Fade to Grey (Book 2): Darkness Ascending by Brian Stewart Page A
Authors: Brian Stewart
Tags: Zombie Apocalypse
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before pausing in mid-rise. “Oh hell, I think
I’m just gonna stay seated.” He sank back down with an audible slap of
denim on hay. Another delay as he took a deep breath followed. Finally, he
looked around the circle and said, “Anybody want to go first?”
Eric flipped his hand up. “How much time do we have
right now?”
“Not too much.” Walter looked at his watch and said,
“Its 6:14 PM, and I told Amy that we’d be down at the store no later than 7:00
PM.”
“Well then, what are our priorities, at least right
now?” Michelle asked.
“We need to figure out . . . oh crap, there’s just not
enough time . . .,” Walter trailed off as he shook his head.
Sam stood up and held out his hand toward Walter. “Can
I borrow the radio for a second?”
Walter handed it to him.
“ Amy, this is Sam, do you copy ?”
“ Loud and clear .” Several voices arguing in the
background came through as well.
“ Amy, we have vehicle problems right now, and we
think it’s going to take another hour or so to get fixed. Can you handle things
down there until then ?”
Eric looked questioningly at Michelle and mouthed,
“Vehicle problems?”
Michelle shook her head and shrugged.
“ 10-4, we’ll make it happen . . . keep me posted.
Amy out .”
Sam handed the radio back to Walter and sat down.
“Since Amy and I have been trying to coordinate a couple things, we came up
with a little code to use over the radio if we were going to be late, or needed
a personal ‘time out.’”
Walter merely nodded.
Another moment of silence passed, and then Mike’s
gruff voice broke the stillness. “Are we going back to the campground?”
Several glances were exchanged as the question floated
above them like a vulture searching for carrion.
“We need to,” Preacher Dave spoke as he scratched the
side of his head and yawned, “it would be the right thing to do.”
“But at what cost?” Doc Collins stated bluntly.
Dave started to reply, but Eric stood, stopping him
with a raised hand as he interjected, “OK wait . . . we’re not going to get
anywhere—or go anywhere—until we get a couple of things straight. I don’t know
what happened here when I was gone, and most of you are probably unaware of
some other things that went on . . . elsewhere. So let me ask a couple questions
first, OK?”
Several heads bobbed.
“First thing . . . are we safe right now? Do we have
guards? Do we need guards?”
“I’ll take that one,” Walter said, “the short answer
is that—right now—we have Dave and Rebecca’s son Scott up in what we’re calling
the ‘crow’s nest.’”
“Where’s that?”
“He’s on the roof of the store. From the front corner
he’s got a good field of fire down the highway both ways, and he can also see the
top edge of the lake, including the boat launch area.”
Eric looked around the room, his eyes registering
something they had skipped right over until now. Almost everybody was armed.
Walter continued, “We have another guy sitting in the
duck blind that Mike put up. It’s down at the gate you drove through last
night. He’s supposed to watch the area right at the gate. What was the name of
that guy who switched out with you, Mike?”
“Alton.”
“Yeah, that was it. And then finally I’ve got an older
gentleman and his wife taking turns down at the house. They’re staying on the bottom
floor and making sure the stove stays fed with wood as well. I’ve declared the
upper floor of my house as ‘invitation only,’ and right now Bernice is up
there, hopefully getting some sleep.”
Leonard chimed in, “Glenda is also at the house
watching over the sickroom.”
“Rebecca is supposed to be at the house as well,” Dave
added with a note of concern in his voice.
“She is, I just forgot about her,” Walter said, “I
think she’s downstairs in the
I’m just gonna stay seated.” He sank back down with an audible slap of
denim on hay. Another delay as he took a deep breath followed. Finally, he
looked around the circle and said, “Anybody want to go first?”
Eric flipped his hand up. “How much time do we have
right now?”
“Not too much.” Walter looked at his watch and said,
“Its 6:14 PM, and I told Amy that we’d be down at the store no later than 7:00
PM.”
“Well then, what are our priorities, at least right
now?” Michelle asked.
“We need to figure out . . . oh crap, there’s just not
enough time . . .,” Walter trailed off as he shook his head.
Sam stood up and held out his hand toward Walter. “Can
I borrow the radio for a second?”
Walter handed it to him.
“ Amy, this is Sam, do you copy ?”
“ Loud and clear .” Several voices arguing in the
background came through as well.
“ Amy, we have vehicle problems right now, and we
think it’s going to take another hour or so to get fixed. Can you handle things
down there until then ?”
Eric looked questioningly at Michelle and mouthed,
“Vehicle problems?”
Michelle shook her head and shrugged.
“ 10-4, we’ll make it happen . . . keep me posted.
Amy out .”
Sam handed the radio back to Walter and sat down.
“Since Amy and I have been trying to coordinate a couple things, we came up
with a little code to use over the radio if we were going to be late, or needed
a personal ‘time out.’”
Walter merely nodded.
Another moment of silence passed, and then Mike’s
gruff voice broke the stillness. “Are we going back to the campground?”
Several glances were exchanged as the question floated
above them like a vulture searching for carrion.
“We need to,” Preacher Dave spoke as he scratched the
side of his head and yawned, “it would be the right thing to do.”
“But at what cost?” Doc Collins stated bluntly.
Dave started to reply, but Eric stood, stopping him
with a raised hand as he interjected, “OK wait . . . we’re not going to get
anywhere—or go anywhere—until we get a couple of things straight. I don’t know
what happened here when I was gone, and most of you are probably unaware of
some other things that went on . . . elsewhere. So let me ask a couple questions
first, OK?”
Several heads bobbed.
“First thing . . . are we safe right now? Do we have
guards? Do we need guards?”
“I’ll take that one,” Walter said, “the short answer
is that—right now—we have Dave and Rebecca’s son Scott up in what we’re calling
the ‘crow’s nest.’”
“Where’s that?”
“He’s on the roof of the store. From the front corner
he’s got a good field of fire down the highway both ways, and he can also see the
top edge of the lake, including the boat launch area.”
Eric looked around the room, his eyes registering
something they had skipped right over until now. Almost everybody was armed.
Walter continued, “We have another guy sitting in the
duck blind that Mike put up. It’s down at the gate you drove through last
night. He’s supposed to watch the area right at the gate. What was the name of
that guy who switched out with you, Mike?”
“Alton.”
“Yeah, that was it. And then finally I’ve got an older
gentleman and his wife taking turns down at the house. They’re staying on the bottom
floor and making sure the stove stays fed with wood as well. I’ve declared the
upper floor of my house as ‘invitation only,’ and right now Bernice is up
there, hopefully getting some sleep.”
Leonard chimed in, “Glenda is also at the house
watching over the sickroom.”
“Rebecca is supposed to be at the house as well,” Dave
added with a note of concern in his voice.
“She is, I just forgot about her,” Walter said, “I
think she’s downstairs in the
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