respect for the others had dropped rock bottom. And in turn, their respect for him had dwindled, too. He knew he intimidated them with his brash behavior and insults and that they were afraid of him, although they pretended not to be.
He thought of how they had disposed of Emery Taylor's body and it made him sick to his stomach. Folks gotta survive… one way or another.
"To hell with all this soul-searching shit," he told himself. "Time to hit the hay."
He ground his cigar out in a souvenir ashtray, then, snuggling amid Trixie's naked curves, drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Waco and Numb Nuts unbolted a heavy wooden door and left through a side entrance of the Fortress. It was early in the morning. The sky was still dark, with only a hint of an approaching sunrise in the east.
Waco was armed with the Magnum and the compound bow, while Anderson toted the twelve-gauge, loaded with double-aught buckshot and lead slugs.
The two stood in the circular courtyard for a moment, taking in their surroundings. The Victorian shops along Main Street looked dark and threatening rather than quaint and picturesque. The train station seemed to stand a mile away, when in actuality it could be reached in a matter of minutes.
"Waco," Numb Nuts said in a low voice, "I know I act like a blowhard sometimes, like I'm not afraid of anything… but to tell the truth, I'm scared shitless."
A half-dozen smart-ass insults came immediately to the Texan's mind, but he dismissed them. "You know something, hoss … so am I. It'll keep you sharp and on your toes, though. Just follow me and watch my back, and I'll get you back to your family in one piece." He hesitated for a moment, then reached out and shook the car dealer's hand. "Do you trust me?"
Numb Nuts looked the lanky man in the eyes and nodded. "Yes… I do."
"Then come on," Waco told him, taking point. "Keep in the middle of the street and watch the sidewalks for movement. They could come out of nowhere at any moment. And watch the sky. Those big-ass prehistoric sea gulls might dive-bomb us, too."
Anderson looked toward the dark Florida sky and ducked his head out of habit. The radiation from the bombs had turned the gulls into dangerous scavengers as big as a bald eagle. Once, one of the monster gulls had swooped down and tried to carry off his son. They had actually gotten airborne a dozen feet or so, when Waco brought it down with a shot from the Mark V. Luckily, the boy's fall was broken by the canopy of a snack cart.
Waco looked back at the Fortress and spotted T.P. on an upper balcony, Weatherby in hand. He saluted the nerd, and T.P. waved back. Motioning to Numb Nuts, he started down the street toward their objective. The car salesman pumped a shell into the breach of the Mossberg and followed.
They made the length of Main Street without incident. Where are the crazy bastards? wondered the Texan. Are they gonna attack in the basement…like they did with Taylor? He reached to his belt and felt three flash grenades hanging there; ones he'd made himself out of cleaning chemicals, baking soda, and gun powder from some of the fireworks they had liberated from the storage sheds across the railroad tracks.
"Keep sharp!" whispered Waco. He shouldered the bow and shucked the .44 from its holster. "We're almost to the train station. We'll go down the stairway, back-to-back. T.P.'s covering us from the Fortress, but ol' Four-Eyes can't see worth a damn in the dark, so we've gotta depend on ourselves to pull this off."
Numb Nuts nodded nervously. "Right."
"The valve to the water main is on the far left side of the basement. Down the stairs, turn it back on, then up and out onto the street. Simple as that."
"Yeah," muttered Anderson. "Simple as that."
A minute later, Waco was opening the utility door that lead to the basement of the train station. It was pitch dark below. There was no need to try the light switch; Waco knew the power was out. He took a small Maglite from his
He thought of how they had disposed of Emery Taylor's body and it made him sick to his stomach. Folks gotta survive… one way or another.
"To hell with all this soul-searching shit," he told himself. "Time to hit the hay."
He ground his cigar out in a souvenir ashtray, then, snuggling amid Trixie's naked curves, drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Waco and Numb Nuts unbolted a heavy wooden door and left through a side entrance of the Fortress. It was early in the morning. The sky was still dark, with only a hint of an approaching sunrise in the east.
Waco was armed with the Magnum and the compound bow, while Anderson toted the twelve-gauge, loaded with double-aught buckshot and lead slugs.
The two stood in the circular courtyard for a moment, taking in their surroundings. The Victorian shops along Main Street looked dark and threatening rather than quaint and picturesque. The train station seemed to stand a mile away, when in actuality it could be reached in a matter of minutes.
"Waco," Numb Nuts said in a low voice, "I know I act like a blowhard sometimes, like I'm not afraid of anything… but to tell the truth, I'm scared shitless."
A half-dozen smart-ass insults came immediately to the Texan's mind, but he dismissed them. "You know something, hoss … so am I. It'll keep you sharp and on your toes, though. Just follow me and watch my back, and I'll get you back to your family in one piece." He hesitated for a moment, then reached out and shook the car dealer's hand. "Do you trust me?"
Numb Nuts looked the lanky man in the eyes and nodded. "Yes… I do."
"Then come on," Waco told him, taking point. "Keep in the middle of the street and watch the sidewalks for movement. They could come out of nowhere at any moment. And watch the sky. Those big-ass prehistoric sea gulls might dive-bomb us, too."
Anderson looked toward the dark Florida sky and ducked his head out of habit. The radiation from the bombs had turned the gulls into dangerous scavengers as big as a bald eagle. Once, one of the monster gulls had swooped down and tried to carry off his son. They had actually gotten airborne a dozen feet or so, when Waco brought it down with a shot from the Mark V. Luckily, the boy's fall was broken by the canopy of a snack cart.
Waco looked back at the Fortress and spotted T.P. on an upper balcony, Weatherby in hand. He saluted the nerd, and T.P. waved back. Motioning to Numb Nuts, he started down the street toward their objective. The car salesman pumped a shell into the breach of the Mossberg and followed.
They made the length of Main Street without incident. Where are the crazy bastards? wondered the Texan. Are they gonna attack in the basement…like they did with Taylor? He reached to his belt and felt three flash grenades hanging there; ones he'd made himself out of cleaning chemicals, baking soda, and gun powder from some of the fireworks they had liberated from the storage sheds across the railroad tracks.
"Keep sharp!" whispered Waco. He shouldered the bow and shucked the .44 from its holster. "We're almost to the train station. We'll go down the stairway, back-to-back. T.P.'s covering us from the Fortress, but ol' Four-Eyes can't see worth a damn in the dark, so we've gotta depend on ourselves to pull this off."
Numb Nuts nodded nervously. "Right."
"The valve to the water main is on the far left side of the basement. Down the stairs, turn it back on, then up and out onto the street. Simple as that."
"Yeah," muttered Anderson. "Simple as that."
A minute later, Waco was opening the utility door that lead to the basement of the train station. It was pitch dark below. There was no need to try the light switch; Waco knew the power was out. He took a small Maglite from his
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