No Easy Hope - 01 (29 page)

“If I wanted to hurt you people,” I replied. “I could have done it a dozen times by now. Maybe you didn’t hear me the first time. I’m trying to help.”

I was careful to keep any hint of anger out of my voice. Steve fixed a glare at me for another moment, and then turned to Bill.

“Alright then, chief. How are we doing this?”

We spent the rest of the afternoon planning the diversion. We decided to use three vehicles to lure the creeps (damnit, they had me saying it) away from the main part of town. Each vehicle would have two people assigned to it with one as a driver, and the other as a gunner. We would approach on Highway 27 and draw the undead south away from town, splitting up when we reached the furthest intersection from the gun shop. Each team chose a route to follow and circle back on once the hordes were a good distance away. Steve insisted that each team also plot out a few alternate routes, just in case anything went wrong. I didn’t like the prick, but I had to admit that he had a good point.

The teams consisted of Ethan and I, Steve and Rick, and Earl agreed to drive the third vehicle with Justin in the back. Cody and Stan had managed to liberate a dozen walkie-talkies, complete with chargers, from an abandoned police station a few weeks earlier. We agreed on channels to maintain communication during the drive, and set the radios to charge using one of the compound’s generators. Once the diversion team had their ducks in a row, Bill and I had a meeting with the people driving the cargo vehicles.

I learned that the compound had two moving trucks, a large church van that could seat fourteen people, and three pickup trucks. Justin and Rick volunteered to head out early in the morning to requisition two more abandoned cars to use for the diversion. Bill agreed to the idea, saying that it would be best if they could use the vehicles they already had to haul supplies. The moving trucks could hold a lot of gear, and the church van could haul workers to load them with supplies.

“You sure you don’t want to go out with Justin and Rick to get another car?” Bill asked me at one point. “We could have somebody drive your truck and get this done a little quicker.”

I shook my head. “No way man, nobody drives my truck but me. Besides, I trust my Tundra. If I am going to be running away from a horde of the infected, I want to know beyond doubt that my wheels aren’t going to break down on me. Dig?”

Bill nodded and held up his hands. “Hey, no harm in asking, right?”

Once we laid out all the plans, everyone went back to work on the compound’s daily duties. There was a new energy and excitement in the air as everyone went about their tasks. Not having anything to contribute for the moment, I went back over to my truck to get something to eat. It was late afternoon by the time I sat down on my little camp stool and opened up an MRE. The military rations weren’t the tastiest thing in the world, but they had plenty of calories and neat little bottles of Tabasco sauce. Pretty much anything tastes better with a little hot sauce on it.

 I finished my meal and heated up some water to make a cup of tea. I looked up from my little stove and noticed Steve walking toward me. I made no overtly aggressive movements, but I did gather my feet beneath me and lean my weight just a bit forward in case I had to stand up quickly. I put one hand on the cup and moved it around over the chafing fuel. If it came to it, I could splash the scalding water in his face as a distraction. I regretted not having a weapon within arm’s reach, and I made a mental note not to make that mistake again.

Steve stopped a few feet away from me and sat down cross-legged on the concrete. He regarded me for a few moments without speaking, his expression blank. I glanced at him to let him know I wasn’t impressed, then went back to making my tea.

“Something on your mind?” I asked, not looking up.

“You really would have done it, wouldn’t you?” He said.

“Done what?”

“Fought me.”

I looked up at him for a second or two, then took the tea bag out of my cup and tossed in a bucket.

“If you had made a twitch, I would have stomped a mud hole in your chest.” I said.

“You would have tried.” Steve replied.

I looked up at him and he was smiling. Unlike the infuriating smirk he showed me earlier in the day, this expression seemed be from genuine amusement. I frowned at him.

“You sure do talk a tough game, you scrawny bastard. If you ever decide you’re man enough, you know where to find me. Now unless you have anything else to waste my time with, I would appreciate it if you could kindly fuck off, and let me finish my tea.”

I sat back on the stool and leaned against the side of my truck, sipping at the hot liquid. Steve’s smile faded. After a moment, he nodded to himself and stood up to walk away. There was definitely something strange about that guy. Not many dudes are willing to brawl outside their weight class unless they are either complete idiots, or highly confident in their abilities. I would have to keep an eye on Steve, and a weapon near at hand, if it came down to it.

After finishing my tea, I felt like some company, and walked over to the common area to look for Stacy. I found her sitting at a picnic table with Bill and a few other people talking over cups of instant coffee. There wasn’t any room to sit at the table, so I kept on walking toward Ethan and Andrea’s shack, making sure to catch her eye and wave as I walked past. Her face brightened when she noticed me, and she favored me with a little wink. So far, my chances looked pretty good.

I knocked on Ethan’s door, taking care not to be too loud just in case the baby was sleeping. Andrea opened the door and welcomed me inside. Ethan was sitting on the couch with one of those U-shaped baby pillows across his lap. Aiden sprawled across it drinking from a bottle, his eyes slowly opening and closing as he drifted closer to sleep. I sat and watched them until the little guy’s hands went limp and he lost his grip on the bottle. Ethan was ready and caught it, holding it for the baby while he continued to drink.

“Does he drink even when he’s asleep?” I whispered.

“Yeah,” Ethan replied, “it’s like a reflex or something.”

Aiden stretched his pudgy arms over his head, and heaved a small, contented sigh. I wondered how much innocence and simple beauty was left in the world. How long would it be before Aiden’s bright little eyes became sunken and haunted, like the eyes of everyone else in the compound? How many parent’s out there lost their babies to the infection? How many children lost their parents? How many whole families were wiped out? As bad as it sounds, I didn’t envy Ethan his position. I couldn’t imagine the fear and worry that must plague him every day as he struggled to protect his family.

“You can’t let it get to you.” Ethan said.

I was so fixated on the baby that I didn’t notice Ethan looking at me. He wore a ghost of a smile as he looked down and ran a big hand over his son’s soft hair.

“How do you do it?” I asked.

Ethan shrugged. “Easy. I don’t have a choice. I give up, my son dies. My wife dies. I will not let that happen. Come what may, my family will live.”

Andrea stood up from her chair and kissed her husband on the forehead.

“Let me put him to bed sweetie.” She said, gently.

Ethan sat the bottle down on the coffee table and, somewhat reluctantly, gave Aiden to his wife. She cuddled the little man close to her and took him into the bedroom.

“We have some work to do tomorrow.” Ethan said. “I figure we spend a day getting everything ready, and then head out early Saturday morning. With any luck, we can clear out Alan’s shop and get everything back here before noon.”

“With any luck.” I said, shaking my head. “Seems like the world is running mighty short on luck these days.”

“We’re still alive, aren’t we?” Ethan replied.

“Yeah, I guess we are.”

Andrea walked back in the room and placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Did you eat anything yet?” She asked.

“Yeah, I did, thanks.”

She nodded and sat down on the couch next to Ethan.

“I hear you had a little run-in with Steve today.” She said.

I winced at the memory. I had actually managed to put it out of my mind while enjoying a peaceful moment with Ethan and the baby.

“Yes. I did. Fucker pushed my buttons a few too many times. I let him know I wasn’t impressed.”

“He’s a good man, Eric, he’s just a little paranoid. His brother was one of the people who got shot when Arthur and his cronies tried to steal from the compound.”

My eyebrows went up.

“Holy shit.” I said. “Man, that’s tough. What were there names again? The two guys who got shot?”

“John McCray and Gil Steed. Good men, both.” Ethan said.

“Which one was Steve’s brother?”

“John.” Andrea replied. “Ever since his brother died, Steve just hasn’t been the same. He’s been distant and angry, and he snaps at anyone who tries to talk to him. He still pulls his weight around the compound as far as work and guard duties go, but other than that he just wants to be left alone.”

“So what was John like?” I asked.

“Young, about our age.” Ethan replied. “He was a full ten years younger than Steve. We stood guard duty together pretty often, and he told me all about his life to pass the time. Their old man was a useless drunk who skipped out on them when Steve was thirteen, and Steve spent most of his life helping raise his brother. When he turned eighteen, he joined the Army and sent nearly every dime he made back home to his mother. He made it up through the ranks pretty quick, and after his first tour, he applied for Special Forces training. Served with the Green Beret’s for a few years before the war broke out in ’01. He did a tour in Afghanistan and two in Iraq. He got out of the military and went to work as a civilian firearms instructor out in Arizona. He just happened to be in town visiting his family when the outbreak happened. John and his mother bought a house in our neighborhood about three years ago. Barbara saved most of the money Steve sent her over the years, and what she didn’t use to put John through college, she used to saved to buy a house. John lived with his mother, but unlike a lot of guys his age, it wasn’t out of laziness. He had a good job in the IT department at one of the big bank headquarters in Charlotte. His mother had some health problems that made it difficult for her to work, so John got her on his health insurance and made sure that all the bills got paid. Steve came around whenever his work schedule allowed to make sure they were doing okay. As much as John always looked up to Steve, Steve was the one who was the most proud. John grew up in a rough neighborhood. At least until he was about fourteen, anyway. By that point, Steve was sending enough money for them to move into an apartment in a better neighborhood. He grew up without a father, and because his mother worked two jobs and was hardly ever home, he didn’t have a lot of supervision or guidance. Most kids in a situation like that will find all kinds of ways to get themselves in trouble, but John didn’t do that. He kept away from drugs and gangs, and he worked hard in school. He even managed to earn himself a partial academic scholarship at UNC Chapel Hill. He got a master’s degree in computer science in just five years, and then moved back to Charlotte to take care of his mother.”

“Sounds like he was a good man.” I said.

“He was. He always said he wished he could have followed in his brother’s footsteps and joined the Army. Steve just laughed at him when he said things like that. Told him he was too smart to serve in the military. When the outbreak hit, they were with us when we left our neighborhood. They helped fight our way to I-85. Man, that place was a nightmare. It was swarming with undead. The military was shooting at anything that moved, and there were thousands of people trying to get away from the city. My father and I kept everyone hidden in the basement of an abandoned office building until the military fell back. We didn’t even make it to the highway before the creeps saw us and started swarming in our direction. Our only choice was to keep moving and shoot our way through. We lost a lot of people then, and Steve’s mother was one of them. They got cut off from the rest us, and no one could get around to them to help them. Steve opened up with that big battle rifle of his and told John to get their mother clear. John tries to get going, but one of the infected reaches out from a car window and grabs Barbara by the arm. The infected was just a little girl, and Barbara was so stunned that she didn’t try to fight it off until after it bit her. John turns around a second too late, and blows the things head off with a pistol. I lost track of what happened to them after that, I was too busy busting heads with my fire axe.”