Walkers (Book 2): The Rescue (20 page)

     When I looked to the north I saw Ken flying back.  Soon he pulled into the parking area out front and was greeted by a teary eyed Jill.  They hugged and kissed and then he turned his flushed face to us.

      "Duke told me all about it.   When I left, I flew over the interstate and the convoy was down to one truck, with a red cross on the side and roof.  I didn't know those things could go that fast. Walkers had overrun the other one.  I don't think we have to worry about them again."

      "Their number was dropped by about 80% and they weren't happy with their leader by the time they left.  I'd say he will be voted out or shot for an idiot when they get back to town."

     "Weren't they the ones that wouldn't let you into town to shop that first year you were here?" I asked Flynn.

     "Yea,  I think the next time we go to town we'll try them again.  Maybe they won't be in such a hurry to chase us away now that they've found out we won't be bullied anymore."

     We'll see about that but it'll be awhile before we need anymore supplies.  The stuff we brought back will last us awhile and I need a break.  A nice, long, break to rest and rebuild.

                                                       
Chapter 16
             

     Resting had lost some of its fascination, especially since me and Mason weren't able to participate in the rebuild.  I still had my hand glued to my chest and Mason still had his arm in a sling.  I'd decided about a week after the attempted assassination that I could get rid of the sling.  Within five minutes I had smacked it on a the back of a chair.  

     We were terrible patients.  Joe would turn and walk quickly in the opposite direction when he saw us.  Sarah sat us at the same table, alone, for each meal like little children in grade school who'd been bad.  No one wanted to be near us.  I don't blame them...we were miserable and argued all the time making our friends want to kill us.  I had no idea how we planned to manage the next four weeks but something had to be done.

     I sat on the back deck in the sooty smelling, morning air while I watched the guys dismantle the greenhouse so they could put it up in a different place.  They planned to build a mill where the greenhouse was because it's closer to the spring and they could use the water to power the mill.  We were planning to plant wheat and needed the mill to grind flour.  The greenhouse would be re-erected near the spring farther from the lodge to use water without having to use a pump.  They had worked it all out without my input.  They didn't ask Mason either and he was just a hurt as I was.

     The fire was still fresh in our minds.  The RV..MY RV..was hauled around the mountain so I couldn't see it and bitch anymore about MY RV being junked.  I wasn't bitching that much but you would think I was harping on it or something the way they hauled it off while I was in the bathtub.  It took me three days to discover it missing.  Geez. 

     I was watching them work when Joe started to come outside, saw me and hesitated. 

     "I won't bite your head off."

     He slowly came forward, one tentative step at a time.

     "Have a seat," I said gesturing to the chair next to me.

     He squinted his eyes, trying to figure out the trap.  But, I just ignored him until he got comfortable.

     "Tell me about Sissy."

     He started to rise and I grabbed his hand, "Don't.  Please Joe.  Not one person here will tell me what happened.  They're your friends is why and I respect that.  But I need to know.  Beside if you don't tell me,  I'll just go over there and confront her myself.

      He sat up straight at that, "Don't do that, JD, please, she's scared of you.  Some silly nonsense about hogs she won't elaborate on.  I'll explain it, just promise me you won't talk to her about it...ever." 

     I smiled at him and patted his hand.  "She's safe from me, Joe, I promise.  I can't promise about the hogs, though, she's on her own there."

     When he frowned, I just laughed and he calmed down, again.

     "You know she's been going over to Valley East to help out."  I knew  and thought it a good idea.   "I didn't know it then but she was getting friendly with Don, their resident medic there.  I didn't think anything about it. She was helping him set up the clinic like I'd showed her and they were getting along pretty well.  Then the night Mason called to say you were on your way back, the first time he called, she told me they were in love and she planned to move there.  That night.  It's like she couldn't wait for you to get back.  Like she was afraid of what you might do if she waited."

     He had no idea what I would have done to her.  The hogs were too good. 

     "I tried to find out what I'd done wrong.  She said that I hadn't done anything.  That her and Don hadn't planned to fall in love but since they had, she had to be with him.  She was sorry."  He laughed.  "Sorry, she says.  Like that helped.  She packed up a duffel bag of clothes and didn't even say goodbye, just got into their four wheeler and left.  Duke let her out of the gate, then closed it behind her and that was it.  I haven't heard from her since."

     "How are you doing?  And don't say okay."

     "How about I'll be okay, in time.  I think it takes a bit of time to get over giving someone all you have and they take advantage of it to hurt you.  But I'll get over it with the help of all these friends I have.  They haven't pestered me about it, and for that I'm grateful.  I know they're there for me.  That's something.  You know?

       "I know, Joe.   I had it done to me at this very lodge several years ago.  You have us to hold you up.  We won't hurt you and will stand behind you no matter what.  I gave her a chance a year ago to be a member of this group.  We were good to her, treated her the best we could, although I never could get close to her.  She just never seemed to fit in.  Well, she's gone and I have to tell you, Joe, she'll not be allowed back except to visit.  She had her chance."

     He seemed to sit a bit straighter.  I hoped something I had said contributed to that. 

     "Would you mind telling Mason?  I don't think I want to go through telling it again.  I'm done with the whole thing.  I'm okay talking to Don about medicine but I won't ask about her.  He seems to understand.  The clinic is too important to be interrupted by anything so we put it behind us."

     "Well, I can tell you from the stand point of a female, she is hounding him to tell her everything you say.  She wants to know you care enough to miss her.  By not discussing her in any way, you're driving her to distraction.  She's probably driving him nuts and going nuts in the process.  So, good for you.  Forget her.  We're planning another trip to town in a week or so, do you have a list of things you might need for yourself or the clinic?"

     I changed the subject on purpose.  

     "I was wondering if there is a library or medical college nearby that would have some medical books or magazines available?  I'd love to read something else beside the books I've already re-read a million times."

     "I'll look but maybe it would be better if you go this time.  You haven't been away from this place in six months and so much peace and quiet will drive you nuts."

     As soon as I said it I realized what a mistake it was.  Peace and quiet does not equal one forest fire and a siege.  Not to mention taking care of two patients with gunshot wounds and terrible tempers.

     We both laughed which drew the attention of the construction crew.  They stopped for a break and gathered around us.  We were laughing and kidding around when Mandy came running out with the sat phone.

     "Dad said it's Clint.  If you're going can I go too?  Clarissa and I can have a tea party while we're there."  I took the phone and smiled at her.  "We'll have to see, sweetheart."

     "Hey Clint, what's up."

     "Hello JD, I was wondering if Howard had that part for the four wheeler fixed yet.  He said to call today and I know since he got  shot he's probably a bit slow."

     Warning bells started sounding in my head.  Howard didn't get shot, so he was wrong on purpose.

     "Slow isn't the word for it.  Not to mention grumpy.  I'll see if I can find him and send him over."

     "Okay, that sounds great...and.. a, why don't you and Mason come over with him.  That beer I've been brewing is about ready to test and Mercy said she had ten of those dozen tea towels almost embroidered for Sarah."

     "Hey, that's great," I replied sounding as normal as possible.  "Give us about an hour and we'll head over there.  Joe is trying to change the dressing on my hand."

     "Great, an hour, sounds perfect.  We'll see ya then."  Then the line went dead.  I looked up and everyone was staring at me.

     There's a problem at Valley East".  I told them the other side of the conversation.  We decided since I hadn't ordered any tea towels, that ten was the number of people there. Clint never brewed any beer because he was allergic to the hops.  He said it was a shame because behind the house would be a great place to plant hops.  I figured that meant the 'company' was hiding behind the house.

     Mason had come out when I was relating the conversation to everyone.  Valley East was being held hostage and we were being summoned.  What better way to get the lodge than to go through the people we cared about.  Although, how they knew about our friends was a mystery.  The men continued the conversation while I hunted for Howard. I found him in the tool shed sharpening a hoe for Samantha.  When I explained the problem and what we wanted him to do he followed me back to the lodge and removed a part from the four wheeler there.

     I watched as James, Brandon and Randy geared up to play snipers.  They each had infra red cameras and were dressed like Rambo.  When we were ready, I had my handy, hide-away, double barrel derringer strapped to my arm.  He had a gun hidden in his sling, that we intended them to find and one hidden behind the sling inside his shirt we hoped they wouldn't find.  Howard had a gun taped to the inside of his hat which was perched on top of his shinning bald head and the four-wheeler part, so he looked 'authentic'.  It would take ten minutes to get there so we gave the boys half an hour to get set up. 

     We knew there were ten of them.  That must of been what was left.  Why were they so desperate to have the lodge?  There were other places in the mountains, I knew because I would've chosen several of them myself except this place had the spring and a wind turbine already.  It had been my second home for years and I loved it here but why did they want it so bad?  I shook my head, and climbed into the four wheeler with Mason.  Lacy and I had  argued about her going in my place the whole time we prepared to leave.  She finally stormed to her room and slammed the door.

     Mandy was out front playing with her dads toy helicopter when we stepped out on the porch.  It had the video camera mounted to the bottom. 

     "Wait a minute, guys.  Dad wants to check and make sure this isn't  a trap."

     We looked at each other and smiled.  Duke always has a reason to use his toys.  He doesn't fly it, so he can watch the monitors but Mandy is a expert with it.  She was hooked up to ear phones so he could direct her from inside while she flew the toy around the area.  It had a radius of five miles which was more than enough to check out Valley East.  While we waited I helped Mason with his seat belt then he helped me with mine.
Don't get shot this time, okay, Brat?

   
I'll see what I can do if you can keep from jumping in front of bullets too.  I shouldn't have to keep showing you how much I love you.  You should know by now.

    He grabbed me and kissed me.  When he was done I noticed people standing on the porch clapping.  Yep...every one of them were smiling big and hooting.  We hadn't been fighting that much.  Geez.

     We finally pulled away, while Mandy landed the toy and Melody helped her carry it inside.  I almost punched him in the shoulder then remembered it was his bad shoulder just in time.  He ducked anyway.  Howard adjusted his hat as we waited for the gate to open, then we held on as we made our way around the some of the debris left from the last siege and over the bumpy road.  We don't have the state road department to take care of the roads anymore so they were getting in bad shape.  I thought before winter we should 'borrow' a road grader and at least grade it from our place to Valley East.

     When we turned the corner to their place and I could feel the gun sights on me.  I reached out to the minds holding the guns and felt fear, resentment and hatred in an overpowering flood. The one closest to us really hated us.  I didn't know it then but later I would find out the other one's fear was of his partner not us.  I didn't blame him one bit.  That kind of hatred is all consuming, like a vampire sucks up everything good to the point that all that's left is blackness.  That's what I was feeling if you could feel a color.  Blackness.  It made me feel a bit better that the other person didn't want to hurt us.  They even thought if they had to shoot they'd miss on purpose.  Yea.

      We pulled into the drive and slowly made our way around the drive to the steps.  It was then I heard in my ear bud that everyone was in position.  I had told them before we left once they radioed they were ready to take out the ones they could using the silencers on their rifles, but to wait till they'd heard from their leader first.  We were met by a very pale Clint.  He 'thought' to me that Mercy was being held in the first room to the right, a gun to her head.  I nodded slightly and smiled really big.

     "Here we are, I hope we didn't keep you.  Howard got the wrong part and had to go back and find the other one."  I put my good arm through his and walked him into the house.  We were met by Clarissa or 'Rissa as Mandy calls her.  She's Clint and Mercy's daughter.  Her and Mandy were best friends.  She started to say something to Howard when Clint got a scared look on his face.  They must have sent her out to test us.