Jake and the other man were squared off, each looking for an opening to thrust or cut. Jake held his left hand knife in a reverse grip, while his right one was held in a normal fashion. I was surprised and impressed with the fact the man was still standing. He must have had some skill for Jake to have left him alive this long.
Julia came up to Kayla to make sure she was okay. I started to circle the combatants when Jake glanced my way and shook his head slightly. I knew when to back off, so I started to go over to the man I had downed to see if he was in any shape to answer questions.
I never got the chance. Julia suddenly hissed and pulled her weapons, and Kayla armed herself as well. Out of the side streets, six more men advanced on us, and the hatchets and knives they carried weren’t there for show. I pulled my second knife and watched as two men came at me.
“Jake! Finish it and get over here,” I said in a loud whisper.
Jake’s answer was just a low growl, which was enough. He had seen the activity and didn’t like it at all. I didn’t like the fact that Jake had been right about Tucker.
Julia and Kayla stood close together, facing opposite directions. Julia had a long thin needle of a blade which cut quicker than sarcasm, and she had wrapped her belt around her other hand, leaving about a foot dangling with her heavy buckle at the end. It was crude but effective at either smacking the shit out of someone or trapping someone else’s weapon.
I didn’t waste time. I ducked low, knocked aside a thrust, and jammed my grandfather’s knife to the hilt into the closest man’s solar plexus. I twisted the blade and yanked it out, throwing a rope of blood into the street. I pushed the falling man into the path of the second man, and lashed out with my foot as he stepped aside. I connected with his knee and put him down on all fours with a startled gasp. He stuck his knife up in defense and I caught a piece of it on my sleeve as I thrust with my other knife, jamming it into his eye socket. The knife stuck and I let go as he fell, turning to the other men. I managed to see Jake head butt his opponent, and then use the opening to jam both knives onto the man’s throat. He went down to his knees, grasping his throat and dying in a moist, noisy manner.
The man I had initially hit was no longer with us, as He made the mistake of trying to get up and Kayla stabbed him in the back of the neck. There was a small pause as the remaining men sized up their position. Jake pulled his knives out of the dead man and wiped them off, never taking his eyes off the enemy. He then whipped his hand out and impaled another man in the upper chest, right where the neck met the torso. The man fell to the ground, looking down at the knife handle which suddenly had sprouted from his sacred person. He raised a weak hand to try and pull it out, but he fell over and died as his lungs filled with blood, his feet drumming a fading beat on the road.
The last three suddenly found themselves outnumbered, but they were motivated by something, since they didn’t take the chance to run and instead moved to attack. One of them charged towards Julia, and she wiped him out by first popping him in the face with her buckle, then slitting his throat as neat as you please. Blood sprayed out, looking black in the darkness.
Jake finished the fifth man almost casually, blocking a clumsy slice and punching his other knife into the man’s chest about five times before letting him drop.
The last man was big, probably the leader, as this group was likely ruled by the strongest. His long curved knife was more like a short sword, and it gave him the advantage of reach. He muttered something inarticulate and slashed at me, missing as I ducked. I cut at his leg and danced back to avoid a backswing that would have taken my head off.
He followed that swing with a quick overhand cut, much faster than I thought him capable of. Turns out, he was big and fast. I batted the incoming bade away and stepped in closer, removing his advantage of reach. I stabbed him in the upper arm, piercing his bicep to the bone. He dropped the knife and gripped his arm, cursing me as he stepped back. I didn’t want to give him the chance to run, so I slammed the steel pommel of the knife onto his forehead, stunning him momentarily. I followed that with a punch to his chin, dropping him for good and putting him out of the fight.
Chapter 26
Behind me, Jake and the girls were cleaning up, wiping off their weapons and moving the bodies off the street. The neighborhood was going to awaken with a hell of a surprise in the morning. I guarded the lone survivor, standing behind him as he sat and holding the point of his little sword at the base of his neck. Any sudden moves would kill him, and he knew it.
Jake searched the bodies and assembled a small pile of weapons and coins. There was a motley assortment of knives and guns, and Jake showed me sixteen newly minted, heavy silver coins. It was a tidy sum for murder. These men had been paid to kill us, and the question remained as to who and how.
I spoke quietly to the back of the man’s head. “Who sent you after us?”
The man spoke sullenly. “Don’t know what you’re talking about. We were drinking with friends, and on the way home, we got separated. We caught up to our buddies just as you were attacking them and tried to come and help them.” He didn’t try to pull away from the knife at his neck.
I looked at Jake who shook his head. The story actually sounded plausible, but there was a flaw in it, too. “If you were so worried about your friends, why not use your guns? Between the eight of you, I counted four guns.”
“Take a shot in this neighborhood and the law is on you in no time,” the man said. He looked up at me. “You’re gonna hang for murder, you know that? I’m gonna enjoy watching you swing.” The man spat and gripped his injured arm tighter.
Julia and Kayla exchanged a look, and for a second, even I felt it could be seen that way, especially when no one else saw the two dead men pick up Kayla. But Jake squatted down in front of the man and looked into his eyes.
“You’re a liar, and would you like to know why?” Jake asked.
“Fuck you, murderer, I ain’t talking,” the man said, staring right back.
Jake continued. “All of you are wearing shit clothes and run-down shoes. Your weapons are filthy and your guns probably wouldn’t fire if you tried them. Three of them don’t even have bullets. Yet, all of you are carrying brand new silver. No other money, just these coins, and in the exact same amount. Coincidence?”
The man looked away, then looked back as Jake continued.
“We had no business to walk these streets, we were just having dinner. Yet all of a sudden we are here and you assholes are sharing the same space with nefarious intent. Coincidence?” Jake asked again.
The man gave no answer, but he was starting to show signs of agitation. Jake looked down on the man.
“How is it that the sheriff can afford to pay you like that?” Jake inquired.
“It ain’t his. He just…” The man stopped himself, and then cursed as he realized he had said too much.
Jake smiled in the dark. “Thank you for your cooperation. I will assume then that Tucker isn’t the mastermind behind the kidnappings, but rather the middle man between the ones wanting the girls and the ones getting the girls.” Jake grabbed the man and pulled him to his feet. “If you shout, I gut you. If you run, I’ll cut your tendons and drag you. If you try to fight, I’ll cut your eyes out. Understand?”
The defeated man nodded and I gave the long knife to Kayla, who put it with the bundle of weapons she was carrying. We walked silently down the streets, heading back towards the river area. Our destination was the president’s house, since it would have been stupid to go to the sheriff.
At the president’s house, silent men were keeping watch in the darkness. One of them detached himself from a shadow and came out to meet us.
“House is closed, no visitors until morning,” he said, adjusting the heavy automatic weapon slung around his shoulder.
“Not visiting, just dropping off,” Jake said. “This man is part of the kidnapping going on around here. Seven more of his friends are lying on the street eight blocks north of here.
”
The guard looked surprised. “I’ll be damned. Well, why bring him here? Take him over to Sheriff Tucker.”
Jake shook his head. “Tucker’s the contact here for the operation. These men were sent to ambush us as we were trying to ambush them. Tucker set us up for that.”
The guard nodded and swung his weapon around. He spoke quietly into his radio and another man joined us in the darkness by the presidential gate. This guy was huge, at least two inches taller than my better and me by about twenty pounds; none of it fat. His face looked like it was carved from granite, inflexible and unmovable. He probably ate steel washers for breakfast. His trained eyes quickly scanned the situation and us, lingering a little on Jake and me.
“Lem, these kind folks have brought us a gift. The man they have here tried, with his friends, to ambush and murder these youngsters,” the first guard said. “They were trying to stop the kidnapping going on around here.”
Lem grunted a deep, ominous sound from his large chest. “Really.” He leaned over and grasped the prisoner by the collar of his shirt. “My little sister was kidnapped last year. You and I are going to have a deep, meaningful conversation.” Lem dragged the now whimpering man away.
The first guard watched them go, and then turned back to us. “I’ll send men to clean up the bodies. In the morning, we’ll collect the sheriff. Come back around ten, if you can.”
I nodded and we walked away, eager to go back to our hotel and comfortable beds. Julia walked beside me, wrapping an arm around my waist. Kayla and Jake were talking in low tones behind us, but I didn’t feel like talking myself. I just wanted this day and night to be over with and wanted to go to sleep. The wine had given me a sight headache and I just wanted to rest. Julia seemed to understand and she stayed quiet, looking up at me occasionally to smile.
All in all, it had been a good day.
Chapter 27
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Nope. That’s the way it went down, and that’s what he said. Why would he lie at that point?”
President Jackson shook his head. He looked tired, more tired than perhaps he should, bet then there were a lot of thing going on in his world that didn’t make sense. This was another layer of stress. I felt somewhat bad for the man, but I reminded myself he chose to run for office, and I was just a spectator to the conversation anyway.
Jake continued. “If your men cleaned up the mess from last night, and they said they would, then Tucker might not yet know everything was a failure and we have a prisoner. As far as we know, there weren’t any witnesses.”
The president sighed. “I’m starting to envy your father. When he was president, all he had to worry about were hordes of zombies killing everyone. This peacetime administering really makes me long for the good old days when I knew who my enemies were.” He signaled his guard, Robert. “Take two men and pick up Tucker. If he has any deputies around, bring them in, too. I want this kept quiet. If word gets out that the sheriff had a hand in the kidnappings, there’s going to be trouble.”
Robert nodded and left. Jackson turned back to us. “Got another bit of fun for you. Message came in this morning. Feel like another run at your luck?”
Outwardly, I was calm, but inside I was vigorously shaking my head. Last night was a blur, and when we got back to the hotel, I wanted another shower. Julia joined me this time and it was the most amazing shower of my life. We made love in the cascading water and continued our new adventures in the bedroom. If I thought I was in love before, last night stamped it fully on my soul. I think I finally understand what my mom meant to my dad, and I don’t know what I would do if Julia were to be taken from me.
Of course, Jake knew immediately what had happened, and arched a single eyebrow at me as acknowledgement. Kayla and Julia had their heads together the entire time we had walked over to the president’s house. I would have loved to know what they were talking about, and yet at the same time, I know I preferred not to.
Now we were throwing ourselves back into the mix. All I wanted to do was go home and just live quietly for a while. However, that seemed like a far away dream as Jake and the president kept talking.
“What’s the mess this time?” Jake was asking.
In answer, President Jackson pulled out a faded road map that had a lot of intersecting lines across it. Out of habit, I quickly referenced our current position and the location of our home.
“We’ve received reports from three different communities along the grey corridor talking about increased zombie activity. There’s always been some there, as you know, but there has been a large uptick and it’s too coincidental to think it’s random,” Jackson said, pointing to three towns along the stretch of old I-57. They weren’t directly on the interstate. Those towns had been wiped out early during the Upheaval when people were running from the apocalypse, even though it was waiting for them wherever they were going.
“What kind of activity? How much?” Jake asked, running a finger down the highway on the map.
“I don’t think it’s what you guys have been dealing with lately. I think word has finally gotten around and people are taking extra precautions and are much more wary of strangers. Freeport was, I think and hope, the last we’ll see of that kind of thing. No, this seems to be more of an old threat coming back to become a new one.” President Jackson sighed as he looked at the map. “What next?”
I spoke up at that rhetorical question. “I’ve learned it’s best not to ask. That’s when fate pays attention and gets her black sense of humor on.”
“Or lack thereof. If I can persuade you to tackle this task, then I think we can rest for a small time,” the president said.
“No, actually we can’t,” Jake said.
“No?”
“No. We still don’t know who is responsible for the attacks and the attempts to re-create the Upheaval. I’ve got another vial of zombie crap in storage, and the kidnappings have been halted for the time being, but someone was behind those, too. I’d bet my last gold piece that Tucker wasn’t the end of the line. In fact, he couldn’t be. Where would he stash the girls and for what purpose? Nowhere around here,” Jake said.
President Jackson narrowed his eyes and looked at Jake more closely. Then he smiled slightly, putting a hand on Jake’s shoulder.
“You’re much more like your father than you may think or want to admit. He had the ability to look at the big picture better than most people,” he said.
Jake shook his head. “Well, if he bothers to show up, send him south. I could use the help. Good day.”
Chapter 28
Jake left the room and I nodded my goodbye to the president. Julia and Kayla followed us and we walked steadily out of the area, heading up towards our truck. By the set of his shoulders, I knew Jake wasn’t interested in talking right now, so I decided to just walk and take a look around as the town went about its daily morning activities. There weren’t too many people about, and I doubted the word about Tucker had gotten very far, if at all. If the president’s guards were worth their weight, then the most anyone would know about the truth would be rumors.
When we reached a junction that took us to the medical center in one direction and the truck in another, I stopped and waited for Jake to figure out I wasn’t following him. Julia and Kayla stopped as well, and the three of us looked at Jake as he looked quizzically at us.
“Aren’t you coming to the truck?” He asked.
“Are we coming back here?” I responded.
“Yeah, so?”
I smiled. Doesn’t take four of us to carry a vial. We’ll wait here. Don’t worry. We’ll talk about you.”
Jake shook his head and muttered something about lazy jerks as he turned and walked off.
While we waited, Julia took the opportunity to jump into my arms, wrap her legs around me, and kiss me deeply. I returned the kiss equally, taking in her essence and falling for her all over again. Kayla grinned in the morning sun and chided us both.
/> “Get back to your rooms, you two, geez,” she said.
I put Julia down with another kiss. “If we did that, you’d be out here by yourself with Jake. Not sure Julia’s ready for that,” I replied.
Julia ran a hand around my belt line. “I could handle it,” she said, with a little gleam I her eye.
I laughed, happy to be alive this morning and have this girl on my side. “No doubt. But I’m not sure I could.”
Julia let me go and stood in front of me, looking up at me with big serious eyes. “There is still unfinished business, mister.”
“Like what?” I asked, slightly perplexed.
“Anything you want to tell me?”
I thought for a minute, recalling the conversation I had with Jake the night before. “No, not really. You pretty much know all the stories behind my scars now,” I said with a grin. In a lower voice, I added, “Not in front of Kayla, anyway.”
Julia harrumphed and turned to Kayla, who just smiled and shrugged. I knew I was getting into unfamiliar territory at lightning speed, and hoped like crazy Jake was going to get back soon. Give me a zombie to kill or a man to fight any day. This emotional sparring with females was way beyond me.
Fortunately, Jake appeared before things got worse, so we headed back over to the health center. Jake led the way, with Kayla by his side. Julia was with me, and we hung back a bit, watching the two of them.
“Think they’ll ever wind up like us?” I asked, nodding towards the couple ahead.
Julia shrugged. “Maybe. Kayla would love it, but I’m not sure Jake is willing to settle down.”
“Kayla wants to be with Jake?” I asked, startled. This was news to me. I figured she could have her pick of men, and Jake wasn’t the best of company. I said so to Julia.
“Why not Jake?” Julia answered. “He’s well trained, lives in a grand hotel on a huge estate, is independently wealthy, and the son of one of the most famous men in the country. Not to mention he’s pretty good-looking as well,” Julia observed.
Generation Dead Book 2: What You Fear Page 9
