by R. J. Spears
My still groggy brain sifted through what I was seeing and did some calculations. Attackers rarely stopped in front of houses they were going to attack. It certainly wasn’t what Jenelle’s group did the first time they arrived on our doorstep. They were cautious but seemed ready to defend their territory if they had to.
Attackers also rarely walked directly up the sidewalk of a house they were going to attack, but there was always a first time. So, we braced ourselves for battle.
Instead of an attack, we got a series of loud knocks at our door. Brother Ed looked over to me, and even in the dim light, I could see that his expression held a question in it. I shrugged my shoulders and put a finger to my lips to let him know it was best that we be quiet.
Someone outside shouted, “Joel!”
Let’s just say that I broke the manliness code and jumped about a foot in the air.
“Joel, it’s Hank. Please let me in,” the voice said, and it did sound like Hank, so I guessed it was him.
“What is it, Hank?” I asked through the door.
“We’ve had an...an accident,” he said through the door. “We need Brent to come out to our place and help us out.”
I unlocked the door and cracked it open a few inches, “What kind of accident?”
Hank didn’t hesitate and pushed his way in. “One of our people got shot,” Hank said. “We don’t have a lot of time. He’s bleeding really bad.”
“Don’t you have someone, a nurse or someone that can help?” Brother Ed asked.
“It’s well past her abilities, we need someone who knows more than she does,” Hank said. “Please.”
“Where’s Jenelle?” I asked.
“She’s out in the truck,” Hank said, as he looked over his shoulder at the truck then back at me. “Listen, I don’t have time for twenty questions. My guy could bleed out at any moment.”
“I don’t run my people,” I replied. “It’s up to Brent. If he wants to go and feels safe, he’ll go, but I’ll go with him.”
“Me, too,” Brother Ed said.
“We don’t have room for two of you,” Hank said, and I could tell he was getting agitated.
“You’ll have to make room,” Brother Ed replied in a tone as tough as I had ever heard him speak.
Footsteps sounded in the hallway behind us, and Brent, Linda, and Jason appeared in the doorway with Jason in the lead. Naveen peeked around the elbows blocking her view, her eyes wide.
Brent said, “I couldn’t help but overhear. You have someone shot?”
“Yes, I think it was an accidental discharge.”
“Where?” Brent asked.
“Why does where it happened make any damn difference?” Hank asked, clearly exasperated.
“No, where on his body was he shot?” Brent asked. “If it’s in the chest or abdomen, then count me out. I’m just a general practitioner. Any knowledge I have of serious thoracic or abdominal surgery is long since forgotten. I’m afraid I’d do more harm than good, and that’s beside the point. I don’t have a surgery suite or anything to anesthetize a patient.”
“He’s shot in the leg. We can’t get the bleeding to stop. We have some things we scavenged from a hospital. Scalpels, sutures, some medicine.”
A car horn sounded outside, two quick honks.
“The clock is ticking down on my guy. What do you say, Doc?” Hank asked, then added, “Please,” which seemed out of character for him.
Brent let out a long breath of air, rubbed hand across his face, the said, “I’ll do what I can but don’t expect any miracles.”
Linda grabbed for his arm, “I don’t think leaving here is such a good idea. Why don’t they bring their man here?”
“There is no time!” Hank shouted, and for a moment, I thought he might go for the pistol hanging in his holster, but he, like Brent, took a deep, calming breath. “Again, I’m begging you. He could die at any minute.”
Brent turned to Linda and said, “It’ll be okay. I’ll do what I can and be back as soon as possible.”
“I can’t thank you enough, Doc,” Hank said, looking relieved but still harried as he stepped back and gave the thumbs up to the people in the trucks.
“Let me get my pistol,” I said.
“You’re rifle’s good enough,” Hank said.
I looked him square in the eyes and said, “Listen, if the undead are still walking around out there, then I’m not going outside without a backup weapon. Are we clear on that?”
Some of the heat that had dissipated from Hank’s face flooded back in, but I watched as he worked to get it under control. “Okay, dammit, just make it fast.”
“I will,” I said as I exited the room and headed into the bedroom. My excuse was getting my pistol, but I really wanted to see Kara before I went. Who knew if this mission wouldn’t go sideways and how long I would be gone?
When I entered the room, she was sitting on the side of the bed, starting to pull her boots on.
“Don’t get up,” I said. “You need your rest.”
“What’s going on, Joel?” she asked.
“Hank and some of their group are here in a couple trucks. One of their guys has been shot, and they need Brent to take a look. Me and Brother Ed are going along to chaperone. I mean, it is a first date.” My lame attempt at humor hit the floor like a lead balloon.
“Is this a good idea?” she asked. “We barely know them.”
“Hank sounds desperate”
“Where’s Jenelle?” she asked.
“Out in the truck,” I said as I strapped on my holster and pistol. “Gotta run. This sounds urgent.” I took two long steps to her, leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, then turned and headed for the door.
“Be careful,” she said.
“When am I ever?” I replied.
“Never,” she said.
The three of us were out the door and into the trucks, with Hank pushing Brent along into the first truck. When I had tried to move toward that truck with Brent, Hank redirected me to the second one, telling me it was already full. That left Brother Ed and me crammed into the second truck with Jenelle, Owen, and two other guys I didn’t recognize. The trucks screeched away from the curb before our doors were even shut.
Jenelle sat next to me, staring intently out the window, her eyes locked down the road ahead of us. We rocketed around the first corner, and I grabbed the “Oh My God” handles on the roof of the truck to keep from being thrown into Jenelle’s lap.
“Nice morning for a drive,” I said.
She just said, “Sure,” and kept her eyes forward. It was somewhat disconcerting because I thought we had established a rapport, but I wasn’t the one with a friend who could be mortally wounded.
We took another sharp corner, and I felt the truck tip just a little, but all the tires stayed on the road. The first truck hit the main drag doing at least fifty, if not sixty. That was one of the benefits of the apocalypse. There was a whole lot less traffic and no police to pull you over -- which would certainly happen in this speed trap.
Instead of going north or south like I expected, they drove west across Route 23 and gunned it down a side street. The first truck gained a little space between us in the second truck, and it seemed like our driver was being a little cautious, but the truth be told, we were somewhat superfluous because Brent was the critical one, and he was in the first truck. That proved to me a very important point.
The first truck took a sharp left onto a side street and disappeared from view behind a house and tall maple tree. Our driver maintained his speed, and that concerned me because, at our current speed, we were going to roll over if we attempted to take the turn the first truck did. My level of concern increased when we blew past the turn and just kept driving down the road.
“Hey,” I said, pointing in the direction of the first truck, but the driver ignored me and continued with the accelerator pressed to the floor, which was a real change from just moments before.
Things went off the rails, wh
en I craned my head to look over my shoulder in the direction of the first truck and I saw man stick the barrel of a very big pistol in my face. I also noticed that the man on the other side of Brother Ed was poking a pistol into his side. Both men wore very serious expressions. There was no doubt that they meant business.
I went for my pistol, but before I could even move, Jenelle had out a nasty looking revolver and stuck it in my side. It wasn’t a gentle poke either. I felt it hit my rib cage with some force.
“What the hell is going on?” I asked.
“Just shut up for a minute, and I’ll let you know,” she said, her face pinched in what could be either an expression that she meant business or she was somewhat exasperated. I didn’t know her well enough to tell. She reached over and pulled my pistol from its holster and handed it over to one of the men in the back.
“This is just shit,” I said and fell back into my seat as we sped along.
The rest of trip was brief as we left a pavement and drove onto a bumpy gravel road barely wide enough for two cars. The driver cut his speed and made a long drifting turn into a dirt covered area with four stalls in the back, mostly covered by weeds. One of them looked like it had rock salt in it, which I guessed was for the city to put down when it snowed. Not that that was an important detail, since there was a good chance Brother Ed and I were going to spend our last minutes on Earth there.
The driver slowed to a crawl and headed to the northwest corner of this dirt covered lot. Once he got past the four stalls, he brought the truck to a gentle stop.
No one moved inside the truck, but the guns remained pointed at Brother Ed and me. I sensed a reluctance for anyone of Jenelle’s group to take the next move, which really bothered me because that next move probably wasn’t one any of them really wanted to take. If it was what I thought it was, I wasn’t eager to see it either.
Jenelle broke the impasse and nudged her pistol into my side and said, “Get out.”
“If you’re going to shoot me, go ahead and do it,” I said.
She tilted her head down and looked at me through narrowed eyes. “Please, get out.”
Well, what did we have here - a polite assassination?
Instead of being polite, she just shoved me out of the front seat, and I tumbled out of the door. I landed hard, ending on my side. My rifle came out with me, but when I went to reach for it, it turned out that she was faster as she jumped out and slapped a foot down onto the stock, pinning it to the ground.
“Ah, ah, ah,” she said as she kicked my rifle across the dirt and several feet out of my grasp.
Over her shoulder, I saw the other men manhandling Brother Ed out of the truck. They were slightly gentler than Jenelle had been with me. Plus, they took his gun. They ended up shoving him beside me, leaving the two of us out in the open where I felt very, very vulnerable.
I got to my knees, half-expecting to get kicked back down, but they let me get to my feet where I brushed myself off. “Where did they take Brent?” I asked.
“That’s none of your business,” one of the other men said.
“Why?” I asked. “Because you’re going to kill us?”
Jenelle looked around to the men, seeming to taking an account of them then she turned back to Brother Ed and me. “Not if we don’t have to.”
“That’s not what Hank said,” one of the men said. He was a tall fellow with over-long ape-like arms and a scraggly beard.
“Well, he’s not here, is he Jackson?” Jenelle said.
“Does that matter?” the man named Jackson asked.
“It does,” Jenelle said, “Because I am here.”
It looks like we were in an old-fashioned power struggle with our lives in the balance.
“They will still be in town, and we will have the doctor,” Jackson said. “Do you think they will just let us have him?”
“You can’t have Brent,” I said.
Jackson lifted his rifle and aimed it at my chest. “You don’t have a say in it.”
Owen moved up beside Jackson, slowly stuck out a hand, and pushed down the barrel. “This doesn’t have to go down that way. We can work something out. Besides, they don’t know where we live.”
“They can still find us,” Jackson said.
“We outnumber them two-to-one,” Owen said. “And the chances of them finding us is like finding a needle in a haystack.”
“I don’t like the odds,” Jackson said.
“Don’t talk like we aren’t here,” I finally said.
“You see what I’m saying,” Jackson said to Owen.
Another man, with a long, jowly face, decided it was time to talk. “Jenelle, you know what Hank said. The folks back at the house said he’s in charge now.” He had his rifle pointed at me.
Jenelle stepped between the rifles and me then said, “We are not killing them. It’s not who we are. If you do, you’ll have to shoot me.” She didn’t point her gun at Jackson or the second man, but every muscle in her body was poised to bring it up and start shooting.
“I don’t think it’s the way to go,” the new man said, and Jackson nodded his head.
“Are you going to shoot me to get to them?” Jenelle said, spreading her legs, ready for anything.
The two men exchanged glances, and the new man dropped his aim.
Jenelle pivoted back to me. “We’re not bad people. Really.”
“Okay then, good people kidnap others at will,” I said. I knew I was stoking the fires, and we were likely to get burnt, but a man’s got to have some pride.
“It was Hank’s idea,” Jenelle said.
“That’s an adult response,” I said. “You’re a big girl and, besides, you’re in charge. Lay down the law.”
Her eyes dropped to the ground.
“There’s been a change of leadership,” Owen said.
“Hank did a coup?” I asked.
Jenelle raised her eyes again. “We don’t work that way. I was voted out.”
I just shook my head. “Because Hank promised them a doctor.” I didn’t attempt to hide my disgust.
“We don’t have one; you did,” Jenelle said, but she avoided making eye contact. “For the long term survival of our group, we thought it was best to have one.”
“So, if a dentist comes along, you’re going to grab him, too?” I said, once again not disguising my contempt. “What’s next, a proctologist?”
“You can stop anytime,” Jenelle said. “Your attitude isn’t going to change anything.”
“What about his wife and daughter?” I asked. “What happens if Brent decides not to help you unless he knows they are safe?”
“You’d hold them hostage to get him back?” Jenelle asked, her mouth open a little.
“No. Hell, no,” I said. “We’re not assholes like you guys are.”
“Watch your mouth,” Jackson said, and I could see his hands tighten his grip on his rifle.
Jenelle kicked at the dirt, sending up a small puff of dust. “Are you guys really leaving town tomorrow?”
“We were,” I said, “until you guys kidnapped one of our people.”
“How much do you want him and his wife and kid to be together?”
“Is this a negotiation now?” I asked.
“Jenelle, ain’t no way we’re giving the doctor back,” Jackson said, and his voice was almost a growl.
“I’m not saying that,” Jenelle said, and she looked at me and actually met my eyes this time. “If you’re leaving town, leave the two of them. No weapons or anything. We’ll come get them once we know you’re not coming back.”
“That is stupid,” Jackson said. “There’s no way to guarantee they won’t come back.”
The other man chimed in, “The best way to know they won’t come back is to take them out.”
“WE ARE NOT DOING THAT!” Jenelle shouted, and this time, she had her gun up and aimed at the second man. The ferociousness of her voice forced him back a step. She turned on me and said, “This is your last offer. No
negotiation. No more bullshit. We hold all the cards. It’s take it or these guys will kill every last one of you. I can’t stop it.”
“They can try,” I said, but I knew it was a bluff. I had nothing. They knew it. I knew it.
“Joel, take their offer,” Brother Ed said, finally speaking up.
“And what guarantee do we have that you just won’t come to town and kill them?”
That question floated in the air for a moment before Jenelle answered. “It’s not in our best interest. If what you said is true that the doctor won’t work for us unless he knows his family is safe, then we need them alive and him happy. That would work best if they were reunited. Right?”
I didn’t want to admit it, but there was a logical symmetry to her argument. That is, if her two gun-happy colleagues agreed, which was still up in the air.
“Okay,” I said, but it tasted bad in my mouth, like someone has just made me eat a pile of shit and I had to like it. “We leave. You come and get Linda and Chelsea.”
“How do we know you won’t come back?” Jackson said in a challenging tone.
“Because we aren’t lying and cheating shitbags like you are,” I replied, knowing it wasn’t the right thing to say, but I had to take a parting shot. Didn’t I?
Once again, Jackson started to raise his rifle, but Owen moved in front of him to block any shot. “We have a deal,” he said to quell Jackson’s anger. “We can take it from here and just get on with our lives, and they can get on with theirs.”
In the seesaw of emotions, I could see Jackson once again capitulated, but I guessed it was much easier for him because he and his friends held all the cards.
Jenelle saw her opening and wanted to close the deal, so she went into action. “Here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to take your weapons and leave them at the intersection on the main road. It’s not that long of a walk. Then we will never see you again. Deal?”
