“He’s good then?” the leading officer asked.
“Yes sir. He is.”
He cleared his throat, then clasped his hands behind his back. “I want the three of you to know that this is a military operating base. My name is Sergeant Armstrong. You’ve already met Corporal Jamie Marks and Private Erik Roberts. These men here are deputies Derek Kirn and Donald Wills. You will obey any orders they give you, no questions asked.”
“Yes sir,” Steve said. Dakota and Ian offered the same reply.
“I’ll have you gentlemen know that you’ll each be given jobs based on your individual talents, which will be assigned by Corporal Marks when he finds fit. Until then, keep to yourselves and stay out of the first floor lobby, which is currently being used as our communications base. If you refuse to comply with any orders, you will be removed from the base—permanently. Understood?”
Dakota, Steve and Ian nodded. The sergeant, in turn, offered a curt nod, then turned and started for the entrance, leaving the three of them with the deputies and military men without another word.
“Everything will be fine,” Jamie said, clapping Steve, Ian and Dakota on the shoulder. “I’ll get the three of you into a room as soon as possible.”
“Thank you, sir,” Steve said. “That was a brave thing to do.”
“No need to thank me.” Jamie turned his gaze on the gate, where a group of infected stood clawing at the chain-link fence. “Go on in, get some rest. Dinner’s at eighteen-hundred tonight.”
Dakota stepped into line with Steve and Ian as they made their way toward the door.
Before he entered the apartment building, he took one last look at the man who’d saved their lives.
“Pretty heavy shit back there,” Steve sighed, collapsing onto a cot in one of the spare rooms.
“No kiddin’,” Ian grunted, seating himself on his own bed.
“Your arm ok?” Dakota asked.
“It just stings a little, that’s all.”
“You did good back there,” Steve said, propping himself up on both elbows.
“Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it. Let’s just say I have a little more respect for you after all the shit we went through.”
“How long do you think it’ll be until someone comes up here to talk to us?” Dakota asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Dunno,” Steve shrugged.
“You care if I confess something?”
“I don’t see why I would.”
“I don’t know.” Dakota paused. He looked from Steve, to Ian, then back again. It took him a moment to compose himself before spoke. “I get the feeling that we might not be wanted here.”
“It’s the military. We busted into a sanctioned facility without permission and dragged a shit-ton of infected with us. If I were them, I wouldn’t be happy with us either.”
“Besides,” Ian added. “It’s the same government bullshit as it always was.”
“What do you mean?” Dakota asked.
“Cops don’t like having to deal with stupid people, security guards don’t like having to deal with prisoners, the military doesn’t like having to protect civilians…you think they’re here because they want to be?”
“They’re probably not here because they want to be, in all actuality,” Steve said. He pushed himself forward and ran his hand through his hair.
“What about you, Steve?” Dakota asked. “I mean, what was it like in the marines? The atmosphere, having to work with people?”
“To tell you the truth,” Steve sighed, “I don’t blame them for being angry, especially the sergeant. Dealing with civilians, especially refugees, is never an easy thing, particularly when they’re so quick to act on impulse.”
“Like we did,” Dakota mumbled.
“Exactly.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Ian said. “We’re here. We might as well forget about it.”
“We still have to watch our backs,” Steve sighed. “We’re under military order now. It’s their way or the highway as far as they’re concerned.”
“Which is bullshit, as far as I’m concerned.”
Dakota stepped forward, toward the sole, bar-covered window in the room. “What do you think this place used to be?”
“Huh?” Steve asked.
“This building. There’s bars across the windows.”
“Probably a nuthouse, from the looks of it,” Ian said.
“A nuthouse?”
“Yeah. You ain’t ever seen an asylum?”
“No, not really.”
“I think this place used to be called David’s Ward or something. I’m not sure. All I know is that it isn’t named what it used to be.”
“It doesn’t really matter,” Dakota sighed, looking outside. “At least we’re safe.”
From his current perspective, he could see all the way across the opposite parking lot, toward what used to be a park.
In a distance, a lone zombie shambled on.
She alone showed him what the world had become.
A knock came at the door just as the sun was beginning to set.
Rising from his place on the cot, Dakota crossed the room and pressed his hand to the doorknob. A quick look out of the peephole showed Corporal Marks in full attire, cheeks wind-burnt and eyes looking tired as ever.
I wonder what they were doing? He frowned, looking back at his companions. Both were asleep. “Guys,” he said. “Wake up.”
Steve rose first. Curled on his side, he opened his eyes, then shook his head, rolling onto his back and running a hand through his hair. “What’s up?”
“Jamie’s here.”
“Who?”
“The corporal. Remember?”
“Him.” Steve sat up. “Ian, wake up.”
“I’m awake,” Ian groaned.
Dakota opened the door, offering the soldier the best smile he could. “Hello, sir.”
“Good evening,” Jamie said. “Can I come in?”
“We were just sleeping,” Steve said. “Go ahead.”
“Sorry I’m late. Private Roberts and I were working on getting the infected away from the area.”
“How’d you manage that?” Dakota asked.
“Sound displacement. A late comrade found that if you’re able to make noise in an area other than the one you’re currently in, the infected will run off.”
“So you were tricking them,” Steve chuckled.
The corporal smiled. “We spent the last few hours shooting dummies at the cars down the road with silencers.”
“Pretty clever, Corporal.”
“Yes, very.” Jamie looked about the room, lips pursing in thought when he saw Ian’s still form on his cot. “Sir? Are you feeling well?”
“I’m good,” Ian said, throwing his legs over the cot. “Didn’t mean to not answer you.”
“No need to apologize. Just making sure.”
“We had a rough two days,” Dakota sighed.
“I can imagine. How long did it take to fortify the bus?”
“A day, day-and-a-half,” Steve said. “What’s it to you?”
“No reason.” He paused. “If you’ll excuse me, gentlemen, I’ll get on to business. The sergeant’s instructed me to assign jobs to the civilians based on any useful skills they might have. Can any of you do anything other than cook or fix cars?”
“I’m guessing you’re filled in those departments.”
“Yes.”
“Nothing I can think of,” Steve said.
“I used to be a plumber,” Ian said. “I don’t know if that’s any help.”
“It should be,” Jamie smiled. He turned his eyes on Dakota. “What about you, sir?”
“Me?” Dakota said.
“Yes, you.”
Dakota smiled at his stupidity. “I don’t know. I was still in school when this happened.”