The Killin' Fields (Alexa's Travels Book 2) (25 page)

“The best meeting place for a group that gets spit up.”

The men searched their steel landscape, but no one spoke right away or tossed out clumsily given guesses. She wanted her men to think about their answers first, and even Paul remained silent.

The other travelers quieted to be able to hear the lesson, as Alexa had intended.

“The tower at two o’clock,” Edward stated firmly. “We’d be able to view the entire city from there, I’d bet.”

Mark, who’d been about to suggest the same place, nodded. “Exactly.”

“And that is our spot,” Alexa chose. She shifted slightly to show Edward a different location by hand code. He would make sure the rest of her men knew, but not anyone else. “Name three items that can still be scavenged from a city even after years and thousands of survivors have come through.”

That one was harder and they all paced forward in thoughtful quiet as they swept buildings and signs for the answer, but it wasn’t until the library came into view that anyone felt confident enough to try.

“Books, right?” Billy guessed. “Information?”

“Yes.”

Billy grinned, but knew it hadn’t been a full credit because the crumbling brick building they were now passing had triggered the idea. He struggled to think of. What else would people ignore? “Materials, like from the buildings?”

“Perhaps, but not on my list as useful in the same way that books are.” Alexa increased her own alertness while she had them distracted.

“Equipment, like medical machines and electronics. There’s so much of the computer stuff that it won’t ever all be looted or destroyed, and the medical stuff needs too much power and training to use.” Daniel gave them the second answer and was pleased when Alexa nodded.

“One more,” she reminded.

“Cars? Vehicles?” David asked.

“Yes. They won’t have power or fuel, but cars and trucks will always be in these cities, usually right where their owners left them. And a few, my pets, will be useable.”

“After you charge the battery and add gas?” Paul asked. He liked knowing how to get a car rolling if he had to. Transportation was something he’d been thinking about a lot.

“Yes, though luck will matter a great deal this long after. Internal parts erode,” Edward answered his student reluctantly. He still didn’t want Paul with them and he was glad they were here, where the scientist would stay. “And you’d have to check other things, like having water in the radiator, but no water in the engine, oil filled. Basic mechanics.”

Paul didn’t respond. He was trying to imagine himself doing all of that alone and failing badly.

“Tell me what we should not do while we’re here,” Alexa instructed, sensing they were nearing a contact point.

“Make noise,” Mark answered, glaring at Paul.

Paul, still in his thoughts of vehicle hell, missed it.

“Get split up,” Daniel said.

“Become distracted,” Jacob answered firmly. “We keep our eyes on you.”

Alexa straightened her shoulders and the command of a leader flowed from her lips. “My rules, one through five.”

The men recited them together.

“My life is your life to give. Mercy only goes to those who deserve it. Justice, the true law of my land, will always be honored.”

Their voices in harmony were fascinating and the travelers listened studiously.

“There is no order I am given that I won’t follow. I will never quit this quest, even when I’m dead!”

They shouted the last, sending birds into the sky and snorts through their animals.

The men checked their weapons and silenced their gear, and the thief realized she’d gotten them set to fight. “What are you doing? Roscoe wants people here!”

They ignored him, making sure weapons they already knew were ready, were ready. It was a habit that Alexa had insisted they get into and they had.

“Wait,” the thief stopped in front of Alexa in panic. “You can’t do this.”

Edward looked at Alexa with a raised brow.

“Take care of that,” Alexa grunted.

All six of Alexa’s men rushed forward before the thief could react. As they marched his struggling body forward with Edward’s huge hand over his mouth, the other men tied his hands and secured the gag.

Mark jerked the thief’s arm out and swung him up over his shoulder, and the others tied his ankles. Now secured, Mark and Edward took the struggling thief to the rear of the first wagon and dumped him roughly inside. Mark them climbed in next to him.

The shocked travelers put a bit of distance between them and the fighters, but they resumed their places by Alexa without even glancing at anyone else. It was a proof of their vow to follow any order given and their reputations increased with the fear. Those who had survived this trip now had stories to tell that everyone they encountered would pay to hear.

“Final question,” Alexa said, noting the corner that proclaimed a change in scenery. The edges of bright green trees were waving gently in the breeze. “Where is the sniper they supposedly don’t have?”

Silence came, and Alexa glanced around pointedly. “Exactly. Our chosen meeting place would be an excellent spot for a sniper. Watch your six.”

It was an important detail that none of them had thought about, but now they knew to beware of that if they did have to meet somewhere. The travelers wouldn’t be surprised when they fled there, and Alexa’s group wouldn’t be surprised when they tried to help the travelers escape the city. Alexa did not intend to allow these people to be held against their will. She’d know what was up with Lincoln and Roscoe long before she ever left.

The trees ahead of them became larger, clearer, and revealed themselves as large plastic displays that were moldy and cracked throughout their length. It gave the display a realistic appearance that caught attention. It would have been easy to miss the forms of people standing behind these trees. Alexa hadn’t, but she waited to discover if her men had.

“Want us to flush ‘em out?” Daniel asked.

“I’ll negotiate, if you want,” Jacob volunteered quickly. Alexa loved him for it. He valued all life and hated to shoot before talking.

“We’ll let them come to us,” Alexa chose, saying it as they neared the first person who had to know they were no longer undercover. “We’ll talk, trade, stay a night and be on our way.”

“You’d have to cross the line first,” a young female voice stated from behind the trees. “We can’t.”

Alexa slowed her stride to allow the shadowy girl to keep pace. “Black or white?” Alexa guessed.

“Both,” the young woman answered. “And therefore, outcasts. We stay on this side of the city and the others leave us alone.”

Alexa recognized a contact post beyond the plastic trees and gave a quick promise. “I’ll stop by your area while I’m here. Find me then.”

“I’ll be at the ceremony seeing my dad off. Talk to Robert.”

The shadow ran off and Alexa was still frowning as they reached the line of men waiting for them. She’d almost recognized that voice.

Behind these men was an iron gate as tall as the nearest buildings.

The ten men, two clusters of sagging shoulders and bearded faces, slowed the convoy, but not Alexa. She strode straight to them, talking.

“I have several deliveries and I’m only making them to Roscoe. His orders.”

The tallest man had a dusty clipboard and he rifled through the papers. “Sorry, ma’am, but he’s out in the neighborhoods right now. You can give me the id numbers and I’ll send someone for him.”

Alexa was aware of the wagon train very slowly following her through the gap in the men, forcing them to retreat a few paces to make room for the mules and horses.

“Tell him I have all three of his packages,” Alexa stated.

The pen stopped and the thin, haggard face came up.

Cliff shifted his glasses further onto his nose. “Really? All three?”

“We also met one of Roscoe’s scavengers on the Stairway of Hard to Reach Places. He won’t be making his delivery either.”

Cliff groaned. “Rick, too? That’s sure to improve Roscoe’s mood. He’ll be here at lunch time—”

“I’m not waiting,” Alexa informed them. “Send someone out to get him.”

Cliff scowled. “Hey! Roscoe isn’t to be called to your side like some adoring lover. He’s the Mayor here, our leader and we don’t—”

“He has two hours,” Alexa stated coldly. “After that, I’m taking my three possessions out into the wilderness. Maybe to Port City.”

Cliff grunted and motioned to one of the closest men. “Go get him.”

“Where do you want us to wait at?” Alexa asked, subtly drawing every drop of energy from him that she could.

Cliff struggled to break the sudden lethargy sweeping over him. He felt exhausted. “We have an area for new people. Nice hotel once upon a time.”

“And our animals? Supplies?”

Cliff surveyed the few wagons and families, and shrugged. “How about a warehouse next block over?”

“We’ll all take the warehouse,” Alexa accepted. “And my thanks.”

“Sure, sure,” Cliff responded, not sure why he was so tired. “Go left at the next block and down Roscoe Street to the fencing. It borders the warehouse.”

Cliff stopped, watching them all pass in a daze. He needed a nap.

Alexa smirked a little once he couldn’t observe her face anymore. She enjoyed that some days.

2

It was soon clear why Roscoe made newcomers travel the length of his street. The citizens already here were lining their windows, porches, and doors to get a good view. There were even a few people taking pictures on old camera phones and Alexa increased her pace a bit. There were dozens of people on both sides of the street, more than enough to overwhelm them.

Alexa wasn’t worried over her men, only those who might be hit in the crossfire, and she nodded politely to several of the more curious who were approaching the street. Alexa was sure if there were problems, others would join in and she wasn’t fooled by their civilized appearance. Suits and neat hairdos didn’t mean much in comparison to the fact that these folks had apparently survived the fall of this city. Alexa was willing to bet that most of these staring residents had lived here before the war. It was in their dark, suspicious gazes.

The homes sheltering these residents drew her attention next and she admired the small gardens in front of each. She didn’t care for their trash pile being in the middle of the street, though. There was so much that her group had to move to the side to get by it, but she understood that was where people would throw it anyway and so it saved a stage of collection. She wondered if they were using the same type of setup with human waste. Other than manure, she didn’t smell much in the way of bad odors despite the landfill type piles and assumed they were dusting it with something. It implied organization, someone caring for them.

It was the clothes that caught the attention of her men, the clothes of the women. They hadn’t been around females dressed for success since the war, and it was enough to keep them doing second takes. Alexa didn’t scold them. Many of the travelers were staring. There was a lot that they hadn’t expected. There were vines of fresh fruits and vegetables that they hadn’t had in years, livestock pens and meat hanging from eaves. There were butter churns and washboards, and on a few of the porches, camping stoves to replace cooking fires. It was impressive, and yet, sad in some way that the fighters couldn’t define. The faces of these residents were long and tired, like there was an invisible weight holding them down.

“No kids,” Edward muttered lowly. He had no hopes they would find a good man in charge here. He understood harshness was called for, but segregating a city was wrong. To function properly, a city needed everyone.

“No elderly, either,” Jacob noticed. “Maybe they send both of those inside whenever new people come through.”

“Maybe,” Edward agreed, though he didn’t believe that. There were rockers on these porches, but they were covered in cobwebs and while the gardens were growing, they had the look of sparse care. Elderly populations usually took care of gardens and rocking chairs in ways that these hadn’t experienced in a long time. Edward was sure if he sat in any of those chairs, they would give. “Nice show we’re getting.”

Alexa heard him, but didn’t comment. There was a lot going on in Lincoln and she wanted all of it. Her men would pick up much of it and she would put the rest together to come up with an answer. She would have it shortly after meeting their leader and deciding his fate. Unfortunately, she’d already discovered too much to simply shoot Roscoe and be on her way. He’d either put this city together or kept it together during the collapse. That type of person was rare. And maybe even special. Descendants had their own ways of doing things, including gathering dangerous objects to keep them out of the hands of others. If that were the case, than Roscoe could still be in charge here when they left. As for the segregation her men were having trouble with, Alexa thought it was a tolerable idea for so large of a city without a police force. In time, the race lines could blur on their own, like they always did. Letting people live with their own kind often made them more grateful for other places to go. Surviving with family was rough no matter who you were.