Chapter 26

I made it to the coffee pot and grabbed a cup, sitting down with a sigh. I watched as Shelly took Sarah back to the kitchen to get her some food. I sat back, thinking about everything that had happened and what I had seen. I barely got into my thoughts when Zeke came over, sitting down across from me with a quizzical look on his face. I knew that he was wondering about Sarah.

"Ok, Zeke, spit it out before you have a gas attack."

"Well, we heard from your friend, and he will be getting back on the air later this evening. Where did you find the little girl at?"

I sat back sipping my coffee, just looking at him before I started explaining. I talked for a couple of minutes and noticed we had been joined by Barry, Byron and another man in camos. I figured he came in with the buggy that Shelly had told me about. Sarah was sitting at another table, chatting up a storm with Shelly while eating a huge plate of sandwiches and chips with a big glass of what looked like iced tea. I got back into the story, covering everything I had seen and heard this morning. I watched their faces as I told about what happened in Lordsburg, and I noticed that the man in camos was the only one who didn't flinch at my description of the one crawling by the tracks. I almost laughed outright at the look on Byron's and Barry's faces. Zeke was just nodding his head. I finished by telling of my return here and my new nickname for Shelly, at which her dad broke out in laughter.

"Zeke, what did Ben have to say and what time will he be on the radio this evening?"

"Well, we set it up for eight our time. I have a portable setup you can take to Mike when you go out there tomorrow. He said they were all still safe and that he is going to start workin' his way back towards us. He will stay in touch as he does. He said that zombies can't swim and where he is at he hasn't seen anyone alive for a week. He also said something kinda strange. He said that sharks won't eat them and they swim away from them. He also said they are dumber than a box of rocks, and he is getting back in practice with his long distance rifle, whatever that means."

"Zeke, he was a Marine Scout Sniper and spent time in the sandbox before he was wounded. If he is practicing on them, he is going for all head shots and by the time he gets here he will be one of the better snipers in the area, bar none. When things settle down here, I am going after his spotter and family so we will have our own professional team to protect the town."

"Damn, Thom, how do you find all this crap out? You know where his spotter and family are, and not only that, you know the leader of those RVs over at Granite Peak. I think I might have underestimated your abilities a little. I know a little bit about your background, but not very much because there are no records in the files. It's like everything about you before you moved here just evaporated into thin air or something. What is in the files is so general that you sound like an overgrown choirboy. Since you took over, I have seen a side of you that I only saw in Korea among some of the old Sergeants from World War Two. Thom, who the hell are you?"

"Gentlemen, allow me to introduce myself and I think I can answer a few of your questions with the Marshal's permission."

I looked over at the guy in camos and my eyes automatically narrowed as I studied him. He was older than most Seals I had met previously and I wondered just how much he really knew about my background. I decided that I would see what he had to say and nodded at him to go ahead. I noticed that Byron and Zeke both were watching us. Byron, being an old friend, already knew a lot about my background. But he wouldn't say anything unless you tortured him, and probably not then. Byron was an old jarhead from the old school and didn't talk much nor give anything away unless he was told it was ok, and even then he would only beat around the subject.

Before anyone started talking, Sarah came over and I scooted back, letting her sit on my lap. I could tell from the look on her face she was feeling lost and lonely, and I was the only one she knew and felt comfortable with. I wrapped my arms around her, hugging her to me as I waited for the talk to resume.