“Remind me again how many zeds were encountered here.”
“Forty or so,” Jimbo said. “But no injuries.”
“Let’s keep it that way, right?” Johnny G said. “By the way, I haven’t checked out the medic kits in either truck. Make sure they’re good to go.”
“You got it,” Jimbo said. He finished his beverage, stood, and rubbed his belly. “Alright, men, let’s get going. I want to be home by dinner.”
Chapter 36 – Melvin and True Return
“That boy never stops eating,” True griped.
Melvin chuckled. Dong laughed too, but only for a second and then resumed munching away on their last homemade granola bar. It was a common theme for the past couple of days; if either Melvin or True laughed, Dong would laugh.
They were almost home, less than a hundred miles away. They’d had a lot of issues during their drive, but now the end was in sight. They were tired and cranky, but neither of them complained. They had survived another mission unscathed and were almost home.
“Ain’t seen many zeds this trip, except for in Cincinnati,” True remarked.
“They’re better at hiding these days, but I imagine a lot of them are dying out,” Melvin surmised.
“Could be,” True said. “Everywhere we go there are skeletons. What do you think is going to happen to our little friend when we get back?”
Melvin shrugged. “I don’t know if anyone at Weather even cares, but we’ll do what we can for him. I don’t know if they’ll even allow him to live there and if they do, I don’t know if they’ll insist on keeping him locked up.”
True was silent for a minute but then hooked a thumb at Dong. “I’ll look out after him. Otherwise, they’ll keep him locked in a cell. That wouldn’t be fair.”
“Are you sure?” Melvin asked.
“Yeah.”
“If it doesn’t work out for him at Weather, I bet I could talk Johnny G into letting him live at Hook.”
“What do you think about him?” True asked.
“Who, Johnny G? He reminds me of a sergeant who was in our support unit back when I was on an A-Team. He was quiet and unassuming, but the man was always on top of everything. He handled the logistics like a pro. Roscoe is a highly intelligent engineer; Johnny G is his go-to man. When there is a problem, Johnny G comes up with a way to solve it.”
Melvin glanced at Dong while he was talking and wondered how much English the man understood. By merely listening to their conversation, the man could gather a lot of intel about Mount Weather.
Melvin changed the subject and the two men talked mostly of farming for the next few hours and arrived at the main gate an hour after sunset. Priss and Savannah were manning the guard post. As soon as Savannah saw the familiar truck approaching, she ran outside to greet them.
“Hey,” he said as he hugged her tightly.
“I’m glad you’re back,” she said and glanced over at True. “I’m glad both of you are back.”
“How’s the little princess?” True asked
Savannah grinned. “Rambunctious as ever. She’s with the other kids in the playroom. She’ll be glad to see you.” She was about to say more, but then she spotted Dong sitting in the truck. When he saw her staring, he grinned and waved.
She stared a moment longer and then peered at Melvin in confusion. “Who is he?” she whispered.
“He’s one of those Chinese soldiers we were sent out to look for,” Melvin said.
He then went over to the passenger door, opened it, and let him out. Dong stepped out and stretched a moment before walking over to Savannah and giving a small bow.
“I am Dong,” he said, showing his bucktooth grin.
Savannah’s eyes widened. “What are you going to do with him?”
“I’m sure they’ll want to quarantine him and give him a physical. Then he’ll be debriefed. True and I have been talking to him, he understands a little English.”
“He’s not dangerous, is he?” she asked.
“He seems harmless enough.”
“I’m going to walk him to the showers and then I’ll make sure he’s fed before we lock him down for the night,” True said.
Melvin nodded and turned to the guard. “I’m sure they’ve already told you to tell us to report in immediately.”
“Yessir, they have.”
Melvin grunted. “Alright, you’ve told me.” He glanced at True. “What do you want to do?”
“You go on with Savannah. I’ll take care of the truck and Dong,” True said.
“Thanks, brother. I’ll give them a mission report in the morning.”
Melvin then grabbed Savannah around the waist and the two of them walked inside. True grunted. He was both happy for his friend and envious that he had a woman who loved him. He hated to admit it, but he missed Sandy, Prairie’s mother. She had her faults, but he still missed her terribly. He sighed deeply without realizing it.
“True?” Dong asked.
True looked at him. The little man was staring at him with an expression of concern. True grunted.
“Come on, we got a truck to clean up and put to bed.”
Chapter 37 – Spruce Hill
“Leaving the Ridley Park gate,” Jimbo said into the microphone. A female voice acknowledged.
Jimbo frowned in surprise. “Riley, is that you?”
“Affirmative. There was something going on at the refinery that needed extra hands, so I’m filling in.”
“Nice. Okay, if you weren’t told, we’re the only ones outside the perimeter and we’ll be in and around the Spruce Hill area most of the day. I’ll check in every hour or so.”
“Roger that. Out,” Riley said.
Jimbo put the microphone on the clip and grinned.
“So, it’s true?” Ringo asked.
“About her and Johnny G? Oh, yeah,” Jimbo drawled.
“Damn,” Ringo muttered. “Well, good for him. Everybody needs a significant other, especially now.” He frowned and yanked on the zipper of his insulated coveralls. “These things are too hot.”
All three men were wearing them. They had been custom tailored; designed for both warmth and protection against zed bites. Ringo unzipped his down to the waist and worked his upper torso out of
