DEAD: Confrontation (31 page)

“Shaw?” Aleah was stunned to hear how full-circle some things seemed to come.

“I never got the names of anybody,” Catie admitted. “But it was right around then that Willa basically mobilized every single female soldier she could get to and late one night, she led an attack on our own. From that point on, we have been sort of out in the breeze. We have met some real scum out there. And it just seems that you start to forget about the decent folks after a while.”

The two sat in silence for the rest of the break. Aleah just wanted to get back to the camp and see what could be done for Kevin. As soon as he was able, she wanted to be away from th
ese people. She longed for the days when it was just their small group. As crazy as the whole thing seemed, she felt that their best chance was not with this large group, but rather just their small one.

***

Heather stepped out of the RV. After a long talk with a few of the soldiers, she had to see Kevin. If she just sat and did nothing, she would never forgive herself. And if he ever found out that she knew but said nothing…he would never forgive her either.

Colonel Shipley’s words were still ringing in her ears. She knew on a certain
level that what the colonel said was right, but that was only if you could live with this new and harsh reality. It was unlikely that Kevin would accept this situation with anything other than anger.

She had been summoned to the colonel’s tent just before dawn this morning. It didn’t take a genius to have an inkling as to what the reason might be. A few hours prior, this place had been buzzing with activity as everybody was busy fighting off the herd of zombies that had come their way. That in and of i
tself was part of the world that they lived in; however, there was little doubt that it had been Valarie who brought them.

Sometime
during the night she had managed to slip from her restraints and get out into the compound. Her screaming had awakened damn near most of the camp. That was the best result; unfortunately, it also attracted the attention of a herd (or caused the assembling of one) numbering a couple hundred.

When they had finished off the last of the walkers and star
ted the bonfire, the colonel has sought Heather directly and asked to speak with her in private.

“I understand that Mr. Dreon has an attachment to the girl,” the colonel said as she took her seat behind the heavy wooden desk. “However, I
cannot continue to jeopardize my people all because of this one individual. I have heard all that you each shared, and I have to say that the scales are heavily tipped in an unfavorable way. This girl is indirectly responsible for the deaths of one of my most trusted soldiers, your own doctor—a rarity that cannot be easily replaced these days—as well as your young friend, that little girl’s sister…the singer…Shari I think was her name? Not to mention it is quite possible that your encounter with Major Beers can be tied to her as well.”

“What are you saying?” Heather knew what was coming. The problem was that she harbored some of the same feelings. She needed to hear it from others so that she did not feel so
incredibly awful.

“I am saying that this one person
cannot continue to remain here and endanger the lives of everybody around her. The world is not a place where people with severe conditions such as hers are going to be able to receive the care that they require. It is harsh, but it is a reality,” the colonel said with a very calm and matter-of-fact tone.

“So why are you calling me here?” Heather asked. “You obviously have made a decision on the matter. Why not simply carry out what you plan to do? It is not like I am in any position to stop you.”

Heather felt the tendrils of guilt creeping through her soul. She knew very well what she wanted to hear, and she also knew that this was an opportunity for her to be able to absolve herself of any feelings, or at least some, when it came to dealing with Valarie.

“I am talking to you because I want you to speak with Mr. Dreon.”

Heather stared into the eyes of the colonel. She was not sure what she was looking for. Perhaps she wanted to see coldness, or lack of feeling. Instead, what she saw was real and true compassion. Colonel Shipley was taking no pleasure in this.

“What do I tell him?” Heather’s voice was barely above a whisper. “There is more to this story than just Valarie.”

“Such as?”

Heat
her considered for just a moment if she had any right sharing Kevin’s story about his sister with this relative stranger. In the end, she decided that perhaps this was the last chance at saving Valarie. Maybe if the colonel knew more about why she was so important to Kevin, then she would seek an alternative. Deep down, she knew that was a false hope. She told all she knew from what Kevin shared. When she was finished, there was a long silence.

“He is trying to redeem himself through this girl,” the col
onel finally spoke. “And as much as I can sympathize, I simply cannot allow my people to be put at risk any longer.”

“So…you are going to…” Heather considered her next word carefully and decided that she owed it to Kevin to at least make an honest effort, “…murder this girl?”

“What I am going to do is ask you to speak with Mr. Dreon. I am willing to listen to any alternative he can offer that will remove my people from this continued danger that they are being put in by one individual.”

“But—” Heather started to protest.

“There is no way that I can continue to keep this girl tied up,” the colonel said with a firmness that still held considerable compassion. “That girl is not living…she is simply enduring. She is restrained day and night. She suffers from more than just the Down’s condition, she also has some severe mental illness issues that we just are not equipped to deal with. I am sorry, but it is the truth. And even if I were to condone a run for some more of her medications, those would eventually run out. We are postponing the inevitable here.”

Heather had left that little meeting with mixed emotions. Deep down, in a place that she did not dare let come too close to the surface
, was a sense of relief. When they had been at the mercy of Major Beers, it was easy to paint the major and her followers as evil and wrong for wanting to do away with Valarie. But the real truth was that the poor girl was suffering in ways that nobody knew how to handle.

As Heather went to the RV that she called home, she had decided that there would be no way to break this news to Kevin in such a way that he would be “okay” with on any level. She took a sponge bath and changed into clean clothes—a morning of fighting zombies tended to be a messy affair. Truth be told, she was doing everything she could think of to postpone this conversation.

Reaching the medical RV where Kevin was still being kept, Heather stood outside of it for several minutes. Every time she thought she had built up the courage to go inside, she would chicken out. Finally, after countless false starts, she turned the knob and went inside.

“If that is you, Doc, I meant what I said about pain meds. Save them for somebody who really needs them,” Kevin’s voice called from in back.

“It’s me, Kevin.”

“Heather?” Kevin’s voice changed in an instant from a
nnoyed to excited. “Man, am I glad to see a friendly face. Get back here.”

If only you knew
, she thought as she moved past two other patients sharing the RV with Kevin. Both of these were seemingly asleep despite Kevin’s hollering which meant they were either medicated, heavy sleepers, or faking it. Considering the mood she had seen from Kevin lately, that last one was pretty likely. And she was about to make it worse.

She opened the
collapsible screen that acted as a door and entered Kevin’s little room. He was sitting up in bed. Heather took a moment to really look at him. Since they’d met, he had always seemed so sure of himself. He had always been on his feet doing. To see him now, in bed like this, his face still all red and peeling; not to mention how gaunt he looked from not eating.

“So what brings you here?” Kevin asked after seeing a look on Heather’s face that, if he didn’t know better, was something akin to absolute dread. “I heard all the ruckus earlier. Sounded like a helluva fight. How many were there?”

“A couple hundred at least,” Heather answered.

“Figured that you would be in the thick of it and so I guess I just thought you would be asleep
by now.”

She had been involved. But not nearly as ‘in the thick of it’ as he might believe. The soldiers here did most of the fighting. Everybody else was sort of relegated to
lugging reloads to the different stations for the compound and crossbows. If need be, they might be called up to the walls to support a particular crossbowman. That meant sitting with three or four of the weapons and doing the reloading. A task that currently had her arms feeling like noodles.

“Yeah…it
was a fun way to start the day.” Heather shrugged and sat beside Kevin’s bed.

“Any word from Aleah’s group?” Kevin asked, the hope obvious in his voice.

Heather winced inwardly. The answer ‘no’ was not the problem. The real problem was that Kevin had no idea that they were basically second-class citizens with these people. That group had Aleah along only because she had made such a fuss. It would not surprise Heather in the least if they basically just used her to carry gear.

“No word yet, but they should be back today or tomorrow at the latest.”

“Good, I need to talk to her,” Kevin said with a sigh. “We didn’t exactly leave on good terms. I stuck my foot in—” Kevin paused and then smiled. “Hey, I guess I need to find a better expression. I mean, one foot is missing and the other is minus a couple of toes which would make fitting it in my mouth an easier task.”

“Well then,” Heather joined in on this moment of good-natured kidding, “maybe it is the right term for you. As often as you do it…you might want to stick with something that is a bit smaller so you don’t get stretch marks on your cheeks.”

They laughed a little too hard for a joke that wasn’t all that funny. Afterwards, there was an uncomfortable silence.

“So,” Kevin finally broke it, making Heather jump, “was that Valarie that I heard?”

“Yeah.” Heather felt a lump growing in her throat and a tightness build around her heart.

“Is that what brought them
?”

Heather nodded. He was taking her right to the part where she was going to have to tell him the bad news. A few tears spilled from her eyes and she looked at him through the blurr
iness that they caused. She would at least look him in the eyes to break the news.

“They want to get rid of her, Kevin. Colonel Shipley called me in afterwards and said that they
cannot keep endangering the group for one person.”

The silence came crashing back down. Kevin looked away for a few moments. When he turned back to her, tears were in his eyes as well. Heather leaned in and wrapped her arms around him and the two cried for a few minutes. Finally, Kevin brought his hands to
her shoulders and eased her back.

There was a look on his face. She had expected a number of possibilities when it came to how he would react to this news. The very last thing that she expected to see on his face was a smile.

“What is it?” she finally asked.

“I have an idea.
I need you to do a few things for me first,” Kevin was suddenly whispering.

Heather glanced over her shoulder as if she expected som
ebody to be standing there. When she saw nothing, she turned back to him with a look that clearly indicated that she had no idea what was going on.

Kevin leaned in close and whispered in her ear, “From here on out, trust nobody and say nothing other than to exchange friendly greetings or whatever.”

“They aren’t holding us prisoner,” Heather whispered back.

“Have you tried to leave on your own?”

“Well…no, but that doesn’t mean anything.”

“I’m just being cautious. We really don’t have any idea what these people are about.”

“But they have taken care of you…given you medical help.” Heather thought that just maybe Kevin was edging towards that cliff of paranoia. Maybe things were finally taking their toll on him.

“I know,” Kevin nodded, “b
ut when Aleah gets back, we will see. And also, I want to wait and talk to her about what she saw out there. The fact remains that we need to find someplace that we can settle down. I think this location is a bad choice. These people have built a bit of a fortress from abandon cars and such. It is not going to be a good long term solution.”

“Okay, I’m gonna bite. Why is this place any worse than somepl
ace else…the golf course for instance?”

“The biggest is that this place is going to be toxic ground within a year. All those vehicles are rusting away as we spe
ak. Their fluids are seeping into the ground. There is no way that they can grow any produce. They are relying on stores that will run out. Also, they will need to forage for more. Each time you do that, you risk your life. The ideal location is someplace remote, yet with a climate that is conducive to farming.”