Dad and Pete glanced at Beau wondering what it was that made the man so cheerful. He didn’t disappoint. “In that group of people is the best ranch hand that this place ever had.” explained Beau. “I think our prayers have been answered, boys.”
Pete wasn’t convinced. “Whadya mean?”
Beau answered. “We were worrying about getting those fences put up before the zombies make it here, but you and I know it was questionable whether we’d be able to finish in time with just us doing the work.”
He opened his arms and gestured to the buses and trucks that were now stopped in front of the mansion with a twinkle in his eyes and a shit eating grin on his face. “There’s our work crew, boys! Look at those strong young fellas down there just looking for something to do. It looks like things are going to work out after all!”
They marched down the stairs and met the group at the front door which was now ugly, but secure. When Hector and Beau saw each other, they gave each other man hugs and after waiting patiently, the entire group was welcomed inside.
By this time, Virginia and Nicole had woken from the sounds. When they realized there were hungry children needing to be fed, they immediately got to work putting food together and taking it out to them. Hector’s wife Teresa helped the ladies and so did a couple of the teachers, though Virginia did her best to shoo them out of the kitchen.
“You need to rest. We can get this done.” ordered Virginia.
The teachers were shown to rooms in one of the wings of the house where after making sure the kids were safe and would be fed, they went to bathe and change into clean clothes that the ladies found for them to wear. They hadn’t showered since their ordeal began and as one of the ladies explained, they didn’t feel human. They’d come out and eat once that was taken care of.
When the teenagers learned there was a movie room and game room downstairs and that everything worked because the house had electricity, they rushed down there. Virginia was in the process of working out a sleeping plan, but the teens wanted to just stretch out in the game room. To them, it’s a dream come true to play games all night and then just pass out where they sat. After several days without enough food, no electricity, and with nothing to keep them occupied, they’re bored out of their minds. This is a teenager’s idea of paradise.
Virginia almost stopped them because she wasn’t thrilled about girls sleeping in the same area as boys, but one of the teachers pulled her aside and explained that the kids needed a way to free their minds of what they’ve seen in the last few days. They’ve all lost their friends and families and need the support they get from each other right now. The kids have been through a lot of stress and need to keep active and talk things over amongst themselves. They’ve become very close during the past few days and are the only family that some of them have left.
It was almost 2:00 a.m. before everyone headed back to their rooms to get some shuteye. Their bellies are full and they’re safe. They could finally relax without listening for every sound that seemed out of place. This was the first night that they would sleep comfortably since the apocalypse began.
I remember how it felt to be safe and surrounded by people who cared for me. I was a relief to not be alone anymore.
Early the next morning, I was woken to a din of noise made by kids of all ages. It’s beginning to look like I’ll never get a full night’s rest. Coco heard it too and decided that she’d rather stay inside and play with the children than go potty. I had to pick her pudgy body up and carry her outside before she’d go, but when she was done, she rushed back inside and ran straight towards the kids with her tail wagging so fast that if she’d weighed less, she would have lifted off and flown away.
There was even more activity on the outside than the inside. Dad had put a work schedule together sometime during the night and the teenagers had already begun their chores. Their job was to unload the trucks and buses and carry the building supplies into the back area of the house to be stacked and ready to use. It was still early morning and even though there was a chill in the air, so some of them were already sweating. They learned quickly that if they stood still for any length of time, the moisture would cool and they’d feel cold. It’s impossible to get it right in this kind of weather. The teens seemed happy to have something to do. The boys were showing off for the girls by trying to carry the heaviest things they found. The girls for the most part only carried small items that didn’t weigh very much and giggled while whispering in each other’s ears. Until now I had been worried about how they would deal with what they’d been through, but kids are resilient and they were going to be just fine.
I wandered back inside and saw that the dining area was packed with people. There was only one place to sit, next to one of the teachers. The newcomer gladly helped herself to a pile of pancakes and crispy bacon and a strong cup of coffee.
I scanned a copy of the work schedule being passed around and saw that I’m booked to go into town today to drive a truck and help locate more provisions since our group has grown exponentially. Hopefully, if there are any more survivors out there, we’ll discover them, too. It doesn’t bother me to commandeer the supplies if no one else needs them, but if there are still people out there trying to survive and we take what they need, that just doesn’t seem right.
It was going to take a lot of time and hard work to provide this many people with food, hygiene products, medicine, clothing and everything else they’ll need. Once the fence is up around the property, we want to begin getting the guest cabins and bunkhouses ready for people to occupy. The main house is enormous and there were other buildings, such as the bunkhouses, but they were built for singles and now that we’re beginning to have families join our group, we need more space.
It’s strange to think about having families here with children growing up in this new world we live in. Until now, I haven’t really considered what’s going to happen after tomorrow or the next week. If someone doesn’t come up with a cure for this infestation soon, and that’s highly unlikely, we have to assume that this is a permanent situation and we’ll have to deal with it the best that we can.
After breakfast, I asked Nicole if she’d mind watching Coco. She said she’d be happy to let Coco follow her around throughout the day. Jack is already trailing Nicole, so the two dogs will be together, which they both seem to enjoy. Since Teresa is now available to help Virginia in the kitchen and we’ve since learned that she’s quite a talented cook as well, Nicole is now free to do what she does best – veterinary care. She’s making records of what animals live on the property and deciding the best ways to keep them safe from the zombies. She also has to find a way to protect them from the radiation if the winds shift and fallout travels this far into the state.
We’re leaving the teachers in charge of the teenagers and they’ll have their hands full, but they seem to be enjoying themselves. They started the day out by torturing the kids with news that after the work is completed around the complex, the teenagers will begin attending classes again.
Education doesn’t stop just because of a zombie apocalypse. The teens were happy to hear that along with the basics courses they would normally take in school, they’d also be learning other more practical things. Terek, Sawyer and Benson will be teaching classes in hand to hand fighting and weaponry. Hector will show them what he knows about carpentry, mechanics. Pete plans to have them out in the fields learning everything there is to know about growing food. Nicole is going to train them in rudimentary medical procedures such as first aid and CPR. This doesn’t get them out of working around the complex either. They are still expected to do chores every day. Everyone has work to do.
I adjusted my belt around my waist to be more comfortable and put my weapon in the holster along with two extra magazines. In my free hand, I held a bag filled with a spare weapon and some extra magazines. There’s a combat knife strapped to the leg of my cargo pants. Dressed all in black with my hair pulled back in a ponytail, I don’t look much l
ike an attorney today and to be honest, I feel kinda bad ass.
Dad was waiting for me at the front door and he did an inspection to make certain I was armed. “Did you bring water and something to eat? It’s going to be a long day.” he said.
“Yes, dad. You taught me well. Now, stop worrying and have a little faith.” I answered with an eye roll and a kiss on his cheek.
We walked together to the trucks. Greg and Hector stayed behind to keep the ladies and kids safe while we’re gone, but those of us who are going are armed to the teeth. Dad and I are going to be driving the two semis with the strongest teenagers in each one to help with heavy lifting. I heard someone mention that they’d been wrestling champions or football players or something. To be honest, I’m not really into sports, so it didn’t sink in.
They’d removed the seats from the buses and the floors were swept and cleaned out. These will be used for extra storage, especially for items that aren’t on skids or single items that aren’t packed as neatly as they would be straight from the warehouse. We’ll do the best we can to try and be neat, but there just isn’t much spare time to get things done and there’s a long list of things we need. Our goal for the day is to fill every trailer and bus completely before starting home. I’m not sure it’s doable, but I’m not going to argue. At least I get out of the house.
It’s helpful to have people around who are familiar with the area and know where to scrounge for specific supplies. That will save us a lot of time that would have been wasted driving in circles trying to decide where to search. The first place they suggested is a grocery store off of Highway 89. It’s a old-fashioned country store, but they amazingly also have beer on tap and bottles of wine. Sounds like my kind of place.
When we arrived at our destination, the parking lot was virtually empty, which wasn’t surprising since the store would have been closed when everything went down. We had to be careful, though, so Dad took point and I followed in the rear with the others spread out in a V formation – teens in back. The door was locked, which we expected, but it’s not difficult to open a glass door. With the power and phone lines out, we don’t have to worry about being arrested. I seriously doubt that any of the law enforcement community survived anyway. From what the teens have mentioned, they took the most casualties because they fought tirelessly to keep the people in this close knit community safe. Unfortunately, they paid a high price for that allegiance.
We split up into three groups. Beau’s group turned right, Terek’s headed left and Dad’s group strode up the center. My group made it almost to the back of the store before hearing the first “boom”. It was followed by a few more bangs and then we were met with silence. I wanted to run that direction to check on them since it was my dad’s group, but I know better than to disobey orders. We took our time finishing our walkthrough then met in the designated area. I released a breath to see dad and his group standing there alive and healthy.
“The night cleaning crew must have worked instead of attending the New Year’s Eve events downtown,” he explained with a shrug. “There were three of them in here, but we got ‘em.”
“Okay, everyone. Get some shopping carts fill them as high as you can. When they’re full, push the baskets out to the bus and just load them up cart and all. We need to work fast in case there are unfriendlies nearby watching us work so they can take it when we’re done.”
I saw a couple of the teenagers look at each other fearfully. I guess it hadn’t occurred to them that other survivors can be as dangerous as the zombies. It’s a good thing that he mentioned it, because now they’ll be more careful and watch each other’s backs.
“We’ll take turns being on guard duty and unloading the carts,” he clarified as he handed out the assignments for each of us.
My mission is to sort through the controlled drugs locked up in the back and get as many medications as possible; primarily antibiotics and pain medications. If time permitted, I’d then try to find any other medical supplies we could use. Pete broke the lock on the pharmacy door and walked inside to make certain nothing was hiding in the dark, then left me on my own.
I put every antibiotic I could find into the cart, including sulfa drugs because some people are allergic to penicillin. I then added all the pain medications. Because we never know who might show up and what their health concerns will be, I also added inhalers, medication for seizures, insulin for diabetes, blood pressure pills, heart medications and whatever else I could find. When that was done, the basket was overflowing. I left it at the pharmacy door and filled another one using the same method. Working this way, I pulled the two carts behind me down the wide aisles and then two of the teenagers helped to lift them into the waiting buses as Pete stood by with his weapon at the ready. After repeating this process until the shelves were bare, I took out the last load and felt a sense of accomplishment. This medication might keep someone alive.
With that completed, it was time to find other medical supplies that could be of use to our growing community. I pushed another basket down the pharmacy aisles and began to load testing supplies into the basket. They were stocked with blood pressure and pulse ox machines plus tests for everything from pregnancy to urinary tract infections. To cover all bases, I also threw in braces, canes, crutches, and other mobility accessories.
It took nine trips with two grocery carts to get everything we needed. I was exhausted by the time it was done, but we aren’t actually finished. We only searched through this one building. We still have another place to go and we need to hurry if we’re going to make it back before dark.
It’s still winter and we’ve been extremely lucky so far with the warm weather for this time of year. We need to make a trip out of town to Idaho Falls, the next large community to the west of us. It’s a risk because we have no weather forecasts to listen to in making preparations and the more cities we travel to means the more zombies will be following our scent, but we are in desperate need of supplies now that our group is growing so rapidly. We also know that our ultimate safety depends on having fencing surrounding the compound and right now, we don’t have enough building materials.
The sun is shining today and the skies are that shade of blue that makes you want to just lay back and take it all in. There’s a slight chill in the air, but otherwise, today is perfect. The weather stayed warm and it only took two and a half hours to cross over the mountain and end up at the Home Depot. Instead of packing and loading individual items from the front part of the store, Dad had a plan to save time and effort. We backed the trailers to the loading dock behind the store where Benson, Sawyer, and several teens quickly started loading the trucks using the dollies and forklifts that were already in place while Terek took his turn at guard duty. After another hour, the trailers were packed full of supplies. Those of us who weren’t loading the trucks went through the store with carts filling them with tools, nails, screws, and whatever else we thought would be useful and then loaded them it into the buses.
We still had a bit of room left in the second bus when we were finished, so we decided to see what we could find in the gardening area. It wasn’t open to customers yet, but the store’s staff had begun to stock it. The place was full of things we’ll need in the spring like seeds, fertilizer, weed killer, garden hoses, hoes and shovels, and of course, lawn furniture so we’d have a place to sit down and take a break in between working. Growing food is a physically taxing job and if you don’t take breaks, your back will make you suffer.
By the time we finished getting everything together, drove back over the mountain and were within sight of the ranch, the sun was edging behind the mountain tops and the warmth was replaced with a biting chill in the air. There wasn’t enough time to unload everything tonight. It’s too dangerous after dark. We’ll just have to be patient and wait until sunup. I seriously doubt that anyone will complain, though. We’re all exhausted anyway after a long day of packing, loading and driving for hours.
As our convoy approached the main
buildings, we were pleasantly surprised and impressed to be met with a solid looking ten foot fence that had been erected around the main buildings. It’s apparent that those who stayed behind worked extremely hard during the day. The guard on the roof was barely visible in the fading light, but he whistled loudly when we pulled up. A couple of teenagers responded by running out the door to open the gate for us. When the last vehicle made its way through, they shut the gate back and locked it in place.
I just wanted to take a hot bath and crawl into bed with Coco, but Virginia and Teresa bullied all of us into sitting down to eat a meal before they would even let us change clothes. I suppose they could tell that if they let us get past them, a lot of us wouldn’t come back to eat because we were too tired to care about our empty stomachs. Teresa’s just as bad as Virginia when it came to force feeding guests. If you say no to food, she looks like she’s about to break down and cry. When it comes to the art of guilt-applied-nurturing, these two women hold the patent.
Nicole walked in followed by Coco just as I was finishing my plate. I swooped my furry friend – not Nicole - up into my lap and she literally vibrated at being so glad her human was home. A lot of slobbery kisses later, I let her back down and she sauntered over to Jack to lay down with him, but looked up every so often to make certain that I was still there. I know that she had a great time with Nicole, but I always feel guilty to leave her and this is one of the reasons why. She has such a sad face and knows what gets to me.
During dinner, Pete and Dad filled everyone in on what we accomplished during the day. We’re looking forward to getting the things we found today out of the buses and stored in the house. Dad pointed out that when everyone took their turn at guard duty, they were to keep an extra watch on the buses where the medications and alcohol are kept. I know that many teenagers, if they know that there are a bunch of alcohol and drugs only a few feet from the front door, will forget about the zombies and try to slip out to get some. Dad wanted to make certain that those things would be out of their reach and that the young men and women staying here will be safe.
Nuclear Undead (Book 1): Wake the Dead Page 17