Zombie Rules | Book 8 | Who The Hell Is That?

by Achord, David

  The smile on her face disappeared. “Maybe.”

  Jonny G slowly sighed. “You know, you don’t have to do that. I’m sure it’s awkward having sex with a man that’s twenty years older than you. You don’t have to. We can still be friends and I’ll help you guys anyway.”

  Now Riley looked upset and she stared at him with what appeared to be pain in her eyes. “Are you breaking up with me?”

  “What? No. I’m simply saying you don’t have to continue with this charade. We can still be friends and I’ll gladly help out with this.”

  “But I like you,” she said. It was almost a pleading tone. “Don’t you like me?”

  Johnny G stared at her. Her expression had hardened. He wasn’t sure if she was about to cry or attack him.

  “Of course, I do,” he said. “I suspected all along, and yet I have found myself liking you a lot.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely, but our age difference…”

  She stopped him by grabbing him fiercely and planting a hard kiss on his lips. When they separated, she smiled. “No arguments then.”

  He couldn’t help but smile too. “Alright, let’s check this place out.”

  Riley led him to a set of heavy steel entry doors. Fishing a key out, she worked the two deadbolts and opened the doors. Johnny G thought of how easily the doors could be breached with a lock pick set, which he had ample experience with. He decided to keep that information to himself for now. Maybe he’d tell her, maybe he wouldn’t.

  They walked inside and stopped in the doorway. Johnny G looked around. He was impressed. The warehouse was not completely full, but it contained a sizeable inventory. Now he understood why the two Fitzgerald men stayed absent from Marcus Hook for long periods at a time. When they returned, they were usually out of fuel and had little in the way of scavenged items to show for it.

  “The Fitzgeralds have been busy,” he remarked.

  “Mostly my dad and brother,” Riley said. “I’ve been too busy at Weather.” She then gave a small grin. “But I’ve contributed too.”

  When he saw what she was pointing at, he did a double take. Sitting in the middle of several boxes and crates was the missing trailer of President-elect Rochelle VanAllen.

  Chapter 26 – Team Fred

  Nikki was a little irritated. Perhaps, one could say she was seething. After Fred’s little thing with the radio microphone, he stopped talking altogether. That included ignoring her questions. Fred slowed to maneuver through a partial washout. When the trailer was safely through, he stopped and casually stretched his back. She was about ready to give him a piece of her mind when he turned to her.

  “We’re circling around the south part of DC and coming up on Woodbridge. Keep an eye out, this was once a congested urban area.” He pointed toward the sky. “It’s going to bust loose on us any time now.”

  Nikki looked up. The sky was filled with ugly gray clouds. Fred continued.

  “It feels like the temp is in the low thirties. This truck has one of those digital thermometers, but it hasn’t worked in a while. If we have time and spot a truck like this one, we’ll salvage some parts. Anyway, keep an eye out.”

  “I’ve been told everywhere around DC is full of zeds,” she said.

  “That’s true. We’ve killed off a bunch around here, but we haven’t messed with the DC area. We plain don’t have enough ammo. They’ve mostly stayed in that area, but on occasion they drift down this way.” He gestured. “We’re not too far away from Woodbridge now. There’s a building there where we can stay. Alright, stay alert.”

  Fred took a series of turns, which caused the horse trailer to rattle loudly, coming to a one-story building that was a cinderblock and sheet metal construction. The parking lot was barren except for one lone Ford Escape that was missing its tires. He proceeded around to the back and parked near a bay door.

  “Is this it?” Nikki asked.

  “Yep.” He drove in, turned around, and backed the trailer to the bay door before parking.

  “Keep watch,” he directed.

  Nikki nodded and they exited the truck. She scanned the area, rifle at the ready, while Fred used a key to enter the door. A moment later the bay door rolled open. Nikki noticed it did not groan and squeak in protest, like most garage doors these days. She glanced at Fred, wondering if it had been lubricated recently. Fred gave no indication either way.

  She peered inside. There were skylights on the roof. They were dirty, but there was enough light filtering in to provide a dim ambience. It was a large, mostly open area with a few pieces of construction equipment, but she observed a makeshift pen and stable that appeared to have been constructed with whatever scraps of lumber the builder could find. She observed other things, like rat traps with fairly fresh bait, a clothesline, things that indicated this was used as a place to live on a short-term basis.

  Fred backed the truck and horse trailer in and motioned at the door. Nikki understood. She grabbed the rope that had one end fashioned into a hangman’s noose and pulled the door down. Once the door was down, she slid the bolts closed on both sides of the door. Fred killed the engine and got out. Nikki followed. The two of them unloaded the horses and guided them into the pen. Nikki gestured at the pen.

  “Did you build it out of pallet wood?” she asked.

  “Yep. There was a whole stack sitting in the corner when we first found this place. We made use of them,” Fred said.

  After getting them settled, Fred pointed out a walled off section at one end of the building.

  “That was the employee’s break room on one side and an office on the other side. Over there are the restrooms. The ladies room still has a toilet, which can be used if you have a pot of water to pour into it, which we don’t. We took the toilet out of the men’s room. There’s a hole in the floor that you can hover over, which you also need water to wash it down. There are a couple of mattresses in the office and we’ve rigged up a barrel to work as a wood burning stove. We have a couple of five-gallon water containers, but no food stores. Before you ask, no running water or electricity.”

  He paused for a moment. “We have some firewood over in the corner, but like I said, we can’t make a fire yet. We’re going to need to check out the immediate area first.”

  “Alright, let’s get the horses saddled,” Nikki suggested.

  “No, not yet. First, we’re going to walk around the immediate area and see if we’re alone or not.”

  He’d not even finished the sentence when a cacophony erupted on the roof. Nikki was startled at first, but then realized it was rain, although it seemed extraordinarily loud.

  “Ice rain,” Fred said. “That’ll make things a little more interesting.”

  Chapter 27 – The Pivotal Moment

  Johnny G stared at the trailer in silence. The narrative in a murder mystery novel would declare this a pivotal moment in the plot. When Riley had pulled out that bottle of vodka, he intuitively knew it was the Fitzgeralds who had murdered the president and her people. Roscoe and the O’Malley brothers suspected it, but they had no proof, merely a small piece of circumstantial evidence. The O’Malleys needed physical evidence to prove their case.

  Like a bottle of vodka with a distinctive tear on the label. Or, even better, the president’s trailer filled with her personal property.

  And there it was, sitting in the warehouse Riley had brought him to. If he exposed them, if he turned them in, no doubt they’d claim to have merely found it during their scavenging travels but coupled with the fact that they were on the road at the same time Rochelle was murdered would have assured a guilty verdict.

  Johnny G had a dilemma on his hands. A defining decision to make. The bottle of vodka he could have rationalized; he was a lonely man who had a moment of weakness when an attractive hot woman made a pass at him.

  Now he was staring at the trailer. He could play along like he was her ally, and as soon as he returned to Marcus Hook, he’d expose them. The proof of their gu
ilt was right before his eyes. All he would have to do is send a message to Mount Weather. He imagined VanAllen would send out the O’Malleys to handle it. They’d put up a fight, no doubt about it, but they’d be exposed. If they weren’t killed outright, they’d be tried and executed.

  It was the only decision that was logical, rational. Johnny G stared at the trailer a long minute before facing Riley, who was peering at him with those hazel green eyes. Suddenly, he chuckled.

  “What?” Riley asked.

  “Those eyes of yours glow after you’ve had sex. I’ll know immediately if you ever cheat on me.”

  Riley eyed him curiously. “Do we have that kind of relationship?”

  Johnny G scoffed. “I’m under no illusions, Riley. We have a thing. We’re friends with benefits. You aren’t interested in taking it any further.”

  “Is that what you want?” she asked. “Do you want to take it further?”

  He stared into her eyes. She stared back, a question behind them. It was time to decide. He pointed at the trailer.

  “That all has to disappear,” he said. “But first, let’s get some heat going in this place.”

  The place only had a single woodburning stove in the living area. It was a barrel that had been converted. The main warehouse area was unheated. They worked through the cold and pulled everything out of the trailer.

  “Throw all the clothes back in,” he directed. “Someone might recognize them.”

  “Alright, what else?” she asked.

  “Their guns. Do you still have them?”

  She walked into the back of the building and came back a moment later with two handguns and two assault rifles. He hated to do it, but he knew the serial numbers were on record back at Hook. After all, he was the one who came up with the idea of a detailed inventory. He unloaded them, pocketed the bullets, and tossed the weapons into the trailer with the clothing. He went through the other items. Anything that might possibly be identified was thrown into the trailer.

  When that was accomplished, the two of them hooked it up to their SUV and towed it to the Delaware Memorial Bridge, which was only a stone’s throw away from the industrial park. Picking a spot at the middle of the bridge, they put the tongue of the trailer on top of the guardrail.

  “Is this really necessary?” Riley asked.

  “If you don’t want to be tried for murder, it absolutely is,” he said and gestured at the trailer. “This links you and your family to the murders. C’mon, let’s get this done.”

  They backed their vehicle into the trailer and pushed it over. They got out and watched in time to see it splash into the river below.

  “Nobody would have ever found it,” Riley remarked.

  “You guys thought the bodies would have never been found either.”

  Riley scoffed. “Pure luck.”

  “You’ve heard of Murphy’s Law, right? Never rely on luck going your way.”

  Riley sighed. “I guess you’re right, but those weapons were valuable trade items. Dad’s not going to like it.”

  Johnny G did not respond and continued staring down at the river. He’d deliberately helped dispose of evidence. He aided and abetted. He was an accessory after the fact. If he were ever caught, he’d be tried and executed along with the Fitzgeralds.

  “Whether you realize it or not, when you killed Rochelle, you created a pivotal moment. The history of America has been changed.”

  “Yeah, it’ll change for the better,” she said.

  Johnny G grunted. He certainly hoped so. The two of them were silent now. They stood beside each other, staring at the river. Riley moved closer to him.

  “Are you with me?” she asked.

  “You knew the answer to that question before you even pulled out that bottle of vodka.”

  Riley smiled and intertwined her arm with his. “You’ve never asked why.”

  “No, I haven’t. I might one day. Until then, don’t tell me.”

  Riley was silent a minute before speaking again. “She would’ve been a terrible president.”

  “Her husband is convinced Zach is the one who killed her,” he said. “I’m not sure he’ll be any better as a president, but time will tell. Let’s change the subject. Tell me what you think of our future trading post?”

  “It’s doable, but a little out-of-the-way. We could make it work but let me ask you something. Why don’t you create this trading post at Marcus Hook? We can set up a location nearby and hook you guys up on the power grid. Besides, I want you to live with me at Marcus Hook.”

  Riley glanced and smiled slightly. “You really want me?”

  “Yep.”

  “I’d like that, but dad wants automation. That’s why he picked this place.”

  Johnny G frowned in confusion for a moment. “Automation? Do you mean autonomy?”

  “Yeah, autonomy. Independence. Nobody bossing us around.”

  Johnny G rubbed his face with a free hand. He felt a few drops of cold rain and eyed the sky.

  “Let me try to explain. Roscoe and I run Marcus Hook. You’ll have more resources at your disposal, and you’ll have armed personnel to protect you against any hostiles.” He hooked a thumb back toward the warehouse.

  “If a thousand zeds descend on the place, you’d run out of ammunition before you killed them all. And what if it’s a wolfpack of marauders? Could you hold them off?”

  Riley had broken eye contact with him and was again staring at the river. She too could see drops hitting the surface.

  “What does your dad think about our relationship?”

  “He kind of encouraged it,” she admitted.

  Johnny G emitted a small, wry chuckle. For all he knew, Trader Joe encouraged everything from the start. All of it.

  The rainfall started to intensify, and it felt more like sleet than rain. He tugged on his jacket. “The weather’s turning bad. Let’s get back to the warehouse and we’ll talk more,” he suggested.

  Riley agreed. By the time they arrived back at the warehouse, their vehicle had a layer of ice on it and the rain was coming down harder. Riley grabbed an armful of logs that were stacked nearby and jogged up some stairs where they had made the living quarters. Johnny G unloaded some of their gear and trudged up the stairs. When he had walked in, Riley had put a couple of logs in the stove and was stoking it with a piece of rebar. He knew the metal of the barrel was not strong enough. After a year, the fire will have burnt into the bottom of the barrel and pose a fire hazard. He’d tell her later, but it looked fine for now. Riley waved a hand around.

  “My brother and I built this. I packed the walls with insulation. It’ll be warm in here in no time,” she said.

  “Good,” he replied. He dropped the gear, and sat on a couch. Riley walked over and sat beside him. He looked around.

  “It’s one large room,” he observed.

  “Yeah, we built it in a day. The closet over there is the bathroom, but all we have is a compost toilet. No indoor plumbing, yet.”

  “It’s a good start, but it’s not big enough,” Johnny G said.

  “You don’t think?”

  “Not for six people,” he said. She stared in puzzlement. “Aren’t your dad and brother hooked up with Irena and Hermione?”

  “Oh,” she said and laughed. “Yep, they are. I guess secrets don’t last long around the Hook. I don’t know how long it’ll last with either one, but I guess I see your point.”

  “This could be a good alternate site, but I’m certain I can find a more suitable location somewhere close to Marcus Hook.”

  “Before you start making plans in your head, you have to understand dad will insist on full control. He won’t want anyone telling him how to run it,” she said.

  “He’ll get it. We all need to have a sit down with Roscoe when we get back.”

  “Do you think Roscoe will go along with it?”

  “Leave that to me. Your job is to get your father on board.”

  “Oh, that’ll be easy enough,” she said. S
he pulled off her jacket and tossed it to the floor. “It’s starting to warm up in here.”

  Johnny G stood and took off his outercoat. He smoothed it and put it across a nearby chair. When he sat back down, Riley snuggled close.

  “The weather has turned ugly on us, we may be here a couple of days,” Johnny G remarked.

  “Just you and me? All by ourselves?” Riley asked with a grin and then turned serious. “I have a question.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Is your old ass ready for round two?”