“Aw, geeze. I walked into that one, didn’t I?” Drew asks sheepishly.
“I’m afraid you did, son, but I’ll have Carson get out to help you so you can show him how it’s done.” Cooper grins at the frown on Carson’s face.
Jessica is on the phone with Linc before we get all the kids loaded and buckled into their seats.
She waves and gives me a thumbs-up as she peels out and makes us eat dust all the way to her house.
Linc and his truck are sitting in the driveway as we pull up. He’s about thirty, and stands a good six-two, if Jessica is a good person to measure by. His blond, shaggy hair and tanned lean body show that doing farm work isn’t always a bad thing as the muscles on his crossed arms make me blush.
“Um, babe?” Cooper waves a hand in front of my face. “You might want to close your mouth.”
“Huh? Oh, sorry, dear. I didn’t mean to stare, but wow.” I wipe at my mouth, just in case there’s drool coming out.
“If I hadn’t seen him for myself, I might be jealous, but he’s certainly the better-looking man,” Cooper acknowledges. “And from the looks of it, taken by your sister already, even if she doesn’t realize it yet.”
“Dang it. I hope he’s good enough for her. I don’t want her to get hurt again.” I take my time before exiting the truck so that I have time for my face to resume its ‘I’m not interested in your man’ pose.
“Well, I could always be eaten by zombies, then the two of you could share him,” Cooper says as my hand starts to open the door.
“Stop that!” I swat at him playfully. “I chose the man I wanted to love, and even a younger man won’t make me want you dead. Besides, that could really happen, and I should kill you myself for even suggesting it.” I scowl at the thought of losing him to those horrible things.
I pull him toward me so I can give him a kiss. “I’ve just spent the past two days hoping that you were alive and I’m going to take every advantage of the fact that you came back to me in one piece.”
“So we’re on for a roll in the hay later?” Cooper asks seductively.
“I think under the circumstances, that could be arranged, but it would have to be covert because our children are getting smarter.”
“Well, if the plan is to be covert, then smooching in the car with all the children and your sister looking at us is probably not what you were going for.” Cooper turns to face the crowd staring at us through the truck’s windshield.
“Right. Now, I’m blushing again. Great.” I get out of the truck and walk over to our audience.
“Sorry about that. I’m just glad that he made it back to us safely.”
“No worries. It happens around me a lot. I think I might be Eros the Greek god who made people fall in love.” Linc waves off our apology.
“So Jessica said something about checking the fences to make sure they’re secure?” Linc stands up straight, and I have to reassess my earlier measurement; he’s closer to six-five in height.
“Kids, why don’t you go play for a little while and around five, we’ll start the chores and get the picnic ready. I think we could talk your dad into a game of baseball or kickball.” I try to bribe the children out of earshot of the discussion that’s about to follow.
Cooper waits for them to leave the area before answering Linc. “Yes. We need to make sure there are no holes that zombies could come through. I know it sounds crazy, but the less the girls have to watch out for, the better.”
“I know we don’t know each other, but I live in a small cabin on the back side of Jessica’s property and in exchange, I help her out with stuff that she can’t do, or when she needs an extra farm hand. I’m within helping distance if things get bad. I’ll bring a sleeping bag to the barn and camp out in there.”
There goes our plans for a roll in the hay.
“I’ve got it for the moment, but I’m pretty sure that I’ll get a call to leave in the next day or so and I really will feel better knowing there’s another adult to help protect the kids.” Cooper holds out his hand. “I’m Cooper, by the way, and this is my wife, Trish.”
“Hi.” I don’t even try to shake his hand now that Cooper has marked his territory. I know if I touch him, the heat from my face blushing will cause a meltdown.
“I’ll go put this little guy down for his nap, then help Jessica with the berries the kids picked earlier.” I manage to excuse myself from the conversation.
Trevor’s been playing in the dirt by the porch and will need a quick bath before he’s allowed to lay in any of Jessica’s beds.
Since bath time is never a fight with a boy that loves to play in the water, I have no trouble getting him in, but when it comes time to get out, that’s always difficult.
“Look, if you’ll get out and come lay down with me, then we can play outside with daddy this evening. Don’t you want to play ball?”
“So if I lay still for three minutes, then I can get up?” He’s checking because he wants to lay down the ground rules for how this negotiation is supposed to work.
“If you lay down for ten minutes and don’t fall asleep, then you can get back up.” I watch as my own personal little terrorist thinks about my proposition.
“Deal.” He holds out his soap covered hand to shake on it.
Since it’s covered in soap, I figure it must be relatively clean.
“Deal. Now, let’s get you dried off so that we don’t flood Aunt Jessica’s bed with water.” I hold the towel out to wrap him up as he climbs carefully over the edge.
“We’re gonna drain the tub so the water won’t make it all the way to her room, Mom.” He puts a chubby little fist on his naked hip.
“I guess you’re right, sweetie,” I agree, drying his hair. “Now, there’s no chance of even a drop following you.” I pop him playfully on his Pull-Up as I open the door so that he can run to the bedroom.
I was hoping that I would get the chance to sneak in a quick nap. Trevor’s trying to climb up into Jessica’s bed, but it’s too far off the ground for him.
“Hold on, mister.” I stop him from pulling the comforter off the bed. “There you go.” I lift him up and place him in the middle.
I close the door to help block out any noise and crawl in to keep my little tired man from getting up.
My head hits the pillow and by the time I turn to check on him, he’s asleep. Seconds later, I am as well.
The picnic idea had gone over well. The chores were done and the four of us adults were just sitting on the porch having a last drink of the day while the children tried to catch lightning bugs.
Cooper’s phone goes off and we all turn to face him as he answers it.
“Hello?” After he confirms its Martin, he walks around the side of the house for privacy.
“Is he always secretive about his phone calls?” Linc asks, joking around.
“Pretty much. Most of the work he does is classified, and someone tried to steal it using this zombie thing to get their hands on his project.” I catch Linc up without really telling him anything about my hubby’s work.
We chat about casual, everyday things as I wait nervously for Cooper to return. It’s almost thirty minutes later when he comes back on the porch and the yard is completely dark. It doesn’t seem to bother the kids since we can still hear their playful squeals.
“So what did he say?” I ask anxiously, before he can retake his seat.
“He wants me in Utah tomorrow by noon,” Cooper informs us.
“No! Isn’t that where one of the outbreak cities is located?” I cover my mouth in horror.
“The company is sending a helicopter out for me so I don’t get stuck in-between. Our office is not anywhere near Salt Lake, and isn’t really populated with a lot of people.” Cooper tries to reassure me of his safety.
“Will what you’re doing really save the world?” Jessica asks.
“There’s only one way to know, but I don’t want to take a chance on it. The more people who can get away from this thin
g before it infects them, the better.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know you very well, but aren’t you in IT? How would that save people?” Linc doesn’t sound too certain of Cooper’s abilities to stop a zombie apocalypse.
“This program that my company is working on could isolate the virus and hold it captive in an infected person’s body until a vaccine could be found that would reverse it. Those that are already dead it won’t help, but apparently, a lot people can be carriers, and until they come into contact with this new infection, it remains dormant.” Cooper tried to explain it in less complicated terms for us non-techy people.
“Why haven’t they already used this against it?” Jessica wonders.
“What we have is just a prototype. It hasn’t been tested yet. The ones trying to steal it would be able to inoculate themselves against any disease and let whole sections of the population die, while certain people remain immune.” Cooper doesn’t know how else to explain it to them.
“Someone knew this was coming and were trying to get ready for it before the zombie people took over the United States. We were commissioned several years ago when Ebola became a threat to work on something that could help stop the spread of a deadly virus.”
“Wow, so you’ve known there were zombies overseas? When did you find out?” I accuse, hurt that he would leave this important piece of information out when talking to me.
“It was classified. Plus, there have been several infections or viruses that have started overseas and they were able to contain it by quarantines. It hadn’t hit here yet, so the top directors have been working overtime to get this done so that if it spread, we would have a way to stop it.” Cooper turns to face me on the swing bench. “I wanted to tell you, but we were told to keep everything normal until the last minute. We knew if things went bad that it would be quick, but they didn’t warn us it was anything like zombies.”
“What makes you the only person that can get this program working? Aren’t there tons of computer guys that can do this kind of thing in their sleep?” Jessica sounds rude, and really worried.
“I’m not the only person on this program, but the pieces I have to parts of the puzzle were what our office was working on. Without those pieces, then the whole thing would take another couple of weeks to put together and produce enough quantities to really make a difference.”
“I guess this means that we won’t be able to stock up on the important items we need to survive.” I feel dejected and not very hopeful that I would be able to keep my family alive.
“Actually, honey, I think you and Jessica should come with me tomorrow. You’re going to need the truck around here and it would be a good chance for both of you to get out before things get really bad. You’re going to be stuck here on the farm for weeks.” Cooper doesn’t know if his idea will work to make me forgive him, but it might be working.
“The four older children might be okay here by themselves, but with all that’s going on, I don’t want to leave them alone.” I know it’s an excuse, but deep down, I don’t want any of my family to be away from me because I want to protect them.
“I can watch over them if you want me to, ladies. I don’t mind.” Linc volunteers.
“We could take Nicole and Trevor with us. Thank you Linc for the offer, but what do you think, Jessica?” I know my sister is better acquainted with Linc, and knows if he’s a trustworthy person to leave our children with.
“Linc is someone I would trust with my life, so you won’t have to worry about the kids being protected. I just don’t want to take the younger two with us because if we run into trouble, the three of us could outrun it, but not with the smaller kids with us.”
“Jessica has a good point. Do you have anyone that could babysit for us?” Cooper asks, trying to work the problem and fix it.
“Cooper, it’s not that simple,” I complain. “We don’t know anyone here and we’re asking them to watch our children when the world is ending. That wouldn’t be fair under normal circumstances, but this makes it a horrible idea.”
“Trish, if you and Jessica don’t get guns and ammo, then you and the kids won’t survive anyway. You’re going to need some extra things to keep things going here, like gas for the generator, solar panels if you can get them. I’ll install them when I get back.” Cooper pulls me into his arms and holds me.
“It’s okay, really. I know a few grandmothers that don’t get to see their grandchildren very often and they love chances to be around other children,” Jessica interrupts.
Now, that I think about it, everything I do for the next few months, my sister will be right there with me to help deal with it. This might not be as bad as I’d thought before.
“My mom would be glad to come over here and watch them, and help me keep an eye on the older ones. We can continue with farm prep and get the hay baled and up here to the barn this week instead of waiting,” Linc offers from his seat on the porch railing.
“Thank you both. I’m not used to having people ready and willing to help out with four children. It’s going to take some getting used to, but it’s nice to have some family around.” I would have to adjust, but family is important, and the apocalypse might make it an even higher priority.
“Speaking of family…Cooper, where’s your family from?” Jessica asks.
“I’d rather not talk about my family,” Cooper replies.
“Aren’t you worried they might be caught up in all of this?” Jessica ignores the finality of his reply.
Cooper sighs. “My family is from Louisiana, on a Bayou near Lafayette, Louisiana. They’re not only Cajun, but actually hunt in the swamps. They can take care of themselves, and I’m not subjecting my family to any form of their religion or ideas.”
Instead of dropping it, Jessica latches onto the idea and begins to ask more questions.
“Do they sacrifice children? How come you seem so normal and smart?”
“My family practices voodoo, but they don’t sacrifice babies, at least not to my knowledge. I haven’t spoken to them since I left for college because they were certain that all of my learning would make me tell family secrets that the government shouldn’t know.” Cooper winces at the memories and accusations he’d faced when he got employed with a government affiliated company.
“They didn’t want me to come home because it would be bad juju to bring my technology into the sacred swamps. PETA would have a fit if they saw the things my family does to survive and make a living doing in the swamps.” Cooper shakes his head as he comes back to the present.
“I still have all the stuff in my brain, but if I put it in a box and put it on a shelf, then it’s in a separate category that I don’t have to think about, except on holidays. I miss them, but I know they’re fine. They have my address and phone number in case they ever need anything and decided to reach out. I called them when I got married, but they don’t even know that we have kids now.” Cooper’s voice is filled with sadness.
“There are very smart people along the Bayou, but most of them don’t work for the government. The amount of home remedies that will make you well without a doctor’s visit would amaze you. They’re very self-reliant. But that’s enough about them. When this ends, I might give them a call and see how things are going,” Cooper says, closing the subject.
“I’m not known for keeping my mouth shut. I tend to ask questions that are none of my business, but I really like to know the answers. I’m sorry,” Jessica says. “Wait, how do you know they still have the same number?”
A smile lights Cooper’s face, in spite of the continued prying. “The number belongs to the fish and tackle shop five miles up the road from where they live. They use radios to let people know they have a phone call and take a message. When the person can get into the shop, they return the call.”
“Wait,” I chime in. “They don’t have home phones? When you told me they didn’t have technology, I thought you meant computers and cell phones. So they have no means of communicating
with the outside world?” I ask, astonished at the piece of well-kept information.
“I’m sorry, babe. I didn’t realize you hadn’t understood me. They use walkies, or ham radios if needed. Mostly it’s a word of mouth kind of communication. It’s a much slower world down there, and they’re not in any hurry to get back to you. ‘In a few’ could mean minutes, days, or weeks, and if you need a firm timeframe, you have to specify.” Cooper gets up and walks to the edge of the porch.
“Kids, it’s time to come take a bath and get ready for bed,” he calls to the children playing hide-and-seek around the yard.
Groans fill the yard, but they slowly drag themselves in.
“Why, Dad? We were having so much fun,” Nicole whines.
“Because the parents have a big day tomorrow and we need to get some rest.” Cooper holds the screen door open for them to file inside.
“We’re going to be staying here for a while, so you can have some more fun tomorrow,” I say through the door. “Fast showers, kids. Carson, can you scrub Trevor? I’ll dry him off while you take your shower. I don’t want to block both bathrooms.”
“Sure, Mom. Come on, Tre. You get to use the big shower with me.” Carson scoops up the tired, drooping little man and carries him to Jessica’s bathroom.
“That reminds me, how do you guys get your water here on the farm?” Cooper turns back to Jessica and Linc, who are still sitting on the porch, having been joined by Drew and Roxanne.
“There are two wells on the property. One here by the house, and one out closer to my cabin, which helps to keep the orchard watered when it gets really dry,” Linc informs him.
“Not much chance of them not working or drying up, is there?”
“My grandad had solar panels installed about ten years ago when the windmill had to be fixed. It’s now an energy mill and helps pump the water from the wind and solar power. We haven’t done the one out by Linc’s cabin yet. It was expensive, but much cheaper than the original would have been to repair,” Jessica explains. “Linc’s only been there in the cabin about a year now. When Billie left, I needed a farm hand quickly, and he had just gotten back from a tour of duty and needed a place to sort things out.”
Against Zombies Box Set, Vol. 1 | Books 1-4 Page 10