The Zombie Wars: The Enemy Within (White Flag Of The Dead Book 8) (5 page)

“That’s too bad. Was he married?” Darnell explained his conversation with Col,e, regarding the care of any family members of the scouts.

“No, lucky for you.  I have the other in a remote cabin right now.  Cole doesn’t know he’s returned yet.”

“Might have been good to know this before I gave my report just a little while ago.”

“Not my worry. What is my worry is what he had to say,” Luke said.

“Well, the day can’t get worse,” Tibbles said. “What did he report?”

As Luke Blacktail explained in detail what the scout had to say, Darnell Tibbles realized his day actually could, and did, get worse.

Half an hour later Blacktail left leaving Darnell standing on his porch.  The sun had set while they were talking, and the night sky was in full bloom. Constellations and celestial bodies moved in a perpetual dance across the darkness. Darnell watched for a moment, thinking about what he had learned. The big decision now was what to do with the information.  Did he bring it to Cole now, letting things fall where they may, or did he risk waiting to see what happened, knowing Cole’s wrath should he ever find out that Darnell knew something and didn’t reveal it? It was a gamble that Darnell wasn’t sure he wanted to take.  Had he been alone, it might have been easier, but since he had his daughter and her future to think about, it altered the equation.

The good news was he wasn’t required to give another report for a week, so he had a day or so to think on his course of action.  He also had to think about what was best for the community.  Did he run the risk of a hostile takeover, or did he take his chances that the army the scout reported on was benevolent and would be good for the people at large?

In the end, Darnell decided that the best plan was to just report on what was seen, and let things fall where they may.  If the army was as large as the scout had reported, then there wasn’t much Cole Hobbes could do about it.  If all of them were as good a shot as the one the scout talked about, there wasn’t much Hobbes could do about that either. At least, that’s what Darnell thought as the night grew darker and colder.

In the morning, Darnell walked back around the mountain and back to the main lodge.  The community always looked different in the morning, and to Darnell’s eyes, it just felt better.  The row of homes that made up the main street were close together and represented the first families that had arrived behind Cole. After that space had been taken up, the rest spread out around the mountain. The core group kept to themselves, treating others a little differently, a little disdainfully.  Tibbles never knew why, they were all tradesmen to some degree.  Even the schoolteacher had been a journeyman carpenter.

The main lodge was a collection of buildings that happened to be built attached to each other.  There was a meeting hall, a dining hall, a lounge that had a bar, and a small planning room. Cole liked to call it his ‘ready room’, although Darnell never could figure out why.  Everything was built well, and built to last. 

Darnell stepped inside the lodge and walked silently across the main hall. He headed towards the door that led to the Hobbes family cabin when voices in the Ready Room stopped him.  He stepped over to the doorway, keeping out of sight.  He could hear three distinct voices in there, and recognized them all.

“So the scout returned the other day?  Funny Tibbles didn’t mention it.”

Darnell scowled.  That would be Carson speaking, the little shit.
Should have broken his hand
, Tibbles thought to himself.

“He did not know until I visited him last night and gave him the news.  So he could hardly be faulted for not wanting to tell you in the middle of the night.”

Darnell’s scowl deepened.  Luke Blacktail was here selling him out! Son of bitch! Darnell’s mind raced ahead trying to figure out what this meant.

“Well, we’ll see what he does today.  He’s always been a loyal man, so I have no reason to doubt him now.”

That was Cole.  Darnell breathed a small sigh of relief when he realized Cole wasn’t going to do anything stupid.  But what was he to do now?  If he walked in, they’d know he had been listening. The only thing he had to worry about was the other thing he and Luke had briefly spoken of. 

He listened while Luke outlined what the scout had told him, and it was telling that Cole just let Luke talk without much bluster.  In a way, that was actually more frightening.  At the end of the description, Carson was the first to speak.

“What can they do to us here?  We run this land, we own this mountain. We have our own army should it come to that. Let them come.  I’ll be happy to tell them to fuck off as I piss over the canyon rim at them,” he said.

“I doubt it would come to that,” Luke said.  “But you have other things to watch for right here.” Luke went on to discuss the controversial items he and Darnell had talked about the night before.

Darnell didn’t bother to hear the end of the story.  He retreated out of the lodge as quickly as he could and as silently as he could.  Once outside, he bolted for his home, grateful that most people were still asleep at this early time.  His progress wasn’t as quick as he would have liked, for he slowed to walk by the houses that were next to the trial.  He didn’t want to give the appearance of anything being out of the ordinary.

It seemed like forever, but he finally reached his cabin.  Getting inside, he was grateful his daughter was already awake and had finished her breakfast.

“Alison. Sweetheart.  We need to leave, here.  Now,” Darnell said, going to the closet and pulling out two large backpacks.

Alison was confused.  “What? Dad, why? What happened? Did you see Hobbes?”

Darnell stopped his packing to look Alison in the eye.  “Luke was there, and he told Cole everything.”

Inwardly, Alison groaned.  She knew what loyalty meant to Cole and how difficult life would be for them here if word got out that Darnell was causing trouble.  But
her
loyalty was to her father, and she immediately began pulling out canned and dried goods for their trip.

Darnell paused to take his daughter’s hand.  “I’m sorry it came to this, honey.  It’s my fault.  I should have watched what I said,” he said, sadly.

Alison gave her dad’s hand a squeeze.  “I was getting bored on this mountain anyway.” She smiled and went back to her packing. 

Darnell shook his head, grateful he had such a wonderful daughter.  He wished briefly that his wife could have lived to see her now, but as he always reassured himself, her mother was always watching over them both. 

They didn’t have much, and in the end were able to get most of their belongings into the two packs.  The rest they would have to leave. Darnell helped his daughter get her pack on, and she helped him with his.  As they adjusted straps, Alison asked the question of the day.

“Which way do we go?”

Darnell smiled.  He had been thinking about that since last night.  “We get over the canyon, and we’ll head southeast.  Come on, let’s head out the back and get to the east bridge.  There shouldn’t be anyone guarding it at this hour.”

Alison turned out the lights and shut everything off.  If anyone came within the next few minutes, it would look like they were still sleeping.  It might buy them a few more minutes.

“Let’s move!” Darnell led the way, leaving the cabin he had built behind. He didn’t give it much thought, it was just a place to sleep and be alone. He’d find another.  He worried a bit about Alison, but she was so much like her mother that he figured she’d be fine.  She tended to take life as it came and not ask too much of anyone.

They worked their way through the back trails, avoiding the homes and cabins that spread out a little more. Further away from the main community, the homes were much farther apart, and the trees on the mountain provided decent cover for the fugitives.  Darnell didn’t know for sure that people were coming for him, but it suited him to be ahead of the game when it came to this.

As they walked, they kept their heads down and tried to move as quietly as possible.  Darnell figured that if they could get over the East Bridge before the alarm was raised, they would be in great shape.

A half an hour later, they were finally at the East Bridge.  Tendrils of mist rose from the canyon, caressing the steel work with vaporous fingers. The morning sun had not yet risen over the far mountains, so this area was still in a shade of night. Darnell was relieved to see that no one was guarding this side of the bridge. 

“Okay, let’s go.  When we reach the other side, if there is a guard, you know what to do,” Tibbles said.

“Right.  You’re not going to hurt anyone, are you?” Alison gave her father a stern look, one that on her pretty face was actually quite silly.

“No one I don’t have to,” Darnell promised.

The pair crossed the spooky bridge and on the other side expected to be challenged by a sentry.  They looked around, but no one seemed to be in sight.

“That’s weird,” Darnell whispered.  “Usually there’s someone in the guardhouse right there.”

Alison walked over and peered in. She came back with her report.  “No one’s in there,” she said.  “May as well keep moving.” 

“Good enough for me.  Hopefully we can find a vehicle of some kind soon,” Darnell said as the two of them walked down the road.  On this side of the canyon, there were more of the community, but they busied themselves with expanding food fields and killing the occasionally nimble zombie.

Darnell wasn’t kidding himself.  Leaving the community meant leaving safety and security behind. Once they crossed the fence line, they were on their own in a big world full of ghouls. 

The pair got ten yards towards freedom when a voice behind them stopped them both.

“Figured I’d find you here.”

Darnell’s heart sank as he heard that voice.  He’d hoped there would have been more of a delay at the cabin and a general search through the community before they started covering exits.

Darnell turned around, keeping his hands in his pockets while he stepped in front of his daughter.

“Something I can do for you, Carson?” Tibbles asked casually.

“Where you headed, old man? This side of the canyon, there’s monsters in the dark.  Not so sure you can protect that daughter of yours.” Carson smirked and adjusted the rifle he had slung over his shoulder.  It was an old bolt-action rifle, but Darnell knew Carson could hit anything he wanted within one hundred yards.  They’d never get away with him behind them.

“I’m leaving, Carson.  The ‘why’ of it is none of your goddamned business,” Darnell said.

“Well, you can leave.  Your daughter has to stay,” Carson said.  “I won’t ask you twice.” The young man adjusted the rifle on his shoulder in a significant manner.

“No need.” Darnell removed his hand from his pocket and drew out the revolver with it.  He pointed it at Carson’s midsection, and if he was honest with himself, he appreciated the look on Carson’s face when he did so.

“Since we’re out in the West, I believe the term is ‘getting the drop on someone.’ Well, boy, I’d say I have the drop and the advantage.  Why don’t you put that rifle on the ground and take about ten steps back?” Darnell said sternly.

Carson fumed, but there was nothing he could do.  Deep down he was a bully and a coward, and as much as he would love to try a shot at Darnell, he didn’t want to risk a bullet in the gut for it.  He slipped the strap off his shoulder and very carefully put the rifle on the ground.

He backed up with his hands in the air, sneering as Alison picked up the rifle.  She slipped it over her shoulder, giving Carson a disdainful look.  Carson marked that look and swore to himself that if he ever had the chance, he’d make her pay for it.  After he took care of her old man.

“Now what are you going to do, Tibbles? You shoot me, my father will chase you across the country to kill you,” Carson said.

“That’s true, and I don’t really have it in me to kill the son of a man I considered my friend,” Darnell said.  “But I don’t have too much trouble keeping him locked up for a while to give us a head start.” Darnell pointed the gun at the guard shack and motioned for Carson to get inside. He sent his daughter get some small rocks and sticks.

When she returned, Darnell had his daughter cover the door while he secured the door with the rocks and sticks.  Several sticks jammed in between the door and the frame was almost as good as a lock. Rocks jammed under the door worked just as well.

Carson watched from the small window, cursing at the pair the entire time.  When he ran out of threats, he went over to swearing again, and then back to threats. 

When he was done, Darnell spoke to Carson. “You can break out of here in about an hour, and then go running to your daddy.  When you do, tell him I said not to follow me.  It will go badly if I am followed.  Leave me alone, and I’ll not tell that army out there where to find you,” he said.  “You understand, you big pile of stupid?” Darnell didn’t need to insult the man, but he’d swallowed enough from this punk to last a lifetime.

Carson answered by hitting the doorframe, rattling the shack.  He cursed incoherently again.

“Let’s go, Alison.  The door will give way in about twenty minutes, and we need that time to get past the fence.” Darnell picked his pack up, and the two headed east again.  Darnell knew he was taking a huge risk, but there was nothing for him here anymore.  Besides, with the way Carson and Cole were starting to act, Darnell was pretty sure more people might be looking for a change of scenery.