“Sure do. Me and Anders both. Our first day here, we didn’t understand how they wanted things done. Evan wasn’t as clear as he should have been, which sucks because he knows how she can be, and Mary took it out on us. He didn’t do much to help us, just kinda hung back.”
I’m shocked. “Evan seems like such a friendly, helpful guy.”
“Oh, he is,” Trey says quickly, as if trying to assure us there’s nothing wrong with him. “He’s a little tough on us—especially in the beginning before we earned his respect—but he’s never been mean to us or nothin’. Its Mary you’ve gotta watch out for. She’s got that man broken, just like a horse. And he won’t admit it, but she’s the one that truly runs things around here. Just try to stay on her good side, not that she really has one.”
Aaron narrows his eyes, studying Trey intently. “They seemed pretty happy and lovey dovey at lunch earlier. She didn’t really strike me as the demanding bitch type. And Evan seems far too laid back for someone supposedly under the thumb of his wife.”
Trey shrugs his shoulders, as if he doesn’t really care for our conversation anymore. “Whatever you wanna believe, you go right ahead and believe it. But Anders and I have been here for awhile now, and we’ve seen the old lady in action. I think it probably got worse and worse as his leg started to go lame and he couldn’t do as much around here. I’ve heard her call him a lazy piece of shit once. But don’t worry, if you guys are here long enough, you won’t have to take my word for it. You’ll see she’s a monster before too long.”
Trey leaves us standing around the bucket of soapy water, and Daisy snatches the brush from Reese, dipping it quickly in the water and bringing it to the soles of her boots. “Trey, wait up!” She hurries to scrub herself clean, and when her boots aren’t covered in chicken crap anymore, she drops the brush back into the bucket, splashing us all with soapy shit water, and she runs after Trey as fast as her legs can carry her. We all wipe the shitty water from our coats with grimaces, and hurry to finish cleaning off our boots so we don’t have to stand around out here all day.
When we’re finished, we head around to the front of the house, just in time to hear Mary shouting at the top of her lungs. “What do you think you’re doing tracking shit into my clean house?” her voice rises with each word until she’s practically shrieking. “You young folks don’t give a damn about other people’s homes or property. You just come in and treat the place like your garbage can! Go back and wash your boots again, and don’t you even think of coming back until they’re clean!”
Daisy has tears in her eyes, and Todd bursts out laughing. “That’s what she gets for splashing us all with shit!”
Daisy ducks her head and walks around back to go wash her shoes again. But Mary’s head snaps around when she hears Todd’s laughter, and her eyes narrow. “Oh, you think her trying to track shit into my house is funny? Let’s take a look at your boots then.”
Todd stops laughing and I notice a faint blush in his cheeks as he meekly climbs the porch steps to face his inspection. Mary scours the bottom of his boots and scowls. “Yours are no better than hers!” she barks. “Go around back and clean them again, or you can sleep in the coop with the chickens tonight! Filthy boy!”
I almost laugh as Todd hangs his head in embarrassment and follows after Daisy, but one look at the stoniness in Mary’s eyes and I keep my lips sealed. Trey gives us a knowing glance before slipping into the house, and I bite the inside of my cheek, thinking about what he told us. I almost can’t believe how big the change in Mary is from lunch to now, but here she is, screaming at Daisy until she cries, and then Todd after her. How can someone have such a wildly varying personality?
Madison and Aaron both pass their inspection and are granted access to the house. As Reese takes his place on the porch, leaving me the next in line, I begin to panic that I might not have scrubbed hard enough to get all the way down into the grooves. I know I looked at them before I put the brush back, but that doesn’t stop me from freaking myself out and wondering if I missed a spot.
When Reese passes, I drag myself up the stairs and onto the porch, lifting my feet for Mary to inspect. She looks at them closely, nearly pressing her nose to the sole of my boot, and I half expect her to sniff it, looking for any traces of chicken crap left on them. But she just taps my boot and I set it down, presenting the other one to her without so much as a word in my defense. She scours it for any tiny trace of unwanted substance, before shooing me towards the door. Reese is waiting for me just inside the door, and when I reach him, I finally let out a breath I don’t even remember holding.
He pats me on the back. “That was brutal,” he says quietly. “I can’t believe she made Daisy cry like that. Over a little bit of chicken shit. It’s not like she was tracking a barn inside or anything.”
“I know,” I say just as quiet. “I thought Trey might have just been messing with us, but it looks like he was telling the honest truth. Only a psycho can go from lunch to that big of an extreme so fast. I wanna keep an eye on her while we’re here, just in case any of us screws up and she tries to punish us. No way in hell am I letting some hag beat anyone in our group with a wooden spoon.”
“I guess we owe Trey thanks for the heads up,” he admits, almost begrudgingly. I lift an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue, and he sighs. “I don’t trust that guy. He volunteered that information and saved our hides from Mary’s wrath, but the way he told us…he was too eager to point out how psycho she is. Something about him just doesn’t sit well with me. And I definitely don’t like his sudden interest in Daisy. I’m gonna keep an eye on him while you keep one on Mary.”
“Well, I’m definitely with you on the Daisy thing. They didn’t even get each other’s names before they were making heart eyes at one another. There’s no telling if he’s genuinely interested in her or if he’s planning on using her while she’s here and available. And she’s just naïve enough not to notice it.” Reese snorts, and I elbow him gently. “It takes a naïve person to recognize her kind of naiveté. You guys can stop teasing me about being naïve—I already know that I am.”
He puts his hands up in surrender, but he’s still smiling. “Okay, if you say so.”
I roll my eyes and head into the living room, where the others have gathered. Ryder pats the spot on the couch next to him and I plop down gratefully, letting him wrap his arm around me and pull me in closer. I watch the doorway, waiting for both Todd and Daisy to reappear. It’s getting dark out already, and I don’t want them alone out there for long, even if they’re on the property.
I rub my hands together, trying to bring some heat back to them. My nose is running and it burns now that I’m out of the cold, and I wish there was a fire going nearby. Ryder grabs a blanket off the back of the couch and wraps it around me, and I smile gratefully at him. It’ll have to do without a fireplace to build a fire. After being outside for so long, my skin feels numb. I’m just glad we’ve been doing a lot of physical labor that kept us warm instead of being motionless and freezing on the spot.
The others are getting bundled up as well, while Anders smiles and shakes his head. He’s sitting on the floor with his back against the wall, and there’s an open book in his lap. He’s busy hungrily scanning the pages, his eyes moving from left to right at an incredible speed. I watch him for a moment, trying to see what the title of the book is. I can’t make it out, but it’s a really thick book with what appears to be pictures scattered throughout chunks of text.
It almost looks like a textbook, like something a student would buy for their college classes. I’m pretty intrigued, but I don’t want to pry and ask what the subject is since I don’t know anything about Anders other than his name and the fact that he’s a farm hand for Evan. But my curiosity peaks when I see him whip out a notebook and begin jotting down notes along the pages, stopping every minute or so to scan the pages of his book and make sure he didn’t miss anything.
He flips the page of his text book, eyes flicking up and meeting mine.
I feel my cheeks begin to turn red at having been caught staring, but he just offers me a friendly smile. “I was in school hoping to become a psychiatrist some day. I was taking mostly general classes and stuff since it was only my first year in school, but I found some books at a library in town and thought I may as well take them and give ‘em a look. It couldn’t hurt, right?”
Trey snorts, earning a glare from Anders. “Yeah, except you’re wasting your damn time. What’s the point of being a shrink if you’ve got nobody to shrink? You think people are just going to stumble across the farm seeking your professional advice?”
Anders frowns and goes back to the book in his lap. “You never know. Things might get better someday, and if that happens, the world might just need studious people like me. I’ll be able to help people cope, even if I’m not certified. I’ll still be better than nothing.”
I glance discreetly at Ryder as Trey begins to laugh. “Keep dreaming, bro! It ain’t gonna happen, and you and I both know it. You’re wasting your time. Things are only gonna get worse, not better. And even if they could get better, I’m not even sure that I’d want them too,” he mutters.
Anders glances up, eyes going wide. “What would make you say something so horrible?”
“How could anyone not want things to go back to normal?” Reese asks, narrowing his eyes. It looks like he’s already found another reason to mistrust Trey and justify wanting to keep a close eye on him. “I would think anyone would want things to get better. At least, anyone in their right mind…”
Trey shrugs, but he looks annoyed by Reese’s words, and I know I’m not the only one who notices. Anders and Ryder are both staring at him as if he’s just grown a second head, and I can feel Ryder tense up next to me. “I don’t know, man. I kinda like things how they are right now. Things are pretty peaceful in this area, and I’ve got a nice roof over my head for the first time in my life, along with three square meals a day and all the land to explore that I want. I’ve got no mandatory meetings with my probation officer, and I’ve got nobody looking down on me for my past. I’ve got a chance to start fresh and enjoy my life the way I’ve always wanted to.”
“So you’re okay with the deaths of billions of people as long as it gives you a clean slate?” Reese asks, clenching his hands at his sides. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“I didn’t know those people,” Trey says, a sneer twisting his face into something ugly. “I like the setup I’ve got going for me here, and I’d be okay with things staying like this forever. Screw the old world, this new one suits me just fine.”
“You’re a psychopath,” Reese says firmly. “No doubt about it. You’re a god damn lunatic, and I want you to stay away from everyone in our group.”
Trey takes a step forward, putting himself almost chest to chest with Reese. He’s trying to look imposing, but he looks like a child compared to Reese, who doesn’t look fazed by Trey’s show of aggression. “You gonna make me?”
“If I have to,” Reese says tightly, crossing his arms over his chest to force Trey to take a step back. “I’m not someone you can intimidate, and the sooner you figure that out, the better things will be for you.”
“That sounds like a threat,” Trey says. The muscles in his arms are bulging, proof that he actually does work around Evan’s farm, but he still manages to look like a spoiled child standing in front of Reese. “And after we’ve been so kind and courteous to your group.”
“No, Evan and Mary have been kind and courteous to our group; you’ve done shit to our group except be an annoyance and badmouth your own hosts even though they’ve taken you in and given you this life you’re so happy to have.” Reese glances at Anders, who is watching the entire confrontation with a wary expression on his face. “He couldn’t wait to tell us what a monster Mary was, that she’s got Evan broken like a horse, and that she doesn’t even have a good side once you get to know her.”
“You’re full of shit,” Trey snorts, glancing down at Anders. “These people are just pissed that one of their girls has the hots for me.” He looks at Reese, and he nods. “I see. That’s what this is all about, isn’t it? You’ve got a hard-on for her and you’re upset I’m on your territory.”
Reese shakes his head slowly. He looks like he’s trying not to laugh but is failing miserably. “You’re a fucking joke, dude. Daisy and I hardly even like each other, let alone have anything deeper going on. I just don’t like your attitude, about anything. The countless dead people around the world, the people that have taken you in and given you a chance at surviving, my group, and yeah, that includes the creepy interest you have in Daisy as well. Such a sudden and intense interest with one another before you even learned each other’s names, and you’ve proven that you’re a snake that can’t be trusted. I want her safe, away from you, but that doesn’t mean I’m interested in her.”
Anders leaps to his feet and grabs Trey as he makes the first swing for Reese’s head. Reese dodges it easily, just leaning back and watching as Trey’s fist flies by. Anders is larger, and wraps his powerful arms around Trey’s chest, trying to hold him in place. But even his size isn’t going to help him too much with how angry Trey is right now. Reese just watches him struggle with a smirk on his face.
“What’s going on?” Mary shouts, startling all of us. Trey immediately stops fighting, but Anders isn’t stupid enough to let go of him. “I asked you what was going on in here.”
“Trey was trying to start shit with one of their people,” Anders says, pulling Trey away from Reese, who hasn’t budged an inch. It’s a good thing he still has a firm hold on Trey, because the moment the words leave his mouth, Trey flies into a vicious fury and tries to attack Anders.
Mary looks from Trey to Anders, and then her eyes flick to our group. “Is that what happened?” Her voice is cold and devoid of any real emotion, but I can see the fury in her eyes. I don’t think she’s necessarily mad at Trey for starting a fight with us, but more that he was so willing to start a fight inside her clean and orderly house. “Someone speak up before I toss you all outside to sleep with the cows tonight!”
“Yeah, that’s what happened,” Aaron says quickly. “He was saying some stuff we didn’t like to try and get a rise out of us. Things got a little heated, but we had it under control thanks to Anders.” He nods his head in appreciation, and Anders nods back. “We apologize for causing a disturbance. It won’t happen again.”
She looks around the room at all of us, her eyes narrowing to dangerous slits. “Don’t let me catch any of you fighting in this house, or you’ll be packing your bags so fast it’ll make your head spin. And that goes for you, too,” She says, eyeing Trey. She shakes her head in disgust and leaves the room.
The second she’s gone, Trey rips himself from Anders’ grasp and turns on him, eyes blazing and nostrils flaring. “What the fuck? You’re gonna take their side and not mine?”
“They didn’t start shit,” he says. “You did. And to be honest, I didn’t like the things you were saying any more than they did. You need some help, man. Honestly, if you ever wanna talk, I’ll listen.”
Trey laughs, and the sound is harsh like a whip. “You think I need to talk to a shrink?” Shaking his head, he heads for the door, grabbing his coat on the way.
“Where are you going? It’s getting dark out,” Anders says, his voice laced with concern even after Trey’s outburst. “It’s not safe to be out there alone at all, let alone when you can’t see and there’s a blizzard coming.”
“Fuck off and don’t worry about me,” he snarls. “I’ll be back soon enough, and I don’t want any of you fuckers here when I decide to come back.” He slams the front door, earning a disapproving shout from Mary on his way out.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Before anyone has a chance to settle back in, the door opens again and Todd and Daisy appear. She has a handful of large freezer bags in her hands, and he’s got a pail of liquid that sloshes around. A white trail drips down the side, and I realiz
e that it must be fresh milk, probably milked from Evan’s cows just moments ago. Surprisingly, just the thought of a nice glass of milk is enough to get my mouth watering.
I’m not sure how milk straight from the cow will taste compared to store bought milk, but I’m eager to find out. I wonder how much milk their cows produce, and what they do with it all. It’s not like they can pop it in the fridge and drink it throughout the week. I’m assuming there’s probably a lot of milk and eggs being wasted, unless that’s all they eat for each meal in an attempt to use them up.
Daisy and Todd come into the living room, and she looks at Ryder, her eyes narrowing. “Why did Trey storm out of here? I said hi to him and he just completely ignored me. He looked really upset. What did you do?”
Ryder snorts, and Daisy glowers at him. “I didn’t do anything. Trey made an ass of himself, and we all decided we don’t want him anywhere near you or the rest of us.”
She gasps. “What? Why? What could he have possibly done that makes you think its okay to tell him to stay away from me without my permission?”
“Oh, nothing much. Except, you know, saying that he likes the world the way things are now and that he doesn’t care that billions of people died, that he’s happier now because he’s not in trouble with the law anymore. Stuff like that.”
“Sorry, Daisy, but the dude is a fucking psychopath,” Reese says. “He’s probably dangerous, and nobody here wants to see you get hurt. You’re just going to have to trust us.”
“Well I don’t believe you,” she says stubbornly. “But even if he did feel that way, I’m sure he has every reason to. There’s nothing wrong with being happy about getting a chance to start your life over and be someone new. He’s here helping Evan run this farm, doing physical labor all day long, even though he doesn’t have to. I think that says more about his character than one confrontation with you guys. You’re not exactly the most understanding people,” she says, looking at each of us in turn.
Zombie World (Zombie Apocalypse #3) Page 30
