Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Now this will be the plague with
Which the LORD will strike all the
Peoples who have gone to war
Against Jerusalem; their flesh will
Rot while they stand on their feet,
And their eyes will rot in their
Sockets, and their tongues will rot
In their mouth. On a day that a
Large-scale panic from the LORD
Will spread among them. One
Person will grab the hand of another,
And one will attack each other.


-Zechariah 14:12





   “Eighteen… nineteen… urgh…” Nick Barron grunted with effort as he pulled with all his might. “Twenty!” As he finished his last pull-up, he let go of the bar, dropping a few feet back to the ground. He inhaled deeply as a grabbed his shirt and slipped it back on, exhaling as the cool cloth soothed him. He’d been on edge all day, having smoked his last cigarette the night before. He shook his hair, droplets of perspiration flying off. He’d already needed a haircut before the outbreak, Carrie had always been reminding him. Now, he really did need one.

“You’re up, kid.” Nick said, stepping aside as Jake stepped forward.

“Watch and learn, old man.” Jake said, giving him a playful jab to the chest. Nick laughed, rustling the kid’s hair as he pushed him forward.

“I’m barely thirty.” Jake chuckled as he rolled his sleeves up and pulled himself up.

“Yeah, old as dirt.” Nick smiled, turning away as Jake started counting out each time he pulled himself up. He was really starting to take a liking to the kid. In the morning, Jake had been more then willing to workout with him, having nothing better to do. The way Nick figured it, as long as he stayed active, the nicotine cravings wouldn’t be so bad.

Grunting as he stretched his arms, Nick peaked his head outside of the hangar, and was surprised to see Tom walking his way. Nick took a few steps back, going back to Jake just as he hit ten.

“Hey, I’m going to step outside for a bit.” Nick said.

“Can’t take this, can ya?” Jake replied through clenched teeth as he slowly pulled himself up again. “Eleven!”

“Keep at it, Hercules.” Nick turned around and exited the hangar, his boots clacking loudly on the floor. He could already tell something was wrong as he neared Tom. His face was pale, and his face was beaded with sweat. His eyes darted around nervously as he played with his hands.

“Howdy stranger.” Nick extended his hand as Tom neared. He accepted it, slapping Nick on the back as it turned into a half hug.

“Nick… I’ve got a problem…” Tom said, his eyes still darting around as he watched the other soldiers and people.

“Don’t we all.” Nick replied, crossing his arms. “What’s up?” Tom sighed, shaking his head as he rubbed his temples.

“That one Sergeant, Barnes…” Nick’s eyes narrowed, he hated that bastard. “Katharina… she killed his girlfriend.”

“What?” Nick gasped, surprised. “Good!” He grinned, glad that prick was finally getting a taste of his own medicine.

“Nick… he doesn’t know yet, the body is in our god damn room…” Nick’s grin slowly faded to a grimace.

“There’s some poker game going on tonight, I’m going to try distracting the patrol while Kath and her friend dispose of the body.” Nick nodded.

“Look, don’t get caught…” He trailed off, not knowing what else to say. Tom smiled.

“Hopefully we won’t… we need to get out of her, Nick. I’ve got a read bad feeling that it won’t be safe much longer.” Nick frowned again. “Anyways, I gotta run. I’ll be in touch.” Tom turned around and began walking away, but turned around suddenly, reaching in his vest.

“Oh- I almost forgot!” He tossed something over to Nick, who snatched it out of the air. He grinned down at the box of cigarettes. “Make ‘em last, will ya?”





************************************





Colonel Taft slammed his fists on the control panel, making the officer managing the equipment jump in her seat. He regained his composure, walking over to Barnes. The Sergeant remained perfectly still during his tirade, arms crossed out in front of him. It had recently come to his attention that his Sergeant had been disobeying orders lately, missing shifts, and ordering the other soldiers around like they were his own. No… they weren’t, they were his.

Taft stopped when he reached Barnes, looking up at the massive soldier. Even though Taft was sure he was a full foot shorter then the Sergeant, he could sense the worry in the man’s eyes.

“You son of a bitch, if you EVER go against my word again, it will be you going for a damn chopper ride. Are we clear?” Barnes nodded, his eyes stern and position stout.

“Yes sir.” Barnes replied.

“I said are we clear!” Taft roared.

“Sir, yes Sir!” Taft narrowed his eyes before turning away.

“Good.” He waved his hand, dismissing him. “Now get the hell out of my sight.” Without another word, Sergeant Barnes spun around, his combat boots squelching on the floor as he turned. Barnes grabbed the door handle, and let it slam as he walked out. Colonel Taft narrowed his eyes as he walked over to the window, watching the Sergeant storm off.

“That’s right you prick, I’m in charge…” Taft turned back around, his officer now catching his attention. She was bench over the control panel, pressing a few switches and listening in on the radio, looking for any voice chatter. Her rump was tight against her black pants. Taft stepped forward, bringing his arm back and slapping it hard.

“Oh!” She yelped as he placed a finger over her lips.

“Shhh…”





******************************





“Hey, have you seen Cindy? Medium length blonde hair, uh, about this tall.” Barnes held his hand up to his chest. “Green eyes… um…”

“Sorry shug, haven’t seen her.” Jessie told him. “If I see her I’ll tell her you’re looking for her.” She said with a warm smile.

“Damn.” Rex bobbed his head, gritting his teeth as he looked around. He’d went through the women’s hangar about five times already, it was like she’d just… vanished.

“Ask around, will ya?” He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, opened the pack, and offered her one. He held a lighter under her lips as he lit her up.

“Sure thing.” He shakily put the pack back in his pockets, giving her a swift nod as he walked away. At first, he’d figured she’d just been busy, or up an about. As the day dragged on, and the hours passed, he was beginning to worry. He looked up as a flock of birds flew overhead. Large, dark clouds were forming in the sky, and he was losing daylight every second. Checking his watch, he saw it was almost 8:30.

“Shit.” He pulled out his personal radio, and made sure the batteries didn’t die for about the hundredth time. “Cindy?” He walked slowly as thunder boomed overhead. Barnes came to a stop next to a Humvee.

“Honey… are you there?” Lightening raced across the sky as he collapsed against the truck, sliding down against it. He rested his head against the side of it, as he felt small tears welling up in his eyes. He pressed down on the button again, his voice cracking this time.

“Pl- please… I’m sorry for whatever I did. I just need to know that you’re ok…” He trailed off, releasing his finger from the transmission button. Small droplets of rain pelted against him, making small pings as they splattered against the Humvee’s frame. Thunder boomed again, the rain coming down harder. His uniform was soaked in seconds as he leaned his head back, closing his eyes and praying for the small radio to crackle to life.

It never did.





*************************************





Tom nervously approached the patrol, cold droplets of rain soaked his hair as he stepped outside. The guardsmen jumped as Tom placed a hand on his shoulder, and he saw his grip tighten on his rifle.

“Hey,” Tom started, making small talk. His uniform was already drenched, Tom shivered as the wind howled and the thunder exploded.

“What is it?” The patrol asked, obviously aggravated. He would be too, Tom remembered overseas having the night patrol. It sucked, big time. During this storm, he’d be pretty pissed too. He knew that Katharina was waiting in the closest office with Cindy, and Jessie was standing near the entrance, nonchalantly watching them. Tom took a deep breath.

“Just thought you could use a break.” He said, most of the words lost to the storm as a strong wind came.

“What?” The patrol yelled, straining to hear what he was saying. Tom stepped forward, cupping his wet hands over his mouth.

“Thought you could use a break! Why don’t you grab a coffee, I’ll watch over things for a while!” The soldier shook his head.

“No thanks, Taft would chew my ass for this.” Tom shook his head.

“Just grab a cup, the old bastard is probably sleeping.” He saw the hesitation in the patrol’s eyes, and knew he wanted to.

“Stay here, alright?” The patrol asked, Tom grinned.

“Sure thing!” The patrol handed him his rifle and ran into the hangar, heading for an office in the back, where a coffee station was set up, along with various snacks. Tom waited until the door closed behind him.

“Go, go!” He ushered with his hand. Jessie nodded, running off the to office. Seconds later, she emerged. Katharina carried Cindy’s legs, while Jessie took her arms. They walked slowly across the hangar, and suddenly all eyes were on them. As they walked past them and into the storm, Tom saw the concern in the other women’s eyes.

“So that’s why she disappeared…” A teen said, no real concern in her voice. Tom raised a hand, stepping slightly into the hangar.

“Please, don’t-” Tom began, but an older woman cut him off.

“Bitch finally got what she deserved.” She laughed, a few others joined in. Tom looked back and saw that he couldn’t see the girls through the storm anymore… shit.

Creak.

Tom saw the patrol  closing the door behind him, sipping on a small cup of steaming coffee.

Shit.

He turned around, giving a quick whistle outside. The storm raged on, another boom of thunder lighting up the sky overhead. Tom turned back around, watching the guardsman is he weaved around the women. They all watched his intently, not saying a word. Tom saw a young girl open her mouth- and another immediately place her hand over her mouth. He breathed out a sigh of relief as the patrol reached him, releasing that he’d been holding his breath the entire time.

“These chicks are fucking weird.” The patrol said as he retrieved his rifle. Over the patrol’s shoulder, he saw Katharina and Jessie hurriedly tip-toeing back into the hangar, the storm masking their footsteps. Both were drenched head to toe.

“Tell me about it.” The patrol nodded.

“Thanks for that, I really needed it.”

“Don’t worry about it…” Tom breathed. The patrol shrugged as he sipped on the coffee.

“Hey, isn’t there a poker game going on tonight?” Tom nodded, slapping the patrol on the shoulder.

“Yeah, there is. I’ll see you around.”





*************************************





Tom cursed as he tossed his hand in, losing even more of his dwindling pile. They were all playing Texas Hold ‘Em in a smaller hangar. A Cessna aircraft was stationed inside, waiting for repairs that would never come. A few oil lamps were set up around the table of soldiers, giving off a bit of warmth. The hangar doors were closed, but constant sound of the heavy rain pounding against the roof was a reminder that the storm wasn’t going away anytime soon.

He looked over at the big winner, Corporal Adrian LaRouge. He’d been winning just about every hand, Tom thought he was a cheating bastard. LaRouge chuckled as he pulled in his pot; an assortment of packs of cigarettes, combat knives, and even a half bottle of Jack.

“Ah, I love this game.” LaRouge said as he proceeded to scarf down another bag of cheetos. Tom frowned as he licked the cheese off his fingers, and took a long gulp of soda. He belched loudly as he crumpled the can, and tossed it aside. It clanged off the wall.

“New hand.” Barnes said, his voice raspy. One of the soldiers grabbed the assortment of cards, and began shuffling them up. After a few moments, he passed out two cards to each player.

“Ante up.” Barnes said, tossing in a pack of cigarettes. Tom tossed in a Cuban. Everyone else did the same. Tom saw a bowie knife, a Rollex, and even a playboy magazine thrown in.

“Kingston, ante up.” Barnes said. Tom saw that Kingston was out of items. He started to stand up, then decided to check his cards. His eyes remained neutral, but he sat back down.

“Alright, I’m in.” He reached down into a small bag he carried, and what he pulled out made Tom’s blood boil.  His Platinum plated, Gold gripped Taurus was set down in the middle of the table.

“You son of a bitch, where did you get that?” Tom stood up, startling the others. He reached for the gun, but another soldier stopped him.

“The fuck you doin’? Sit your bitch ass down.” The soldier said.

“That’s MY gun.” Tom yelled. “Look, it even says my fucking name on it! Where did you get that?” Tom screamed at Kingston. Kingston sat with his arms folded, a smug look on his face.

“It’s mine, Williams. Sit down.” Tom looked around at the faces of the other soldiers, all of them were glaring at him, even Barnes. Barnes gave a slight nod, and through clenched teeth he sat down. Tom checked his own two cards, and felt a wave of relief; two tens. One of the soldiers flipped three cards over in the middle of the table. A Jack, three, and another ten.

“I raise you…” Kingston said, keeping his eyes on Tom. He pulled a single beer out of his bag, and placed it on the table. Just about every other soldier folded, except for LaRouge and Barnes, who also tossed in some more items. Tom grimaced, throwing a candy bar. The dealer flipped another card over; a king.

LaRouge tossed his hand in, folding.

“All in.” Kingston said, tossing in his empty bag. Tom looked at Barnes, who tossed in a jar of peanuts. Tom looked around, he was out of shit. He wanted, no, needed his gun. It was all he had left of his father.

“There.” Tom gently placed his .357 on the table, accidentally hitting the bottle of beer in the pot. It made a gentle ping as the sound resided. The dealer flipped the last card over, an ace. Tom nervously flipped his pile over, feeling good about his three tens. Kingston cursed, and Tom grinned.

“That would bother me more…” Kingston began as he flipped his cards over. “if I didn’t have three of a kind.” He had three jacks, Tom cursed and kicked the table, shaking the pile in the middle. As Kingston began pulling in his winnings, Barnes stopped him.

“Not so fast, dipshit.” The Sergeant said, showing everyone his three aces. Tom saw Kingston’s lip quivering as Barnes let out a hearty laugh, and began collecting his pile.

“Fuck this game.” Kingston said, standing up, grabbing the beer from the pot. “You mind?” He asked Barnes.

“Take it.” He said, standing up and stretching. Kingston twisted off the cap and walked over to the Cessna, leaning against it as he took a swig. Barnes walked away from the table, twirling Tom’s Taurus in his hands. “Walk with me, Williams.” Tom stood up as the soldiers continued on with the next hand. The walked past the Cessna as thunder roared outside, and a quick flash of lightening light up the room.

“This is a nice gun.” Barnes said as he inspected it. He chuckled when he read the side, “Tom’s BAMF.” “Who gave you this?” He asked, stopping near the hangar’s doors. Tom sighed.

“My dad, right before he died.” Barnes nodded as he pulled out his pack of cigarettes. He pulled one out, and let it dangle on his lips. He offered the pack to Tom, and he shook his head. “No thanks.” Barnes nodded, slipping the pack back in his pockets.

“I’m going out for a smoke… here.” He handed Tom his Taurus, butt first. Tom’s eyes lit up as he slowly grabbed it. “Kingston’s a god damn ass if ya ask me.” Tom grinned, relishing the weight of the handgun in his hands. He slowly placed it in his holster.

“Wow… thank you…” Barnes nodded as he lit his cig, then stepped out into the rain.

“Don’t mention it. I’ll be back in a few.” Tom nodded, still smiling ear to ear. He walked back to the table and sat down, eager to get another game in.





***********************************





Rex Barnes closed his eyes as he inhaled the smoke, the rain splashing against his face and putting his cigarette out. He tossed it aside, not really caring. The wind howled veraciously as the thunder cracked overhead.

“Ah Cindy, what the hell are you up to?” He pulled out his radio and turned it on. “Hey honey, you the-” He stopped suddenly, hearing a crackling sound nearby. He released his finger off the button, and it stopped.

“What the fuck…” He slowly placed his hand on the button again, walking forward. “Cindy?”

“-indy…” The crackling continued until he took his finger off the button. Rex suddenly found himself walking faster, looking around anxiously.

“Cindy!” He yelled.

“-indy!” Lightening suddenly flashed up above, turning night into day for a brief second. In that brief second, he saw something crumpled up by the side of a Humvee. Barnes dropped the radio, sprinting over to it. He boots splashed as he skidded to a stop. There was a woman lying face down. His hands shook as he slowly turned her over.

“Cindy!” He cried. “Oh no… no… no, no, NO!!!!” He cried as he took his jacket off and wrapped it around her. Her shirt was torn, and three nasty wounds were on her stomach.

“Oh my god…” He choked, wiping her hair out of her face. Her eyes were closed, she looked so peaceful “Please Cindy… please wake up…” He gently, ever so gently shook her. Her head bobbed to the side, leaning lightly into his chest. Barnes curled up on the ground, holding his girl close to him, doing his best to shield her from the storm. His world collapsed on him, everything started slowly spinning as he choked on his own tears. Barnes pulled her closer, kissing her forehead as the storm relentlessly pounded down on them. Thunder exploded again, the wind howled, and Rex Barnes screamed.