Darby shouts, “Zeus! Taraji! Keanu! Home!”
Taraji, Zeus, and Keanu run to the shaded area in the outdoor lion exhibit and sit under a group of trees.
Darby walks over to Barrett and asks, “Are you okay? Is the bullet in your arm?”
Barrett lifts up his left arm shirt sleeve and Darby examines his gunshot wound.
Darby says, “Just looks like a flesh wound. We’ll have Dr. Adler stitch you up.”
Janet looks at TJ and says, “Let’s check out the lion cages and the remains of the three amigos.”
TJ, Bo, and Janet go back into the lion exhibit cage room.
“Holy crap!” shouts Janet as she looks at the bodies of Armstrong, Brimley, and Roberts.
There is a ton of blood on the floor, walls, and steel cage bars. The bodies of Armstrong, Brimley, and Roberts were ripped apart by Zeus.
“Zeus must have bit into each of them,” says TJ.
The bodies of Brimley, Roberts, and Armstrong are cut, bloody, and have big bite marks in them.
“What should we do with the bodies?” asks Janet.
Bo walks over to a pair of rubber boots and takes off his cowboy boots.
TJ walks over to Bo and starts taking off his military boots.
Bo and TJ put on a pair of rubber boots and gloves.
Bo walks into the lion cage and starts removing articles of clothing and gear from Roberts’ dead body.
Bo is taking off everything from Robert’s body that he doesn’t want the lions to eat.
TJ checks out Brimley’s body and removes Brimley’s boots and vest.
Bo drags Roberts’ chewed up body towards the animal entrance of the outdoor lion exhibit.
TJ grabs Brimley’s legs and drags his bloody body towards the animal entrance of the lion exhibit.
TJ drops Brimley’s dead body next to Roberts’ dead body.
Bo pushes Roberts’ body out into the dirt of the lion exhibit and then pushes Brimley’s body through the animal entrance.
TJ walks back into the lion cage and grabs Armstrong’s mauled body.
Armstrong has a huge gash and several claw marks on his face and chest.
TJ removes Armstrong’s boots and then drags Armstrong’s dead body along the bloody floor and towards the lion outdoor exhibit animal entrance.
Blood is pouring out of Armstrong’s chest and head as TJ drags his lifeless body.
TJ and Bo remove Armstrong’s vest and then push Armstrong’s body through the animal entrance and onto the dirt.
Bo hears the lions running towards the bodies and quickly closes the silver metal door.
Zeus, Taraji, and Keanu start attacking and eating the bodies of Armstrong, Brimley, and Roberts.
Janet says, “Good job guys. Those three were assholes anyway.”
Bo says, “Barrett and I couldn’t risk having them attack this place. Darby, Nicky, and the Pride don’t need the government coming down on them.”
TJ looks at Bo and says, “I will do my best to keep this place safe.”
Bo says, “I hope so.”
CHAPTER 3
WHAT DID YOU GET ME?
I open my SUV trunk and look at what I got from World of Trade.
As I stand in my driveway, I hear Bobby G’s front door open.
Bobby G walks out his front door with Odin.
Phil looks at Bobby G and asks, “Hey Bob? Why do you have Odin with you?”
Bobby G replies, “TJ left him with me, until you guys came back. He wanted you or Shaun to watch Odin while he is away on his trip to the zoo.”
I overhear Bobby G talking with Phil and walk over to Phil, Bobby G, and Odin.
Odin looks up at me as he sits down on Bobby G’s driveway.
“How long ago did TJ leave?”
Bobby G replies, “Probably three hours or so ago. Bo, Janet, and TJ left Odin here and then went to MacDill.”
My house front door opens.
Lauren walks outside and sees that I made it back home. She walks to my SUV trunk and starts looking at what is in my SUV trunk.
I see Lauren looking in my World of Trade boxes and I walk over to my SUV.
“Excuse me lady. What are you looking for?”
Lauren jokes, “What did you get me?”
I cover the box of stuff I got from World of Trade and say, “It’s a surprise. I will show you later.”
Lauren laughs and says, “Great. I’ll be back later. I’m going over to Nicole’s to check on the babies.”
Lauren walks over to Matt’s house and goes inside.
I grab a box of stuff I got from World of Trade and walk over to Bobby G.
Bobby G looks at me and asks, “What did you get? How was World of Trade?”
Phil says, “It was pretty good. They have tons of stuff there. We have to go back soon. I saw a couple more things I want to get for my SUV and some other goodies.”
I hand Bobby G the box and say, “Here ya go Bob. I got some good stuff for ya.”
Bobby G puts the box on top of Phil’s SUV hood and starts looking inside the box. Bobby G is like a kid on Christmas morning. He’s excited to see all the things I got him.
Bobby G pulls out a brand-new military style hat and puts it on his head.
“Awesome. Thank you. I had a hat just like this back home. I forgot to bring it though. It was that military style hat we got in Orlando at my first zombie convention,” says Bobby G.
“I remember that hat. I still have mine from that day we went to our first zombie convention in Orlando.”
It’s funny how a simple item can make you remember a day or experience. I can clearly remember that whole day with my dad. It was our first zombie convention and it was great. That was many years ago, but it was a memorable experience, and that hat makes me remember it.
I look at my dad wearing the hat and joke, “That hat will cover up that chrome dome of yours.”
Bobby G, Phil, and I laugh.
Bobby G says, “Thank you for the gifts Ryan. Phil, can you or Shaun take Odin?”
Phil says, “I wouldn’t mind taking Odin, but I think Shaun wants Odin. He misses not having a dog.”
Bobby G replies, “Okay great. TJ left me some food for Odin in my house.”
Phil says, “Shaun or I will come by later to get Odin and the food. You enjoy spending time with him for a little longer.”
Bobby G says, “Okay great. I’ll be inside my house if you need me for anything.”
Odin and Bobby G walk back into Bobby G’s house.
Matt and Shaun exit from Matt’s house and walk over to my SUV.
“Why won’t you show me what you got from World of Trade?” asks Shaun.
Matt replies, “Because it’s personal man.”
I look at Matt and Shaun as they are standing in my driveway.
Phil and I walk over to Shaun and Matt.
“Everything okay guys?”
“Yeah. Everything is fine. Shaun is just being nosy is all,” says Matt.
Shaun replies, “I gave you one of those awesome survival kits I got. I was just curious what you got from our trip.”
Matt looks at Phil.
I notice the look Matt gave Phil and become interested in what Matt is hiding.
“Everything okay Matt? You usually aren’t the quiet type when it comes to things. I remember you were all about that cashmere sweater that one Christmas.”
Matt laughs and says, “That was my first Christmas with Kylie. We just started dating that summer.”
Matt smiles and gets red in the face.
I see that Matt wants to say something but he’s hesitating for some reason.
Matt looks down the street and around my SUV.
“I was just nervous to tell anyone the news. It’s brand new information, and I didn’t want to jinx anything,” says Matt.
“What’s up Matt?”
Matt looks at me and says, “Kylie is pregnant. She just found out a couple of days ago.”
Shaun, Phil,
and I cheer.
“That’s great man. I’m excited for you guys.”
“Congrats Matt. That’s awesome,” says Shaun as he shakes Matt’s hand.
Matt replies, “I got a bunch of baby supplies and clothes at World of Trade. I know it’s really early for that stuff, but I was excited when I saw the baby supplies and clothes.”
I am very excited at the baby news but also very nervous for Matt and Kylie. The guys and I will do everything we can for Matt, Kylie, and the baby.
Babies and children are the future of the world. They always have been and always will be. The only thing that has changed is the type of world they will be inheriting.
“Man, you guys are going to need a bigger house. Four adults and three children living in that one house,” says Shaun.
I look at Phil.
Matt sees me look at Phil.
“What’s up Ryan?” asks Matt.
I look at Matt and say, “Nothing. I’m just happy for you and Kylie.”
“Thanks, Ryan. We will be coming to you for advice and help. I’m sure. I wonder if there are any baby doctors alive anymore?” asks Matt.
“I hope so. I hope there are tons of medical professionals still alive and ready to help everyone. I can’t be the only doctor left alive.”
Shaun asks, “What’s the next step Ryan? Any plans for the next couple of days?”
I take out the box of supplies I got for Lauren from my SUV trunk and look at Shaun.
“I have to meet Kat at the Big Club tomorrow around 10:30 but nothing other than that. Just have to see about TJ, the zoo, William, and Jacob.”
Phil looks at Shaun and says, “Bobby G has Odin. TJ left Odin with Bobby G, but TJ wants myself or you to watch Odin until he comes back here.”
Matt closes my SUV trunk, while I’m holding my box from World of Trade.
Shaun looks at Phil and says, “I’d love to take Odin for a little while. I miss having a dog.”
I say goodbye to Matt, Phil, and Shaun.
The guys say goodbye and keep talking near Phil’s SUV.
I walk into my house and place the box I was holding on the kitchen counter.
Milo runs to the open front door and looks out.
“Get back in here belly man!” I shout to Milo as he looks out the open front door.
I close my front door.
Milo runs into the living room.
I walk back into the kitchen and start taking out the contents of my box.
I organize the items that I got at World of Trade on my quartz kitchen countertop.
I make three piles of items.
One pile for me. One pile for Lauren, and one pile for both of us.
World of Trade had a lot of items, but I made sure to get some things that Lauren would like to have.
Callie walks into the kitchen and meows at me.
I look down at Callie as she sits next to the kitchen pantry.
“What do you want Callie girl?”
Callie looks up at me and meows again.
I walk over to the kitchen cabinet and get out the box of treats that Callie likes.
Callie walks over to her bowl that is next to the kitchen pantry.
My front door opens, and Lauren enters our house.
I fill Callie’s bowl with several treats and Callie starts to eat them.
Lauren walks into the kitchen and says, “Look at all this great stuff you got. Oh man. You got a ton of chocolate. Thank you honey.”
I walk over to Lauren and Lauren kisses me.
“You are welcome sweetie.”
Lauren grabs a piece of dark chocolate and starts to unwrap the packaging.
“How was World of Trade? How was Jacob?” asks Lauren.
“It was pretty good. Jacob couldn’t get us into level two, but we saw level one and got to shop a little bit.”
Lauren replies, “I would like to go next time. If you think it’s a good idea for me to go?”
“It’s definitely crazy. People are everywhere. Vendors are tough. I even saw someone get killed for taking a piece of fruit. You can go if you think you can handle being around some crazy people and vendors.”
Lauren looks at her pile of goods on the kitchen countertop and says, “I don’t know if I need to go. I can give you a list of things again. You did a good job with this trip.”
I wash my hands in the kitchen sink and Lauren starts putting away the goods I got from World of Trade.
Lauren picks up the bottle of champagne I got and says, “Very nice. Two bottles. Man, you really went all out for us.”
I walk by Lauren, smack her butt, and say, “Anything for you my love.”
I walk over to my man cave door, unlock the door, and walk into my man cave.
I turn on the lights and sit down in my recliner chair.
My man cave has been my room to relax, play video games, meditate, and just have some alone time.
As I sit in my recliner, I see a wall calendar on the wall next to a bookshelf.
I walk over to the calendar and see that it’s not on the right month. The month on the calendar is May, which was the month of our guys trip to Tennessee.
Several months have gone by since our guys trip which was in the middle of May.
I flip the calendar month pages to August and then to September.
I really am not sure whether it’s the end of August or early September. Time flies in a zombie apocalypse.
Lauren knocks on the man cave door, takes a step in the room, and asks, “You okay in here Ry?”
Lauren walks into the man cave and sees me looking at my golf clubs.
I pick up my nine-iron golf club and say, “I’m okay sweetie. Do you know what day it is?”
Lauren looks at the calendar and says, “The 30th of August. I think. I really don’t know to be honest.”
“I wonder when the outbreak started? How it started? Why it started?” I ask Lauren as I put my golf club back into my golf bag.
Lauren says, “I don’t know. You went on your golf trip with the guys in the middle of May. I remember hearing weird stories on the news about some virus, people getting sick, people eating other people’s faces, some project going on at the International Mall, the football stadium conversion, and old baseball stadium being turned into some camp or something.”
“Yeah. I remember some of those stories. Especially the ones about the football stadium and old baseball stadium. I still can’t believe the Tampa Bay baseball team left the area.”
I walk out of my man cave with Lauren.
Milo is waiting outside of the man cave doorway.
Lauren picks up Milo.
“Milo is such a big boy. He’s probably the only one who has gained weight since the zombie apocalypse started,” jokes Lauren.
I close my man cave door.
Lauren walks into the living room and sets Milo down.
Milo goes to drink some water from his water bowl.
I walk into the living room and sit next to Lauren on our big sectional sofa.
Lauren looks at the television and says, “I kind of wish we knew what was going on around the world and around here. Especially in Tampa, St. Petersburg. Clearwater, and south Florida.”
I grab Lauren’s hand and say, “I have totally forgotten about your parents. I wonder how they are doing in Boca Raton.”
Lauren says, “I didn’t want to bring up my parents with all the craziness going on around here. I’m not sure how they are doing.”
“When was the last communication with them?”
“I talked to my mom months ago, when the phones worked. She was going with my father to my aunt and uncle’s house. They were thinking about going to The Villages near Ocala, but I’m not sure if they ever made it there or if they are even alive,” says Lauren.
“If you want to make a trip down to Boca, I will go with you. We will just have to make sure we have enough gas to make it down and back.”
Lauren says, “I would like that. I have
been worrying about them since the craziness started around here.”
“I wouldn’t mind getting away from here for a little bit and checking on Fran and Keith. I can see your dad surviving and hoarding tons of food and water from the supermarket.”
Lauren laughs and says, “Yeah, but he has that bad shoulder and my mom can’t hear anything. They weren’t in the best shape before the zombies arrived.”
“Well, you let me know when you want to go. I just have to meet someone at the Big Club tomorrow. I met this woman at the World of Trade and setup a meeting at the Big Club with her.”
“Hot date tomorrow with some woman?” jokes Lauren.
I laugh and reply, “No. She was someone I helped at World of Trade and she’s a nurse. Her name is Kat. I felt a need to help her, and I’m glad I did. She was going to attack a vendor over some household supplies. They would have killed her if she attacked that vendor.”
“I’m glad you helped her sweetie. I was only kidding about the hot date. Unless we are having one? We do have two bottles of champagne now,” says Lauren.
“I like that idea sweetie. I think we are overdue for a nice date. We can have a nice dinner and watch a movie.”
“Dinner and a movie. I like that,” says Lauren.
“I’m going to the Big Club around 9 tomorrow morning. I haven’t been there for a while and I wouldn’t mind doing an inventory check of our supplies also. Do you want to come with me?”
Lauren says, “Yeah. I would like to go with you. The last time I was there was for the meeting with Jacob. It was pretty stressful. I hope this trip is much different.”
“I’m sure it will be better this time and far less stressful.”
Lauren and I enjoy the day and night together.
It’s the next morning.
I awake from my bed and hear the rain hitting the roof as I sit at the edge of my bed.
Lauren is asleep still.
I check my watch and see that it says 7:44AM.
I walk over to Lauren who sleeps on the left side of our King-sized bed and kiss her forehead.
Lauren wakes up and asks, “Hey, everything okay?”
“Yeah. It’s 7:45. I want to leave for the Big Club in about an hour. What do you want for breakfast?”
Lauren says, “I’m going to make some oatmeal. I’ll be up in a couple minutes.”
Fight 4 Us (Book 6): Keeper Page 3