by Morris, Kate
“No, shit,” Stephanie blurted. “My feet are still freezing.”
“Don’t worry,” Tristan assured her. “You’ll toughen up.”
She just snorted behind them.
“Now on to security measures,” Tristan proposed. “I’ve been thinking about this one.”
“What is it, Tristan?” Avery asked, placing her hand on his thick forearm. They were obviously a couple, but it was like looking at night and day. Tristan had a darkness about him, and Avery, although she concealed her sadness pretty well, was like a beautiful, blonde, delicate model, all statuesque and elegant.
“We’ve had issues lately with the infected coming through this area,” he started. “Avery and the kids were here last night alone. Renee, too. I don’t want those damn things coming around like that.”
Roman said, “Yes, we’ve had the same issues. One was on the roof. I saw signs of them near the barn where the horses are being kept, footprints in the mud.”
“Us, too,” Elijah added. “First night we were here, ‘bout a week ago. Then a group of them trapped us in the barn where we had to sleep in our truck all night. It was too many to take on.”
“Yeah, this isn’t good,” Tristan said. “Ave and the kids said they were here for over two hours. I’d suggest patrols, but we just don’t have enough people for that. We need some sort of comms like radios, walkie-talkies, something like that. If you guys have trouble, you could call us for help and vice versa.”
“No offense,” Stephanie said, which made Jane cringe. “But this place doesn’t look like it’s going to get overrun with those creeps anytime soon.”
“And your place is well-hidden, but they’re moving through the woods,” Tristan said.
Avery added, “Yes, we’ve seen their prints very near our house on more than one occasion. They don’t seem to have fear, and nothing stops them, not fences or anything.”
“We have my dad’s dog, Brutus,” Jane offered. “He’s a good watchdog, lets us know when people or things are on the property.”
“We have a dog, too,” Elijah added. “Well, Wren does. It was our neighbor’s. He’s like a German Shepherd.”
Wren corrected him, “He is a she, and she is a Belgian Malinois. And yes, she is fierce and protective.”
“Yeah, we had to lock her in the bathroom just to get Wren out of the house today,” Elijah told them. “Our neighbors died, and Wren took her into custody. She’s a very good watchdog, too.”
“That’s great,” Avery said in a cheery tone. “I’m glad you guys have dogs. We don’t. We just have Mr. Gray, who is actually a pretty good watch…parrot.” They chuckled, she and Tristan.
“A big dog might not be a bad idea,” Tristan said a moment later.
“I agree,” Avery said, and Spencer echoed. “I’m sure there are a lot of good dogs out there that have been abandoned and need healthy, safe homes now.”
“Dog. Not dogs,” Tristan corrected. “Remember, we have to feed it.”
She gave a pouty expression that earned her a grin from Tristan.
“Back to security,” Tristan reminded her. “We don’t have enough people, or people with experience, to walk a patrol every night. I don’t think it would be too safe, either, not with those things out there.”
“I agree,” Spencer said. “We do have to keep the livestock safe, though.”
“I was thinking the same thing yesterday,” Renee said. “If you feed animals in the barn at the end of the day, they’ll get used to that and know to come in for their evening feeding.
“We have room in the bottom of my uncle’s barn, too,” Alex said. “I don’t have a problem with putting animals in there. That’s what he used to do, too. I don’t know about horses, but the cows would go in there just fine.”
“We should check out both barns. The one on the grain farm,” Renee said, “and the one at Alex and Elijah’s. We could either corral the horses inside the barn or build some stalls. Nothing fancy. Not like the stalls at my parents’ farm, but just something simple. A little plywood and stud framing for walls. A gate or something to put them away. I think it’s only a matter of time before those things target our livestock for a food source.”
“I agree with that,” Alex said. “We’ve seen them eating dogs, cats, people’s pets.”
“We found a dead deer between our place and Jane’s,” Spencer told them. “Avery saw them take another down last night in the backyard here.”
“Why don’t we all take some time today to visit each other’s places?” Tristan suggested. “We’ll show you around here. Try to memorize as much as you can about our place and the others. It will benefit us if one of us is attacked, overrun, either by night crawlers or the outside world. We need to be familiar with the layout of each property, as well as the inside of the homes and buildings. The further this thing falls, the longer it goes, the more people will flee the cities and head out our way. A lot of them will be running with nothing but the clothes on their backs, so they’ll be looking to take over places like ours either by intimidation or force. And if they come peacefully, that’s going to be something we deal with, too. This ain’t a charity situation. We can’t help everyone. Not yet. Maybe someday, but for now, I think we should all be very careful and selective of who we let live with us or who we help.”
“I agree. That’s smart,” Roman agreed, as did Alex.
They got the grand tour from Avery as Tristan pointed out special features of the home and different ideas they should implement on their own properties. Her house was huge, even bigger than Roman’s old house in the gated community. Jane mostly noticed more family photos scattered about the huge house and felt sorry for Avery, who hid her grief well. She supposed they all did nowadays.
After the Andersson viewing, they piled into Alex and Tristan’s trucks and went to their farm. She’d never been to their uncle’s farm before, so it was also a lot to take in.
“Your property’s that way,” Alex indicated to her across the pasture. “Down a ravine to the south side of the other pasture, right?”
“I think so,” Jane said. “It’s hard telling from here with all the woods.”
“We need a system or some sort of signal we can use to alert each other when we’re in trouble,” Alex reiterated what Tristan said earlier. “You guys are short-staffed, so to speak. You may need our help if you get into trouble.”
“Let’s look around your place, then head over there,” Tristan said.
The farmhouse was simple, three bedrooms up, two bathrooms, a warm and cozy den and basement with that wood-burning stove that made the whole house so comfortable. They definitely needed one of those. Most days in her father’s home, it was cold and drafty.
Her father’s home was last, and they all agreed that theirs was the most remote.
“Hell, I wouldn’t even have seen that driveway if you hadn’t turned down it,” Alex said to Tristan.
“Yeah, this is really hidden, which is good but could be bad, too,” Tristan stated as they finished up their two-cent tour. Her father’s home wasn’t big, not even as big as the old white farmhouse where the Brannon brothers and Wren lived. She did get to introduce Destiny and Noah, though. Her father’s door, she kept closed.
Stephanie asked, “What do you mean?”
Tristan explained, “Good because if you didn’t know the drive was there, you’d simply go on past it. Bad if the infected ones come through the woods from your south or west from across the road at the top of the drive.”
“Yeah, I think so, too,” Roman agreed.
“Let me think about this for a few days and come up with a solution. Communication is our number one issue right now.”
“I agree,” Alex stated.
“We should all be checking in with each other every single day,” Spencer said. “It’s the only way to know. Plus, if one of us gets overrun and wiped out, it’d be a good idea for everyone else to be in the know about it. I mean, it’s only going to increase your re
adiness on your own properties.”
“Yeah,” Tristan said quietly as if considering it all. “We’re gonna take off. I have some things to research. You all get some rest and settle in for the night. We’ll get together first thing tomorrow. Roman, I’ll pick you up at seven at the end of your lane so you don’t have to walk over. Alex, I’ll pick you up right after. We’ll go hunting for some supplies.”
“Yes, sir,” Roman answered.
They left in their trucks, and her home fell silent for a while as they contemplated their situation.
“It feels so real now,” she said to Roman when Stephanie left the room for the basement, which only she occupied.
“I know,” he returned and gave her a reassuring hug.
Then she checked on her father and felt even worse about their current circumstances. His fever was over a hundred and three again, and he was pale, hot to the touch, and clammy. She just wished he were better. He’d know what to do. He’d know how to keep them safe. But he wasn’t, and they only had each other to rely on now, and that terrified her more than anything.
After he killed his former high school baseball coach, things changed. Not him, per se, but other things. He was already changed, irrevocably so. He was no longer a fifteen-year-old boy who liked playing baseball and hanging out with friends to play Dungeons and Dragons. He’d killed more than just his baseball coach. He lost count after that night when their camp had been overrun. The military was supposed to be keeping them safe. It had worked great right up until it hadn’t. His father had urged him and his little sister to follow him that night. They picked up rifles along the way from dead soldiers. Thousands of those things had infiltrated the camp somehow. He suspected they’d placed an RF2 camp too close to theirs. It was chaos, but then his father had gotten them out- shot their way out, more like.
Unfortunately, they were robbed a few days later, and his father was killed. He’d been riding a horse, one of three they’d found wandering around some neighborhood before the robbery. His father had rounded them up and walked them to a riding academy near there, which he knew of and suspected they’d come from. There, they’d found saddles and whatnot. Then they were mobile again. But he’d still died of his wounds. The men almost managed to steal his thirteen-year-old sister, too, but he’d stopped them. The men were killed in the process, but so was his dad. Now they were alone.
He was riding south toward his father’s former friend’s farm. He had the directions his father had written out for him. It seemed so far away, so far on horseback for sure, but he had to get his sister to safety. If it was the last thing he did, he would honor his father and find them shelter and safety.
Chapter Eleven
Wren
A few days had passed without their groups getting together due to an ice storm that had taken down trees and made a mess of their driveways and roads. Alex, Roman, and Tristan, along with some from Tristan’s group had been busy all day for the past three cleaning and clearing their lanes and building horse stalls in the barn. Her days were passed cooking, tending the fire in the basement, and taking care of Elijah. Tossing and turning, nightmares, and sleeplessness were what occupied her nights. This morning, she woke determined to go with Tristan to find much-needed supplies. Continuing to sit around on the farm was going to make her stir crazy. She needed out.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Alex argued at the breakfast table. “You should stick around here and keep an eye on Elijah for me.”
Elijah immediately said, “I can take care of myself.”
“Let me go instead. You stay and take care of him today. He’s your brother,” she pointed out and felt bad when Elijah flinched slightly at her stinging tone and emotionless comment. She couldn’t help it. She had no feelings left other than anger, rage, and an unsettling sense of being so alone in the world now that there was a permanent vacancy inside of her that Jamie had once filled up. She couldn’t even make eye contact with Elijah, her guilt was so heavy. His face was beaten black and blue, and the boyish, cute demeanor he used to carry was gone. All because of her. “I can’t stay here. I need out. I need something to do. It’s not a request. I’m going. Stay or go. That’s up to you.”
She stood and took her empty plate to the sink. It was almost time to trudge out to the end of the lane and wait for Tristan to pick them up. Pulling on leather boots coupled with thick socks, she laced them while the men debated what to do in the other room. When she was done, she went to retrieve her pistol that she left on the dining room table.
“I’m heading out.”
“Wait, fine,” Alex stated angrily. “Elijah is staying by himself. I’m going with you.”
She reminded him, “I don’t need you to watch over me.”
“Yeah, well, they may need my help. I wasn’t referring to you,” he said on an angry sneer as he rose to take out his own plate and Elijah’s. “Just rest while we’re gone, E. And take that pain medicine that nasty chick gave us. I’m sure if it works on someone like Crackhead Barbie, it’ll help you. Don’t play tough. Just take it.”
“Sure, I’ll take it,” Elijah answered his brother, although she wasn’t sure if he was really going to or not. “Wren, can I talk to you for a second?”
Alex took his cue and left.
“What do you want?”
“Just…be careful, okay?” he asked and walked gingerly to her side of the table before she jammed her pistol into her holster under her jacket. “Don’t do anything rash. Just come home in one piece.”
“Any other requests?” she asked, not caring that her tone was harsh.
He paused for a long time until she looked directly at him. That made her feel horrible because the bruises and injuries to his golden boy face were so extensive. He wasn’t going to come out of this without some scars, probably inside, too.
“No,” he said with a tinge of sadness in his voice.
“I…I could stay, Elijah,” she offered and immediately hated her own weakness.
“No, you should go. You’re right. You need to get out of here, Wren.”
She nodded, and he reached out to cup her shoulder. Wren tried not to, but she eventually shirked his touch. That sort of kindness was not what she needed right now. Not from him.
They walked in silence, she and his temperamental brother, to the end of the driveway and waited for Tristan to pick them up. Along the way, Alex looked for signs of other vehicles or footprints in the deep snow but found none, which made her slightly appreciative. They piled into Tristan’s truck, full of people already. That girl, the super bitchy one, was in the backseat next to Roman, and Alex took a seat beside her, earning a sneer from the blonde with the dark roots. She rode up front next to the intense one, Tristan, who was driving again and the brother of his girlfriend named Abraham. Wren didn’t really care to memorize these people. They’d probably be dead soon. Or she would be.
“Listen, we’re gonna hit that historical site if you can remember where it is, Roman,” he said.
“I think I do, sir. Her dad told me.”
“Good. If it hasn’t already been stolen, we’ll snag that cookstove,” Tristan said.
Abraham said, “I think that’ll make a great addition.”
“Which ones of you have experience shooting?” Tristan asked next.
“I do, sir,” Roman answered.
“I know you do. Who else?”
Alex answered, “Me, too. Didn’t have the career you did, but I’ve been through basic and AIT. I’m good with the weapons we’ve got.”
“And Stephanie?”
“I know how to use this pistol that was my step-dad’s. I used it on him, so I can use it on some psychopath with a virus.”
“Wait, you shot…” Alex began but was cut off by her.
Stephanie said, “Any other handguns can’t be much more difficult than this pistol, but I don’t know rifles.”
“I’ll have Alex or Spencer go over the basics with the people who need help,” Tristan s
aid. “And Wren?”
“I can handle anything you give me, but I’ve got my .45 on me today.”
“And where’d that come from, your experience I mean?”
“My uncle,” she said.
“Was he military?”
Wren didn’t want to discuss Jamie, so she ignored Tristan’s question and looked out her window instead. He didn’t pursue it anymore, which was appreciated. Everyone was carrying around a ton of emotional baggage. She was no different now.
“Okay, well, you guys all handled yourselves pretty well the other night with the exception of Stephanie, who wasn’t there. This will go like that if we have trouble. I’ll split you into teams if need be. There’s two rifles under the backseat. We’ll leave them in the truck for now unless we need them. Just carry your pistols.”
“What kind of rifles?” Wren asked.
“Remington 30.06 and an Army M4,” he said. “Spencer and I took some weapons and stuff from our base before it was overrun.”
“You stole weapons?” Alex asked.
“I did what I had to. I’m not even from around here. Neither is Spencer. It’s not like I could run home to get supplies.”
“No judgment here,” Alex said and raised his hands to show Tristan in the rearview mirror.
“When we’re in town,” Tristan said, moving on, “everyone will pair up. We should be moving around in groups of two for safety. We can’t all go everywhere as a group. It would take too long. I don’t like clusters, either. Makes us an easier target to aim at if someone chose to.”
“Agreed,” Alex said from the backseat.
“Alex, since you and Wren have more experience, why don’t you take Stephanie and Wren’ll pair up with Roman. I’ll work with Abraham.”
“Sure,” Alex returned as if he found that idea terrible. However, he didn’t argue.
“Fine,” Wren answered quietly.
“Those people who messed with Roman’s group are still in this town somewhere. We avoided some of them, but they were able to kill two members of his group and take everything they had, including their guns and their vehicle. Roman, have you been able to get any more information from Noah about them?”