Dead and Dead Again: Kansas City Quarantine (32 page)

Sarah could tell her friend was
fighting back tears as she pushed past, but she let her go and instead started
picking up the sandwich condiments and putting them away. When she’d properly
disposed of all of the fixings, she sat down and slowly ate a sandwich, silently
crying to herself for several minutes. Eventually she realized the sandwiches
weren’t going to put themselves away. She stood up, wiped her eyes and began
stacking them on a tray and walked them over to the fridge. But the faint scent
of cologne wafted into her nostrils. Fear gripping her, she reached for the
M-16 and turned.

“That will not be necessary,” the
doctor said from the doorway. “They will be returning now for a short visit.”

“Who? What? Why?”
How long have
you been standing there?

“I’ve been monitoring the others. I
had a little talk with Brick and since he seems to not want to sleep, I called
Calvin. I think they need Brick for the trip to your Plaza.”

“Well, help me get some of this
stuff down to the lobby, then. They can all grab a bite on their way out.”

“My thoughts exactly,” the doctor
informed her.

The two shared a direct stare, both
knowing there was more going on than the other was telling them, but with a nod,
the doctor began stacking sandwiches on a silver tray and Sarah grabbed the
pitcher of tea Athena had made and placed it on another tray with a stack of
red Solos.

Brick was waiting in the inner lobby
when they arrived. He gave Athena a cold, merciless glare that promised immediate
fulfillment of everything he had promised if she mentioned anything to the
others. Athena managed to completely ignore him after a brief glance to ensure
he was going to remain leaning ‘innocently’ against the white stone wall.

The two vehicles pulled up in front
of the library without confrontation, Gus backing the Paddy Wagon up to the
pillars and everyone else climbing over the passenger seat and crawling through
the two gates to get to the showers in the portico. The doctor had rigged permanent
shower fixtures to the outer building for them to use before coming inside, so from
that time on a line would immediately form, at least for those who had been in
the streets battling. The gunners always seemed to remain clean for some
reason.

While the others washed zombie gunk
from their armor, the doctor returned to the balcony to stand watch. He gave a
nod to Calvin, who returned the nod and headed inside through the main lobby to
finish their conversation. But instead, he ran into Athena, Sarah and Brick in
the inner lobby, just at the base of the stairs. None of the trio seemed entirely
happy to see him. Athena’s face smiled, but her eyes seethed. She was at once relieved
at seeing him, but apprehensive about something else. Sarah stood in his way,
but her soft heart-shaped face was an impassive mask. Brick’s eyes were
bloodshot and he hadn’t combed his hair in hours, which was not normal for ‘Brick
Wall’ Jacobs at all and Calvin noticed his jaw was doing that obsessive-compulsive
clenching thing it did when he was really mad about something.

“There are sandwiches and drinks on
the table over there,” Athena coldly informed the others over Calvin’s shoulder.
She then trudged over with a tired smile holding a Dew and sandwich for him.

“How did everything go while we
were out?” he asked hesitantly, stomping a few times in his tinkling armor to
shake off the final dripping remnants from his delousing.

Shaking the water from his hair
like a dog, he enthusiastically snatched up the sandwich from her and popped
the top of the drink, planting a sloppy kiss on her lips. Then, as no one responded
to his question, he headed for the stairs, sparing a brief look at each one as
he moved on through. He didn’t have time to pry answers from them. If they had
something to say, they could say it or he would move on. Maybe the doc could
clear things up.

Athena shot Brick a look that spoke
whole paragraphs of unhealthy things and he returned one of equal meaning. No
one else seemed to notice, being far too busy attacking the promised drinks and
food to notice the sudden animosity between the others. The group appeared none
the worse for wear, so she didn’t have to ask how their mission had gone. If
only things had gone as smoothly in the library. But Calvin didn’t need another
thing to worry about. She would handle it. Swallowing her anger, she fell in
line beside her man. “Fine, Calvin,” she said after a dragged-out pause.
“Everything went fine,” she stepped up and pulled him to a stop, planting a
firm, soft kiss squarely on his lips and rubbing one armored arm affectionately.
He patted her rump and squeezed a little, but it just wasn’t as good through the
chainmail.

“I love you, babe,” he said. “But
if there’s nothing else, I need to talk to the doctor before we head out for
Lucy and Lola.”

He looked to Sarah and then Brick.

“Yeah, nothing to worry about
around here, mate,” Brick assured him lightly, stepping between them and
brandishing a careless, and more to the point, fearless smile first at Athena,
then on Calvin. He seemed almost to bounce and roll on the balls of his feet.
“You ready for a real man out there now? I’m tired of sitting back with the
useless women making the meals.”

Athena glared death at him and
squeezed tighter on Calvin’s armor. Sarah’s eyes blazed from the corner of the
room and she fingered the trigger of her rifle. Scooter noted the reactions of
both women. Looking to Brick he saw something he’d never seen in his life—a
challenge. Though there
was
a charming smile on his face, all of the
warmth from that smile was dissipated by the chill of those wintry blue eyes.
Calvin leaned back the slightest bit to look up at one of his oldest friends in
the world only to see a stranger’s ice blues glaring confidently back. The former
jock seemed to actually be looming over him, daring him to say or do something.
About what, Calvin had no idea.

Clearly there was more of a mystery
going on here than he had time to solve, some kind of coldness between Athena
and Brick, something worse between Sarah and Brick, and now a new tension between
he and Brick—the common denominator there being Brick. Calvin decided to keep
his old friend a little closer until he could sift through some things. Perhaps
the doctor was right after all. Brick needed to go with them. And he certainly
needed to learn some respect for Sarah and Athena.

“These aren’t worthless women,
Brick,” he said with deliberate phrasing. “Each one is worth their weight in
whatever we’re going to be using as a measuring stone in the near future. Since
this thing began they’ve each already earned their place in this group on
multiple occasions. You have yet to do so from my point of view. So, yeah,
you’ll be riding with us on the next trip. And don’t believe for a second that
our past will let you fail to contribute to this group, Brick. Everyone will
contribute in a positive way or find another group to join. Get out to the
street. We’re loading in ten minutes,” he snapped.

Brick stood for the briefest of
eternities, looking for all the world as if he were going to challenge Calvin, who
sat the drink on the edge of a desk and stared back, appearing to calmly eat a
sandwich as he sized up his old friend. But the hand Brick couldn’t see was
firmly on his axe handle ready to spin it into Brick’s gut if he so much as
blinked the wrong way. He directed a nod in the direction of the lobby that
said ‘leave, you’re dismissed’ and Brick’s boldness dissipated. Shoulders
slumping, he stumped from the room in frustration.

“Have Tripper pull you a weapon
from the pile!” he called to the jock’s retreating back. “Boomer took the last good
set, but there are a few leather vests that might be the right size. We’ll get
you something better later!”

“We’ll start on dinner in a bit,”
Athena kissed him on the cheek and walked away, Sarah in tow behind.

Briefly watching the two women
retreat, now even more concerned about the Brick situation, he dashed up the
stairs to where the doctor waited.

What the hell happened? Isn’t
the end of the world enough drama?

“You saw how he is right now?” the
doctor asked when he reached the upper lobby just inside the patio.

“Yes. He’s a bit off,” Calvin
agreed.

The doctor snorted. “He should be
sleeping. I shot him up with enough meds to have knocked him out for a day.”

“What do you think, Doc?”

“I did a background workup on him
with what he would tell me…”

“And?”

“And I think he’s been doing some
very strong drugs for a much longer time than he should have been,” the doctor
said.

“He’s been on pain meds for an
accident he had,” Calvin explained.

“Yes. These meds?” the doctor
showed him a list.

“Some, yeah,” Calvin admitted.
“Maybe all of those.”

“Well, he has most likely been
depressed.”

“He lost his full ride to college
and an NFL career because of the accident.”

“Yes. I understand. There’s no easy
way to say it, so…I believe Brick has been overdosing with some very powerful
drugs and his mind is not doing well, Calvin. I believe he is either on the
verge of, or has already had a Psychotic break. He might be dangerous. Knowing
this, I did not wish for him to remain here with only me to protect the ladies.
And you should be extremely careful with him out there. He really needed the
rest, but refuses to go back to sleep now. Perhaps being part of the group
again can bring some peace or normalcy to his disturbed mind. Perhaps you could
confiscate the drugs?”

“Can’t really blame someone for
wanting to get blazed at the end of the world, Doc,” Calvin offered the
realistic view.

“Yes, perhaps. But his is not
recreational use. I believe he is quietly, deeply addicted. In his case, it
will do him much more harm than good.”

“Right. Got you, Doc. Thanks. I
don’t really know what to do other than keep an eye on him. He hasn’t shown any
truly negative behavior in front of me yet. I’ll try and straighten him out
somehow, maybe talk to the others when he’s on watch or something. We’ll get it
worked out…or I’ll explore other options. I’ll let you know how it goes. I need
you to look at Scaggs before we go.”

“What happened?”

“I think she broke a few fingers.
If so, I’ll need to take Sarah or Athena instead and she can stay here and help
with dinner.”

They went downstairs and the doctor
made Scaggs remove her chainmail glove. Wincing as tears filled the corners of
her eyes, she gingerly slid the heavy mit a few centimeters at a time. The
doctor prodded, squeezing the sides of each knuckle. “How does that feel?”

“It hurts.” She stated firmly.

“Do you see that picture over
there?” he asked.

She looked to where he nodded.

“What does that—aiee!” she screamed
as he popped first one and then the other finger back into position. “You son of
a—”

“—now, now. I learned a long time
ago this goes better when the patient is distracted. They were just dislocated,
not broken.”

“You still could have warned me.”

“How do they feel?”

“That’s beside the point.”

“How do they feel?”

“Better,” she wiggled all of her
fingers and made a few fists. She then grabbed her spear and jabbed it into the
wall a few times. “Much better,” she nodded and wiped away the tears before
once again putting the mail glove on. “I’m still a bit sore, so I’ll need some
Aspirin or something.

The doctor handed her a red bag
with a white cross on it.

“There are three different pain
medicines in there. Keep it handy.”

“Thanks, Doc,” Calvin patted the
man on the shoulder.

“Anything else I can help with?”

“Nope. Right now we need to get
down to the Plaza.”

“Be careful out there, Calvin. And
watch your back.”

“Thanks again, Doc. See you when we
see you.”

Back in the massive structure they
were calling The Dungeon, Hephaestus and Quinn turned down their earpieces to a
nearly imperceptible level. They had been eavesdropping on the others from the
start because someone always seemed to have a mic open. But it had become too
much of a distraction and the pair needed to get some work done without
interruption.

“Help me to move this over there,
please,” Hephaestus said to Quinn, pointing to a long silver tank tread laid
out on a table.

The big red-haired smith stepped
over to the work table and without being told immediately grabbed the exact
spot he needed to be in to carry his half of the weight of the giant tread they
were going to attach to the vehicle. Hef smiled, but received an uncertain
frown from the new man in return.

“What is your concern?” Hef asked.

“I don’t want to step on any toes,
or jump into anyone’s cupboard and start eating their cereal, but do you know
that man, the one they call Brick? The one we rescued before coming here?”

“Yes. I have known the Brick Head
for many years,” Festus said flatly, offering the smith no hint of his
feelings, other than a not so flattering nickname, which was, in fact a decent
hint after all. Hephaestus silently cursed himself. He liked to remain neutral
until he heard what people thought of each other.

“Well,” Quinn grunted. “I know you
all are friends and everything, but he isn’t jousting with armor on.”

“I do not understand.”

“No string on his bow, if you know
what I mean.”

“Do you mean that he is crazy?” Hef
asked.

Quinn nodded. “And I don’t like the
way he was eyeing some of the women before. Someone needs to keep an eye on
that one.”

“Calvin will handle it,” Hephaestus
explained with a note of finality, as if that statement alone ended the
discussion.

But Quinn didn’t know these people,
and if he was going to hitch his wagon to this team, he wanted to know that
they could circle with the rest of the train when the trouble hit. And he
wasn’t so sure Calvin was the right Wagon Master. He was affable, sure enough,
and they could throw money at problems until money was no good anymore, but who
was going to lead from then on?

“I kind of thought that since we
were here now, you’d be taking over,” Quinn suggested. “I mean, you seem to
have the financial resources, tools, forethought, and everything else going in
your favor. They all seemed pretty jazzed about coming here.”

“No. You are mistaken. Calvin is
the party leader for all of our expeditions. Whether it is a night of old
school Dungeons and Dragons, a Football game, or white water rafting on the
moon, Calvin takes care of the planning and details and is completely in charge.
My immense wealth helps make things…easier for my friends, this is true. But
make no mistake…Calvin is the leader.”

“Good leaders see everything.”

“Some would say this. Others would
disagree. No one can see everything”

“He doesn’t seem to see this
problem.”

“He is very busy right now. But it
will not remain this way. Calvin will soon begin examining the party more
closely. He will see that Brick does not fit in with decent society, or even
with a group of geeks like our group. He has never fit in and the way things
are now will bring that to light. No matter what Calvin believed, Stephen
Jacobs has never been a good person.”

“Never?”

Hephaestus shook his head. “The
three of them, Brick, Tripper and Calvin grew up together so Brick still does
not realize that Calvin has changed much over the years. All he can see is the young
Scooter he grew up with. The inhaler-breathing, braces-wearing dork Brick had
to always defend from bullies. But that protection is the extent of his
goodness. He shielded his friends when he was younger because he has trouble
making friends so they, in turn, stuck with him even when he was being a jerk. I
think he has always been a sociopath, but I believe he has become even more
unbalanced since his accident. And he has only gotten worse since last we met.
This world has a rude awakening in store for men like Brick Jacobs.”

“So he was really already out of it
before the zombie thing?”

“Brick was not allowed into my home.
I did not like him; he did not care for me.”

“Mind if I ask you why not?”

“It is private, but let us say that
he has always been looking at women as you saw him tonight. As if they were an
object, and not individuals. I would catch him eying some ladies with a…well, I
do not know what kind of look it was, but it made me very uneasy. And he says
things he should not about them when he becomes inebriated.”

“That’s kind of what I was talking
about. I got the feeling he had some definite ideas towards one or two of them,
and I’m not sure about leaving him in the fortress with those two girls—”

  “—Athena and Sarah will each watch
the back of the other. They are good friends. And they are neither blind nor
stupid. They have surely seen what you have seen. We are not all as open-minded
and good-natured nor as patient as Calvin Hobbes. He would see an old yellow
brick road where the rest of us see only a lonely, broken highway overgrown
with weeds and painted with the blood, pain and death of thousands. But then he
would take us down that yellow brick road never doubting all along that the good
wizard will be on the other end to save us all. And we would follow him, foolishly
believing whatever he chose to tell us, because we are certain it will work out
in the end. That is Calvin Hobbes.”

“You think that sounds like a guy
who should be in charge of our survival under the circumstances?”

“I always expect the wizard to be
there. And he always is.”

“But should we be following a man
who doesn’t have a plan?”

“Calvin always has a plan.”

“You think he knows what he’s
doing?”

“That has nothing to do with making
a plan. It does not matter.”

“How does it not matter?”

“Because Calvin doesn’t need a
brilliant plan to make things work out; he just needs to do the right thing and
it always does. I do not exactly know how he does this.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“What are you doing here?”
Hephaestus asked suddenly.

“I’m helping you.”

“But why are you here?”

“You mean on the planet? Are we
going to take in some philosophy, too?”

“Yes. I am always doing that. But I
do not mean in the metaphysical sense. I mean, why are you here, physically,
with me now? What brought you to my Dungeon?”

“Well, I was working at the
Renaissance Festival minding my own business, literally. Then your friend and
his girlfriend came up to me and told me they wanted to buy everything in my
shop because…um…because the…oh…I see…” he laughed heartily for a few minutes
before continuing.

“You should have believed he was a
crazy man and called the police. Instead, you are here. Do you understand now?”

 “Calvin convinced me the world was
going to end and then got me to drive him into the heart of the disaster and
help rescue his friends from real live zombies. Well, not live, but you know
what I mean. And now he’s got me helping finish a super vehicle to take us all
to the promised lands…”

“You see? Calvin will handle it. He
nearly always does. The times he has failed I can count on one hand. No one
understands what determines his fate. But we have learned to believe in him. Still,
we will keep an eye on Brick Jacobs when we can, you and I, if it will ease
your mind. Is this agreed?”

“Agreed.”

“Good. Now let me show you what we
will be doing with this…”