Rocky Mountain Die (6 page)

“Not yet,” I said. “Where’s Elsbeth? Has anyone asked her about this army? Maybe she knows something?”

Call her by her name!

“She’s over there with Charlie,” Critter said, pointing to a burned-out building a hundred yards off. “Been huddled up and talking with that boy a lot lately. Y’all don’t think she’s sweet on him, do ya?” He glanced at John and feigned surprise. “Oh, sorry, sniper boy. Didn’t see ya standin’ there.”

“Ha ha,” John replied. “And she’s not sweet on Charlie. She’s been training him. I’ve even given her some pointers.”

“They sure is trainin’ a lot lately,” Critter chuckled. “If that’s what you want to call it.”

“Knock it off, Critter,” Melissa scolded. “Don’t stir shit up. We don’t need that right now.”

“I’m bored,” Critter said. “All this runnin’ from Zs and runnin’ from the Consortium and runnin’ from crazies is borin’ the livin’ shit outta me. I’d give half my right arm to get back to my holler and just be runnin’ things the way I used ta.”

He gave me a huge grin.

“No offense, Long Pork,” Critter said. “I’m sure you’d give your left nut to have half your right arm back.”

“How about we stop giving body parts and start getting loaded up?” Lourdes growled. “Stuart?”

“Folks are already getting the gear stowed back in the RVs and the rest of the convoy,” Mr. Flips said as he came up to us. “Sorry to interrupt, but thought you should know that we can be gone in fifteen minutes, if that’s fast enough.”

“I’d like it to be faster, but that will work,” Lourdes said. “Thank you.”

Mr. Flips doffed his top hat and gave her a short bow. Always the showman, that guy.

“Let’s do a head count,” Stuart said then looked at Stella. “You find Greta?”

“She’s with Dr. McCormick,” Stella said. “But I need to go get Charlie.”

“I’ll go,” I said. “If Stenkler doesn’t mind helping me.”

“You really should get back in the RV and rest,” Stenkler protested.

“Yeah, but I know El better than everyone here,” I replied. “Might be time to find out what the hell she and Charlie have been up to.”

“You don’t think it’s training?” Stella asked.

“Do you?” I replied.

Talk more about the tanks. When will they get here?

Okay, the voice has got to stop. It’s starting to make me a little sick to my stomach. Seriously. I think I’m going to barf.

Everything waivers and wiggles and for a brief second I’m not standing out in a snowstorm. I’m in some dark building with the stink of mold and mildew all around me. And something else. I smell something else.

“No, I don’t,” Stella said.

“What?” I asked.

No one responds. I mean, no one responded. I...I don’t know what I mean. Or meant. Or whatever.

“Let’s both go,” Stella said.

“I’ll go check on Dr. McCormick and Greta,” Stenkler said, letting go of my stump. “See if they need help with moving anyone or the medical supplies.”

“Nope. Don’t think so,” I said, clamping my hand on his arm. “You can stay with us.”

“Jace, let the man go do his job,” Stella said.

“Greta is fine, I’m sure,” I said, not wanting the man anywhere near my underage daughter.

“How about you come with me and check on Dr. Kramer?” Stuart said to Stenkler. “The guy’s been asking to see you all day. He thinks he can help with Jace’s head.”

“Yeah, that’s great,” Stenkler said. “I’d also like to ask him a couple questions about these sisters of Elsbeth’s. I have a theory on their conditioning and how to reverse it. I mentioned it to Elsbeth a while back, but she, well…”

“Stared at you until you wanted to pee yourself?” I asked.

“Something like that,” Stenkler frowned.

“She’s good that way,” I said. I looked at the burned-out building and smiled at my wife. “Shall we, my dear?”

“We are moving out in fifteen, Stanfords,” Lourdes said. “Be in a vehicle before then.”

“You wouldn’t dare leave us, would you?” I asked.

“Yes,” everyone said.

“Except Stella,” Critter said. “We’d find her, but leave your ass.”

“The love,” I sighed. “It overwhelms.”

You talk too much and say basically nothing of value. How is this possible?

Tell me about it, strange voice in my head. Fucking tell me about it.

***

Elsbeth obviously heard us coming because she’s was just standing there with a rifle in her hands, pretending to show Charlie how to load it. It was possibly the most pitiful rouse I had ever seen.

“Oh, hey, uh, Mom, and, uh, Dad,” Charlie stammered. “What’s up?”

I take it back. That was the most pitiful rouse I had ever heard.

“You tell us,” Stella said. “What is going on with you two?”

“Nothing,” Elsbeth said. “Training. And nothing. Only training.”

“Training and nothing,” Charlie added.

“Really?” Stella asked, her hands on her hips. “Is that the story you want to stick with?”

“It is,” Elsbeth said. “Training and nothing. Showing Charlie how to fuck shit up with rifles and shit. Bang bang, shit gets fucked. Fucking shit. All the shit. Totally fucked.”

“Bang bang,” Charlie said, patting the rifle.

They were lying to you! Tell me what they really said!

That is what they said! I swear to shit!

Hold on. Why am I afraid of the voice in my head? It’s just me.

No, it’s not. Pay attention! Why won’t he pay attention?

“Brain surgery,” Stella says.

“What?” I asked, looking at Stella. But she’s talking to Charlie.

Wa
s
talking to Charlie. This all happened before. This happened a few days ago.

Tell me what Elsbeth said!

“I am not pleased with either of you right now,” Stella scolded, her finger out and jabbing back and forth between Elsbeth and Charlie. “You are plotting something and it is dangerous and probably going to get you killed.” She said that last part with her finger aimed at Charlie. “Otherwise you wouldn’t be lying to me.” Finger was back at Elsbeth for that. “You get my son killed, El, and there is nothing in this world that will stop me from kicking your ass.”

“I know,” Elsbeth said, her face very serious. “I won’t get Charlie killed, Stella. I promise.  He’s family. I don’t get family killed. I help family.”

Elsbeth stepped up to Stella and wrapped her in a big hug. To say my wife was surprised would be a massive understatement.

“I want you to trust me, please, please,” Elsbeth said. “Trust me that I won’t get Charlie killed and have you kick my ass. Trust me that family means more than anything to me.”

“Then tell me what is going on,” Stella said as she pushed back and took Elsbeth by the upper arms. “I need to know.”

“That wouldn’t be good,” Elsbeth said. “You have a duty. I tell you and you have to tell the others. If you don’t and they find out then they’ll be mad. I can’t have the others mad at the Stanfords.”

“They’re going to get mad at Charlie,” Stella argued.

“No, they won’t,” Elsbeth laughed. “Nobody gets mad at Charlie. He’s golden.”

“Stay golden, Ponyboy,” Charlie laughed.

Stella did not laugh. “No Outsiders references, boy,” Stella snapped. “You are way past Outsiders references now.”

“Sorry,” Charlie said. “Just trying to lighten the mood.”

“You are riding with us,” Stella said. “Elsbeth can ride in a different RV.”

“He rides with me,” Elsbeth said.

Yeah, Charlie and I each took a couple of steps back. If shit was about to go down, neither of us wanted to catch collateral damage.

“El, I love you, and you are family, but Charlie is my son and I am saying he rides with us,” Stella said. “You two can talk about whatever you are talking about when we stop next. Until then,it’
s
m
y
turn to talk with him. Understood?”

“I understand,” Elsbeth said.

“Good. Because—”

“But he rides with me,” Elsbeth said. “Sorry. You can’t win this one. Nope. Too close. Almost done. I need him with me.”

You know how there are like a billion shades of red in one of those giant crayon boxes you used to get as a kid? Yeah, well, Stella’s face turned all of those shades at once. People may have been worried about my head calling it quits, but at that moment I was worried more for my wife’s.

“Just tell us what is going on, El,” I said.

Yes, back to that. Good. Very good.

“I can’t,” Elsbeth said.

“She can’t,” Charlie echoed.

“Then you will!” Stella shouted. She stomped over to our son and grabbed him by the arm then started pulling him out into the snow. “This ends now!”

Then something did end. And it broke my heart and my wife’s heart.

“Yeah, Mom, it does,” Charlie said. He yanked himself free and walked back to Elsbeth. “My childhood. It’s over and gone, Mom. You need to understand that. I’m part of this group and this convoy not as Charlie Stanford, the son of Stella and Jace Stanford, but as my own self. I pull my own weight now.”

“Why does she get top billing?” I joked, hoping to defuse what my wife was about to say. Didn’t work.

“Fine. Be your own damn self!” Stella shouted. “Go ahead and see how long you last without me to pull you out of messes! You think you’re too old for your mother? Guess what? I’m too old to be taking care of an ungrateful little snot-ass shit like you! Go ahead
,
Charle
s
, grow the fuck up! Have fun being an adult in the motherfucking zombie apocalypse! It’s a goddamn blast!”

The sounds of RV horns reached us then. Stella pointed at Elsbeth and there was nothing but rage on her face.

“Fuck you
,
Carly Michelle Thornber
g
! FUCK YOU!” she roared then turned and was gone.

I don’t think I have ever seen Elsbeth look so hurt before that moment when my wife yelled her real name at her. I grew a second heart and that one broke too.

I do not care about your hearts! What was Carly up to?

I don’t know! I do not know! Stop it! Just stop yelling in my head! Get out of my head! My head hurts! IT HURTS! STOP! STOP STOP STOP STOP—!

***

The water is bitingly cold. It comes crashing down over my head and the pain is beyond anything I have ever felt as all of my sutures turn into lines of freezing agony.

“STOP! STOP! STOP!” I’m still yelling. “STOP! STOP! STOP!”

Stella is also yelling. And so is Stuart, but he’s yelling for all of us to stop yelling. They are both bloodied and tied up, their hands bound together as they sit back to back.

And standing in front of me, holding an empty bucket, is Cassie. That de facto leader of Elsbeth’s super soldier sister girl group.

“Where is Carly?” Cassie growls as she throws the bucket aside and reaches for me, her hand lost from my sight as it goes over my head.

Then the freezing agony turns to burning agony. Why? Because Cassie is jamming her thumb into one of my sutures.

I scream.

“Stop! You’ll kill him!” Stella cries.

“You’re going to kill us all!” Stuart yells. “The Zs will zero in on us!”

“Let them,” Cassie says as she smiles, her nose almost touching mine. “I’m not worried. I can get through the Zs without any trouble.”

I’m still screaming, if anyone is keeping score.

“Tell me about Carly,” Cassie snarls.

Her breath smells like rancid apples. You know, like when you walk through an orchard at the end of the apple-picking season and the ground is littered with brown piles of squishy yuck? Like that.

“I’ll tell you!” I cry. “I’ll tell you everything!”

Cassie glares at me for a second then removes her thumb from my wounded cranium and steps back.

“Talk,” she orders. “I want to know everything now. What is Carly’s plan and where are my sisters?”

“Okay, well, you see, it’s like this,” I start then pause. “What do you mean where are your sisters?”

“I’m done,” Cassie says and pulls a very long knife from her belt. “You are useless.”

“Hello?” someone calls from down below. “Uh, anyone up there?”

Cassie stops and looks puzzled. Then she smiles and turns towards the escalators.

“I know that voice,” she says, pointing the knife at me. “I’ll be back for you.”

I recognize the voice also. So do Stella and Stuart.

“Charlie! Run! Get away from here!” Stella screams. “GO!”

“Mom? Is that you?” Charlie yells.

“CHARLIE! GET OUT OF HERE!” I scream.

Then things get a little uncertain. The scream produces enough pain in my head to power a small municipality. Lights flash before my eyes and this crazy sound fills my ears.