Zomblog 05: Snoe's War (3 page)

I wanted to ask why, but at that moment, the double doors on the landing above the dorm area opened and s whole bunch of soldiers in all black with helmets and shields and stuff strapped to their arms and legs barged in.

“Everybody on your feet, assemble in two lines at the base of the stairs!” a male voice barked.

Everybody started to scramble. Betty grabbed my arm, causing me to wince as the bruise seemed to act as a magnet for her hand. She looked to be counting and then jammed me between a guy and girl who said nothing at all and simply made room. Then she got in the line across from me.

“What fresh hell is this?” I muttered.

Nobody answered or chuckled.

***

We marched up the stairs and outside. I desperately wanted to look around, but I noticed that everybody—including Betty—stared straight ahead. I locked my eyes on the back of the head of the boy in front of me and followed.

We came to a halt in front of a long building that had huge roll-up doors all down the side. Every one of them was up revealing a vast structure that had large cages that were probably about twenty feet by twenty spaced all the way down the center of the building. Once inside I was able to count nine such structures.

“Count off in nines!” a woman ordered.

I listened as the numbers were ticked off from one to five and then starting over, by the time it got to me, I shouted out, “Three!” just as Betty did the same.

One of the soldiers yelled for us to go to one of the arena-like cages based on our number. Since Betty and I were both threes, I just fell in behind her. I noticed that she was never first or last. That was something I filed away in case I was ever without her. Funny, but in just this short time, I already feel like I can trust her and consider her a friend.

Once we were all at the appropriate cage, we were each told to line up side by side. Each group had two soldiers in charge. They really liked to yell. It wasn’t anything like EEF training. There, if you got yelled at, you were doing something wrong. Here, these people seemed to only have one volume level. Well, I hope they all had sore throats at night when they got home…or wherever they went for the evening.

“First two, step forward,” the taller of the soldiers in charge of us—and a female—ordered. (Yes, she was yelling, but you already got that part. I figure you can just assume that if I say that a soldier is talking…they are yelling.)

The first two in line did as they were told. I watched as they were given a variety of things to strap on their arms, legs, chest, and head. Then they were handed a big stick that I guess was supposed to look like a sword and the last thing was a shield.

“One-on-one combat training,” Betty whispered out of the side of her mouth.

I was curious as to why we needed to learn how to fight each other. People don’t fight the same way zombies do, and if these people thought that the tribesmen and women were going to meet them out in the open, they had obviously never dealt with those folks before.

I watched as three pairs went in and beat each other with their sticks. One of the fights was over in a hurry. The guy refused to hit the girl he had been paired up against. I tried to get a look at his face but didn’t get the chance. Once he refused for the third time, the soldiers blew a whistle and these really big guys came over. To make a long story short, he was told once more to fight. He said no. They beat him until he was just a lump on the ground and then dragged him away.

Next up was me and Betty. Just before they called us, she whispered to me.

“Make it look good. I’ll go easy on you, when I strike on your helmet, just fall down.”

I put on all the gear while the soldier gave me what I assume she must have thought was good advice on how to fight in the ring. I just nodded and ignored her.

When I stepped into the cage, Betty flashed me a wink and then it was like a switch was thrown and she was all snarls. I actually jumped back when she rushed me and almost fell.

As she came like a raging bull, I remembered something that Mama Lindsay had shown me. I let her come and then, just before she reached me and her momentum had her committed, I stepped aside and grasped her outstretched arm by the wrist. Using her energy, I turned slightly and threw her over my hip. She landed with a heavy thud. I guess nobody had ever taught her how to fall.

My mistake was in thinking that she had the wind knocked out of her. I guess she was just surprised. When I bent down to offer my hand, she took my legs out.

“Nobody called the fight yet, newbie!” the female soldier laughed.

I rolled out of the way just as Betty brought the wooden sword down where my ribs would have been. It made a loud crack which made me flash a questioning look at Betty. Hmm…she still had the really angry face. I tried to wink, but she just snarled and came at me again.

I ducked and heard the wooden sword whistle above my head. From this position, I only had one option. I brought the butt end of the weapon around and thrust it up into Betty’s ample—but amazingly firm—stomach. She made a little ‘oof’ noise. Then she brought her own weapon down on my back.

I felt pain radiate from my kidneys as I crumpled to the ground. A second blow came to the side of my head and everything went fuzzy. The loud ringing in my head kept me from hearing anything else, but when a third blow didn’t come, I had to assume that the order to stop had been given.

I felt hands grab my shoulders and roll me over. It took a few seconds to adjust, but eventually I saw the face of the female soldier hovering over mine. She was trying to convey something, but the ringing in my ears had not subsided enough.

“…your feet or are you going to just lie there in your own puddle?”

Hey, I could finally hear. However, it was also around the same time that my other senses were returning. I had wet my pants. I felt my face flush. Of course I could also now hear the titters of laughter from the others.

I rolled away and started to stand. It was easier said than done, but I slapped away two attempts from an unknown set of hands that tried to help me to my feet. I staggered and did my best to stand up straight, but the pain in my kidneys was really making that a chore. When my vision still didn’t clear, I realized that the tears in my eyes probably had something to do with that and I scrubbed at my eyes with my fists as I stepped out of the cage.

The laughter had stopped, and now everybody was looking anyplace but at me. I fell back in line and just wanted this to be over. Three more pairs went after, but I had stopped caring. That was probably why I didn’t hear Betty when she tried to get my attention. When she nudged me with her elbow, I turned my head very slowly and deliberately. To think that just moments ago I was ready to trust this person!

“Damn, girl,” she winked. “Thought you was just gonna fall over for me. Then you had to go and damn near break my arm.”

I must have wrenched it a bit when I threw her. I have to admit, I was a little rusty. Still, she just about ruptured my kidneys. I wasn’t exactly feeling like apologizing for making it tough for her to kick my butt.

“You like talkin’ trash, Ugg?” One of the soldiers appeared out of nowhere.

“No, sir,” Betty turned forward and snapped to attention.

“Good thing, because it looked to me like you picked the newbie here because she is so small and you thought you would have an easy go today. You like picking on the pretty little ones, Ugg?”

“Sir, no, sir!”

“I think that the next time you two step into the ring, that little newbie might just ring you up. And when your undefeated streak falls, you remember the deal…right?”

I saw Betty’s face turn just a little pale from the flushed red that had come with all of this attention. She did not flinch outwardly, but her posture changed, that was for sure.

“Sir…yes, sir,” Betty responded. Only, I think the soldier mistook the quiet tone of voice for submission. What I heard was nothing short of hatred…with something else that was surprising coming from Betty even though I barely just met her and could not claim to actually knowing her all that good.

Fear.

***

I stepped out of the shower. It was actually kind of nice to feel hot water on my skin again. It had certainly been a while. The soap made my skin itchy, but it was a small price to pay to feel clean. It is hard to believe, but being out in the field, you tend to forget about those sorts of things. Staying alive really occupies most of your thoughts. And if you are out there alone…well, there is nobody around to make a face when you sit next to them all gross and stinky.

However, that peace and tranquility brought on by the hot shower vanished in an instant. The bathroom was empty. Not one person was at a trough or finishing up from their own shower. I knew I wasn’t alone when I started because it caught me by surprise that the boys and girls all used the same common bathroom and shower area.

I wrapped my towel around my body and stepped back to the stall I just vacated. If I was about to be jumped, I would not have my back exposed.

“Where did you learn to fight like that?” Betty stepped out of the shadows. “They teach that over at Sunset?”

“My mom taught me.”

“Lindsay or Janie?”

Wow, people really did know the story. Heck, these people probably know my mom and dad better than I do. I mean, sure, I’ve read their journals…but some folks have passages committed to memory. I’ve even heard that there are some folks who have retraced the routes that Sam and Meredith describe.

“Mama Lindsay. She was the head of the EEF at Sunset and also sort of the unofficial guard of the president.”

“Did you know her…the president I mean?” Betty said with way too much awe.

“I know her, she comes to the house…or at least she did when things were normal.” I saw something on Betty’s face flicker.

“You don’t know.” Betty suddenly looked like she would rather be someplace else.

“Know what?”

“She…the president…” I felt dread building in my heart and the threat of tears in my eyes. “She has been in the cube for five days. Nobody has ever lasted beyond four. Folks say that she has actually killed three of the biters. Dominique has had to replace them and I guess she threatened to start tossing guards in because she can’t believe that the president isn’t doing this without help from somebody.”

At first I didn’t know what she was talking about. Then it struck me…that huge contraption in the lobby. That had to be what she was talking about.

“Well then, she must have not paid attention when they were running around together. Jenifer is about as mule-headed and stubborn as they come.” I was actually able to muster a laugh.

“Still, nobody can last forever,” Betty said sadly. I also heard a lot more in those words than just concern for Jenifer.

“So why did you scare everybody away? It wasn’t to tell me about the president or just ask who taught me how to fight.”

“I guess I owe you a bit of an explanation.” Betty was really struggling to speak. She kept choking up and I was not sure if I was more confused, concerned, or curious.

“About what?” Maybe she needed to be led down whatever path she was trying to go down.

“In the ring…I went a little crazy.”

Okay, a bit of an understatement coming from somebody who had told me to take a dive like she was doing me a favor.

“Nobody has even come close to beating me in the ring. Pretty soon, they started using me to graduate the newbies. If they lasted a certain length of time and managed to get in a shot or two, they were considered ready. And not just the girls.”

Her voice rang with a bit of pride. I had to imagine that she had not had an easy life up to this point despite the sense of community in Warehouse City, which I had been told was just like Sunset…only with about twice the people.

“Wait…how long have Dominique’s people been here occupying Warehouse City?” I asked.

“About three months…maybe a little longer.”

Had it really been that long? Time just seems so odd. Have you ever noticed how a good day goes by in the blink of an eye, but a bad day lasts forever? And then…stack a bunch of bad days one after the other and you just lose all track after a while.

“One day they had a soldier step in the ring with me.” Betty smiled and I had an understanding of the phrase “like the cat that ate the canary”. “He was talking about how I made it look easy, but that beating up on kids was a lot different than dealing with adults. I busted his jaw.”

She smiled even bigger. I still didn’t know what that had to do with her going crazy in the ring. I kept quiet and waited for her to resume.

“When they took me back to the dorm, Major Carson was there waiting,” Betty’s voice suddenly changed. If I didn’t know any better, I would have sworn that she was afraid. “He told me that I would stay here and be used as the final test for students who were about to be shipped out, but the first time I lost, he would walk me to the train car personally.”

“The first time you lose? That seems kind of mean.”

“Yeah, well you haven’t met Major Carson. Of course it didn’t help that it was her boyfriend’s jaw that I busted.”

“Oh…so I take it that you don’t want to be a part of the New American Army?” I asked.

“That is part of it, I mean why would I want to be out where the walkers rule the land? I grew up here in Warehouse City. I worked on a construction team and was on my way to being given my own work crew. My dad was so proud of me…”

And then she choked up. For the first time, I saw what I was sure had to be tears start to well up in her eyes.

“You live here with your dad?”

“Yeah…actually, you and I have something in common in a way. I mean, nobody wrote about
me
in a book, but my dad knew your dad.”

Now I was really curious. Betty wiped her eyes and her smile came back even bigger than before.

“Okay, I’ll bite. Who is your dad?”

“Tom Langston.”

***

Morning came early and it started bad. The day would only get worse.