walkers the survivors (13 page)

    
"I'll take care of her."  Flynn said, and drove towards to the ravine.

    
"Well,"  I said, not sure where to go from there.  Doing the dance of joy was probably not appropriate for the situation...ok, it wasn't, I know but I couldn't help being thrilled.  I wouldn't have to duck every time I turned around and I was really getting tired of being shot at.

    
Sarah, and Mercy, were in the kitchen digging up something to eat, while Melody and George was cleaning up the glass and putting cardboard over the windows.  The rest of us put up with Joe tending our various wounds so we could put the weapons up.  Duke went back to hanging monitors he had scavenged from the surrounding homes and after cleaning up the mess around 'my' chair I sat down with some iced tea, again.

    
It was almost amazing that the life of a woman could be snuffed out and we could go back to living.  But we'd learned over the past two years, the next disaster could be around the corner and we had to put the last one behind us. 

    
We'd plan for the trip to town in two days.  Tomorrow the guys wanted to go hunting and I hoped to get to go with them.  I was ready to get into the swing of things again.  My arm was just an aggravation now, and I figured it could use the exercise of a town run.  In the meantime, I found one of the many hot spring pools, stripped and waded in, enjoying the warm, bubbling water, making plans for a trip and playing Clue with the boys.

             
                                                        CHAPTER 13

    
My face hurt.  I was smiling so much that my face actually hurt.  My cheeks were knotted up under my eyes and would probably stay that way.  I don't care, lets roll.  The drive to town was short, unlike in Montana, but I took pictures like a tourist and smiled at everyone.  Randy moaned and asked if I was gonna be that way all day and I told him to kiss my ass.  I was happy.  Happy to be alive, happy to not be in pain, happy to be going somewhere.  Just plain happy.  I knew it would go away soon, so I milked it for all it was worth

    
The weather was perfect...a bit of wind but not much.  The sky was light blue, with wispy, thin clouds moving slowly west to east.  The landscape was a lot different from Montana, cause everything was brown or a color similar to it.  And rocks, lots of rocks, but then Montana had fields of rocks too.  I once wondered how they grew crops in those fields of rock but I after a while I just ignored them. I knew in Montana, snow was flying in the higher elevations.  I had no idea if it snowed here but I guess we'd find out soon.

    
The first place we hit was a small mall or mallet.  Lacy gave them that word when she was young, around 11.  It probably had a dozen specialty stores and a grocery store on one end.  Flynn took off on his own to set off a car alarm about a half mile away to draw the walkers.  As it was, it took over an hour to insure all the walkers were past us so we could begin.

    
The first store was electronics.  The boys carried out laptops, monitors, programs, routers etc.  I found computer games, printers and the stuff that goes with it along with it, speakers, headphones, night vision campers and goggles.  Whatever Duke would need and then some. 

    
A tobacco store yielded quite a bit of lighters that we were always needing and batteries.  The art shop next door gave me a lot of stuff that our resident artist, Randy, could use and the bookstore next to it gave me the stuff to help teach the new kids how to read and write.  I got some magazines for the guys, hunting fishing and car repair and the girls got good housekeeping, gardening, sewing etc.  I didn't get a lot, Christmas was coming up but right now I knew where everything was and that was fine with me.

    
I was rooting around through a cabinet for some pain meds in a pharmacy, when my hand was grabbed by a gray one with long, black pointed fingernails.  The fight was on.  While I tried very hard not to scream, I did make enough noise that Clint came running.  I don't know where they get their strength but it was doing a good job of pulling my hand closer to its mouth. About the time the thing was ready to take a bite out of my wrist, Clint cleaved his head in two and it nearly took me with it through the shelving unit.  After climbing back down I came around the end of the cabinet, rubbing my wrist and looked at the thing while Clint put his foot on its chest and pulled the cleaver out of its head. 

    
"You ok?"  He asked, as he wiped the cleaver off on its clothes.

    
"Yep, I just wish they'd attack one of you guys instead of me.  I always end up with the bruises."

    
Mason, who was in the next building over whispered through my mind,
You're just prettier and sweeter than the rest of us.
I smiled and at Clint's questions expression I told him what Mason said.  He just shook his head, "We done in here?"

    
I looked at my list and nodded towards the cart I'd nearly filled with 'necessaries' as Sarah called them.  With all the women in the group, we needed a lot of 'necessaries'.  It was the second cart we'd filled and nearing noon, so we adjourned to the truck and ate the sandwiches Sarah had made.  Someone produced a bag of chips which the men devoured but I thought they tasted stale.  After sitting on the shelf for nearly two years I would say they should have been getting stale.  I guess it was a guy thing.

    
Mason looked at my wrist, shook his head then shooed me out of the truck and into the next store, this was a children's store.  After the guys cleared the store of two walkers, I grabbed my list and a cart and went to work.  I spent two hours and filled six carts trying to dress eight children.  Davy was still a baby so I got a lot of baby stuff and larger sized clothes than requested because kids that age grow so fast.  She still used a bottle, but was drinking more from sippy cups so a little of everything went into the carts.

    
The grocery store took a while.  I was checking out the flour and sugar isle when a walker came around the end of the isle, when I took off to the other end another one came around the corner so that left me with no choice but to go up.  So I climbed the shelves with the cake mixes and hopped around on top of the icing until Randy could use his handy dandy pistol with the silencer to take them out. I glared at him when he started to laugh but finally accepted his help down.

    
"I'd shoot 'em myself, if I didn't need my hands to shop.  Just one smile and I'll wring your neck."  He pulled me in for a hug which I grudgingly accepted then went to stand guard at the end of the isle.  Mason sent me some love and if I didn't know better, I'd swear it was laced with laughter.  I blew a raspberry in his general direction, noticed the brownie mixes on the floor and scooped them up.  I'm not one to miss out on a golden opportunity like that.

    
By afternoon we had the trailer nearly full.  I hadn't realize I'd gotten so much stuff,  then I realized the guys had been doing some shopping on their own.  Howard, Samantha and Mason had hit the sporting goods store at the end of the mall.  I wasn't sure what all they'd gotten but, please, it's a sporting goods store for Pete's sake.

    
My butt was dragging, we had some great stuff and the lists were lying crumpled in a wad on the floors.  It had been a good day and I was ready to go home.  If you look at the last two months, I'd been shot at and hit, shot at and missed and attacked by two walkers.  But life just keeps going on.  Like that battery bunny, I take a licking and keep on ticking.  OK, cheesy I know, but hey, it works.

    
The trip back wasn't nearly as thrilling as the trip in but I was a happy camper.  I wanted to soak in one of the many hot springs pools, eat a stuffing dinner and make love to my man.  At that thought I glanced over at him and he gave me a quick wink and a grin as he made the turn onto the gravel road leading home.  I didn't read his mind but I didn't need to, that look means the same thing even if it hadn't been spoken aloud.

    
We arrived to a crowd.  Our group keeps getting bigger but at least we hadn't found any more kids this trip.  That little problem keeps nagging at me but I hadn't come up with an iota of an idea yet.  They were gonna have a blast going through that trailer and I would just sit back and watch.  In my rocker, on the porch, with a glass of tea.  I'd picked up another case of tea bags so I was looking forward to a hot cup.  I smelled venison cooking and bread that probably just came out of the oven. 

    
Someone grabbed my hand and I let out a screech.  Joe came over real quick and looked at it.  He started to say something but the look on my face stopped him.  "Why don't you find a hot pool of water and soak for awhile.  Sarah will call when supper's ready."  Smart man, and sweet.

    
I grabbed a suit, and left everyone to it while I strolled to my favorite hot spot.  I found Lacy already there and when she saw me she smiled.  "I knew you were coming."  I laughed  and started stripping.  "Wouldn't have anything to do with your being telepathic would it?"

    
"Can't see why.  You're a hell of a sender."

    
"Really?  I did not know that."

    
"Well, you do now.  Jump in and tell me what you brought me."

    
I laughed at that.  I could remember when I left for Montana years ago, every time I came to visit Lacy she always asked me what I brought her.   Maturity doesn't seem to temper that particular habit.  "You'll have to dig around and find out for yourself."

    
"Wow, that's a nice bruise bracelet ya got there.  Run into some walkers or is Mason getting kinky lately."

    
"Don't answer that JD, she doesn't need any more ideas."  Randy said, from behind me.

    
"Whoa, too much information here.  I'm the sister don't forget."

    
"Hey baby, how was your trip?"  Lacy had completely lost interest in me and was eying Randy with hungry eyes.  I'd be doing the same thing to Mason if we'd been apart all day so I kept my opinions to myself.

    
"I thought you'd be out there fighting for the digging rights to the trailer by now.  Surprised me you weren't so I had to come looking for you."  He squatted  down to get closer to her and when she reached up to kiss him she grabbed him by the shirt collar and pulled him in.  When he came up spitting and sputtering I thought he'd be angry but he laughed and proceeded to make love to her.  In front of me.

    
"Get out of here and find a room."  I managed with a bright red face.  They kidded and splashed but finally left me alone to relax.  I settled back to relax and was alone for awhile until I had the feeling I was being watched.  I opened my eyes to Mikey, staring at my wrist.  "What's up dude?"  I asked sleepily. 

    
"Walker do that?"  He asked, pointing to my hand.

    
"Yeah, no big deal."

    
"Did it bite ya?"

    
"Nope, but it was close.   Want to join me?"

    
"Naw, Sarah said we couldn't go into the pools unless we had swimming trunks and I don't."

    
"Well, then, I reckon you haven't looked through the trailer yet.  I could have sworn I found you a pair of blue ones."  His face lit up, then he took off at a run.

    
I got another five minutes before Mason walked up, and started taking his clothes off.  I really enjoyed that show until he got into the pool with me.  Then he sat across from me his arms on the rim of the pool just looking at me.  I felt his foot settle down in between my thighs so I squinted my eyes at him.  He ignored me and his foot remained still so I ignored it for the time being.  Sometimes we did that...just looked our fill.  Then he put his head back, closed his eyes and sighed.  I smiled and lay my head back and we proceeded to play through each other minds for the next half hour.

    
So relaxed we almost couldn't get out of the pools, we laughed and tried to help each other on our wobbly legs.  The warm water had relaxed our muscles to the point of them not wanting to work.  Trying to hold each other up we slowly made our way back to the cabin for supper.  We walked to the camper to change clothes and got sidetracked for about an hour then showered quickly, dressed and ran to the cabin for supper.

    
Everyone tried not to look at us when we barreled inside the dining room.  Still laughing like two red faced teenagers, we served ourselves and sat down to eat.  I looked for Mikey and asked if he found his trunks.  He smiled real big and held them up.  "I ain't letting them out of my sight so I can go swimming after supper."

    
"Not for an hour after supper."  Sarah said, "You have to run off your supper first or you'll get cramps."

    
"Yes ma'am,"  He mumbled but kept shoveling the food in.

    
"We're still digging through the trailer but it looks like you got a lot of the things we needed.  I'm glad you thought to get all sizes of clothes for the kids, they grow so fast.  Thanks for the bolts of material,  I can start sewing tomorrow."  Sarah said, as she cleared away her plate.

    
"You find a sewing machine?"

    
"Yeah, one of the houses up the valley had a treadle machine in pretty good condition so she can start sewing."  Duke said smiling at Sarah.  She smiled back. AH.

    
The new shoes came in handy too.  We are going through them since you got so many and picking out the ones that are more useful now.  I see you have a new pair on."

    
"Yeah, I left the old ones at  the store.  Maybe we ought to think about burning the old clothes and shoes in the old ravine to get rid of them.  We could burn the garbage there killing several birds with one stone."  Everyone knew what 'birds' I was talking about cause they all nodded at the same time.

    
"Where's Bruce?"  Mason asked, patting me on the leg.

    
"He's been watching from the ridge where Nancy was shooting at us.  He was down for a bit, but thought it was such a great place he'd make it his own when you guys went to town.  He'll be down any minute."

    
Sure enough, Bruce came walking in the door a few minutes later.  He seemed ok with Nancy being gone.  Maybe there wasn't much there after all.  He smiled at everyone and got some food, then sat at our table.

    
"Before anyone says anything, I'm fine with Nancy being gone."  We all looked at each other then back at him.  He laughed.  "You think I'm reading your minds or something.  It's just the looks on your faces.  Did you pick me up something?"