Candice nodded. “I thought that at first.” She looked at Mark. “Mark, does Brandon smell sweet to you?”
Brandon smirked. “Ya might wanna wait till I take a shower to determine that.”
“No, it has to be now because you smell like the sweetest thing on the bakery shelf to me.”
Mark shrugged. “I’ll sniff an’ see.” He leaned over and sniffed Brandon, falling backwards with a shake of his head. “Oh, God no.”
“Brandon, do I smell sweet to you?”
He leaned over and smelled her, not once but twice. “Mm, ya smell sweet enough to eat.”
She looked at Mark. “Do I smell sweet to you?”
Leaning over, he took a whiff, pulling back, shaking his head. “Nope, ya smell like you could rinse off in the shower the same as him.”
Turning back to Sophia, she shrugged. “See, it’s like this revolving sweet smell.”
She looked around at the three of them. “What happens when ya smell it?”
Mark shrugged. “When I first got here, it was all I could do not to grab ‘er an’ kiss ‘er an’ have my way with ‘er. It was ‘at strong.”
Candice nodded. “Yeah, it’s like this aphrodisiac that I had with Mark when he first got here, now I’m having it with Brandon and can’t wait to tear off his clothes.”
Brandon smirked. “He did say ya need to shower an’ we do need to conserve water.”
Sipping her coffee, Sophia continued to look from one to the other, though smirked at Brandon’s comment. “Well, there are some flowers that attract certain birds an’ insects to help with pollination by sense o’ smell. They make it so allurin’ to some an’ to others not so much.”
“Yeah, but now it’s Brandon who smells like a delicious pastry to me. I don’t get it.”
“I think it might be the virus usin’ process of elimination, but I don’t understand why.”
Trevor brought in a plate of food. “Okay everyone eat up. We made more for when ya finish your watermelon, Brandon.”
Candice slid his water closer. “Don’t forget to drink the water too.”
Sophia nodded. “Only drink it slowly. If ya chug ‘at down, you’ll puke your guts up.”
Mark nodded. “Trust me. That’s exactly what I did an’ ended up pukin’ in the river over the side o’ the raft. It was gross. The undigested peanuts I’d just wolfed down came right back up in almost solid form.”
Rachel groaned. “Guys, can we stop talking disgusting?”
“Not to change the subject,” Montana looked around.
“Please do.”
“Now that everyone is back to normal, we have to finish those trenches today.”
Trevor sat down with his plate of food. “Why do they have to be finished today? We’ve been workin’ on ‘em all week an’ we’re so close to bein’ done now, but I’m not sure we can get ‘em finished today.”
“I mean we have to finish everythin’ today.”
“Okay, why?”
“Justice an’ Amber are most likely gonna be turned tonight, if they aren’t already. They were here for the plannin’ so they know what we’re doin’. They’ll most likely come at us tonight so we have to be ready. When the sun goes down either we have our moat finished, or it’s gonna get nasty around here.”
Sophia nodded. “Not to mention they might try an’ destroy any vehicles not protected behind the water.”
Mark scoffed. “Yeah, that happened to mine. I don’t know if it was the animals or what, but all four o’ my tires were slashed.”
“How are ya gonna make the trenches not absorb the water? What’s to stop it from soakin’ in the ground?”
Rachel waved her fork around in the air. “Good question, especially since it’s been really dry lately.”
Picking up his fork, Mark looked at Montana. “We could always put plastic down under the water, which should weigh it down so it won’t move.”
Alex leaned back, shaking her head. “Do you know how much plastic that would take? You’re talking about the whole moat. That’s a lot of plastic.”
Trish nodded. “Yeah, is that really the best plan? I mean what happens if the plastic got a hole in it? A stick, or a rock, and you no longer have a plastic lining more like a drain for the water. What about concrete? Couldn’t we use that?”
Trevor shook his head. “Plastic would be easier an’ dry faster.”
Frank reached over the table and grabbed the salt. “Plus they have huge rolls so it’s easy to carry an’ unroll.”
Montana buttered his biscuit, shoving a sausage patty between them. “We could do that, or we could get some Gunite.”
Ian looked over. “What the hell is Gunite?”
Zach nodded, shaking his finger at Montana. “Ooh, that would be perfect! The question is do you think we could find enough?” Grabbing one of the napkins, he stood racing to the table with a pen and sat down, doodling.
Montana took a bite of his sausage sandwich. “It’s somethin’ that looks a lot like clay. It is spread on the ground an’ up the sides to stop the ground from absorbin’ the water. We have to smooth it out much like cement. We need to keep a path for our feet so we aren’t trapped and we don’t step in it. Once it’s hard, it’s damn near unbreakable, but until then…”
Trish looked over at Zach. “What are you doing?”
He wiggled his brows as he drew. “I’m trying to figure out just how much we’ll need for this to work. Granted, this is a gross estimation and we need to take into consideration that I might be a little off.”
Candice smirked. “Trish, that’s what he did for a living.” She looked at Montana. “That might work. Where can we get it?”
Mark sat back in his chair, picking his teeth with his fork. “There’s a nursery up the road ‘at might have it.”
Howard sipped his coffee. “That’s all fine and well, but how will we get over the moat to come and go? I mean, I realize we could go through it, but if we don’t want to get wet…”
Trish looked at Howard. “You were a woman in another life weren’t you?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Rachel laughed. “I was thinking the same thing!” She turned to the others and back to the Gunite conversation. “Couldn’t we make a space or some kind of bridge for that? Hell, I’d rather get eaten than have to go through some nasty water.”
Montana smirked. “Don’t worry. I thought of that too.”
Sophia winked, touching his hand lightly. “Damn, my man is just too smart.”
“I have to keep up with my woman.” He winked back at her. “The best way to make sure they can’t get in, but we can come an’ go as we please, is easy. We line the entrance with, ya figure, fifteen feet in the air, fifteen feet across with PVC pipin’. We put holes in the pipin’ enough so it makes a sprinkler system an’ ‘ere’s a steady flow. It’s just a little flow to us, but to them it’ll be like a waterfall.”
Grabbing his cigarettes, Frank lit one and sat back. “Well, the thing ‘at worries me is Justice knows ‘is place inside an’ out. He knows everythin’ about it; all the entrances, exits, every inch o’ this place, he knows.”
Heather sighed. “Amber is a criminal mastermind and can figure out how to break into a place with little to no harm.”
Montana nodded. “Between the two of ‘em, we have to finish ‘is today.”
Zach handed Montana the napkin with his diagram. “The way I figure from the amount of acres you want covered, we’ll need about that much.”
He looked at it, nodding. “Ooh this looks about right to me. You guys are gonna wanna take the box truck an’ just fill it up with whatever ya can find. We have daylight on our side for now, but that won’t last. We’re almost finished with the diggin’. That way when you guys get back with the stuff, we can just go ahead an’ get it filled.”
After he had gained his strength back and showers were out of the way, they headed out to pick up the supplies. Mark stayed behind to keep watch on
the others while they continued to dig.
It didn’t take long for them to get back and they were ready for the Gunite to be mixed and poured. Candice and Trevor drove around the outside with the jeep. Trevor drove, while Candice hopped out, dropping off a bag for every ten feet of land per Montana’s instructions. He, Brandon, Frank, and Mark mixed it and filled the trench. Once they were through dropping off the bags, they returned to help the others and keep watch.
The people in the trees with loaded weapons watched over the bags to make sure that nothing got a hold of them. Once they filled the trench with the Gunite, they moved to another location to assist with keeping watch.
It took all day, but by the time the night rolled around, they had the PVC piping in place at the parking lot entrance. The Gunite didn’t take long to dry, just a half hour from the last layer. They used the natural spring, which they used for all their watering needs - filling the well when they got low, to fill the moat as well. It took a few hours, but before long, they had the beginnings of a moat and it worked like a charm. All of them stood on the other side, cheered, and danced around each other, very excited and happy that they got it done. It wasn’t full yet, but it was enough to stop anyone from crossing over.
Thirty-Six
The sun sank over the mountain as the trailer door opened. Justice and Amber emerged both covered in blood, looking around with a crazed expression. Neither of them said a word or an action to the other, just turned and walked in the direction of the main building. As they walked, people joined, falling in behind them as if they were telepathically communicating with each other.
The moat surrounded the main building and the parking lot. It was wide and deep enough that no one could just jump over it. It wasn’t a perfect circular moat, but it was good enough that it offered the barrier protection they wanted. It stretched all the way around the building with enough PVC placed at the entrance for the sprinkler effect, yet it was big enough to drive the vans out of there should they need to go somewhere.
Justice stood at the edge of the moat. He was angry as he looked at the design as if trying to figure out how to get over it. He looked from one side, down the line, and then up at the trees that surrounded then. He grumbled and growled as he stood there, looking at the fortress they created. Amber stood beside him, nudging him, grunting while pointing to the house. He turned and slapped her and she backed down, growling lightly.
Rachel stood on the porch, looking down at the entrance. She rushed in to the break room. “Oh you guys are gonna wanna see this. They’re here, and they brought friends.”
“What?” Candice was the first one to hop off Brandon’s lap and raced outside. Everyone else followed and looked down at the entrance from the safety of the enclosed porch.
Trevor arched a brow, shaking his head. “Where the hell did he make so many friends?”
Candice stood between them. “How did they make friends so quickly? They couldn’t make that many friends when they were alive.”
Sophia sighed. “They’re still alive.”
Rachel shrugged. “I don’t know, but we could easily shoot them in the head from here. After all, they’re now the enemy right?”
“I don’t know if I would call them our enemy as long as they leave us alone. I just need to find the cure. They’re just sick.”
“Why take the chance? We could be done with this right now.”
Brandon stood behind Candice, wrapping his arms around her. “I think we should go down an’ talk to ‘em. Let ‘em know what’s in store should they cross ‘at line.”
Mark nodded, walking to the door. “I’m down for it. The rest o’ you wait up here where it’s safe. We’ll be back soon.”
The three of them walked down to the entrance. They stopped, staring at them on the other side before rushing through the water stream like little kids in a sprinkler. Candice giggled, shaking her head, causing water to spray around her. “What’s up, gang? What brings you back to this neck of the woods? I would invite ya in, but ya kinda gotta go through the water first. Rules are rules, ya know.”
Brandon winked at Justice. “Oh an’ bra, just in case ya were sick with worry, you can stop worryin’ about me. I’m better than fine. I’m perfect. Besides, now I can share bodily fluids with Candice.” He pulled her closer, kissing her firmly on the lips.
She laughed, pushing him away. “You’re bad.”
Justice and Amber growled low in their throats. They did back up a few steps when they joined them. They continued to watch them, looking like caged animals that couldn’t get to their food.
Mark smirked. “Ya know I’ve never known Justice not to have anythin’ to say. Ya seem a little dumbfounded. Didn’t ya think we’d get it finished without your expertise tutelage?”
One of the bigger males rushed over to Candice. His mouth was open, hands outstretched as he made a grab at her. She sidestepped, grabbing him by the arm and pulled him in to rest his back against her chest. She kept him locked in place with just one arm while he squirmed against her, trying to bite at her, clawing at her arms.
“Guess what happens when ya meet stupid?” She snapped the guy’s neck, twisting it around, causing him to slink slowly to the ground. “It’s too easy to kill you. Sticking around here that’s exactly what’s going to happen.”
Brandon watched impressed, but a little surprised as he laughed softly. “Wow, is it as easy as ya made it look?”
“Oh yeah, one thing this virus gave us was speed and power. I found out the speed when Zach was going for Justice. The power, I’m guessing, is just a super hero given.”
“Yeah, when Trina didn’t make it I went on a killin’ spree,” Mark said, nodding as he watched the ones behind Justice. “It’s not hard to kill ‘em. When they bite or scratch, it doesn’t bother us at all. I think it bothers ‘em more, which confused me why they would attack, knowin’ it would cause ‘eir death.”
One of the other men rushed at Brandon, trying to bite him. He mimicked Candice’s actions, watching the head spin around and the body drop to the ground in front of him. He fist pumped the air. “Oh hell yeah! You guys didn’t tell me how much fun ‘at was! I suggest the rest of you get lost before we forget ourselves an’ kill y’all now.”
Sniffing the air, looking off in the distance, Justice growled something and they backed into the woods disappearing from sight.
Shaking his head Mark chuckled. “I can’t explain it, but everythin’ within me is tellin’ me to go an’ kill ‘em all.”
“That’s normal,” Vince said from behind them. They all spun around, ready to attack him. “Whoa, hold up a minute now. Easy there. I’m one o’ you. Take a whiff an’ you’ll see.”
Smelling the air, Candice put her hand out to stop the others. “He’s right. He’s cured.”
Mark looked at him curiously, looking around the area. “Where the hell did ya come from? Are you alone?”
Vince nodded. “Yeah, I was just back there watching the showdown. When faced with the tainted, your best bet is to kill them off. They will return. They will figure out how to get through here. Your friend is a Brainiac, which is a leader to them. He will be back.”
“Brainiac?”
“One of the smart ones.”
“Who are you?” Candice asked. “How is it you know so much about Freakazoids when we’re finding out new stuff every day?”
He chuckled. “Freakazoids? Interesting name for them. I actually know a lot about them and what’s happening around here. I know how it all started.”
“Well then tell us, because we would love to know.”
He pointed up to the porch where the others stood, watching them. “How about you invite me up for some Southern hospitality and I’ll tell you and the others what’s happening. After all, they need to know as well.”
“Okay, let’s go up and get you introduced to the others.”
They all went through the water and up to the house. Because he walked through the water without harm, t
hey all instantly trusted him. It was as if he was a long lost son returned home. They fed him some of Trevor and Rachel’s good cooking, and turned on the generators so he could take a shower. Once he finished, they sat around outside on the porch. There he told them what they were all dying to know.
“Well, it all started from a beautiful flower; The Bella Morté that oddly enough has the nickname, Beautiful Death for a reason.”
Thirty-Seven
Dr. Edward Tiberous, known for his successful research, paid top dollar to his assistants. The adventures were dangerous and took them into the heart of unknown territories. One day they could be deep in the ocean, surrounded by creatures only found in nightmares. The next they could be stuck in the middle of the jungle, trying to avoid the spiders so small you have to watch for them, and snakes so big you have to hide from them. It didn’t stop the group of hardworking researchers from joining. Rumors spread throughout the university about how much money was involved, which downplayed the danger.
He always looked the same for his missions, and oddly enough his classrooms. Most of the professors at the university would dress in a suit, tie, and appear in a business like state, but not Dr. T. He dressed for comfort in the same clothes he wore in the jungle. He believed experience spoke for itself without having to dress to impress. Clothes didn’t make the person, but the person made the clothes.
His cargo pants were the perfect accessory, due to the many pockets. In his line of work, it wasn’t always accessible to dig through his backpack for something needed. It was much easier to reach into one of the pockets. The white T-shirt clung to his willowy body, due to being wet, and showed off what a fine physique he still had. His abs were trimmed and sculpted from years of traveling in the roughest terrains. He tucked his pants down in his boots, securing it with duct tape.
He taught all his students the art of duct tape, which would stop a poisonous spider from making camp inside your shoes. None of this showed off his age, in fact it made him look younger. His white-as-snow hair and beard gave one the illusion of his true age.
Beautiful Death (Bella Morté Trilogy Book 1) Page 34
