“Maybe by taking our time, we will save more time in the long run, no reason countin’ apples on a tree until you get one down and make sure they’re good tasting apples see. Sometimes you get a shit tree. But you get yourself a good tree and then you can go making pie, and jams, and all kinds of things that are just absolutely delicious. At least that’s what I always say,” Earl said.
Clary hated admitting to being wrong. He truly despised that Earl just made an intelligent statement, in whatever weird redneck language that he seemed to be so fluent in. “Fine, we go together. Why don’t we do it right? We can go test your new formula and make sure it works. If it is successful, then we all go together and we bring back enough of everything so that Mark there is going to be quite busy for quite a long damn time. I think we’ll need to figure out something quicker to release the drug, especially if it won’t be harmful to the living.”
“Did you have something in mind?” Scott questioned.
“Honestly, no I don’t, but long term, I think you’ll need a dispensing system that can handle more space. You guys are shooting fish in a barrel. We've got three hundred million or more of these things to deal with.”
“That isn’t the population of Iowa, that is the entire continent’s population,” Scott replied.
Clary smiled, and it was somewhat creepy as there was nothing but bad intentions in his eyes, “If you can make the quantity we need, why can’t we take out all of them? Why couldn’t we at least lock down the state and then begin working our way out from there. It might take the rest of my goddamn life, but who knows how many people are still alive!”
“What if the new formula doesn’t work?” Shaun asked.
Clary set a pistol on the table, “This is what we used in the beginning and it worked just fine. We go back to what we were using today if their solution doesn’t work. Earl, how many of those guns do you have made up?”
“How many of them? Are we counting the one that I used in Chicago?”
“Sure,” Clary replied.
“We got one. It took all the materials we had to get that one working, and then after our small snafu we had to go and fix it, and when I say we, I mean me. These guys are great with the science-y shit but don’t know shit about propulsion systems.”
“After we use the one you came with, we can start figuring out something not better, but something a little more reliable.”
Earl folded his arms, leaning back in his seat and looking offended, “You know you might not knock it until you try it, Clary.”
The door to the room busted open, making everyone jump. Joey fell through the door with Greg standing behind him shaking his head. “I love the kid, but I swear he needs to work on being discreet. I’m in on testing that new stuff out. I want to watch those things choke and die as bad as anyone here!”
Joey got up off the floor and his face was three shades of red. “Greg said that we might be able to get something good to eat when he saw all of you walking into the building. I kind of think he was full of crap now though.”
“I haven’t made any mistakes in a long time. There’s no reason we can’t be a part of this,” Greg replied.
“Unless the new formula doesn’t work, Greg,” Clary responded.
“Right, but if we go and it doesn’t work then why don’t we just plan on taking the tank or the trucks with the fifty caliber rifles mounted on top of it? Come on, I’m dying to get out of here for a while. There aren’t many, if any, better than me with the fifty.”
“Will it shut you up, Greg, if you can go with us? The test doesn’t need to be everyone, just a few of us.”
Greg did the sign of the cross, “You and I can go check it out.”
Shaun said, “I want to go.”
Earl raised a hand and said, “I know how to use it, so I’m going, there ain’t no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Now why don’t we quit sitting around screwing off and go see what this shit can do.”
Clary said, “Oh good, Earl, I was hoping we could spend the day together.”
Earl clapped his hands together; sarcasm was wasted words on Earl. “You know, I thought for sure you didn’t like me at first, Clary, especially this morning with you going and wrapping that giant hand around my neck. My good buddy, Frank, he’s always tellin’ me how I can’t read people and then you prove him right again. I’ll have to tell him ‘bout this zombie adventure when I make my way up to Canada.”
Clary didn’t say anything for a moment, “Scott, Shaun, Greg, and the infamous Earl.”
Mark said, “You sure you need to take the children with?”
Greg, who couldn’t help himself at times, one of the lesser benefits of being a teenage boy with a million different hormones and emotions racing through his body at any given time added, “You realize we are almost two years into this zombie apocalypse, right? Unlike you, we didn’t survive this long by hiding. We’ve fought, and we’ve gone after them on purpose. That guy there has trained us since day two, and day one wasn’t a fucking walk in the park either, excuse my French.”
“Right then, I’m going to go work on something that…doesn’t involve me talking to any living people. Scott, I assume you are going to go with? Why don’t you let me know what you think of
