"I want you all to return to the ARC," I said. "I'm
staying here with Ernesti and Madison!"
"The hell you say!" yelled T. "Ma would kill me if I
came back without you."
"Look! We have to establish trust between Ernesti and
us. Who better than me to do so?" I asked. "I'll be fine."
"We'll be fine," said Em. "I'm staying with you."
"Me too," said T. "We'll see this through together."
"Ok then. Di, you handle things back at the ARC and
stay on alert," I said. "Just in case Jacob is still nosing around."
"You can count on me," said Diane.
"On us," said Andre. "We got your back."
"Of course, this is all contingent on whether or not
Ernesti will allow us to stay," I said.
"You are welcomed to stay," said Ernesti in a sullen
voice.
The rest of our group departed as Em, T and I got used
to Ernesti and his DCs. I attempted to get Ernesti to open up about what had
happened. He elaborated about Madison and Dr. Anthony. How she experimented on
Madison. He explained how his camp was overrun by marauders, and how he and
Madison were the only two to escape. He explained about the promise, in which
they would all fight to live. "Life continues as long as one lives!" How he
promised Madison that he would never leave her. How he pulled her teeth and
bound her arms.
"She keeps the other undead away," said Ernesti. "Even
now she still protects me."
"You rarely find this kind of loyalty nowadays," I
said. "If you and Madison are with us, we'll protect you too."
He looked at me with an eerie silence. He looked at T
and Em and then at Madison.
"You all truly care for one another?" asked Ernesti. "Cherish
what you have. History has taught me that it will not last."
"Ernesti, I am attempting to find a cure for this
thing that causes the dead to walk," I said. "Would you mind if I took some
samples from Madison? I wouldn't hurt her, and you could be present when I
examine her."
"No more experiments!" he yelled as the DCs began to
hiss. "I promised to protect her!"
"No experiments," I reassured him. "Just some tissue,
some fluids and a swab of the inside of her cheek."
He looked at me, then looked at Madison, and then
looked at me again. He lowered his head and exhaled.
"You swear that no harm will come to Madison?" he
asked. "Just a checkup?"
"Just a checkup," I said. "I want to compare her state
to the other results I have recorded."
Ernest acquiesced to the test. I pulled out a couple
of vials, slides and swabs to collect the samples. I peeled a little patch of
skin, collected two vials of fluids (one from the spine and one from the arm)
and two swabs from the mouth. I labeled and placed the samples in my pack to
study at the lab.
"Is that all?" asked Ernesti. "Are your tests
complete?"
"That's it!" I said. "Easy peasy."
I asked Ernesti if he had catalogued the food stores.
He showed me the refrigerated area where some of the items were stored. The
generators were failing.
"We have a mechanic/electrician and an engineer who
can help with the refrigeration system," I offered. "Would you mind if they
took a look?"
"That would be greatly appreciated," he said. "It has
been a while since I have had someone who spoke back to me. You don't realize
how much you miss it until it is gone."
As we toured the plant, Ernesti and I talked into the
wee hours of the morning. I think that Ernesti, and by extension, Madison, will
be welcome additions to our group. We moved to the offices where Ernesti had
his quarters. Em and I took one of the abandoned offices and T took another. We
bedded down for the evening.
The next morning was an early one. We discussed the
fuel truck with Ernesti and how we wanted to hide it at the plant. We discussed
setting up some watchtowers and cameras as it would only be a matter of time
before someone came to take what he had.
"I have more than enough to share," he said. "Why
fight?"
"Ernesti, the people we are talking about are not
interested in sharing. They would prefer to kill you rather than share," I
said. "I'm not saying that you shouldn't share. But you should be careful with
whom you share."
We radioed for Fred and Tim to come to the plant. Tim
gave us a structural analysis, and Fred developed a list of parts to repair the
machines. We sent the Raiders out to find the parts needed. Repairs and
upgrades were slow and methodical. A month had passed and there were no more
incursions from Jacob, but T preferred to remain vigilant.
Things were moving along swimmingly with Em, and our
feelings were moving well beyond just the physical attraction we had for one
another. The martial arts training was still progressing, and we both were
getting better every day.
Joshua was progressing at a rapid pace himself. His
scouting skills were improving as well. He was becoming a well-rounded
survivalist. Tim had also begun to teach him some of the basics of building and
structural engineering.
Ernesti was becoming less and less dependent on
Madison and the other DCs he had accumulated as he became more integrated into
our group. The members of the ARC were uneasy whenever Ernesti would visit, as
we had to leave Madison topside. He would only agree to wear the hood if we
brought Madison.
During one of our expeditions to scour for supplies,
we found a department store warehouse. There were plenty of trucks and plenty
of the comforts of modern life. We invited Ernesti to come with us but
persuaded him to leave Madison behind.
As we entered the warehouse, we noticed vehicles that
looked as if they had just arrived. The hoods were still warm. There were two
of them. This hunting party consisted of Rodriguez, Gerald, Andre, Ricky,
Robert, T, Joshua, Ernesti, and myself. Gerald and Ernesti took point, Ricky
and Robert nestled into the scenery undercover, Rodriguez and Andre took the
left flank, while Joshua, T, and I took the right.
We overheard a small group in the warehouse as they
engaged the DCs that were inside. There were four men and three women embroiled
in a fierce battle with DCs. They were going to be overrun. But we were here.
That's not happening on our watch.
"Blades! Engage by twos! Cut 'em down!" barked T.
The various groups of two began to mow down the DCs as
the men and women already there renewed their fight. Joshua, T, and I began
chopping and bashing the heads of DCs, quietly and efficiently. The twins were
firing arrows with pinpoint accuracy, and Andre and Rodriguez officially became
known as Chop and Slash: Rodriguez
would chop them, and Andre would slash them for an effective one-two punch.
When the last DC was dealt with, the four men and three women then turned their
attention towards us.
"Who the hell are you?" demanded one of the men as he
raised a crowbar, while the other six backed into a circle to face off against
us.
"Hold on!" I said. "We're only here to help. My name
is Dr. Marvin Harris."
But still, the survivors kept their guard up.
"Look we don't want to cause you any trouble," I said.
"On the contrary, we want to offer you a place to feel safe and to live. That
is, if you're interested."
"We've been on the road for a long time. My name is Jason.
That's Ellen, that's Marie, and that's Naomi. The big guy is Henry, the guy
with the glasses is Von, and last but not least, is Corbin," said Jason.
Jason was the de facto leader of this group. He was
young, but you could tell that he has seen some things. He was a truck driver
for a department store when society fell. Ellen looked to have some issues, as
she would not leave Jason's side. She worked at a counter in the same
department store. Both were fit and seemed to be able to handle themselves.
Marie and Naomi were professional wrestlers on the
independent circuit. Marie was known as Mad
Madam Marie and Naomi turned an amateur body building career into
wrestling. Henry, a former arena football player, was about 6' 1", 250 lbs. He
was very fit and strong. Von worked at a tech store and knew everything there
was to know about technology. And Corbin worked at his local drug store and had
a pharmacology background.
"What do you mean? You have a place?" asked Ellen.
"The government built a place for just such an
eventuality," I said. "It is safe, and we have a lot of good people. But we do
have some rules to introduce new people."
"I think I remember reading something about that a
while ago," said Jason. "What kind of rules?"
"Well," I began. "To ensure our safety, the location
of our community is kept secret until we determine that we can trust you."
"And how do you do that?" asked Henry with a puzzled
look on his face.
"Well, we blindfold you prior to heading to our camp.
After three months without incident, if you choose to stay, you are welcomed as
a full member and the location is revealed to you."
They looked at each other and they all seemed to rally
around Ellen.
"I can't do it! No blindfolds! No! No! No!" she
screamed. They consoled and calmed her.
"Is she okay?" I asked. "What's wrong?"
"She's been through an ordeal and blindfolds or
restraints are a bad idea for her," said Jason. "Is there any other way?"
"What about a sedative?" I asked. "I am a doctor."
"A sedative might work," said Jason. "Ellen?..."
Jason explained how he found Ellen in the clutches of
a madman in another department store. He continuously raped her for weeks when
the outbreak first hit. The guy met his demise at the end of Ellen's quick
thinking. When he forced her to orally service him, she bit down. Hard! When he dropped his weapon, she
ended his life. They got out to meet up with a caravan headed to Athens but
were too late. They met the others, who were also too late and had been
traveling together since.
I sent Robert and Ricky back to the ARC to get the
necessary medical supplies from Di. I reassured them again that we meant no
harm and that we only wanted to help. Ellen looked as if she was starting to
display symptoms of Stockholm syndrome. She was very dependent on Jason, as a
savior almost. The others seemed even-tempered though. And it looked like
sparks were beginning to fly between T and Naomi.
"Damn baby girl," said T. "You. Got. It. Going. On!"
"So, do you, daddy" said Naomi as she smacked his butt
and gripped it a little.
"Dayyyyyuuuuummmmm! I think I'm in love," said T. "What's
up?!?"
"Baby you ain't seen nothing yet," said Naomi as she
kissed him long and hard on the mouth.
"Aw shit!" laughed Henry. "He's a male version of
Naomi!"
"Don't hate, you big bastard," sneered Naomi. "You had
your chance. Now I got a real man!"
Naomi was what we used to refer to as a 'round the way girl when we were growing
up. She had thick legs, wide shoulders and pronounced buttocks. Her hair was in
cornrow braids covered in a do-rag. She was well put together due to her
bodybuilding days.
"Why are y'all trippin'?" she queried. "It's not like
I fucked him...yet."
"Girl you is crazy," said Marie. "But I ain't mad at
you. Me personally, I'm checking out the little Doc ova here."
"I'm spoken for," I said.
"It's all good, doc!" said Marie. "I don't want to
marry you. Just play house a little."
Marie was just as much of a hood-chick as Naomi. She had on stretch jeans that hugged her firm
bubble buttocks. She was much cuter than Naomi and thinner and smaller in
stature. She had on a shirt tied off at the belly.
I thought to myself, "This could be a problem."
They've been on the road too long and have developed a do as you like attitude. I have to nip this in the bud.
"Even though the world has gone to hell, we still
recognize decorum and the rights and privileges of others," I said. "I mean, we
have children at our base. My mother is there too!"
"Daaaaammmnnn!" said Marie. "He even sound smart! I
gots to get me a piece of dat chocolate!"
I assured Marie that there were more than enough
eligible men in our camp.
After a while, Ricky and Robert returned with the
sedative. I administered it to Ellen and she immediately calmed down. While the
sedative worked through her system, we loaded up on the supplies that we were
there for. I sent Ricky and Robert back with one of the trucks. Once Ellen was
unconscious, we placed hoods on the remaining new members. I looked at my team
and said: "Let's go home."