“It’s time to get up stud muffin,” Debbie said next to his ear.
“What time is it?” Bruce asked not wanting to get up early but he felt he could be persuaded.
“Fifteen till five, you slept through the alarm twice,” Debbie told him as she rolled off of him getting out of bed. Well so much for being persuaded, Bruce thought. He rolled over and sat on the edge of the bed as Debbie opened the door and left. A few seconds later Nancy walked in.
“Well, it looks like you had a good night’s sleep big guy,” Nancy told Bruce as she went to her closet.
“Yeah, I didn’t have to fight to keep my spot in the bed,” Bruce told her getting up to gather his stuff.
“I feel you there Bruce. Those girls and PJ made us work for our sleep. Around two, PJ crawled from one person to the next, hitting them with his empty bottle, hollering,” Nancy told him from inside her closet, as she got dressed.
“How did you get him back to sleep?” Bruce asked wanting to learn the trick. He always had to go and get another bottle.
“Mike got him another bottle,” Nancy said stepping out of the closet dressed in ACU’s.
“Mike got up a 0200 to get PJ a bottle?” Bruce asked her.
“Yeah he got up. I did have to push him out of the bed first. When he hit the floor I asked him since he was already out of the bed if he could get another bottle,” Nancy said with a straight face as she sat down putting on her boots.
Bruce laughed walking out of the room, “Let me go and check on my husband.”
Bruce walked down the hall to his room and saw the door open. Stepping in his room he heard Mike, “Oh man! What the hell are they feeding this kid? That’s nasty. Be still PJ. No, don’t put your hands in it. Quit laughing that’s disgusting. Nancy, come here.” Bruce laughed heading to rescue Mike.
Bruce found Mike on the bathroom floor, trying to figure out how to put a cloth diaper on PJ. PJ was not cooperating at all. When Mike would roll PJ on his back, PJ would promptly roll over and try to crawl away laughing as Mike groaned each time.
“I’m fixin’ to tape you to the floor. Now be still,” Mike threatened PJ. He grabbed PJ and laid him on his back, swiftly trying to get the diaper on. PJ rolled over taking off again. “You little nudist, come here. You will wear a diaper. If that toxic stuff hits the floor, we’ll have to burn the house down to sanitize it,” Mike told PJ as he picked him up laying him back down.
“Need some help brother?” Bruce asked standing in the door.
Seeing Bruce in the door, Mike picked up a naked PJ and handed him to Bruce. “Here, you do it. That kid has something wrong with him. I’ll never drink goat’s milk again, I can tell you that. That’s not crap coming out of his ass. The military could use it in toxic warfare,” Mike told him as Bruce grabbed PJ and Mike walked out to the bathroom.
“You know he doesn’t understand, Mike,” Bruce told Mike as he laid PJ on the bed and put on the diaper.
“The hell he doesn’t watch,” Mike said as he walked over to the bed. “You know you irritated the hell out of me don’t you?” Mike asked PJ. PJ squealed in delight and started laughing. “See? I think when we aren’t around, he talks. Then he finds small dead animals and puts them in his diaper to gross us out,” Mike said walking out of the room, then spun around to face Bruce. “You want to know when the rise of man occurred? It occurred when we made disposable diapers. That was the rise of man. Those things could be put on fast and held a lot of the smell in and didn’t need to be changed every ten minutes.” Mike spun toward the door walking toward his room still talking about the rise of man related to the invention of the disposable diaper.
Bruce picked up PJ, “That wasn’t very nice.” PJ just blew Bruce a raspberry, slapping his face.
Debbie stepped out of the closet giggling, “That was some funny shit.”
“You could’ve helped him,” Bruce told her setting PJ on the floor as he headed to the closet.
“No, I couldn’t. See you downstairs. I have PJ,” Debbie said leaving.
Bruce got dressed and headed downstairs. There were people everywhere as he weaved his way through the crowd to the kitchen. He looked to make sure his chair was empty. It was with a twin on each side. Bruce saw the line for the food and headed toward his chair.
When he sat down, the twins looked up at him smiling. Three women walked up to the edge of the table, stopped and just stared at him. Bruce looked up at the women wondering what the hell they wanted. Since they had not spoken, he did.
“Ladies, can I help you with something?” Bruce asked.
“Yes Bruce, we want to help Lynn cook,” the one standing in front said. Bruce remembered her from last night at the speech. She was the black lady in her sixties. The other two were white, one about the same age; the other a lot older.
“Can you cook?” Bruce asked.
“I might not be able to beat Lynn’s cookin’ but I could at least tie with it in a competition,” the lady told him.
“What’s your name?” Bruce asked.
“Millie,” she replied.
“Millie, if you three join Lynn in the kitchen you have to do what she does. Those that are assigned to her, she has to show them how to milk a cow and goats, how to collect eggs, prepare game and a lot more. When the crops are ready, teach them to jar and can what is harvested. Most people here do not know this stuff, so she will have teach them. Lynn is in charge of the kitchen, she has set out the menu months in advance,” Bruce told the women to make sure they knew what they were asking.
“Bruce, we all growed up on farms and we waz still on ‘em until tha military came and drug us off. I can do evra thang you said plus them pigs y’all got. I can slaughter, boil down, render the fat for lye soap, then, butchers ‘em in quality cuts. Any animal you brings me I can slaughter it and they can dos the same. Wez’ country folk,” Millie told him proudly.
“Can you teach others to do it?” Bruce asked.
“I teach’d my young’uns and grand babies,” Millie said in a soft voice, with her eyes downcast.
“Millie, look at me please,” Bruce told her. When she met his eyes Bruce looked at the twins and PJ, with Millie following his gaze. “You have kids and grandkids here that need to learn what you know or they’ll die. Like I said, this is your family now. But, I doubt if you want them to sleep with you. They beat the ever living hell out of you,” Bruce said looking down at the twins and PJ. They just ignored him.
“I had ta stop dem grandbabies from sleepin’ with me. I thought they gonna break my bones,” Millie said laughing. Then looking back at Bruce she asked, “Can we have tha job? Y’all are working tha hell out’a Lynn over there, even with that little girl helping her.”
Bruce looked over at Angela, sitting in the middle of the table and called her name. With almost a hundred people talking in the house, she couldn’t hear him. Bruce yelled, “Angela!” The entire house became silent. Angela looked at Bruce like a deer caught in the headlights, wondering what the hell she had done.
“Take these three off any work detail. They’re assigned with Lynn to cook for this mass of humanity,” Bruce told her then looked at Lynn and could see relief wash over her face.
“Ok, but don’t yell at me like that. I think I peed my pants,” she said, glad she had not disappointed Bruce. Several others laughed hearing ‘almost peed my pants’.
“How many on my scavenging team?” Bruce asked.
“Ten, not including your fire team,” Angela replied and Bruce told her thank you.
Millie came around and hugged Bruce saying, “Thank ya and I just wanted to tell ya, if you’d raped and tortured that bitch. I’d made sure no one would’ve touched ya. If I’d been made to wash that evil woman’s clothes one mo time, I was gonna hit her. Which, she woulda had me shot, like so many others. If ya don’t believe me, look in those police officers wallets. She or Mitch would sign an execution order. They’d take ‘em out and shoot’em. They kepts the order so they couldn’t get in troub
les later.”
Bruce stood up and hugged Millie. He then asked everyone to please keep it down for a few more minutes because he was going make an announcement shortly. Then Bruce called out, “Susan come here please.” Next Bruce asked Danny to go and get the officers wallets out of the clothes he cut off them. Susan came out of the dining room with Joshua on her hip followed by Cassandra, who took off running to Mike.
So that everyone could hear, Bruce told Susan in a loud voice, “If gimp keeps proving he is worth something, I’m going to give him his name back. Last night, I put him in charge of the prisoners and he’s to supervise them on shit detail. They’re not to use any tools, only their hands. None of the prisoners are allowed to wear any clothes at all. This isn’t to change until I say. Is this ok with you Susan?” Bruce asked her.
“I don’t care, Bruce. This is my family now,” Susan said motioning to the table.
“Then why the hell aren’t you sittin’ here with us?” Bruce asked, since she usually ate here.
Susan averted her eyes and started to blush as she grinned, acting like a teenage girl, “Conner asked if we would sit and eat with him.”
“You tell Mr. Conner from now on y’all are to sit in here. Mike and I have to make sure he’s good enough for you,” Bruce told her smiling, glad she found someone good.
“Oh he is Bruce, but we will start joining you and thank you for asking me my opinion. It means a lot to me,” Susan said turning heading back to the dining room telling Cassandra to follow and Cassandra said “No” sitting in Mike’s lap.
Before Susan could say anything, Mike grabbed her hand, “Leave her here Susan and she can sleep with us whenever. After last night, I feel like I fell asleep in a wrestling match and lost against little girls and a baby. Cassandra is no problem. Go in there and sit with Conner,” Mike told her.
Before Susan could move, Nancy stood up. “Give me Joshua and go sit with him,” Nancy said holding her arms out. Susan was fixing to say something as Nancy cut her off. “Sweetie, don’t say anything. My Depo shot has worn off and I’m fixing to start that time of the month. I haven’t felt this in years and I’m leaning to the bitchy side today,” Nancy told her and Susan handed her the baby. Susan went to the dining room as Nancy sat down talking to Joshua.
‘We are hitting every pharmacy around here today’, Bruce thought. Every female in the family was on Depo. He didn’t think he could survive if all the women having super raging hormones now. Then Bruce called for everyone’s attention as Danny came back in and sat the wallets in front of him.
“I hope everyone heard what I told Susan. No one is to hit the prisoner’s unless they’re a threat to you or someone else. If they try to escape, let them make it through the razor wire Paul put up before you shoot them. You can make fun of them but no one is allowed to give them food or water until I’ve taught them some manners. This is nonnegotiable. Any breach by anyone and you’ll take the prisoners place for at least one day,” Bruce told them and asked for any questions. He did not receive any, but Bruce did get some clapping and yelled thanks.
Bruce sat back down and opened the wallets. In each wallet he found stacks of papers that had been folded four times. Bruce unfolded each, laying them on the table not reading any. After he had all of them on the table he counted sixty seven hand written notes.
Grabbing one, Bruce read it: I do here by authorize the execution of John Walter Smith age 16 for stealing food from the camp population second offense.
Bruce stopped reading not believing what he read, so he read it again. Then he started leafing through the pages. The only thing different was the date and names. He found ages from 13 to 51. At the bottom of each document was Carla or Mitch’s signature. Under that the officer’s signature and the date and time it was carried out. Bruce’s breathing was getting faster as he continued flipping through the papers. Stopping he closed his eyes, dropping the papers putting his hands on the table as the world wobbled in his vision.
Gripping the table hard, Bruce stood up so fast his chair hit the ground causing everyone to stop talking at the table and turn toward him. Bruce was leaning over with both hands on the table. His fingers tried to claw through the wood as they closed into fist. This was an anger Bruce had not felt in a long time. Everyone was asking him what was wrong but they sounded like they were in a tunnel and he couldn’t hear the words. Keeping his breathing under control, he finally released the anger, holding the rage.
Bruce turned around heading to the back door. He hit his leg on the chair he knocked over. Bruce kicked it sending slamming into the wall as he opened the door and slamming it behind him. Debbie and several others were fixing to follow him, until they heard someone yell out. They all turned to the source of sound and saw Millie in the kitchen.
“Read them papers before you go out that door,” Millie yelled.
Debbie grabbed a sheet of paper as everyone rushed to grab one. Debbie could not believe what she was reading. Then she looked over at other pages people were holding, reading over their shoulder. She started getting light headed. ‘They were the government. How could they do this?’ Debbie turned to the door.
“Don’t stop him baby,” Millie told her.
“Stop him? I’m going to join him. No one is to follow me,” Debbie said, as she slammed the door.
As Bruce neared the barn, the gimp came around the corner. Seeing Bruce, gimp ran over telling him, “Sir, they won’t do what I told them. I told them I was coming to get you and they did not care.”
Bruce never broke stride but just said, “Follow me,” as he led gimp to the barn. In the barn, Bruce grabbed a whip, cattle prod, dog chain and a jug of gasoline. The cattle prod and the whip had never been used. The family had only bought them because they lived on a farm. Lifting the prod up Bruce pulled the trigger on the cattle prod and saw sparks. Smiling, he handed all the stuff to gimp and headed out the back door.
It was still twilight outside, so the prisoners did not see Bruce until he was very close. When they did see him and the hate on his face, the look on their faces became one of terror. Mitch was the first one to speak.
“Ok Bruce, we’ll do it but please give us some gloves at least and something to cover up with,” Mitch begged.
Bruce walked up and kicked him then went down the line kicking each one. When Bruce came to the officer with the broken arm and leg, the man tried to kick Bruce. This brought a flurry of blows that rained down on him. When Bruce stopped the rain of blows, he jumped in the air landing to the man’s other leg and breaking it. This guy was the one Bruce knew he was going to have problems with. Bruce walked to stand in front of all four. The officer whose leg he just broke was still screaming out in pain.
Bruce turned toward him and said, “If you don’t shut up, I’m going to make you eat one of your own balls.” The officer shut up immediately. No longer did Bruce have hate etched on his face as he turned to look at Mitch and Carla. There was nothing and that terrified them more.
“How many executions did you authorize?” Bruce asked in a flat voice.
Mitch replied, “We were just doing what we were told. We got orders from Washington to get rid of anyone who was a dissident, questioned authority, refused to disarm, leave their property or failed to follow orders. Go to the camp, the briefcase is still on my desk. Those orders gave us the means and authority to do it.”
“How many?” Bruce asked again.
“I really don’t know. All orders were to be handwritten for the officer in charge to hold, so no criminal prosecution could be brought against him,” Mitch told Bruce.
“If you don’t answer the question, your life will be measured by how much pain you can go through mother fucker,” Debbie screamed walking up behind Bruce.
Bruce turned around stepping in front of Debbie. “Go back to the house,” Bruce told her.
Debbie pulled her knife from her vest. “Fuck that and move,” she said walking toward him. Bruce stepped out of her way as she walked toward Mitch
. Mitch seeing the small woman coming at him with the knife tried to move. But, when you are handcuffed to a cattle gate there is really nowhere to go.
Debbie stopped in front of him. “Before I ask you again, if you don’t know the number, it better be a good guess. When I go ask those inside and if the number they give me is not close to yours, I’m finding a blow torch. When I ask you a question, you will answer it. If you try that political dodging I’m going to cut shit off. Do I make myself clear?” Debbie asked him and Mitch nodded his head.
“How many?” Debbie asked.
“Between a hundred and thirty to a hundred and fifty,” Mitch replied.
“Was this going on at other Homeland Security camps?” Debbie asked.
“Yes,” Mitch answered shaking.
Debbie walked back to Bruce putting her knife up and turned back to face the four. “How could you do that? You’re Americans. This is the holocaust all over again, during a plague outbreak,” Debbie yelled at them, fighting off the urge to just run up and start stabbing.
Carla answered, “We had a duty to get rid of those that would cause problems, no matter if they were in camp or at their home. If we didn’t, we would have been executed.”
“That argument was tried in Nuremburg and it did not work then either. Doesn’t look like its working real good for you now,” Debbie said then asked. “How did you know who to go and get from their homes?”
“The FBI and ATF had a list for every region, those who had bought a lot of food, supplies or guns. A police officer would be sent out to bring them in. If he returned without them, a SWAT team was sent to collect them or kill them,” Carla told her.
Debbie’s heart skipped a beat as she broke out in a cold sweat. The cop that had come to the house was getting them to be executed. The only thing that had saved them was killing him. The family would now be dead if they had not killed him.
“Those people came to you for protection and those that had supplies could last for a while in this. What right do you have to decide for those to die?” Debbie asked.
Blue Plague Survival Page 21