walkers the survivors (14 page)

    
We laughed at that.  He'd been the only one who hadn't asked that question. After supper, the kids ran their butts off so they could go swimming.  Melody and Clint walked them down to one of the shallow pools and let them tire themselves out, then when they got back they modeled their new pj's for us.  Mikey loved his G.I. Joe pj's because he hugged me and told me so.  Mason laughed and shook his head.  "I think I've got  some competition. I'll have to watch him a little closer."

    
"Yep, he-man, you better watch out.  I like my men young."  His eyes got all dark again and the next thing I knew, we were saying our good nights and heading to bed.  I never knew shopping made men lovable, or I'd have to taken him shopping more often.  Before I went to sleep, I felt him kiss my bruised wrist and I knew what it was that made him lovable...the thought of losing me.  I curled up with him spooning me from behind and went right to sleep.

    
The morning found us hunting down jackets, blankets and long sleeved anythings.  I didn't think it had settled into being cold,  it was just one of those days.  I grabbed the list and wrote down, jackets and sweaters.  It was mid October so I guess it was feasible it'd be cold but I hoped it didn't last too long.  I just wasn't thinking about it being cold when I was sweating my butt off shopping yesterday.  My bad.

    
Mason kissed me bye before he left to hunting with with Bruce, Clint and Randy to go hunting.  I'd picked up some boxed meals but we still needed to fill the freezers with meat.  So the guys planned to go hunting everyday for a while.  We'd plan another trip to town in a couple of weeks but for now it was the same old stuff, different day.

    
Bobby offered to take us up to the caves to look around.  I'd heard a lot about the caves and thought now was as good as time as  any. The Pueblo people lived here and built their homes inside the six caves that ran along the river.  The sign at the entrance to the canyon said this happened over 700 years ago.  There were stairs and steps carved into the rock and you could see down the canyon for miles.

    
The cold of the morning had burned off from the hot sun and the temps settled down to around 75 degrees making the day a nice one. Birds danced on the wind currents and clouds drifted in the light blue sky.  The silence was broken with the sound of two gunshots in the distance and I hoped we would have elk for supper.  Next month was Thanksgiving so we'd need at least three big turkeys to feed our rapidly growing family.

    
When we got back to the cabin, Duke was talking to Randy in Montana.  He covered the phone for a second to say "He found us a home."  Then continued to talk.  I walked around the counter and started to fix us some hot chocolate.  I'd promised the kids on the way back from the caves, so I set the big pot on the stove and poured the powered milk into the water.  When it got hot, I poured several cups of non dairy creamer in to make it more creamy, then got the mugs down while all the time I was relaying what was being said to Mason.  Him and the guys were coming back from their hunting trip.

    
I had mugs of hot chocolate ready when the guys arrived and Duke finally got off the phone.  He waited till we sat down before he announced our new home would be Chico Hot springs.  We started laughing and was still laughing when the great hunters appeared.  They'd gotten several turkeys, pheasants and two deer.  The deer here were smaller than they were in Montana but I have no idea why.

    
The rest of the day was spent processing the meat and getting some of it cooked for supper. Later, as we sat on the porch in the near darkness, we saw a fireball streaming across the sky.  We all stood and stared in awe until it exploded as it went behind a tall cliff.  Duke came out to tell us another satellite bit the dust.  He said it was a communications satellite, probably TV  because we still had the sat phone and internet.  I guess it won't be much longer before they all fell out of the sky then we'd be without communications and computers would be nearly useless.  I wasn't looking forward to that.  I'd gotten used to looking something up if I needed to. When I mentioned it to Duke the next day he said he would just 'download' the internet onto disks.  I thought that might mean a hell of a lot of disks so I asked how many he would need. The little smartass replied 'all of them'.

    
We got quiet after that, each lost in their own thoughts.  The noise of giving children baths and getting them ready for bed was just background noise to our thoughts.  After a whirlwind round of  goodnight kisses, the kids went to bed and it really got quiet.  We said our good nights and quietly walked back to the camper.  We stopped and gazed at the sky full of a zillion stars before we went to bed. 

             
                                                        CHAPTER 14

     We were in the dormant stage and by that I mean it had been quiet for several weeks
.
Even the last two trips into town hadn't resulted in any, shootings, kidnappings or bites.  We'd killed our share of walkers but that was about it for excitement.  We were now getting ready for Halloween and if anyone dressed up as a zombie they would die.  No question.

    
We planned to go to our cabins, campers and rooms at dark and wait for the kids to show up dressed in their costumes.  We would then ooh and aah, drop a candy bar in the bag and they would troop to the next sucker.  The last trip to town netted a case of candy bars and we would give each child one, and I mean only one, piece to each kid.  They would be counted after the kids went to bed to be sure.  A sugar high is not a pretty sight with so many kids. 

    
The nights in October were getting in the 20's, but the high 60's during the day.  I  know in Montana is was probably snowing and in the teens at night so we were ok, so far.  The heating system Duke set up with the pipes running through each camper was keeping it nice inside but there have been times when we had to open the windows.  So I wasn't too concerned about it getting really cold.

    
November 1st found a couple tummy aches and arguments but other wise it was quiet enough.  There were some holidays we wanted to keep and this was one.  Thanksgiving was another and the guys were out today hunting turkeys.  They'd taken a net and wanted to catch some live ones which was something I really wanted to watch, but they were adamant that no women or children could come along.  I know these guys hate to be laughed at so I was disappointed.  It would've made an amusing show.

    
So we stood on the porch and watched them disappear around the bend then turned to each other, shrugged our shoulders opting to go back inside and have another cup of coffee.  "I guess we need to figure out how to make a pen to put all those turkeys in when they return."  I said, leaning back against the chair.  "Anyone have any ideas on how to make a pen?"

    
They looked at each other then at me.  "Lets ask Duke, he can look it up on the internet."  Sarah said.

    
"We need to hit the local library for some survival books.  We lost all ours in the lodge." 

    
"Yeah, we can't depend on the internet forever.  Those satellites won't stay up there indefinitely.  Someone better write that down on the list.  I'll check and see if the local library has a online catalog so we can write down the call numbers of all the books we need."

    
"Well, if we find some thin reeds or willows we can weave them together for the roof.  Those things fly don't they?  So we need something to keep them from flying out."

    
"The Wilson's down the road had a pen built for his nanny goats.  Would that work?"  Kevin said.  He seemed to have gotten over pa dying after he worked so hard to drag him five miles.  Of course, the fact that the man had been abusing him and his little sister for years might have a lot to do with.  "I'll show you where if you want."

    
"I think that's a great idea, Kevin.  Thank you.  We'll leave after lunch."

    
"Do you think that's enough time?"  Asked Melody.

    
"Well, if they wanted to pen some live turkeys they should have built the damned thing before they left, so if they get back with live turkeys they can just stay in the truck under the topper all night.  I think though, we could at the very least, get the stuff together so it would be easier for them.  Capturing wild turkeys might wear them down a bit."  That brought about several jokes and a lot of laughter.

    
So after lunch we headed to the Wilsons. Sure enough the pen the nanny goats (whose dead carcasses littered the area) would be perfect for the turkeys and we could make the roof.  So we started looking for tools to take down the wires and dig up the posts.  Kevin pointed to a pile of posts stacked behind the shed so that helped immensely.  We started to stack them in the bed of the truck. 

    
But you know me, right, I couldn't help wondering about what was in that shed.  I used the hammer to pound off the lock and  when I opened the door the walkers inside turned as one to look at me.

    
Oh, shit. 

    
I tried to slam the door but with the lock broke (thanks to me), it wouldn't close against three walkers anxious to get me.  They were trying to stick their hands out of the door to reach me while pushing against it at the same time.  The smell was unbelievable.  I was gagging and pushing back when Lacy and George pitted their strength with mine.  We pushed  the door closed, cutting off several fingers in the process.  The walkers not ours.  Now what? 

    
I saw a metal fence post in the stack of wooden ones and yelled at Kevin to get it for me.  I thought he was too scared to move at first cause all he could do was stare then he ran to get it.  He propped it up against the door,  then we found several planks to nail over the door to keep them in till the guys got home.  Oh, I know what you're thinking.  Why didn't we just kill them and get it over with?  Well, when you scared, you do what you can and then think about it later. 

    
We thought that later, when the guys got home they could come back and kill the damned things. I knew I was not about to open that door again just so I could kill them.  The deed was done.  We stood huffing and puffing from the exertion and then started laughing.  Kevin just shook his head and went back to stacking wooden fence posts in the truck.  George went into the house and came back out with a can of yellow spray paint and painted the number 3 on the door.  The guys shouldn't miss it, right?  We'll see.

    
A dirtier bunch of people you've never seen pulled around back of the cabin to unload the truck.  Sarah supervised just to keep the little ones out of the way, while Joe helped us so it didn't take long.  We rested with tall glasses of iced tea, cooling off quickly in the shadow of the cliffs.  Finally we headed to the hot springs to warm up tired muscles and was found lounging there by the guys when they returned.

    
I'd heard the truck drive up so I set the glass that was half full of dish washing soap in the springs with us.  By the time they got close enough to see us in the water, soap suds hid all the important parts.

    
"So, I see you ladies (me, Lacy, George, Sam and Sandy) have been enjoying yourselves while us he-men have been working our tails off to bring home the turkey."  Riley made the mistake of saying.  I kept my mind quietly blank as Mason stared at me, narrowing his eyes when he couldn't find anything.

    
"What have you been up to?"  He asked.

    
"Yeah, Lacy what have you been doing?" Randy asked, squatting near the edge of the pool opposite her and far from her reach.

    
"George, what's going on?"  Riley asked, the only one of them that couldn't read minds.

    
"We've..."  George began.

    
"Nothing," I said quickly.  "We've been enjoying ourselves just as you see.  Haven't we ladies?"  They looked confused but went along with it.  We all grinned really big.

    
"Oh yeah," I said, "we picked up the materials you'll need to make the turkey pen.  They're behind the cabin."

    
"What materials."

    
"Materials."

    
"What is she talking about?"

    
"Yeah, JD, just what the hell are you talking about?"

    
"Well, dear heart, we couldn't for the life of us figure out where you were going to put those poor, tired turkeys when you came back so we decided to make a pen for them.  Of course just finding the materials took most of the day, but we managed to get a truck load of wooden posts and wire, stacked them behind the cabin so when you got back you could just build a pen."

    
"And, brat, just where did you find this massive amount of materials, as you put it."  He was getting worked up.  He is so cute when he gets worked up.

    
"At the Wilsons.  Kevin showed us.  Wasn't that the sweetest thing?  So he-man turkey wranglers, how many turkeys did you bring back?"

    
The guys looked at each and with no other words they turned red faced and walked back to the cabin.  That probably meant they didn't get any and didn't want to talk about it.  The sound of running feet got our attention but it was Bobby telling us 'you have a half an hour before supper was ready' or she was feeding it to the men.  Yea, right.

    
George sighed, "And I had my heart set on a turkey leg."

    
"Yeah,"  Sam said, "with dressing and everything to go with it.  Can't depend on anything anymore."  We were laughing as we climbed out of one spring and wallowed in the next one to remove the bubbles.  Then we dressed and walked back to the cabin, laughing and talking like we weren't going to catch hell when Kevin gave the men an accounting of our day.  They can't leave us alone for five minutes.  Yeah, we know.

    
Mason managed to sit through supper, and the funny telling by Kevin of the shed-full (honest there were just three) of walkers.  He refused to look at me but the other guys were glaring at their women.  I touched his mind but it was thankfully blank.  When he turned at the end of Kevin's performance to say something, I interrupted, "Before you guys get all excited and bent out of shape let me just say this.  If you aren't going to take us with you and teach us about staying safe and defending ourselves then you can't say a damned thing about what we do while you're gone.  We aren't going to sit home and knit you scarves or mind the chilli'.  So yell at me if you feel so inclined, but Mason you will be yelling at my back."  With that, I headed for the door but his next words stopped me.

    
"I don't know about the other guys but I'm so proud of you I can't find the words.  I just love you so damned much that I can't stand the idea of losing you or your getting hurt.  You could've been hurt..." He put his hand over my mouth because I'd opened it again..."but you used your head and managed.  That has a tendency to notch my pride a bit, since I wasn't here to save you, but it's something I can get over.  We'll try to include you if you want to go, in the future, I promise."

    
I looked at the other girls then back at Mason.  "I didn't plan what happened today and I'm sorry you were worried but if in the future you could simply ask me if I'd like to go then I probably would try a bit harder to be more careful."

    
"A bit harder?"

    
"I can't promise any more than that."  He got that dark look in his eyes again.  The one that melts my insides and makes other things tighten up.  I don't know what anyone else was thinking or doing at that moment because my world was filled with Mason. 

    
Someone cleared their throat and Mason and I jumped a foot.  "If you two plan to have a 'private' discussion then I would suggest you leave our presence."  Sarah said.  "If not, then I have apple pie with whipped cream for dessert."

    
We opted out of dessert that night.  Mostly because Mason picked me up and threw me over his shoulder and carried me to the camper.  I saw the startled looks on the children's faces so I smiled real big and winked at them.  Everyone was laughing as Mason strolled quickly away.

    
Later, as I waited for my heart to calm down with Masons leg thrown over mine and his hand cupping a breast, I marveled at this man in my life.  When I thought about us meeting in that pet store in Texas and the way he danced around after coming face to face with a walker, I stifled a laugh.

    
"What's so funny, brat?" he said, as he nuzzled my neck.  That soft spot just below the ear lobe that sent quivers sliding down my back.

    
"I was just thinking about Texas and the day we met."  If I was a cat, I'd be purring about now. As it was I was squirming.  "The way...oh yeah right there...the way you danced...hmm."

    
Waking late the next morning I had to gently pry Masons hand from my breast so I could creep into the shower.  It was nice feeling all the tender spots and knowing how they got there.  When I came out rubbing my hair with the towel I saw Mason on his side with his head propped up on this hand watching me, naked.  Very, very naked.  He smiled and winked and I was done.

    
An hour later, we walked back to the cabin, the smell of coffee and fresh cinnamon rolls dragging us from bed.  I don't know what got into us and really didn't care.  It was fun to be cared about and I didn't care who noticed. 

    
As we entered the front door, Lacy was running out the back door with her hand over her mouth.  We all stared, then I ran out the back door just in time to catch her throwing up in the weeds.  Crap!  She held her hand up to silence me while she continued to wretch in the bushes giving me time to wet a rag and hand it to her when she finished.