First Activation

I was annoyed at how easily we had been led by Lea, and how much we had overlooked. We should have suspected Lea’s involvement as soon as we saw Jerry talking to the patrol. But we had been swept along with events and hadn’t stopped to question anything.

I had felt guilty because of white lies around our trap at the Elmhurst parking lot, even though our actions had been well intentioned. I had even apologised to her. Anger rose up inside me again so I guessed that Jack would be fuming. I wanted to know how much she had really manipulated us.

I heard the bullet ridden Range Rover rumble up towards the barn doors and stop. Jack walked back into the barn.

“I’ve been thinking,” he said, “that first patrol may not have been the clowns we thought they were. They didn’t shoot first, because they were trying to take her alive.”

“When I saw her at the Watson’s, I recognised her as Martina’s dyke partner who came here for a meeting. I thought it might get me some credit with Ron if we captured her.”

I slapped Jerry across the head, “Stop calling her that, I mean it.”

Lea looked up.

“Guys, don’t jump to any conclusions.”

“Don’t worry,” I replied, “you’ll get your chance to tell us everything on the long road trip to Hermitage. But first we’re going to load the vehicle and bury Bernie.”

Jack and I could pass judgment after we heard her story. If she turned out to be a part of all this, we could always use her as a pawn at an appropriate time in the future.

Jack kept his rifle aimed at Lea while she and I loaded the Range Rover with bottles of water, cans of food, the respirators, and the ear defenders. Between us now, we had two rifles with full magazines, two pistols with six rounds, and a bolt-action rifle with seven loose rounds. I had left the flare gun behind the barn when I fired it to warn Bernie and Lea about Jerry, but we decided not to waste time looking for it.

“Right, Jerry, I’m going to cut you free, and then tie your hands behind your back. If you try anything funny, you’ll get a bullet to the head. Do you understand?”

“You don’t have to tie me up; you can trust me more than you can trust her. I’ve given you information.”

“Don’t be stupid, Jerry, it’s your only option. Lea hasn’t tried to kill us.”

“Yet,” Jerry groaned.

“You only talked after we made you,” Jack replied.

I cut Jerry’s hands free with a hunting knife that I found by the radio, he rubbed his wrists and sat up.

“Put your hands behind your back,” I ordered.

He complied and I bound his wrists tightly together. I was expecting a struggle, but perhaps most of the fight had left him. We had put Jerry through a bit of an ordeal.

After I cut his feet free, he swung his legs around to the side of the table and jumped to the ground. He winced as he landed and looked down at his own blood stained foot.

“Jack, you get into the back with Jerry, I’ll drive.”

I wanted to sort the situation out with Lea sooner, rather than later. Controlling two prisoners would be a logistical nightmare; I considered putting Jerry in the trunk but decided against it for now.

I passed my rifle to Jack and kept Lea’s Beretta in my left hand. We drove back to the house in silence. Jack held his rifle to Jerry’s head; Lea was silent in the front, probably deciding how to frame her story.

I pulled up level with the undamaged Range Rover.

“Right, Lea, help me move the supplies to the other vehicle.”

She nodded and we completed the task in a few minutes. I looked at Jack in the back seat.

“Everything still okay?”

“Yeah, he’s been as good as gold,” Jack replied, he leaned over and flicked Jerry’s ear.

Jerry shook his head, then dived towards Jack and head-butted him. I saw Jerry disappear below the seat as Jack started swinging his fist repeatedly downwards.

I ran to the back door on the right hand side of the Range Rover, opened it up, and dragged Jack out of the vehicle.

“Leave him, he’s not worth it. I’ll sit with him from now on.”

“He provoked me,” Jerry shouted from the car.

“Be my guest, I’d probably end up choking him,” Jack replied, then passed my rifle back.

“Okay, take the other Range Rover around to the side of the house. I’ll bring these two around.”

Jack jumped into the other vehicle, started the engine, and pulled away.

“Alright you two, get out, and lead the way,” I said.

Lea exited first, and then made her way towards Bernie’s body. Jerry followed, cursing as he limped along.

Bernie was still lying on his side on the lawn; his eyes and mouth were wide open. Jack joined us and leaned down, closed Bernie’s eyes, and then dragged him round to the back of the house by his arms. I gestured to Lea and Jerry with my rifle and they slowly followed Jack until we reached the fresh graves of the Watson couple.

I grabbed the two shovels from the shed, threw one at Lea, and said, “Start digging.”

She didn’t hesitate and I slung my rifle to join her after instructing Jerry to sit.

Twenty minutes later, Jack said, “I’ll take over, you watch Jerry.”