Those Who Wait

Posted on Sat Aug 3rd, 2024 @ 3:05pm by Hale Stratton & Alonzo Blazevic & René Rouen & Thea Matthews & Edward Harrison Jr & Kelly Cardona

2,287 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: The Road Ahead
Location: Quinn Hunting Cabin, Augusta, Maine
Timeline: September 7, 2010 - 05:10 a.m.

The hunting cabin and its near environs were quiet for the moment. Nothing prowling through the woods that shouldn't be there at least. Small animals taking advantage of the quiet to foray for food, ever watchful of their surroundings.

René sat at the table after Vienna and the others left. There wasn't much he was allowed to do, so he took the opportunity to clean, sharpen and polish his rapier and dirk. His leg throbbed in pain from time to time, but he remained silent on the matter. He finished with the rapier and placed it back in the scabbard before moving on to the dirk. He was so focused he didn't even register someone sitting down next to him.

Edward had poured himself a second steaming cup of black coffee, and moved to sit at the table next to the young French teen. As he had always had trouble remembering names, he took a few seconds to try ad bring the boy's forward. Finally, with a sigh of resignation, the big man looked over, his eyes full of regret, as he said, "I'm sorry. I know that I know your name, I just can't bring it forward suddenly. Doctor Henderson said that it's a combined side effect of both my mental level and all the hits I took in football."

René looked up at Ed as he started cleaning his dirk. He offered his right hand. "I am René Rouen Monsieur. I apologize. I know you were the one to carry me to safety after I was shot, but I am afraid I didn't really get to properly introduce myself."

A big, innocent grin crossed Edward's face, as he reached across, offering his giant hand to René. "Pleasure to officially meet you, René! My full name is Edward Harrison Junior. Most everyone calls me Ed. My mom calls me Eddie. Are you French Canadian, or from France?"

René pulled back his hand after the firm handshake with Ed. "I was born and raised in Paris Monsieur Harrison."

Thea was busy looking after PJ, up until now she’d only had to babysit for a few minutes at a time, now she was having to take on the responsibility for PJ for a whole lot longer. No matter what she would make sure he was well taken care and safe. “Did Hale leave us with any instructions? Anything that needs doing while they’re gone?”

Ed looked over to Thea. "Major Sutton told Mister Alonzo and me to keep you three safe. We are also to make sure there's enough firewood ready to go, and fortify the windows and door. Once I'm done with my coffee, I'll get to work splitting the firewood." He looked over at Alonzo. "What will you be doing, Mister Alonzo?"

"Just Alonzo," the journalist quickly ricocheted back at Ed. "If you are taking care of the firewood, then I suppose my task will be finding a hammer and nails...really long and good nails to pound some wood up across the windows. Hale wants this place as secured as we can make it. It may just be a Cabin now, but when I'm done this place should qualify for fort status" commented Alonzo.

René glanced at Thea. "Mademoiselle Matthew's, the bandages on my leg.... How often should they be changed?"

Thea looked towards René, “It depends on how soiled the dressings are, given the current situation I’d recommend every 2-3 days just to keep it fresh and clean. Are you in pain? I can sort pain relief for you if you need it?”

René shook his head. "I'm okay." He glanced at the hearth and gestured to the bucket. "I can take care of cleaning out the ashes from last night." He glanced around. "Any other chores I can do to help out?"

Edward shrugged. He had never been one to mete out tasks to others. He was usually the one doing the tasks himself.

“You’re supposed to be staying off that leg René.” Thea offered a gentle reminder as she sat down to play with PJ. She was getting used to babysitting now, and it was all good practice for when she had her baby.

René patted the pair of crutches Vienna had found the night before. "I have these and I can sit on the hearth for scooping ashes into a bucket."

“I suppose” Thea nodded. “I know you just want to be helpful, I just don’t want anything happening to you. I think Vienna would have a fit if it did!” She smiled.

"But sitting around doing nothing is going to make you feel useless" Alonzo said sharply in reference to René. "You can help me with defenses. "I was thinking of using old discarded tins and cans strung or roped together. They could be used to alert us to..." Alonzo did not feel the need to finish his train of thought.

René nodded. "Of course Monsieur Blazevic. I'm more than happy to help."

"Kid," Alonzo said wanting to say a lot but felt it wasn't worth the battle. "I'm going to have to get used to all that proper French stuff you say. It's okay if you just call me Alonzo."

René shrugged. "I was taught to address adults with respect Monsieur."

Alonzo understood that. "We aren't exactly in a classroom. Look around. You and I are about to be equals the more we live in a world like this."

Edward finished his coffee and stood up. After carrying the mug back to the kitchen, he placed it in the sink, after swishing some water in it, to help keep the grounds from solidifying in the bottom. He then moved to the door, turning to address the group. "I am going outside to chop firewood. I think it would be a good idea if someone was able to watch my back?"

René looked at Thea with PJ and turned to Alonzo. "Monsieur Blazev...Alonzo, it might be best if you take one of the hunting rifles and watch out for Ed."

"I'll watch with my own" Alonzo replied. He wasn't ready to hold a hunting rifle let alone take aim and shoot something with it. His own gun was smaller and easier for Alonzo to handle, but proper ammunition was running low. "Just don't get swarmed."

The big man grinned and chuckled. "Getting up close and personal with those...people...is definitely not on my bucket list." He then picked up his prybar and stepped outside, moving carefully, as he listened for anything that would signal danger.

"Nor mine," replied Alonzo. "I prefer those that invade my personal space to be very much alive, and preferably not trying to gnaw on me like a rawhide."

Ed nodded and he stepped over to the wood pile, grabbing a section and placing it on the chopping block. He then picked up the ax, felt the blade ege with his thumb, then squared up on the chopping block, swung the ax up and behind him, swinging it down and true, splitting the wood so cleanly, both halves seemed to be tossed a couple feet away but the force of the cleave itself.

They'd been experimenting in the woods. Two young kids who should have known better; sixteen year olds who would never see their seventeenth birthday. Their deaths had been accidental and avoidable had they paid attention in their science classes. They came back, as the dead did these days, and walked, hungry in death as they had been in life, drawn by the sound of an axe hitting wood.

After nearly twenty minutes of hard swinging, Ed had almost the entire pile split up and had just hefted the ax again to swing it down into the next piece of wood, when he caught movement out the corner of his right eye. Turning, he saw the two walking dead coming towards him. "Mister Alonzo!" He called out as he backed up towards the cabin, the pair closing in from nearly five meters away.

Alonzo looked at Ed and made a chopping motion. "You have an ax," he said as though expecting Ed to magically turn into some battle hardened dwarf ready to bash the skull of an angry orc.

Instead, Alonzo contemplated his actions. He had a gun, but it would take at least two good shots to put down the approaching dead. Two shots if he was lucky, more if he was being realistic with his skill level and the revolver.

He ran towards Ed before the dead got there and snatched the ax from Ed. "I need to borrow this for a second" he said nearly apologetically, not for taking the ax, but rather for soon having to return it dirty.

Raising above his shoulder blades, Alonzo brought the ax up and swiftly swung it down upon the skull of one if the dead. As quickly as it had been approaching (which wasn't terribly fast) it had gone slack limp, motionless in its white pale features. Alonzo yanked the axe from the collapsed skull and looked at the next target.

Why does it always have to be more than one he thought. He took a deep breath and pulled his revolver as the second of the dead came closer, close enough that he could just about press the barrel to its skull when he pressed the trigger, blowing the dead away. "We better get back inside. I'm not sure if we've taken care of the problem or have just made it worse."

Edward nodded quietly and took the ax back. Pulling a rag from his back pocket, he started to wipe the blade clean as he backed up towards the cabin, his eyes scanning for any more danger. "I'm sorry, Mister Alonzo," he said like a child apologizing for doing something wrong. "I saw the kids and froze. They...they were the first young ones that I've seen."

"It's fine," Alonzo replied. "I haven't had to do something like that yet, not that close and not as" he looked at Ed's rag. "Messy" he added.

There was something unsettling about it all. "These things know no age, sex, or anything. It could be an old woman with half her face gone or a toddler in tattered overalls. The one thing I do know is freezing like that can get you killed, me killed, the others killed."

Edward nodded thoughtfully, as his simple mind worked to connect the pieces. He straightened up and looked down into Alonzo's eyes. "I promise, Mister Alonzo, I won't freeze again. I've always been afraid to hurt people with my strength. I guess...they," he tilted his head towards to pair of dispatched zombies, "...aren't people any more, are they?"

René threw open the door to the cabin and hobbled out on one crutch, his rapier held at the ready in his other hand. "Mon Dieu! What happened?!"

"Shit," replied Alonzo dismissively. "Shit happened" he added and looked at Edward. "No, they stopped being people."

Suddenly there was movement in the distance, the cracking of twigs on the ground as someone approached the cabin. Amongst the trees Kelly knew stealth was needed but at the same time she didn’t want to be shot mistaken as one of the reanimated dead. “Hello!? Is there someone there?”

René heard a woman's voice coming from somewhere in the treeline. He looked to Alonzo as if awaiting instructions.

"René, take Ed back inside and lock the door" Alonzo instructed. "We don't open it for anyone that's not part of our group. I'll see what this is about" added Alonzo. Hale was not here. Some of the others were gone, and in Alonzo's mind that meant he was in charge. This was his call.

"Oui Monsieur." René resheathed his sword and beckoned for Eddie to return to the cabin before hobbling back inside.

Alonzo did not waste time. He headed towards where the voice had come from with his revolver drawn and ready. "Come out slowly and show your hands. If you are carrying a weapon, drop it now."

Kelly did as she was asked, stepping out slowly with a backpack on her back. “I’m not one of them” she held up her hands. “My name is Kelly Cardona, I’m a nurse. I’m just looking for somewhere safe...”

Figuring she was referring to the reanimated that had a tendency to tear limbs and eat flesh like it was a cannibalistic buffet, Alonzo nodded. "I can see that, but there's worse out there than those things" he added. "People aren't exactly friendly these days."

He was not the trusting sort, definitely not anymore. "You stay unarmed and you'll be unharmed. I can't guarantee safety and I cannot promise you can stay, but for the time being..." Alonzo would leave the final decision to Hale.

“Understood” Kelly nodded. “For what it’s worth I’m a US Marine, or at least I was, my unit is gone, those that were left went without me.”

Fantastic. More military thought Alonzo. "I don't think that matters much. The military doesn't seem all that together these days. I was a journalist."

Kelly nodded. “It seems everyone is in the same boat these days, what you were no longer matters, it what you do from here on out that matters.” She offered a brief smile. “I left my SUV a few minutes walk away, I didn’t want to draw any of the walkers.”

"Sounds like a good idea," he said and gestured towards the house. "Let's go introduce you to the others. Well, some of the others."

 

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