Badlands Trilogy (Book 3): Out of the Badlands (16 page)

But now, here he stood, twelve faces watching him, waiting to see what he had to say.

He glanced at his family. Zach and Jeremy watched him intently. They trusted him. They needed him. They had faith in him. Right or wrong, they looked to him as their guide and guardian.

He met Trish’s gaze. They’d become so close that she knew what he was thinking usually before he did. The look on her face said everything, without a word.
You can do this
, her eyes said.
It’s time that you got us all to that safe haven.

Ed nodded at her and she returned it, smiling.

Ed took a deep breath and began talking.

* * *

“We took a bad hit tonight,” Ed began. “The wrong decisions were made and we know who made them. Those people are gone now, so that leaves just us.”

He saw faces nodding in agreement from the small crowd before him.

“We lost a lot of people, unnecessarily. I almost lost my family. I thought my son was dead. I don’t ever plan on letting that happen again. Some of you, like me, came from Kansas City to find a new safe haven. The few of you who were locked up at the church, you’re free now. You’re under no obligation to go anywhere with anyone.

“This puts us at a crossroads. We have a decision to make. We can continue to California as a group—like we planned—and try to catch that ship to Hawaii. We can also split up now and go our own ways. We’ll split the weapons and the supplies evenly and be done with it.”

“How can we trust you?” Dario asked, the sour expression on his face even more pronounced.

“You can trust him,” Jasper said, stepping in. “You can trust him with your life.”

Ed held up a hand. “It’s okay, Jasper.” He turned to Dario. “You don’t have any guarantee and I don’t have time to prove it to you. If you don’t want to come along with the rest of us then we’ll give you some supplies and you can go your own way. Up to you.”

“You’re saying that you folks were headed somewhere safe?” Reggie asked. “Some place you know about?”

Ed explained the plan in detail, including the radio transmissions they’d overheard while back in Kansas City.

“So are you the leader here, or what?” Dario asked.

Terry stepped forward. “Yeah, he is.”

“We should put that to a vote, I say,” Dario said.

Jasper raised his hand. “I vote for Ed as the leader.”

Trish raised her hand as well. “I vote for Ed.” Both Zach and Jeremy followed.

Tina raised her hand. “I’ll follow you, Ed.”

Kevin Cook, his dirty face streaked with tears also raised his hand. “Ed.”

Burt, Reggie and Herb, all former prisoners of Enoch’s, raised their hands slowly.

Sue raised her hand and spoke in her gruff voice. “Ed. He’s good enough for now.”

Dario looked around at all the hands in the air and shrugged. “All right then. I suppose you’re the man.” Ed did not believe, however, that he was sufficiently convinced.

“Ed Brady,” Terry said, “you’re officially nominated as the leader of this group. Do you accept our nomination?”

Ed paused for a moment, considering. He could just take some of the rifles, load up on food and set out on foot with his family, like before. Things had been simpler then. He’d only have Trish and the boys to worry about.

He glanced at Jasper. The kid saved Ed’s life. He’d left everything behind to follow Ed to Kansas City. Ed knew in his heart there was no way he could leave his friend behind.

“Okay,” Ed said, hoping this wasn’t the worst decision he’d ever made. “I accept.”

The following morning Lester awoke on the living room couch to the warmth of morning sunlight on his face. Sam and Chloe slept in the bedroom, evidenced by the boy’s loud snoring through the closed door. He rose from the couch and stretched, watching the dust motes dance in the sunlight.

After taking a quick pee out the back door, he roused his two sleeping companions. They woke easily enough, Chloe with a mild start. She gave him a look that told him she didn’t appreciate him sneaking up on her while she was sleeping. He apologized and she seemed to relax a little.

They met in the kitchen a few minutes later. Lester had three glasses of water waiting for them, drawn from the well out behind the house. They each took one and drank.

“No sign of Rita last night then?” Sam asked, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

Lester shook his head. “Appears not. Still ready to look for her?”

Both Sam and Chloe nodded.

“Okay then. Chloe, you should take her shotgun though, just to be safe. Do you think you can handle a twelve gauge?”

Chloe paused for a moment. Lester could almost see the wheels turning in her head. By all appearances, he’d given her all the power.

“Sure,” she eventually said.

Lester smiled. “Then let’s go find our missing host.”

* * *

Lester led the group out the back door and away from the site where he’d dumped Rita’s body a day and a half earlier. They walked an area of almost a mile before coming back around to the house again. On the return trip, however, Lester led them right across the site where he’d dumped Rita’s remains.

His plan worked even better than he’d expected.

“What’s that?” Sam called out, pointing toward the patch of trampled grass.

“I don’t know,” Lester said, playing the part of surprised and stunned.

Sam got there first. “Looks like some clothes and some…” he trailed off when he finally noticed the bones. He puked when he saw the bloody mess left behind. The carriers had been at her that was for sure. Scratch marks criss-crossed the dull, dry surface of what appeared to be a femur, an ulna and several ribs.

Ten feet away they found her skull. The skin had been peeled off and eaten, the eyes gouged out and consumed as well. The jawbone was gone. Flies buzzed the empty eye sockets, eating their fill of the rotting brain matter inside. Chloe gagged, but she kept it down. Lester admired that.

“It’s her,” Chloe said.

“You’re sure?” Lester asked.

Chloe nodded. “I recognize the clothes. I’ve seen enough. Can we go back to the house now?”

“Sure,” Lester replied.

They walked quickly back to the house. Chloe made sure to lock the door once the trio was safely inside.

“Sorry you guys had to see that,” Lester said.

Sam opened his mouth to speak, but Chloe got her words out first. “Not the first time I’ve seen a dead body.”

“Of that, I have no doubt,” Lester said. “Not sure if it gets any easier though.”

Chloe didn’t argue.

“What do we do now?” Sam asked.

“I supposed we could stay here for a few days,” Lester said.

“I don’t want to stay here,” Chloe said. “Reminds me too much of her.”

“But if we don’t stay here, where do we go?” Lester said, choosing his language carefully, including himself in the collective
we
. He studied both their faces for any sign of reluctance.

Seconds passed and no one spoke. “Chloe?” Lester added. “Any ideas?”

“Me? Why do I have to decide?”

“You don’t have to, I just thought you were in charge when I met up with you and Sam, that’s all.”

“I’m not in charge, we were just walking,” Chloe said.

“Yes, you are,” Sam added.

“Well, who says I want to be in charge?” Chloe argued.

“It’s okay,” Lester said, steering the conversation in his direction. “Nobody has to be in charge. Take a vote. We could decide as a team.”

Chloe gave him an odd look and Lester thought for a moment she was going to protest, but the moment passed and her face returned to normal. “Okay,” she said. “A vote sounds good.”

This time Lester allowed himself to smile. “Then let’s figure out what’s next…as a team.”

Exhausted, Ed and the others slept in the back of the truck behind the strip mall, trading guard duty shifts with each other throughout the night. They stayed out of the mall itself, choosing to avoid anything that might be keeping their own residence inside. Terry and Jasper moved Kevin Wells’ body off the truck while Sue comforted his surviving partner. Sue had turned out to have a bit more heart than Ed had initially given her credit for.

At daybreak Jasper and Terry burned the dead man’s body. Herb said a few words while the others gathered around for a makeshift service. It was the first decent thing Ed had seen in a long while. It gave him hope for the group’s future.

After the service, Ed collected the group and addressed them for the first time as their appointed leader. “I think we should hole up for a week,” he said, seeing their faces clearly in the bright sunlight. They all looked so tired. “Our trail will go cold and that’ll help throw off whoever those men were that attacked the church. It’ll also give us some time to ferret out some supplies and regroup. We need to be prepared this time, better than we were before.”

“We should put it to a vote,” Dario said, reminiscent of his approach the night before. “Just to make sure everybody’s on board.”

Ed scrutinized the little dark-haired man, hoping he wouldn’t be trouble. The last thing Ed needed was another Alice Sappington to contend with.

“We don’t need to fucking vote,” Terry argued.

Ed had grown to like his new friend very much. “That’s okay. I’m fine voting. What do you all say? Hole up for week or get back out there right now on the road?”

“I don’t want to go back out there just yet,” Reggie replied. “I got a good look at those road warrior creeps in the armor. I say we give it the week.”

“All those in favor of waiting a week, raise your hands,” Terry said.

Ed saw that all but two raised their hands: Dario and Sue. So much for Sue being on his side.

“Majority rules in a vote like this, so we’re going to stay put,” Terry said.

Dario frowned. Sue’s face was like that of a master poker player, stoic as hell.

“I’d like to know what your concerns are,” Ed said. “Terry’s right that majority rules, but dissent shouldn’t go unaddressed.”

“The food,” Sue said. “We ain’t gonna have enough, not if we sit here on our asses and eat it all week. We’re gonna need more.”

“Point taken,” Ed said. “We have one of the best scavengers I’ve ever met here with this group. His name is Jasper Carter.”

Jasper looked away sheepishly. “Laying it on a little thick there, aren’t you?”

“Not at all. He had the biggest stockpile of stuff that I’ve ever seen. His toilet paper inventory alone would blow your mind,” Ed said with a smile. That elicited a chuckle from the group.

“You really that good, boy?” Sue asked.

Jasper paused for a moment, as if considering. “Yeah, I am.”

“Then we’re gonna be counting on you to fill the gap. I like the idea then, so long as we can feed ourselves until we get there,” Sue said.

Terry asked, “Does that mean you’re now for or against waiting out the week?”

“I’m for it,” Sue replied.

“How about you, short stuff?” Terry said. “What’s your complaint?”

Dario frowned. “If we’re gonna get more food then I suppose I’m okay with it.” Ed watched the man’s face closely, but the sour expression never really left it.

“All right then,” Terry said. “Let’s find ourselves a place to hole up.”

* * *

Two exits down they found a suitable building. A former machine shop large enough to hold everyone, including the truck, with room to spare. Plus, the steel garage doors provided an adequate barrier to the carrier threat lurking in the shadows each night. After climbing in the through a window, Sue opened one of the garage doors using the manual override. Ed pulled the truck inside as Sue closed the door behind them.

Sunlight filtered in through hazy windows, bathing the inside in a dirty yellow pallor. A thick coat of dust covered silent machines, rusting in disuse like the rotting carcasses of mechanical dinosaurs. Armed with M16s from their weapons stock, Terry, Jasper and Reggie ensured that the building was clear before they made the decision to stay. Aside from four desiccated corpses they discovered in a back room, Ed and the group found themselves alone in the warehouse.

As night fell it covered the landscape like a dark blanket. Conversation remained at a minimum. Most of the survivors kept to themselves. Reggie, Tina, Dario and Burt—all former prisoners of Enoch’s cult—exhibited signs of malnourishment. After a quiet dinner of canned food—beef stew, chili, vegetable and chicken noodle soup—they slept most of the evening away.

 
Ed, Trish, Jasper and Terry sat off to themselves and away from the rest of the group. Zach and Jeremy lay a few feet away on blankets placed on the hard shop floor. Ed watched them sleeping, wishing they had beds. With any luck, they’d have beds once they got to Hawaii. Everyone would have beds then.

“I’ll make a trip out tomorrow,” Jasper said, candlelight dancing on his face. “A scouting run, just to see what’s out there.”

“Alone?” Ed asked.

Jasper nodded.

“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea,” Ed said. “Wouldn’t you be better off with the truck and a few others?”

“Well, somebody’s gotta see what’s out there and there’s no sense in burning up all the gas only to come back empty handed. I’ll go on foot as far as I can and still make it back by nightfall.”

“You shouldn’t go alone though. If something happens to you then you’re screwed.”

“I’ll go,” Terry said.

Ed shook his head. “I’d rather you stay here.”

“Who then?” Terry asked.

“What about Sue?” Trish suggested. “She seems capable.”

Ed nodded. “What do you think, Jasper?”

“Sure, why not?”

“If you find anything, only bring back what you can carry,” Ed said. “If there’s more we’ll take the truck.”

“Will do.”

“And don’t let it slow you down. You need to be back before dusk.”

“Okay, Dad,” Jasper said, grinning.

“You know what I mean,” Ed said, returning the smile.

“I’ll go tell Sue she’s been volunteered,” Jasper said. “We’ll head out first thing in the morning.”

“Tomorrow we’ll reassess our route and inventory our supplies and fuel,” Ed said. “We’ll need to get some estimates together to make sure we can make it on what we have. Losing the second truck hurt us.”