The Deadlands (Book 2): The Clock Runs Down [The Servant]

by Kelly, Joe

  “Might” Jared said as he floated on his back for a moment he wasn’t really able to relax well when he couldn’t feel the weight of a firearm on his thigh or across his chest, or worrying about the undead putting in an uninvited appearance. “We leave tomorrow,” Jared announced standing upright with a splash of water.

  “Why there’s game around here, and Mary and Jill discovered that overgrown garden.” Chris protested.

  “Because they are coming,” Jared said finally. His friends gave him a long look.

  “Did you have another dream?” Steve asked.

  “No just a feeling. I think if we stay another day, maybe two, we are going to get hit.” Jared said. It was just a gut feeling but he was not going to start second guessing himself now. “Face, it we aren’t that far from Asheville, or the town we hit yesterday.” Jared said, pointing out the obvious that should have occurred to all of them.

  No one argued with him, despite the mood around the camp everyone expected the undead to show up at any moment. The wildlife in the area, slim as it was, should mean the undead were not around but no one was going to bet their life on it either. “I’ve made a change in the location of our next two camps as well.” Jared added.

  “I take it your waiting for someone to breathlessly ask, where oh glorious leader?” Steve said cracking a smile.

  “Just wait peon, I’ll have you flogged and force you to watch musicals.” Jared replied with a regal sniff. Steve relieved to see more of the old Jared smiled.

  “There’s a camp just off the highway near a lake, don’t remember the name off the top of my head,” Jared said, “After that I think Camp Summit around Cedar Mountain. It used to be an old airfield. The strip is or was still there two years ago. It’s in a state forest and keeps us away from Charlotte.” Jared said. “Both places Ronny can land at.”

  “You realize that seriously limits our options right.” Ori said looking at Ronny

  Jared shook his head. “No not really, if I think it’s hurting us, we dump the plane. Sorry Ronny.” Jared said, then tilted his head back enjoying the sunlight.

  “just talk with me first and give me a chance to come up with a solution.” Ronny asked.

  “I will, to be honest, as much as I hate flying I think that plane can help us a lot. And speaking of I want you to get Ben or Ian checked out and up in the ultralight for local scouting. We also need to get better organized because I want to run a raid, that should set us up like kings for a while.” Jared commented as his mind turned over options.

  “Does it involve women in gold bikinis?” Ori asked with a grin.

  “No not unless we stumble across Princess Leia.” Jared said shaking his head.

  “Does it strike any one as odd we are planning things while standing naked in a lake.” Chris asked. “while watching for undead.”

  “Why? does making plans give you wood?” Steve asked. “I mean everybody has a kink. That would explain why you never missed a company meeting”

  “bite me sasquatch,” Chris said with a laugh as Steve looked down at his almost hair less body. Then gave Chris a quizzical look.

  “I’m thinking about hitting a major warehouse in a city. More than one if we can pull it off” Jared said cutting of the building joke war before it got started. Everyone but Steve looked at him like he had grown another head. “I’m serious, with the right weapons, and planning, we can pull this off”

  “and shit pot loads of luck.” Ronny added. You do remember what happened when we went to get a plane from a small city right.”

  “We don’t have to rush it but come summer we will need to really think about it” Jared commented. Seeing Jill wave at him from the porch of the Kids Cabin, Jared waded out of the water, looked down at his blood-stained clothes spread on a rock, shook his head and headed to the RV to get clean clothes.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Roger and Thomas sat together eyeing the women around them, until Mai Linn they hadn’t seen a woman since July, at least not a living one. It was like two kids in a candy store with the candy under lock and key.

  Before the dead, people had talked about if the world ended I would do this or that, but not one of them had ever really sat and thought about what that might mean. Oh they thought they had, but the reality was nothing like the idea. The silence was almost enough to drive you nuts, factor in the lack of people especially of the opposite sex, and things became a lot less black and white and much more depressing. But now, it was all both of them could to control themselves.

  Roger rubbed his head enjoying the feel of clean, short hair again; he had a few embarrassing moments while the good-looking blonde cut his hair. She hadn’t commented on his condition and then found at later that day that she was married or something to a guy old enough to be her father. He glanced at the attractive brunette, Anne he thought her name was, who reminded him of Natalie Portman.

  Roger had been told by several people she was completely off limits. Thomas however was making eyes at the pregnant woman. Who seemed totally uninterested, outside of being nice to the horn dogs released in their midst.

  Roger took another bite of the fish dipped in homemade tartar sauce and eyed the reasonably decent hushpuppies. Wishing he had fries to go with it. But after months of the occasional can of nasty Ravioli’s. Even popcorn would have tasted like a gourmet meal.

  Thomas excused himself with a smile and headed over to the pregnant woman, Sharon was her name if Roger remembered correctly.

  Roger just watched noting how the Huge shaven headed guy and Jared watched Thomas closely, who was totally oblivious. He probably didn’t see the down boy gesture Sharon gave the men at the table either. Oh well he might survive this might not. Roger stood and carried his plate back to the table and like everyone else washed it in the tubs set up for that purpose.

  It was funny actually; for once in his life he didn’t mind washing dishes. In fact every dish he had to wash, was a meal he could have missed out on. Funny how you change your outlook on things after the end of the world. Though having a naked maid would still be nice. Of course, he needed to have a home again to have a maid and with his luck the service would have sent a guy. He chuckled to himself.

  Stepping outside, he walked down to the lake aware that one of the men in the stand at the center of the camp was watching him. The AO 12, floated serenely in the water. A rough looking man with an M16 stood guard watching the plane. What did they expect, zombies to steal the damn thing.

  It felt unnatural being able to just walk outside like this, but damn it felt good. There were enough people and enough equipment in this group to post guards and run patrols, coupled with those screamers, they had come up with, the undead were not going to be able to sneak up on this camp. Unless they walked across the lake bed, Roger thought then shivered at the idea.

  “Nice night” Roger turned surprised he hadn’t heard any one approach. Jared smiled at him. the man was intimidating as hell and moved like a predator, Roger thought.

  “Yeah, nice. Would be nicer if I was sitting here drinking a beer and watching women in bikinis walking along the beach. Instead of worrying about getting eaten by zombies,” Roger said bitterly.

  “It would be, but it is what it is and we can’t change it” Jared said hooking his right hand in his web belt just over the pistol strapped to his thigh. “We are leaving tomorrow, and I needed to talk with you, Sharon is talking to Thomas, it is Thomas right.” Roger nodded, curious where this was leading. Were they about to be given the boot or what?

  “Thing is, I apologize for thinking you and your friend were gay” Jared said with a laugh. “Not that it matters in this group, but still”

  “seems kind of stupid to hate gays, blacks or anyone else these days” Roger said. “About the only good thing that’s come out of this whole mess.”

  “It is that” Jared agreed. “We have a few problems, nothing major. We have enough food for a while, but we can’t splurge, we are always short on ammo, and running fights
like the one the other day eats thru our supplies. We got lucky early on actually or we would be as screwed as you were when we found you. Or you found us actually”

  Jared paused as weighing his words. “I want to offer you and your friend a place with us, but I also need to know you can pull your own weight. And hopefully have some skills we can use. That’s not necessary of course, grunt work is good enough. But as much as I hate to say it, everyone has to pull their own weight or we can’t carry them.”

  “I understand, and it doesn’t offend me” Roger said “I have a few skills that may or may not prove useful to you, I’m an electronics repair tech, a licensed ham operator, and judging by the antennas set up around that RV you have a Ham rig inside. And lastly I got my pilots license after being in the civil air patrol.”

  “What did you do for a living before all this?” Jared asked.

  Roger laughed for a second, “I wasn’t rich. My dad was into Ham radios; I had my license by 18. I’m a diver too, got certified open water when I was 19 and living in Puerto Rico. Finished flight school by 20 and got my license. Just rarely had the money to rent a plane to fly, but got hours in by being friends with people who did own their own planes.” Roger explained.

  “You wouldn’t happen to have weird sexual tastes, a wicked sense of humor and date dominatrix’s, would you?” Jared asked suddenly. Roger looked at him oddly for a moment.

  “the last time I got a spanking I was 16 and had wrecked my dad’s truck.” Roger said, “with my pants down around my ankles. I didn’t drive for another year, of course sitting was a problem for a few months too. So no I don’t’ date Dominatrix’s” Jared started laughing, surprising himself and it felt pretty good, but at his core, anger burned bright and pure, waiting for his chance to get his hands on the one eyed freak.

  “Sorry just wondering if you and Ronny will get along, he is the closest we have to a pilot, in fact this particular plane was his idea.” Jared said after he stopped laughing.

  “So, he has weird sexual tastes, a strange sense of humor and dates Dominatrix’s” Roger asked with a slight smile.

  “I see you two are talking about me. Not nice.” Ronny said stepping up behind the two men. Lanterns and tiki torches were being lit around the camp. No one wanted a dark spot where zombies could show up unseen.

  “Just discussing his particular skills.” Jared replied.

  “He’s a pilot or so his friend inside says” Ronny said jerking a thumb in the direction of the Cabin. Jared really hoped there wasn’t about to be a jealous tiff starting.

  “I’m not wanting to take over your piloting gig” Roger said holding up a hand.

  “It’s okay, Jared has been having me train a few others in the basics. Having a real licensed pilot would be incredible. Truth is, as long as the weather is good. And god and glue keep the wings on I’m okay.” Ronny said as Jared raised an eyebrow quizzically. This he had not expected.

  “There are times Jared needs me on ground operations, and it would be nice to have someone else to fly my bird. And someone to help me sand off the rough spots and make me a better pilot.”

  “I haven’t even said yes to staying with your group yet,” Roger protested.

  “Got a better invitation. I hear the governor needs…. Oh sorry forgot he had dinner plans, he was the plate of honor.” Ronny said as Jared shook his head slowly in mock disgust at such poor taste in jokes.

  “You have till tomorrow morning, if you decide not to, I’ll make sure you get some gear, some clothes, and a weeks’ worth of food. You can stay here, or we can drop you off somewhere along the way.” Jared said, “no hard feelings if you don’t stay” then turned and started walking away.

  “Where are you going anyway?” Roger asked before Jared made it ten steps.

  “Sullivan islands for starters then across the harbor to Ft. Sumter. Figure a fort on an island is about as safe as you can get these days.” He said and walked away.

  “Wanna look inside the plane.” Ronny asked.

  “Love to.” Roger replied.

  The next morning dawned bright and clear, a cool breeze blowing off the lake stirring the trees and gently rustling the leaves. Jared paused as he carried a case of MRE’s back to the RV and looked around at all the people. It’s hard to believe I started off with only a dozen people and now, I have to work to remember names. Not to mention we have a newborn, and two more babies on the way. Probably will end up having more babies than there are adults.

  He saw Mai Linn talking with Carol as she helped them load up the single women’s RV as it was being called. Pappy, who was able to croak and maybe get out a few words now, was outside taking in the morning whether he was actually enjoying the fresh air was debatable considering the scathing written observations he was making about one person or another. Jeff, Pappy’s son, stood nearby keeping an eye on his dad and keeping watch in case the undead showed up while the camp was being taken down.

  Fifty-four adults including Ben and Ian and thirty kids. No wonder Roger and Thomas had been so surprised. Really Jared hadn’t realized just how many people were traveling with them now. Not on an emotional level, not really. But by god it was like a small town had survived.

  Really Ori and Steve were right, they couldn’t continue to pull in everyone they ran across, but part of him believed that how he, and by extension the group dealt with survivors they came across was part of what ever in the hell was going on.

  He would just have to deal with each case it as it came along but for now they had just enough food to last two months, three and half if they kept rationing. By the end of the month, they were going to have to hit a warehouse he did not want to let the stocks get lower than two months’ worth of food just in case.

  And of course, they were going to have to hit a fuel dump soon and fill up the fuel trucks unless they stumbled across a fuel tanker truck. Note to self, have Ronny fly over a couple of interstates and look for one or two.

  “Are you just going to stand there, or wait till old age forces you to drop the case?” Logan asked with a smile.

  “Why are you and your Russian hottie living in my RV again.” Jared asked as he started for the RV once more.

  “Because you need someone to drive it while you and Jill go up ahead in the Van to play zombie hunter” Logan said picking up the last case.

  “Aaah, that’s right. Maybe A slinky chauffeurs outfit for Tatyana, one that shows lots of leg and cleavage.” Jared said thoughtfully a half smile crossing his face.

  Logan grinned. “I don’t mind at all, but I think Jill might nail your balls to the floor.”

  “You might be surprised at what Jill would and would not like.” Jared said with a mock leer then laughed along with Logan. Jill would probably kill him.

  Once everything had been loaded Jared had everyone police the camp site to make sure nothing was being left behind. “Load em up and let’s move out.” Jared called out as soon as they had finished. In moments engines were started and the line of vehicles began to pull out.

  Jared waited till he saw the plane start moving across the water throwing spray before he too pulled out and followed the convoy.

  Ronny with Jerry as an observer, would fly ahead checking the route, and would set down around noon wherever the convoy was at. Assuming of course there were no zombies trying to eat them all.

  They detoured only long enough to drive back thru and raid the Medical supply store and the welding shop they had spotted the other day. There were few zombies, in or around both places. But as they finished loading up a huge crowd of undead appeared, staggering and lurching towards the collection of vehicles and the people they carried. With little left inside either store, the entire convoy was rolling out and heading south.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Cole, all of six foot, ran a hand thru his longish brown hair and stared at the wall. He could hear people talking down the hall but ignored it for now.

  “Hey, we need your help with something” Oliver Jones
said from the doorway. Cole looked up. He had been trying to sew up the tears in his favorite pair of pants.

  “With what?” Cole asked, figuring it was yet another crisis like stale donuts. Some one was always complaining about the food, the state of their clothes, or what ever happened to be the peeve of the day.

  “A couple of people are arguing and some of them want to leave.” Oliver explained.

  “Let them” Cole replied. He should have been angry but the truth was, he couldn’t blame them. He wanted to know if there was anything left out there. Was there a safe zone, some place where people still lived mostly normal lives and the dead had been destroyed.

  “They want you to come down, and that Jerry Carlisle is getting involved.” Oliver said sounding exasperated. Cole sighed and stood, wincing slightly his knee was acting up again.