Surviving The Zombie Apocalypse (Book 2): Conflict (16 page)

Chapter V

Only a
couple of months to go before Briana gives birth, assuming our estimates are
correct. Praise the Lord and pass the… Cigars? Crumpets? Diapers? Hopefully,
she will stop puking after the baby arrives. Months and months of near constant
sickness, it was getting to me, not to mention her. On the upside, we had a
second pregnant woman in the group. Lisa, one of the survivors from Anadarko,
was also expecting, although she was only about four months along. She didn’t
look good, gaunt and thin, but the woman was in better shape than the others
we’d rescued, having been given extra rations due to her condition. Steph was
now pumping her full of eggs, vegetables, and other nutritious fare, hoping to
offset any damage the near starvation might have caused.

Lisa and
Briana had quickly bonded, becoming close friends. Unfortunately, the woman’s
husband was dead, having fallen to the zombies a few weeks before we arrived.
It was a shame, but Lisa would be okay. She was with us, and we took care of
our own. That, or we killed them. Damn. At least the general consensus was that
my actions were necessary. There was also an underlying and oft whispered
opinion that maybe I could have planned things better, done something
differently, that perhaps I could, or should, have prevented the dreadful decision
from coming about in the first place.

And
while we’re discussing people, let me provide a list of who we have at the
moment. From the original residents of the castle, six remained: me, Briana,
Lizzy, Mary, Steph, and Johnny. From Martin, South Dakota, seven remained:
Marcus, Sofie, Tara, Dale, Harvey, Bruce, and Renee. From Wyoming we have
Kenneth. Then there was the ragged band of survivors from Anadarko, Oklahoma.
They totaled twenty six. Would have been thirty two except… I really need to
stop dwelling on that. The complete breakdown is as follows:

Men           16

Women      19

Children     5

I’m
listing Mary as an adult. Yes, I know at thirteen she is anything but. However,
she’s at the point where she can do actual work and help defend if need be. For
survival purposes only, that is the standard by which I’m now operating. So, we
have thirty five adults and five children, forty human beings in total. That
gives us enough to maintain a proper watch around the clock and to undertake
regular patrols of our forest home. We’re safer than we’ve been in a long time.

Speaking
of safety, let me describe how happy Laura and her group were once they saw our
fortified settlement. The general lack of zombies in the region was something
completely new to them, and the almost total absence around the castle was
outright shocking. The high walls and substantial gate were just as pleasing,
along with our impressive armory. The abundance of food was icing on the cake.

There
were some arguments concerning leadership and governance. Had to have those.
Mindful of the past and the tragedy Cherie caused, I was unwavering in
announcing how it would be. It was my place, so my rules applied. I would not
stop anyone from leaving. I would even provide food, weapons, a vehicle, and
wish them the best of luck. But if you chose to remain in the Nebraska National
Forest you had to submit to my authority.

I was in
overall command, with my primary area of focus being defense and scavenging.
This was something I was very good at, and no one, save the twins, had more
experience than Lizzy and I in this regard. Marcus and the others from Martin
didn’t come close to traveling as frequently as we did the prior fall. I was somewhat
shocked to learn that, but it seems I really am a bit obsessive compulsive
about going where zombies might get me. I’m not certain if this is a positive
or negative personality trait.

Briana
was second in command with her focus being the day to day running of the
settlement. She handles all personal matters and disputes. She deals with
supplies and rationing, should it become necessary, along with making certain
clothing and other materials were fairly disbursed. As before, those who do the
actual looting get first pick since they are assuming the risks, but no one
goes without or is in any way deprived.

I’d
learned from the past and understood that it was absolutely essential to have
someone in the senior leadership present at the castle at all times. That would
be Briana. While her confinement was technically limited to the pregnancy,
after delivering the baby she could expect several more years of staying at
home. Breastfeeding alone would make travel a nuisance. I hadn’t brought this
up – I’m not completely suicidal – but she seems to have accepted the reality
of how life was going to be nonetheless. For instance, all mention of how nice
it will be to finally get out of the castle has vanished. Briana is instead
talking about making things more comfortable, building playgrounds, getting a
trampoline, that sort of thing.

Lizzy
has been barred from holding any positions of authority. While her experience
and ability matched mine, her attitude and unwavering tendency to say exactly
what she was thinking precluded her from serving in this capacity. She’d just
cause trouble and piss everyone off. Others would be assigned specific tasks or
responsibilities as we got to know them better.

There
were some questions about this system, not too much regarding my role, but
quite a few directed toward Briana. Okay, so she was only eighteen and
pregnant. Damn bad example she was for young women, not yet out of high school,
unmarried, and knocked up. She was also exceptionally intelligent, worked well
under pressure, and could be trusted to remain level headed, even with her
hormones out of whack. Tara and Dale helped settle the matter in their usual
manner.

“What do
you two think?” asked Lizzy, growing tired of the debate. “It’s your turn to
whine.”

“Jacob
gave us guns.”

His
sister nodded. “He’s good at killing zombies.”

“Briana
doesn’t kill zombies,” added Dale.

“Briana
does the other stuff,” concluded Tara.

Definitely
something funny going on in their heads. Their fearsome reputation, which made
no sense since the twins were anything but intimidating, violent, arrogant,
brash, or even emotional, seemed to cow the others. They stood by us – based on
their words I think that was the case – and no one wanted to cross them.

Marcus
also gave us support. He pointed out all that we’d accomplished and built as
evidence that we had some clue as to what we were doing. Laura, somewhat
surprisingly, added her approval as well. She was suffering a bout of severe
depression but appeared to be improving. And she’d latched onto Briana as
someone uninvolved with the incident with whom she could speak. They were
getting along fabulously.

So, with
our system of organization settled, and with Martin and Anadarko visited, there
was only one thing left on our list. That was to head into Wyoming and search
for the final group of breathers of whom we had any direct knowledge. The snow
was long gone, and the roads as clear as they were going to get. It was time.

In
addition to simply finding others, we also wanted more information about the
world at large. Kenneth had mentioned how the ranches were in contact with each
other, along with outsiders. If there were more options available we wanted to
know of them, particularly about Salt Lake City which was the largest safe zone
we could conceivably reach. If they were still going strong, it might be worth
heading there for a personal look.

*
* *

“I don’t
like you leaving again.”

I curled
up close to Briana, running my hand over her swollen belly. “This one will be
safe, like Martin was.”

“It
better be. I know how bad things went in Oklahoma, and I’ll let you know that
it was Mary who gave me all the finer details, things you left out, like how
close you really came to getting eaten.”

“The
twerp was exaggerating. We were swarmed, yeah, but I was never going to get
bitten.”

Briana
rolled over so she was facing me. “No lying to me Jacob, and from now on you
tell me everything right off. You know I’ll get the story from the others if
you don’t, and I shouldn’t have to do that.”

“Sweetie,
it really wasn’t as bad as Mary thought. Now, she thought it was bad – she
wouldn’t lie to you – but ask the twins. They could see more of the big picture
and knew what was going on better than Mary.”

She
snorted.

“Okay, so
they aren’t the best conversationalists.”

“No,”
countered Briana, “the problem is that their definition of danger is even more
wrongheaded than yours, and we both know that it was really, really bad. So
stop trying to make me feel better.” She sighed. “Please be extra careful this
time.”

“The
Wyoming run is going to be okay. It’s a quick drive over the state line to the
open plains. We’ll have a clear view everywhere, and any shamblers are going to
be spotted from way, way off. Remember, the refugees are on ranches. The search
is going to be back roads and the countryside, not the towns or cities. Those
places are always safer.”

“Maybe,”
she admitted, grudgingly. “You aren’t going anywhere after that, not until
Jacob Junior is born. You will be here when I go into labor or, I swear to God,
I will take a pair of hedge clippers to your tender parts.”

“It
might be Mini Briana.”

I didn’t
comment on the threat. It was the hormones and fear speaking, probably.

“No,
it’s going to be a boy. He kicks all the time, day and night. That means a boy.”

I shook
my head. “I don’t think that’s a valid indicator Briana. You know, it could be
twins, possibly triplets.”

“Don’t
you dare say that.” She scowled, her green eyes glaring. “I have no idea how
I’m going to take care of one. You better not have given me several, not at the
same time.”

“We have
Mary to babysit, and you know she’ll be good at that. Maybe Lizzy too, although
I’m not sure if I want the kid’s first words to be fuck, shit, asshole…”

“Tell
her to cut the swearing,” interrupted Briana, “at least in front of the
children. Johnny has started copying her, and Steph is getting pissed. The
other kids that are here now might do the same. One angry mother is all I can
handle. At least Mary acts like a proper lady.” She paused. “If you see any baby
stores while you’re gone make sure to loot them. Lisa will need stuff too, so
take everything, especially car seats and jogging strollers, the kind with the
big wheels. You can use those on dirt roads and trails, even in the grass. They
should work in the meadow.”

“I’ll
add it to the list.”

She
yawned. “God, it’s barely even dark outside. Go ahead and turn the light off,
will you?”

I
reached over to the hit the switch.

“And rub
my feet,” she continued, “but watch my ankles. They’re all achy. That’s your
fault.”

What
wasn’t?

“Yes,
dear.” Damn, that sounded wimpy. “Marcus was talking to me about Tara and Dale
earlier.”

“Really?”
Briana relaxed as I began the foot massage. “What about?”

“He was
pointing out that before they met me, neither had ever hurt another person.
Then they go and shoot nine, three in the farmhouse and six with Laura.”

“That
wasn’t a very nice thing to say.”

I
tickled her toes. “Nah, it wasn’t in a mean way, just basically saying it, and
it is true, I think. But I’m discounting the house. They fired the shots there
without me asking them to.”

“Just as
well. You might not have made it out if they hadn’t. Damn crazy people are all
over the place.”

There
was a long period of silence, but I found I couldn’t restrain myself.

“I’ve been
thinking that maybe I’m not a nice person anymore.”

“Nonsense.”
Briana shook off her lethargy, her tone firm and non-negotiable. She knew what
I was referring to. “You are a wonderful person, and you keep everyone alive,
as many as you possibly can. No more of that talk.”

“If you
say so.”

I wasn’t
nearly as convinced as she appeared to be.

“I do.
That’s another promise you need to make. I mean it.”

“I won’t
mention it again.”

Briana
soon drifted off to sleep, but I remained awake for several hours, my mind a
jumble of thoughts.

*
* *

We
departed a few days later. Mary and I were in my Jeep Wrangler, Marcus and
Lizzy took his semi, and Laura and Kenneth tagged along in a pickup. You’ll
notice that the twins would not be accompanying us. That was by design.
Understand, I wasn’t fully comfortable with the emotional state and potential
actions of our new friends from Oklahoma. Accordingly, I asked them to stay
behind and keep an eye on Briana. I didn’t anticipate any sort of violent coup,
but someone might use her pregnancy as an excuse to push her aside and start
making changes I didn’t want. Those two, along with Steph, should be more than
enough to keep matters under control.