Talker – Chapter Twenty-Three: The Best Laid Plans
Author's Note: Suffering some writer's block but getting through it for the most part. Chapter 23.
It took some time to settle the group down after the incident, and even when things did partially calm, the mood was no less uncomfortable. It seemed a pain just to speak to one another, but at this point, as bad as things where, there were matters that needed to be discussed. They sat around another kindled fire in low spirits, now serious where they had, moments ago, been at least a bit jovial with one another. "We're down to the ropes." Kenneth said as he scratched his neck. "Now I know it's not a good plan, but somehow, we're gonna have to go back out there."
"With no defenses and no supplies…" Terry said this not as an objection, but more as to assure himself of the severity of their situation. He ran a hand over the side of his face.
Kenneth desperately wanted to retort with one of his sturdy 'we've gotten out of worse' speeches, but he knew that it would be a lie. They hadn't. Not really; this was about as worse off as it gets. "The thing I wanna talk about is with who and how we get there."
"Well then we're back to the same argument as before." Ana pointed out. She was sitting away from Tyler, eyes constantly avoiding him. He himself remained with his head low and said nothing. "Who stays and who goes."
"And I don't think all of us should go." Kenneth admitted. "Too much of a risk."
"So who?" she repeated.
Kenneth paused for a long while, brow creased and eyes scanning over the sand as though he were reading his answer from it. He looked up with a stern nod and sighed. "Me and Terry."
Terry made a gesture of agreement, despite Nicole's outward protest.
"I don't think so, one of you should stay here to make sure the others are okay. It's like I said before, I wouldn't doubt that you could need someone with a little medical knowledge up there." Ana said.
"We can use as doctor when we get back." Kenneth decided. "If we get hurt bad enough up there to need serious medical help, chances are it's too damn late. You stop to treat someone and you get killed too."
"…We can't go treating this like some military operation." Ana shifted in her position, purposely continuing her avoidance of Tyler's small, nervous movements. "We're not planning to leave anyone behind here."
"Of course we're not planning to leave anyone." Terry cut in. "That's what makes it a risk, it could happen."
"No." Ana countered gruffly. "No, I'm not letting anyone get left behind. Not again."
"Which is exactly why you should stay." Kenneth pointed a finger at her. "If you go back for someone who's had it, you get killed too, and instead of one down, we're two down."
"This isn't a fucking numbers game." She snapped. "Of course I would risk my life for any one of you, that's what will keep us all alive."
"It'll get us all killed." Kenneth disagreed.
"Ana's right." Nicole said, eyes still bleeding tears. Though somehow her emotion had died a little, now a cold nonchalance taking its place. "I don't want to do what's best for the group. I wanna do what's best for everyone in the group. Individually."
"Killing ourselves for each other isn't what's best for all of us." Kenneth rumbled.
"And you're really one to talk, how many times have you risked your ass for us?" Ana reminded.
Kenneth shook his head. "Things I did I did for all of us."
"Don't pretend you wouldn't save any one of us." Terry contested.
"Why shouldn't I go?" Nicole sat up straight. "I'm fast, I'd bet I can outrun them."
"No way." Terry ground out simply.
She was about to reply with resentment to that when Kenneth stopped her. "Maybe, Nicole, but you can't carry as much as the others. Neither could you, Ana, you couldn't haul as much as we'd need."
"That's not the only thing we have to worry about." She said.
"We don't even know how many are out there—or if they even are there anymore. We might even be able to slip right in without them noticing." Nicole thought aloud.
"They sure as hell noticed us before." Said Kenneth.
"Maybe that's just because we stayed there for so long. Maybe they left by now." She insisted.
"Why would they leave?" Terry asked.
"Because there's nothing there to eat." Nicole replied sourly, not wanting to experience the image that she currently was drowning in.
"They don't have anywhere better to be." Ana spoke, rubbing her arms unconsciously. "If they were anywhere, they'd be closer to where we are now. And we can't plan this out on hopeful 'maybes'."
"Then why don't you give us some certainties?" Kenneth pushed. "Since you're so worried about the risks."
"That's not fair, Kenneth, I'm trying to help. And I'm just being careful. You went the brash way last time and look what happened." Ana came back, folding her arms tightly over her stomach as she caught his sardonic tone.
"I'm not saying that we should take everyone and I'm not saying that we should stay there any longer than we need to this time. I want it quick and done."
"Without regard to consequence?"
"I didn't say that."
"You didn't consider it."
"Okay okay—" Terry broke in, holding up his hands. "Come on you guys, cool it already."
Ana hesitated before making a semi-apologetic mutter. "I just want to make sure…that we're going the safest way."
"So do we all." Terry said. "Kenneth is right. He and I should go."
"Terry-" Nicole started.
"And we shouldn't stay there any longer than to grab a few things. I can-"
"Why should you go?" Ana interupted, looking at Terry. "Kenneth and I should go, we're in the best health." She stated.
"What, because of my arm?" Terry held up his said appendage in slight offense. "It's not that much of a bother, Ana, Christ."
"Well how much can you carry on it?" she watched him give out an exasperated sigh.
"Ana-"
"I'll go." Tyler's voice rose up, making them all stop and turn their heads to him questioningly. It took them a moment to register that, so caught up in the complications of their argument. They hadn't expected him to say anything through this, he was usually so quiet. And if he would say anything, it certainly wouldn't have been…that.
"…What?" Terry eyed him.
Tyler looked up, nodding slightly in consideration before he looked around at the eyes on him. "I said…I'll go."
"You'll go." Kenneth repeated, shaking his head. They were all, of course, inclined to disagree with that. Tyler was sick, he had head troubles—and quite honestly…could they even trust him? Was he capable? But against all of that, something stopped them from saying anything. That something was the very small, minor fact that Tyler had managed to walk his way right out of the center of infestation unbothered.
Tyler looked around at them expectingly, hands crossed over tensely in his lap. "I have the best chance…I think. Right?"
"But you…" Terry began, but had to stop and rethink himself. "You can't go up there like that." Was all he said, but he didn't bother to explain why.
"They didn't even touch me last time." He forced out, clearing his throat. "Why would they? They think I'm a corpse. I can go right past them and they won't give a damn."
Kenneth and Terry gave each other a look, then both went back to studying Tyler. Ana looked between the three of them in wonderment and Nicole sat silently to await an answer.
"Maybe…hell, maybe they wouldn't…" Kenneth said at last, eyebrows raising.
"What?" Ana's eyes widened.
Kenneth looked from Ana to Terry with a shrug, then back to Tyler. "Guy's got a point. They didn't kill him then, so why now?"
"With that kind of stealth it would be easy." Terry chided, raising his eyebrows also in surprise that the idea hadn't occurred earlier. He just supposed that they hadn't much considered Tyler in group matters.
"My God, I can't believe you're considering this." Ana growled, causing the three men to turn to her. "We can't send Tyler there alone."
"Why not?" Kenneth was clearly frustrated by Ana's lack of cooperation by this point.
"Because he's sick. Something could happen to him. Have you seen the crack in his head, Kenneth?" she motioned to Tyler, but did not look at him.
"He's up and able now." Kenneth reasoned.
"So what? You can't seriously be thinking of doing this."
"I-It's fine…really, I'm up for it." Tyler tried.
"Ana, they don't know he's alive." Terry attempted to point out the obvious upper hand in that.
"Okay, so maybe they didn't notice that he wasn't one of them last time." Ana said with a contained groan. "That doesn't mean they won't catch on eventually. It's like the resort; it was okay for a while before they realized we were there. What happens if they realize that Tyler's not a zombie?"
"What are they gonna do, bite him?" Kenneth threw out his hands, thrusting a thumb in Tyler's direction.
"Gore the living hell out of him, that's what!" she corrected. "We can't ask him to do that."
"No, I'll do it." Tyler insisted, waving his hands. "It's okay, really, I can do it." He nodded quickly. "I'll just grab the guns and some supplies and I'll be back in no time at all."
"It's…too…no, I-it's crazy." She concluded. "It's crazy. It's too dangerous."
"It's the best chance there is." Terry said as he let his gaze fall on Tyler.
"How can you say that, don't you care that you're putting someone in mortal danger?" Ana turned to him with a disbelieving scoff.
"It's not that I don't care." He held up his hands as though afraid she would lunge for him. "I care about Tyler's well-being as much as the rest of us. But he's right, he's got the best advantage. If anyone of us can do it, he can."
Ana remained speechless after that, desperate to protest, but defeated. If Tyler himself volunteered, what could she possibly say to sway them? Part of her wondered if they really did care whether or not the man died…but she had to hurriedly erase that thought. …Of course they cared. They had to. She knew how high the value on life was these days.
"Okay…" Kenneth took in a breath in thought, eyes traveling back onto Tyler, who looked rather determined about this. "Now Tyler, you sure you're up for this?"
"Yeah." He nodded briskly.
"Then I guess that settles it." Kenneth took in a breath, resting his chin on his folded hands. He seemed to be waiting for a response from Ana, but did not receive one.
"So…what?" Terry said. "We just send him on up there? Just like that?"
Kenneth paused. "If you got an idea, let's hear it."
"Well I don't know, I mean we could…Obviously we can't go with him, but I think we should make some kind of security measure." He continued.
Kenneth thought for a while and came up with little, offering up a wayward thought. "We could go after him a ways. You know, just hold out near the place for a while. So we can hear him yell, if he needs help." He looked over at Ana as though waiting for a reaction that would let him know if the idea appeased her any. She moved her lips slightly without words.
Terry took a sideways glance at Nicole and breathed a silent sigh. "So then…how's tomorrow morning?"
Author's Note: Alright alright, so it was pretty obvious they would send Tyler up there. Hmmmm, hope he doesn't get mauled. Hehehehehe…