Seeking Sanctuary (Walkers) (13 page)

             
“Who's the old man, Hazel?”  I asked, still stunned.

             
“Old man?”  She frowned, opened her eyes and smiled. “Oh that's  Stewart.  I haven't seen him in a while, glad to know he's still kicking.  I wondered where all the wood was coming from this last winter.  Huh. Old Stewart.”

             
“He just killed a walker outside the window and dragged it away.  Not very sociable is he?”

             
“Naw, not friendly at all.”  She smiled again.  “Bless his old heart.”  Then she dozed off again.

             
“JD, you see that turbine yet?”  Yelled Duke, clearly agitated.

             
“Oops,”  I whispered and peaked out the window, again.  One wind turbine was moving.  Running back to him, I gave him the information while he continued to cuss, very, very, quietly.             

             
“My head feels funny,”  Mikey said. 

             
“Mine too,” Andy replied.

             
When I thought about it, mine did too.  I ran to the window and scanned the sky.  When I didn't see anything I went out the front door followed closely by Mason.  There hovering in the sky 200 hundred yards away was the silver UFO. 

             
“Crap,”  I said.

             
“Well, hell, where is a bazooka when you need one?”  Flynn said, as we stood there and watched.  I decided not to give the damned thing another thought and went back inside to console the kids.  Hazel was smiling but her eyes were still closed.

             
“They're back.”  She said, rocking slowly.  “They come back to check on me every month or so.”

             
“Who?”  I asked.

             
“The cute little guys in the flying saucer out front.  They talk to me in my head and help me out on occasion.  They want me to go with them but I don't want to leave my Walter behind.”  She frowned then.  I turned to Mason and mouthed 'Walter'?

             
“Are they talking to you now?”  Mason asked from behind me, shaking his head and mouthing 'later'.  It dawned on me then that we were not communicating with our minds and I realized we didn't want the 'little guys' outside to hear us.

             
“Yeah, they said they brought you here.  They told me you were coming, that's why I made so much dinner.  I wasn't aware of the children or I wouldn't have met you with the gun.  They want to know if you are going to stay.”

             
I looked at Mason who just shrugged.  “It's gonna be hell trying to defend this place, JD, you know that  Maybe we can stay a bit but we need to find something safer.”

             
“Say,”  Hazel said, leaning over to give Tony to Jill, “What about a fort?”

             
“What fort?”

             
“Well, there was a feller with more money than sense that came up a few years back and decided he wanted to build himself an old western fort.  It has tall log walls and rooms for people to stay in, water and everything.  There's even big old gates you could close off at night.  I have a pamphlet around here somewhere about it.”

             
She started to get up but didn't make it very far.  Moaning she settled slowly back into the chair.  “Damned, old arthritis.”  she moaned, rubbing her knee.  She pointed towards the keyboard. “You should find it in one of those drawers.”

             
I was starting to get a headache and Mikey was looking a bit pale.  “Hazel, could you ask your 'friends' if they would stop whatever they're doing?  It's giving us headaches?  The little ones can't take it.”

             
“Oh, dear, I hadn't thought about that.” She closed her eyes and a few seconds later, my head stopped buzzing.  “I'm sorry, dearie, I'd forgotten about the headaches when they first visited me.  It takes a bit before talking to them doesn't hurt anymore.”

             
“But they aren't talking to us.  They just make our heads hurt.”

             
“Oh, but they are talking to you.  That's the buzzing you're hearing and it does make your head hurt the first few times they do it.  It will ease with time and you'll be able to talk to them like I'm doing.  They don't want to hurt us.  They want to help but there's just so much they are allowed to do.  Can't mess with the order of things or something like that.”

             
Flynn came in to say the UFO had left.  I noticed the kids getting sleepy so I asked if we could put the kids to bed here or if she preferred us to sleep in our RV's.

             
“Oh, no dear, I fixed the rooms for you as soon as I heard you were coming.  You just put those babies to bed if you like.”

             
Mason grabbed a flashlight and we started down one of the hallways when the electricity came on, with a blast.  Music blared, a static filled TV roared like a mad dragon and every light in the place came on.  It was a mad scramble to turn everything off and cover the windows so the light wouldn't attract walkers.

             
“Duke!” I yelled headed down the hallway.

             
“I got it.” He yelled back and the lights outside began to flicker off.  I hadn't realized there were so many outside lights.  All the outbuildings had lights and two big lights were at the entrance with a yard light every 20 feet leading to the front door.  Good grief, no wonder they needed wind turbines, the electric bill would've been hell otherwise.

             
Mason and Randy went outside to check the upstairs windows for lights and sure enough there were four lights on upstairs.  After heaving the loudest sigh I've ever heard, they went upstairs with Clint, Flynn and Riley behind them.  There were several crashes and loud thumps before they returned and announced they'd killed all they could for one night.  They were going to bed after showering in the RV's.  The hot water heaters in the ranch would need some time before hot water would be running.

             
Hazel announced her bedtime as well and headed for the couch.  I said, “Hazel, if you'd like to take one of the bedrooms I'd gladly give up the one you had ready for me.”

             
“Honey, my old back ain't gonna let me lay down in any old bed.  I sleep like a baby most nights right here so don't worry your head about it.  The morning is going to find us working our tails off to finish this place for the next crew coming in so get some rest and I'll see you bright and early in the morning.”

             
“Wait.  What crew?”  I asked.

             
But she'd already lay down and put her back to me.  I thought about waking her but then thought I might as well get some rest.  It had been a stupid, long day, not to mention a gory one.  I needed a bath and some loving, exactly in that order.

                                                        Chapter 12

              “Ow!  Dammit, that hurts!”

             
“Oh, for Pete's' sake, how old are you?  Four?” 

             
I turned the corner in time to see Joe checking out Kens many injuries. Ken was always a baby when it came to not feeling good.  His dislocated shoulder was healing nicely although he was complaining about the therapy.  His broken arm was doing okay also but not good enough for him to be  fighting walkers.  As his cousin, I've had more than enough of Ken's whining over the years and becoming an adult hasn't seemed to improve him.

             
“Tell him I'm fine, JD.”  he said, as soon as he caught sight of me.

             
I looked around but didn't see Jill so I had to take care of it myself this time.

             
“Where's Jill?”  I asked.

             
“Won't do any good.  She escaped a few minutes ago, to bathe Tony.  I'm almost done here anyway, so, if you can't shut him up, escape with the rest of them.”  Joe said, as he put a band-aid over an old cut on Kens forehead.  Ken tried to back away from the band-aid but Joe finally just smacked it on his forehead.  Before Ken could say anything else, I did an about face and headed for the living area.  The wonderful smell of coffee hit me in the hallway so I followed the smell like a hound dog to the kitchen area. 

             
It was empty except for Sarah and Jill.  I peeked out the window and didn't see anyone there either.

             
“Where's everyone?”  I asked.

             
“Mason, Clint, Flynn and Randy went over to the fort to check it out.”  Lacy said as she came in from the front porch.  “They couldn't wait to see if it would be okay for our new home.  I told them to wait for you cause you always have to be involved in everything they do, but they left anyway.”  I sensed from those few sentences that Lacy was a bit put out that I went with the guys all the time.  As I stirred my coffee, I thought about all the times I'd gone with the men into horrible situations, sometimes getting hurt in the process.  I watched the women as they made breakfast for the kids and thought maybe I should spend more time with them and less with the men.  Then I thought, I wasn't made that way. I'd always gone into trouble headfirst because I thought I had no choice.  No wait, I'd always done it because I thought I could do a better job,  that I would go nuts not knowing what was happening.  I had to admit it, I just plain enjoyed the excitement of discovery.

             
“Well, then, I'll just take my coffee outside and enjoy the sunshine.  Call if you need any help.”  I'd have stayed and helped out with things but the quarters were so tight, Lacy and Sarah was bumping into each other so I took myself to the porch and found a chair very similar to the one I had at the lodge, plunked my butt into it, set my coffee on the floor nearby and proceeded to piggy-back Mason.

             
This is a process where I jump into Mason's head and look out of his eyes.  I've done it a few times and he always knows when I'm there.  It gets easier each time but the point where I'm here and then there, is disorienting and if I wasn't sitting down when it occurred, I was liable to fall.

             
I closed my eyes, thought of Mason and immediately saw the forts two front gates, one ajar.  We looked at Flynn as he quickly peeked around the open door to look inside.  Shaking his head, he looked a second time, taking his time and even stepping in the doorway to look to his left and right.  Putting out his hand, we handed him the binoculars and waited some more as he examined as much of the place as he could.  When he finally turned and leaned against the other door, he wiped the binocular lens before he handed them back.

             
“I didn't see anything but that doesn't mean anything. This place is huge.  There's a line of cabins build against the farthest wall we'll have to clear and a few against this wall but I don't see why we couldn't make this a neat place.”  Flynn said.

             
Just then Randy joined the group.  Mason turned to look at him and the motion was quick enough that it made me dizzy.  Our sight is out of synch when I piggyback so when he turns his head quickly I have trouble focusing and the result was nauseating. 

             
You okay, kiddo? 
Mason asked. 

             
Yeah, just move your head slower and I'm be fine.  We'll discuss you leaving me behind when you get back.

             
Now, JD, there isn't any reason to be upset.  I thought I'd let you sleep, cause you were really tired.  Once we clear this place, and see it's secured, I'll come back and get you.  Just don't drink all the coffee.

             
I'll be ready.
  I watched as Randy explained all was quiet and we'd have to go into each building to make it secure.  I knew that already.  It seemed everywhere we went we had to check out every nook and cranny.  Walkers could be found everywhere from inside showers, closets and under beds.  We've even found one inside the trunk of a car.  If it was big enough for a walker, you stood a very good chance of finding one there.  We went in the gate, closing it loosely behind us.  If we needed to get out quick, we would hit that door hard and we wouldn't want it to slow us down.  Clint and Randy went right to the door marked Gift Shop while 'we'  turned left towards the first building near the gate, marked Office.  I watched quietly as they cleared the office, then moved to the managers quarters behind it.  A long, dark hallway led to the small apartment which Mason cleared quickly before meeting Flynn at the restrooms.  A walker scared the crap out of everyone when it fell out of the door like it'd been leaning against it.  Astonishment made the guys over zealous and the walker was beheaded before it hit the ground.

             
Overkill.
I whispered.