Better Lucky than Good (Records of the Resistance) (14 page)

Clay made a point of asking the group for their cooperation. Not because he felt that he would lack the authority to delegate, but because he knew that survival would depend largely on community. Working together and making decisions together would serve to bolster that very sense of community which they all required.
 

"Luckily, this department store can serve all of our immediate needs. It has hydro, but we can't turn it on until we ensure that any light inside, can't been see from the outside." Clay said.

"That shouldn't be much of a problem." Kevin interrupted.

"There aren't many windows in here. We can black them out with garbage bags and duct tape. The breaker system in this building is pretty extensive as well. As long as we don't turn on the outside lights and switch on only what we need inside, then it should be easy enough to do." he suggested.

"Good enough. Take two people with you Kevin and make it happen. At least one of you needs to be armed. Even though we're pretty sure that we're free of any infected while in this building, we haven't done an extensive search. Be careful." Clay finished.

With a nod, Kevin grabbed his wife and son and wandered off into the darkness of the department store.

"In the furniture section there are beds. Now, only a few are set up for display. Unfortunately, we're going to require more then just a few, now that you're all here. I know everyone is extremely tired and in need of some much deserved rest, so I'm going to ask for some volunteers to get this done." Clay said, scanning the group for hands.

The large man who had previously spoken for the entire group stepped forward, along with several others who had fought alongside Clay.

"Thank you." Clay said.

"What's your name?" Clay asked the tall man.

"Tim." he replied.

"Tim, there is a flat bed cart in the furniture section. Just look for the drill press and you'll find it. Keep all the beds relatively close together. I know we'd all like some privacy, but for tonight we're just going to have to settle for quick and dirty." Clay said.

"I'd love to learn everyone's names and tomorrow I'll work on that. For now though, I hope everyone can forgive me for only learning a few." Clay added.

A single bay of lights flickered on, illuminating the centre aisle of the department store. Tim waved his hand, silently instructing the other men to accompany him and proceeded down the lit row.

"Getting down to the last of it here now. A few people, along with the children who are present, are needed to gather up some quick snacks. I'm sure everyone here is already half starved and by the time everything has been finished tonight, we're only going to be more hungry." Clay continued.

A woman, who was holding the hand of a small girl stepped forward.

"Um... I'm Lindsay. I think all the mom's here could do that." she said meekly.

"Okay, Lindsay. Thank you." Clay said, smiling to the woman appreciatively.
 

"Where should we bring everything?" she asked.

"Whatever you find, bring to the furniture department. Don't grab anything that requires cooking for now. Just simple food. If you can, all of you should take the kids down the toy aisle and grab something for them to entertain themselves. Quiet toys only please." Clay instructed.

"Okay..." Lindsay said, smiling to Clay. She appreciated that he had thought about the children's welfare. "Come on honey... Let's go find you a toy." she continued, looking down to her daughter.

The rest of the parents in the group followed Lindsay. All were informing their children in excited, albeit in hushed tones, that they would be getting a new toy.
 

Only a few people remained standing before Clay, in what had once been a much larger semi-circle.
 

"Melanie, I need you, along with everyone else, to haul all this gear to where we'll be spending the night. All the personal bags go to their owners, but everything else, such as the guns and ammunition need to be inventoried. I want to know exactly how much of everything we have." Clay said, looking over at Melanie.

She nodded and bent down to lift large duffle bag over her shoulder, while everyone else who remained began to follow her lead.

"After your done, I need you to also inventory everyone here. Ages, names, injuries, conditions, what they did for work prior to the outbreak and any additional skills they may have." Clay added.

"Got it." Melanie replied confidently.

Melanie had started to develop into a new person before Clay's eyes. She had really begun to embrace her new role. It impressed Clay to see such an unlikely individual thrive in the way that Melanie had. When they had first met, she was a scared woman who appeared more likely to piss herself than become an integral part of a rescue attempt, then further contribute by demonstrating a high level of reliability and taking on a leadership role amidst a crisis. She was an amazing young woman as far as Clay was concerned.
 

"Except you, Mick. You and I have some things we need to discuss. We're going to hardware." Clay said.

"Lead the way." Mick replied, while laying his duffle bag down onto the floor.
 

Every member of the group, including the children who had been so enamoured by their newly acquired toys, had fallen fast asleep the night before. Clay had been the first to rise the subsequent morning, followed by Melanie who had been awoken by his movement in the bed they had shared. For four mornings in a row, Clay had suffered deep pangs of guilt for having slept in a bed with a woman who had not been Brooke. Although for reasons far removed from intimacy, having laid beside Melanie, regardless of it being done so out of necessity had still felt like a betrayal.

Clay knew that with every passing day, the likelihood of Brooke's survival had been decreasing exponentially. He had still yet to hear from her, which could be resultant of any number different circumstances. Still, it remained unsettling. She could be unaware of the possibility of communicating with him through email. Their house may not have electricity, which was very likely based on Kevin's explanation of the military having directed power to only key facilities. She may even have relocated and taken shelter with a group of other people, much in the same way that Clay's freshly rescued friends had. However, the very real possibility of Brooke either having had been infected or having succumbed to the dangers of the outbreak, continued to linger in the back of his mind. The uncertainty of Brooke's status was something that Clay was increasingly unable to ignore. If she was alive, he would bring her back. If she was dead, he would at least know for certain. Clay was now finally in a position to travel back home. He was appropriately armed, had the option of three vehicles that were all in road worthy condition, and would be leaving these people in the capable hands of Kevin and Melanie should he fail to return.

Clay was staring at his phone while sitting on the edge of the bed, unaware that Melanie had been watching him. He had left his phone plugged into the outlet with the power on, intent on not missing a single potential communication. Had Brooke of emailed him, his phone would have received the message the moment the satellite passed over head. Yet, his inbox remained empty.

"Who are you waiting for?" Melanie asked, startling Clay.

Knowing that at some point he would have to broach the subject of Brooke with Melanie, Clay had little choice but to tell her now about his plan to return home. Should he wait any longer to attempt to reach her, the odds of Brooke being found alive would eventually dwindle to zero. Clay didn't relish the thought of having this discussion with Mel, which was why he had put it off for so long. That was, until now.
 

"Melanie... I know that this couldn't come at a worse time... But I have to go." Clay said, after regaining his composure from having had been startled.

"What? Go where?" Melanie asked incredulously, pushing her upper body from the bed and propping herself up on her elbows.

"We're just getting settled in here. All of these people need you, and you're planning on leaving?" Melanie prodded, anger becoming slightly evident in her hushed voice.

"Melanie, I'm sorry. But there is someone back home, who I need to... I need to find out whether or not they are still alive." Clay said apologetically.

Melanie's argument paused momentarily and silence filled their immediate area once again.

"Is it a woman?" she asked, her tone changing from anger to what Clay perceived as either sympathy or disappointment.

"Yes." he answered.

Melanie fell silent. She pulled her knees into her chest and stared at the bed mattress which she had been seated on, obviously deep in thought about the implications of being without Clay.

"Well, I'm coming with you..." Melanie offered finally.

"No." he immediately responded.

"You can't go alone, Clay. That's been one of your rules since we hooked up together. No one does anything alone." Melanie said, trying to use Clay's own words to convince him of her position.

"I said no, Melanie. You can't come. I need people here who are capable of running this little show of ours. The people who are most capable of doing that are yourself and Kevin." Clay gently explained.

"Fuck you!" Mel said angrily.

"What these people need is you. You know that as well as I do. Before you, they were stuck inside that apartment without a clue about how the hell they were going to get out." Melanie continued, but was quickly interrupted by Clay.
 

"I'll be back, Mel. I won't be gone for long. Where I'm going is a suburb on the edge of town, so it shouldn't be too dangerous." he explained.

"No! No, you won't be coming back if you go alone. If you really give a shit about these people, you'll do everything you can, not to abandon them. That includes running off on a foolish errand all by yourself." Melanie persisted with her argument.

"You're exactly right about this being a foolish errand Melanie, but it's something I have to do. I won't be responsible for your death because I brought you along with me." Clay replied.

"No, instead you'll be responsible for my eventual death because you left us without a real leader. And I will die Clay. We all will. It might not be today, or tomorrow, or next week, but eventually we will die and it will be a direct result of not having you with us. Look around, Clay. I told you yesterday, that all of these people were brought here safely because of you! Not me, not Kevin, but you!" Melanie said, now seated on her knees facing Clay, who was still sitting on the edge of the bed with his back towards her.

Clay wasn't sure what to say. Melanie, while having raised some valid points, hadn't completely convinced him of the necessity of his presence within the group. He wasn't being coy, or on a fishing trip for compliments. Clay whole heartedly felt that he was an outrageously poor choice for a leader. Instead of responding, Clay instead sat quietly; choosing to mull over Melanie's argument in his head. As unlikely as it was that Melanie had become who she had become, Clay would also have to become something he had never been. They had only been together for a few days, but during that time Clay had taught her a great deal. She had assumed the role which he had deemed that she had the potential to fill; even embracing it regardless of how much she felt that role was outside of her character. Clay too would have to embrace a role that he was uncomfortable with.
 

"A few days ago you told me that we would both have to learn some new skills... I know you don't believe yourself to be leadership material Clay, but that's exactly what makes you a leader. You've been doing it all along and look at how much you've accomplished." Melanie said, interrupting Clay's thoughts.

Clay wasn't entirely sure that he agreed with Melanie's perspective on the past few days, but what he was certain of was that she, as well as the others who had joined them, were clearly looking to him for leadership. Whether or not that was a wise decision in Clay's opinion was irrelevant. People naturally gravitate towards those who demonstrate the qualities of a good leader. While unwilling to accept Mel's opinion of himself in its entirety, he was willing to accept that the likelihood of him successfully infiltrating the city and making it back to the store with or without Brooke in tow on his own was unlikely.
 

"Alright, Mel." he said, finally submitting to her argument.

"Once everyone is awake, we'll gather them up and explain to them the situation. But if you're coming, we're not going to be looking for supplies, or screwing around in any way. We're going to make our way to my home and then we're leaving." he finished.

"Okay... Good..." Melanie replied.

The argument that Clay and Melanie were having had begun to wake those who had been asleep around them. They both immediately ceased their discussion, looking around sheepishly. Regrettably, everyone would soon be required to rise anyway. There was work to be done and the participation of all who were present would be needed.

"We'll address everyone about this later on, okay?” Clay said, being intent on finishing the discussion before drawing the attention of those who were beginning to wake.