Blue Plague Survival

by Watson, Thomas A

  “What about hunting them like we did before?” Maria asked hopefully.

  “I’m going to try but I don’t think it’ll work again. If it does, I don’t think it will work as well as the first time,” Bruce answered.

  “Let’s finish the fences first then,” someone yelled.

  “Has everyone here seen a football game on TV? Imagine if those fans charged the field, how hard it would be to stop them. They would just pile up at the fence until they built a ramp with bodies and come over the top. Remember that a stadium usually holds about fifty thousand. The reason I want the fence, is it’ll give us time and breathing room. Until we get more ammo and weapons, if we get hit by a large mob, our best chance is to run. That isn’t really an option for us. If we must, then this family has a farm in North Dakota. It doesn’t have a fence and is nowhere near ready but if we leave that’s where we go. Until then we have to kill’em away from here. That means actively hunting them.”

  “Let’s go get some ammo and guns,” another voice called out.

  “We can’t yet. It would cause too many blues to get on our travel corridor. Stephanie gave a report that blues hibernate in the cold. When we have frost two days in a row, we’re going to load up several semi’s and bring shit in here until we have no room for a frog to take a dump. Until then supply runs will be few and far between and only in areas where a hunting patrol was the day before. Patrols of search and destroy will be almost every day. The blues have already started moving back into the area we just cleared.

  “We took out the predators, then deer and other animals moved in. Guess what is following them back in? Nancy, Debbie, Angela and Stephanie, I want a two man patrol inside the fence around the clock starting tonight. Danny, today I want you to check off the new soldiers, Bill and anyone else with police or military training. Work will not interfere with training.

  “Next, after what that judge and congressman told me yesterday, if the government shows up we’ll fight them to the death, theirs or ours. They informed me, with a little persuasion, that as the plague was hitting they sent out officers to bring in those that had weapons and large stock piles of food. Before anyone asks, yes, one did come here before the world went to hell. But, he was shot by my son Steve at Debbie’s command,” Nancy gasped at Bruce’s words. “Yes Nancy, he came here to take this family in. If Steve wouldn’t have killed the officer, he would’ve told Homeland you were here and they would have sent a tactical team here. That was from both the judge and congressman. They were told to execute anyone not following instructions, basically anyone who didn’t kiss their ass. They want sheep to lead, not wild horses. Now if you want to leave after I’ve told you we will fight the government that’s fine. We will give you a truck, some food, and a weapon and hold no hard feelings. If you stay and they come, I expect you to kill anyone who threatens this clan. Does anyone want to leave?” Bruce asked looking around. Millie stood up and walked toward Bruce. Bruce expected a few to leave but not Millie.

  Millie walked up to Bruce and handed him a piece of paper, “That’s the execution order for my son. They told me that they made him leave buts in my heart I know’d better. The officer you burnt is the one who doodit. I broke your order, he was still alive when I finds him spread out. I took a knife from the kitchen. I puts a rag in his mouth and just started cuttin ‘im until he died. You said not to touch’em and I brokes your rule. Whatever punishment you decide I’ll do. If ya wants me to leave, I’ll leave.” Millie stood up straight waiting on Bruce’s decision. Everyone held their breath waiting.

  Bruce looked at Millie walked to the table, grabbed his notebook tore out a page and wrote something on it. Then he went back to Millie handing her the page saying, “Here, you’re excused, you can go back to class.” Millie just looked at the note it read ‘You’re excused.’ She looked at Bruce in disbelief then she hugged him and went back to her seat. Several people clapping for her.

  “Millie,” Bruce called and she turned around, “When it slows down a bit, ask my beautiful wife what she did to him. I have to admit, at times I was aroused.” Millie looked at Debbie blowing her a kiss and Debbie returned it.

  “It was good Millie,” Debbie said and the memory of the wave hit her making her breathe faster. Not the memory of the actions on the targets, just the wave. Bruce smiled at Debbie as she closed her eyes. He knew what she was thinking.

  Danny jumped up, “That’s my Mama.”

  “I would ask others to hold off on any actions against the three that are left. I’m not finished yet. Now to continue, if you stay and the government comes you’ll fight. If you don’t fight, I will kill you myself. That means you’ve just been going through the motions. Eating the clan’s food and using the clan for protection. This is your last chance, if you stay you’re in for a pound. We live or die together,” Bruce said expecting someone to leave. Then Bill stood up.

  “Bruce, I think I speak for everyone here when I say your family is the only sign of hope we have seen. You have taken us in treated us as equals, given us food, offered us protection and let’s not forget rescued our asses. The only thing this family has asked is for us to pull our own weight. That was rare before the world changed. I’m sure it’s almost extinct now. With what you had set up before the world took a dive is amazing and you’re willing to share it with total strangers. I can’t say if the shoe had been on the other foot I could’ve left my family to rescue others. You not only leave, you take your whole family into battle. I’m proud to be a part of this clan,” Bill finished sitting back down everyone agreeing with him.

  “Thank you Bill. This family needed to hear that. Paul is there any way we can work at night, without drawing a lot of attention, like use huge work lights?” Bruce asked him.

  “Yeah, the fence for sure. We could put the two pieces of plywood together in the bottom of the barn. Then we could bring’em to the fence, using one of the electric buggies with a trailer. I could rig up something to cut down on the noise of the industrial mixer. Yeah, we could run a night crew and I could keep the projects going but it will not be as fast as the day work. You just need too much light and power. The array you have here must have cost a fortune. It puts out more power than the batteries can store. Right now, your batteries are the weak link. Each of your arrays put out at least 5kw an hour but on a good day it averages 8kw an hour and you have ten arrays. Your wind mill was just turning, because you didn’t need the power. I stopped it to save wear and tear,” Paul told him.

  “Nancy, Debbie, Angela and Stephanie I want a ten man night crew worked in also. Four for the fence and six for construction doing what Paul has lain out,” Bruce told them with each of them nodding. “I am going to be making fire team assignments. This’ll be who you patrol with and fight with. If you have a problem with that team, let me know, I’ll move you. They will be five and six man teams, I know I said man but women will be on them also. My team will only be on standby today in case blues hear the construction but we’ll be out tomorrow. Next, I have noticed several kids running around here. All of you adults, I want someone to adopt each kid. If it goes bad here, I want someone responsible for each one. Bill I have a favor to ask and it’s a big one. I want you to adopt someone,” Bruce said to him.

  “I would be honored, my wife and I never had kids,” Bill told Bruce. Bruce did not ask what happened to his wife.

  “Frank, come up here please,” Bruce called the little boy that guarded the kids on the island to him. Frank ran up to Bruce smiling. “Frank, Bill is the person Paul was looking for, just for you,” Bruce said as Frank’s smile broadened to a grin.

  “Bill, this is Frank. He guarded seven kids on an island and he was the oldest at nine,” Bruce told Bill as he walked toward Bruce and Frank. Frank took off at a dead run locking Bill’s leg in a hug. Bill reached down picking up Frank and hugging him, then, headed back to his seat.

  Bruce looked over where Frank had run from and saw Nathan, the six year old boy from the island. The last of tha
t group that nobody had adopted yet, Paul’s family had taken in Alice and Robert. Nathan was just sitting by the house looking at Frank in Bill’s arms and Bruce could see tears run down his face.

  Bruce looked in his notebook and asked, “Where is Thomas Caldwell and could he come here please?”

  A stocky man in his early fifties with gray hair stood up and walked to Bruce stopping in front of him, “Yes sir.”

  “You are an ordained minister correct?” Bruce asked Thomas.

  “Yes sir, of the Catholic faith,” Thomas said.

  “You will fight to protect this clan?” Bruce asked him.

  “Yes sir. Sometimes a shepherd has to protect his flock. I have seen with my own eyes what Satan has unleashed on this world. I’m not just talking about the infected. Satan’s minions can come in the forms of lawless bandits and government officials,” Thomas replied.

  “I have a favor to ask you also,” Bruce told him and leaned over whispering in his ear. Father Thomas said, “I would be honored.”

  “Steve and Tonya come here please,” Bruce said as they walked up to him wondering what they had done.

  “I want you two married today. This world has gone insane and I want her to carry the Williams name. If something happens to either of you I want you to have no regrets. We can have a formal wedding if we ever get a chance to breathe,” Bruce told both of them. Tonya hugged Bruce then Steve hugged his dad.

  “Dad, we need rings,” Steve said. Bruce reached in his pocket and pulled out two rings.

  “These are the rings your mother and I used, passed to me by my father. They were used by all his brothers and sisters going back eight generations. These rings have seen hundreds of Williams married. All I ask, since you are the first, let your brothers and sisters use them. They are now yours,” Bruce told him.

  “I will guard them with my life,” Steve promised.

  “I know you will son and they will fit. I snuck out to the machine shop last night,” Bruce told him.

  “Everyone, I want you all to be witnesses to the marriage of my son to Tonya Stone,” Bruce said out loud.

  Debbie, Nancy and Pam ran up to Tonya fixing her hair and Debbie handed PJ to Bruce. Danny and Mary headed to one of the flower gardens bringing back a bouquet of flowers. Jake and Matt ran into the house coming back with cameras. Bruce told Buffy she was the ring bearer.

  Tonya came up to Bruce, “Will you give me away Mr. Williams?” she asked.

  “I would be honored to but call me Mr. Williams again and you get a spanking. On your wedding day your husband’s supposed to do that,” Bruce told her.

  “I’m sorry Dad,” Tonya told him smiling.

  After the wedding ceremony everyone posed for pictures and Debbie walked over to Bruce. He was looking at Danny holding PJ with several other teenage girls around. “Never even heard of a wedding with everyone in full combat gear and assault rifles,” Debbie said.

  “Yeah it’s a first but I have a feeling it won’t be the last. Not for a very long time,” Bruce said as Debbie slapped the back of Bruce’s head.

  “How could you do this without telling me? It was the right thing to do but you should have told me,” Debbie snapped at him, then, hugged him.

  “After that slap, I better get some tonight,” Bruce told her hugging her.

  “Maybe,” Debbie replied in a not so convincing tone.

  “I thought you slapped me for what I said,” Bruce admitted.

  “About them staying in combat gear? Please. If they would’ve come to me right now wanting everyone to dress up, I would’ve beat both of ‘em,” Debbie told him. “She’s going to throw the flowers,” Debbie said running to the group. Danny and Mary were running away from the group.

  Bruce chuckled at the sight. Then looked closely at the group, several dozen women were standing to catch the flowers, many were carrying assault weapons. This can’t be good, Bruce thought. Tonya threw the flowers over her shoulder and Bruce watched them go through the air and land in Buffy’s hands. Buffy started jumping up and down with the flowers. With a scowl on his face, Bruce yelled out, “Buffy, you’re grounded until you’re twenty one.”

  The excitement washed off Buffy’s face when she heard Bruce. She just stared at Bruce like he had lost his mind. She had won, isn’t that what Daddy always told her to do, win. Then Debbie leaned down whispering in Buffy’s ear and a look of horror crossed Buffy’s face. With a look of disgust, Buffy handed Debbie the flowers wiping her hands off on her chest. Debbie walked over to Bruce carrying the flowers. Steve and Tonya came over and Debbie gave Tonya the flowers.

  “I really didn’t mean to throw them to her,” Tonya said to Bruce.

  “I know, can I ask you two something?” Bruce asked.

  “Sure,” they said.

  “You two are married now and I want y’all to have a kid,” Bruce told them. Debbie looked at Bruce with a shocked expression not believing her ears.

  “We had planned on it Dad,” Steve said blushing, looking down at his feet.

  “No, I mean right here, right now,” Bruce said looking at the couple.

  “Dad, there are people everywhere out here, they’ll see us. And babies take nine months to get here,” Steve told his Dad not wanting to explain the facts of life to his father.

  “Well, I’m glad you paid attention when I gave you your talk. That’s not what I meant. Look at that kid by the back door sitting down,” Bruce told them.

  “Who, Nathan?” Steve asked looking where Bruce had said.

  “He’s crying,” Tonya said bringing her hand to her mouth.

  “Yes Nathan. He’s the last kid from the island that has not been adopted. He’s crying because he and Frank were always together since they’ve been here. I want you two to adopt him,” Bruce asked them. Debbie had never shaken off the shocked look so her expression never changed.

  Tonya and Steve looked at each other then back to Nathan. Looking at each other one last time they turned to Bruce. Tonya said, “It’s a wonderful idea. Will you introduce us Bruce?”

  “We’ll watch him tonight so you two can have a honeymoon night,” Bruce offered.

  “That’s ok, we already had our honeymoon night,” Tonya said blushing.

  Bruce smiled then turned to Debbie, “If you don’t close your mouth and change your expression, the kid is goin’ to think you farted.”

  Debbie started stuttering shaking her head, “Wh-How-No-“.

  “English baby, you speak it,” Bruce said and called Nathan over. Nathan came over to Bruce, never looking up. He still had tears in his eyes and they had lots of friends running down his face hitting the ground.

  Bruce kneeled down looking at Nathan who was looking at his shoes with tears still hitting the ground. “I found the people Paul was looking for to take care of you and love you,” Bruce told him.

  “Nobody wants me,” Nathan told him.

  “You are wrong buddy. They couldn’t adopt you until they got married. They couldn’t have kids out of wedlock,” Bruce told him with a serious face. Nathan understood married. He looked at Bruce with his jaw hanging open in shock.

  “Do I stink? Or maybe I’m not speaking English?” Bruce asked looking up at Tonya and Steve. Debbie slapped him across the back of his head. Bruce looked back at Nathan, “It’s my son and his new wife. They want you to join their family. Are you ready for it?”

  Nathan turned his head looking up at Tonya and Steve. Before they could kneel down, Nathan threw himself at Tonya’s leg holding on for dear life crying his eyes out. Steve picked him up hugging Nathan and Tonya joined in. Nathan gave kisses all over their faces telling them he loved them as all three cried.

  Tears rolled down Bruce’s cheeks watching the three. The last loose end from the island was taken care of. Steve walked over with Nathan in his arms, still hugging him. Tonya took Nathan from him so she could get some baby boy love. Steve watched Tonya take Nathan over to everyone so she could tell them she was his Mama. “She could’ve let m
e hold him a little longer,” Steve said with envy in his voice, watching Tonya walk off with Nathan.

  “Get used to it. I didn’t get to hold you until you were one. Your Mama just about went into conniption fits cause PJ wouldn’t let her hold him. I think she broke out the Ouija board and put voodoo on my ass,” Bruce told Steve as Debbie slapped the back of his head again.

  “I know damn well I’m getting some tonight. That’s the third slap today,” Bruce told Debbie dropping his smile.

  “Dad please, don’t, that’s gross,” Steve said shaking his head trying to get those words out of his head.

  “You do know that’s how you got here right. Even though I didn’t get to hold you until you could walk. I think you just ran away from her and I just picked you up, not knowin’ you were my kid,” Bruce told him feeling a slap on the back of his head.

  “Please Dad, don’t say it,” Steve said knowing what was coming next.

  Bruce looked at Steve remembering all of his first times to do everything. Pride filled him from head to toe. Bruce could remember taking him on base showing him off to everyone. Then taking him down to the air field Steve loved watching helicopters. “I’m proud of you son. A father couldn’t ask for a better son who has turned into a man. Every father wants to see their child to grow up better than them. You’ve succeeded tenfold. I’m sorry you didn’t get the normal childhood. I just wanted you prepared for life, I hope one day you forgive me,” Bruce told Steve tears rolling down his face.

  Steve seeing his dad cry wrapped his arms around him giving him a bear hug and Steve started to cry. “If I would’ve had a normal childhood, we’d all be dead Dad. Who would want it anyway? How many kids can say they shot a fully automatic weapon at the age of seven, learned how to blow stuff up, sky dive before they were a teenager, ride rapids, fix anything, shop on e-bay yelling at the computer when someone out bids you and all the hunting trips. Every friend I ever had in life, wanted to be a part of our family,” Steve said letting Bruce go looking at him. “I just hope I’m half the Dad you are,” Steve said.