American Revenant (Book 3): The Monster In Man by John L. Davis IV

so
much, man.  You over-analyze this shit, it’ll just make your brain hurt.”
    “I know, Mike, just being
aware is all.”
    “You aware what time it
is, Dean?” Jimmy asked.
    “Just after two,” he
said, glancing at his watch, giving Jimmy a puzzled look.
    “We have a long time
until dusk.  Wouldn’t hurt if we got some sleep, it could be a long night.”
    Setting down a now empty
can, the spoon clattering loudly inside the tin, Mike said, “Hell yes, I could
use a nap after that.”
    “Seem like you guys are
being pretty fucking blasé about all this.”
    Every man in the kitchen
jumped at Rick’s voice, turning to see him standing in the doorway.
    “What the hell, Rick! 
You about scared us half to death, man!  We didn’t even hear you coming down
the stairs.”
    “No shit, Mike?  You
couldn’t hear me over the rattling can, and the idle chit-chat?  You couldn’t
hear me over creaky chairs, and noisy cracker wrappers?”
    The other men stared at
Rick for a moment before casting their eyes to the floor like scolded
children.  All except for Jimmy.
    “Got it Cap’n.  Shut the
fuck up and pay attention.”  Jimmy spoke without hostility, matter-of-factly
putting into words what Rick was trying to tell the group.
    Standing in the doorway,
Rick looked closely at the men with him for this mission.  Other than Alex he
had known them for many years, had no problem trusting his life or those he cared
about to these men.  He also understood that every one of them was terrified at
this moment. 
    Sitting and waiting was
the hardest part for anyone heading into combat.  The mind spent far too much
time thinking about possible outcomes, ways the fight could go wrong or get
someone killed.  These thoughts played with people’s minds, often causing them
to act in ways they knew to be contrary to what they should be doing, like
chatting it up loudly, and rattling empty cans.
    He forgave them this. 
They weren’t trained soldiers and few had extensive experience fighting armed
men.  Coming up against zombies was one thing.  The mindless shambling undead
did not use logic and reason, they never thought in terms of tactical
advantage.  Zombies were head on, which made them easier to fight, in smaller
numbers.
    Human beings were another
matter entirely. 
    “I think people getting a
little shut-eye is a good idea.  I’ll continue watching from the upstairs
window for a while.  I can wake someone to take over for me in a few hours.”
    Five men spread out
through the house, one man taking a bed in both of the upstairs bedrooms, one
on the couch, and another in a musty smelling recliner in the living room.
    Jimmy wandered through
the house for several minutes, unable to decide where he wanted to stretch
out.  After several minutes he took an old hand-made afghan from the back of
the couch Calvin was laying on.  Alex watched from the recliner as Jimmy took
the blanket and tossed it on the floor in front of the front door. 
    “What’re you doing?” Alex
asked, watching Jimmy situate the many-colored blanket with the toe of his
boot.  “You make me think of my dog Rush, when he would nest in this rotten-ass
old blanket my mom tossed on the porch for him.”
    Jimmy gave Alex a
half-hearted smile and lay down on the stretched out afghan.  He tossed and
turned for several minutes, trying to find the most comfortable position. 
After several more turns he finally lay on his side with his back pressed up
against the door.  He knew no one could even try to come in the door without
waking him.
     
    ****
     
    Jimmy woke to faint
vibrations on his back, and for a moment thought that Tam had turned his
vibrating recliner on.  He began to reach out for the off button when his mind
snapped fully awake, realizing where he was.
    Craning his neck backward
he watched the doorknob twist several times, tapping against the locking
mechanism before stopping.  Then he heard a faint scraping noise, and it dawned
on