by Marcus Sloss
“She thinks we are being punished. I do not think she is wrong.”
I did not disagree. We walked down the river. It was evident where the first few hours of sewage had been released. The night crew that night must have realized how paramount additional lines were. We tracked the river bank for over fifteen minutes. The smell finally started to get worse. I saw the end of the line. There was bubbly shampoo further down the river, shit paper, and all sorts of gross stuff. However, I saw what I wanted to see. The flow condensed here and dipped a bit in elevation. There was an extra hose line, but they had chosen this release spot. I saw very minimal backflow from this location.
Content with the results, we walked up Shit’s Creek. The time with Torrez was peaceful as we said very little and enjoyed nature. When we neared the clearing, I pinged Mitchell that we were coming out. The guards knew to expect us and waved at our approach. All three RVs were lined up and ready to go. I think a lot of the community was eager to go hiking. I certainly was looking forward to the trip. Torrez and I raced to RV3. Spoiler, he beat me with his empowered legs without an issue. When we loaded up, the convoy rolled out.
CHAPTER 21
RV3 was packed with people excited for a little adventure. Since everyone had been waiting on us, the moment the door closed, Dedric hit the accelerator. Torrez slithered past me to chase his daughter with glee. I saw Jacky, Eddy, Mrs. Moore, Maranda, Perci, and Jill sitting at the table, chatting over a proposal for a new outhouse. Down the hallway, kids ran back and forth with parents not even warning them to slow down. I tilted my head down to view into the bedroom and saw Maria with Slister and Norm. I glanced up to the loft and some teenagers were up there having fun with the top hatch. There was only one place left for me to sit. Except my bucket passenger seat was currently occupied.
Jill snapped her finger. “Felix, come. Treat.” The bulldog stopped snoring, craned his head in interest, and vacated the seat for the treat. I flopped into the oddly warm seat with a smile.
“Felix, we have been calling him Winston. Wouldn’t have pegged Jarod for a dog lover.”
“Oh, he was not. Felix had his own room in the house. He was my snuggle partner.” Jill patted her lap and the fifty-pound bulldogs gave her sloppy kisses.
Another example of how humanity went to great lengths to adapt to love.
“I guess Felix works. We already have Felix Delcroy,” I muttered.
“I am not changing my dog’s name because you wanted him to be Winston. Stop pouting, you baby,” Jill said in a teasing tone.
I propped my feet on the dash to pour over the Gpad data of last night. There was a report that the cave had filled up. I was not shocked. Our loot teams had been on constant rotation. We even started hauling extra refrigerators, microwaves, deep freezes, water heaters, stripping solar panels, and the list goes on. I remember thinking we had too many civilians to defend; now I wanted more to help manage all the work.
I stared out the window while driving down the dirt road. The morning sunshine burst through the foliage to illuminate the forest floor. Matted leaves were being pushed aside from growing weeds. Birds darted between trees or fled from our noise. Squirrels rotated around trees to hide from us. The leafy greens were coming with spring. I preferred the epic mountain views over the sight of tree trunks whipping by. I felt the tiniest tap on my shoulder pulling me out of my thoughts.
Without shifting my head, I put my left-hand palm up. A tiny little hand was placed in mine that I guided to me. I was surprised to see it was Jasmine wanting to watch out the window. Mary was right behind her, eager to join her friend watching the woods zoom by. I was asked silly questions about how old trees were, why the sky was blue, and where aliens came from. You know - everyday questions that kids asked. Maria rescued me when Jasmine started swapping into questions about why aliens killed people.
Perci replaced the girls’ slot with a goofy grin. She was so happy. Perci had always been shut in when we first met. She kept her hands close to her body, her appearance ragged, and her sentences short. She was the definition of an introvert when I met her. Now she beamed a radiant smile. Her hair was neat while flowing, with her loose locks tucked behind her ears. Her hazel eyes lit up any room, and she was animated with her hands. Well, right now she was curled up in my lap, clinging to me, which was also perfect.
“Perci, I love you,” I said, kissing the top of her hair.
“I know.”
This caused us both to chuckle. We turned onto the county road and I looked at the Gpad. A few families were walking from Aspen to Mansion. Outside of that, the roads were quiet, the Xgate was moving slowly to the east without any activity, and our trip to the lake was serene. The command channel beeped from Nancy. She was going to pick up those who were walking and put Mitchell in charge. This reminded me of Bradley’s request to scope out Aspen yesterday. I checked the reports from Jevon until I found the one about the recon truck.
They were shown an impressive gate that had been hastily erected with chain link fencing meant for construction projects. Guards with dogs roamed the gates. The mass of refugees seeking shelter huddled in the rain last night. All thoughts of joining us left the moment they could feed their starving bellies. Once the food pulled them out of their grogginess, the scouts expected more people to flow in our direction. There was a side note from Jevon. He wrote the despair left distaste on the scouts. He did not think people were going to be desperate to leave our home for Aspen.
I sighed at the situation. Today was about making the most of our new life. I watched the retreating clouds off in the distance. The drive was peaceful in its simplicity. The kids were still loud and running, but those sounds were ones I enjoyed. We turned left off the county road for a lake that I ensured did not connect to Shit’s Creek. This road was in horrible shape, which resulted in extra jostling. After a ten-minute drive, we arrived at a parking area with park benches.
The view of the flat lake waters featured a backdrop of snow-capped mountains. Tall trees grew around the lake with mallards quacking. I saw adorable chipmunks darting around the benches. I scanned for bunnies but, unfortunately, saw none. My feet carried me to the lakeside slope beyond the benches. I sat with my legs out and enjoyed the view. I tried to unwind while people around me prepared traps, fishing line, and fishing poles. My ability to sit still did not last long.
We spent three hours at the lake. The kids caught a few small fish that went into buckets. Outside of those little trout, we were coming home empty. At least we had set lines and enjoyed a day out. Perci was by my side the entire time. We treated the outing as a date. With a shadowing Mary, of course. Work shadowed me too. I refused to take off the Gpad. We added twenty three new citizens who were sick. Nancy asked to test the Xgate to cure them.
The report that came back was promising. They locked down the puroon portal. Drove through and came back. The buxen scout even mimicked their wave when they left. The sick new citizens were cured of the common cold magically. To say Nancy and Slister were excited was an understatement. When they left with a few older patients on the elderly floor with RV2, I was curious. Slister even deviated in a truck to go with them.
That was how our day went. Taking the sick to the gate. We picked up more refugees as they walked for sanctuary in Stronghold Mansion. The day passed quickly, with me helping plant crops for the afternoon. When evening came, our little army assumed a defensive position. That night, a few flapions exited the gate hesitantly. They were met with sniper fire. I had an ATV team trailing Xgate 232. I was not going to let the flapions enter unopposed. The first four were shot out of the air after crossing the portal to arrive on earth. After their rapid demise the night was silent.
I spent the evening adding wood chips to the duck pen and bunny squares. I never would have guessed I would enjoy farming, but I did. Jevon joined me a few hours after sunset. He was hauling a new rocking chair to longhouse four. A mother with an infant thanked him profusely for the alien-crafted rocker.
/> I waited for my friend to join me before scooping sawdust and wood chips into a tote.
“Have you tried those chairs, Eric?” Jevon asked, and I grunted, shaking my head no. I was not exactly lacking in comfort. “We are running out of places to loot. The new construction homes are about all we have left. Tearing them apart takes time. What were you thinking?”
“I want to consolidate and be ready for the golden gate. Right now, that is more important than taking on risks like going to Denver. I talked with Norm when I was planting seeds. We have enough meat to last until the first vegetable harvest comes in. I never was so excited for carrots before. That is also assuming we do not go over capacity on our residency,” I said, hoisting the tote. I walked for the last rabbit stick cages in need of bedding. I dumped the chips and dust right on top of the animals. They shook it off without a problem. “Jevon, I am a mixed bag. I find no problem letting people travel close. I think about the reports we are getting from Denver and they frighten me.”
“What do you mean? Let me get a tote. We can add sawdust to longhouse six; it is already mucky in there,” Jevon said, leaving our conversation unfinished for a few minutes.
Willow and Nancy arrived with totes to the area where the trees were stripped of limbs. They were collecting pine straw for paths. I got two kissed cheeks as they passed me by. I watched their shapely hips retreat. I may have got caught staring and smirked. Jevon chuckled as he arrived.
“You’re in over your head, my friend. Okay, we were talking about Denver,” Jevon said, putting his tote down to start scooping chips into.
“We will survive now. Without taking major risks, I feel we will survive the next. I believe we rolled a D18. We got one empty gate, a defeated gate, a neutral gate, and a demon spawn gate with unorganized enemies. I do not want to tempt fate by going into Denver. Every report I have heard says those XLroaches are swarmers. Sure, I bet there are some schools that have weathered the storm, or police stations. Police stations make the most sense. Anyway, why go there for loot? More importantly, what do we need?”
I grunted, hoisting my filled tote. Jevon thought on what I said as we walked over to longhouse six. We dumped our loads on the muddy floor. Damarcus arrived to spread the piles out. We walked back to repeat the process. A scan of my Gpad showed I had an invitation to bed.
“Tools, batteries, electric trucks, campers, RVs, weapons, ammo armor, and the list goes on,” Jevon said with a shrug. “However, I do agree with you on this one. Before we take the risk of disturbing the nest of XLroaches that inhabit Denver, we should wait for the golden gate. I am showing just under seven days. A week of building with what we have on hand should allow us to spread out. Oh, and Bonnet wants a guillotine. After moving to night shifts, she has been bored.”
I couldn’t help but smile at the comment. “We’ve got no one to execute. A guillotine would have been awesome in Saudi Arabia. That is beside the point though. A week gives us time to build up our defenses. We haven't stripped wiring out of houses or torn off roofs. Hell, we have a well that handles ten times more water than we are using. Maybe add some perks, like a new toilet system. I would like to not have to feel lucky I was able to shit on a toilet,” I said and we chuckled.
“Well, you do have a point. About the number of items these homes still have that we can salvage. It will keep us busy,” Jevon said with a toothy smile. We walked to the longhouse six, dumped our sawdust with chips, and went for more. “The cave is full, but we are pulling stuff out every day to add to these longhouses. Balcony sleepers are moving into these. Hell, if we can do three a day…”
“We may be able to have bedrooms. I know. I get giddy thinking about it… And yes, I know I have my own bedroom. I do want to see others happy too, Deluxe Duke who sleeps in a King size bed,” I said, knowing he hot-swapped for the bed I slept in at first. My Gpad pinged and I looked down.
‘Be quiet when you enter. Winston, AKA Felix, refused to leave. I asked Jill where she was sleeping and she shrugged. We said no more balcony sleepers, so they are taking the loft while Felix Delcroy and Dalila are in the table bed.’ - queeny 2
“Looks like I should head to bed. You have command,” I said to Jevon, who patted my back.
“I have command,” Jevon replied.
With the transfer complete, I went to RV3. Felix the dog snored in the driver’s seat. Jill waved while chatting with Dalila. Felix was watching the cartoon movie that was put on for a sleeping Mary. I waved to them all while snagging a water out of the fridge. The back door opened at the sound of my footsteps.
I was greeted by Willow’s lusty blue eyes. I grinned as I was dragged into bed with three lovely ladies. The apocalypse sure had its perks.
CHAPTER 22
Two days later, we went to the meeting spot inside the puroon portal. The destroyed base was empty without any signs of recent activity. We waited for half an hour without anyone coming to trade. Since they were a bust and the buxen seemed friendly, I shifted to their gate. Our arrival outside the buxen portal with metal-filled trailers caused them to posture aggressively. The display was enough for us to head home. If they were content with not messing with us, we were okay leaving them alone.
The flapions never flapped back into Earth again. The lesson had been learned. Humanity could reach out at a long distance with accuracy. With a peaceful Xgate, our worries turned to our community. People were complaining about the lack of tasty food. I tried to research wild vegetation, but there were not many options at our elevation. We persisted by eating leathery gargoyle meat and MREs. Shocker — the MRE crackers still went to the ducks. Some things are worse than leathery boots.
Two days turned into seven in a hurry. We added two new toilet boxes. Clive designed angled bathrooms. Two per side with each drain line plumbed to a central drop point that led to our pump. Sixteen toilets stripped out of homes resulted in far less wait times. The added facilities were not perfect, but they helped.
We did not keep up on three longhouses a day. Not even close. We ran out of road signs to fashion instant roofs. Due to crowding of workspace, Gary continued to improve those already done by adding external walls. Window teams tore windows out of homes and placed them in our builds. The longhouses were regulated to 500 cord with hung sheets for interior walls. Even with the slowed production, we added four more roofs for a total of ten longhouses.
Meanwhile, the massive refugee problem outside of Aspen decreased. They accepted more people while most went back down into Denver. The rumor was the XLroaches had moved on from Denver to Colorado Springs. Colorado Springs was ready for the invasion and since the aliens had to approach a funnel point, they were defeated.
Colonel Reinhardt and Mayor Isaac (Cornerstore Stronghold leader) worked with me to set up a trade market. Since the corner store had plenty of parking, we held the event there. We traded excess tools for metals signs. Odd trade, but we did not need all the power drills and hammers we looted. We did need flat metal for roofs. The ability to interact with other humans was great. We even donated bunnies to both other strongholds.
Our traps were super successful. Dalila’s breeding program already resulted in pregnant bunnies with swollen bellies. We had not eaten any rabbits yet, mainly due to everyone loving to help take care of them. With that caveat, we were over a hundred rabbits now. Hence why we gave some away, because the work to keep them fed was starting to add up. Our duck pen grew. It was slower than I would have liked, but had seven ducks now. They were smarter than rabbits, apparently.
The tavers had been given trusses instead of a chair, for example. This resulted in one roofing item a day. I scoffed and we swapped back to chairs fairly quickly. The tavers integrated so well in their own little corner of our stronghold that we barely noticed them. I saw they were downing trees to build our chairs. We built a road to their nest and piled the downed trees for them. I wanted to give them trees we were yanking down to expand our kill zone.
The kill zone was now five hundred meters ba
ck. Norm said he had lots of extra seeds and asked to turn the area into farmland. I was hesitant, but he had a solid argument when he said he would keep the vegetation to a low height. We planted small trees on the top hesco barriers to have the additional cover and height, and it looked really awesome. Our defenses shored up our edges, while fortifying the river. We found enough trees long enough to bridge the river gap. We then stacked logs high. An aquatic species could still swim around our hydro turbines but I doubted a human could swim under our bridge against the current.
Even with the lack of action, there was never a lack of progress. New paths were created with river stones, solar panels were added to our grid, and we started to construct buildings for purposes other than residences. The first communal dining pavilion was constructed. We stole the benches from the parks to add under the cover. The sense of community was there.
This led to some problems. The end of the world feeling faded. The boring week of complacency resulted in seven families leaving. I was not shocked by their rationale to leave. The reality was, violence had slowed to nothing. While our sleeping conditions were improving, they were not great. Our food was horrible and the sense of needing to hide or die was not present. They left for Denver and I did not blame them. I thought they were idiots, but who knew? I certainly did not prohibit their decision. Even with their departure, we were still growing as Aspen sent excess refugees our way.
Speaking of complacency, Perci was having none of it regarding her ovulation. She continuously called me her stud. I actually felt like a stud by day seven. Perci ran the community with the others to the point that my job was only military matters, which in times of peace, meant exercising and guard duty. Willow trained harder than I ever expected. She became my super-soldier. When she started sniper training, she fell in love. The woman had a knack for hitting moving targets at range. I was super proud of her progress. Her curves were being replaced by muscle, and I ensured she knew how beautiful she was. Nancy was still on the outskirts. A dating phase of our relationship. She watched from the sidelines as she was integrating. Honestly, I was shocked that it worked. I thought the girls would have friction and Nancy would move on. Nope, she stuck by our sides and gelled into our relationship to the point that it did not feel awkward.
