Frostarc

by Arthur McMahon

  The horrendous smell was stronger near the kitchen door. Both Kozz and Richard heard the buzzing sound of flies coming from the next room. Kozz pushed through the swinging door and expected to find decaying bodies scattered on the floor, but was relieved when all he found was hunks of rotten meats and produce left behind on counter tops and in cooking pots. Flies and maggots abounded. Kozz left them to their foul meals and exited the kitchen. He motioned for Richard to follow him out the front door to escape the smell so that they could talk.

  “Well I think all these tables and chairs are a good place to start for our barrier,” said Kozz.

  “What was that smell?” asked Freddy. He was as white as a ghost and his eyes were watery. “Were there dead people in there?”

  “Nah man,” said Richard, “just a bunch of meat the chefs left behind.”

  “Oh, thank goodness,” said Freddy. “First thing I thought of when that smell hit me was decaying corpses and I almost hurled.”

  “Calm down, Nancy.” Kozz went to grab a cigar from his pocket, but his pocket was still empty. Lord knows he could have used a cigar to clear his lungs right then. “Let's grab some of that furniture and bring it back. We'll get some other able-bodied gents to help us out.”

  They walked back to the others who were standing guard and Kozz directed them to start grabbing furniture, then he turned his attention towards Freddy.

  “Since we've got a moment here alone, Freddy, why don't you tell me why you follow those two knuckleheads around?”

  “Who? Daryll and Tim?”

  “Yeah, those are the two knuckleheads I’m talking about.”

  “Well, I dunno,” said Freddy. “They just kinda put their hands on the wheel I guess. They're good at giving orders and at keeping us safe.”

  “I've seen them boss you around, Fred. They give you all the crap work to do. Seems to me they go ahead and run things the way they want without giving any of you other people a say in the matter.”

  “Well that's the way it goes sometimes, isn't it?” Freddy hung his head low. “I lost my wife and had nowhere to go until I found them and the camp. I couldn't take care of Samuel all by myself. They took me in and I just kinda do what they say 'cause I'm grateful for their help.”

  “They don't seem very helpful to me,” said Kozz, “at least not to anyone but themselves. I think they just like to hide in the numbers. As soon as me and Luciele and Caleb showed up they started harassing us. Did you see the way they hunted down Caleb? I thought they were gonna shoot the poor kid. I know you're the one who told them what Caleb told Samuel, but I don't hold anything against you because you didn't go after my son.”

  “He's your son?” asked Freddy. “I thought—”

  “No. Caleb, no. He's not my son. A slight mix up of words. But they went after him. They were ready to kill him. I can't say that they're protective at all after seeing that. I can't side with them. I think my little group is gonna have to separate from the camp soon. This isn't a safe place for us to be.”

  “Well that's too bad,” said Freddy. “Things may not be perfect here in our community, but Samuel and I feel safer here than we would out there all on our own. I wish y'all the best wherever you wind up bein'.”

  They hauled their load back to camp and rounded up a few more men to join in on the collection. Kelly volunteered her help and was scoffed at by the older fellows, but Kozz and Richard welcomed her to join along. The group spent the next several hours carrying loads of furniture back towards the camp. Most of the collection was from the restaurant, but later in the day men started to come back with doors that were broken off their hinges, sheets of painted plywood, and large furniture from neighboring buildings within the quad. A hefty amount of debris was piled at the edge of camp, and throughout the day more and more of the men left the supply train to begin constructing barriers, sandwiching the camp between the large bank building at the end of the nearest street and the water's edge.

  All work ceased when night fell. An exhausted air rested on the backs of everybody in the camp that night, thick and tiring. Men and women had worked throughout the day to fully prepare themselves for the night ahead. The barriers around the camp had been set, and everybody had a place to sleep.

  At their campsite, Luciele explained to Kozz the conversation she had with Daryll. She told Kozz of the passion Daryll had for protecting these people and how he apologized for treating Caleb the way he did, but Kozz shrugged it off and said that he still did not trust the man. “Something is wrong with them,” said Kozz, “both of them. Something about Daryll and Tim just isn't right. They're trying to play with you.”

  “He was right when he said we were unfairly causing him trouble,” said Luciele. “He was scared for his people because you started acting all tough as nails and then they found out that Caleb had the infection. He was right to be scared. Now I'm not saying he took the best actions along the way and is innocent of causing unneeded trouble himself, but he just wanted his people to be safe.”

  “That's it right there, Luciele,” said Kozz. “What's with the 'his people' thing? That's exactly what I don't like. I know I started showing my muscles from the moment we met these people, but it's the way him and his lackey Tim have been treating everyone in the camp like children, or...or subjects to their god damn almighty throne that I don't like. They've been tryin' to corral us into their little peasant parade and the reason why they think we're trouble is because we won't let them. I won't let them make us their slaves just so we can hide behind their thin veil of protection. We're not any more safe here than we would be out on our own. We'd be miles closer to Port Town by now too.”

  “What,” said Luciele, “do you want us to leave?”

  “Yes, I do.” Kozz lowered his voice. During the intensity of their conversation his voice had increased in volume and began to rumble. “I think we should take what we need after we raid the surplus store tomorrow and head out on our own way.”

  Luciele stared at Kozz for a moment and rubbed her son's back as he sat next to her near their fire, the child’s head bobbing in and out of consciousness. “Alright,” she said. “If you want to leave tomorrow, we will.”

  “Just like that?” he asked, expecting more of an argument.

  “Just like that,” she said. “Ever since you first came across my son you have spent every ounce of yourself to protect him. You may be bull-headed and rude sometimes like a trash-raiding whitecat, but you have treated my son and I with love and respect since the moment I met you. I owe you my trust if nothing else and will leave this collection of people if you think it is best. I still believe that there is more to these people than you give them credit for, but if you say we should leave then I will agree with you.”

  “Thank you, Luciele.” Kozz nodded to himself and rubbed his chin. “Tomorrow then, after the raid. We'll take only what we need and move out on our own.”

  Luciele nodded. She wrapped a red blanket around Caleb and stood him up, then walked him over to their tent where they both disappeared for the rest of the night. Richard and Kelly were also sitting at the fire, resting quietly during the conversation between Kozz and Luciele.

  “I feel sad for Daryll and Freddy,” said Kelly. “They both seem like sweet guys that have been through more than some of us these last few weeks. Poor Freddy just likes all the work he gets, if just to take his mind off of things. Daryll, on the other hand, has taken a great passion in seeing everyone here through to safety. They're both good-hearted men who are just lost.

  “I think Daryll has taken on a much larger responsibility than he expected and is afraid of leading all of these people. His fear is causing him to make mistakes and bad judgments, like going after Caleb, but I don't think he intends to be mean.”

  Kozz looked at Kelly as she spoke, but she thought he seemed to be focusing his attention somewhere behind her. He stared without blinking as he considered her words. Kelly thought he may have fallen asleep with his eyes open as his blank stare contin
ued long after she had stopped speaking, but then Kozz shifted his focus back on to her and spoke.

  “What about Tim?” he asked.

  “I don't know,” said Kelly. “He doesn't talk all that much. I don't know what his story is. He hasn't really ever done anything good or bad though. He just kind of does whatever Daryll tells him to do.”

  “I talked to him for awhile, once,” said Richard. “He told me he just recently traveled to Frostarc from Erde for an extended business trip and hasn't heard anything about what is happening back at his home. That's the most I really got out of him though. He doesn't seem like that bad of a guy. Can be sort of bossy and sometimes yells at people and takes things out of context, but who isn't a dick once in awhile?”

  “They both irritate me,” said Kozz. “The way they look at people, the way they talk to people. The way they raised their guns at Caleb. Maybe they have sad stories and say they have good values, but the way they go about holding to those values is shit. I'll bury them if they ever touch the boy, if they ever even look at him the wrong way again.”

  Richard fried some sausages over the fire for himself and Kelly, then they bid Kozz a good night and took their meal into their tent. Kozz sat alone by the fire for hours, lost in his thoughts. He had to get his friends out of this town before something bad happened.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Shots Fired

  In the morning Daryll had Tim round up everyone and split the camp into two groups. In one group stood Kozz, Freddy, Daryll, Richard, and a handful of other men. In the other group was Luciele, Caleb, Kelly, and the rest of the camp. The group full of men were the selected individuals to travel to the surplus warehouse, chosen for their strength and assessed ability to adequately use weapons in case they encountered infected people on their trip. They were ten in all. Tim was chosen to remain behind with the others to help maintain an organized camp and defend it in case infected beings attacked their stronghold.

  Luciele attested to her skills. "You've gone and made a big mistake assuming I'll be of no use on your little excursion. I've darn near had a gun by my side my entire life and I'll bet a prairie over a tea kettle that I can take down a target quicker than any of you."

  Daryll held up his hands in defense. "T'aint that we didn't think you couldn’t—“

  "T'aint this and t'aint that." Luciele cocked her shotgun. "I'll be heading out with the rest of you."

  "Ah hell!" Tim hiccuped a laugh and slapped his knee. "Let her go, Daryll. Put her to use."

  Luciele asked Kelly if she would watch over Caleb while they went into town to gather supplies, and she agreed.

  "I don't want you to go, Mom." Caleb pulled at her dress.

  "There's no need to worry." Luciele bent down and picked up her son. "We won't see hardly a speck of trouble, but I need to go and make sure Kozz doesn't get himself hurt out there. And Kelly will be here to make sure you're alright. You like Kelly, don't you?"

  "Yeah, but I'm scared."

  "Me too, baby. I'll only be gone for a little bit. We need to get more food and clothing and such to survive the trip."

  "I know...."

  He will be just fine, thought Luciele. It should only take a few hours for us to get to the surplus warehouse, load up, and haul the load back.

  Daryll ordered everyone to go back to their campsites and cook up hearty breakfasts so that they would have plenty of energy for the day ahead. He told the surplus team to meet at the back of the bank building in one hour.

  “Do you feel safe going with Daryll into the town?” asked Caleb while looking up at Kozz as they walked back to their campsite.

  Kozz was inclined to answer no, but he looked over to Luciele who glanced back at him and he decided that it would be best not to worry the boy. “I feel safe,” he said. “Your mother and I will be just fine.”

  “I don't really feel safe with Tim,” said Caleb. “He's creepy. At least Daryll has emotions, I don't know if Tim has any.”

  It then struck Kozz that Caleb was going to be left alone without himself or Luciele for protection. His gut dropped, but he did not know what to do. He could not leave the surplus team. They were going to need his strength to carry the load and his fighting skills if they ran into trouble, but he also knew that there would be no way of convincing Luciele to stay behind.— She obviously trusted Kelly to take care of her son in her absence and Kozz knew that it was not his place to argue the decision.

  Kozz bent down beside Caleb and whispered to the boy. “You still got your pistol and my knife, right?” Caleb nodded. “Keep them where you can grab them quick if you need to, and remember our target practice.” Kozz stood up and saw the curious look on Luciele's face.

  “What did you tell my son?”

  “Just reminding him how to defend himself.” The sternness in his voice was foreboding, purposefully. “Just in case something were to happen while we were both gone.”

  A chill wind blew from the southwest. Fog had rolled in over night and was being held inland by the breeze. The water vapor was thin enough to see the nearby area, but anything more than a quarter-mile away faded into a gray blur. The heavier gusts of wind were salty and damp as they slapped across the men and women of the camp. Condensation had built up on the tents and many people were drying their belongings near the morning fires. The sun was nothing more than a dull wash of pale light in the distance.

  The group returned to camp and Kozz grilled up a fat fluff rabbit Luciele had caught the previous night in one of the snares she had set away from the camp. Even after she had skinned the mammoth rodent it still was plump enough to feed all five people at their fire. Caleb helped Luciele unpack some dried vegetables which they soaked in water and wrapped in foil to cook over the flames.

  After breakfast Daryll walked over to the bank building and the other men in the crew grudgingly joined him. Richard gave a passionate farewell kiss to his girlfriend. Kozz and Luciele both took turns hugging Caleb and giving him directions on what to do while they were gone. Kelly made sure to hug them both goodbye before they left. She wished them all good luck as Kozz, Luciele, and Richard walked away to join their group.

  Kozz and Luciele unhitched the mules on their way to the bank building as the animals would be needed to help haul back as much from the surplus warehouse as was possible. They were the last to arrive to the meeting, and when they did Daryll went over some basic instructions.

  "Alright everyone. Make sure to stay near and not get separated from the herd unless I say otherwise. It'll be too easy to get lost in this large town if yeh don't know it n' go off wandering around. Fred says the streets can get a little twisty and confusing. Tim here will pass out guns to those of yeh who don't have yer own. We may run into some infected on the way. Best be prepared."

  "Don't have much more than some small laser pistols," said Tim as he handed them out. "Goin' to have to make due until y'all return with better stuff from the warehouse."

  "I've never fired a gun before," said Richard as Tim placed one in his hand.

  Tim turned and shot a blast at a nearby building. "Point and shoot," he said. "That's all there is." A black mark smoked on the brick wall. Satisfied that everyone had a gun, Tim walked back to the camp with the remaining weapons he held.

  “Now from what I understand,” said Daryll, “is that we do have a few expert marksmen on our team, myself included. If we run into trouble, and we probably will, leave it to us to handle it. That's me, Freddy, and Kozz." Daryll scanned the team and jolted when he saw the hard look on the lone female face. "And Luciele! The rest of you should only have to use yer weapons in an emergency when you need to defend yerself. There are so many of us because we need to carry back lots of supplies, and venturing into town like this is too dangerous to be making multiple trips.”

  As Daryll spoke Kozz watched Tim return to the camp and walk over to Caleb and Kelly. Kozz was ready to run back and bash Tim's face in if he bothered either of them, but Tim only handed Kelly a pistol and then he m
oved on. Kozz's focus shifted when Luciele gave him a light slap on the face. “Come on you big lug,” she said, “we're moving out.” Kozz turned to see the others walking around the building and down the street, led by Daryll and Freddy.

  The streets were quiet and mist swirled around their feet as they marched into town. Freddy had once lived in Blackwater and knew the streets better than anyone else in the group, and so he took the lead in guiding everyone towards the warehouse. They passed the quad where they had gathered materials from the previous day. Several of the shops, including The Checkered Omelet, were now ransacked and torn apart. The rest of the buildings appeared just as they had the other day, still and empty.

  The roads beyond the quad was littered with trash and debris. Papers bounced across the pavement, propelled by the wind. Household items were smashed in the streets, many appliances, pictures, and knick-knacks having been tossed out of windows and forgotten. The damage became more apparent as the group noticed blast marks and bullet holes around the buildings. Small fires still smoldered in places where homes once were, and dismantled vehicles lined the roadways.

  Then they came across the bodies. Some were in crashed cars, some were gathered near houses, but most were just sprawled in the streets. Bones were visible, and it was obvious that most of the bodies had been where they were for at least a few weeks. Limbs were gnawed at by rodents and insects crawled across the pavement from one feast to another, unaffected by the cold morning weather. At one intersection the body count was startling. Swarms of bugs ran in rivers around the deceased and flew in clouds between the members of the crew, the buzzing so loud it was almost painful.

  A few of the men became squeamish and were frightened, proclaiming that they should all just return to the camp and leave the place immediately. Daryll knew that running was not an option, so he and Freddy pushed the frightened men to the front of the pack and hurried them forward through the chaos. A few people dropped to their knees after passing the intersection and vomited in the streets. Others let out their breaths, having to hold off their breathing to avoid the putrid smells that engulfed the street behind them. Richard did not look too well himself and Luciele tried to calm his nerves. Freddy ran over to the side of the road and into someone's front yard where he heaved behind a fence.