by SD Tanner
‘Let me put this way,’ Ruler said dryly. ‘I don’t give a fuck about the hunters, but for every hunter your men kill, my hunters get to eat one of your men alive.’ Pausing and gently touching Hull on the arm, he added, ‘It’s all about team work. If your men don’t team well with my hunters, then they die.’
‘And if your hunters don’t team well with my troops and eat a few for fun?’ Hull asked. ‘What happens then?’
‘Listen up, you dumb little prick,’ Ruler said flatly. ‘I own that drag queen show you call an army and they’re my army…not yours. If I choose to feed the whole fucking lot of them to my hunters, then that’s what I’ll do. Don’t try to negotiate with me. You don’t have anything I want.’
Hull said nothing and Ruler continued, ‘My armored hunters want fresh meat. Make it happen. I want a better army, so get your drag queens to make room for some new cellmates. The rest of the refugees are for my entertainment.’ Turning to him and fixing him with a cold stare, he added, ‘And I’m disappointed in you, Gray. I’m going to give you one last chance to be the bogus POTUS you promised to be and if you disappoint me again, I’ll kill you and find myself a new pet. The new one might not be as pretty as you, but I’m not that fussy. You’re all ugly to me.’
Glaring at both of them, Ruler added, ‘I need a new plan to remove an old enemy. Now go away and do what I’ve told you to do. We’ll talk later. Right now my rage needs to be satisfied and unless you want to be the ones to satisfy her, I suggest you fuck off.’
He and Hull looked at one another and without speaking, got up and left the room together. Once they were outside, they walked away from the barracks and Hull asked, ‘What the fuck is going on here?’
‘I don’t entirely know, but there’s a group of about thirty thousand people with bases all over the south-east region and they have several islands,’ he explained. ‘The group are led by three guys. I gather at some point, they had a fight and Ruler lost. He didn’t take it well and now he wants them dead. He was supposed to kill them today, but something must have gone wrong. It pissed him off and he just killed everyone in the bunker he was living in.’
Hull shook his head and said, ‘You know this guy’s a fuckin’ nut job, right?’
He looked at Hull in disbelief and said, ‘He’s not a guy, Hull. Ruler is no more human than the hunters or the armored ones that control them.’
Pulling a face, Hull replied, ‘Well, they were human. They’re just zombies now.’
Wearily, he replied, ‘It’s not that simple. The armored ones don’t seem to die and Ruler claims he was in another body before. I’m guessing he was killed and then came back as Barry.’
‘Barry?’ Hull asked dubiously.
‘Yes. Barry was a guy in the bunker,’ he explained. ‘Then one day Barry…changed and became this guy.’
Hull looked surprised and said, ‘Ruler is really a guy called Barry?’
‘No, Hull,’ he said sounding as frustrated as he felt. ‘Barry’s gone. Ruler took over his body the same way the armored hunters will take over the bodies of the living.’
Shaking his head, Hull said, ‘I never saw that in a zombie film, but I never watched many. I always preferred a good war film.’
In disbelief and thinking Hull was either insane or stupid, he asked, ‘How is that relevant? We’re not in a movie, Hull. This is real life.’
Shrugging, Hull said blandly, ‘We should kill him.’
With a high-pitched laugh, he asked, ‘Why? And what makes you think you can kill him?’
Hull snorted and said, ‘I’ve yet to meet a man I can’t kill.’
‘I just said, if you kill him he can come back,’ he explained. ‘What’s the point of killing him?’
‘Firstly, I haven’t seen this wanker come back, so maybe he can’t,’ Hull replied bluntly. ‘And secondly, even if he could, who’s to say he’ll come back anywhere near me.’
That actually sounded logical. It might work, but if it didn’t then he was pretty sure Ruler could make him suffer in a very bad way for a very long time. He didn’t have Hull’s apparent disregard for pain or death and shrugging, he said, ‘Let’s see how it goes.’
Now he had three options. Continue to live and be the most hostile POTUS the country ever had, or allow Ruler to turn him into an armored hunter and be an even worse POTUS, or join forces with Hull to kill Ruler and see what happens next. None of the choices appealed to him. He wanted the power, not the choices. Still feeling numb, he walked further away from the barracks and towards the houses he planned to put the refugees in. As he walked, he was joined by his hunter guard and in the growing distance behind him, he heard a keening wail start up. The sound grew more desperate, but he didn’t turn around and he didn’t look back either. He didn’t want to know who was suffering now.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: Home is where the heart is (Gears)
The Ranch hadn’t changed since the last time they were there. During that trip, they scorched the earth and burned the house and barns to the ground. Anna shot him under his right arm, puncturing his lung and leaving the bullet deeply embedded in his chest. Lydia was barely able to save his life and even now, he was still recovering and was easily fatigued.
As Hatch flew him, Ip, TL and Lydia over the Ranch, he remembered how they went in with a force of over thirty vehicles and 350 combat shooters to rescue Ip from Ruler. It was a bad day and recalling the depth of relief he felt when he found her alive, brought back the memory of the grief at finding her dead over a month later. Here she was returned to him the same, but not the same and against his better judgement, he felt a growing happiness. She didn’t remember him and they couldn’t just go back to where they were, but having her near again gave him a sense of joy he thought he’d lost forever.
They landed near a cluster of twelve RVs parked near a small pond about a mile from the Ranch. He knew the area well. As a boy, he and his brothers rode their horses over every inch of the Ranch and surrounding areas. They had fond memories of Pop teaching them to hunt and under his guidance, learned to handle themselves, the horses and their guns with an unconscious competence. Looking across at TL and without speaking, the two men shared the memory of a time that was now lost.
Once they landed, Ip leapt from the bird and ran across to a group of people he recognized from the CDC. Although this was the first time they met her in person, they hugged her as if she was a long lost relative. Wanting to let them enjoy the moment, he, Lydia and TL, slowly walked towards the group. When they approached, Ip broke away from hugging Georgia and reached for him, drawing him into the group and making him part of the moment. To his surprise, he found himself being greeted warmly by them, hugged and even kissed by Margaret. He could already see this group were very different to the one that had left the CDC. These people were happy and he realized they made the right decision to leave as they did.
‘Ya look well,’ he said honestly.
Margaret gave him a motherly smile and said, ‘The place is a mess, but Ip was right. This is our home.’
Looking past the group, he saw about fifteen more people he didn’t recognize and asked, ‘Who are they?’
Georgia replied simply, ‘Humans who have joined us.’
Narrowing his eyes, these days he didn’t like strangers and he pushed his way through their group until he reached the people he didn’t know. Studying them closely, he saw they looked relaxed, friendly and welcoming.
An older man with a shock of white hair smiled widely as he walked over and said, ‘Howdy, son! I’m Sam. Nice to meetcha.’
Closer now, he could see the people clearly and he noticed at least three of the women were pregnant. There were youngsters that had to be in their early teens, half a dozen capable looking young men and another three or four older people. The group puzzled him and he looked quizzically at the man who just introduced himself as Sam.
Sam continued to smile at him and said, ‘Guess we look like an odd group. We’re all from the same Church in
Marshall. When all hell broke loose I collected as many people as I could and we been hidin’ out in my underground survival shelter. Kinda ran outta food and then we ran into Malcolm and his folks tryin’ to get supplies. They helped us out and we asked if we could join ‘em. I gotta lotta mouths to feed here and some of the young ones gone and got themselves knocked up.’ He winked at him and added, ‘There weren’t a lot to do in the bunker and I didn’t think to pack….condoms.’
He couldn’t help but laugh at Sam’s plain speaking and said, ‘I’m Gears.’ He waved his hand back to the infected group and said, ‘They were with us and I still feel the need to protect ‘em.’
One of the older women from the group stepped forward and said, ‘I’m Barb and we know who you are. They speak very well of you.’
Nodding, he asked, ‘So, what’s the plan here? Is there a plan?’
‘Oh, yes,’ Sam replied happily. ‘The plan is we have lunch. The ladies have been cooking all morning and we’ve set ourselves up a mighty fine barbeque.’
Within the hour, they were sitting under the shades that were attached to the RVs and caravans, eating barbeque deer and surprisingly, a variety of fresh vegetables. Being a survivalist, Sam assured him the advantage of the hunters being carnivores is the land to continue to grow food as it had done since the beginning of time. He liked Sam, he thought the man had a practical streak he could respect.
While he ate, he saw hunters wandering peacefully between the shaded RVs and caravans and asked, ‘Honey, are ya controllin’ those hunters?’
Ip looked over at the hunters and said, ‘No. Why would I?’
Surprised, he said, ‘Well they ain’t attackin’.’
Seeming puzzled, Ip asked, ‘Why would they?’
‘Because they always do,’ TL said bluntly.
Sam explained, ‘They don’t attack us as long as there are a lot of people with the counter virus here. I think they see us as the same as them.’
Lydia suggested, ‘Maybe it’s because they know the infected can kill them. Stops them from being aggressive.’
Georgia turned to him and asked, ‘Has Ip spoken to you about what we want to do?’
Wondering what the group decided, he shook his head and asked, ‘Have ya decided what ya want to do?’
Nodding, Georgia said, ‘Ip believes we need our own place to call home and she believes we should help you.’
Feeling hopeful, he asked, ‘And what do you all believe?’
Malcolm replied, ‘Ip says, although the hunters are not a problem for us, we have a common enemy in Ruler and his super hunters and we need to help you defeat them.’
Margaret added, ‘She says we need to learn to live together, but we should have our own home as well. Somewhere we can be together.’
He didn’t understand why the Ranch became their home, but clearly it had and nodding, he said, ‘We need your help so whatever ya can do is appreciated. And I guess if ya wanna make this place your home then that’s your decision to make.’
Lydia wanted to run a medical check on all the people there, including their new human companions. He did offer to take the pregnant women and young teens to the ship or island, but they refused. He supposed they had no need. They were already with the Infected and they didn’t need the safety of the ship. He, TL and Sam went to inspect the old Ranch and nothing had changed other than the bodies were rotted. The place stank of death and both he and TL felt bad seeing their old and much loved home in such a mess. The group made an RV available for himself, Ip, TL and Lydia and as the day wore on into evening, they went inside to talk in the small, but comfortable lounge. TL and Lydia were sitting on the two-person sofa together. TL had his arm casually around her shoulders and he noticed Lydia was leaning into him comfortably. He thought their relationship was progressing beyond something casual. He was sprawled on the large single seat sofa and Ip was sitting on the floor with her back up against the base of his chair. Old Ip would have been curled up in his lap and he wished that new Ip remembered that.
Relaxed, TL asked, ‘How are they all doing, Lydia?’
‘Very well,’ Lydia replied, with a slight smile. ‘There’s no reason why they wouldn’t be. They have access to food, comfortable living and they’re all healthy.’
‘They do seem very content,’ TL remarked.
They did seem comfortable and confident, but he didn’t think they should be and said gruffly, ‘They shouldn’t be. They might not have a problem with the hunters, but the livin’ could wipe out everyone here.’
‘That’s a bit pessimistic, Gears,’ TL said dryly.
He snorted and said, ‘When every asshole ya meet tries to kill ya, it becomes common sense.’
Looking up at him from the floor, Ip said, ‘Maybe it is just you.’
Smiling at her, he replied, ‘Don’t be a smartass.’
TL grinned at them and said, ‘When you two have finished flirting with one another, Lydia and I have some news.’
When neither he nor Ip spoke, TL said, ‘Lydia’s pregnant.’
Knowing until a month ago, Lydia was seeing both TL and Captain Ted, he wasn’t sure what to say and he said hesitantly, ‘Congratulations?’
Looking him in the eye, TL replied with a grin, ‘Thanks, bro’.’
Saving him from asking the next obvious question, Ip asked, ‘What’s pregnant?’
Lydia smiled at her and said, ‘It means I’m going to have a baby. You know. A little human.’
Ip shrugged and said, ‘I know what a baby is. I did not remember the word pregnant.’ Then she smiled and said happily, ‘A new soul is good.’
Smiling, Lydia replied, ‘Yes it is, Ip.’ An anxious look crossed her face and she added, ‘But I do worry about bringing a child into this new world.’
Tightening his arm around Lydia, TL said confidently, ‘It’ll be fine. We’ll make it fine.’
He thought Lydia still looked upset and deciding TL and Lydia probably needed some privacy, he asked, ‘What are the sleepin’ arrangements tonight. I’m guessin’ you two will be wantin’ the master bedroom.’
Still looking upset, Lydia said, ‘Thank you.’
After wishing one another good night, Lydia and TL left and he heard the door to the bedroom close softly. He leaned forward in his chair and bending down to Ip, he asked, ‘So, where are we sleepin’?’
Ip pointing to the sofa TL and Lydia had been sitting on and said, ‘That is a bed.’
After some initial confusion, he worked out how the sofa transformed into a reasonable sized bed that cut across the width of the RV. Ip was gathering a bag of toiletries and pulling on a pair of shoes.
Knowing Ip always insisted on being clean before bed, he guessed where she was going, but asked, ‘Where ya goin’?’
‘To wash,’ she replied. Wrinkling her nose, she added, ‘So should you.’
He laughed and said, ‘Ya may be dead and reborn in yet another fine body, but ya ain’t changed much.’
Frowning, she asked, ‘Did you always smell bad?’
Chuckling, he grabbed his pack and gun and said, ‘No. Ya were always very strict about that.’
In the dark, they made their way to the small pond where Ip immediately stripped and walked into the water. Knowing she was never one to be modest, he smiled and followed her lead. He guessed he should be grateful Ip hadn’t been reborn as a man. Chuckling to himself at he thought, he decided that would have been awkward. Being part hunter, the new Ip had the same long, lean and slight body build he was used to and in the dark of the night lit by the moon, she looked like the woman he loved so well and his senses were confused.
Wading over to where she was now rinsing her hair, he asked, ‘Do ya want the Ranch rebuilt?’
Sounding surprised, she said simply, ‘Yes.’
He lathered up the soap and vigorously scrubbed at his face, he said, ‘Me and TL wanna rebuild it for ya. It was our home too and we shouldn’t leave it lookin’ like shit.’
Huffing, she sa
id dourly, ‘It smells like death.’
He nodded and said, ‘I’ll get a scavenger and combat crew sent over to handle the clearin’ and rebuild. Pop’ll probably wanna oversee the build.’
‘Who is Pop?’ She asked curiously.
He replied, ‘My father. You know him and Mom. You like ‘em both and they adore ya.’ Watching her in the moonlight, he added, ‘Your memory is really patchy. A lot of the stuff ya do is definitely you, but ya don’t seem to know why you’re doin’ it.’
Sounding unhappy, she replied, ‘That is true. My mind is untidy. It has pictures and feelings I do not understand. I think things, but do not know why. I know things, but I do not know how. I am…lost.’
Feeling her unhappiness, he reached across the water and stroking her face, he said, ‘It’ll be okay, honey. You’re with people who love ya. Take your time. No one is gonna rush ya to do anythin’.’
She gently leaned her face into his hand and sounding puzzled, she asked, ‘Why are you kind to me? Is it because we were…together?’
Continuing to stroke her face, he smiled and said, ‘We were together and we were happy, but it’s not jus’ that. You were family. TL thought of you as his sister and you and Pax played like kids.’
Sounding surprised, she asked, ‘The noisy one?’
Laughing loudly, he said, ‘Yeah, ya love that idiot. The pair of you were always makin’ trouble. Hell, you and that dumbass got drunk together. Found ya both hidin’ on a lifeboat pissin’ yourselves laughin’. I wanted to be mad at ya. The ship is a dry dock, but you were both funny to watch.’
Watching him laugh, she seemed to cheer up and she asked, ‘Do you miss her?’
Still smiling at her, he answered honestly, ‘I did. Real bad, but somehow you’re back. Ya jus’ don’t know who ya are, but we’ll know for ya and we’ll keep ya safe, honey.’
They waded out of the shallow pond and dried themselves off. Ip sprayed her body with a perfume he remembered well and they headed back to the RV. Tossing her toiletries bag on the chair, she slipped off her shoes and t-shirt and climbed into the bed. He sat down on the side of the bed and looked at her stretched out. With the lower half of her body under the covers, her naked torso was exposed and she tucked one arm under her head and looked up at him.
