Running Towards The Abyss Page 16

  Alicia looked at Chuck’s face and into his eyes. Very few people, and even fewer men, had spoken such kind words to her. Sure, many men had commented on her looks or said things to try and get her into bed, which sadly, too often had worked.

  Elizabeth had coached Alicia on developing her self-esteem over the last few years but she still had trouble discerning what was sincere encouragement and what was flattery to get her clothes off. Even at the end of the world, there were men and boys on this campus who had made a pass at her. Mr. Nicholson had been very protective and had had several serious conversations with those who had tried to take advantage of her. Nicholson was one of the few men whom Alicia felt she could trust.

  As she looked into McCain’s eyes, she saw nothing but sincerity. Did he really mean what he said? she wondered. My story inspiring and maybe even helping other people? She had never even thought of that.

  Alicia looked down, self-conscious. “Thank you, sir. That’s very nice of you to say that. I didn’t meant to dump all of that on you, but I guess I got kind of emotional after hearing what Miss Benton went through and about how you risked your life to save her.”

  “Well, I’m serious about what I just said,” Chuck replied. “Your testimony will inspire and encourage a lot of other young people, especially young women, that no matter where we’ve come from, we always have the opportunity to start over.”

  As they went through the food line with a number of other campus residents, everyone wanted to thank Chuck. The men shook his hand and all the women wanted to hug him. Dinner was spaghetti with some kind of meat, along with canned vegetables. Alicia led him towards a round table where Jake and Tina were already sitting.

  Before they got there, McCain leaned in close to his guide and said, “And you’ve probably noticed by now that Elizabeth and I kind of like each other, so what you told me gave me a lot of insight into what a special person she really is.”

  Alicia didn’t answer but smiled broadly at Chuck’s confession, putting her plate down, sitting to McCain’s right, across from the Marine and the campus police officer.

  “Hey, Tina. Hey, Jake.” McCain nodded at his new friends. “This looks like some awesome chow.”

  “It’s not too bad,” said Nicholson. “In honor of having Elizabeth back, I had them to throw in the last of our venison. This cold weather has helped us a lot. One of my students killed a nice deer on the back side of the campus almost two weeks ago and with the freezing temps, the meat hasn’t spoiled. Now we just need him to kill another one.”

  “What do you guys cook with?” McCain asked.

  “Propane. One of the things that we always want our scavenger teams to bring back are propane canisters. One of our industrious welding students rigged the big commercial stove back there in the kitchen so we could attach gas canisters and fire up the range once a day.”

  “Sorry we didn’t bring any back with us.”

  Jake dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand. “Don’t worry about it. You and Elizabeth had bigger issues to worry about. We have enough gas to last us a few more weeks if we don’t go crazy with it.”

  The dining room was abuzz with conversations and laughter. Chuck noticed that Beth had finally made her way through the food line and was approaching their table with her plate. She greeted everyone and set her plate down next to Chuck on his left, promptly removing an extra chair between herself and Nicholson to an adjacent table. As she seated herself beside McCain, he noticed Jake and Tina exchange knowing grins.

  “McCain, you want me to take you around the campus tomorrow and show you how our defenses are set up?” Nicholson asked. “I was thinking after breakfast?”

  “Sure, that sounds good. And Elizabeth said that you guys have a pretty good gym here. I’d like to get in a few good workouts before I have to head out. My body’s getting soft.”

  “For sure,” Jake replied. “Make yourself at home.”

  Bradley Thomas walked over to their table, placing his food in the empty space on Beth’s left side. He looked around for the chair that had just been there, a confused look on his face.

  “I could’ve sworn I saw an empty seat here,” he observed.

  “Someone else must’ve needed it, Bradley,” Tina said, keeping a straight face.

  Not to be turned away, he grabbed a chair from another table and sat down. Bradley leaned in and was just about to say something to Elizabeth but Nicholson beat him to the punch.

  “Bradley, I’m putting the next team roster together to go gather supplies. I noticed you still haven’t gone out, so I’ll put you on the next trip.”

  “Oh, r-right, Mr. Nicholson,” Thomas stammered. “I’ve been busy with a lot of stuff on campus. And I figured that there were a lot of people who would rather go in my place. You know, people who are better with guns and stuff.”

  “A man’s got to know his limitations,” McCain deadpanned, in his best Clint Eastwood impersonation.

  Bradley glanced over at the stranger, not sure if he’d been insulted or not.

  “That’s nice, Bradley, that you’d think so much of others,” Jake continued, “but Elizabeth managed to go out and she practically runs this place.”

  “Definitely. Please put me on the schedule,” Bradley said, smiling weakly at Beth. “I certainly want to pull my weight around here.”

  Alicia spoke up. “Mr. Nicholson, if you need to add me to a supply team, go ahead. I don’t know much about guns either, but if Miss Benton can go, I’ll sure follow her example.”

  “Thanks, Alicia,” Nicholson answered, smiling at her, “but I’m not putting any more ladies on the schedule. Thank God we got Elizabeth back but I’m making a command decision that from here on out, we’re only sending men. Don’t you agree, Bradley?”

  Thomas had become very interested in his food and was regretting his decision to sit at their table. “I’m not so sure,” he finally answered. “Women have fought for years to gain equality. I thought that one of the planks of the feminist movement was that they can do whatever a man can do.”

  “So you want another woman from this school to suffer what Elizabeth went through, is that what you’re saying, Bradley?” Chuck asked, staring into his soul.

  “That’s not what I said,” he snapped, glaring at McCain. He quickly looked away from the intensity in the big man’s eyes.

  Chuck shrugged. “Mr. Nicholson is trying to protect the women in your community. That sounds like a pretty good idea to me.”

  “Have you thought about when you’ll leave, Chuck?” Tina asked, diffusing the tension. “We’d love to have you stay as long as you can, but I know how it feels when you’re separated from your kids.”

  Chuck saw the pain in her eyes. He wondered where her kids were and if she would ever see them again.

  “I’ll head out on Monday morning,” he answered. McCain felt Beth stiffen at the news that he had set a day to leave. She knew that he wasn’t staying long, but hearing it still caught her by surprise.

  “Now that I have some transportation,” Chuck went on, “I’m feeling a lot better about getting over to where my daughter was staying in Hartwell.”

  “Transportation?” Elizabeth repeated.

  “I’m letting him take one of the school’s maintenance trucks,” Nicholson said. “That’s the least we could do for him after rescuing and bringing you home. And Chuck’s added substantially to our firearms arsenal.”

  “I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Mr. Nicholson,” Bradley spoke up. “That vehicle belongs to the college and we need to go through the proper channels.”

  Jake sighed and shook his head. “I don’t remember asking for your opinion, Bradley.”

  The young man started to protest but Tina cut him off, “And after you go to Hartwell, what then, Chuck?”

  “That’s the question,” Chuck answered, looking down. “Hopefully, Melanie left me directions for where they were going. If she didn’t…I just don’t know.”

  “It’ll be OK.
I know you’re going to be able to get to her,” the police officer said, reaching out and patting one of Chuck’s hands.

  “Thanks, Tina.”

  McCain looked at Beth who was staring at her plate with a blank look on her face. “How’s everybody doing?” he asked her. “It was nice watching you work the room, sharing your special brand of sunshine.”

  She forced a smile, locking eyes with Chuck. He saw a river of emotions flowing inside of her.

  “Everybody seems to be doing surprisingly well,” Elizabeth finally answered, looking across the table to Jake and Tina. “What do y’all think of having a memorial service on Sunday during our regular chapel?”

  “We have a service every Sunday morning,” Benton explained to McCain. “One of the faculty members who stayed is a pastor and he leads it. It’s amazing how a zombie apocalypse gets people interested in getting closer to God.”

  “A memorial service is a great idea,” said Tina.

  Jake nodded. “Yeah, good thinking. We could have a few students share about each person we lost. Let’s do it.”

  Elizabeth turned to Alicia. “Can you help us put it together? We’ll need to ask a few people ahead of time who were close to Margo, Lamar, and Officer Storey.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’ll get right to work on that.”

  Chuck saw Jake make eye contact with Alicia and give a slight nod of the head towards Tina.

  Alicia understood. “Officer Miles, would you like to say a few words about Officer Storey at the service?”

  Tina’s expression became somber. “I’d be happy to do that, Alicia. Thanks for asking.”

  Bradley finally saw his opportunity. “I’d love to help you plan the service, Elizabeth. Would you like to meet tomorrow?”

  “No, Bradley, I’m not meeting with you. Alicia will let you know if there’s anything that you can do.”

  “I was just trying to help,” he said, angrily getting to his feet. He softened his voice, not wanting Elizabeth to see him losing control of his emotions. “I’ll see you guys later.” He took his empty plate and walked off.

  “That boy just doesn’t take a hint,” Nicholson said, shaking his head.

  Thirty minutes later Chuck and Beth walked out of the dining hall, hand-in-hand. Benton had gotten quiet after she and her co-workers had discussed the memorial service. He knew that she was upset but wasn’t sure what he could say to make her feel better.

  “So, did you still want to show me around the school?” Chuck asked, looking down at Beth and slipping an arm around her shoulders.

  “What do you want to see?” she asked, softly.

  “Or we could just find a quiet place to talk?”

  She looked up at him and nodded. Beth led him back towards the dorm building but turned down another sidewalk that led into a secluded spot where several park benches were spread out under the large oak trees. She seated herself on the closest one, pulled her feet under her, wrapping her arms around her knees. Elizabeth lowered her head to her chest, closing her eyes.

  McCain could feel the temperatures dropping and knew they couldn’t stay out here too long. It did feel good to be outside, though. He sat down on the bench, putting his arm back around Elizabeth, enjoying being close to her. For several minutes, neither one said anything. She finally leaned towards the big man, laying her head on his shoulder.

  “I’ve enjoyed watching you interact with your family here,” Chuck told her. “These folks really love you.”

  “Yeah, these are great people. They’ve all worked hard to build a community here. It’s been special to be a part of it.” She paused, taking a deep breath, and then continued. “I’m sorry I’m kind of in a funk. When you said you were leaving Monday, I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach.”

  “We talked about this. You knew it was coming,” he said gently.

  “But that doesn’t make it any easier!” she snapped, pulling away from him. “What am I supposed to do? You go riding off into the sunset and what, I never see you again? I won’t know if you’ve been killed, eaten, or turned into a zombie! Or maybe you find Melanie, which I pray you do, but then you forget about me?”

  Beth closed her eyes again but Chuck could see the tears leaking out. A flashback suddenly hit him in the face. The last time that he had been walking around a beautiful college campus with a beautiful woman was that terrible day, months earlier at the University of Georgia. Melanie, Brian, Rebecca, and Chuck had had a wonderful time. They had eaten at one of the best hamburger joints in the small town of Athens.

  After lunch, they had strolled through the downtown area and enjoyed a coffee at the Zombie Coffee and Doughnuts. The name had made them all laugh, especially since Chuck and Rebecca were in the middle of fighting zombies and the terrorists who would spread the bio-terror virus. After their coffee and desert, Mel and Brian had guided them around the beautiful UGA campus, ending up in front of Sanford Stadium. That was where Melanie had surprised her dad and Rebecca with tickets for the football game.

  The four of them were just getting ready to enter the stadium when McCain had hung back, confessing to his daughter that he was in love with his gorgeous blonde boss. Chuck was planning to share his feelings with Rebecca on their way home from the game. Before they could get into the stadium, however, the zombie virus attack was launched on the unsuspecting university, turning it into a killing field. Within minutes, Rebecca was dead.

  In a moment, this memory swept through McCain’s mind as he stared off into space. He turned and saw Beth staring at him, the tears still in her eyes. She’d seen the shadow go across his face but then, just as quickly, it was gone. Chuck knew he had screwed up before. He wasn’t going to make the same mistake again.

  “Elizabeth Benton,” Chuck said, sucking in a deep breath, taking both of her hands in his, “I love you. I really, really love you. We don’t know what the future holds but I believe that we’re supposed to be together. I’m leaving Monday, but I promise you, I’ll be back.”

  He paused, shaking his head and sighing. “Here I am, trying to be all serious, and I end up quoting a line from ‘The Terminator.’”

  Beth giggled, wiping her eyes. “I don’t think I ever saw that movie,” she admitted.

  “What? You’ve never seen The Terminator?” he asked, incredulous. “That’s an American classic! It’s Arnold as the bad guy, terminating everybody. But it’s also a nice love story about a man who comes back from the future to save an important woman and ends up falling in love with her. And I’m going to come back for you, well, that is if you want me to.”

  Elizabeth threw her arms around Chuck’s neck and hugged him tightly. “I love you, too, Chuck McCain, and you better come back for me.”

  After a few minutes, Chuck gently kissed her soft lips. “I have a present for you,” he said.

  “A present? Really?” she asked excitedly.

  “Yep. I wish I could say it was flowers or expensive chocolates but I still think that you’ll like it. The only thing is, it’s in my room so you’ll need to come with me.”

  “I see what you’re trying to do. I’ve heard about men like you who lure young women into their room,” she said, standing and pulling on his hand. “Come on, lure me.”

  Outside of Lavonia, Georgia, Friday, 1900 hours

  Joey and Wesley had little to show for their recruiting mission that afternoon. Mike Carter’s network of criminal associates had not heard that he’d been killed, and they were all shocked at the news. At the same time, however, they weren’t shocked enough to volunteer to be a part of the boys’ planned attack on the technical college.

  When Joey stopped to think about it, he understood. The other teams had nothing to gain by joining them, and much to lose. Of course, if Lester could have promised them a big payday, he knew that they would’ve jumped right in. If they had enough manpower to take over the entire campus, others would want to participate.

  Instead, this was just a revenge hit. Sure, everyone was upset that 5
-0 was dead, but most of these guys were thieves, not killers. There was nothing in it for them. Plus, they all realized that they were now free to keep all their profits since their boss was no longer in the picture.

  They had visited four of Carter’s people today. Only Neil Dodd committed to being a part of the raid, promising to be at Maddox’s house by midday Sunday. Dodd had a reputation among all the gangs as 5-0’s primary enforcer. If Carter felt that one of his people was holding out on him and he didn’t feel like dealing with it himself, he sent Neil Dodd. Neil was visibly angry to hear of Carter’s death and seemed to want revenge as much as Lester and Maddox. Dodd also promised to bring some people with him.

  All nine of Joey and Wesley’s gang sat around the living room drinking and passing around a bong. Candles illuminated the room as they discussed their plan for getting vengeance. At this point, they needed some extra bodies if they were going to successfully get onto the vocational school campus, kill the big man wearing 5-0’s hoodie, and kill or snatch that woman. Tomorrow they would visit seven more of Carter’s criminal associates, hopefully with better luck.

  “When are we going in, Joey?” Don Lester asked his brother.

  “I was thinking Sunday night. How does that sound?” The mixture of weed and alcohol had calmed Joey’s nerves. “It’ll take all day tomorrow for us to go out and try to round up some more of 5-0’s guys. I hope we can do better tomorrow than we did today. We got Neil, but other than him, today was a total waste.

  “After we figure out who all’s going with us, we need to talk about it some more and come up with a good plan. The main focus of the mission needs to be: get in, pop the big dude, grab the girl, and get out.”

  The much bigger Lester brother took a deep hit of the marijuana, holding it for a few seconds before exhaling a cloud of smoke. “The problem with weed is, it makes me even hungrier than normal. That dude and his little chick really cleaned us out over there at that safe house. We had some good supplies locked up safe and sound there. Now, my stomach is growling because our stores are low.”