by SM Olivier
“Yeah.” Mike nodded. He took a deep, shuddering breath before he straightened to his full height. “I can drive one of the trucks. But I don’t know how to drive the tractor-trailer. We just got a new load of grain in.” He cleared his throat. “The man who delivers our grains attacked my mamaw. He came in on Friday. She’d always had a kind heart, and had let him stay because he was all flushed-like. Saturday mornin’ he attacked her.” Bright tears glistened in his eyes.
“Are you old enough to drive?” Kingston inquired in surprise.
“Mister, I’m fifteen. I’ve been drivin’ since I was ten. I live on a farm. We don’t live the life of you city slickers,” Mike bristled.
Chad chuckled. “Got ‘em there, little brother.”
Kingston laughed and held up his hands. “My apologies. Didn’t mean to offend. If you say you can drive, then all means we’d love the help.”
Mike ducked his head. Was he blushing?
“I’ll go hook up the trucks,” the boy said. “Molly and Ricky can pen up the chickens. They give us about two dozen eggs a day. They haven’t left their coops since the monsters came.”
“Do you want to wait until we do a little clean up first? The others are cleaning up the bodies now, and then we’re burning them. Are you sure they should see that?” Kingston asked soothingly.
I was surprised by his thoughtfulness as he reached out to grip the Mike's shoulders gently.
Mike was definitely blushing as he shook his head. Did he like…guys? I held no judgment, but I was curious. And Kingston being Kingston, well, I couldn’t blame him.
“Yes,” he said in a high pitched voice once more before he cleared his throat and shook his head resolutely. “They’ve already seen worse. Might as well tell ‘em the monsters are goin’ back to hell where they belong.”
I gaped at his resolve as he marched out of the room without looking back.
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“That’s thirty-eight cattle, twenty-two hens, one rooster, a few barn cats, and three dogs,” Chad said with a mixture of satisfaction and sadness.
In true “Chad” fashion, he already had the youngest child, Carson, attached to his back in a baby carrier as he filled the trucks with everything we might need. He had just finished loading up the last trailer of all the cattle. He was determined to return to get some more farming equipment and other useful items we could use, but later on. Right now, our primary focus was on getting the animals back and settled in.
“Are we ready?” Kingston asked, eyeing the five vehicles we were leaving with.
Mike had been a font of knowledge, and we had been able to secure two more vehicles and trailers so we could get the livestock in one trip. He’d also identified their nearest neighbors among the infected, who had owned a pig farm. So we hoped to drop off the cattle and head straight back out for the pigs. They were already loaded and secured on their trailers so we could do a quick turn around.
Chad was going to lead the procession with the grain truck. I would be following with a trailer full of cattle and one of the children. Samuel was still on a permit, but Donny let him drive a flatbed with a tractor and chickens in the bed. Kingston was next in line, with a trailer of cattle and one of the children. Mike was going to drive a truck with a box trailer filled with many useful items. And Donny would bring up the rear with another cattle trailer and a child.
“As we’ll ever be,” Donny confirmed.
“Let’s go, kids!” Kingston called.
They had all pitched in really well and seemed in decent spirits until I asked them to pack up their clothes and anything else they may want to bring with them. Reality hadn’t set in until that moment. We had already loaded up their belongings, but they wanted to a few moments to themselves.
“For a fifteen-year-old, Mike sure is an amazing kid,” Kingston murmured to our small little circle. “I was such a shithead at that age, I wouldn’t have cared for my younger siblings, let alone help run a farm this big.”
I wanted to ask him if he had younger siblings, but his expression had turned shuttered.
“He really is a good kid,” Chad agreed. “His grandparents raised him right.”
Samuel snickered. “Mike isn’t a boy.”
Wait, what?
I saw Donny frown at his son while understanding dawned on me. I had just assumed Mike had an effeminate walk and features. I’d caught him—well, her—stealing glances at Kingston often but figured he—she!—liked guys. I wondered why she never corrected me and why she hid behind her baggy men’s clothes, for that matter.
“Michaela's a freak.” Samuel shook his head in exasperation. “She always came to school smelly and was always falling asleep in class a lot.”
I saw the jealousy in Samuel’s eyes. It was clear he hero-worshipped Kingston. He probably didn’t like that Kingston had praised the girl.
“Ever wondered why, instead of ridiculing her?” Chad immediately bristled. “You ever work on a farm, boy? It’s hard on a man. Imagine how tough it is on a girl. You realize she was probably up at four a.m., did three hours worth of chores before she went to school, then she had to do it all over again when she got home until the sun went down.”
Samuel immediately blanched under the big man’s glower.
Samuel had been a decent helper all day. Albeit, his father and Chad had to get on him several times for taking breaks, but I thought that was typical for a boy his age. Admittedly, Mike had run circles around him, though. Some people just weren’t as driven as others.
“I’m disappointed in you, son.” Donny frowned. “As much as your mother and I work, I thought you would have a little more empathy for those less fortunate than you. When we get back to the campground, I’m going to ask Mitch to give you a real job. Your mom and I weren’t going to force the issue, but maybe we should.”
“He can work by my side for a while.” Chad gave Donny a respectful nod of his head. “We have a lot of work to do to secure the cattle, build their shelters, and figure out the placement and schematics of the rest of the animals. I hope you’re ready to work.”
Samuel ducked his head. “I didn’t−” he started.
Donny cut him off. “He’s all yours, Rev. Wake him up when you get up and send him home when you think the work is done for the day. Keep him out as long as you need him. If he gives you any problems, come see me.”
“I can do that.” Chad hid a satisfied smirk before he turned his back to me. “Can you secure this little one in his car seat, Avery?”
“Sure can.” I smiled. The way they handled Samuel couldn’t have been any better.
I didn’t want to say anything aloud, but the baby was in desperate need of a bath, as were the other children. As I finsihed securing the baby, I wondered how long it had been since they’d had a bath. Out of curiosity, I wandered over to the house, wondering if my hunch was right. I turned on the faucet attached to the outdoor spigot, and nothing came out.
“What are you, doin’?” Mike asked, her younger siblings in tow.
“How long have you been out of water?” I asked quietly.
“Why?” Mike bristled. “Did Samuel run his big fat mouth?”
I shook my head. She had her secrets. I’d let her keep them until she was ready to talk.
I was pretty sure I had figured it all out by the clues I had seen around and in the house. Her grandparents were barely making ends meet. They had four kids to feed, and it looked like they didn’t get paid for their cattle until they were picked up. Feeding the cows, keeping them healthy, and all the other things associated with farm living added up. I imagined, at times, they had to determine what bills got paid and which didn’t. I surmised the water and electrical bill had been a bill they sacrificed often.
Chapter 20
The sun was going down as we unloaded the last pig into a temporary corral. Easton’s and Corbin’s teams weren’t back yet. I wasn’t worried, though, until a few minutes ago. Easton’s team was heading into the city an hour north of here
, and no one had heard from them. Corbin’s team had went “dark” about two hours ago, on the way back from a building supply company.
Kingston, Uncle Mitch, Wyatt, and Axel had gone up to the main house to strategize a possible recon mission for the missing teams. Their having a meeting made me feel ill at ease. Did they think something had happened to them?
“I think it’s time we took a shower and get something to eat, Avery,” Chad bade me. “There’s no use worrying yet.”
Everyone else in our team had already been sent to wash up and go to dinner. I had stayed behind to help Chad set up some old skids for a temporary enclosure for the sixty pigs we were able to procure.
I sighed. “Do you think they’re okay?”
“I think knowing you’re here waiting on them gives them every incentive to come home,” Chad said diplomatically.
I nodded. I needed a distraction. “Hey, Chad, how do you know so much about farming?”
He smiled at my direction. “My eighth foster family took me in when I was around twelve. By then, I was an angry black boy who always wanted to pick fights. I knew I was stronger than most of the kids in my class, and I lived in Montana. Know how many black kids live in Ennis, Montana?”
I shook my head. I had always grown up near military towns. I’d never known what it was like not to have a diverse group of ethnicities and colors of people. I knew statistically some cities and states would have less diversity than others, but I had never been to any of them.
“Zero.” Chad chuckled darkly. “I was reminded of it almost daily. So the only way I knew how to cope with it was hitting. I moved in with Mama Jean and Papa George, and they… began to heal me. They were older and had one daughter I never met, but they went to church with my social worker. One day, Jill told them about me, and Mama Jean said she had a dream about me and knew God wanted me to live with them.
“Less than six months later, I was placed with them. They taught me how to love the land as much as they did. They taught me that I could be loved despite our physical differences.”
“What happened to them?” I asked him. I knew a lot of them were here because they had no families to go home to.
His face revealed the pain he felt. “Gone. Killed. I was in my third year of school to become a pastor, and their estranged daughter returned. She sold the farm, and I no longer had a home. I joined the military, and I’ve never returned.”
I rubbed his back, hoping it brought him comfort. By now, the sun had descended. The lights in the distance were our only illumination. “I’m sorry. I know words mean nothing, but…I’m sorry.”
“What causes you to run?” he asked suddenly.
I cleared my throat. He’d shared his hurts. I figured I could give him some slight insight.
“It started soon after I left the modeling world. There was a photographer that showed a little too much…interest in me.”
I felt him stiffen. “Marlon Gains.”
Tensing, I let out a breath. “Yes,” I whispered. “How did you know?”
“I watch the news…a lot,” he muttered grimly. “One of my foster sisters in one of the homes I stayed in was a pretty little thing. She modeled for a bit. She had quit all of a sudden, and I always suspected that she had been molested. When the news broke, I called her. She admitted to me that he made her feel uncomfortable and was asking her to undress for him.”
I nodded, unsure what to say as I saw headlights in the distance. “Easton, Corbin!” I nearly squealed as I grabbed Chad’s hand and pulled him into a run.
Chad stifled his laugh as he began singing softly to himself. “I’m a little more country than that…”
“What?” I burst out in shocked laughter at his country twang.
“Easton Corbin…” his voice trailed off expectantly.
I looked at him blankly as I continued to jog up the hill. I saw Uncle Mitch, Wyatt, Kingston, and Axel was on their way down, too.
“I thought all white people listened to country music?” Chad teased.
I laughed as I vaguely remembered a country singer named Easton Corbin. I had never connected the dots until that moment.
“First off, I’m only fifty percent caucasian,” I replied saucily. “Second of all, my knowledge of Country is limited to Florida Georgia Line, Rascal Flatts, Jana Kramer, and the old-school artists. You know, like Reba, Martina McBride, Alabama…”
“No Garth?” he asked aghast.
“Meh,” I laughed, realizing I was talking about country music with a six-foot-four, two hundred and sixty pound-ish black man.
He held his chest as if he were phycially hurt. I laughed, but then my sights alighted on Corbin. He hadn’t seen me yet.
He barely caught me as I launched myself at him.
He gave out a surprised chuckle as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and nuzzled his neck. “Hey there,” he said in a sultry tone as he lifted me off my feet. “Someone’s happy to see me.”
I laughed, somewhat embarrassed at my show of affection. “I was worried,” I confessed. “When you and Easton didn’t show up before the sun went down, I got concerned.”
The lead ball in my stomach wasn’t alleviated when I realized that Easton wasn’t among the vehicles that had returned. I looked over his shoulder and noticed Uncle Mitch, Kingston, Axel, and Wyatt were heading our way.
“Well, I’m here now, baby,” Corbin murmured as he kissed the corner of my mouth. “We ran into a group of survivors. Amy will be here shortly with them. A pack surrounded them, and we couldn’t just leave them. It’s a good thing, too,” he said as he turned to look at Uncle Mitch. “We found a plumber, an electrician, a contractor, and a cop among all the other people that may be able to help contribute. I already briefed them, and the people willing to help our community returned with us—” He cut off, turning with a frown. “East not back yet?”
“No,” Axel shook his head. “We lost communication with them.”
Corbin nodded, and I could tell they were all trying to act bravely in front of me. Corbin began to tell us about his day and why he’d lost contact− faulty radio. They had procured a bus and a large box truck to contain all their finds.
As he told us about our guests, a bus pulled up behind Corbin’s truck. Amy came out of the bus first, and approximately sixty shell-shocked people exited behind her. The world may have turned to crap three days ago, but it might as well have been years, from their haggard appearance.
I saw a flash of khaki and black as Josh embraced Amy, much as I had Corbin. He had been done his duty for some time now, but he had been lingering in wait. I knew it killed him to stay behind and work on our agricultural plan. He’d worked tirelessly and barely took a break, but it was clear he much rather be with her. Axel already reassured him that, once everyone got the hang of things around here, he would try to keep them both on the same mission.
Uncle Mitch was murmuring in his walkie talkie as we watched the people exit one by one. “Welcome, everyone,” his booming voice enveloped the crowd. “I’m glad to see you have made it in relative safety. As my nephew has stated, we have food, water, and protection, but in order for us to continually prosper, we need everyone’s help in making our community safe.
“I have my pals Eddie and one of our JOpS coming down to take you up to the showers. They will have to check you over to make sure you haven’t been bitten or have any broken skin that may concern us. If you can’t agree to a thorough search of your person, I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” he paused, and I noticed a few people in the back begin to murmur among themselves.
When no one else said anything, he continued. “After you have had your showers, a late-night snack will be provided for you in the hall. I will have a list started in the there for your names, how many people are in your family unit, and your previous professions. Tonight, I’ll be keeping you in the campers’ cabins. Tomorrow, we can assign you jobs and provide you with your schedules and the vision for our future.”
“I can take the guys up to the showers now,” Chad murmured.
“Perfect.” Uncle Mitch smiled. “Eddie will meet you up there. If you don’t have any clothes, he has some scrubs they can change into for now,” he said shrewdly as he looked at the ragtag bunch. Very few of them carried any possessions.
“We were able to acquire a lot of clothing from the store,” Corbin stated. “I’m sure we can sort through it all and distribute it to them come morning.”
“If all the men will follow my man Chad right now,” Uncle Mitch commented to the crowd. “The women should be down shortly to gather the ladies.”
The men separated from the women and started to make the trek up to the cabins with Chad.
“If I may?” A young man stepped forward with a beautiful little girl cradled in his arms and a baby strapped to his back. “Can I bring Elsa and Christopher with me? She won’t go with anyone else.”
“This is Officer Rhys Miller,” Corbin introduced. “He was able to take down several of the infected when we stumbled upon the group in an Every-Mart. If you don’t mind, Uncle Mitch, I’ll escort him and his family to the smaller cabin next to Sylvia’s family group and ours. I’ll look them over and then head up to the showers as well. I don’t think Chad should inspect them on his own. I have a feeling some of them will protest.” He grimaced.
Uncle Mitch smiled and nodded. “Have at it, son.”
“Are we taking one of the UTVs?” Kingston asked with a suggestive lift of his brows as he came back to our little group.
“Found them, did you?” Corbin grinned. He turned back to Uncle Mitch and pointed to the enclosed trailer behind his truck. “We found a dealership. We acquired four brand new ATVs and four UTVs. Let’s unload a few of them, King. I’m starving, and I’m sure Rhys and his family would appreciate a shower.”
“Yes, that would be greatly appreciated,” Rhys stated with a relieved look in his eyes.
From the haunted look I saw there, I imagined he had a story. There was no denying the likeness between him and his children. It made me wonder where the mom was.