“Fine,” she said. “It was weird. He moved really fast, and he disarmed me in a flash, but everything else was mostly touch moves that took me down without giving me a beating.”
“I noticed that shit, too!” said Gem.
“Same here,” said Dave. “How the hell did he do that?”
“I call it
Subdue-doe,” said Nelson, sitting up, rubbing his forehead. An angry, red, raised mark blossomed there.
“Sub what?” asked Dave.
“Sub-due-doe,” he said again. “Like Judo, but only for subduing and disarming. I’m not out to hurt anyone, man. I just want to keep from getting hurt.”
“Sorry for the knee to the head then,” said Gem. “It’s just that we’ve been through some shit and we don’t take much from anyone else.”
“You two are pregnant?” asked Nelson. “That’s cool. You’re still hot, though.”
“We get that a lot,” said Gem. “What’s your story, Nelson?”
Nelson withdrew a pack of something and pulled one out. As Charlie watched him, he smiled and said, “Cloves.”
Everyone smiled as he lit one and the pungent aroma
of sweet spice filled the air. He looked at Gem’s stomach.
“Charlie I can’t see at all yet. You got a little bump going on now that I know. Is this your first kid?”
“It is,” said Gem.
“
So you’re what,
about … five, six months?”
Charlie looked at Gem, confused. “How would you guess that?”
“Lots of women don’t show much until later, especially during their first pregnancy.”
“Back to Charlie’s question,” said Gem. “How do you know that?”
“My Gramps is a baby doctor,” he said. “I used to spend the day at his office when I was a punk, and he’d let me sit in there while he checked some of
the
ladies out. Not
pussies or anything like that.
Just stomachs and
ultrasounds and
junk.”
“Very subtle,” said Gem, shaking her head.
“Where’s your Gramps now?” asked Dave.
“I’m heading to Concord,” he said. “See if
he
made it.”
“There’s only one doctor in Concord,” said Gem. “Jim Scofield.”
Nelson leapt to his feet, his face plastered with a big smile
s
o contagious they found they were all smiling.
“That’s my Gramps! Grampa Jim! Holy shit!”
“How come you have different last names?” asked Dave.
“He’s my mom’s dad,” said Nelson. “Her name is – was – Penelope. He called her Penny.”
“Oh, duh,” said Dave. “Sorry. Sometimes I space.”
“We really need to call Flex now,” said Gem. “Nelson, your Gramps is alive. He’s been seeing us to make sure our babies are … well, okay, if you get my drift.”
“I get it. And I’m sorry I took you guys down, but seriously, I was never going to hurt you
, and no moves I did were intended to
. I’m a fuckin’ pacifist. And an environmentalist. I wouldn’t hurt anything or anyone.”
“What about the zombies?”
“They’re already dead, so I don’t have a problem with them,” he said. “So, real quick. How do you walk right up to them and they don’t know you’re there?”
Dave dug in his shirt pocket and withdrew a wafer. “Take this. It’ll give you six hours of Walk Among Them time.”
Nelson took it and looked it over
. “Any preservatives?” he asked.
“Not that I’m aware of,” said Dave.
“Cool,” said Nelson, popping
it in his mouth
and chewing
.
“They’re not the best,” said Dave. “Should’ve warned you.”
“Tastes natural,” said Nelson. “Like cow pies.”
Dave
shook his head and smiled, then
stood up and prepared to catch him.
*****
While Nelson slept in the car, his meager duffle bag of possessions
in the trunk for now
, Gem, Charlie and Dave retrieved the bags of ammo and a few more high powered rifles with scopes.
The store sold cans of camouflage spray paint colors for do-it-yourself hunters, so Charlie grabbed a can of the black, along with a two-by-four from one of the displays.
After they all left the store, Charlie slid the two-by-four through the double handles of the front door and spray painted in very large letters on the outside of the front wall, “WARNING! ZOMBIES INSIDE!”
“Clever,” said Dave. “The rest of the stuff
should
be there next time we come.”
“It is a good idea,” said Gem. “
As long as nobody torches the building.”
Dave stepped into the street
and
looked up at the building for a few seconds
. “I have an idea. Once we get in the car.”
Charlie looked into the back seat as Dave slid in beside Nelson and shook him gently awake.
“Wh – where the hell?”
“You’re in our car,” said Gem. “It’s okay. We’ll take you to your grandpa.”
“No way I’m leaving my scooter. Not a chance.
That thing is great on gas and saves the environment.
”
Gem rolled her eyes.
Charlie
smiled and
looked around. She’d noticed the scooter, but didn’t tie it to Nelson. “
The silver and red one?”
Nelson swiped his dreads out of his face. “Yeah. Great bike. I’ll ride that there, but where’s my duffel?”
“It’s in the trunk,” said Charlie. “Safe and sound.”
“Cool,” he said. “Don’t worry. I can keep up. She does about fifty, fifty-five. That’s wide open, but I’ll get there.”
“We need to get gas first,” said Gem. “There’s a station right up there on the right side.”
“Got it,” he said. “I could use a top off myself.”
“Okay,” Gem said. “After we fill up, I’ll lead, you hang behind us. I might have to clear the road here and there.”
He got out and Gem rolled down the passenger window. “Cool gun,” he said. “If you’re into that stuff.”
“Oh, we are,” said Gem. “Big time.”
“Which brings me to my idea,” said Dave. “Gem, pull the car right beside the store before you hit the gas station.”
“Sure,” she said, and backed out of the lot.
“That’s good,” said Dave. He leaned through the seats and hit the B button on the GPS screen, activating the gun sights on the AK-47. Pulling the butt of the gun downward, he aimed directly at the sign.
“We have plenty of ammo for the AK now, right?”
“Now we do,” said Charlie.
“Okay, then.”
Dave pulled the handle and
the rapid fire of the AK-47 filled the car. The shells collected in the sack, and Gem and Charlie both covered their ears.
Dave
focused his
attention
on the
sign mounts, and put a horizontal and vertical line of rounds through the sign until it toppled from its frame, breaking into pieces as it fell to the ground below.
“Maybe nobody will give the building a second look now,” said Dave. “Since the only sign they’ll
probably notice
is the zombie warning.”
“
Great idea
,” said
Gem
.
“Now let’s fill up and get back home.”
Nelson rode by them, flashed a peace sign and headed toward the gas station.
*****
Chapter Ten
Fle
x turned as Gem, Charlie and Dave came in
to the brewery
with a stranger following behind.
A bit of a different looking stranger. He approached them, and Gem opened her arms.
He hugged her, then pulled back to look at her.
“What’s
this scrape
?” asked Flex
, touching her arm tenderly
. “You okay?”
“Yes, fine. We didn’t stop for food, though. Ran into Nelson here.”
Flex held out his hand. “I’m Flex Sheridan. Good to meet you.”
Nelson held out his hand and put it in Flex’s. It was a weak grip, but the young man, who smiled sheepishly, said, “You are a big dude. They said you were.”
Flex laughed. “Why would that come up?”
“’Cause I had your wife handcuffed to a post and they were tellin’ me –”
Flex’s hand shot out and gripped Nelson’s throat. His words caught and became a gurgle.
“You
what
?”
“Argh…I…ngnh…”
he choked.
“Let go of his throat, Flex,” said Gem. “Let him talk.
Seriously, i
t’s okay.”
Flex looked at Gem, then back at Nelson, whose face was beet red. He relaxed his grip and said, “This better be good.”
When Flex’s hand fell away, Nelson gasped for air, then took a deep breath. His hand went to his neck and he rubbed it, looking at Gem and Charlie.
He turned back to Flex. “
Out of respect for you, and because I get why you’re mad,
I didn’t use Subdue-do just now,
Mr. Sheridan.
”
“Subdue what?” asked Flex.
“Never mind,” said Dave. “He’s okay, Flex. Really. He took all of us down.”
Flex looked at the skinny hippy in front of him and said, “This guy? Seriously? Okay. New respect. Tell me your story, Nelson.”
“
I j
ust saw her talkin’ to a zombie and I wanted to know what she knew. I’m all about survival
, and it looked like a skill I could use
.”
He stopped talking and looked around. “Where’s my Gramps?”
Flex heard the words, but they didn’t click. “What?”
“Flex,” said Gem, “Jim Scofield is his grandfather.”
“No shit,” said Flex. “I guess you were pretty happy to learn he’s alive and well.”
“Hell yes,” said Nelson. “He’s always been good to me. Even when I was a stupid kid.”
“He was probably a stupid kid when he was young,” said Charlie. “Some of us still are.”
“It’s that awkward moment when you’re positive the innuendo is directed toward you,” said Dave.
“You know better,” said Charlie.
“I know,” said Dave. “But it’s been a while since I’ve had a good awkward moment joke.”
“
And the clock still ticks,
Dave,” said Flex,
smiling at him
.
“Okay.
How much ammo did you guys get?”
“Tons,” said Gem. “Unfortunately,
since I was being held prisoner,
I didn’t help much, but i
t looked to me like they got most of the stock
.”
Flex glared at Nelson again and said, “I’m tempted to give you an opportunity to subdue me,” said Flex.
Nelson held both palms up and took a step backward. “I’m a pacifist, dude.”
“
Anyway, it was a p
acked store,” said Dave
, redirecting the conversation
. “I’d guess there’s easily a thousand rifles and shotguns of all kinds, and bunches of ammo, too.
Definitely w
orth another run later on.”
“Cool,” said Flex. “Glad you guys are alright.
Did you get g
as?”
“Got it,” said Gem.
“From the s
tation almost
right
across the street, thanks to our little hand-cr
ank pump.
”
“I filled my scooter, too,” said Nelson, flashing a thumb
s
up.
“Scooter?”
Charlie nudged Flex. “He’s saving the environment.”
“Oh, right. Good deal. Anyway,” Flex said, “y
ou guys were gone just long enough for us to
ready the vehicles and
organize the parties. Dave, you’re going with
Whit and Lisa. I’m going with Hemp and Kev.”
“Wait a minute,” said Dave. “Lisa’s going?
Thought she was with Hemp.
”
“She wants to be involved,” said Flex. “I don’t dictate to anyone, so it’s her call.”
“But the vapor crap. Her eyes. Are they cleared?”
“Almost,” said Lisa walking up behind her brother. “Hey, Davey.”
He hugged her. “Hey, sis. You sure you’re ready for this?”