Chapter 13

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. Once Ellen was unconscious, we placed hoods on the remaining new

members. I looked at my team and said: "Let's go home."

"How fuckin' touchin'," came a voice from outside. "Ya

asshole! You killt ma daddy and now you gonna pay! Um gonna take dem women and

den Um gonna kill ya!"

Then waddled in a younger version of that penguin

fellow we had a run in with. Next walked in the three men that were with the

first penguin with guns drawn.

"Dey tol' me how ya killt him. How ya shot him in da

head," he said. "I should shoot ya in yo' fuckin' head! Ma name is Olivier

Tidwiller Thomas Edwin Rogers II! But you can call me Otter 2!"

"I thought we had an understanding," I said looking at

the three men.

"Marv, who the fuck are these hillbillies?" asked T.

'What's goin' on?"

"Fuck you!" one of them screamed. "It's different now

that we got the guns!"

"And you watch yo mouth, boy!" another one yelled at

T. "Lookit, he got a pretty mouth!"

T was furious and he was ready to act, but then

another three men with guns drawn walked in.

"Shit jus' keep getting' worser fo' ya. How about some

excitement?" he said as he shot Corbin in the stomach. "How long befo' he turns

and eats one of y'all?"

Those that had them removed their hoods and the ladies,

with the exception of Ellen, screamed. Jason moved toward Corbin.

"Uh uh uh!" said Otter 2. "Now fellas, load dem

bitches and watch the assholes! If one of 'em moves, shoot his ass!"

They gathered and carried Ellen and forced Naomi and

Marie with them outside, led by Otter 2.

"You touch them, and I will kill you, I promise; I

will unload a gun in your fuckin' throat!" yelled T. "I'm comin' for you baby!"

"Look! Now that he's gone, let me treat this man. I'm

a doctor," I said desperately.

"Fuck him and fuck you too!" sneered one of the four

remaining men.

I looked at T, Andre, and Joshua. The men were

circling and placing the guns against our heads.

"Who's gonna be next?" asked one of the men.

As he pressed his gun against T's temple, T grabbed

the barrel and swept his leg. As the man fell, he was impaled on an exposed

pipe.

"You fuckin' killt Kenny! You bastard!!!," screamed

one of the men as he ran towards T, only to be tripped by Joshua as Ernesti

caught him and broke his neck. At the same time, Andre and I dispatch the other

two as Andre cleaved the head clean off of his assailant. Rodriguez buried his

pike axe in the guy's foot and the other under his chin. I, however, hit my

assailant in the crotch with all my might. When he doubled over from the pain,

T kicked him in the throat.

T grabbed him by the hair and whispered, "The only

reason you are alive and not dead like your friends is because you are going to

tell us where that fat fuck took those women!"

He gasped and grabbed for his throat with one hand and

his weapon with the other. T pushed his thumb into his Adam's apple as he

gagged.

"Andre, get the info out of him by any means

necessary," said T as he kicked his weapon to me.

Andre smiled a sadistic smile and said, "This is going

to be fun!"

I joined Jason with Corbin. His breathing was erratic.

"Apply pressure to the wound," I shouted, but it was

too late. Corbin was slipping away fast.

"Ricky, Robert, get one of those box trucks and pull

around front," T yelled. "Where are we with that info, Andre?"

"They're at a funeral home not too far from the

hospital," said Andre.

"The one with the crematorium?" I asked. "Damn, that's

the same one where we cremated my stepfather," I thought to myself.

"Jason, Corbin is going to turn unless we do something

about it," I said.

Jason pulled out his knife and plunged it into the

base of Corbin's skull.

"Let's go get the rest of those fuckers," grimaced

Jason.

When Ricky and Robert pulled up in front, we loaded

the impaled guy and the one with the broken neck in the back with their friend

with the bruised trachea. For the first 10 minutes there was silence, then he

screamed for about 5 minutes, then 10 minutes later he turned. T, Joshua, and I

drove in the truck while the rest took the vehicles we had arrived in. We

headed to the funeral home.

We stopped the other vehicles a few hundred yards away

from the hospital as Andre, Ricky, and Robert led the others through the woods.

T, Joshua, and I drove the truck right up to the dock of the funeral home. The

assholes didn't even check; they just opened the truck, and the three freshly

made DCs jumped out on them. We left the new DCs to their meal as we rushed

inside.

The plan was for Ricky, Robert, Gerald, Ernesti,

Rodriguez, and Andre to split into three teams with the others and attack the

funeral home during the commotion caused by the DCs we let off at the dock. We

found Otter 2 in the main parlor sitting on top of a makeshift throne made from

coffins. The girls were there and were dressed like slave girls from that Star

Battle movie.

"Bitch 1, Bitch 2, how long befo' ma main

bitch is awake? I have needs!" Otter 2 said cavalierly.

"You're going to pay for this," screamed Naomi. "Just

you wait!"

"Oooh! I love a bitch widda mouff on her. Ya know how

ta use it?" asked Otter 2. "And I ain't payin fa shit! Now where did I put ma

rapin' shoes? It's time ta put in dis work!"

T, Joshua, and I devised a plan to separate Otter 2

from the women. It was painfully noticeable that T was insane with rage. Even

though we had a plan, T walked right in, shoved his pistol into Otter 2's

throat and emptied the clip.

"Told ya I was gonna kill ya!" sneered T. "Don't fuck

with me and mine!"

Naomi jumped in his arms and wrapped her legs around

his waist. Marie collapsed. It was evident that Otter 2 had raped her.

"Hey! Hey! Get me the fuck outta of here!" yelled a

voice from inside one of the coffins as he pounded from the inside.

Joshua and I attended the coffin while T and Naomi

attended to Marie. Once Marie was on her feet, Joshua and T searched for Ellen.

I opened the coffin, and out stepped a large man.

"Da fuck goin' on round here?" he demanded. "Where's

that little fat mutha fucka? Um gonna kick his ass! Whoa shit! Looks like

somebody beat me to it. Fucked him up good, too!"

"Who are you, and why were you locked in that coffin?"

I asked.

"My name is Brian Howard. Me and my girl ducked in

here thinking we could escape those dead fucks, and we ran into his pathetic

ass. We were on the road from Michigan and thought 'any port in a storm,' ya know? He was all nice at first and

shit. He gave us something to eat and drink, and I woke up in that damned

coffin. His ass drugged us," he said as he kicked his lifeless body. "Where is

my girl? Honey! Honey!"

"We haven't seen anyone else, I'm sorry to say. We

were just about to search the place for our other friend," I said.

We searched the other parlors as the others arrived

and found Ellen still unconscious. We went down to the crematorium, and there

was a re-animated head with no teeth that sat about crotch high. That sick

fuck!

"Baby, how could he do this to you?" wailed Brian. "No,

no, no!" he yelled as the head hissed and moaned at him. Andre handed him a

knife.

"If you are unable to go through with it, I'll do it

for you," said Andre. "You have to destroy the brain."

"No! This is my fault and my responsibility. I

couldn't protect her. I have to do better!" said Brian.

I looked at Joshua. What kind of toll is this taking

on him? I wondered if he fully understood the sexual depravity that took place

here. Brian plunged the knife hilt deep into the re-animated head. He lovingly

caressed the head and quietly spoke a few gentle words. We made our way back to

the vehicles.

"We have a camp and you're welcome to join us," I said

to Brian. "You just have to abide by a few rules."

"What kind of rules?" he asked.

"To keep our community safe and secret, all new

members are blindfolded upon entry and exit for their first three months. Our

location must remain unknown to you for that time. You will train, hard.

In hand-to-hand and in firearms. We have a divergent community and you may want

to pick up some additional skills from one of the others," I said.

"If you're offering safety and a hot meal, you can

blindfold me and spank my ass," laughed Brian nervously. You could tell he was

upset by the events that unfolded and tried to hide it with levity.

"That won't be necessary," I laughed.

We got in the cars and bagged everyone and went back

to the ARC. The new group was happy and devastated at the same time. They felt

a little safer but had to process the incredible loss. T and Naomi made a beeline

to T's room, and we didn't see or hear from them for the rest of the night.

"Joshua, can I speak to you for a moment?" I asked.

"Yes sensei?" he responded.

"Look, I know you are being tasked with growing up

awfully fast. But I want you to know how proud I am of you and how you are

taking everything in stride," I said. "You impress me a little more every day.

And if you ever need to talk about anything, I'm here for you."

"Thank you, sensei," he said.

"I like to think, if Em and I had a kid, he would be a

lot like you," I said.

Em was waiting in my room when I got there.

"Ready for our work out?" she said as she untied her

shirt.

"Oh! So, you want me to drill you, huh?" I

asked coyly.

"Are you up to the task?" she asked as she

smiled.

We kissed and our hands roamed. Em wanted this as much

as I did. She pushed me back onto the bed and straddled me.

"Now, good doctor, I'm ready for my injection,"

she said as she removed her shirt.

Our tongues wrestled for dominance in each other's

mouths. She licked my lips and as she positioned herself in a better straddling

position. This is what we both wanted, and it was well past time that we got

it.

When I awoke the next morning, she laid there sleeping

softly on my chest. Her hair was mussed, and her breathing was synched with

mine. I wrapped my arms around her, she woke up and smiled at me as she raised

her head.

"Can we just lay here forever?" she asked. "Last night

was extraordinary. I don't think a man has ever made me feel that way before."

"The feeling is mutual," I said. "And you don't know

how much I wish we could just lie here all day. But I promised Joshua that I'd

take him out for some scouting practice."

"You're taking a real shine to him, aren't you?" she

asked.

"He's like the son I've always wanted," I said.

We got dressed and made our way to the cafeteria for

breakfast as I explained what transpired last night and about our new

survivors.

T and Naomi were there feeding each other. I'm glad he

found someone. Ma was there talking to Marie, Jason, and Ellen. Marie and Ellen

were commiserating with one another while Rodriguez was holding court with

Henry and Brian. He was explaining the importance of cardio for a big man. Gerald,

Leon, Andre, Di, Aisha, Regina, Ricky, and Robert were debating which was

better: pancakes or waffles. Fred, Tim, and Von were combing over some very

peculiar devices. Jamie, Joshua and Ronny were sitting at a table picking at

their breakfast, and Ernesti stood alone in the corner, as usual, with a sullen

look about him.

"What's going on here?" I asked Joshua. He looked up

at me with the saddest eyes and then looked at Jamie.

"Em, could you keep Jamie and Ronny company? I need to

speak with Joshua," I asked.

"Sure, no problem, handsome," she said.

Joshua got up from the table and again looked at Jamie

before we walked away.

"So, woman problems?" I asked.

"How did you know?" he asked.

"I've been around awhile. I know the signs," I said. "So,

what's up with you and Jamie?"

"She's afraid that something is going to happen to me,"

he said. "She says that everyone dies. But, according to her, it seems that

those she loves seem to die a little more frequently!"

"What about Ronny? He's still alive," I said.

"I know, and she worries daily about him too," he

said.

"Why don't you take them under your wing and help them

with their training?" I asked.

"You sure have a lot of confidence in my abilities,"

he said.

"That I do, my boy, that I do," I said. "Get to know

both of them and allow them to know you."

He walked back over to Jamie and Ronny as Em walked

over to me.

"She's pushing Joshua away because she is afraid she

is going to lose him," said Em. "I told her love is not promised. If we're

lucky, we find it and it us. And when we do, we should embrace it and hold on

tightly to it."

"I told him to take an interest in their training. To

truly get to know them and develop a real relationship," I said.

"Oh! The old training trick you used on me," she

laughed as she put her arms around my neck.

"I thought you used it on me," I laughed.

About a month had gone by, and I asked Joshua to meet

me at the east exit. We were going to check out a National Guard armory to see

if there was anything worth retrieving. While I waited, I was approached by

Tim, Fred, and Von.

"Doc, where did you find this guy?" asked Fred.

"Yeah, he's a tech genius," said Tim.

"I wouldn't say that," said Von. "I just see a need

and try and figure out a way to fulfill it using technology."

"Well, you hit a home run with this one," said Fred.

"Okay, wow

me," I said.

"Well, we know that the DCs follow sound for some

unknown reason," said Von. "Well, I decided to place some explosive and

fragmentation materials on a windup alarm clock. When the alarm goes off, it

attracts the DCs and after a minute or two, boom!"

"Boom?" I queried.

"Boom," Von reassured. "The warehouse had plenty of

clocks and we can begin to make them. They should really come in handy with

herds and hoards."

"How long will it take you to make these, Von-Bombs?" I asked.

"Wow! That's a cool name, thanks! We should have a few

gross in about a week with help," he said. "But you can keep that half dozen."

"What's going on?" asked Joshua.

"Coming up with new and better ways to combat the

dead," I said. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, sir!" he said.

"Okay guys, you have my full support. Get with

Rodriguez and Gerald to get the parts needed," I said.  "Run everything past T, and we'll talk later

when I return."

Joshua and I set out in one of the hybrid vehicles.

The ground was slick with fresh snow. I explained to him to always hide the

vehicle far enough away from the target to ensure that you are not seen. To

drive around to ensure that your tracks cannot be traced to your base.  I also let him drive to get him familiar with

vehicles. I wanted him to be ever vigilant while traveling, to ensure that he

is not being followed or watched. He absorbed the knowledge like a sponge.

"Doc, I want to say thanks," he said.

"No problem. We all should learn this stuff," I said.

"Oh, not for this," he said. "But for the advice, you

gave me earlier. I'm going to assist Master Andre with Jamie and Ronny's combat

training. Diane is going to train Jamie as a medical assistant, and Fred is

going to train Ronny to be a mechanic. It seems everyone is training for a job

but me."

I paused and I looked at him.

"Joshua, I know I could never take the place of your

parents, but how would you feel if I began to look at you as if you were my

son? And groom you for the leadership of the ARC?"

He just sat there in stunned silence at first.

"Doc...Marvin, you've been more of a father to me in

the short time that I've known you than my biological father ever has," he

said. "I'd be thrilled to be your son!"

We pushed on, chatting about this and that. I told him

I could teach him about medicine as well to give him yet another thing in

common with Jamie. As we approached the armory, we noticed that the yard had

about 60 DCs roaming in it.

"Are we going to clear the yard?" asked Joshua.

"Never expend energy if you can avoid it. Let's look

for an easier way," I said.

We circled around to the side and saw that there was

an open window. "I'll boost you up, and I want you to look inside and see if

there is any movement," I said.

"Some of the areas are dark, but it doesn't seem to be

any movement," he said.

"Okay, sit on the window sill, and we'll go in

together," I said.

We quietly jumped to the floor. There were six DCs

roaming the halls of the armory. We systematically dispatched them and began

searching the armory. We barred the door so those in the yard couldn't get in.

This was an untapped goldmine. I figured we could clear out the armory moving

the bigger equipment to Ernesti's meatpacking plant. We could outfit it with

some watchtowers and reinforced fences. I was also thinking of setting up some

checkpoints between the ARC and the Plant. And now that I look at this armory,

this might be another location that we can settle.

"Doc, can I ask you a personal question?" asked

Joshua.

"Sure. Anything," I responded.

"How do you know if you're ready for sex?" he asked

awkwardly.

"Wow! I wasn't expecting that," I said. "Well, Joshua,

I could give you some clinical answer, but I'll tell you what my mom told me:

You'll just know. You'll have so much love for the other person that you'll

want to share it with them. But the other person will have to arrive at that

decision in their own time—"

Our conversation was interrupted by a discovery. Riot

gear. Lots and lots of body armor, flak jackets, boots, helmets, stun guns,

tear gas, bean-bag guns, and lots of other equipment. We hit the jackpot.

"From now on, all of the Raiders will be outfitted

with this gear," I said.

We pushed on and continued to survey the armory. We

found a cache of MREs, Med Kits, iodine tablets, and canteens. We found the

motor pool, they had two freakin' tanks, an armored personnel vehicle and a

riot vehicle. There were barracks and a mess hall. It was a perfect place to

dig in and train.

"Joshua, as it pertains to what we were discussing

earlier," I said. "Whatever you decide, make sure you protect yourself and your

partner. Make sure there is love between you two."

"I will, Doc. I will," he said.

We finally came across the whole reason we came here

in the first place: the weapons cache.

"Joshua, how is your weapons training coming?" I

asked. "Well, I'm better with a rifle than I am with a pistol," he said.

This place was perfect and even had its own shooting

range. Yes, we will definitely expand this as our third location.

Joshua and I finished up cataloging the armory and

headed back to the ARC. I laid out my plans to the Council for a vote. It seems

that at first, our group was outgrowing our real estate. Now our real estate is

outgrowing the group. We decided to spread the resources at our disposal to the

various locations. This way, we would have redundancy and decent stores.

After the meeting, I found Von, Fred, and Tim.

"Look at what I found at the armory," I said as I

pulled out a few of the stun guns. "Is it possible to affix one of these to my

sword?"

"An electrified Hanzo?" asked Von. "That's ingenious!

Give me some time and I'll see what I can come up with."

"We also want you guys, the council that is, to do a

walkthrough throughout the armory," I said. "We want to configure the Armory,

the Plant, and the ARC as three corners of a triangle city/state."

We're not here just to survive, but to build lives for

ourselves. Some of us have found love and a sense of family. Some of us have

found hope. All of us have found survival. We need more people to expand our

community. This is a dangerous proposition as we have to be careful who we

allow into our midst. I hope the council agrees. The next day, I called an

emergency meeting.

"I want to thank you all for agreeing to meet on such

short notice," I said. "I won't mince words, we need to grow…now! I think we

need to set about the task of searching for survivors and not just happening

upon them. Gerald, you, Leon and Andre can determine if the Raiders can be

expanded with those who are now off of probation. It will only be a matter of

time before the Armory or the Plant is attacked and taken. We have to shore up

the defenses and populate them."

"Now that we've outfitted the Raiders with

walkie-talkies, communication has improved. I think if we create squads within

the Raiders, we can better utilize their abilities," said Leon. "We can assign

squad leaders, fireteam leaders and hopefully grow that into a platoon. We need

an army to combat not only the dead but the living that disagrees with our

rights to survive."

"I think we have the squad leaders now," I said. "Gerald

should definitely be the platoon leader and should have the most input as to

who leads his squads. I also assume that it will be up to the squad leaders to

ensure that the members of his or her squad are trained to his or her

specifications."

"But what is the endgame we are trying to accomplish

here?" asked Diane. "I mean, are we building a society or an army? We have more

weapons than we can use and more space than we need. I think if we began to

build an army, we'll begin to display aggressive behaviors and our little

utopia will cease!"

"I think what Marv is saying is that there are people

out there who don't have it as good as we do, and we can offer them a purpose

and a home," said T. "I won't pretend to understand what it is like out there

on the road. I thank God every night for what Marv has afforded me. Now let's

afford it to some people who desperately need it and are willing to work for

it."

"But we still come back to the same issue: Who mans

the other locations? I mean everyone is pretty comfortable here, and I doubt

anyone wants to leave," said Fred. "Who do we banish to the Plant and the

Armory?"

"We don't have to look at it as banishment. As a

matter of fact, I think it would behoove us if members of the council elected

to rotate to the various locations from time to time," I said. "That way we can

govern from an eye level. Live among those that we will make rules for. We can

also understand if the rules levied in one location needs to necessarily be

enforced in another."

"Both the Plant and the Armory are structurally sound

and could repel an invasion if properly staffed," said Tim. "Von, Fred, and I

have come up with some cool ideas on how to protect each. I think we'll need

some input from one of you military types

to ensure that our ideas will provide a tactical advantage."

"So, we're really going to do this?" asked Gerald. "I

know that T, Leon, and I have military backgrounds, but does anyone else? Will

we utilize the Code of Military Justice? I think there are both positives and

negatives to what this will entail. But to tell you the truth, the whole

concept excites me."

"So, do we bring it to a vote?" I asked. "All those in

favor, signify by saying, Aye!"

"Aye!" "Aye!" "Aye!" "Aye!" "Aye!" "Aye!" "Neigh!"

"The Ayes have it," I said. "The motion has been

carried. Does anyone have anything they want to add?"

"Well," began Tim. "Von, Fred, and I have been working

hard to create devices that will help bolster our survival. I'd also like to

take this opportunity to call Von into the meeting."

Von walked in with a case under his arm. He walked up

to the head of the table near me and nodded at Fred and Tim.

"I'd like to present our esteemed leader with his

brand new Electrified Hanzo Sword," said Von.

Von unsheathed my sword that now had a stun gun built

into the hilt. He flicked a switch and the blade became electrified as it

crackled and zapped. It hummed with power. You could see the blue energy arcing

from it. Is it odd to admit that this thing aroused the geek in me?

"Wow!" I exclaimed. "You guys did an outstanding job.

Thank you so much! Now, let's get busy and start saving people!"