CW2 by D.R. SMITH (ebook pc reader TXT) 📕

“Shane. Shane Collins” he said extending a wobbly hand. Dundee, who Shane had gleaned from the others was actually named Buck, looked down at it for a moment, looked up at Shane, and then spun around to the rest of the crowd while slapping his knees and bursting into laughter. This was all done while pointing and indicating Shane’s attempt at peace. The whole room started a side-splitting howl with tables pounded on and a few rocking back in their chairs. Shane wasn’t exactly sure what to do. It felt awkward to simply stand there expressionless. So in an effort to become ‘one of the boys’, he too began to smile and then laughed. When Buck turned back to face Shane, the big man’s jovial countenance was suddenly plunged into silence and his face was wiped of any smile whatsoever. Shane’s laugh slowly trickled down to a chuckle and then flickered out completely.

“Just what do you think yer laughing at?” he asked in a sinister sounding voice with eyes now slitted. Instead of responding verbally, Shane simply shrugged his shoulders and stretched his mouth as if to say, I don’t know. After about 10 seconds of staring at Shane, Buck made a sudden faux attack lunge in his direction causing Shane to jump back an inch or two. Once again, Buck turned to his audience and began to bust a gut.

“What the hell…” he said once again turning back in Shane’s direction “… give this pussy a beer!” Everyone laughed and Buck slapped his hand onto Shane’s back with a loud smack.

An immediate concern clouded Shane’s thoughts…I wonder what he’s going to do when I tell him I don’t drink? He thought about taking a can of Bud Light and then doing everything in his power to dump it out in various hidden locations. But getting caught wasting a full can of brew might earn a more severe punishment than just telling him he doesn’t want it. Besides, it would lead them to believe he does drink. Shane raised his hand up in a ‘halt’ fashion and prepared for the unknown response.

“Uh… sir? Mr Buck sir?!” Shane stuttered out nervously. “I really appreciate the offer, but uh… I’m not a drinker in the least” Shane had to say this fairly loud as the normal din of the room had resumed and Big Buck had started to walk away. The entire 6’ 4” frame of him froze in his tracks when the words assaulted his ears.

“Wait… What? What did you just say?” he said with an ear aimed at Shane.

Once again now facing Shane, but still 6 to 8 feet away, Buck washed his hand over and around his face while blowing out a breath of frustration. With eyes tightly clench closed, his hand came to rest with his thumb and forefinger pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Listen Coleman…” For a fraction of a second, Shane thought of correcting him, but thankfully decided not to. “… I feel like I’ve been pretty damn tolerant of you being within the boundaries of our territory. But you need to know this…” he continued as he pointed his finger at Shane’s face and began taking slow steps closer and closer. “We don’t NEED any wusses. A person who can’t pull his weight around here will simply… be… disposed of. We don’t provide food to people who don’t earn it.” He now stood nearly nose to nose with Shane who was growing tired of this ‘dog and pony’ show.

Right then, Shane felt the courage and strength to speak up. He, not Buck, broke the 15 seconds of close up staring and silence following Buck’s monologue.

“Hold on a second. I wandered up to this town simply looking for food. I’m on your side. I’m not a Leftist and I’m not a Separatist. I’m a full blown Right Wing Constitution supporting Conservative… which I’m guessing is what you all are.” He paused for a moment to see if there were any dissenting comments towards his assumption. He then stepped away from Buck and continued. “And if you all are on the same side as myself, then we can’t start threatening or killing each other or we’ll start wiping out our ability to win this war.”

Glancing around the room and intentionally making direct eye contact with several of the militia men, Shane waited a few seconds to see if he had influenced them to allow him his freedom. Buck stood quietly for what seemed like an eternity. Suddenly, again, they all started laughing hilariously. Buck, now winding down from his belly laugh, turned to Shane and said, shouting past him…

“Alright…give the man a Coke for crying out loud!”

Shane wasn’t about to tell Buck… he didn’t drink soda either. Afterall, he was EXTREMELY thirsty. So he popped open the can, took a first swig that polished it off, and while smiling and chuckling, began scoping out the doors, windows, and where his guns and pack were.    

Chapter Four 

After reaching her desk, McKenna Rogers plopped into her office chair and spun around to face her monitor. She had just intertwined the two major issues looming in her life. Her new project assignment here at EnerTech and her now messed up family life. There were ‘pre-trip’ project tasks from Ted already populating her ‘To Do’ list on the screen and any distraction from this, would be easily detected by her boss and co-workers. The team would be leaving in just two days and McKenna needed to somehow locate Daryl and Brandon, laboring on it strictly outside work hours.

“Hey girl, what chu up to?” a female voice spoke from the entrance to her office. McKenna jumped at the very first word and Terra Stapleton, her closest office friend, took note of Micky’s edginess. “Whoa baby? What is going on? You seem a bit nervous?” Terra asked with a now softer concern in her voice.

“Oh Terra. You just caught me off guard. Scared the bejesus out of me!” Micky said chuckling.

“Uh… No. That is not what I just saw” Terra corrected. “That was a woman with a ton of crap on her mind being scared shitless by a simple hello” She stepped into the tiny office space and pulled the door closed behind her. “I’m thinking there needs to be a woman to woman talk take place right here… right now. Talk to me.” Terra was now leaning on the edge of Micky’s desk looking into her face. “What’s wrong Micky?”

Micky’s eyes teared up slightly as she nipped the back of her upper lip and turned her head away to hide the emotion she was projecting. Terra reached up to Micky’s chin and gently pulled her back around face to face.

“I said talk to me Micky. You are scaring me girl. What is going on? Did Daryl hurt you or something?” she asked with kindness and determination.

“No no. It’s not that. Well… at least not exactly like that” McKenna answered trying to decide just how much of this she could trust Terra with. They had been friends for over 6 years now and had confided in each other through some difficult personal experiences. Terra had struggled during a rough period with her husband, Arlon, and had certainly needed a shoulder to lean on. Micky had been there for her through the whole thing and felt the two of them becoming more like sisters than friends. In so many ways, they were nothing alike. Mick was a simple focused person. Career minded, modest and plain clothing with the minimal amount of makeup and jewelry.

Terra, on the other hand, was about as extravagant as someone could be on her hourly pay. Her income as a secretary to one of the operations managers held Terra back from taking her looks all the way over the top. Thank goodness for that, Micky once laughingly joked. Her hair was blown out, her facial makeup had to take hours, Mick would think occasionally. And her nails! Micky never could figure out how Terra managed 75 nearly flawless words per minute with those 2 inch claws! One thing Mick knew for sure… behind those heavily covered lengthy lashes were eyes that revealed a heart of gold. Terra sat down in the chair that was directly next to Mick’s desk.

“He left me Terra. I don’t exactly know why other than he wants to be an integral part of all that garbage going down in the central part of the city” Mick said with a slight waver in her voice. 

“WHAT?!?” Terra responded indignantly. “What in the HELL does he want to get messed up in that dangerous bullshit for? He has a family! Does he not realize that?”

“Well… he took…” she hesitated. “…Brandon with him” Terra sat upright abruptly with her eyes wide and her mouth dropped open.

“Wait a damn second? No way! Nooo way! That is not going to happen!” Terra began to raise her voice in anger prompting Micky to look out through the glass wall into the busy employee pool while ‘shushing’ Terra.

“Please. I really don’t want anyone other than you to know about this Terra” she pleaded. “I have been asked to accompany the exploratory crew to north eastern Arizona and just minutes ago begged Ted to let me bring Brandon with me”

“And?” Terra interjected.

“He said yes” Mick confirmed.

“Well… there you go!” Terra said defiantly. “Take your son on that trip, bring him back to the house, and tell that worthless damn husband of yours to take a hike”

“It isn’t that easy, T” Mick said blinking a long blink to prevent any further tearing up. “I have no idea where they are. And when I sent a text message to Brandon in an attempt to clue him into my intentions to get him back… well… this is what I got back from Daryl” She scrolled through messages and handed the phone to Terra. She read it and then, without moving her head one tiny bit, lifted her eyes to Micky with anger flaring up behind them.

“Is this damn fool asking for it or WHAT!?!” Terra said practically shouting the last word. Mick once again checked to see if anyone heard her and brought a single finger up to her shushing lips.

“T…please. Keep it down woman. Please.” Mick pleaded again.

“OK. I’m confused” Terra began “This message is from this morning. You told me you just asked Ted minutes ago if Brandon can come with you. There IS a timing issue here Micky. What’s going on? Why would you ask Ted that AFTER you got this idiotic message from your lesser half?” The moment of truth had come for McKenna. But amazingly, it all fell into place. She would not have to reveal to Terra her leanings towards the militia faction. She could now share her plan to bolt and contribute it to fear. Fear of losing her son. Fear of Daryl’s retribution. Fear of being where Daryl could find her. All of which was not really a lie anyway.

“Ter… can I totally trust you?” Mick quietly questioned looking directly into Terra’s eyes.

“Girl… you know you