The Complete Lee West Post-Apocalyptic Box Set, page 43
part #1 of The Complete Lee West Post-Apocalyptic Box Set Series
Before Charlie could make a polite excuse, Dr. Jarvis walked into the center.
“Charlie! I was hoping you’d stop by. We need to talk,” said Dr. Jarvis.
“Sure thing. See you later, Father,” said Charlie. “I was hoping I’d run into you. What’s the status of the injured men?”
“Not good. I’ve done everything I can with the limited resources at my disposal. I’ve even gone through the entire emergency field kit I carry in my car, plus everything kept in your squad cars and the town doctor’s offices. Officer Stevens is in the worst shape by far, but there are a few others that could really use more advanced care.”
“How many would you ideally send to the hospital?”
“Five would be great if we can move all of them. Also, has anyone been to Memorial? Are they up and running? With all the excitement, I sort of forgot that they too could be dealing with all the same complications. Worse, in fact. Holding off hospital-based infections is a struggle when things are going well. I can’t imagine the situation right now. Regardless, these guys need more than I can give them, risk of infection or not.”
“We haven’t communicated with the hospital recently. However, last we knew, they still had some generator power. They had to strategically allocate their resources in order to stretch their limited fuel,” said Charlie with a grave look.
Dr. Jarvis stiffened considerably and looked down. Charlie knew the doctor understood what he meant by “strategically allocate” resources. Patients that were on life support or who needed intensive critical care were allowed to peacefully slip away. A triage choice no one would want to make, but was the only way to compassionately and realistically deal with the situation.
“How long can the transport to the hospital wait?” asked Charlie.
“Not long. I’d say immediately if possible. But I think I know better than to request immediate medical support. So tomorrow by the latest—if that’s even possible. I can keep them comfortable and stable until then. I hope.”
“Alright, let me see what I can do. Have you seen Mark?”
“I just did. He was upstairs refilling water bottles.”
“Thanks. I’ll touch base with you later.”
Charlie moved quickly up the stairs, hoping to catch Mark before he headed back out. He had put Mark in charge of arming civilians by handing out the weapons they’d seized from the New Order.
“Mark!” yelled Charlie across the quiet parking lot.
Mark stopped and waved then ran back to Charlie. Charlie appraised Mark with a bit of envy. Mark was in such terrific shape that their current conditions didn’t seem to have an impact on his health. Others appeared to waste away right in front of Charlie, while Mark somehow looked as fit as ever.
“I was hoping to catch you. I’d like to meet with the team prior to the noon call to Doris’s,” said Charlie.
“Alright, I’ll grab Bruce and Henry. Bruce is heading up the vets, and I put Henry in charge of organizing the civilians,” said Mark.
“I’d say you picked the right guy. I still can’t believe Henry managed to coordinate with eleven of his neighbors along Main Street to assist us. Without their considerable firepower, things might’ve turned out much differently.”
“No kidding. He’s a real asset. See you in about thirty.”
Charlie walked briskly down the quiet street of Porter. Most of the citizens stayed to themselves despite being able to leave their houses. Other than going to the church for food or a service, there wasn’t much for people to do. No work to stress about or kids to pack off to school. Things just seemed to stand still. Charlie enjoyed the simplicity and pace of their new lives, even as he longed for the conveniences electricity afforded.
The smell of tear gas still lingered in the police station, giving Charlie a slight tingling in his nose. The officers had opened all of the windows, but still traces of the noxious substance remained. The station required a thorough cleaning, not only from the tear gas but also from the New Order. Wrappers, empty cans and cigarette butts littered the once gleaming floors.
Charlie walked into the conference room, still amazed they had managed to retake the town. The group of officers and civilians assembled were a ragtag bunch, but Charlie no longer had any reservations about their skills. These were battle-tested warriors who had valiantly fought for the town.
“Thanks for coming on such short notice. It won’t take long; I want everyone to be on the same page moving forward. Let’s get a status report from each group. Cleff, can you update us on the status of the station’s radio?”
“We were able to get everything working. The problem is the generator power. We have very little remaining fuel to run it,” said Officer Cleff.
“How much is in the tank now?”
“Probably a quarter of a tank.”
“Okay, thanks. Mark, what is the status of arming the civilians?”
“All the weapons in the armory and those recovered from the New Order were checked for damage, cleaned, and distributed. I’m holding a tactical refresher course this afternoon to assist the members of our newly formed civilian militia. My only concern is our ammunition supply. Once it’s out, we’re sitting ducks around here,” said Mark.
“How much ammo do we currently have?”
“Without doing a detailed inventory, I’d say we’re okay for general safety purposes. However, if we were attacked, we’d definitely have a hard time maintaining the kind of firepower we’d need to repel an attack. Especially a protracted one.”
“Can I add something?” asked Henry.
“Of course, please do,” said Charlie.
“This may sound crazy, but I know a guy who does 1800s-skills-training weekends at his home just south of here. I went out there once a couple of years ago for a blacksmithing weekend. Anyway, if I recall correctly, he made all of the bullets for that Civil War rifle shoot that was a big hit at the county fair. Maybe he could help us make more ammo?” said Henry.
“The bullets he probably made were likely a different caliber and design than what we need,” said Mark.
“True, but if he has the supplies, I think he could adjust and make what we need. He probably would just require a sample. He’s a very talented blacksmith.”
“Could you find his place again?” asked Charlie.
“Yes. I know I can. We passed it every time we visited my in-laws. I thought about pulling over to his ‘compound,’ as he calls it, more than once on those trips.”
The group of mostly married men and women rolled their eyes or nodded with a sense of comradery at his thoughts of ditching an in-law visit. Charlie wondered if one day after he and Gayle were long married, he’d feel the same way.
“We’ve all been there visiting with our in-laws,” said Officer Cleff.
“How far away is the compound?” asked Charlie.
“About a thirty-minute drive from here, just down Route 31.”
“I think it’s an excellent idea that’s definitely worth exploring. Thanks for thinking of it, Henry.”
“I could hoof it down there with Henry to check this guy out. Maybe he’ll be able to help us,” said Mark.
“Ummm…I don’t think I could walk that far. It would take us days,” said Henry.
“Not at my pace!” said Mark.
Charlie knew Henry was probably worried about keeping up with Mark. After having been on a few hikes with him, Charlie knew Henry’s concerns were valid.
“Besides, I don’t want to leave my family for that long.”
“Fair enough. We wouldn’t ask you to leave them. If you can point out the place on the map, we can send a team down there,” said Charlie with a glance to Bill Reynolds and Mark.
Charlie knew Bill and Mark would be a strong team to head down to visit this blacksmith. The trip itself would be fraught with peril. Once they arrived, the blacksmith might not exactly roll out the red carpet. Charlie knew the plan was dangerous and potentially futile, but nevertheless, they needed to try.
“I’ll organize a team of the vets to start sweeping the streets for our spent casings. Between ours and the ones dropped by the New Order, I’m sure we have plenty for the blacksmith to work with. He would just need to create bullets for us,” said Bill.
“He might even have gunpowder, if he’s willing to part with it,” said Mark.
“Better yet, we should hit the shooting range. They refill casings all the time. I’ll bet they have gunpowder too,” said Officer Rogers.
“Probably snag a bunch of spent casings there too,” said Officer Cleff.
“I’m sure we could.”
“Nice ideas all around. Bill, can you organize the collection of the casings and gunpowder?” asked Charlie.
“Of course. I’ll get right on it. Then Mark and I can prepare for our trip to the blacksmith,” said Bill with a nod toward Mark.
“Sounds like a plan,” added Mark.
“That brings me to our next topic,” said Charlie. “I spoke with Doc Jarvis a little while ago. He said there are five people who need immediate transport to the hospital. Mark, I’d like you organize a team that will bring all usable vehicles to the back of the station. Then have the fuel supply inventoried. We need to know what we have so we can start to parcel our remaining fuel to the things we need the most. Doc Jarvis said the injured should be transported tomorrow at the latest.”
“I’ll drive one of the vehicles to the hospital,” said Officer Cleff.
“I’ve got the other,” said Officer Rogers.
“Thanks, gentlemen,” said Charlie.
Checking his watch, Cleff said, “I need to jump on the radio in five for our call to Doris’s house, I mean Blue Jay. I can’t seem to get that one in my head. Who came up with these bird call signs anyway?”
“Alright, if no one has anything else, we can adjourn,” said Charlie.
The men crowded into the small communications room. Officer Cleff waited while Officer Rogers turned on the generator. Once he could hear the roar of the generator, Officer Cleff started the call. “Blue Jay, this is Overlook, come in.”
The response was immediate.
“This is Blue Jay. Eagle’s Nest Actual is in the room as well,” said a familiar voice.
“Eagle’s Nest Actual? Why would the chief be at Doris’s house?” asked Charlie to the group assembled in the room.
“Repeat, please?” said Officer Cleff.
“Eagle’s Nest Actual arrived this morning. The nest was attacked last night. I repeat, the nest was attacked last night.”
“Shit. That’s not good,” said Mark.
“Casualties?”
“Yes. Four blue. No civilians.”
Charlie knew the man did not want to give too much away in case anyone else was listening. They would have to be content with the information they received, until they could send a team to Doris’s house.
“Let them know we can send a team to them as backup,” said Charlie.
“Do you need backup? We can send a team to you. Over,” said Cleff.
“Yes. We could really use the help. Over.”
“Tell them we can have a group to them tomorrow midday,” said Charlie.
“We’ll send reinforcements to you by tomorrow midday.”
“That’s much appreciated. We have nothing further to report.”
“That was more than enough,” whispered Mark.
Charlie nodded at Cleff, indicating that the call was finished.
“Overlook out,” said Cleff.
Officer Cleff backed away from the radio and turned to the group. The men and women were quiet and solemn. They all knew that if the captain had moved from the camp to Doris’s house, something big must have happened. The thought of losing more officers was wearing on everyone.
Turning to Officer Lovell, Charlie said, “Lovell, I need you to form up a team of ten people to head out to Doris’s house. It can be a mix of veterans, civilians and police officers. You’ll want some experience mixed into the group if possible. Do you feel able to lead the team back to Doris’s house?”
“Of course. We light footed it part of the way here and came into town from the horse trail. I’m sure we’ll get there just fine. I’ll plan to leave before sunrise tomorrow a.m.”
“I can help you with the vets. I know a couple of guys who’d be excited about the assignment,” said Bill.
“Sounds good. Thanks,” she said.
“Cleff, you ready to call the hospital?” said Charlie.
“Sure thing. Memorial, this is Overlook One. Memorial, do you read? Memorial, this is Overlook One, come in.”
After a few more tries, someone at the hospital answered.
“This is Memorial. Come in, Overlook One.”
“Are you able to accept the transport of wounded? We have five individuals who require immediate assistance. Over.”
“Yes. We can be ready for them. When do you plan to drop them off?”
“Tomorrow in the morning if possible.”
“The earlier, the better. We have had a significant amount of interest from a certain group. They seem to show up around midday. The roads may not be clear if the arrival is pushed into midmorning. Over.”
“Damn it. I was worried those goons would try to hit the hospital. Ask if they need police support,” said Charlie.
“Do you require our support?” said Officer Cleff.
“Not at this time. We’ve got it covered.”
“What do you think they mean by that? How could they defend themselves? It’s just a hospital,” said Officer Lovell.
“Not sure, but I guess we’ll find out tomorrow. Does anyone have anything to add?” asked Charlie.
The group was silent.
“Overlook One out.”
“Alright, everyone, looks like we have our work cut out for us,” said Charlie.
The group broke up, each person heading out to their various tasks. Charlie sat quietly thinking about the events that had transpired. Not only had the New Order attacked their headquarters and killed his fellow officers, they were active near the hospital. Although he knew Gayle would be upset, Charlie planned to leave before sunrise as part of the team heading to Doris’s house. He needed to know firsthand what had happened.
Chapter Fourteen
Doris greeted the day with excitement and enthusiasm, unlike the previous mornings at the camp. Being home made her feel alive again, even if her home looked like a war zone. The walls upstairs and downstairs were riddled with bullet holes from a New Order attack. The outside of the house looked as though it had been through the worst hailstorm imaginable. The plank siding was punctured with so many bullet holes that the entire front side of the house would need new siding.
“Doris! Good morning, or should I say good afternoon?” shouted Jane as Doris walked out the back door.
“Goodness! Did I oversleep? I intended to get up early and get coffee started for everyone,” said Doris.
“You sure did. It’s practically lunchtime, sleepyhead.”
“That’s unlike me, but boy, did it feel great to sleep in my own bed. There’s nothing like being home.”
Doris glanced over her shoulder to see who was approaching from the barn. The chief and a few officers were leaving the “communications shed,” as they now called it. They used her son’s old radio rig to stay in contact with Porter and the camp, while they were still there. He had one of the largest antennas she had ever seen. He’d loved to tinker with the radio and talk to various people with it. She knew he would be happy that his system played a part in securing Porter and helping the police.
“Doris! I was hoping to run into you this morning,” said the chief as he arrived.
“Well, almost morning,” said Doris with some embarrassment.
“We all needed a good rest after the trek in last night, and—” The chief cut himself off, clearly not wanting to bring up the attack and dead officers. “I wanted to again thank you for allowing us to use your home as our new headquarters. I also wanted to assure you that the department will pay for every repair necessary to get your beautiful home back to its original state. We’re all very sorry for the damage,” said the chief sincerely.
Doris caught herself tearing up again. Everyone was so kind and thoughtful to her. She felt as though for once in her life she actually had a community of people who cared about her.
“Thanks for saying that, Chief, it means a lot. I know everything will be fine once all of this blows over. For now, I need to concentrate on feeding everyone!”
“That sounds amazing. Thank you again, Doris, and if there’s anything we can do for you while we’re here, please don’t hesitate to ask. Jane, can I speak with you?”
“Of course, Chief. See you later, Doris.”
Doris stood for a moment, marveling at how well her farm accommodated all of the people. Tents were neatly set up in a section of the field, and people were already taking turns pumping water from the well. Vegetables from the garden had been harvested, and from what she could tell, new seeds planted for lettuces. Still plenty of warm weather left to grow an entire new crop. Everything seemed to be humming along smoothly. Even the woodpile had been replenished with a fresh supply of chopped wood. Seeing how things were managed, Doris realized how much she did on her own. For the first time since her son died, she felt ready to allow others in her life.
Chapter Fifteen
The Boss stood on Main Street talking to Rico and Leer. The two guys were his best men—loyal and reasonably smart, two traits uncommon to men on the inside. Things had gone badly last night at the camp, resulting in several of his men being killed by the cops. That idiot Tank was right all along; the cops were hiding up there. They were even using the camp’s radio to communicate with other cops. The Boss guessed that was how they had coordinated their sneak attack on Porter. Otherwise, the officer in the radio room at the camp would not have been in such a hurry to destroy the radio system. By the time the guys got to it, it was just a useless pile of burnt-out plastic and metal parts.
“What do we have here? A hen party?” said a familiar voice.
