by Brian Grenda
Shaun grabs his gas cans and siphoning hose from inside his jeep.
I walk with Shaun over to Matt’s car and Shaun says, “I would like that. I know Lisa would too. It was very hard leaving our first house behind. I hope I can take Lisa back to our home in North Carolina one day.”
Matt comes out with two empty bags, a baseball bat, a handgun in a holster, and his shotgun.
“Where is your knife bro?” asks Shaun.
Matt drops his bags, handgun, bat, and shotgun, then runs back into his house.
I look at Shaun and say, “He would forget his head if it wasn’t attached.”
Phil exits my house and walks over to Bobby G’s SUV.
Phil puts his empty bags in the backseat next to Shaun’s supplies and gets into the driver seat of Bobby G’s SUV.
Matt comes back out with two knives and says, “I got two knives. I’m going to leave one in the car.”
“Good thinking bro. Always be ready.”
Matt and Shaun get in Matt’s car, as Phil reverses out of Bobby G’s driveway.
I say goodbye to Matt and Shaun.
I walk across the street and wave bye to Phil.
Phil beeps the SUV horn and starts to drive towards the South entrance.
Matt follows behind Phil, and the guys start their drive to find the supplies we need.
As Matt exits through the South entrance gate, I hear the guards on the lookout platform shouting.
“Stop right there! Don’t move any closer!” shouts the South entrance guards.
I run down to the South entrance.
As I’m running to the South entrance in the middle of the street, I see a truck trying to drive into the neighborhood.
I take out my handgun and point it at the driver.
The South entrance guards have their machine guns pointed at the truck, and the car behind the truck.
“Ryan. I believe it’s Jacob! What should we do?” shouts the guard.
“Let the truck and the car behind it in. Keep the vehicles right by the entrance. Keep your guns aimed at the people inside the vehicles and close the gate behind the car.”
Bobby G exits his house and starts to walk to the South entrance while holding a handgun in his right hand.
I make it to the truck and see that Jacob is in the passenger seat.
“Jacob! You, and you alone get out of the truck!”
Jacob stares at me from inside the truck.
Jacob looks at the driver of the truck and says something to him that I can’t hear.
Bobby G walks next to me.
Jacob opens the passenger door and exits the truck.
“Way to be hospitable there Ryan. I mean no harm. I’m just dropping off the orange badges. Remember? We talked about me coming by with them. We can leave if you don’t want them,” says Jacob.
“Keep your guns on them everyone.”
I walk over to Jacob and see that he has a gun in his holster.
“Keep your hands up. Above your head, where I can see them Jacob.”
“No problem Ryan, but remember I mean no harm. I wish you would trust me,” says Jacob as he raises his hands above his head.
I see the badges are in a clear trash bag in the back of the truck bed.
“I wish I could trust you too, but based on our past encounters, I’m not even close to trusting you yet.”
“The badges are in the back of the truck. They are yours, like we agreed on. Hopefully this is the start of you trusting me,” says Jacob.
BEEP!
The sound of a loud SUV horn goes off outside the South entrance.
“Open the fucking gate!” shouts Shaun.
I look at Bobby G and shout, “Keep your gun on Jacob!”
Bobby G aims his handgun at Jacob as I run over to the South entrance gate.
I open the gate and see Shaun, Phil, and Matt standing there.
“Did he deliver the badges?” asks Shaun.
“Yeah. I just saw them in the back of his truck. Why are you guys back so soon?”
Phil says, “We left the neighborhood at the same time they were making the turn into the neighborhood. I didn’t feel comfortable leaving you alone here, so we turned around and came back home.”
“Thanks guys, but it looks to be okay. They delivered a big bag full of badges.”
“I’m sorry about your face Robert, but I hope you know it wasn’t personal,” says Jacob.
“Well, it feels fucking personal. You shot me and beat me up. What’s next for you to do? Kill me?” asks Bobby G.
“I hope not, but you never know,” says Jacob.
I overhear Jacob and Bobby G talking and don’t like where the conversation is going.
I run over to Bobby G and Jacob.
“Is this the bag? The bag of our badges?”
Jacob turns towards me and says, “Yes. They are all yours. I don’t know how many are in there, but it should be more than enough for you and the Warriors.”
I pick up the clear trash bag and find it loaded with badges.
“Thank you, Jacob. You didn’t disappoint. Not yet, at least.”
Jacob responds, “I usually don’t disappoint. I am a man of my word.”
“What’s so important about these badges?”
“They are government survival badges. Anyone alive that is wearing these badges will not be killed by any government or military personnel,” says Jacob.
“The government isn’t here though.”
Jacob laughs and replies, “They never left. The government is at MacDill and off the coast in the Gulf of Mexico. Just make sure you and anyone that you care about has an orange badge on them at all times.”
“How do you know all this?” asks Bobby G.
Jacob places both of his hands on his head and says, “I’m connected with the government. I used to work construction and landed several government construction jobs before the apocalypse started. The world fell apart, and the government wants my help in putting it back together again.”
For some reason I believe Jacob when he tells my dad about his government connections. Jacob’s body language and speech pattern show me that he was telling the truth.
“Thank you, Jacob. We appreciate the badges, and now the next order of business was taking us to the World of Trade.”
Jacob says, “That’s right. You have never been there before. Prepare to have your mind blown. I’m not sure if I can get you inside, as it’s getting harder and harder to get inside now. Something big might be happening with the government around here soon.”
“What’s happening with the government, and what happens inside at the World of Trade?”
“That, I can’t tell you about. I have already said too much about the government. I will try to get us inside with level two access, but at worst case, I will get you in with some of the best vendors of level one,” says Jacob.
“So, when can we go?”
Jacob says, “I have some pretty big things happening over the next two to three days, but I will be able to go in four days. The weekends are better anyway at World of Trade.”
I have totally lost track of what day it is. I know it’s the summer still, based on how hot it is in Florida and that it rains everyday now. Summer is the rainy season in Florida.
“Sounds good Jacob. We will meet you at the World of Trade in four days.”
Jacob replies, “Excellent. I will meet you at the East entrance. That’s the smaller entrance on Lois Ave. Only bring what you are willing to trade. I’d be careful with your little sword there too. Someone might try to steal it from you.”
The driver of Jacob’s truck gets a call on his long-range radio.
“Jacob! We got a problem downtown!” shouts the driver of Jacob’s truck.
Jacob looks at the driver inside the truck and asks, “What’s up Jean?”
Jean holds up his radio and says, “We got a problem downtown.”
Jacob looks at me and says, “Ryan. I need to take this call ove
r the radio. I’m going to reach into the truck and get the radio from my driver.”
“Okay!” I shout to Jacob.
Jean hands Jacob the radio.
“This is Jacob, what’s the problem?” asks Jacob over the radio.
“Jacob, we have the leader of the Warriors, his group, and some cowboy downtown. We found them in a downtown section trying to get into the zoo,” says a Conqueror over the radio.
I overhear the conversation between Jacob and a Conqueror on the radio.
I’m nervous for what may be the outcome of this situation with William and the Conquerors.
I point my gun at Jacob and say, “You don’t control all of downtown Tampa Jacob. Leave William and his group alone.”
Jacob looks me right in my eyes and asks over the radio, “Are they a threat to you? Did they harm you or your men?”
Suddenly a loud boom is heard over the radio.
BOOM!
Jacob calls over the radio, but no one answers.
Jacob hits the call button on the radio again, and there is nothing but static on the radio now.
CHAPTER 9
BETTER BE OKAY
“Try to reach them again!”
“I tried several times already,” says Jacob.
Jacob throws me the radio.
“You try. It’s not working. Something happened on their end,” says Jacob.
I call over the radio, but no one responds.
I point my gun at Jacob and shout, “They better be okay! If they are hurt, you are dead!”
Jacob says, “Wait a second, I didn’t do anything. My men were told of the agreement. They were just checking in, before the explosion went off. My men could be hurt.”
Shaun, Matt, and Phil come running over to me.
“What happened Ryan?” asks Phil.
“I don’t know. Jacob was talking over the radio to his men who were downtown. They said something about William near the zoo, and then an explosion went off.”
Shaun aims his rifle at Jacob and shouts, “I say we kill this asshole right now! His men had to have done something to William! The Conquerors broke the agreement, and now we kill them!”
“Wait a second! We need confirmation on that before we do that, Shaun!”
Shaun replies, “I’ll give you a minute to find out what happened, before I kill Jacob!”
Jean tries to exit from the truck, but Phil pushes the truck driver side door closed shut.
Phil points his handgun at Jean through the driver side window and shouts, “You aren’t going anywhere! Everyone keep your guns pointed at the Conquerors! Be ready to shoot them on my word!”
I call over the radio, “Hello? Is anyone there? Please respond.”
The static clears up for a second on the radio. Someone is trying to respond.
“Hold on everyone! Someone is trying to report back to us! Let’s figure out what happened first!”
I call over the radio again, “Hello? Is anyone there? Hold your fire. I repeat. Hold your fire.”
“Who is this? No one is firing any weapons down here,” says a Conqueror over the radio.
“This is Ryan of the Brotherhood. What happened before? What was the explosion?”
The Conqueror shouts, “Hold on a second! William! Talk to your friend, Ryan!”
William takes the radio from the Conqueror.
“Hello Ryan. This is William. How are you? The Conquerors and my group ran into a group of zombies. We are okay, but we are having trouble with this huge wall by the zoo downtown,” says William over the radio.
“Downtown? The zoo? What are you doing there?”
William responds over the radio, “It’s a long story, but we are looking for Bo’s brother Barrett downtown, and we hit a dead end right now. Someone built a huge border wall around part of downtown and around the zoo entrances.”
“Okay. Just to make sure though, you and your men are okay, William?”
“Yes, Bruce, Li, Enrique, Walter, and Bo are all fine. The Conquerors are fine also. They want to leave now, so I have to give them their radio back. I will see you soon,” says William over the radio.
“Okay. We have your badges, William. Come here as soon as you can. I want to talk to you about what happened downtown.”
“Ryan, I’m gonna have to ask you to give the radio to Jacob. I have to talk to him. Thank you,” says a Conqueror male over the radio.
I give the radio to Jacob.
“This is Jacob,” says Jacob over the radio as he gets into his truck.
Jacob talks to the man over the radio, while he sits inside his truck, and I can’t hear what they are saying.
The Conquerors and Jacob talk for several minutes before Jacob exits from his truck.
Jacob exits his truck and says, “Well, Ryan. We are done here. You have your badges, and we are set for the meeting at World of Trade in four days.”
“Everything better be okay with William and his men!”
Jacob replies, “They are fine. Everyone is fine. They couldn’t get into the zoo, but we haven’t been able to get into that place for quite a while now. Someone built up a huge barricade around the border of the zoo.”
Jacob shouts, “We are out of here men!”
The drivers of the Conqueror truck and car start their engines.
Shaun, Matt, Phil, and Bobby G get out of the street.
I walk towards the South entrance as Jacob, and the Conquerors drive towards the South entrance.
Jacob’s truck stops at the gate, and Jacob rolls his window down.
I look at Jacob.
“I’m a man of my word Ryan. Hopefully you trust me a little bit more after today,” says Jacob.
I look Jacob in his eyes and say, “Trust is earned. It will take a lot more than some badges to fully earn my trust.”
Jacob replies, “Fair enough. I will see you in four days.”
The Conquerors leave Citrus Oaks.
Shaun and Phil walk over to me.
“Let me see those badges,” says Shaun.
I hand the bag to Shaun and say, “Take a badge, and keep it on you. The badge idea might be farfetched, but it’s better to be safe than sorry right now.”
Shaun takes out three orange badges from the clear trash bag that Jacob gave me and hands one to Phil.
Phil looks at the badge and says, “Seems to be like the others. It says property of the U.S. government on it, all over the place. I guess Jacob wasn’t lying.”
Matt walks over to Shaun. Shaun gives him an orange badge.
“We still going on the run to the drugstores?” asks Matt.
“Yeah. You guys better get going. You are burning day light.”
Shaun asks, “You coming with us now, Ryan?”
“No. I want to wait for William to come here. I want to know what exactly happened downtown and about the zoo. You guys go without me.”
Phil replies, “Okay. We will be back. See you later.”
Matt, Shaun, and Phil walk through the South entrance and make it back to their vehicles.
The guards close the South entrance gate.
Bobby G walks over to me.
I hand Bobby G an orange badge and say, “Merry Christmas. I got you an orange card.”
“Thank you, just what I needed. I would have preferred a red card, but orange is nice,” jokes Bobby G.
Bobby G and I hand out the orange badges to everyone in the neighborhood. Some people look at me funny as I give them an orange badge, and others are thankful for the badge.
I arrive at Carlos’ house and am hesitant to knock on the door. The last time I saw Carlos and his wife, his wife Gloria blamed me for the death of their children. I want to give them some space, but also want to make sure they are doing okay.
Bobby G sees that I’m hesitating to knock on the door and wonders why.
“What’s the problem Ryan?” asks Bobby G.
“The last time I saw Carlos and Gloria, it wasn’t good between us.”
“I’ll do it. You go check on the other houses,” says Bobby G.
I take a step away from the door but stop immediately. I turn around and walk toward Carlos’ front door.
“I’ll do it. I can’t let my fear of this awkward situation win,” I say to Bobby G, just before he knocks on Carlos’ front door.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
I take a deep breath and wait nervously at Carlos’ front door.
Carlos answers the door.
“Hey Ryan. What’s up?” asks Carlos.
Before I can answer, Gloria comes rushing to the door and shouts, “Is that Ryan? Get the hell out of here! We don’t want to see you anymore!”
I hand Carlos two orange badges and say, “If you leave the neighborhood, make sure you have an orange badge on you.”
Gloria shouts, “We don’t want anything from you! You killed my children!”
Gloria grabs the orange badges from Carlos and throws them at me.
I bend down and pick up the orange badges that fell onto the welcome mat outside of Carlos’ front door.
That angers Gloria.
I stand up, and Gloria tries to punch me.
I block her punch and grab her right arm.
“Do not attack me. I understand you are mad Gloria, but don’t ever attack me, or another person in this neighborhood.”
I release Gloria’s arm.
Carlos doesn’t know what to do and is shocked that Gloria tried to hit me.
Gloria runs away from the front door and goes into her kitchen.
I hand Carlos the orange badges again, but he declines them.
“I’m sorry for Gloria’s actions, we won’t be a problem for you,” says Carlos as he shuts his front door.
Bobby G looks at me and says, “Well, you tried. You can’t help everyone. Let’s leave Gloria and Carlos alone.”
I walk with Bobby G to the rest of the houses and give out the orange badges to the residents of Citrus Oaks.
Shaun, Matt, and Phil arrive at a nearby drugstore.
There must be about eight drugstores within ten miles of my house. It feels like every corner has either a drugstore, grocery store, gas station, or fast food restaurant on it.
The guys park their vehicles in the abandoned parking lot of a drugstore. The parking lot, streets, and surrounding area are clear of danger, zombies, and people.
