Surviving Day By Day (Book 2): Fears, Flames, and Future

by Allensworth, Audra

  Beth had walked over to join the others as Alden walked over with his arm around Ceara’s shoulder, “You did good kid, real good.”

  Biff had reached a water trough and pulled two buckets up. “Here y’all wash off with these, don’t need none of that diseased shit getting in your body. Alden took a bucket and dipped it in the trough then turned pouring it over Ceara’s head. Before Beth knew it he had done the same thing to her.

  Biff started going to Wanderers yanking out his arrows, each time was a squelching or grotesquely popping sound. He looked back to Beth who was making a face, “Not a pretty noise but you get use to the noise and I need the arrows.” Beth nodded, not trusting herself to talk.

  Ceara let the blood run off her; she had to pull bits of ‘stuff’ off her shoulders and out of her hair. “Damn, next time we go help out, remind me to tie my hair back.”

  Charlie gave a small chuckle, “Honey, tie your hair back, we still have the other ones coming remember?”

  Ceara gave a noncommittal shrug, “Little late for this venture”

  Alden had a bucket at his feet, hand washing his arms and face, glancing over at Charlie “Boy, you are covered! Get some of that shit off you. What did you do, hug them?”

  Colt looked over at Charlie, “He might as well have the way he was going at them!”

  Alden gave Charlie a look, “Discretion is the better part of valor.”

  Charlie looked confused, “What do you mean?”

  Alden cocked an eyebrow,“I mean you don’t go looking to be the hero.”

  Charlie grabbed a bucket to fill just as Carol Ann came out of the house with the kids. The oldest was almost to his mother’s shoulder, with light brown hair; Charlie thought it could be blonde and just dirty. He boy was husky like his dad but had his mother’s eyes.“THAT’S HIM, JEFF! Did ya’ll see him!! He killed fifty of them things like they wasn’t nuttin!!”

  The younger of the two boys hid by his mother, he was much smaller and had got his mother’s build. He was rail thin and scared to death to move more than an inch from his mother, but he was also looking at Charlie as if he were a God.

  Charlie blushed because the kids were so impressed with him. “It wasn’t fifty and I was just trying to make sure you, your brother, and mom were safe.”

  The boy was jumping around all of them, “Did ya’ll see? He swung and hacked through all of em!” The boy was doing his best to imitate Charlie, jumping and hacking the air with his arm.

  Biff smacked the young man in the head knocking him to the ground, but Alden had his wrist before he could strike again, “Biff, we have never had an issue, but we will if you lay your hands on that boy again.... What you do when I’m not here is one thing, but I am here and that isn’t going to happen again.”

  Biff puffed out his chest, “That’s my kid and he knows not to be yelling shit and knows the punishment!”

  Alden nodded, “Good rule on the noise, but the boy can’t defend himself against you. Not to mention that noise isn’t an issue when we already know more are on the way.”

  It was obvious from Biff’s look that he had forgotten about the ones Alden had originally told him about, he quickly grabbed his binoculars and scanned the mountain side. “I don’t see them, but that don’t mean nuttin, tree cover is real thick down there.

  Looking at the others, Alden snapped his fingers and the both dogs came over and sat by his side. “I want you all to get cleaned up. Then I want the basic defensive position set up using the house as your fall back point.”

  He turned to Heath, “This is where you become the student. Listen to them, they know what they’re doing and they work as a team.” He turned to Biff, “I know this is your land and your family, but I would really like it if you stayed close to your family. I think that’d be best.”

  Biff opened his mouth to argue but Alden put his hand up and stopped him, “If you’re out front and one of those things get in behind you’re gonna wanna go kill it. That would leave one of my team exposed. I won’t have that. So you stay back and provide rear security.”

  Biff looked at Alden then at Carol Ann. She spoke quickly as she lightly touched his arm, “Honey you know he’s right, and I would feel safer iffin you was back here with me.”

  Biff looked into her eyes then turned to Alden, “I’ll do what you ask, you’re the expert in this shit.”

  Alden smiled “yeah people keep telling me that but I don’t see it. I ain’t ever faced a company of dead people.” He turned to Beth, “I’m going scouting I’ll be back.”

  He turned and gave a slight whistle and the dogs jumped up and followed him. The group watched as the three disappeared over the ridge. Charlie looked at Ceara, “I’m really getting tired of him going off like that. I keep thinking back to when I was a kid and knowing my parents were never going to come home.”

  Ceara took his hand and gave him a kiss, “Honey, this is Alden; I don’t think the man has ever been married or had kids to even understand your fears.” She looked back where he had gone and turned back to Charlie, “I think deep down he always wanted them. Sweetie we’re his kids, and he’ll be back.”

  Tabitha had walked up and heard Charlie, placing her hand on his shoulder, “C’mon boss we need to get set up.”

  Charlie looked at both of them. “Thank you.” He then turned around, “Same as at the biker camp. Heath and Biff will have the center in the rear, with that monster gun off the hummer. I’ll show you how to use it, Colt, Tabitha and Beth on the right, me and Ceara on the left.”

  The group started to fall out and get things ready. Tabitha looked at Colt, “Honey, don’t get yourself shot this time.”

  Colt smiled back, “Fat chance those bastards don’t know how to shoot.” He then looked at Beth and whispered, “You don’t think they’ve learned that?”

  Beth poked his side, “No silly, now get serious or you just may get shot by friendly fire and that would really piss me off!”

  Colt gave her a somewhat disgruntled look, but then before he could come back with a negative word Beth smiled that smile of hers then winked. Colt knew that shit was about to get serious once more and he just wanted to get this crap over with and move on to the next objective whatever that may be.

  Beth in turn looked onward and wondered how far out they must be, or how far Alden was. Tabitha walked over and had her SKS in hand watching from one side to the other, making sure to pay particular attention to all of the sounds around her.

  Ceara ran to the Rover grabbing her M-16, flipped the notch to semi-auto and ran to get in position, just a little ways from Charlie. She looked across to the others gathering on the opposite side, “Ok Charlie, last time I was with Alden and not too sure of things, so let me make sure what I am doing. I stand here but I cover across the yard to the others, not straight out, right?”

  Charlie moved closer to her, “Ok think of it like a grid, you have from Colt to about fifty feet out. I take over with my grid where yours stops. I take the next section. Colt, Tabitha and Beth will have the same type of grid and shoot this way. The way Alden explained it, we will cross fire and cover more. Heath will be back there covering us and watching the sides.”

  Ceara nodded, “Ok, I think it makes sense, so I don’t worry about the ones coming at me?”

  Charlie laughed, “With the three of them covering us I don’t think any will get close enough to worry about.”

  Ceara didn’t laugh, “I don’t think this is funny, what if they do?”

  Charlie looked over his weapon, “If they do then we shoot them, but you would also need to worry about the others, because something is wrong if they aren’t killing them.”

  Ceara looked at the others with a worried look etched on her face, “Yeah, you’re right… we will be ok… I hope.”

  Biff and Heath had walked over to the Humvee and looked at the monster gun. Heath turned to Biff, “I don’t know about you, but I damn sure don’t feel like Magilla Gorilla today. I say we just drive this whole
rig to your house and back it up.”

  Biff nodded, “Agreed”

  The two got in and drove it to the front door then backed up. Charlie had walked over to watch and then guided them back. As Heath turned the motor off Charlie called out. “Set the parking brake; make sure the thing is still in gear.”

  Heath did as he was told. Biff got out, “Why? You think that gun is going to move this thing?”

  Charlie was putting logs in front and behind the wheels. “I don’t know but I ain’t taking chances. As big as that gun looks, I think the minute you start shooting it the whole damn truck will vibrate and animals for five miles will keel over dead from a heart attack.” Charlie watched as Colt, Tabitha and Beth Turned over a picnic table to hide behind. They also had pulled over Biff’s tractor and a wagon that had been attached and lined it up forming a half circle to protect their sides and rear.

  Charlie went to where Ceara was and the two started to roll 50 gallon empty drums, along with another wooden table that smelled of dead fish to make their own little fort.

  Ceara heard Maximus bark and cringed, Alden was going to be pissed and she knew it. She looked across to Charlie, “He better not shoot Maximus!”

  Charlie looked out to where the bark came from, “Ceara, Alden has been training him. I bet the bark was on purpose. He may be driving them our direction. Another bark rang out and it was closer, Charlie put his weapon to his shoulder, calling out, “Everyone get ready, I think they are almost here!”

  Alden broke thru the trees on the far left, “TWO MINUTES!” Colt started scanning his kill zone, nothing was there yet, but Alden knew and that meant he better be ready. Maximus was the next out of the woods running straight for Ceara; he stood beside her with his haunches raised. He didn’t see Tonto but Alden was in fight mode, so Colt just let it go.

  Tabitha stood beside Colt, scanning her area, “HEADS UP, THEY’RE HERE!” A shot rang out and the first Wanderers head exploded, Ceara looked around to see who fired but now the Wanderers were pouring out of the woods. She kept to her zone and began firing, it was her job to keep the others safe, she had to count on them to keep her safe.

  Alden bounded over the table next to Charlie and Ceara and ran for the Humvee. He grabbed the bag of guns and ran back to where Charlie and Ceara where, he threw it down then grabbed the table and turned it a little more. Reaching down he grabbed a M-16 and slapped in a clip chambering a round. He was ready as the first shot was fired ‘STAY CALM AND PICK YOUR TARGETS.”

  He then fired three rounds and three heads exploded. Charlie watched Alden then looked at Ceara, “Damn he’s good.” Charlie took aim and hit two of three he fired at in the head. The one he got in throat.

  With her Beretta in her grip, Beth picked her head shots perfectly. To her she was becoming a killing machine and that office professional chick was gone. Tabitha was going ape shit crazy with Alden’s SKS and remarkably she was hitting ninety percent of her targets and Colt was getting off good hits too.

  Beth yelled up to Tabitha as she stood back up to take out more zombies, “I need to reload!” Colt who was standing on the other side of Tabitha looked over then down to make sure that Beth was alright and before he could ask Beth had finished, stood back up and continued popping the enemies heads off one at a time. The closer ones were being taken out by Beth this gave Tabitha and Colt a little bit of a range span to pick off ones that were farther out. Colt shot several just as they cleared the trees, his shots were hitting two out of three and he knew he was getting more comfortable with the gun. He would worry later about what that meant for him as a human. A wanderer had been shot at the waist and was now crawling toward them dragging his or her intestines with them. He watched mesmerized that not only could he not tell if it was male or female but even though it was almost cut in half it was still coming. Tabitha elbowed him, “Wake up damn it!”

  Colt shook himself and fired at the crawler, nothing happen. Popping the clip he slammed another one in and fired again just as the crawler got to their table.

  Ceara was shooting all over; she was hitting anything that moved. Her kill zone forgotten she just wanted this over and everyone to be safe. She dropped her clip to reload and jammed it in wrong, pulling it she tried to force it back out but she had it jammed. Ceara looked wildly to Charlie and Alden, “I can’t get it!”

  Charlie shoved his rifle into her hands and took hers; he dislodged the clip and loaded it right. “Ceara, you have to stay calm!”

  Ceara began firing again, “I am doing my best damn it!”

  Alden dropped a clip and reloaded then reached over and gently touched Ceara’s shoulder, “Missy, take a breath and relax. Don’t waste your ammo doing spray fire. One shot one kill.”

  Ceara turned and looked at him with tears in her eyes, “I’m just scared damn it.”

  Alden fired three shots and three more went down. He looked back at her, “Sweetie we’re all scared. Just focus and do what I taught you.” Firing three more, she watched three more heads explode.

  Biff and Heath had sat back just watching the carnage unfold in front of them when Heath looked over to Biff, “I say we join this party.”

  Biff nodded as he picked up the belt of ammo and held it so that it would feed into the machine gun. Heath pulled the trigger and the 50 cal. Came to life burping out rounds at an extreme rate. The whole Humvee rocked with the first burst as bodies and heads exploded out front. “HOLY SHIT, GODDAMN!! This fucking thing is insane.”

  Biff looked at him as he was trying to get a better footing, “SHIT MAN, THE KID WAS RIGHT.”

  The two men got themselves positioned better and Heath looked at Biff, “Ready?” Biff nodded and Heath pulled the trigger again. Within a few minutes the two had it down and were mowing down Wanderers at an incredible rate. The ones they hit mostly seemed to simply blow apart. Wanderers nearby would stop and look down at what was left of the one next to them, which gave the others a chance to get a better shot. “They look confused,” Biff said. Heath nodded and picked off a few more.

  Everyone was firing off shots and it seemed to Colt that the Wanderers were finally starting to thin out. A scream pierced the air causing Colt to jerk around to the house; he wasn’t the only one either. Biff had dropped the ammo belt and bolted off the Hummer, his son that he had knocked to the ground earlier, was running out with a knife. Carol Ann was on the porch screaming as a wanderer bit down on her breast, her son plunged the knife into the wanderer but it was too late, the beast now had him. Colt watched as Biff grabbed up his bow and loaded it, first hit the wanderer, second his son, third his wife. He dropped to the ground just as his youngest son came out to check on his mother and brother.

  The firing had slowed to a stop with an odd shot here and there. Colt had tears streaming down his face, he looked over to Beth and she had just turned to see the scene. All the blood drained from her face, Colt moved to her and hugged her. She cried into his shoulder, “How?… why?… that wasn’t supposed to happen.” Colt rubbed her back but couldn’t speak; he had no words to give any comfort.

  Ceara was excited to see the last wander drop, she jumped punching the air, “WE DID IT!!”

  She soon realized that no one else was happy. She turned to make sure everyone was ok. Alden and Charlie were fine; she looked over to the picnic table barricade, seeing Tabitha standing just staring at the house, Beth in Colt’s arms, Ceara turned. The three bodies lay on the porch and Biff shaking in the yard, she didn’t register it until she saw the arrows, “He shot them!!!”

  Ceara raised her gun and fired, Alden knocked the barrel to the ground just in time. He jerked the gun away, “The man had to shoot his family, and you think he deserves to be shot for protecting his youngest son?” That was when Ceara noticed the youngest one still sitting on the porch holding his mother’s hand.

  Colt let go of Beth and began walking across the yard, Biff made no move to stop him as he passed. Placing one foot on the first step of the porch the youngest tried to s
hrink into the boards. Colt sat down on the porch as close as he dared, “Your name’s Jeff isn’t it?”

  The boy was in shock and just stared at Colt, “My name is Colt, I need you to do me a favor… I need you to come over here and sit with me for just a minute.” Jeff dug his hand, twisting it into his mother’s dress.

  Colt nodded, “Son, I know you love your momma, and I know she loves you too, but that isn’t your momma anymore, your momma is now in your heart and in the heavens looking out over you and your daddy.”

  Jeff looked to his chest as if hoping to see her, then glanced to the sky, in a very quiet voice, “No she ain’t, she’s dead and daddy kilt her.”

  Colt nodded, “You‘re right, but do you know what happens when we die?” Jeff’s whole body was shaking, “We come back and eat others.” Jeff got a look of terror and quickly scooted from his mother bumping up against the house, “Is momma going to eat me??”

  Colt didn’t mean to make the boy think like that, he took the chance and moved closer, “No, your dad made sure you were protected, it was the bravest thing I have ever seen. Your momma is now in heaven and looking out for you, and your daddy made sure she could.”

  Jeff looked to his father, “Daddy’s crying, he says I am a girl when I cry.”

  Colt looked to Biff, “I know how he feels, he loves your momma and brother… Jeff I need you to come with me, we need to let your dad know you are ok. Are you a big enough boy to be strong for your dad?”

  Colt held out his hand to the boy. Jeff looked from his mother and brother then stood walking over to take Colt’s hand, “I have to be, I am all dad has now… I can be brave like Jr.”

  Colt assumed Jr was his brother, “I know you can.”

  The others had all gathered around the Hummer and watched Colt. Alden had gone to Biff. Biff was on his knees as Alden’s hand touched his shoulder. He turned and looked up, “What the fuck is the point anymore now.” He said crying. “Why the hell do we even try?”

  Just then Jeff was by his side wrapping his arms around his dad’s neck, “It’s okay pa, momma’s in heaven with Jr so she can take care of him and I’m here with you.” The boys eyes filled with tears as his dad pulled back then kissed his forehead and hugged him tighter. “That’s right son.”