Emperor of a Dead World (10 page)

“I am going to do whatever I have to do to survive,” Tyrone retorted.

“Including murder?”

“No. I am not a murderer but damn it, those assholes tried to kill us and I take it very personal when someone tries to kill me.”

“Ty…”

“Look at your truck,” Tyrone interrupted, “It is full of bullet holes. One even went through the windshield and it could have hit one of us.”

“He is right,” Rudy demanded. “They tried to kill us and now they must pay.”

“Hold on guys,” Brad pleaded with his hands up. “This is not the wild west.”

“No, it is worse,” insisted Rudy.

“If you don’t want to be a part of this that is fine,” Tyrone conceded. “Rudy and I will deal with it.”

“I thought you said I could be emperor,” Brad chuckled.

“All the greatest emperors have blood on their hands,” Tyrone fired back.

Brad sighed and shook his head. “Please, let’s just stay here for a couple of days and keep watch before we do anything rash.”

“I guess it would not hurt to know if they travel this way, how many are in the group and how they get around,” Tyrone relented.

“Like I said,” Brad pressed. “Two will work while one keeps watch.” He looked back and forth between the two grimacing faces and added, “I am sure I do not need to stress how extremely important it is that if we see them, they do not see us.”

The two reluctantly consented.

The following morning they worked vigorously on the garden and kept a vigilant watch. For three days, they continued working and watching but they saw none of their adversaries. On the fourth day, they headed for home. As they left the racetrack, they made sure to leave no external signs that they had ever been there.

Chapter 9

When they arrived back at the gated community, they were surprised to see that the group had grown. As Brad pulled the truck into the driveway, Tom came out with three men.

“Hello, he called.”

Tyrone jumped out with the Beretta in his hand. He was still skittish from the incident the other day and new people caused him concern.

“Hello,” Brad replied as he glanced at the unarmed men then gave Tom a questioning look.

The four men all smiled at Brad but when Tyrone stepped forward, the smile dispersed and they took a step back.

“Hold on Ty,” Brad said, “let’s hear what they have to say.”

Tyrone ignored him, “Who are you guys?”

“I’m sorry,” replied Tom, “please let me explain.”

“You said you didn’t know anyone else,” Tyrone demanded.

“Take it easy Ty, let the man speak,” Brad insisted as he stepped in front of Tyrone.

Rudy joined Tyrone and was standing at his side with his metal rod.

Brad glanced at Rudy then turned back to the other men. “I’m sorry. We had a bad time the other day and these guys are still on edge.”

“I understand,” Tom replied, “and I wish I could have informed you somehow but unfortunately there was just no way.”

At this point Mary came out with three women, her son, a teenage girl, four teenage boys and two adolescents, one boy and one girl.

The three originals exchanged glances and Tyrone stuck the gun in the back of his paints as Rudy tossed down his rod.

“You obviously have some explaining to do,” Brad said to Tom.

“Lunch is ready,” Tom’s mother called from the doorway. When she noticed the three new arrivals, she said. “Oh my, I hope I have prepared enough.” She ran back into the house.

“Please join us,” Tom said to Brad and the others. “I will explain everything during lunch.”

They walked in and found two tables in the dining room, one for adults and one for the kids. Tom told the boys to get three more chairs and asked everyone to take a seat. He then sat at the head of the table and made the introductions. Brad and the other two smiled and said hello but none of them remembered any of the names they heard. They were too concerned with the fact that several newcomers had unexpectedly arrived. While Brad gazed at the men, the only thing that stood out to him was that the man with the big belly was wearing an orange DWP hat and he thought this man might prove useful. Someone set a plate in front of him and roused him from his reverie.

After glancing at Tyrone, Brad looked around and everything seemed so organized that he felt out of place. Tom’s wife played hostess as his mother and another woman brought out the food. This new arrangement concerned Brad and Tyrone was openly suspicious. Once everything was ready, one of the women insisted on saying grace - which
Tom
allowed. During the prayer, Tyrone kicked Brad in the leg to get his attention but Brad ignored him.

When the woman finished, Tom said, “Please, everyone begin.”

Tyrone kicked Brad again. He wanted to make sure Brad knew Tom was now in charge.

“Brad,” Tom began, “is the founder of this community.

“It was actually Tyrone and I,” Brad corrected him.

“I stand corrected,” Tom smiled.

“Thank you so much for allowing us to stay here,” someone said and the others all joined in with their own thanks.

“Everyone already knows your story as best I could relate it,” Tom said to Brad, “so I will tell the part you do not know. The morning you left for the racetrack, my son and I began work on your house. You had done so much for us we wanted to do something for you in return. We found a house of a similar model to yours and removed the door and windows we needed. After this, I allowed my son to take a break. He is not used to manual labor so he went to rest on the roof. He remembered your story of the ladder on the balcony of your parent’s room and that is how he got up there. Anyway, quite amazingly, he had only been up there a short while before these two boys walked by.” Tom pointed at the boys and they nodded to Brad. “Upon seeing them he immediately stood and shouted to them. He then ran down and informed me and I let them in the pedestrian gate. The boys had gone to find food and they were very tired from defending themselves. My mother, of course, fed them. While they ate, they told me that they and two other families had barricaded themselves in a triplex nearby. It was a very dangerous situation and they watched in horror as others succumbed to the plague. Upon hearing of their dire situation, I immediately set out in my Suburban to deliver them to safety. I knew you were a good man and you said you were trying to form a community so I knew you would not protest.”

Brad glanced at Tyrone.

Tom continued. “With the help of these men,” he nodded toward them, “we finished your house and began work on another. I have explained your stipulations for new residents and received no objections. While we are preparing three homes these people are staying in the quarantine houses which I of course lock every night and unlock every morning.” He waited for a response.

Brad took a breath as he gathered his thoughts. “Tom, I do not see that you have done anything differently than I would have done, with the exception of fixing my house. I intended on leaving it as it was but now that you have repaired it I can only say thank you.” 

Everyone looked relieved.

“The only thing that distresses me is that all these people lived so close and I never knew they were there.” He turned to the people. “If I had known, I would have rescued you myself.”

They all thanked him for his kind words.

Tyrone cleared his throat. “You seem to have taken over Tom but I will remind you that Brad and I are still in charge around here.”

“Of course, I apologize if I have overstepped any boundaries.” He looked at Brad and stood. “I relinquish my chair.”

“Please sit Tom,” Brad replied. “You seem to be a fair and just man.” He glanced at Tyrone. “And please forgive my friend. He considers me as some kind of leader. He even jokes and calls me emperor.”

Tom forced a smile but could not hide his nervousness.

“I assure you Tom, I do not consider myself an emperor. However, if we are going to play with titles,” Brad smiled, “then maybe I should grant you the title of Prefect of Sunny Park Estates. You seem very suited to the task.”

Tom laughed. “I am flattered by the honorary title.”

Tyrone cleared his throat and gave Brad a hard look. He then turned to Tom, “This is all nice fun and games but we may be at war.”

“I assume you are referring to the infected ones,” Tom replied.

“No,” Brad interjected, “he is referring to a much more serious threat.”

“More serious,” one of the men gasped.

“We ran into some very bad people the other day,” Brad explained. “We tried to make friends with them but in return…”

“They shot up our truck and tried to kill us,” Tyrone interrupted. “Now we need to…”

“Tyrone, please,” Brad cut him off.

“Are they near here,” one of the women asked with concern.

“No,” Brad said as he held up his hand. “We found another safe place, possibly as good as this one.”

“I’d say better,” Rudy joined in.

Brad looked at him and continued. “We have been preparing this place so we can live there but it is dangerously close to these bad-guys.”

“So we need more men,” Tyrone added. “Brave men that know how to fight and are not afraid to protect what is theirs.”

“We know how to fight,” the DWP man stood and declared.

“That’s right,” the man next to him agreed as he also stood. “We have been fighting for our lives for months.”

“You have welcomed us in and saved our families,” the third man said as he rose to his feet. “I for one will help in any way I can.”

“That’s what I’m talking about,” Tyrone ejaculated with a wide smile.

“Do you know anyone else,” Rudy asked.

The third man nodded and faced Brad. “Yes, some men I used to work with. I mentioned this to Tom and he told me to mention it to you.”

“Go on,” Brad said as he motioned for the men to be seated.

Everyone sat as the man continued. “These men talked about fixing the plant we worked in as a safe place. I was going to join them but I could not get my family there. Believe me, if anyone can survive it is these guys.”

“Where are they?”

“The Boeing plant on Cherry Avenue,” the man smiled.

Brad glanced at Tyrone and asked, “How many men?”

The man shrugged, “Anywhere from ten to a hundred plus their families.”

Tyrone smiled. “We need to get them.”

“That is a lot of people,” the first man said. “Is the other place you found big?”

“You bet it is,” Rudy smirked. “It is as big as a racetrack.”

Tyrone gave Rudy a dirty look.

“Racetrack?” the second man asked.

Rudy did not respond.

“Los Alamitos,” Brad replied.

“Man,” Tyrone said with disgust. “You guys offer too much information.”

“I don’t care what happened the other day Ty,” Brad insisted, “we still need to trust people.”

“What about weapons,” Rudy asked the newcomers, “do you have any?”

“Just hand tools, knives and other such things,” someone said.

“I have a gun,” one of the teenagers stood and said.

“Where did you get it,” the man from the Department of Water and Power asked his son.

“Grandpa gave it to me before...” he could not finish.

His mother shook her head and made a huffing sound.

“It gave me confidence,” he explained to her. “Every time Tony and I went out for food I brought it. I never used it. I just had it - just in case.”

She scowled at her husband.

“No, I did not know. But I am glad he had it.” He turned to the boy. “How many bullets do you have?”

He pulled a dozen out of his pocket.

“Give everything to me. You no longer need to go out alone.”

The boy handed everything to his father.

“This is all I have,” the man showed Rudy.

“We still need more,” Rudy said to Brad, “The people behind the wall are well armed.”

“We don’t know that,” Brad disagreed. “We only saw three men with three rifles.”

“That is a big wall. There’s no way three guys built that with no one standing guard,” Rudy argued.

Tyrone nodded agreement.

“Tomorrow we will go to Boeing,” Brad determined. “We have to know where we stand. Can you come with us,” he asked the man that had told him about the place.

He glanced at his wife. “Yes, of course.”