Love & Decay (Season 1): Episodes 1-6

by Rachel Higginson

  I wanted to release a relieved breath, but I couldn’t. This was stupid, so, so, so stupid. And now instead of feeling relaxed because my own life had been spared, I had to worry about something happening to Hendrix. Grr.

  “Sounds like a plan then,” BW agreed. “I’ll send a man right over.” He went to crawl back in his SUV but stopped suddenly and looked back at Hendrix. “Probably best you leave all your toys. We’ve got plenty of our own to keep you safe.” He took the cigarette out of his mouth and threw it on the blood splattered ground before disappearing into his own car.

  Vaughan, Hendrix and I turned immediately into our own vehicle with the front doors open protecting us from their line of sight.

  Vaughan leaned forward and shot Hendrix a hard look, “Next time, you stay quiet.”

  “We both know that’s what needed to happen,” Hendrix countered.

  “We don’t have time for this,” Nelson scooted forward from the middle seat, bringing reason to the tensioned-filled space.

  “When we get there, we go in as married couples,” Vaughan instructed, moving past his issue with his brother. “Reagan, you’re with me and Haley you stick by Hendrix.” Vaughan shot Nelson a look that ordered his brother not to argue with him.

  Apparently, Hendrix didn’t understand the look. “Reagan better stay with me,” he announced.

  I cleared my throat, “Vaughan said I should be with him, Hendrix. I just promised to obey the next time Vaughan gave me an order and that sounded like an order.” Laughter lit Vaughan’s eyes, even as misplaced as it was in this situation. I shouldn’t have pushed my luck, but… “I can’t argue with your reasoning.”

  Hendrix looked down at me and narrowed his eyes, “Clever,” he muttered before handing his guns and ammo off to a pissed Nelson.

  I rolled my eyes and noticed the other caravan’s trade walking our way. He was dressed in black military fatigues and had a Yankees baseball cap pulled low over his face. He was probably mid-thirties and just as henchman looking as BW. We must have stumbled into a nest of militia. Fantastic.

  I pulled on Hendrix’s pinky with my whole hand and he turned immediately to give me his full attention. “Be smart, Hendrix.” My warning was simple and to the point, disguising a hundred other things I wanted to say to him, even while I had no idea where they were coming from.

  “Only if you promise to be my pretend-wife next time,” he smirked down at me, obviously pleased I was showing some kind of concern for his well-being.

  Duh, Hendrix. I just killed a shit ton of Zombies just so you wouldn’t die. Obviously, I care.

  “I told you not to make jokes,” I grumbled.

  “That wasn’t a joke,” he insisted and turned around and met the henchman just as he walked by the Beast from the East- AKA the ginormicon Zombie I’d popped a cap in.

  Apparently, Harrison’s love for all things Jay-Z was wearing off on me.

  Great, that was all I needed.

  “Hey, Reagan, do you mind crawling in the back with Page?” Vaughan asked, breaking into my thoughts.

  “Not at all,” I agreed doing exactly as he asked.

  Haley helped Page over the seat, just as I climbed in next to her. King slipped over next and Haley threw her body over.

  “I have boy clothes,” Page whispered as Vaughan stopped our new passenger in front of the SUV to have a chat with him. She was already pulling the clothes out of her backpack and slipping into cargo pants.

  “Do you have a sweatshirt?” I whispered. “Don’t try to change your shirt, just put a sweatshirt over it.”

  She nodded and did what I said. She wasn’t old enough to have an overtly feminine figure, but she was very girl-looking. Her eyes were almond shaped with dark lashes and she had perfect rose bud lips. It would be almost impossible for her to look like a boy, but if we could hide her hair, and she kept her face down, she might have a chance.

  She started to pull the hood up over her hair, but I knew it wouldn’t be enough. Pulling loose my own hair I took my last hair tie and wrestled Page’s hair up into a bun on the top of her head.

  “Hat?” I gasped just as the guy started walking around the Hummer to take Hendrix’s vacated seat. Page pulled out a knit hat that would hang over her ears. “Perfect,” I mumbled. I swept up the loose strands and whispered that she shouldn’t try to move it and then our new friend was in his seat and eyeing us all seriously.

  Page was a much better actress than me. While I tried not to freak the f out, she leaned back casually and stared out the window. I counted to one hundred in my head so that I wouldn’t start screaming like a lunatic. Having a stranger in our car while Hendrix rode shot gun with a bunch of hillbilly renegades sat so wrong with me.

  Finally, Hendrix’s replacement flipped his happy switch and shot us a toothy grin. “Y’all done good with that big bastard. He’s been a problem round here for a while now.”

  “He wasn’t that hard to kill,” I mumbled defiantly. These guys had guns to spare, so unless they weren’t really loaded, I didn’t see what the problem was.

  “Yeah, but he’s kinda like an initiation around here. He’s been gobblin’ up most everyone who’s tried to come through. Y’all are the first ones to really put up any kind of fight.” He was so southern, I expected him to pull out a jug of moonshine and start passing it around at any second.

  “What do you mean initiation?” Vaughan asked slowly just as he fell into line behind the caravan of strangers that had turned around. They were leading us back to their den of ammo-hoarding militia and the nerves and concerns that were turning my stomach started clawing their way up my throat in a way that screamed “panic attack.”

  “You’ll see. We got a sweet setup back at the fort. Very secure, very private. We can’t just let anyone inside. We have to wait for those that are worthy, if you know what I mean,” Hillbilly answered smugly.

  “You’ve been letting people die so you could weed them out?” I blurted on a half-shriek.

  “Well, it’s not like we’re their guardian angels. They would have died anyway if we weren’t here, so what does it matter?” he argued with narrowed eyes.

  “But you are here, you could help them!” I was breathing heavily now, my head felt like it could easily spin all the way around. I mean, I’d lost faith in the human condition as well, but didn’t we still have a responsibility to each other to help out if and when we could?

  “You made the cut, so what do you care?” Hillbilly shot back with a challenge. I watched his thumb rub the trigger of his semi-automatic handgun and I swallowed back about a thousand different retorts.

  Haley put a hand on my knee and squeezed with warning and Vaughan gave me a pleading look in the review mirror.

  “You’re right, we made the cut,” I bit out working hard to sound respectful, the exact opposite of how I really felt. “I couldn’t be happier.”

  “Stupid bitch,” he mumbled, turning his attention back to the road.

  It took every single thing in me to keep from leaping toward the front seat and strangling him with my bare hands. And the only thing that kept me glued to my seat with hands tucked under my thighs and my teeth biting down painfully on my bottom lip was that I was trying to be a good role model for Page. And first degree murder was not being a good role model.

  “You’re welcome, Page,” I mumbled. She didn’t even bother glancing at me.

  The silence in the Hummer became oppressive after that. I could see Vaughan’s hands white and strained as he gripped the steering wheel and Nelson, Harrison and King were coiled tight with the urge to stand up for me. I was absolutely thankful no one said anything, but the tension became so thick and palpable I had to wonder how we would survive the night with these pricks.

  We drove for about twenty minutes before a gated military base came into view. It was nestled into towering, newly budding trees and the surrounding houses were surprisingly untouched by the decaying world. Our visitor sat up in attention, he was thrumming with excite
ment and pride. I rolled my eyes.

  “There she is, y’all. We built the walls ourselves. It took a while, but we’ve kept the Feeders out for about a year now. We’ve been living all peaceful and civilized and shit. You’ll be happy we found you,” he boasted smugly.

  I heard Haley mumble, “So happy.”

  “Do you have families here? Or is this a militia compound?” Vaughan asked as he slowed the Hummer to follow the caravan through a series of checkpoints.

  “There are a few families,” he answered vaguely.

  Which meant mostly men. I wondered if the women that constituted “families” were here by force or choice.

  There were three sets of chain-link fences that seemed to go around the entire property with guard stands about ever fifty feet. More armed men in fatigues stood twenty-five feet in the air on manmade towers, carrying heavy weaponry and keeping a keen eye on everything on the ground.

  Once we reached the guards at the checkpoint behind the first gate, we were ordered to evacuate the car while they searched every inch of it.

  Vaughan’s jaw clenched tightly with frustration and it seemed like he was seconds away from exploding. When they yanked the duffle bags full of weapons to the ground, I knew I needed to intervene.

  “Hey,” I used my most calming tone and reached for one of Vaughan’s hands. “We’ll be alright.”

  “I can’t see Hendrix,” he admitted in a low voice. “They have Hendrix and now they have our weapons. Reagan, this is a worst-case-scenario.”

  That was definitely true. The three SUV’s had been waved through guard inspection and disappeared somewhere beyond the last gate. We were stuck here watching all of our possessions fall into the hands of men who wouldn’t even use them to save other humans. But losing sight of Hendrix was the worst part of all.

  “I’m sure he’ll be fine,” I promised, rubbing my thumb along the inside of his palm. “He’s not exactly helpless.”

  Vaughan turned so he could meet my eyes. “You’re right,” he breathed.

  “He’s probably already hatched an escape plan. One that involves leaving with a full tank of gas and more guns than we came with.” I smiled up at him, meeting his deep blue eyes. His forehead relaxed its worry lines and he took another deep breath, visibly settling down.

  “We have to get out of here, Reagan.”

  “I know.”

  “As soon as possible. Keep your eyes open for anything we can use. We’ll play this their way until we figure out if they’re going to let us go or not. Until then, stay close.”

  He must have meant literally because he pulled his hand out of mine and slid it around my waist, clutching me to him. I laid my head against his shoulder and forced myself not to fidget.

  It wasn’t like Haley and I cuddled. This was the closest I’d been to another human being since before the initial infection; Hendrix didn’t count because I couldn’t feel anything other than the frantic pounding of my own heart. And the last time Quarterback Chris and I were any kind of touchy-feely was before his vaccine. Vaughan’s muscled body flush against mine, his warm heat pushing into every inch of my personal bubble was… disconcerting.

  “Nelson,” Vaughan called out in that quiet, serious voice. When he had Nelson’s attention, he nodded his head toward Haley. “Changed my mind, since Hendrix is otherwise occupied.”

  Nelson, who had two hands on each of Page’s shoulders, got the message immediately.

  “Come here, Page,” Vaughan ordered next.

  Page-in-disguise turned around and went to Vaughan’s free arm, while Nelson and Haley sidled up next to each other, awkwardly holding hands.

  “Nelson’s too nervous to look natural,” Vaughan whispered in a shocked tone.

  “Haley’s not doing any better.” This was amusing, in that we-could-die-at-any-moment-why-not-laugh-about-it kind of way.

  “We’re keeping these,” one of the guards held up the three huge duffels that had been packed with guns and ammo. “You can have the rest.”

  We eyed the duffels, backpacks and coolers that had been dumped out on the ground with frustration. Slowly we moved as a unit and bent down to pick up our belongings and shove them haphazardly into our respective bags.

  “Reagan, you have an obscene amount of underwear,” Vaughan whispered.

  I looked up at him to see that he was laughing at me. I cleared my throat and went back to my task, ignoring the blush blooming across my cheeks.

  Finally, the trunk was packed again with the possessions we were allowed to keep and we filed back into the Hummer. The hillbilly was back, with an extra handgun tucked into the front of his pants. He didn’t adjust it when he sat down; that was when I knew he was just trying to intimidate us with it. I’d made the same mistake, the barrel jabs into your thigh, or crotch, or if it gets at just the right angle it can cut you. There was no way he was comfortable, but his pride kept him from changing the gun’s position.

  He gave Vaughan directions on how to get to the main meeting area; Vaughan followed them silently. He was back to being crazy angry again. I could see his stretched white knuckles even from the back row. I wondered if Hillbilly was nervous for us as a whole once he’d seen how many guns we were carrying or if Vaughan’s barely repressed rage was the finalizing factor for his fear.

  In just moments Vaughan pulled up in front of a plain military style office building. We climbed out and walked in as a close group. The air was stagnant without central air and no open windows, but there were actual electric lights on. I could hear the whir of a generator somewhere in the distance and was kind of impressed by that.

  “Welcome to the Fort,” BW greeted from a swirly chair that might as well have been set up like a throne. A line of armed men fanned out to either side of him and Hendrix sat in his own chair off to the side. He looked pissed off, but other than that he seemed untouched. “The name’s Gary. This is my base. You belong to the lucky few that are allowed in. Welcome.”

  “Thank you for your hospitality,” Vaughan answered after a charged pause.

  Gary’s face broke out into a wide grin and he turned his attention to Hendrix. “Now see? That is how a smart man responds when given an opportunity.”

  Hendrix narrowed his eyes but otherwise did not respond.

  “This is an opportunity,” Vaughan started carefully. “Unfortunately we have obligations which will force us to continue traveling.”

  “Continue traveling? You can’t be serious,” Gary scoffed. He leaned back in his chair and looked along the line of his armed men. “There can’t be anything out there worth leaving this kind of safety for.”

  Vaughan’s shoulders stiffened as if he was preparing for battle. “My wife’s family was last heard of south of here. We promised we’d come for them.”

  “How gallant of you,” Gary bit out, enunciating each word precisely. “But you have to know they’re dead by now. Everything south of here is dead.”

  “Doesn’t matter. We gave our word. We have to find out,” Vaughan answered quickly, firmly.

  “Stay tonight then. Think about it. Restock your supplies as a thank you for clearing up our… infestation and leave first thing in the morning.” Gary countered, but I trusted the gleam in his eye not at all. I did not trust this guy.

  “Alright,” Vaughan nodded. “And we’ll get our guns back, right?”

  “Whenever you leave, you can have everything we confiscated back,” Gary offered magnanimously. But we all heard what he didn’t say, the implication in his tone of voice. Whenever we left was a little bit of a threat. “I pulled your brother’s name out on the ride over here, but I guess I need yours….”

  “Vaughan,” Vaughan answered politely. “This is my wife, Reagan. My brother Nelson and his wife Haley, my other brothers Harrison, King and Page.”

  “Hendrix said his last name was Parker?” Gary pressed eyeing Haley and me with obvious disappointment.

  Vaughan noticed too and slipped his arm back around my waist, “Mine a
s well. We are all Parkers.”

  “And we all belong to the Fort,” Gary waved around at his men. “You’ll meet everyone eventually. Tack and Sean can show you to your housing. I suppose you’ll want to stay with your wives.”

  More of that creepy disappointment seeped out of him.

  “We’ll all stay together,” Vaughan answered in a command.

  “We have plenty of room,” Gary pressed.

  “We will stay together,” Vaughan confirmed.

  “Fine. They can stay in that empty house near the barracks.” Gary nodded his head to two men that must have been Tack and Sean. “But you’ll join us for dinner.”

  “We have our own-“

  “You’ll accept our hospitality and join us for dinner,” Gary cut in, clearly at the end of his patience.

  Vaughan stared him down for a few charged moments before nodding his head, “Thank you for your kindness.”

  Gary didn’t respond, just spun around on his swivel chair to face the desk behind him. His shiny bald head reflected the electric light hanging from the ceiling and I repressed the urge to salute him sarcastically.

  Tack and Sean, two beastly men with the same color mousy brown hair and the same uniform of black fatigues, that I wouldn’t have been able to tell apart if I tried, led the way out a door in the back.

  “Will the Hummer be alright?” Vaughan asked in a hard voice.

  “Just give us your keys, we’ll take it to the shop and have it serviced.” One of the bash brothers answered.

  “Our stuff is in the back. We’ll need it for the night,” Hendrix pointed out in a rough voice. He kept shooting me severe glances and I felt like shrinking under his raw strength.

  “We can drop that by for you later,” the other one said.

  It was a bit of a march across the campus, but at least I got a lay of the land. The three rows of fence continued all the way around the compound. Barracks were positioned throughout the grounds as well, with men walking about all in the same black fatigue outfit. I wondered how many of them were already military before Gary showed up and took over. While he had the alpha-male personality of a leader, it was more the communist-dictator-kind than American-military-hierarchy.