Deadlocked 8 (2 page)

“Looks like you’re the one doing the
walking,” I said as I regarded the lazy, portly dog in his
arms.

Ben smirked down Stubs and said, “Yeah, I
think he’d sleep all day if I let him.” He set the dog down, but
Stubs began to shiver before looking back up at his owner and
barking. Ben laughed and said, “I don’t think he likes the cold. It
hurts his paws.” He scooped the pup back up again.

I expected Ben to go back inside, because
Stubs clearly wanted out of the cold, but he stayed where he was
and sighed with contentment as he relaxed against the wall. I moved
to stand beside him and said, “I take it you prefer it out here,
away from everyone else.” Ben and I had become close over the past
few months. He was a loner, just like me, which made us a good
fit.

“Yep,” he said as he stared up at the sky. He
seemed serene, but then he became concerned that admitting to
preferring solitude might be offensive. “Not that I don’t like
everyone in there. Heck, I owe you guys my life. I’ve just spent
the majority of my life on my own. I’ve never been comfortable in
big groups.”

“No need to explain,” I said. “I’m the same
way.”

“How’s your shoulder?” asked Ben, aware of
the injury that was still giving me trouble. The two of us had
spent a good amount of time together in rehabilitation. Jill was
our nurse, and she’d tirelessly worked to get us both back into
fighting shape. Ben had an easier time than me, and despite still
being fitted with one of Billy’s old back braces, he seemed to be
nearly healed from the injuries he’d sustained in Vineyard months
earlier. My injuries, which came from tumbling off the roof and
colliding with a wrought iron fence, had been severe. I still
wasn’t able to rotate my right arm all the way around. Jill
insisted it would only be a matter of time before I was back to
normal. She said I had the luxury of youth, and that in a few
months the injuries would be a distant memory. I wanted to believe
her, but every time I tried to lift my right arm I was reminded
that she might be wrong.

My role in our group had always been as a
sniper and a scout, and the loss of mobility in my right shoulder
meant that laying prone with a rifle was something I couldn’t
achieve without incredible pain. Each day that passed without any
sign that my shoulder was healing left me more and more concerned.
I lifted my right arm so that it was perpendicular to my shoulder,
but couldn’t move it any higher without a sting of pain. “Not much
better,” I said before relaxing again.

“I wouldn’t worry,” said Ben. “Give it
time.”

“I don’t think we’ve got much time left,” I
said as I gazed back up at the flock of birds that had returned to
the trees outside of the rehab center. “The Vineyard folks have
already picked out a few potential spots for a new settlement. As
soon as winter breaks, they’re going to want to get going on that.
Once that’s taken care of, we’ll be headed back out to find
Jerald.”

“Setting up a new settlement will take a
while,” said Ben. “You’ve still got time to heal.”

“The Rollers aren’t going to wait around for
the settlement to be finished. The ones that want war want it now.
They’re sick of waiting.”

“What are they planning?”

“They’ve all got different opinions.” The
bitter cold was beginning to bite, and I crossed my arms to stave
the chill. My cheeks were burning as the blustering wind whipped
through the pines, carrying a dusting of snow off the hills and
into my face. I squinted to protect my eyes and waited for the gust
to end before continuing. Still, despite the harsh weather, I
preferred being outside with Ben than inside with everyone else.
“Billy wants to drop bombs down the vents, but not everyone’s on
board with that.”

“Why not?” asked Ben. He wasn’t privy to the
meetings that my mother was having with the higher ranked Rollers.
After the events at the church, my mother had done away with the
former hierarchy of our group, and only Zack and Billy were
officially lieutenants anymore, but she still consulted those of us
that had formerly enjoyed a higher status.

“They’re worried that all dropping bombs down
there will do is let Jerald know that we’re still alive. If we’re
going to go after them, then we have to do it all at once, without
any warning. Otherwise they’ll just lock themselves in down there
and wait it out.”

“We don’t even know if they’re still down
there,” said Ben. “For all we know, they might’ve packed up and
took off.”

“We’ll send scouts out before we make a
move,” I said as I pressed the tip of my boot against the hard, icy
top of the snow near me. The slightest pressure caused the crust to
crack in a satisfying manner, inexplicably soothing my desire to
wreck things.

“Who will they send?” asked Ben.

I shrugged. “No clue. All of the people that
used to go on the scouting missions are either dead or hurt. One of
the teams used to be Arthur and Dustin, but Dustin’s dead and
Arthur’s leg is still in a cast. Then there was Stitch and Kim, but
they’re both dead. And the other team was Hero and me, and well…” I
hesitated, unwilling to admit what we all had come to accept: Hero
was dead.

The last we’d heard of him, he and Kim were
taking the victims of the Vineyard attack out to one of the burn
sites. After that, Kim had shown up at the town where Jerald was
trying to corral the Rollers, and every Grey within a hundred yards
of her couldn’t help but run in her direction – the reason for
which was still hotly debated amongst the Rollers. No one was
certain what to make of the event, but after a couple months passed
without any sign of Hero, most of us assumed he was dead.

“Gotcha,” said Ben, understanding my
hesitation to discuss Hero’s death. “So you’re the only scout left
standing?”

“Yes,” I said with reflection. I hadn’t
thought much about it before, but Ben was right. Being a scout for
the Rollers wasn’t as simple as just heading out to keep an eye on
things. Survival played a key role, and it was a skill that took
time to learn. Living in an undead world is a tricky prospect.
There were other members of the Rollers that could certainly be
competent scouts, but none that had been competent enough to serve
in the role frequently before we were attacked.

“What about Billy’s scavengers?” asked Ben of
the Rollers that Billy had chosen to be in charge of going out and
collecting food and supplies to bring back.

“I’m sure some of them probably think they
could handle a scouting mission, but they’re wrong. Traveling out
in a five mile radius around the camp is a heck of lot different
than going out on a scout. You probably know that better than
anyone. Surviving out there’s not as easy as people assume.”

“We should go,” said Ben.

I thought he meant that we should go back
inside. “You two go,” I said with a glance down at Stubs. “I’m
going to stay out here for a little longer.”

“No, I meant that you and I should go scout
the airport. I spent the better part of my life surviving on my
own, sneaking around, and I probably know more about the military
facilities than anyone in the Rollers. You and I would make a
pretty good team.”

“I thought you worked alone,” I said, chiding
him for how he always used to insist on being alone during our time
under Jill’s watchful eye.

“I do, for the most part, but you’re not bad
company.” He leaned closer so that he could nudge me with his
shoulder.

“Mom would never go for it,” I said, wary of
how my mother would respond. She’d been fiercely protective of me
ever since Kim’s death, and I knew that she wouldn’t allow me to
set off on a scouting trip.

“Tell her she’s got nothing to worry about. I
won’t let anything happen to you.”

I snickered and then said, “Yeah right. I’ve
got a feeling if we went scouting it’d be me saving your ass the
whole time, not the other way around.”

“Oh really?” he asked, amused.

“Really.”

“We’ll see about that.” He adjusted his grip
on Stubs, and the dog hung limply in his arms as if ready to fall
asleep. “I’m serious, you should tell Laura that the two of us will
head back out to the airport. I don’t think there’s anyone else
here that would be better suited for the job.”

“Are you feeling up for it? I thought you
were still pretty banged up.”

He shook his head and said, “I’m fine. I heal
fast.”

“All right,” I said, but rolled my eyes and
sighed before adding, “But I already know what her answer’s going
to be.”

* * *

“Absolutely not,” said Laura, expecting that
to be enough to end the conversation.

“Hold on,” I said as I took her arm to keep
her from walking away. “Don’t dismiss me like that.”

“You’re in no shape to go traipsing around,”
said my mother as she avoided eye contact with me. We were inside
of the rehab center, in one of the conference rooms that had once
been used for group counseling. The ring of comfortable seats in
the center of the room was where the leaders of our group would
meet to discuss the bevy of issues that arose in a camp of people
such as this. One might expect that the majority of my mother’s
time would be spent with planning the attack against Jerald’s
military, or managing food, water, and supplies for such a large
group, but in truth, most of her time was spent settling minor
disagreements between people staying with us. Leading the Rollers
had been easy compared to trying to handle people that had become
accustomed to life in Vineyard. The survivors had their own
opinions on how a colony should be run, and were quick to voice
their concerns with how Laura managed them. The former strife
within the Rollers, caused by Billy’s desire to continue fighting
the military and Laura’s hope for peace, had been tame compared to
the vitriolic battles that erupted between the supposedly civil
refugees of Vineyard.

The stress of leading such a large group, and
trying to keep everyone happy, had a visible effect on my mother.
She looked tired and pale, thinner than she’d ever been, and was
easily agitated.

“I’m fine,” I said in defiance.

“No, we’re not having this debate. Not
now.”

“Don’t turn your back on me,” I shouted, like
a child throwing a tantrum, and she stopped before leaving the
room. “Don’t treat me like this.”

“Like what? Like you’re my daughter?” she
asked as if she might be amused if she weren’t so angry. “Because
I’ll tell you what, Annie, you are my daughter. You’re my only
daughter. You’re the only person I have left in this world and I’m
not going to lose you by sending you off on a scouting mission. No
way.”

“Stop being dramatic. You’ve got Zack and
David.” I motioned over to Zack who was standing near the door.
“And besides, nothing’s going to happen to me. I went out on a
hundred scouting trips before and…”

“And what? And you happened to survive? You
happened to be one of the only scouts to still be alive? That’s
supposed to be why I should let you go? No. I’m sorry, Annie, but
the answer is no.”

“If I wasn’t your daughter, then you’d let me
go. If I were anyone else in this camp, then you’d have no problem
sending me off as a scout.”

“But you’re not anyone else in this camp.
You’re my daughter. Annie, please don’t fight me on this. I just
don’t have the strength for this right now.”

Zack took my mother’s hand and said, “Ladies,
calm down. No need to fight.”

“I don’t have time for this right now,” said
Laura. “Sorry, but I just…” She shook her head and still refused to
look at me. “I have to go.” She pulled away from Zack’s grip and
left me alone with him.

“Well, that went about how I expected,” I
said with a frustrated shake of my head. “What the hell’s wrong
with her lately?”

Zack looked forlornly at the door and then
attempted to smile as he regarded me. He and my mother had
developed a close bond after Kim’s death, although I hesitated to
call it a romance. They certainly cared for one another, but for
some reason my mother was hesitant to enter into a full-fledged
relationship with him.

“You’ve got to give her a break,” said Zack
as if in apology for how she’d reacted. “She’s going through a lot
of stuff right now.”

“If being captain is so hard for her, then
maybe she needs to step down.”

Zack smirked and raised his eyebrows as he
said, “I’ve been trying to tell her that for months, but you know
how she can be.”

I smugly nodded and then groaned in
frustration before continuing, “She drives me crazy, Zack. I don’t
know how you put up with her. She’s been impossible ever since…”
There was no reason to continue. We both knew what I was talking
about.

“I know what you mean, but you’ve got to
trust me on this one. She’s just doing what she thinks is
best.”

“I’m the best person for this job, and you
know it. I’m the last scout we’ve got left here. If we’re all
dead-set on attacking Jerald, then we’re going to need someone to
head out there and scout the facility. If she sends someone out
that’s never done it before, they’re liable to get caught.”

“I know,” said Zack, although he sounded
weary of the debate.

“Then help me convince her that she should
let me do this.”

“Why with Ben?” asked Zack.

His question surprised me. “Because he’d be a
good partner.”

“Not because the two of you are…” he
hesitated. “You know.”

I realized what he was implying and was taken
aback. “No,” I said sharply. “Is that what she thinks?”

He shrugged. “Seems like you and Ben got
pretty close. You two are always headed outside together.”

“That’s not…” I was flustered. “That’s
because we both like being alone, not because… Christ. Is that the
reason she freaked out like that, because she thinks I’m trying to
sneak off with Ben?”