The Red X_Complete Edition

by Robert P. Sullivan

  I felt a bit of relief at that, people who want to kill you don’t try and find out your name. “It’s Jake, Jake Grumman.”

  “Nice to meet you…” she said feigning politeness with her eyes going up to the sky. “Now I have two questions. First, how did you find this place?”

  I thought about it for a moment before giving my simple answer. “I was just walking through the woods to avoid the zombies while I traveled to one of the cabins around here.”

  “Alright…” She said mulling over her thoughts. “Second question, what are you doing out here?”

  “I’m just trying to live. I figured the mountains would have less zombies than the city, and up here I could actually try and live off the land… although, it hasn’t been going well.”

  “You want to live off the land Jake…?” she asked sarcastically, trying to mock the fact that I was a dumb city kid.

  “Well yeah!” I replied, still wiping tears from my eyes. “If I can’t live out here on my own, then I would just be a scavenger in the cities, and that wouldn’t last forever. There is only so much food and water out there.”

  Finally she broke her hard appearance, and for a brief moment she looked at me with a mixed expression of relief and compassion, but it faded quickly. “Alright!” Her words sounded exhausted. “Come up to the house. My name is Gale Johnson, by the way.” She said and started the walk back toward the cabin. We walked about thirty feet before she broke the silence. “So, you said it hasn’t been going well.”

  “What?” I asked Gale back.

  “Living off the land I mean.”

  “I wish it were going better… I can’t seem to do anything right.” I said. “

  “Well, let’s get some dinner, I have a feeling we’re going to be talking a bit.” With that she led me up to the house. It was probably a nice place back before the windows were boarded up. It was two stories, and wasn’t immediately obvious if you didn’t know it was there. A small porch came out from the back door, and in the front was a garage, which faced a dirt road that went out into the woods. Before we even entered the house I could smell that something good was cooking. “Go ahead and sit down, the food should be ready any minute.”

  I took a chair at the table and looked around as I waited. It really wasn’t unlike all the other cabins in the surrounding area. Everything was wood, from the ceiling to the floors, it was nice and cozy, a good spot to retire to, but with the windows boarded up it let very little light inside. Gale came back in with a lantern, and began setting the table. We were both quiet until she had brought out the full meal. And it was immaculate, there were steaks, and mashed potatoes, everything was well seasoned, and cooked to perfection. It was a damn sight different than what I had grown accustomed to.

  “I guess there is no harm in sharing.” She said, looking off at nothing.

  “Well, thank you.” I said trying to grab the fork to dig in, but my hand wouldn’t cooperate.

  “Sorry about the hand… I just had to make sure that you weren’t like one of those psychopaths out there.” She said grabbing herself a large portion of everything on the table.

  I remember thinking that it was strange that there was so much food, more than anyone I knew could eat in a single meal. “Are you expecting anyone else?” I asked.

  “No, it’s just going to be you and me.” She was too busy trying to eat to really pay attention to me. I shrugged it off and began to eat. It was delicious, but I was a little distracted by the woman who was sitting across from me. She was more like an animal than a lady. I was a little appalled at her lack of table manners, which says something about her if you know anything about how a teenage boy eats. Still, the meal was good, and it was the best thing I had eaten in months, so I dug in.

  There was something about that old woman. She wasn’t just your average old gal, she had a way of telling life to piss off, and working for what she wanted. There was no such thing as a free ride in her book, and in my life that was what I had grown accustomed to. Before everything fell apart, I was expecting my parents to give me a car when I turned sixteen. I was going to go to college on someone else’s dime, or at least get loans to pay for it so that I could go immediately instead of saving up. But I could tell, that that was just the kind of thing she would call bullshit.

  About five minutes of shoving food into our faces past before she interrupted the silence, with a mouth full of food I might add. “What are you going to do after this?” she asked through the muffled sounds of chewing.

  “Um… I was going to go back on my way… I guess.”

  “It sounds to me like you weren’t going to make it much longer out there.” Gale brushed the side of her mouth and licked the potatoes off her hand. “And besides, how are you going to live with that hand, it’s got to be hurting like a bitch, and for a couple months even wiping your ass won’t be a walk in the park.” I hadn’t thought about that at the time, but she was right. If I were to try and survive out there with only one hand, I probably would have died. It was all too much for me to handle as it was, but with the hand I was dead. “I tell you what, stay here until your hand heals up. But, don’t think that it will be a walk in the park, you are going to have to work for your food.”

  When I heard that, I realized that was the fairest offer the entire world had to give, and I was glad to take her up on the deal. After dinner, Gale stepped out on the porch with a large bottle of whiskey and invited… Ha, forced me to drink some with her. The rules of the old world didn’t matter at that point, and I thought it would be fun.

  I blew chunks after taking a few swigs from the bottle. Gale laughed at me. “You’re such a pussy!” She snorted as she mocked me.”

  Chapter 18

  I don’t remember a whole lot from the rest of that night. I do remember waking up on Gale’s couch though, as she stood over me. “Get up!” she pretty much yelled. She was holding a bag full of old things in her hand with a rope dragging on the floor behind it. “I have a room upstairs ready for you later tonight, but right now, get to cleaning.” She pointed to the pile of dishes that we made, and I was not too thrilled to have to wash them, but I did it without complaining. Then she had me keep on cleaning the whole house. I was at it all day until the sun went down.

  And that was my first day with Gale, and the next, and, well you get the picture. She knew I couldn’t do a whole lot with just one hand, but she still put me to work. It was hard, but it made the meals so worthwhile. The room wasn’t half bad either. There was a nice bed that was clean, and a dresser. I thought it was some kind of guest bedroom, but it was a little bit bare inside for that, like she cleaned the whole thing out before I got in there.

  Gale and I didn’t talk much for the next few months because she would go out to work with the cattle while I stayed there making the house cleaner than she ever kept it, and at night it was more drinking on the porch. Still, even though it was a bit lonely during the days, it beat being truly alone out there. And Gale made sure that I was taken care of. She brought me new clothes, and kept the food coming. It’s nice to have someone look after you when you have been by yourself that long.

  Well, the time eventually came when my hand was back to normal, and I could see that she was getting a little bit uneasy about what it meant too. That only served to make the both of us even more quiet then we already were, but eventually there came the point where we both had to speak.

  “So, I guess your hand is fine then?” She asked me at the beginning of the day just after breakfast, as I was doing the dishes, with both hands mind you.

  “Yeah… I guess so.” I replied just wanting the conversation to end. I didn’t want her to kick me out, even if she was cold, the outside world was colder. But, she wouldn’t let it go.

  “So, I supposed that means you’re leaving soon then?” She set down a large bag on the floor next to her, and slid it over to my feet.

  “Are these supplies for me? You know, to leave with?” I asked her with a tinge of fear i
n my voice.

  She smiled. “Hell no! I’ve watched you for about what, two months now? And I can say without a doubt, you would be dead in a year, even if I hadn’t broke your hand.” I bent down and opened the bag to see what was inside. “That’s your work shit.” She said so matter of fact. “You know gloves, pants, and what not. You see the thing is, if I’m going to help you survive out there, I might as well do the job right, and make sure that you can. So get that stuff on, we’ve got real work to do.”

  That was the first day that I really got to see the whole ranch. It was as wild as the rest of the forest, but that just meant that it was beautiful. The fence that surrounded the property was entirely made out of wood that had been cut from the forest, and it went on for hundreds of acres. There was an old barn down a little ways from the dirt road that contained all the supplies used for feeding and caring for the cattle. And in the opposite direction, there was a greenhouse where Gale grew all the rest of the food that she didn’t slaughter herself. Unlike the rest of the world, she was just the kind of person that was ready for the zombies. She knew how to defend herself, and she knew how to live by herself. I thought I was lucky to have found someone like her to keep after me, and was ready to try things her way.

  Then I immediately hated everything that she made me do. It was some of the toughest work I have ever done. I dug holes for fence posts, and lifted hay bales. That woman made me shovel shit… and I sweat the whole day. I don’t think it would have been so bad, but since the zombies, Gale wasn’t using the truck or power tools anymore, because there was no more gas or electricity. So everything we did, was done by the power of a human body, and it was hard. And let me tell you, cutting trees down without a chainsaw… sucks.

  When the day was finally over, we ate dinner as usual. Afterwards she went out to the porch with her bottle again. I thought that things were just going to keep on going the way they had been in the past, only now the work was hard labor. But something was different that night as I sat down on the couch to read one of the books that Gale had. It was the only thing that the collapse of the world didn’t take from us. Just as I started however, I heard the crash of a glass bottle off in the distance. It startled me at first, but Gale walked back in like nothing had happened. “You did good today.” She said, walking to the kitchen empty handed.

  “What was that all about?” I asked her.

  “Nothing. Just an empty bottle.” She said back to me from around the corner. She took a moment, but walked back in and sat down in the living room. “Tell me something Jake. How does a kid like you end up here in the hills with no wits about him?”

  I was insulted at the time, but it only hurt because it was true. I told her my story, everything that happened up to the point where I met her. About my parents, my grandparent’s cabin, and even about the ‘X’s. She looked at me shaken by the story that I laid out, and said “Well, it sounds like you’re damn lucky to be alive.”

  “I don’t know. It could have gone a lot better.”

  “It could have gone a lot worse.” She said looking at me seriously. “And don’t forget that.”

  It was silent for a few moments before I took my chance to get to know her a little bit better. “What about you Gale?”

  “What, my story...?” She paused. “When the zombies showed up here in the hills, gosh I feel like a dumbass for using that term. Zombies!” She shook her head. “The first thing I did was… Well, make that the second thing, was to cover up the dirt road to my house. It didn’t take much to cover, since it wasn’t much to look at. I just cut down a tree to block the path, and planted a few bushes to make it look like it was only part of the forest. When things calmed down in town… You know, when everyone was dead, I went and burned the post office and town hall. Those were the only places that had a map that showed where this property was at.

  It worked great. No one came here to look for supplies, and as you said yourself, the only reason that you found the place was because you were just passing through the area, which nobody who was in an organized group would do. I guess I would say I just shut myself off from the world… Not that I was ever a really big part of it before. I didn’t like many people and I didn’t have much use for the things they had.”

  I grimaced slightly when I realized that she was the reason that I couldn’t find a map earlier, but went on. “So why help me?” I asked her.

  “Seeing as no one else was going to… and it was the right thing to do.” She said grunting as she got to her feet. “I’m going to turn in for the night.” She started to make her way up the stairs.

  “I know the bottle wasn’t empty Gale.” I said to her, just as she got out of sight.

  She popped her head back around the corner to look me in the eyes, and snapped at me. “Yes! It was! Now get your ass cleaned up and go to bed, things are only going to get harder from here.”

  After that first day Gale changed. I’m not sure exactly what it was that changed her, but she was a lot friendlier with me, and a lot stricter too. I thought she put me through the ringer that first day, but I learned pretty fast that that was every day for her. It was tough, and she held nothing back. She was teaching me to live in a world that doesn’t give a shit if you live or die.

  Chapter 19

  “Time passed pretty damn slow at first. The work was hard, and there were times that I just wanted to up and leave, but I didn’t have anywhere else to go. I wasn’t seeing things go anywhere, it was just work all day and sleep at night. Sure I grew strong and lean in those days, but I wasn’t really learning anything, or so I thought. Then one day I got up early to chop some fire wood before breakfast. You know before Gale had got me out there to work.

  I had cut a small bundle of wood, but it was going slow when Gale walked up behind me to the chopping block beside the barn. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m just getting some fire wood while there is plenty of daylight.” I said and continued to set up the next piece to cut.

  “Yeah, but I didn’t tell you to do that.”

  “I know.” The axe fell on the wood but bounced off crooked and nearly hit me in the shin.

  “Give me that axe.” She said taking it from me. She placed the next piece of wood on the block and stuck down on it, splitting it in two. “See, your s’posed to let the weight of the axe help you, and come straight down with it. It’s not a baseball bat.”

  “So you going to start teaching me how to do things now?” I asked her in an accusing tone. A slight look of disappointment crept along her face as she shoved the axe handle into my chest.

  “I have been teaching you. Now cut the next piece.” She put the round of wood on the block.

  “Not really, it’s just been ‘Do this, lift that!’ I thought that you were going to teach me how to survive out here.” I gripped the axe and brought it down like she showed me, and it split the wood in two.

  “Yeah, and that has been teaching you the most important thing about surviving.” Gale placed another piece on the chopping block.

  “Yeah, and what’s that?” I asked in dismay, and split the next piece.

  “Think about it for a second.” She said and just stood there looking at me. I stared back at her for a few seconds or so, and when nothing came to mind, I continued chopping the firewood.

  “And there it is.” She said and started to make her way toward the cabin. “I’ll have breakfast ready in a little bit.”

  I didn’t take her meaning. I was pissed off and grumbled to myself for about half an hour as I worked until she called me for breakfast. When I got inside she was at the table, eating like a ravenous beast, as always. She swallowed this time before she talked, but that was probably only because she was talking between bites. “So did you figure it out, or are you so dumb you don’t even know when you’ve learned something?”

  I shrugged off her condescending words. “I guess I am that stupid, just tell me what the point of the past few months was.”

  She walked o
ver to the door and opened it up, looking straight out to where the firewood was kept. “That’s a fair amount of wood that you cut… Why did you cut it?”

  “That’s a stupid question, because it needed to be done.” I said digging into my food.

  “Nah, that’s not it, if it needed to be done I would have had to tell you to do it.” She closed the door and came and sat back down.

  “What?” I didn’t catch her meaning at all. ”No, we needed wood, so I had to cut it.”

  “Yeah, I know you can figure that out, but you didn’t just think that and wait for my order.” She sat down and took another bite of her meat, then waited patiently for my response, but none came. “Oh, do I have to ask again?”

  “Is it because… um… Shit I don’t know… because I had to work I guess.” I was frustrated that I couldn’t find the words to explain it.

  “That is exactly right, not because something needed to get done, but because you had to work. It’s just what you do. There is no need to be told to do something, you work because you need to, get it?”

  It had finally sunk in, before that point in my life I was always working to do something. Whether it was to get good grades, or just to get my chores out of the way so I could get back to doing the things that I liked. But Gale had taught me that it wasn’t about what needs to get done, it was more about getting it done. If you’re the kind of person that only does what you need to do, you are never going to make it without help. But if you are the kind of person that gets things done… Well then it doesn’t matter how hard something is, or how big the task is, you’re going to get it done.

  When the look of revelation came over my face Gale spoke up. “I learned that lesson the same way you did. My daddy worked me to the bone out here on the ranch, but it wasn’t until he caught me fixing a fence that he really started to trust me with the bigger things. So now that you ‘can’ do anything you need to, it’s time to learn how to do it.