by P. S. Power
Everyone else was in the kitchen, Sammi and Lois having liberated a snack for the women, who sat at the kitchen work table, looking a little out of place, eating some corn pudding with chunks of fried meat, guiltily. No one else was eating. Given how tight things had been for them, that made a lot of sense. Rationing had probably not just been the rule, but enforced hard. Probably by death. They needed the extra now though. Unless they wanted careers as runway models. In that case they were all pretty close to set, weight wise. Only Billi really had the looks for it though, and even then it was really hard to tell. No make-up was worn anymore, so what she'd look like done up was just a guess. The others all looked pretty average though. Or below that. George would look better with slightly longer hair and about twenty pounds, Jake thought.
Jill...
The poor woman had been messed up pretty hard at some point, a badly broken nose at least. Maybe some missing teeth. It made it hard to tell what she'd looked like before. Not that it mattered. They were all in the age range for women though, between about seventeen and forty-odd. Hard to tell exactly, but that was who survived. That and men in about the same range, though a lot fewer of those. Women ran. Men fought. Zombies didn't stop in a fight, but weren't very fast. That and a half dozen other factors meant that men had a hard time of things in the new world.
Sammi was speaking and looking like a little girl or not, everyone else was listening hard.
“So the births will take place down there. It was Jake's idea. That way the zombies won't be able to hear anything. Lois is going to act as mid-wife for it, having actually delivered a baby before makes her our expert. We have a book too. Practically as good as a modern medical facility, don't you think?” The girl grinned charmingly, and Ken laughed a little, a dark sound, but kept working, peeling potatoes. He used a knife for it and didn't leave much waste at all. He was a pro now after all.
“Yeah. Or as close as anyone has to it.” He muttered, which got a nod from Jill.
“That's just true, isn't it? I don't have a clue myself, I nearly fainted trying to watch a video my friend made of her daughter being born a few years back. It didn't look fun. So, um, natural childbirth I take it?”
The conversation went on around him as he waited for it to wind down a bit. They needed to go, but Kara and Billi needed this information too. Just in case. A few minutes later Sammi walked over to him and gently put a hand on his arm.
“Jake, you're not staying the night? Billi mentioned something about that.”
“Nope, heading home now. Is anyone coming with? I'll be back in a few days, I want to get some more hunting in.” Really, he could use the help with processing and moving what he killed, but if need be he could do it alone.
To his surprise, everyone stood up then, as a group nearly. He'd half expected Billi to stay and make a play for Carl that night. Then, for all he knew the man had someone already. Or a half dozen. They'd never talked about it.
Jill looked worried for a bit, and spoke hesitantly, “Are we... allowed to go back?”
It was a strange question. Jake didn't know how to answer for a bit.
“Of course, you live there, don't you? It's just there are people here and I thought you might want to visit. We should go though, or we'll lose the light. I'd rather not be walking around the countryside in the dark, it's what, the quarter moon now?”
Sammi nodded, “And looking like clouds too. When should we expect you next?”
Blunt, but so was the look, which said he'd better not skip out on them or else.
“Three or four days tops... I need to say goodbye to Darla and tell her what's up too, or she'll beat me up again. Feisty little thing.” Jake smiled though. That her will had managed that intact through all of this was nothing short of a miracle.
Sammi winked and pointed behind him. Sure enough, there the girl was, hands on hips. She hugged him when he turned around though. Better than an uppercut to the groin.
“I want to go with you.” Her tone was firm and slightly petulant.
Jake stared at her for a second, and finally shook his head.
“No deal. You have guard duty for the wood crews for a while. I'll be back though. Don't let anyone get killed and if an attack comes, remember to aim for the head. Get with Dave, he'll show you what to do, OK?”
“Alright, but soon? I can go with you soon?”
“OK. We'll need to get you a bed set up though. I'll try to get something. We have extra rooms, but they're not heated yet.”
That made her happy at least. Lois looked worried, and so did George, but Sammi just nodded.
“Maybe I'll come visit too? That way we can fix these people some real food instead of the plain, unsalted meat strips Jake feeds people.”
He shrugged. She was about a thousand times better at cooking than he was, it really would be a treat.
With that, finally, they managed to get headed back. They had to walk quickly, but the cart was light now, so it made it easier. George moved in beside him, under the bar and helped push anyway. No one spoke. They moved silently the whole time, until they were safely inside with the door locked, and Jake hurried to use the last of the light in order to fry up something to eat. Tonight he added wild garlic and pine nuts, as well as a little strawberry preserve. It made it taste odd, but not bad, it was just a little different than he'd thought. Everyone sat with a plate of food, waiting for him to sit down at the white topped table. It was wood, but had been painted at some point. It needed a table cloth, but he hadn't thought to get one yet. It would really dress it up though.
Make the place cheery.
It was Kara who spoke first. Honestly, the way she'd been looking at Billi earlier, Jake half expected an argument, so it was slightly shocking when he understood she wasn't mad at all.
“What did you find out, from that man? He didn't...” The woman seemed freaked suddenly, but Billi shook her head while she ate.
“Nuh-un. Total gentleman the whole time. They seem legit. I explained about where we were coming from and he cried when he heard what happened to us. Real tears. For a minute I thought he was going to get up and go kick Derrick's ass. Same with the blond woman I talked to. Um... I can't remember her name. Good looking, not the one doing the wood?” She looked at Jake as if he'd know, which of course he did.
“Vickie.”
“Right. Vickie. She looked ready to go and kill someone. I swear... She also said something I... I don't know if she was joking though.” The dark woman had faded into the room a bit, but her face could be just made out by the dim light of the fire, the wood stove door open again.
“She uh, said that of the sixty or seventy cops that had holed up on the other side of town, that Jake killed about thirty of them himself. Mainly in gun fights...”
The room went quiet, but George grinned as if expecting a joke. Jill snorted softly. Jake shrugged.
“Yeah. They asked for it though, so you know, don't read too much into it. The rest of it was them mainly getting themselves killed, trying to wrangle zombies of all things, even the super-z, I don't know if you've run into any of those? Hard to handle. Not the brightest group of people in the world the Westwood police force. I guess it was the Police Chief's idea?”
There was light laughter from around him, as if he'd told a joke. Ah well. Jake just grinned and kept eating.
George went next, relating what she'd found out.
“That Nate guy, he really seems alright too. Said we could all live there if we wanted or needed to. Didn't even blink when I mentioned you two being preggers. I just told him straight out. If we're going to admit to, you know, eating people to survive, we probably aren't hiding a lot, are we?” She pointed with her fork at Kara and Billi. “He did say that if we wanted to be there, you two would have to hook up with someone. To help with the kid stuff. He was pretty clear you didn't have to sleep with anyone, just have a partner. Said that Jill and I could do it, if we wanted.”
Jake looked at them and nodded.
“That's t
he rule. Too many women having one guy's kids. Hence my strong desire to punch him in the testicles repeatedly when I catch him. Plus he shot me with a poisoned bullet once. That sucked.”
They chuckled again. It seemed an odd thing to laugh at, but Jake just shrugged. It was the truth, so what else could he say?
After dinner he waved Billi over, which caused the rest of them to tense up. Jake wondered at it for a second, but realized they all thought that it was just her turn to be raped or something.
That was so messed up he couldn't even begin to process it. She was kind of cute, sure, but seriously...
“Can you cook at all? I can show you how to do what I know, but it would help if someone else did the morning meals and maybe some of the others? That way you can all eat while I'm away. Or, do you know if the others can?” He gestured at them, since they hadn't left the room, and Jill was fingering her pocket suggestively, though she stopped after a bit, and just looked down. He waved them over too. If it helped them feel better, why not?
Billi spoke first, “He wants to know if I can cook, which I can't, not without a microwave. Anyone?”
Kara nodded a little, softly.
“A bit, not on a wood stove, but...”
“I can show you what to do a bit there. We need to get Sammi in to teach us, she's an expert at it.” Probably because she'd spent hundreds of years in a world where that was how food got cooked, day in and day out.
“OK... Um, I can do that... Anything else?” They all went still, but Jake shrugged.
“Yeah, it would be good if someone, or two went hunting with me. I think we can find those cows again and possibly some sheep or deer, but a few good kills and the cart get's heavy, you know? Why don't you all work out who wants to do what and just divide things up? Make a schedule or whatever?”
Everyone looked subdued then. Frightened. Again. This time he didn't get it at all, and just sent them off to bed with a wave and a smile. It was high handed, but his bed was there and he wasn't giving it up, not yet. He climbed in clothed, because that was what he did now, and drifted off comfortably after a while. No one came into the room, but he managed to keep the fire going, checking it twice before light. He had dreams, but they were just nightmares. Oddly comforting, since most of them were so ridiculous it was actually better than parts of his real life.
The one with midget zombies was hilarious, hardly a nightmare at all really.
Everyone came out as a group, just after first light, so he explained how to cook on the little wood stove, finding the hot spot, and how to use kindling to boost the heat for a while. They ate their beef steaks, which did have salt, despite what Sammi had said about his cooking, with more steak to go along with it. If they had a pot, they could have roasts and stews too. A larger one, that was, he had a little one that would have worked just for him and maybe one other, or for a nice broth, but with five people they'd need something bigger. He made a mental note of that and figured he could go into town...
Eventually.
Really they were just going to be too busy for a while.
None of the women spoke, not even to each other, seeming to enjoy the food, even if it lacked a little, compared to what they'd gotten the day before. It meant a full belly and calories, plus lots of protein. After the meal Jake washed his dish in the large pot he used for that and stopped.
Ah, right.
The large pot. It even had a lid. He grinned but didn't say anything.
“So, who's doing what?” He asked, figuring that Kara should stay and cook. Everyone else looked down though.
That... they'd gone out well enough before, so it didn't make a lot of sense that they'd want to avoid hunting. He could go alone, but it really would be helpful if he had someone along...
It was Jill that spoke first.
“I... I... you can use me for sex. And Billi said she'd try. Just, don't, you know, up the ass? They used to do that to us as punishment. No lubrication. Derrick thought it was funny and one of the guys, Garner, he liked it that way.” None of them made eye contact. Of course they wouldn't.
It was just another reason to fucking kill that prick Holsom. Not that he needed another.
“Um... OK. I'm not saying no or anything, if you all want to at some point, but I meant the division of labor. Who's going hunting with me and... Look, I get that no one wants to have sex with me, so, you know, not a huge thing. Don't let it bother you. No one has to do anything they don't want to here. Not sex wise at least. Dish washing and work, yes, and keeping the noise down... Is that why you all got so quiet last night? I just meant hunting and cooking, whatever else you think of. We have to keep busy.”
God.
No wonder they were all avoiding eye contact. What kind of a creep did they think he was? The rapey kind, apparently. Like most of the other guys they'd met since Back Before. Damn.
Now he was both a bit horny, from all the sex talk, and felt bad about it.
Because that wouldn't give him a complex.
He sighed, but didn't say anything, just shrugging and going to get the cart. Use her for sex? Right, like he even knew what to do. For a few seconds he wondered if it would just be kinder to everyone if he killed himself. Just blew the back of his head off and let the women have his little place to themselves? Probably. Still, something inside wanted to live, wanted them all to have a chance, so he got outside and started working to get the cart, and some tarps, ready for the day.
When he went back in, to get his rifle and extra ammo, Jill and Billi were getting jackets on. No one making eye contact again.
“This the team then?” He asked, softly, but trying for a bright sound. He just got sullen nods.
OK...
Well, it would work out or not. He wasn't Nate, who actually understood people, even without reading their minds. Or Sammi with more experience than seemed possible. Just him, which meant that he knew they needed to work. If anything that was his “power”, knowing that stopping would get them killed. Flying would have been way cooler.
They set out at a decent pace, the women staying nearly silent the whole time, until they found the cow tracks near the large meadow to the north east of his place. Jake moved in to the women, putting his head close enough to smell the heat from their bodies. A bit like wood smoke and a very soft musk. Girl. He kept his mind on business as they both tightened up, Billi going wide eyed.
“Can you work around behind the herd and make some noise? Nothing human sounding, bang some wood together or rocks, that kind of thing? Then get down, once they're moving towards me so I don't accidentally hit one of you. I won't shoot more than four times. Try to get behind a tree though. We can't call out...” Not that they needed to be told. Loud people in their world were dead. The loud adjacent too.
“Uh...” Jill said, seeming relieved. “Yes, we can do that. It will take us a bit to get around...”
They moved off quickly enough, but Jake figured about ten minutes before anything would happen, if it worked at all. For his part he moved so that the cows would be trapped between him and the water's edge. He didn't want them to run back the other way, but Jake really didn't want to fish a cow from the stream either.
He heard the faintest clapping noise, just flesh on flesh, which made sense and would probably work well enough. For a while, a lot longer than he thought, nothing happened. Then, slowly, almost ponderously, about a hundred cows started walking down the little path they'd made. Jake let them pass. Mainly.
He picked the ones near the back, and tried to pay attention to which had calves, taking the old and injured first. There were a few. It was tempting to take more, but he held to his four shots, to save ammo, taking down three of the animals. He thought he'd missed the fourth, but when he walked to the bodies, the other cows having headed away quickly, Jake noticed the last one, shot, high on the neck, deep and bloody, but still alive.
He had a machete in the cart and jogged to get it. It took careful aiming, but he took the thing in the throat and i
n just three hits it fell down. Not ideal, but he didn't have a better blade on him. He finished it just as the women walked up, looking at the animals on the ground.
“Four with four shots, that's good. Can we move this many?” Jill pointed, but he thought they could. Barely, and they needed to hurry.
After all, the neighbors were going to need food soon. More food.
They loaded everything as fast as possible, which wasn't quick at all, because they were loading cows. The women helped, but it was still a pain. Especially the last, since that one wanted to keep falling off.
Jake grinned when it was finally balanced right.
Yep, his early career playing video games sure got him ready for this.
Luckily it wasn't that far to home, about two miles.
Unfortunately, part of that was up hill. A small hill, but still, a pain in the behind for sure.
Jake just put his head down and kept pulling as hard as he could.
That was life anymore, wasn't it?
Chapter Five
It was two days after that when Jill came to him in the barn, alone, but so uneasily that Jake wondered for a few seconds if they'd decided to vote him off the island or something. He'd been pretty successful hunting, he guessed, which should count in his favor, right? Of course the cows added up fast, representing about two tons of meat, and the sheep they'd found, that Kara had noticed the day before, made a nice bit too. Hundreds of pounds at least. They were flighty, but not hard to trick into dying. Two of them had just run into the river and drowned, saving bullets. It was freezing cold, trying to get them out, but possibly worth it, when little kids weren't starving later.
The meat was solid in the morning, frozen all the way through, which was the plan, and Jake had just finished tucking a tarp over the top when the woman, still looking a bit drab, for all she'd upgraded to a nice, bright red, coat to go with her new clothing.
“Um, Jake?” The words caught his attention, so he turned and smiled, half expecting her to have a weapon out still. She didn't.
“I... we... know that, well, you've been really nice to us and we all wanted to thank you and, we know that we need to...” Her words halted, stumbled really. Jake knew he was supposed to get the meaning from context, but really had no clue what she was getting at.
