by Daniel Smith
“That is one mighty big animal bet it could feed several people,” he stated Manny just nodded his head at this.
“We have several more people at the refinery that would love freshly roasted venison,” Master Sergeant Mobila continued.
Dan eyed them suspiciously but Manny just kept smiling nodding his head.
“I have a couple of cases of MRE’s (Meals ready to eat) that I could trade for that,” Master Sergeant Mobila said pointing out the deer. Manny look to Dan who for his part just look back at Manny expectantly.
“We could do that but you're going to have to carry it back,” Manny said good-naturedly. Master Sergeant Mobila turned to look and pointed at two soldiers.
“Go find something we can carry it back to the refinery,” he said in an authoritarian tone.
Dan watched, as the two soldiers moved off from the group as the rest relaxed slightly. For his part he did not relax, the tension that filled his stomach was still there tightening as he watched Manny quietly speak to Master Sergeant Mobila for a few moments. The two soldiers came back with a large white pole with stripes on it looking like it had come from some a kids swing set. Dan watched as the soldiers tied the feet together of the buck then slipped the pole between the tired legs before lifting it up. Lifting the loaded deer onto their shoulders they fell back into line with the other soldiers. Manny made a motion for Dan to join in as they started walking with the soldiers east towards the refinery.
“I take it you have a camp around here,” Master Sergeant Mobila said in the way of conversation again with Manny. Walking down the asphalt road between the tall grass covered mounds alongside it.
“We do so do several other people,” Manny said calmly in the way of an answer.
Manny and Master Sergeant Mobila moved up a few feet as the people in front of Dan slowed down but before Dan could move to catch up with them. The female soldier who had spoken earlier to chastise the other soldier came up alongside him she turned without breaking stride to look at him.
“How long have you been here,” she asked. Dan looked at her startled but did not answer at first.
“Maybe long enough to forget what a woman looks like,” a younger soldier smarted off.
The woman turned to face him angrily telling him.
“Shut it Jones.”
Dan watched as the man quieted down immediately to the chuckles of his companions.
“Yes corporal,” he mumbled. Dan looked at the woman Manny's lecture on when to talk and when to be silent running through his head.
“Are you from around here,” she asked him again sounding friendly.
Dan took another look at her there were strands of brown hair peeking out from under her helmet and her round face seem friendly enough. Even though she walked covered in a heavy body armor caring an assault rifle.
“No,” he answered quietly before she could respond he continued watching several of the other soldiers moving closer to hear what he was saying.
“Phoenix,” he said as he watched the look of shock cross the woman's face as she blurted out.
“Arizona?”
Dan slowly nodded his head agreeing.
“Have you been on the road long,” a male soldier blurted out. Dan did not look at him but spoke to the woman.
“How long has it been,” he asked quietly. The woman looked at him confused for a moment before she responded carefully.
“How long for what,” she asked carefully. Dan looked blankly at her then responded.
“Since it started since the plague started,” he finished. His answer caused a long pause of silence among the soldiers he was beginning to worry. Had he said something wrong before the woman looked at him with a sad smile.
“Almost two years,” she responded. Dan looked at her blankly then nodded his head slowly incomprehension.
“That long,” he responded before lapsing into an uneasy silence. The group walked on in silence for a little bit before the female corporal started talking to him again.
“I have a younger brother about your age,” she said. “We come from Baton Rouge. Born and raised there,’ she said.
“That is interesting,” Dan responded.
“Where are you staying,” she asked.
“In the house that way,” he said pointing in a general Southeast direction.
“That is good I have been in the Army for almost two years now I enlisted shortly before the plague started,” she continued. “Did you have a car,” she went on in a friendly tone. Dan for his part listened politely trying to nod his head at the proper times.
“Had,” he said. She looked at him.
“Where were you heading,” she asked.
“My uncle’s farm in Mississippi,” he replied trying to sound friendly but giving away what he thought was no relevant information.
“Where are your parents,” a soldier behind him asked. Dan’s face tighten as he lapsed into silence.
“What’s wrong,” the voice asked again.
“Shut it Jones,” another voice responded as they walked towards the chain-link fence surrounding the large white circular tanks of the refinery.
He could see several armed soldiers patrolling the interior perimeter of the fence. The town was not big they avoided this area because of the bridge closeness. Manny rejoined Dan as he entered the gate several soldiers looking at them questioningly. They watched as the soldiers carrying the deer between them walked off toward one of the buildings. As two new soldiers left one building and approach Master Sergeant Mobila who stiffened and saluted. Several moments of conversation past they could not hear when one of the men that exited the building approach them.
“Welcome I am Major Fallon,” he said extending his hand towards Manny who shook it then towards Dan who awkwardly shook it in return.
“Master Sergeant Mobila has said he's traded you some MRE’ s for the venison,” the major said watching as the deer moved off towards another building.
“I think he made an excellent trade and I hope you two will enjoy our hospitality while you stay here,” the major said good-naturedly. Manny thanked him and watch as he moved off. Manny moved alongside Dan studying him for a moment.
“Take it easy they seem like good people and I don't think we'll have any problems here,” Manny said easily.
“They thought we were with the other group that uses the bridge,” Manny continued calmly. Dan looked up at him with concern on his face.
“Don’t worry, I explained to them we were not and they already had a nasty run in with Master Sergeant Mobila,” Manny finished.
“How did that go,” Dan asked starting to smile.
“Extremely well, unless you where them,” Manny chuckled as he motioned Dan to follow the soldiers.
They spent a week with the soldiers Dan felt strange the entire time they were there. As Manny said there was no trouble, and they seem friendly enough. Manny had gone out the next day with a couple soldiers and recovered a few items that they had left at camp bringing it back to the refinery. Dan watched suspiciously, as Manny spent several hours talking not only to Master Sergeant Mobila but to the Major as well. Dan did his best to keep busy he set up a small archery target and practice with the bow.
Several soldiers like to watch in amusement when he did. The one female corporal that had tried befriending him was Becky. She make time to talk with him. Sometimes trying to get information out of him other times she just talk to him. Dan for the first time that he could remember did his best to sleep through the night. But kept finding himself waking up for periods of time for no reason or to vivid dreams of an emaciated man with milky white eyes reaching out with a withered hand to grasp at him. After these dreams he woke with a start spending sometimes the rest of the night awake staring into the darkness looking for movement. At the end of the week, Master Sergeant Mobila with two other soldiers drove Dan and Manny across the bridge in a bulky looking Humvee to where they stored the van.
Master sergeant Mobila seeme
d impressed with the van and good-naturedly offered Manny the help of himself and the soldiers to recover the caches of food and supplies that they had hidden in the general area. Dan felt a little uneasy about that.
“How had they known about those,” he wondered. After they finished loading the van Master Sergeant Mobila looked at both of them saying.
“The road to Baton Rouge should be clear and trouble free. If you run into any turnaround and head here fast. Once again I would suggest you wait for the convoy that comes at the end of the month and go back with them,” he told them. Manny smiled.
“Thank you for the offer and if we need to will take you up on it but we need to get moving,” he said good-naturedly.
Master sergeant Mobila wished them a safe journey and return to the Humvee with the soldiers as Dan and Manny entered the van starting it. They followed the Humvee the short distance down the road and watched, as the camouflage Humvee turned right onto the 190 heading towards the bridge. Heading for the newly installed green sandbag placements with soldiers guarding them. As they turned left onto the 190 following the tree-lined highway seeing nothing but an occasional abandoned car or truck as they headed east.
They drove for some time seeing nothing as the tree line gave way to abandoned farmland gone wild as they entered the small-town of Lottie. Before passing through the small farming town to see more abandoned cropland gone wild they saw no one on the highway except an occasional shambling figure that showed interest in them as they passed. According to the signpost they were approaching, the town of Lovonia is when they began to see what appeared as low to the ground telephone poles. Manny slowed the van as they approached to see a makeshift assembly of portable tents scattered out about the side of the road. Manny apply the break of the van and stopped. Removing the Ruger 7736 rifle from the case that sat between the driver and passenger seat he opened the door turning to Dan.
“I'm going to take a look around I want you to keep an eye on the van and stay alert.”
Dan looked at him before looking out at the makeshift telephone poles thinking there was something odd about them. Getting out of the van pulling the black Parkerized autoloader from the holster under his arm his hand closing around the hard-checkered grip as his thumb cocked back the hammer as he exited the van. He left the door open moving to the back keeping an eye on the small area of trees and open farmland that set to one side. Looking behind them before risking a glance watching Manny moving forward towards the makeshift camp.
Manny had approached the camp holding his rifle loosely in both hands but with a sense of readiness to him as he stole a glance in that direction. Dan felt a knot of tension start in his stomach as he watched several people emerged from the tents and started approaching Manny stopping several feet away. As much as Dan wanted to watch, what was going on he kept his gaze moving between the tree-lined, the roadway, the overgrown farming fields then back to the group of people constantly. After a longtime, Manny started walking back to the van. Dan feeling relieved to see that he turned his back on the group walking towards him instead of backing up. Dan waited anxiously as Manny approached shaking his head seeing the look on Dan's face.
“You have to hear this for yourself,” he said motioning for Dan to follow.
As they approached the makeshift camp Dan got a better look at the makeshift telephone poles. On them hung crucified various men and women which in itself was sick. Adding in he could see them thrashing about slightly in their bonds their solid milky white eyes staring at nothing in general. However, what intrigued him most were the people working around them slowly almost lovingly trying to remove them from the polls. He watched as one group freed the arm of one of the undead and watched as it clumsily reached out trying to grab the person who just granted it freedom. These people taking great care not to hurt the zombies as they tried to prevent it from doing any harm to them. Dan felt a sense of bewilderment at seeing this as he watched a long black haired man wearing a dirty T-shirt. Wearing equally dirty jeans and a pair of flip-flops approach them at his side a dirty blonde woman with equally dirty clothes walking next to him. Dan’s nose wrinkled at the smell of them since they approach from upwind.
“Hello and greetings have you come to join our cause,” he said rather earnestly.
Dan looked at the man as if he was stupid but said nothing, Manny smiled and it seemed he almost jokingly said.
“I thought it best you explain what your cause is to him.”
The man appearing overjoyed at this as he looked at Dan.
“We are the People for the Ethical Treatment of Zombies.”
The look on Dan's face showed his surprise at this as the man continued.
“These people although dead still have basic human rights we should not allow mistreated or abused in such a brutal fashion. As the people of the town did to these people,” he said motioning to several of the figure still hanging on the crosses.
“We need to let these people find their spiritual development without fear of slaughter,” the man went on earnestly. Dan was about to say something but stopped as Manny put his hand on his shoulder.
“How could we live with the knowledge if we do not let them reach the peak of their spirituality,” he said finishing his speech. Dan looked at the young woman standing next him enthralled by his speech. Before he could speak Manny said.
“It sounds like something we would like to know more about let us get our van and we will join you to talk more.”
Dan said nothing as he felt Manny's hand on his shoulder move him back away from the two people. Who appeared happy and overjoyed at what Manny said. They were about halfway to the van as Dan just turned his head to make sure there was no one following them when he looked at Manny and said.
“Are they crazy?”
Manny did not look back but said.
“Keep your voice down they may well be crazy. But if the town in front of us does this sort of thing,” Manny said pointing to a moving figure on a cross.
“I think it would be best to detour to Interstate ten. Then tried to make Baton Rouge bypassing these people and town.”
Dan nodded his head in agreement once again Manny had the right answer and was thinking far ahead of him and Dan was very glad at that. Turning to look at the bizarre spectacle going on behind him before climbing into the van wondering.
“What in hell was waiting down the road?”
6 AFTERMATH NEGOTIATIONS
Dan stopped his narration to Katrina as the group approached a chain-link fence dividing the occupied area of the town from the uninhabited. His blue eyes watched as the leader of their small group talked to the self-defense force member wearing the black riot gear. A sense of unease filled his stomach as he noticed the recruits with him that normally carried only machetes were wearing firearms. He watched as the leader of their group finished talking to the older guard who took out a ring of keys and applied it to the padlock and chain that held the gate shut. Once he had finished several the recruits started pushing the gates open for them to pass through. As Dan and Katrina started for the gate the older guard called them over.
“When you come back,” he started to say.
“If you're in any trouble or forced to do something just greet me as normal and when I ask you for the password make up anything you want. If you ignore the password we will simply open the gate and let you in. If you use a password we will know there was trouble and we will be ready for it,” the guard said rather seriously.
Katrina and he nodded their heads affirmatively before hurrying through the gate catching up with the group. Once on the other side of the gate both of them immediately started scanning the street and abandon homes with their overgrown yards as they past. Scanning the street for danger knowing the city sent no patrols out here. They watched several members of the group spread out some in front some lagging behind others moving off to the right and left sides of the street as they continued walking. Katrina turned her head and green eyes towards Dan.
“What happened next,” she asked quietly.
Dan looked into her green eyes she was improving slightly her eyes no longer seemed so sunken and hollow. Dan sighed slightly and took a breath his start at speaking interrupted by a low pitiful moan carried to them on the breeze. Dan tensed and he watch Katrina tightened her grip on the iron pipe she carried he saw several more of their group stop looking about trying to pinpoint the source of the noise. They all saw the creature erupt from a group of bushes near one home shuffling slightly. Dan could not tell if the zombie was male or female the face decayed severely patches of dark hair missing in clumps from the scalp. The clothing torn and filthy as the zombie raised one arm pointing at them. The other arm did not raise fully the jagged edge of a broken bone sticking out through the pale flesh. He watched as a woman from their group reached down to her belt, pulling out a machete from her sheath, and approached the figure. They watched the zombie turned towards her moving forward moaning. The woman’s machete flew up then slammed down hard. Smashing into the creature skull sending a spray of rotting gray matter mixed with bones on to the sidewalk as the body collapsed. Moving off in silence they met no more people living or dead as they approach the street the apartment complex the government used sat.
The group stopped two streets away from the apartment complex the government soldiers were using as a base. Dan watched as the members of the group they had been traveling with started disappearing into different directions at some unspoken instruction. Sue approach them stopping to look at them with her dark brown eyes she seemed serious.
“You know the plan if they're not out in the time given. Leave fast,” Sue tried sounding friendly but her tone had a hard-edge to it.
Katrina just nodded her head her red hair moving slightly in the light breeze. Dan just grunted an affirmative watching Sue force a smile to her lips before heading off in her own direction. Now seemingly alone they once again started walking towards the apartment complex. Stopping about fifty yards away from pieces of chain-link fencing set on metal poles stretched between the buildings and into the street. They could make out two soldiers wearing camouflage fatigues and M.O.L.L.E gear with various pouches holding ammunition and other items over the body armor they wore making them seem rather large.
