by Weeks, TJ
It had been hard for Tina and Kris to adjust to the change of their previous life, but they made due and began teaching the children that this was their new life.
It had been quite a bit easier with all of the friends that they had made that lived in neighboring classrooms along with their husbands and all of the things that had been brought back on the missions that they had been on. This being the first mission Kris and Tina were not able to go on with their husband’s, made them thankful that they had husband’s that cared so much about them all, that they would go risk their lives and want them to stay to keep them safe.
GIZMO’S HOUSE
EVERYONE STARTED to pull up to the Jacob’s home. The smell of hickory slapped me in the face as soon as I cracked the door to my car and I could see the rise of smoke pouring from the pit up on the hill. We stepped out about the same time as Justin did from his truck. We all grabbed our loaded down ice chests from our vehicles which looked like a train of coolers making their way up the hill full of the refreshing goodness of beer. We lined the ice chests up on the side of Gizmo’s porch and the guys joined him at the pit while Kris and the kids joined Tina in the house.
“Gizmo, I’d like you to meet, Steven. He served in the military with me.” I introduced.
“Nice meeting you.” Gizmo stated while shaking his hand.
“You as well.” Steven accepted.
“Is there a parade going on in town or something?” I asked.
“Not that I know of. Why?” Gizmo followed.
“Because it’s fucking packed. I could barely get across the highway to head this way.” I replied.
“Yeah, I had to drive up the ditch a ways to get over.” Justin added.
“I haven’t heard of anything going on this weekend. I’ll have to call my momma and see if she knows anything.” Gizmo stated about the time we all saw his dad pull to the house.
His dad sounded the horn to his small pick-up and we all started walking down the hill to see what he needed. He threw open his tailgate on his truck. We could see a six point deer lying in the back with a small stream of blood coming from its gut.
“Goddamn old man, your aim is getting shitty.” Gizmo called out.
I noticed a small amount of blood dripping from Gizmo’s dad, Gerald’s, lower arm. “Damn Gerald, did you get the deer or did the deer get you?”
He stood there with a cigarette drooped from the corner of his mouth. “Can you skin it?”
“Old man, you know I can skin it. It’s a little small, is that why you brought it to my house? Because it’s an illegal kill?” Gizmo suggested while laughing.
“It looked bigger when I shot it. I wasn’t even at the lease to hunt, I was adding corn to the feeders and just so happen to see this one.” Gerald explained.
His tone was a bit odd and he wasn’t being his smart ass self as he usually was. I noticed that he wasn’t really making eye contact with anyone and thought it was odd that he had not taken another cigarette out and lit it off the other one as he usually did, being the chain smoker he was.
I could see teeth impressions on his arm where I noticed blood before. “Did it bite you?”
“No…it didn’t bite me.” He answered.
Gizmo took his dad’s hand from around the wrist and pulled it up and then looked back up at him. “Then what bit you?”
“Nothing, I’m fine. I’m about to head back to the house before your mom starts blowing up my phone. I just wanted to swing by and drop off some meat for you.” Gerald avoided an answer.
“Well hold on old man, I know a bite mark when I see one and that’s a fucking bite mark.” Gizmo stated.
“It’s just part of the crazy world we’re living in.” He stated before getting in his truck and firing it up.
I grabbed the deer’s antlers and drug it to the tailgate. Justin untied the rope we had setup some time ago that we had ran on his carport to skin our kills. Gizmo made a slit on each hind leg. We ran the rope through and pulled it up as Gerald pulled off and headed home. We raised the deer up with two of us pulling at the rope and called for the kids to grab our skinning knives. The deer was only about one-hundred and eighty to two-hundred pounds. It took about thirty minutes to skin it out and quarter it up as we took turns checking on the meat on the pit and adding another log as needed. We emptied two of our ice chests and put the beer in Gizmo’s refrigerator and threw the meat in the ice.
CHAPTER FIVE
I AWOKE to the sound of the short squeak of the door. I looked over with almost blurred eyes to see the door blowing open and closed. I then heard a soft scuffling sound behind us. I turned quickly to catch only a shadow running off. I grabbed the blade of my knife and threw it at the shadowed figure hard. I heard a *THUNK* and then saw the figure tumble down the stairs. Everyone woke up to the noise and jumped up ready to fight.
I ran over to find my knife spiked into the floor, so I knew I must have hit them with the handle. Gizmo ran up with a flashlight and followed me down the stairs as everyone else picked up their rifles and got in a good position to send down rounds. We got down to the last step when Gizmo’s light caught the shadow that I had seen. It was a very dirty woman that now had a broken neck. I knew she was just hungry since she was still clinging to an MRE. Gizmo crammed his knife into her temple and left me staring at the young woman as he pulled his blade free and walked away unnerved.
It made me think back to the young Chinese woman we had to take down and her note. At least this woman didn’t have to die just to come back and die again. Gizmo definitely didn’t give her the time for all of that.
I pulled the MRE from her dead gripped fingers and walked over to secure the front door, then slowly walked back up the steps. It was a shame, because I would have just given it to her if she would have just asked for it. I even would have led her to safety, but the deal with the devil was already made.
When I got back up the stairs, everyone was already laid back down. I however, stayed sitting up. I couldn’t forget the look of her face and couldn’t help to think that if she was walking around so easily around the city, she either wasn’t alone or others could be doing the exact same. I pulled my knife from its case and used the tip to clean from under my nails.
Steven shuffled around until he got up and joined me. “Can’t sleep?”
I shook my head, no. “Do you remember the first time we went out off base and got ambushed?”
“Yeah, it was a fucking disaster, but if it wasn’t for you, there’s no telling how it would have ended. You were the first person in our unit to pull the trigger.” He exclaimed.
“You know, even though we were being shot at and I wanted nothing more than to blow those fuckers up. I paused. It was only for a second, but I thought about my kids and what it would do to them if I didn’t come back home, but then I thought about the Arabic’s and if they had kids.” I started to say.
“But, you did shoot and here we are.” He interrupted.
“Steven, I saw the guy with the RPG before he shot it. I watched him take aim on all of us. I could have shot him before he got that round off, but I paused. None of us got hurt, thank god and I don’t regret those that I injured or killed there, but that girl at the bottom of those steps, I just killed her over an MRE.” I explained what was on my mind.
“Yeah, but you didn’t know. You couldn’t have known.” He answered.
“I didn’t, but my point is…I’m not sure if it wouldn’t have gone the same if I would have.” I stated.
“What do you mean?” He questioned.
I reached over and pulled different things I’ve collected from my kills, to include the note and handed it to him. “Nothing has changed for me. It’s like a huge game of playing for blood.”
“Well, after all of our training, it’s understandable, but why the keepsakes?” He added as he looked through the items.
“It’s part of their legacy, it’s what they left behind. That’s one of the reasons I started writing books. It was
the one thing I could leave behind. It was the one thing that everyone would always remember me by.” I answered.
“Now that makes sense. Sounds to me like you may be the only one that has life still figured out.” He gave guidance.
I laid my head back on the dusty book shelf and let his advice sink in. “Thanks brother. Are you still glad you came down to visit?”
“We didn’t know this was going to happen and if I would have known, I would have stayed with my family, but not at home, I would have brought them to you. Believe it or not, but you’re the only person I know that I would trust with my life and my family’s life.” He answered.
We sat back on that bookshelf and talked what seemed like an hour when I could start to see the sunlight breaking through the darkness from an overhead window.
Howard lied still while listening to us talk and staring at the opening of the library. He finally got up and made his way over to us.
“You were both military? So why are you so against it?” He asked.
“We’re not against it. I’ve just served my time and don’t care to go back to it. We’re in the real world now, so I’m not about titles and not to be a dick, but your achievements don’t mean shit anymore.” I answered.
“What do you mean?” He asked with a look of someone slapping his momma plastered across his face.
“I can see that offended you. However, do you really think that your service to our country, your sacrifices or anything else makes two shits anymore? Look around you, we’re all soldiers of a whole new war. There is no more civilians and military. You’re either a soldier willing to put your life on the line or you’re a casualty of war. No awards that you’ve gotten in the past means shit.” I answered.
He kind of just nodded his head as you could tell his wheels were turning as it all sank in.
“Those guys lying right over there are not soldiers and have never been part of the military, but they saved your ass and don’t care nor are they wanting to accept any award for it. It’s just the way the world is now. Just slap their ass and give them an ‘Atta boy and move on. ” I added while pointing over to the rest of the crew.
He acknowledged and started pulling the coffee pouches from the leftover MRE packs along with the drink bags and heaters. He made a huge bag of coffee, as the smell started its way around the room, the rest of the group began to stretch and work out their kinks and woke up.
Everyone got some except Justin, he pulled one of the coffee pouches out, tore it open and grabbed a pinch putting it in his mouth like a dip. “Wheew! Almost as good as morning sex.”
I shook my head and continued to drink my coffee while everyone else laughed about the gesture.
“Bingo bango!” Gizmo called out.
“What the fuck is, bingo bango?” Steven asked.
Gizmo started laughing. “It’s just something I said one day at work when a project we were working on worked out and it has stuck. Hell, even my son says it now.”
“It’s a way for them to say their bromance is still going strong.” I stated while laughing at my own gesture.
“Fuck you!” Gizmo replied.
I just laughed and shook my head.
GIZMO’S HOUSE
CONTINUED
“HEY BABE, bring me out something to put these ribs on.” Gizmo called out while standing over the delicious smelling racks of meat.
“What do you want me to bring?” His wife, Tina called back.
“I don’t give a shit, just bring something before they start to burn.” He called back.
He pulled his little pocket knife out of his pants and cut a sliver off for me and Steven to try.
I took the small bite. “That’s pretty good.”
“Well hell yeah they’re good, I cooked them.” Gizmo stated.
“Bitch, you think all your cooking is the best.” Justin replied before I could say a word.
“That’s because it is.” He responded.
“Who showed you how to cook most of the stuff you throw on the grill?” Justin questioned.
“You showed me how to cook quite a bit of it, BUT…I’ve perfected it.” He responded.
“You’re so full of shit and I guarantee your ribs or brisket isn’t better than TJ’s. His is the best I’ve ever tasted and that’s no shit.” Justin added.
I started laughing before I took a big swig of my beer.
“Well, maybe we should have a cook off one weekend.” He suggested.
“Shit, I’m down.” I stated.
“I know you can’t beat my chicken.” He suggested.
I started laughing. “We can do it all.”
“GIZMO!” Tina called out.
“What? Where’s my pan or something to put these ribs on?” He questioned.
“Let one of them take the ribs off. Your mom is on the phone and she sounds like something is wrong. I think it’s something to do with your dad.” She added.
Gizmo’s eyes widened and he quickly ran over to take the phone from his wife. “Momma, what’s wrong?”
WHILE WE’RE AWAY
NIGHT FELL across their safe haven. The younger kids fast asleep as a small lamp lit up a corner of Kris and TJ’s room as Sidnie read a book she had taken from the small library of the school. Kris closed the door and headed down the hallway, she clicked the handle down of the double doors that led outside and walked out underneath the stars and moon.
“I always wonder if he is looking at my moon at the same time I am.” She told Tina who sat on the steps that led down to the courtyard.
“Stingy bitch, it’s everyone’s moon.” She laughed.
Kris sat down next to her. “When TJ and I first met, we were talking on the phone and I was sitting on my porch and the moon was huge and full, I asked him if he could see the moon and he told me that there were too many trees where he was. I told him that I guess it was just my moon and explained to him how huge and pretty it was. Now when the moon is full, I always tell him to come see my moon.” She explained.
“That is sweet.” Tina lied her head on Kris’s shoulder as they sat and looked upon the gates that their husbands should be coming through any day now.
Suddenly Tina jumped and sat straight up and wrapped her arms across her stomach.
“What’s wrong?” Kris questioned as she held Tina’s shoulders.
“This fucking IUD is killing me.” She stated.
“We have to do something about that.” Kris stated as she thought of a solution.
“Karen, she will help, she knows about all kinds of shit.”
Kris helped Tina to stand and led her back into the building. They slowly made their way down the hall to Karen’s room and knocked lightly. Tina doubled over in pain again as Karen opened the door still dressed from her days work.
“What’s wrong?” Karen asked.
“Tina has had an IUD in for far too long and it needs to be removed before it starts to embed itself, which is why I think she has been having pains from it.” Kris explained as they both led her in.
Karen closed the door and stood over Tina as she sat in the nearest chair. She thought for a moment and pondered on the situation.
“IUD’s have strings at the bottom of them so that they can be pulled out easily, if they are embedded it is going to be harder to get out. It needs to come out now. So I guess there is no other choice, let’s get it done. Kris, I need some latex gloves and…forceps maybe, if you can find them.” She instructed.
Kris ran to other classrooms and searched for what was asked for. One of the empty classrooms appeared to once be a science lab of some sort. Gloves were mounted on the wall and trays scattered the room with stainless steel tools placed upon them. Kris gathered the box from the wall and anything that could be used to pull out the IUD. Face masks seemed to be something that would be able to be used as well as the towels that were folded in a drawer that she rummaged through. She loaded her arms full of the things that she had found and hauled it all back to the room where Kare
n already had Tina laid up on the desk undressed and covered with a blanket. Tina was moaning in pain and trying not to make noise that may wake up the kids that were next door.
Kris laid everything down on the floor at Karen’s feet. She handed her a pair of gloves first. She pulled them on one by one. Karen pointed to the mask that had rolled off of the pile and placed it on her face as. Kris held up three sets of different kinds of forceps; some were locking forceps and some just appeared to be non-locking holders. Karen grabbed the pair that locked open and placed them inside of Tina to hold her open. She took another pair that looked like a pair of small pliers and leaned far down.
“Put on some gloves.” Karen advised Kris.
Kris pulled on gloves willing to help her friend not be in pain any longer and stood next to Karen.
Karen placed Kris’s hand on the blanket to hold it up for her and nodded at her to make sure that is where she kept it. Karen leaned in and stuck the pliers inside of Tina and began pulling once she clamped down on something and then stopped.
“I have the strings, I am going to pull and pull it out in one quick motion. Kris, hold her hand, you are going to feel some pressure and then hopefully all that you will have is cramping from what I understand. Are you ready?” Karen asked.
Tina nodded and laid very still. Kris slipped her hand into Tina’s and squeezed as she teared up knowing that she has to be in pain.
Karen pulled hard and Tina’s body tensed up. She squeezed Kris’s hand hard and covered her mouth with her other hand.
