by Kris Beus
Walking through the streets I got to witness the ingenuity of people. They had made windows of plastic liter bottles. In the windows they had wild flowers in pots made from tin cans. The doors all seemed to be different. One house in particular struck me as a work of genius. The roof was made of metal cut down to the size of shingles. The door was created from what looked like a large fridge door. The walls were not nearly as simple as mine. They had taken the time to weld every hole shut. This was also the only house that stood two stories and each story large enough for a man to stand.
An older gentleman walked by carrying a load of water up and down ensuring everyone had enough. Seeing me stopped in front of this house he stopped saying, “Timothy is a hell of a builder huh?”
“This is where he lives?” I asked.
“Yes sir. He built this himself with nothing more than a couple tools scavenged from different towns.”
“Simply amazing. This house is the absolute closest I have seen any to a house built before the disease.” The house was built so well one would not think it was of spare parts unless taking a very close look.
As I continued walking down the first road that branched off the main, I had no idea how to find all the guards. I began screaming, “Guards” which at the second seemed to be a great idea, but as I saw them all rushing out of their houses with guns out I realized it may have been to misleading.
They were all staring at me as if I was some idiot. “All of you report to Town Hall, we got a war brewing and need every guard to get briefed. Make sure you tell everyone who is with security to get to the hall.”
With that, the irritation of my false alarm left their face and fear of an upcoming war began overcoming them. If they had not been battling undead, panic may have erupted, but these men have seen death and danger at its worst.
They all walked with concern to find out what had happened and what type of war had begun. As I began walking back towards the main road all the guards I had sent to the town hall began running towards the gate. I joined them and as we got closer the sounds of bikes roaring became deafening. Everyone had their arms ready and the gate began to rise.
What we saw was the two guards lying on their backs and tied to bikes still struggling. We came out furiously and began firing at them, but before anyone could land a shot they hit the gas and began dragging the men behind them. The screams of pain and torment remained in our ears even after they had disappeared down the road.
It seemed as if the little group in Wellston had finally had enough of losing every battle and decided an attack would be favorable. We all walked back into the town not leaving anyone outside since it was no longer safe. Reaching the town hall citizens were nearly in a riot over the danger which came so close. Ted came out standing in front of the frenzied crowd.
He held his arms up trying to quiet everyone. It took a while, but they finally started to quiet enough for him to speak. He himself seemed a bit furious when he spoke.
“Ladies and gentlemen of Freedom Rock we have just been assaulted by another town. They took the guards out front and drug them to their death. Any attack of a citizen of this town is an attack on the town itself and will be avenged. War is approaching and I need every man, woman, and child who can hold a gun to come in to the security office tomorrow while we figure out a plan.”
The majority of normal citizens were ok with this, but being vulnerable put the guards on edge. There were nearly a hundred guards total who stood in front of the town hall asking for orders and telling Ted they would not walk outside unless protected. Ted was increasingly frustrated with the refusals to step foot outside. After twenty minutes of fighting Timothy finally stepped forward and addressed Ted.
“What if I could construct gunner towers above the wall, and keep it inside the wall. Guards will be able to see anything and everything approaching. They will be high enough to fire at any threats, but will also be protected from being picked off by our enemies. Would this be suitable?” As he spoke Ted’s eyes seemed to light up.
“Well guards will this be a reasonable compromise?” He asked sure that they would respond positively.
They all shook their heads in the affirmative. Timothy addressed them again asking them to follow him to the scrap to grab material to build the towers. With caution and guns drawn around eighty followed him out and carried everything he needed for the first tower which would be constructed that night and offer the town and the guards protection from possible ambushes.
Nearly the entire town helped with the construction of the tower. Those who were not directly helping were bringing the builders food and water. Even with so many people the construction process was slow since Timothy was the only one with the knowledge to construct a guard tower our construction took us deep into the night. Once finally complete the tower made from pipe, sheet metal, boards, and other scrap looked like an old castle tower. Not only was the tower constructed with durability in mind Timothy also placed a thick metal wall around the top making it possible for the guards to stay protected. If they were being fired at, they could simply duck down behind the wall.
Walking back to the security office I grabbed my 300 with about 50 rounds and a pair of binoculars to place in the top of the tower. Guards were actually requesting to be the first for tower duty. The first two were a couple guards I had only seen in the streets and never was introduced to. They saw what I was bringing up and both smiled. The younger one pulled the three hundred out of my hands then stood so he could use the scope to spot.
With a guard tower now looking down others felt safe enough to go outside the gate. The rest of us headed back into town and went to bed getting ready for tomorrow.
Chapter 20
Jaime had once again shared my room, we woke together and headed out to see what they had made for breakfast. On the way to the kitchen a mob had formed both in front of the security office and town hall. The people in front of the security office were old men, women, and children who wanted to sign up for guard duty. The majority of them had to be turned away because of health or size concerns, but Earl was able to increase our force substantially. The town hall had the guards who were awaiting orders to move out. We got behind the crowd to see what the new orders would be.
Ted was out in front and read a list of duties handing them out after. He wanted ten two man teams constantly patrolling around the quarry. Timothy stood next to him giving orders out to those who were unable to perform guard duty. He was handing out crudely crafted axes and asking people to take a guard with them and begin chopping trees and brush. This would give us some more vision from the guard towers as well as wood for fires. Looking towards the front of the town where the gate had arrived there was a second guard tower a hundred yards or so right of the first. This one had not yet been fully erected since Timothy was here giving the orders rather than finishing its construction.
The town was much busier than normal. Almost the entire population was in one of these main spots. It was easy to see why the leaders hesitated to risk so many lives over one family. The faces of the crowd showed a mixture of fear and anger. Timothy and Ted were going through this crowd very quickly. People were walking away in teams. There were either two guards going out on patrol or two civilians and a guard going to clear wood. By the time we reached the front of the line all those who had been at the security office and were accepted as guards stood behind us waiting for new orders. Once Ted saw Jaime and I he got a serious look over his face and stated, “You two will be scouting with Aaron and Earl today. Earl will be in charge of the mission so go to him for orders. You will be heading into Wellston territory so be prepared and please come back alive.” He gave a faint smile trying to ease the tension.
As Ted gave us our orders the group which surrounded us stared with eyes wide opened. They were surprised anyone would be given the order to head for Wellston and from their faces I could tell they were glad it wasn’t them. We began slowly walking to the security office worried somewhat o
f our assignment.
“You think we will make it out of there alive?” Jaime asked nervously.
“Hell, we have been in two full on engagements with them and survived both. I think we will be fine.” Looking at her face as I said this it seemed to do little.
“Yea I hope so, I enjoy security and all, but that doesn’t mean I want to die.”
Looking at her I knew the only hope I could offer was false hope and she would know it. We were heading into the most dangerous situation that we have been in. Even with both Earl and Aaron at our backs the odds of us being spotted and killed were high. Looking at the young and old faces passing us in the street I gained confidence. These elders and children were willing to put their lives on the line to protect this town and so would I. If scouting would save the lives of these people even at the risk of my own life it would be worth it.
Walking into the security office Earl was questioning the last of the recruits. We walked past the armory and sat against the back wall of his office waiting for him to finish. The questions were standard, “How old are you? Have you ever fired a gun? If needed could you kill another person?”
The answers of the people he asked varied considerably. He accepted almost anyone over the age of 12 who could lift a rifle and look down the sights. The gender placed a much less crucial role since the need for soldiers increasing greatly. The last ten or so walked out of the office excited at the chance to avenge our townspeople. Earl with a dire face waved us to approach.
“Did Ted tell you about our mission today?”
I answered, “Yes sir, he said we are headed to Wellston.”
As I spoke he looked down shaking his head. “This is a job that needs done, but is also the most dangerous job I have ever asked of anyone. Scouting Wellston will not be an order. You have every right to walk away from this and there will not be any repercussions.” It was easy to tell he had rehearsed this many times in his head, but what he said next was unexpected, “Jake, Jaime, you two have more experience fighting this Wellston threat than any other guard here. You do not have to come with us, but I personally would trust no one more at my back.”
Looking at the sincerity in his face there would be no way we could deny his request. Jaime and I both looked at each other then back at Earl saying together, “We are in.”
Earl’s face lit up and he began going over the map with us. Within a few minutes Aaron walked in stating, “There is no way in hell I am working with these two.” We could hear the laughter in his voice before we turned around.
He quickly said, “Just joking, I need Jake on my back with the sniper and Julie ready to gun down anything that gets close.” He then looked up towards Earl and asked, “By the way Earl I have never been on a mission with you, what is your weapon?”
Earl looking back at him opened his desk drawer and pulled out two of the most pristine 44 magnums I have ever seen. Both of them were in the old six shooter revolver style. I couldn’t control myself, quickly I picked one up to examine it. The gun looked very similar to my .357 just a bit bigger. As I examined it Earl just smiled and said, “I thought you would enjoy that. It is one of the only pistols that hits harder than yours.”
I gave a little laugh placing the pistol back on the desk. We all leaned over the desk to begin planning our route on the map. The small town was very closed off. It had one road in and one out. There was mountains on the south side and flats on the south. Getting a good view would be extremely difficult without getting spotted.
“The mountains, they are the only area that will provide cover for scouting.” Aaron started.
“I think so to, but I don’t see any way to really get up there without miles of hiking. The dead are pushing down harder and harder which will make any sort of venture on foot extremely dangerous.” As Earl spoke he was moving his finger over the mountains as if attempting to plot a course.
“They know where we live so they will be expecting us on certain roads. Whatever we do it should be away from here and here”. Jaime pointed at the main road heading towards the turn off and the side road heading towards Wellston.
Looking closely at the map it had service roads all over the mountain terrain. Looking down and pointing I asked, “What are these?”
“Those are dirt roads used by electric and telephone companies. They are extremely untrustworthy and in many cases don’t even exist.” Earl said this as though he had already thought of the possibility.
“If we go to the north the dead coming down out of Denver will surly find us and attack alerting our enemies. The only choice we have is either hiking up into the south mountains or trying to find one of these dirt roads which will let us drive. They will have both roads in and out of the town patrolled regularly which will not allow us to pursue a direct course. We must take the mountains.” Aaron had still not given up on his idea.
Supporting him I said pointing to the map, “The Mountains should be full of cover allowing us to gain good position on the town without being spotted. It will be dangerous, but it also offers the best chance of success.”
Both Earl and Jaime shook their heads in agreement with Aaron’s plan. Earl told us to go get ready and to pack survival gear rather than scavenging gear. My mind raced over all the supplies needed to last in the wilderness for a few nights. Jaime and I headed back towards the house. Once there we grabbed our packs and filled them with all the materials we had from our house. In my pack there was a full canteen, the lighters, and a couple knives. Jaime packed up a blanket and a pot which we took of the two dead men. Before leaving the house I made sure to tie on my lucky board. Seeing me act so superstitiously made her giggle. I also grabbed my pistol which had been kept in the house from last night and Jaime grabbed hers.
Once packed we headed towards the kitchen. After speaking with Earl and Aaron our moods had been lifted. If there were any two people who could walk into enemy territory and get out alive it was those two men. The morning was still young and as we walked into the kitchen the food that was being prepared smelled delicious. Letting the cooks know our plans and needs they gave us four meals for breakfast and a bunch of cans for the trip. We had an assortment of different canned dishes. They also filled our canteens with water and gave us a couple extra they had.
Walking back to Earl and Aaron I continued going over everything we might need. “Food, water, fire, protection…” My mind was sure there was something else missing though I couldn’t place it. Walking back into the security office it seems I wasn’t the only who was having difficulty remembering everything. The two men were scrambling around the office looking through all the different bins and cabinets to see if they had forgotten anything.
When we walked in they looked up smiling. “Those for us?” Earl asked looking at the sandwiches. “Yea I also got a supply of canned food and water from the kitchen.”
“Can opener?” Aaron asked.
“Ha! That’s what I was forgetting, thank you.”
I walked back out of the office and to the kitchen. Walking in the cooks looked at me somewhat confused. “Extra can opener?” I asked. They pointed to one hanging on the wall.
Jaime was still following me, but very quietly. Once we reached the security office once again I walked over picking up the same sniper I had taken out the day before. Everyone had finishing up with their packing. Suddenly screams were heard outside.
All four of us quickly ran out to see a large man slapping a woman in the face while holding onto her hair. The other men were attempting to pull him away, but because of his size were unable to. We began running towards the scene and once I was there I pulled my .357 and with all my force brought down the grip on the back of the man’s head. He didn’t fall, but was certainly staggered. Turning around to see who delivered the blow his eyes locked on mine. Reaching out he grabbed me by the neck and began lifting me with one arm. I pointed the gun at him, but the man must have been out of his mind and continued chocking me. Earl walked over and grabbed a board lying ne
xt to a house. Slowly he came up behind the man and swung hitting the back of his knees finally bringing him down.
Once the man fell we stood looking at each other. The man was still outraged and turned to look at Earl. Once he saw his face the man’s disposition changed dramatically. He knew if he kept it up Earl would throw him out of town or simply kill him where he sat. After a couple minutes of staring at each other the man muttered, “Sorry I know I handled that poorly.”
His eyes were locked with Earl’s as he spoke wanting to see what the consequences may be. After staring at the man Earl went and examined the lady he was beating. He seemed to be looking for any grievous wounds, but found she had only been shaken. Turning back at the man he said, “You’re lucky she is not hurt. If she was I would have banished you. Since she is not I feel a month of being waste disposal would suffice. You will be going from house to house collecting the buckets and taking a guard with you when you dispose of them out of town.”
The man took a deep breath of relief and said, “Thank you I am sorry.”
Earl still looking at the man asked, “Why were you assaulting this woman?”
When Earl asked the question the man seemed to be ashamed and unwilling to speak. After a minute of waiting for the man to answer, the woman stepped up and said, “We were together and he found out I have been seeing another man.”
Earl just shook his head irritated with such a petty disturbance. I followed him back to the office turning to see the man who was now bright red from embarrassment walk up the road towards the gate. Aaron was walking behind me and Jaime behind him. Once back in the security office we all grabbed our packs and weapons then began heading towards the front gate. There were still many people standing around discussing the events that had just transpired. Our group took little notice of the gossip. We were focused on the danger which lay ahead up in the mountains.
