Side Effects: Book Two: Visions of Despair, Page 8

  “So, what’s the plan, Commander?” Travis asked, breaking Mitch out of his thoughts.

  Mitch didn’t answer right away. Instead, he got out his Eagle Optics binoculars and took a look at the valley below. The binoculars were truly incredible, it was as if he had been transported from his position on the hillside and was now standing in the back yard.

  There was no one on the backside of the house, and from what he could see of the barn it appeared to be unmanned as well. Mitch was sure now that Gus had very little manpower, that Mike and Emily had taken out a large chunk of his men in the woods yesterday. If the man had any sense, he would have realized that his plot for mountain domination was going to be his ruin. His fate would soon be the same as the men who had chosen to follow him. If it wasn’t already.

  “Looks like Gus doesn’t have many guys left. I don’t see anyone patrolling the outside, there could be a look-out though. We need to stay low. I should be able to get us in the back door without a sound. Then we’ll need to split up and sweep the house. If you find him first, I want him left alive. This asshole is going to answer some questions for me," Mitch instructed.

  They were lucky that the forest surrounded the backside of the house, it would make approaching undetected much easier. They needed the element of surprise on their side, for Mike’s sake.

  Once they were down the last bit of the hill, Mitch stopped and removed his skis. He stashed them in the low branches of the nearest tree and Travis did the same. They would have to grab them on the way out if they got the chance. Mitch made quick work of switching his footgear and took a moment to hide the pack while Travis changed his boots.

  They needed to go in as light as possible; free hands were best when heading into combat. Mitch made sure he had his Glock ready and that his knife was at his side. He was surprised they had made it all the way down without running into any roamers.

  “I want to take the scythe," Travis whispered.

  Mitch gave him an incredulous look. “You really think that’s the best option for close quarters, hand-to-hand combat? Really?”

  “Dude, I didn’t get to use it yet. I really want to use it, Mitch," Travis replied with the tiniest hint of a whine edging his words.

  “First of all, don’t ever call me dude again. It’s just--just don’t. It makes me lose respect for you, and I really respect you...most of the time," Mitch managed to keep hidden the smile that wanted to bust out across his face. He really liked this guy.

  He turned back toward the house and pulled the binoculars up to have another look. “You can bring it down to the house, but when we get there, I want you to silently put it up in the gutter above the door. That way it’ll be close by if a situation arises where you’ll need it."

  “Don’t you think it’s odd that we didn’t run into any of the creepers out here?" Travis remarked as he checked his pockets like Mitch had done moments before. “I have a bad feeling about this dude, I mean this guy, Gus. I wouldn’t put it past him to have rounded them all up. We’re going to pop through the door and surprise! the house is going to be full of those things. Then you’ll be glad I brought the scythe," he finished with a cocky grin.

  Mitch just shook his head. “You’re something else, Travis," he chuckled.

  “What? You know you’re thinking the same thing, or something like it. I know you man, yours is probably twice as disturbing," Travis huffed.

  The truth was the kid was right--Mitch’s thoughts were twice as disturbing. He kept picturing Mike as one of those hell monsters, the ones that were still alive and stronger than a junkie on PCP. Those were the ones that scared the shit out of him because they seemed to be able to process thoughts and plan out their moves. Of course the zombie apocalypse couldn’t just be straight forward, nothing ever is. There’s always going to be a curve ball.

  The one thing he knew was that the sooner they got in there, the better off they’d be. He’d had enough standing around thinking about it. It was time for action.

  Mitch reached out his hand to his brother in arms. When Travis grabbed, it he pulled him in for a quick bro hug. They finished with a simultaneous “Hooah” and a sharp nod at one another.

  Mitch quietly placed his boot down on the ground, saying a little prayer for continued silence. One unwanted noise and they would lose the element of surprise. They were quickly approaching the house. Travis was about ten yards from him approaching on the other side. So far so good.

  When they reached the porch, the first step up let out a little creak like old boards tend to do. He held his breath for a moment listening for movement. Nothing, only silence. Travis came up beside him and stepped over the first step and ascended the rest quietly.

  Mitch leaned his head against the door, listening for noise on the other side. He could hear muffled voices and one of them sounded like Mike. He could hear the familiar rise and fall of his tone, and nothing about it sounded as if he was worried. Good. They may have him, but it didn’t sound like they ‘had him’.

  Travis nudged Mitch from his place beside him, and gave a questioning look. Mitch gave him a thumbs up sign and quietly got to work releasing the lock. He turned the knob as far as it would go and held his breath as he gave a little push.

  The door opened up into the kitchen, which was empty at the moment. Travis gave a silent nod and began quietly making his way toward the right side of the house where the dining room opened up toward a long hallway. Mitch stopped just inside, his eyes landing on his friend’s gun. He picked it up, put it in his pocket, and continued into the room.

  He made his way to the left where an entryway would take him into the living room--where the voices were coming from. He stood for a moment listening quietly to the conversation that was taking place in the next room.

  “So let me get this straight, you’re force-feeding pills to people in order to turn them into monsters?” Mike said with a disgusted laugh.

  “I’m building my army. Soon enough, I’ll join you all and there will be no stopping us," came an unknown voice.

  “What? Are you going to take the pills too then? Are you afraid they’ll kill you if you don’t?” Mike laughed again. This time, the disgust was noticeably missing. Leave it to Mike to find something this disturbing humorous.

  “You laugh now, but you’re going to be my right-hand man, you’re the biggest," came the voice that sounded like it was dripping with a lustful want for power.

  “Sure, I might as well. Why don’t you bring those pills over here and we can get started already," Mike said, trying to sound nonthreatening. “One more question, though. What makes you think this group will stick with you, what’s the catch, how do you know they’ll hang around?"

  “I don’t I guess, but in my limited experience with these changed ones, I’ve realized that they’re smart. They know how to do what needs to be done," the voice drawled.

  Mitch stepped soundlessly around the corner and instantly locked eyes with his partner who stood with his arms tied tightly in front of him. As quickly as their eyes locked, Mike glanced away not wanting to draw attention to Mitch.

  The other man in the room was middle-aged with a belly that looked like it had held too many beers over the years. Mitch was only seeing his side profile and couldn’t make out his face. Something about the man seemed familiar though and he wondered if they had met before. He had made many trips to neighboring towns in the fifteen years that he had owned his property up here, so the odds were good that he could have run into this jackass once or twice before. He closed his eyes, trying to place the voice. He knew he had heard it before. Suddenly it came to him. This was Gus, from the drug store down in Packwood--the town that was closest to the cabin. He had talked with him several times through the years, and Gus had seemed like a decent man. It was just another lesson in how chaos brought forth true human nature.

  “So what, you just force this pill down my throat, is that how this works?” Mike asked, keeping the man’s attention on him.

  �
��No no no, nothing as barbaric as that. I just simply remind you that you can either become one of them, or you can be eaten by one of them. The choice is yours really," he said with a manic laugh.

  “That’s not much of a choice," Mike replied just as the man reached the spot directly in front of him. Once he was close enough, Mike reared back and headbutted the idiot right in the temple. He slumped to the floor--out cold.

  “Did I hear him right, domination as a mindless zombie? Some fucking people. The world is a crazy place," Mitch said in disbelief while he grabbed the man he presumed was Gus and began dragging him toward the chair he planned on tying him to.

  “So, what exactly was the plan here?” Mitch asked as he hefted Gus’ limp body up into the chair. Once he had him in place, he held his body up with his knee while he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small ball of coarse twine.

  Moving with the precision of someone who had done this many times before, he secured his new prisoner to the chair. Now that the job was over, he turned his attention to his friend. The sight of his tall broad frame standing there, tied in the middle of the room, caused a rough laughter to erupt from his chest.

  “You look ridiculous standing there," he said once he caught his breath.

  “Well get over here and cut these fucking ropes then, Addie."

  “I thought you could handle yourself. I was waiting to see how you were going to get loose," Mitch replied, casually crossing his arms over his chest. This was going to be fun, he planned on letting him squirm for a bit. “I’m going to go check on Travis. He was sweeping the back end of the house."

  “Addie, I will get loose, eventually, then it’s on. You’d better not sleep at night. I’m coming for you," he called as Mitch made his way down the hall. The floor began to shake as Mike set about jumping toward the kitchen, and Mitch chuckled quietly to himself with every thump.

  He was almost to the first door when he heard shouting further down the hall. He pulled out his Glock and ran to the door where the noise was coming from. Pausing on the outside, he heard Travis raise his voice. “Relax, I’m not here to hurt you. You need to calm the fuck down!”

  He pushed through the door and stopped short. There, standing in the middle of the room, tied much the same as Mike had been, was a kid that couldn’t be more than twenty. The look on his face was murderous. Travis was standing about a yard from the kid with his hands held out in front of him in a submissive gesture. “I’m not with the guy who has you here. We came to get our friend. You need to just relax," he said, trying to control the irritation in his voice.

  “How long you been here kid?” Mitch asked, making his way over to the boy. He looked dirty, like he’d been in here for a few days at least, and Mitch could see a small tremor in his arms. He probably hadn’t eaten for days either.

  “What’s your name?” he asked even though his first question had gone unanswered.

  “Why should I tell you anything?” the kid answered in a rough voice. His dark eyes filling with fury. “I saw what you assholes did to the guy you brought in with me, I’ll die before I let that shit happen to me," he spat.

  “Kid, I don’t know what you think, but I can tell you this, you’re wrong. We aren’t who you think we are. Now sit down on the bed and I’ll untie you," Mitch told him, giving him a little shove back until he sat on the bed.

  “What’s your name?” he asked again as he cut the rope that was holding the kid’s hands.

  “Henry," he answered.

  “Do you have a last name, Henry?” he asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.

  “Perkins, I’m Henry Perkins," he answered, rubbing his wrists where the rope had been. “Thanks for cutting the ropes," he finished before trying to put Mitch into a choke hold.

  Mitch reached up and grabbed the kid. He yanked him up over his head and laid him flat on his stomach with his arm held firmly at his back.

  “Kid, don’t be an idiot, I have no patience for idiots," he growled.

  Travis laughed as he walked out of the room. “I’ll go see if I can find something for Perk to eat," he called as he walked down the hall.

  Mitch took a few deep breaths trying to calm himself. He could tell already that this kid was going to be trouble. He understood the boy wanting to try and protect himself, but he had just finished untying him. It should have been obvious that he wasn’t a threat. Kids these days seemed to have no common sense.

  “All right, I’m going to let you up now, but you better not try anything stupid or you’ll find yourself out here alone again. I’m not going to take some idiot with no common-sense home with me, you got it?” he grumbled before easing off of the kid.

  “What do you mean take me home with you?” Henry asked as he pulled himself off of the ground.

  “Exactly what I said. I’m not the kind of person to leave helpless kids by themselves in a place like this, besides you probably wouldn’t last a week on your own," Mitch replied, heading toward the door.

  “I’m not a kid, I just turned 21 a few days ago. That’s why I’m here. A couple of my buddies planned a birthday camp out for me, but then the world went to shit and I wound up in this nightmare," Henry said, following Mitch out of the room.

  “What happened to your friends?” Mitch asked, knowing the answer probably wouldn’t be a happy one.

  “I’m not sure. I woke up laying on the bed in that room, but they weren’t here with me," Henry replied.

  “When was that?” Mitch asked.

  “I don’t know, three or four days ago. What’s with all of the questions, am I on trial here?” Henry growled.

  “Just gathering information. I have this asshole tied up in the dining room, and I need to figure out what I’m going to do with him. It’s not like I can hand him over to the authorities and be done with it. So, I guess you could say that you are helping me understand Gus, and determine what his fate is going to be. Assisting in his trial, if you will," Mitch told Henry as they walked into the kitchen.

  Travis was standing at the stove, big spoon in one hand tapping his fingers to the beat of the song that was running through his head with his other hand, the rest of his body rocking to the unheard rhythm.

  “Travis," Mitch said when he walked into the room.

  Travis looked over and gave Mitch a nod, his groove continuing on. “Just making our boy here some food, I’m guessing he’s hungry, and honestly, I’m a little hungry too, and this fridge was stocked. I mean all the goods," he said raised his eyebrow for emphasis.

  Mike was leaning up against the counter across from the stove. “Addie, I’m still trying to decide what I’m going to do to you," he said gruffly as he rubbed his hands over the rope burns on his wrists.

  “Well, I knew you could handle yourself big guy, or else you wouldn’t have let this asshole take you," Mitch said, grabbing his best friend's shoulder. “I didn’t want to get in the way of your plans.”

  “Just watch your back, Addie, that’s all I’m saying," Mike finished with a playful grin.

  “So what’s for dinner, Travis?” Mike asked.

  “Yeah, it smells great," Henry added.

  “Good old macaroni and cheese tonight boys. There was even some left-over bacon in the fridge, and tons of shredded cheese. This is going to be the best dinner you’ve had in a while," Travis said as he got into the fridge and started pulling out everything he would need to make his vision a reality.

  “You’re lucky Kate wasn’t here to hear you say that," Mitch said with a laugh, “you know she’s been feeding all of us for the last week.”

  “What Kate does is good, she knows how to hit you right here with her meals," Travis said pounding his fist over his heart. “Comfort food at its best.” he paused for a moment, closing his eyes in remembrance. “But this, what I make, it hits you right here," he said tapping his fist to his temple. “Mind blowing," he finished, releasing his fist into an explosion of waving fingers.

  Everyone in the room let out a big laug
h. Travis was someone else when he was in the kitchen, it was definitely his happy place.

  There was a loud knocking from the dining room followed by the sound of furniture crashing to the floor. Mitch looked over at Mike. “Sounds like our new friend is awake. Perfect time for a little chat while Travis finishes with dinner," he said, heading toward the noise.

  When he reached the room, he was surprised to see Henry emerge from the doorway behind Mike; he had expected the kid to stay behind. “Henry, sometimes these kinds of chats can be a little unpleasant. Are you sure you want to be in here?” he asked while picking the chair that Gus was tied to back up off of the floor.

  “I have some questions of my own," Henry growled, his whole body shaking with fury.

  “Relax kid, you’ll get your chance," Mike said, resting his hands on Henry’s shoulders. “I think we’ve all got a few things to say here.”

  Mitch took a moment to really study the man tied to the chair in front of him. His dark, beady eyes searched frantically from one face to the next. His glasses hung at an odd angle on the crook of his nose, and when his eyes froze on Mitch and a slow smile spread across his wide face, Mitch knew that he was insane. He just wondered if it had always been that way for the man or if it was the product of the world outside.

  “Gus," Mitch said simply.

  “It looks as if my plan worked. I have you right where I want you," Gus said, booming with laughter.

  “The pharmacist, right? Down in Packwood? It took me a few minutes to place you, but that’s the thing about me Gus, I never forget a face," Mitch said, his tone low and strong.

  “I might be worried about that if I thought it mattered anymore, but you and I both know that nothing matters anymore. I could walk into a crowd of people and start picking them off and there would be no one to stop me," Gus laughed.

  Pulling his arm back, Mitch let it fly right into this bastard’s face. This guy was the scum of the earth, the stuff you step in on the side of the road and then walk quickly, on the heel of your foot, until you reach the curb and can scrape it off. He didn’t deserve a trial. The verdict was already in, and Mitch would see to it that justice be served for all of the lives he had taken.