and hit play. A grainy night vision video started up, of a massive horde, easily up to a thousand zombies. They were all staggering behind a pickup truck as it rolled slowly down the highway.
“I’ve seen zombies before,” Terrell said, confused.
The Boss smirked. “I’m sure you have, but keep watching.”
The Captain looked down at the screen, watching the horde lumbering along the road. After a few moments, the camera panned around to the front of the truck as it passed a road sign that read Clinton - 12 Miles.
A sickening feeling rolled through Terrell’s stomach. It tightened as he read the time stamp, revealing the video was taken a half hour ago.
“Guessing the time stamp on that is accurate?” he asked, swallowing hard.
The Boss nodded. “Yep, to the minute.”
The Captain stared at the screen for another moment, blinking away his anxiety, when the gate creaked open behind him. Some of the guards tensed up, and Terrell held up a hand.
“Settle down there, it’s just Xavier,” he said. “This is his town.”
The Boss grinned. “Well that makes life easier for me,” he declared. “I was just about to ask if you were the decision maker around here.”
“Gentlemen,” Xavier greeted, clasping his hands behind him as he stepped up beside Terrell. “My name is Xavier, how may I be of help to defuse this situation?”
The Boss bowed a little and grinned. “Well, how’s it going there Xavier? You can call me Boss,” he declared brightly. “I know it sounds overly pretentious, but it's just an old nickname. Don't want you thinking you’re dealing with someone with an inflated ego or anything.”
Xavier simply stared at the man, gaze level and cool.
“But I’m rambling,” Boss continued. “Let me get to the point. Your town has something we need. A whole lot of something we need. Food. We know you’ve been stockpiling stuff from the local farms, and frankly we’d like to get our hands on it.”
The old man nodded. “I’m sure we could come to some sort of trading arrangement,” he said. “There’s no need for all this violence.”
“Well you say that,” the Boss replied, holding up a finger. “But when we tried to negotiate, your attack dog here went into overdrive. I mean, we found one of our men crushed underneath a car jack. And not one of those you find in the back of a car, I’m talking about one of those industrial grade ones at the mechanic’s shop. Would need a fire hose to get that mess cleaned up.”
Xavier glared at Terrell, but he just shrugged.
“He killed Walter,” he said simply.
The old man turned his gaze on the Boss. “It would appear as though mistakes were made on both sides.”
“All right, I’ll grant you that,” his opponent admitted. “But of late, it seems like your friend here has been making far more mistakes than my men. Just today he killed a couple dozen of my men when they were just out exercising.”
Terrell growled. “Don’t tell me you believe this horseshit, Xavier!”
The old man held up a hand to silence the Captain. “So, Boss, how do you see this situation being resolved?” he asked.
The Boss stroked his chin and grinned a bit, and then motioned to Terrell. “Why don’t you show him the tape?”
“Tape?” Xavier asked.
Terrell clenched a fist. “They’re leading a thousand zombies this way.”
Xavier’s eyes widened and he stared at the Boss. “Why would you do such a thing?” he gasped.
“Because I believe in negotiating from a position of strength,” his opponent replied simply.
The old man glared at Terrell again, and then let out a sigh before turning back to their enemy. “What do you propose?”
“Finally, a reasonable man to deal with!” the Boss said, clasping his hands together with glee. “It’s simple! You and your people will come to Benson and be a part of our community, as will all of the food you’ve stockpiled the last few weeks.” He cocked his head. “However…” he dragged out the word as he stared at the Captain. “Terrell and his soldier friends are to be exiled. They have caused far too much grief and pain to be citizens of my community, and they aren’t welcome. In exchange, my men will move the horde away from town, and we will drive the Fayetteville horde away as well.”
Xavier contemplated, and Terrell gaped at him.
“You can’t seriously be considering this!” he cried. “This man can’t be trusted!”
Again the old man held up his hand to silence him. “I have conditions,” he said.
Terrell growled with exasperation, which brought out an even bigger grin on the Boss’ face.
“But of course,” he said.
Xavier took a deep breath. “I believe children should be shielded from the horrors of this world as long as possible,” he said. “So I want your word that nobody under sixteen will be put into any sort of combat situation.”
“We already have that in place,” the Boss said, with a wave of his hand. “What else?”
The old man raised his chin. “I have some older people in my care, and I would like them to have whatever they need.”
“We have a great doctor and plenty of medical supplies,” the Boss assured him. “So, are we in agreement?” he asked, his grin practically maniacal.
Xavier paused, and glanced at Terrell. “I know these boys have caused you and your people a great deal of harm,” he said slowly, “but they have risked their lives for me and mine. I would like to make sure they are stocked up with supplies for their journey ahead.”
“Absolutely,” the Boss replied, nodding like a bobblehead. “Food, water, weapons, whatever you would like. We’ll get a truck loaded up for them and they’ll be good to go.”
Xavier contemplated for a moment again, and then looked at the Captain, who wore a defeated look. The old man’s gaze softened in apology,
and then he turned to the Boss. “I agree to your terms,” he said, and then stepped forward to shake his hand.
With that, he turned, and silently walked back through the gate.
Terrell just stood there, staring at the Boss, sick to his stomach knowing that the asshole had one.
His opponent continued to grin. “You did put up a good fight, I’ll give you that.”
“You know this ain’t over, right?” Terrell growled.
The Boss went from smiling to deadly serious as he stepped forward. “Let me make this perfectly clear,” he said, voice level as steel. “We’re giving you a truck and some supplies, which you’re going to take and drive south. Southeast, southwest, don’t really care, so long as it’s south. Everything north of here is mine. If any of my men see you, thinking they see you, or turn up dead, everybody from this town is going to die a torturous death.” He sneered. “Not a shot to the back of the head, not slitting of the wrists in a warm bathtub. I’m talking strapped to a post outside the town and charging spectators to watch them be eaten alive kind of death.” He clucked his tongue. “And frankly, if you don’t agree to this right now, I’m going to say fuck it and order my men to rip this town apart and make you watch. So, what’s it going to be?”
Terrell grimaced, hating the position he was in. Reluctantly he nodded, knowing that this was what was best for the town and the people in it.
“Just park the truck out front,” he said, voice hoarse. “We’ll be gone in thirty.”
The Boss stared down his nose. “You got twenty.” He turned and walked away, his army of bodyguards joining him.
Terrell stood there, watching him, broken. He’d lost.
“Cap, what’s up?” Coleman asked as he and Miles met Terrell just inside the gate.
He shook his head. “Xavier sold us out,” he said. “We’re being exiled and they’re moving everybody in with that asshole.”
The soldiers swallowed hard, frustrated that none of their sacrifices had done a single thing.
“So where are we going?” Miles asked, shoulders slumping.
Terrell shook his head. “I was told that we can go south,” he replied, dejected. “Other than that, I don’t know.”
Dead America The Third Week Box Set | Books 7-12 Page 27
