Legend of Mace (2 page)

Mace nodded in agreement, then continued to his private workout area. He trained alone.

Two hours later he sat down to lunch with Lisa at a picnic table on their grounds. It was their daily ritual. Some days they said nothing at all. It didn’t matter. They suffered the same affliction. After they were bit in Kansas, they witnessed the changes in each other. It gave them a connection, a bond. One that couldn’t be broken.

“There’s a small group headed this way,” Lisa said nonchalantly as she fiddled with something in her hands. Mace immediately perked up.

“How many?”

“I saw at least six.”

“How far out?”

“Maybe ten miles by now. I spotted them about an hour ago.”

“When were you going to tell me?”

“Right now,” she laughed. “They’re on horseback. They spotted my dune-buggy so I’m sure they’re approaching with caution.”

Both Mace and Lisa preferred to patrol alone. It made it easier to dispose of threats without explanation and satisfy their appetite for violence. Plus, it kept the camp free of their stain. Despite the risks, no one could persuade them to do otherwise.

“Weapons?”

“Saw at least one shotgun,” Lisa replied.

“We could use the ammo.”

“And the horses,” she added before she pulled out a glass pipe and fired it up.

“You sure you want to do that now?” Mace asked.

“It helps kill the edge,” she said as she tried to hold her breath.

“I know. That’s why I’m saying…”

While Mace dealt with his condition by exhausting himself physically, Lisa discovered her inner rage was calmed by marijuana. They kept several plants growing in the garden. She started coughing loudly then said, “It helps me focus,” between coughs.

Mace couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, more like it makes you stupid.”

“At least I have an excuse.”

Mace rolled his eyes. “You ready, or do you want to roll a few more for the road.”

Lisa tapped out the pipe and smiled. “I’m ready. This keeps me from shooting first and asking questions later.”

“That’s not always the best strategy.”

“You’re here. I have nothing to worry about.”

“Glad YOU don’t. I’ve got Courtney Love watching my back.”

Lisa stood and patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, big guy. I’ll kill the bad guys if you want. I don't think we need it, but do you want any backup?”

Mace shook his head. “Nothing we can’t handle. You know how the kids get, anyway.”

“Yeah. Bunch of little savages…”

“Exactly. They’ll want bragging rights. I love being the one with the bounty just to see the looks on their faces.”

Woody heard the dune-buggy and Harley as Mace and Lisa raced out of the compound. He jumped on the Walkie-Talkie. “Follow them, Crockett, and take Bowie and the Rangers with you.” Most of the kids had changed their names, yet again, choosing to be named after defenders of the Alamo.

Mace rode to the right and rear of the dune-buggy as the party on horses slowly appeared in the distance. Lisa slowed the buggy, finally stopping it a hundred yards back. Mace pulled up next to her. They waited silently. Mace casually set the kick-stand and climbed off the bike. His hands clenched as the party drew closer and he prepared himself for bloodshed. Lisa stood next to him, aiming a rifle in their direction. The horses stopped fifty-feet back and two of the riders dismounted.

“We’re not looking for any trouble,” a man shouted at them. Around 40, he held a rifle loosely in his left hand. His shaggy head of graying hair stirred lightly in the Texas breeze. “We just came from Oklahoma City. It got wiped out by a gang of Plaguers.” A girl stood next to him, looking to be around eighteen.

Mace and Lisa exchanged a glance. “Gang of Plaguers?” Mace shouted back. “You mean the infected? The damn zombies?”

“No, they’re dying off. The Plaguers are the ones getting sick.”

Not following the conversation, Mace felt his trigger-finger get itchy. He thought about putting the guy down. “What the hell are you talking about?”

The man stayed silent for a few long seconds. “How many of you are there?”

“Enough to finish you off quickly if need be,” Mace shouted back as he pulled out his weapon and pointed it at the man’s head.

“I’m asking to see if anyone is sick,” the man said as he backed up a few feet. He lifted his hands overhead.

“And why would you care?”

“The plague starts off like the flu. It’s spread by the carcasses. If anyone is sick you need to isolate them immediately.”

Thinking the guy was full of shit, Mace yelled out, “There is no one sick here. And why should we trust or believe you?”

“You don’t have to, but we’re carrying the antidote. This plague moves fast. We could help you.”

“How could there be an antidote?” Mace shouted back.

“It wasn’t made for this outbreak. It was made for the original plague. It was developed in San Francisco. It works, though.”

Mace felt his head spin for a second. He went to his saddlebag and lifted out a pair of binoculars. Adjusting them to zero in on the strangers, he took a long prolonged look before turning to Lisa. “Check them out. See if you recognize anyone.”

Lisa put the field glasses to her eyes. After a few seconds she said, “Damn, I think I do.”

“Me too. Which one?”

“The girl. She’s older now, but she was a smart ass. Hard to forget.”

“Yep.”

Dirt-bikes sounded in the background. Mace knew the boys would be appearing any minute. Walking slowly towards the party, Mace shouted again. He kept his pistol aimed in their direction.

“This antidote you are talking about. We were the ones that made it.” Mace felt his stomach turn as the words left his mouth. The antidote was responsible for too much death and suffering. It was responsible for him. “Somebody from your party must have relocated on a caravan. It was distributed from a Kaiser hospital in South San Francisco.”

“I’ll be damned,” the man said as he slowly laid his rifle on the ground. He lifted his hands above his head again as he approached. “Am I glad to meet you, sir.”

Mace thought the title seemed completely out of place, especially considering his appearance. He straightened his gun arm. “That’s far enough,” he said icily as he studied the man carefully.

Raising his hands higher, the stranger said, “I told you, we’re not looking for trouble. Hell, I’d like to shake your hand. You saved a lot of people.”

Mace didn’t flinch. Lisa kept her rifle aimed at the man’s chest. The dirt bikes appeared from different directions. Within a minute they completely surrounded the party on horses. Crockett jumped off his bike and aimed an arrow at one of the men on horseback. The other boys all carried bows and quivers strapped to their backs.

“We’re taking the horses,” Crockett yelled loudly to one of the men. “Get off and put your guns on the ground.”

At the sight of the young boys with Mohawks, the girl piped up in anger, “What is this, some type of mutant-munchkin bullshit?”

Lisa whispered to Mace. “Yep, that’s her.”

The man who approached Mace turned and yelled, “Kelly! Shut up! We’re not looking for any trouble.”

“Hey, I didn’t start it. Look at them! I don’t even think they have hair on their balls, yet!”

Mace couldn’t help but chuckle under his breath. 
“Crockett!” he yelled. “We’ve got this under control.”

“We need their horses!” Crockett yelled back.

The man turned back towards Mace with a look of desperation. “Please. We come in peace. We don’t want any trouble.”

Lisa nudged Mace and nodded towards one of the men on horseback. His hand reached slowly for a rifle.

“That’s far enough,” Mace yelled, moving his handgun to zero in on the target. “Crockett, lower your goddamn bow and keep your boys in check. We’re not going to shoot anyone unless they pull a weapon.” His attention turned to the man on horseback, he said, “Throw down your gun and dismount the horse. That goes same for the rest of you. We’re going to take you back to our compound and get this all sorted out.”

Kelly now stared hard at Lisa. “I know you,” she said in shock. “You were there. In Frisco.”

“I remember you, too,” Lisa said dryly. “Especially the cute mouth.” The girl’s parents placed her briefly in Lisa’s hospital daycare center. They all left on one of the caravans shortly after.

“Why do you talk so funny, anyway?” Crockett yelled at the girl.

“I don’t talk funny,” answered Kelly, defensively.

“I never heard nobody talk like you before.”

“I’m from New Jersey. This is just how we talk.”

“You sound like an idiot.”

“Well, you look like a freak!”

“Enough already,” Mace said loudly. “Take your boys and head back to camp,” he ordered Crockett. “We’ll be there shortly.”

Crockett stared at the girl for a second before he spit on the ground. “Stupid bitch,” he muttered under his breath.

Back at the Alamo, half the camp watched as Mace pulled his Harley through the entrance. The horses followed a few seconds later with Lisa bringing up the rear. Word spread quickly through the encampment as they approached. Months passed since their last visitor. Most people ended up dead by the side of the road.

“Holy shit,” said Kelly, getting off her horse. “It’s a whole tribe of munchkins. What the hell is up with the Mohawks?”

“It gives us a mental advantage,” Mace answered in spite of himself. It wasn’t worthy of a response.

“Well, you look mental, I’ll give you that.”

Mace took a few steps towards her, his irritation growing quickly, and fear showed on her face. “I don’t know who you think you are,” he growled, “but I suggest you shut your lip, and fast.”

Lisa grabbed his belt from behind to slow him down. “Easy, big guy. It’s too early to start snapping necks.” Mace gave Kelly a long, hard look. As he analyzed the girl, he recognized a past of privilege and money. Amazed that she’d lasted this long, he studied her more closely. She was the only one with a New Jersey accent, which meant the party most likely took her in.

Even though she was still just a kid, he could only take so much backtalk. He turned his attention to the man who initially approached them. “Why don’t we go talk somewhere. If I were you, I’d make sure Jersey, here, keeps her mouth shut. She could find herself short a tongue.”

The man nodded nervously. “What are you going to do with us?”

Mace pointed towards the others and said, “They stay in the prison until everything checks out. You come with me.”

Chelsea sat by the well under an oak tree as Crockett brought the prisoners through. At only eight years old, she was strong, confident, and as skilled as many of the boys. She surpassed most of them with her archery skills. She and Maya practically lived on the course. They just gotten through tending the garden.

Sitting Indian-style next to her, Maya gently petted Buster as he panted in the heat. His head was somewhat lopsided from the bullet damage, but it barely slowed him down. It was the lack of full vision that kept him close to camp. He had a habit of walking into walls when tired.

“What’s going on?” Maya asked as the five prisoners passed within twenty feet, surrounded by Mohawk warriors.

“I don’t know,” Chelsea answered quietly as she focused on the girl. “I think I know her!” she said in surprise as she concentrated on her face.

“What?”

“She looks familiar. I know I’ve seen her.”

“Hi Maya,” Travis said, interrupting their conversation. Approaching from behind, he made it a point to seek her out after kitchen duty. He smelled like onions.

Breaking his glasses when the toxin was first released, Travis couldn't see clearly more than ten feet in front of him. It made him unfit for combat.

“But from where?” Maya asked Chelsea, ignoring Travis. She thought he was a dork. She had her eye on Miles, although half the boys in camp secretly had a crush on her.

Chelsea’s eyes grew wide as she remembered where she'd met the girl. “She’s from San Francisco, like me!
She was at the hospital!"

“Really?” Maya said. “That’s crazy. What’s she doing here?”

“I have no idea. She’s a pain in the ass, though. Trust me.”

Inside the chapel, Jim and Yvette were busy arguing over their nuptials. Mace walked in unnoticed with the stranger. Jim and Yvette were faced away and didn’t see them enter.

“All I’m saying is you could at least put a little more thought into this, Jim. ‘I promise to love you and stuff.’ Really? Is that the best you could come up with?”

“Well, you called me a dork in yours!”

“And you have to ask why?”

The stranger laughed, which instantly stopped them. They swung around, guns drawn.

“Whoa,” said Mace as he raised his hands. “We were just looking for a quiet place to talk. Didn’t know we were barging in on anything.”

“Damn, you scared us!” said Yvette. “I didn’t recognize the laugh.”

“Sorry,” the man said. “I couldn’t help myself. My apologies.”

“That’s okay,” Yvette said as she shot a harsh look at Jim. “We’re done in here. You aren’t interrupting anything too important, obviously.”

Jim rolled his eyes and Yvette pinched his arm. “Ow!”

“Cmon, let’s leave them alone. We can work on this someplace else.” She dragged him out by his arm. Jim smiled sheepishly at Mace as he left.

“That looks like a match made in heaven,” the man said cautiously.

“They’re actually good together. It’s a rather unique relationship. Why don’t you sit down.” Mace’s face remained stone cold.

The man nodded nervously and took a seat. “We don’t care much for strangers,” Mace said straight-off. “And we aren’t looking for any to join us. We’ll get you fed and on your way soon if you don’t give us any trouble.”

“We don’t have anywhere to go,” the man said quietly. As unsure as he was of Mace and the crazy kids, the road still posed a greater threat.

“Not my problem. Tell me about the plaguers. What’s been going on out there?” 

Lifting his focus to make eye contact, the man’s eye twitched from nerves. Mace looked like a stone-cold killer. He was a truly frightening sight. “It started once the zombies started dropping,” the man said anxiously. “We noticed that anyone that hadn’t been inoculated from the original virus got sick. Soon after, they started going crazy: Violent crazy. Everywhere we’ve traveled we’ve run into the same thing. It started in Arizona and it’s been the same everywhere we’ve gone.”