The Dark Trilogy (29 page)

“
Well, that’s that.”

“
What are we going to do, Jeff?” Megan asked as he walked toward the back of the RV.

“
I don’t know about you guys, but I’m going to take a hot shower and have some lunch.”

Chapter 4

An hour later, they were sitting around tables that had been pushed together for their meal out in the courtyard. Jeff was surprised to discover that meat was on the menu. Steaks were piled high, and the smell had his mouth watering. Michael announced that it was a special occasion in honor of the newest members of the community. Ben had been hunting. Although the infected had torn through the domestic animal population, deer appeared to be thriving in the new desolation created by the virus. The survivors drank lukewarm bottled water and ate canned vegetables and bread Lydia had made from scratch. It was the best meal any of them had tasted for as long as they could remember.

“
Your attention, please! Everyone!” Michael stood and tapped his steak knife against the plastic table as the meal wound down.

“
I know things have been difficult for us. For all of us.”

He walked around behind Jeff and the other newcomers, forcing them to twist in their chairs to look up at him.

“
But we’ve made it this far. It’s my hope that we’ll be able to go a lot farther, now that there are more of us.” He smiled and put his hands on Jason’s shoulders, squeezing them. The boy puffed up a bit and smiled shyly at the attention.

Michael glanced at each newcomer in turn until his eyes found Megan and hovered there. She looked away, but Michael’s gaze stayed on her. As Megan glanced down at her paper plate, she did not see Cindy staring daggers at her, but Jeff did. Michael finally looked away and began moving again.

“
It’s my hope,” he said, stopping as he reconsidered his word choice. “No, it’s my vision that we can grow strong enough to someday take back the world from those who have stolen it from us.”

Michael’s smile broadened as he looked out over everyone. “We need to stick together so we can make things like they used to be ...” His smile grew even wider as he corrected himself. “To make them better than what they used to be.”

Lydia immediately stood and started lightly clapping. Michael peered at everyone else, and slowly the others joined in. Soon even the children were applauding.

As they did, Jeff looked around quizzically. The clapping was barely audible, though the enthusiasm on everyone’s face painted a different picture.

A little later, Jeff was smiling and doing his best to look grateful for the hospitality as he resisted the urge to make any sharp comments about all the chips and other snacks he had acquired from the drug store back in Milfield that were now being passed around freely. George sat next to him, watching everyone with distant eyes. Frank gave the middle-aged man a sour look when their eyes met, and George stared down at his hands.

For some time, polite discussions about everyone’s experiences dominated the conversation. After a while, people dispersed and the tables were cleared. Megan insisted on helping Lydia clean up. As she stood, she nudged Jeff with her elbow. He glanced up at her from his chair. With her eyes, she indicated Michael and then looked meaningfully at Jeff. He groaned inwardly, but nodded. Megan smiled and moved away from the table, grabbing up plates, plastic knives, and forks as she went.

“
Michael. Could I have a word with you?”

“
Certainly, Jeff. It’d be my pleasure.”

The two of them walked away from the tables, toward the RV Michael and Cindy shared. “Step into my office.” With a flourish, Michael waved Jeff ahead of him.

The RVs were top-of-the-line vehicles, and Jeff could only imagine how much one would cost. There had been no need to scrimp when Michael and his crew acquired them at a dealership in the area several weeks before.

Even though Michael’s looked pretty much the same as the one Jeff was sharing with his companions, there were some elements that made it unique—smaller details, like more expensive wood trim and thicker carpeting.

A laptop was jacked into a power outlet above a large dining table, and stacks of DVDs were arrayed around it. With the slideouts fully deployed, it was hard to differentiate the RV from a small house. Jeff noticed there was nothing covering the windows. They were exposed to the outside world, the same as with his RV. The shades were not drawn.

“
Nothing but movies now.”

Jeff’s eyes moved back to the table beside which Michael stood. He noticed the sizeable flat-screen TV situated on the wall above it.

“
No more cable TV, no more news, and no more BS.” Michael grinned. He nodded at the laptop. “I have a Wi-Fi connection, but there isn’t anything left to connect to, is there?”

He gestured to one of the chairs at the table and walked over to the refrigerator.

“
Would you like a Coke?”

Jeff slid into the seat and nodded. Michael pulled out an instantly recognizable red can and handed it to Jeff. The cold sensation was a pleasant surprise. As he cracked open the can, the carbonation sounded like an old friend welcoming him home. The first sip was pure bliss as the liquid rolled down Jeff’s throat.

Michael cleared his computer off the table and leaned back.

“
So, I’m all ears. What can I do for you?”

Jeff set down his Coke and shifted in his chair.

“
Well, you sort of took us off guard with that little stunt back out on the road.”

He raised his hand before Michael could offer a retort.

“
Don’t get me wrong. We appreciate your hospitality, and I know as well as anyone how shitty things have been the past few weeks. It doesn’t pay to take chances.”

“
You’re not kidding.” Michael raised his can of Mountain Dew in salute and gulped it down.

“
It’s just that … well …” Jeff paused for a moment and then forged ahead. “Well … George is trying to get back to his family. We all sort of agreed to help him find a vehicle that was still running and let him take off to find them.”

“
His family is still alive?”

“
Well, he seems to think so, that’s for sure.”

“
Where are they?”

“
Wildwood. Up near Dayton.”

Michael thought about it for a moment, holding his breath. As he stroked his jaw, he let a slow hiss of air come through his teeth.

“
So what do you think? What are the odds his family is still alive in a town of that size?”

Jeff shrugged. “I have no idea. But the man wants to find his family, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.”

Michael’s response was quick.

“
Even if there’s about a ninety-nine percent chance that they’re dead? Come on, Jeff. I can tell you’re a realist. Let’s not bullshit each other any more than we need to. George’s family is dead, and he’s going to end up dead too if he goes after them.”

Michael sat back and crossed his arms as a smug smile appeared on his face. “Don’t tell me that you and Megan haven’t tried convincing him to stay with you.”

Jeff nodded in agreement. “We have. But his mind’s made up.” He shrugged again, as if that were all there was to it.

Michael narrowed his eyes, his smile becoming slyer. “So you’re telling me you would gladly let him go off on some wild goose chase that’s going to get him killed? You have no desire to stop him?”

Jeff paused as he gritted his teeth and forced a smile onto his face. “I guess I just don’t see it as my place to tell a man he can’t try to save his family.” He glared at Michael. “Even if I do think it’s a suicide mission.”

“
Well, that’s where you and I differ, Jeff.” Michael scooped up his drink and downed it. Standing, he began pacing around the RV.

“
I haven’t … no, strike that,
we
haven’t come this far without stepping on a few toes. Some people don’t realize what it’s going to take to stay alive out here. I do. And I’ll be damned if I’m going to let another fool run off and get himself killed because he wants to be some kind of hero or has some sort of delusions about his wife, kids or even his best bud from college still being alive somewhere out there.”

Michael turned and slammed his hands down on the table. “I won’t do it, Jeff! Not again.”

Jeff inched back in his chair as Michael’s jaw twitched and his eyes burned with fury. His knuckles grew white as he gripped the edge of the table.

Suddenly, a change came over Michael’s face and his eyes widened in desperation. Jeff watched the transition in silence.

“
You don’t understand. We need you. All of you. There aren’t enough of us to screw around anymore. We have to rebuild, man. This …” He waved his hand furiously all around him. “This camp, fortress, or whatever the hell you want to call it, isn’t going to last. We might have a month, maybe two before things go south.”

He moved back to his chair and slid into it, his eyes never leaving Jeff’s. “But before that happens, we need to find more people and, more importantly, we need to survive.”

Michael slumped in his chair. Jeff tried to absorb what he had said, but was puzzled by the other man’s wild swings of emotion. He ran his fingers through his thick hair, scratching his scalp in frustration.

“
So let me get this straight. You’re telling me that George can’t leave … and none of us can? Does that about sum things up?”

Michael tilted his head, an impassive look on his face. “If that’s how you want to look at it, then yes. But it’s not as if you are our prisoners. We’re welcoming you as members of our team.”

“
Team Michael, huh?”

Michael ignored the sarcasm. “Call it what you will, Jeff, but this world is a pretty screwed-up place, and I don’t think you’d like trying to make it out there on your own for very long. In here, you have a fighting chance.”

He extended his hand across the table. Jeff just stared at it.

“
So what do you say?”

Jeff continued staring down at Michael’s open hand. He pressed his tongue against the top of his mouth to avoid speaking, because he was fearful of what he might say. Finally, he reached over and shook it.

“
Good man, Jeff.” Michael’s face lit up while Jeff’s remained sullen. Michael stood as they shook and tugged on the other man’s arm until he stood as well. He patted Jeff on the shoulder and led him toward the door.

“
I’m really glad we’ve had this talk. I think it cleared the air between us.”

The expression on his face made Michael’s meaning clear. There would be no compromise on the subject of leaving. They were here to stay … at least for as long as Michael felt he needed them.

At the door, Jeff turned to go, but Michael’s grip tightened on his shoulder. Jeff looked back at him.

“
Why don’t you guys just get a good night’s rest? We can chat more in the morning.”

He paused and seemed to remember something. “Oh, and one more thing. We’re going on a salvage run tomorrow. We’re going to hit the town for some supplies. You up for that?”

Jeff smiled wearily at the man who had imprisoned him and his friends. “Sounds like a plan.”

Chapter 5

The next hour was gloomy for Jeff as he did his best to explain to Megan and George how the conversation had gone with Michael. George was dejected, as Jeff had expected, but he sat quietly as Jeff spoke.

Megan, on the other hand, had to be prevented from storming from their RV and scratching out Michael’s eyes. Her rage was not only for George, but for the trip the men planned to take the next day. After witnessing how things were in Milfield and Gallatin, she had no doubt that it would be no better in Manchester.

After Megan calmed down, Jeff worked to convince her and George that their best course of action for the moment was to try to get to know some of the camp dwellers better. It took some effort, but Megan agreed to play nice for the time being, though George didn’t seem to care one way or another. They stepped back out into the courtyard and mingled as best they could.

Jeff spent some time trying to befriend the two teenage boys. Ray and Teddy seemed like fairly nice kids once unarmed and safely behind the walls of the RVs. He tried to strike up a conversation with Ben, who seemed civil enough, but the big man wasn’t interested. Ray was willing to chat, and Jeff learned a little bit about what had led him and the others to this place.

They had moved into the area a couple weeks before. They spent some time clearing out the “slugs” as Ray had dubbed the infected, from the immediate area and brought in the RVs, which they snatched after fleeing a factory they had claimed as their first hideout. Ray alluded to several deaths along the way, but did not go into detail. He just seemed happy to speak to an adult who didn’t spend most of his time insulting the kid. Jeff got the distinct impression that Ray was a whipping boy for Frank and Marcus from the way he shifted uncomfortably in his chair as he spoke about them.

Teddy joined in and also seemed willing to talk about the others. Frank had apparently been with Michael since near the beginning, and together they had accumulated different folks as they moved farther out from the city. But it wasn’t until Ben joined them that they seemed to have a plan. He was the one who had found the place for the RVs and spent much of his time beyond their walls, foraging and scouting. Frank was Michael’s second in command, but both boys agreed Ben was the most valuable person in their little community. As they spoke, Jeff kept glancing over at the colossal man, who was once again quietly whittling in front of his RV.