walkers the survivors (18 page)

    
"Well, I think we can remedy that, since your both the same size as our cook.  We'll see about getting you some new clothes soon but there is just so much we can do now.  Do either of you know how to handle a gun?"

    
They looked at each other then back at me.  "Yea, we can shoot.  Our dads used to take us deer hunting before the virus.  It's been awhile but I think we can remember."

    
"I was thinking more along the lines of protection but hunting works too. We'll figure out some of the other stuff you'll need to learn along the way because come June our group goes back to Montana and you'll need to know as much as possible about just about everything."

    
I looked at them and thought they'd be ok.  "Could you keep the little ones out of the way for a bit, we're going to load the trailers and I don't want anyone to get hurt."

    
So the kids were kept out of the way, while pallets were loaded and then trailers.  Things  we couldn't use right then like fridges and such we put near the docks in case we had to have them in the future. 

    
It took the remainder of the day to get back on the road.  I knew the ladies were fixing up the homes for the kids and Lucy and Angie would take the master suites of each home to monitor the smaller children.  The other house would be for the older children and we'd let them decide how to handle that.  We'd managed to find some inflatable mattresses so they can have some beds and one pallet was full of silk sheets and comforters.  Curtains and what-knots would just have to be made or we could steal them from the houses in the vicinity.

    
I was feeling pretty good about things all the way back.  I was surprised to see the extent the women had gone to when I saw curtains, TV's, CD players and toys taken from the houses in the area along with plants hanging from hooks in the ceilings and along the paths in front. The guys still had to build connecting rooms to the cabin so they could come and go without going outside but we had other things to do in the meantime.  Like feed the masses, get the kids settled with a minimum of fighting over nearly everything and hugs, lots and lots of hugs.

    
By bedtime, the kids, now totaling 15, and the adults were ready for bed.  I didn't know I could feel so happy and pooped at the same time.  Mason gave me the evil eye but I could tell he really didn't mean it cause he was worn out too, but it felt nice that he wanted me to know he was thinking of me, or was it him too, nope I think from rummaging around in his head he was wanting  me.  When we went to bed that's just what he did...all night.  With his knee between mine and a hand cupping one breast, each breath ruffled my hair just a bit but it was a comfortable feeling and I soon went to sleep after the star streaked across the sky and an owl hooted. 

                                                                     
CHAPTER  18

    
The first thing I noticed the following morning was the quiet.  You'd think with 14 kids running around there'd be a storm of noise.  There wasn't and I was worried first thing that morning.  I kept looking out the windows as I dressed, looking for Mason at the same time.  I tried to mind find him but wasn't getting anything.  I wasn't worried about it cause sometimes he would so busy with something that his mind closed down.  But still...Where was everyone?

    
As I walked to the cabin I listened and heard the birds, insects, turkeys making turkey noises and my stomach growling.  It was still peaceful as I made my way onto the porch where I stopped and listened at the door.  I could hear mumblings coming from inside but nothing to tell me why it was so quiet.  I reached for the door handle the same time someone inside opened the door scaring the crap out of me.

    
Mason was startled to find me standing there too. "Damn, JD I was just coming to get you."

    
"Yeah, okay, well, here I am.  Why is it so quiet in here?"

    
"Come on in maybe you can figure this out."

    
I entered the room to find all the new kids, sitting at the table, food in front of them, hands folded in their laps.  I looked at the everyone else and almost at the same time they shrugged their shoulders.  I guess they're waiting for me to do something.  Sigh.  Why is it always me?

    
So I walked over to the table and looked at the kids.  "Eat."  I said, and they started eating.  Oh, well, that wasn't so hard.  I walked over to the counter and got my breakfast and a cup of coffee.  Moving back to the table, I sat next to Mason.  Everyone just stared at me.

    
"What?"  I said, tasting the oatmeal and deciding it needed some more cream.  When I took a sip of coffee I saw everyone still staring at me. "Come on guys what's the deal?"
     "Well, we tried all morning to get them to eat and they just sat there.  We finally sent Mason in search of you.  You come in and say one word and they eat.  Why do you think?"  asked Lacy.

    
"I don't know.  Maybe they've been conditioned to only eat when told to.  Did ya ask them?"
     "Well, no.   We were a bit confused by their behavior."

     
"Well, ask next time.  When they're finished eating, I'll talk to them cause they really need to relax a bit.  You all need to be a bit more assertive.  Would you let Clarissa or Mandy get away with that?  No.  So just treat them like their yours and it should be ok.  I shouldn't have to tell you what you already know.  Where is Bobby?  He'd straighten them out."
     "He tried.  They just ignored him."

    
"OK," I sighed.  "I'll do it this time, but I'm not mama material. This isn't my job."  When the newbies finished, they took their dishes to the kitchen then returned to their chairs. 

    
I sighed.

    
When they'd all returned to their seats I got up and sat at their table.  "I suppose you'd like to hear the new rules."  They all nodded.  "OK, this is the important one.  You all ready to hear this?"  They all nodded.  " OK, you're kids, act like it.  Play, nice, with each other.  Clean up after yourself.  No fighting, arguing or lying.  The adult in your house is the one you go to with problems.  If they won't help you then you come to one of us.  If you want seconds, and there is seconds, then ask.  If you want anything, ask. Period.  Any questions?"

    
They all looked at each other and a hand went up.  I nodded to Amy?  Mary?  I couldn't remember her name.  She said, "We weren't allowed to play at the warehouse so some of the kids don't know how. Could you tell us what to do."

    
"You want someone to show you how to play?"  I asked, surprise evident in my voice.  I couldn't help it.  They didn't how to play.  I turned and looked at the crew.  They were surprised too.  Bobby was standing next to the counter with Mandy close behind.  I motioned him over.  He didn't want to come.  So I motioned to him again.  Finally, he walked slowly over, head down and stood next to me.

    
"You think maybe you could show these guys how to play?"  He looked at them then at me. "Ah, gee, JD do I have to?  Their little kids, I don't want to play with little kids."

    
"I will."  Mandy said from behind us.  We both turned at that.  I looked past her to Sarah who had tears in her eyes.  Well, hell.  She nodded.  "OK, Mandy, if you would be so kind as to introduce these guys to the fine art of playing I would appreciate it."  Bobby quickly headed to the door and was soon gone. I turned to the kids at the table and said,  "Mandy here is going to show you how to play.  Listen to her, cause it's serious business and she is trying to help you. OK?  Can you all do that?"  They looked at each other, then nodded almost as one.  It reminded me of a row of bobble heads.  "Remember my rules and be nice to each other."  With that I got up and returned to my breakfast.  Mandy shooed the kids out the backdoor, and soon the squeals were tripled outside.

    
Smiling at everyone, I warmed up my coffee and finished my breakfast.  "You are amazing."  Mason said, as he put his arm around the back of my chair.  "I never thought of that." 

     
I shrugged, "What can I say?  I'm good."  He started rubbing the spot just below my ear, that spot that makes me sweat.  He leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Yes, you are.  Very good."  Then he kissed my ear making me shiver.

    
"Good grief, can you not do that at the breakfast table.  I'm eating here."

    
"Shut up, Randy.  You're just jealous."  Laughter caused the morning to return to normal.

     
We continued to fix things up and get ready for the holidays.  Thanksgiving saw us roasting three turkeys and I lost count of the number of pies we made.  We couldn't find candy canes so Sarah was experimenting with making some and we spent one day making reindeer fodder, which goes a long way and the kids did it justice. 

    
Thanksgiving day the kids did the turkeys justice, too.  They had fattened up a bit and was filling out to the point we had to make extra trips to town for new clothes.  There would be new clothes for them under the Christmas tree also.

    
It seemed we went to town every day, getting supplies for one reason or another.  Joe and Sandy was busy teaching the new women, Lucy and Angie, about medicine.  They were fast learners.  Lucy was learning to be an EMT before the virus hit and her and Angie was in charge of the children when they were all put in a 1960's style fallout shelter.  They were there a long time and that's where the children learned to be quiet, to keep the walkers from hearing them.  It made sense now, where the kids came from, since the schools back then had emergency drills during the cold war. 

    
For the next month all went fairly well.  There were fights with the kids, you just can't put that many kids together and not have fights.  The older kids were being trained to hunt, Flynn taking over that job, and we always seemed to have venison.  Duke's fancy helicopter, similar to the one he had at the lodge, found a herd of cows so a day was spent by anyone old enough, to help herd cattle.  Of course, there was a run on building a corral big enough then the worry of how to feed them.

    
I was sure they'd figure it out and went back to making, stealing and finding Christmas gifts for 17 adults and 15 children.  We finally decided to put a tree in each house as well as one in the cabin.  It couldn't be very big because the tables were filled each time we ate and there just wasn't any room.  I didn't think the kids had celebrated any holidays since the virus hit so this had to be a special time and we worked our asses off to make it so.  The oldest of the kids were being taught to hunt, fish, catch turkeys and all the stuff that goes with it.  Nevada and Abby were more interested in electronics so Duke had his hands full teaching them along with Angie on occasion.  The smallest of the kids were learning how to recognize different herbs and gardening.

    
One day, I talked Mason and the guys into taking me with them when they went to a new electronics store.  There was a library across the street and I needed to get a truckload of books.  Lacy tagged along, because she wanted some new magazines.  I didn't have the heart to tell her there were no new magazines but I could use the help so she tagged along with me.

    
The building was a newer one.  The walls were mostly glass so there was plenty of light but you could also see inside so I was really uncomfortable.  I grabbed the book cart and started in the aisle holding the survival books.  Not being too particular I grabbed books left and right.  Lacy headed to the children's section with her own cart and we preceded to provide the guys with the perfect hernia material.  They groused about all the heavy books but it couldn't be helped. 

    
I cleaned out the medical, gardening and animal husbandry isles before hitting the cooking and canning books.  Lacy worked on children's, art, computers and videos.  I was checking out, or looking in this case, at the history section when a noise made me turn.  A walker grabbed for me but missed before coming at me again.  I hollered for Lacy to climb the racks while I was doing just that.  A hand grabbed my foot just as I was nearly on top, pulling me down towards its mouth.

    
I hadn't realized I'd been hollering in my mind at the time but I guess Mason heard me that way.  I'd been so scared, I hadn't said anything else after yelling at Lacy.  I felt the walkers breath on my ankle and just as it was ready to take a bite, Mason barreled into it, knocking it to the floor with me on top of it.  It came back up from the floor to grab my arm, but I grabbed a book of poems and smacked it in the face, just as I was getting ready to smack it again, a large knife appeared in its left eye and it died, again.

    
I fell to one side off it just to get off it's rotting, nasty, stinking body and tried to catch my breath.  "Did it bite you? Did it bite you?"  Mason kept asking.  I finally had to opt for shaking my head, cause I just didn't have enough air to talk.  I was seeing spots before my eyes when he pulled me up, then picked me up and took me to the couch near the checkout desk.  He sat me on his lap and rocked me as I fought off the panic attack I had started having after being under the mountain in Flagstaff.

    
I closed my eyes and just breathed until I got things under control again.  He managed to clean some of the gunk from the dead walker off my face and when I finally was able to track better I saw Lacy sitting on the top of a bookcase, eyes big, face white as she watched me.  I thought for some reason that it was a funny sight because I started laughing.  Mason looked where I was looking and I guess he thought it was funny too, cause he started laughing.  Lacy, however, did not think it was funny.

    
Flynn finally helped her down, neither of them amused at us but we didn't care.  I finally got enough sense back and calmed down so I could finish what I started and we left the library and the walker behind.  The guys finished at the electronics store, making Duke a very happy man and the kids even happier for Christmas with video games. I'd happened upon a present for Mason so I was happy for the whole day although bruises were sprouting up everywhere on my body.  I hurt in some places I'd forgotten I had but mostly the places I'd had other bruises.  I should be used to it by now, but I wasn't.

    
When we returned we found several bookcases had been 'borrowed' from the surrounding houses ready for the books.  I left that for the ladies so they could see what we had, while I took a change of clothes to one of the hot springs to soak.  I gave my gift for Mason to Lacy to hide so he couldn't rifle through my mind and figure out where it was.  He sat lightly on my mind as he helped unload the trucks and reposition the trailer so it could be accessible for inspection.  It seemed like Christmas every time we brought a trailer in, so we let everyone who wanted to inspect the contents have a look see.

     
We worked like fiends after that to finalize the plans for Christmas.  The kids stayed out of our way, learning how to play again while we put up trees and gave them ideas on how to decorate them.  They learned how to draw, color within the lines which according to Mandy was 'vitally important' and pretend play.  She took her job very seriously and wouldn't tolerate any shirkers.  We spent a lot of the time trying not to laugh at them.  Mandy says it hurts their little feelings when we laugh at them so we really tried not to.

    
No one else got hurt, no one tried to kill anyone, people learned to live in a crowd and we had a wonderful Christmas.  Unlike that first morning, the screams could almost be heard to Montana.  The Montana crew had managed to find the four people who were going to come to the Lodge before the explosion and had to be turned back.  They were helping set up the new place. It seemed like Ken and Jill were going to be parents about the time we would arrive next spring.  It gave me something else to worry about.

    
We had a rough time a few days after Christmas when Lacy miscarried.  I wasn't sure why and neither was Joe but we would managed to survive, like we always did.  It was a world of surviving now and we'd deal with it.  We had a bunch of people to prepare for the life ahead without us while we prepared for the trip back to Montana in several months. I didn't know how we'd do it but if it had to be done, we somehow managed to find the way.