The Outbreak Series (Book 4): Deadlocked

by Baker, Thomas

  Lindsay, more than anyone besides Henry, always worried about the danger of another group of dangerous scavengers finding out about their cozy little place. It seemed slim, as isolated up in the mountains as they were, cut off for months by snow packed roads that never got plowed anymore. You didn't know, that was the thing in this crazy new world. No longer could you assume things would work out and be the same from day to day. The times where you would say, flick a switch and assume you would have electricity without a second thought, those were long gone.

  "I say let's end this meeting, while we're still on a positive note. We each have an actionable item to pursue," Henry said. "Except you, Gus. What will you contribute?"

  "Isn't it obvious? Clearly I'm cut out to be the supervisor," he cackled.

  STOLEN

  You know things are as backwards to Tuesday as they can be when a hillbilly like me is put in charge of anything. That was Gus's thought as he walked back to his house. It was the same thought he had after every one of their meetings since they elected him to take Hannah's place on the council. If I'm considered the level-headed and sensible one, then this town sure is fucked.

  If he was honest and not joking around, it wasn't all that bad, not all the time, anyway. Even Dr. Childs had become less of an arrogant knobhead. At least for the most part. He still had his moments of dickery, like today.

  Linda will get a kick out of Childs' new proposal. That man would have grapes peeled and fed to him by Henry if he could get away with it. Then get Josh to carry him around on a litter like Cleopatra too.

  Gus could feel a headache coming on. At times the meetings were like listening to preschoolers squabble about whose turn it was to play Candyland. Guess politics are politics, even if zombies are out there waiting to bite all of us in the ass. He looked forward to getting home, getting a somewhat cold one, and sitting in front of the fireplace. Not that he would need to run a fire for much longer. Spring was acomin'.

  "Hon, your studmuffin is home," Gus shouted as he entered the house. He received not one peep as a reply.

  He took two steps down into the sunken living room to the sound of crickets and guessed Linda hadn't made it back yet. That woman, she's a damn workaholic. She doesn't need to be up there sunrise to sunset or later.

  He'd learned over the past few months that bringing the subject of her working less only led to fights. So far these were the only arguments they had. He could hear the answer she'd given him many times. "The people need me and Dr. Childs. What, am I supposed to just ignore a sick kid I could help?" What was he supposed to say to that, without sounding like a selfish asshole?

  Not that Dr. Childs busted his ass down at the clinic. No, Linda and a couple of people she trained worked like pack mules and Dr. Childs popped in if needed.

  He checked every room in the house and all were empty. He needed to use some of his so-called power on the council to force Childs to work more.

  "Well, shit," he said to the last room she wasn't in.

  He guessed he'd have to call her. They didn't have phones, but most people now had walkies talkies, thanks to Dave coming across a box of them a few months ago, during his team's scavenging adventures. Gus went to the kitchen to grab his.

  "Breaker, break, ten four good buddies and all that," Gus said, letting go of the button.

  He stood there staring at the closed cupboards while he waited. After his patience ran out, he tried again. Still nothing, not even static.

  "Phones didn't work before, why should they work now," he grumbled. These weren't phones, but they were close enough for government work.

  He changed the channel to give Dr. Childs a call. He saw him not twenty minutes ago, but maybe the man gave Linda something else to do today. About to depress the button, it instead dropped out of his hands when the door banged open. That didn't sound like Linda.

  Gus stormed out of the kitchen. "What in the name of hellfire and brimstone is going on out here? Listen here-"

  His next words died on his lips. Standing in the doorway were two men, dressed in dark clothes with ski masks on. Gus' immediate thought was of bank robbers. They held big guns in their hands and swept the living room with them. Gus didn't have time to react and retreat before one of them spotted him.

  "You! Stop right there, unless you want me to put a bullet in you," the masked man barked at him.

  Gus froze and put his hands up. He had no clue what these men wanted or how they even got in. He should've heard some warning over the radio. No one bothered the town since the guys with the dump trucks, but the council created new emergency tactics in the aftermath. Had they failed so completely?

  The other masked man swept the room, as smooth as ice. He opened the door to the closet and the bathroom, then turned to Gus.

  "Anyone else back there in the other rooms?" This man sounded more serious than the last. He almost sounded like that stupid Batman voice from the last few movies.

  "Well, besides Seal Team Six and oh, Iron Man, no." Gus tried to keep his anger down. He wasn't one to get riled up easily, but people busting in his place shoving guns in his face would do it.

  "Smart ass, huh? How wise would you talk with a bullet in your kneecap?" asked the man.

  "Well, partner, not as much, because I'd be busier saying ow," Gus said, while trying to press the talk with his foot, covert like. Before he got close enough, it squealed to life, and a panicked voice cried they were being attacked through bursts of static.

  "You go check the rest of the house," the gunman by the front door said. "And you, smartass, toss me that walkie." He raised the gun up so the barrel pointed straight at Gus' face.

  "Sure thing." Gus picked up the radio, thought about chucking it at the guys face before he tossed it in a soft underhand. It landed at the gunman's feet. The man stomped down with one big, black boot. He smiled as it crunched beneath the heel.

  "You will owe me for that, mister. Once we've kicked your ass outta town. And I don't take American Express."

  His smile expanded as the gunman took a step forward. "I'm pretty sure my ass will be just fine, jokester. You should worry about your own."

  "That's what my guidance counselor used to tell me in high school, back when he said my only future was going to jail. Say, I wonder if he's one of those biters now?"

  The gunman looked as if he had another angry reply, but his buddy interrupted him when he came back. He shook his head no to the man by the front door. I sure hope the cavalry shows up soon. I have to believe even if they got the drop on us we're fighting back. Gus's closest weapon was frustratingly out of reach a few steps in front of him, hidden in a table drawer that stood next to the couch.

  "Alight, you old aged fuck," said the one in the hallway. "You follow my friend out the door nice and slow. When he stops, you stop."

  Since it didn't seem that any cavalry was coming, Gus did as he was told. The gunman stopped on the porch and Gus followed suit. The other man came up behind him. As rough as he could, the man yanked Gus' arms back and secured them. Gus stifled a grunt of pain. He wouldn't give them the satisfaction.

  Thoughts of Hannah and JT popped into his head. If the two of them were in his position, they would have done the same. If they hadn't killed the scumbags first. He wondered where they were and if they were safer than him at that moment.

  FAMILY

  They wound up in a little town near Laredo, Texas called El Cenizo. By then JT's eyes were like stones and Hannah snored the miles away in the passenger seat.

  This will have to be far enough away for those psychos. JT wasn't looking to start trouble, but he would finish it if they came back.

  Twilight had fallen as he rolled down the town streets. He stopped when he swore he saw a light moving inside of a fenced in recreation center. He pulled the RV alongside the tall chain link and came to a stop.

  "Hannah." JT gave her a gentle shake on the shoulder.

  She blinked twice, then sat up, alert. "What? Danger?"

  "No, it'
s fine. I'm searching for a sheltered place to park the RV. A second ago, I swear I just saw light inside this place." JT pointed out her window. "Want to check it out?"

  Hannah shrugged. She didn't seem too eager. JT though, he had a feeling in his gut. He hopped down out of the RV and stood with his nose to the eight-foot fence. From what he made out, the building looked intact. He thought about how he would get over it. As he scanned it up and down, he caught sight of shapes moving towards him in the gloom.

  Shit, zombies. Wait. No, it can't be. Because two of the shapes were holding flashlights.

  Once they got closer, JT made out a group of seven people. They appeared tattered and exhausted; the group included three children under the age of twelve, three men and one woman.

  They came to a stop on the other side of the fence. The men looked JT up and down while JT scanned them. He saw no weapons.

  Without warning, the adults exploded into conversation, all talking over each other. Through the babble, JT got the jist they had run out of water and were on the last of their canned goods. They had no luck getting inside of the building behind them. One man spoke English so poorly, JT couldn't make out but one out of every five words.

  "Whoa, whoa." JT held up both of his hands to chest level. "Slow down. How about only one of you speak at a time?"

  The woman, with the three children clinging on her legs like they were holding on for dear life, continued their story.

  "People, I don't know who they were, stormed our little town when The Outbreak started, trying to flee across the Rio Grande," she explained, her voice cracking as she carried on. "We escaped, I'm not even sure how, but not before it turned our neighborhood into a makeshift zombie swamp. We dared not go near the place again. Our family wandered ever since. Do you know of someone, someplace, that can help us?"

  "We can do a little," a voice came from behind him, before he thought of a reply.

  The group scurried over the fence. Hannah had an offer of food and water from the stockpile they had created during their travels by the time all were over.

  The mother of the children, Isabel, expressed her gratitude to the point where JT squirmed. The man who spoke little English pumped JT and Hannah's hands until it became awkward, calling them saviors over and over in his thick accent.

  Once all had full bellies, the group turned to small talk.

  "So strangers," said a man who Isabel identified as the kid's uncle, "are you taking refuge in this town? Is there someplace safe nearby?"

  "What you're doing is what we've done since this all started," JT said. "Moving on from place to place. A friend of mine said you can't hole up anywhere. The dead outnumber the living right now. I've seen enough to think he's right. We're only staying long enough to rest and gather up more supplies."

  The kids cried and fussed at the news. Guilt bubbled up in JT's stomach. These people, unlike Hannah's and JT's group, seemed frightened and weak willed, like they hadn't yet adapted to the new world. He couldn't sugarcoat the truth for them though. The living were on the brink of perishing.

  Once JT was ready to head inside the RV for bed, Hannah offered up several cans of stew and some canned pears for the family to take with them. After they had finished their goodbyes and good lucks, Hannah and JT locked themselves away in the RV and crawled into bed for some sleep.

  * **

  The morning sun beamed in between the pulled blinds. Hannah put her hand up, throwing shade over her morning eyes, which were not ready for the harsh brightness. She then nuzzled herself back against JT who was more awake than she realized when he teased her under the covers.

  Hannah noticed him become aroused when her hands teased back. The two slid out of their clothes and started the morning off right.

  After finishing their fun, the two of them got up and got themselves together before exiting their RV. The family laid sprawled out on the grass between the RV and the chain link fence. Hannah shook her head. She didn't spot a single sleeping bag.

  How has this family made it so far and lived so long like this?

  She turned to JT. "We can't leave them like this. I don't know how they survived, maybe they stayed out of all towns until now, but they need some help."

  JT crossed his arms and surveyed the family. One child sat up and rubbed sleepy eyes. Hannah prepared to make a case for helping. She worried JT might think it was too close to joining up with a new group. She didn't want that; she planned to leave by nightfall no matter what.

  To her surprise JT's only reply was, "Yeah."

  JT and Hannah spent the rest of the morning helping clear the area around the rec center of a few zombie stragglers. Hannah took the mother and her children over the fence to see about setting up inside of the rec center.

  JT took the children's father, Mariano, and the Uncle, Manuel, on a supply run. Along the way he gave them advice such as warning signs of dangerous situations and taught them places worth searching for overlooked goods such as food and ammunition.

  As they loaded up the last of the day's findings, Mariano asked if they could gather up some toys for his children. An odd combination hit JT in the gut. A true desire that one day the zombie apocalypse would end, and at the same time total sadness for any child living in the world through all this death and terror. He screeched his thoughts to a stop, halting them before they continued down the road of all the unluckier kids that weren't quite dead.

  JT returned to find Hannah giving lessons in weapon handling and the easiest ways to lure, kill or avoid any zombies to Isabel and her children. The feeling from before hit him again, with greater intensity. A ten-year-old wielding a pistol was a surreal sight.

  "Thank you again. You've done more for us than anyone we've come across during our journey to America," Mariano said.

  They were all around a table in what used to be a meeting room of the rec center, enjoying their canned dinners and chit chatting.

  "I will pray for your family, and that I've given you enough to protect them in these dark times," Hannah said.

  The family made the sign of the cross. Hannah smiled and led them in prayer.

  "We got to get going, the sun's going down," JT remarked, once she finished.

  Hannah and JT said their farewells. One by one, the kids gave each of them a hug. Hannah's eyes sparked by the time they finished. Mariano walked them to the fence. With a wave, they both climbed into the RV.

  HIGHWAY RUN

  JT looked around inside the RV, making sure they had everything they needed while Hannah settled into the passenger seat. Satisfied, JT sat down, buckled up, turned the key, and pulled the RV onto the road.

  "It's time! Alrighty, Gus or bust babe! " JT pumped a fist in the air as he asked a rhetorical question. "You ready?"

  Hannah beamed at JT. JT chased his headlights northwest up Highway 83. Hannah got out the Atlas and mapped out the route that was best suited for avoiding most of the major metropolises along the way. She developed into quite the incredible travel guide, considering she grew up in the world of things like Google maps. She got them in and out of most places with little to no complications.

  According to Hannah, their first stop would be a town named Jayton, Texas. "I think we can rest there for the night." She pointed out her yellow highlighted lines as she explained her plan to JT. "I figure after that if the two of us split the drive time, we could make it to the Colorado border on the second day."

  JT was not only eager to get back to Colorado to see Gus. He also looked forward to being on the road and popping in some new CD's he'd come across inside the recreational center. He hit a treasure trove of music gifts.

  Speaking of which, Hannah put the atlas book away and thumbed through the box of them. She curled up her nose as she skimmed through the titles.

  "ZZ Top, Better Than Ezra, Bon Jovi, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Metallica... Whitney Houston?" Hannah paused when she read the title through stifled giggles.

  "What? Just because a guy's a badass zombie killing machine,
he can't enjoy some powerful female vocals?" JT pretended to be offended.

  Hannah gave him a good-natured rub on his shoulder in an, aww you poor baby, type manner before she put one of the discs in the stereo and leaned her seat back. She looked out the window at the whole lot of nothing and propped her feet up on the dash.

  As he listened, JT wondered what Gus might've been up to since their departure. He said as much to Hannah.

  "Whatever it is, I have no doubt Linda has been keeping Gus in line, out of trouble, and on the healthy side of things."

  JT gave a hearty chuckle. "That is for sure. But you know he loves every minute of it too, as much as he might complain."

  "What a blessing that we ran into her, regardless of the rest of what went down at the church."

  It astounded JT that she brought up that place. It was rare she talked about Albright and what happened at his church. Well, it wasn't really his church; he took it over and brainwashed most of the poor people there. That led him to thinking about Tyrone and it was like a pit opened in his stomach. When he thought about what Albright did to Tyrone and Hannah, JT wished he could resurrect the son of a bitch so he could feed him to the zombies all over again.

  "I wonder if Childs is still a smug asshole or have Josh, Henry, and the rest taken him down a notch by now," Hannah said, bringing JT back to the present.

  "You've been wondering about Josh?" JT kid, trying to lighten his mind from the dark clouds that swirled at its edges now.

  "Why JT, you don't get to be jealous. It's not like anything happened between me and him. Unlike you and a certain other woman." She flashed him a pretend scowl. "Josh is a nice guy, just the wrong one at the wrong time."

  Hannah never came out and said she was hurt or jealous about what happened between him and Lindsay. At that time, they weren't much on speaking terms. Since then the two of them, however, somehow, had overcome all that shit, along with the other crazy things that came their way since The Outbreak, to become an amazing team. An amazing couple. She was his incredible find.