Home Invasion Page 18

  He stopped and looked down at his hat and punched it out with a fist before putting it back on. Looking at Michelle, he said, “I’m sorry, ma’am.” Looking back at me, he continued, “It’s just hard when you’re dealing with this kind of paste-eating, window-licking, water-headed idjits!”

  Michelle smiled. “It’s alright. I’ve heard worse.”

  I smiled and said, “If it’s the last thing I do, I’m going to find you some prune juice.”

  I was laughing inside, watching the old man try to maintain his composure. He was about to explode. But Mitch saved the day when he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Looking at me, he said, “I’ve got an update on that storm.”

  Sarge said, “What?”

  Mitch unfolded the paper and held it out. The old man took it and gave it a quick glance before looking at Mitch and asking, “Where did you get this?”

  “I printed it at home.”

  Sarge paused for a moment before asking, “How in the hell did you do that?”

  “I made an antenna that picks up the signal of the weather satellites as they pass.”

  “I forgot to tell you about that,” I said to Sarge.

  The old man barked back, “No shit, numb nuts. Don’t you think this is kind of important?”

  “Well yeah. I was going to tell you. Just forgot.”

  Sarge looked at Mitch and shook his head. “See what I mean. Now you understand?”

  Mitch smiled and nodded. “I get these each time it passes over. It’s a GOES bird and I get images every thirty minutes.”

  “That’s damn impressive, Mitch.” Sarge looked at me and added, “You may be a total shithead, but sometimes, just sometimes, you screw up and do something right.”

  “This storm,” Mitch said, “it’s going to hit Florida. What do we need to do?”

  Sarge examined the black and white image for a moment. “Well, the good news is there’s no defined eye. This isn’t a hurricane. It’s only a tropical storm. But depending on where it comes in, that could still make some real trouble.” He looked at Mitch, “You need to keep an eye on this thing. As it gets closer, we’ll have a better idea of where it’s going.”

  Mitch pointed at the drawing. “It’s just east of the Bahamas now. By tomorrow evening, we should have a better idea.”

  I walked over to them. “We’ll tell Sheffield about it when we introduce Mitch.”

  As we walked towards the armory, Sarge talked to Mitch and Michelle. Taylor walked beside me in silence for a moment before asking, “Is he mad at you? I’ve never seen him like that before.”

  I laughed. “No baby, he isn’t mad at me. That’s just how he is. You know how you can tell when that grumpy old bastard is mad at you?” She looked at me, waiting for the answer, “It’s when he’s not giving you shit.”

  She smiled. “That doesn’t make sense.”

  I put my arm around her shoulder. “To you. But you remember when I traveled for work for all those years?”

  “Yeah. That’s when we got to go to New York and watch the Macy’s parade.”

  “Yeah. Those guys I worked with were just like him. We were always messing with one another. If no one was screwing with you, you didn’t have any friends.”

  She laughed. “Guys are weird. Girls don’t do that.”

  I hugged her a little tighter and said, “That’s ‘cause y’all are weird. Guys, we’re normal. I think it’s because you have to sit to pee. I think it cuts off circulation to your brain or something.” I looked at her and smiled, “Girls, are really weird. And a mystery.”

  She smiled and pulled away, slapping my shoulder. “That’s just not right, Dad. Sitting to pee. Where do you come up with this stuff?”

  I put my arm around her again and pulled her in close. “Observation baby. Just a lifetime of observation. Remember, I’m married to your mother.”

  “I’m gonna tell her you said that,” she replied with a smirk.

  Smiling, I said, “No you won’t.”

  Looking up at me squinting, she asked, “And why wouldn’t I?”

  I leaned over and kissed her head, “Because you love me.” She leaned her head on my shoulder as we walked through the door of the armory.

  CHAPTER 7

  Thad found Mary sitting on the back porch of the house. She was looking out across the pond, seemingly content in the moment.

  “Miss Mary,” he said quietly.

  She looked at him and smiled. “Hi, Thad.”

  That big warm smile spread across his face. “I was going to take a ride up to the farm in town. Would you like to go with me?”

  Mary’s smile faded as she considered the offer. “I don’t know,” she said, looking back out at the pond. “I haven’t been anywhere since getting here. I feel safe here.”

  The statement surprised Thad. There’d been plenty of encounters around here to give anyone pause. He smiled again. “It’s safe up there. I promise. I just thought you would like to take a ride.” He paused for a moment before adding, “with me.”

  Mary smiled, “OK. I’d like that.” Whatever trepidation she was experiencing, she managed to overcome it. Thad smiled even broader, if that was possible, and held out his hand. She took it and rose to her feet. “Thank you.”

  Thad nodded and replied, “Yes ma’am.” They went inside and told Miss Kay they were going into town.

  Kay smiled knowingly. “That’s good. You two need to get out.”

  “We’ll be back in time for supper,” Thad replied.

  “Sounds good,” Kay replied. Then, taking the dish towel from her shoulder, she shooed the two out of the kitchen. “Go on, you two, git!”

  With delight in their faces, Mary and Thad headed for the door. Once outside, Mary asked, “What are we going to drive?” The war wagon was sitting in the yard and Mary eyed it nervously. It looked dangerous and made her feel uneasy.

  Thad pointed to a small red truck sitting in the road in front of the house. “I thought we’d take that.”

  Seeing a normal vehicle, she relaxed. “That’s nice. Where did it come from? I don’t remember seeing it before.”

  Thad thought back to where the truck came from. He saw Reggie’s face in his mind’s eye and the badly decomposed body of a once young and beautiful girl. Not wanting to share any of that with Mary, he replied, “Oh, it’s been around here for a long time. We just don’t use it much.”

  Thad led her out the gate and towards the truck. Little Bit, Jace and Edie were in the back of it playing. It didn’t take the kids long to notice changes in their environment, and to them, this was nothing more than a jungle gym. Thad laughed as he reached into the bed and caught a squealing Jace.

  “Come on, little man, I gotta go to town,” he said as he set him down on the ground.

  “Can we come?” Little Bit shouted the question.

  Reaching in and grabbing the two girls, holding one under each arm, Thad replied, “Not today, little ones. Mr. Morgan ain’t here for me to ask, and we’re going to be awhile.” The girls laughed and screeched as Thad walked to the side of the road with them. The fun little kids exude is contagious, and before he knew it, Thad was spinning the two girls around, getting even more volume out of them.

  Jace didn’t want to be left out, and he rushed Thad, wrapping his arms around one of Thad’s legs. He looked like a giant in a world of little people, and they were trying to take him down. Jace stood on Thad’s foot as he walked stiff-legged, making monster sounds. The kids laughed and squealed.

  Mary watched all this. She couldn’t help but smile at the sight. It warmed her heart to see such a touching moment. She’d told Thad moments ago that she felt safe here, and this was just another reason why. Everyone here was part of one big family, a tribe really, but just as close. She laughed as Thad piled the kids into one heap and tickled their bellies as they squirmed and shrieked with delight.

  When Thad turned to go to the truck, Little Bit and Edie jumped up and quickly
seized a leg each. Thad looked back and laughed at them. “Alright, girls. I have to go now. We’ll play later.” They didn’t want to let go, so he looked at Mary and shrugged as he walked to the truck, dragging the girls as he did.

  Once at the truck, Mary helped him extricate himself from the kids. They just wanted to play and were caught up in the excitement; but they eventually gave up and took off across the yard towards the house. Watching the kids with joy in their hearts as they ran off, Thad looked at Mary and asked, “You want to drive?”

  The question surprised her and she quickly said, “Oh no!” Catching herself, she smiled and said, “No, thank you.”

  Thad walked around the truck and opened the door for Mary. She climbed in and he shut the door before walking around and getting in. He quickly started the truck and headed out towards the road. Mike and Ted were at the bunker now, and as the little red truck passed, Mike elbowed Ted and nodded at the truck.

  “Looks like Thad and Mary are getting closer,” Mike commented.

  Ted nodded. “Good for him.”

  Mike started to shake his ass as he danced in a circle. “Looks like there’s going to be a little brown chicken, brown cow.”

  Ted slapped Mike’s hat from his head. “Would you grow up?”

  Thad saw Ted knock Mike’s hat off and smiled as they rode past. He had no idea exactly what was being said.

  As they turned out onto the paved road, Thad looked at Mary and said, “Let’s stop by and see Miss Gena and Dillon.”

  Mary smiled back. “Ok.”

  Sheffield sat at the head of the table with his hands in front of his face and his fingers pressed together. He listened as I introduced Mitch and told him he was going to be our new judge. He said nothing as I spoke. When I finished, I sat there looking at him, waiting for a response. But it didn’t come immediately. I looked at Sarge, but he only shrugged. He was going to wait him out.

  Looking at Mitch, Sheffield said, “No offense to you, Mister Williams,” and he looked at me before continuing. “What makes him qualified?” Looking back at Mitch, he asked, “Do you have a legal degree?”

  Mitch shook his head, “No.”

  “That doesn’t matter,” I said. “We don’t need someone educated in the laws as they used to be. We need someone with a level head and common sense.” Looking around the table, I added, “Something that seems to be in short supply today.”

  Sheffield cut his eyes at me but didn’t respond directly to the jab. “I’m just concerned that people won’t see it as legitimate.”

  “It’ll be as legitimate as we make it.” Sarge said. “If we recognize him, if you recognize him, then it will be legitimate.”

  “And it will be legitimate.” I added. “I don’t give shit about the way it was done before, where some fast-talking shyster could get a guilty bastard off. Times are different now. If you commit a crime, you will pay for it. Period.”

  “Not to mention,” Sarge said, “this is just a courtesy introduction. This is a civilian matter and Morgan is the top civilian authority at the moment. This adds another layer. It’s good for everyone.”

  Sheffield shrugged and said, “Sounds like it’s a done deal then.” Looking at Mitch, he said, “Good to meet you, judge.” Mitch was a little nervous but managed to smile and nod.

  “Good.” Sarge said, slapping the table. “Now that that’s done, let’s move on to other business.” He looked at Mitch and held his hand out. “You got that paper?”

  Mitch produced it from a shirt pocket and slid it across the table to Sheffield. He picked it up and unfolded it. Livingston leaned over to see it as well. Both of them studied it for a moment. Livingston was the first to speak.

  “Where the hell did this come from?”

  Mitch explained the antenna he made and the rest of the setup. Sheffield seemed surprised that satellites were still in orbit, but Mitch assured him they were and that these images were updated every thirty minutes.

  “This is amazing,” Sheffield said, looking at the paper. I laughed and he looked up at me, asking, “What?”

  I shrugged. “It’s just kind of funny when you think about it. You know, in the Before we had all this in the palm of our hand. Our phone could see this in near real time. Just kind of humorous how we took it all for granted. I acted the same way you did, amazed at a black and white image on a piece of paper.”

  Sheffield nodded. “I’m with you. But right now, this is amazing.” He shook the paper as he spoke.

  “This could get really ugly,” Livingston said. “What do we do?”

  “There ain’t shit you can do,” Sarge interjected. “If it’s coming this way, it’s going to come. I’d suggest letting folks know. But the impact won’t be as bad as in the past. There’s no power to knock out. We might have some roofs damaged and trees down, but that’s about it.”

  Livingston was examining the image. “Doesn’t look like a hurricane yet. I don’t see an eye.”

  Sheffield tapped the sheet and said, “Yeah, but they often strengthen as they cross that warm Florida Straight. The water is shallower there and it’ll probably get worse.”

  I rose to my feet. “We’ll just have to wait and see.” Looking at Mitch, I asked, “Can you bring us a new image each day so we can stay on top of this?”

  He nodded. “Of course. If I see any real change, I’ll let you know.”

  “On that note,” Sarge interrupted, “you obviously have ham gear. We need to get you on with our protocol so we can talk to you. The armory here has radios as well. That way, you’re not coming to town everyday unnecessarily. You only need to come to town if there is a need. Don’t want you wasting fuel and such.”

  Sheffield looked at Livingston and said, “Get him up to speed and let’s make sure we can talk to him at his place.”

  Livingston nodded and stood up. “Come on, Mitch. Let’s go to the commo hooch.”

  “Mitch, I’m going to the clinic.” I said, “Can you meet me there when you’re done? I want to go take a look at the city building and see if we can find a suitable courtroom for you.”

  He nodded, “Sure.”

  I left the conference room and found Taylor sitting in a chair just outside the door. She jumped up when I came out. I smiled and took her hand as we headed for the door.

  “What’s the damn rush?” Sarge barked.

  I looked over my shoulder and saw him coming up behind us. “Didn’t know you were coming,” I replied.

  He looked at me as he came up and shook his head. “Where the hell did you think I was going?”

  I snorted and replied, “Hell, if you don’t change your ways.”

  He shook his head again and spat at his feet. Looking up, he said, “It’s your hell. You burn it in. Come on, let’s go check on them girls.”

  Taylor looked at me, nor sure what to think. I smiled and shook my head as we fell in behind grumpy. We wandered over to the clinic and found Lee Ann and Jess sitting on a couple of big green crates out front. Lee Ann looked up and smiled when she saw her sister. Getting up, she ran over and wrapped her arms around Taylor. Taylor brightened up. The girls chatted as I went over to Jess and sat down on the crate beside her.

  She didn’t look up and I sat there for a moment before leaning over and bumping her with my shoulder. She looked over, squinting against the morning sun.

  “Sup?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “Nuttin’.”

  “How’s the girl?” I asked.

  Her head rocked back and forth before replying. “She’s better. She’s awake now.”

  Nodding, I said, “That’s good. What’s she saying?”

  Jess shook her head. “I don’t know. She’s acting like it’s no big deal really. She said, it’s not like it was the first time.”

  I thought about it for a minute before replying. “Still doesn’t make it right.”

  Jess shook her head. “No, it doesn’t. It was a horrible thing done to her and she acts like it’s nothing.” She motioned to
wards the clinic tent and added, “She’s sitting in there eating breakfast right now. Said she was just happy to be somewhere she could eat.” Jess looked as though she was about to cry.

  I shook my head. “It’s a hard world out there. Times are a lot different now. I’m not saying that makes it right, just the way it is.”

  She sat silently for a minute before letting out a long breath. “It doesn’t matter. We did what we could about it. He won’t do it to anyone else.”

  “That’s right.” Tapping her shoulder, I said, “Come on. Let’s go swimming.”

  She stood up quickly, a broad smile on her face. “That would be awesome!”

  “Did you say swimming?” Lee Ann asked.

  I turned to see her, grinning ear to ear. “You want to go?”

  She clapped her hands, “Yeah!”

  “Alright. Let’s head home then.”

  Sarge came out of the clinic with a sour look on his face. He gave me a look that said he wanted a word, and we stepped around the side of the tent. I told the girls to get ready to go and followed him.

  “What’s up?” I asked.

  The old man shook his head. “I’ve never heard anything the likes of it in my life.”

  “You mean the girl?” I asked.

  He nodded. “I can’t believe the way she’s taking it. Like it’s to be expected.”

  “That’s what Jess said. Said she was just happy to have breakfast this morning.”

  He shook his head. “It’s sad. Really sad. Says a lot about the state of the world.”

  I nodded. “Indeed it does. But for now, I’m not worrying about it. I’m going home and taking the girls swimming.”

  The old man looked up. “That sounds like a fine idea. I think everyone could use a break.”

  We walked back to the armory with the girls in tow. They were talking excitedly about going to the lake. It was kind of surprising how something as trivial as swimming in a lake could elicit such a reaction. It was just another testament to the change in our world.

  Back in the truck, once again I drove as the old man drank coffee with his feet propped up on the dash. The girls were still yammering away in the back seat. For my part, I just relaxed as I drove and enjoyed the ride. We were leaving Eustis headed towards the farm when I decided to pull in and see what was going on. It was still early, but already hot, and it would only get hotter.