World of Ashes (29 page)

             
“Fuck! FUCK FUCK FUCK!” Ethan shouted, throwing his empty weapon at Groupe’s body. Ethan kicked a box of supplies that came tumbling down and buried most of Michaels, who was still twitching. Lee shot all three of them in the head again just in case. Ethan collapsed to the floor and tried to catch his breath, his mind swimming as if he were drunk. He didn’t enjoy adrenaline-dumps, or anxiety attacks.

             
The EMTs followed Sabrina upstairs, but after seeing the carnage stepped outside into the hall. There was nothing they could do now. Lee stepped outside with them and began discussing the next steps with the others. Ethan just stared at the men he’d risked everything to save. Saio had gotten infected, a piece of his uniform was found in a nearby zombie’s mouth. He’d killed Groupe, and Groupe had kill Michaels. It couldn’t have happened more than fifteen minutes ago. Fifteen minutes. Like the number of minutes they would have saved going through St. Clair instead of avoiding an infestation of inner city hood-rats taking over what was left of someone else’s town.

             
Ethan went downstairs and grabbed a shovel from the back of the Humvee and started to dig, the others loaded their own gear onto trucks and left a radio in the safe house with the original supplies for others trapped in the area to use. No need to waste a good thing.

             
The rest of the ride home through back country roads overgrown with weeds, leaves and dead cars and bodies, scenes right out of the
Terminator
movies, Ethan didn’t speak. He couldn’t. He took the turret because he didn’t want to hear what anyone below was saying. Riding in the turret of a Humvee is like being in a roller coaster. A roller coaster with guns. They stayed in the area to wipe out the Cult Zombies, which took until dark and gave Ethan plenty of chances to take out his anger on the zombies with the M2. On the way home with lights of the trucks on, Ethan was left with a uniquely trippy view that would have fit well in an action movie. Only once did he even consider shooting at anything, but luckily the Zim in front of them hobbled into a pothole and fell just as the Humvee passed over its head.

             
The convoy pulled up to the north outpost an hour later and rode back to town in an everlasting silence. The crew of the C-130 was devastated by the news of the death of their pilots and crewman. So were the leaders of the convoy of Texan Marines detailed to retrieve the stranded men.

             
“Sorry we couldn’t bring them back.” Ethan said to the Marine Major when their path’s crossed at the truck stop. “We were too late. An infected person got in.”

             
“Your brother told me. I appreciate your efforts.” The Major sighed, “Lost the cargo
and
the pilots.” He looked over at Kenly, who didn’t seem very happy with being stared at. “Look, if your Mayor doesn’t throw a fit this time, I can have more munitions flown up here for us to take out that gang. After we do that, Texas is always looking to lend military aid to outposts as far North as possible.”

             
Sabrina and Tammy happened by at the tail end of the conversation, already dressed in the simple jeans and brown jacket the town issued to all the new residents. They stopped, not expecting to actually see a Texan, let alone one of their officers.

             
“Good afternoon, Sir. We’re out of uniform, because ours are in the wash, but I’m Staff Sergeant Sabrina Johansen, Missouri Army National Guard. You’re from Texas?”

             
“Well, Sergeant, I’m afraid there hasn’t been a Missouri Army National Guard since about a year and a half ago. We’ve heard of holdouts in remote armories, but we never went to check them out. We just don’t have that kind of manpower.” The Major admitted. “Resources for those sort of things are scarce, and almost unjustifiable without evidence of occupation of a population over the five hundred mark.”

             
“We were the last armory besides Jefferson City, anyhow. We’d have left a long time ago if we weren’t surrounded.” Tammy said.

             
“Well, you’re here now.” Kenly joined the conversation. “You can stay or go if you want. We could always use more soldiers. It’s either that or help build the wall.”

             
Kenly walked away, but the Major stayed. “Which brings me to my next point.” He said, watching Sabrina’s ass as she and her girlfriend walked away. Tammy caught him staring and pinched Sabrina’s rear while looking the Marine straight in the eyes. He returned he attention to Ethan. “You were there, at the hotel in Washington with the Marine Squad under Master Gunnery Sergeant Judge, right?”

             
“Yeah. Why?”

             
The Major tensed. “Over there, by the chow hall seating, someone needs to talk to you. After you do, either way this turns out, I still wanna
talk
to you.” The Major’s tone was subtle and threatening at the same time.

             
Ethan didn’t feel like arguing. “Fine. You just calm your ass down though. Remember who the law is around here.” Ethan like being able to tell commissioned officers to go fuck themselves. It was like a hobby or something. He stood and walked over to the far side of the seating area, not seeing anyone at first. He turned around and saw Corporal Mary Hoffman sitting behind a support pillar. Only she wasn’t wearing corporal rank, or even a uniform at all. “Hey, Mary. What are you doing here?”

             
Mary pursed her lips and motioned for Ethan to sit down. She pushed her coffee away at first, but then pulled it back and sipped it before speaking. “I have… two choices Ethan.” She started, setting her coffee on the table again. She didn’t seem at all out of place in a black leather biker jacket and a pair of jeans and dingy Converses.

             
“Okay?”

             
“I can either take the next train to Texas, which means a twelve hour ride out of here, or I can stay here. With you.”

             
“I don’t understand.”

             
Mary smiled, “…not very clever…” She said under her breathe.

             
“Look, I’m tired. What is-”

             
“I’m pregnant, Ethan. And you’re the only man I’ve had sex with since being stranded at that power plant.” Her voice was quiet, and somehow singsong in a condescending way. Ethan should have guessed.

             
“Shit.” Was all Ethan could mutter, leaning back in his chair.

             
“Yeah… Because that was the reaction I was hoping for.” Mary reached down to grab her bag.

             
“No. No wait.” Ethan reached out and gently grabbed her arm. “How long can you stay for?”

             
“Forever… Or until the truck leaves, which is in like twenty minutes.”

             
Ethan looked off in the distance for a moment, Mary’s eyes never leaving his, impatience on her face. “I guess it’s time to let go, huh?” He said at long last.

             
“I had to let go of my fiancé too, Ethan. He was a good man. I had to accept I was never going to see him again. I’m not asking you to do the same for your fiancé. It’s not easy to love someone enough to marry them, then to have to let them go. I will even leave if she comes back… But if I get on that truck, I’m never coming back, Ethan. I’ll just be among the millions of single moms trying to make a living in the last human land on Earth, constantly wary of attack by Mexicans and corpses alike…”

             
“You never considered a…” Ethan felt bad for saying it, but his analytical mind wouldn’t let it go.

             
“An abortion? It’s not like I didn’t think about it. But we’re too far from a real doctor. I’m having this baby, Ethan. Yes, or no?”

             
“Yes. Of course, yes. Sorry, I didn’t mean to… I can’t let you go it alone. I don’t wanna be a pessimist, but even if you come to hate me at least I can see my kid once in a while.” Ethan found he had tears forming under his eyes. He hadn’t devoted one iota of thought to having children since he’d been drafted back into the service. Now he was going to be a dad one way or the other, and he’d only met his child’s mother once. Somehow, that scenario didn’t surprise him as much as he thought it should.

             
“Good. Because this bag is all I got in the world.” Mary kicked her duffel bag.

             
“C’mon. I gotta go get yelled at by your Major.” Ethan stood.

             
“Who, Major Donovan? Whatever. He wanted to yell at you for leaving him another Marine short. As if he won’t end up pressing those flyboys into service until a train brings more Marines.”

             
“Yo, where’s my fucking car?” A deputy said as soon as Ethan walked out.

             
“Oh, hey Clyde.”

             
“…like…dude…”

             
“How about I go out on missions until I find a replacement for your car.”

             
“Fuck… man.” Deputy Roberts tossed his hat on the ground. “I fucking left my girlfriend’s birthday present in the trunk. She’s gonna be pissed… Oh well. I want a Grand Prix GTP this time. It has a supercharger.”

             
“Dude, shut the fuck up.” Mary butted in as Ethan tossed her duffel into a truck bound for the Police Station where Ethan’s Crown Vic was parked.

             
Lieutenant Rowe was waiting outside the station as Ethan helped Mary down off the shuttle truck. “Your brother called. He wants to know where you went.” These days Rowe more resembled the busty blonde cop from Reno 911 than the chubby woman she’d been when Ethan had first come home. She was flirting with a black man he didn’t recognize, but the guy had an old church bus with armor and bullet proof glass and four kids in tow, so he couldn’t be all bad if he put that much effort into keeping his kids safe.

             
“Tell him I’ll be at home the rest of the day. He can catch me there.”

             
“Who’s this?” Rowe smiled at Mary, extending a hand and pausing her conversation with the man and his kids.

             
“This is Mary Hoffman. She’ll be staying with us for a while.”

             
Shrugging, Rowe returned to her conversation. “Just make sure you file a residency form with the office.”

             
“Yeah, in triplicate or whatever.” Mary rolled her eyes.

             
“You’re gonna love it here.” Ethan cracked a smile as they piled into the ancient Ford Crown Victoria from his parent’s shed.

             
“I hope so.” Mary said as they took off. Once back at the house they were in time to catch Keith and Paula loading a few more boxes into Keith’s new truck.

             
“You ever gonna stop by and see the house?” Paula asked as Ethan got out of the car. By habit he scanned the area with his hand on his gun, but saw nothing but the waving grass of the local fields in the floodlights Lee had installed. The forests were reclaiming land by miles and miles a day it seemed.

             
“I’ve seen it before. My seventh grade teacher used to live there.”

             
“Ah.” Paula nodded, “Well, the town lists her as, for sure, Deceased. It’s sad, but  we’ve got it now and I couldn’t be happier.” Paula saw Mary get out of the car.

             
“And who’s this?”

             
“I’m his…” She looked at Ethan and made the decision for him, “I’m his girlfriend, for better or for worse.”

             
“You knocked her up, didn’t you?” Paula narrowed her eyes at Ethan.

             
“Because you have room to talk, honey.” Keith came to Ethan’s defense as he pushed a box into the bed of his truck.

             
“Well, it’s complicated.” Ethan admitted.

             
“Yeah, Allen told us how complicated it was.” Keith smiled, “You could at least have given him his shirt before throwing him out of the room.” He said to Mary.

             
“And he could have answered the door with pants on.” Mary shrugged, hauling her bag from the car.

             
“Right.” Keith opened the door for them and they all went inside. “So now what?”

             
“We don’t know.” Ethan admitted. Mary agreed.

             
“We have a lot to talk about.” Mary decided for them again.

             
“Well, we’re staying for dinner, if only to see the look on Lee’s face when he hears he gets to put up with crying
all
the time now.” Keith laughed. “I think he was ready to see the last of Serenity caterwauling at all hours of the night. He’s been sleeping at the barracks a lot lately. Probably because of that exactly.”