by Brian Grenda
Bruce bends down to pick up the rifle in front of Chris, and Chris kicks it’s slightly with his boot.
Phil sees what Chris did, walks right over to Chris and grabs Chris’ neck.
Phil slams Chris into a pallet of food.
Conquerors try to intervene, but Warriors and my group point their guns at them.
The Conquerors stand down.
I look at Jacob and say, “Chris and I haven’t had a good business relationship in the past. I do not trust him and neither should you.”
Jacob says, “I know who he is and what he brings to the table, but I don’t want him hurt. Please give me that. My people are my strength. Let me save some face with my men. Have your man stand down, and let Chris go.”
I feel the need to let Jacob have this win with Chris and say, “Phil let him go, but take everything he has on him.”
Phil let’s go of Chris and checks him for weapons. Phil finds a knife and some marijuana on Chris.
“These are mine now,” says Phil.
Chris fixes his shirt and stares at Phil.
Phil shouts, “What? What you going to do Chris? Don’t even try anything!”
“C’mon Phil. Calm down!” I shout as I see that Phil still wants to hurt Chris.
Jacob comes to an agreement with TJ, William, and me. We set up property borders, what Jacob will provide for us, and the main agreement point being that our groups will not harm each other.
“I trust that you will honor what we setup here, and that you and your men won’t bother us or William again.”
I put out my right hand as a gesture of good faith, and to establish a handshake agreement.
Jacob shakes my hand and says, “We will honor the agreement. I am a man of honor, and I keep my word. Joseph is the one that wanted to take things over and attack you. He was my brother, and I went along with him. He was my only brother. My wife and son are all I have now, besides my Conquerors.”
Jacob shakes hands with William and TJ as well.
I walk over to Joseph’s body with Jacob and say, “Sorry about the placement of his head on his crotch, but my men were trying to be funny.”
“It was pretty funny. I almost laughed when I saw it,” says Jacob.
“I am sorry for your loss, losing a family member can be tough. I’m sure you want to take the body with you, and bury him?”
Jacob replies, “Joseph was a hard-headed prick, and he wouldn’t let anyone tell him anything. In the end, that’s what killed him. Being stubborn and arrogant.”
I call for everyone to meet in the middle of the Big Club. Conquerors, Warriors, and the Brotherhood stand in the middle of the Big Club as I address them.
“I hope we will all honor our agreement of coexisting together in this world. I know it won’t be easy, and most of you probably don’t like the idea of living in the same world together. We have to help each other, and more importantly, we have to not hurt each other.”
I feel that there is tension between the two groups still, and there is a lot of work to be done on both sides.
“Whether you like the agreement Jacob and I have between us or not, it doesn’t matter. Do not break the agreement. If you do, then you won’t like the consequences of your actions.”
Jacob shouts, “Conquerors, Warriors, and the Brotherhood! We are coexisting together now! William, and Jeremy, I am sorry about your mother, but my brother is the one who did that. I can’t bring your mother back, but I can make sure we all stay alive going forward.”
William shouts, “Just leave myself and my men alone, and we won’t have any problems! Stay on your turf, and we won’t bother you!”
“We have our boundaries, try to stay in them. If you find yourself in an area that you are not supposed to be in, please do not cause any problems. I trust everyone will do their best with this, I know I will.”
Jacob and I finish addressing the groups.
The Conquerors exit the Big Club. The Warriors, and Brotherhood huddle together.
I turn to Jacob and ask, “When will you be bringing the badges for us?”
Jacob replies, “Give me three days for the badges. I will bring them to Citrus Oaks, and then we can setup a day to go over to the World of Trade. Be ready to have your mind blown when you see the amount of stuff they have there. Bring items that you are willing to trade. I’m sure they’ll have something you want.”
I say goodbye to Jacob and feel uneasy about the agreement.
Jacob and the Conquerors leave the Big Club.
William walks over to me.
“You are okay with this Ryan?” asks William.
“Do we have a choice? I don’t fully trust Jacob and his men, but he may be a very important person in this new world. Those orange badges seem to be very important.”
William replies, “We will see what he actually brings to the table. I don’t like dealing with people I can’t trust, but I trust in you Ryan.”
“I don’t like it either, but if Jacob or anyone of those Conquerors breaks our agreement, I will kill Jacob and the person who broke the agreement.”
CHAPTER 5
REBUILD
“How could you just let them walk right out of here?” shouts Jeremy.
William replies, “Jacob is worth more alive than dead right now in this world. Killing him wouldn’t solve anything.”
“He killed your wife!” shouts Jeremy.
“He said, it was Joseph! Not him! I’m sure he had a part in it, but there is no way to tell! I can’t kill a man based on speculation!” shouts William.
Everyone is watching the argument that Jeremy and William are having in the middle of the Big Club.
“Look son, I understand you are mad at Jacob still. I am also, but killing him wouldn’t have solved anything. Jacob will get what’s coming to him. Whether it’s by our hands or someone else’s,” says William.
I walk over to Jeremy and William.
“I’m sorry that you don’t agree with what we decided to do with Jacob and his group, but we might have a bigger problem on our hands in the future. Jacob may be a big connection to staying alive in this new world.”
Jeremy has an angry scowl on his face.
“Trust me. I want Jacob dead also. When the time is right, and he doesn’t serve a purpose for us anymore, we can take him out. I will keep you in the loop where we stand with Jacob and the Conquerors.”
Jeremy replies, “I want to be a part of that day for sure when Jacob is gone from this world.”
“Hello?” asks someone outside of the front entrance of the Big Club.
The man enters the Big Club and is met by Warriors and Brotherhood members pointing guns at him.
“I mean no harm. I come in peace,” says the man.
“Is that Jon?” asks Shaun.
I turn towards the man and see that it’s my friend Jon.
“It’s okay everyone! Lower your guns! He’s with us!”
The Warriors and everyone lower their weapons.
I walk over to Jon and give him a handshake and a hug.
“What’s up Jon? How are you? Where is Kelly and your parents?”
Jon replies, “Kelly is in the car, but my parents didn’t make it.”
“I’m sorry Jon.”
TJ walks over to Jon and say, “Hey Jon. How are ya?”
Jon replies, “I’m better now. I took you up on your offer TJ. We ran out of food at the condo and didn’t have any other place to go.”
Jon looks at me and says, “I have Kelly in the car, and two friends. Is it okay to bring them in here?”
“Yeah Jon. Go get them. Bring them in.”
Lauren walks over to Bobby G and checks to see how he’s doing.
“How are you doing Bob?” asks Lauren.
Bobby G removes the ice pack from his jaw and says, “I’m okay. I just have some bumps and bruises, but I’ll live. They punched me and kicked me, but they couldn’t break me.”
Lauren asks, “Did they torture you? Did they
ask you questions?”
“Yeah. Jacob and Chris tried to get information about Ryan and back home. I didn’t tell them shit though. They didn’t get anything from me, so they punched me and kicked me, but they hit like girls,” says Bobby G.
“I’m glad you are okay though. I know Ryan is also. We can’t go on without our Bobby G in this world,” says Lauren.
“Someday, you will have to go on without me, but that’s definitely not today, and hopefully not any time soon,” says Bobby G.
Jon re-enters the Big Club front entrance with Kelly and another man and woman.
“Ryan, this is Eric and Julia. They are good people, and use to live in the same condo building as my parents,” says Jon.
“Hey, Eric and Julia. Nice to meet you. I am Ryan."
I give Kelly a hug and introduce Jon, Kelly, Eric, and Julia to everyone.
“Do you guys need anything Jon?”
Jon replies, “Some food, water, and a bathroom would be great.”
I point where the bathroom is, and Jon, Kelly, Eric, and Julia go clean themselves up.
As Jon, Kelly, Eric, and Julia go into the bathrooms, I feel like I recognize Eric and Julia, but I can’t figure out where I know them from.
Matt, Phil, and Shaun walk over to me, and make sure I’m okay.
“Your adrenaline still pumping, Ryan?” asks Shaun.
“Yeah. My heart is still racing after the whole thing with Jacob. I wasn’t sure what to do when I got surrounded by them, but I’m glad I didn’t have to detonate the vest.”
Phil says, “Let’s take that bomb vest off and disarm the explosives for now.”
I take off the vest with the bombs in it and hand it to Phil.
Phil and TJ disarm the bombs and make sure they can’t be triggered or set off.
TJ hands me the orange badge that he took from Jacob and says, “Here Ryan, take this badge and keep it on you at all times. My father told me about these orange badges and to have it on you at all times when the government starts to come down to Tampa.”
“What’s up with the badges TJ? Why are they so important?” asks Matt.
“I’m not one hundred percent sure, but it sounds like the government will be making stops in all the major cities, and checking for these orange badges. No badge, and they kill you on sight,” says TJ.
“Can they do that?” asks Lauren.
“There aren’t any rules anymore. The government can do whatever they want. Really anyone with power can do whatever they want,” says Bobby G.
“That’s why I wanted to keep Jacob alive. TJ said that the orange badges are very important and may be in the future.”
“Why don’t we just kill Jacob and the Conquerors, and take what they have? Orange badges and everything else?” shouts Jeremy.
“Have I not taught you anything, Jeremiah? Revenge isn’t the answer. People are necessary for our survival, even Jacob and the Conquerors. Jacob doesn’t have my trust and respect, but he may provide us with the necessary materials and connections needed in this world,” says William.
Jon, Kelly, Eric, and Julia walk over to me.
Shaun, Phil, and Matt hand Jon, Kelly, Eric, and Julia some food and water.
Jon and his group are very thankful for the hospitality that we are providing them.
I address the group that is standing around the Big Club, “Everyone! I just want to say thank you for today. I’m lucky to have such great family and friends in this world. Our plan worked. I got my father back. We even got some new weapons and hopefully, a new agreement with the Conquerors.”
Everyone has gathered together and is standing side by side looking at me.
“Jacob and his group aren’t to be trusted. Not yet, and maybe not ever. Stay in your boundaries, and if we need to go into Conqueror area, then keep your eyes peeled. Don’t engage them unless they attack first.”
William shouts, “We will not be the aggressor with the Conquerors, but we won’t let them push us around either! We defend our families, our belongings, our home, and ourselves!”
“We need to repair the rear entrance of this store, and the South entrance of Citrus Oaks. Jacob told us that he will be coming to Citrus Oaks in a couple of days with the orange badges, and then we will setup a trip to go to the World of Trade.”
“That place is great,” says Eric.
The Big Club is silent as everyone looks at Eric now.
Eric doesn’t know if he should speak again or not.
“You have been there before?”
Eric replies, “Yeah. I went once with some of my friends and Julia. They have a lot of stuff to trade for, but it’s pretty expensive. You’ll have to bring good stuff like food, water, batteries, gasoline, weapons, and medications.”
“Thank you for your input Eric, we will talk later about what you know about the World of Trade.”
“But everyone, thank you again for today. We need some people to stay here to guard and repair the Big Club, and some people to help us repair Citrus Oaks.”
William assigns some people to stay at the Big Club, and some people to go to Citrus Oaks.
Matt informs me of the supplies that we have at the Big Club. We have some left-over metal from a previous trip to the hardware store, and it should be enough to make a new door at the rear entrance of the Big Club.
William’s men start to repair the rear entrance of the Big Club.
William comes over to me and says, “Ryan, my men will stay here at the Big Club, repair the rear entrance, and guard this place.”
“Thank you, William. We need to go to another hardware store or two to get more cider blocks, and materials to repair our entrance to Citrus Oaks.”
Jon overhears my conversation with William and says, “Ryan, I saw a hardware store on 19th street when we were making our way here. It looked to be in good shape and should have all the materials you will need to repair your entrance back home.”
“On 19th street. I think I know the one you are talking about. That is close to the solar panel company warehouse, the one we went to before. We should see if we can go to both places in one trip.”
“Ryan, can I talk to you privately for a second?” asks Jon.
I walk over to Jon, and we walk into one of the office buildings inside the Big Club.
“What’s up Jon?” I ask as I sit down in a chair.
Jon replies, “We don’t have any place to stay anymore. We left the condo, and we’re not sure where else to go.”
“Stay with us in Citrus Oaks. We have a couple empty homes now. We have plenty of room for you, Kelly, Eric, and Julia.”
“You sure it will be okay if Eric and Julia come? I mean with Eric and Julia being famous and all,” says Jon.
“That’s where I knew them from! Eric being a pro baseball player and his hot wife Julia. I should have been clued in by the baseball bat. Glad he went with an aluminum bat with the bat weight donut on the barrel, not wood. A wooden bat wouldn’t last very long in a zombie apocalypse.”
Jon and I exit the office and start walking towards the group that has thinned out now.
“When are you going to the hardware store and solar company?” asks Jon.
“Either today or tomorrow. I want to get everyone back home first and take a look at Bobby G.”
Shaun says, “We can go to the solar company and hardware store. Matt has the list of what we need, and if we go now, we can be back in a couple of hours.”
I look at Shaun and say, “Okay then. That settles that. You guys take a SUV and another big vehicle.”
Matt says, “Your SUV and two trucks should do the trick for this trip.”
Matt, Shaun, Phil, and several Warriors take my SUV and two trucks with them.
William has assigned five Warriors to repair the back door of the Big Club and stay at the Big Club.
“No one comes in or out of the place, unless it’s us. Lock the doors and reposition the tires and carts to block the zombies and people from getting close to
this place,” says William to his men at the rear entrance of the Big Club.
William looks at me and asks, “Do you have anything to add Ryan? Do you feel comfortable leaving the store with my men to guard and repair?”
“Yes, I trust your men and your decision. Someone will be back in a day or two to help and check on this place. Don’t let anyone in or out that isn’t myself, my group, or your group.”
The men and woman nod their heads, and tell me that they agree with what William and I told them.
William hands me the keys to one of his vehicles and says, “Here Ryan. Your men took your vehicle. You can take one of mine.”
We all exit the Big Club through the front entrance, and I lock the front entrance metal door.
Jon and Kelly get into Jon’s sedan.
Eric and Julia get into Eric’s tricked out black truck.
Bobby G, Lauren, and I get into the car that William has given me.
I start up the car, and I lead the group back to Citrus Oaks. Jon, Eric, William, and several Warriors follow me.
Bobby G is sitting in the backseat of the car, and I can’t help but to keep looking in the rear-view mirror at his face.
His face is all swollen and black and blue.
“What did they do to you dad?”
“They tried to beat information out of me. Jacob is a tricky guy. I’m not sure your agreement will stand up. I saw the way he operates with his men back at his base on the beach,” says Bobby G.
“Base on the beach? What information do you know about Jacob?”
Bobby G says, “Well, he has it pretty good. They blindfolded me for part of the trip, but I could hear the waves from the Gulf of Mexico, the seagulls, and smell the saltwater. It was a mix of saltwater and death, but I could tell I was very close, if not on the beach.”
“You think Jacob will break the agreement we made?”
“Jacob wanted to stay alive and would say anything to not be killed by you. Remember what Jacob did. He shot me when we took over the Big Club, and he asked a lot of questions when he held me as a prisoner,” says Bobby G.
Lauren asks, “What did they ask?”
“Chris was there, so he knew a lot of stuff already from Chris. Jacob kept asking about Citrus Oaks. How many people you had, and if you were still connected with William or not,” says Bobby G.