The Beginning at the End of the World: A Post-Apocalyptic, Dystopian Series (The Survivor Diaries Book 2) (35 page)

“Now is not a good time, Mark,” I told him.

“It’s the perfect time. You both need to hear this. Today you made us weak, him weak. Going in there with no uniforms was stupid, and he knows it.”

“Not true,” Jackson said. “We have seen time and time again that the uniform is not trusted any more. They might have shot our heads off if we went in there looking like a threat. As it was, we almost didn’t get out of there alive. Even Laura couldn’t…”

“Wait, Laura was in there?” he asked. I thought he was going to lunge at Jackson’s throat, so I stepped in between the two men with balled up fists.

“Maybe part of the reason she left you is that you never trust her decisions,” said Jackson from behind me.

“Nope, we aren’t doing this. Mark, go,” I told him. He didn’t make a move for several moments, and then his lip twitched upward, and he left with the slam of the door.

“That was fun,” I said.

“Heh, yeah,” he said. “Laura, I want to move in here. I know it’s soon, but I don’t care what people think. I want to spend as much time with you as I can. You just never…”

“Don’t say it,” I cut him off. “And I don’t care what they think, either. Go and get your stuff.”

“I will, but did you know that after a battle I always feel a surge?” said Jackson with a twinkle of lust in his eyes.

“Do tell,” I said. “Wait, you have a meeting in an hour, and I intend to be there for it.”

“Well, then I better get to work.”

∞

The sun had gone down by the start of the meeting. The full security team was there along with the entire MT, minus those out patrolling. It was decided that Jackson was the best person to lead this one.

“We are going to put you on a rotating schedule. When you are down, you are sleeping or eating. We implement the same buddy system we used when Levi went missing. No one goes out of the immediate camp unless they are security or MT. You need to remain armed at all times. We will have a guard around the camp, in case we are attacked. Questions?”

“Colonel Jackson, I have a question,” I said as I stood. “What is expected of the rest of us if there is an attack?”

“The snow caves are still in place, but I doubt that group could get close enough before we took care of them,” he answered. “We will have the MT watching the winery at all times, but we are spread thin.”

“What does that mean, ‘take care of them’?” I asked.

“Well, Laura,” he sounded irritated, “That will be dictated by the situation, but we will do everything we can to keep matters under control.”

The rest of the meeting was about procedures and protocols. We have some pretty significant gun power, not to mention the other military grade weapons.

I was walking back to the cabin when Jackson caught up to me.

“You think I’m handling this wrong?” he asked.

“No, I understand that we need to be extremely cautious; with that said, I wonder how much those people can really do to us. You have to admit, we have an advantage over them,” I said.

“We have no idea who they have with them and what kind of weapons they are in possession of. Two shots were fired when we were there earlier, and neither from us. My guess is that they are a hot mess, but I don’t know that they won’t try coming here to find out what we have; what they can take. I’m not taking any chances.”

“I trust you,” I told him. “What time are you going out?”

“I am on at zero one thirty,” he said.

“Will you help me with something first?” I asked.

∞

I had Bailey in her PJ’s and on her bunk by the time Jackson was back from his latest meeting. I had no idea exactly how to talk to her about our new living arrangements, so I just jumped in.

“Bailey Bug, you know how Jackson and I are close friends now, right?” I said.

“Yeah, he’s your boyfriend, I know,” she said.

“Oh, okay,” I said.

“Let me try,” said Jackson. “Bailey, I love Laura, very much, and I want to be a part of your life, too. Well, we have decided that I am going to live here, if that’s okay with you.”

Her small forehead crinkled. “But I love Mark.”

“Of course you do, but you have a big, big heart with plenty of room to love as many people as you want,” I told her.

“Bailey, I would like to be your friend, if that’s okay,” Jackson said patiently.

“You already are my friend,” she said.

“Well, good, I am glad. And it doesn’t hurt my feelings that you love Mark,” he said. She nodded.

“Okay, I will be back to read to you in a minute,” I told her. “It’s Anne of Green Gables tonight.”

She smiled and held her doll up.

“What?” asked Jackson.

“Kiss her good night,” said Bailey. I knew she was screwing with him to see his reaction, but I didn’t let on. Jackson leaned in and kissed the doll, and she laughed hysterically.

“Funny,” he said with a smile. I walked Jackson to the door. He had meetings until his shift.

“That went way easier than I thought it would,” he said.

“Yeah, she is something else. Jackson, please be careful tonight,” I told him.

“I have everything to live for, darlin’,” he said. “Oh, and I left something for you on the nightstand.”

∞

After the story, I tucked Bailey in and kissed her good night.

“Laura, do you love Jackson now?”

“I have strong feelings for him,” I said.

“And you don’t love Mark anymore?” she asked with concern.

“Well, that’s complicated. I don’t know that you ever stop loving someone. Right now, though, I want to be with Jackson because he makes me happy,” I said. It was hard trying to explain something I didn’t really understand myself.

“Mark’s sad now. And he’s really, really mad at Jackson.”

“I know,” I told her. “Good night, Bailey Bug.”

I went into my room ready to collapse on the bed when I saw my reward for a hard day’s work on the night stand; a large glass of red wine. It was exactly what I needed. I took it into the bathroom and drew myself a bath.

About half way into the wine, the walkie in the pocket of my jacket went off. “Laura Balous-Patton, we have a situation. Please come to RV three.”

Balous-Patton, who the hell was that?

I called Ammie to come and sit with Bailey. “Hell’s ya. The cabin,” she said. “Be right over.”

“Go ahead and take a bath. I am starting to think that my bathtub is my most popular trait anymore,” I told her when she got there. “And thanks.”

∞

Inside the RV were all of the officers in masks, along with a new face; a teenage boy. He was wearing filthy clothes and a black baseball hat. He looked like a kid caught by the cops for stealing a beer or something.

“One more time,” said Mason. “All I asked was your fuckin’ name.”

The boy proceeded to spit in his face. I put on the mask Jackson handed me and pushed my way inside of the RV to get between him and the obviously annoyed Mason.

“Hey, guys,” I said. “I told you that you have to ask my permission before having friends over.”

Mason’s face matched my hair, and I knew that he didn’t enjoy my brand of humor.

“Hi, I’m Laura,” I said to the boy. “What’s your name?”

He began to collect saliva. That was my cue to duck. I moved quickly to my left and the wad hit Mason on his right thigh this time. I pursed my lips to control a giggle.

“He got out of the winery somehow. He passed our guys until he was caught by Specialist Patton,” said Jackson.

“Go Bri,” I said. I saw the boy glance at me quickly. He almost looked amused. “Bri’s my niece. She’s pretty, isn’t she?”

“Why weren’t you wearing those uniforms when you raided us?” he asked.

“I didn’t because I don’t have one. I’m not one of them,” I said. I looked up to see Jackson’s grimace. “Not that there is anything wrong with them. They have been keeping us safe in Monterey.”

“You were the guys behind the big wall, weren’t you?” he asked.

“Yes, that was us,” I said. “Were you a part of the Wanderers?”

“Yeah, but only because my step-dad made me. I hate those bitches. They are mean, and they stink.”

“Heh,” said Jackson. “You don’t smell…”

“Shut up, Jackson,” I warned. “Sorry, um, what’s your name?”

“Chase,” he said.

“Is your mother in there with them, Chase?” I asked. The MT started to back off a bit when they saw that I had him talking.

“She died. So did my sister,” he said. “Charles, that’s my step-dad, said we had to stay with those people. And I hate them all. They are bad, real bad.”

“Okay, fellows, I need everyone except for Jackson and Jake out of here,” I said. I whispered for Fitz to get Katie from her tent. “Tell her that I think that we have a kid who has probably been pretty badly abused. Then get him something to eat and some clothes to change into.”

I turned back to the defensive child; that’s what I saw him as. Who knows what he has seen or been forced to do?

“Laura, may I see you for a moment in private?” asked Jackson. He waved me to the bedroom in the RV. “Did you ever think that maybe they sent him here for intelligence about us?”

“No, that’s what I have you for. Let’s say that’s right. He’s not going anywhere, so he can have some food and can clean up some. Katie is coming, and she is pretty good at telling when someone is being dishonest. Let’s try to do it my way first. If that doesn’t work, then you can have at that vicious criminal in there.”

I opened the door to see Jake on top of the kid, arm on Chase’s airway. “Get off, Jake. What the hell?”

“You should have heard what he just said about Bri,” Jake said.

“That was dumb, Chase. That’s my brother, Bri’s father. And
here
we show respect to each other. Maybe that’s not how it was with those people, but it is here. Get it?”

“Yeah, sorry,” Chase said begrudgingly.

Katie came in wearing a mask, and I introduced her. “She isn’t going to touch you, just talk to you, okay?”

He nodded.

“Hi, Chase. I’m just one of the people here. We are just trying to get to safety, like everybody else.”

“Not like everybody else. Those guys I was with just want to drink and do drugs and fuck the whores,” he said. I could feel my face get red from embarrassment. Jackson looked at him with compassion this time.

“It sounds like you had it rough,” said Katie. Fitz came in with an MRE, and I shooed him out. I handed it to Jackson who pulled up his mask, ripped it open with his teeth and got it ready.

“Heh, cheeseburger, you lucked out, son,” said Jackson handing the boy the food.

Chase swallowed it down with minimal chewing. I looked through the cupboards and found a box of crackers that he attacked with the same gusto.

“Slow down before you choke,” I said. “We will get you enough food. We just need to make sure that it’s safe to have you here right now.”

“What am I gonna do to a bunch of soldiers with automatics?” he asked with a full mouth.

“Actually, he has a good point,” I said to Jackson. “Can you send in a couple of guys to stay with Katie?”

He nodded and left. Jake was still fuming, but he backed away some.

“Sorry I said that about your daughter, sir,” said Chase.

Jake tipped his head, but said nothing.

“Chase, we would like to help you if we can,” said Katie. “My husband is outside, and he is a doctor. He will look you over, and we will take it from there, okay?”

∞

I stepped into the big tent and faced down Mason. “Why were you interrogating that child?”

“Because his people tried to kill my people today,” he said.

“No they didn’t. You weren’t even there. Two shots were fired, the first was a mistake and the second was between them, not us. I’m not saying that they are harmless, but that is a scared child in there who we need information from, and you did not make the situation any better,” I admonished.

Mason sat down at the table and looked at me icily. “We are keeping you alive, so don’t question our tactics.”

“
You
have been nowhere near us until a few days ago. And
my
tactics have been a big part of keeping your people who are with us alive,” I said. “Mason, we are not the enemy, that boy in there is not the enemy. Damn, we didn’t cause this war.”

“And we did, is that right?” he asked.

“I’m not doing this anymore. Go, if we are such a burden,” I said.

“I would have, but I was out voted,” he said.

I stepped back in an attempt to control my anger. “So, it looks like we are at an impasse, you and me.”

“Everyone, get back on patrol,” said Jackson. “Fitz, stick around.”

“I intend to,” Fitz replied. “This kind of hostility in the ranks is going to be our demise.”

“See, that’s exactly it. I am not in your ranks,” I said. “You all agreed to our being in control here…”