They stood there, awkwardly staring at each other. I don’t know what I expected, maybe some tears and hugs or something. After all, they had not seen each other in quite a while.
“Well, I’m sure the three of you have a lot to talk about. We’ll give you some privacy,” I walked back to the table with Kelly and Joe, where there was an animated conversation going on.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
One of the women, a grungy looking brunette who called herself Penny, spoke up. “I know this area,” she said, “there is a beautiful horse farm right here,” she pointed at the intersection of Franklin Pike and Concord Road. She then pointed at Bo. I noticed her fingernails were practically black with grime. “He said we can’t move there.”
I shrugged. “Bo’s living there. I don’t think he wants any roommates.”
“Why, that’s ridiculous. The house is a huge mansion and there are multiple barns. All of us could live there easily,” she looked around, trying to get us on her side. I glanced at Bo, who was obviously starting to get angry.
“Ma’am,” Fred said, “perhaps, one day Bo will change his mind, but not today. He says you’re not going to live there, pick somewhere else.”
She looked at the two men in disbelief for a moment before staring back down at the map. Suddenly, she stabbed a finger at the other side of the intersection. “Who’s living here?” she asked.
I looked at the map and then at Bo. Across the street from the horse farm was another older, stately mansion. Nobody was living there. He shrugged.
“That place has a couple of barns and plenty of acreage. I don’t give a shit if they move in there, as long as they leave my horses alone.”
She looked back at Bo, wide-eyed. “You have horses? I love horses!”
Frederick didn’t even budge when we moved him from the truck to his bed. The day’s activities had worn him out. Julie changed his diaper before tucking him in and then she crawled in bed with me.
“How’d it go with your mother?” I asked after she had gotten under the blankets and snuggled up beside me.
“It was uncomfortable, but at least she didn’t call me any disparaging names.” Julie sighed and started rubbing my arm, which I had draped around her. “She asked about Frederick and why I didn’t name him after my dad.”
I chortled. “I can only imagine how you responded.”
“I’ll have you know I was very civilized. So, then she did the superficial caring mother routine. She asked how I had been, how Tommy was doing. It took about three or four minutes on that routine and then she spent the rest of the time asking about our set up.”
“It figures,” I quipped.
“When I wouldn’t answer, she got a little peeved, but didn’t say anything. Then, she asked if she could come live with us,” she was silent for a moment. “I told her I’d think about it.”
I was silent. The last thing in the world I wanted was that bitch to live with us. Julie had fallen asleep while I was thinking about the ramifications.
February was butt-cold! We had a foot of snow fall on the 1
st
, and about a week later it snowed another six inches. It stayed on the ground throughout most of the month, so travel has been very limited. Zach had found some ski equipment and we took turns practicing our skills at cross country skiing. It was fun, until Julie twisted an ankle. She said it had never completely healed since the last time she twisted it. Most of the time the weather was so miserable we stayed cooped up in the house. Zach declared February ammo month, and so we spent many hours reloading ammunition.
Here is a summary of our situation –
Food: Our food supplies are still good, but limited in variety. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m very grateful for the chopped steak and mashed potatoes I ate for dinner last night, but good Lord, I miss the things we used to take for granted, like pizza, burritos, strawberry milkshakes, candy bars, gummy bears, all the stuff that made life enjoyable.
Livestock: we’ve added more donkeys to our population, but even so, we’ve lost a few cows to predators. We’ve doubled up on traps, which helped, but I feel sad when we trap a coyote or a feral dog. They look so helpless when we find them. Our chicken population has grown, which is good because those idiots on Concord Road keep letting theirs die. I asked Zach about Bo’s horses and hogs. He said not to worry, Bo dotes on the horses like they’re his own children and hogs can live through anything. I also worry about the bees, but I guess they’ll be okay.
People: late in January, we had some new arrivals. They are some of the same people we encountered back when we raided the police evidence building. There are ten of them, six men and four women. One of those women is Julie’s mother. Julie told me all about her, and it sounds like she is a total bitch. They were having a very hard time surviving on their own and decided to move closer to us. I think we should have made them leave, but everyone else agreed to let them live nearby. They ended up moving into a house on the corner of Franklin Pike and Concord road. It’s about six or seven miles from our house, but not far enough away for my comfort. We only had limited contact with them before the big snowstorm hit. So, for most of the month, we’ve only been communicating with Mac and the rest of them through the radio. They seem to be doing okay.
Mac said there have been no new arrivals, which is not surprising. I don’t think anybody can travel on the roads until it starts to warm up and everything thaws out.
We’ve been doing okay, mostly. Little Frederick was sick for a few days with the colic or something, but he’s better now and he’s learning how to crawl. I know childhood illnesses are a major source of worry for everyone.
Julie is pregnant again. She thinks she conceived the first of January. Nobody else is pregnant that I know of, but not for lack of Terry and Rowdy trying their best to sow their wild oats.
Zombies: I’ve not seen any around, probably due to the freezing weather. However, Zach went out skiing one day and said he saw a few that were frozen. He didn’t say anything else about them, but he immediately went to the barn and spent a few minutes sharpening his machete. That is his preferred method of killing them so as to save ammo. Nobody else cares to get that close to them. We’ve had a lot of discussions about them lately. Zach is convinced the ones who are still alive are going to become predators that will be able to think and stalk their prey. It’s a scary thought and it reaffirms our belief that we need to kill as many as possible.
Hopefully, it’s going to warm up soon. I’m tired of the cold and the snow – Andie.
I sat on the edge of the bed, holding Frederick, watching Julie sleep. It was still dark in the room, a little after five in the morning, so I could only see the outline of her form. I didn’t need anything else though. I had memorized every line, curve, and freckle long ago. She was breathing deeply, as was Frederick. It was peaceful.
I don’t know how long I sat there, watching her. She eventually turned in her sleep and reached out to where I would have been lying beside her. When her hand didn’t find me, she stirred and wakened.
“What’s wrong?” she asked when she saw me.
“Not a thing, sweetheart.”
“Nothing?” she asked again, sitting up.
“Our son insisted on seeing his beautiful mommy on her birthday,” I said quietly. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and scooted over beside us.
“I hope March isn’t going to be as cold as February was,” she said with a yawn. I put my arm around her and gently caressed her. I think she would have fallen back asleep, but Frederick, who was awake now, had other ideas and started in with loud baby talk.
“Somebody’s hungry,” she said.
“I’ll take care of it. You go back to sleep if you want to,” I left her with a kiss on the forehead. Twenty minutes later, I had Frederick fed and then burped him while I waited for the inevitable diaper change. I was certainly going to be glad when he was potty trained. Andie joined me while I was letting Curly outside.
“You’re up early,” I said.
“Terry and I are going to check on the beehives and wanted to get an early start.”
I looked at her with a grin. “Oh, yeah? Sounds like a fun date.”
She looked away and I thought I detected her blushing. “It’s not like that. We’re just friends.”
I nodded knowingly and looked at the morning sky. “Y’all should have a good day for it. I’m not feeling any dampness in the air. It’s going to be a beautiful March day I think.”
“What are you going to do today?” she asked.
“Whatever Julie wants to do,” I replied, and then whispered. “I’m going to talk her into going to Bo’s and we’ll spring her present on her.”
Andie smiled. “She’s going to shit her pants.”
I chuckled at her crassness, as we watched as a pair of headlights came into view. We immediately recognized Mac’s truck. Since everything had thawed out, she loved joining us for breakfast and little Frederick was fascinated by her. I stood and handed him off to Andie. “I’ll get some coffee ready.”
“This pretty girl is Isis,” Bo said, stroking the face of a dark brown quarter horse. She was currently in a stall with a blanket on her. She nickered at Bo and playfully nipped at his arm. “She’s fully trained, but she’s not as big as these Thoroughbreds around here and they tend to pick on her. So, Zach and I believe she needs a new home.”
“Happy birthday,” I said with a grin. “Oh, by the way, she’s pregnant too.”
Julie looked at us with wide eyes. “She’s beautiful. Thank you,” she grabbed me in a hug, and then hugged Bo as well, which embarrassed him.
Penny walked out from a nearby stall. “Oh good, one less horse I have to clean up after.”
Bo shrugged when we looked at him. “She wants to ride my horses, she’s gotta earn her keep.”
“So, what do I do with all of these horse turds?” Penny asked, pointing to a muck pile in the corner of the barn.
I grunted and looked around until I spotted a wheel barrow. “If you guys aren’t going to put it to use, I certainly will,” I moved the wheelbarrow over to the muck pile and grabbed a shovel.
Penny watched me curiously as I began shoveling. “What in the world are you going to use horse shit for?” she finally asked.
“I’m going to add them to the compost pile,” I paused for a second. “Say, Penny, have you guys tilled up any garden plots yet?”
“No, should we?” she asked and looked questioningly at Bo. He cleared his throat.
“I’ve got a couple of plots laid out, but Chet and his boys haven’t done much of anything.”
I nodded thoughtfully. Bo must have read my thoughts.
“They’re too smart for their own good, Zach,” he said. “I’ve tried giving them advice, but they ignore me. I avoid them now because all they do is piss and moan.”
I listened to him as I finished shoveling and closed the tailgate. “Are you coming to the dinner?” I asked. He nodded. “Penny and I are going to head over in a couple of hours. I’ll carry Isis to your barn and get her settled in if you’d like.”
“That’d be most appreciated. Maybe we’ll go pay Penny’s buddies a visit and see how they’re doing,”
“Can I ride with you guys?” Penny asked and looked at Bo. “I want to get a change of clothes.”
I shrugged and nodded.
“You two are certainly a curious couple,” Julie commented as we exited the gate to the horse farm. I grinned and glanced at Penny in the rearview mirror. Her mouth had dropped open.
“Is it obvious?” Penny asked.
Julie responded with a lighthearted laugh. “Bo has trimmed his beard and he was wearing a clean pair of overalls. I don’t think he did it to impress the horses.”
“Bo’s a good man,” she responded after a moment. “He’s stubborn as hell, but he’s okay. He said he’s not quite ready for me to move in with him though.”
“I assumed you were hooked up with someone from your group,” I commented.
Penny shook her head. “I was with a dude who called himself Mojo, but he was killed when the zombies attacked us,” she responded. “I’ve been solo since then.”
Julie looked back over her shoulder at Penny. “We’ve all lost loved ones, I’m sorry.”
Penny shook her head. “Oh, no, it wasn’t like that. I didn’t love him.”
I frowned and looked in the mirror again. Penny shrugged.
“When we first met, I was all alone and starving. Everyone I knew was either dead or had turned into one of those things. We met by chance. He offered me food in exchange for sex,” she grimaced. “Mojo was okay, but I didn’t love him. I mean, he protected me and was kind toward me, but good Lord, the man was gross. He didn’t bathe very often, and he didn’t seem to care too much for the use of toilet paper, if you know what I mean,” she saw Julie wrinkle her nose and snorted.
“I know, it sounds bad, but I was alone, completely alone, and I literally had not eaten in three days when he found me. I was starving and scared to death. When you get to that point, you’ll take whatever is offered.”
“I was at that point once. Zach was my knight in shining armor, and, I might add, he is very skilled in the proper use of toilet paper.”
Penny burst out laughing. “Well then, I’d say he’s a keeper.”
I had no desire to discuss my personal hygiene so I changed the subject. “So, which one is Janet sleeping with?” I asked.
Penny shook her head again. “She tried to get together with Chet, but he turned her down and I don’t think she’s interested in Johnny, he’s the only other one still single.”
Interesting, I thought, Chet was not interested in Janet. Maybe I underestimated him. We parked in front of the house and I looked around. Other than a couple of rain barrels attached to some downspouts, neither Julie nor I saw any other evidence of improvement. Penny must have seen our shared look of disdain.
“You two don’t care for us too much, I’m thinking,” she stated.
Before I could answer, we were interrupted by Chet and another man walking out of the front door.
We got out and everyone exchanged handshakes, which seemed to be a good gesture. That is, until Chet’s buddy tried to assert his male dominance by gripping my hand tightly. It didn’t work. My hands were hardened with layers of callouses, and my strength was equal to, or greater than his. I smiled politely and increased the pressure of my grip. His cocky smirk became a strained grimace before I let go.
“Well, I don’t believe you two have come to visit since we’ve moved in,” Chet mentioned casually.
“You’re right, we haven’t. It’s been a long cold February and we’ve mostly stayed home. How’ve you guys been?” I asked.
“What the hell is that smell?” the other man interrupted. Apparently, failing the attempt to intimidate me with an overpowering handshake, he was now going to resort to a passive aggressive form of incivility. He was standing to the left of Chet, giving me the stink eye, waiting for me to respond. I looked at him studiously. He was in the same age range as Chet, late twenties or early thirties, lean, rawboned, maybe six feet tall.
“Are you referring to the horse manure I have loaded in the back of the truck?” I asked.
He snorted. “If you say so.”
“Your name is Johnny, right?” I asked. He nodded indifferently. “I’m not sure what you’re trying to imply. Maybe you’re saying it isn’t the truck load of horse shit that smells so bad. Maybe you’re saying I’m the one who stinks, or maybe, you’re saying my wife stinks. What are you saying, Johnny?”
He answered with a silent, unfriendly stare. I returned his stare a moment before redirecting my attention to Chet. “Chet, we’re having a pot luck supper at the school and came by to invite you guys” I pointed at Johnny. “Based on his behavior, maybe it’s a bad idea for y’all to come. It’s good to see you,” I turned to Julie. “Let’s get going.”
We turned to go but Chet held a hand up.
“Hold on guys. Johnny was just clowning, right, Johnny?” Chet turned and glared at Johnny.
“Yeah, I was just clowning. Don’t mind me,” he responded without feeling. I stared at him a moment to see if he was going to say anything else, or do something stupid. He returned my stare a moment, and then made like there was something interesting in the distance to gaze at. I held my temper in check and tried to be diplomatic. After all, it was Julie’s birthday.
“Anyway, like I was saying, we’re all getting together at the school. It starts at sixteen hundred hours. Everyone is expected to bring some food to the table. There’s plenty of room if you want to spend the night, but you’ll need to bring your own sleeping bags.”
“It sounds really good,” Chet said, and cast a warning glance at Johnny. “We don’t have a lot of food to offer though. We’ve been clearing out houses in the area, but we’re running low on ammo and fuel. Plus, a lot of the canned foods we’ve found are swollen out of proportion. I don’t think they’re good anymore.”
I nodded. “Thermophiles.”
Everyone looked at me as if I were speaking a foreign language. I spelled it out for them.
“Long explanation short, prolonged exposure to heat, like last summer, will cause the microorganisms inside the cans to grow and ruin the food. If the cans are swollen, the contents inside are no longer edible, but don’t throw them away. You can give them all to Bo and he can feed his pigs with them. I’m sure he’d trade a smoked ham for anything you have.”
They looked at me as if they had already discarded everything they thought had no value. I didn’t bother asking.
“Okay, back to the dinner invite. Bring what you can. It’s mostly going to be an informal event, but we’re also going to discuss our future and how we can possibly do some projects together,” I looked at the two men. “I’ll be honest, Chet, I look around and see at least a dozen things you guys can be doing to improve your situation. If y’all are up to listening, we can discuss it in detail over dinner.”
“Can I say something here?” Johnny asked in a tone which suggested he was trying to suppress an irritation. I shrugged a shoulder.
“Certainly.”
“You’re what? Eighteen, nineteen?” he asked.
“Eighteen, why do you ask?”
He glanced at Chet momentarily and then gestured at me. “My point is that you’re a kid. What could you possibly teach us?”
Chet glared at him, but I waved a tolerant hand. “Why don’t y’all come to the school, take a look around at the improvements we’ve made, talk to everyone, and listen to what we have to say. Maybe you’ll change your mind.”
I started to say more, but was interrupted by Penny emerging from the house. She was accompanied by Julie’s mother.
Julie leaned in close. “I bet she doesn’t even realize what day it is,” she whispered.
“Hi, kids,” Janet said as she walked up.
“Hello, mother,” Julie replied. I watched her, but didn’t return her greeting. There was a few seconds of awkward silence.
“Chet, we must be getting back,” I finally said. “We have a few chores to do before dinner. I hope you guys join us.”
“I think we’d like that, Zach,” he said. Johnny nodded slightly in agreement. Janet suddenly spoke up.
“Can I come visit my grandson?” she asked, almost sheepishly. I looked at Julie. She stared back at me silently, but I knew her well enough.
“Yeah, sure,” I replied, “hop in the truck.”
Janet looked at me suspiciously a moment to see if I was tricking her. When she realized I was serious, she hurriedly got in.
I backed the truck up to our compost pile and the women immediately headed to the barn, leaving me to do the shoveling. I could overhear most of their conversation and I wondered if Julie was going to allow Janet to grill her with prying questions.