Below is part 5 of Angela's Apocalypse. A look at the plan that Callie and Joanie came up with to rescue those trapped by The Safety. Thank you for stopping by and I hope you like it!
All characters are mine. Everyone in sexual situations are over 18 years old.
Angela's Apocalypse: Callie & Joanie's Plan
August 2043
Joanie walked the perimeter of the community. Occasionally, she would run the barrel of her gun along the chain links in the fence, a jingling clack ringing in the silence. Out in the grass just before the tree line she spotted a mangled body, headless, grey flesh torn asunder. Sighing, she pulled a small notebook from her pocket, sliding the pencil tucked in the wire spiral free, she noted the location of the body for clean-up and disposal. Her mind flicked quickly to Darin wondering how he was doing this morning. This was the third undead body she'd had to mark down.
She wished she could be on what they called wolf duty after the full moon. He needed better food the day after his transformation and if she was there, she could sneak him a little meat from her personal jerky stash. But the higher ups seemed to notice the improvement in Darin's general demeanor when she was on wolf duty and made sure she had it when he was most withdrawn. They would bring her in when he stopped eating altogether; when he would huddle in the corner of his cage not moving all day, when he wouldn't leave the thin mattress on the floor. They would bring her in to manipulate him, reminding him there were still people here he cared about and that cared about him.
Joanie sighed as she pocketed the notebook again. She fingered the small tobacco pouch in her pocket momentarily, thinking about pulling out a cigarette.
"Hey Joanie," Billy said lifting a hand.
"Hey Billy," Joanie said pulling her hand from her pocket. "Any activity?"
"Nope, you?" he asked.
"Just three bodies," Joanie replied. "I noted them to report."
"Ah, locations?" Billy asked.
"Sort of close together," Joanie said peering back the way she had come. "Two over in grid 12, one right at the start of grid 11. Must have been a small group."
"Got it," Billy said, making a note in his own notebook that hung from a ratty shoelace around his neck. "No active ones?"
"Nah, it's always quiet after the full moon," Joanie said looking at Billy meaningfully.
Billy winced, scraping a hand down his face. He had come in with Monica's group but seemed like a decent guy. One night after several shots of moonshine Garcia had crafted in a bathtub, he had started talking, a lot. It was probably a good thing that Joanie had been the only one really paying attention to him as he drunkenly admitted that he thought how they treated Darin was way beyond fucked up and that he couldn't believe that Monica was capable of it.
He even started weeping as he swore she never used to be like this, hadn't been so consumed by power and control. But something had shifted in her a few months before they arrived at The Safety. No one could explain what happened to her, it was if she woke up one day absolutely ruthless. Billy felt helpless, he'd followed her for so long and was at a loss as to how to bring back the old Monica.
"Yeah," Billy said after a while. He looked like he wanted to say more as he gazed through the chain links but then he just shook his head. "Well, see you on the other side."
Joanie nodded, patting his shoulder as she passed by him. Their paths would cross again around the other side, and they'd do another check-in. The rounds after full moon were her least favorite, boring and sad, her mind running over and over mistakes made in the past.
Slowing her pace, she glanced around then pulled a hand rolled cigarette from her pouch and lit it with a small lighter. Her eyes slipped closed for a moment as she inhaled deeply filling her lungs. Exhaling slowly, she started walking again as the smoke curled around her.
Smoking and walking, watching the tree line looking for any undead, any deer that might wander too close, not that she'd seen many lately. Meat like that was scarce, wildlife in general was scarce. So, when a high birdcall suddenly sounded, sharp and loud, Joanie froze looking out at the tree line once more.
The air was still and quiet again, but Joanie remained frozen, cigarette smoke wafting from her hand at her side, eyes scanning back and forth staring hard into the trees and brush. She waited, listening, and it sounded again, loud and high.
Her eyes raked across the tree line following where she thought the sound had originated from. She pinched out her cigarette and pocketed the remains of it, eyes still staring. Then there was a flash of something darting behind a tree. Joanie jogged down the fence to where she had seen it, the blur of blonde hair.
"Callie?" Joanie gasped to herself.
She looked around quickly and jogged a short distance farther down the fence to get a better look. She stared into the shady gloom of the trees. Through the dappled light she could just make out Callie. She was decked out in camo gear crouched low, most of her long hair was tied back under a dark scarf and cap, but a chunk at the front had escaped and she was struggling to get it tucked away.
"Callie," Joanie whisper shouted.
Her head turned toward Joanie quickly and she went absolutely still, her eyes flashing yellow in the gloom giving away her position. Joanie's cheeks flushed remembering the last time she had seen Callie's eye flash yellow.
"Callie, what are you doing here?" Joanie asked, she looked around frantically.
No one ever came around here, it was the very ass end of the compound and there was nothing over here, aside from the building they kept Darin in. Callie didn't answer, just stared at Joanie for a long time as if assessing.
"Cal, you shouldn't be here," Joanie started to feel frantic. If Monica found her, god the shit she would do to her. "Please, you gotta go babe."
Callie's head tilted a bit at the use of the nickname. She bit her lip and looked up and down the fence.
"Joanie," Callie replied very quietly.
"Yeah," she confirmed.
Surely, Callie could see her clearly; Joanie couldn't figure out what she was doing. Why she had come back was obvious, for Darin. But why was she just sitting there? Why was she just staring?
Suddenly Callie shook herself and inched out of the shadows looking around quickly once more. She ran up to the fence so she could talk to Joanie without their voices traveling.
"What the fuck are you doing? Get out of here Callie," Joanie said, panic lacing her words.
"Can you help me?" Callie asked.
"I don't...I mean, I don't know what you mean," Joanie said her gaze darting all around her. Billy popped into her head, and she hoped he was far off enough to not hear their exchange.
"We need to get my dad out," Callie said quickly.
"I, I don't think we can," Joanie sputtered. "It's airtight here Cal."
Callie shook her head.
"It can't be. Nothing ever is," Callie said quickly now. "Can you meet me tomorrow? Make up an excuse to go on a solo supply run or something?"
Joanie bit her lip, bringing her hands up to the fence, lacing them through the chain links, wishing she was lacing them through Callie's hair.
"I mean, I have some free time. I can try to sneak out tomorrow," Joanie said.
"Meet me?" Callie asked. "At our tree?"
Joanie hesitated, but having Callie here, seeing her, smelling her again, brought the memories flooding back into her brain. She could smell the full moon on her, the wild running around the forest, the wind blowing through her fur; she ignored the undercurrent odor of rotting flesh from the undead. She would meet her, there was no use denying it.
"Yeah, OK, I'll meet you. Tomorrow our tree, around noon," Joanie said. "I have to be back for evening watch."
Callie glanced around again and nodded quickly.
"Tomorrow," she said.
~~
The Next Day
Callie waited in the shadows near their tree, the gathered sweat on her forehead cooling in the shade of the trees. Seeing Joanie had been harder than she thought it would be. Being that close to her. The sharp, clean scent of her burrowed into her nose and her heart had clenched recalling all the time they had spent together, growing closer, growing more intimate.
It was almost enough to make her forget other things but when her eyes had wandered over Joanie's shoulder to her gun she remembered. Remembered her abandoning their plans together, staying in the community to fight, only to end up working for Monica. She shifted from foot to foot wondering if she had done the right thing. Truthfully, there wasn't much choice, they desperately needed someone on the inside to help them.
Besides, she knew Joanie; had known her for so long and thought she would be sympathetic, willing to help with getting Darin out. She had been on their side all along anyway. But there was still doubt. Joanie had chosen to stay, instead of running with Callie and it ate at her; the inability to understand why she would do that. Regardless, Callie thought it would be alright. Surely Joanie couldn't approve of holding people prisoners, kidnapping kids for indoctrination, experiments, who knows what else.
It was well after noon and Callie looked up at the sky quickly trying to assess the time. Maybe Joanie had changed her mind. Just as Callie felt her throat begin to tighten, nearly turning to run away she heard footsteps.
"Cal," Joanie said. "Sorry, it was hard to get away."
"Thanks for coming," Callie said trying to swallow the lump in her throat.
"What are we doing out here?" Joanie asked.
Callie fought the urge to grab Joanie and squeeze her tightly to her chest, kissing her neck breathing in her scent. She shook her head a little and cleared her throat.
"You know why I'm here Joanie," Callie said. "We need to get my dad out of there. We need someone on the inside."
"Just..." Joanie closed her eyes and held both hands up. "Just stop for a minute. I said yesterday. There's no way to do it. Everything is airtight."
"Like I said yesterday, that simply can't be true," Callie said crossing her arms.
Joanie pinched the bridge of her nose.
"I don't know what you think I can do," Joanie stated.
"You said you loved me; you loved my family - " Callie started.
"Cal," Joanie sighed crossing her arms over her stomach. "I do love you and your dads. Seeing Darin..." She shook her head sharply.
"Please," Callie whispered.
She thought about pointing out how Joanie had promised to go with them. Thought about how she could manipulate her into doing what she wanted her to do but it felt dirty and wrong. She needed to know that Joanie would choose to do the right thing without being coerced into it.
"I -- I just don't know how to do it, Cal," Joanie admitted. "He's closely guarded all the time. Locked up, they keep tabs on him, he only goes out for full moon security runs."
"How is that not our opportunity?" Callie asked. "They let him free right? So, why not just get him to run off?"
Joanie looked down at the ground.
"He's...he's collared and closely controlled," Joanie admitted.
"I've seen the collar. I can't figure out how that controls him," Callie said. "He's stronger than a fucking dog collar."
