Rise From The Ashes: The Rebirth of San Antonio (Countdown to Armageddon Book 3) (11 page)

     “I don’t give a shit. That’s not my problem. You can have one or the other. If you have no more valuables, start breaking into the empty houses around you. They’re either dead or gone. They won’t need their stuff anymore. Now, you’re wasting my time. Which one do you want?”

     “But…”

     “Screw you. Here’s the tuna. Now get out of my sight.”

     It was while standing on the back of one of their trailers, waiting on a line of their customers, that Tony had an idea.

     “You know, if we had some damn wheels we’d be able to sell this stuff to the people on the other side of Kerrville, instead of just the ones close enough to walk over here.”

     His buddy Kevin laughed.

     “No doubt. Now the only problem is, where in hell are you going to find wheels?”

     “There was an old man up on
Highway 83 that was driving an old beat up Ford awhile back.”

     “Seriously? How in hell did he get it running?”

     “I don’t know. But we saw him coming back from a dead truck west of there loaded down with boxes. We snuck over to his place that night and tried to hotwire it, but couldn’t get it started.”

     “Did you know what you were doing?”

     “No. We were trying to figure out which two wires to cross and he came out shooting so we took off.”

     “Hell, take me there. I can hotwire a car.”

     “No. We went back a week later to try again and he was gone. The place was deserted. And there was a big pile of dirt at the end of the road with a sign on it that said keep out or get shot.”

     Kevin wasn’t a rocket scientist. But he was infinitely smarter than Tony Pike.

     “Okay, Tony. Answer me these two questions. First of all, if he really left, why would he bother putting a big pile of dirt there to keep people out? If he wasn’t there any more, why would he care?

     “And secondly… h
ow did he make the big pile of dirt if he didn’t have vehicles? I doubt if he carried it over a shovel full at a time. He must have figured out how to make things run again, and I’ll bet he’s still there, hiding somewhere.”

     Tony suddenly felt stupid.

     “Hell, I never thought about that.”

     And the two made a note to check out Tom Haskins’ place a bit more thoroughly.

-19
-

     “I can walk. Just point me in the right direction, damnit.”

     Robbie was having none of it
.

     “Hey, just because you’re now a duly sworn officer of the law doesn’t mean you can give me a hard time. To me you’re just a rookie. I’ve got seven years on the force and that means I outrank you. So just shut up and let me drive, rookie.”

     He pushed Scott’s wheelchair down the long eastern corridor of St. Mary’s Hospital.

     “Besides, you and Nurse Becky have only been taking short walks up and down the hallway in the ward. This long walk would be way too much for you.”

     When they passed the third set of elevators, Scott finally asked, “Aren’t we going upstairs? Why are we passing all of the elevators?”

     “Because most of them don’t work. Most of the electronics got fried during the blackout. The technicians were able to cannibalize enough working parts to get just one set of elevators working. And that’s where we’re headed.”

     They rounded a corner.

     “In fact, here we are now.”

     Robbie pushed the button and the elevator opened in front of them. In they went, and Scott noticed a rolling tray on one side of the elevator with several boxes of latex gloves and paper masks. Above the cart, a hand made sign was taped to the wall.

NOTICE:

Floors five, six and seven are

QUARANTINE AREAS

Masks and gloves are required.

NO EXCEPTIONS!

     Robbie had done this drill a hundred times in the past. For Scott it was new, but something he’d surely do many times in the future. He selected a pair of blue latex gloves from the box marked “large.” Just a guess, really. They seemed to be a bit loose. He supposed that was because he’d lost a lot of weight in the hospital. He wouldn’t waste these, but he made a mental note to try the mediums on for size the next time he came to visit John.

     They stepped off the elevator into a sea of people, all wearing similar masks and gloves. Even the patients who were ambulatory wore them. An added precaution, Scott presumed.

     Robbie wheeled him down the corridor to room 607. The white board next to the door said “Officer John Castro, SAPD. Medal of Honor Winner.”

     Apparently the hospital staff liked to recognize its heroes.

     John was sitting on the edge of his bed, in Sesame Street pajamas, of all things. He saw Scott break into laughter.

     “One of the nurse
s has a sense of humor,” he explained. “She said it was the only pajamas they had left. I found out later that wasn’t true, but by then I’d grown attached to them.”

     He held out a blue latex hand.

     “It’s nice to finally meet you, Scott. I understand you saved my life.”

     “Hardly,” Scott said as he shook John’s hand. “I was just a delivery boy. These people all around you saved your life, as well as mine.”

     “They’re good people, aren’t they?”

     “Yes indeed. Real heroes, in my book.”

     “I understand you’ve got a shiny new badge and police ID.”

     “Yes. The c
hief came by yesterday and had me take the oath. To be honest, the whole thing scares me just a little bit. I hope I’m up to the task.”

     John laughed.

     “Relax. It’s a piece of cake. Robbie does it, and Robbie can’t even tie his own shoes.”

     Robbie pretended to take offense.

     “Hey, watch it, pal. It’s a good thing you’re in the hospital, or I just might put you in the hospital.”

     “Listen to Captain Redundant Redundant over there. So, Scott, I heard a rumor you’re getting out tomorrow. What are your plans?”

     “The chief is having me shadow Robbie until you get out. To learn the ropes so I’m not such a burden when I have to start doing stuff for real.”

     “I hate to tell you this, my friend, but there is no probationary period. Not any more. No learning curve either. You’ll be learning as you go, doing real stuff from day one.
Trial by fire, so to speak.”

     “Well, like I said, I hope I’m up to the task.”

     “Just follow instructions to the letter, without stopping to ask questions, and you’ll do fine. Stopping to ask why can get you killed in our line of work. And you’ve already been almost killed once. You don’t want to do that again.”

     “Nope. Not at all. When are you getting out?”

     ‘I wanted to go home today, but the doc says he wants to keep me for a few more days. He says the swelling in my brain hasn’t completely gone away yet, and that’s what’s causing my dizzy spells and headaches. He says another few days and I’ll be back to normal.”

     “Well, I’m looking forward to being your partner.”

     “Me too, my friend. Do you have a place to stay?”

     “Yes. I figured I’d stay at my old house. It’s furnished and I’m comfortable there.”

     “Can I give you another option?”

     “Sure.”

     “I finally talked Robbie into moving into my place until Hannah and the girls are able to come back. I’ve got four bedrooms, so there’s room for you too. We can be roommates. You can use my ham radio to talk to your family any time you want, and it’ll make transportation a lot easier. One of the hardest parts about running a police department with only eighty two patrol cars is getting everybody to and from work. If the three of us work the same shift, we can take one car home at night and leave the other two on the job with other officers.”

     “The other two? I thought I was going to partner with you.”

     “Yes, initially. But after you’re trained, they’ll split us up and you’ll carry a paramedic around with you. That’ll expand our police presence a bit more and keep the public calmer. But don’t worry. The chief said he’d leave it up to me when to cut you loose, and I’ll make sure you have all the tools you need to succeed. And we’ll work the same district so I’ll always be around to back you up if you need it.”

     “Okay. I’m in. I’ll be
your roommate. And thanks for the offer.”

     “Did the chief explain the ‘Houses for Hours’ program that the mayor and city council dreamed up?”

     “He touched on it but he really didn’t explain it.”

     “It’s a great idea. The city now owns thousands of homes that used to belong to families which committed suicide or abandoned them. They can’t pay any city employees, including us, because money is worthless and the banks are out of business. So they are letting each of us choose a house, work for a year, and then own the house outright. It’s a gr
eat idea, in my humble opinion.

     “I know you’ve already got your place north of the city, Scott. But if you think about it, this would be a great way to provide homes for your family. You have three boys, right?”

     Scott laughed.

     “No. Two’s all I have, and that’s plenty enough for me. And it does sound like a great deal, but I don’t plan to spend two years down here working with you guys. No offense, but I don’t think I’ll be as great a cop as you guys. And as soon as
the doctor gives me the all clear about the plague thing, I’ll rejoin my boys, and my girlfriend. But I certainly don’t mind helping you out in the meantime.”

     “I certainly understand. Family is everything. But don’t sell yourself short on your abilities as a cop. You’ve already shown your willingness to help others that you don’t even know. And that’s ninety percent of the job. I think you’ll make a fine officer. The chief thinks so too. He told me so.”

     Robbie said, “Tell him about the house you’ve picked out, John.”

     “I will, but you have to promise not to tell Hannah or the girls.”

     “Uh… okay. You have my word.”

     “I’m getting Otis Morning’s mansion on the hill, on the west side of town.”

     “Otis Morning, the basketball player?”

     “Yes. He and his family were found by
his security guards huddled together in their living room. It was a mass suicide, some kind of overdose, and it looked like they went peacefully. They were all dressed up in their Sunday best and died in each other’s arms. All in all, not a bad way to go, I suppose. At least they didn’t starve to death like a lot of others did.

     “Anyway, Hannah used to drive past that mansion on the hill sometimes and daydream about living there. She said it looked like a fairy tale castle to her. That’s why I’ve chosen that particular house. On a military
pension, and now a cop’s income, I’d never have been able to give her the fairy tale castle she’s always wanted. This way I finally can. She’s my princess, and if anyone deserves a fairy tale castle it’s her. Especially after everything she’s gone through lately.

     “But don’t you dare tell her. I want to take her up there myself someday and surprise her by handing her the keys.”

     “I won’t breathe a word of it, I promise.”

-20-

     Robbie and Scott said their goodbyes and left the hospital in an SAPD patrol car.

     “Some cities have vehicle programs that allow officers to take their patrol cars home with them at night. The idea is to
deter crime by giving the officers a greater presence in their own neighborhoods.

     “
San Antonio never had such a program before the blackout, but we do it now out of necessity. We have the only cars running, and if we didn’t take our patrol cars home we’d have to pull other officers off the streets to take us home at the end of each shift and then pick us up again a few hours later. We’d be cab drivers more than police officers.