Charlie Grimes was the man given the job of being Devin’s babysitter. He was short and stocky with huge muscular arms. Charlie made it known the second he and Devin were alone together that he resented having to watch over him, but it was standard operating procedure to closely watch all new recruits until they proved their loyalty.
Not knowing what this meant, Devin asked.
Charlie’s response was simply, “You’ll see.”
This also plagued Devin as he lay there, eyes staring into the blackness of the room he now called home. What would the test be? Would he have to murder someone? He knew that when it came time to take that test, he just might fail.
As the early morning hours crept towards dawn, the screams and anguish of the tortured souls died down. When the sun finally made its appearance, all he could hear was casual talking and snoring from the various tents and makeshift structures used as barracks.
He swung his legs off the cot and stood up.
“Where ya going?” Charlie asked.
“You’re awake?”
“No, I just sleep light. Now, where ya going?”
“I have to take a piss.”
Charlie tossed off the thin blanket and got up.
“You don’t have to go with me; I’m not going anywhere. I want to be here,” Devin said in an attempt to appease him.
“Regardless, my one and only job is to keep an eye on you.”
“Charlie, seriously, I’m just going to the latrine.”
“Then I’m going too.”
“Fine,” Devin said and exited the barracks. Outside the scene was tame as opposed to yesterday afternoon. His makeshift barracks was one of a dozen constructed from two-by-fours and plywood. They were built in a row near the main entrance of the shipyard; behind the barracks were ten old military GP or general purpose tents, also used for barracks. At the far end of his row of wooden barracks sat a latrine. It serviced both rows of barracks and was one of the most disgusting places he’d ever been in. At one end of the building stood eight toilets; they were nothing more than five-gallon buckets with toilet seats on top. The showers were at the opposite end, again nothing glamorous. Two-inch PVC pipes were fastened to three of the walls and had holes poked in them. From some of the grumbling, it sounded as if the water wasn’t even hot. He couldn’t decide what was worse, five-gallon buckets for toilets or cold showers.
Charlie did exactly as promised and followed Devin all the way to the bathroom, even watching him urinate.
“Are you going to watch me go poop too?” Devin joked.
“Yeah, I was given an order and one thing you’d be wise to keep in mind is that if you defy an order, it could mean death. Now you don’t want your little pecker burned up, do ya?”
Devin thought that was not a good outcome, so he would do what he was told without question.
He finished and they both walked back. Devin couldn’t resist, so he asked more questions. “How long you been with Captain Renfield?”
“About three months.”
“Where are you from?”
“St. Augustine, Florida. They picked me up during a raid.”
This got Devin’s attention. “So you were in my shoes before?”
“Yeah, now can you shut up? Your questions are hurting my head.”
Their arrival back at the barracks was timely. The first mate, Silas, was there. “Mr. Chase, the man I came to see.”
Hearing this made Devin almost faint. Had he been found out?
“The captain wants to test your loyalty early. You’ve been chosen to go on a reconnaissance party. Lucky for you it’s close by.”
“Am I to go too, sir?” Charlie asked.
“Have you been tasked with watching his every step?” Silas asked.
“Yes, sir.”
“Then you know the damn answer, son. Get your gear and meet at the motor pool in an hour.”
“Where are we going?” Charlie asked.
“You’ll find out, just make sure you and your butt buddy here have your gear, no weapons just yet, though.”
“Yes, sir,” Charlie replied.
Silas marched off.
“Where do you suppose we’re headed?” Devin asked.
“Don’t worry about it. Just follow me, keep your fucking mouth shut and do what you’re told.”
Devin nervously followed Charlie to the staging area. There he found another ten men, all armed with personal packs at their feet. Just behind them were three trucks.
“Toss your shit in the red truck,” a large man with a long thick beard ordered.
They did as he said and quickly reassembled to hear the details of their mission..
“We received some credible information about where the people who attacked us a couple weeks back came from,” the man said in his scratchy voice. “Our job is to close in and get eyes on them. We’ll see what we’re up against, and if it looks feasible, we’ll attack them, kill the men and take the women and children.”
The men in the group began to get excited at the prospect of fresh meat.
Hearing this, Devin knew he’d be tested and it wouldn’t be easy. Taking advantage of his proximity to the front gate, he counted the men; there were double what he and Tess had counted before. It was obvious that they had beefed up their security following their attack. He then began to wonder if the hole in the fence to the south was still there. He figured they’d found it and fixed it, but it was worth trying to find out.
“Pay attention,” Charlie barked and then smacked him on the back of the head.
“Sorry, I didn’t get much sleep.”
“I’m sorry, do you ladies need some private time?” the large man asked.
“No, sir,” Charlie replied.
“I’m not an officer, just call me Poppy.”
Charlie talked a big game to Devin, but the way he’d been treated by everyone else, Devin could tell he was very low on the totem pole.
“You two, you’ll ride with me. The rest of you divide up between the other two trucks. We leave now.”
Devin went to get in the cab of the truck but was stopped when Poppy yelled, “No way, in the bed.”
Nodding, Devin climbed into the bed and sat down.
Charlie was allowed in the cab.
Seconds later the truck sped off and out the main gate.
Poppy drove fast down the abandoned and dead roads of Charleston. Occasionally, Devin would see a person or small group wandering around. Their tattered clothes clung to their thin frames as they scurried like rats to hide upon hearing the vehicles. The Death had killed over ninety percent of the population, leaving vast amounts of food for the remaining, but those surpluses were dwindling, forcing many to scavenge. With marauders and pirates like Renfield’s men, the risks of venturing out became high, but people needed to eat.
Poppy made a hard left and entered a large upscale residential subdivision. The windy narrow streets were littered with leaves, debris and garbage.
Devin didn’t know how much longer they’d be driving but deep down hoped it would take hours more. Horrific images flashed through his mind as he thought about what they were going to force him to do. He hoped he could do it, but then again it really depended on what it was. His mind then raced to Brianna and the children. He prayed they were safe, but regret filled him when Tess’ voice shouted in his head not to leave the children alone. He had violated his promise to her, and if he were to ever find her, he was willing to deal with her wrath as long as they returned to find everyone safe in North Carolina.
The truck suddenly and without notice screeched to a stop with the two follow-on vehicles pulling to either side of the street in a tactical maneuver they had been taught.
Devin craned his head around the cab and saw they had left the community. The road narrowed and continued straight into a large grove of thick trees. He didn’t see any houses or other improvements, but in the far distance a glimmer caught his eye. They must be close, why else stop, he thought.
The radio crackled as Poppy gave the other vehicles instructions. Both those trucks pulled forward and into the tree line, one truck going left, the other right.
Poppy now pulled forward, following the truck to the left, but stopped twenty feet before entering the woods. He swung the truck around and backed it into a large space between two large oaks and turned the truck off. He immediately jumped out and barked, “Dumb ass in the back, get out and start gathering branches.”
Devin did as he asked, knowing what he was trying to accomplish.
Within ten minutes Devin and Charlie had cut down enough live branches to camouflage the deep red truck.
“Charlie, you’re staying here to watch our back. Here’s a radio. Call us if anyone—and I mean anyone, even a fucking two-year-old—starts coming.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Dumb ass, you’re coming with me,” Poppy snapped and began to hike further into the thick woods.
Devin jogged up beside him and asked, “How far?”
“Just up there.”
They approached the other truck and stopped.
“Gather around,” Poppy ordered.
They did as he said, some pushing Devin around in a blatant display of disrespect. Devin thought his treatment was similar to the hazing he’d received during his first year in his college fraternity. The obvious difference was if he stepped out of line here, it would be fatal.
“You stay here.” He pointed to one man. “Guard the truck and be available to back up Charlie near the road. The rest of us will go to the edge up there,” he said, pointing further ahead.
Devin could see the trees open up two hundred yards to the south of them.
“Once we get there, lay low and crawl up and, for fuck’s sake, don’t talk loud or stand up. The old man told us they have a perimeter that’s guarded.”
“Where’s the old man? Why didn’t he come with us?” one man asked.
“Don’t worry about it. He’s provided good info before, so no reason to doubt him.” Poppy sneered. He spat chewing tobacco juice on the leaves and continued, “Our job today is just to get information. If we think we can engage, I have the prerogative, but I don’t see that happening today. Now does everyone understand?”
Everyone nodded.
“Let’s go,” Poppy ordered and began to march off.
Quietly and slowly they crawled up to the edge of the trees. Doing as they had been told, no one broke the invisible line that was the edge of the forest.
Taking cover behind a large oak tree, Devin peered out. He wasn’t expecting to see what he saw, but then again, he didn’t know just what he should have expected. Fifty yards away a shallow and narrow waterway ran east to west. On the south side of the inlet sat a long and fairly wide wetlands; just past that was land with houses and improvements. Just with the naked eye Devin knew it was an island because he could see the Atlantic Ocean just beyond it and the wetlands and river appeared to surround it on three sides. The houses and other structures dotted the island as far as he could see, running east to west with large stretches of open space in what Devin guessed were overgrown fairways for a golf course. A single bridge spanned the river and connected to a causeway. A fortified barricade manned by a few men sat directly in the middle of the bridge.
Poppy grunted and spat, a pair of binoculars glued to his eyes. He scanned the island and the houses. He put the binoculars down, pulled a notepad out of his pocket and began to scratch notes with a pencil.
Devin watched him curiously. By his appearance and speech, Devin’s preconceived bias would have thought him a stupid man, but Poppy was the opposite. He was deliberate, thoughtful and calculated. He definitely wasn’t stupid. Devin once again found his gut instincts still held pre-pandemic biases. It was something he was trying to work past because surviving required an innate ability to size people up quickly. This was where he missed Tess; she was a natural at that and hence why he had leaned on her talents before.
He put his attention back on the community and studied it as best he could. Without optics he did his best but came up with at least a hundred homes and buildings. This community had survived; they out of so many apparently had found a way and a means to come together and organize. The idea that the lone wolf survived was now disproven. Survival required a team or group working in harmony and cooperation. He’d had that with Tess and Brianna, but his little team was divided and his current circumstance looked like it was leading to his end.
After surveying the area for twenty minutes, Poppy slithered back and whispered, “C’mon, I’ve seen enough.”
Everyone else followed.
The morning was now giving way to the warmer afternoon.
Poppy remained quiet the entire time they walked back.
Devin was curious as to what he was thinking. It did cross his mind that making him do something stupid could be a possibility he was pondering.
They reached the truck and Poppy grabbed his handheld radio and called the other team back.
A bristling breeze cut through the trees, churning up the rich smell of bark, dried leaves, moss and dirt. He loved the aroma of the forest; in fact, he loved the forest in general. There was something off, though, and he couldn’t quite put his finger on it until one of the men spoke up.
“Not a damn animal, nothing, not even a little fucking gray squirrel. Everything’s dead.”
That was it, Devin thought, the forest and air were alive, but the animals that had once occupied this great land were gone, victims too of the Death.
When Devin saw the Charleston skyline, he began to breathe a sigh of relief. They were almost back; therefore he might have been spared the uncomfortable situation of having to pass a test.
The signs for the Savannah Highway were coming up and soon they’d be crossing the bridge and into downtown.
Devin leaned back and relaxed against the rear window of the cab, the air blowing his thick black hair across his bearded face.
The truck just behind him flashed it headlights.
Devin saw the driver pointing at something to their left. He looked and saw a small group of scavengers, mostly women.
Poppy swerved the truck hard left. The other trucks followed him as he tore into the large parking lot of a strip mall.
The scavengers were going through cars, but when the squealing tires of the trucks got their attention, they took off.
The chase was on. Poppy and the men loved this; in many ways it was sport.
Once in the parking lot, the trucks followed different groups as the people, numbering seven, ran in different directions.
Poppy followed three women, but had to stop when they entered an old retail storefront through the smashed front window.
“Go, go, follow them through there. I’ll drive around back; take Devin with you,” Poppy ordered Charlie.
Charlie was out of the truck, pistol in hand and yelled, “Test time.”
Under his breath, Devin said, “Fuck.” He jumped out of the truck and jogged over to Charlie.
Poppy sped off.
Hoots and hollers came from the other men as they were reveling in the game of cat and mouse.
“You first,” Charlie said, pointing at the retail storefront.
Devin didn’t hesitate, but an idea that this might be the place to run came to mind. He hurriedly stepped through the broken window. The store was dark save for the sparse light cascading through the window. Shattered and splintered glass crushed under his feet the first few steps he took. Inside he was now cautious, there was no telling if those people were armed, and to them, he was the aggressor and deserving of being shot without question. Devin also remembered just then a little unknown statistic that Tess had shared with him about tactics: those in the defense had nine to one odds of success.
Charlie stepped in, his pistol out in front of him, and scanned the space. The store had once been a women’s clothing boutique. The place was a disaster; clothes, shoes and other designer accessories were coverin
g the floor along with metal racks and mannequins.
Devin slowly and steadily maneuvered through the maze of junk until he reached the rear storeroom door.
“Back here, I got them!” Poppy’s voice boomed from the rear parking lot.
Hearing this, Charlie burst through the door and raced without looking through the stockroom and out into the rear.
Devin froze; he knew what the back lot held for him. He knew that once there they’d ask him to do something horrible, something despicable. He wasn’t quite ready for that and seriously began to question how important life was. The world had changed so much that he began to wonder if living in it was what he truly wanted to do, especially if it meant brutally harming an innocent person.
“Devin!” Charlie yelled. His voice echoed through the now open rear door.
Taking a few hesitant steps, Devin walked into the stockroom and stopped. “What to do? Think, damn it, think,” he said to himself under his breath.
A whimper caught his ear; he turned and looked for the source of the cry and found a young teenage girl. She was cowering in fear, and in her hand Devin saw she was holding a large knife.
The Death: The Complete Trilogy Page 51
