It was partially a lie because their parents wanted us dead more than anything, but it was also true. I’m assuming that any parent would want their children to be kept safe and taken care of and regardless of how murderous or horrific their parents had been, we would do our best to raise them up to be happy, healthy and educated. We aren’t monsters after all.
While we tended to the children, Dad and the others locked the parishioners in the basement and proceeded to set the building on fire with some gas they syphoned out of cars in the parking lot. This wasn’t in the original plans and it would have been more humane to just shoot them and let them die quickly, but first of all, they didn’t deserve a quick death after killing two innocent kids and wounding another. Secondly, we didn’t want the children to hear gunshots. As it was, we hoped we were far enough away from the church to keep from hearing the screams as their parents burned to death as the building crumbled around them. To help with that, I put a CD into the player in the van hoping the music would cover the noise. I didn’t look to see what it was before picking it up, but wasn’t surprised to hear country music filtering out of the speakers.
Terek was being the professional that he normally is, but I could tell the others were having a difficult time rationalizing what was happening and I understand that. It’s hard to sit by while a room full of people are being killed, especially when we’re taking their children back with us to raise. The only thing that helped them through it was to recall the fear in the faces of the teens and young children who lived on the ranch. They had seen the result of the parishioner’s work after the teenagers snuck out that one night and the memory would be with them forever.
We left Dr. Taylor, Nicole and Virginia back at the complex to make ready for our return. The doctor, with help from Nicole, is readying himself to take care of any injuries we might have after our mission is complete and we return home. He also wants to give the new kids examinations to make certain that they haven’t contracted any illnesses that need to be treated or could be passed onto the others. We have too many children to care for now to let them all get sick.
In total, we have almost fifteen of the new children plus Hector’s two children, Greg’s kids and bunch of teenagers. The adults in the complex are the four teachers, Hector and his wife, Greg and his wife, Dad and me, Dr. Taylor, Nicole, Pete and his wife, Beau, Terek, Benson and Sawyer. We adults are outnumbered by two to one. Some of us were never meant to be parents. There are a few special people like Virginia and the teachers who seem to thrive when it comes to nurturing others, but that’s not me. I’d rather find an excuse to run away and do something else regardless of how gross or dangerous it is. I’m just not a motherly kind of woman.
With the thick cloud of smoke now hanging in the air, we knew the deed was concluded. After the fire takes complete control and blocks all the escapes, our men will return to the van and we’ll go back home, this time being secure in the knowledge that we are finally safe from these psychotic killers who decided our kind should be eradicated from the planet.
When Dad and his team reached the vans, they weren’t alone. A group of ragtag men and women shuffled along with them and they don’t look like they were in very good shape. Their clothing hung in rags on their bodies and they were filthy. Their eyes and cheeks were sunken and their skin pale. If I had only glanced at them, I might have thought they were zombies, but they’re talking with Dad and the others.
Dad approached the window of the van I’m driving and gave me a look that meant “I’ll explain this to you later,” then told me to follow him and proceeded to load the strangers into a van with only Pete to guard them. The soldiers split up from the others and rode with the children, though it was crowded inside the van. The kids didn’t seem to mind them being there and asked the soldiers endless questions about their weapons, tattoos and anything else they could come up with. For their part, the soldiers looked like they couldn’t get out of the van fast enough.
When we got back home, Dad told us to wait to take the kids down to the area where we were setting up the clinic and instead had us walk them out to the corral to show them the horses which they were excited to see. It seemed to me that Dad was trying really hard to keep the children separate from the adults who’d come home with us, but I wasn’t sure why. All that I know is that the kids seem happy to be here, but edgy at the same time. I have to wonder what’s going through their minds. Kids are smarter than we give them credit for.
After he got the group down into the basement, we brought the kids into the dining room where Teresa and Virginia had put food together for them to eat. They stared at the food for a moment with wide eyes before asking if it was okay to begin. Virginia and Teresa glanced at each other and then said “of course.” The kids picked up the burgers and French fries and began chewing and swallowing as if they were starving. One little emaciated boy was eating so fast that he began to choke on his food. I walked over and patted his back until he was able to breathe and then had him take a drink. The other children responded as if I was trying to hurt him. There was deep seated fear in their eyes. What had they been through and why would anyone abuse a child?
I left the kids to the ladies and headed downstairs to see if there was something that I could help with. Dad pulled me to the side and took a moment to explain what was going on. The group of adults they found tied up in a locked room in the basement wallowing in their own excrement were the biological parents of the kids. The church members had set traps on the roads leading into town to catch them and then kept them prisoner while they raised the children as their own and abused them.
“I don’t understand. Why would they keep them locked up? What would they get out of that?” I asked Dad as I inhaled to keep my emotions under control .
“Well, that’s the sickest part.” Dad with a tinge of anger. “The people in the church thought the bible verse that said ‘Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things’ also applies to people. They were eating people and feeding the meat to the children, all the while thinking that God told them to do it.”
Cannibals! I felt like throwing up. Looking into the haggard faces of these people just made it that much clearer to me what had happened. They were locked in a room they couldn’t escape from and were systematically removed from the others and cooked for food by the same lunatics that were raising their children. That’s sick!
Before the apocalypse, religious extremists in America and other countries began gaining power in the government and elsewhere. They complained that their rights were being taken away and started organizing to become stronger. Those with billions of dollars, such as the Koch brothers, began financing political campaigns and so in 2015, there was a conservative majority in the House and Senate and a conservative majority in the Supreme Court. States also were being led by conservative governors and legislators. They even tried to manipulate the educational system by first having their puppets deny education funding and then swoop in and offer money with strings attached. The ultimate result is brainwashing of the next generation.
They weren’t normal conservatives, though. These were the crazy extremist type that were essentially a Christian equivalent of the Taliban. Pundits and comedians had more than enough material to keep their audiences in stitches laughing at the statements made by these people and the actions that they took.
Before the world as we knew it ended, these people were trying to make it illegal to wear hoodies and yoga pants, wanted to change the history books in schools to reflect their religious viewpoints and were working hard to legislate their extremist ideology. There’s nothing wrong with being a devout believer of your chosen religion, but these people were scary. They carried a persecution complex, but they were the ones doing the persecuting. To be honest, it wouldn’t surprise me to discover that they were the ones behind the outbreak.
After Dr. Taylor treated the parents’ injuries, which were mainly due to malnutri
tion and dehydration, they were given clean clothing to change into before going upstairs to be reunited with their children. Most of them didn’t actually believe that they would be seeing them. They had been told by the extremist group that their kids were dead. That’s when the parents gave up caring if they lived or died. We’re taking a chance in letting them be with the kids so soon after their rescue, but we can’t keep them separated long term and so we’ll do whatever we can to make the meeting as free from stress as possible.
After a couple hours, the parents finished showering and changed into clean clothing. Dr. Taylor gave them vitamins to help kick start their immune systems after having suffered from malnutrition and food was brought down for them to eat. We didn’t want anything to distract the parents during the re-introduction to their children. A few of them were given mild sedatives to help them cope with the abuses they had endured, especially the women. Apparently, the good reverend liked to use the women for his own pleasures and he wasn’t gentle about it.
Dad patiently explained to them once again that their children were upstairs and we’re taking them to see them. You could tell that although they still didn’t believe what he told them after so many disappointments, there was hope in their eyes that what he said might be true. When it was time, no one held back. They were anxious to discover the truth.
The kids were having a great time playing in the yard out back when the mothers and fathers stepped outside. The children were running and chasing each other - yelling the way that only happy kids can do. As we stepped out into the bright sunshine, the eyes of those people who had been locked away in the basement were still sensitive so they either squinted or held their hands up to block the sun as they soaked in the vision of laughing and frolicking children.
One little boy with curly brown hair and hazel eyes rimmed in dark lashes stopped playing for a moment and walked stoically towards the group of adults, “M-Mom?” The woman put her fist in her mouth to try to keep from crying as she nodded her head yes with teary eyes and then opened her arms wide. He ran to her and she held him in a tight embrace while they both cried happy tears.
The other children turned around when they heard him sobbing and looked up to see their own parents standing there. It only took a second before each of them was reunited with the people who loved them more than life itself. The love and happiness they felt was evident, but there were also tears for friends who didn’t make it. When you go through a horrible experience like the one that they did and survive, you tend to form a bond closer than even that of a family member.
Chapter Sixteen
Dream Weaver
“Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.”
Edgar Allan Poe
I was walking in the yard at the ranch watching the children running and laughing. We were having a picnic outside with all the trimmings and everyone was there. It looked like a family reunion and it felt like one, too except no one was arguing and there was no drunken uncle or aunt pinching the cheeks of the little ones who made the mistake of getting too close. The weather was perfect. It was warm with a light wind. An assortment of flowers were blooming and their scents filled the air and wafted on the breeze, birds chirped as they darted back and forth on the tree branches and yellow butterflies floated through the air.
When I reached out to touch one of the butterflies, my cupped hand began filling up with fat white snowflakes. I shook the flakes from my hand and looked up to see that the sky had turned an ominous gray.
The wind began blowing food off of the table, whipping up the clothing we wore, and almost blinded us by throwing sand into our eyes. The kids became frightened and ran to their parents who reached out to pull them to them, but by now the wind was hurricane force and was pulling them away.
I screamed, “NO!” and strained to help the children, but my feet wouldn’t move. I yelled, “why?” and a soft voice said, “There is no time to prepare. The storm will arrive soon and those who aren’t ready will perish.”
I turned towards the voice to see who was speaking and woke up to the early morning smells of frying bacon and brewing coffee.
Caffeine was exactly what I needed after that dream and so I headed straight to the dining room to pour myself a cup. Dad was already there with Benson, Sawyer, Terek, Pete and Virginia and Nicole. The doctor was sleeping in after the long exciting day he’d had yesterday. Our new families would be staying in bed late as well. They were exhausted after everything they’d been through.
I worked in the office most of the day writing down as many details of what happened as possible. I would have to remember to add names for everyone at a later time. We didn’t think that it would be proper to ask too many questions right away. These people had gone through hell and back and they deserved to be coddled for a while.
Lunchtime was busy and I found myself helping Virginia and Teresa handing out food. Nicole was assisting the doctor in attending to the newcomers and nursing our now recovering patient back to health. Dad gave me a look that said “don’t overdo it”, but I had been taking it easy all day and to be honest, a little walking around will be good for me. The children were eating in the living area in front of the roaring fireplace with Coco who the kids called the “wonder dog” and Jack begging for scraps.
It’s a good thing that the ranch is built with an open format because the parents never looked away from the kids for long. This lunch must have felt like Christmas to them. They were gathered with family and friends to eat a good meal and their gifts were the children they thought they had lost, but were finally returned to them.
After lunch, before anyone had a chance to get up, Dad put his fork down and cleared his throat. “I’d like everyone here to know that you’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like. We’re trying to build a community of survivors here and we all pitch in to help each other. We have a lot of projects going on right now where we can use some help if you have any skills that we can use, but we don’t want to rush you into anything. Take a few more days if you need and then just let us know what you’d like to get involved in.”
A black man and his wife looked at each other and then he said, “My name’s Jim and this is my wife Gayle. I’m an electrician by profession. If you need something like that done, I’m your man. Other than that, just tell me what I can do.”
Dad nodded and smiled widely at the man. “Well, that’s great and yes, we have a project that’s right up your alley. There are some cabins here on the ranch that we’d like to hook up some electricity to. We want to install solar panels and some more batteries, but I think with your help, we can swing it. We figure that when they’re done, they might make a nice home for our new families.” He mentioned with a grin.
I heard and intake of breath and a lady began to sob against her husband’s chest. Nicole started to get up to help her, but her husband waved her off. “She’s okay.” He whispered as he patted his wife’s back. “She always does that when she’s really happy. You should have seen her when I asked her to marry me.”
His wife punched him in the shoulder and then wiped her eyes. “I told you not to tell anyone about that.” She said with a smile.
It was obvious to everyone here that while the people we rescued weren’t totally back to normal, they were doing much better in just the short time they’d had to recover than we had expected.
The man seated next to Jim cleared his throat and said, “I’m a building contactor. Maybe I should say that I was a contractor. Anyway, I can help out on those cabins if you need to get them up to snuff. Just tell me what you’re needing.”
I wasn’t sure about what I was going to say and this might not be the proper time, but the dream had been replaying over and over in my head all day. If I didn’t say something, it was going to drive me crazy.
“I was wondering about something, Dad.” I interrupted and looked Dad straight in the eye with as seriou
s an expression as I could muster. “I know that it’s been warm so far this winter, but this is Wyoming in January. If we have a blizzard pop up, are we ready?”
There was another intake of breath at that. People at the table looked at each other and were shaking their heads “no”. Finally, Dad sat back in his chair and with a thoughtful expression said, “You’re right. We’ve been so busy just trying to survive against the zombies and…you know, that we haven’t even thought about weather.”
He looked over at Beau for a moment and asked, “How bad do the blizzards get here, anyway?”
Beau twisted the end of his mustache on one side and then replied with a drawl, “Well, you’re talking white out conditions. You wouldn’t be able to make it to the barn without a rope to hang on and you’d freeze to death within minutes. Yep, it gets pretty bad.”
“Damn!” said Dad in exasperation. “That’s what I was afraid that you’d say.” He took another breath and looked around the room in concentration.
“Alright. All other projects are on hold for now. We need to weather proof the buildings first of all and figure out a way to get all the farm animals inside and out of the weather if it starts to snow heavily. They’ll need enough food and water to get through a few days, too. We can put the horses in the stables, but you might have to move the farm equipment out of the barn to put the cattle inside and store the gear some other place. We can’t lose the animals. They aren’t replaceable, especially if we get fallout.”
“What fallout?” asked Jim as he looked from Dad to me.
Dad shared what Jason had explained to us and once everyone understood the time table that we were looking at and what we faced, they were all onboard to see that everything gets done although it was easy to notice that the last piece of news shook them up quite a bit. We just had to work hard to prepare for the worst.
Nuclear Undead: Wake the Dead Page 21