The Rabid: Rise (9 page)

12

We’re standing in Bytes lair, again.

The
heart
of the village.

I’m not sure why I’m sticking around.

They’ve still got the data stick.

They’re still planning to use it to scorch the eart
h.

Ruiz hasn’t had a change of heart. He doesn’t really strike me as the type of guy that’s ever had a change of heart about anything
.

I’m definitely not sticking around because
of Katia. Sex is great. It’s consistently great, but, I’m not going to leave Momma out there just because I’m getting laid now.

No. We’re sticking because it’s the smart move, at this moment. It’s shelter and supplies. Plus, these people, they need a little bit of extra help.

So, we’ll stick for a bit. Gather our strength. Help where we can. Then it’s goodbye and farewell.

With or without them.

Bytes is spinning in his chair, twirling a piece of bubblegum on one finger while Ruiz paces the floor behind him, drumming his fingers against his lips while he tries to work out our next move. Katia leans beside me on the wall near the front door, her fingers brushing mine, while Bethany sits in the corner to our right enamored by a
katana
Katia found for her in the armory.

“We’re just going to
have to hit another checkpoint,” Ruiz concludes, gripping the back of Bytes chair to stop his movement. “I don’t like it, but what the hell else can we do?”

“Alright, but we lost a guy last time. They’re getting wise to it.” Katia sounds doubtful.

“I understand that, but that little light show last night killed our supplies. If we get hit again, we’re screwed. We’ll be throwing rocks and calling them names. We’re just about out of bullets.”

I raise a finger. “Can I just ask
; what do these checkpoints consist of exactly?”

“
Soldiers. Usually a half dozen or so sitting around on their asses...”

“Except for last time,
” Katia corrects him.

“Yeah, yeah, except for last time.”

“What happened last time?”

Ruiz continues. “Well, they were still sitting around on their asses, but they had a guy pulling
high ground. Sniper. Real crack-shot. Blew a hole right through one of our guys. Disappeared like smoke.”

“This little venture really worth that kind of risk?”

“Yeah, it is. They’re usually stocked out the ass. They’ve gotta be. They’re out there in the middle of the Biters. They’ve always got .50 ammo too, and we could use it.”

“So who’s the squad going to be this time out?
You and me, obviously. Timmy?” Katia looks up at me, her hand curling around mine.

“Well, yeah, of course. Not
gonna let you...er...or well...either of you, go out there alone.”

I’m not sure whethe
r Ruiz approves of the sudden fondness that has developed between Katia and me. I can’t read the guy. He’s a granite slab. You don’t know what he’s thinking until he’s yelling profanities and waving a gun in your face.

“Okay, so, me, you, Tim, and we’ll
get Tyrell to go too. I’ll send Tyrell around to gather up enough ammo and supplies for the trip.”

“We should really bring some more people this time,” Katia says.

“I’ll see.”

Bethany stands and runs to the center of the room. “What about me?” The sword is out of its sheath and resting across
the back her shoulders.

“
No, sis, I need you to stay back on this one.”

“Oh, come on, I’ve been in this as long as you have
, Tim. It’s bullshit. You can’t protect me forever.”

“Maybe not forever, but, for right now, I certainly can.”

Before she can continue her tangent, Ruiz swoops in. “Bethany, how about, while we’re gone, you work with the head of our security detail. You’ll be up on one of the balconies; we’ll put you behind a scope. That way, anymore Biters break through, you can pop em’.”

Her face lights up. “Awesome
!”

“You just make sure they’re Rabid b
efore you get all trigger happy,” I say as she swings the sword around her body on the way back to the corner.

“Yeah, yeah, Tim.”

“So, we got a target?” Katia asks.

“We’ve got scouts out there right now looking for a checkpoint.”

“What are these checkpoints for?” I ask.

Bytes blows a
bubble, pops it across his lips and then smiles quaintly. “Well...us, of course. They clear an area, they set up checkpoints, they rinse and repeat. They’re running a grid pattern. The grid is getting smaller. Eventually, they’ll find us and we’ll be forced to fight them.”

“And how will that work out?”

Ruiz shakes his head. “Honestly? Probably not too good. But not much we can do. We can’t move all of these people. I’m not going to leave them here either. That information you brought us, that’s our only real weapon against them, that’s our trump card. We sure as hell can’t beat them in a straight up brawl.”

“Well, it’s not a weapon just yet. Right
now, it’s just a stick of data. Until I can get us online, there’s not a whole lot of threat there. I’m working on some things though.” Bytes smiles and bobs his head, quite proud of whatever he’s got brewing.

I ignore
the insinuation. It’s not the time to raise objections. The last thing the group needs is Ruiz and I in another Mexican standoff. If it’s gotta be, then it’ll be later. Not now. Not when we’re only hanging on by a thread.

Priorities, Tim. Priorities.

“We’re doing what we can,” Ruiz says. “Anyway, let’s get everyone on alert and get the supplies ready. We want to be prepped come go-time.”

“Roger.
” Katia gives a lazy salute.

Ruiz stops me as we’re going to leave. “Hey, Tim, can I have a word?”

Oh, boy, here it comes.

“We’ll be waiting downstairs,
” Katia says, her arm around Bethany.

“I’m just going to go lay down for a bit.” Bytes disappears into the bedroom.

I cross my arms over my chest and stand back against the wall, trying to gather my confidence while Ruiz circles back around to the other side of the computer.

“I picked t
his up off the ground last night, figured you might want it back.” Ruiz pulls the empty Ruger out from behind his back. Black blood still stains the grip where Loco used it to hammer away at Rabid skulls. “Didn’t have time to really clean it off or anything.”

“I don’t need that
. Bad voodoo attached to it.”

Ruiz chuckles lightly. “Yeah, guess maybe you
’re right. I’ll leave it here for Bytes, a souvenir.”

“Better than letting it go to waste.”

Ruiz drops the gun on the table. “So, listen. I wanted to let you know, everything that went down between us, it’s cool. What you did last night, well, we owe you our lives. I know that you may not agree with everything we’re doing here, but, I’m hoping that in time you’ll come around. You’ll see the good in it. There’s more to it. Stuff you haven’t seen. That we haven’t talked about. I think, if given the chance, it’d really make you look at it from a different perspective, you know?”

“
So, why don’t you tell me now? Let me decide?”

He shakes his head. “Can’t do it just yet. We’ve got a few things to work out first.”

“What? Like getting it online? Then what? I don’t really have a choice then do I? Whether I like it or not, what’s done is done.”

“I know you want to get your
ma back, I feel you on that. We’re going to get her back for you...”

“Then don’t put that shit online, give me the drive
, let me get her back...”

“I can’t. It’
s out of the question. Give me some time. I’ll explain everything after we do this run, I promise you. I think once we explain everything to you, then you’ll understand.”

I exhale hard. I want to keep sparring.

Priorities, Tim. Priorities.

“
Alright, man, whatever. Let’s get the supplies.”
And then I’m taking what I need and getting the fuck out of here
.

I reach for the door handle.

Ruiz jogs around the table and claps a hand down on my shoulder. “One more thing, kid.”

Damn it!

“I see that you and Katia are getting pretty close.” His grip is firm.
Not violent, but, insistent.

I let go of the handle and he
lets go of me. “Yeah, we...uh, well, we’re just, you know, getting to know each other, she’s a great girl.”

He wraps a hand around the back of my
neck and lays his forehead against mine. “Chill homie, chill. Like I said, we’re family. You treat my little sister right, we got no problem.”

His breath is hot against my face. I don’t believe I’ve ever been this close to another man, barring my dad of course. “Yeah, sure...well, cool. I’ll treat her right.”

“That’s good, Tim. That’s good.” He slides his hand down to my shoulder. “Cause, if you don’t, I’ll cut your fucking head off.”

13

Dinner is fried Spam and powdered mashed potatoes.

I grab a clear plastic plate from a counter in the clubhouse and work my way through the line. Francisco is still behind the spatula. He recognizes me, I think. He slaps my plate full with both courses and then urges me on with a jerk of his head. There’s an older woman serving water in small paper cups. She’s much kinder. Much more inviting. The,
sit down and stay awhile,
type.

“Would you like an ice cube, dear?” She’s missing most of her front teeth on the top and the bottom, but she smiles none the less, big and genuine.

“No ma’am, I’ll take it as is.”

She holds the cup out shakily
. “Such a well-mannered young man.”

“Blame my momma,” I say, accepting the cup from her.

She makes a noise that sounds like approval and then turns her attention to the gal behind me.

Outside,
members of the community surround the pool. They sit in circles on the pavement, spread out across the lounge chairs and beneath the shroud of the picnic tables outfitted with folding umbrellas. The dull hum of conversation fills the air. I spot Katia and Bethany sitting together near the attached hot tub at the southern end of the pool. They signal for me. I weave my way towards them, dodging elbows, shoulders, and rambunctious kids running laps around the perimeter of the pool. They laugh and swing at one another as they pass me. I lift my plate and drink to avoid making contact with their heads.

“Took you long enough,” Bethany says, scooting out to make room for me.

“That line,” I cross my legs and drop down between them, balancing my plate across the top of my right thigh, “is it always like this?”

Katia nods. “Yeah, keeps the people together. Gives everyone a sense of family.” She finishes off a final forkful of potato and sets her plate aside. “It’s good for morale. Breakfast and lunch, we all tend
to miss each other. Everyone is working their shifts in different areas of the complex. We stagger breaks. Dinner is the time where everyone comes together and catches up.”

“It’s cool,” I say, starting with a mouthful of water before cutting at the greasy slab of
meat
on my plate with the edge of my plastic fork.

A mother is yelling at one of the children running laps around the pool. She snatches him by the back of his arm and jerks him away from
the undisciplined tribe as he kicks and screams in protest.
I’ve told you a dozen times about running, haven’t I? You fall down, you break your neck, and then what? It’s not like we can rush you to the emergency room. You’re done for the night, mister.

“Ah, kids,” Katia muses.

“It’s gotta be hard being a parent these days.” I’m just talking. What the hell do I know about being a parent? It’s hard being
anything
these days.

“Yep,” Katia agrees, “don’t want
em’.”

“
So, no kids for you, ever?”

“I mean, I don’t know. I’m still a teenager, technically. I’m not thinking about all that. I suppose if the world somehow gets better between now and when I’m in my prime birthing years, then yeah, I’d consider it. But, right now, it’s hard enough just keeping myself alive. Never mind dragging a kid through this chaos.”

The mother and her boy disappear through the pool access gate and the child’s wailing is quickly drowned out by the murmur of the crowd.

“Did Bethany tell you that she
knows how to sharpen her blade now?” Katia leans back on the palms of her hands looking pleased with herself.

“She did not,” I say, rubbing my mouth with the back of my hand. “Surprised she still has hands.”

Bethany smacks her lips, lifts the
katana
from the ground beside her, and holds it up against the waning sunlight. “You’re just jealous because I know how to use power tools now and you don’t.”

“Power tools?” I choke, patting my chest.

“It’s a low powered belt sander,” Katia says, mimicking the motion for me. “Cheap hand held Black & Decker, does razor sharp convex edges like you wouldn’t believe.”

I take notice of how sharp the blade appears. The thing looks like it’d go through a tree. “You’ve got my little sister using power tools and swinging swords. Who n
eeds Rabid when we’ve got Katia?”

“Untwis
t your panties, Tim.” Bethany twirls the sword over her head with one hand. I grit my teeth and duck my head. “How many times did you hand me a loaded gun?”

I can’t really argue with her logic.
I try anyway. “Yeah...but, the gun has the safety...”

“What is it Bo said?” She brings the sword back to earth with a swoop and a twist before placing an empty palm in front of my face. “This is my safety.”

I look at Katia and shake my head.

She just grins and squints her eyes.

“You’ve created a monster.”

“Swor
ds are so much cooler than guns.” There is an airy tone to Bethany’s voice as she stares down at her shiny new toy all gooey-eyed.

“But half as useful.”

Katia throws her head back and sighs. “Oh God, here we go, Ruiz has taken on a different form.”

“Someone call
for me?” Ruiz comes up behind Katia, squeezes her shoulders, and kisses her on the forehead before offering Bethany and I a quick handshake. He’s all smiles. I’d seen him mingling his way through the crowd earlier like a politician seeking reelection.

“Timmy was about to give us another tired speech about how guns trump swords; blah, blah, blah.”

“Don’t be hatin’ on my man just because he’s preaching truth.” Ruiz crouches between us, his knees cracking loudly.

Katia looks to Be
thany and rolls her eyes. “Boys.”

“So,” Ruiz folds his arms across his thighs, “anyway, we’re going to move out tomorrow, early. Make sure
ya’ll get some good rest tonight.”

“
So, who else is coming with?” Katia asks.

“Tyrell.
”

“
That’s it? Just four of us?”

“Yeah. We’ll move faster. Quieter.”

“I don’t like it,” Katia says after considering his logic for a few seconds. “I’ll take firepower over stealth any day.”

“Think of it like the Seals...”

“Yeah, you always make that comparison bro, and guess what, we’re not Seals.”

He puts
a hand on the side of her face and pouts sympathetically. “Sis, have I steered us wrong yet?”

“There’s
a first time for everything,” she says, undeterred by his expression.

He pinches her cheek gently and stands, stifling a yawn. “Yeah, well, it’s not
gonna be tomorrow. You kids enjoy your evening. I’ll see ya bright and early.”

“If I didn’t know better I’d almost say he seems excited about tomorrow,” I say, once Ruiz is out of earshot.

Katia nods. “He is.” She sits up and drops her elbows to her knees, yawning and rubbing at her eyes with the heels of her hands.

“Well, at least he’s confident.”

“Yeah, that makes one of us.”