“Just please, be patient. We’ll get you where you need to go and get you settled in.” He tipped his hat to Carol. “I hope I answered all of your questions and I bid you a good day.”
He spun and was out the door before his words truly had a chance to soak in. Carol stepped forward, her hand in the air. “Captain!”
A soldier with a rifle stepped into the open doorway, blocking her. The fact that the captain didn’t turn around did not go unnoticed. She gave the soldier a firm stare then turned and motioned to Broussard. “Something tells me that we’re not going to like this.”
Stinky handed Sinner the water and made sure he got the antibiotic down okay. He took the cup and set it aside, his eyes turning to Shooter’s. He sighed heavily and came to his feet. “I need to ask you something.”
Sinner shrugged with his good shoulder. “Ask away.”
“We may have, uh…run into some of the Ragers when we were getting your meds.” He looked to Shooter again but the man was keeping watch on the hallway, ensuring that Simon didn’t interrupt their powwow.
Sinner seemed to become more aware. “Where at?”
“A couple of blocks over, near the main entrance. I know there were at least two in the house.”
Sinner shook his head and tried to sit up. “We need to clear them out.”
“No!” Stinky pushed him back to the mattress. “You need to rest so you can heal.” He glanced at Shooter again then leaned in closer to Sinner. “We had an idea.”
Sinner’s gaze narrowed at him. “What would that be?”
“We thought maybe we’d tell Simon that there was some booze over there that he missed.” He gave Sinner a knowing look. “Maybe they could take care of him for us.”
Sinner’s brows knitted together and he glared at Stinky. “Are you for real?” He shook his head. “Simon would kill them dead before they made a move on him. Then he’d come back and kill you two.”
Stinky’s head dropped and he ground his teeth. “He’s gonna kill us anyway.” He looked up at Sinner. “The man is off his hinges. He’s fucking nuts.”
Sinner nodded. “Yeah, and it’s that kind of crazy that will keep us all alive in this new world of ours.”
Stinky nearly fell against the wall. “You’re shitting me. You believe that? After what happened to you?”
Sinner forced himself up into a sitting position. “Yeah, Stink, I do.” He pointed to his wound. “This? This was some cager with a rifle and a lucky shot.” He glared at the smaller man. “You seen how those assholes lived. You want to be trapped inside a warehouse like that? What happens when you run out of food and water, huh? Who do you think will be the first ones kicked to the curb?”
Stinky shook his head. “I could have lived there. I don’t care if it’s a warehouse or…” he motioned around him. “Here.”
“Then why’d you leave?”
He sighed heavily and fidgeted with the pill bottle in his hand. “Donna didn’t want me no more. What was I supposed to do? Sit there and watch her play house with some other asshole?” He sniffed back an unshed tear. “I had to leave.”
“Listen to me.” Sinner lowered his voice and motioned him closer. “You want to get on Simon’s good side? Go and tell him you ran into the crazy fuckers in the house. Offer to help him clear them out. We don’t need them this close to where we lay our heads at night.”
Stinky’s eyes widened and he shook his head. “But…they could—”
“No, man. They couldn’t.” He lay back and sighed heavily. “I know Simon is a dick, but he’s the dick we know. We know that he’s only looking out for himself.” Sinner smiled. “That’s shit I can work with.”
“You can’t be serious. He’d sell us out in a heartbeat.”
Sinner nodded. “The devil you know.” He patted Stinky’s shoulder. “Thanks for looking out for me. Trust me, I won’t forget it.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Just like I won’t forget how Simon hung us out to dry.”
Stinky smiled as he came to his feet. “I think we’re on the same page.”
“I hope so, brother.” He glanced to Shooter and nodded. “You’re good with this, right?”
Shooter nodded, his eyes still glued to the empty hallway.
“You boys go and report the Ragers to Simon.” He leaned back with a groan. “You may end up having to check every other house in the division, but it’s worth the peace of mind.”
Stinky nodded then handed him the pill bottle. “This one is every four hours. Like clockwork.” He fished another bottle from his pants. “This is for pain. These are stout so, only as necessary.”
Sinner held the bottles up. “Got it.” He reached out and grabbed Stinky’s arm. “We’re in this together.”
Stinky smiled. “You bet we are.”
Chapter 8
Will Stanton was bent over a pencil drawing, pointing out planned expansion areas to Hatcher. “If there is enough fencing material, I’d really like to enclose this area here. We can utilize one of the outbuildings as a barn and build stables here.”
Hatcher looked up at him. “Stables?”
Will shrugged. “Eventually we will run out of fuels, unless you stumble across a few electric vehicles while making runs out there. Then we will need to consider alternate forms of transportation.”
“Horses.”
“And possibly cattle,” Stanton added. He quickly stammered, “For food, not transportation.”
Hatcher chuckled. “I assumed.” He leaned back and stared across the courtyard. “You really think a hydroponic garden is doable?”
Stanton shrugged. “As I stated, anything is doable with the proper tools, equipment, manpower, and funding.”
“Right, but, in all actuality? Hydroponics? Wouldn’t that put a strain on our
