Alex, Angela, and Paul got up from the table and went out where everyone was washing. Bruce watched as Angela took off her bra and panties, grabbed the water hose, wet herself down, grabbed a rag and soap, and started washing. Bruce laughed; that girl was not shy in any form or fashion. The rest of the adults stripped and started washing then the girls stripped, joining them. The four boys turned around and saw everyone naked then turned back around to look out at the field. That action made Bruce laugh again as he turned back to the table; boys may talk all big and bad, but that’s all it was. Mike had already grabbed the rest of his gear from his vest and was cleaning it. Bruce went and grabbed his, doing the same. Knives, multi tools, radios, lock picks, and everything else they carried.
Then Bruce went to his pack and pulled out the inner waterproof bag, setting it aside. He emptied all the outer pockets and held up the pack that had mud caked all over it. “I’ll wash it for you,” Bruce heard from his side and turned to see Susan was standing there with her hand out, still wearing her bra and panties. He looked past her and saw Angela holding Joshua and Alex playing with the toddlers. Everyone had their underwear back on and was doing a last washing of gear. The four boys still had their backs to them, looking out in the field.
“Let me get that for you, please?” Susan asked him. Bruce could see she really wanted to do this, so he handed it over. She walked past him to Mike, who had broken his pack down also. Susan held out her hand for the pack and said, “Please.” Mike handed over his pack.
Bruce watched as Susan walked back to the wash area in the middle of the backyard. She laid the packs down and started washing them with a brush. Lynn and Maria walked over to help her, but she shook her head. They joined the rest of the group as they walked back to the tables. Maria ran up to Angela and asked to hold the baby. Angela reluctantly gave her the baby and walked over to the clean-gun table, grabbed her P90, and joined everyone at the table. Bruce started cleaning gear from his pack when he heard a door behind them shut. Marcus and Carroll were walking toward them. They were each carrying two plates of what looked like sandwiches. Carroll had a double-barrel shotgun across her back. Marcus had his pump shotgun and his bat tucked under his arm.
Bruce had never noticed Marcus leave them, but the old bloodhound was lying there. He felt bad because he had left the group unguarded while they were washing and cleaning weapons. They walked up to the table and set the plates down. Everyone looked at the plates then at Bruce as Carroll spoke.
“Now Marcus done told me what you said, and let me tell you, young man, you can’t tell a woman how to treat guests at her house,” Carroll said in a firm tone. Bruce had heard that tone from Debbie enough to know he was in trouble.
“Ma’am, we are a large group, and I, along with everyone here, do not want to place hardship on your kindness. It would hurt me and this group knowing we were taking what you need to survive the hard times ahead,” Bruce replied carefully.
“Marcus said you would say something like that and we should respect your feelings. Well, he and I had us a long talk inside until he saw my position,” Carroll said.
Bruce looked over at Marcus, who was looking at the ground. Great, he got both of them in trouble. “Ma’am,” he started before she held up her hand for him to stop.
“If we showed up at your house, would your family feed us?” she asked.
“Yes, we would, but we have stored food,” Bruce said.
“Bruce, we have enough jarred and canned food to last several years. Not counting the chickens, cows, pigs, and the gardens we are fixing to bring in. Our boys and girl are coming home to us. Marcus and I have lived through tough times, so I know. But none of that matters. We want to break bread with you, and you can at least return the courtesy,” she told him in an even voice that meant the lecture was not over. Listening to her, Bruce could almost hear Debbie saying the same thing. Women must go to class to learn that tone that made a man shut up and listen, Bruce decided. Before he could speak, Carroll started again.
“All these people are not your family, but you are taking them to your home to provide safety and sustenance to them. I know they will help and work to provide that safety and gather that sustenance, but you are opening your home to them,” she said, as he thought he had her––his group was not doing anything here for what they were giving.
Then Carroll continued, “I know what you are thinking, young man. You and your group are not providing us anything for this sustenance.” Damn, she could read his mind just like Debbie. Was this knowledge passed down from mother to daughter, he wondered as she continued.
“You are going through this land helping those you can and taking them to your home. That is what you are providing us. Hope. We have heard on the CB all the violence out there and not from just the crazy sick blue people. Let us provide for you,” she told him.
“Yes, ma’am,” Bruce replied, wanting the lecture to end.
“Bruce, I really like you, but if you call me ma’am instead of Carroll one more time, I’m going to get a switch and take it to ya,” she said, sounding like his mother.
“I can see you have a good, kind heart and put others before yourself. Just looking at the little blonde girl there,” she said, motioning to Buffy, “I can see that. She looks at you like a daddy but I can tell you ain’t her father. Because you are showing her things with these guns and stuff I know you would have taught your kids from birth. I can see that in you. Any asshole can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a daddy,” she finished his tongue lashing.
“Yes, Carroll, and thank you and Marcus for the food and letting us wash up. I hope we did not offend either of you,” Bruce said.
“Bruce, if you are talking about everyone running around naked and in underwear, you have not been on many farms. Paul over there has stripped in this backyard to wash mud and hay off of him, as Marcus and I have,” she said as a fact.
“Thank you, Carroll, and yes, I did grow up on a farm, and we too had to strip, hosing off before we could go inside,” Bruce told her, hoping he was not going to get a switching.
“Okay, Bruce, thank you for listening to me. Now, eat. I’m going to start supper. Marcus and Cheryl, come inside and get the jugs of tea and Kool-Aid and bring them out here,” she said, turning around and heading to the house. Cheryl got up and followed Carroll to the house.
“I told ya, Bruce. You should’ve listened to me,” Marcus whispered to Bruce.
“I’m sorry I got you in trouble,” Bruce said sincerely.
“Ain’t nothing. I didn’t want you to get a tongue lashing, too,” Marcus admitted.
“Marcus,” Carroll called, and he walked to the house.
Bruce turned to the group. All the men had grins on their face like, “Duh, you earned that.” All the women were looking at him with flat expressions that said, “Just do what we say and don’t argue.” Looking at Buffy, he saw it was even on her little face, and that startled Bruce. That could only mean the information was passed on genetically.
“What?” Bruce asked in a threating tone.
“I’m not even going to start,” Mike replied, grinning. “But you earned that,” he added.
No one had touched the sandwiches yet, waiting on Bruce. He looked across the yard and yelled just loud enough to be heard, “Ben, Marty, John, Chad, over here.” The four boys were still looking at the field with their backs to the wash area. As one, they peeked over their shoulders to see if it was okay. Not seeing naked girls around them, they turned and ran to the tables. Chad ran over and sat by his dad, and the boys sat down where they could. Bruce looked at the group.
“Julie, Christina, Ben, John, and Marty, hold up the hand you write with,” Bruce said, as they did as they were told.
“That is your dominant hand. You will eat with your nondominant hand only, and that means drinking also, until I tell you otherwise. Buffy, you will use your left hand when we get back from washing. Save us some food. Come on, Buffy, let’s get clean,” Br
uce said, walking off as she ran to catch up to him.
Everyone looked at Mike for an explanation, and he said, “It’s to teach and train you how to use your weak side.”
“Come on, Mike, I will not eat with your stinky muddy ass beside me,” Bruce called back to the table while taking off his boxers.
“Save me some, too,” Mike said, leaving the table and heading to Bruce as everyone grabbed sandwiches with their nondominant hands.
“Holy shit,” Paul said, looking out at the yard.
Everyone looked at him to see what was wrong. Seeing him looking at the wash area, they all turned except Angela, who was practicing breaking down her P90. They saw Bruce, Mike, and Buffy walking past Susan, who was leaning over scrubbing one of the packs. Susan glanced up. Looking at Bruce, Susan jumped back, sitting up on her knees. Bruce waved at her, but she just watched them. Mike and Buffy stripped down as Bruce grabbed the water hose and started wetting down all three.
“That is not natural,” Alex said.
“I told you,” Angela said, still working with the P90 and not turning around, having already seen what they were looking at.
“Doesn’t Bruce get tired of carrying it around?” Marty asked.
“If you told it no, it might beat you up,” John predicted.
Marcus and Cheryl came back to the table, set the jugs down, saw everyone looking in the yard, and followed their gazes. Cheryl gasped, putting a hand over her mouth as Marcus informed everyone, “That boy is deformed.”
Maria said something in Spanish. Then Paul said, “I keep expecting it to pick a trunk full of grass off the ground and shove it up his ass.”
“See, Mike is a normal man. He has enough to be proud of. Bruce has enough to be scared of,” Alex said, looking at the three washing off.
“If I was Ms. Susan, Buffy, and Mr. Mike, I would get back from it. Because it might be hungry,” Chad said.
“And you were willing to let him use that thing on me,” Alex said to Angela, who had just put the P90 back together.
“I sure wasn’t going to let him use it on me. Don’t you love me?” she asked, looking at him, but Alex was staring at Bruce.
“I don’t know if I love you that much. There are some things that terrify a man and having something like that used on them is pretty much at the top of the list,” Alex told her, watching Bruce and them wash their bodies.
Susan finished the packs and came over to the table, looking back at Bruce. As Susan reached the table, all she said was, “Oh my.”
“It’s not that bad,” Lynn said.
“You’re demented, woman,” Marcus told her. “He could put a shoe on the end of it and enter a three-legged race by his self,” he said.
“Let’s ask Carroll,” Lynn said.
“She can’t see that; it might scare her,” Marcus informed her.
“I think we should get his wife a medal,” Cheryl said.
“I bet she is proud to have all of him as her husband,” Lynn said.
“If I would have been dating him, I would have took off running the first time I saw it,” Maria said. “I might have come back, but I would have definitely taken off running first,” she added.
“It’s hard to believe that you were in a bathroom half naked with that, Angela,” Alex said as he finally took his eyes off of Bruce and took a bite of his sandwich.
“What?” several of them asked, turning back to the table and looking at Angela. She looked up and saw everyone looking at her so she sat back and told them about her, Mike, and Bruce making plans to escape the university from the crazy captain and then the escape.
“You did not run screaming when he said y’all needed to get out and get dressed because he might get excited?” Alex said, hearing the whole story for the first time.
“I’m not scared of Bruce,” she said.
“I’m not talking about being scared of Bruce but of his mutation,” Alex said.
“No, I was not scared of it,” Angela replied.
“You are the bravest person I have ever met,” Alex said, looking at Angela.
“Who is the bravest person you know?” said Bruce, walking back to the table, setting a bowl of water down, wringing the water out of his boxers, and setting them by the bowl.
“Angela,” Alex replied.
“What did my favorite resident do?” Bruce said, bending down and picking up a small plastic box that was in the pile of stuff that had been in his pack.
“She looked a monster in the eye, showing no fear, and stood her ground,” Alex said with pride.
“She can take down any monster she meets just using her hands,” Bruce said, opening the box and closing it. Several were giggling at his reply, but Bruce was not paying any attention as he grabbed his boxers, putting them on. Mike and Buffy walked up to the table putting their underwear on.
“Mr. Bruce, can I ask you a question, please?” John asked. Everyone took a breath, not knowing what was coming.
“Sure, John,” Bruce said, pouring a glass of tea.
“Where do you put it when you put on your underwear? Where does it hide?” John asked, pointing at his groin.
Bruce still did not notice everyone looking at him trying to hide giggles and grins. He thought the boy had asked a question that a twelve-year-old boy would ask. “There is a pocket sewn in my boxers that it lays in,” Bruce told him, taking a drink.
“Oh, come on, you have got to be kidding me. You have to build it a home in your underwear for it to sleep in? That’s just not right; you are not supposed to build it a home,” Paul said, putting down his sandwich and getting up from the table. “Why not just wrap it around your waist and tuck it in like a towel?” Paul asked.
As everyone busted out laughing, Bruce finally realized what was going on and looked around. He just cocked his head to the side and closed his eyes, shaking his head.
Mike said, “It gets mad if he tucks it in then starts to growl.” The laughter started again.
As the laughter died off again, Maria looked at Bruce. “I want to withdraw my offer to go to the bushes with you. The three of us in the bushes would be scary,” Maria said to him, and everyone started laughing again. Marcus and Cheryl were having trouble standing they were laughing so hard. Chad fell off the bench laughing.
As the laughing died down again, everyone was wiping tears from their eyes and holding their sides to make the muscles quit hurting. Buffy did not know what everyone was laughing about, but they were funny.
Bruce looked at Alex and said, “I need to borrow your wife.”
“Now come on, Bruce, you will break her; she is really little,” Alex said in shock as the laughter started again. Anyone looking at the group would have thought drugs were involved, with a large group of people sitting around in their underwear laughing.
Bruce picked up the bowl and plastic box, walking over to Angela. “I need her to shave my head. I don’t have a mirror,” Bruce told Alex.
Angela got up and said, “Sit down, Bruce.” She opened the box and put shaving cream over his head and on his chin around his goatee.
Buffy ran over to them, “I want to do it, Daddy.”
“No, Buffy, maybe next time. Angela has experience shaving her legs,” Bruce said.
“And her,” Alex started saying, looking at Buffy then his wife’s angry face, “armpits,” he finished.
“Nice save,” Bruce replied, grinning.
“Yeah,” Angela said in a cold voice. Everyone knew someone who was in trouble.
Bruce told the fearsome five to get their weapons and start practicing then Chad came over saying he wanted to train, too. Bruce called Marcus over and asked him if they could cut a tree to make a staff for Chad. He said hold on, went to the barn, and came back with seasoned oak poles that they used for the tomatoes. The poles were treated and solid. Bruce nodded his head. As Chad grabbed one, the other kids came over and asked if they could have one. Marcus handed them each one, and they all walked out and started practicing. Bruce
asked Mike to go and teach them. Mike walked out and started teaching the six kids basic staff.
Bruce asked Marcus if he had a 10-22. Marcus told him yeah, he used it for hunting squirrel and had over a thousand rounds of .22. Then Bruce asked if he had fiberglass and a list of other things. Marcus said he did. Bruce told him if he wanted, he would make him a silencer if he gathered all the stuff. Marcus ran to the barn to gather everything Bruce asked for. Angela finished shaving his head and wiped his head off. She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed the top of his head. Sitting on the bench, Bruce was taller than her. Bruce told her thank you and got up, grabbing a sandwich.
He told everyone sitting to start loading the magazines but first to wipe off the shells. Everyone was getting really good at loading magazines here lately. Marcus brought the supplies from the barn, put them on the table, and went to the house to get the gun and aluminum foil. Bruce started setting out the supplies.
When Marcus got back, he gave Bruce the rifle and foil. Then Bruce went to work, wrapping the end of the barrel in foil, cutting PVC, and carving a small dowel rod to fit in the barrel. Then he put a smaller tube of PVC in a larger piece and put wire mesh and stuff in between the tubes. Then he slid it over the rod, mixed the fiberglass, and applied it over the foil and the outer, larger PVC pipe. It had taken Bruce forty minutes to make it. He told Marcus that when the fiberglass dried tomorrow, he would have a silenced weapon. Bruce walked out to the clothesline.
When he stepped from the shade into the sunlight, it felt like a weight hitting him. The heat in Louisiana could not be gotten used to, only tolerated on different levels. Right now, Bruce’s heat toleration level was really low. Grabbing the tactical vests off the clothesline, he found out they were dry, and on one of the plastic buckles, he actually burned his hand. He opened the magazine pouches and did not see any mud in them. Satisfied, he grabbed his and Mike’s vests, carrying them back to the table. Lynn told him when he got back that she knew how to clean something. Bruce thanked her and everyone else for getting the gear cleaned.
Blue Plague The Fall Page 34