The Last Blade Of Grass (25 page)

Simone and I give a surprised look to each other, and then back to Greg for him to continue.

“We had two young girls show up a couple days ago. They said they had escaped a bad bunch of guys in Grants Pass that had cleared out the Wal-Mart there and made it their base or headquarters. From what the girls said, the group in control there had removed the infected from the area around the store. They also keep a bunch of the infected penned up behind fences and other enclosures around the area to the west. Kind-of like an infected perimeter guard. They will moan and alert the Wal-Mart crew if anyone gets too close.

“The men there are also scouting the area around the store and bringing in anyone they come across, but mostly women. The girls, Julie and Ava, were with a man named, Scott, originally, when they were approached by the Wal-Mart crew. They, according to the girls, they told Scott that he can walk away and live, or he could try to interfere and get shot, but that the girls would be coming back to Wal-Mart with them. Julie and Ava said they agreed to go with these guys to Wal-Mart so their friend Scott wouldn’t get hurt. Once the girls had crossed over to where the men were, the men shot Scott anyway.” He sighs and shakes his head again. “They tied up the girls’ hands, took them back to the Wal-Mart, and raped them off and on for the last two weeks before they escaped.”

“So how did the girls find this place?” I ask.

Greg responds with a surprising, “Samantha’s daughter, Emily, told them where it was! That is why everyone left. Emily is locked up with those bastards at the Wal-Mart and apparently remembered how to get here from the one time she came with her parents two years ago.”

“She didn’t know her parents would be here, but remembered you and your wife were survivalists, or something, and that you might be able to help her and the other girls that are trapped. Julie is sixteen and Ava is seventeen. Their escape idea was Emily’s, but she sent those two young girls out instead of her. They said Emily chose them since they were the youngest at the Wal-Mart that had the skills and mindset to be able to make the trip alone.”

“Damn,” is all I can reply. “So our people are heading out to assault the Wal-Mart crew and try to rescue Samantha’s daughter and the other girls? What did they take with them?”

“They took enough ammo to kill all those men and the infected around them three or four times over. They have about a dozen of the gasoline bombs and took a dozen extra glass canning jars to fill from vehicle gas tanks as they get closer to their target. They have most of the grenades, and all of them have body armor. They only took enough food to last about two days, though. That’s about it.”

Surprised, I ask, “No medical supplies?”

“Oh yes, they took their basic first aid kits with them, and one of your field surgical kits. We all figured they should be able to find more medical supplies if they need them in Grants Pass, either at the Wal-Mart, or other pharmacies and shops. And Eddie, you’ll be happy to know that in spite of their bickering, Samantha put Arthur in charge of the group. She is retired Air force and he’s a Marine, and you know how they rib each other all the time, but she said she will give him what she thinks is their best strategy, but the actual plan and call to action lies with him. She told us all straight up that she was too emotionally involved in getting her daughter back to lead everyone safely through what they had to do. She wasn’t certain she could be within sight of her girl and still keep her mind on the group as a whole. Personally, I think just that thought process proves she would keep everyone safe. What about you?”

Smiling, I say, “Of course she could take care of everyone, Greg. Arthur, and everyone else, including me, know that. The reason she said that is because she doesn’t want to be responsible for them. Not during her daughter’s rescue. She is probably going to go Rambo on that gang and wants Arthur to keep everyone else safe and in line.”

Changing the subject, I turn to look at Randy and Patricia. “I have to ask. Where were you when we came back earlier? I was making a lot of noise out there with my talking and figured someone would come out and diffuse the situation. We thought the ranch had been overtaken by someone when we returned and no one we knew was in sight. And I was more concerned over it when no one came out.”

“We heard someone yelling out there and thought the worst,” Randy replies, showing he is a bit ashamed.

Patricia continues for him, “We were afraid that the men from Wal-Mart had shown up here, and so we took Katy into the attic to hide. We didn’t know that Greg couldn’t hear you. We thought he was already dealing with whatever was going on outside.”

“I’m sorry,” Randy offers.

Randy had a bad winter and isn’t doing that well anymore. After losing so many from his family during the big attack, he seemed to age another ten years. His health continued to deteriorate, and then he caught the flu. The fish antibiotics we stockpiled helped him through the illness, but he didn’t truly start to recover until he found out his daughter, Rebecca, was pregnant. Even now he hasn’t regained his strength, and Patricia needs to help him around.

Mike walks back in, and while he sits down, simply says, “She’s still sleeping,” referring to his mother.

I’ll need to tell him what happened with his father, but first, I have to find out what Greg is going to do. “Greg? Jessica? Are you two and Lilly planning on heading out after them?”

Greg shrugs his shoulders in a question, and Jessica speaks up, “Greg might, but Lilly and I aren’t going to go. At first, the whole idea of getting back at those men and saving the girls was thrilling. It felt like a chance for us good guys to right a wrong. But all day, Lilly and I have been discussing our own struggles and run-ins with men just like them. The problems we had until we ran into Greg and then made it here. I’m ready, even Lilly is ready to defend against, even go out and challenge hordes of the infected, and take back our world. But I’m not ready to go into battle against regular men yet. I’m not ready to take the chance that they will win and make me their slave. I think I would freeze when I need to act.”

Lilly drops her head and starts to cry, then gets up and leaves the room. Jessica gets up and says she will make sure Lilly is all right.

Mike was silently watching the exchange, and when the two women are out of the room for a bit, he says, “I don’t get it. How can they not want to go out and help those other girls? Even if they have a fear of men like that, shouldn’t their sense of revenge or compassion for other women like themselves help override their fears?”

I look at Greg, and say, “I think you should tell him Lilly’s story. Mike, it might help you understand where she is at right now.”

Greg starts to tell a brief version of how he came to meet Lilly. “Lilly had things rough out there. I mean, I understand this is a war, and everyone is having a difficult time trying to survive, but she just turned seventeen a few weeks ago, and her story is a nightmare within this nightmare. She was kept as a prisoner by men exactly like this Wal-Mart gang. She had survived the first few weeks of the outbreak with her mom, dad, and a neighbor named Franklin, in Franklin’s house. While their supplies were dwindling, they thought they could still hang on. Finally, an approaching fire that was consuming the neighborhood forced them out of the house. She said her mom was killed by an infected a week later.

“They had to uproot every few days because of scarce resources in that particular location, and just entered the living room of a new house, when her mom was attacked. Her mom was bitten on the neck and passed out quickly from the blood loss. They covered her wound and kept pressure on it, but she started turning almost immediately. Lilly’s mom opened her eyes and stared at them, and they all jumped back. As soon as her mother started to shift her weight to begin turning over, they all ran out of that house, and closed the door behind them.

“A few days after her mother was infected, Franklin killed her father. It was an argument over sending her father out to get more supplies, but she knows it was about Franklin wanting to spend
time
with her. Her father felt that was the case as well, and made the mistake of turning his back on Franklin to tell Lilly to get her backpack, so they could leave.

“She said the whole scene was in slow motion after that, and hearing her describe it is chilling. She saw the baseball bat arch down toward her father’s head, heard the terrible cracking sound of impact, and saw a look of sadness on her father’s face. She said her dad looked angry until the bat hit, then his eyes looked directly into hers, and his face changed to sadness. Not shock or pain, just a look of sadness, as if the last thought he had was that he knew he hadn’t protected his little girl.

“After her father was killed, Franklin kept Lilly as his sex slave and punching bag. He kept her for himself until they happened to run into another man whom Franklin had known before the collapse, and then they shared her. She had little hope for escape but through death. She escaped them only when they began to kill each other. Franklin must have been bitten in one of their encounters, but hid the bite from his partner and her. He was a slow turner. That night, Franklin turned, and when Lilly was being raped by this other man, Franklin came in behind them and bit the man on the back. She escaped while they fought.

“She survived on her own by just scavenging and had avoided everyone she had seen until she saw Jessica. Jessica was the first woman Lilly had encountered on her own. She followed Jessica and only came out to her after following and observing her for two days and making sure that she wasn’t with a man. Jessica and Lilly found and entrusted me much the same way.

“We arrived here five months-ago after Eddie and his group saved us from another group of men that had captured Jessica.” Greg pauses as he thinks how to explain the rest. “Lilly is having a difficult time adjusting to being here. She knows it is secure here, but also understands that no place is truly safe anymore. And she will have trust issues with men probably for the rest of her life. You’re fourteen, Mike, and you have your own difficult things that you are dealing with right now. Just try to understand that we all take the problems and horrors of this life differently. We aren’t equal in how we deal with stuff, is what I mean. Does that make it any clearer?”

“Yeah, I guess so. I can understand why she’s afraid to face men. I just figured her anger at them would be stronger,” Mike says.

Now it is my turn to tell Mike about why I shot his father. “Mike. Lilly has had six months to work through what happened to her in her mind. She is passed the initial anger stage where she wants to just get revenge and will come back to it in time. The fact that she sat on the sofa next to you as a strange male is amazing and to me means she is stronger than ever.

“You, however, are going to have to deal with some of your problems now. I need to talk to you about why I shot your father. Simone, can you bring the kids in here if they aren’t asleep?” We all sit in silence until Simone returns carrying Benjamin, followed by Olivia, and Hannah. “Amelia and William are sleeping,” Simone says.

Once everyone is sitting down, I start telling Mike about how we approached the house, and our concerns over some type of takeover. How we circled the house and my approach to his father. I gave him every detail I could remember about my actions and his father’s as well. I finish the story by saying, “So I am ultimately responsible for your father’s death.”

Hannah pipes in, “But I shot him as well.”

Great!
I think.
My child’s honesty could draw the wrath of a vengeful stranger
.

“Yes, Hannah. You shot him as well, but he wouldn’t have survived my initial shot anyway. Not with our current medical abilities. And you shot him to defend your father. I shot him to defend myself. Your action is more justifiable.”

Greg then exclaims, “I would like to add that while I was only there for a few seconds, no shots were fired until your father grabbed Eddie’s gun.”

Mike has been silent and attentive throughout the telling of his father’s death, nodding occasionally.

“Mike, here is the deal, and it probably won’t sound too good, but it’s all that I got. You can stay with us as long as you need if you want, but only as long as you aren’t a threat to me or my family.

“I know your mother is hurt badly and unfortunately it seems like she won’t be getting better. You are welcome to stay here until you find a better place to survive or a more appealing one. We will treat you like an equal, but might also expect more of you in return. Everyone here has to do something to help secure the place, or clean, or grow food, at least something.

“You and I will have our times when you will hate me if you stay, and I’ll need you to just talk to me about it so we can work through it. I don’t want any festering anger toward me building up in you, all right? I’ve probably said enough for now, is there anything you want to say or ask?”

We are all quiet as we wait for Mike to digest what he has heard and process it into everything else he has to deal with. “I’m not sure how I feel,” Mike starts. “I mean, I know I should feel terrible that my dad is dead. I should hate you for killing him. No matter why you did it. I just feel kind of numb right now. I’m still angry with my dad for what happened to mom, so I guess that has something to do with it. I know you guys think my mom won’t make it, but I’m not ready to give up on her yet. I don’t know what I want to do, but I think that choice will be up to her when she gets better.”