by Steven Pajak
“Thanks.” I left them to their business.
I entered the house and stepped into the kitchen. It was empty but I could hear movement from one of the other rooms. Entering the family room, I called out, “Bob?”
“Yeah?” he responded. “Who’s there?”
“It’s Matt.”
I leaned over and set my bag down on the sofa and leaned my SKS against the sofa arm. Bob entered the room as I stood up. He had a big smile on his face.
“Hey fearless leader,” Bob said. “What a fine morning, huh?”
I couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiasm. “It sure is. And it looks like you’re off to a good start.”
“Oh, yeah,” he said. “I feel like I got so much done since last night. You know, when I was a patrolman I never realized how much work it was for the sergeants getting rosters and teams set up each morning. It takes some thought and time but I’m digging it.”
“Show me what you’ve done, Bob.” I took a seat on the sofa.
“Let me grab my stuff,” he said, walking quickly back toward the room he’d been in just moments ago.
I did a sight check on my SKS while I waited for Bob to return. I had one round in the chamber and the safety was switched on; I was ready to go.
I hadn’t had much time to think about last night. When we returned from Providence I was so tired I actually went to bed after a brief planning session with Brian and Bob. Now that I had a moment, I considered how many people I’d actually killed in the last couple of days. Well, they weren’t exactly people, not anymore, but still, I’d killed at least seven or eight, maybe as many as ten.
I’d never hesitated. That shook me a bit. That first crazy I’d shot had been pure reaction. I didn’t consider the circumstances, didn’t consider the consequences, I just lined up my shot and took it.
What kind of person had I become in seventy-two hours?
Bob returned carrying a mid-size white board on a tripod and a few notebooks. He set up the board and lay the notebooks on the coffee table.
Using one of the markers as a pointer, Bob went to the board. “As you can see, I’ve created basically three divisions. We have administrative, patrol and sentry.
“Administrative is basically me and a couple of aides responsible for booking, paperwork, and communicating assignments as well as replacements, all that jazz.
“Right now I have Dennis and Rory but if we actually have to detain anyone, I’ll have to get more help. Charlie is acting as my deputy and he’ll be responsible for whatever comes up if I’m not immediately available.
“As for patrol, I have three three-man teams, each of which will have an eight-hour patrol shift. They’ll use one of the vehicles to cruise around the perimeter of the community in case we’re breached. I have a backup vehicle in case we need to scramble another patrol quickly.
“Sentry is pretty similar to patrol: three teams, three men per team. They’ll stand guard at the main gate and alert us if anything is happening out on the street or in the vicinity. They can call on patrol for backup if need be. I’m working now on getting a reserve group that can fill in any of the areas in case someone gets sick or has to miss a shift for any reason. That’s where I’m at right now.”
“That’s really good work, Bob.”
I really was quite impressed. Both he and Brian had accomplished so much in so little time, both surpassing my expectations, and I was greatly pleased.
“You’ve really taken this and made it your own, Bob. This is fantastic. You should have taken that sergeant’s exam a long time ago.”
“Thank you,” Bob said, embarrassed by my praise.
“Do you have anyone on patrol or sentry with law enforcement experience?” I asked.
Bob nodded his head. “Actually, there are two guys—Pete Gallagher and Ron Kuznicki—who were patrolmen with our local PD. They’re both team leads for their respective patrols. And we have Al Sanchez who is a retired sergeant from the Chicago PD but works for the Sanitation department now. He’s third patrol team leader. I’m pretty happy about that.”
“What’s the plan for training?” I asked.
“I’m having the men go through two training phases. First is training with the militia. I think that Brian’s training will thoroughly prepare them to fight and engage any threat. They’ll be able to fall into the militia if needed. The second phase of the training, which I hope happens concurrently, will be making arrests, processing and detaining individuals. That’s going to be hard since we’re policing our own.”
“You know, Bob, I came to offer my assistance but it looks like you have things under control. I’d probably be more in the way, so I’m just gonna let you do what you need to do, and if you need anything, just let me know.”
“I appreciate the vote of confidence, chief,” Bob said. “I do need one thing, since you mention it.”
“Name it.”
“We need a couple of shotguns, don’t care what kind, but pump action is preferred. We’re a bit short for patrol.”
“Does everyone else have a weapon?” I asked.
“There’re a lot of folks that hunt deer and waterfowl, so most of them had their own shotgun and bolt action rifle.” Bob laughed at the look on my face. “Why are you so surprised? This isn’t the city. People here actually enjoy their constitutional rights, just like you. Well, you actually enjoy more than others... ”
I laughed. “Yeah, I have this bad habit of assuming things. I just see people around the community and I don’t think of them as the type to go out and shoot deer and duck.”
“Now they’re targeting zombies. Go figure.”
I didn’t correct him by telling him that zombies were arisen dead and these things were still alive; I knew what he meant, and I had other matters to attend.
“I’ll get a couple of shotguns here sometime today. How are you on ammo right now?”
“I think we’re okay for now. I had the guys pool their ammo. They’ve got quite a load of birdshot. We’ll probably need some for the bolt action rifles but I haven’t yet compiled a list of calibers. It would be nice if we all carried the same weapons, though.”
“Well, we’ll see. Maybe we can make that happen.”
“Oh, yeah, more than anything else we need radios. We need to be able to communicate with patrol and vice-versa. I’d say that is even more important than ammo right now.”
“Maybe we can make that happen, too. I’m going on a scavenge run later this afternoon. I’m hoping to grab some ammo somewhere, and I might get lucky and score you and your guys some matching weapons.”
“That would be great. You need help?”
I shook my head. “No. I need you to keep doing what you’re doing. By the way, if possible, could you send a group down to Providence to check in and make sure everything is okay? I want them to know we’re concerned.”
“Already did that, chief,” Bob said, smiling. “If you’re gonna wake up at seven in the morning, you’re gonna miss a few things.”
“I’ve been up since six-thirty, thank you very much,” I said. “So what’s the report?”
“They’re fine. They handled the run of crazies and the rest of the night was quiet. Apparently, those things don’t travel much at night. Frank said he was surprised that the group actually showed up after dark.”
I remembered what Kappy had said the morning after about the crazies sleeping through the night. He seemed to think it was when they regenerated or something. I also remembered having a run-in with some crazies during the night at the Dunkin Donuts, though. Perhaps they slept during the night unless there was something to disturb their sleep.
“That’s good to know,” I said. “I’ll see you later, Bob.”
* * *
Katherine Dudyck was a tall, leggy blonde who lived with her life partner just a few doors down from me. During Desert Storm, Kat served as supply sergeant for one of the battalions in-country.
Although she hadn’t had any combat experience
in the Gulf, she was qualified on the M16 rifle as well as the M9 pistol. That was as important to me as was her experience in supplying a large group of soldiers. She was the perfect choice for my supply officer, and she’d eagerly agreed to take on the role.
Kat opened the door a minute after I knocked. She was wearing a pale green bath robe and her blond hair was wet. She looked pretty as hell, too, but I admonished myself for going there.
“Hello, Matt. Sorry, I just got out of the shower. Come on in.”
She stepped back to admit me and then closed and locked the door. I followed her up the small flight of steps to the main floor of the raised ranch.
“Go on in the kitchen. Sam’s got coffee ready. I’ll be with you shortly.”
“Take your time.”
I watched her walk down the hallway toward her bedroom and then poked my head into the kitchen.
“Good morning, Sam.”
Samantha, or Sam to her friends, was a quite beautiful brunette. Although not as tall and graceful as Kat, Sam was very athletic and had a body to die for. My late wife had often commented that Sam was a knock-out, to which I’d always reply I hadn’t noticed.
“Morning, Matt,” she said. “Can I get you a cup?”
She was wearing a pair of tight gray jogging pants and a pink camisole shirt. Even without makeup she was pretty.
“Absolutely. Thanks.”
I had to avert my eyes. Sammy wasn’t wearing a bra and it was a bit cool in here.
“Put your stuff in the living room,” Sam said as she set about the task of pouring my coffee.
I turned and stepped into the living room to lay my bag on the floor next to the sofa and leaned my SKS against it. I returned to the kitchen and sat at the table. Sam put a mug of great smelling coffee in front of me.
“So how’s it going?” Sam asked as she sipped her brew.
“Everything’s good this morning.”
I was horrible at small talk. My wife had once told me that during our first date she thought I was completely uninterested in her and that trying to have a conversation with me was like pulling teeth.
“I heard you had a big night,” Sam said. She reached across the table and touched my hand. “You weren’t hurt, were you?”
“No,” I said, feeling a bit uncomfortable.
When my wife was alive, we’d had Kat and Sam over a dozen of times for dinner. They were both down-to-earth girls and they were really interesting, but Sam was always a bit too touchy-feely for my taste. It’s always hard for any man when a woman other than his wife gets physical, especially when his wife is in the same room.
“That’s good. We need you now more than ever. We need to take real good care of you.”
“You keep sweet-talking him like that, Sam, and I’m going to get real jealous,” Kat said, entering the kitchen like a model strutting down the catwalk. She’d changed into dark blue jeans and a light blue crew-neck sweater. Her hair was still a bit wet.
“I only have eyes for you, Kat,” Sam said and then winked at me.
Kat poured a cup of coffee and sat in the chair to my left. Her shoulder brushed mine and her elbow rested up against my forearm.
She smiled. “We do need to take care our fearless leader, though.”
Before I realized what was happening, she had set down her coffee and turned and wrapped her arms around me.
With her mouth against my neck she said, “I’m so sorry about Alyssa.”
Sam now had my hand in both of hers and said, “Bob told us. I feel so bad. Alyssa was so sweet. She never judged us and she always had the best advice.”
“And you lost those precious little babies,” Kat muttered against my neck. She broke out into tears then. Her hot breath and warm tears felt like fire against my neck.
I nodded my head slightly. Kat clung to my neck for another minute and then suddenly she released me and kissed my cheek.
“Shit, I need a tissue now,” she said and got up from the table.
Finally Sam let go of my hand. “Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked. “You know you can let your feelings go here.”
“Thank you.” I was uncomfortable than ever. “I’m fine. Thank you for the offer but I’ve done my grieving.”
Kat returned and sat back down. She put her right arm over my shoulder and then picked up her coffee with her left hand.
“Sorry about that. Girl moment. We’re past it now.”
I smiled at that and sipped my own coffee. “I just stopped by to see how things were going and if you needed my help with anything.”
“We are ready to go operational,” Kat said, perking up. “Last night Sam and I started our supply inventory. We had everyone turn over whatever extra supplies they had. Let me tell you, lots of people around here buy in bulk. Everyone was willing to pitch in and we got a pretty good stash going already. I’ll have a supply list for you later this afternoon. Sam and I will also put together a necessities list, as well.
“Do you have someone who will be in charge of medical? We’ll need to work with that person, I guess, to see what critical medical items they’ll need.”
“Not yet, but I have someone in mind. When do you think you’ll have that information?” I asked. “I don’t mean to rush you, but I’m making a supply run this evening, and it would be great if I had a critical list.”
“What time are you leaving?” Kat asked.
“An hour after the sun sets. Let’s say... seven o’clock?”
“Oh, we can have it done by then, no problem.”
“You’re the best, Kat,” I said. “You too, Sammy.”
Sam smiled. I knew she liked when I called her Sammy.
“I’ll stop by the supply depot before I leave. Thank you both so much for what you’re doing.”
“It’s the least we can do,” Kat said.
“I have a lot to do, so I’m going to get going. Thank you for the coffee and for your condolences.”
“Take care,” Sam said.
She got up from her chair and came to me. She took both of my hands in hers and looked me in the eyes.
“Do you want to stay with us here? I know it must be hard to be alone right now. We’d love to have you.”
I blushed a bit, grateful for the invite.
“I appreciate it, Sammy, but I’m not alone. My brother’s with me. Although I’d definitely prefer the company of two beautiful women, he’ll do.”
Sammy kissed my cheek and Kat did the same. It was hard leaving the comfort of two beautiful women when all I had to look forward to was a scraggly drill sergeant living in my family room.
* * *
It was just after noon when I reached Ravi’s townhome. She was alone—her roommates were willing participants in Brian’s boot camp. We sat in the living room, a tray of iced tea on the coffee table.
Ravi was about five-two with black hair and a very light complexion. She resembled a vampire from a popular cable show. She was wearing khaki pants and a black cable knit sweater, and a red headband to hold her hair in place.
“Just so you know, I am not an ER nurse,” Ravi said. “There are probably more things that I can’t handle than I can.”
“I understand, Ravi,” I said.
I poured a glass of iced tea and set it on a coaster in front of me. “Even if you’re not an ER nurse, you know a lot more than the rest of us. I’m sure you’ll do fine.”
Ravi bit her lip. She wasn’t having any of it.
“This seems like such a big responsibility. I don’t know if I want it.”
I smiled. I knew that Ravi was a very capable nurse. As a nurse practitioner, Ravi collaborated on a daily basis with physicians, provided referrals, counseled and educated patients on health behavior, diagnosed and treated acute illnesses and injuries, ordered and performed diagnostic tests, prescribed medications, and also sutured minor wounds.
She was being more than just modest. More than anything, I think she was concerned with being the only person to make important
medical decisions; she would have no doctor to concur with her diagnosis.
“Ravi, I know what nurse practitioners are capable of. And I know what you’re capable of. If I didn’t think you could handle it, I wouldn’t ask you.”
“Thank you for your confidence, but it’s not the same. At the hospital I have equipment, I have medications and colleagues, we have schedules and rotations. Without that there would be too much confusion.”
“Well that’s what I need from you, Ravi. Create schedules and rotations. Help train people and create your own colleagues. I’ll try to get equipment and medications for you. I’ll get you some help, too. I know that David Green was a corpsman in the navy. He can help you deal with severe traumas, God forbid. I really need you to do this, Ravi. We all need you to do this.”
Ravi was silent for a moment, biting her lip. She rubbed her hands together, realized what she was doing, and shoved her hands into her pockets.
“What’s really wrong, Ravi?” I asked. I got up from the sofa, moved to her, and sat beside her on the love seat. “What can I say to get you on board with us?”
She looked at me for a moment and then said, “I’m afraid to make a mistake. I’m afraid to let anyone down. And I am definitely not a leader.”
I took a deep breath, beginning to lose my patience.
“Look, Ravi, you’re the most qualified person we have to be the administrator for our medical unit. You’ve got the experience and the know-how. But I’m not going to force you to do anything you’re not comfortable with. I’ll find another way.”
When she didn’t respond I stood up and walked back to the sofa. I slung my bag over my shoulder and hefted the SKS.
“If you change your mind, let me know. We’d love to have your help.”
Ravi continued to bite her lip and she wouldn’t meet my stare. I walked slowly toward the door and opened it.
Before I crossed the threshold I said, “Kat and Sam are probably going to stop by soon. Would you mind giving them a list of what you feel are critical medications and supplies to have on hand? That would be a big help.”
