Logan pulled his miniature binoculars out of his backpack and had a long look. After a moment, he scanned around before handing them off and whispering what he observed.
“Big African American man, in his late twenties or early thirties, wearing an old leather apron and hammering a hunk of metal on an anvil. There’s a little kid working the bellows on a forge. Some railroad tracks are to the left, and on the left of the tracks is a field full of crops. I see some chickens, goats, and a couple of peacocks wandering around, but that’s about it.”
True conducted his own inspection with the binoculars. After a minute, he spoke.
“Everything’s surrounded by barbwire, fencing, and metal stakes. That kid is under eight years old. A post-apoc baby. That field of crops is too big for just two or three people. There’re others somewhere. Oh, and that man ain’t no man. That’s a woman.”
Logan’s jaw dropped in surprise, snatched the binocs away, and looked again.
“Damn, I don’t know, True,” he muttered. “If that’s a woman, she’s got arms bigger than I’ve ever seen on a woman.” He gestured with his head. “I think that house down there is where they’re living. There’s a line full of clothes hanging by it.”
“That sign on the building says it used to be a garage and salvage yard,” Liam whispered.
Melvin stared a couple of minutes with his own binoculars before speaking. “It appears that they have a decent set-up.”
“If it’s just them, they’ve done a hell of a job of killing the zeds,” True remarked. “There ain’t hardly any around here
The men were speaking in whispers, but they were getting louder. Melvin had to shush them. “Alright, look here. True and I are going to go back to the bikes. We’ll ride up to that gate and say hello. You guys cover us. Watch our hand signals.”
Fifteen minutes later, Melvin and True rode up to the fortified gate. The kid was the first one to see them. He tugged on the big woman’s leather apron and pointed. The woman stopped hammering and stared. After a moment, she set down the hammer and the hot piece of metal she’d been holding with a pair of tongs. Taking her leather apron off, she draped it across a sawhorse before facing the men. She was wearing overalls and had a belt on which held a large knife in a sheath. She bent and whispered something to the kid, who took off running toward the house, before casually walking toward Melvin and True.
As she approached, the men got a better look at her. She was a big woman, bigger than most men. Broad shoulders, tree stumps for legs, wide cheeks, and a square jaw. Not what you’d call a pretty woman—definitely a person you’d want on your side in a fight—but not a pretty woman. She had on a sweat-stained T-shirt under the overalls that was stretched taut by her frame.
“Hello,” Melvin greeted with a friendly smile.
“Lordy, Lordy. I haven’t seen any strangers since I don’t know when,” the woman said.
“We were riding through and heard your hammering, so we thought we’d stop and introduce ourselves. I’m Melvin and this is my partner, True.”
She stared them up and down a long moment before speaking. “They call me Big Tussey. I ain’t seen you two men before and I reckon I know everyone around these parts. Plus, you men are clean looking. Decent haircuts, clean-shaven. Nope, you two ain’t from around here.”
“No ma’am, we’re from Virginia,” Melvin said. “A place called Mount Weather, to be specific.”
“I ain’t never heard of it,” Big Tussey said. “How far is it from here?”
“About eight hundred miles,” Melvin replied.
Big Tussey glanced down at the bikes. “You ain’t about to tell me you two rode those things all the way from Mount Weather, are you?”
“No, ma’am,” Melvin said with a chuckle. “We got a vehicle parked nearby.”
Big Tussey scowled. “You boys think I’m stupid? Gas ain’t any good no more. Unless you got some of that biofuel or something.” She then stared at True. “You ain’t said a word, boy. Are you deaf and dumb?”
“No, and I ain’t nobody’s boy,” True said.
Big Tussey cackled. “No, I don’t reckon you are. You got the look of a killer. Are you two here to kill me?”
“No, ma’am, not at all,” Melvin quickly replied.
Before he could say more, the door to the house opened and the kid stepped outside. An older woman followed. She appeared to be in her sixties, plain-looking with spots of melanoma freckling her face. She was wearing a homemade dress that reminded Melvin of a dress one might imagine a pioneer woman wearing back in the nineteenth century. She accentuated the image with an old double-barrel shotgun she held at the ready.
Melvin made a quick but subtle hand gesture, signaling his friends to hold their fire, and then smiled. “Ma’am, I can assure you were aren’t here to kill anyone. And, if you have any fresh coffee, I’d be eternally grateful.”
Big Tussey cackled again. Melvin noticed a few teeth missing. He guessed she could’ve had a nice smile at one time. Maybe, like back before puberty hit and she weighed under two hundred.
“This here is Claudia. Claudia, this is Melvin and True. They say they’re here from Virginia. We ain’t got nothing to drink but water, but we have enough food to share. Are you boys hungry?” She paused a moment. “Oh, and by the way, how many other people you got with you?”
“We have a couple of friends,” Melvin said. “They don’t have any ill intentions. They’re just watching our back. I’m betting you understand.”
“Well, let’s meet ‘em,” Big Tussey suggested.
Melvin glanced at True and they came to a tacit decision. Melvin gave the hand signal, and after a moment, the two brothers came up with Boom-Boom following.
“Boom-Boom!” the kid cried and dropped to his knees. Boom-Boom bounded up and began licking his face. Melvin turned to see the woman holding the shotgun on them. Melvin quickly raised his hands to slightly below shoulder level.
“Hold on now, there’s no need for that,” he pleaded.
“What did you men do to Merlin?” she demanded.
“Ma’am, it’s not like that,” Melvin said. “You ladies knew Merlin?”
Claudia’s eyes narrowed. “You’re speaking in the past tense, Melvin.”
“Ma’am, if you’ll lower that shotgun, I’ll explain everything,” he said.
She glared a moment and her eyes began watering. Big Tussey walked over to Claudia. “There now, we knew he was dead when we hadn’t seen him since winter. These men are going to tell us what they know.”
She then gently took the shotgun from Claudia and turned back to the men, waiting expectantly. “Well, boys?”
Melvin spoke like a priest delivering a death message to next-of-kin. Claudia remained silent, the only indicator she was feeling anything were tears rolling down her cheeks.
“We buried him near the tower and said a few words,” Melvin said. “If you ladies would like him closer, we’ll dig him up and bury him wherever you want.”
“No,” Claudia said after a moment. “I guessed that was where he was living, but he never told anyone.” She smiled briefly. “He called it his secret lair.”
She seemed lost in thought then, perhaps thinking of the good times she had shared with Merlin. After a moment, she wiped her cheeks. “Are you men hungry? We generally have lunch about this time of day. You’re welcome to join us.”
She turned and walked off to the house without waiting for a response.
The house was only meant for a small family, so it was a little cramped in the dining room. And hot, even though all the windows were open and there was a slight breeze blowing through. Claudia fixed the men plates consisting of potatoes, beans, squash, and a small portion of chuck roast. When she sat, then men noticed she grimaced slightly and put a hand over the lower part of her stomach before sitting. Liam exchanged a glance with Melvin. Melvin gave a slight nod. He’d trained as a combat medic, back when he was on an A-team, but he had no access to any medical equipment
other than the pack he had in the truck, so there was little he could do.
“We’re a little short of meat right now,” Claudia apologized as she passed a bowl of mashed potatoes.
“Not a problem, Miss Claudia,” Liam said. “We did some fishing yesterday evening and those crappies practically jumped in our laps. If you want, we can try our hand this evening, maybe bring you some.”
“Oh, that would be wonderful,” Claudia said with a smile. Melvin noticed her teeth were looking a little worse for wear as well, confirming his belief that there was no dentist in these parts.
“I love me some fried catfish,” Big Tussey said and made an exaggerated gesture of licking her lips. The young boy laughed. The men chuckled appreciatively as well.
“There was this restaurant back in Pittsburgh, and they always had fresh catfish they fried with a cornmeal and flour mix with a little bit of cayenne pepper thrown in. Man, it was good.” He chewed a bite. “My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Brother?”
Logan nodded. “I like your thinking, brother.” He focused on Claudia. “You see, Miss Claudia, my brother rode the short bus growing up, but occasionally he comes up with some good ideas. If the sarge here agrees, we’ll head down to the river after this fine meal and find a good fishing hole. I bet we’ll catch plenty of catfish in no time.”
“Sounds good with me,” Melvin said in agreement.
“I wanna go,” the kid exclaimed. They called him Natty. He was a little kid with a head full of dirty brown hair. His jeans were well worn and had patches in the knees.
“I wanna go too,” Big Tussey said with a childlike expression. “Don’t y’all leave me out.”
The ensuing conversation was short and sweet, and the decision was unanimous. The men were going to take Natty and Big Tussey fishing.
Chapter 43 – Fort Detrick the Night Before
PARTY TONIGHT!
That’s what the sign said. It was a small slate chalkboard hanging from a piece of rope at the main entrance. I’d already gotten the word. They were having a big party for some silly event. Summer equinox or something. Any excuse for a distraction from the daily tedium of Fort Detrick.
A group of us had ridden up from the Mount Weather community, mostly to assist in guard duties so the Fort Detrick residents could participate in the party. It was mostly for morale; the Fort Detrick people had been expressing their discontent for a few months now. There was a chronic manpower shortage which led to people living here to have to work long hours and there were continuous shortages of everything.
Upon arrival, Kelly and I immediately headed for the NBACC building. They were waiting for us.
“Greetings,” Doctor Smeltzer said. He beamed at Kelly like a dirty old man. “This is certainly a surprise. I haven’t seen you in, how do they say it in Tennessee? I haven’t seen you in a coon’s age.”
“Hi, Hiram,” Kelly said warmly. She was one of the few people that called Doctor Smelter by his first name. He came over and gave her a hug.
“How’re you doing, Doc?” I asked.
“I’m doing well, Zach. The food here has improved significantly over the past year, thanks to you, so I cannot complain.”
I nodded at the compliment and got right to it. “How are the patients?”
“The recent attack seemed to have caused a minor bit of trauma, but overall, mother and daughter are doing well.”
The baby was in a crib next to her bed. Kelly commented on it.
“How are her skills as a mother?”
“She either does not remember or does not care anything about changing diapers. We’ve attempted to give her lessons, but it was a futile endeavor.”
“Nor does she breast feed,” Doctor Smeltzer added. “If not for us, the child would have most certainly died by now.”
“So, still no craving for raw meat?” I asked.
“The child? No. The mother, most definitely,” Doctor Kincaid said. Smeltzer gave a small chuckle.
“How about cognitive skills? Any developments since my last visit?”
“She is displaying normal reflexes and primary circular reactions,” the doctor said. “One would think her attention span would be lower than a normal human infant her age, but she seems to have strong focus.”
“She needs toys to play with,” Kelly said. “Maybe hang some mobiles for her to look at.”
The two doctors exchanged a glance.
“Mobiles?” Kincaid asked.
“Yes, mobiles,” Kelly answered. “You hang them from the ceiling. During this stage, the child needs sensory input. Didn’t you two have children?”
The two men exchanged a glance again and each slowly shook their head. Kelly rolled her eyes.
“The kid needs sensory input,” she repeated. “For that matter, so does the mother. Pipe in some music, maybe even put a monitor in there and play movies. Or, take them outside on occasion.”
The two doctors gazed at Kelly as if she were telling them to perform a prostate exam on each other.
Doctor Smeltzer emitted a small titter. “Well, we’ve certainly never considered doing something like that, have we, Hiram?”
“Why, no, we haven’t,” Doctor Kincaid replied. “Perhaps we should write up a schedule and create a format to observe her behavior.”
“Excellent suggestion, Doctor,” Smeltzer gushed, and then held up a finger. “I have an idea. I’ll be right back.”
Doctor Smeltzer was not an athletic man, so when he took off jogging toward the main building, he looked a lot like a waddling pear. I glanced at Kelly. She was trying hard to suppress a grin.
“I wonder what he’s up to?” Doctor Kincaid asked.
“I guess we’ll find out in a couple of minutes,” Kelly said with a snicker.
We passed the time with Doctor Kincaid talking about life at Fort Detrick. Doctor Smeltzer returned five minutes later. He was out of breath and his face was red from exertion, but he grinned when he held up the item he brought back.
“It’s a dog catcher pole. I remember Captain Smithson talking about using them back when he was down at the CDC. We can use this and walk her around outside.”
I had to admit, it was a novel idea. Eve didn’t like it though. It took us ten minutes of fighting before we got it on her. I had the onus of holding onto the pole because, frankly, Patient Eve was stronger than Kincaid and Smeltzer put together.
She continued to put up a struggle until Kelly pointed out she probably did not want to leave her child. When Doctor Kincaid donned his welder’s gloves and put the child in her arms, she calmed immediately and did not resist as we led her outside.
I let her walk where she wanted. She walked over to a grassy area and stopped. It was a pleasant day, sunny with a gentle breeze. When there was a slight gust, she lifted her head and began sniffing. Her child, even though it was an infant, did the same thing.
“Did you see that?” Doctor Smeltzer whispered.
“Indeed, I did,” Doctor Kincaid whispered back. “We must prepare a series of olfactory tests to administer.”
“Yes, yes,” Smeltzer said. “This has proven to be a productive experiment already.”
Patient Eve turned her head and glared at them.
Soon, we had a small crowd of curious people. They maintained a respectable distance, at first, but as we walked Eve, curiosity compelled them to get closer and closer. This made Eve uncomfortable and at one point, began gnashing at them. I chastised everyone and directed them to go on about their business. After a few pieces of advice telling me I should kill her, they lost interest and wandered off.
After a while, we led her back to her home, lab number 1. Patient Eve stood passively as I removed the catch-pole’s noose from her neck and put the restraints back on her. After I had done so, she slowly turned and faced me. What she did next was unexpected.
“Zach.”
It was raspy, barely above a whisper. I stared at her in surprise. Before I could respond, Doctor Smeltzer’s voice boome
d over the speaker.
“Zach, did she just say something?”
I glanced at the window in annoyance. Big mistake. Patient Eve lunged forward and came within a fraction of biting a chunk out of my neck. I jumped back, out of her reach. She stared and then gave me a petulant gnash of her teeth.
Kelly and the doctors surrounded me when I exited Eve’s room. The doctors began peppering me with questions while Kelly inspected my face and neck for any possible injuries.
“What did she say?”
“I think she said my name. That’s all,” I replied.
“Did you do something? Were there any clues she was going to be hostile?”
I frowned at the doctors. They were talking over themselves and making it difficult both to listen to each question and to answer them.
“Guys, there were no indicators. She said my name and then lunged at me. That’s it,” I said.
“What does this mean?” Doctor Kincaid asked.
“She either doesn’t like me or she’s hungry,” I answered with a chuckle. I peered at her through the glass. She stared back with those mottled eyes, neither moving nor blinking.
“Well, in spite of the close call, this is amazing,” Doctor Smeltzer proclaimed. “This is the first case of a fully infected zed being able to speak.”
“No, there was one other,” I said. “Melvin’s ex-wife, Peggy. He took her out in the woods to kill her. She said his name a few seconds before he put her down.”
The two doctors stared in amazement. “We were unaware of this, Zach. Why did he kill her?”
“Because he was putting her out of her misery,” I said. “He felt it was the kindest thing he could do for her.”
Doctor Kincaid sighed and rubbed his face. “I wish he would’ve brought her to us.”
As we were conversing, Doctors Throneberry and Washington walked in. They were still as pale as ever, and Doctor Washington appeared to have lost a lot of weight. I would have offered my condolences or something for her cancer, but we were never close and there were times when she’d been downright rude to me. So, I remained silent and listened as they were brought up to speed. Kelly and I walked out as they discussed possible experiments to get Eve to talk to them.
Zombie Rules (Book 7): The Fifteens Page 26
