Z14 (Zombie Rules) (47 page)

“Alright Joe, I’ve got a cleaning kit. Let’s see if we can get your shotgun cleaned up a little bit.” Fred showed Joe how to disassemble the shotgun and they began wiping the pieces down.

“Where do you live,
Joe?” Fred asked, as he watched Joe wipe the breech face with a scrap of rag and some cleaning solvent.

“Here and there.
I have some cars I sleep in, depending which part of the city I’m in.”

“I take it your family is dead?” Fred asked. Joe nodded. “What about friends, you got any friends around here?”

“A couple. We see each other every once in a while. Are all your family dead too?”

“Yes they are.”

“What about friends?” Joe asked. “Do you have any friends?”

Fred looked at Joe and thought about Sarah before he thought about everyone back home. “Yeah, I have some friends back home. That’s where I’m going. Let me see how good of a job you’ve done.” Joe handed the shotgun to him. Fred looked at it. It was still dirty, but significantly cleaner than it was. Fred dug the shotgun shell out of his pocket and handed both items back to Joe.

“Good job buddy. If I had any shells, I’d give them to you, but I don’t have any in this particular gauge.”

“What kind of guns are those?” Joe asked, pointing at Fred’s pistols.

Fred gave him a small grin. “They’re Ruger forty-fours. They’re tough, reliable guns and I’ve had some custom work done to them.”

“Why’d you do that?” Joe asked.

Fred chuckled. “You sure are full of questions.” He looked at the bridge in the near distance. “I’ve got to get across on the other side of that bridge Joe. I’m going to take a few of those MREs and bottles of water with me, and you can have the rest, okay?”

“Fred?”

“Yes, Joe?”

“Can I go with you?”

             
“Are you sure?” Julie asked me, for maybe the fourth or fifth time. “Kelly’s going to be disappointed.” She drew out the word ‘disappointed.’ Andie grinned.

             
“Very tempting, but no. Now stop asking.” I said. They were all going over to the radio station. I had tried to get along with Wanda, but to be honest; I couldn’t stand the sight of her. She was derogatory, opinionated, ignorant, and an all-around unpleasant person to be within a hundred yards of. And the women, they’d sit around and talk about something they saw on Oprah two years ago. I’d rather muck the horse stall, which was exactly what I was going to do. I said as much to Julie.

             
“Oh, yeah, that sounds like fun. Take Prancer some oats.” She hugged me and gave me a kiss. “I’ll see you later, I guess.” She leaned in and whispered in my ear. “If you’re going to be playing around in horse shit, take a bath before bed. I’ll make it worth your while.” She then nibbled my ear.

              I worked on the usual stuff, mucked out Prancer’s stall, and then concentrated on reloading some bullets for the sniper rifles. I reloaded the remaining cartridges I had left. Fortunately, Terry and I had found a box in one of the houses we searched, so that added twenty more bullets to the inventory.

I stopped long enough to eat some jerky for lunch and walked around the barn. I looked at the old house and secretly wished we still lived there. Prancer
walked up and nuzzled me while I was reminiscing.

             
“What are you doing girl?” I said as I rubbed her on the neck. “You need some attention?” She nudged me again and snorted. I looked around. “How about we go for a ride?” I asked her. To my surprise, she responded with a short nicker. She followed me to her stall and stood patiently while I put the bit in her mouth. Getting a blanket and saddle on her, I shoved a rifle in the scabbard and mounted up.

             
I let Prancer have her head as she took off at a gallop down the field. I guess she liked the new shoes Bo had put on her. She continued running, and I guided her in a circle, eventually running toward The Parson house. She seemed to know where I was guiding her and I held the reins loosely.

             
When we reached the house, I slowed her down and had her slowly walk around it. Everything looked good, but all it did was make me think about Howard’s death. While I was beating myself up mentally, Prancer continued walking. I didn’t attempt to guide her. Of her own accord, she had made her way to the road and was heading toward Fred’s.

             
“You want to go to your old home, girl? Is that where we’re going?” Prancer flicked an ear at me. “Yeah, sure, let’s go look it over. It’s another thing to add to my list of regrets.”

             
Prancer walked in a slow, easy gait. It was comforting. I could see why Fred and Julie liked to ride. I was lost in my own thoughts as I watched for hostiles. I started using the term to include zombies and predatory animals, both the four-legged and the two-legged kind.

We came upon a red ribbon tied to a tree limb. It was where we had placed a trap. As I neared it, I saw a dead dog trapped in it. It may have been a friendly pet at one time, but no more. I made a mental note to take care of it later. Prancer kept walking and I kept thinking.

We rounded a curve in the road. This is where Fred’s house would have come into view. That is, if it hadn’t been burned to the ground. Prancer suddenly whinnied and started trotting. I looked quickly around, thinking she had caught a scent of something. And then, I saw it. A black Volvo semi-truck, parked in the driveway where Fred’s house once stood. There was a man and a boy standing beside it. Prancer was in a full gallop now. They were too far away for me to get a good facial recognition, but I did not doubt Prancer’s eyesight. The tall man was Fred.

Prancer leapt
over the fence, which almost caused me to fall off, and came to a sliding stop inches from Fred. She was breathing hard and blowing froth, but Fred did not seem to mind.

“Hello pretty girl, did you miss me?” He said while scratching her behind the ears.
The first thing out of my mouth should have been something like, hi Fred, it’s so good to see you. But no, I spoke before thinking.

“We thought you were dead!”
I shouted in wonder. Fred looked at me and grinned. I stared at him with my mouth hanging open a moment, and then looked at the kid standing beside him.

“Hi.” He said timidly.
“I’m Joe.”

“Hi Joe, I’m Zach.” I said and dismounted. Prancer broke away, ran around the truck, and then almost knocked Fred down as she ran up and nuzzled him. I shook Fred’s hand, and then hugged him. I felt tears in my eyes, but held them back.

“Did you make it to LA?” I asked. Fred nodded. “And your daughter?” I asked tentatively. Fred shook his head.

“We have a lot to tell each other, but for now I just want to know what happened to my house.”
He said.

I briefly told him the story.

“How are the girls?” Fred asked.

He saw my face darken. “One of them killed Macie. That was before they burned your house down. Julie and I took care of them.
It’s a long story and I know Julie will want to be there when I retell it.” I hugged him again. “Damn it’s good to see you!” Prancer agreed. She took Fred’s hat and began gleefully running around with it clinched between her teeth.

I got the generator going and the two of them took turns in the shower. From looking at the kid’s face, I was guessing he had not had a hot shower in quite a long time. I cooked up steaks, eggs, and a strong pot of coffee. Fred came out with a fresh set of clothes and looked at the meal.

“Do you know how to cook anything besides steak and eggs?” He asked.

“Nope.” I said, grinning.

“I’
m glad. I haven’t had one of these meals since I left. Where’s the honey?” He asked. He found it sitting on the kitchen counter before I answered, sat down and waited on Joe. I poured us a cup of coffee while we waited.

“Where’d you find the kid?” I asked.

Fred chuckled. “He actually found me, in West Memphis. He doesn’t have any family, so I brought him along.” I nodded.

“There’s so much to tell you, but I better wait. In the meantime, we’ll get you two set up here.” Joe came wandering in,
freshly showered, but wearing the same dirty clothes. He looked around and I think his mouth started watering when he saw the juicy steak.

“Hey Joe
, before we eat, I think I can find some clean clothes for you. Hang on.” I went into Andie’s bedroom and grabbed some clothing. She wore boy’s clothes, and even though she was bigger than Joe, she was the closest one in size. The pants were a little long for him, but after Fred rolled the pants legs up a few inches, they were fine.

“Alright guys, dig in for Christ’s sake.” Fred ate his meal with the control of a man attuned to self-discipline. Joe devoured his meal and asked for seconds. I
refilled his plate and heard the truck driving up.

“
It sounds like they’re home.” I said with a grin. “Julie is going to be beside herself. Oh, and by the way, we’ve picked up a couple of people. I’ll introduce you to them. One of them you’ll recognize.”

Julie
was the first person through the door. “I hope you didn’t dirty up the kitchen!” She said as she walked in. She saw Fred, stopped in her tracks, and held her hands to her face. Rowdy bumped into her as he walked in, which caused him to belch. Julie ran over and threw her hands around Fred.

“Oh my God, we thought you were dead!” She wailed between sobs. Fred wrapped his arms around her and for the first time since I had known him, I saw tears falling down his cheeks.

I introduced Fred and Joe to everyone. We sat up well into the night talking to each other and telling our stories. I had to shut down the generator, but I fired up a couple of lanterns so we could
continue seeing each other while we talked. Joe stayed quiet the entire time and fell asleep somewhere in the middle of all of it. Rowdy unrolled a sleeping bag and gently placed him in it. Finally, even I was yawning.

“Let’s go to bed.” Fred said. “We’ve got all day tomorrow to talk.” I agreed and got some blanket
s. Fred fixed himself a bed on the couch. Rowdy had started sleeping in his bus again and did so tonight. Terry rolled out his own sleeping bag and was out within seconds. Julie and I were about to head to our bedroom when Fred stopped us.

“I want you two to know, I’ve missed y’all
, and I’m sorry I left.”

Julie
reached out and hugged him again. “But you’re back now. That’s all that matters.”

             
For the first time in a long time, Julie was up before me. I awoke to something I hadn’t smelled in a while, the aroma of frying bacon. I hurriedly cleaned up and went to the kitchen. Fred was sitting at the table drinking coffee, listening to Julie talk while she cooked.

             
“Where did the bacon come from?” I asked, as I walked up and kissed Julie.

             
“Bo had butchered a hog. I traded him some canned vegetables.” She directed me to a chair with a spatula and fixed me a mug of coffee.

             
“Who is Bo?” Fred asked.

             
“Bo McClendon, he said you two know each other.” I said. Enlightenment dawned on Fred’s face.

             
“Bo is alive? Well, how about that.” Fred said, with the same excitement as watching cars rust. I looked at Julie and grinned. Same old Fred.

             
“I believe I’d like to go see him sometime today.” He added.

             
“Sure, but I hope you know where he lives. We’ve never been to his house.” I said.

             
“I do.” Fred responded. “He and I go way back.”

             
Everyone else started waking up then, and soon we had a table full of people. Rowdy was full of himself this morning and had everyone laughing at his antics. I caught a glance from Julie. She was probably thinking what I was thinking - a man in such a good mood had to be getting laid.

             
“What are you and Joe going to do today?” Julie asked.

             
“I’d like to go see Bo, and then, I’d like to hang out with y’all for a spell. Now keep in mind, Prancer may demand I take her for a ride.” I smiled. It was good having him back home.

              I figured Bo might be at the horse farm, so we headed there first. Andie and Terry followed in their jeep.

             
“Let’s stop at the radio station and introduce Bo to the Birmingham girls.” Julie said.

             
“Sure, but why don’t you tell Fred about them so he’ll know what to expect.” I replied.

             
“Do you mean should I let him know Wanda is a bitch?” Julie said and then suddenly gasped. I glanced over at her and looked around. “We forgot to tell Fred something very important.”