Colt cleared his throat, pushed the plate away and leaned crossing his arms on the table, “Well I guess it’s down to me and Charlie so I’ll go next. I’m thirty two and the director of IT at a company called Istech, well I guess that would be a WAS director. Anyway, I made very good money; yes I am one of those college grads but no silver spoon here. I married the love of my life, Jessica.” He smiled a little, “That girl made me chase her for a year before she finally agreed to even go out with me, took me another five to get her to say I do. We were trying to have a baby, she was my world, and everything I did was to make sure I never let her down.”
He was silent for a minute then looked to Beth because she knew what had happen, “ but, I guess I let her down anyway, I’m here but I couldn’t save her.” He looked back down at the plate, “She got bit but I couldn’t shoot her, she begged me too but I couldn’t.” He looked to Alden, “Helpful tidbit, the monsters can starve to death if they don’t feed on humans. At least I think she did, when I thought she was really gone I left her tied to the bed and made my way here.”
Not wanting any of them thinking too much about what he had done to Jessica, he looked to Beth, “We know where you worked, but why would you pick that place?”
Beth took a very deep breath. There were so many different reasons but there was only true one. Feeling somewhat comfortable with Colt she looked over to him and began speaking softly, “I would always see Mom run into my big sister’s room at all times of the day and night; when Mary would be going into a diabetic attack. For a young girl to see all of this kind of commotion would raise certain questions such as, “Can’t there be a cure? Why does so many people have to suffer? What causes certain kind of outbreaks and does this happen to everyone?” Being normal and the youngest, I wanted to try to make everyone better, to cure everyone and end all sorts of suffering. I thought about being a physician but as I got older I would see all sorts of literature about what the Center Of Disease Control had to offer to help all people in all parts of the world.”
Beth continued talking more somber than she ever had before. The authoritative tone was long gone and Beth was just ordinary Beth. “So I thought of what a better way to try to get an edge on everything that was new or up and coming. Some things were not so interesting while others had many good advantages. When swine flu or H1N1 emerged in 2009 it caused the first global pandemic in more than forty years. It resulted in substantial illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths. Civilians looked for answers and we had to get a handle on it fast. Once we did we gave facts and told everyone what they needed to do. We gave facts and solutions and what’s the most important thing was that we were there.”
Beth began to slow her speaking down and then she gradually began to get emotional as she remembered, “But let me tell you all, it wasn’t just the flu or certain contagions. We were right on the front lines of everything and anything that was out there that may cause problems to everyone in the world. Our mission was plain and simple; find the expertise, document the information and use the tools to protect the people. Communities needed to protect their health through health promotion, prevention of disease, injury and disability, and preparedness for new health threats. We searched for cures for cancer to tapeworms, from ticks that had lime disease, to simple cat scratch disease!!” Tears began to form in Beth’s eye as her hands grasped one another tightly, “Then when the new president took office, what does he do with it!!!!??? Well, the answer was simple, budget cuts, to bring in his bottom line and to make himself look good to all of his upper echelon. He cut the old timers that knew what the hell they were doing!! He cut the fat, brought in babies to run the world. One thing led to another and here we sit today!”
Wiping her nose with the sleeve of her shirt and taking a deep breath, “My intentions Colt were good! I wanted to help end world suffering. To help little ones of the world that saw their mommies and daddies take care of their sick ones but they knew would never get better.
Beth knew this wasn’t what Colt was wanting but she just felt like everyone looked at her like Colt did, like this was all her fault. Looking over to Tabitha then to Ceara, then Charlie and finally ending with Alden. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen and I damn sure didn’t think that it would ever happen. I sit here now thinking if I would of ran to work when I got the text from Chad instead of running to try to save my big sister and Mom and Dad then maybe I would of had a chance to pull someone’s head out of their ass. But what I have gathered it was too little to late cause the outbreak happened somewhere in Philadelphia.”
Frustrated and missing her family, Beth got up from the table and calmly but still very shaky continued, “Now, if you will excuse me, I really would just like to go take a shower and try to gain some composure. Alden, Sir, I really thank you for the lovely meal and I would like to make breakfast for everyone in the morning but right now I just need some time alone.” Slowly Beth walked back into the cabin and after she got inside and gently closed the door she fell to her knees and cried very hard.
Charlie sat and listened to all of them talk. Once again he knew he was odd man out, even Tabitha had a Mom and dad. Yeah, they didn’t sound the greatest, but he was sure that at some point there was love from both parents. He had learned from the Sister’s that no one was totally evil. He kept eating his steak slowly not wanting to be involved in the discussion. Hoping that if he took long enough it would die down and change to something else.
It had too… Beth had sort of a meltdown. He never had a home and never knew the love these people were talking about. Hell he hadn’t even kissed a girl till Ceara kissed his cheek, and damn she kissed him not the other way around. Searching the area as Beth rambled on, he got the impression she thought they blamed her specifically for the outbreak. When she left the table the silence hung in the air. Looking around for a change of subject he saw a large metal ring in the ground. “Damn that’s a fire pit.”
He finished eating and walked over to the woods gathering some sticks and small pieces of wood he brought it back and began to make a small fire. Taking a small bic lighter out that he had found he lit the kindling and soon his little fire glowed comfortably. He noticed that the iron ring had holes cut into it in the shape of trees and small animals. As the fire flickered the shapes seemed to dance around on the ground. He walked over to Alden truck and got out the coffee pot and the water, filling the bottom part with water he placed the coffee in the separate top. Then carried both halves to the fire placing the bottom up against the fire the way Alden had showed him. It was only a few minutes and he could hear the water begin to boil taking the lid off he poured the hot water into the top and quickly put the bottom back. He watched as Beth finished and walked away.
“Well at least that’s one I won’t have to impress.” He stood and went to get his coffee cup out of the van. Walking back over, he squatted and poured a cup then looked to the table “Coffee’s ready if ya’ll want some.”
Alden got up and went to his truck to get his own cup and was soon back sitting on the ground in front of the fire. He watched the flames but could tell the group was waiting to hear from either him or Charlie. Charlie had found a log and had drug it over by the fire wanting to join Alden, he sat on it staring into the flames. Alden knew Charlie’s story and he also knew that Charlie was ashamed of his past. Through their talks back before any of the others joined Charlie had told him what life was like growing up as an orphan. He poured himself another cup and went back to the table. Looking at Tabitha he gave her a little smirk. “Contrary to what you may have seen in the movies, the military life is not all guns guts and glory. We’re not all Rambo’s and Navy S.E.A.L.S.” He took a sip and saw Charlie chuckle over on his log. “I’m not one to open up and talk. I think I’ve made that clear, but I’ll tell you all little story so you know there’s a human side to me.”
“I was stationed in West Berlin in 1986. I was about 30 and had met a young woman from the states her name was Lynette Feldman. She was a student at
the university. Lynette and I had been dating about six months and yes this old man was in love. We got an apartment and were making plans to get married. I’d even gone as far as putting in for a nice desk job. One night Lynette, myself and some buddies decided to go out for the night.” Alden paused taking a sip of coffee, “The guys had asked some of the other girls from our brigade to go with them. They were nice girls. Anyway we ended up having dinner with them and they all wanted to go dancing so we took them to a Disco tech bar called La Belle. We laughed, drank and danced. I left Lynette at the table with my friends to go use the restroom.”
Alden set his cup down and he folded his hands in front of him as he looked down and sighed then looked back up. “It was 1:50 a.m. I was in the john when I heard the explosion. It rocked the whole building and caused me to fall forward hitting my head on the urinal. It must have knocked me out for a few minutes. I woke up with water spraying on me from the pipes. I realized what had happened and though I was groggy, I made my way back into what was left of the bar and found the table…. There was even less left of it. There wasn’t a much left of the one next to ours either. The authorities said that was where the bomb was placed. I lost her that night, along with two of my closest friends.”
Alden looked up; his eyes were as cold as black steel. “I went on from there and finished out my career. I made a vow that night that wherever this kind of evil dwelled, I would be there to stand in its way. I loved once and once was enough.”
He got up and walked over to the coffee pot and poured a fresh cup. He looked at Charlie, “I need you to go to my truck and get that big reel of black wire out of the back. Also you find some bottles and cans in a sack bring them too.” Charlie jumped at the chance and went straight to the truck as Alden took his seat at the table.
“We need to discuss security for the evening, it’s getting late. Charlie and I have run across some other living souls but I don’t think they are near here, but I’m not taking any chances.” He looked at Ceara. “I want the dogs left out tonight. If Max is as smart as I think he is he will stay with Tonto and they will be our guards. Charlie and I are going to set up a little alarm system in the woods using some simple wire and bottles and such. Anything that gets close will trip the wires which will rattle the cans and bottles which will wake the dogs, which will wake me.” He took a sip and smiled at Charlie who had returned with the items, “And God help the Son of a Bitch that wakes me tonight.” He looked at the rest of the group, “Any questions?”
Ceara sat listening to everyone and realized one thing, she really didn’t know any of these people and the lives they led up until now were very different than anyone she had ever been around. Colt was a boss, she just couldn’t picture him bossing anyone around. Tabitha had a rough life, and she lived like it.
Beth just wanted to save the world but the place she worked destroyed it, some how she felt responsible but Ceara couldn’t make heads or tails of that. Her dad had a saying; don’t claim what ain’t yours to claim. Don’t matter good or bad, if it don’t belong to you don’t claim it. Ceara thought Beth might need to hear that.
Alden had a deep soothing voice that Ceara loved to listen to, well when he wasn’t yelling at her. It actually shocked her to know he had ever loved anyone, he just seemed to hardcore for any lovey dovey stuff. She snickered trying to control it but once he started talking about the bomb, she had no problem stopping.
Charlie had jumped at the chance to go to the van and Ceara watched him, he had a relieved look that she wanted to understand. What was he hiding, was he a horrible person before? She just couldn’t see that, no one as caring and giving as him could have been different in their other life. “I will leave Maximus out but I haven’t broke him of the barking at everything so don’t blame me if he goes off barking, chasing a raccoon.”
Alden smiled, “I’ll get’em broke soon enough.”
Ceara scowled, “Don’t be mean to my dog.”
Alden got up winking at her and went to help Charlie; Ceara looked at Colt and Tabitha, “So why do you guys think that Beth is still trying to convince us this isn’t her fault?”
Colt looked to the cabin that Beth had went in, then back to Ceara, “Well, I didn’t help the day she told me, we were out here and I was cutting wood when she told me. I kind of lost it and accused her of killing Jessica.”
Tabitha lit a cigarette taking a drag blowing the smoke right in Colt’s face, “Look dude, when she told us we kind of did the same thing but we figured out that it wasn’t her, did you?”
Colt waved the smoke out of his face, “Yeah I did, and you can stop with the smoke. I told you guys at the camp that I was an ass.”
Ceara wasn’t convinced, “Well I know I haven’t said anything and I don’t think anyone else has. You are the closest to her so think about anything else you may have said.”
Colt stood up, grabbing his plate and silverware, “You guys think what you want, I haven’t said anything else.” He walked off to go in the cabin. Ceara looked at Tabitha and both cracked up laughing.
Tabitha looked over her shoulder then back to Ceara, “Somebody has their panties in a bunch.” Both girls stood still laughing, Ceara gathered up all the plates left and Tabitha got the glasses and silverware. Ceara looked to the woods where Alden and Charlie disappeared with the dogs, and Tabitha smiled, “Your boyfriend is in good hands don’t worry.”
“He isn’t my boyfriend and I know he’s ok.”
Both girls headed for their own cabins calling good night as they went.
Alden and Charlie walked into the woods a little bit and Alden explained how the wire would work. Starting at a tree about fifty feet away, in front the shed that held the generator he wrapped the wire around it. They then stretched it to the next tree keeping it about two feet off the ground. Every two feet they wrapped two bottles or threaded it through three cans. Each time they tightened it on the next tree Alden would give it a little tug to make sure the items clanked together. As they moved along Charlie looked at Alden. “I want to thank you for what you did for me tonight.”
Alden was tying off two bottles, “yeah what was that?”
Charlie looked down then back at him, “You know… making sure I didn’t have to tell my story.”
Alden looked at him as they moved along, “Well kid, they were all sharing as the Oprah’s of the world would say… and well…. you and I ain’t the sharing type.”
Wrapping the cord he looked at Charlie and started to chuckle, “Shit, if Oprah ever got you and me on her show it’d be a fucking cry fest.”
Charlie started to bust up laughing when all of sudden Maximus turned and began to growl. Charlie stopped short and grabbed for his hunting knife, looking at Alden. He was just standing there looking off into the trees then he turned and snapped his fingers at Maximus who turned and looked at him. “Leave it alone it ain’t nuthin but a damn mouse.”
Just then Charlie saw a small mouse run across a log. “How in the hell do you do that?” he asked.
Alden smiled, “All animals make noise, snakes rustle leaves, squirrels rustle branches, mice have little claws that go ticky ticky ticky…. and Dead heads moan and humans fart and belch. You just have to learn to keep your ears open.”
Charlie chuckled; Alden went on, “also use your nose. You stink and I could smell you a mile away, if an animal stops to relieve himself, you can smell that too. Be aware of everything around you the littlest things that don’t look right are the clues.”
Charlie realized that Alden was training him the way he had trained a thousand other young men to stay alive in combat, and that was exactly what this was. The two finished at the end of third cabin and Alden started to walk up to the back door. He looked to Tonto and snapped his fingers. Tonto sat down and Maximus followed his lead.
“Tonto, front and guard.” He pointed towards the front of the cabin where the fire was burning down. Tonto stood licked Alden’s hand and trotted off. Maximus sat for a few seconds watching
Tonto then looked to Alden.
Alden snapped his finger and pointed after Tonto, “Well Max, what’re waiting for.”
Max stood up and ran after Tonto. Charlie and Alden watched as the dogs got to the picnic table and crawled underneath. As Alden turned to go up the steps he stopped and looked to Charlie, “I covered your ass at the table, but when you get inside with that young lady, you’re on your own. Be honest with her, son it’ll be your best move.” He turned and walked in the back door. Charlie heard him call out, “HONEY I’M HOME”
Charlie shook his head snickering as he walked to his cabin. Going up the steps to the back he turned and looked out towards the new grave then went back down and walked over to it. The moon was half full and shining down through some sparse clouds. He stood for a minute then sighed, “Sleep well little one, tomorrow I’ll see what I can do about getting you a marker. It won’t be fancy but I’ll do my best.”
A tear came to his eye as he stood. Charlie heard the back door open and turned towards the cabin. Ceara was standing there holding the screen door open, she called out to him. “Charlie, why don’t you come in, it’s starting to get chilly and I need help getting a fire started.”
Charlie smiled weakly, “Sure I’ll be right there.” He looked at the grave. “Goodnight…” Turning he walked back to the cabin and up the steps.
Ceara looked into his eyes as he reached the top, “You did a good thing today Charlie, real good. You brought some kindness back into the world.”
Charlie smiled, “I hope so. There’s been enough sadness and I just got a feeling there’s going to be a lot more of that than joy.” He walked in and Ceara closed the door behind him.
Colt walked in the back door of his and Beth’s cabin listening to the laughter of the girls and knew he was the butt of their joke but he really didn’t care. He softly closed the door so he didn’t bother Beth, the thoughts of Ceara saying how Beth felt, was somehow his fault was really bugging him. He pulled out his gun and set it on the counter and walked into the front room to see Beth sitting on the couch, knees pulled to her chest and a small blanket thrown over her.
Surviving Day By Day (Book 1): So it Begins Page 29
