AGE OF INSANITY

Chapter 22: Clean slate

Under Marcus's guidance we went back to the clearing. The prisoners did not limit their imaginations when it came to torturing the gaurds. They had gone through insane lengths to cause as much pain as they could without killing them.

They were still tied together, most of them unconscious. We worked fast, careful not to add any pain to the men. The absence of women was glaring, somehow I just knew that they had gone through worse in the hands of the, now thankful dead, animals. The sun came up and set about it's day while Charles and Marcus ferried the injured gaurds. They were a total of ten guards who were rescued, the rest of their comrades did not survive.

The architect of the shelter had taken everything into consideration. He had included a hospital, a school and a church at the center of the shelter. The hospital was fully equipped. I radioed in to the showroom and Phillip received my transmission.

" Does anyone have medical experience? We have an emergency...scratch that several emergency situations here."

" Guess you have us to thank then," Phillip's voice crackled through the satellite phone "we happen to pick up an entire medical team."

"Well then this all works out. Phillip and Nigel could you please escort the medical team? Bring everything you guys managed to get from the hospital. We might as well finish setting it up."

"Roger that! So cool I've always wanted to say that into a walkie talkie."

"First of all it's not a walkie talkie it's a satellite phone", I corrected him.

"Potato,tomato" he retorted with his usual logic.

"Wow! Now you are just trying my patience!"

"Is that a new sex style that we haven't tried yet?"

Trust Phillip to make a sex joke during the apocalypse. If it were any other person I would have ended the transmission. Phillip however was a different type of beast. He might as well have been making a dark joke about people dying with the same level of enthusiasm. He used humour to cope. So everything with him was a joke, understandably so.

"Jesus Christ Phillip. People are literally dying and you can afford to make jokes. For shame sir, for shame"

Marcus, who had to have been lurking in the background, snatched the phone from hands cutting off whatever Phillip was saying.

" If you want to make jokes please do so at your own time."

"I wasn't joking I was asking for medical help and guess what? They do have doctors with them."

"That's good. Everyone should come to the shelter. The twins know the way so it shouldn't be a problem. I need each and everyone of you to drive a separate vehicle. We will need them for making rounds. Carry everything you will need because you won't get the chance to go back. One more thing please carry with you anything that could be used as a weapon."

"How does more than a hundred guns and a about a few hundred thousand bullets sound?" Phillip interjected

"Where did you get guns from?" Charles who I did not notice entering the room asked

"Irene and her crew managed to find a gun shop. Shocking! I know. I wasn't even aware we had some of those in Kenya. They got lucky so we are well and truly armed.'

"Okay, try to stick close together and please be fast. Do not stop for anything or anyone. If someone tries to stop run them over if you must."

"Aye! Aye! Captain Phillip' shouted hanging up before Marcus could respond.

He took hard look at me before storming off. Charles watched Marcus's retreating back with mild amusement before turning back to me.

"We are going to rig a conveyor belt to help transport the food into the shelter. You should look around and locate a suitable storage for the food."

We left the ailing men who were all in one form or another dead to the world and went about making the shelter survivable. The pets we had released into the shelter were running around exploring the shelter. Finding an area for food storage was easy. Next to church there was a huge building. It was easily the largest one. It had a fairly large freezer room, which would come in handy.

After they finished setting up the belt that would drop the food near the entrance, Charles came to help me arrange the store. Anything perishable was taken to the freezer while the rest were organized accordingly. Three German Shepherd puppies and a Siberian husky came to the store and watched us work.

"They are mine!" Charles and I said simultaneously.

He burst out laughing while I glared at him. The audacity the man had. He seemed to find my anger wildly amusing. I refused to indulge his humor. The dogs were going to be mine, no questions about it.

He raised his arms in surrender while his body shook with silent laughter. I had never, in all the time I knew him, seen him laugh. He always went out if his way to avoid everyone else. I empathized with his need to be alone so I never bothered him. Within two days of leaving the bunker Charles and I had said more words to each other than we had spoken in months. Outside of the bunker he seemed more sure of himself. He talked more, engaged with others more. He seemed more alive, even when fighting for his life more than he had in the comfort of the bunker.

My gaze softened as curiosity about him surfaced. I am a selfish, self serving bitch. I always was and always would be. Other people never interested me unless they benefited me in someway. As such I never really took an interest in a man unless he was a potential mating partner. I felt no such stirring with Charles and yet for the first time in a very long time I found myself thinking about him. I was curious to know who he was and what thoughts he hid behind his hooded eyes.

He took one look at morphed expression and his smile fell from his face. He was more comfortable with my anger than he was with my curiosity. His guarded reaction cemented my unformed feelings of comradery. For the first time in my life I related to someone else so much so I wanted to befriend him.

Within three hours we had finished off loading the food. The store was completely filled leaving just enough space to pass.   I picked up some potato crisps and sat down at the entrance of the store next to Charles. I offered him some and he took it. I resisted the urge to pet him, he would not take it well.