“I don’t like it,” Brent growled when he found out that Josiah and the others still had not returned. “This new guy comes waltzing in and suddenly everyone is bowing and scraping for him? And he’s running off with Dixon of all people? I don’t like it at all.”
“He brought in a nigger, too,” Greg grunted. “I never thought we’d be letting that kind stay with us.”
“He’s not so bad,” Larry said. “His son is respectful and smart. Besides, it’s not like we can afford to turn anyone away. We’ve lost a lot of good people lately to the zombies and to the Farm. At this rate, it’s going to be a ghost town here sooner rather than later.”
“Whatever,” Greg muttered. “If he lays a hand on my wife, I’ll shoot his ass.”
“I don’t think he’ll do that,” Larry sighed. “Rob and Josiah both seem like good men.”
“Are you so certain that is Josiah Denton?” Brent asked. “It could be someone who just looks like him. It could be a spy posing as him trying to infiltrate our group. I mean, this is the CDC here, after all. We are controlling some very valuable real estate. That crazy girl keeps telling us that Atlanta is being fought over by a bunch of different factions, right? Well, if I were them, the CDC would be on my list of places I’d want to have in my pocket and if someone else had it, I’d try to get it from them.”
“Yeah, but Brent, think about it,” Larry argued. “Anyone who wanted to take this place over would have to get the doctors on their side and that’s not easy to do. The only way we were able to get in here was because of Merle and Daryl.”
“Or they could send in an imposter to take over our group from the outside and convince the doctors to kill any of us who would give them trouble,” Brent pointed out. “It’s no secret that you and I would be on that list, Greg. Larry, your name is probably on it, too.”
“I doubt that,” Larry snapped. “Brent, you’re just being paranoid. I think you’re upset because you aren’t going to get to be the king of your own little castle any more. Frankly, you’ve been scaring the shit out of some of us lately.”
“What do you mean by that?” Brent snarled. “You’re just a little punk-ass middle manager. You’ve always done whatever the biggest badass told you to do. Right now, that’s me. Who’s it going to be next? You know, Larry, you’ve never shown that you could be loyal to anyone except yourself.”
“I’m just looking out for the group’s best interest,” he protested. “That includes you, Brent.”
“You’re full of it,” Greg muttered angrily. “I’ve seen how you look down at me, asshole.”
“Greg…”
“You think I don’t notice it? You’ve been looking at my woman, you shit-eatin’ sonuvabitch!”
“I oughta let him beat the shit out of you,” Brent said with a nasty grin. “You deserve it, Larry. You started panting after that so-called sheriff the minute he showed up. Why, you think you’re some kind of hero, don’t you?”
“I don’t think anything like that,” Larry protested weakly.
“Then prove it,” Greg taunted. “Help us get rid of those three assholes permanently.”
“No way!”
“Then maybe we’ll get rid of you,” Brent threatened.
“Jesus, Brent, you can’t be serious,” Larry sighed. “Why are you acting like this?”
“Do you want to be one of the big boys or not, little man?” Greg mocked.
“Whatever. I’m done with you guys,” Larry muttered. He stormed out of the room, leaving the two men alone in the large common eating area. Brent and Greg stared at each other — this had never happened before. They’d always been able to get Larry to go along with whatever they wanted him to do. He usually caved in the minute Greg started threatening him or Brent started insulting him. How could he have suddenly gotten out from under their thumbs so quickly?
“I don’t like it,” Brent muttered. “We gotta get rid of them.”
“Yeah,” Greg agreed. “We do.”
~*~*~*~
The three doctors made a list of their own to go along with the list that the trio had gotten from the gang residing out in Lindridge. One of the few medical researchers still around was tasked with sitting down and writing out instructions on how to manufacture the medications or treatments for the ailments these drugs treated as well as steps for how to perform routine medical examinations and procedures that they might need to know. Caitlin and Rob were marking the locations of pharmacies and veterinary clinics in the area that might have been overlooked while Josiah, Daryl, and Vance discussed more immediate possibilities.
“I can’t believe we never thought about campus libraries and bookstores,” Vance muttered. “There’s a wealth of information there.”
“I gotta feelin’ these guys ain’ much fer readin’,” Daryl pointed out. “‘Specially not no tex’books wi’ a lotta big ass words. Why’s y’all gotta use all ‘em big words anyways?”
“For precision,” Vance explained. “Trust me, it’s not just so we can sound smart. To you, there’s little difference between whether an infection is caused by bacteria or fungus but to a medical doctor or researcher, there is a world of difference between the two. It’s like knowing whether or not an engine runs on regular gasoline or water or if you’re about to spray yourself with insect repellent or sugar water.”
“Whatever.”
“Look, so long as they have enough determination and patience, they can learn what all of those big words mean. Will it be easy? No. But we can make it easier for them by getting some of those books and rearranging the information so that what they’ll need is put together in a more logical and accessible manner,” Vance continued. “A quick and dirty field guide.”
“Which books would you need for that?” Josiah asked.
“Preferably? At least two or three of each. Our vans still have mostly full fuel tanks. You could take one of those — empty out the backs and pack them full. Bring back books on every subject — biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, history, literature…don’t give me that dubious look, Sheriff. You never know what’s going to wind up being useful and we’re past the point where we can pick and choose.”
“Literature?” he said, sounding dubious.
“Will have many great practical descriptions of some nasty diseases that are going to make a comeback. Things like tuberculosis — consumption. Diphtheria, cholera, typhus, yellow fever, la grippe, malaria, measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, polio…”
“Polio?” Daryl said. He sounded alarmed.
“Don’t worry. You and I won’t get it. But children born after the Outbreak won’t be so lucky. They won’t have immunity to it and it wasn’t eradicated. Hell, there was only one disease we managed to completely wipe out and that was small pox.”
“I thought kids got immunity from their moms,” Daryl muttered.
“Babies do get some immunity from their mother if they’re breast-feeding but that only lasts for six months. Why do you think we pushed so hard for vaccinations starting at six months? Trust me, it wasn’t to line our pockets,” Vance laughed without amusement. “And it sure as hell wasn’t to poison them, give them autism, or implant them with mind-control chips on orders from the CIA. At any rate, literary works will have easy-to-understand descriptions of the symptoms of a lot of nasty diseases. For instance, Wuthering Heights describes what a person who has tuberculosis looks and sounds like. The Secret Garden opens with a cholera outbreak. Typhus is mentioned in Gone With The Wind. You’d be surprised at how often illnesses — serious ones — the symptoms and the treatments are covered in fiction. And sometimes it’s easier to understand there than it is in a medical textbook. The problem is that a work of fiction is rarely going to teach you the principles of medical science,” Vance sighed.
“I guess I never thought of it that way,” Josiah said. “Fiction was fiction. Just a bunch of good stories to pass the time.”
“Many people miss the connection, Sheriff. Don’t feel bad. Still, grab everything if you can. Books are always useful.”
~*~*~*~
Larry took a deep breath and steeled himself before walking into the medical laboratories. He knew that the three doctors did not like him since he usually hung around Brent and Greg. Up until now, it would have been fair for them to call him their lackey. He’d clung to Brent because the man was the only civilizing force who could maintain order and cohesion in their band at first. Daryl and Merle had seemed barely civil and half-savage in the early days and Greg was more polished back then. Larry harbored no illusions about the type of man he himself was — he was weak-willed and a follower. But he was no abusive sadist like Greg and he had no desire to force women to do his bidding to “earn” their protection the way that Brent seemed inclined to do. He was a basic, decent guy who just wanted to keep his head down and get through this shitstorm of a world.
Cold, hard eyes glared at him as he walked up to where Daryl and Josiah had their heads bent over a list. The two men were discussing the items on the list quietly. He cleared his throat to get their attention when he was a few feet away and tried to make it clear he wasn’t trying to listen in. The two men glanced up at him. Daryl fixed a scowl on him but Josiah just looked at him evenly. Obviously the sheriff had yet to form an opinion either way on Larry.
“Brent and Greg don’t like you,” Larry said bluntly. He winced, cursing himself. He hadn’t meant to blurt it out like that. “They’re suspicious of you, specifically, Josiah, and they have always hated the Dixon brothers.”
“Did they f’rget ta git ya a doggie treat?” Daryl muttered. “Why ya turin’ on ‘em?”
“I’ve never liked them,” Larry replied, keeping his voice even. “I’ve never taken pleasure in the things they do. I went along with them because Brent was the only thing holding us all together at first and, to be honest, you and your brother scared the shit out of me in the beginning. But once we got here, Brent started to change,” he said, turning his focus to Josiah. He was trying to explain himself, willing the sheriff to understand. “At first, I thought it was just the relief, the fact that we weren’t constantly under the gun and he was feeling punch drunk. Then I thought maybe it was the doctors intimidating him and him no longer being the smartest man in the room. But it’s more than that,” he sighed.
“What do you mean, ‘more than that?’” Jo asked softly. He kept his posture open and his voice even.
“I don’t know how to explain it. It’s like he has to be in control. Being around Greg makes him worse and Greg is almost as big a control freak as Brent is — the two of them practically feed off each other. When we had been here for a bit, Brent started wanting to get as many women as he could. Same with Greg for all that he’s married. Brent has been being paranoid and when I talked to him just a few minutes ago. I think he might be losing his mind. He wants you dead and he thinks you might be an imposter sent here to help someone else take over the CDC.” Daryl snorted softly.
“Could be lyin’ ta get in wi’ us an’ spy fer yer bosses,” he muttered.
“I’m not,” Larry protested angrily. “Look, you have no reason to believe me but most of us are terrified of Brent and Greg. I went along with them because I’m weak. But I don’t like them. If you don’t believe me, fine. I’m just warning you — don’t trust them. And don’t turn your back on them.” Without another word, he turned and left.
~*~*~*~
“What do you make of that?” Jo asked carefully once he was certain that Larry was well out of earshot.
“Dunno,” Daryl admitted. “Never liked ‘im much but he’s not a total ass. He’s kinda…he goes along wit’ whoever is the strongest. Does whatever. I don’ really trust ‘im.”
“Hm,” Jo mused. “I’ve known guys like that. They’re generally harmless by themselves. Weak-willed, easily dominated, easy to control. They live vicariously through others. I’ve seen it in gangs. He might be sincere in wanting to get away from Brent and Greg. Caitlin doesn’t like Brent — neither do you. No one around here really does.”
“Whaddya wanna do, then?”
“Not much we can do right now,” Jo sighed. “We need to go get that stuff for Raulo and his people so we can get Merle and Seth back. We’ll worry about Brent and Greg later. I want to try to talk to the rest of the men and women here first, get a sense for how everyone else feels about them before we try to decide what to do with them.”
“Alrigh’,” Daryl nodded. “I’ll go get Rob, boss, an’ then we kin roll.”