“God help them out there,” she whispered as she suppressed a shiver.
Chapter 10
When Jeff walked out of Lydia’s RV, he knew something was wrong.
Everyone was clumped together around one of the tables across the courtyard. There appeared to be an argument going on between Frank and George, with Michael playing the part of referee.
“Oh shit,” was all he could mumble under his breath as Megan, who had been involved in the discussion as well, spotted him and walked his way.
Jeff noticed Marcus patrolling the roofs again, shotgun propped against his hip as he surveyed the woods. The man spit over the side and continued walking, ignoring what was going on below as he used his hand to shield his eyes from the sun.
Jeff didn’t relish what he guessed was about to happen. Michael had his arms crossed, a hard look on his face. Frank was poking his index finger at George’s chest and looked ready to throw down with the bigger man. Jeff tensed, waiting for his friend to explode and twist Frank into various pretzel shapes. But as he watched, he saw that while George was upset, he was keeping his cool as he shook his head stiffly at the other two men.
Ben was sitting near the action in one of the lawn chairs. His feet were kicked up, a ball cap shifted forward on his forehead, which gave Jeff the impression that he was taking a nap. Cindy was close by as well, enjoying the argument from beneath the shade of her RV’s awning.
As he moved closer, Jeff saw that Jason was standing behind the three men. He looked as agitated as the others, but was not joining in the argument. Jeff picked up speed and met Megan near the smoldering fire pit.
“They can’t do it. I won’t let them! You have to tell that prick!”
Jeff held up his hands in an effort to calm the ranting woman. He could see icy fire in her blue eyes. “Okay, okay. Ease up! What’s going on?”
“They want Jason to go. Jeff, he can’t go! He’s not old enough, and I’ll be damned if I’ll let him back out there. You have to tell Michael to forget it!”
Jeff put his hands on Megan’s arms to steady her as he watched the men. Michael was now speaking to George, having stepped in front of Frank. So far, Michael was remaining calm, and Jeff hoped that cooler heads might prevail.
Suddenly, Jason jumped into the discussion, and Jeff tensed again. He was yelling at George.
Jeff sighed and looked at Megan.
“So Jason wants to go out there with us, huh?”
“Yes, and Michael and fucking Dumbo are saying it’s okay, it should be his choice, not mine or George’s.”
Megan was on the verge of tears, but her anger held sway. Jeff couldn’t blame her for getting upset. Jason was only twelve. As he looked back over at Michael, his eyes narrowed as he understood what was really going on. Taking a deep breath, he gripped Megan’s arms even tighter and looked her in the eyes.
“Megan, listen to me, okay? This is a ploy. Michael is trying to drive a wedge between us.”
Megan’s eyes burned holes through Jeff.
“I don’t give a crap what type of mind trick he is trying to play here. All I know is that Jason is not leaving this camp. He. Is. Not. Leaving.”
As she repeated herself, Jeff felt her arms quiver with rage. Megan’s voice elevated with every word, and it didn’t appear as if she was going to stop.
“Calm down. Okay? All right, Megan, fine! I’ll talk to them. I’ll tell them he’s not going. I’ll figure something out.”
Megan’s voice was calm again. Deadly calm. “I need you to handle this, Jeff, before I kill that bastard and his fat monkey.”
Jeff could only stare at her. Megan looked homicidal. He heard a door open up behind him and guessed it was Lydia.
“Promise me.”
“Okay, I promise.” Jeff nodded. Satisfied, Megan turned and walked back toward the table. Jeff reached out and grabbed her again, swinging her around.
“You need to promise me something too.” He matched Megan’s angry eyes with his determined ones. “Let me handle this. Just stay back and let me deal with Michael and Frank, okay?”
Megan wrenched her arm free, but didn’t move. She dragged her hand furiously across her cheek to wipe away an angry tear.
“Fine. Just make them stop this bullshit. Because if you don’t, I swear I will, even if I have to rip that fucking fat man’s heart out.”
Jeff nodded and moved until he was between her and the men. His back was to them as he spotted Lydia crossing to where the children sat playing with some toys near the entrance of Ben’s RV. The two teenagers were supervising the kids, though their eyes were glued to the scene unfolding before them.
Jeff swallowed hard, forcing the queasiness in his stomach down as he moved toward the table. Michael had stopped talking to George and was watching him as he got closer.
“So, guys, what’s up?” Jeff said in a friendly voice as he approached.
“Oh, I think you know what’s up,” Michael replied. He returned Jeff’s smile, though his was smug. “I’m sure Megan already filled you in.”
“She sure did, Mike.” Jeff’s eyes narrowed, but his grin never changed as Michael tensed at hearing his name shortened.
“So I am sure you’ll understand why I’m a bit confused. Why does Jason need to go out with us?”
Michael pointed to the boy. “It’s his choice. I don’t see any reason why he can’t make the decision for himself. He asked to go.”
“He’s twelve years old, for Christ's sake! That’s goddamn why!” Megan said as she rushed forward. Jeff grabbed her as she got close and pushed her back. He cursed silently, knowing he shouldn’t have believed her promise to let him handle this.
“You’re not my mother!” Jason snapped at her. He turned to George and pointed at him. “And he’s not my father! I can do whatever I want!” Now it was Michael’s turn to move in and hold someone back. The resentment in Jason’s voice was thick as he lashed out. “My parents are dead, and I don’t need anyone else telling me what to do!”
“Yes you do!” Megan fought against Jeff, but he wrapped both arms around her as she tried to move toward the boy. “Jason, please. Don’t do this! You can’t go back out there!”
The boy crossed his arms, his face contorted with a child’s rage. But he was staring at the ground now, refusing to look at the woman pleading with him.
“Y’all are full of shit! Ain’t none of you this boy’s parents,” Frank chimed in. “As far as I can tell, he’s old enough to go with us, and ain’t a damn thing any of you have to say about it.”
“Fuck you, you fat piece of shit! I’m going to kill you!” Megan screamed as Jeff retained a tight grip on her. She scratched and beat on him, but he held firm. He noticed Lydia moving up toward them. She arrived and acted as if she were going to lay her hands on the wild woman’s shoulders, but thought better of it and hovered a few feet back.
“Bring it on, bitch! I like it rough!” Frank spit in Megan’s direction and laughed at her.
Things were getting out of control. Jeff gave Megan a sharp squeeze, and in an instant, the air went out of her lungs. She wheezed, and he shook her slightly. She gaped at him, confusion on her face. Jeff glared at her until she was totally focused on him. She was still trying to catch her breath as he continued to peer at her.
That was when Lydia chose to step in. She walked up and touched Megan’s shoulder, caressing it gently. As Megan tried to move away, Lydia’s grip tightened. Jeff tensed, not sure what was going to happen next.
Megan began to weep.
“It’s okay, it’s okay… ” Lydia shushed her like a baby. She kept repeating the words and Jeff let Megan go so she could move into Lydia’s caring embrace. After a few seconds, the older woman looked up, and Jeff mouthed a silent “thank you.” She nodded as she comforted Megan.
Jeff watched them move back, Megan wrapped in Lydia’s protective cocoon. Steadying his racing heart, he turned around.
When he did, he got a face full of Frank. Jeff jump
ed as the other man stared at him through bloodshot eyes. When he breathed on Jeff, the sour stench of alcohol hung in the air.
The fat man was smiling at him. Jeff spared a brief glance down and saw Megan’s revolver jammed into Frank’s dirty work jeans, suspended in place by his tremendous beer gut.
“You better get a rope around that bitch of yours, or someone else will do it for you.”
Jeff made an exaggerated effort to look Frank up and down as a dark grin crossed his face. The man looked strong, his solid arms ending in two callous-thickened hands. Frank clenched his fists, looking ready to take a swing.
“And I suppose you think you’re the just the man to do it, don’t you, Frank?”
Frank’s eyebrow rose in curiosity. It was clear he hadn’t expected Jeff to do much but cower in response to his snide comment. His smile began to evaporate, and the pent-up rage buried just below the surface snuck onto Frank’s face. He leaned in, his right fist rising as he did. Jeff stood waiting, his body tense and ready.
Michael’s hand landed with a loud slap on Frank’s shoulder and he pulled his henchman backward.
“Ease up, Frank.”
The smile instantly returned to Frank’s face, but he glared at Jeff as he moved out of Michael’s way.
“You’ll have to forgive Frank once again. As I’ve said before, he’s a little overzealous, but he’s a good man.” Michael turned to give his rotund crony an angry look.
Frank’s smile faltered, and his hand went to his throat, touching the scab left by Michael’s blade from the day before. He took another step back, and no longer looked interested in fighting with Jeff.
Before Michael turned back to Jeff, he took the opportunity to look at everyone else around the camp. Megan and Lydia had moved to the fire pit and had slumped to the ground, the older woman making sure Megan’s back was to the men. Ben had not moved from his spot on his chair, still appearing to be napping, while Cindy had come closer, her interest piqued. Teddy and Ray were watching the children, but Michael had the majority of their attention.
Jeff spared a glance at Jason. He had backed up some, and it was clear he was uncomfortable being the cause of the argument. The boy glared at the ground, sullen and bewildered at the attention he was getting.
Michael gave Jeff a weary look. “Jason wants to go, Jeff. I don’t see what the issue is.”
Jeff scratched his head in an exaggerated show of confusion. “Hmm. Well, let’s see. There are… ” He looked around at the camp. “One, two, three, four, five, six… yep, six men, plus two teenagers. That makes eight of us. So why on earth do we need a twelve year old tagging along on some sort of salvage run?”
“Well, with that many of us, it should be pretty safe for Jason to join in, don’t you think?” Michael asked. His voice was reasonable. “I mean it’s not like he hasn’t been out there before.” He chuckled. “I figure this is probably safer than some of the other stuff he’s done.”
“And he’d be even safer behind these walls.”
Michael’s expression didn’t change.
“Look, Michael. We’ve all taken plenty of risks getting here, and we’re going to have to take even more if we want to survive. But not dumb ones. Not senseless ones. That’s why we’re still alive when everyone else is dead. They made foolish choices and we didn’t.” Jeff moved a step closer, keeping his voice calm.
“So let’s not endanger a child for no better reason than that he wants to go on some stupid adventure. He’s safer in here, and you know it. Whatever we need to do out there… he doesn’t need to be a part of it.”
Michael’s face grew stony as he nodded in stiff acknowledgement of Jeff’s words. “So you don’t think he can’t take care of himself, huh?”
“I didn’t say that. The kid’s smart, and he can handle himself. But there’s no reason-”
“Yeah, yeah, there’s no reason to jeopardize him. I get it.” Michael bobbed his head, already looking bored with Jeff’s line of reasoning. “But what I don’t understand is how you think that you or I are any more capable than he is.”
“What?”
“Well, he did save your life, didn’t he?”
Jeff stared at Michael, dumbstruck. After a moment, a small bead of sweat formed on his forehead. He looked over at Jason. The boy still had his arms crossed with his head down, but now there was a trace of embarrassment on his face. Jeff closed his eyes and shook his head as he tried to control the anger he was feeling about Jason spilling his guts to Michael.
“Didn’t he shoot a man who had a rifle pointed at your head, Jeff? The very same rifle we found in your van?”
Michael paused as Jeff open his eyes and focused on him. There was a look of sickly sweet concern on Michael’s face, but Jeff could see the satisfaction hidden beneath it.
Before he could respond, Michael moved toward George.
“And didn’t he take care of one of the infected for you?” George stiffened when Michael placed a hand on his shoulder. “Didn’t he take a stick… ” He looked at Jason, “It was a stick, wasn’t it?” Michael turned back to George before the boy could respond. “He took a stick and beat one of those things to death with it.” He was whispering now, carefully enunciating each word. “He beat it to death while you watched, right?”
Michael lingered in front of George for a few more moments. Jeff could see that his friend was reliving what had happened back when he had escaped from the high school gymnasium with Jason. Before, there had been anger or perhaps embarrassment written on George’s face. Now it looked more like regret.
Satisfied, Michael slid away from George and faced Jeff.
“So tell me, gentlemen. Please enlighten me. Why on earth should I refuse the boy a chance to go back out there with us when he can clearly take care of himself?” He stared at Jeff. “Maybe even better than the two of you can.”
Frank snickered behind them, mumbling, “You got that right.” He moved toward Jason and grabbed the kid by the shoulder. He squeezed it, shaking him in an excessive show of camaraderie. Jeff looked on, the contempt in his eyes for the fat man hard to hide.
Gritting his teeth, Jeff forced his eyes away from Frank. He knew what he had to do. He glared at Michael, took a deep breath, and let it out in a slow hiss.
“Be that as it may, he’s still a boy. He’s not going. I won’t allow it.”
For a moment, Michael looked shocked. As he digested Jeff’s comment, his expression morphed into something closer to anger. Any trace of the smug smile he had before was gone.
“So you think you have that kind of authority?”
The words were made of gravel, rough and raspy. Michael was holding his rage in check, but looked anxious to unleash it. Jeff swallowed hard, stiffened his resolve and replied.
“I do. When it comes to my people, I sure as hell do. Not you or anyone else in this camp other than me, George, and Megan gets to decide what happens to that kid. He was our responsibility when we got here, and he will be when we leave.”
There was ice in Michael’s eyes as his lip curled into a snarl. “Oh, so you’re planning on leaving now, huh?”
“No, we plan on staying.”
They both looked at George. His voice was a surprise, an oddity in the conversation from which it had been absent for so long. His interjection was like a small explosion that startled the two other men.
Neither spoke as they stared at him. George moved between them and faced Michael. “We plan on staying. But if we do, you’ll have to respect our wishes.”
Michael’s lip quivered in surprise. His anger was diluted with confusion. “I thought you wanted to find your family, George? I thought you wanted to run off and leave us all behind.”
George moved closer to Michael, and Jeff stepped back involuntarily. He was no longer a part of the conversation.
“I’ll stay. I’ll go with you on this scavenger hunt or whatever you’re calling it. I’ll do whatever needs to be done. But the boy stays in the camp.” He moved to
within six inches of Michael, his eyes narrowing to pinpoints as he glared at the man who was the same height, but fifty pounds lighter.
“Let me make this perfectly clear. If you try to take the boy with us, I’m leaving. I’ll walk right out of here. Your men can shoot me in the back, but otherwise, fuck you.” He bumped the other man’s chest with his own. “But before I go, I’ll snap your neck and toss you outside for those monsters to eat. I swear to God no one will be able to tear me off of you before you die.”
Jeff watched, his eyes growing wider with every word. Michael’s expression never changed, but his body went rigid with tension. George turned and stalked off.
“But what about your family, George? Won’t they be lonely without you?”
George froze, and Jeff could see the murderous look on his face. Apparently so did Ben, who tipped his hat up off of his eyes and watched the proceedings with much greater interest.
George walked back toward Michael, and Ben leaned forward in his chair, ready to spring to his feet. Jeff took a step back and noticed Frank getting out of the way as well. George stopped a few feet from Michael. His fists were clenched and air hissed between his teeth as he breathed. His fair complexion had turned crimson, and he looked like a volcano about to erupt.
Michael stood relaxed, motionless, but Jeff could see the fear the leader was carefully trying to conceal. He had not expected George to respond to the snide comment and was fighting to look nonplussed in the face of the thickly muscled man standing before him.
George’s color gradually returned to normal, and the throbbing vein on his forehead settled. The hissing of his breath stopped, but the look of raw hatred for Michael remained on his face.
“Don’t ever speak about my family again. Ever.”
George turned and marched off. Michael continued to stare at him as he walked away, his shoulders slumping in relief even as he tried to maintain a nonchalant air.
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