Fire Birds (26 page)

I shook my head and grinned. “You’re too smart for this shit, man.”

“You sound like Cheryl.”

“Blood is thicker than water,” I said.

“That don’t make no sense.”

“Okay,” I said. “Sorry. I don’t want to make an enemy of you. I just think this looks like a good place to stay, and I think I will stay here. If you’re moving into Clayfield, I’ll just take over here.”

“Pastor Andrew said the Bible says that there is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is the way of death.”

“We’re all men,” I replied. “Every one of us–even Pastor Andrew.”

“I don’t want to talk about this no more,” he said and turned so he could climb down the side of the truck. “We’re saving Clayfield, and we’re setting up a haven for any lost and wondering soul that might have survived this hell. It’s the will of God. If you have a problem with that, then take it up with him.”

The conversation at dinner was minimal. We ate squirrel and dumplings with a side of black-eyed peas. The food wasn’t very good, but I didn’t complain. Any discussion that took place was about the fire, and I was too preoccupied with my concern for Sara to pay attention. As we were finishing up, I tuned in a little more.

“I think we can take this fire as a sign,” Andrew said in a soft and solemn tone. “Now that we have the help of our new friend, God has seen fit to push us along toward our goal. I must say that I enjoyed makin’ the broadcasts, and maybe I was draggin’ my feet because of that. God has his ways. Tomorrow, we’ll focus our whole effort on blockin’ all the streets on the court square. No more dillydally.”

After the meal, I helped Cheryl with the dishes while the others went into the lounge/waiting area of the terminal for their evening devotional.

“They don’t try to pressure you to go in there with them?” I asked.

“We’re not a cult,” Cheryl said with a chuckle. “Andrew doesn’t try to control us. The others like him and like what he has to say. Andrew just fell into the role of leader.”

“I think Dan might be better suited,” I said as I carried a stack of dirty plates over to the sink.

“Danny told me you talked to him about that. You should just let go of that idea. I love him, but Danny ain’t no leader of men. I won’t question his advice on surviving this hell, but he ain’t gonna be the one in charge of rebuilding civilization. He don’t have it in him.”

“And Andrew does?”

Cheryl shrugged, “The others like to be petted. Andrew knows how to say stuff that makes them feel better. They like to know that God is still around and doing his mysterious ways. Andrew can give them that. He’s not hurting anything, and he’s got Danny there to advise him on practical matters, so I ain’t worried.”

Cheryl scrubbed the dishes then passed them to me to rinse.

“What do you think about the fire?” she said. “Do you think it was the generator?”

“What else could it be?” I asked. “You said you trusted Dan on those things.”

“I don’t know,” she said hesitantly. “You said Founder’s Hardware burned down. I’m just wondering if the same might have happened here. Maybe that crazy man heard a broadcast and found the station. Maybe he thought we lived there. Everybody was gone when it started, so he could have done it.”

“Could be,” I said. “If he’s still around, we’re going to have trouble with him in town. There’s really no reason for the group to move there. This place has everything to live.”

She passed the last dish to me and dried her hands.

“Would you and your friends be against me giving you a hand at the farm?” she asked. Her voice sounded strained like she was uncomfortable with asking.

“I need to find my friends before anything else,” I said. “But like I said, this place has everything. I’d like to stay here if everyone else is moving anyway. The living space is so much more comfortable than the Lassiter house. Now that the fields have been burned, I can see turning them under and planting stuff. I don’t know if we’ll get a harvest this late in the season, but maybe we could ask Andrew to get God to hold off on winter for a bit.”

“Don’t be a smart ass,” she grinned. “They might hear you.”

The next morning after breakfast we all armed ourselves, and Dan led us out to one of the hangars. I took a look back toward the radio station. Smoke still rose from it and drifted with the breeze off to the south. There was a hole in the side of the brick façade approximately 18 inches in diameter. I hadn’t noticed it before. I pointed it out to Dan.

“The fire probably weakened the mortar,” he said. “It caused the bricks to collapse. Give it a stiff wind, and that whole wall will probably crumble.”

I nodded, but I wasn’t convinced.

When we got to the hangar, Dan pushed open the huge door, and I saw that the building was full of cars, trucks, and vans. They were neatly parked in four rows with ten in each row.

“Were these here when you moved in? I asked.

“Nah,” Dan replied. “We’ve been collectin’ them. These all had gas in the tanks and keys. I’ve put some fuel stabilizer in ‘em, but the gas ain’t gonna last forever.” He nodded over to the far wall and a dozen or more portable gasoline cans. “We’ve been collectin’ those too. Do you know how to siphon gas?”

“Yeah.”

“Dan, make sure the tank on the blue van is full,” Andrew said. “We’ll be using it the most today.”

Dan nodded and left us to get one of the gas cans.

“Today, we’ll move most or all of these vehicles around the court square for our first temporary wall,” Andrew said to the group. “I want everyone to know their job so no one gets hurt. On our first runs, we’ll park bumper-to-bumper the full length of Broadway to the North of the courthouse by the sidewalk in front of the bank. Leave no space between the cars. Bump into each other if you must. Gail will drive the blue van, and she’ll pull alongside you to pick you up one at a time. I don’t want anyone out of their vehicle for very long.”

“We’ll probably use up most of these just blocking that one street,” Laney said. “The north end of the square is so open.”

“What if we used tractor trailers instead?” I said. “They’re longer.”

“We thought of that already,” Laney said. “The trailers are too high off the ground. They’re too easy for the dead to crawl under.”

“The cars should suffice in the short term,” Andrew said. “Laney tells me her ex-husband’s dealership should have enough cars to fill in any extra space. She knows how to get at the keys.”

Laney visibly puffed up with pride.

“Well, I’m happy to help you,” I said. “But I can’t today. First, I want to locate Sara and Grant. I’m worried about them.”

“They’re in God’s hands,” Andrew said. “I have peace about that.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” I said. “But I’d like to see them. I’m going to look for them today–check places Sara might have gone. I’ll be back to help you later on.”

“We could really use the help now, brother,” Andrew said.

When he said “brother” it brought Bruce Lee instantly to my mind.

“I need to do this,” I said.

“If you must,” Andrew said. “I’m afraid I can’t spare anyone to help you today.”

“He’s one of us now, Andrew,” Cheryl said. “We don’t go out alone. That’s one of the rules–one of your rules.”

Andrew frowned.

“What part of that did you not hear?” Laney said. “The pastor told you he can’t spare anyone. Now, get in line like the rest of us.”

“Mind your own beeswax, Laney,” Dan said.

“I’m going with him,” Cheryl said. “There will still be plenty of work left for us to do when we get back. We ain’t shirking our responsibilities.”

“I can’t stop you,” Andrew said.

“What about a car?” I said. “Can you spare a car?”

Andrew begrudgingly agreed to let us take the car we’d used the day before. I emptied out the Romulan Warbird and the cellphones I’d taken from Bruce’s house along with the supplies we’d retrieved from the Lassiter house. Everyone impatiently watched me pull out all the superfluous stuff. I made sure to hide the cover of the Playboy that was sticking out of the box. I carried it all over and set it next to the wall in the hangar and returned with the bag of phones.

“I got a couple more of these,” I said to Gail, who was waiting next to her van.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Some kind of phone,” I replied. “Haven’t you seen the other one yet?”

“What other one?”

I looked over to Dan, and he gave me an apologetic expression.

“Sorry,” he said. “I forgot to mention it to her. I guess it burned up in the fire at the station.”

I gave her one and handed another one to Dan.

“If you get a chance see if you can get them to work,” I said. “Or we could crack them open and use the parts for something.”

“There are cellphones everywhere,” Gail said. “They don’t work anymore.”

“I know,” I said. “But these might be different. For one thing they’re solar powered.”

“So?” she replied. “That doesn’t mean you’re going to talk to somebody that ain’t there.”

“Okay,” I said, frustrated. “Throw them away then. I thought it might be something.”

She shrugged and put it in her pocket. I looked out at Dan again.

“We’ll look ‘em over,” he said and tossed it into the car.

Cheryl and I left with the others, but we went the opposite direction.

I drove us out to the Lassiter place first on the off chance Sara and Grant had gone back. They weren’t there, but I left them a note. Since Blaine’s house was the next closest place, I drove over there. I hadn’t been there in a while. It looked differently, being overgrown. Cheryl and I went out to his garden plot to have a look.

“That looks like garlic,” Cheryl said, pointing to some tall stalks with purple flowers.

“They need to be harvested,” I replied. Then I grinned at a memory. “This is what he planted last fall. I remember he told me about planting them. He loved garlic.”

“Tomatoes over there,” Cheryl said.

There were several cherry tomato plants that had come up “wild,” There were also some plants that were either pumpkins or gourds. I wouldn’t know for sure until the fruit developed more. Blaine’s apple and pear trees were loaded with fruit, and they’d be ready to pick in August and September.

“We’ll come back for the garlic later,” I said.

I left a note on the shop door at Blaine’s, then decided to go over to the little house on the edge of town where Sara and I had first met Corndog. When I got back to the car, Cheryl was in the driver’s seat. I didn’t argue about driving; I just got in.

“So Sara means a lot to you?” Cheryl asked. “She’s not just somebody you’re shacking up with to get through this?”

“Yeah,” I said. “I care about her, but I don’t really think I know her the way I thought I did.”

“Did she change that much while she was gone?” She asked as she pulled out onto the main highway to Clayfield.

“I don’t know,” I shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Well, shit, I’ve changed a lot since this all happened. You need to expect that. Nobody is what they used to be.”

“I suppose.”

“Tell me when I need to turn,” she said.

“Just stay on this road until you get to the bypass,” I replied.

Ahead, there were black tire marks on the road. They curved toward the shoulder. There was an RV on its side in the drainage ditch.

“Stop,” I said. “That’s them. Oh…no...no.

Cheryl slowed then stopped in the middle of the road.

“Oh no…oh shit,” I said.

“You sure that’s them?” she said. “That thing could have been there since February.”

“It’s them.” I opened the door, pulled up my mask and got out.

“Wait,” Cheryl yelled, but I was already running toward the wreck.

There was a creature standing near the overturned vehicle. It moaned and came at me. I reached for my pistol, but it wasn’t there. I’d left my weapon in the car. I stepped backward. Cheryl fired, and the thing’s head snapped back.

“You’re gonna get your ass chewed on if you don’t start thinking,” she said.

I ran up to the windshield and cupped my hands around my eyes to look in.

“I can’t tell if they’re in there,” I said.

She came up next to me and looked in too.

“If they did get out, we should see some evidence of it–an open door or broken window.”

I ran around the vehicle looking for any sign Sara and Grant had escaped. When I returned, Cheryl had her hand on the hood.

“The engine is cold,” she said. “This happened a while ago, maybe this morning…maybe yesterday. There was a crowd around it for a while too. Look at how all the grass and brush has been trampled down. I don’t see any dead zombies, except the one I just shot, so maybe they never came out of it.”

“Maybe they got out before the zombies got here,” I said. “Maybe they climbed out through the side door, and it shut.”