Checking on everyone he saw they had put on NVG’s and were putting packs on. Sighing, Bruce pulled on his pack and looked down at Buffy who was just staring at him. What was it with little blonde girls just staring at him tonight? Reaching up, Bruce turned on his monocular. There was a lot of light out but he still lowered it over his left eye. Looking back down at Buffy she had lowered her eye piece, still looking at Bruce.
“What Buffy?” Bruce asked. He just wanted to lie down and sleep for a year.
“They really love you Daddy,” Buffy said.
“Don’t ask right now BB. Daddy is ready to lie down and die, and we still have a long way to go,” Bruce said just as Nancy came over the radio.
“Ok, you need to move but do not run. Keep a sixteen minute mile pace. Any faster and you could run up on blues. Now come home,” Nancy said.
Bruce kneeled down motioning for the twins to come to him. They walked to him, stopped in front of him, then, without a word, they switched sides. They pulled out his shoulder straps putting their legs in. Bruce looked at the twin on his left.
“Weren’t you on the other side last time,” Bruce asked and she nodded her head yes. “Your leg hurts from the straps huh?” he asked both of them and they both nodded yes in unison.
“Don’t worry, we’ll get home, but it’ll almost be daylight. Which one are you?” he looked at the twin on his left. “Emily,” she replied in a soft meek voice.
“Let’s go girls,” Bruce said picking up a sleeping Paul and slinging him across his abdomen. From that point on, Bruce could tell the twins apart. Everyone else would have trouble, even Danny and Debbie would paint their fingernails different colors to tell them apart.
Adjusting his rifle Bruce started walking home keeping the pace he was told. After walking an hour and twenty minutes they were in a field still heading north. Buffy was starting to fall down a lot, as her little legs started giving out. But, she would get back up and keep going. Wobbling with each step, Bruce glanced down at the twins and both were asleep, holding onto him. It always amazed him how and where a child could sleep. As that thought went through his mind Nancy screamed over the radio, “On your left now!”
Bruce spun to the left flipping his SCAR to full auto. He saw runners coming out of the woods forty yards away. Not able to bring his weapon to his shoulder, he sprayed and prayed, as did the rest of the group. Seeing some infected fall down and get back up he started getting worried. As his bolt locked he dropped the magazine and was having trouble getting another one out from under Emily’s butt. When he got it out Bruce slammed it in and released the bolt, two were still coming. He pulled the trigger and walked the rounds up one runner’s body until he got to its head blowing it off. Buffy dropped the last one. Knowing he was almost empty, Bruce dropped and dug out another magazine slapping it in. Conner had finished a two hundred round belt and set Frank down to replace it. Buffy moved over shooting the ones crawling in the head, then, she wobbled back to Bruce.
For the first time, Bruce noticed Paul was crying. Bruce reached in his pocket handing the bottle to Sherry and told her to put it in his mouth. As soon as the bottle touched Paul’s lips he stopped crying and went back to sleep drinking the bottle. Bruce kneeled down picking up his magazines and handed them to Emily, telling her to put them in his shirt, which she did. Bruce watched the woods as Nancy came over the radio. “Four more coming, they will come out where those did.”
Bruce kneeled down, aiming the best he could in the area where the other blues were laying. Then he saw them running through the trees. When they broke the tree line at a dead run he heard four rapid burst and all four dropped as if they were told to, “Stay.” Tracing the source of the shot, he saw Jake lowering the P90. ‘He is so getting a raise in his allowance’ Bruce told himself.
Nancy came over the radio, “Sorry, they changed direction. I thought they were going to pass you. Only a little further, move it guys.”
A little further? Bruce wanted to scream at her they were still over fifteen miles from home and still had a lot of rough terrain to cover. His pace had slowed to a twenty-two minute mile and it was almost 11:30. Physically, they couldn’t go any faster. They were all wore out and moving on determination. It was going to be morning before they got home and he could not feel his legs.
Nancy came over the radio, “At the road up ahead, stop in the ditch and wait.” Not in the mood to talk, Bruce did as she told him. Ten minutes later she came back on the radio, “You should be able to see Mike and his team coming down the road now.”
Bruce looked down the road and saw four electric buggies coming at him at their top speed of thirty mph. Mike came to a stop in front of them. “Need a ride?” Mike asked smiling.
“I love you man,” Bruce said kneeling down telling the twins to get off. They both shook their head no. “Both of you can sit by me and I’ll hold you,” Bruce said and they climbed out of the straps. Bruce sat beside Mike, he put Emily between him and Mike then Bruce sat Sherry between his legs. Bruce radioed Conner, “Conner, make sure you’re covering our ass. Runners go faster than our rides.”
“Already doing it boss,” Conner replied.
The thirty minute trip home was uneventful as Mike and his team floored the buggies. When Mike stopped in front of the house Bruce got out grabbing the twins, putting one on each hip. When someone opened the front door, Bruce was almost blinded by the light. He still had his NVG on and the light wasn’t bright enough to throw the safety shutoff. Hearing several groans from behind him, Bruce knew he was not the only one.
Stumbling into the house everyone rushed forward to hug him, and then hugged everyone else as they walked in. Lynn called him into the kitchen telling him to sit down, she had cooked them something. Bruce tried to set the twins down but they wouldn’t let go. “Girls we’re home. I’m sitting down with you, right there,” Bruce said pointing to his chair but they wouldn’t let go. Lynn ran over and put two chairs beside Bruce’s, one on each corner. The twins finally let him set them in the chairs.
Bruce started dropping equipment, letting it hit the kitchen floor. Last he took off his tactical vest while holding Paul then he dropped down in his chair. Paul was awake clapping his hands and laughing. Taking him out of the sling, Bruce held up the naked baby boy. Paul was covered in baby poop. Bruce had never stopped to wrap something around him for a diaper. Bruce held Paul up in front of him.
“You shit on me? How could you shit on me? Then you rolled around in it. Paul that’s disgusting,” Bruce moaned at Paul, who was just laughing away clapping his hands. Just then Paul peed on Bruce’s chest making everyone laugh, even the twins giggled. “Then you pee on me. We have to work on your manners,” Bruce told him. Paul thought that was the best thing in the world as he smiled and laughed. Susan came over taking Paul telling Bruce she would give him a bath and put a diaper on him. When Paul left Bruce’s hands, he started crying, or more appropriately screaming, and continued as Susan took him to the bathroom.
Standing up, Bruce started stripping off clothes. His tiger stripe top and t-shirt were so soaked in sweat that he couldn’t see where Paul had peed on him. After his shirts were off, he just looked down at his boots. He decided they were not worth the effort. Maria and Angela came over and started unlacing them. Bruce looked at the table as they worked on his boots.
Conner, Danny, Jake, Buffy and Debbie were sitting in their underwear sound asleep with plates of food sitting in front of them. The kids they had rescued were spread around the table asleep in their chairs. Buffy had her head lying on the table fast asleep, never touching her food. Maria and Angela pulled off Bruce’s boots and pants. He sat down and looked at his plate. The next thing he knew it was empty and Bruce didn’t remember eating it. Looking across the table with a fog over his brain, he saw Danny snoring with her head on the table. Jake, Debbie and Conner were leaned back in their chairs asleep. As were both the twins, but they had just curled up on the seat of the chair and went to sleep. Bruce thought he w
as the last one awake from the patrol until he heard Paul crying as Susan brought him back. When Paul was back in Bruce’s hands, he stopped screaming.
Bruce looked around the kitchen, the rest of the clan was awake, just looking at the patrol group. With a herculean effort, Bruce stood up wobbling with Paul in his arms. Stephanie rushed over and supported him, making sure he didn’t fall. Bending down to pick up Sherry, to carry her upstairs Mike grabbed his hand. “Who do you want and where do you want them? We will carry them,” Mike told him as Stephanie held him upright.
“I want me, Danny, Buffy, the twins, Paul in my room. Oh and don’t forget Debbie. Put Jake and Conner in Jake’s room. Find the kids a place together,” Bruce said. Stephanie guided him upstairs.
Bruce never remembered lying down.
Chapter 8
Coming out of the void of sleep, Bruce felt something slapping his face and it was cooing. Opening his eyes, Bruce looked towards the sound. Paul was propped up on his shoulder smiling and drooling on him. Not in the mood to get up, Bruce pulled him down into the crook of his arm, hoping Paul would go back to sleep. Paul was having none of it as he crawled back onto Bruce’s chest, then, started hitting him in the face again. Bruce glared at Paul who was still smiling and drooling on him.
“I saved you, carried you across north Louisiana at a dead run and how do you repay me? You piss, shit and drool on me. Then, wake me up when I feel like a whole football team gang raped me,” Bruce protested. Paul must have thought that was funny because he started to laugh slapping Bruce’s chest and face.
Moving to get up when he glanced at the clock on the night stand reading 9:18 am. To his surprise, a baby bottle with milk was beside it. ‘You are a kind and merciful God’ Bruce thought as he grabbed the bottle. He laid Paul back down in the crook of his arm. Paul was starting to voice his displeasure with that move, he wanted to get up. When the nipple hit his lips as Bruce shoved the bottle in his mouth, Paul shut up attacking the bottle. Bruce was back asleep before half the bottle was downed by Paul.
Bruce felt something hitting his right cheek that was hard and sounded hollow. He didn’t want to open his eyes, thinking Paul would leave him alone. Then he noticed a heavy weight pressing on his abdomen and felt something lying on his cheek. He probably could have gone back to sleep but his bladder was full, and Paul was trying to make Bruce wet the bed. Then it occurred to Bruce, Paul was not that heavy or that big. Bruce opened his eyes and saw a dirty little foot resting on his cheek, in front of his right eye. ‘How the hell did that get there’ he thought as he grabbed the dirty little foot feeling it was connected to a little leg. He moved it off of his face. The foot no sooner cleared his face as Paul hit him between the eyes with the empty bottle.
Bruce took the empty bottle from Paul and snapped, “That’s enough.” Paul set back looking at Bruce like ‘Who the hell do you think you are talking to me like that?’
Bruce traced the owner of the foot down, to find it was Sherry. While Emily, was lying across his abdomen with her head hanging off the bed. Bruce extracted himself from the mass of bodies as his muscles screamed in protest. He stood up at the side of the bed fighting the muscle cramps with his joints popping and heard a squeal behind him. He turned around as Paul crawled over the mass of twins toward Bruce. Picking up Paul, Bruce put him on his hip and looked down at the bed. He did not see Debbie at first because Buffy and Danny were sprawled across her.
Looking down at his body, Bruce saw it was covered in a fine layer of dried mud from his sweat. He had drool all over his right side and felt in his ear with a finger, yep, there was drool there too. He was going to move Buffy and Danny off of Debbie but he had to shower first. Debbie would have to fight her own battles for now. Heading to the bathroom, Bruce closed the door so he wouldn’t wake anyone. Laying a towel on the counter, he put Paul on it taking off his diaper.
They had no diapers at the farm but did have hundreds of bath towels. Several were sacrificed to make diapers for Joshua, and Susan had put one on Paul last night.
Peeling the diaper back revealed a baby poop paste with a toxic odor that made Bruce gasp. “Oh man that’s disgusting. Those FSR bars don’t come out of me looking and smelling like that,” Bruce told Paul who just started kicking his legs laughing.
Bruce tried to clean Paul up fast before he started playing in it, kicking his legs up and down. “I don’t think any of my kids acted like this,” Bruce told Paul, who didn’t seem to care. Trying to wipe the poop paste off Paul, Bruce was convinced it was part toxic waste and part Velcro. Bruce wiped Paul down and then set him on the floor as he opened the shower door and turned on the water. Taking off his watch he noticed it was 10:41. Well, at least Paul let him sleep a little longer.
“I have to take a cold shower because of you. I hope you’re happy,” Bruce told Paul who was on the floor looking up at him. Apparently it did make him happy as he started laughing and squealing as he crawled to Bruce. Taking off his boxers, Bruce picked up Paul and got in the shower.
It was a large shower with three shower heads one above, then one on each side. The shower controls were on the wall facing the door with a mirror above them so Bruce could shave. Bruce sat Paul down on the marble tile and he immediately started splashing the water at the bottom of the shower.
Bruce quickly washed and shaved. Then Bruce picked up Paul washing him down. Paul didn’t like the water hitting him on top of his head. He would try to look up to see where it was coming from and get drowned as the water hit his face.
“Well, quit lookin’ up goober,” Bruce told Paul as he turned off the overhead shower head and heard the bathroom door open and close.
“Come on in Debbie. I’m just washing a mean baby in here,” Bruce called out as Paul kept trying to put his face in the stream of water coming from the right.
Bruce turned around to open the door for Debbie. When Bruce opened the door, he saw the twins standing in front of the sink in t-shirts and panties, holding hands. They had on t-shirts that at one time had been white, but were black now. Their skin was dusky from caked dirt and dried sweat and their hair was matted and sticking out.
Bruce sat Paul down on the shower floor and he started slapping the floor splashing water everywhere. Stepping out of the shower, Bruce stripped Emily and Sherry. Looking at their legs, he could see the mark his pack strap had put on their thighs. He pointed to the shower and they both stepped in as Bruce followed.
Bruce scrubbed Sherry down then Emily. Then grabbing one of Debbie’s bottles of shampoo, he turned off all the shower heads and lathered Emily’s head. Paul started yelling when the water stopped. Not crying, just yelling in a baby voice like ‘hey idiot, I was having fun.’
“Knock it off Paul,” Bruce growled looking down at him. Paul slapped the water on the shower floor making it splash while looking at Bruce like ‘that could be you.’
“I’m so scared,” Bruce said in a sarcastic tone as he lathered up Sherry’s head. Paul started laughing as he slapped the water. Bruce pushed Sherry in a corner, picked up Emily and turned one shower head on. Paul started squealing in delight that the water was back on.
Holding Emily with her looking up so the soap wouldn’t get in her eyes, Bruce rinsed the shampoo out of her hair. Putting her down, he repeated the process with Sherry. Then Bruce heard the door open and close.
“Debbie, that had damn well better be you, cause if it’s not I’m flushin’ someone down the toilet,” Bruce threatened.
“Well, hell yes it’s me,” Debbie said stripping and opened the shower door. She saw Bruce holding one twin, the other behind him in the corner, and Paul having a blast on the shower floor trying to beat the water into submission.
“When are you going to give me a bath?” Debbie asked smiling at Bruce.
Bruce cocked his head to the side and asked, “Are you going to help me or what?”
“Well, move so I can get in and thank you for not boiling the kids alive,” Debbie said getting in. Paul didn’t c
are; he was having a blast crawling around splashing the water.
“I’ve washed everyone, but the girls need another scrubbing down. They’re filthy,” Bruce told her.
“Bruce, you didn’t put any conditioner in their hair and it needs to be washed again,” Debbie told him scrubbing down a twin.
“Debbie, I haven’t used shampoo in over twenty years. I’m sorry that I’ve let you down, please forgive me. You need to scrub the bottom of Emily’s feet. I haven’t checked them. I knew Sherry’s were dirty because I woke up with one in my face,” Bruce told her scrubbing Sherry.
“Which one is Emily,” Debbie asked.
“The one you’re scrubbing,” Bruce told her in a smart ass tone. Debbie let it slide.
Bruce and Debbie scrubbed down the girls two more times. Then Debbie washed Emily’s hair and Bruce washed Sherry’s hair with Debbie telling him how to do it correctly. Mumbling to himself, Bruce just kept his mouth shut. If he had to do this many more times he was going to convince the girls to shave their head like him.
When they were finished, Debbie opened the door leading the twins out. Bruce was bending down to get Paul when he noticed Paul had pooped on the shower floor.
“Paul,” Bruce whined. Bruce picked Paul up, then aimed one shower head at the toxic spill and stuck Paul’s butt in front of another one. This just made Paul laugh. Bruce turned his head toward Debbie who was just looking at him holding the baby’s butt up to the shower head. “What? It’s like a bidet,” Bruce told her. She shook her head, mumbling something about men.
Blue Plague Survival Page 11