บท 43: Then, Let's Get To Work
Dad shrugged off the strange inconsistency in the stories that Trevor told us. He redirected the conversation masterfully, pushing it back to Vincent to learn everything that he could.
"How did Vincent rise to power? What did he do differently that nobody else could do? Please, anything you know will be useful, we want to stay out of his way," Dad explained. He rose his hands, carefully engaging in the conversation to lead Trevor on, and to get him to remain neutral and willing to explain the outside world to us.
"He was a good guy. I used to live in the neighborhood with him... he was a gun nut, somebody part of the military that was stationed in his own neighborhood. When they started killing the sick people... Vincent slaughtered all of them. It was crazy, you know?! I mean, I'd never seen a rocket launcher in real life before that, but he shot it at the tank!" Trevor's friend picked up in an eager tone, willingly explaining to us Vincent's surprising arsenal and dangerous tactics.
I was beyond baffled... but also intrigued. A rocket launcher sounded so cool, and I really wanted to hold it. I wondered if I could one day...
"The military killed one sick person, and it was enough for Vincent. He quickly became unhinged and gunned down every, last, one of them. I hid in my basement listening to the gunshots, and they just didn't stop. Not to reload, not because they ran out, not because of anything but the sheer fact that they weren't dead, so Vincent didn't stop shooting," Trevor's friend explained. The way he told us that part of the story, I got chills thinking about what he was capable of. It was like Korin turned up to 100.
"So... why have you never taken action against Vincent? Does he hold that big of an influence?" Dad asked Trevor. He was the type of guy to call to action no matter what. Dad was fearless, strong, and smart, which was a terrifying mix of things to be in the face of a conflicting leader. I didn't regard Vincent as a challenge at all, so long as I had Dad.
"Have you seen The Horde wandering around? I'm sure you have by now... but now that I think of it, maybe not, with all these gates and such," Trevor said to us. He was alluding to a bigger picture, and I caught him before he could continue on another pointless rant, quickly pulling it into the center of the conversation.
"The Horde? Like, a big horde of zombies? We fought one a few weeks ago... how big was it?" I asked Trevor. I noticed that I started to take part in conversations while Dad stood silent and just listened. He sat on the curb while staring out at the houses I hid at when Korin attacked the one night, and almost seemed like he stopped paying attention. I never noticed, but Dad stood silent to see if my innocence would draw out inconsistencies in other people.
"Yes, that could've been it. You see, Vincent has this horde roaming around his area, and we're not too far from it. The Horde is there to keep people separated from him, so we've found out. That's part of our map, these lines mark which times it's safe to proceed, and which times it's dangerous. The zombies that sleep are the trickiest because they don't wake up unless there's sound to provoke them," Trevor explained to us. I nodded, digesting all of the information.
What Trevor and his friend told us were things we couldn't figure out until it was unfortunately too late. I couldn't forget stuff like that, so I didn't even bother writing it down. The Sleepers are the reason that The Horde is so unpredictable and keeps Vincent isolated.
"And as people looking for others to trade, you know their routes day in and day out... that's why you're going this way. It's too dangerous over there?" Dad asked Trevor next. He got up from the curb to see what was on Trevor's map while he explained everything.
"That's right. All houses, stores, everything really, it's completely missing from the map now. Have you seen a horde in action at all, Charlie? I mean, they go through everything they can. The force of that many zombies piled onto each other can be excruciating for structures... they push up against it until their brains splatter on the wall and the house caves in. I hate to exaggerate, but it's an absolutely perfect plan that Vincent has," Trevor said. He changed everything when he said that.
To my old understanding, Vincent was accidentally doing all of this. He accidentally made The Horde, he accidentally pushed Sleepers into it, he accidentally ruled over all the land and demolished everything... but to think, he knew what he was doing? How psychotic was that man?
"So, let me get this straight... Vincent is the eye of the storm, and it's slowly expanding, right? How long until that storm gets to where we are, if you don't mind me asking?" Dad asked Trevor and his friend next. He held out his hand as if he tried to get a grasp on the situation. Dad and I were both perplexed by what we had been told.
"Shit, I wouldn't say very long. You see Mister, Vincent is a smart man, you know that now... he probably even knows you're here, so he might be shooting to push the horde here, you know? You can never be too careful," Trevor's friend said. Dad had a look of defeat, taking a blank breath in, and staring at the ground while his head bobbed in surprise.
"Can you get me to him? I want to chat with him," Dad surprisingly said next. It was the obvious best move in this situation, but it stunned Trevor and his friend. The two looked at each other, and audibly gulped in surprise.
"Charlie, you are quite the scary guy to want to meet with Vincent... you really want to put a stop to his demolition before he gets to you, don't you?" Trevor asked. Dad nodded at their prediction and looked in the back of the truck.
"I want to make it a fair deal for you guys too since you'll be risking your lives trying to take me there. Your stuff here, I'm sure people would trade good things for it on the other side of the High School. I'm talking everywhere, like Schott's, some gas stations out that way, and the City's Bank, I'm sure those resources are invaluable if we can get to them... but we have to pass Vincent first. You help me, and it'll boost your way of life," Dad explained to Trevor and his friend. I could tell they both knew that, but something also told me that they weren't motivated to change anything about the way they lived. They were going to head west, in the direction of the Elementary School from the High School, and keep going.
"Then, we should start getting to work then, shouldn't we?" Trevor said. His friend got into the truck and the two pulled it into our parking lot. Dad adjusted his shirt, holstered his gun, and walked back inside with his hand on my back.
"Working with the community, see?" He asked me.
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