The Aftermath Trilogy (Book 2): The Aftermath [Town of the Dead]

by Smith, Daniel

  “This way I think that is the Mayor and Commander Hudson,” he said moving off into the crowd.

  Moving among the jostling people Dan spotted the familiar form of John searching the crowd. He pulled Katrina towards him to see him standing next to his wife Cindy looking worried.

  Cindy saw him first her face going pale at the sight of Dan’s injured leg. She franticly tugged on John’s arm. Turn his eyes widening spotting them as he used his large form to push throw the crowd towards them. Cindy look like she was about to cry.

  “Have you see Mary,” he asked quickly. “I knew something bad would happen.”

  “She is fine,” Dan responded watching relief cross Cindy’s face.

  “Where is she,” she quickly asked.

  “Coming with the second load,” Dan replied.

  John looked stunned as Cindy frowned.

  “Second load,” John asked.

  Dan nodded his head looking at both of them.

  “Commander Hudson is making a second run. She is helping prepare it. And she is fine,” he reassured them.

  Cindy hugged John who looked relieved as he looked down at his leg.

  “What happened and sorry welcome back,” he quickly said.

  Dam shook his head and laughed slightly as Cindy looked at Katrina with her arm around him a smile coming to her face.

  “That is a story for dinner when Mary gets back,” he started saying as an uniformed police officer moved up to John.

  “Sorry Cindy,” he started saying.

  “John work needs you to report in now,” he said.

  John looked down at Cindy who shook her head slightly but smiled.

  “See you when you get home,” she told him as he moved off. Turning to Dan and Katrina still smiling.

  “Let us know about dinner and take care,” she said moving off into the crowd.

  Katrina looked at Dan for a second.

  “Mary’s parents,” she asked.

  He started to nod stopping to raise his hand to wave at someone. Turning Katrina saw Sandra pushing her way towards them. Before he could say anything she pulled him into a tight hug.

  “I am glad you're home safe she said smiling, then turning to Katrina.

  “I am glad you are to,” she added.

  “Commander Hudson told me about your leg,” she said.

  Katrina smiled as Sandra let go of Dan. Stepping back to looked at his injured leg.

  “We are to,” he replied over the crowds noise.

  For some reason the crowds noise was bothering him less. He watched Sandra looking at all the trucks that were stopping or passing by heavily loaded.

  “This will help the town a lot,” she said proudly.

  Dan just nodded his head as he looked at her.

  “Good I was wondering if we could renegotiate my terms,” he started slowly as Sandra turned to look at him funny.

  “I was wondering about getting one of the vacant shops on Main Street for us to set up in,” Dan stated.

  Sandra’s face looked puzzled at him. Before looking clearly for the first time at Katrina with her arm around his waist.

  “Us,” she questioned with a smile. Dan nodded.

  “Katrina is staying with me,” he said.

  Sandra move forward brushing past Dan to hug Katrina.

  “Congratulations,” she said as Katrina hugged her back.

  “Thank you,” she said in her slow southern drawl.

  Sandra leaned in a little closer and whispered in Katrina's ear.

  “You do realize he has no clue what he's getting into,” she whispered before moving back. Katrina smiled widely.

  “I know,” she stated.

  Before she could said more Dan spotted the slight form of Commander Hudson walking towards them to the milling crowd.

  “Mayor,” he said in a way of a greeting as Sandra turned to him smiling.

  “Well done,” she started but Commander Hudson stopped her.

  “Do I have clearance for what I proposed,” he said quietly. Sandra nodded her smile fading a little bit.

  “Yes but can it wait a few minutes you just got here,” she said as Commander Hudson shook his head, removing a radio from his belt.

  “There is no time,” he said keying the radio. “Unhook the trailers and get to the staging area,” he said into the radio.

  A loud blast of a horn stopping their conversation as they turned. To look at a Humvee slowly trying to pick a way through the crowd reluctantly parting before it.

  Watching as the M one thousand and thirty-eight a four-door version, this one with a hard-shell cab the cargo area open. Painted in green, brown and black patches of a woodland camouflage paint design stopped in the middle-of-the-road a few yards in front of them. After a moment the doors struggled to open in the milling crowd. Allowing three people to exit the Humvee the first two where soldiers while the third man wore a loud colorful Hawaiian shirt.

  “Great,” Dan muttered at seeing it.

  “That is the ugliest shirt I have ever seen,” Katrina said looking at the loud colorful shirt Mr. Pennington wore.

  Sandra smiled looking at Katrina.

  “I agree,” she said her smile fading as they started walking towards them.

  “They are here sooner than I thought,” Commander Hudson said quietly.

  The three of them watched, as the three newcomers looked at the group of disarmed soldier from the roadblock. Escorted from the back of the the M one thousand and twenty-five formed into a group standing near it. Watched by some self-defense force members, looking unhappy as a large group of town people stood around them at times laughing at something that one of the self-defense force members would say.

  The man’s face in the loud shirt showing displeasure at the sight of the disarmed soldiers. Standing under guard by the town’s self-defense force Humvee with the 50 caliber machine gun mounted on it. With a group of the town residents laughing and making fun of them.

  “Go sort that out,” Mr. Pennington said leaning over to the solider on his left.

  Watching him leave before moving forward again towards them. Commander Hudson made a motion to one of the self-defense force members watching the soldiers. Dan watched as the self-defense force member nodded her head in acknowledgment of the jester he had made as she started herding the soldiers toward there Humvee.

  “I will handle this,” Sandra started to say with a sigh.

  “No,” Dan said motioning for her to stop as he started to limp forward Katrina helping him slightly.

  “I will,” he said.

  “Are you sure,” Commander Hudson said quietly.

  Dan did not turn to him when he answered.

  “Yes,” was all he said continuing to move forward.

  He did not look back at the frown crossing Sandra's face as Commander Hudson motioned a self-defense member over to him.

  “Grab a few others and keep an eye on them. There will be no trouble,” he said before hurriedly moving off into the crowd towards the baby blue Peterbilt that had just finished unhooking the trailer it was towing.

  Dan and Katrina stopped watching the almost orange face Mr. Pennington in his loud Hawaiian shirt approach followed by two soldiers. Unaware of the self-defense force members and police surrounding them. He stopped several feet in front of them looking unhappily about as he looked at the group of soldiers now standing by the Humvee the self-defense force members leaving them there. His frown growing as his eyes counted them before turning his attention back to Dan.

  “She is missing did you kill her,” the businesslike voice of Mr. Pennington asked.

  Dan stood silently in front of him watching the loud colors of his shirt as he fidgeted slightly.

  “I figured one of you would be dead,” he started trying to elicit an answer from Dan.

  “No I did not,” Dan responded as a smile crept onto his face. He could see the disbelief in Mr. Pennington's eyes.

  “I was not that kind,” he said smiling.
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  Katrina let out a soft chuckle. Causing a confuse look to cross Mr. Pennington's face. Who with the two soldiers looked around for a moment before he finally turned his attention back to them.

  “Then where he she,” his businesslike voice demanded

  Dan shrugged, thinking this was his playing for keeps voice.

  “I honestly don't know. But the last time I saw her she was almost in the same spot she was when we left her,” Dan said as he watched the growing puzzlement on Mr. Pennington's face.

  “Are you telling me you just left her out there,” he said sounding shocked. Dan just nodded his head at this.

  “You can go asked your soldiers if you think they will tell you the truth,” he said.

  Mr. Pennington spun on the Lieutenant next to him.

  “Lieutenant get the other soldiers and the Humvees,” Mr. Pennington ordered.

  Making a motion towards the subdued looking soldiers gathered around the Humvees. Under the watchful eyes of the self-defense force as the townspeople gathered around laughing at something one of the self-defense force members where saying as they turned to leave.

  The Lieutenant walked right past the two men standing under the shade of a tree. Taking no notice of the man in his late forties wearing a dark navy blue suit his watery brown eyes watching the milling crowd. He took time to wipe the perspiration from his prominent bald spot on the front of his head displaying the graying hair around the sides of his head.

  The other man wearing the civilian version of the woodland camouflage uniform of the Lieutenant. A baseball cap allowing long brown hair to escape.

  Council Member Jarvis frowned as he looked around at all the big rigs dropping off their trailers as Police officers started taking up stations to guard them.

  “Well this blows any chance of you getting elected Mayor,” the baseball cap wearing man said.

  Watching the people hurriedly working on the street.

  “With this haul the people will love her,” he added.

  The watery brown eyes of Jarvis turned to the man.

  “It does not matter and changes nothing,” he said looking over at the soldiers.

  Watching as a sergeant saluted the Lieutenant. As a brief exchange of words took place.

  “At least they have the discipline to salute their superior,” Jarvis whined as he looked at several self-defense force members moving off.

  The baseball cap man rolled his eyes behind Jarvis’s back waiting for him to turn around.

  “I do not see Captain Jones,” Jarvis started to say.

  “Do you think the mayor’s brat killed her,” baseball cap man asked.

  Jarvis frowned at this as he looked around the street again looking for her.

  “Will that scrap your plan,” baseball cap man continued.

  Jarvis spun on him the angry look on his face causing baseball cap man to suppress the urge to laugh.

  “No only delay it,” Jarvis spat out.

  “As I said she was expendable,” he finished turning to see the Lieutenant approach Mr. Pennington.

  Watching as Mr. Pennington exchanged words with Dan. Jarvis turned his attention back to the baseball cap man.

  “I will just need time to renegotiate the deal,” Jarvis said.

  Mr. Pennington looked around as he started noticing the big rig trucks pulling off down the street minus the trailers left sitting on the street under the guard of the police. The yellow buses pulling up no one on board allowing new people to start climbing aboard once filled they pulled out following the big rigs.

  “Where are they going,” Mr. Pennington started to ask before turning to see Dan smile growing even bigger.

  “No clue,” he said.

  Mr. Pennington let out a snort.

  “Now you are just lying without making an effort,” he snapped watching the buses pull out.

  “Like a cheap rug,” Dan responded.

  Snapping Mr. Pennington’s attention away from the buses. Stepping off towards the Humvees Mr. Pennington glared at him.

  “Are you going out to get her,” he asked casually.

  Mr. Pennington shoulder length blonde hair barely moved as he stopped to look at him, his face silhouetted for a moment, but he did not answer.

  “Because if you are I have something for you,” Dan replied to his inquiring look.

  “I don't have time for this,” he started to say turning.

  Stopping as he heard Dan laugh.

  “Unless you're planning to cross the Mississippi in Vicksburg or Natchez you do,” he said stopping Mr. Pennington in his tracks.

  He could see Mr. Pennington's calm manner fading as an angry look started across his face.

  “What,” he said between clenched teeth.

  Dan blowing off the angry tone held up a finger to gesture for him to wait a minute. As he turned with Katrina helping him limp back over to the black Mac truck. He waited as Katrina climbed in the cab and removed a couple of items. She turned handing him something he moved behind his back. She started following with whatever else she took from the cab behind her back. Limping back to where Mr. Pennington stood with the Lieutenant who had returned. Stopping he looked at both of them.

  “If you find her you can give her these back,” he said.

  Enjoying the expression on Mr. Pennington's and the Lieutenant’s face as he swung his left arm from behind his back. Revealing a pair of black combat boots with green socks in them and a pair of green camouflage pants. Katrina swung her hand from around her back, revealing the camouflage blouse and a set of beige women's underwear.

  “You left her out there naked,” Mr. Pennington exploded

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Daniel Smith was born in Orange Ca and grew up in Orange County Ca. After a tour in the United States Marine Corp, he entered collage getting a degree in electronics. After 20 years in the semiconductor industry as a repair technician, he took up writing as a hobby.