“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Zach.” I pointed to Julie and Fred. “These are my friends Julie, and Mister McCoy.” I leaned forward a little bit toward Leon. “If you see a boy anywhere around here, you just go ahead and knock him down.” I punctuated it with a challenging wink. He responded with a humorless smile, showing yellow teeth. They reminded me of kernels of corn.
“Are you serious about those steaks?” Private Dawson piped up. “I haven’t had a steak in a coon’s age.” Dawson was obviously from a more rural area. He had a distinct southern twang. He was also one of those people who could go without eating for a week and still be fat. His double chin jiggled when he spoke. It was hard to tell his age, but he appeared to be the same age as Hart. He smiled at me hopefully.
I glanced at True. He was a light-skinned biracial man. Clean shaven with just a hint of a moustache. He reminded me of a smaller version of Jason. I hoped it was only a similarity in looks and not the personality. He cradled his M-4 in a safe manner, but could bring it on target quickly. He never said a word, just kept scanning the area. I presumed he was watching for zombies. Or perhaps he was on the alert for an ambush. Pretty smart.
“Of course,” I said. “We were hoping to meet survivors, so we brought extras. Come join us by the grill.” The lieutenant nodded a tacit approval, and the men walked with me over to where Julie and Fred were now standing. Fred nodded at them but made no effort to shake hands.
Leon leered at Julie and offered his hand. “Wow, you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve seen in quite a while. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Julie reluctantly extended her hand. Leon pulled close and kissed it sloppily. Julie yanked her hand back, which just caused Leon to chuckle. “Relax babe, you’ll grow to like me. All the women do.”
His crass remark got a chuckle from Dawson. Leon glared at him. Dawson shut up immediately.
“Corporal Hart, could you mind your manners just for a few hours?” Lieutenant Ward said tiredly. It looked like there was an ongoing battle of wills between the two men. I also noticed the Lieutenant visibly grimaced when he sat in one of the chairs. Fred glanced at me. He noticed as well. Ward looked over at Private Dawson. “Dawson, get some of those bottles of Gatorade out of the back. The least we can do is share.” Dawson grinned and trotted back to the Humvee.
Ward looked around and pointed at the building. “What were you two doing in there?”
“Waiting on you gentlemen of course.” I said. He looked at me questioningly. “We were not sure what kind of reception we’d get if we walked in the front gate, so we went for plan B.” I said and gestured toward the freshly cooked steaks. “C’mon guys, let’s eat.”
I did not have to say it twice. Julie played hostess and filled each plate with a large steak and two ears of corn on the cob. I watched as the men savored every bite. Leon ogled Julie continuously, but she acted as though she did not notice. Fred caught my eye again. I knew what he was thinking. This Hart was potential trouble and would bear watching.
Corporal Hart finally turned his attention to me and smiled without humor. “So, Zach is it? Where are you guys from?”
“Well Leon, we live not too far from here.” I pointed out to some nondescript area over his shoulder. “Out in the country. We thought we’d come into town and see if there were any other survivors, scrounge around for stuff we could use, you know.”
He grunted. “Just so you know, this building, all of these buildings in this area, are under military jurisdiction. Nothing leaves without our approval.”
Fred had remained quiet until now. “That’s awfully pretentious of you young man. Perhaps you would be good enough to show us the paperwork giving you this so-called authority. Maybe those steaks are under your jurisdiction as well. Hell’s bells, maybe we should ask for your forgiveness for butchering the poor cow.” He was leaning casually against the van. He looked very nonthreatening, at least to everyone else. Julie and I knew better.
Lieutenant Hart was working his mouth trying to phrase a response. Leon reacted by hurling a bottle of Gatorade at Fred. Fred deftly caught it and looked at it.
“I prefer the purple flavor, but orange will do. Thank you, boy.” He emphasized the last word. I liked it. Leon didn’t.
Butt ugly boy had his M-4 slung across his shoulder. He scowled and started to reach for it. I held up my hand and pointed. “Lieutenant, is this the way you normally treat people? Is this how the military is supposed to act?”
Lieutenant Ward pointed at Leon. “At ease Corporal. You’re out of line. And get your hand off of your weapon.” Leon glared at the Lieutenant for a lingering moment, but acquiesced.
Lieutenant Ward stared at Hart a moment longer and then looked over at Fred. “My apologies to all of you. Yesterday, we thought we were going to be overrun by those damn things. The firefight lasted for over an hour. We’re all still a little keyed up, right Hart?”
Hart was still glaring, but then looked down. “Yeah, we’ve been through hell. Killed a ton of those sons of bitches.” I knew he was the one to watch. He would be the one to cause trouble. If shots were going to be fired, Fred would kill Leon first. I really doubted Dawson would do anything. I kept my attention on True. For some reason he seemed like the most deadly. Leon was definitely a bully, and therefore dangerous, but True was different. I suddenly realized, he acted a lot like Fred. His body position never moved during Leon’s antics. He just kept eating while watching the road.
I needed to get the tension down. “Hey, I understand. We’ve all been through a lot. There is absolutely no need for us to be hostile to each other.” I looked over. “Hey Julie, Private True there looks like he could use another steak and a couple ears of corn.” True never turned his head. Instead, his hand shot up and he extended a thumb.
“How about you Corporal? How about it Dawson?” Hart’s stomach outvoted his hostility. He quickly agreed along with Dawson. Julie refilled all of their plates with the efficiency of a waitress at a greasy spoon. Dawson thanked her profusely, True nodded. Leon tried to make leering eye contact with her, which she pointedly ignored. He didn’t get it.
Everything settled down then, and for several minutes there were only the sounds of contented eating.
Finally, Lieutenant Hart paused long enough to speak. “I would really like to fully debrief you three. I need to know what you guys have been seeing out there.”
I chuckled. “We’ll answer most any questions you have Lieutenant.” I looked at Fred, he nodded. “Fred and I live out in the country. When the world started going to hell, we bugged in and hunkered down.” I sliced a piece of my steak, which was surprisingly tasty, and chewed on it for a moment.
“We met Julie and her family later. Say Leon, how’s the corn?” Leon looked up at me with a mixture of kernels and juice escaping down his chin. He nodded appreciatively. I think we had him calmed down, at least until the food was gone. I continued. “Julie’s become separated from her mother and little brother. Her mother’s name is Janet Frierson. Tommy, her little brother, is ten. They might be with a pregnant girl. Have you guys seen anyone who matches that description?”
Dawson acted like he wanted to say something but was worried about the repercussions, so he stared at the ground.
Julie saw it also and spoke up. “Private Dawson, your jaw dropped when Zach spoke of my family. Have you seen them?”
He worked his mouth nervously and looked at the Lieutenant for direction. “Uh, I’m pretty sure that your mother and brother are here. With us.” We all stared at him. “Well, not with us right here in the parking lot, but in the barracks with the rest of the civilians.” He said.
Chapter 25 - A Reunion on Sidco Drive
Lieutenant Ward directed Corporal Hart and Private Dawson to drive back to the barracks and fetch them. While we waited, we recounted what we had seen and tried to answer the Lieutenant’s questions. He listened patiently, absorbing everything we said. When we were finished, he nodded and spoke.
�
�If you guys want, we can take you in. We don’t have a lot, but it is a good secure area. We can offer protection against the zombies.”
Fred scoffed. I shrugged. “We’re good, thanks. But we appreciate the offer.” I stood and began gathering up the trash. I piled it up and lit it on fire. “You guys need to burn those bodies.”
Lieutenant Ward chuckled. “Oh yes, rule number eight. I watched you paint those. What does the Z mean?”
“Zach.” Julie said quickly, with a little bit of pride. She was antsy now and could not sit still.
The Lieutenant laughed, but caught himself short. A flash of pain went across his face. “I’ve been sitting too long.” He stood slowly, painfully.
“I got in a car wreck when all of this stuff first started. I messed up my back pretty badly. I probably need surgery but,” He shrugged awkwardly. “No doctors anywhere.” He fished a pill bottle out of his pocket and took a couple. True glanced over briefly. I don’t think he liked what he saw, but he said nothing.
“How bad is it?” Fred asked quietly.
“It’s not getting any better.” He wiped his hands on his pants. I offered him a squirt of hand sanitizer, which he gratefully accepted. “I suppose it’s no use trying to talk you guys into staying. We can always use some more people who know how to use firearms. We got a bunch of civilians who are mostly in the way. All they do is complain and try to shirk work details.”
“How many?” I asked. I wanted a count to get an idea of how many survivors there potentially were out in the world.
“There are twelve soldiers and fifteen civilians. We’ve lost a lot. I used to send out patrols on regular intervals, but too many of them never came back. They either met with trouble or deserted. Now we confine our activities to within a one mile boundary around the barracks.”
“Do you know if there was a FEMA facility set up in Nashville?” I asked.
The Lieutenant frowned and nodded. “Oh yeah. It was thrown together rather quickly. They used the Titan’s stadium as a staging center. The problem with it was infected people were mixed in. It became total chaos within a day or so.” He stared out at the roadway. “They all either died or turned. The infection must have spread like…”
“Wildfire.” I finished the sentence for him.
He nodded. “That’s as good a description as any. We were successful in evacuating a small amount of people and brought them here. It worked out pretty good, at first. The infected seemed to stay in or around the stadium. All we’ve had were stragglers, one or two here and there. Yesterday, they came in a big horde. It was the strangest thing. They all seemed to be acting in concert.”
“Rule number eight, they have a herding mentality.” Julie said. “How long are they going to take Lieutenant? Can you go get them?”
Lieutenant Ward ignored her. He was in his own world at the moment. “I’ve not had any radio contact with command in over two weeks. The last communication I had was from Cheyenne Mountain through a satellite link, but now they’re silent. I’m afraid our government may be lost.”
He continued rubbing his back. “You know, I was a human resources manager at a tire factory when this shit started. I’m no real soldier. Just a weekend warrior. Houston Barracks is not a combat arms unit. We mostly handled staffing and logistics.” He slowly shook his head. “True is the only one who has any actual combat experience. The rest, including me, are just paper pushers. Hart and Dawson are mechanics.”
“How are you fixed for food and water?” I asked.
He scoffed. “We don’t have steaks or any other fresh meat, but we’ve enough MREs for the next ten years. We got a distiller, so the water is good. We’ll be out of fuel soon though.” He looked at us. “How are you guys faring? Do you need any MREs?”
“We’re doing okay. And no, we’re not desperate enough for those things yet. Maybe later.” I said. “Do you have any dog food?” He looked over at Private True. True shook his head.
I thought for a minute and pointed at the building. “I don’t want to sound pretentious here, but we are in need of some materials in there. We need to make our own water distillation equipment. We’re not looking to get into some kind of pissing contest about who has jurisdiction over what.”
He held up his hand. “Don’t worry about it. Take what you need.” We heard the sound of the Humvee approaching. “Miss Julie, I think your family is here.”
Tommy spotted us first. “Julie!” He yelled and jumped out of the vehicle before it was parked and ran over to us. Julie dropped down and gave him a hug. She didn’t cry, but she had trouble speaking for a minute. The kid looked okay. A little thin, maybe not very clean, but otherwise he looked okay.
He turned and saw me. His jaw dropped. “Zach!” He ran over and hugged me as well. I was surprised, to say the least.
I knelt down and hugged him back. “Hey big guy, I sure am glad to see you.”
“Hello Zach.” Janet said icily. She had walked up while I was hugging Tommy. Like Tommy, she had lost weight. Her once curvy figure was now slim, which only accentuated her large breasts. In spite of the hard times, she had managed to take care of herself and was still very attractive. I could see where Julie got her looks. I had no doubt she was receiving a lot of male attention.
“What the hell are you doing here?” She practically snarled it. The beauty was obviously only skin deep.
She turned to Julie without bothering waiting for an answer. “Hello mother.” Julie said quietly.
“Where have you been? I’ve been worried sick wondering about you.” It almost sounded heartfelt.
“Obviously not worried enough to come looking for me though.” Julie retorted.
“Don’t take that tone with me young lady.” Her tone changed back to a snarl. In fact, her whole demeanor changed at the blink of an eye. Concerned mother to hateful bitch in under a second. I hoped like hell Julie had not inherited this character trait.
Julie held up her hand. “It’s okay mom, I get it. You always thought of yourself first, then us kids. I understand now.” She looked at me with warmth in her eyes. “You don’t have to worry about me anymore. I’ve got a new home.”
She pointed at me incredulously. “With him and that old drunk? What are you, their whore?”
Before I could blink, Julie took a quick step toward Janet and slapped her. Hard. I think all of us, even Fred, were shocked. She did have a bit of her mother in her after all. “No mother, I’m not their whore. I’m not like you. Don’t disrespect me again.” There was a threatening tone to her voice. I’m betting Janet had never had her daughter speak to her in such a manner.
Janet’s mouth opened in shock and surprise. She held her face where she had been slapped and stared at Julie incredulously. Julie returned her glare with a clearly conveyed look of contempt.
Janet then looked around at the soldiers. “This girl is a minor. She’s a runaway. She belongs with me, her mother.” She pointed at me angrily. “You need to arrest him or something.”
Corporal Hart stared at me hard. He was the first one to speak up. “Well little buddy, she makes a good point. Julie needs to come with us.”
Before I could say anything, Julie retorted. “The hell I will.” She quickly walked to the front bumper of the van where we had leaned our rifles and grabbed one. “Don’t even think about it boys.” She said gruffly as she flipped the safety off. I have to admit, she looked intimidating. Fred, who was standing nearby with his right hand hovering beside his pistol, he looked very intimidating. I had my hand on my Glock which was in my jacket pocket and ready for action, although I doubted that I looked the least bit intimidating.
Once again we had a tense moment. It could go downhill very quickly. I needed to do something. “Listen up guys, Corporal Hart. This is a different world than what it once was. There are no longer any laws dealing with juvenile custody issues or any shit like that. It’s all a matter of survival now.” I pointed with my free hand at Julie. “As for Julie, she’s free to stay her
e or go with us. I think you all would agree. It’s her choice and nobody else’s. Anyone who thinks differently and tries to interfere, well, I’d say Julie will more than likely shoot you in the ass.” Dawson chuckled, even Private True smiled, which was what I was hoping for.
Lieutenant Ward spoke up. “Point taken. We’re solders, not truant officers. Julie is old enough to decide for herself.”
I turned my attention to Julie’s mother. “Janet, we’d like Tommy to come with us. He’ll be safe with us and he’ll be with his sister.”
“Like hell. You and that drunk are the ones who kicked us out, or don’t you remember?” Janet’s tone indicated she thought she was somehow the victim of a terrible sin committed by Rick and me.
I nodded. Oh sure Zach, you just say we want Tommy to go with us and his mother will drop to her knees thanking the heavens for our generosity. Yeah, right. I raised my empty hand in a placating gesture and walked over to her. When I was close enough, I spoke in a low voice.
“I thought that would be your response. I know you don’t like me, and quite frankly I don’t like you.” I looked around. Corporal Hart walked closer and was listening intently. I spoke loudly for everyone to hear. “We met recently. Her, her family, and her lover. They were lost and starving. We took them in and they plotted to kill us in our own home. We made them leave. Julie and I have since reconciled. Janet has chosen to be vindictive. She plotted with some people to kill us.”
I looked at her pointedly. “It didn’t go so well for them.” Leon arched both his eyebrows in surprise and looked over at Janet for some type of denial or confirmation. He got neither.
I gave a placating shrug. “So, here is my offer to you Janet. Tommy comes and lives with us. That’ll free you up. Without a kid to care for constantly, you’ll be free to be, well, you.” The implications of the statement, I hoped, were clear. “Whenever we come into town, it’ll be our priority for him to visit with you. In addition, I’ll make it worth your while.” I was now close enough to lean forward and whisper so Corporal Hart would not hear me. “I think you know what I mean. We can give you extra food and supplies. You can keep it, trade it, hell, you can throw it all in the garbage if you want. With extra food, you’ll have bargaining power, much more than you do now.” I straightened.
Zombie Rules Page 21
