Earth Tactics Advance: Volume 1

by Scottie Futch

“Everyone? I’m the one who got those things. Hell, that rifle up there belongs to Harold,” said Scott.

  Hector glared at him. “Just like Daniel said! You’re selfish and only think of yourself.”

  “Yeah, because when he demanded that everyone give the stuff they had collected to him, he was so damned selfless,” said Scott. Had this guy not heard one damned thing that he just said a moment ago?

  “What are you talking about?” asked Tammi as she came through the door. Now, she wanted to actually have a conversation.

  “Daniel’s your husband, right?” said Hector. “He wanted this guy to give him his stuff since the police could use it better, and he wouldn’t do it.”

  Scott reared back and laughed so hard that tears came to his eyes. Had none of these people heard a word that he said earlier? “Use it better? Use it fucking, better? Craig shot me in the face with a damned shotgun and it didn’t do a thing to me. I put Daniel on his ass after he tried to force me to give him the stuff I earned through my own efforts.”

  “You attacked my husband? What the hell is wrong with you!” cried Tammi.

  "Do you hear yourself woman?" asked Scott calmly. He stared at her in a hard penetrating manner.

  "I've heard enough of your bullshit! I can't believe we thought you were a nice guy, but if you attacked my husband you're just a pi—" she began to say, but Scott cut her off mid-sentence with a barked laugh. “Fuck your husband."

  Tammi took a step back and glared at him. Scott did not give a damn about that, however.

  He continued, "I didn’t see his control-freak ass come in swinging at that barn. I didn’t see him save your daughter from that car."

  Scott glared hatefully at her. His patience had run out with ungrateful people.

  "He wasn’t the one who walked you across fucking zombie land, and he didn't give you a safe place to stay for a few days while a better place was prepared. He damned sure didn’t walk you all the way out here, either!” shouted Scott, once again unable to hold in all of the anger that built up over the last few days.

  “Because he didn’t know where we were!” she snapped.

  “The hell he didn’t! I gave him the fucking address of my house when we met!” snapped Scott.

  She took a step back like she had been slapped. “No…”

  “That pathetic shit you married has known exactly where you were for days. His tired ass even knew I would be bringing you here if the situation worked out,” said Scott in a slow, heated, manner.

  Tammi shook her head in response. It could not be true.

  “He didn’t even seem fucking excited when I told him you were alive, and he didn’t want to fucking go with me to get you when I told him I would take him,” said Scott coldly. "The mere thought of me suggesting a plan of action offended him and he argued against it. Being in charge was more important to him than you, or your ungrateful ass children."

  “How dare you!” screamed Tammi.

  “It’s true!” roared Frank. “I was there. Stop all this damned yelling like you're a bunch of drunken rednecks, before everything in the world comes and fucking tries to eat us!”

  “You just want to be up his ass!” snapped Tammi.

  Frank snarled at Tammi, but calmed himself enough to coldly inform the woman of a sad truth. “Sharon’s with him, now. Daniel made sure to go get her.”

  “Sharon? See, he went to get my sister because he could get to her!” said Tammi with a hint of vindication in her tone.

  Frank stared at her. “We both know why. Right?”

  Tammi’s eyebrows pressed together and she shook her head. “No, no…”

  “He had taken her into the backroom when we left. Even this dumbass knows what we all heard.” Frank jerked his thumb at Hector. The dumbass in question winced and looked away. He had certainly heard a few things.

  “You’re lying…” said Tammi.

  “I wouldn’t lie about that,” said Frank.

  “The hell you wouldn’t. You just want to buddy up to this… this…” began Tammi.

  “Guy who saved your life, and the lives of all your family members, at great personal risk when he didn’t even know you?” asked Scott flippantly. His expression was one of incredulous disbelief mixed with disdain. Were people truly this quick to turn on those who went out of their way to save their lives?

  Tammi glared hatefully at Scott, but they both grew silent. It was funny how when faced with the ugly truth of her situation, she could not back down and admit that the husband she depended on had been stepping out on her for a while by that point. It was easier to simply blame someone else, even if that someone had done nothing but help her.

  Frank closed his eyes, and then quietly said something that could be heard easily over the deafening silence that had arisen. “My little sister is all the family I have. She was probably killed by what happened.”

  Everyone looked to the man in expectation. He had just said something that seemed like he was on the verge of a revelation.

  He continued, “I would do anything to have a chance to go get her, but she left the morning all this shit happened to check out colleges in California. She was in the air when it started.”

  Tears flowed freely as the massive man allowed himself to feel the pain that he had been hiding for the last few days. “Trying to cross the street could get me killed, but I would search everywhere between here and California if I just knew that she was still alive. If I even knew where the plane landed… or crashed,” –Frank pointed his weapon at Tammi meaningfully— “this axe would take me anywhere I need to go.”

  Frank stared at Tammi, “Daniel? He couldn’t even be bothered to keep his damned dick dry long enough to go get you and your kids when you were right down the road. He even had a fucking address and a guide willing to help him get there.”

  Her turned and shook his axe at the people who come out to gape at the shouting hillbillies on the front lawn. “You hear that? You talk shit about a guy who’ll walk through hell for people he doesn’t know. He cut a path to get you here using a fucking garden tool!"

  Frank dropped the blade of his axe down and stared at several of them reproachfully. “Yet, the man some of you wish was here abandoned his wife and kids to fuck his sister-in-law.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” shouted a familiar voice from the gate.

  Several gasps rose up as the new arrival made himself known. Daniel and six other people had arrived.

  “Daniel?” asked Tammi in shock.

  The children had heard everything, but the moment they saw their father they forgot it all. It wasn’t true, because he was here! They ran over to the gate as fast as their stats would allow, and then chatted happily with the newcomers.

  Tammi staggered forward a few steps then ran toward her husband. Halfway there she saw the only woman in the group. It was her sister Sharon. She stood a little too close to Daniel for Tammi’s comfort.

  Several other people from the group at the house ran over to greet them as well. A few asked questions about people who they did not see.

  The gate was opened and Daniel’s group was invited in like conquering heroes returning home from war. They had done little to deserve such fanfare, but it did not matter. Daniel and Craig, the only officers in the group, still wore their uniforms under bits and pieces of armor. Those uniforms were useless in the new world, but for those who could not let go of the old one they offered the idea of safety and security.

  As the group walked through the gate, Daniel turned his head and smiled pleasantly at Scott for a moment before he turned away. The group that was left behind consisted of those who believed in Scott, plus two tower guards who were not really sure what was going on.

  Scott glanced to what could nominally be considered to be his people. They looked to him and he nodded. Hunting would wait. A few things needed to be discussed with the new arrivals.

  Rosa sighed. “Let me close the gate.” The group or hero worshippers had not even bothe
red to close it as they walked Daniel’s group back into the house.

  Chapter 18

  After the gate was secured they headed toward the house. Scott fished a salvation crystal out of his pocket and activated it.

  Frank looked at him curiously. "Why use it now?"

  Scott said, "I don't know what's going down tonight, but the last thing we need is a monster attack on top of it."

  The big man nodded slightly, but said nothing. It made perfect sense.

  Once the group re-entered the house, they were greeted to the sight of Daniel and his group regaling everyone with their tale of crossing the city. A few people glanced up at Scott as Daniel spoke, but they looked away quickly.

  The new arrivals took their time informing everyone of their harrowing trip. From what they said, it sounded like they had slain everything in the city six times over. It rang a bit hollow in Scott's ears.

  Daniel finished speaking and asked how things had been here. He spoke as though he had always been there. The tone irritated the hell out of Scott, but he held his tongue for the moment. The two had not parted on good terms, but he would not be the one to instigate trouble if he could help it. Now was not the time to cause problems among the survivors.

  Several people started to talk at once and Daniel asked them to settle down, like a patient father schooling his unruly children on the art of patience. His demeanor changed in the few days since Scott had last seen him. The man always seemed a bit aggressive, and had acted like he was a proper authority.

  The fact that he was a police officer did lend some credence to that belief, but the way that he had gone about doing things did not sit right with Scott. The truth was that several of the people in the room who had been angry with Scott seemed a bit put out by Daniel at the moment as well.

  Daniel, as Scott briefly knew him, came off as aggressive but probably focused on helping people. He was merely an ass about it. The Daniel who walked through the gate was different, however. This man was smug and condescending instead of controlling and assholish. Perhaps that was his true nature after all? It was hard to say at the moment, but every time the man spoke Scott felt an overwhelming urge to punch him in the mouth.

  Finally it got to the matter of Scott’s deal with the lizard people. Daniel’s eyes narrowed. “That doesn’t sound like a good idea at all.”

  “That’s what I said!” exclaimed Manny.

  Daniel nodded to him. “What’s to stop them from attacking when we cross the bridge anyway?”

  “Nothing, that’s what,” said Hector. His brother Manny nodded rapidly while standing behind him. A few of the others nodded as well, but not all of them.

  Scott remained quiet and allowed people to speak. He made a decision without consulting anyone. He saw no reason not to allow discussion, so long as it led to a better understanding of the situation.

  It was not until Daniel said, “We’ll have to see about clearing them out tomorrow,” that things took an ugly turn.

  “No, we won’t,” said Scott flatly. All eyes turned toward him, save for Daniel.

  Daniel blinked, slowly, and then turned toward Scott as though he had finally noticed that he was in the room. “Well, if you don’t want to help that’s fine.”

  Scott stared at the man for a moment. “Harley. What five people have the highest level in this room?”

  The little girl spoke up. “Starting from highest to lowest: Master, Frank, Harley, Rosa, and Harold. Harley and Rosa are equal level.”

  “What?” asked Daniel in surprise. His eyes widened perceptibly at that announcement.

  “Harley, what level is Daniel?” asked Scott.

  “Daniel is level six, Master,” said Harley.

  Daniel frowned and looked at Scott with baleful eyes. “That doesn’t mean anything.”

  Scott gazed impassively at the man for a moment. “Harley, what is the average level of the people in this room?”

  “Four, Master,” she said.

  “What was the average level of all monsters that you scanned when we crossed the bridge earlier today? Try to compare what the higher tier monsters would be considered if compared to a first tier one." said Scott. He was not sure she could do that, but it was worth a try.

  "In comparison, the average power level of the seventy-eight monsters detected as I crossed the river was twenty-six,” said Harley.

  Scott tried to hide his surprise. He almost succeeded. What the hell else was in the area? Did Eloa cause that massive uptick in overall level, or was there something much stronger than her lurking about? There were no doubt several second, or even third, tier monsters in the area. It was something to consider for the future.

  Daniel swallowed slightly then said, “An obvious lie to protect your monster girlfriend.”

  “Harley, what level is Craig?” asked Scott.

  “Before you answer..." Scott swept his eyes over the crowd. "I want to point out that he claimed he was level six the night before last, and he was supposedly fighting many monsters as he crossed the city, alongside the still level six Daniel.”

  “What does Craig’s level have to do with anything?” asked Daniel in confusion.

  “Craig is level six, Master,” said Harley.

  Craig snorted then shrugged. "Whatever. What's the point of this?"

  "Yeah, why you gotta keep causing problems?" asked Manny with a growl in his voice.

  Scott didn't even bother to acknowledge Manny. Instead, he looked Daniel in the eyes and said, “Right. So, all those shiny new bits of armor and accessories, I’m guessing the people gladly gave them to you before you made your way here? If you earned them yourself then your level would be much higher.”

  Daniel stood up. “What are you trying to say?”

  “I thought it would be obvious? You convinced those poor bastards who believed in you to give them all their stuff, and then traipsed off here while you left them behind to fend for themselves,” said Scott.

  “Just stop it! Stop lying!” Tammi shouted at Scott. Her kids joined in on the shouting, save for the eldest daughter and her school friend. Those two merely kept quiet and looked at each other with nervous glances.

  "I won't stand for being accused of something like that!" snapped Daniel. He glared hotly at Scott and leaned forward.

  “Where’s Martin?” asked Frank coolly.

  “He’s protecting the place we set up near the shopping arcade,” said Daniel in obvious annoyance.

  Frank glanced down at the boots Daniel was wearing. “If he’s protecting a place in the middle of town, why do you have his boots? Won’t he need those?”

  “These are my boots! Look, I’ve had about enough of this crap. We’re tired, hungry, and had to go through a lot to get here. We need to eat and look over the plans for the duties around here.”

  Scott quirked an eyebrow. “Rosa. Whose house is this?”

  “It belongs to my father,” she said confidently.

  “As the daughter of the owner of this house, do you have any unwanted house guests that you want removed?” Scott let his blade drop toward the ground and then he gripped the handle tight.

  “I’m getting there,” said Rosa.

  “House guests? Hah! This place is now under the jurisdiction of the Alpine Falls Police Department for use as an aid shelter.” said Daniel matter-of-factly.

  Scott laughed so hard he thought that he would pass out. “You don’t declare a damned thing.”

  “Hey! Hey!” snapped Craig. “You can’t decide shit! This is a police matter.”

  The people in the house save for the small group who stood with Scott, began to nod their heads rapidly in agreement. It was funny what a uniform could do.

  Scott glanced over to Rosa. “Hey Rosa. You there, yet?”

  “Getting there,” she said.

  Daniel glared at Scott once more then said, “Look, we don’t want any trouble. You just need to calm down, sir, and let us do our job.”

  “I’m calm. I’m also telling you
that you’re not in charge of anything around here. You stay, you follow the rules. Everything is fine. You don’t follow the rules, you leave,” said Scott.

  Daniel blinked and then started to laugh. “Where the hell do you get off?”

  “You have a lot of nerve for a guy who wouldn’t even go get his family, but had no problem fucking his sister-in-law,” said Scott.

  The room became deathly silent for a moment. Daniel pulled his gun from his holster and pointed it at Scott. His face was bright red with rage. “Get the fuck out of here or I’ll-”

  Scott smirked at him. “Continue to be fucking useless?”

  A shot rang out and Scott’s head was knocked back with great force. He staggered back two steps then stopped. He leaned his head around and his smirk got bigger. A bloody gouge had appeared in his skull. The minor, but horrific looking, injury stood as a testament of what just happened. “Well, officer friendly. Looks like you just attempted murder because some guy told on you.”

  Daniel’s eyes widened in surprise. “Impossi-" he said in a high-pitched tone of voice. He caught himself mid-speech, however. He coughed once and continued, "Impossible! This gun is twice as strong as…”

  Scott stalked forward and two more shots rang out. They hit his armor and flattened out uselessly before falling to the floor. Scott’s fist lashed out and whipped across Daniel’s face hard enough to knock a tooth loose.

  The freshly made injuries on both Scott and Daniel faded away in a sparkle of light a brief moment later as the salvation crystal did its work. It kept monsters out, and kept people from dying while under the influence. Injuries taken outside the salvation crystal field would heal at a somewhat accelerated rate inside the field, but injuries originating inside the field would fade away altogether.

  The sidearm Daniel had been using was taken from him and it was tossed over to Frank. The larger man pocketed it and waited to see what Scott would do.

  “You tried to kill me over an argument. Most of these people here, they won’t realize how much of a piece of garbage you are despite that. Hell, some of these bleating sheep will probably think you were justified.”