Nate’s face softened somewhat. “About what?”
My tone hardened as I punctuated the words. “He and I spoke about how he knew about me and where my family lived. He and I spoke about how he sent ten men up there to deal with my family. He and I spoke about how I might get back in time to see his Captain kill my son.”
I stepped even closer and dropped my voice. “So you might see where I would need to release a little anger, hmm?”
Nate looked down and I decided to step back. As I was turning away, he fired another shot.
“It doesn’t change the fact that what you did was stupid. You can make a mistake too and get yourself killed. Then where would Jake be?” Nate asked.
I spun on my heel, my anger building again at the mention of my son. “I trust Charlie to do the right thing. Just like he trusts me to do the right thing. Could I have used a little better judgment? Maybe. But if I hadn’t released that way, somebody really would have gotten killed. I don’t need a lecture on tactics. Not anymore.”
Nate looked hurt and then angry. “You think you’re the best one out there, then?”
I stepped close again, keeping my voice low. “You’re one of my best friends, Nate and I consider you a brother. I trust you with my life. I’ve trusted you with my son’s life in the past. But if you’re going where I think you’re going, stop it now.”
Nate stared hard at me. “Why?”
I was brutally honest. “You’re not good enough. You used to be, but not anymore.”
I could see the flash of pain cross Nate’s eyes before it was replaced with anger and worse, pride.
“Think it’s time we found out just who was best.” Nate snarled, uncrossing his arms and flexing his big hands, stepping away to give himself some room.
Duncan and Tommy started from the RV, but I waved them off. I circled with Nate, keeping an eye on his feet and hands.
I tried to talk him out of it. “Doesn’t have to be this way, Nate. We start fighting each other, Thorton wins.”
Nate spat on the ground between us. “This ain’t got nothing to do with Thorton. It’s about respect.”
I considered that, then abruptly pulled my SIG, firing a round in between Nate’s feet. He jumped back and put a hand on his gun, but I stopped him.
“ Don’t! Don’t make me kill you, Nate.” I pointed the gun at his head. It hurt like hell to have to pull a gun on one of my closest friends, but I needed to shock him back to reality.
“We can’t fight, Nate. You’re still very good and one of us would get killed. How would either of us go on after that? I couldn’t face your wife and tell her I had killed you in a stupid fight any more than you could face mine. I’m better than you because I always went out to face the zombies, I went to Coal City, I went to State Center Bravo. I brought those women back from the slavers in the dead of night. I’ve led the assaults to clear the land of zombies so families could live in safety. I’ve spent the last two years fighting nearly every day. I don’t fear the zombies anymore, Nate. They’re just a part of the landscape I have to deal with.
I holstered my gun. “But what I did was easy. You stayed behind and dealt with all the bullshit that rebuilding a community takes. You kept the people going, kept them fed, kept them trained so they could live. Your job was harder and I know I couldn’t have done it. But we can’t fight, Nate. We need each other to make this work. I clear the way and you bring the community in to retake what was lost. Without you, I’m just killing zombies for the hell of it.”
Nate’s eyes lost all their anger. He looked down, then back up at me. “Don’t know what came over me. Guess I just worry about you, sometimes.”
That was as close to an apology as I was going to get. I offered one of my own. “We’re all stressed. Let’s save it for Thorton.” I walked over to Nate and offered my hand. He looked at it for a second, then shook it. I drew him in for a quick hug.
“Like a brother,” was all I said.
Nate nodded. “Same here, man.”
We let go and walked back to the RV. As we were climbing aboard, Duncan whispered to me. “Would you have shot him?”
I looked over at Nate, who was chatting with Tommy up in the front of the RV.
“Yes.” Nothing more needed to be said. I knew deep down, fundamentally, my friendship with Nate just changed.
20
Thorton chuckled as he put away the microphone, but that was purely for the men who were in the room with him. Inwardly, he was seething. The broadcast had not gone as intended and John Talon had quickly usurped his plan. Major Thorton was hoping to continue his broadcasts, now that his men had figured out how to interconnect the radio stations and broadcast all at once. But most of his plans just got thrown in the crapper because of that miserable son of a bitch.
How dare Talon call him out? Thorton had never been threatened in his life and the thought of someone not being afraid of him was a new one. When I catch you, you’ll suffer. I’ll kill you so slowly you’ll think it’s the new normal. Thorton thought to himself.
Outwardly, it was another story. “Well, that wasn’t quite what I had in mind, but it did serve a useful purpose.” The Major said.
“Sir?” Corporal Ransom asked, moving one of the headsets.
“We know he’s within hearing distance which puts him… where?” Thorton asked.
The other soldier quickly scanned a map, did some mental calculations, then drew a circle on the map. “Rough guess would be within this circle, about fifty miles,” the soldier named Golat said.
Thorton scanned the map. “Best guess as to location?” he asked Ransom.
Ransom looked at the map, checked a larger map on the wall, then took the pencil and circled the top quadrant of the circle. “Up here, given where he came from. Makes no sense to be any further south. But I’m guessing.”
Thorton nodded. “I had the same notion. All right, we’re going to be pulling out of here soon, set up the relays like the others, then we’re moving on.” Ken walked over to the stairwell which led down to the ground floor. “Two hours,” he said with finality.
Thorton climbed down the stairs and walked across the small living space, his face momentarily clouding with rage. He had never been insulted, never been threatened and did not know how to react to it. He wanted to smash something, destroy anything, just to vent his rage. After a few minutes, he calmed down, remembering his Captain’s mission. By now Tamikara should be getting close to Starved Rock. I’m sure Talon will appreciate his homecoming. That is, if I don’t kill him first, he thought.
As he started to feel better, he went outside and looked around. He was standing outside a small barn, tucked away behind a row of pine trees. There was one access road and his men were camped around the three trucks and two cars they had with them. They had picked up the cars along the way, using them for short range reconnaissance and scouting. This barn was one of several they had encountered that were not barns at all, but government listening stations. The giveaway was the radio tower, but that was not unusual in these parts. Several could be seen in any direction one chose to look. In each station, there was a map with the locations of all the posts, which allowed for Thorton and his men to use them for their purposes. Each station had its own water supply and power source. This one used two windmills to recharge a bank of batteries for power. In all, the system was brilliant and perfect in its secrecy. No one would look twice at a barn in farm country and Thorton was sure the rest were similarly camouflaged.
At his presence, the men rose to their feet, whispering to each other about what they were going to be doing today. Fortunately, none of them had heard Talon call out the major, so he didn’t have to worry about any dissention or disrespect. It did bother him that other people might have heard and altered his ability to bring them into line, but that would not be a serious consequence. Already there were groups that were ready to swear their loyalty to him, survivors who did not have much to look forward to than the daily fight to live. If Thorton could bring some sort of order to their world, they were all for it. By last count, seven communities were willing to submit to his order, with the provision he provide security and some sort of future for them.