The Alpha Chronicles (26 page)

Terri replied, “Thirst, hunger,
insects, and bullets all come to mind. I’ll stick with the quickie tour, thank you very much.”

The I
-10 exit used to access the huge distribution center contained scattered remnants of abandoned cars and trucks. In the daylight, Bishop noted the roadway clutter didn’t look nearly as ominous as it had when he came this way at night.

“I’m pretty sure these guys have the road booby
-trapped, Nick. Proceed with caution.”

“You had better get out and clear it for me,” suggested Nick. “Just in case.”

Bishop exited the back seat and began walking in front of the police cruiser. They hadn’t rolled more than a few hundred feet when Bishop discovered the first tripwire. Tracing it back to the source, he found it connected to a roadside flare and easily disabled the device.

One additional early warning system was discovered before it was time to leave the interstate and proceed along the surface road to the warehouse.

Diana turned on the strobe lights when they were within observation distance of the giant building. “Just to make sure they think we’re cops,” she commented.

“Are you sure there wasn’t a doughnut delivery truck available in Alpha?” Bishop a
sked. “We could have at least set a box of chocolate frosted on the hood as a sacrificial offering. I’m sure they would smell it from here.”

Nick slowed the car as they approached a sign in the middle of the road. It read, “No food, no water, and no barter. Stay away or you will be shot without question.”

While Nick paused to let everyone read the warning, Bishop tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to the side of the road. Two human skulls and a scattered assortment of other bleached skeletal remains littered the area. “They mean business,” was his only comment.

The roofline of the complex was barely visible on the horizon. Nick judged its distance to be at least 1200 meters, the assessment eliciting a whistle. “If they have sharpshooters who can acquire a human target at 1200, they’re damned good. That would take at least a .50 cal
iber weapon.”

Bishop replied, “I remember seeing a SWAT van parked in the lot. It wouldn’t surprise me if they had lots of long-range toys on hand.”

The four agreed to continue, hoping that the police vehicle and flashing lights would grant them safe passage. At 600 meters, everyone began to relax.

“I’m telling ya,” Bishop offered, “doughnuts would be like a passport to these guys. Are you sure you don’t want to go back and fry some up?”

At 200 meters, they could see activity around the building. While it didn’t look like anyone was rolling out the red carpet, no sniper bullets slammed into the car.

“How do you expect them to react when they realize we’re not cops?” asked Diana.

“Depends. Does anyone here even smell like a glazed or sprinkled?” Bishop muttered. Terri leaned across the seat and whispered, “Which arm hurts, Bishop?”

“Hmmm… I plead the fifth
.”

Terri hit his right shoulder anyway.

Nick grunted, “Hopefully some of the paranoia is gone by now. They aren’t exactly on the scenic route, and other than Bishop’s little raid, they probably haven’t had visitors for months.”

The facility was surrounded by a heavy gauge fence with the access blocked by a gate made of similar wire mesh. The
access was closed and guarded by six eager-looking, young men covering the car with AR15 rifles.

Nick parked about 50 feet away and took the cruiser out of gear. Before Bishop could stop her, Terri opened the door and stepped out of the car. “I’ve got this,” she announced.

Nick and Bishop reached for their door handles, but Diana stopped them. “You guys getting out in all that gear is going to freak their cookies. Stay put. They’re not going to shoot Terri without any warning.”

Nick rolled down the windows so they could at least listen.

Terri had ventured about ten steps toward the gate when one of the men yelled out, “Can’t you read, lady? That sign back there was pretty clear. We don’t welcome trespassers here.”

“My name is Terri, and I have the mayor of Alpha, Texas with me. We’ve come to make you gentlemen an offer…
an offer you might want to seriously consider.”

The men at the gate didn’t seem impressed. “What could you possibly offer us?”

“A job... employment… a home… schools for your children. You remember all that stuff, don’t you? Society? Friends? A purpose in life.”

For a time, several of the guards looked at each other and their leader, a few hushed comments being exchanged.
Bishop couldn’t hear their conversation, but it was clear Terri’s statement was of interest to the men.

“Wait right there, and instruct
your friends to stay in the car.”

A few moments later, a man exited the building and strolled casually toward the gate. Bishop would have identified the fellow as a lawman immediately, even without his Stetson hat adorned with a shiny star on the front.

The ramrod straight gentleman was slender, but not skinny. Probably close to 6’4” in height, his weathered face surrounded eyes that spoke of having seen just about everything and not been troubled by any of it. His walk betrayed confidence with a grace of authority, but showed no indication of abuse.
Here’s the guy that’s in charge
, thou
ght Bishop
. Here’s the man who is holding all of this together.

The newcomer walked directly to the fence and tipped his hat to Terri. “Ma’am, I’m Sheriff Watts. What can I do for you?”

“Nice to meet you, Sheriff.” Terri turned and indicated the car before she continued. “We drove here from Alpha. The town has reorganized and is in the early stages of recovery. We have electrical power and rule of law. We’re growing so quickly that we need trained, professional law enforcement. My husband was aware of your location, so we decided to travel here and see if you or some members of your group would be interested in helping us rebuild Alpha and Meraton.”

“You have electrical power?”

“Yes, we have restarted the windmill generators south of Alpha. The town has organized schools, medical care, and other essentials. We need policemen who are part of the community. The mayor of Alpha is in that car. I’m sure you would enjoy speaking with her.”

“
Her?
I met the mayor of Alpha a few years back. That office was held by a man.”

Terri nodded, “Many of the townspeople died in a horrible accident right when the country was falling into the abyss. There’s a new group of citizens trying to build something special there.”

The sheriff was skeptical. “I’ve no interest in helping a self-appointed king. When you say mayor, was she elected?”

“Yes, and we intend to have more elections soon. Even the sheriff will be elected in our town,” Terri answered.

Sheriff Watts nodded toward the car. “Who else is with you and the mayor?”

“We brought along security. It’s far too dangerous for two women to travel alone these days.”

The tall lawman considered this new information for a few moments and then waved to one of his men standing by the entry. “Let them in. It won’t hurt to talk.”

As the deputy moved to unlock the gate, Watts turned back to Terri. “I’m going to allow you inside to talk this over. Your men can come in as well, but no weapons. You have my word that no harm will come to any member of your party.”

Nick whispered, “No fucking way,” but Bishop reassured his friend.

“I believe him, Nick. Besides, they have so many guns in that place we wouldn’t be able to do much anyway.”

“I don’t like it one bit, but if you say it’s cool, then I’ll go along.”

Terri proceeded to step back to the building with the sheriff while Nick pulled in the car and parked. Bishop left his weapons in the back seat, soon to be keeping company with Nick’s rifle and pistol.

Terri turned and indicated Diana, “Sheriff, allow me to introduce you to Deacon Diana Brown, mayor of Alpha, Texas.”

“
Ma’am,” Sheriff Watts responded as he offered his hand and tipped his hat.

Introductions were completed, and then everyone entered the building. It was immediately clear that strangers were extremely rare as the occupants of the facility stared to the point of rudeness. “You’ll have to excuse us, folks. There haven’t been any outsiders inside this building in almost seven months.”

Watts elected to give Diana’s group a tour. The huge warehouse was occupied by row after row of floor to ceiling shelving, many of the units full with cardboard boxes and wooden containers. One wall was lined completely with enormous commercial freezers that had once stored hundreds of pounds of frozen food, including several sides of beef.

“We’ve now consumed the contents of three freezers. There are five left. After we use up the food inside, we convert the space into a community area of some sort. We have a school, theatre and music room.
This place echoes badly, and the freezers allow for the night owls to gather without disturbing everyone else.”

During the walkthrough, their guide disclosed that there were 110 people living inside the distribution center. “We had 40 law enforcement officers who brought their family members with them to begin a fresh life here. One of our citizens nicknamed our new home
‘Wallyworld.’”

As the group meandered through the cavernous interior, Sheriff Watts pointed out this and that. The tour finally ended at the rear of the facility where a playground had been erected, and a garden had been tilled. “One of the tremendous advantages to settling here has been the availability of critical items stored inside the building. While the warehouse was never designed for long-term occupancy, its stored goods have allowed us to maintain a certain level of civilization. We know our food will eventually run out, and we all crave the flavor only fresh crops provide. Our biggest issue with the garden is that none of us were blessed with a green thumb, and the harvest has been a disappointment.”

The tour proceeded to the front of the building where a cluster of offices had been constructed. “There’s a conference room up here. I suggest we talk inside.”

Bishop and Nick remained quiet for the most part, playing the role of hired security to the hilt. Both men were amazed at the organization and the thought that had been invested in developing the community. At one point when they were alone, Nick whispered to Bishop, “I wouldn’t leave here if I were them. They’ve got it made.”

After everyone had taken a seat in the conference room, the sheriff looked at Diana and asked, “So you said someone told you of our location? I’m curious how that individual knew we were here.”

Bishop spoke
up, deciding honesty was the best policy. “That would have been me, sir. A few days ago, one of your deputies had an encounter with someone in the desert to the west of here - right after a rather large diversion occurred up on the ridge. I was responsible for that. My apologies for any inconvenience, sir.”

Anger flashed for just a moment behind the sheriff’s eyes, but it passed quickly. For a few seconds, Bishop thought his confession might have been a mistake, but then the leader of Wallyworld snorted and looked down. “You caused me to lose a night’s sleep, young man. We thought the entire world was going to roll down that ridge and kill us all.”

“I had good reason, sir. I was operating under the direct orders of the President of the United States. Your signage and warnings precluded me from approaching, so I took action on my own. Is the man I encountered in the desert okay?”

Sheriff Watts almost smiled, the corners of his mouth rising just slightly. “Yes, no casualty but his ego and a few bruises. In a way, your little show was a good thing. Up until that point, we were getting lax and complacent.”

Diana interjected, “Sheriff, we can offer a community - housing, soon-to-be schools, electrical power, and most importantly, a healthy social environment. You have done a fantastic job here and are maintaining a quality of living higher than anyone else we’ve encountered, but you have to know it can’t last.”

The older man nodded. “I know; the subject is something that haunts us daily. We continue to burn fuel and consume food that can’t be replaced. My people are comfortable, but this place isn’t a home. This lifestyle isn’t how anyone wants to live long-term, nor is it a good setting to raise children.”

Nick spoke up. “Sheriff, why don’t you load up a few carloads of your people and come visit Alpha? Spend the day outside these walls and just walk around the community. See for yourself what we’re doing. After that, drive on down to Meraton and visit the market there. Have a seat at Pete’s, wet your whistle, and shoot the breeze with the locals.”

Diana continued, “Our towns aren’t perfect. We welcome refugees and stragglers, but some of those folks are troublemakers or potential problems. We need professional, even-handed police officers. Men and women who are trained on how to deal with situations fairly and competently.”

Sheriff Watts nodded his understanding and then looked at Nick. “I’ll call a meeting and let everyone know why we allowed strangers in the building today. I’m sure rumors are already making the circuit. We’ll take you up on that offer, young man. I’ll load up a group of folks and declare a vacation day.”