“Run.”

  Before he stomped down on the accelerator of the golf cart, he had to hang onto the steering wheel tightly as it surged forward. He slightly overcorrected his steering of the golf cart because it had started to drift the way he turned his head. He could hear the man running after him cursing as he drove away, slightly overcorrecting his steering again when he looked back to see what was happening.

  “Oh well,” Dan, thought this was only his second time at driving. Turning his attention to the road once he had saw the man had stopped running and had broken into a fast walk. Zombies were not fast. However they never tired. He wondered driving off if the zombies would chase the naked man back to the checkpoint.

  Dan stopped the golf cart across the street from the fenced checkpoint to see the guards watching him as he remove his bike leaving the man’s clothes in the cart. He then removed his gray daypack from his back before unzipping it and placed the Glock pistol in it. Replacing the daypack back onto his back. He knew Sandra would not let him keep the golf cart and might be mad at that he keep the pistol, but after all, he thought.

  “They said he was not following me.”

  Mounting his bike and rode for the gate; he stopped the bike just inside the gate as the older guard asked him.

  “No luck with the deer.” Dan knew he had a smile on his face when he said,.

  “No all I found was a Jackass,” he could hear some laughter from the other guards and slightly surprised to see a smile on the old guards face.

  “And the golf cart,” he said nodding to the golf cart sitting outside the gate.

  “Someone should be along shortly, can you keep an eye on it until then,” the older guard nodded his head. Dan sat on the bike and turned to look at Mary long enough to say.

  “See you later,” as he pushed forward on the bike and started to peddle his bike to ride off down the street.

  “Later,” he heard Mary said still laughing.

  When Dan returned to Sandra’s house. The sun was starting to set sending long shadows across the street as he rode down it. Doug, Luke and Sarah were at home and preparing were preparing dinner.

  “You’re finally home,” Sara said at seeing him past the doorway to the kitchen. Dan suppressed a smile and a sarcastic remark and just nodded.

  “Just getting back from downtown shopping,” Doug asked him inquiring.

  “Just out and about, saw Mary. She said John and her where planning on stopping by later,” Dan was saying in way of an answer when Sandra walked through the front door appearing in a good mood. Dan figure she had not heard about his afternoon adventure yet with Council member Jarvis bodyguard.

  Dan went to his room and started packing up some items. As he was passing the kitchen with a Mossberg nine hundred thirty pistol grip autoloading shotgun he heard Sandra call out to him from the kitchen.

  “What are you doing?”

  He stopped at the doorway.

  “I have finished cleaning Manny’s weapons and I am putting them in your gun safe. If you let me know where you would like the rest of his gear I will put it there.”

  Dan could hear the kitchen go silent for a moment before Sandra quietly spoke.

  “Keep whatever you need, the rest put in the hall closet.”

  He nodded slowly as he left the doorway as the conversation in the kitchen awkwardly started again. After a subdued dinner, Dan went back to his room to finish the final preparation on his gear for the trip. He was putting the last of it away when Luke came into his room to tell him that visitors had arrived to see him. He entered the living room to see John and his wife Cindy. A short stocky woman who always had a smile on her face. With their daughter Mary sitting in the living room with Sandra and Doug; Luke went to sit down next to Sarah on the love seat. Dan stopped to shake hands with John and Cindy before he took a seat in an empty chair by the window.

  Starting off with a little small talk they slowly got around to discussing the real reason on why they had come over. Dan excused himself and went to his room to get the gray Second Chance Apex body armor he had recovered earlier. While he was there, he looked at the stub nose stainless steel Smith and Wesson Night Guard thirty-eight caliber revolver. In the brown Bianchi leather ankle holster. He found with the armor. After thinking for a second he took it with him. Re-entering the living room he heard Mary recounting his adventure from this afternoon. Dan stopped and wondered if he should back out of the room before he noticed Sandra looking at him. Her face held an amused expression on it. Then added by her shaking her head as if to say what am I going to do with you.

  Everyone laughing as Mary finished telling them. How embarrassed the bodyguard was approaching the checkpoint. Having to jump in his golf cart and drive past through the checkpoint’s gate naked. Because the zombies where still chasing him. Stopping a few hundred feet down the road before he could regain his clothes and dress. Dan handed the armor to John for him to examine, he could see Cindy and Mary looking at him questioningly.

  “Mary,” John said as he handed her the gray armor. “Would you go and try this on please.”

  She stood taking the armor from him and went down the hall to the rest room.

  “John,” Cindy said as soon as Mary had left her smile fading a little.

  “Cindy, I think we both know we would sleep better at night knowing that Mary had some body armor for her job,” John said answering the question he knew was coming from her.

  Yes,” she said. “We discussed this you know how expensive it is.”

  Body armor was in high demand; while the dead did not shoot at you, the living still did.

  “I think you will find me cheaper than the store,” Dan said smiling at Cindy. She turned looking right at him with a frown. Dan noticed John was happy it was not him she directed it at.

  “We will see,” she said still with a slight frown. After a few minutes of small talk, Mary returned carrying the armor.

  “It fits me fine,” she said handing it back to her father who tried handing it back to Dan then stop at seeing him ignoring it. Doug got up asking Luke to help him in the kitchen for a moment. Everyone anticipate the negotiations.

  “Dan, I would love to get the armor for Mary, but I don’t think we can afford it,” Cindy began. Dan smiled and he realized he had been doing that lately.

  “I have been thinking about that,” he started. “I always like the preserves that you make.”

  “Thank you,” Cindy said with a puzzled look.

  “So, I will trade you the armor for some preserves,” Dan proposed. John looked at him startled, but Cindy calmly asked.

  “How many,” Dan stopped to think.

  “Let’s say fifty jars.” Cindy’s expression fell a little bit.

  “We do not have that many,” Cindy said.

  “I don’t need them all now. Some now the rest later is fine,” Dan replied.

  “In that case I can give you five jars now,” Cindy said cautiously but quickly.

  “Great,” Dan said. “Bring them over anytime.” Mary was smiling rather excitedly about getting the armor.

  They continued talking until John touched on the subject of the government being in town. Sandra started carefully replying to this.

  “They came to talk about setting up a base here. And sending an expedition out in a couple of days,” Sandra said.

  “Expedition,” John asked as the others looked on. Sandra hesitated unsure of how much to say. Before Dan finally spoke up.

  “I’m guiding them on a salvage job,” the room went silent with looks of surprise except from Sandra.

  “When,” Sarah asked.

  “Day after tomorrow,” Dan responded he was a little surprised at her intensity.

  “Why,” Doug asked carefully. Dan felt a little uneasy at the way he was studying him.

  “The price was right,” he answered getting an uncomfortable feeling as the tension in the room rose.

  “Well,” John said sensing the tension. “It is getting late, and Mary and I have duty tomorrow.”

  His standing caused everyone else to. After a few good- nights and thank you, for coming over on the way to the front door. Dan decided handing Marry the stub nose stainless steel Smith and Wesson Night Guard thirty-eight caliber revolver in the brown Bianchi leather ankle holster that he had taken from the room. Mary looked at him puzzled.

  “This and the armor should stay together,” Dan said in answer to her look. Mary unsure of what to do or say. Looked to her father. John nodded for her to take it. After she did John shook Dan’s hand saying.

  “Thank you,” and Cindy gave him a hug.

  “No problem,” Dan said a little embarrassed. For some reason these things always seen to embarrass him. After they had left Sarah addressed Dan.

  “You never gave me a gun.”

  Dan wondered if she was jealous.

  “You have one,” he answered. He noticed Doug and Sandra looking at him, so he raised his eyes to make a jester as if to say what.

  “That was good of you,” Doug said and the look on Sandra’s face showed agreement. He looked back on them his expression was a mixture of remembrance with a little sadness but said.

  “One of the most important lessons Manny always tried to teach me was, you take care of your family and friends,” he could see the approving looks on their faces.

  The next day he had finished his preparations for his trip. Cindy had brought over five jars of her preserves, three strawberries and two peach. After another thank you, she left Dan, who put one strawberry and one peach jar of the preserves into his daypack and the rest of them in the kitchen. He hooked his bike trailer to his bike after deciding to ride to the grocery store to pick up some food for the house. He figured an extra mouth to feed would put a strain on the supplies that they had.

  In addition, Manny used to do this before they would leave; he surprised when he saw no one was following him. Arriving back at the house midafternoon. He was putting the food away when he heard Sandra pull up to the house in her golf cart. He had just put a bag of flour into the kitchen cabinet when she burst in to the kitchen hurriedly looking at him.

  “The government people arrived early and would like to see you now,” she told him slightly out of breath. Dan stopped putting the bag into the cabinet and looked at her.

  “All right, give me a second,” he said closing the cabinet door and headed for his room he was not sure why but he decided to grab his sword before they left. As the white golf cart approached City Hall, he could see that a large group of people had gathered in the medium size parking lot. Sandra pulled the golf cart into the parking lot and made their way towards the modern two-story office style building made of bright metal frames and dark tinted glass. Dan could see four large bulky looking trucks. All of them painted in the same, with green, brown and black patches of a woodland camouflage design. All four parked in front of the small three tier square water fountain ringed by concrete benches and well-tended flower beds.

  He watched while a group of the town’s people moved aside. Allowing Sandra to drive the golf cart carefully through the crowd. Stopping right up next to the large Humvee’s making the golf cart look small next to them. he caught small bits of conversation from his seat as they passed by people. Most concerning the soldiers and Humvees. Almost five years had passed since anyone has seen Humvees or soldiers. Now they were in front of City Hall.

  Dan looked at the Humvees as he was getting out of the golf cart. He remembered seeing some like them in Baton Rouge. They were all Military Humvee’s large bulking looking trucks lacking any graceful lines like other cars he had seen in the past before the plague. All of them had identical paint jobs in green, brown and black patches of woodland camouflage; while they were all painted the same. They all had different configurations. The first one, he would later find out was an M nine- hundred ninety-eight style like a pickup truck. With an enclosed cab the back open like a truck. The bed was full of supplies including a couple of fifty-five gallons drums, which was spare fuel he thought. The second one was the M nine- hundred ninety-eight troop carrier it was almost like the first one but instead of an open bed. It had a canvas top to go with basic armor to transport a two-person crew and eight passengers. The third an M one thousand thirty-eight. A four-door version with a soft material top and sides. A short cargo area in the rear filled with spare fuel and supplies. The fourth and final one, Dan thought looked the most impressive. The M one thousand twenty-five with a hard-shell top and open cargo area. On the cab a fifty-caliber machine gun mounted on a turret that gave it a full three hundred sixty degree radius of fire.

  Sandra parked the cart removing the key from the ignition as she and Dan got out. He could see Mr. Pennington with another loud Hawaiian shirt on and was talking to a group of soldiers as he and Sandra approached them. He looked at the soldiers with interest. More interested in their equipment and liked what he saw as they drew nearer. They all dressed identical. Black combat boots, woodland camouflage fatigues, Kevlar Helmet with goggles on them. They all had Colt M sixteen collapsible stock assault rifles on slings that allowed quick use of the rifle, but would allow you to let go and use your hands without losing the rifle. They all had Molle gear on. (Modular lightweight load carrying equipment) This consisted of an adjustable vest type harness with four ammunition pouches that contained separators to hold three thirty round magazines each for the rifles. The web gear also had four grenades in pouches two Slant Utility Pouch, two Cylume and Ancillaries Pouch, one Rope Pouch. Two Small Zip Pockets, two Large Map Pockets with a mounting point for a radio. With an integrated pistol holster and a one-hundred ounce capacity hydration reservoir pouch on the back.

  Several had on recon butt packs with a canteen. Dan thought of a good idea of what he would want as a finder’s fee. Providing the opportunity came up. Of the eighteen soldiers only two were standing next to Mr. Pennington the rest where moving around the Humvees ignoring the townspeople. One of the people standing next to Mr. Pennington he realized was not a soldier, she had short brown hair that ended just above her shoulders, and was slightly shorter than he was. She had on blue jeans instead of camouflage pants and some outdoor shoes. He could tell she had a brown short sleeve shirt of some kind but her Molle gear covered most of it. The reason he figure she was not with the military was her Molle gear had a different arrangement from the other soldiers. When he got closer he realized it was for medical supplies. She did have a standard Beretta model ninety- two military nine-millimeter pistol though.

  As they approached Mr. Pennington. Dan saw council member Jarvis and his bodyguard who he had dealt with yesterday standing off to one side watching him, he was so glad looks could not kill. Dan turned his attention back to the group as he heard.

  “Captain Jones, this is your guide.” Mr. Pennington said motioning his slim hand towards Dan. Hesitating waiting for the captain to do something for a second before he extended his hand toward the Captain while saying.

  “Hi, I’m Dan.”

  She did not extend her hand as she studied him rather coldly, he had a feeling she was not happy he was there. Other than being in her late twenties or early thirties he could see she had a sallow face with thin nose and watery light brown eyes gave her an unfriendly look.

  He could not tell much more about her gear covered everything else about her including her hair. Dan was awkwardly bringing his hand down when the other woman wearing the medical vest spoke.

  “Hi, I’m Loren,” she said extending her hand with a warm but puzzled smile on her face. As if trying to make up for the Captains lack of a greeting, Dan returned the smile as he greeted her.

  “Now that you have met Captain Jones and Doctor McGee,” Mr. Pennington said as if trying to hurry up the meet and greet that was going on.

  “Any questions?”

  Dan shook his head no. Mr. Pennington looked at Captain Jones and Doctor McGee to see if they had any.

  “We leave at zero six hundred tomorrow morning,” Captain Jones said in a low monotone voice looking at Dan with an unfriendly look.

  “All right,” Dan said looking at her starting to turn away. He thought about adding lighten up but did not think it would be wise.

  “Excuse me,” Doctor McGee started to say while looking straight at Dan but seemingly addressing the group.

  “You are our guide,” she said in a disbelieving voice. “You’re just a kid.” Dan looked at her deciding not to take offense at the kid remark. He just slowly nodded his head yes, while trying to sort out the look on her face. Trying to decide if it was shock, amusement or disbelieve.

  Mr. Pennington spoke in his businesslike tone now, it was the same as Dan remembered from their first meeting interrupting any further conversation.

  “You can take time tomorrow to get to know one another, Captain if we can finish the business. I will show you where you are staying and we can finish the mission briefing.”

  “Yes sir,” she replied turning toward the group of soldiers near the closest Humvee pointing.

  “Sergeant.” Dan watched a medium sized man with a flat face. His nose looking broken more than once. He had three stripes on his uniform arm looked at her as she motioned to Dan. The Sergeant turned speaking to some of the other soldiers standing next to him. They started pulling stuff out of the back of the pick up like bed of the M nine- hundred ninety-eight.

  As they approached Dan he could see the rifles and other items he had asked for. Stopping in front of him looking as if they were expecting him to take all of it. Dan motioned his face expressionless with his hand for them to put the stuff in the golf cart. Dan mentally checked off the items he had asked for as they started putting it into the golf cart. Two fully auto Armalite model fifteen assault rifles. Beretta model ninety two nine millimeter semi-automatic pistol and holster, extra magazines for both of them, seven olive green ammunition cans of five point five- six millimeter ammunition. Six for the rifles and one for the pistol.

  “Payment in full,” Mr. Pennington said with a smile on his face. Turning away from Dan to start ushering Captain Jones and Doctor McGee away. Dan thought she was still having trouble with him being their guide. Dan looked at the crowd and except for council member Jarvis and his bodyguard, the look of shock and jealousy he saw on their faces made him a little nervous. As he and Sandra where pulling away in the now full white cart Dan said.

 

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