Chapter 18:
She didn't know how they got there. Yates had taken them back to a place they didn't recognise. It looked warm enough, but they didn't know anything about the people who tended to them. Since she was sick and still coughing they'd given her medicine and their doctor ordered her to rest. She and Classi had a small room to themselves. It was comfortable and reminded her of what the world was like before the outbreak. The double bed was soft and layered with multiple mismatched blankets. There was a radiator in the corner actually in use. She hadn't been in a warm room since before they arrived at Randy Marsh's camp just outside town.
"The hell is this place." Classi tried to look out the window only to see they'd boarded it up. She was right of course. She didn't know where they were or even if she'd actually seen Sergeant Harrison Yates alive. They left him behind in Denver and she didn't know how he'd survived since Officer Barbrady handcuffed him to the roof.
"Do they take in people?" The bed was comfortable and she'd covered herself with blankets. "This could be that other refugee centre I've been hearing about."
"I don't like it." Classi couldn't see this as a good thing. They didn't have access to their weapons and when Classi opened the door to take a peak they were under guard.
"This is the best I've had since this all started." She told Classi. "It has to be better than the Randy's camp."
"Hey! Hey!" Classi banged on the door and proceeded to make a scene to get some attention. "Open this door! You can't keep us in here!"
"Keep noise to a minimum lady." Harrison Yates arrived with Mr. Mackey in tow.
"You again!" Classi clearly regarded Yates with bitterness and resentment.
"That's no way to talk to the man who just saved your asses." Yates made himself comfortable in the recliner chair. While the room was small it was equipped with a double bed, shelves containing extra blankets and pillows, along with books and magazines to read. There was also a small table and two chairs in the corner closest to the bed. While Classi was agitated and wanted to leave she was content to stay where she was. She was so worn she felt like she could sleep for a week.
"How's Barbrady these days?" Harrison Yates asked while dismissing Classi's angry outbursts.
"O-oh?" She quickly realised what this discussion was going to be about. "I haven't seen him in a while."
"Is he dead?" He drilled them with questions considering she was part of the supply run team that left Yates cuffed to the rooftop.
"N-not that I know of." She hadn't seen Officer Barbrady, Mayor McDaniels or anyone else since McDaniels and other survivors robbed and abandoned their camp site. She hadn't seen Randy Marsh, Sharon Marsh, Linda Stotch or any of the others that were left behind in camp since her son started wailing for Kentucky Fried Chicken and brought a large herd down upon them. She filled him in regarding everything that had happened in the last few months. "I-I lost my little Eric." She couldn't will the tears to stop. The last time she'd seen her own son he was surrounded by the dead screaming. He wanted his mother and there was nothing she could do.
"Barbrady will wish he was dead." She was shocked he'd say such a thing. Before the outbreak Harrison Yates and George Barbrady were the best of friends. She quickly understood why Yates would want revenge against his former superior when he removed a prosthetic arm fitted with a blade to reveal scarred, charred skin and a stump where his left hand used to be.
"Oh dear." She actually liked Officer Barbrady and even considered him a friend. She didn't want to help Yates get his revenge against him.
"You wouldn't happen to know where he is would you?" Yates insisted on honest answers from them. He believed Classi when she said she hadn't seen anyone else since the outbreak started.
"The camp was overrun. The dead took Eric. T-they left me behind so I don't know where they are."She couldn't even tell him where else they might go since Barbrady and McDaniels robbed their camp blind.
"Why would Mary be so petty?" He asked with curiosity. He scooted his seat closer to them while they sat on the bed after Classi had calmed down from her initial outburst. He quickly turned his attention to Mr. Mackey who stood in the doorway before pressing her for details. "Go boil some tea Mackey."
"M'Kay." Mackey left and promptly did as he was instructed. Yates explained the rations regarding alcohol and how he'd prefer scotch.
"What do you want me to tell you?" She just wanted to go to sleep. She hadn't slept properly in weeks. Yates wouldn't leave them alone until he got all the details.
"Mayor McDaniels wouldn't do shit like that without a reason." Yates handed them cups of warm tea when Mackey returned with a tray. "What pissed the bitch off?"
She had no choice but to tell him and she quickly realised Mary McDaniels robbed the camp because she couldn't take the gossip about her. "She slept with Randy Marsh."
Yates spat his tea out in shock. "Eew! No way! Really?" He regarded her with disbelief since everyone in town knew she was with Officer Barbrady. "Mary and Randy? This better not be bullshit."
"No." She shook her head. "It happened while we were in Denver for the supply run. I found out when I got back."
"I didn't think Marsh was her type." He muttered with disgust. "Isn't he married?"
"We thought Barbrady was dead." She explained. She didn't know how it happened. She just heard that it did.
Yates leaned back in his chair still shocked by this news. "I thought she had standards."
Once Yates was satisfied with the information she had given him they were allowed to rest. Mr. Mackey assured them they would be treated to a proper breakfast and more hot tea the following morning. Despite the grief she still felt for her young son it was the best sleep she'd had in a long time. For the first time since the outbreak began she felt safe.
XXXX
"See!" A smug smirk broadened across his face when they finally reached the cabin Mary McDaniels owned. "I told you there was a cabin out here."
"Hold on a second." Sharon blocked him as he was about to walk down the driveway.
"You're kind of in the way Sharon." He couldn't get past her. If he moved she moved with him. She blocked him from going any further. "I thought you said you wanted shelter."
"How did you know this was here Randy?" She glowered at him and her fists clenched at her side. He knew she was ready to punch him.
"That's a good question." Roger Donovan and the others flanked Sharon baking her up. "How did you know this was here?"
"It's Mary's." He tried pushing past them but they pushed him back. He regained his balance before he went sliding down the hill. The road leading to the cabin was on an incline.
He became frustrated with them because he longed to be inside. The cabin was surrounded by lush snow covered pine trees and forest. Large mountains loomed behind the four story property. He knew Mary and her traitors were inside as he noticed the lights and the faint sound of music coming from the cabin. Smoke billowed from the chimneys and he knew it would be warm inside.
"Would you rather stay out here?" He snapped at them becoming more and more agitated when they refused to let him past.
"How do you know this place is Mary's" Sharon demanded with hostility.
"I never heard about her owning a cabin out here." Maggie Yates interjected on Sharon's behalf. "Harris would've mentioned it."
"Mary told me about it." He lied even though he knew they weren't buying it.
"What did you do Randy?!" Sharon was going to punch him and since the others had turned on him he knew they wouldn't stop her if she did.
He didn't owe them an explanation. He took control and pushed them over. Enough was enough. He was determined to make Mary McDaniels and Officer Barbrady pay for betraying him. He stormed up the front door and proceeded to bang on the door with closed fists and scream. He didn't care if the dead heard him. The traitors inside would have to let him in if they didn't want their paradise overrun. He knew he was behaving like an idiot, but he was giving McDaniels no choice. She had to accommodate him.