"As for those of you who remain, I will keep you safe, that much I promised Jake, so consider yourselves fortunate. I will put you to work, however; everyone here earns their keep."
Malcolm stood and glowered down at them. "Now to pick the two of you who will be leaving us?"
****
Cindy sat quietly next to Judith and tried to pay attention to what Harry Jones had to say, but she couldn't take her mind off the fact that Brooke and the others were in danger. By the look on Judith's face, Cindy realized she was also deep in thought and reached over to pat her hand reassuringly. Judith gave a small start and gave Cindy a guilty smile.
"Sorry," she whispered. "I am so worried right now."
"Me too," Cindy replied. She gave a slight nod toward the door. "Let's excuse ourselves and go outside, all right?"
"Sounds like a plan," Judith said with a nod.
Cindy glanced around her living room, which at the moment was packed with people eager to hear Harry's story of how he came to be at Shady Oaks. She stood and grabbing Judith by the forearm, pulled her up.
"Need a little air, carry on without us," she said quickly with a wave of her hand and a quick smile for Harry. They wove their way through the crowd as fast as they could and both exhaled loudly when they exited onto the broad front porch.
They stood quietly for a moment, surveying their surroundings before Judith sighed and sat down on the front steps.
"I am hoping to hear from the boys at any time," Cindy said as she joined her friend. "We haven't heard anything from Mick or Charlie, either and they promised to stay in touch." She carefully set the walkie down between them and patted it. "The boys are probably radio silent, but hopefully it won't be much longer."
Judith glanced at her friend's worried face. "I'm thinking positive; they will call in and let us know everyone and everything is just fine. As for Mick and Charlie, I'm sure they've lost track of time as usual."
Cindy nodded in response then straightened her spine when she felt something rub against her back. Smiling, she turned and picked up the small purring creature. "Moses! I was wondering where you were!"
Judith pointed at the gray tabby now sitting on Cindy's lap. "Don't you think it's strange how there were no cats around until we startled settling into the houses. Then they seemed to appear out of thin air and went about their business like nothing happened."
Cindy grinned at the still purring cat on her lap. "I agree, it was strange, it's like they hid out until things settled down then came strolling back in demanding dinner."
Judith laughed and reached over to scratch Moses behind his ears. The cat responded by purring louder, making them both chuckle.
She sighed again as she gazed out over the yard and beyond. "I really don't think I can sit here and wait for something to happen."
"Well, what should we do?" Cindy gently placed the cat on the porch and stood up to face her friend. "Would take us a while to find Mick and Charlie, and it would be dark before we even got close to the lake if we went up there."
"Yeah, it's too bad we couldn't fly up there and back," Judith grumbled. Suddenly her eyes widened and she jumped up excitedly. "Hey! We can't fly, but we know someone who can!"
Cindy's mouth opened in surprise. "Are you serious? Do you really think he would?"
Judith was already reaching for the door. "We won't know unless we ask!"
Cindy scurried up the steps and quickly followed Judith inside. Harry was no longer the center of attention, the group had broken up and were now chatting in small groups. She waited just inside the door while Judith threaded her way back over to Harry, where she bent and whispered in his ear. He gave her a quick grin, nodded, and stood up to follow her out.
Cindy gave him a smile when they approached and she stepped aside, holding the door for them to go through first.
Wasting no time, Judith turned to Harry. "We have a big favor to ask of you."
Harry raised his eyebrows as he gave her a quizzical look.
"You met Charlie and Mick earlier today, when you first landed. They were on their way to check with our people out on the perimeter of town because there's a group of mercenary-type people up on Fletcher's Mountain who are very dangerous. They took Cindy and Mick's daughter," she said with a wave toward Cindy. "They also have Charlie's daughter and both their boyfriends, and for some reason they're holding them hostage."
Cindy watched as Harry raised his eyebrows even higher. "There's a few military platoons around still, one of them we are friendly with," Cindy interjected. "My two sons went up there with them to find out what's going on and we haven't heard from them," she said with a tremor in her voice that surprised her.
She realized she was a little more distraught than she cared to admit. She gave herself a mental shake and looked directly into Harry's eyes. "We'd like to ask you to consider flying up the mountain to take a quick look, assess the situation if it's possible, and then come back and let us know what you saw. You may be able to give us an idea of what we need to do to help them up there."
Harry rubbed his whiskered chin thoughtfully as he gazed at each woman. "I would love to help you out, but I'm almost out of fuel. Also, I'd like to have a co-pilot if that's possible. I did some modifications to the Huey so it would be easier to fly on my own, but another pair of hands would help a lot."
Both women glanced at each other, frowning, before Judith snapped her fingers and grinned. "I do know where we may be able to get some fuel, but we'll have to go up to where Bitsy and Travis are, the farmer there has a small hangar on his property - if I remember right he does some crop dusting for other farms in the area."
"We'll need to grab some fuel cans from the hardware store, it's on the way," Cindy said as she headed down the steps.
"How long is it going to take to get the fuel and get back?" Harry asked as he followed her. "This probably doesn't need saying, but I need to be up there before dark to be of any use, and if you know of someone who can go with me they can show me where to go."
Cindy stopped and turned to face him. She glanced at Judith then looking past her friend, she chuckled. Puzzled, both Judith and Harry turned to follow her gaze.
They watched the Mark emerge from Cindy's house and head straight for them. He looked up and stopped to see all three of them smiling at him. "Umm, what's up?" Mark asked, smiling slightly himself.
Cindy walked up and tapped him lightly on the chest. "You are," she quipped with a chuckle at the confused look on his face and tapped him again. "Or rather, you will be."
Judith walked over and took him by the arm. "We need you to do us a little favor..."
Watching the two women, Harry shook his head and followed along as they explained their plan to Mark.
Chapter Nine
Mick knew Malcolm would pick either him or Charlie to be one of the two to go outside, and it had to be him. If he picked Charlie, their plan would go right down the toilet, as Dexter was fond of saying. Almost before he could think it through, he stood up.
"I want to go, I believe my sons are out there and I want to make sure they're okay and that they stay out of this mess," he said in a firm voice while staring right into Malcolm's eyes.
"I see," Malcolm said calmly, raising an eyebrow as he thought about Mick's statement. "Perhaps you've come to your senses and realize the work we're doing here is important?"
Mick swallowed and slowly nodded. "Um, sure. I can see that this research could help a lot of people." He didn't dare say more; afraid he would give away his true dislike of the man and his ideas.
"I'm feeling generous, so I will agree to let you go," Malcolm said with a small smile. He looked at the group sitting around him. "Anyone else want to volunteer?" He looked pointedly at Brooke. "Except for you, I'm sure you understand why I would have to say no."
Brooke glared back for a moment before turning away with her arms folded and a frown on her face. Malcolm chuckled and once again glanced around. "Anyone?"
Mick notice
d Charlie and Jenny were staring at one another. Charlie nodded slightly and she shook her head and frowned. Then she turned and looked at Jimmy, then back at her father. Charlie sighed softly and nodded again. Jenny grinned and without looking, shoved her elbow hard into Jimmy's side, causing him to shout and jump to his feet. Seeing his chance, Mick grabbed Jimmy's arm and turned to Malcolm before the boy could speak.
"All right, you have two of us. We'll tell Captain Sears exactly what you said."
"Make sure he understands that my men will be back before dusk. He needs to be gone by then," Malcolm remarked curtly. He waved a hand toward the entrance. "After you."
Giving Charlie one more meaningful glance and receiving a tiny smile in return, Mick gave a curt nod to Malcolm and still gripping Jimmy by the arm, headed outside with Malcolm on their heels.
Two men outside tensed when they saw Mick and Jimmy emerge, but at Malcolm's appearance they both relaxed but continued to stay vigilant, watching their every move.
Malcolm addressed the guards. "Escort these two to the edge of camp and let them go; they carry a message intended for the good Captain."
Malcolm spun on his heel and retreated back into the tent. One of the men nudged Mick with his rifle. To Mick, he looked like an angry bullfrog, short and squat with large bulging brown eyes. The other guard was a lot younger and taller, almost pleasant looking with a round face, freckles, and bright blue eyes under an unruly mass of blond hair.
"You heard the man, get going," Bullfrog growled, giving Mick another nudge.
Mick held up a hand. "All right, stop poking me with that thing, we're going."
Mick turned and headed for the open meadow and Jimmy followed close behind. To his surprise, the other guard ran in front of them and stopped. "No! Not that way!"
At their quizzical look, the young man swallowed and glanced at Bullfrog before continuing. "No one goes into the meadow or near the lake, Malcolm's orders." He pointed to their right. "We walk around."
Mick shrugged and gave Jimmy a quick glance before turning to the young man. "No problem, would you like to lead?"
He swallowed again and nodded. "Sure, follow me, but no funny stuff."
"You got it," Mick said with a shake of his head.
The meadow was large and it took them nearly forty minutes to travel halfway around. Mick saw several military vehicles parked along the tree line, but no one was in sight. Bullfrog raced ahead of them and held up a hand for them to stop.
"This is where we part ways," he growled, using his rifle to point toward the vehicles. "Go."
Without a word, Mick once again grabbed Jimmy by the arm and propelled him along at a rapid pace. He could feel the guards' eyes boring into their backs and he wanted nothing more than to get away from their stares and their guns. Wouldn't do to be shot in the back at this point - wouldn't do at all.
To his relief, as soon as they reached the first jeep a young soldier stepped out from behind a tree and motioned them forward. Once they reached him, it seemed as though several pairs of hands grabbed them and shoved them further into the trees.
Suddenly no one was shoving them and they both staggered and stopped. They were surrounded by soldiers, but Mick only had eyes for Sean and Scott, who were flanking the captain and solemnly staring at them.
Captain Sears strode forward and gave them a big smile. First shaking Mick's hand and then Jimmy's he said, "Our scouts saw you coming, I'm surprised Malcolm would let anyone go."
"He has a message for you," Jimmy replied.
Mick raised an eyebrow in surprise as he glanced at the boy, but decided to let him talk. Jimmy seemed to have gained back some of his courage since they were once again among friends and Mick let him run with it. To tell the truth, he was happy to let Jimmy deliver the message while he talked with his sons.
As they approached, he stepped back and waved them over. After receiving a big hug from both of them, he looked them over carefully.
"Looks like you two are okay," he said with a grin. "Your mother and I were worried about you."
Sean's smile turned into a frown. "Is that why you're up here? Do you have any idea what was going through our minds when we saw you and Charlie being marched inside that tent?"
"I can't believe Mom would let you come up here," Scott interjected. At the look on Mick's face, his eyes widened. "Does Mom know?"
Mick shook his head and to his chagrin, dropped his eyes to the ground like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. He looked up at their disapproving faces.
"No, we didn't tell anyone. We're supposed to be checking on the patrols around town."
Not liking the feeling he was experiencing, he raised his head and jutted out his chin. "Now you two can quit looking at me like that, you're my sons and I have every right to make sure you're okay, even if it meant doing a little sneaking around."
They looked at each other in surprise and then Sean frowned again. "A little sneaking around?" he repeated. "What you did could have put this mission in jeopardy."
At Mick's stricken look, Sean softened his voice and put an arm on his father's shoulder. "Look, we know you were only trying to help, and we appreciate that."
Scott nodded and Sean continued. "But you have to realize that we're grown men now, not little kids, and we do know how to take care of ourselves. I know that sometimes it might not seem that way because we like to joke around so much, that's just our way of coping, but when we're on a mission or protecting our family or friends, we're all business."
Mick sighed. "I know. In my head, I know. But in here," he said while tapping his chest. "I don't know. When I see you two head off to do something I know is probably dangerous, it takes everything inside of me to not run after you and try to stop you."
Mick nodded toward the men assembled around Jimmy. "Let's drop this for now; I'm sure you two don't want to miss everything."
At their nods, Mick let out a small sigh of relief as they turned and he quietly followed his sons back to the group. He allowed himself to think for a moment about everyone back at the tents and crossed his fingers that the plan he concocted with Charlie would work. Heck, it had to work, Mick thought grimly, or they were all in big trouble.
****
Two farm dogs, one a rotund beagle and the other a lively and much younger border collie, escorted Cindy's truck with sharp barks and baying all the way down the drive to the McKenzie home. Driving past the house, she pointed ahead.
"This is a big farm and for now they produce most of the meat we get. There are two barns and three big fenced areas for the chickens and pigs, with the cattle in a couple of pastures up by the hangar."
She glanced at Harry, who was sitting beside her, before dodging a large dip in the dirt road. Judith and Mark were behind them in the fairly roomy back seat of the king cab having a quiet discussion of their own. "We should run into Bitsy and Judith's son, Travis, and Mr. McKenzie should be with them."
Harry nodded, leaned forward, and squinted. He pointed toward a battered white pickup parked next to the last barn. Both barns were painted the traditional red with white trim and he was impressed at how neat and in good repair everything appeared.
"Think that could be them?"
"Hope so, I don't want to spend any more time trying to find them."
Cindy pulled up next to the other truck and as she shut the engine off and looked up, saw Bitsy and Travis round the corner of the barn, each carrying a cardboard box full of cartons of eggs for the town. Following behind was Mr. McKenzie, who spotted them first as they piled out of the truck and headed their way.
The farmer waved and when Bitsy looked up and saw her uncle, she stopped dead in her tracks and would have dropped the box she was carrying if not for Mr. McKenzie's quick thinking. One look at her and he reached over and took the box from her. She let out a combination of a squeal and a scream and flew toward Harry.
Throwing herself at him, Harry scooped her up and gave her a long hug. Cindy felt tears spring to
her eyes when she heard Bitsy sobbing into Harry's neck. Everyone stood quietly until Bitsy pulled back to stare into her uncle's face.
"I can't believe it's really you!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide and her face wet with tears. He set her back on her feet and she clutched his arm, still staring at him. "When and how did you get here?"
"I got here by helicopter and then these fine people brought me out here," he said with a grin toward Cindy and the others. He glanced back toward Mr. McKenzie. "They need my help, but I need fuel. We were hoping you might have some to spare."
At the farmer's nod, he grinned, walked over and held out a hand. "By the way, I'm Harry Jones and it's nice to meet you."
Further introductions were quickly made and after grabbing the gas cans from the truck bed, the group quickly hurried over to the fuel tanks. Within ten minutes all the cans were full. Placing the last can in the back, Harry turned to Cindy. "If it's all right, I'd like to ride back with Bitsy and Travis."
"Oh certainly," Cindy said with a big smile. She gave Harry a pat on the shoulder. "Besides, I don't think Bitsy will let you out of her sight for awhile and I know you have a lot of catching up to do."
"We do, I know she's going to ask me what happened to her parents and aunt, and that's one story I'm not looking forward to telling, but she has a right to know. My wife, Lana, and Bitsy's mom and dad were watching me from a nearby building while I was getting the Huey ready for flight. There were no zombies anywhere, so when I finished my preflight checks I motioned for them to come to me. I guess the noise drew the zombies out from somewhere close by and before I knew it, they were surrounded and literally torn to pieces right before my eyes."
Harry took a shaky breath and continued. "There was nothing I could do. When even more of those things headed my way I had no choice but to fly out of there. I didn't have enough fuel to get far, unfortunately. I think I was in shock; the first few days are a blur and some things I don't remember. I did manage to find enough fuel to get here, my one and only goal was getting to Bitsy, so here I am."
Zombified (Book 2): Shady Oaks Page 6
