262
Chloe opened the door, and stepped out. Renee and Aidan dropped their aim. Renee ran down the make shift stairs, and opened the steel gates. After Renee opened both the slide, and swing gates, she rushed outside. Chloe said, “ Mom. I'll explain.” The vehicle slowly, moved through the open gates. Ruby stopped inside the entrance. She didn't know if, these people would accept her. Even, in these times, some people, may not want an American woman, of African descent within their group. Even if, she had been a Sunday school teacher, with a B.A. in social work. She looked around. In the distance, she saw children. They appeared to be, all races. She saw some older people sitting near a table. They were peeling potatoes and cutting vegetables. She wanted to cry. She missed having a normal life. She missed Jed. The three teens had exited her vehicle. Pepper was whining. Chloe stood in front of the Hummer. She was talking to a middle aged woman. The woman looked angry. Then, a look of worry came over her. The girl pointed towards her. They both turned to her, and approached her side of the Hummer. She rolled the window down. Chloe said, “Ruby, this is my Mom. Her name is Renee. Mom, this is Ruby. She saved us.” Renee said, “Thank you, Ruby. Please, come in. You can park over there. That is where we have been parking our vehicles.” The woman pointed behind her. There were several vehicles parked, where she pointed. Even, a bus. Ruby said, “ Thank you.” She parked the Hummer, then stepped out of the vehicle. Renee and Nina, approached her. Nina said, “Hello, I am Nina. Your dog doesn't bite, does he?” Pepper stood next to Ruby. She said, “He is trained. He won't attack, unless I tell him to.” Just then, Gypsy ran up. The two dogs started sniffing each other. Scott, Kyle, and Jimmy walked up. Renee introduced them, “ This is Ruby. The kids went out, and ran into to some of those men. She saved them.” Kyle stared at the Hummer. “Is that yours?” She said, “ Yes. My husband did that. So that, we could get away from our neighborhood. We were surrounded by the dead. We would not have made it out alive, not in a normal vehicle.” Ruby thought back to when it all started. Their neighbors all disappeared, one family at a time. Then, Jed received a call from work. The plant was shutting down, temporarily. They heard news reports, advising the public to stay inside. They saw people being attacked, while out shopping. Then, they started to see people, aimlessly wandering around their street, covered in blood. The people had creepy expressions on their faces. When the wandering saw other people, they would attack them. She remembered, witnessing a mob of the infected attack a man that, was just trying to get into his house. They helplessly, watched from their window, as he was eaten alive. It took hours for him to stop screaming. A look of despair came over Ruby's face. They all noticed, and understood. Because, they all had some traumatic memories from the recent months, as well. Jimmy was not sure if her husband was alive. He asked, “Is your husband... ?” She snapped out of her terrible memories, and cut him off, “He didn't make it. A month ago...” He said, “Sorry.” Kyle asked her, “Ruby, Chloe said, you came up and saved them. What do you know about the men that you killed?” Ruby exhaled, “They seem to show up every where. At first, I thought that the first few I had encountered, were not associated with each other. But, they were all interacting by radio. They are robbing people. Sneaking up on them. I came up on a camp. It was terrible. They killed all of them. There were children, too. And, they raped many of them. Young and old.” Renee said, “We have to be ready for them. They are right outside our walls.” Scott asked Ruby, “Do you have an idea, how many there are? Or, where they camp?”
263
She said, “I don't know. The first time they came up on me, was on the highway. I turned around with them firing at me. If Jed had not have armored our vehicle, they would have shot right through the side and back. I would not have escaped. I have been driving around in circles for weeks, just trying to find a road out of here.” Renee said, “You are welcome to stay here. It's not safe out there, not for a woman by herself. ” Ruby said, “Thank you.” Scott asked, “Is there anything that you can tell us about how they operate? Anything at all.” She said, “They are a bunch of sneaks.” Nina said, “Welcome to the group, Ruby. Glad you made it.” She exhaled, in relief. “Thank you, Nina.” They showed Ruby around. Pepper and Gypsy followed them. Renee said, “Everyone is taking a section of the old school to make apartments. The rooms are huge. Some of them are big enough to make a two bedroom out of. Others are smaller. The west wing is what is being used, right now. A few of our members are putting together lessons for the children. So they will start using the east and north wings for them. Ruby asked, “Do you have any school faculty. Or, former school faculty here?” Nina said, “Yes. Jennifer was a teacher. You'll meet her soon.” Ruby asked, “What is the south wing being used for?” Renee said, “Makeshift infirmary, church, and conference hall. Oh, and, group closet. Which is where we will go. After you choose your room, or rooms. Also, we are making breakfast and lunch in the cafeteria, daily.” Ruby said, “You have a group closet?” Renee said, “Yes. When we do supply runs, we bring extra supplies. In case, we run into someone who needs something. If we have it, we can give it to them. If anyone runs low on supplies, they can go to the closet, and see if what they need is there.” Ruby said, “That is good.” Renee said, “We are asking everyone to help out, with stuff like, watching the gates or doing supply runs. Those who can't do supply runs, we ask to watch the walls, while the rest of us are out.” Ruby responded, “I'll help you with whatever you need. Just let me know. And, I was a social worker. Well, before all of this.” Renee suggested, “ Maybe, you could get together with Jennifer and Imogen. After, you get some rest.” They entered the school. They walked down a wide hallway, then passed a library. The double doors were opened up. There were people sitting inside the very large room. Ruby could see small children playing with toys, to the one side, while some adults sat, and talked at a nearby table. She could see rows of book shelves in the background. She saw a tall, middle-aged man walking towards them. He looked familiar. But, she could not remember where she knew him from. Renee stopped, “Pastor Dom. This is Ruby. Ruby, this is Pastor Dom.” Renee pointed to the Pastor. Pastor Dom said, “Hello Ruby. I am glad to meet you. Please, join us for service on Sunday morning, in the conference room. Nine O'clock sharp.” Ruby said, “Thank you.” He happily said, “You are welcome.” Renee led Ruby around a corner. She said, “No one is in any of these rooms, yet. There are larger, and smaller rooms. The people who have children usually take the adjoining rooms. But, you can look through these, and take your pick. If you would rather be closer to the library, there is an empty one there. It is not that big.” Ruby said, “Oh, one of these will be fine. Thank you.” Renee said, And, I'll ask one of the guys to put you a lock on the door. Everyone wants to be able to lock their doors. We grabbed a box full when we went on out last supply run. This just gives everyone some piece of mind. You know?” Ruby said, “Thank you, again.” Renee said, “Thank you. You saved my kids. So, I will let you look around. I'll be back in a while.” Ruby smiled, “Okay.” Renee headed back to the closet, to gather some blankets and hygiene supplies for Ruby. After a while, she came back with Jose, Ben, and Chloe. They all carried boxes, blankets, sheets, and pillows. They had to knock a couple of times, before Ruby opened the door.
264
The three teenagers said, “Hi Ruby,” in sync. Renee said, “We found these things in the closet. Hope it's okay, for now. The showers are in the locker room. The girls locker room, is around the corner, to your right. If you don't feel like sharing a shower, I found this.” Renee held up a sprayer for the faucet. You can use it in the bathroom through that door. It has a drain in the floor. Ruby said, “Thank you.” Chloe said, “You probably want to get some rest. So, we brought you some snacks. There is a casserole there, too. And, some things for morning time for you. If you need anything else, come up to the house. Oh and, I brought You this.” She handed Ruby a radio. Ben said, “We keep in touch with those. I forgot mine today.” Ruby smiled at them. She accepted th
e radio. “Thank you.” Renee said, “There is a blow up mattress there. Just until we can find you a real bed. Well, we'll let you get settled in. If you have any questions, we're all on the radio, or I'm up at the house.”Okay, Renee. Thank you. I will probably lay down. It's been a long six months.” A hint of sadness came over her. Renee said, “I know. You get some rest. We'll talk more, later.” The group turned, and left. Ruby closed her door. Once her and Pepper were washed up and fed, they went to sleep. They both slept, all day. Then, all night. The Raiders reported back to their camp. The Captain, that is what they called him, was ruthless. He was a real Captain, before the zombie apocalypse. Most of his men died from being bitten. His new unit, were survivors of the new apocalypse. The Captain ran a small unit, that was sent in to subdue the people left alive, and save them from themselves. Power hungry, and greedy, he realized that, with no functioning government, most people would not be able to fight an armed group. Even, a small one. One by one, his small band of thieves and thugs, found one group after another. They killed and robbed most of them. Soon, his men started getting bitten. Some of them died after pillaging groups that fought back. As they died off a few at a time, he allowed any who would join him and his army to live. As long as they went along with his plans, and followed his orders. A voice blared over a radio, “Captain. We lost a couple of more guys, yesterday.” The Captain looked aggravated. A young man stood to the side of the conference table where the Captain sat. The young man was dressed in a military uniform. He was one of the few there who were military. Most of the men within the group were not military. They joined up, later. He looked up at the younger man. “How many?” The younger man answered, “ In all, fourteen.” The Captain angrily said, “Are you telling me that, one woman killed fourteen men?” The younger man said, “ No. She killed two.” The Captain looked up at him. He repeated, “She only killed two? And, who killed the other twelve?” The young man hesitated. The Captain spoke sternly. “Private Biggs. Who killed the other men?” The Private said, “Men on the road. Apparently, they ran into another group. They exchanged fire. Some of the men were lost.” The Captain stood up, “Get me the survivors. “The Private said, “Yes Sir.” Private Biggs turned, then walked out. A few moments later, two men came into the room. The Captain addressed one, called Chico. “Where did you encounter the group And, what happened to the woman?” Chico answered, “On the highway. We were trying to get some goods. They were all armed.” The Captain said, “Hm. What kind of goods?” The other man, called Terrence, spoke. He said, “Big rigs, and a couple of large moving trucks, Sir. We don't know what was inside. They were definitely full of supplies, of some kind. But, we don't know what they were stocked with.” The Captain said, “Did you flank them?” Chico said, “We tried, they didn't stop close enough to the road block.” The Captain asked, “Do you know where they are camped?” Terrence said, “No, Sir. But, we are close to finding out.” The Captain said, “ And, that woman? Why isn't she dead?”
265
The two men looked at each other. The Private cut in, “She is no where in sight, Sir. It's possible that the dead ambushed her.” The Captain said, “Have you found her vehicle? Her dog?” Terrence said, “No Captain.” The Captain ordered, “Find them! If she is dead, the vehicle, and that mutt is out there somewhere.”
“Yes Sir.” said Terrence. Chico and the Private, both answered, “Yes, Sir.” They walked out of the room. A few moments later, the Private came into the room. “Captain.”
“Yes, Private Biggs.” The private continued, “We know where the group is. They have an old orchard off of highway thirty-one.” The Captain looked at him, “An orchard? Well then, we need those resources. We can put them to work. Get the goods. Kill anyone who does not join us.” The Private said, “Sir. We need to keep an eye on them, their place is closed off. We think the woman may be with them.” The Captain said, “All walls have a weak spot. Find it, and get in. I want to know when our men get inside.” The Private said, “Yes, Sir.” Back at the orchard, Renee was doing inventory on all of her seeds. Rachel walked up with Emma. Renee said, “Well, hello.” Emma said, “Hi, Renee.” Renee asked her little friend, “So, have you had any juice yet? Mrs. S. makes a mean fruit punch.” She bent down in front the little girl. “Why don't you go inside, and ask Mrs. S. for some juice and cookies? But, only if, your Mamma says that you can.” The little girl turned to her mother, “Can I?” Rachel said, “ Go ahead.” Renee opened the back door to her house, and poked her head inside. They could see Mrs. S. and Nina sitting at the kitchen table. Renee said, “We have a little girl here who is craving juice and cookies. Can one of you oblige her while Rachel and I do some inventory?” Nina said, “ Sure.” Mrs. S. said, “Hello Emma. Why don't you sit here with us?” Rachel asked, “What's first?” Renee said, “Well, these are done.” She pointed to a large box on a chair. She continued, “I have some more, there. And, we need to find space for another community garden. I figured that, I would give some of what I have to anyone who wants to grow their own food. There is plenty of space here to install cold frames. I think that we have more than enough.” Rachel said, “I have some seeds. And, I have a lot of potted plants, and a full garden that I left at the farm. If we can go out there in a group, we can get more veggies. Half of it, is planted in raised beds. After it all goes to seed, that will help us.” Renee said, “ We have to make sure that those men are gone.” Rachel said, “We need to try to beat that herd.” Just then, Aidan, Kyle, and Scott walked up. “Renee, we need a plan to get the women, children and older folks to safety, in case we are attacked here. Some of us are building a hidden area, behind the orchard. Frank is going to disguise it. Can you talk to everyone, maybe have some drills for the children? ” Renee said, “ Yes. Let me know when you are ready.” Kyle said, “We talked to Rose. If they are attacked, she has a room behind a wall, down in the basement. I guess Keith built it. She will get Her Grandmother and the children there, and call over the radio.” Aidan cut in, “We need to call a meeting, when the hiding place is done.” Renee said, “I agree.” Scott said, “And, everyone needs to be armed and ready to shoot, from now on. All adults need to keep a firearm on their person. Always.” Just then, Ruby walked up. Pepper and Gypsy followed. Ruby said, “Hello. Am I interrupting?” They all turned towards her. Renee said, “No. Please, join us. We were just talking about what to do, if attacked.” Aidan said, “We encountered a group that ambushed us. They killed one of our people. We think the guys that you took out, were with that group. We all need to be ready to defend this place, if they come back. That means we should all be armed, and ready to shoot. Just in case, the walls are breached. We don't think it will happen. But, we are trying to cover all of our bases.”
266
Ruby said, “I understand. And, I think that you are right. Those men are very aggressive.” She shook her head. Then started to speak, again. “They are all over the place.” Kyle asked, “Where did you encounter them, first?” She answered, “Thirty or forty miles away. I am not sure. I think that I was driving around in circles there, for a few days.” He asked, “Which town?” She said, “By that University. Um, I think Lafayette.” They all exchanged a look. Scott asked, “I know that we have already asked this, but, do you have an idea of how many there are? Or, who is directing them?” She said, “I heard them talking about someone that they called, Captain. But, I have never seen him.” Jimmy came over the radio. “You guys need to come look at this. Scott, Aidan? Kyle? You there?” Kyle asked, “What is it?” Jimmy said, “I think, we just got mail.” Again, they all exchange a look. Scott said, “Renee, get Will, and the rest on alert. We'll go see what is happening. And remember, be ready get people together, in case we have a situation.” Renee nodded. Rachel asked, “Have you told everyone else? Do they know what to do?” Kyle said, “Everyone, except the kids and Pastor Dom. But, he is armed all of the time, anyway.” Scott said, “We were hoping that, you two could tell those that we missed.” Rachel said, “Will
do. I have to get back to the house. I'll tell Stella, and Scarlett. Mr Neely will probably meet you guys by Jimmy at Rose's house. Right?” Scott said, “I have not talked to him. But, everyone should be put on alert. Please, let everyone know, to keep their eyes and ears open. Also, we need to let the group know that, if anyone calls for help, to relay the message to anyone listening. Just in case.” Renee said, “Yes. Of course.” Ruby asked, “Is there anything that I can do to help?” Rachel said, “Sure. Help us warn everyone, to stay on alert. And, just keep your eyes and ears open. We have been using these radios like they are cell phones. If you call out, someone will answer. Do you have your radio?” Ruby said, “Yes.” Rachel held her radio to her mouth, “Everyone that is listening, if you have not met our newest member, please say hello to Ruby, and her dog, Pepper. And, we are on alert. Spread the word.” She looked at Ruby, “Say hi, Ruby.” Ruby spoke into the radio, “Hello everyone. Nice to meet you.” A minute later, Another voice spoke out, “ Hey, Ruby. I'm Heather. Nice to hear from you.” Another voice spoke, “Hey, Ruby. It's Chloe.” Another voice came over the radio. It was Scarlett, “Hi Ruby. I heard you saved Chloe, Ben, and Jose. Nice to speak to you.” Then, Jessie called out, “Hey what's going on at Rose's? Hi Ruby. I am Jessie.” Will said, “I'm on my way there, now. Everyone sit tight, for a while.” The guys had left, and hurried to Rose's place. Jimmy took most of his watch times at Rose's. He liked Rose. He had been a fan, long before everything fell apart. He had eyes for her, even though, he knew that she and Keith were together. She didn't talk much, since Keith died. But, he still wanted to make sure that she and her family were safe. Meanwhile, Ruby had struck up a radio conversation with Jennifer. Rachel and Emma were on their way back to her new home, warning those they encountered along the way. If Will was going to Rose's place, then Stella and Scarlett were alone.” She made it to the house. Emma asked, “Why did we come back so soon, Mommy?” Rachel answered, “I just need to talk to Scarlett for a minute, Honey. Scarlett was in the kitchen, she was adding bullets to some magazines. “Emma, go get some toys to play with, so we can talk, Baby.” She said, “Okay, Mommy.” The little girl ran to te next room. Rachel asked Scarlett. “What is going on?” Scarlett said, “Some one drove up to Rose's outer gate, and then drove off. Dad thinks that, it's those guys that killed Keith.” Rachel asked, “Where is Stella?” Scarlett answered, “At the gate. She is standing watch, while I get us some more ammo.” She handed Rachel a gun. Accepting it, she said, “Will you stay here with Emma? I don't want Stella down there, alone.”
Living Dead 2.0 Page 57