Rachelle flinched, then smiled with awe. “Cool.”
“Yeah, cool,” Isaac said, though with obvious sarcasm that was followed by, “What the fuck does she see then?”
“A lot of empty farmland,” Cody replied.
“So the ground died. It’s like that all around this town. How’s that interesting?”
Rachelle got between them. “What about the rotters? How many more are there?”
Cody held up his finger again with a frown. “The last few are passing her now. She wants us to join her in ten minutes.”
“What about the truck?” Isaac asked heatedly.
Cody flashed his eyebrows. “I guess she found something.”
Isaac rolled his eyes and paced again.
The next ten minutes passed by slower than the five Rachelle spent in front of the judge at her trial. When Cody finally said it was safe to leave, the three of them ran like ninjas through yards and fields until they joined Didi by the next road.
“What have you got?” Cody asked.
Didi’s grin grew wider as she aimed a small telescope at the compound across the street like some kind of wand. The so-called casino didn’t look much like one, its semi-circular parking lot full of dusty cars with weeds growing around them. Yet, something in it made Cody smile.
Isaac shrugged. “I don’t get it. What’re we lookin’ at?”
Cody pointed across the parking lot. “R.V.”
Rachelle marveled at the sight of the large motor home with expansion seams, its shiny black body tricked out with gold thorn decals and tinted windows. Its wheels and base were a little muddy, but it was in way better shape than all the abandoned wrecks around it. It was a thing of redneck beauty. She smiled with delight. “We can carry way more with that, and it’ll help if we’re out longer than we expected.”
“If it works,” Didi said with less enthusiasm.
“It’s not as dusty as the others,” Cody said. “Something tells me it hasn’t been here long.”
Isaac raised his bat. “You think whoever drew out the masses is in there?”
“I think a lot of things, so I’m keeping my eyes peeled. If it is available, it could be useful.”
“Let’s find out,” Didi said, then headed for it. Rachelle pulled her revolver and eagerly followed. The others did the same, though more wary than excited.
Rachelle aimed at the ground a few steps ahead of her like Cody did with his pistol. “I’m all for decking it out with axes and spears. Maybe shove a tractor plow on the front, or make some walls on top to crown in a garden.”
“We could do some of that,” Cody said with a grin aimed at Didi while he examined the R.V. They looked like they wanted to laugh.
“Again, if it works,” Didi said. “Maybe we’ll find the right battery in an auto parts store.”
“Ain’t no difference,” Isaac said. “I can make it work with any kind if we find enough.”
Rachelle smirked. “You’re not going to steal it, are you?”
Isaac glared back at her. “Ain’t no way I’d find enough gas for that guzzler.”
“You’d be surprised,” Didi said. “We could always add more fuel tanks.”
Isaac looked at her like she was clueless. Rachelle was curious, too, until he waved her off and said, “You need more guns that gallons. I say put in an armory. Maybe some gun turrets.”
Didi and Cody exchanged grins like they wanted to laugh.
The cabin door suddenly flew open, and everyone jumped back. Didi drew her sword while Cody and Rachelle drew down on the door. All Isaac could do was hide behind his bat.
A huge white guy in a wife-beater and a Dallas Cowboys cap smiled at them over a double-barreled shotgun like a boss. “You might try asking the owner if he minds first.”
No one else moved. Rachelle quickly eyed her static party, but no one did a thing.
The muscular giant lowered his shotgun, waved them in, and went inside. “Come on in and we’ll talk about it.”
The other three glanced between each other until Cody shrugged and went in. Didi followed.
Isaac looked at Rachelle as if she had a clue what to do, shaking his bat like he wanted to bash someone in with it. Then he looked around, found nothing moving in any direction, cursed to himself, and went inside.
For good measure, Rachelle went around the other side of the R.V. Nothing. If anything were to come, she figured a solid ride would be a good place to hole up or escape, and she was currently the only one dumb enough not to be in it. She quickly joined her friends.
CHAPTER 19
KINDNESS OF STRANGERS
Jerri watched her children coo and reach for each other in their playpen, wondering if they were communicating with each other in some way she didn’t understand. Maybe they were baby geniuses, like in the movie with that great actress whose name she suddenly couldn’t remember. Whatever the case, they seemed happy about it. Xing would’ve been, too.
She missed her husband so badly. The man could make her quiver with a look and melt with a hug or a kiss. Now she quivered from his absence and worried she would melt into her sorrow. These three miracles were the only reasons she found any strength to go on; them and her duty to the camp.
A hand fell on her shoulder, startling her from her reverie. Paula took her hand back and apologized. “Just seeing how you’re holding up.”
Jerri looked around and saw all the other children had already gone, and Clarissa was cleaning up after them by herself with Amber strapped to her front. How long had she been brooding? She wiped her eyes and pasted a smile on her face. “By the paint job, but I’ll make it.”
Paula nodded. “Do you need help getting them into bed?”
“Yes, please,” Jerri said with a grateful grin.
Paula nodded and picked up her baby boy, then frowned. “Which one is which?”
Jerri laughed. “That’s Xiaodan. I call him Danny. This one is Chun,” she said as she scooped up her oldest girl and pointed to the younger one, “and that’s April.”
“They’re all very cute.” Paula cuddled Danny in her arms with a soft smile, but her eyes went blank.
“Still worried about Rachelle?” Jerri asked as she carefully took April out of the playpen.
Paula’s smile vanished and she huffed. “She’s out there with that … thing, and God knows how many more. I keep thinking about what happened to Adam—I mean David.”
“Who’s Adam?”
Paula’s eyes fell, then she pulled a photograph from her pocket. The brunette boy looked like a vibrant one, full of energy and spirit. “He would’ve been twelve now. He wanted to check on his friends. I warned him not to go. He just had to sneak out and—” Her eyes quickly welled up with tears. “I never saw him again.” Then she broke down and cried.
Jerri let her colleague bawl into her son’s shoulder, even though she wanted to do the same. “I’m sorry for your loss, but you don’t have to worry about Rachelle. Didi and Cody taught her well. I’ll bet they’re on their way back with lots of good stuff; maybe even a petite dress for you.”
Paula briefly laughed through her sobs and bounced Danny on her hip. Near the door, Clarissa sadly dismissed herself, gently patting Amber’s back.
“Just have faith,” Jerri urged as she led them out of the School Room. “They’ll come back safe and sound.”
*****
“When I hit town earlier, I figured I’d restock my liquor here,” the smooth-talking giant said while plucking four tulip glasses from his black marble bar. He topped them off with single-malt Scotch, something Cody hadn’t seen in a very long time. It’s sharp aroma teased so badly. “The masses in there vetoed. A little pushy, if you ask me.”
“Maybe they just needed time to get to know you first,” Rachelle said with an engrossed look in her big brown eyes, the first sign of such interest Cody had ever seen in her.
Their host smiled gratefully at her and offered Didi a drink.
“I don’t drink anymore,�
� Didi said with an affable grin, though her eyes bore a skepticism only Cody and a few others recognized. He gave his own drink a look. Nothing stood out.
The big man nodded. “I respect that.”
“I’ll take it,” Rachelle eagerly said as she reached for a drink.
Their host laughed in a way that even Cody didn’t find insulting. “I’m afraid not, little darlin’. Even at the end of the world, I won’t contribute to minors.”
Rachelle pouted but perked right up when the smooth Southerner handed her the first bottle of chilled root beer Cody had seen in two years.
Their host raised his glass, toasted them all with, “To living,” and downed its contents.
The others tipped their glasses to him and repeated his toast. Isaac knocked his drink back without further hesitation. A delighted moan followed Rachelle’s first mouthful.
Cody sipped just enough to avoid offense. Its smoky body tingled both his taste buds and his sinuses. Its rich finish begged for more, but he kept himself in check.
“Are you alone, Mister ...?” Didi asked as subtly as she could.
Their host smacked the side of his head and offered Didi a handshake. “I am sorry, ma’am. Where are my manners? I’m Kenneth Thibeault the Fourth. Y’all can call me Kenny.”
Didi stared him down like a hawk would a mouse.
Cody shook the gentleman’s hand for her. “Cody Montgomery,” he said as he tried to keep up with the bigger man’s Indian wrestler grip. “These are my friends Isaac Yancey, Rachelle Ortega, and Didi.”
A curious frown crossed Kenny’s face. “Just Didi?”
“Just Didi,” she parroted.
Kenny nodded, then eyed her sheathed sword with an expression Cody couldn’t quite place. “That’s a mighty fine blade you have there. Any more like it where I might happen by?”
She continued staring him down, which made Cody a little nervous. “One of a kind, I’m afraid,” he answered for her, hoping not to incur her wrath later.
Kenny nodded again with an odd grin Cody couldn’t discern and began spinning stories of his origins. A genuine cowboy to the core, the Texan spent his life raising livestock. He also proclaimed himself a properly-raised gentleman with the greatest respect for all he hosted, which was—as he put it—regrettably rare anymore. His only mistake was relying on the military safe zone in Fort Hood, which he barely escaped when its Hesco barrier walls failed to stop the spread of the plague. He returned to his ranch and left home forever in his R.V. in search of some company to start again.
The whole time, Didi hadn’t moved an inch. Something bugged her.
Cody didn’t see any immediate danger from the proud Texan. He had no problems relaying his own story of growing up in San Clemente and Myrtle Beach or his time in the military—minus a few details for the moment. He laughed with the other two at their enormous host’s stories for hours before he noticed it was getting dark outside.
Isaac looked a lot happier with a few drinks in him. It was fascinating to learn how close he was to meeting—possibly fighting—Didi and Cody in Chicago two years prior. The Washington Park native admitted to being a convicted car thief and occasional drug mule whose parole officer tried to eat him. He and his younger brother had claimed his neighborhood with their friends, protecting their families from living gangs and dead mobs. Unfortunately for him, infighting led them on a suicide mission that claimed the others, and he alone set out to find his older brother in northern California. One wrong turn later, he ended up breaking down near the Herrins, who reluctantly took him in without knowing a mob had followed him to their walled-off farm. It was lucky for all of them Didi felt like messing with the boneheads on the way back from Storm Lake. Cody had to wonder if Isaac might’ve seen Didi dance at a club one night and forgotten, a sight which—when she was alive—was unforgettable.
Despite being left out of the substance of the party, Rachelle had been charmed by Kenny’s wit—among other attributes she kept trying not to look too hard at—enough to open up to him a great deal more than to Didi and Cody. Cody knew why Rachelle had spent time in the La Crosse County Juvenile Detention Center, but he didn’t know she had been put up to it. Sadly, it was the boy who took her virginity that talked her into breaking into a wealthy woman’s estate and stealing her prized jewelry—including the baby doll cameo on her neck—only to leave her holding the bag when the owner returned with a security guard. She never saw the boy again, but wished she would’ve found him as a zombie to personally run him through. A vicious streak lived in that girl, which apparently led to her woodworking hobby in juvie; a hobby she used to fashion half the Isolation weapons as well as trinkets for the people in the camp. He was glad Didi had such been a good role model for her.
“How about you, ma’am?” Kenny asked Didi. “What’s your life been like?”
Cody grew very curious how Didi would handle the question. She hadn’t once taken her eyes off of Kenny. Through a cosmetic grin, she said, “Short.”
Kenny nodded as he poured another round. “This nasty plague cut a lot of lives short. Turned decent men and women into animals or outright monsters. I believe a beautiful flower like you should be nurtured by the right caretaker for as long as possible.”
Didi’s eyes fell briefly onto Cody, then the floor. He felt honored and hurt, again wishing they could’ve met a few years prior.
Kenny glanced between Cody and Didi. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to overstep my bounds.”
Despite being true, Cody waved him off. “No issue. We just work together.”
Kenny smiled sagely, then his eyes narrowed at Didi. “Now that I think of it, I feel I may have seen you somewhere before.”
“It’s highly likely,” she said with an amused grin. “I used to be an actress.”
“Really,” Kenny said with reverence. “Did you win any awards?”
“AVN’s best new starlet,” she replied, which left Kenny confused. “I was in adult films.”
Kenny nodded and raised his glass to her. “I hope you got everything you wanted out of it.”
She just shrugged.
Cody glanced out the window, found nothing moving outside, and stood. “Well, it’s getting late. We should be going.”
Kenny stood with them. “How ‘bout I drop y’all off? No moon tonight. Pretty dangerous.”
“We’re good, thanks,” Didi said as she removed herself from the pillar.
Isaac and Rachelle shook hands with their host and filed out. Cody followed suit but waited when Kenny offered Didi a handshake and said, “It was a genuine pleasure to meet such lively folks. I hope to see y’all again soon.”
As the patient Southern gentleman lingered, Didi finally shook his hand. “I’m sure you will,” she said, then stepped out.
Hoping to diffuse any tension Didi may have caused, Cody thanked Kenny for the drinks.
“Don’t mention it,” Kenny said kindly. “I’m still aiming for that liquor, so I’ll be here for a while if you want another snort sometime.”
“Deal,” Cody said with a grin, then exited the R.V. He ran up to Didi and the others marching back the way they came and waited until they were far enough from the R.V. before asking, “What was that all about?”
“I don’t trust him,” she replied.
“Why’s that?” Isaac asked. “He was cool for a redneck.”
“Yeah,” Rachelle chimed in. “He was all gentleman-like.”
Didi nodded. “Oh, yeah. He was very hospitable. And very large.”
“Boy, was he,” Rachelle added with a little grin she quickly tried to hide.
“So the man had some muscle,” Isaac argued. “That don’t mean he’ll be all ‘roid rage.”
Didi stopped in Isaac’s face. “You don’t stay that big without being well fed. Not too many loners can do that, and I don’t recall seeing a lot of shelf-stables in there.”
“Maybe he got enough along the way,” Rachelle suggested. “What if he took some of the crops from th
e farms around here?”
Didi smirked. “Yeah, the fields around here are pretty bare, aren’t they? Massive farms for three miles around, all emptied by him alone?”
Cody started connecting the dots. “He did say he arrived today. Even the four of us couldn’t harvest that much in that time.”
Didi grinned and nodded like a teacher. “And he didn’t even ask where we were staying.”
Isaac and Rachelle’s faces slowly showed agreement. “Yeah,” the former said. “Maybe he’s workin’ with that guy Pat. Maybe that’s why he didn’t ask; he already knows.”
Rachelle nodded droopily. “It makes sense.”
“So, you think he’s playing us?” Cody asked.
Didi turned and walked away. “I think we found another spy.”
CHAPTER 20
MONSTERS IN THE DARK
For the last two hours, Isaac drove himself nuts staring out the window at all the face-munchers stumbling around the neighborhood. He froze his ass off in some dead stranger’s house because Didi and Cody didn’t want some slow-ass R.V. following them back to Sibley, even if the big dude already knew where they lived. And who claimed to be watching his ass up front while he could go ahead and get some rest? A dead fucking porn star who could indulge in a little midnight Isaac snack whenever she wanted. It was like an addict guarding a crack house.
On the other hand, his options were pretty limited. The trip that stranded him in this nowhere region taught him that driving at night was dangerous. He couldn’t see anything, but everything could see his headlights. It was like screaming, come eat me.
Cody was out like a light. The guy had to have seen some heavy combat in his Army days to have nerves like that. He had no problem with Didi watching the place for them since she never slept. Of course, he spent the last two years buddying up to her—after waking her up in the first place. People like him and Craig—the dude who stuffed her—had nothing to worry about.
Isaac, however, was new to them. Why would she miss him? Because she said she cared? Because she believed in God? Whatever the case, it was definitely going to take some time to get used to shacking up with the Death Doll.
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