“I don’t care what he said to you, he dies the next time I see him. Along with Jacob and the rest of the Conquerors,” says Shaun.
“Do what you have to do guys. Just be safe. If you have to kill DK and Jacob and the rest of the Conquerors, you have my support.”
“What if DK is trustworthy?” asks Bobby G.
“Guess we will find out,” answers Shaun.
“When are you going to Jacob’s house?”
“We are working with William and his group. They plan on being here later today. I think we are going later today or tonight. Stealth approach,” says Phil.
“Keep me posted. I want to know what’s going on. Keep me in the loop.”
“We will, always,” says Shaun.
I walk with Lauren away from Bobby G’s driveway and start to walk towards the West entrance.
“I hope they take Jacob out,” says Lauren.
I grab Lauren’s right hand as we walk along the sidewalk.
Lauren and I see a group of people walking down the sidewalk towards us.
“Hey Ryan, hey Lauren!” shouts Jerri-Lynn.
“Hey, how are ya?”
Jerri-Lynn, Kiersten, and Sam walk over to me and Lauren.
“Where are you coming from?” asks Lauren.
Jerri-Lynn replies, “We are coming from your library. We got a huge supply of books from a local library and a nearby bookstore.”
“Awesome, did you get any magazines?” asks Lauren.
Kiersten replies, “Yeah, we got tons of good stuff. We are going back to the bookstore in a couple days. The bookstore and library were filled with useful stuff.”
I see that Sam and Jerri-Lynn have some bruises on their faces and some scrapes on their arms.
“Did you guys make out okay? I see some of you took some damage on the run.”
Sam answers, “We are okay. We ran into some trouble with a group of people and some zombies, but we took care of them.”
Jerri-Lynn says, “Andre got the worst of it, but he’s doing better now. I stitched him up myself.”
“Is he recovering? Does he have a fever?”
“Andre wasn’t bit, but took a knife wound to his side. He is recovering pretty well now,” says Jerri-Lynn.
“Where are you living now?” asks Lauren.
Jerri-Lynn points across the street towards the South entrance and answers, “We are close by. Right across that main road there.”
I smack a mosquito on my right calf.
“Bug bite?” asks Lauren.
“Yeah, a mosquito.”
Jerri-Lynn says, “There have been a lot more bugs and mosquitos around lately. I think it has to do with all the stagnant pool water.”
“That’s a good point. We need to try and prevent the spread of mosquitos and diseases if we can. I bet tons of pools are just sitting there and becoming gross without the pool pumps working.”
“We can start by trying to cover any pools that we find and clear out any stagnant water,” says Jerri-Lynn.
“Be careful, don’t try anything risky. Take note of any trouble spots and let us know if you need our help.”
“We will, I am glad that you are out and about. Take care you guys. We will see you later,” says Jerri-Lynn.
Lauren and I say goodbye to Jerri-Lynn, Sam, and Kiersten.
A large group of rain clouds fill the sky.
Lauren looks up into the sky and says, “Looks like rain. I think a storm is coming.”
“Let’s get back home.”
Lauren and I walk back to our house.
A couple hours go by.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
Lauren opens our front door as I sit in the living room on our sofa with Milo and Callie.
“Hey Lauren,” says Phil as he enters my house.
I look over at Phil and see Matt, Jon, Shaun, and Bobby G enter behind Phil.
Phil, the guys, and Bobby G are all geared up and ready to leave Citrus Oaks.
“What’s up guys?”
Shaun, Phil, Jon, Matt, and Bobby G walk into the living room.
“We are going after Jacob, right now,” says Shaun.
I hear what Shaun says and part of me wants to stand up, gear up, and go kill Jacob myself.
I stand up from my sofa.
I look at Phil, Shaun, and Bobby G and say, “I wish I could come with you.”
Phil hands me a radio.
“You will be there. Not in person, but you’ll be with us,” says Phil.
I take the radio from Phil and smile.
“You be safe. All of you. I want all of you coming back here. Those assholes aren’t worth your lives. Remember that.”
“We are taking them down, tonight,” says Shaun.
I exchange handshakes and hugs with Shaun, Phil, Jon, and Matt.
Bobby G walks over to me.
“We will be outside, Bob,” says Shaun as he stands in the foyer next to my front door.
Bobby G looks at Shaun and says, “I’ll be right out.”
Shaun, Phil, Jon, and Matt exit my house.
“Son, how are you feeling? How’s the leg?” asks Bobby G.
“It’s good. I’ll be okay.”
“Good, I was worried about you,” says Bobby G.
I look at Bobby G and see that he has a heavy-duty body armor chest plate on, his military hat that I got him, a handgun, a knife, and a rifle.
“You look ready to go. You be safe out there and don’t try to be a hero.”
“I’ll be fine. I’ll stay hidden and I’ll be safe,” says Bobby G.
I hug Bobby G and worry that he won’t be coming back.
I start to get emotional but fight back the tears.
Lauren watches me hug Bobby G and starts to cry.
“I’ll be back,” says Bobby G.
I smile and say, “Okay, terminator.”
“I don’t want to keep the guys waiting, keep that radio on. We will keep you in the know of what’s going on,” says Bobby G.
Bobby G says goodbye to me, Lauren, Milo, and Callie and then leaves my house through the front door.
I look at Lauren who is crying.
Lauren walks over to me and gives me a big hug.
“I know you wanted to go, but it’s better if you rest. I don’t want to lose you,” says Lauren.
“I’m right here, sweetie.”
BANG!
A loud bang is heard from inside Fran and Keith’s room.
Lauren and I look across the house.
“What was that?” asks Lauren.
“I don’t know. I think it came from your parent’s room.”
Lauren and I walk over to Fran and Keith’s closed bedroom door.
“Mom? Dad? Is everything okay?” asks Lauren.
“Help!” shouts Fran from inside the room.
Lauren opens the bedroom door.
It’s dark in the bedroom.
Lauren and I can barely see anything.
I can hear struggling and fighting on the floor next to the bed.
“Mom! Dad!” shouts Lauren.
Lauren clicks on the light switch.
I see a man on top of Fran.
The man is trying to bite Fran.
Lauren runs over to her mom.
The man turns off Fran and tries to bite Lauren.
AHHHH!
Lauren screams in fear.
The man on top of Fran is Keith.
Keith is a zombie.
Lauren steps back towards me and can’t believe what she is seeing.
Fran pushes Keith to the floor and gets away from Keith.
Keith stands up from the floor and starts walking towards Lauren and me.
Keith’s eyes are cloudy and bloodshot.
Lauren can’t stand to watch her father as a zombie.
I step in front of Lauren as Keith slowly walks towards us.
Lauren starts to breakdown at the sight of her dead father.
I quickly step out of the bedroom and look for an object to defend myself w
ith.
Keith continues to slowly stagger towards me, he is moaning, groaning, and reaching for me.
I walk into my kitchen and see a long kitchen knife.
I pick up the knife as Keith walks towards me, I pause for a second as it’s tough for me to see my father-in-law Keith as a zombie.
I look into Keith’s cloudy bloodshot eyes and say, “I’m sorry Keith.”
SHICH!
I stab Keith in his forehead with the kitchen knife and he instantly becomes lifeless.
I pull the knife out of Keith’s forehead and Keith’s body collapses onto the kitchen tile.
Lauren is standing behind me and is crying.
Fran comes out of her bedroom and has blood on her hands.
“Mom!” shouts Lauren as she runs over to Fran.
Lauren looks at Fran’s bloody hands and then at Fran’s face.
“Are you okay?” asks Lauren as she looks at Fran.
Fran is speechless as she sees Keith’s dead body lying on the kitchen tile.
“Are you okay?” asks Lauren to Fran again.
Fran looks at Lauren and tries to say something.
“What is it mom?” asks Lauren.
“I’m sorry,” says Fran in a low tone of voice.
Fran turns very pale in her face and passes out.
Fran starts to fall towards the floor.
Lauren guides Fran to the floor and isn’t sure what just happened.
Lauren slowly positions Fran on our tile floor and looks back at me.
“Ryan! Help!” shouts Lauren with tears in her eyes.
CHAPTER 17
WHAT DO WE DO NOW?
I step over Keith’s dead body and walk over to Lauren.
“Is she bit? Does she have any scratches?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t see any,” answers Lauren.
I visually check Fran for any bites or scratches.
“I don’t see any wounds. I think she is okay.”
“Why are her hands bloody?” asks Lauren.
I look back at Keith’s body and see several knife cuts in his shirt and chest.
“I think the blood is from your dad. Your mom might have stabbed him in the chest.”
Fran wakes up.
“Oh, thank god,” says Lauren.
“Are you okay Fran?”
Fran asks, “What happened?”
“You tell me,” replies Lauren.
Fran says, “I was cleaning up in our bathroom and your father was making all these noises. I went over to check on him and then he was quiet. I thought he fell asleep or something.”
Fran sits up and sees Keith’s dead body in the kitchen.
Fran starts to cry and looks at Lauren.
“Is he gone?” asks Fran.
“Yes, Fran. He turned.”
“I thought he was just sick. I didn’t know he was dying,” says Fran.
“How did Keith get the wounds to his chest?”
Fran answers, “I did that. He was attacking me. I defended myself enough to be able to grab a knife, but all I could stab was his chest.”
“So, he died and then turned?” asks Lauren.
I look at Keith’s dead body and say, “I guess so.”
“He must have died in bed. He wasn’t feeling well for several days,” says Fran.
“Did he take the insulin I got him?”
“I don’t know. He usually takes it every couple of days,” says Fran.
I walk over to the refrigerator and open the door.
I look for the insulin box, and I grab it.
I open the insulin box and count how many injection pens are in the box.
“Six. This box is full. He didn’t take the insulin.”
Lauren says, “That’s probably what killed him.”
Lauren helps Fran up from the floor and takes her into the bathroom.
I look down at Keith and say, “Oh Keith, I tried to get your meds. They could have saved you.”
Lauren walks out of the bathroom and over to me.
“We need to take my father’s body out. I will help you take his body outside,” says Lauren.
I open a hallway closet and grab a blue sheet from a shelf.
I wrap the blue sheet around Keith’s body.
Lauren gathers herself in the bedroom and then walks back out into our kitchen.
I open our front door.
I walk back into our kitchen and help Lauren carry Keith’s body out to the driveway.
“What are we going to do with him?” asks Lauren.
“Bury him.”
“Where?” asks Lauren.
“In our graveyard.”
Lauren and I place Keith’s body next to my SUV.
I open my SUV trunk.
“Can you get me a shovel and a LED lantern from the shed?”
Lauren says, “Yeah.”
Lauren walks into our backyard and grabs my shovel.
I pick up Keith’s body from the driveway and place him in my SUV trunk.
Lauren comes back with a shovel and lantern and places them in my SUV trunk.
I close my SUV trunk.
“How’s your mom?”
“She is upset,” answers Lauren.
“I’m sure. It’s gotta be tough right now for her.”
I get into my SUV.
Lauren says, “I’ll go with you. I’ll be right back.”
Lauren runs back into our house.
“We are on the move. Everything okay back home?” asks Phil over the radio.
I unclip the radio from my belt and respond, “Just had something bad happen. Lauren’s dad Keith is dead. He died and then came back as a zombie.”
“I’m sorry bro. Is everyone okay?” asks Phil over the radio.
I reply over the radio, “Lauren and Fran are upset obviously, but no one is hurt.”
“I’m sorry for your lose man. We will be back to help you with things after we get this done,” says Phil over the radio.
I reply over the radio, “Thank you, you be safe and smart out there.”
Lauren gets into my SUV.
I say over the radio, “I’m going to bury Keith now, but I’ll have my radio on me.”
“Roger that, talk to you soon,” replies Phil over the radio.
I start up my SUV and drive to our graveyard.
I park my SUV and see the sun setting in the distance as Lauren and I sit in my SUV.
Lauren looks out her SUV window at Tony’s grave.
“Where will you bury him?” asks Lauren.
I look at Lauren and reply, “Wherever you want. You tell me where to dig.”
Lauren and I exit my SUV.
I open my SUV trunk.
Lauren walks over to the graveyard with the LED lantern.
I grab the shovel and walk over to Lauren.
“I think here is good. This is nice,” says Lauren.
I start to dig a grave for Keith.
Lauren finds a long piece of wood that she wants to use as the headstone for Keith’s grave.
After about thirty minutes of digging, I finish digging Keith’s grave.
I try to catch my breath as Lauren illuminates the area with the LED lantern.
“Thank you for doing this, honey. I know it’s tough and late for this. I just didn’t know what else to do,” says Lauren.
“I understand sweetie. I think it’s better this way.”
Lauren and I grab Keith’s body and place him in the grave.
“Does your mother want to be here?”
Lauren answers, “No, she will come by here tomorrow. We all will. We can do this without her.”
I look at Keith’s covered body as it lays in the grave.
I don’t know what to say, but I feel like I have to say something.
Lauren looks down at Keith’s grave.
“Dad, I’m sorry we weren’t that close. I have and will always love you and your stubborn ways. You were always there to support me in life and helped me out when tim
es got rough. I will never forget you. I love you,” says Lauren.
Lauren looks at me.
I look at Keith’s grave and say, “Keith, what can I say man. You are a great guy. I will never forget you and the memories we made. You always made things fun and memorable. I’m going to miss you.”
Lauren hugs me.
I take a deep breath and look at Keith’s grave.
Lauren picks up the shovel and starts to shovel dirt onto Keith’s body.
I see that Lauren is struggling to pick up the dirt with the shovel, but I can see that she is trying.
Lauren continues to shovel more and more dirt back into Keith’s grave.
Lauren starts to cry as she picks up more and more dirt with the shovel.
“Why? Why couldn’t you just take the damn insulin? You had to be so stubborn! Your whole life! So, fucking stubborn!” shouts Lauren.
Lauren drops to her knees and screams in frustration.
I comfort Lauren.
Lauren stares at her father’s grave. Her grief and sadness have turned into anger.
Lauren stands up and says, “My whole life, he did what he wanted, when he wanted. I love the man, but he never listened to doctors. Guess he never learned.”
“Your father had a good life, he had some serious health conditions during his life though. I’m surprised he made it this far.”
Lauren is feeling a variety of emotions but starts to calm down.
Lauren takes a deep breath, gathers her thoughts, looks at me, and says, “That’s true. He beat cancer and struggled with diabetes as long as I could remember.”
“I guess it was the tough Irish side of him.”
Lauren says, “Yeah, those Irish genes are tough.”
Lauren asks, “Can you finish covering up the grave?”
“Yeah, no problem. You did a good job though.”
I pick up the shovel and finish covering Keith’s body with dirt and fill in Keith’s grave.
It’s much darker out now. The only light we have is from the LED lantern.
Lauren puts the piece of wood she found in my SUV trunk.
“I’ll write on the wood tonight, and we can place it on the grave tomorrow,” says Lauren.
I flatten out a couple spots of dirt and dig a spot for the piece of wood Lauren is using as Keith’s headstone.
Lauren picks up the LED lantern and we walk back to my SUV.
I place the shovel in the trunk of my SUV.
Lauren and I get into my SUV.
I start up my SUV and I drive back home.
I pull into my driveway and park my SUV.
Fight 4 Us (Book 7): Weaponize Page 17
