Surviving Day by Day (Book 3): Still They Come

by Allensworth, Audra

  Alden glared at him and then to Ceara, “You will get info when it’s complete, we are not about to go off halfcocked. If we do that, we will get killed.”

  Ceara sat down by Charlie, “Ok, ok fair enough… I just don’t like feeling like I am being lied to.”

  Charlie finished with the radio, “I told you before I would never lie, but sometimes telling partial information is just as bad as telling a completely bogus story. People go off the info they have, not thinking about what could happen. When just a little more input would change the whole outlook.”

  Ceara picked up the piece of paper with the two numbers, one with a happy face drawn by it and the other with a frowny face, “So is this two of the places that we need more intel on?”

  Alden took it from her, “You could say that. So what’s up with Tabitha? She put you in your place? I have been telling you to back down on the whole, ‘We can’t go off alone’ thing. You have to let everyone be who they are.”

  Ceara looked to the area Tabitha a disappeared to, “I know I have to let everyone be who they are, everyone but me.”

  Colt and Beth had walked out to join everyone in time to hear the last comment. Colt sat down on the other side of Ceara. “No you don’t have to do that, you have to be who you are too. We are all still learning, Ceara, and we are all growing. I blamed myself for months after Jessica was bit. Beth can attest to that, she saw the end result of that blame. Thankfully she did for me what I hope I can do for you.”

  He looked to Beth and she gave him a little nod of encouragement, “We all have choices in life, not in death. We all have the ability to see as far as our imaginations can take us. That is a very bad thing at times. With Jessica, I kept thinking if I had just been there and not gone to the store, I could have protected her. You are now doing the same thing…. if you had just held on to Maximus or if you hadn’t run after him, then things would be different. Tell me something Ceara, how is it helping you to do all these ‘what ifs’?”

  Ceara looked right at Colt, “I just don’t want to have anything like that be my fault again.”

  Beth reached across the table rubbing Ceara’s arm, “Then you have learned all you can from it, it’s time to let it go. There is no reason to continue to overcompensate for what is past.”

  Alden stood up grabbing his crutch, “Couldn’t have said it better, anyone for peanut butter sandwiches?”

  Ceara started laughing, “Ok I got it, topic is closed and I need to just go back to the way I was, just a little wiser.” She started to the house, “Who else wants one, I’ll make them?” Everyone raised their hands; she shook her head laughing, “Coming right up.”

  *********************************************************

  Tabitha was back in rare form after catching two huge jackrabbits that she had bound together and thrown over her shoulder as she continued to walk through the sparse trees. Figuring that she had enough rabbits for some stew, she just wanted to continue with her walk which gave her a lot of time to think.

  She found herself talking softly, “Heath, I know you can hear me and the one thing that I hope for is that you and your son are reunited. That gives me some comfort with your passing. A son needs his father and after all maybe that is why things happened the way that they did. Maybe your boy needs his daddy……”

  She stopped talking as she continued on looking for other things that she could find to eat. Just then she walked up onto a whole patch of cactus’ that had yellow flowers on the tops of them and there were quite a few. “Barrel cactus! Oh I think this will be great!! I can make some fruit bowls, salsas or salads out of this and that would make a great side dish.”

  Cutting up as many as she could possibly put in the back of her knapsack along with carrying one by its roots, she was definitely happy with her journey for the day.

  Looking up to the sky she saw the sun was changing positions and that it was getting later in the afternoon. Deciding to make her way back to the house, she walked briskly through the desert. A few clouds were in the sky and there were no birds or sounds. This was nothing new to her, but often on her way back she wondered if there were any other survivors out there that were like them, and not mean, vicious assholes that would cut their throats in the middle of the night just to steal what they had.

  Within no time, she saw the house and the group gathered out at the table. Alden seemed to be relaxing and finishing off some food that he was eating. “Hey Alden!” Tabitha cheerfully shouted. “Look what I brought you!”

  Alden smiled at Tabitha, “Well now cupcake, why don’t you just drop those rabbits right there by Charlie and grab yourself a sandwich. Charlie, you take them and follow me over here by the barn and we’ll get them things dressed out for supper tonight.”

  Grabbing his crutch, he saw the barrel cactus Tabitha was holding. “Ceara, I want you to take that cactus to the kitchen and peel back the outer shell, then start cutting up the fruit inside like you would a watermelon making little chunks. Colt, go to the trailer and find us a couple of cans of peaches.”

  Colt looked up and swallowed a bite of his sandwich. “But we got three cans at least in the cupboard.”

  Alden stopped turned and smiled at him, “No, we don’t.” He turned and followed Charlie to the barn where he had set up a cleaning station.

  Within minutes, Alden and Charlie had the rabbits dressed out. Reaching down and grabbing a bucket that held the entrails he handed it to Charlie. “You know what to do with this...”

  Charlie nodded as he went to get a horse saddled up. “Should I ask Ceara to go with me down to the cliffs?”

  Alden looked to the table and saw her already heading to the house. “No, you just get out there and get back, no screwing around okay? I don’t need her frettin’ over you. Besides she’ll be busy for a while cutting up that cactus.”

  Charlie nodded and climbed up on the horse. Alden handed him the bucket along with an old 30-30 rifle. “Slip that in that holster by the saddle and don’t pull it unless you need to. I’ll keep Colt out with me, so if you run into trouble I can send him.”

  Charlie looked down at him, “I’ll be okay, and I’ll go out and come right back I promise.”

  Alden watched as Charlie turned the horse and rode out. Closing the gate behind him, Alden hobbled back to the table. “Colt, come here son.”

  Colt walked up to him, “What’cha need boss?”

  “I want you to take these rabbits inside, then come back out and meet me by the trailer; I want to have you check something for me.”

  Colt carried the rabbits inside and laid them by the kitchen sink. Ceara was at the counter cutting up the cactus. She turned as Colt was heading outside. “Where’s Charlie?”

  Colt looked at her and thought quickly, “He’s closing up the barn and tending to the horses. I got to get back; Alden wants something from the trailer.” He turned and moved quickly out the door.

  Colt met up with Alden at the corral, “What’s up? What did you need me to check?”

  Alden kept his eyes in the direction Charlie had rode, “Just need you to help me listen in case Charlie has issues, and I didn’t want the girls to know he left.” Alden looked over at him, “Well hell, you are just standing there, why don’t you hop your ass up in the trailer and grab those cans of peaches I asked for?”

  Colt smiled as he jumped up in the trailer and began searching. “Hey, I just found canned chicken!!! I can make us chicken and dumplings!!! Oh and here are your peaches.”

  Colt started setting things down on the end of the trailer. Alden snagged up the Bisquick, “I could damn sure go for some good chicken and dumplings. Now keep in mind, I said good.”

  As Colt sat the last of the stuff down and jumped to the ground, he looked to Alden, “I make a mean batch of dumplings. It’s one of the very few things my mother taught me. Not sure how it will be with canned chicken but hey it can’t be too bad, right?”

  Alden picked up one of the cans of chicken, “Das Dutchman
Essenhaus All Natural Canned Chicken… don’t that sound like some fancy shit? Look at this; it has a picture of an Amish guy in a buggy.” Laughing Alden turned it to show Colt.

  Colt laughed, “Yeah and the bottom says ‘Amish Country Kitchen’! Are we really supposed to believe the Amish canned this?”

  Charlie came riding up just as Colt said it, “We got some Amish around here?”

  Alden tossed Charlie the can, “Nope, but they seem to be making sure we get a good meal. Now get off that horse, get it unsaddled and fed before Ceara comes out to check on you.”

  Charlie looked at the label and tossed it back to Colt then climbed out of the saddle, “I know boss.”

  Charlie led the horse to the barn as Alden started for the house, “Grab the peaches, the girls must wonder where we are.”

  Tabitha was in her room getting cleaned up from her hunt when from out of nowhere she heard a knocking on her door. Pulling on a pair of sweats and throwing on a grey tee shirt “Come on in.”

  Slowly Beth opened the door, “How are you feeling Tabitha?”

  Tabitha sat down on the bed folding her legs underneath her. “About as well as can be expected I guess. Supper tonight is going to be dynamite. I guess I better get out there and help you with it.”

  Somehow Tabitha’s body language just wasn’t showing that she was in an all fire hurry to do what she was suggesting.

  Beth quietly closed the door behind her then made her way over to sit beside Tabitha and gently placed her arm around her shoulder. “I just want you to know that I am here if you need to talk. You know how you were with me back at the cabins in the beginning? Well this is my time to be there for you …. that is if you need anything.”

  Tabitha smiled a little smile then turned to see Beth giving her the sweetest and sincerest look that she had ever done. Reaching up to grab Beth’s hand, she held it tightly, “I just never been that close to a man, like I was with Heath and I am not referring to it as a sexual way.”

  Turning to face Beth on the bed Tabitha got really quiet for a minute and Beth waited. Once she was ready she continued, “All my miserable life, I have been out to protect myself and never needed anyone for anything; but this group right here… well you all have become my family and losing Heath was like losing part of myself. What I am trying to explain Beth, is we talked on nights while we were on watch. Sometimes we didn’t say a word at all and that was when we really communicated the most…… when no words were spoken at all. I know he had lost his son and that tore at his soul. However, as selfish that I am right now by wanting him back, I wouldn’t take him away from being reunited with his son because a son needs his father.”

  Beth smiled, “You know something Tabitha; that says a lot about who you really are. It was horrible that I had to put my family down but I had seen what Dad had done when he came back…. well there was no way that I was going to stand there and let them consume one another then come after me. My sister, Mary, was not in the best health and I know for a fact that even if I could have gotten her out of there, that it would have been hell trying to keep her healthy and well. But even that wasn’t an option, not after Dad had bitten them.”

  Beth looked over at the door, “Dad had come back and was on top of Mom, and Mary was right in the middle, so all I could do was save them all. So now they are all together somewhere where there are no infected, no fear of being attacked, no wondering where their next meal is coming from or wondering where they will have to move to be safe and secure. Furthermore, think about this….. Heath is up there with his son and my family looking down at us. They’re our guardian angels, on the other side, which gives me hope that somehow if we do make it through this nightmare then we will owe them a large debt of thanks.”

  Tabitha felt the tears fall down her face as she fell onto Beth’s lap, “You’re right Beth…. like it or not ….. You are right and that is a very good way of looking at things. I just wish that things would have been different and I would have been able to keep him around with me for a while longer, ya know?”

  Beth started running her fingers through Tabitha’s hair, “I know sweetie….I know... but you still have a few people out there right now that need you and you need them. Especially Alden, he is still healing. Ceara pulled his ass out of the fire today, we almost lost him and if there is anything that we can learn from this, it’s that we must not let our guards down anymore. It’s just the six of us again…..”

  Tabitha sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes, “Poor Maximus….. Heath was trying so hard…. and if Red would of….”

  Beth with a very stern voice spoke up, “Stop right there, Tabitha. Things happened the way that they did and we can’t go on blaming or playing the ‘would of, should of’ game all day because doing that will just cause you and us more harm than good.”

  Tabitha shut her mouth and looked towards the door for what seemed to be the longest time then finally spoke softly, “I am not mad at Red…. just confused, hurt, tired, hungry and just plain wore out if that makes sense.”

  Beth stood and looked down at Tabitha, “Then shall we say, let’s just take this one step at a time. No one is asking you to go a mile or give a speech. Just be kind and simply think, or try to think, before you speak because too much has happened. Somewhere things need to start getting back on track and we have done well in the past few weeks.”

  Slowly Beth walked over to the door and opened it, “Now come on, you need to show me how awesome this rabbit stew is that you’re going to make or we can make whatever you want to make out of it.”

  Tabitha got up then made her way over to the door with Beth, “Thank you Beth. I can’t make you any promises right now …. Except, I will continue to try to make it day by day, if that is alright?”

  Once more Beth put her arm around Tabitha’s shoulder and walked with her out the door, “Whatever it takes Tabitha…. that is all we can ask.”

  When Ceara had the entire cactus cut up, she mixed in a can of pineapples but didn’t know what else to do to it. Beth was in the room with Tabitha and the guys were all outside. As soon as she made the choice to go outside, Alden and Colt walked in, “Where’s Charlie?”

  “Checking the horses, making sure they have hay.” Alden set the can of peaches down, “Add those to the salad.”

  Ceara grabbed the can opener, within a couple minutes; she had the peaches mixed in. Just as she finished Tabitha and Beth joined them. Ceara looked to Tabitha then to the door, “I’m going to find Charlie.”

  She quickly left the house almost running into Charlie, “Whoa, where’s the fire?”

  “I just wondered where you were. It doesn’t take that long to feed the horses.”

  Charlie was relieved that Ceara involuntarily gave him the reason Alden had given her for his long absence. “Yeah, well you aren’t the only one that can talk to the horses. Maybe I just needed a little alone time myself.”

  The look on Ceara’s face told him she took that the wrong way. “FINE, you all want to avoid me then I will make it easy for you. I don’t need to be around any of you anyway.”

  Charlie threw his hands in the air as Ceara ran around the other side of the house, “Women!” Charlie joined the others in the house, he decided that Ceara needed to figure a few things out for herself; he had already told her everything he could. It was up to her to choose to believe it.

  Alden looked at Charlie coming in the back door alone. Taking a bite of one of the peach slices, he got up and grabbed his crutch.

  Charlie looked at him “I didn’t do anything boss, she’s just in a mood.”

  Alden waved his hand and walked towards the front of the house. As he opened the front door and stepped out on the porch, he saw Ceara sitting on a yard swing. Limping out to her, she looked up. Before she could say anything, Alden grabbed the swing, “I’m old and wounded and I want to sit next to a pretty young girl.”

  Ceara stopped swinging, with her arms crossed she looked up at him. Her eyes were red from
crying.

  Alden sat down placing his crutch on the ground. Stretching his bad leg out, he looked out across the desert as the sun was setting over the horizon. “Those colors are truly wonderful this time of night. The orange to blue to purple, the clouds look like waves coming into the beach off an ocean.”

  Ceara leaned her head on his shoulder. Alden wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

  She spoke softly into his chest, “Why is everyone against me now? Tabitha hates me. Charlie lies to me all the time. Beth and Colt try to avoid me because they think I’m overly protective. I’m sorry for all that happened and what’s more I’m scared we’re going to lose more before this is over.”

  Silence settled between them for a few minutes before Alden spoke. “Sweetie I hate to tell you this but there’s more truth to your last statement then we all want to admit. The thing is this, I’ve been in this position before; you cupcakes haven’t.”

  Ceara sat up and looked into his eyes. She suddenly realized what Alden’s life had been like. For most of his years, he had faced death and dying many times. More times than she really wanted to think about and certainly more times than the whole group put together.

  Alden went on as he looked out across the desert, “We all face death every day. You just never realized it before all this crap happened. Every time you stepped into a bathtub, you risked death. Every time you got in your car, your risked death, hell every time you stepped out your front door, you risked death. The difference between then and now is you know what the death is bringing and how it’s coming at you. What you need to do now is come to terms with death.”

  Ceara pulled back. “Come to terms with death. What the hell does that mean? With everything I’ve been through and seen, I think I’ve come real close to terms with death, thank you very much.”

  Alden placed his hands on his knees looked to the ground then to her.

  “Cupcake, what you’ve seen is a lot of death. Coming to terms with it is entirely different. Coming to terms means you accept the fact that you’re dead already.” Ceara eyes went wide but Alden kept talking and the next line stunned her. “When you realize you’re already dead, as is everyone you know, it is then that you can truly start to live and enjoy life. For time and life at that moment will become the most precious thing you have and one you will not want to waste.”