The Dead Divide Us (Book 1) (12 page)

“Oh we did.” Both Warren and Glen said, as they lifted up their shirts to reveal both had Berettas holstered at their waists.

“Jesus.” Paul said in disbelief. Roy chuckled at him.

“Alright, everyone get in. We’re going to be late.”

The sound of a woman screaming from down the street halted all four men. Glen and Warren grasped their rifles tightly as they all looked in the direction of the scream. Another scream came and since it was from around a bend in the street, they couldn’t see exactly what the commotion was.

“HELP!” the woman screamed again.

The men took off on foot, racing toward the cry for help. As they turned the corner, they saw an older woman wearing a blue bathrobe. She was running away from a disheveled looking man who was stumbling down the middle of the street, wearing only one shoe. He had a black leather jacket hanging from one arm; the rest of it was dragging on the ground. His face was covered in a wet mess of dark hair.

“That’s one of them sons of bitches!” Warren said aloud.

Glen Fry and Warren Blakely raised their rifles and took aim.

3

“Imma put one right between his eyes!” Glen Fry yelled aloud, the crosshairs of his scope fixed dead center on the man’s forehead and his trigger finger was itching hard. By now a few people had come out of their houses to see what all the commotion was about.

“Don’t fire!” Paul yelled at Warren and Glen.

“Are you kidding? Look at that bastard! He’s gotta be one of them things the news stations were trying to tell us about!” Warren shouted back.              

The older woman being chased had run onto a nearby lawn. She had regained her breath and now watched; becoming one of the spectators of the scene.

“We don’t know anything for sure god damn it!” Paul yelled back.

“Paul’s right, let’s just give this guy some room before we go putting a hole in his head.” Roy Benton said. Glen and Warren listened to Roy and took their fingers off the triggers of their rifles. They did not, however, remove him from the sights of their scopes and remained ready to fire.

“What’s going on here?” An old man asked from the sidewalk, behind Roy.

“Nothing, just go back inside. We’ve got this taken care of.” Roy said to him, the old man shrugged him off and stayed where he was, watching.

The shambling man was now barely moving forward. When the woman he was chasing had run off onto a neighbors lawn, he had slowed down greatly. Now he was just swaying back and forth.

“Just look at this fuck!” Warren said.

Paul wasn’t sure this was part of the disease that was sweeping the country. The stories Robert had told him already all came rushing into his head at once.
Was this one of the infected? Already all the way here in Green Falls, Washington?

The man’s hanging leather jacket got snagged underneath his boots as he was swaying back and forth. He tried to take a step forward again but he fell down hard on the ground. His face hit the pavement and made a loud slapping sound.

“Christ.” Glen said under his breath as he cringed slightly.

Keeping his gaze on the stumbling man, Roy slowly began to approach him.

“Whoa, what are you doing?” Paul asked and then began following Roy, instinctively. Glen and Warren also began to follow.

“Someone’s gotta check to see if this man is ok.” Roy said.

“Okay? He ain’t ok, are you fucking serious?” Warren said.

The man on the ground tried to pick himself up. He had got himself about halfway up before his arms failed him and he hit the ground again.

“Guys, have any of you ever seen this man before? I haven‘t.” Roy asked.

“Nope, never.” Warren replied immediately.

“No, I’d remember seeing a leather jacket like that. It’s a beauty.” Glen said, sounding honest. It was indeed a very expensive jacket the man was wearing; half-wearing by that point.

“I really can’t say that I have, Roy.” Paul said, confirming that this man had to be an outsider. In a small town like Green Falls, if four people didn’t know who you were, there was a good chance that no one did. At that moment the man on the ground started to moan rather loudly.

“Oh shit!” Warren shouted. The four of them were now almost right on top of the wayward man. Glen and Warren still had their rifles fixed on him.

The moaning continued and the man began to try and bring himself up to his feet again.

“Alright man, we gotta do something here.” Glen said.

“Put a bullet in him, that’ll do it.” Warren fired back.

“No!” Roy hollered.

“This man is a danger to us all!” Warren yelled.

“He might be right.” Glen added.

“I’m firing!” Warren yelled again.

“Wait! Look!” Paul said, as he rushed up to Glen and Warren and pushed down both of their rifles.

The man on the ground righted himself up and then sat in the street, Indian style. His moaning continued, but then turned into…“Ahhhh. Ah man. Fucking A, my head hurts!”

Roy, Paul, Warren, and Glen stood there silent; staring down at the man. They could now see his face, he looked like a kid.
He couldn’t be older than twenty-one,
Paul thought to himself.

“Um, excuse me. Could you say that again?” Roy asked the young man.

“I said…my fucking head hurts. What time is it?” The young man said as he opened his eyes fully and looked around the neighborhood…“How the hell is it daytime?” And then an empty bottle of Wild Turkey Bourbon rolled out of the young man’s jacket.

That’s when the smell of booze hit Paul. This young man had been drinking all night, probably on a massive bender. This kid absolutely stank of beer and bourbon. The smell actually reminded Paul of his younger brother Robert.

“Kevin!” A female’s voice called from inside the crowd of people that were gathered behind Paul and the rest. It was Shelly Browning, a wife and mother of three. She lived only four houses down from Roy and Paul.

“Shelly? You know this guy?” Roy asked.

“Know him? Of course, he’s my nephew.” Shelly replied, she then ran past Paul and knelt down to the young Kevin.

“You had me scared shitless you little ass!” Shelly yelled at Kevin.

“I’m sorry.” Kevin said, he slurred his speech.

“Next time you decided to close the bar and wander town you better let me know damn it!” Shelly said. She helped Kevin to his feet and slung one of his arms around her shoulder before turning to Roy.

“I’m sorry about Kevin. He got in from Portland last night, just visiting. I won’t let him get silly drunk like this again.” Shelly said.

“That’s okay Shelly. Take care of him; with everything going on we don’t need any
accidents
.” Roy said, and then he put his sharp stare onto Glen and Warren. Both were looking rather guilt ridden.
How close had they come to shooting this poor boy? Could his timing be any worse? Are Warren and Glen dangerous? Are we dangerous?
Were the thoughts that raced through Paul’s mind.

Shelly walked away with Kevin and the crowd of people dispersed back into their homes; reverting their gazes back to their televisions. Watching and waiting for an updated news report.

“Come on; let’s get our asses to this meeting.” Roy said.

“And on the way there, Paul is going to tell us everything he knows about the east coast.” Roy added.

4

It was only a ten minute ride.

It was only a ten minute ride to the High School; the town meeting was to be held in the school’s auditorium.

It was only a ten minute ride
; but to Roy, Warren, and Glen it felt much longer.

Paul told them everything he knew about the east coast and his brother Robert. He told them about how Robert had been forced to kill his landlord Carl Riggins when he was attacked.

He told them how the town of Colton was basically under military control.

He told them how Robert had to witness a little boy being torn apart by his infected father.

He told them how disturbed Robert had sounded on the phone and how it chilled him to the bone.

He told them that the military might be digging large holes to bury the dead.

He told them that he didn’t trust the television anymore.

He told them that he feared deeply for his brother’s and parents’ lives.

He told them that Ruth’s family in Wisconsin was somehow no longer in contact.

And finally, told them he believed that the spreading disease would inevitably make its way to Green Falls.

It was only a ten minute ride.

5

The Green Falls Area High School was flooded with people. It wasn’t a large school, there was around two-hundred children per grade; freshmen through senior classes. The arena style seating was filled to capacity and with many adults standing along the aisles. The large blue curtains that would normally hide the stage, were cast back. At the rear of the stage, in the dark, Paul could see scenery props for the next high school production. Could it be West-Side Story? Perhaps Arsenic and Old Lace? Maybe even this year they’d try to go big and pull off The Wizard of Oz! Paul couldn’t tell what the scenery backdrops were supposed to belong to. He didn’t see a yellow brick road. It troubled him to think that there was a possibility that the unfinished background would eternally stay
unfinished
.

He stood all the way in the back of the auditorium with Glen and Warren. The three of them, with Roy, had entered the meeting ten minutes late. Roy had left the guys in the back, as he quickly took to the stage. A seat was reserved for him next to Sheriff Nathan Baxter. Being the head of the school board, Roy sat up on stage with the high school principal Audrey Wyatt, Sheriff Nathan Baxter, the town secretary Gina Walcott, and the town’s friendly family Doctor Richard Nicholson. Mayor Schacht stood in front of them at the podium; he was still going over the itinerary for the meeting. Paul couldn’t believe that so many people were able to stay quiet while he spoke.

Dressed in his finest hunting camouflage, Mayor Schacht began by saying, “Thank you for all making it here safely. I have no doubt that last night’s news has brought trouble to some homes in the community. Well that is why we are here; to discuss the severity of what may lie ahead. To share information, I believe, is a vital key to seeing this thing through. As many of you know, Green Falls has been a peaceful community since its establishment in 1908. I intend to keep it that way. The sheriff and I have been working round the clock since the news broke of this…disease. We have been talking to Doctor Nicholson since daybreak. We are communicating, that’s all we can do as of the moment. And to be honest with you good folks, we aren’t getting any more new information on the disease.”

The crowd erupted in roar of confusion and outrage. Among the many cries, Paul was able to make out: “No news! What?!” “You gotta be fuckin’ kidding me!” “Have you no contact with Seattle?” “Our televisions are playing yesterday’s news and programs.”

Mayor Schacht reached down for something behind the podium; Paul couldn’t tell what it was. Then Paul saw the Mayor hold up a judge’s gavel and swing it down hard onto the podium. The crowd fell silent. An older gentleman sitting near the front coughed, the sound seemed to reverberate tenfold in the sudden silence of some hundreds of people.

“I had anticipated outbursts, this being such a large meeting, but I still do intend to keep things civil. So before I get to taking questions and asking some of my own, I will let Sheriff Baxter address you with his concerns.” Mayor Schacht said, and then reseated himself by taking the Sheriff’s seat.

Paul always had a funny feeling about the Sheriff. He was a rather large man in his early-fifties. Not large as in fat, large as in that his forearm was the size of a toddler. Sheriff Nathan Baxter came from a long line of lumber jackets. He was a fourth generation woodsman and town Sheriff, his father and the two fathers before him all were Sheriff of Green Falls. To say it was a legacy was to put it lightly—the man even carried himself with that all-knowing importance that came with a “legacy” title. Even if most of the time it came off as arrogance. Before Paul had moved to Green Falls, one of the biggest local news stories was the fact that the Baxter family was finally going to have a baby boy born into its household. The story goes that Nathan and his wife Elizabeth had their first three children. All of which were girls. Nathan, being as old fashioned as his family’s legacy, insisted they keep having children until one of them were a boy. So they tried two more times, had two more girls, until on that magical sixth pregnancy the baby turned out to be a male. Elizabeth Baxter was relieved, to say the least. After his arrival to Green Falls, Paul was introduced to Sheriff Nathan Baxter at one of Roy’s parties. To Paul he seemed very artificial, like the smile he wore was painted on. The conversation Paul had with Nathan the automaton was unsettling. It seemed that Nathan was only at the party to spread awareness of his authority. Paul didn’t necessarily like people like that; fear and intimidation can be used to accomplish a copious amount of terrible wrongdoings. Power in the hands of a person like Sheriff Nathan Baxter can be a scary thing.