The blue saw him and started hobbling faster. As it got closer, Bruce saw the knife was a large kitchen knife; it was covered in blood, and the tip was bent. Then the blue stopped and crouched down, looking at Bruce. “Oh, I know you didn’t,” Bruce said, spreading his feet, looking at the blue.
The blue was ten yards away, growling, holding the knife out to its side with the point up. A small surge of panic hit Bruce, but he slowed his breathing and twirled his sword and turned his body to the side, looking at the blue. “Mine’s bigger; let’s play,” Bruce said, shuffling toward the blue.
When he was eight yards away, the blue jumped, not lunged, and sprang through the air in a dive at Bruce’s chest, holding the knife out in front of it. Stepping back, Bruce moved to the side, bringing the blade down, slicing the blue’s hand off at the elbow as it sailed past. Bruce created distance as the blue hit the ground in a roll and jumped up, moving over to the hand Bruce cut off.
To everyone’s horror, the blue ignored his wound and reached down with his left hand, picking up the knife from his chopped-off hand. He looked up at Bruce, holding out the knife and growling. “Bullshit!” Bruce yelled, pulled his pistol, and emptied the magazine in the blue’s head. All thirteen rounds hit the blue in the head before it hit the ground.
Bruce dropped the pistol, brought up his SCAR, and started shooting what was left of the head. When his bolt locked back, he changed magazines and looked around. He could see a few blues still coming out of the woods around the field. Walking over, he grabbed his pistol and sword, cleaning them and putting them up. Climbing up on Willie’s rig, he looked him in the face.
Willie was pale and sweating. “Boss, this is a whole new ball game.”
BLUE PLAGUE:
WAR
Book 6
By Thomas A. Watson
A WINLOCK PRESS BOOK
ISBN: 978-1-61868-733-3
ISBN (eBook): 978-1-61868-732-6
BLUE PLAGUE: WAR
Book 6
© 2015 by Thomas A. Watson
All Rights Reserved
Edited by Monique Happy Editorial Services
Covers by Christian
This book is a work of fiction. People, places, events, and situations are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or historical events, is purely coincidental. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author and publisher.
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Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
About the Author
Acknowledgments
The Worlds of Thomas A. Watson
Other Winlock Books You’ll Love
Chapter 1
Mike stepped out of the bathroom dressed in his lounge pants, drying off his head as Nancy put on one of his t-shirts and moved toward the bed. Then, they heard something hit the floor hard and felt the floor shake from Bruce’s room next door, and they looked at each other. That’s when they heard Stephanie and Angela scream, “Bruce!”
They both took off running toward Bruce’s room. Throwing the door open, they saw Angela and Stephanie on each side of a comatose Bruce. “What the hell did y’all do to him?” Mike shouted, moving over to Bruce.
“Nothing. We told him something, and he passed out,” Stephanie said, rubbing Bruce’s face.
“That’s impossible; nothing can make Bruce pass out,” Mike said, kneeling beside Bruce. Angela scooted over, letting Mike get closer to examine him. “Did you hit him with something? Like a bat?”
“No Mike, we didn’t hit him,” Stephanie snapped as she leaned over Bruce. “Bruce, baby, are you okay?”
“Well, what the hell did you tell him?” Mike asked, finding Bruce had a strong pulse, his breathing was good, but his eyes were rolled back in his head. Not hearing an answer, Mike stopped his exam and looked at each of them and found them blushing. “If it’s something kinky, I’m leaving,” Mike said as Nancy slapped the back of his head hard. Knowing he deserved it, Mike didn’t say a word.
“Mike, keep on, and I’ll knock you out,” Nancy said, kneeling with them next to Bruce.
Mike just gave her a sour look as Angela looked at Nancy. “We’re pregnant,” she said.
Shock spread across Nancy’s face, then she lunged toward Angela, wrapping her arms around her then pulled Stephanie over Bruce, hugging both at the same time. “I’m so happy for you two,” Nancy told them.
Shocked to the core, Mike fell back on his knees and hit the side of the bed. That’s the only reason he didn’t hit the ground. Finally getting his power of speech, back Mike muttered, “Well, yeah that would knock Bruce on his ass.”
Stephanie pushed back from Nancy. “You don’t think Bruce is mad, do you?” she asked.
Nancy kissed Angela on the cheek and turned to Stephanie. “Are you kidding? How can he be mad? This is just the kind of information that takes men by surprise.”
“Ah, Nancy, he has kids, so it’s not like he hasn’t heard this before,” Stephanie said, looking back down at Bruce.
Before Nancy could answer, Mike pushed them away and leaned over until he was over Bruce’s face. Slapping Bruce’s face, Mike yelled, “Bruce! Bruce, you’re being a pussy. Wake up!” Nancy popped Mike on the back of the head again.
Ignoring the slap, Mike continued to pop Bruce on the cheeks till he heard a groan escape Bruce’s lips. Cracking his eyes open, Bruce saw Mike over him. “Hey Mike, where am I?” he asked, shaking his head.
“In your bedroom, brother,” Mike answered with a grin.
“I know that, but what happened? The last thing I remember was I need to paint the ceiling.”
“You don’t remember anything else?” Mike asked, grinning wider.
Closing his eyes, Bruce started to think as the fog cleared his mind. His eyes flew open. “Holy shit!” he screamed.
Mike grinned as Bruce sat up and scooted away from them. Chuckling, Mike said, “Yep, that pretty much sums it up.” Nancy popped the back of his head again, harder this time.
Looking from Mike, he turned to Angela and Stephanie and could see shock on their faces. “How could that happen?” Bruce asked.
The smile dropped off Mike’s face as he brought his fingertips together. “Well, you have two bees—”
“Mike, shove it!” Bruce snapped and looked at Angela and Stephanie.
Shaking his head, Mike started to grin again. “Bruce, you should know by now how babies are made,” Mike said.
“Mike, I had a vasectomy!” Bruce yelled at him.
Reaching out, Mike grabbed Bruce’s hand, making him look in his eyes. “I know, Bruce; I had one also. But Debbie was always on Depo, so you could’ve been fertile since the operation,” Mike said. “Vasectomy has a one in a hundred failure rate, Bruce, and you are spunky monkey.”
Sweat started beading on Bruce’s forehead as he turned to look at Angela and Stephanie. He could see alarm on their faces and tears in their eyes. They lunged forward, wrapped their arms around him, and started crying. “Bruce, I’m sorry,” Stephanie blurted out.
Reaching up, Bruce pushed both back and put his fingers on their lips. “First, there is nothing to be sorry about. Don’t think I’m mad, girls—just shocked,” Bruce said and pulled them close, wrapping his arms around them, hugging them tight. Seeing Bruce hold them tight, Mike pulled Nancy close and hugged her.
Taking a breath to say something, Mike looked at Nancy. Nancy put her hand over his mouth. “If it’s a smart ass comment, I’m punching you in the mouth,” she said. Knowing Nancy meant it, Mike turned to look at the three, keeping his mouth shut.
After holding the two in his arms, Bruce blurted, “Holy shit, I’m going to be a daddy. Again.”
Angela looked up at him with a dubious expression. “You aren’t happy?” she asked.
“Yeah, just shocked, floored, numb, flabbergasted, and stunned,” Bruce said.
Letting Bruce, go Stephanie looked at him. “Those all mean the same thing, Bruce.”
“Not right now they don’t,” Bruce said. “Because I can feel each one,” he added, shaking his head and stuttering.
“You only fell down to your knees when Debbie told you each time she was pregnant,” Stephanie said.
Closing his eyes and dropping his head he said, “Stephanie, I thought my baby making days were over. I’m sorry, but I’m a little shocked.”
“So you’re not mad, only shocked?” Angela asked, smiling.
Lifting his head up with a nervous smile, he replied, “I can’t be mad over something like this. But shocked, oh yeah.”
Angela started snorting as she laughed. “I’m glad because if you would’ve said something about us sleeping with someone else, I was going to shank your ass,” she said truthfully.
The emotion fell off Bruce’s face as he looked at her. “You really thought I would’ve said something like that?” he asked in a monotone.
Shrugging, she said, “No, but if you would have, Mike would’ve had to stop the bleeding.”
Bruce pulled both of them to him, wrapping his arms around them again. “For better or worse,” he said and looked at Mike and Nancy. Nancy had tears coming out of her eyes, and Mike was just grinning. “I’m going to have a grandchild older than some of my kids,” Bruce said. “I’m an old fart fixing to be a daddy again,” he chuckled.
Stephanie burrowed her head in his shoulder. “Call yourself an old fart again, and I shank you. Mike is still here to sew you up,” she said.
“Mike, will you stay in here tonight? I might slip up,” Bruce asked.
“That is a negative, Ghostrider. If they cut ya, I can make it over here before you bleed out.”
Bruce looked down at the top of Angela’s and Stephanie’s head. “I take it you haven’t told the rest of the family yet?” he asked.
“I thought you said he was smart, Stephanie,” Angela said, not looking up.
“He is, but when he listens to the boy side of his brain, he loses a lot of IQ points,” Stephanie replied.
Laughing, Bruce struggled to his feet, holding the two in his arms. Then, he looked at Mike. “Mike will you and Nancy help gather the family in the kitchen so we can tell them?”
Excitedly, Nancy clapped her hands. “I know something before the kids do,” she said, standing, and pulled Mike to his feet.
Nancy and Mike left to get the kids as Bruce stripped and put on some lounge pants. Then, holding hands with Angela and Stephanie, he led them downstairs. When they reached the kitchen, everyone was there. PJ was beating Danny, wanting to get down, and the twins were sitting in Jake’s lap. Cade was with his buddy Mindy, sitting in her lap, resting his head on her shoulder.
Further down the table, Steve was quietly arguing with Tonya that it was his turn to hold little Debbie. Tonya and Nathan just ignored him. Nathan was in Tonya’s lap, and they were talking with the baby. Seeing the family around the table made Bruce smile.
Danny looked up at Bruce and saw the shit eating grin. “Dad, if you’re going to go crazy again, I want a vacation first,” she said with a straight face.
Blinking rapidly, Bruce took a step back, not even sure how to address that statement. So he shook his head and did the next best thing: ignored it. “Everyone, we have something to tell you,” he said in a firm voice.
Everyone turned to look at Bruce, who was still holding Angela’s and Stephanie’s hands. He pulled them close and put his arms over their shoulders. “I’m going to be a daddy again. Angela and Stephanie are pregnant,” Bruce declared. The shock on the faces at the table was absolute with everyone’s mouths falling open.
Breaking his shocked trace, Steve chuckled and asked, “That’s a good one, Dad, but why did you call us down here?”
“I’m serious son,” Bruce said, and Steve’s face froze in his chuckle.
Danny leaned over the table, letting PJ go. PJ climbed out of her lap and crawled across the table to Stephanie, laughing. “What!?” Danny yelled. Stephanie moved over to grab PJ before he made it to the edge. He still had no fear.
Starting to get irritated, Bruce nearly shouted, “How many times do I have to say they are pregnant and I’m the daddy?”
Danny jumped to her feet. “How!?” she shrieked.
Bruce looked from Danny to Mike then back to Danny. Putting his fingertips together, Bruce started, “Well, you have these two bees—”
Slapping the table interrupting him, “I know how they are made, but how could you make them? Mom said you got clipped so there wouldn’t be anymore,” Danny snapped as Matt put his hand on her shoulder.
“Well, it doesn’t always work, and your mom was on the shot, so we have no idea how long it hasn’t worked,” Bruce informed her.
Dumbfounded, Danny blurted, “I’m eighteen now, and I’m married.”
With PJ in her arms, Stephanie looked at Angela. “You would think that since he gave birth to Danny, we could at least find a scar on him,” she said.
Angela laid her head on Bruce’s chest. “He had a good doctor,” she said, grinning.
Bruce closed his eyes, wishing this would go over easier. “Danny, no one is more shocked than me, and yes, I know all that, but I hope y’all are as happy as we are.”
Just staring at her dad with her mouth open, Danny finally found her voice. “Of course I’m happy, just a little taken back,” she said.
“I said almost the same thing.”
“Try floored, flabbergasted, shocked and stunned,” Danny said, dropping down in her chair.
Angela reached down, pulled up Bruce’s shirt, and started rubbing his belly. “Quit that,” Bruce said, slapping her hand away.
“I don’t care how good that doctor was, I should at least be able to feel the scar,” she said.
Buffy got out of her chair and ran over to Stephanie, wrapping her arms around her waist. “I’m going to be a big sister again,” she said as she kissed Stephanie’s belly and went over to Angela, doing the same thing.
Moving as one, everyone at the table stood and went over to embrace the three. When Jake made it to his Dad, he grinned. “You know, it’s supposed to be the other way around. We have the kids, and you babysit,” he said.
Bruce shrugged. “Hey, I didn’t know.”
Jake laughed as he hugged his dad. The family talked and laughed then headed back to bed. Danny, Jake, and Mindy kept the little ones as Bruce led Angela and Stephanie back to bed. They climbed into bed, and Bruce pulled the two close as they talked for several hours until Angela and Stephanie drifted off to sleep.
When the two were asleep, Bruce climbed out of bed and dressed. Looking back in the bed, Bruce smiled and opened the drawer to the night stand, taking o
ut two sheets of paper. He folded two origami swans with their wings out and put one on each side of the bed. Grabbing his vest and rifle off the rack, he eased over to the bed, kissed both on the forehead, and left the room.
Coming downstairs, Bruce headed to the game room and stopped. He stared at the mantle over the fireplace at Debbie’s urn. He moved over and stood in front of it. “I really think you had something to do with this, and I don’t think it’s all that funny,” Bruce said out loud, and he could swear for an instant, he could hear Debbie laughing. He shook his head and looked at the urn. “Debbie, I told you I would love them no matter what; I was just getting used to the newlywed routine. Now, I have to go through not one but two pregnant wives at the same time. That’s so uncool,” Bruce said as he closed his eyes. Then, he could smell Debbie and could feel her close by.
“You must continue to live this life and not just wander through it,” a whisper sounded in Bruce’s mind.
The worries washed away, and Bruce smiled. “I don’t know the reason, but this is still uncool. I really think my life is fixing to get very complicated,” he said, standing in front of the urn. How long he stood there, he didn’t know, but when he opened his eyes, he couldn’t smell Debbie anymore. “I miss you and will always love you. I think I understand now,” Bruce said, turning around.
Walking outside, Max ran up to him. “Where have you been?” Bruce asked, rubbing Max’s head. Max just looked up at him like he was saying, “No one let me in.” Slinging his rifle over his shoulder, Bruce walked to the west fence around the farm. Climbing up on the berm, he looked out across the field and could see work lights as crews readied the vehicles to leave the next day for the scavenging patrols. They were heading to the military bases in Alabama and Georgia to empty them out. Looking at his watch, Bruce saw it was close to 0500 hours. Lowering his arm, he stared out across the field as tears ran down his cheeks.
***
Coming out of the Center, Father Thomas saw someone standing on the berm and headed over to see who it was. When he saw it was Bruce, he almost turned and left but continued toward him. Hearing someone walking up behind him, Bruce looked over his shoulder. You don’t have to make it that obvious, Debbie, he thought. “Hello, Father,” Bruce said, turning back toward the field.
Blue Plague: War (Blue Plague Book 6) Page 1