“Y’all make yourselves at home. I’m gonna go help with the plates. I hope y’all ain’t picky with your sides. We ain’t making’ nothing special if you don’t like it.” Jim stated as he entered the kitchen through the swinging door.
“Mom, can you believe this? We are gonna eat real pork chops for the first time in God knows how long.” Tyler stated excitedly. I smiled at my son. I shared his excitement, though I tried to remain adult about the situation. Truth be told, I could probably do a back flip I was so thrilled.
Randy took a seat beside me at the table.
“Well, this turned out to be an interesting day.” he said, trying to make conversation.
“Yes it has. We won’t have anything to take back to the village, but at least we will have full tummies, and we can even have clean bodies. I don’t know about you guys, but I fully intend to take them up on the offer for a hot shower.” I said.
“Me too.” Tara stated.
“I could go for a real shower.” Tyler said, agreeing with Tara and me.
“Yeah, I could too. I just don’t know if I am comfortable enough for that.” Randy said.
“Where is the harm in it? They seem like nice people to me. A little on the redneck side, but nice.” I stated matter of fact.
Randy sat in silence for a moment before he spoke.
“I know you guys are excited about the hot showers and the real food, but we have to keep our guard up and remember that we don’t know these people. For all we know, they could be flesh eating cannibals.” Randy said. I couldn’t help but to laugh at him. He really did crack me up.
“Oh Randy, lighten up. I am sure we can manage to work out the shower thing, and still keep our guard up. All we have to do is team up. Tara and I will go into one room and use the shower, and you and Tyler go into another room. One will stand guard while the other showers. That way if anyone tries anything, we will be ready for it.” I said.
The door to the kitchen swung open and Jim came out carrying four plates in his arms. The woman behind him was carrying a tray with a tea pitcher and four glasses. I could hear the ice clinking in the glasses. That really made me happy. We didn’t get cold drinks often. We didn’t run the generators enough to get cold drinks all the time. We only did it on special occasions.
I watched anxiously as Jim came to the table and placed the plates down in front of us one by one. I looked at the food on the plate. It smelled amazing. The pork chops were seasoned with just the right amount of spices. The aroma of garlic and onion filled the air. The green beans looked wonderful, and I could see the tiny hint of yellow on the plate that let me know they had actually been cooked in butter, just as the corn on the cob had been.
Miranda came to the table and handed out the glasses. Suddenly the smell of freshly cooked bread hit my nose, and my mouth watered even more. I looked at the tray and resting there was a basket loaded in fresh, hot biscuits. Miranda placed a glass full of iced tea at each of our seats and a basket of bread in the center of the table.
“This looks wonderful. Thank you.” I said offering sincere appreciation for the meal they were providing us with.
“It’s my pleasure. I hope you like it.” Miranda said with a warm smile on her face. She was a beautiful woman. She stood about my height and my weight, with long black hair just past her shoulders, and lavender eyes. Her complexion was flawless; not a wrinkle, scar, or freckle on her face.
I looked down at my plate again. I couldn’t resist the temptation of the succulent goodness that awaited to fill my mouth with an explosion of wonderful flavors, giving my taste buds a party inside my mouth. Still, there was one thing we had to do. I reached my hands out to either side of me, taking Randy’s hand in my left, and Tara’s hand in my right. We all four bowed our heads, and I led us in prayer.
“Lord please bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies, and our bodies to thy service. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.” The three of my companions followed with their own Amen behind me. I quickly retrieved my fork, and took a bite of the green beans. A rush of butter and pepper filled my mouth, causing it to salivate, filling my mouth so much so that it felt as though I needed to swallow before I chewed.
I watched as my kids went straight for the pork chops, cutting big bites of the meat from the bones. I heard Tara moan as she slowly chewed the meat, savoring every ounce of flavor it offered. Tyler simply cut and chewed, cut and chewed. He wasn’t saving any time for savoring. He was scarfing. Randy and I seemed to be the only ones minding our manners as we enjoyed the feast before us. Truth be told, I wanted to eat like my kids; just shove the food in my mouth, chew just enough for some flavor, then swallow.
I savored every bite as I consumed the meal that rested on the table in front of me. I caught sight of the basket of fresh bread. I couldn’t help but to help myself to the basket and I removed one of the biscuits from it. I instantly bit into it and I was in love with the flavor. Clearly Miranda had had a good ole southern Baptist grandmother like me to teach her how to cook bread. It tasted just like it was prepared in a grandmother’s kitchen for Sunday dinner. The thought suddenly made me crave fried chicken.
I heard the commotion of others coming into the dining room. I watched as Miranda and Jim came out of the kitchen carrying plates and sitting them at seats around the room. The rest of the group was coming in, including Jay, our run away truck guy that we supposedly rescued. As far as I was concerned, we had all just run away together. Still, I wasn’t going to argue with his logic.
The group filed in and took their seats, each one offering us a friendly hello and good to have ya. I watched as they all took their seats and instantly began eating. Not a one of them bowed their head to say grace. I guess that wasn’t for everyone, but they had that right.
Jim was the last to sit down, and wouldn’t you know it, he came to sit at the table with my group.
“How’s the food?” he asked as he took a seat across from me.
“It’s wonderful. Thank you again.” I said, speaking for all of us.
“Ah, don’t mention it. I had my time of eating cold canned food while hiding in an abandoned vehicle or under a big front porch. It ain’t the greatest in the world. So what do you say to those showers?” Jim said.
I turned and looked at Randy. He gave me a look that said, whatever you want to do Commander. I turned my attention back to Jim.
“I think a good hot shower would be good for all of us. Thank you for the offer. It’s been a while.” I stated.
“Again, no problem. I remember what it’s like out there.” Jim answered as he took a huge bite right out of the pork chop. That was repulsive. He didn’t even use a fork. I managed to look past it.
Jim chewed a couple of bites of his meal before he spoke again.
“So where are y’all camped out at?” he asked me.
“We are in Adairsville, but we have a civilization that is a bit bigger than a camp.” I informed.
“Oh yeah, how many people you got?”
“78”
“No shittin’ that’s a lot of mouths to feed. Must be hard.” he said.
“No not really. We all work together in my village. We each have a job or two to do.”
Jim took a few more bites of his meal before he spoke again.
“So I take it you are the leader of your outfit Ms. Amber?” he questioned.
“Yes I am.”
“They all call her commander.” Tyler said.
“Yeah, my mom is totally awesome at what she does. She’s like super woman.” Tara replied.
I felt as though I was going to blush. That wouldn’t do so well for my commander image.
“Is that right? Well, maybe we will get to see your mom in action.” Jim said with a smile. I didn’t know this man well, but he seemed to be one of those people that had a way with children. He treated my kids like they were normal kids in a normal world. He talked to them as though everything was as it should be, as it was before the outbreak changed our world
forever.
I wasn’t sure about Jay Blackburn, but I thought Jim may be a bit of a humanitarian. That was certainly a quality I thought one needed if they were going to lead a group. I wondered if they kept their numbers small because that’s what they wanted to do, or because they hadn’t come into contact with many survivors since all of this began. I was leaning toward the second option.
There was definitely a difference between Jay and Jim. Jay seemed to be careless and reckless. Jim seemed to be pulled together and have all of his ducks in a row. I was beginning to see why he was the leader of his outfit as he called it. He had that leader feel to him. I looked around the room at the other six members of his group. Not a one of them looked like they would be a leader, except for Jay of course. After all, I had thought he was the leader to begin with.
I took the last bite of my food and washed it down with the last of the iced tea. Once the liquid was gone, I opened my mouth a little more to let some of the crushed ice enter my mouth. I didn’t get ice often, and I was going to savor it.
Jim reached into his pocket and pulled out to card keys and placed them on the table. “These are for rooms 114 and 116 on the second floor. The elevators work good so you can take ‘em up whenever you are ready.” I thought it was funny that he gave us card keys to two rooms and we had already planned to shower using two rooms instead of four just to protect ourselves a little better. It was as though Jim was reading our minds.
“I know what it’s like to be some place new. Thought you all might feel better if you could stay together a bit.” Jim said as he chewed the last bite of his pork chop. He really was reading my mind, but that was ok. It prevented me from being in a position to possibly offend anyone when we told them how we planned to work this shower thing out.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The water felt refreshing cascading down my body, washing away months, if not a year of hardships. I remembered this feeling, the feeling that all the stress and all of the trials were being washed away down the drain, never to return. It was peaceful, yet invigorating to submerge myself in the hot steamy liquid that offered me more relaxation that I’d had in a long time.
I forced my mind to be empty. I didn’t want to be on guard, as much as I thought I needed to be. Truth be told, I was more comfortable around the people I had met, and I didn’t think me or my group was in any danger. I allowed my guard to fall for the first time in a long time. I was behind locked doors, and on a floor that was not ground level.
I closed my eyes and guided the water over my face. I repeated this, feeling that my face couldn’t be clean enough. I looked down at the bottle of shampoo sitting on the edge of the tub. It was Treseme, the product I used before the world went to shit. I still used it when I could find it and I would submerge myself in the creek water to get clean. That too felt nice, but nothing could compare to a good hot shower.
I retrieved the bottle of shampoo and squirted some in my hand. I rubbed it around with my palms until it lathered, then put the contents of my hands in my hair and massaged it in. I could have fallen asleep at the feel of the massaging action on my scalp as my hair got the thorough washing it so desperately needed.
The bathroom filled with the relaxing clean scent of the shampoo as the steam sent it wafting around the room. I inhaled deeply, welcoming the steamy scents to enter my body. I melted into them as I leaned my back against the shower. I allowed the water to flow down as I rinsed the shampoo from the strands of auburn hair that covered my head.
I didn’t want the shower to end, but like all good things, I knew that an end was inevitable. I reached down and turned off the water to the shower. I stretched my arm out and took the towel from the towel bar, and wrapped my drenched hair in the soft cotton. I took the other towel, and wrapped it around my now clean, naked body and stepped out onto the bath mat beside the tub. I began drying myself off, enjoying the silky smoothness of my freshly shaved legs as I dried them.
It was nice to feel normal again. It was nice to feel as though my life was as it used to be before people of the world became flesh eating monsters. I slowly dressed myself in my clothes. I was so clean that the smell of my clothes didn’t bother me in the least. My shower had been so long that it felt as though the water had formed a shield on my skin, and the sweat and dirt from my clothes couldn’t touch me.
Once I was finished dressing myself, I opened the bathroom door and stepped out. Tara was sitting in a chair with her gun aimed at the door. That is what I told her to do just in case.
“Oh thank God. I thought you were going to be in there forever.” Tara said as she lowered her weapon. I smiled at her.
“You look like a natural sitting there with your weapon drawn. I could tell by the way you were holding it that you had a good grip.” I said as I towel dried my hair.
“That’s what you taught me to do. Never hold a gun loosely. You will miss your target. That’s what you always say.”
I was pleased to see just how much of my teachings my daughter had paid attention to. Tara was a good shot. She did very well in training at the village. In fact, she never missed her target. Some of the guys had gotten together and used hay and old clothes to make practice dummies for us to shoot at while we taught the teenagers and children at the village to shoot.
“I’m sorry I took so long. It felt wonderful.” I said with a smile, still relaxed from the first shower I’d had in a long time.
“I bet it did. Don’t get mad if I take a long shower too. I love them just as much as you do.” Tara informed.
“I will completely understand. They even put razors in the bathroom so you can shave if you want.” I informed Tara. She smiled at me and I could read the smile. She would most definitely be shaving while she enjoyed herself.
“Ok, well I enjoy talking with you Mom, but I want that shower.” Tara said.
“It’s ok honey. Knock yourself out.” I said as I gestured toward the bathroom door.
I didn’t have to tell her twice. Tara stood up and removed her gun belt and back pack. She placed the items on the bed where mine had rested while I showered.
“See you in a bit.” Tara said as she closed the door behind her. There I was, all alone in the nicely kept hotel room. I made my way over and checked the door to make sure it was secure. It was. Tara hadn’t touched it since I had locked it on our way in. I went to the bed and recouped my gun belt.
I reached into my back pack and took my cigarettes and lighter out of the side pocket. I made my way over to the sliding glass door that led out onto a balcony and opened them. I stepped outside onto the cement balcony and removed a cigarette from my pack. I placed it in my mouth and lit it. I inhaled deeply, allowing the smoke to fill my lungs. This only added to the level of relaxation that I was feeling from the shower. I exhaled and looked around the area.
The back of the Best Western looked out over a parking lot, a swimming pool that the group had also kept maintained, and far in the distance, I could see woods. I thought I saw something moving there. I placed my hand on my gun just in case. The group that claimed this place used big guns. Hell, we did too. I wasn’t sure what kind they were, I am not good with that sort of thing. All I know how to do is load and shoot. That’s really all I need to know. When it comes down to it, the type of big gun didn’t matter to me.
I took another draw from my cigarette as I continued to watch the wood line. I could still see the object moving and it appeared to be human. Whether or not it was the right kind of human, I couldn’t be sure, but I could watch and wait to see. If it was a walker, then I would have no problem aiming my gun, and taking it out. My hand gun did as well as the big guns, though I knew it wouldn’t carry the distance between me and whatever it was right now.
I was sure there was a person or two on the roof again keeping watch. They seemed to be really organized when it came to surveillance. Still, you can’t watch four sides at once, even with two people. That is why in my village, we formed a perimeter that would meet any of
the undead with deadly force.
The prospective person was still making their way slowly out of the wood line. Judging by how it was walking, I could tell it was one of them; one of the undead. I wasn’t sure how close it would come before someone on the roof noticed it, but I was on guard again just in case.
I took the last draw of my cigarette and flicked it out into the parking lot. As I stood there watching, I heard the sliding glass door to the room beside me come open. I turned to see who it was that come out.
“Hey there Commander. How did you like that shower?” I heard Randy say. I smiled at him.
“It was great. I definitely feel a hundred percent better. I even let my guard down a bit so that I could really enjoy it.” I stated with a smile still evident upon my face. I made my way over to the edge of the balcony where I could get closer to Randy.
“Does everything seem quiet over there?” I asked.
“Except for Tyler singing in the shower, everything is good.” Randy informed. I couldn’t help but to laugh. My son did have a habit of doing that, though I hadn’t heard it in quite some time.
“Have you showered already?” I asked Randy. He looked down at his hands.
“Damn, do I look that horrible that you can’t tell when I am clean?” Randy asked.
It was at that moment that I noticed the fresh, clean scent of the men’s shampoo that Randy had used. I smiled at him.
“Sorry. I didn’t know if you were as greedy as I was to go first.” I said. Randy smiled at me. I could see that look in his eye, the one that was there when he had kissed me. I tried not to notice, but I couldn’t help it. The least I could do was not to add fuel to the fire and allow him to realize that I noticed.
Randy turned and looked into the room.
“Tyler’s out of the shower.” he informed.
“Tara is still in, but she’s a girl so it will take her awhile.” I stated.
“Hey do you see that zombie making its way in this direction?” I asked as I pointed with my gun. Sure enough, it was still headed this way, one single little zombie all by itself. It was seriously outnumbered here.
The Fall: The Apocalypse Diaries Page 9
