“For snipers it lasts a long time. Just don’t let it take control of you. Drink some water, we’re going to get some more,” Bruce told him.
Buffy walked up to Jake, “Ride the wave hard bubba,” she told him and held up her fist for a knuckle bump.
Jake just looked at Buffy as Bruce told him, “She’s ridden the wave too son and so has your mom.”
Jake bumped knuckles with Buffy and said, “Cool.”
Bruce headed over to Debbie who was drinking water. She looked up as he walked over. “Bruce this is bullshit. It was right there,” Debbie said in a pissed off voice.
“Don’t force it baby. When you feel the tingling in your spine, quit yelling and just let it go. That being said remember the rules,” Bruce told her.
“Quit yelling. I thought that’s what you were doing, working yourself into the wave,” Debbie said.
“No baby, I was yelling so I wouldn’t go into the wave. I didn’t need it. You’re too drained once it leaves and these were not worth the effort,” Bruce told her.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Debbie admitted taking another drink of water.
“You could’ve told me that Daddy,” Buffy said from his side.
“This was not worth it Buffy,” Bruce told her.
“When I start to tingle, I’m not scared anymore,” Buffy admitted as Debbie came over to stand beside her.
“Yelling almost does the same thing Buffy. Sometimes you want to feel fear to remind you to be careful,” Bruce told her. Buffy just sighed and took the bottle Debbie handed her taking a drink.
Bruce looked at Debbie, “Jake is on the wave now.”
“What? why aren’t you over there guiding him?” Debbie asked.
“Baby he’s a sniper. Snipers are a breed unto themselves. They face only one problem, they want to be alone. We can handle that easy enough,” Bruce told her.
“He’s alone now. Call him over here,” Debbie told Bruce.
“He’s in the field baby. Leave him alone. When we get back home is when you have to be near him. He’s riding the wave but not like I ever have. A sniper can throw themselves on the wave at will and stay there for days. I’ve talked to several and they’ve all told me the same thing. The longest I’ve ever managed is fourteen hours and I slept for twenty afterwards. Unless you sacrifice part of yourself, then you can ride a long time. Snipers don’t have to,” Bruce told her looking around him seeing everyone standing around listening.
“I want to learn to be a sniper,” Debbie told him.
“Baby you can learn to be a sniper but you can’t learn to ‘become’ a sniper. That’s something you are born with or without. I’ve been trained as a sniper and can hit targets at a mile but I don’t have the mindset of a sniper,” Bruce told Debbie. Mary, who was standing close to them and had heard the discussion, turned to look at Jake with worry on her face.
Mary started to walk to Jake who was standing off from the group. Bruce grabbed her arm, “Not now Mary. Never in the field ok. Leave him alone until we get back. Give him a few hours then you can talk to him. Do you understand?” Bruce asked her.
Mary just looked at Bruce and then alarm spread across her face. Without moving her face she cut her eyes toward the Mama’s as Bruce spoke to her, “It’s ok Mary, you’re just worried about your teammate.” Mary looked back at Bruce. Staring into his face her heart skipped a beat. He knew. Thoughts started racing through her mind to try to cover for them. Bruce just looked down at her and said, “Mary I’ve not let Danny or his Mama go to him, so neither can you.”
Mary let out a long breath and hugged Bruce. Bruce was going to cover for her. Tonight she and Jake had to have a long talk, Mary thought to herself. She turned and went to her horse getting a bottle of water.
Nancy watched the exchange and as Mary grabbed some water asked her, “What’s wrong Mary?”
Mary just shrugged her shoulders as Bruce spoke up, “Just training my troops Nancy. I know we’re family but we have to remember we’re also a team in combat.”
Nancy walked over to Mary and hugged her telling her Jake would be ok. Bruce called everyone over as he took out his map and called Mike over the radio. “Base, where are the party guests, and how many do we have?” Bruce asked.
“The guests have stopped five miles to the southwest of the house,” Mike reported then called out the grid coordinates. “The group is sixty three strong. I had to send out the home defense team. The second micro spy plane found a group of seventeen to the north east, only two miles from the farm. Sent them in my truck the hostiles tried to chase it down and were taken out by those in the back,” Mike reported.
Bruce found where the group of blues had run to on the map. It was a small group of trees in the middle of a field smaller than a hundred and fifty by two hundred yards. They would hit them there if they stayed. “In one hour come and get the hunting team, we’re going after the party poopers. Keep us informed of any movements,” Bruce told him as he looked at the group.
“We are going to attack the assholes. We’re going to charge them and wipe them out. I want everyone who has one to load up the beta mags,” Bruce told them. The beta mags were a hundred and twenty round magazines for the M-4’s and SCAR’s. They did fit the AUG’s that Debbie and Nancy carried but you couldn’t aim the AUG for shit with them on. The beta did not fit the Galil that Danny carried.
The group mounted up and took off at a strong trot. In twenty minutes they were at the field and waited for the UAV to confirm that the blues were still there. While they waited they watered the horses and tightened saddles until Mike called over the radio that the guests were still there.
“We’re a half a mile from them now. We are going to charge them moving through the little stand of trees wiping them out. Stay in line, don’t charge forward alone, I’m center and Debbie and Nancy will be on the ends. Let’s see if we can scare them,” Bruce said.
Everyone mounted and when Bruce got a thumbs up from all he kicked Nightmare into a run. They looked like knights as they entered the field. Instead of lowering lances, they lowered assault rifles. The blues saw them at a hundred yards from the trees. A group of eleven charged the patrol as the rest ran out the other side of the stand of trees trying to make it to the woods, a hundred plus yards away.
The patrol cut the attacking runners down before they even got close. They rode through the stand of trees chasing the escaping runners. As one, the entire patrol opened up cutting the escaping infected down. Then they shot the wounded in the head.
Bruce stopped and looked down at a blue. It was a nude female in her early twenties. He shot her in the head again then unbuckled from Buffy. Climbing off his horse, Bruce walked over to the female blue. Nightmare did not want to come closer but Bruce yanked his reins pulling him over. Bruce kneeled by the body and studied it then stood up calling Debbie over as Buffy jumped off nightmare.
Debbie rode over to him as did everyone else. “Get off and look at this one and tell me what you see?” Bruce requested.
Debbie got off, handed Bruce the reins to her horse and looked at the body. She reached in her pocket pulling out nylon gloves, taking off her tactical gloves and put them on. Kneeling down, Debbie examined the body. “At one time she was pretty before she was infected. I think she is in her early twenties-,” Debbie stopped as she looked at the breast then she felt the abdomen.
“Oh shit,” Debbie said.
“That’s what I thought,” Bruce said.
“What?” asked Steve.
“She’s pregnant,” Debbie said.
“Stephanie said they’d be able to reproduce,” Nancy said.
“Nancy, hearing it and seeing it are two totally different things,” Bruce told her. “Mount up we are headed home,” Bruce called and walked over to Jake.
Bruce stopped beside Jake’s horse and handed him the map, “Take us home, you’re in charge I’m in the rear,” Bruce told him.
Jake looked at the map, “I really don’t want to
dad.”
“I didn’t ask son. I need to think some things over, now take us home,” Bruce told him. Jake grabbed the map and studied it for a route home.
Buffy walked over to Bruce, “Daddy, when will I get boobies?” she asked.
“Buffy, you are to never ask Daddy about your boobies again, ever,” Bruce snapped as he climbed into the saddle.
Debbie ran over to Buffy and whispered, “You don’t ask Daddy about that ever. We will talk about it later. Daddy tries to always remember you as a little girl. When Danny got her first bra, Daddy wanted to blow up J.C. Penny’s.” Debbie helped Buffy up to Bruce and he made her sit up front to drive.
Jake led the patrol home. It was a little after 1700 when they rode in and headed to the barn. Tonya and Nathan were waiting at the barn for Steve. They ran over to him as he climbed down from his horse. Steve wrapped both of them up in his arms then lifted Nathan up to the saddle as he led the horse to the barn. The whole trip back, Bruce sat lost in thought about what they had seen today and what still needed to be done.
Bruce looked up and saw Stephanie holding PJ with the twins beside her run up to Debbie hugging her then moving down the line hugging everyone. They stopped at him as he climbed off. Bruce reached down and picked up the twins hugging them then put each one in the saddle behind Buffy. They held on as Buffy trotted off on Nightmare toward the barn. Bruce held out his arms for PJ and he reached out for Bruce.
Grabbing him, Bruce gave him big squeezes and kisses that PJ really loved. Then Bruce looked at Stephanie. “Well, are ya going to hug me or not woman?” Bruce asked her. Stephanie hugged Bruce as Debbie walked up.
“Hey, no tongue now,” Debbie said.
Stephanie let go of Bruce and looked at Debbie, “How do you use tongue when you hug someone?” Stephanie asked Debbie.
Debbie laughed shaking her head, “I was picking Stephanie, like when you kiss.”
“I only kissed him on the cheek,” Stephanie told her not understanding. Debbie looked down shaking her head.
“You bring another woman to our bed that doesn’t know anything about hanky panky?” Bruce asked Debbie, shaking his head with a disappointed look.
Stephanie slapped his arm, “I know stuff like that Bruce,” Stephanie told him in a sassy tone.
“Let me guess, you read about it in a book?” Bruce asked.
“Yeah, but I even saw a dirty movie once,” Stephanie shot back hoping to startle Bruce.
“Shocking, I never would’ve believed they made those,” Bruce replied sarcastically.
Stephanie looked at Debbie, “He’s picking on me.”
“You asked for that one baby,” Debbie told her laughing.
Bruce reached down picking Stephanie up, throwing her over his shoulder. Debbie walked over to him taking PJ from him. Bruce put his arm around Debbie and they walked past the community building with Stephanie over his shoulder hitting him on the butt to put her down. Bruce stopped on the patio and whispered to Debbie, “Watch this.”
Bruce put Stephanie down and while she was trying to tell him something Bruce kissed her on the mouth. Locking his mouth to hers he thrust his tongue into her mouth. He then let her go, “That’s with tongue.” Bruce turned around kissed Debbie and then walked into the house.
Stephanie was standing with her eyes closed as Bruce walked into the house. She started to wobble on her feet as she opened her eyes. Stephanie took a step back trying to keep her balance. Debbie laughed as she caught her arm so Stephanie wouldn’t fall. Stephanie looked at Debbie who was still laughing. Why wasn’t Debbie mad at her, Stephanie thought.
“It was good wasn’t it?” Debbie asked her smiling.
“Holy shit,” was all Stephanie could manage to say.
“I take it, that’s good?” Debbie inquired.
“I will sleep somewhere else tonight Debbie,” Stephanie said looking down.
“What?” Debbie asked in shock.
“Hello, Bruce just kissed me,” Stephanie told her.
“Stephanie, Bruce has kissed Nancy and Mike like that, granted he has to fight Mike to do it,” Debbie told her. Stephanie was just staring at her. “You don’t get out of this relationship that easy honey. Bruce is more than man for both of us,” Debbie told her grabbing her arm leading Stephanie into the house.
Bruce was in his recliner already dozing off with his vest on the coffee table. Debbie sat down at the table with PJ, then, asked Stephanie, “Will you take Bruce’s boots off please.” Stephanie went and took Bruce’s boots off and sat down at the table with her laptop.
Danny, Matt, Jake and Mary came in thirty minutes later dropping down into chairs, except Jake who just sat down slowly. Mary reached over and patted his hand. Jake looked at her and smiled.
Danny looked at Debbie who was feeding PJ. “Thanks Mama. You and Daddy just left your horses. Don’t worry though we took care of it. Thank goodness Daddy Mike came out because the twins wanted Buffy to take them for a ride on that mountain Daddy calls a horse. I was tired of watching them. I want a shower, I love my horse but I don’t like smelling like him. Then Jake is on some kind of drug, I just wanted to tell ya thank you for leaving us out there to take care of yours and daddy’s horses and gear,” Danny finished bitching.
Debbie looked up at Danny, “Did you say something baby girl?” Debbie asked.
Danny just dropped her head to the table, “No ma-am.”
Debbie kept feeding PJ as others continued to come in. When the cooks called supper ready Debbie told Buffy to wake Daddy so he could eat. Bruce came into the kitchen after Buffy woke him up. Bruce growled as Millie put a plate at his spot. Millie stopped and looked at him. Bruce just turned away looking at something else as Millie went to help in the kitchen. Bruce reached down grabbing the chicken breast off his plate and walked out on the patio.
Gimp/Jim, was sitting at a table eating, seeing Bruce come out he stood up. Bruce motioned him back down to eat. The three prisoners were sitting at the edge of the patio in the grass still naked. Bruce called them over. They ran over to him stopping and looking at their feet.
Bruce looked at them and said, “When you’re around any in this clan you will kneel. When it’s me, you will bow on your knees or we’ll have another lesson.” The three dropped to their knees like someone had shot them. Bruce looked them over as they kneeled in front of him. Bill was walking by but stopped seeing Bruce with the three and he sent Frank into the house. The three were covered in shit and smelled of it. Their skin was sun burned and Carla’s shaved head was bright red from the sun.
Bruce cleared his throat after taking a bite of chicken. “I’m going to ask each of you questions. Some I know the answers to, some I don’t. If you lie, and I will find out, you will see your colleague got off easy. If you answer truthfully you’ll be rewarded. Do you understand?” Bruce asked.
“Yes,” they said together.
“First, when you talk to me you will address me as sir or I will rape each of you right here with a blow torch. Now, do I make myself clear?” Bruce demanded.
“Yes sir,” they replied in unison.
Bruce closed his eyes to fight back the anger, then, opened his eyes. “Bitch boy, you know where government stockpiles of supplies are located don’t you?” Bruce asked Mitch.
“Yes sir,” Mitch replied.
“In what states do you know the locations bitch boy?” Bruce asked him.
“Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi with several others in Montana sir,” Mitch replied.
“Do you know what each one holds?” Bruce asked.
“In general, but not a complete inventory sir. If I had my laptop from the camp, I could give you a detailed list sir,” Mitch replied on his knees with his head on the ground.
“Bitch what about you? Do you know locations also?” Bruce asked.
“Yes sir,” Carla replied.
Bruce turned to the trooper, “How about you dumb? Do you know where the state police had stock piles
of ammo and weapons?” Bruce asked.
“Yes sir,” the trooper answered.
Bruce tore off three bite size pieces of chicken and threw it in front of each of them, “Eat it off the ground, don’t use your hands.” Bruce told them and they did as they were told.
“You three have lost some weight since you’ve been here. Bitch if you did not have a shaved head and was not covered in shit you just might look good. Now if you prove yourself useful to the clan you can join the human race again when I allow it. I will allow it when I see that you know you’re part of it and not better than the rest of us,” Bruce told them and turned to Bill.
“Tell Debbie I want three notebooks and pens. A bar of soap and three towels please,” Bruce requested from Bill. Chuckling, Bill went in to get the supplies.
“Bitch, do you want to be raped and violated?” Bruce asked her.
Carla started crying, “No sir.”
“Do you think the girls that bitch boy, dumb and dumber raped wanted that?” Bruce questioned as Debbie came out to the patio.
“No sir,” Carla said still crying.
“Do you think these two need to be raped to show them what it feels like to have someone do that to them?” Bruce asked her.
Carla stopped crying and replied, “Yes sir.”
Bruce was watching the men and saw their bodies become ridged with her answer. “Well now boys, put your butts in the air for me then,” Bruce said as he walked behind them. Both men raised their butts up in the air as they cried. Bruce knew they were broken now. They would only need a demonstration here and there, unless someone showed them mercy too early. Bruce smiled thinking he had saved three more back to the human race. I should’ve been a warden, Bruce thought.
“You two are lucky. I killed a lot of infected today and I’m tired,” Bruce told them as Bill came back outside carrying the supplies.
“Now you three will take a bath under the water hose. Then each of you will sit down and write down what you know. If you make me neat long list in the notebooks I’ll let each of you have a meal tonight and cover up with a blanket. If the clan can use what you’ve written down I will give each of you a shirt and one pair of pants tomorrow. Now, do you understand?” Bruce asked them.
Blue Plague Survival Page 31