Jason’s POV
“Are you serious?!” Brad is protesting the idea of remaining here. “Those are my parents! I need to head back to see them.” The man sits in his chair, he is complementing on what he wanted to say next.
“The thing is, sonny… That Green River is not the town that you love and know anymore. Since the zombie apocalypse began, Wyoming has been taking knocks from the surrounding dead. Not talking about the folks here that are already dead.” The man looking Brad in the eyes, he moved toward and stand in front of him.
“By keeping us here?” I notice Brad is clenching his fists at the man. He must be serious about seeing his family again. “If you think that, I’ll consider the idea-”
“You’re staying! Plus, even if we were to let you go to Green River. You won’t like what you see and you are safer here than out there.”
“What do you mean ‘safer’ here than out there?” I asked for more clarification on what he said.
Isolated from the whole world
“We were living together at close-knit for years, mister. When we established the community here in Fort Bridger, it would be a place where we can call it home. Some of us got bitten and got superpowers from it…” The man looked at me as if he is expecting me to say something. When I’ve said nothing, he continued the point. “They were a tremendous help and a boon, we even had some can grow crops here making fruits and vegetables.”
“I gathered!” I simply nodded but the man frown as that response.
“I know you ain’t doing that to kiss up to me, boy. I know a pushover when I see one.”
“What your experiences during the 10 years the zombie apocalypse began?” The woman moved forward to us.
“It was chaos. People were getting injured, bitten or killed. I was the one where a random man took a bite on my shoulder, right here.” She pulled up her sleeve to show her bite mark. “Next morning, I was sick and ill though I had the flu.”
“But that wasn’t the case…” The woman looked at Brad, as it shocked him that it was occurring everywhere in this world.
“Can you imagine what it was like to puke up your own blood? What it is like to being unable to breathe…?” The woman walks closer to Brad. “Next thing, you felt hungry and thirsty that water didn’t quench your thirst with your eyes bleeding out of you.”
“It was horrible….” I realised some victims had it a lot worse than most.
“Yes, then I manipulated the surrounding earth. Then we got folks that exhibits some powers on their own.”
“The rest of them, however, turned into the mindless dead. It’s like it would gamble on the fact if you can keep your mind or being a monster.”
“Thankfully, we had a scientist who helped understand that not of all dead are mindless beings and those folks had to be eating fresh animal & occasional human blood.” The man stands beside the woman. “That’s my daughter here. I’m fortunate that I’ve didn’t lose her but she ain’t going to be eat normal foods again.”
“Unless there is a green mist that descends into a city.” I remembered it has happened before.
“Then talk with me!” The man smiles as I mentioned being exposed to the mist back in a couple of places.
I explained from the beginning that the Mist had descended at random intervals from the towns of Provo, Lehi, Price to being a Bear Creek during our ‘side trip’. Told him we ate french fries, catfish and even some apple sauce. The man had a laugh when I mentioned that and then we introduced ourselves as Jason, Samantha, Brad and Jenny, whom I hope…
“Hey! Did I miss anything?” I shook my head.
“I was getting ready to ask if he makes Argus burgers.” Jenny's eyes lighted up the moment I’ve mentioned it.
“Whoa, Jason! Not so fast! Even if we make burgers here, you are a Sentient, ya’ll puke up on a burger the minute we serve it to you.” Oh… Right, I had forgotten about that. It flattened Jenny the moment he mentioned it. “But back to the point. You wanted to know why we are keeping you here?”
“Because you got screwed over in the past?” Oh, I keep telling her… Her mouth can land us in hot water.
“Yes, multiple times, I’m afraid.” The man turns his back to us, he probably recalling the times what he was through.
“Throughout 10 years since it begun, we had been calling the military for help. We thought with our supplies and our neighbor & friends are capable survivors we can hold out for help to arrive. Even Steve and Edward, our two top technicians, which Edward is… odd, they would be contact others for aid and help…” He paced back and forth. “That didn’t take. We bridgers would have to make ourselves self-reliant on each other, we even grow our own food, crop and raising cattle. Eventually we knew we couldn’t rely on each forever so we reach out and branched out…”
“However, Ladies & Gentleman… It didn’t pan out.” The woman with the eyepatch spoke up. “Some communities turned into banditry, turned us away in our hour of need, destroyed or tried to take over the city that we lived in for years.” The man turned to her and gave scowl on his face but he restrain himself from saying anything.
“However, one community near here had a lot of supplies, goods, people and protection. The bastard, however, had intents of trying to take over the city.”
“You fend them off. The experience was pain enough that you decided no more outsiders or dealing with the outside world. You isolated yourselves away from the entire world.”
“We did place signs and dead bodies to warn people away from our community. In fact, the 4 of you are the first visitor we have.”
“Definitely not cannibals! Or people plotting our demises… meh heh!” I let a brief chuckle when Jenny rubbed her hands together… much to the confusion in the others in the room.
“You mention the ‘bastard’ who tried to take over the community?” I wanted to get back into the conversation.
“Yeah, he was a rotten son of a bitch who acted like a perfect gentleman when it suited him and the likes of him fooled even me…” The chef came in to provide today’s lunch and we sat down and ate.
As I continue to listen to his story, I learned that the people of the Fort Bridger have made an alliance with the town ‘duke’ from Bridger Valley. They learned too late they made a deal with the wrong man who invaded the fort and forced them to pay tribute or he would have them all killed without a second thought.
The duke, as Mason described him, was a ‘polite gentleman, with the monster not far behind him’. Even the tribute isn’t guaranteed since he can consider it not enough for his liking and held his daughter, Melinda, as a collateral to ensure the town would not dare try to fight back out of fear he would harm her. Even worse, they even take the woman regardless if they are married or not with the men being powerless to do anything about it.
“And that bastard lapped up every moment for his amusement. He and his boys played his games with us. One day it is tribute. The next day, it is the woman to do whatever they like.” Hearing this from him filled with me up with every violent thought that I can think about to get my hands on the man. “I can see your anger, Jason. Wish you were here earlier, you would have whoop some of their asses to rescue our loved ones.”
“It was technically me and Gertrude who came up with the plan to deal with those bullies.” A man with glasses and his clothing was a mess. He looked like he saw a lot of horrors in this world. “I know, I know, my appearance gave it away, you can relax.” The man took some pills to help him calm down. He took a deep breath. “Edward Percival Garward Elmstein! Nice to meet you!” I shook the man’s hand, which he smiled with delight.
“Jason is my name.” The man shook it hard with excitement.
“Oh, yes! I almost forgot… What Mason didn’t tell you we have been at their mercy for 2 years. Those jerks took what they wanted, and they didn’t care who got hurt. I told Mason that he is better off fighting back than to give them what they wanted, since they still make life a living hell. THE LAST STRAW WAS THEY…” I smiled to encourage him to finish what he was saying. “They took my glasses and smashed them and my medication!”
“You had need the medication to deal with schizophrenia and bipolar issues.” I understood where he came from. “Also, a scientist like yourself has done a lot of good in the community. I assume you got to work inventing gadgets to turn the tides.”
“Well… Yes on my… Condition as well building the gadgets.” He seems unsure of what to say next. “They took my little sis and they…”
“She didn’t….” I stopped short on what to say next. Knowing the man, he seems to still miss her, and I know he did it to avenge her. I don’t want to relieve a painful memory that is too much for him.
“She didn’t what?” The man turned to me with a deranged look on his face. “THEY MUTILATE HER AND THEY HAD THEIR FUN LIKE SHE WAS NOTHING TO THEM… NOTHING! NOTHING!!” The man broke down. Melinda moved to comfort him. I shouldn’t have brought up.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…” it cut me short with melinda turning her gaze on me. She was soft but stern gaze. They went through a harrowing experience that it was difficult on them. I need to change the subject.
“I’m sorry, maybe we should-”
“No, Mr. Jason…” The man stopped crying. He grabbed a tissue to blow his nose and then he turned to me with a relaxed expression on his face. “It was my fault that I’ve acted that way since she died and took my med away.”
“I assume with the herbs they made here in the community, you were to synthesize with some modification for your condition.” The man nods in delight.
“Yes, but we need to finish where we left off… Oh that right! I asked them to take me as their residential scientist and doctor!”
“To sabotage, locating the women and you couldn’t do it without inside help, I assume?”
“Jason… I didn’t even tell you what I’ve done to get them out.” The man is surprise that I’ve quickly picked up on what he was saying. “Thing was, it wasn’t easy to get in there and find the women. And yes, they was an inside man but not actual man, of course.” The woman moved closer.
“I was their Inside ‘man’ and I part of their community until I saw how they treated the women.” The woman recalled details of her time there.
