Now to the last bit. Traditions are really damn important. Thanksgiving would be upon us in two weeks. We needed turkeys and stuff for a meal. I vowed everyone would enjoy it with as little distraction as possible. Actually, I hoped this would be so. Our area had quite a few wild turkeys. In fact, they were pretty much out of control and too fast for a zombie to catch. I made a note to assign some hunters to bag a few dozen at least for the dinner when that time was near. We could power up a container car to store the meat but in reality that might not be needed as the temperature rarely got above 45-degrees now during the day. Wow. So this is what's it's like being a leader? I made a mental note to broach the subject of releasing some taboos, specifically on nudity. Might be nice to converse with my staff while poking my women. That whole two birds with one stone thing. I joked to myself. Time to get serious but I did make that mental note about taboos. Oh, underage was totally off limits and I would kill anyone quicker than you could cough if it happened. No pedophiles. But age of consent needed to be lowered back to where it was back in the day. Sixteen was okay. I'm drifting. I'm tired. Okay, okay, getting back to work.
Cara was in my lap while I wrote all these notes up at the small table in my almost empty bedroom. I needed to get my thoughts down. She was doing interesting things to my belt buckle and pants. I won't lie. Way too many interesting things so I bent her over the tiny table holding her down while I fucked the hell out of her, but my thoughts were on that Jean girl. As usual, I had forgotten to close the door and we gathered an audience quickly. I no longer cared.
*****
DAY 5: 1800 ET
Jean couldn't get enough of her Eric and Beverly. Things were crazy busy here but she couldn't stop loving on them, making up for all the time she had missed. She kissed her father and mother warmly giving them long special hugs and kisses for keeping her babies safe. They were just glad she made it. She hadn't been given an assignment yet but she hoped it was one that involved working closely with Jay. He occupied her thoughts constantly for some reason. Her face burned thinking of him. Maybe it was a single mothers instincts, maybe a survival instinct, but she couldn't get him out of her mind. Not to mention the fact that he cut a really sexy figure with his long hair and camouflage clothing, guns draped all over him, and that tight ass. She shivered.
She smiled to herself knowing he was taken. He actually had two girlfriends she'd found out but that was kinda funny. Many of the men here had at least two women she noticed. Women outnumbered the men by over three to one. It was crazy but understandable. She knew many weren't single but instead widows, their husbands having given their lives for the few precious moments needed for their wives and children to get to safety. The thought saddened her. So, she spent the afternoon with her children and parents just learning about everything going on while asking innocent questions about the man Jay. Momma Jean wasn't fooled but that was okay. Jean's only real complaint was she found out he thought naming mother and daughter both by the same names was one of the stupidest things he had ever heard of. Privately she had to agree as it had caused no end of trouble for her growing up, but it had been momma's wish and pa wasn't about to go against momma's wishes.
Earlier, she had been passed a sheet with duty assignments on it. She had her choice of several equally unpleasant tasks the following day. Dead burial. Cleaning and washing. Cooking details. Livestock roundup. Construction tasks. Harvester. There was a note for those with specific skills to see Miguel. She had read over the sheet multiple times but nowhere did it say where Jay would be working. She frowned. Every time she thought of him, she felt a faint stirring in her belly. Like when he had kissed her. And that feeling was getting stronger. She shook herself and concentrated on the special skills. Plumber? Electrician? Master Carpenter? Waste Management? No too all of these listed. She had to think. Thinking right now was hard. The kids were running all over the yard under the watchful gaze of guards stationed every twenty feet around the clearing facing outward. She smiled watching the children. There were an amazing number of them. They were enjoying one of the last few warm sunny days of fall before winter set in and they had to go back to school. Wait! There was no school. Oh my God, that was it!
She jumped to her feet kissing Eric and Beverly quickly and telling her parents she would be right back. She had to move quickly before someone else thought of it. She was sure some parents had already. There were kids everywhere and in everyone's way. This would solve that problem. Just because zombies were running around eating everyone, was no reason to neglect a child's education. Winter was coming, so what would the kids do then? She smiled at the declaration that had come out a short bit ago from Jay. From henceforth the zombies would be known as zombies, end of discussion. She giggled. She also knew that teachers by tradition were normally part of the management of a community. Certainly in the planning stages. It would provide her with a valid reason to see Jay on a daily basis. She felt that flutter in her belly again and ran faster through the house looking for Miguel.
She found him in the back room. She didn't know yet this was effectively the managers’ hangout until the new quarters were complete at the granary. He was sitting at the table surrounded by more papers and notes than he could possibly keep track of. She had no idea how one man could remember all this. He heard her enter his space and looked up with a frown on his face at her rush.
"Miguel." she said breathlessly.
"I'm sorry, you’re Jean yes? Did you pick your assignment? Please leave it here and I'll get to it later tonight." He had already dismissed her presence, which was a little disconcerting. Most men couldn't drag their attention away from her. She didn't know Rosita yet.
"Yes Miguel, but it's not on the list." she smiled and sat down across from him.
"Excuse me? Well those are the work parties and skills we need. You'll have to pick one. I'm just too busy. If you can't pick one, I'll have to do it for you. Now where did I put that roster?” He left off speaking and muttering in Spanish under his breath was vainly searching for something in that mass piles of papers. Just then six boys slammed open the back door running into the house. The breeze they stirred up blew many of the papers onto the floor. She shook her head bending over to pick them up and noticed one labeled Roster. Then another. They almost looked identical. But for what? She handed them to him across the table laying the other papers to the side.
"No Miguel. Listen, you also need teachers." She waved her hand at the departing boys. "They need to be in school. It will get them out of everyone's way and they need to be educated. Just because we may all be eaten tomorrow by zombies doesn't mean we have to die dumb." Miguel's mouth had fallen open during her speech.
"Madre de Dios. You are so right. We forgot! Many great thanks, Miss Jean." he appeared stunned at her idea.
"De nada, Señor," she replied in perfect Spanish smiling brightly at him. "You also need a secretary. Here let me help you with these." He started to object but she ignored him. She started sorting papers into piles then grabbed a fresh sheet of paper and a pencil and started cataloging her sorted piles. After a bit, Miguel asked if she had seen the list of farms with livestock that weren't eaten yet. She had that ready and handed it to him. She was busy writing notes when he stopped working and placed both his hands over hers catching her attention. He was smiling.
"Señorita," she had to stop working. He had her hands captured. She looked up at him scared he would change his mind and put her on a nasty work detail. "You are sent from the heavens. I have a new job for you and it isn't teaching our niños, which is very much needed. You know Spanish, sí?" he inquired. She had spoken Spanish all her life and it was a needed hiring requirement in the Fort Worth school system. He lapsed into his native tongue talking fast. He was fluent in English but Spanish being his native language meant he could express his ideas better and more fully. He was designating her, his executive secretary. He had many ideas that he found hard to express in English to Jay. At least the way he meant them to be expressed.
Moreover, he was overwhelmed with the paperwork organizing hundreds of people now. He continued indicating her first task after organizing his paperwork was to start a teachers list. He was positive there were teachers in their little group. Perhaps some of the retired men and women. She was correct. The kids needed something to do or they would form gangs like in his native Mexico. She nodded. She understood and her heart gave a leap. Executive secretary and working closely with Jay. She was speechless.
Jay picked that moment to walk in the room. Her heart leaped again and that flutter in her belly started up. She smiled up at him weakly not knowing what to do. She also noticed his two girlfriends closely followed him. They crowded up against him as if they took a step back he would disappear on them. She was starting to understand why as he smiled at her and the butterfly's went into hyper drive.
"Hi Jean, did Miguel give you an assignment yet?" he asked politely his hot gaze deliberately traveling over her from head to toe. In most men that would just piss her off, but Jay was an exception. She didn't know why, but she wanted him looking at her that way. She couldn't help it. Miguel interrupted anything she might have said with an angry retort directed at Jay.
"She is mine Señor, Jay!" he said fiercely. Laying a hand possessively on hers again.
Jay looked at Miguel then back at her and she saw him swallow hard. Was that disappointment she saw on his face? "Okay, Miguel you finally got Rosita's permission? Good for you." Now she could tell for sure he was disappointed. It was written all over his face.
"No, no, no, Señor Jay. She is not mi novia." Miguel looked shocked and scared actually. Rosita must be hellfire. He kept speaking "She is my assistant! You cannot have her for the common work detail and she is organizing escuela, or school for the niños" He looked relieved to get that all out and a little proud of himself.
"You need a secretary?" Jay asked. He looked skeptical. Miguel stood up and faced him gesturing at the piles of papers on the table. There were easily over two-hundred pages lying around and Jean wasn't done sorting them yet.
"You think, Señor?" The sarcastic tone from Miguel she saw made Jay wince. She smiled knowing she was in. "We also need an escuela, or how you say, school for the children. Miss Jean's idea." Jay was nodding and it was obvious he was in total agreement. " They are all over the place creating problemas. It's only a short time before we lose some to the zombies. They are out of control. They are out of control." Miguel was frustrated and kept slipping into Spanish but Jay understood him and kept nodding.
"You’re right Miguel. We can’t control them and it is just a matter of time before the zombies grab them, they do go everywhere. I knew you needed an assistant. Keep up the great work. Thanks Jean for helping and coming up with the school idea. We should have thought of it but we're just so busy." He sighed and reached out resting his large hand on her shoulder in thanks. Instantly, she shivered as an electric current ran through her body at his touch. Her eyes widened, she couldn't breathe, all she could do was nod. It was when he turned to leave that she saw his girls Bridget and Cara watching her closely. They turned, looking at each other then back and smiled at her before leaving. What? Did they realize she was falling for their man? She thought for a second, Yes probably. Still it was with a huge smile on her face that she sat back down and kept sorting papers while drawing up a list of what she had for Miguel. She told a passing boy to tell her parents where she was and that she would be some time yet. He nodded and ran off to convey her message. Executive secretary had benefits after all.
*****
DAY 5: 22OO ET
I was exhausted. It was all I could do to keep my eyes open. The day had been problem after problem, the only bright spots being my girls, my kids, the Major’s successful surgery and our acquiring the tankers of fuel we needed to make it through the winter. I was cold and was huddled naked under the covers with my 'girls' who were kissing on me. We had officially moved to the new place. My bedroom/office was a little barren but the girls would spruce it up in no time I was sure. The kids had the office behind mine. Bedroom now, not an office anymore and I really needed to put in a connecting door. I had already put Miguel on it and was told it would be done the following day.
The soldiers were bedded down below in the grain sorting rooms as a temporary barracks. Even at two-hundred-fifty-five souls, I found they only occupied a small part of that cavernous room. The place was huge and used for storing tractor-trailers and rail car loads after all. I didn't yet know if they would be staying or leaving but I had made damn sure every single unattached woman had been thrust on them to 'help' while they were here. I didn't have quite enough unattached women but the way refugees were arriving, I was sure that shortly I would. I could only hope the Major and his men would stay. They were a great bunch of men I was finding out, and were already taking advantage of the women who were catering to their every need. Literally and physically. In a way, it was funny, yet sad. I simply passed the word that any unattached women could help the soldiers acclimate to our colony with the hope they might be induced to stay longer protecting us, and there had been a phenomenal number of volunteers.
Another bright spot was finding the small diary just outside town. North of 82 less than a half mile west, put it in the perfect position for supplying our needs. We had lots of kids, and kids needed milk to grow properly. My crews were already coming up short on powdered milk. Hell, no one used it for baking anymore except for the restaurants. They found some at one of the bakeries but it wouldn't last long. I had soldier powered recon patrols going out in every direction to find survivors and get a handle on the zombie’s migration. As seemed typical the survivors were roughly ten percent men, thirty percent women and sixty percent kids.
The diary farm had roughly eighty milking head give or take, along with an equal number of calf's and heifers. A large five-hundred gallon gas fired pasteurization tank with cream skimmer and all the equipment necessary for a dairy operation. Best of all the previous owners who weren't with us any longer, had already laid in winter hay and silage. Silage was the much-needed mix of grains and vitamins that were mixed with the hay they normally ate. We needed to get that dairy going soonest. I hoped everyone liked Grade A whole milk because I did not intend figuring out how to create that 2% crap that tasted like water anyways.
The problem there had been power. They needed power to run the pumps and lighting, and they needed to start milking the cows, like yesterday. If we waited much longer, their udders would dry up. Then the cows wouldn't start producing again until after they calved in the spring. When they came to me, I had been perplexed. I had thought there would be plenty of generators but they were having a problem finding them. We had the big ones for this new complex. It would provide all our power needs and the tankers would provide enough fuel for about six months or more. But smaller ones? Then it came to me. I quickly told them to go to the city yard and grab those gasoline powered construction signs. Each was a 1500-watt 120 Volt generator being fed though a step down transformer to convert it to 36V AC. Just take out the transformer and use the power for the pumps and lighting. Simple task for any electrician. The idea had worked of course. It took two of them running nonstop during the milking process but they did have enough power. When I left earlier, they were busy milking the cows that had been lining up all by themselves upon seeing activity in the milking parlor. They had needed a good milking. I knew some would already be dry but most of the others wouldn't and each gave up four to five gallons of milk a day so we would have plenty if we could protect it. I love fresh milk!
I was also troubled by what the Sergeant and Intel techs had told me. Jason and Master Sergeant Trask had finished questioning the prisoner for now. We would keep him alive in case we needed more information later or until a legitimate command source told us otherwise but what we had learned wasn't what I had been hoping for. To say I was deeply concerned was an understatement.
The President was dead as was the Vice President. The Speaker of the Ho
use was in charge. But was he? The word was a group of environmentalist billionaires with ties throughout the pentagon and all those three digit acronym secret groups we used to rely on for our countries safety were controlling him. Figures. They made their billions destroying economies, raping people of decent wages and devastating the environment then, in their golden years they get all lovey dovey philanthropic and suddenly they’re god's gift to planet earth. I'm pretty sure when people like that hit their first hundred million someone from the their secret organization comes in and erases the long term memory of their previous actions, then scoops out all their common sense. They were pathetic and losers by definition but obviously powerful losers with major backing. Well, I couldn't worry about that right now. I had other things to worry about. Like surviving.
I heard pounding on the stairs leading up to my little love nest office area. And shouting.
"Jay! Jay!" I heard Michael screaming my name. Didn't sound good at all, I hopped out of bed pulling on my jeans. The girls squealed. He burst in ignoring their naked flesh and grabbed my arm half twisting me sideways as I struggled with the second leg, my ding-dong flopping in the cold room shrinking fast. "They're being attacked. Oh my god, they're under fire and dying." He shouted. I was less than a foot away and he was deafening me.
"Michael. Calm brother, calm. Who, what and where?" he quickly collected himself. I took advantage that few seconds provided to zip up my pants and bucking my wide belt. I threw my sweatshirt on then my shoulder holsters. Last, I grabbed my new M4 fully automatic rifle. I had appropriated the extra's guns from the bad guys at the fuel farm and passed them around to those best trained to use them. At this point Michael started talking again.
Blood, Brains and Bullets Page 23