Once we were able to defend ourselves, we walked over to the town hall, shedding zombified clothing as we went. I took off my balaclava, my gloves, and my shirt, leaving me carrying a pile of clothing and a rifle with nothing on but my pants and a t-shirt. We walked around the cars and the piles of dead bodies, the noon day sun not helping with the cleanup efforts. I stepped up to the big oak doors and stopped. I could still hear moans of the dead as they carried over the water from the fence. “I wonder if we should head over there,” I mused.
Charlie laughed out loud and pushed me towards the doors. “You didn’t hesitate to take on hundreds of Z’s, yet you’re scared of one woman?”
“If you’re so brave, give me your Glock before you go see Rebecca,” I retorted.
“Not a chance,” Charlie said.
“That’s what I thought.”
We went inside as people were gathering their things and heading back to their homes. Tommy had told me Jason and a crew of men were checking the town over for strays and would personally check each house before the owners went back. Many people thanked us for what we did and I generally just smiled and said they were welcome, and that I was glad to help. Charlie took my cue and replied in the same manner, staying modest and unassuming. Several women gave us hugs and some of the older tots wanted to touch our weapons, but for the most part people were just glad it was over.
I went up the big marble staircase to the second floor, then went down the hall to the big office on the end. Charlie saw Rebecca in another office and veered off. I stepped to the door and knocked gently.
“Come in.” The voice was soft and inviting and I hoped for the best. I opened the door and saw Sarah standing by the window, watching the cleanup efforts. My M1A was cradled in her arms and for a brief moment I considered drawing my SIG for comfort.
“Hey,” I said.
Sarah turned around and saw me. She put down the rifle and flew into my arms. I held her tightly for several long moments, then kissed her fiercely for several more. When we finally came up for air she rested her head on my shoulder.
“When we couldn’t see you or Charlie anymore, we thought the worst. Then when you came out of the gazebo, I thought my heart would explode.” Sarah raised a tear-streaked face to mine. “Please don’t do that again.”
“Can’t promise that sweetheart, you know I can’t. I have to do what I need to make sure people survive.”
“I know. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.” Sarah snuggled against my chest.
I gently disengaged myself from her. “I need to clean up. I’m covered in zombie.”
Sarah smiled. “Give me your clothes. I’ll make sure they get washed.”
I stripped down and passed her my clothes as I changed into spare clothing from my pack. I used water from the bathroom to clean up and bumped in to Charlie on the way back to the office.
“You too?” Charlie asked.
“Yep.”
I went back to the office and Sarah gathered up my stained clothing. “Get some rest. You’ve earned it.”
I didn’t think I was tired until I laid down on the couch in the office. Then exhaustion caught up with me and I fell deeply asleep.
I awoke alone to a dimming sky. I had a pain in my side where my SIG had poked me and I ached in several places, but as my dad always said, “Pain is nature’s way of letting you know you ain’t dead yet.” Wish I had known the old man was a prophet.
I found my clothes on the desk and packed them into my bag. I didn’t see my AR, so I figured Sarah had taken it. I shouldered my M1A and headed downstairs.
I was met in the lobby of the town hall by Tommy and Jason and together the three of us went out in search of the rest of our team.
We didn’t have far to go. Charlie and Rebecca were out on the meeting area in front of the building, talking with Sarah.
“Hey, sleepyhead!” Sarah said when she saw me, coming over to give me a hug. “How was your nap?”
“Pretty good,” I replied. “How long was I out?”
“You and Charlie slept for about four hours,” Rebecca said.
“Really?” I said. “Guess I was tired.”
“You ought to be,” Sarah said, punching me in the ribs, “after spending a night in a cargo container, then killing zombies all morning.”
I decided not to say a word at that point, figuring I would be incriminating myself even worse.
“What’s the next move?” Tommy asked.
I looked around. The bodies of all the zombies had been removed, and there was a glow off to the east that I was pretty sure was a burn pile going full force. People were moving around and checking on each other and I could see some looks cast our way. We were the outsiders here, no matter what we had done for the town. They had a balance and me and mine would eventually upset that balance. We had shared a hardship and had both lost people, but we needed to be gone while the feelings were good on both sides.
“We’re going to head out. I’ve heard from Sheriff Harlan that there may be some surviving towns farther south along the rail lines. Charlie, Tommy and I are going to take one of the Railroad trucks that Sheriff Harlan has offered and we’re going to do a quick run to see if there is anyone out there. If there is and they need to settle some place, we’ll direct them back here.” I waited for the outburst and was surprised there was none.
“Sounds good,” Sarah said.
“Sure does,” Rebecca said.
Charlie and I exchanged glances. This was not what I expected. I gave Sarah a look and she squeezed my hand and laughed.
“You goof. You and Charlie just proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that you two can handle anything, including a horde of over two hundred zombies. I figured you might be doing something like this, so I sent Jason and some men to retrieve our cars and supplies.” Sarah gave me another hug as I just stared at her.
Charlie shook his head and said nothing which was probably the best idea right now.
An hour later, Charlie, Tommy, and I met up with Sheriff Harlan and talked about where we were going. We had retrieved our supplies and were now fully laden with gear, including ammo for our guns. I was taking my rifle and Charlie and Tommy would be backup with theirs.
Sheriff Harlan laid out a map. “We’re here. Down this rail line is Streator. We don’t know if there’s anyone alive in there, but considering how far they are from bigger centers, there’s a good chance people are there. The rail line has about four small towns on the way to Streator. If anyone’s there, they’re welcome here. My brother Tim and his family live here,” Harlan pointed to a small dot labeled ‘Ransom’. “If he’s there, I’d be obliged if you’d pass on the message that I’m alive.”
I nodded, briefly wondering about my own brother, who I hadn’t heard from in a year.
The sheriff continued. “We have a rail truck, so you can travel on the lines and get off on the road when you need to. We’ve used it to range north for supplies, but the recent uprising put a halt to that. You’re welcome to it.”
I could immediately see the advantages. Unless we ran into trains on the rails, we could head straight through to Streator.
“Sounds good. We’ll head out in the morning.”
Sheriff Harlan nodded. “Good. Your people can stay at the town hall tonight, I think there might be a small celebration tomorrow. Everyone’s just too tired today.”
We all laughed and after about another two hours of planning, went back to the town hall. I told Sarah about the plan and when we planned to move out. She agreed with what we were doing and then gave me some good news.
“I spoke with Nate today, Jake and Julia are doing fine,” Sarah said. “Jakey misses his daddy and wants him to come home soon.”
I smiled. “That’s my boy.” I stretched out on the carpet of the office and pulled a cushion from the couch. “I didn’t think I’d be this tired after the nap I had.”
“Nate also said a friend of yours showed up looking for you.”
“Who?”
“You’ll never believe it.”
“Tell me.”
“Our friend Dot.”
I was amazed. “I’ll be damned. I thought she was never going to leave her house.”
Sarah shrugged. “Nate said she got lonely and looked for you at the condo complex, but Duncan steered her towards Leport.”
I laid back. “She’ll make a welcome edition to the community.”
Sarah sidled down onto the floor next to me and threw a leg over my waist. “How tired are you?” she breathed into my ear.
“Remarkably well-rested, thank you for asking,” I said, laughing as I wrapped her up in my arms. “What did you have in mind?”
Sarah’s response wore me out much more than the zombie horde could ever have hoped to do.