Ceara looked confused, “I don’t remember telling you that.”
“Obviously”
The silence was tense now, as they both sat staring at anything but the other. “Tabitha was talking about you?” It was barely over a whisper but Charlie heard it and gave a slight nod, “How did she know?”
Charlie glared at the trees now, “I have no idea, but I guess it’s pretty obvious to them that I don’t have a clue about relationships and she must think it’s pretty damn funny.”
Ceara scooted closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder as the first raindrops started, “Charlie, don’t take Tabitha seriously, she is just playing. She must really like you. My Dad always said the ones that love you the most give you the hardest time.”
He looked down at her and tried to smile, “Damn she really loves me a lot.”
Ceara giggled, “I really think she loves all of us, but isn’t sure how to tell us.” She chanced a glance at him, “Charlie, are you mad at me for not being a virgin too?”
He shook his head, “No, it isn’t like you slept around or anything like that.”
He moved to face Ceara, “How many times were you with that guy? Was he, ummm good?”
Ceara blushed but didn’t turn from him, “Only once, and since it was my first and only time; I can’t really say if it was good or not, but to hear other women talk I don’t think he was good at it.”
She began to smile and Charlie shifted from her, “You having fond memories?”
“No honey, I was just thinking that you got more of a reaction from me from just the kiss, than he did through it all.”
Charlie looked surprised, “I did? Why, what did I do?”
Ceara blushed and laid her head back on her knees, “I don’t know what you did, it was just different and no part of me wanted you to ever stop kissing me.” She looked over to him, “Ok, so you are a virgin but how many girls have you kissed…. Like that?”
Charlie smiled, “Just you, look I have been really locked away with the sisters, they must have thought that I would end up bad I think, because they kept me under strict rules and when I did come of age, I didn’t really want to focus on girls. Main reason was that all the girls at the school and the ones in the neighborhood always made fun of me and another thing… I needed to know how I was going to support myself and then all this happen.”
Ceara nodded, “I understand that, I never had it like you, but growing up in the country I stayed pretty sheltered and daddy didn’t let me date till I was seventeen and he had to approve any….. Charlie, what’s that?”
She was point to the edge of the woods, he looked where she said, “Maybe a deer?”
He looked to the back of the cabins, “Tonto’s gone so he smelled whatever it is.” Just then a wanderer came into the moonlight, Charlie raised the bow he savaged from the attack, and shot, dropping the wanderer just as Tonto came around the corner. “Damn, I took Tonto’s fun away.”
Ceara shook her head, “I don’t think so Charlie, look!”
Tonto’s hunches were up and he was growling loudly, Charlie scanned the woods and realize there were more than a few movements that were not due to the wind, “They aren’t coming out yet so I don’t want to fire the warning shot to alert everyone, so you go wake everyone up, but be quiet and I’ll keep watch.” As Ceara moved to the ladder he looked at her, “Honey please be careful we have a blind spot under us.”
Ceara crawled down the ladder and ran to Alden’s cabin first; she crept in and thought that maybe she shouldn’t be that quiet, whispering as loud as she dared, “Alden!!”
Alden woke up as the front door opened. He laid there with his eyes closed as heard Ceara’s soft footsteps come into his room. As she whispered he knew something was up.
He sat up quickly startling Ceara and chuckled a bit at her jumping back. “It’s okay cupcake I ain’t going to shoot you. Now what’s going on?”
Ceara told Alden about the Wanderers coming in. “How many?” he asked as he pulled on his cargo pants and began to lace his boots. “I don’t know, but more than what Charlie could shoot with the crossbow.”
“Damn it, I was hoping not to have to shoot anymore. The gunfire is what’s bringing them in.” Pulling on his BDU shirt he strapped his knife on his belt he grabbed a machete on the way out of his bedroom. Opening Tabitha’s door he whispered, “Up n at em cowgirl we got company.”
Tabitha popped up and looked at them both, “What the hell?!!” She started to yell as Ceara put her fingers to her lips and shushed her.
Alden looked to Ceara, “You stay with her and get her up. I’ll go see to Charlie, don’t wake the others yet, not till we know what we’re up against. No sense in rousing everyone.”
Alden moved quietly across the yard and up the ladder. “Okay kid what do we got?”
Charlie pointed to the woods, “I can make out about seven, maybe eight, but I’m not sure.”
Alden looked out to the woods he could see movement but still could not make out how many. “You know kid, I wish I could light them up with infra-red but they’re dead so their room temperature anyway, and if I used a starburst that would only bring in more plus others we may not want.”
He looked again wishing there was at least a half moon, but no luck. Even if there was a full moon the storm clouds would have blocked out the light.
Charlie sat back and looked at Alden, surprised. He had never known him to be stumped. Looking back out to the tree line he could see the Wanderers just loping along. He looked out past them and a thought hit him. “What if we flank them and start a fire back where we had the battle. Or just far enough back they would see it, right?”
Alden leaned up and looked out, “You know Charlie that may just work.”
He turned back and saw Ceara and Tabitha coming out of the cabin. Alden climbed down and explained to them what was going to happen. Tabitha was all for it as usual, “So Alden, me and you are going back to the scene of the crime.”
Alden shook his head, “Nope you and Charlie. It was his idea.”
Ceara looked at him, “Why her?”
Alden put his hand on her shoulder, “Cause you and Charlie have gotten a little close and that would cause one or both of you to screw it up. This way Tabitha and Charlie will watch out for each other, the way it should be, and won’t take unnecessary risks”
Ceara watched as Charlie and Tabitha made their way down the ladder, her only communication with Charlie had been a look. She knew he realized she was telling him to be careful. She watched as both disappeared into the woods, she didn’t want to look at Alden so she simply watched the Wanderers work their way through the woods. “So I’m confused on what they are doing, you want them to set the woods on fire? I get that it’s raining but do you think it’s raining enough to stop a fire from spreading?”
Alden watched Charlie and Tabitha, “They aren’t planning on starting a forest fire, just something to draw the attention away from us.”
Tabitha and Charlie took off and she whispered to him, “You get some twigs and branches and I will do the same…. I got the matches and together we can get the fire started so that will bring them our way just like you said. But man, we don’t want a raging fire, so let’s keep it as under control, ok?”
Charlie chuckled and softly spoke, “We are in the woods for crying out loud!”
Tabitha began picking up branches and popping her head up every now and again making sure to keep an eye out of the Wanderers. “You’re right buddy, but we can try to keep it manageable, if we don’t and it does get out of hand, then we will have to get the fuck out of here and we got no damn place to go, if you catch what I am talking about.”
Charlie was just joking but down inside he was thinking about the conversation that he had earlier with Ceara. Charlie then stood up with a bunch of twigs, “Tabitha, one second.”
Tabitha turned around, “Make it quick… what?!”
“How’d you know I was a….?”
&nbs
p; Tabitha turned around and saw the zombies shuffling around and said, “NOW? You are going to start this conversation now? Fine, I never had no family growing up and I sure don’t know how to act sometimes, but I have been around the block a time or two and well…. I don’t honestly know, but your innocence…, well you wear it like a coat. I was just playing around buddy.”
Tabitha glanced around and back to Charlie, “To be fucking honest, I don’t give a shit about whether you ever got a piece of tail…. Right now, what I do fucking care about, is the six of us…. Well now seven of us not becoming a take out meal for these fuckers!! So can we just focus on the situation and decision that you made with Alden back there?”
Charlie smiled and thought to himself that Tabitha too was kind of like him in a way, she just wanted what most want, to be loved and needed.
Alden watched as the two took off, Ceara has brooding and Alden knew it, “Well cupcake, Charlie figured if he could start a small fire that would draw them away. We need to keep them moving away from us. As far as the fire getting out of control with rain and the fact their only going to be building a campfire on the other side of the meadow, it should be just fine.”
Alden flipped his binoculars to night vision and he could see them moving through the woods with the Wanderers already starting to turn towards the noise they were making. Making a quick assessment he counted twenty total, but he figured there were probably more.” Lowering the binoculars he looked to Ceara, “They’re like cattle and sheep they follow each other in herds.”
He looked back out to the woods then raised an eyebrow, “That may work to our advantage.”
Ceara looked at him, “Alden what the hell are you talking about?”
Alden smiled at her, “Okay cupcake combat lesson... We have to learn as much about these things as possible. Not just that they eat people and are killed by destroying the brain, but also any type of mannerisms they are showing. We need to find out if they ever stop to rest. Do they sit down or lay down? Do they drink any water?”
Ceara looked at him and quickly added, “Like if they can’t eat do they stop or starve?”
“Exactly,” Alden said with a grin, “It’s our turn to watch and learn.”
Charlie could hear the Wanderers stumbling along behind, and to the sides of them. From their noise he could tell that they were far enough away that they did not pose an immediate threat. Reaching down for some more wood he heard another sound up ahead. It was the sound of sheep braying in pain. “Tabitha,” He called she turned and he knew she heard it too. “Follow me, I got another idea.”
Tabitha joined him as the moved quickly through the woods towards the sound. They came upon one wanderer tearing at a sheep. Charlie snuck up behind it a drove a knife right into its head. The sheep was braying loudly and Tabitha looked to Charlie, “Damn it. This is like ringing a dinner bell for them Charlie. We need to get the fuck outta here.”
Charlie dropped his wood and grabbed the sheep by the hind legs. “Exactly!” he said with a smile, “C’mon we need to hurry.”
Moments later they were in the meadow and across it. Charlie looked at her, “You get the fire started, I’ll be right back.”
Tabitha glared at him, “Alden wanted me to watch you, what the hell are you doing?!”
Charlie turned to her, “No, you were supposed to help me, he didn’t say anything about babysitting. Those things will come to the fire but down over there is a cliff, not very deep about fifteen feet or so. I saw it in one of the brochures Alden brought back. It leads to another trail that heads back away from us to the other side of the park. If I toss Bo Peep down there the Wanderers will get here and then hear her, hopefully go to get her. If they go over the cliff then they can’t come back at us right away.”
Tabitha bent down and started the fire going, “I hope you’re right Chuck or we be fucked.”
Charlie drug the sheep to the cliff, it was as he thought only about twenty yards away. Holding the sheep by its back legs wasn’t as easy as he had thought, it didn’t want to be dropped. The braying got louder as if it knew what was happening. Charlie used all his strength to hold it until last possible second. He didn’t want it to die. As it fell he knew it would only have been about twelve feet. It landed and kept braying, even better, it started getting even louder and. Charlie crawled back away from the cliff and then ran back to where Tabitha was
By the time he got to her she had a nice roaring fire going in the rain. Confused he looked at it then to her, “Just how the hell did you get it that big that fast?”
Tabitha smiled, “I grabbed these on one of my shopping adventures” handing a package to Charlie. He looked down reading the package, “Magnesium fire starter. What the hell is this?”
Tabitha smiled, “I knew a guy who worked in a magnesium factory once, he talked about how hot that stuff burned when it is set on fire. He said it would dry out wet wood, I didn’t believe him then, but I do now.”
Both started throwing some wood on the fire to get it going the backed off to the side and moved to a spot where they could see the fire and the cliff. Within minutes the Wanderers were there. Some stopped and stared at the fire, while others got down on their hands and knees and sniffed the ground where the sheep had bled. The ones who smelled the blood became aggressive and began clawing at the dirt putting it in their mouths and letting it fall back out. The sheep’s braying caught the attention of all of them and they all started to the cliff.
Tabitha and Charlie watched as the first ones that arrived just stood looking down trying to figure out how to get to the sheep. The decision was made for them quickly by the other Wanderers. As more showed up, they simply were pushing the ones in front over the edge. There were only three left at the edge within minutes, they stood staring down and moaning. Charlie looked to Tabitha, “Now let’s go.”
He jumped up and took off quickly coming up from behind the Wanderers. Tabitha knew immediately what he planned to do and she joined him. The two ran up from behind and simply pushed the remaining Wanderers over the edge. Standing there, Charlie watched as the sheep was devoured and the others were trying to claw their way back up the jagged cliff. Tabitha looked at Charlie, “That was sheer genius. How the hell did you know they’d do that?”
Charlie grinned, “When I was a kid I read a lot of books. I remembered one where the Indians used to run a herd of buffalo over a cliff by chasing them and shooting arrows at them. The buffalo would stampede to get away and fall over the cliffs. I figured if buffalo would do it so would Wanderers.”
Tabitha smiled at him, “Guess I should’ve read more. Let’s get back.” Soon the two were moving back through the woods to the cabins.
Ceara felt the rain coming down harder and now when she threw her hair over her shoulder it was heavier and was soaking her back even worse than the rain itself. She smiled over at Alden, “Who has next watch?”
Before he answered Tabitha and Charlie came out of the woods both with big grins. Ceara smiled back as they topped the ladder, Charlie quickly told them what had happen and Ceara threw her arms around him and then Tabitha, “Holy shit guys, that was great!”
She was beaming at both of them, she would never have thought of something like that. Alden cleared his throat and everyone turned to him, “Son, how many were there and did you check if there was a walk around for them to come back?”
Charlie looked to Tabitha, “I didn’t count them, did you?” Tabitha shook her head, “That was your parade, I was making the fire.”
Charlie looked back to Alden, “I would say twenty or twenty-five and no on the walk around. I did pay attention to that.”
Alden nodded, “That was about my guess, you kids need some sleep, Tabitha and I are up on watch so we can take over now.”
Ceara and Charlie headed down the ladder and as soon as they were inside Charlie grabbed her hugging her close, “Honey I think I am becoming Alden, I swear I channeled him out there.”
Ceara started laughing, “
shhhhh, Heath is sleeping. Come on, I want out of these wet clothes.” Once each had taken a turn changing in the bathroom they crawled into bed, both silently hoping there were no more Wanderers out there close.
Heath had woke up with all the movement in the cabin. He tossed and turned wanting to go back to sleep. It seemed to him it had been ages since he had lain in a real bed. After about twenty minutes, Mother Nature won out and he gave up and moved to the bathroom, then on to the kitchen. Looking out the window he saw the small campfire with the coffee pot next to it. Searching the cabinets he found an old gold thermos type coffee cup. Choosing it he went outside and poured a cup.
The rain had stopped for now but he could see the lighting in the sky to the southwest showing him the storm was not over yet. He walked around the fire as the chairs were all wet he chose to just stand. Maximus came out from the shed and approached him cautiously growling. Heath froze, “Okay now boy… just stay calm I’m only having a cup of coffee.”
Maximus came just a little closer then stopped. Heath slowly set the cup on the table and squatted down, “Look boy, I only want to make friends with you and everybody else.”
Heath held his hand out palm down. Maximus moved closer and sniffed it a couple of times then turned and went back to the shed. Heath stood up, “Well pleased to meet you too dog.”
Just then the lightening flashed and thunder clapped as if the bolt had hit right next to him. Heath jumped, Maximus had turned around and lay back down in the shed. To Heath it looked like he was laughing. Just then the skies opened up and down came the rain again. Heath bolted to the shed, almost tripping as he stumbled in the doorway. Maximus got up and moved a little farther back as Heath was shaking his hair and trying to dry off, “You know Max, you could have given me a little more warning than just coming back in here. Would it have killed you to throw a guy a warning bark?”
The rain was coming down in sheets now as Heath stood at the doorway and looked about. A flash of lightning showed the silhouettes of Tabitha and Alden on watch. They were hunkered down under what looked like an old Army poncho. As the rain continued he decided it would be better to stay put rather than run the risk of getting soaked trying to get back to the cabin. Looking around the shed he found an old chest in the corner. Opening it he saw some quilts and blankets along with some old towels. Grabbing a towel he dried off quickly then laid a blanket on the ground and pulled a quilt over him. Leaning back against the generator the sound of the rain hitting the roof along with the warmth of the blanket was the perfect recipe for putting him back to sleep. Maximus moved over and crawled under the blanket with him.
Surviving Day By Day (Book 2): Fears, Flames, and Future Page 11