by P. S. Power
The man followed him the whole time, watching carefully and sizing up the stack of wood logs, and the rounds they'd produced that still needed to be split and stacked. They went to wash up together, the water cold here all the time because no one had bothered to build a water heater yet, even though they had the parts and Burt right there to guide them. He froze and turned blue as he washed already. He didn't say anything, just suffering in silence, but Samuel did.
“Gah, that's cold. I thought it was refreshing just a month ago, but no, that's just plain gone chilly on us.” The man had a full beard, most of the men did now, except Jake. He rubbed at it washing the saw dust out as well as he could.
“I probably sound like a wimp don't I? Oooh, the water's a little cold. You didn't even flinch when it hit you. Must have lava for blood or something.”
The man chattered like that for a while as Jake got clean, stripped to the waist and damp in the cool air. At least it wasn't raining today. Not yet. It would be soon. He dried with the towel on the nearest post, one of the clean ones. They didn't get new towels each day, and had to share, but this one was at least dry, which meant clean for the here and now. He looked at the man and considered what to say for a while, the pause causing an uncomfortably long silence.
“We need more brick for the base of a water heater I think. About the size of the forge? If we can get that we could have hot water in a week. Warm water at least, for the winter. We either need to figure out how to get it inside or cover the wash areas somehow, or no one will bathe at all. That would not be fun.” He smiled and shrugged at the man.
“I like hot water too. It's one of the nicer things anymore. If we can get enough people we can take all three of the carts with us tomorrow and be back the day after. A full load of brick, pipe and iron would be nice, that would take at least six people to pull. The rest should stay here really. We'll take them if they aren't busy though.”
Samuel gave a scared half chuckle that sounded like a sob.
“We? I was hoping cutting up the firewood would be enough to keep me here. There's a lot of it and I know to oil the blade now.” He sounded hopeful. A bit worried too.
It was also legitimate. They needed the wood. Jake nodded, making the man's eyes go a little wide for a moment.
“Alright, grab a partner. Just make sure you both work like you did today and take care of the equipment. Actually grab three people, but make sure two of them at least are women. Also let them know that this is their daily job for now, not just a few days, if they want it. That should keep the lazy ones from bugging you too much.”
“Bugging me?” Samuel looked like that probably wouldn't happen, as if he'd be laid back all the time, no matter what. It fit with what little Jake knew of the guy. Always calm and cool.
Jake didn't want to ruin it for him but the man needed to understand how people were, or it might surprise him later.
“Yeah. Once you're in charge of something everyone suddenly seems hopelessly lazy and stupid, unless they do at least what you are. You want people that are willing to do the job on this. It's important, but also hard labor. You'll all feel it in a few days, probably tomorrow for you and this was a third of a day at best. After the logs are done there will be splitting too, which should go faster, since we have a bunch of axes. We can start working on that too, but I want to see what everyone else comes up with first. We only have eleven people to choose from and after we take out the pregnant ones that's really... five people. Which is perfect. Try to pick carefully.”
“Isn't it seven people? Four on wood cutting, six pregers with the new girls, seventeen people in all...” He counted it off.
“You forgot people on shift to watch the fire all the time. That's the easiest job around right now, but I won't leave a giant pile of smoldering wood alone, not even underground. Not yet at least. I know it's probably safe, but just in case... One person can really do it, I suppose, at a time, but everyone will need to take a turn or two per day. Say... you can be in charge of that too, since you plan to stay. Keep this up and you'll be voting by next week. Deciding if we have cabbage or turnips for dinner and having half the people hate you either way you choose. Great fun. Still, it's not a bad idea. I'll make sure Nate knows to come to you if something needs to be done while the rest of us are gone.”
That led to a bit of an argument after dinner, because no one wanted to go with him into town, except Heather for some reason, but he didn't want her for enough reasons that he figured she wouldn't even ask.
Only she did.
As if him being mad at her didn't matter or he might have forgotten already. Did he seem that absent minded to everyone or just her? Or was it really something else? Some dark girl scheme to make him feel bad for pointing out that she was being a bitch? It didn't matter, she wasn't coming, because she was pregnant and not just a few months along anymore either.
“Pregnant means half useless, so stay here and do the half you can. Also, I asked you not to talk to me ever again. Maybe you could at least value me enough to do that?” He didn't walk off, but he also didn't look at her. She tried to talk but eventually she got the idea and left him to make real plans.
Of course it left him feeling horrible for having said that. She wasn't useless, even now. Her ability to see some of what was coming really had a lot of use and she actually bothered to work. It was just anger talking on his part, which wasn't fair of him. Jake wasn't taking it back though, wrong or not.
He got his five people, made arrangements and told them to expect an overnight stay. They'd get a house in town, which would be pretty safe, plus they'd all be armed. Rita, the birdlike woman that made the blankets and clothing actually volunteered to go, even as afraid as she clearly was. That got a lot of reaction from the others and Jake accepted her right off, even if she was a little light to pull much in the carts. She wanted to see about getting sewing supplies, thread and needles if she could. She had this odd idea that Jake and the others might not know what to look for really.
As far as he knew, she was right. He'd gotten a B in the Home-Ec class he took mainly by force of will and making pillows in the shape of his initials. It hadn't been that hard, but he'd used a machine at home and had to have his Mom thread it for him.
The military men were invited to stay the night, which meant a watch had to be set for them too, which really meant two watches for them, one they knew about... and another one in case they took out the guards they could see. They had night vision and even working flashlights, so the superiority at night went to them hands down. Not to mention Robert being able to see in the dark without those things.
It wouldn't make for a fun time overall, but as soon as everyone settled, Jake walked down the stairs quietly and tucked himself into the corner of the main room. That was where the men had set up their bedrolls. Vickie and her crew had the official watch, and had agreed to do it from the kitchen mainly, so as to not interrupt the men's sleep.
Even tucked behind a chair like he was, Jake had no illusion that he hadn't been seen coming in. Even if the other men were just sitting in the dark, Robert would probably have seen him, or could maybe smell him in the room. Who knew what the other men had going on. They might run a search for instance as a matter of habit. Or just start shooting if he sneezed. He would have. The thought made him smile a bit and decide to be happy allergies weren't a problem for him. That would suck on so many levels right now. No one with hay fever had actually made it this far though. Not that lived with them at the house.
The men were either really good actors, didn't know he was there, or simply didn't care about it, since they chatted about the day quietly, hushed tones that spoke of not wanting to be overheard by the people in the kitchen, not just protocol. Jake only made out what they were saying because of months of practice paying attention to the subtle changes in the air. A kind of acclimation he figured, that allowed him to mainly tell what people said, even if he really didn't hear all of it consciously.
“Siege
r, what did you say to that kid earlier?”
Jake couldn't make out who said it, just that it wasn't the Major or Robert. One of the others and a white guy from the tone, maybe Latino.
“Suggested that the barn dog looked tasty. Just kidding around, but I guess it's his personal pet. Damn kid hits hard. Maybe we should recruit him? Definitely not a coward at least. Be sore for a week. He was really kicking my ass too. Short of shooting him I don't think I could have won. I hit him a half dozen times and he acted like I didn't even make contact.”
No one laughed at him about it, which showed a much different mindset than Jake figured they'd go with. Then, these were the ones that had lived, so the manly posturing thing the military normally did wasn't that prevalent. Macho types really hadn't done very well. He'd seen that firsthand. On the third or fourth day he witnessed a man, in shape, probably pushing superhuman in some ways, going into a group of undead bare handed. They tore him apart. Oh, he looked great dying, impressive moves that would have kicked the asses of a dozen regular people no doubt, but zombies just moved a little when hit and kept coming, wearing him down. That wasn't the last time he saw something like that either, just the most dramatic. A lot of men had that problem. Even the ones that hadn't been training to fight like that for years.
On some level, even when they knew better, most adult males thought they should be able to beat another man in a fight, and women or children didn't even rate mentally with them. Those guys were gone now. It was one of the reasons that there were more women left than men probably. That and the fact that guys would try to protect women and children, even when they didn't know them or wouldn't gain by it. Not all the time, but enough to wear down the numbers. Jake had felt that effect himself, hadn't he? It was pretty much what he'd been doing for months, the whole time really.
He sat and listened while they chattered back and forth for a while. Some of the men mentioned how good the women here looked, well fed compared to most places, rosy cheeked, and in a couple of cases even round bottomed. They weren't, the Major told them with an amused tone, there to get laid. Not that the guy seemed to blame them for the interest, but alienating the most successful group they'd encountered yet wouldn't be a good idea from what the man murmured.
“We need these people. They've figured out a lot and done it without any help. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, for them to be cannibals or thieves, to have slaves hidden out back or at least be severely wronging someone, but so far they just seem... solid. Real. If we all make it to spring we'll want to come back here and see if they can lend a hand.”
How that was supposed to work Jake didn't know, but everyone else just made slight noises as if the idea of a bunch of civilians helping them out made perfect sense.
Any port in a storm, Jake guessed.
“Mac, what did you find out earlier, saw you going off with their silencer...” The voice of the Major sounded interested, tired too.
The dark did that, the world wasn't pitch black at night, the moon and stars made a huge difference, even through the windows of the house, but being in the dark too long made it hard to stay awake. Right now Jake had to, so he would, but the others seemed to feel pretty safe, which meant they'd sleep eventually.
A low, smooth voice answered, Robert. Where the “Mac” came from he didn't know, possibly the last name the man was using, or just a nickname having nothing to do with anything. Maybe he liked McDonald's coloring books or something? That would at least add some interest to the name.
“I found out that we'd be best not to get in a fight with this outfit, as you might have guessed. These people are hard, on the job training for some, but there's a lot of other stuff going on here. Their man Jake isn't just a silencer, he's pretty much the real leader here, second in command at least. I got that from my niece. Smart girl, don't be fooled by her age. They had a fall out about three weeks ago, after Jake left to set up a secondary base a few miles from here by himself, real capable guy. Apparently he went from almost nothing to ready for winter in a month, enough for nearly ten people. Things went south here though, their head man, Nathanial, just couldn't keep it together. A good leader for the real world, but people got lazy. They had to get Jake back in to handle it. Biggest issue there is that all the women are freaked out by him, Jake. He wasn't kidding about that part earlier. Good guy though, won't just demand they sleep with him even though he could. That's pretty much a first from what we've seen so far I think. He also won't let anyone else do it, or bully anyone. Some of their team leaders are the same, so as long as they stay a unit, the whole thing works.” The man kept talking, without a break, going over a lot more than he would have thought anyone could pick up that fast. The guy had skills. That or Sammi did, which really, Jake already knew. Even if the idea of him being the second in command seemed silly. That was...
Jake drew a blank for a second. Burt maybe?
“The central group is solid, hardcore in a way, not just the fighters. Nathanial, the older man with the white beard, Burt, the woman that does the food prep and cooking – Lois – and the man in charge of the crops and greenhouse set up, Julio. Their silencer and then the “cleaner” team heads. The rest are a little spotty it seems. Some good workers but most are really lucky they found this place and don't know it yet. The newest people seem to get it, having seen what the world's really like now, but the ones that have been here the whole time just don't understand how great this place is.”
A few of the others had a bit to add, some of it about other people, and the fact that they had both a dog and a cat out in the barn was news to Jake. These men had found out about it in less than a day. They made him uneasy, inventorying the things that had been set up, as if they wanted them for themselves, but they didn't talk about taking anything or even coming back for it. Not even the women. After a while they all just went to sleep.
Except one.
Probably Robert. The breathing pattern was different, more regular and steady and Jake had to figure that if he could tell that with his normal human ears, Robert had at least the same clue about him. Neither said anything or moved all night. In the morning, at first light, everyone got up and the Major actually squeaked when he realized Jake was sitting in the corner.
“Holy fuck! How long have you been there?”
Robert chuckled softly, “He came down while we were all getting ready last night I think. His house though, so if he wants to sit in the corner who are we to say different? I don't blame him and obviously we're all alive, so if there was a test, we passed.” The man smiled and stood up, then stretched hugely. “Do we get an “A” then Jake?”
Jake stood up himself and shook out some of the kinks that had developed, making big circles with his arms and then, even knowing it would look funny, his legs and torso. Being able to move meant more than looking good. He didn't really stretch, not more than reaching for the ceiling or bending around to get comfortable when he could, but sitting like that in one place took its toll on a body. His butt felt sore and his legs needed to have the circulation restored before he tried walking out of the room. At least if he didn't want to fall down.
He grinned himself, almost invisibly in the still very weak light.
“Yeah, decent, a “B plus” at least. I'm not sure you got all the data right about us, but no plotting to take over or enslave us, so I'll give you bonus points there. I have to go check the charcoal burn outside.”
He walked out the door silently. No one had been out all night to check on it, he didn't think, unless some of Vic's crew had poked their head out. Luckily it was fine, but someone should have made sure it was checked on regularly. That could be done from the south side windows even, if they didn't want to go out at night. He'd have to mention that. People were a lot more likely to do it if they didn't have to go outside. Just the cold would be enough to make that happen.
The ground was hot over the logs, the mound steamed a little in the distance as the drizzle that fell evaporated quickly. No
smoke of note came out, but then they'd taken most of the air out of the equation by burying the ends, leaving only tiny spaces about the size of a quarter. Hopefully they'd get something usable out of it. In another two days they'd take even that away and let it burn out, which could take a while. Then all that had to be done was stripping the burnt carbon off the outside of the logs and collecting that for the forge. Probably doing another burn after that. They had the logs ready to go. Enough for three more batches.
Jake scrubbed up with cold water and sweet smelling soap, shaved and got into clean clothes, staying damp in the rain. He found an old forest green plastic camping poncho in the piles of unsorted gear he'd brought back, trying to stay quiet as most people were still asleep. Then made preparations for the trip into town quickly, efficiently, thanks to all the practice he'd had at it and decided to take tarps with them this time, knowing that there would be rain for sure and not wanting to search a dozen garages for what they needed. By the time everyone sat down for breakfast he had things pretty much ready for the day. All the others had to do was show up and pull the carts.