tone!”
“Let me call Trisha.” said Bill.
“Yeah, you do that, I will try Nick's cell phone.”
The two men tried calling their loved ones, Max's call did not go through, not even to voice mail. Bill's however was picked up on the second ring.
“Hello?” came his wife's voice.
“Oh God! Trisha! It's me, Bill!”
“Bill?”
“Yeah I am okay. Are you okay?”
“Bill?” her voice sounded numb.
“Yes, Bill! Are you okay?”
“Bill!” then away from the receiver she shouted, “ It's your dad! He isn't dead! He is alive! Bill? Oh Bill where are you? Are you okay?” in the background Bill could hear the voices of the children screaming and crying.
“I am fine, I am in Osceola. Are you okay?”
“We are fine, they sent John home with the news that you were missing and presumed dead.”
“John is there? Oh my….I don't…I thought he was dead!” Bill said, tears trailing down his cheeks.
“No he is fine, not a scratch on him.”
“Well don't tell anyone where I am, just wait for me to get home.”
“You are in Osceola? What are you doing there?”
“We just got here, we were looking for Max's kids.”
“Nick and Jessica? They are here with me I went and picked them up from Vet's stadium this afternoon when they called me. How did you know…”
“I found Max! Or rather he found me by the side of the road, up in Sioux City.”
“Sioux City?”
“Yeah, we got across the river and Max said they told him they were putting his kids on a train, so we drove down to the train station here, but there isn't anyone here.”
“No, they bussed the kids up to Vet's, as a staging area. You said the train is still there?”
“Yeah. I am looking right at it.”
“Huh, Nick must have been wrong, he said they were going to send it back to Nebraska for more people.”
“Maybe they didn't want to travel at night?”
“I picked the kids up around two o'clock, there would have been plenty of time to get back there with it. He must have been wrong is all, it is no big deal Bill. Tell me what happened to you?”
“I…Trish, I better not, I better just get home as quick as I can. I couldn't use a cell phone to call you, I tried to let you know I was okay.”
“I don't care Bill, I don't care, just as long as you are okay now.”
“I can be home in an hour.”
“Then come home. We will all be waiting for you.”
“Let me give you the number on my cell phone, just in case, okay?”
“Sure, Trudy get me a pen and paper.”
Bill waited until he wife was ready then read the number off of his cell phone to her over the radio, for good measure he read his wife Max and Stewart's numbers as well. “I don't know if it will do any good, but at least you might be able to get a hold of us. Okay hon, I am going to let you go. I will see you real soon.”
“I love you Bill and…be careful!”
“I will be. I love you too.” Bill hung the phone up. And looked up at his two companions who were staring at him waiting for the news. Behind them Bill saw a man approaching with a military rifle. Bill nodded to the middle aged guy who then slung his rifle up over his shoulder. His nodded alerted Stewart and Max who both turned to watch the man approach them.
“Evening.” the man said, he was wearing a full set of fatigues and Bill noted that he was a Sergeant, “What are you folks doing here?”
“My kids were supposed to be on that train.” Max said.
“If they were, you missed them by about eight hours, they bussed them up to Des Moines. They will be okay, they took them to Vet's Stadium, about the middle of the city, anyone can tell you how to get there if you ask.”
“Thanks!” Max said.
“No problem, how come you weren't on the train?”
“I got held up by some medical guys for the physical. I was madder than hell that they did that, sent my kids on ahead, so I got to find them now.”
“Well you'll find them at Vet's, I am sure they are okay.”
“I just got off the phone with my wife, she said something about them sending the train back to Nebraska?” Bill asked.
The man shook his head, “No sir, that train ain't going nowhere. There is a big hubbub up around Lincoln now some massive group of zombies moving towards us, so they grounded the train here. Of course this was after they fueled it up and got it ready to go. The engineers are staying over at the high school in the shelter there. The military impressed them into service and there are some wild ideas going around about putting some guns on the train and sending it back to Lincoln to blow the living hell outta the zombies. I can't say I mind that at all. You folks see any zombies?”
“Well sarg we saw a few in Sioux City, came over the bridge there.”
The old soldier's eyebrows went up a notch. “Hm, you don't say huh?”
“Yeah, we did okay, killed a few ourselves and left the rest for the military to mop up.”
“You in the military…uh, I didn't get your name?”
“Jim.” said Bill, holding out his hand. “Nah, I never was in the military.”
Max saw the suspicion on the older man's face and asked, “How long have you been in? And I am Max, by the way, what is your name?”
“Clyde Dartman. Pleased to meet you Max. I retired from the military did my twenty five years and moved into high school sanitation.”
“High school sanitation?” Max asked perplexed.
“I'm a janitor up at the school here, they put a uniform back on me right quick when this happened, put me in charge of the train station, keeping the riff-raff out of here.”
“We aren't riff-raff sarg.” said Bill. Making Max wince.
“Hm, yes, well that remains to be seen. Sioux City is awful far north for someone whose kids were on this train. I believe that part of your story.”
“What, well, yeah that is true, we couldn't help where we crossed though.” said Max.
Clyde looked Max over in the florescent lighting on the train platform, then nodded. “You know I believe you Max, I believe your name is Max and lady I believe everything you've said too.”
“I haven't said a damn thing.” Stewart said.
“I know, and I believe that more than I believe every other word out of 'Jim' here.” said Clyde hitching his thumb at Bill.
Bill started to protest, but Max cut him off, “Let it go Bill. So Clyde what do we do now?”
“He was in the military, not for long he hasn't got the old timer's look, I bet he was pressed into one of the new units they are shipping out everywhere. No civilian reads ranks 'Jim', what are you, some sort of deserter?”
“No I…”
“The truth son. I am a reasonable man, as long as people aren't pissing on me.” warned Clyde.
“Yeah sarg, I was in a new unit, I was shipped west and was serving up in Sioux City.' Bill seemed to sag a little, then squared his shoulders and said, ' I got cut off from my unit and found Max and his friend on the west side of the river. We came across and I am helping them find their kids.”
Clyde nodded, “Sounds closer to the truth than farther from it. Go on, tell me how you two got separated from your kids.”
