by Yates, R
Laurie stood at the edge of the crowd, an expectant look on her face. Sam thought to himself about how much she had changed in just the short time since he had last seen here. Her face had filled out and her formerly gaunt features were almost stunningly beautiful, and he saw she was smiling.
Sam could tell by the way she looked passed him that she was watching for someone else to get out of the car. He walked towards her, and she focused her attention to him, and seeing something in his demeanor, her smile vanished.
“Laurie,” he began, “Ted didn’t make it. We got captured by that bunch of people, and they killed him.” Sam didn’t feel the need to go into the particulars. This girl could spend the rest of her life not knowing her brother had been eaten by psychopaths as far as he was concerned.
She put her hands to her face, and violent sobbing escaped her lips. She let loose a cry of anguish, and her legs just suddenly seemed to fail her. She seemed to be in a state of shock as his mother and Rebecca reached her.
He past training kicked in, and he said, “I am very sorry for your loss.” He instantly felt like an idiot for dragging out that tired morticians line. The women helped her to her feet and led her away, to the house. The crowd around them had already begun to break apart, by the time he walked through the gate. It was just Mark, Paul and himself.
“Mark,” Paul said, “I will take the rest of your watch at the gate, go have a drink with your brother.” Mark gave Paul a sincere ‘thank you’, and led Sam towards one of the Parked trailers that sat along the back fence.
“Come on Sam, I have a bottle of whiskey someone left wrapped up in the shed, and I have been saving it for just such an occasion.” Mark told him.
“I thought for sure that would be gone by now.” Sam answered, but he was touched that his brother had waited.
“We have been way to busy.” Mark said, “whoever lived here before didn’t do much to spruce the place up, and it was pretty run down when I took it over.” Mark chided.
“You guys have made a few changes.” Sam remarked.
“We have had to,” Mark said as they walked, “we have almost twenty five people here now. We had to bring in these RVs to house them all, we will have to go get a couple more now that you are back. We have to baby them down the road to get in here, but they are far more comfortable than tents or barns.”
They reached the vehicle that Sam had to assume was Mark’s home and stepped inside. The small living space was well organized and compact, but he could see that Mark had made himself at home. He encouraged Sam to sit at the table while he rummaged through the cabinets.
“Is mom staying in the house?” Sam asked, “and where is Ken, I didn’t see him out there.”
Mark had produced two glasses and the bottle of whiskey. He gave Sam a knowing smile in response to his question. “Ken has moved into the top of the tower, but Paul makes him come down for meals, He seems like a nice enough guys, once you get to know him. Mom sure thinks so, she checks on him often, sometimes I hear her going up the steps to the top very late at night.” Mark poured the whiskey into the glasses.
“I thought they were making goo-goo eyes at each other before I left, so they are a couple now? Should I call him daddy?” Sam asked and they had a laugh over the thought.
They lifted their glasses in a salute and took a sip. The whiskey burned its way down his parched throat and made him cough.
“Actually all Mom will say is that they are ‘just friends’. Mark said pouring another round. “And what about this girl you came in with, you two ‘just friends’?”
“It’s complicated,” Sam replied, but didn’t say more, and Mark decided not to push the matter. After that had hung in the air for a few moments, Sam changed the subject. “How did you guys get back?”
“Man, we were back here by noon the next day.” Mark said. “We all ran off that night and I saw them start out of the woods after us, but then you guys opened up from the Fleetwood and it seemed like all hell broke loose.” Mark went on, “We ran and ran, We really had to push some of them to keep going. When we couldn’t run anymore, we just kept walking. I figured we just had to keep moving. Around sun up, we found an old county fire station that looked empty and hid in there for awhile.”
“So they never found you, the crazies I mean?” Sam asked.
“No, we had a few come up behind us half a mile from where we started, but we took care of them and never heard anything else. I guess they where to busy with you guys.” He said, “After we had rested for a little while, we started walking again, and fifteen minutes later a school bus pulled up, driven by the Morgan’s, you will meet them later, a very nice older couple who had come down from Georgia looking for somewhere safe. They picked us up and we came straight here.”
Sam was amazed at how easy the journey seemed compared to his own to cover the same distance. “We didn’t have it quite that easy, but I am happy to hear it. I had worried about what might be happening to you guys since we were having such trouble.” Sam finished his drink, and Mark refilled it and his own.
“So, about your trip, what weren’t you telling Laurie about Ted? And what happened to Mike?” Mark asked.
“What do you mean?” Sam asked, but knew Mark had seen that something was going unsaid. That was one of the troubles with siblings; they knew you almost as well as you knew yourself. Sam sighed, and laid the whole tale out to Mark, who kept both glasses full as he went on.
When he had finished, He and Mark sat in silence for a long time, Sam thinking about the events of the last few weeks, and Mark absorbing them.
“Sounds like you did what you had to do.” Mark remarked, and Sam felt a flood of relief at his brother’s words. He had the same doubts about his humanity, or what was left of it as Rebecca had back at the park. Like her, he had needed to someone to tell him he had done right.
“You know it’s going to take mom some time to get used to the Rebecca idea.” Mark said finally.
“It will take me some time as well.” Sam confessed.
The set in the RV and talked until the bottle was gone. Sam stood to leave, and was suddenly hit by the combination of alcohol, lack of sleep and the small amount of food he had eaten. He swayed a little, and turned to Mark. “Where is the latrine now days?”
He stepped outside into the cooling night air. The Florida winter was approaching, and the night was only in the sixties. He made his way to the area Mark had directed him, and on the way back saw Rebecca step out of the house. She stopped on the little concrete pad that was considered a porch and looked up at the sky.
He walked over to her. “How is Laurie?” he asked, trying not to slur his words.
“She is devastated, but your Mom gave her a shot and she has finally calmed down enough to get some sleep. We talked to her for awhile, that poor girl has been through hell the last few months, did you know she had to take out both her parents after they were infected? Her brother was all she had left in the world, It’s all very sad.” She explained, her voice sounded emotionally drained.
“I didn’t know…” Sam said, “That’s horrible. She seems like a good kid in the short time I have gotten to speak with her.”
“Yeah,” she said “She is a tough cookie though; you can see it in her eyes. What arrangements have they made for you for tonight?” She asked him.
“Mark has made me take his for the night,” Sam said indicating the RV, and he is going to sleep in one of the tents tonight.”
“Your mother has given me a room in the house, all the women have apparently been staying there. Plus I think she wants to keep an eye on me. She is very perceptive and I think she knows about us. I don’t think she is very happy about it either.” Rebecca said.
“She will get used to the idea I have no plans to give you up.” He said.
She smiled at him and leaned forward to give him a kiss. They held each other and enjoyed the night.
“You should go to bed,” she told him, “I think you may be drunk.” S
he said and laughed at him as he swayed.
“I think you may be right.” He said, and took her hand.”I will see you in the morning.”
They parted, her returning to the house, and he to the RV. Sam sank into the mattress on the bed in the back. It wasn’t a very good mattress, but it felt like heaven compared to what he had become used to over the last few weeks. He fell asleep fully clothed and the instant his head touched the pillow.
Chapter 18
He awoke late the next morning and lay there for a few minutes. For the first time in weeks, he felt fully refreshed, even if his mouth tasted like ash and his head felt stuffed with cotton. The whiskey had been good, but now it was time to pay the piper.
He got up and stepped to the table where he spied a note from his brother laying on top of a pile of clothes.
‘Sam, me and mom had to head out for a few hours. Make yourself at home. Talk to Sandra when you wake up, she will get you something to eat. Mom wants me to tell you she left a present with Paul she says it’s something you will want. – Mark’
Sam quickly dressed into the clothes, and was delighted to see that they fit and where clean. He stepped outside into the bright light and winced. The sun shone down on him with the ferocity only a hangover could bring.
He was looking for Rebecca, but ran into Paul first. “You look much better out of that soldier suit.” Paul said by way of greeting. “I think it was giving people around here the creeps.”
“Thank you, have you seen Rebecca?” Sam asked.
“Hold up there lover boy, she’s still asleep, and I have strict orders from your momma to make sure you get feed as soon as you were up,” he reached into his pocket and handed Sam a small folded piece of paper, “and she said to give you these.”
Sam smiled and un-wrapped the paper, inside were two aspirins. “She thinks of everything!” he said aloud.
He popped the pills into his mouth and chewed them. He would do anything to make this headache go away faster.
Paul took him to a tent that had been erected between the giant steel legs of the tower. A variety of stoves and grills had been brought in, and 2 of the men were busy preparing a large meal under the direction of Sandra. Sam looked at the odd assortment of equipment and had to admire the resourcefulness involved in getting this kitchen together.
She saw Sam, walked over to him, and gave him a big hug. “Well if it isn’t our savior!” she said, “I had heard you had come back to us finally!”
“I am glad to be back, you can bet on that.” He said, “I see you have moved right in and stayed busy.”
“It’s not a gourmet kitchen, but it will do. I have always loved to cook, and there are plenty of opportunities to do that here. We feed more than twenty people three times a day, and more come in all the time.” She said happily. “It’s a good challenge, you should see some of the stuff they give us to work with.”
“It smells wonderful.” Sam said truthfully.
“Good heavens, I am chattering away and here you are probably starving to death. Please forgive me!” and set about making him a plate of what appeared to be fresh vegetables and some kind of breaded meat with gravy.
He sat down at a nearby set of picnic tables that someone had brought in and Paul joined him. He eyed the food suspiciously, and glanced questioningly at Paul.
“It’s chicken,” Paul said “We found a chicken barn down the road that they had escaped from. There are literally thousands running around.”
Sam hesitantly took a bite, not sure if his roiling stomach would agree, but soon had polished off his plate.
“That was amazing.” He complimented Sandra while she worked, “I haven’t had a meal like that in a very long time.”
“I am glad you liked it dear, there is plenty more if you would like…”
“No, I couldn’t eat a bite more.” He declined, and she smiled at him again.
“Just let me know.” She said and went back to work preparing the camps lunch.
He and Paul wandered off to look around. “Do you guys eat like that every day?” he asked.
“We only have meat every other day,” Paul explained, “We don’t want to over hunt the area. Come with me and I will give you the grand tour.”
They made a quick tour of the grounds; it was crowded, but well organized. He was shown the outhouses he had seen the night before, as well as the shed stuffed floor to ceiling with every conceivable supply.
“You guys have made a lot of improvements I see.” Sam added appreciatively.
“You haven’t seen anything yet.” Paul said and led him up the steps of the tower.
At the top, they found Ken hard at work on something electronic that he had spread parts of all over the room. He seemed annoyed at having his space invaded, but smiled when he saw Sam.
“I am glad you made it back, your mother was very worried.” he said and leaned back over his work.
“Thank you, “Sam said politely, “I see your shoulder is healing nicely.”
They stood for a moment, and when it was apparent that Ken had said enough by his own standards, Paul said, “That’s my brother, always talking people’s ears off.”
Paul motioned to one of the windows, and Sam walked over. He could see people busy at work clearing a large area of brush around the fence. They had already cleared almost all the dry land in the area.
“Your brother’s idea, he wants to enlarge the fence and give us more room. We have already found several other survivors and brought them back. We have 24 people living here now that the two of you have shown up. He has some big ideas about making this place better. There is even talk of planting crops and trying to get completely self-sufficient. If you look to the south, you can see they are working on a hog pen to get a steady supply of protein, Mark has plans to catch some wild hogs and start raising them. He has become quite the leader around here.” Paul explained. Sam was proud of his brother, he had done more in the last week than Sam had even considered possible.
“Basically, things are getting better around here every day.” Paul said proudly. “And once Ken gets that radio working, we hope to contact others and maybe get some kind of trade going.”
Sam looked down to the ground below, and saw Rebecca emerge from the house. He could hear Paul continue talking, but his words were lost to him as he watched her look around.
“Sam,” Said Paul, finally catching his attention, “Go on down, we can finish this later.” Paul said with a knowing smile on his face. He muttered something about acting like teenagers and turned his attention to what Ken was working on.
“Thank you Paul,” he said”, I’m sorry, I just have a lot on my mind.”
“I understand, she is hot,” was Paul’s response.
Back on the ground, He found her being urged to a chair by Sandra.
“Good morning,” he said, “mind if I join you?”
She brightened at the sight of him, but pulled away when he reached for her hand. “We have to talk.” She said quickly.
Sam felt a lump form in his throat. “What is it?”
“Your mother was waiting for me when I went back inside…” She began. Sam felt a sense of panic go up his spine. He had dreaded his mother reaction to him and Rebecca’s relationship.”
“So what happened?” Sam asked, trying to sound like he wasn’t worried.
Rebecca shrugged, “She just asked what the deal was between us. I told her everything.”
“What did she say?”
“Nothing really, she asked if I knew about your wife and about where she was. I of course said that I did.” She said as she poked at the food in front of her. “Then we just sort of talked about you and what happened out there…”
“Mom is sort of over protective…” Sam said timidly
“And terrifying,” Rebecca finished the sentence for him.
“Try not to worry about it Mom will come to accept you. Besides, all that matters is how I feel, right?” Sam asked.” Besides, she didn’t
like Annie at first either.”
“Of course,” she said and cut her meat, peering at it closely, “but she’s intimidating.”
“It is okay, the only thing that matters is I know exactly what you are thinking.”
Rebecca looked up at her and she met his eyes. “Don’t worry, its chicken.”
She laughed and dug into her food. She did accept seconds.
An Hour later they had been chased from the table by Sandra as more and more of the others came in to eat. They walked together around the compound and Sam pointed out the improvements. They talked about the future of the group, and what they could do as part of the group.”
“It doesn’t look they will need an accountant.” She said sadly.
“Or an undertaker…” He added. “I guess both of us will need a new skill set.”
“We will find something to do, whatever it is.” She decided, “as long as we get to do it together.”
“I hear they are going to need some pig ranchers, and maybe a few farmers?” Sam suggested.
“I would rather do something on the road, maybe traveling salesmen.” She joked.
In the distance, they heard an engine coming down the long road.
“That’s probably Mark and Mom.” He guessed and moved to the front gate to greet them. They arrived at the gate at the same time, and Sam was surprised to see they had taken his hummer. Behind it they pulled another travel trailer, and Sam could see it was one of the nicer ones. He opened the gate and they drove it in.
His mother climbed out of the vehicle and stretched the stiffness of the drive out of her joints. “Let’s get this set up for you two.” She said.
“Us two, as in the two of us” Rebecca asked hopefully, surprise in her voice. “You mean you are okay with us staying together… as a couple?
“Yes,” said his mother, “I can’t have you constantly sneaking out of the house late at night and waking me up.” She said gruffly, but Sam could tell she was only mock annoyed.