Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (Book 4): Walking In The Shadow Of Death (20 page)

Sean took a sip of the brandy. He
closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of it. “This is very good,” he said as he
took another sip. “Staying clear of danger is a good policy. I’m sorry friend,
but those names do not sound familiar to me.”

Luke, having been silent the entire
time, finally moved forward to speak. “There is another place uncle. The
Murphys’ … You know my pal Thomas’s place. They are a bit off the road and up
the mountain, but I bet if anyone was to survive, Old Man Murphy and his boys
would.”

David laughed and refilled his
glass. “Good ol’ Jeremiah … I nearly forgot about him.” As he said the words
David caught the look of recognition on Brad’s face. David put the top on the
bottle and tossed it in Brad’s direction, who caught it and refilled his own
glass before handing the bottle off to Sean.

“Yeah, Jeremiah is a tough one. Did
some time in the Army, a good brood of sons too, and his wife is a nurse even,
or was at some point—”

“Now wait a minute!” the doctor
interrupted. “So there is a nurse living up the road, and you all neglected to
tell me about it? Or to go and get her?”

David laughed as he pulled the
glass away from his lips. “Ericson, we have been busy you know, and who knows
if the Murphys are even alive.”

“Damn, if there is a chance of a
nurse living up there, then I think we need to check it out. I have sick and
injured children here,” Ericson said, barely concealing his frustration.

Sean sat his empty glass on a table
before speaking. “I don’t know anything about a nurse or these Murphys, but if
it’s important to you all, I’d be more than happy to patrol up the road with
the doctor here and visit their farm. In exchange for treating my man, of
course.”

“Deal!” Ericson blurted out before
David could give an answer.

“And the rest of the medical
supplies?” David asked.

Sean smiled again, “Well those have
been earmarked for my wounded, but if we happen to find them out there on the
road, and we find we have enough for our needs, I’ll gladly hand off the
remainder to you.”

David looked to Ericson and studied
his expression. “Doc, if you think it’s worth the risk ...”

“Of course it is, we have children
dying of simple infections, and we need these antibiotics,” Ericson said
eagerly.

Sean stood, reaching across to
shake David’s and Ericson’s hands. “It’s done then. Now the lady had said
something about a bath?”

21.

Luke had relieved Alex from his
watch. The younger boy was now giving the men a brief tour of the bachelor’s
quarters at the top of the building. He led them up to the third floor and
showed them a small storage room; it was one of the few empty spaces that had a
locking door. The room had random supplies stacked along a wall, items they
must have considered valuable, but had no urgent need for.

Alex explained that his uncle
thought they may be more comfortable in a private room rather than sleeping in
the larger open bay. He gave Sean an old skeleton key to the small storage room
door. The men were told they could leave their bags there while they used the
wash room. Sean and Brad dropped their heavy rucksacks, but elected to take
their smaller assault packs and side arms with them to the bathroom which was
located off the back of the larger space.

 The room had once been a
latrine of sorts, although now badly antiquated and falling apart from decades
of neglect. A long rusted steel countertop with embedded sinks ran along a
wall. On the opposite wall sat a row of porcelain commodes. Two out of the
three were broken into shards. A large thirty-gallon barrel of water rested
against a wall below a window, and a smaller pail sat next to it. Luke had
demonstrated to the men how to flush the badly stained working toilet by using
the bucket.

“I know it looks a bit gross, but
it beats going out back to the outhouse, especially in the dark,” Alex
explained.

On the counter sat two large
plastic wash basins and tin pitchers filled with hot water. Next to the basins
were two neatly stacked sets of towels with a fresh bar of soap on top of each.
Another set of pitchers were resting atop a blazing wood stove. Luke told them
to use as much water as they needed; the barrel would be refilled with snow
during the next workers’ rotation.

“I am sorry we cannot offer you a
shower or a true bath,” Alex said apologetically.

Brad smiled, “No, this is
fantastic, warm water is a luxury we haven’t experienced recently.”

“Good. My uncle is searching
through the stores, he will be bringing you sets of bedding to help you rest. Go
ahead and get cleaned up, I’ll meet you back at your room later,” Alex said as
he left the washroom, closing the door behind him.

Before the door had even completely
closed Brad began stripping off his heavy coats and shirts. He let them fall to
the floor behind him, then grabbed the pitcher with his right hand and poured
the water over his left and let it flow over his hand and into the basin. After
a moment he bent his head over the basin and poured the remainder of the
pitcher onto his head. He reached out with his right hand and placed one of the
towels over his head to hold in the warmth of the hot water.

Brad grabbed the towel with both
hands and scrubbed his scalp vigorously before letting the towel fall around
his shoulders. He let out a long sigh before opening his eyes and saying, “This
is great, isn’t it Sean.”

“Hell yeah,” he heard Sean say from
behind him.

Brad slowly opened his eyes and
looked over his shoulder. He saw Sean sitting buck naked on the toilet. “Aww
man, what the hell Chief!” he shouted as he quickly turned back.

“Sorry brother, but I’ve been
missing the ol’ porcelain throne something fierce,” Sean said.

“Well damn man, I coulda gave you
some privacy.” Brad walked to the window and opened it before he refilled the
pitcher of water and swapped it with one on the stove.

“Don’t mind me, I ain’t shy.”

“Yeah, ya think!” Brad said as he
added hot water to the basin and began using the soap to build a lather on his
hands. He added a wash rag to the basin and continued to wash himself as he
heard Sean finish behind him. Sean joined him at the counter and filled his own
basin as he began washing himself.

“Seriously, give me some warning
next time, now I have that image burned into my memory,” Brad laughed.

Sean let out a small chuckle. “I’ll
try but I can’t make any promises buddy. So what do you think of our hosts?” he
asked as he poured the remainder of the pitcher over his head.

“I’m not sure … they seem like good
people just trying to get by. I guess I have always been conditioned to think
that the end of the world would come with social structures falling apart,
instead of groups like this pulling together.”

“Damn Brad, that’s some deep
thinking.” Sean laughed again. “You’re right though, I find it hard to trust
them, guess it’s in my nature.”

“So what do we do?”

“Let’s just take it easy, go along
with it all, until they give us a reason to think otherwise. Even if these guys
turn out to be shady, you saw as well as I did that they aren’t well armed.
Keep an eye on them, same as working with the Afghan army boys back in the
sandbox,” Sean said as he wrapped a towel around his waist and bundled up his
clothing in his arms.

Brad gave a knowing grin, “Yeah, I
can relate to that. Treat them like friends, but never turn your back to ‘em.”

“Exactly.” Sean put his hand on the
handle of the door. “I’ll see you back at the room.” 

Brad used another pitcher of water
to rinse off, removing the lather from his face and beard. He reached into his
assault pack and removed an old and battered shaving kit, unzipping it and
removing a break-proof mirror. Brad looked into the mirror and barely
recognized himself. His hair had grown long and was hanging over his ears and
neck, matching the patchy straggled beard that now covered his face. He
considered using his small pair of scissors to remove the beard and trim his
long unkempt hair. Smiling, he reconsidered, fully afraid of the possible
results. In the end he stuffed the mirror back into the kit and gathered the
rest of his things before heading out of the latrine.

Brad exited through the door and
moved back into the larger space of the third floor. He could see down the long
structure and towards the small storage room. The area he was standing in was
dark and gloomy, old plank flooring was below his feet and dusty steel beams
over his head. The walls were made up of old brick, the same as below. The
building had the smell of an old musty barn, the smells of old wood and smoke
being heavily present.

Brad moved along, following the
wall down the long room. As he got closer, he saw David standing in the doorway
with a bundle of heavy wool blankets under his arm. Sean was laughing and
nodding his head, holding the door as he followed David into the storage room.
Brad strolled up behind them and moved into the doorway, catching the attention
of David.

“Aye ducky, you look a sight
better, just bringing you lads some bedding. Hope it suits you,” David said,
tossing the pile to the dusty floor.

Brad nodded, moving past David and
dropping his belongings on the floor, then taking a seat on his larger rucksack
positioned against the wall. “I’m sure they will be fine, thank you.”

Sean lifted a uniform blouse to his
face and smelled it, giving a sour expression as he pulled it away. “David, I
hate to impose anymore, but is there a place for us to launder our clothing?”

“Of course, don’t worry about it,
leave your clothing outside the door. Mary will send one of the boys up after
it.”

“That would be great,” Sean said.

“Very well, if you need anything
else, the boys are all set up at the end of the corridor. Feel free to move
about but try to stay out of the family areas after dark. The husbands get a
bit touchy once the sun goes down,” David said.

“Yeah, I can imagine. Once again,
thank you for all of your help,” Sean said, reaching out for a handshake.

David returned the gesture and
slowly moved from the room before turning back. “The fires go out after dark so
bundle up, it gets cold.” Sean nodded in reply as David closed the door behind
him.

Brad opened the straps on his large
rucksack and dug for his cleanest dirty clothes. He found a dry shirt and a
pair of clean underwear he had been saving for a special occasion. He left one
set of uniforms out in case they needed to move in a hurry. The remainder of
the soiled clothing he stuffed into a large netted sack he kept in his ruck,
happy to finally get a chance to have them cleaned. He tossed the bag in Sean’s
direction. 

Sean stared at the sack, amused.
“I’m not sure about having our underwear touch, but guess I’ll make an exception,”
he joked as he eagerly added his own set of uniforms and clothing to the sack
and placed it outside the door. Sean then divided the bedding and tossed Brad a
pair of heavy wool blankets and a worn white sheet. “Whoever they are, they
seem to be very resourceful,” he said, breaking the silence.

Brad pulled on the dry T-shirt and
looked down at the wool blankets. “I know, right … shelter, hot water, food,
doing pretty well by most standards, gives ya hope, you know.”

Sean folded the heavy blankets in
half with the sheet on top. He then used a third field blanket from his own
pack to complete his makeshift bed. He folded the heavy coat into the shape of
a pillow. Next he pulled his .45 pistol and stuck it on top of his pack just
inside of arm’s reach. “I know, brother, I had some of the same thoughts,” he
said, laying back, resting his head on the coat.

Brad continued talking to Sean as
he dug through his pack, sorting his belongings and taking inventory. Before
long he noticed Sean snoring. “Damn, thanks for the company, Chief,” he said in
a low voice. He made a bed of his own, following Sean’s example, and removed
his own poncho liner to use as a blanket. He moved his heavy pack and placed it
in front of the door. It wouldn’t keep out an intruder, but it would slow them
up.

Before Brad sat on his own bedroll,
he removed the Sigma pistol from his body armor. He stared at the handgun
silently, wondering how the weapon had managed its journey all this way without
having fired a shot. Brad pressed the magazine release with his thumb and let
the mag drop into his left palm. It was still fully loaded. He used his thumb
to remove the top two rounds; he rolled them between his fingers before
pressing them back into the magazine. Brad slowly pulled the slide on the
pistol, ejecting the chambered round into his lap. He picked up the round,
examining it before dropping it back into the chamber, cautiously letting the
slide close on it. He then reinserted the magazine and placed the pistol on his
own pack lying just behind him.

Brad lay back and closed his eyes
just as the window above his head began to lose the light. He didn’t know what
time it was, and at the moment he didn’t care. Even though he didn’t know the
men outside the door, he felt at ease around them, and knew he would sleep
better with them standing the watch. It sure beat the hell out of the last few
days of running and gunning. He worried about Hahn lying downstairs alone. He
debated in his mind, should he visit his friend? What if Hahn was to awaken
alone in the room? Brad pulled the poncho liner over his chest, continuing the
internal argument as he gave into exhaustion and drifted to sleep.

22.

He woke to the sounds of footfalls outside
the door. The dull orange glow of daybreak was beginning to fill the space.
Brad looked to his right and saw that Sean was already up and dressing, with
one of the heavy blankets draped over his shoulders. He noticed Brad stirring
on the floor. “That old man wasn’t joking when he said they turn the heat off
at night, son of a bitch it got cold in here—”

Sean was interrupted by a knock at
the door. Somewhat startled, he moved to the entrance and slid Brad’s pack out
of the way. Sean posted his boot to prevent the door from being forced open;
then unlatched the lock and slowly cracked the door revealing the smiling faces
of Luke and Alex.

“Good morning boys, what brings you
by?” Sean said as he opened the door wide.

“Thought you would like to know
that breakfast is ready, down at the end there,” Alex said, holding the laundry
sack stuffed with folded laundry.

Sean took the bag, smiling. “Wow,
thank your aunt for this!”

Alex chuckled, “Shoot, Luke is the
one you should be thanking. He was washing yer clothes all night.”

“Shut up Alex,” Luke said, looking
away. “Well hey, breakfast is ready, you should try and eat it while it’s still
hot.”

Brad stood, pulling on his uniform
trousers. “Great, I’m starving,” he said, lifting his arms to stretch his back
before pulling on his heavy thermal shirt.

Luke made a twisted face. “Don’t
get too excited, you haven’t seen it yet.”

“Don’t mind Luke, he is a picky
eater, it’s really not so bad,” Alex said. “Uncle says we should be ready to
travel in a couple hours, we like to take advantage of the high points of the
day.”

“High points?” Brad asked.

“Yes, when the sun is brightest we
see less of the smart ones then. The creepers don’t seem to mind the sun as
much anymore,” Luke answered.

“Anymore?” Sean asked.

“Yeah you know, in the first days
we didn’t have creepers and things got quiet during the day … in the summer and
fall … but since the winter has fallen, the creepers have shown up,” Luke
answered.

“Either way, have your stuff packed
or ready to go,” Alex said.

Sean gave a mock salute. “Will do …
and Luke, thank you for washing my undies,” he said sincerely, causing Luke to
scowl.

The boys left the two men alone.
They quickly separated the laundry and dressed in fresh uniforms. Then they
packed their bags, preparing for another day of travel. Brad put his M9 in the
hip holster and tucked the Sigma into a pocket on the front of his heavy coat.
He tightened the straps on his bags, attaching the smaller assault pack to the
outside of his ruck. He then laid his heavy body armor on top of it before
lifting the entire kit as one.  Stepping out of the room, he followed Sean
down the corridor to where they saw a gathering of men around a long plank
table.

The table seated ten men and was
crowded on both sides. Brad moved towards a wall and dropped his kit next to
Sean’s. As he turned around he took notice of the brothers Luke and Alex
sitting across from one another at an end of the table. An older man that they
recognized as the door guard, Robby, from the previous night jumped from his
seat next to Luke with an empty tin plate. “Here you go friend, I was just
finishing up, take me spot,” Robby announced. Following his lead a second man
also got up, offering his seat.

“Thank you,” Brad said, taking
Robby’s seat next to Luke. Before he could ask, a tin plate stacked with strips
of brown meat and kidney beans was slid in front of him by a middle-aged man
dressed in a heavy dark red and black flannel shirt. Sean took the seat across
from Brad and was also quickly served with a plate of food. Brad lifted a piece
of the meat to his mouth and took a cautious bite. He found the meat warm,
tough, dry, and heavily salted. “Venison?” Brad asked as he continued to chew.

“It’s moose,” the man in the red
flannel responded.

“It’s good, did you take it?” Brad
asked.

“Aye, two days ago, in the woods
behind the factory. Not in season, but the game wardens don’t seem to mind much
these days,” the man, said causing others around the table to laugh. “Are you a
hunter?”

“I have been known to bag a white-tailed
deer or two,” Brad said.

The man laughed again, “Hell, you
can’t be all bad then. My name is Jorgensen,” he said, outstretching a large
hand. Brad returned the handshake, feeling the man’s powerful grip.

Sean outstretched his own hand,
introducing himself, “I’m Sean, I think we nearly met yesterday out by the
fence?”

Jorgensen gave Sean a puzzled
stare.

“We didn’t meet per se, but I
recognize the red flannel. Was it not you with the scoped rifle?”

“Well I’ll be … you’re good … I heard
you were soldiers but didn’t expect such talented ones,” Jorgensen again
laughed while taking Sean’s hand. “Yes that was me, I spend a lot of time on
the hillside. Watching for the Buhmann mostly, or observing traffic on the
road.” He paused, stroking his clean-shaven chin. “Hasn’t been much friendly
traffic lately.”

“Friendly?” Sean asked, scooping a
spoonful of beans into his mouth.

“Yeah, not everyone on the rock
these days is friendly. Most of the bad ones have set up closer to the coast,
we don’t see much of them out here. Although they have a camp some thirty
kilometers south—”

“We try to stay away from them,” a
boy Luke’s age interrupted.

Brad turned to look at the boy,
recognizing him as the passenger from the truck which had picked them up on the
road.

“That’s James. He’s my cousin.
Uncle Dave is his dad,” Alex said quickly.

“I can speak for myself, Alex. But
yeah, we
try
to keep our distance from strangers,” James said. “You have
been the exception, I would have left you all on the road.”

Sean nodded. “It probably wouldn’t
have been a bad idea. I don’t think I would have faulted you for it. But I
appreciate you all stopping and helping my man. How is he, anyhow?”

The table suddenly grew quiet.
“He’s still with the doctor. We can see him after breakfast if you’d like,”
Alex said.

Brad, wanting to know more about
the others, turned the conversation back towards the strangers. “What do you
know about the people from the coast? What makes them unfriendly?”

Jorgensen moved a chair close to
the table and took a seat. “They ain’t from here. If I had to take a guess I’d
say they come in on a freighter. A number of them beached up and took shelter
here when the ports on the mainland turned them away.

“Most of ‘em kept to themselves
when they got here, isolated and under quarantine. After the lights went out,
who knows what they would turn to … I ran into them a few times, always from
afar, keeping my distance. I watched these fellas a bit, you know, when they
came in to our valley.

“They used to come by here every
now and again, quite often before the heavy snowfall, not so much anymore, but
they still out there. Mostly rummaging through empty homes and what not. They
travel in fancy sports cars, not useful things like trucks. Seem to be townies
mostly, not much practical sense of things. I figure the snow has kept them
closer to home nowadays.”

“How do you know they aren’t
friendly?” Sean asked.

Jorgensen took a sip from the water
glass he had been holding and gave a look as if he was pondering the answer.
“Just speculation, I guess. I left a note on a pole where they wouldn’t miss
it. Trying to make contact, ya know. Offering to set up a means of
communication. I watched them from far away. They saw the note alright they
did. But a big man, he tore it down and read the paper then crumpled it. Tossed
it to the ground and carried on as if it was a burden to him.”

Brad turned to face Jorgensen,
“Maybe they just keep to themselves as well?”

“There’s more,” James said,
slamming a fist on the table.

Jorgensen continued to speak.
“There was family further south. A man with his wife, a son and daughter each.
We offered to bring them into the factory, but the man said they would make
due. They had a nice place, back off the road and settled into the woods a bit.
We made a habit of checking in on them, bringing goods to trade.” Jorgensen
laughed, “Even though that man never gave much in return. Still though, Mary
always sent good things for the girls.”

Jorgensen paused and looked down at
the table, shaking his head, “That man was a fool.”

James got up from the table angrily
and stepped away. After a few paces he stopped and looked back. “More than a
fool, he was reckless, and he had no right to make the decision for all of
them. Dad should have made them move here.”

Things fell uncomfortably quiet
around the table. Sean placed his spoon on his empty plate and slid it to the
center of the table. “I take it … they were more than just strangers from up
the road.”

“Aye, the girl Molly, she was
familiar with James, they were classmates.” Jorgensen said.

“What happened to the family?” Brad
asked.

“Can’t be sure. Me and the boys …
we paid ‘em a visit … some two, 'bout maybe three weeks ago,” Jorgensen said,
pausing to search for the right words.

“They were dead,” Luke blurted out.

“Primals … ah … the Buhmann?” Brad
asked.

“No, not unless they have taken to
binding wrists and ankles and burning their dead,” Jorgensen said with his head
down.

“You figuring it was the others
then?” Sean asked.

“Can’t confirm it, but whoever it
was, they took the girls. We only found the old man and his boy. House was
ransacked, all of their stores were emptied. There was no need for it, they
were good people,” Jorgensen said, finishing. He shook his head again before
getting to his feet.

“If you want to see your man before
we leave, we need to get moving,” Jorgensen said as he turned and headed for
the stairway.

They left the room and followed the
boys down the stairs and back into the makeshift infirmary at the end of the
second floor. A young girl in her twenties was sitting in a chair next to Hahn,
removing the sweat from his brow with a damp cloth. Hahn was still unconscious
in the bed, an IV bag still attached to his good arm. Brad looked and saw that
his left arm had been amputated. “Jesus Christ, you took his arm!” he blurted
out.

The girl quickly turned to face
Brad, the sad expression on her face quickly disarming his anger. Brad stared
at her speechless, then looked back at the stub just above where Hahn’s elbow
should be.

“The doctor wanted to tell you
first, but we made him get some rest. He was up with your soldier all night,”
the girl said apologetically.

“Why, though? His arm?” Brad
mumbled.

“We couldn’t break his fever, even
with the better meds. The doc said it had to go, we don’t have the facilities
to treat him here,” she said, a tear forming below her eye.

Luke moved forward, walking between
Brad and the girl and putting a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay Sara, we know
the doc did his best,” Luke said softly.

Brad moved away from the bed and
took a seat on the bench. Sean moved to the bedside, looking Hahn over. “How is
he now? The fever,” Sean asked.

“We think he is getting better, but
he still has a long way to go,” Sara said.

“Where is the doctor?” Sean asked.

Sara looked at a watch on her
wrist. “He should be downstairs by now, preparing for the trip.”

“The trip? He still plans on going
… with Hahn in this condition?” Sean asked.

“The doctor said he would be back
before dark, your friend will be fine in my care,” Sara said.

Sean looked her dead in the eye.
“Are you a doctor? A nurse?”

“Well no, but I have training,” she
answered.

“Explain,” Sean blurted out.

“I worked as a veterinary
assistant, and I grew up on farms.”

“Good lord, I’ve had enough. Luke,
lead me to the doctor please.”

Brad got to his feet as Luke opened
the door into the family area of the second floor. He stepped off quickly, with
Alex and Sean close behind him. Brad had to walk fast to keep up with them.
They moved through the family area and into the next stairwell. At the bottom
landing they found another guard, a fresh face that Brad had not seen before.
He said good morning to the boys and opened the door, allowing the men into the
first floor office. They found David and Jorgensen sitting on a desk. The
doctor was in the far corner leaning back on a chair. He was dressed in heavy
khaki pants, with a leather bomber’s jacket and fleece cap, as if he was
preparing for a grand adventure.

Sean saw the doctor and headed
directly in his direction. “Hey Indiana Jones, what the hell do you think you
are doing cutting on my man without consulting me first!” he yelled.

“The wound was gangrenous and
putting the man at risk for sepsis. He would have died, he still might, and the
arm had to come off,” Ericson said, getting right back into Sean’s face, not
backing down.

“That was my call to make!” Sean
yelled back.

“If it had been a multiple choice
problem I would have consulted you for your expert opinion, but turns out it
wasn’t. Your guidance was not required.”

Sean stared at the doctor. “Well
you have balls, I’ll give you that.”

“Like I said, I’m not interested in
your opinions. Your man is resting well, I have him on the strongest course of
antibiotics available. With a bit of luck he will pull through.”

David clapped his hands loudly.
“Please be to God!” he shouted. “Now if this most eloquent discussion be over,
I could go about unlocking your weapons.”

Sean moved away from the doctor and
leaned against a wall. “Yeah, I suppose we’re good. Doc, you sure Hahn will be
okay with that girl you left him with?”