The Dead Lands Diary Vol. II)

by S. David Staggs

  TODD: Some asshole they called Victor.

  MARK: So no visual?

  TODD: No. We know he lives in a two story building. Well guarded.

  ALAN: Okay, hey…before we even go so far as to how we’ll deal with it…we need to get the vote, people.

  ME: Fine…everyone in favor of confrontation to help these people, say “yes.” I say yes.

  TODD: Yes.

  REGGIE: Yeah.

  JIM: Yes.

  ALAN: Yes.

  MARK: Yep.

  TRAVIS: Hell yeah.

  ALEXIS: Yes, absolutely.

  KAREN: I guess. Yeah, whatever.

  LILY: No.

  ME: Didn’t get to that yet, but duly noted.

  MINDY: I really don’t know…I don’t want to say or vote in this…you have enough without me, anyway.

  KURT: I think we kinda have to…I mean, how can we sleep knowing what’s happening to those people while we sit here comfortable? I vote yes.

  RAY: Yes.

  RACHEL: Yes.

  LARRY: Yeah.

  ME: It’s settled. We act.

  **

  Over the next month we took the time to make sure everyone not trained to use a firearm now was. Although Lily gave us a hard road, she finally agreed to her oldest son, Danny, learning to safely handle a gun and shoot. We spent a lot of time with him. We made sure it sunk in that they were not toys and that they were to only be used if “the bad men” came here. Infected as well.

  Lily herself handled herself decently. She was best with a handgun. She learned fast. Mindy was the exact opposite. She was great with rifles of all kinds but couldn’t hit a barn with a pistol if she had to. She was just awful.

  Everyone that already knew how to shoot did a lot of practice. Thankfully we stocked up on a lot of ammo over the past year from scavenge runs. But it was finite and we needed to slow down the target practice. The women also learned basic self defense and the most vital places to attack. We all learned to use blades more efficiently. Alexis and Todd trained everyone with that…they were already good with knives. Todd was really good…made me wonder what else was involved in his life from before.

  Next came planning our moves and going over them dozens of times. We stayed two steps ahead of our moves and considered an array of options.

  JIM: We need to even the playing field as much as possible and as quickly as possible…how?

  TODD: I was thinking about that last night. They have to go out and scavenge like we do, yeah? We need to watch for that. When a team goes out, we follow. Maybe there won’t be like…ten in a damn vehicle. They probably stay local. There’s still plenty to go through in that city…they haven’t came near scavenging everything. Not even close.

  REGGIE: And they’re probably very comfortable around there. From the looks of it, they keep it pretty clear of infected the best they can. They move around freely looking for shit. Probably patrols, too.

  TODD: Which means they’re totally complacent. If they’re that comfortable then that means they’re also careless and have their guards lowered. They wouldn’t expect a damn thing.

  ME: Except that Hank fella. He seems extremely cautious and anxious. He’d be the one with the sharpest eye.

  JIM: The other guy, what was his name…the one he was paired with?

  TODD: I can’t quite recall…Gary?

  JIM: Yes! That was it…that guy seems to be pretty apathetic. He thinks Hank jumps at his shadow. He would be easy to get around…he seems to shrug shit off and doesn’t seem to fear Victor as much. Either they’re close or he just doesn’t scare easily. Maybe they knew each other before the fall.

  REGGIE: Okay, so we catch some guys off guard…we knock them out? Tie them up?

  TODD: And do what? Bring them back here and risk them escaping and killing someone? Or making it out and back to his camp to tell the rest? No, we kill them.

  Reggie: Fuck, man! I’ve killed infected but I don’t know if I can kill a human being.

  TODD: Just keep in mind what they’re doing to innocent people. Cutting their heads off and getting others infected to be used.

  JIM: Shit, man. This is all so surreal and too much. Now that we’re planning it out it’s even more terrifying.

  REGGIE: Shit, yeah! About to fuckin’ hyperventilate!

  TRAVIS: After we take some of them out, they’re going to go on high alert when some of their peeps don’t return.

  TODD: Hopefully we can take a decent number out.

  ME: We won’t get near enough to equal them.

  TODD: Some are better than none. We kill them and drive their cars somewhere. Park them somewhere far off. If they’re found, then they will stick to searching where we place them.

  JIM: That’s good! We’re basically setting up traps. Wait till some more of their men find the cars and then we take them out, too!

  ME: Damn, Todd…you sure you weren’t Special Forces or something?

  TODD: Just too much movie watching.

  REGGIE: Well, I’m glad you were a damn movie junkie! Any other cinematic fuckin’ ideas?

  TODD: If one hits me, I’ll let you know.

  ME: Alright, that’s how we’ll proceed…let’s call it a night and finalize it all tomorrow.

  TODD: Sounds good to me, buddy.

  REGGIE: Good luck sleeping…donno if I’ll be able to.

  ME:…I hear ya….

  **

  For the next three days we went to an alley near “Head Hunter Central” and sat there alert and ready. We parked in the middle of the alley and took positions. Reggie and Jim stayed near the SUV in case we had to make a fast getaway while also watching toward the back of the alley. Todd and myself stood at the mouth of the alley and watched around the corner. Meanwhile, Travis and Alexis were across the street on the roof of a pizza parlor with binoculars. We were right on main street and kept our eyes in the direction of their base; which we could not see from our location.

  We glanced to them about ever minute or two in case they motioned that we had company. All three days yielded no results. That wasn’t until the fourth day.

  We never could have guessed how lucky we would end up. As we stood once again at the edge of the alley, Travis caught my attention waving to me. He pointed down the street. Todd turned toward the SUV and gave a signal to indicate someone was coming. Inside the vehicle I seen Reggie begin to shuffle as he opened the door.

  We peered around the corner and watched as a blue rusty truck pulled up and then over about fifteen yards away on the other side of the street. Two men exited…who Todd and I automatically identified as Hank and Gary.

  Reggie and Jim sneaked up behind us to look and startled us. We spoke in whispers.

  REGGIE: Recognize either of them from the stakeouts?

  JIM: That’s them…Hank and Gary!

  REGGIE: The guy that is nervous?

  ME: Mhmm.

  REGGIE: He’s just a kid, guys.

  ME: Yeah, that’s more apparent in the light of day. He looks to be what? Twenty at most?

  TODD: Somewhere around there…and he looks terrified.

  ME: The other prick doesn’t, though. I can hear him from here already harassing him for his nerves.

  REGGIE: You seriously going to kill them??

  TODD: Just one…we capture the jumpy one.

  REGGIE: Capture?

  ME: That’s a damn good idea…

  JIM: I agree.

  REGGIE: Can you fuckin’ explain?!

  ME: Would you rather us kill him?

  REGGIE: NO! I just don’t get what you’re getting at.

  TODD: Look at him…he doesn’t want to be here…there, whatever. I think he’ll talk.

  REGGIE: And if he doesn’t? I don’t want to kill him, he’s just a scared little bitch, but aren’t you guys the ones that said we couldn’t ever bring one of them back? What happens if he escapes?

  ME: We’ll keep him on twenty-four hour watch. Look how damn skittish he is. I don’t think he wants to hurt
anyone. He might have never hurt anyone. He’s afraid of everything around him.

  [in the distance]

  GARY: Man the fuck up, jackass. It’s usually totally clear.

  HANK: Why do I have to come out here? I’m not good at this raiding stuff.

  GARY: So it looks like you’re pulling your son of a bitching weight! I already had to kill a worthless worker that you were told to kill and say you did it. I bring you out here so you’re seen leaving and doing something. Victor is going to kill you one day. Already would have if ya didn’t have me.

  HANK: I’m sorry…I’m just-

  GARY: You’re lucky he caught you in the early days and needed men. Like me. If he had found you later you’d be a damn servant…actually, you’d probably be dead already. Or dead’ish.

  [they walk across the street and into the entrance of a store building]

  TODD: What’d I tell ya? He’s not a threat. [sigh] let’s go, we have to catch up and fast.

  Todd and I crouched low and moved fast toward the door they entered. Before the door was a plate glass window. I carefully peered inside from underneath. They both had their backs to us and were looking in some boxes on the floor. Gary pulled out some bags of rice and set them down next to him on the floor. Once he had enough, he lifted them to a counter in front of him. They had obviously hit a little jackpot and came here whenever they went out and gathered more of it. They weren’t worried about anyone else finding it I guess. Why would they be? The stuff would be ours though, now.

  I motioned and Todd moved ahead of me and quietly in the door, with me right on his heels. They were mumbling about inventory and didn’t hear anything behind them.

  Gary grabbed another armful of bags of rice and lifted them to the counter, and as he did so Todd rushed up and pulled his head back and ran his blade across his throat. Gary grabbed and grasped at his gushing neck; gurgling as he slumped toward the ground. His blood poured out in streams onto the boxes and remaining bags of white rice.

  I raised my pistol and pointed it dead center at Hank’s head.

  HANK: PLEASE DON’T KILL ME! PLEASE DON’T KILL-

  ME: Keep your fucking voice down!! You trying to draw every dead fucker down on us??

  HANK: Please…I’ll do whatever you want, just don’t fuckin’ kill me, please. I’ll do whatever the fuck you-

  ME: Right now I just want to to shut the hell up and listen to me.

  HANK: Okay…

  ME: We don’t want to hurt you. We want to speak with you.

  HANK: About what? I…I don’t know anything.

  ME: Your group are very bad people…and they killed a friend of ours.

  HANK: They did, maybe! Not me…I never killed anyone in my life! I swear.

  TODD: We believe you, kid. We know.

  HANK: How?

  TODD: Over heard your conversation with your dead comrade on the floor here.

  HANK: What are you going to do with me?

  ME: What should we do with you? Could just leave you here…let you go back home, would you like that?

  HANK: I can’t go back! Not without Gary…Victor will kill me for coming back alone!

  TODD: Why?

  HANK: He’ll say I didn’t protect my partner. I’m already on his shit list…I can’t…I’d rather just take my chances on my own, but please don’t kill me!

  ME: Why you on this bastards shit list?

  HANK: I forgot to bring some supplies he requested to his building. He said if I ever forgot anything again he’d cut my nose off!

  TODD: Want to come with us?

  HANK: I…I don’t know…what are you going to do to me?

  ME: Nothing, kid. Don’t worry…we won’t cut your nose off. You’ll actually be safe for once. Or you can take your chances back there or out here?

  HANK: No! Okay…okay, I’ll go with you…

  ME: Relax, kid. Let’s go.

  Well, the point of taking the car they came out in was to lure them to another location. That was still the plan…but if Victor and some of his men knew exactly where they were going, then that’s the first place they’d look. Hank confirmed they did in fact know. We threw Gary’s body in the trunk but his blood was everywhere. In retrospect, Todd admitted he should have thought that through a little better.

  We decided to really give them a mystery to unravel. After removing boxes of rice and beans, we set the room ablaze. Quickly, we drove a ways down the road and parked the vehicles on the side of a building. Reggie and Travis stayed to keep an eye on Hank while the rest of us ran up the road and made our way on top of the pizza parlor directly across from the burning building.

  TODD: That thing is gonna light up real damn quick like.

  ME: You’re up Alexis…you ready?

  ALEXIS: Yeah…I think so, yeah.

  TODD: Don’t need a think so, darlin’…need just the “yeah” part.

  ALEXIS: I got this.

  ME: I know we didn’t plan of this part and I’m putting you on the spot. That’s how it works out here…we need quiet kills.

  ALEXIS: I’m good with my shit…you know it! I can pierce anyone or anything easily from this distance.

  JIM: And if too many show up?

  ME: Then we’ll have to shoot, too. Hope it doesn’t come to that.

  TODD: Yeah…then all the others, what they can spare anyway, will come flying this way.

  JIM: That smoke is black as hell. They surely see it by now. Just a matter of time. I don’t see anything so far.

  ME: You just keep your eyes in the binoculars.

  TODD: How fast can you draw another arrow, kid?

  ALEXIS: Before they realized what the hell happened to the first one that falls.

  ME: Just be calm, I know you’ve never done anything like this. It won’t be-

  ALEXIS: Them or us, right? I got it. I’m in the zone. I’ll deal with the psyche issues later, if you don’t mind.

  JIM: Got two cars heading this way, guys! Get your asses down!

  We flattened against the roof. Alexis was ready to pounce back up when given the word. Todd and I gripped the new AK-47’s will we just acquired from our new friend Hank and his former companion. Jim was armed with a bolt action .30-06 rifle we brought from Haven.

  A black Jeep and a small rusted out blue car pulled up in the middle of the road below us and came to a screeching halt. Two men hopped out of each vehicle. We weren’t overwhelmed but we were still tense. They all four were carrying assault rifles. One fuck up on our part and they’d be opening fire at us. Spur of the moment planning like this was always far too risky, but it was a chance to even the odds even further. Heather and Larry really gave us a great battle plan with the tactics at the meeting.

  MAN 1: What the fuck is this shit all about??

  MAN 2: Do you see Gary’s car?

  MAN 1: No…nowhere.

  MAN 3: Why would they set it on fire?

  MAN 1: Maybe they were signaling for help.

  MAN 4: That’s a lot of effort to signal for help. If something happened surely we’d have heard gunshots. Don’t you think?

  MAN 2: Let’s look around.

  MAN 1: Walk around the building before it burns too high. Walk the street and then block if we have to. Look for their car.

  The one calling the shots stood there watching it burn for a few moments while the other three began to spread out. After standing there a few moments, he headed left and followed one of the others. The other two headed right. One of them walked into the alley where we currently were while the other kept walking forward. There was our chance for one. Alexis didn’t need a signal, she saw it.

  She leaned up on one knee, drew an arrow and took aim. Seconds later, she let it go. It flew into the air and silently pierced the back of his skull. He turned on impact and we got a clear view of where it had exited slightly above his left eye.

  TODD: Holy shit!

  The other one was getting much further down the road and in moments would be on the other side of t
he building where the others were. I nudged Alexis and nodded that direction.

  She stood and took aim again and let it go. The arrow hit him in the back of the neck and tore through the front of his throat. He grasped the arrow as he fell, hunched on the pavement. Blood poured into a pool below him before he collapsed into it. Reggie emerged slightly from the side of the building, jaw dropping. He did a nervous shuffle and disappeared back out of sight.