“So, you are getting supplies for the FEMA camp at The Grove?” asks Lauren.
Kat says, “Yeah. My friends and I started working at The Grove about a month ago. FEMA came in some time ago and set up camps and shelters around Tampa Bay. They are at The Grove, the football stadium, and a couple other locations around here and in the state of Florida.”
“I don’t remember the baseball stadium being called The Grove since the team left here. I guess FEMA set up shelters last year from the bad hurricane season and never left?” asks Lauren.
Kat and Lauren walk towards the front of the store.
“Yeah. Luckily, FEMA already had somewhat of a presence here from last year’s hurricane season. It was pretty bad last year on the West Coast of Florida. The West Coast had some close calls with storms,” says Kat.
“Is Brian your boyfriend?” asks Lauren.
Kat replies, “No. He’s just a friend. My husband didn’t make it. I lost my husband at the start of the craziness around here. My husband was swarmed by a group of zombies. I really hope he isn’t a zombie aimlessly walking around Tampa Bay.”
Brian and I load up two shopping carts and make it back to the front of the store where Lauren and Kat are standing.
Lauren looks at me and says, “Kat and Brian are nurses at the FEMA camp at The Grove. They are taking most of these items for the people at the shelter.”
“Yeah, Brian told me that also. Do you guys still have room at The Grove?”
Kat says, “Yeah. We have a lot of room at The Grove for people. I think the football stadium has some room also.”
“Good, because we get people coming here looking for help, and we can direct them to the baseball stadium now.”
Kat says, “Yeah. We can take people in still. We take people in all the time. We just had a large group of people come in from Naples, Sarasota, Fort Lauderdale, and Boca.”
Lauren looks at me when she hears Kat say Boca.
“I’m interested in seeing The Grove. Can Lauren and I see where you work?”
Brian says, “Yeah. We can always use some extra hands and another doctor.”
Lauren smiles and looks at me.
Kat asks, “Okay, what’s the damage here? What do we owe you for all this?”
I look at the stuff that Brian and Kat have in their shopping carts and don’t see any high priced or rare items besides the expensive drones.
“The deal is that Brian shows me how to use the drone and you let us in The Grove with VIP status.”
Brian says, “I’ll show you how to use the drone for sure. When you come by The Gove, I will show you how to use it.”
Kat smiles and asks, “That’s it? What’s the catch?”
I laugh and say, “No catch. Just want to know some information about The Grove, FEMA, and everything going on around here. I’ll even bring a bunch more supplies for you when we come by.”
Kat says, “Great. Come by anytime. Brian and I live there. I will introduce you to the doctors and the people in charge at The Grove.”
I look at Kat and Brian and say, “Great. Let’s get you all loaded up.”
Kat, Brian, Lauren, Wesley, Jakobe, and myself go outside of the Big Club and over to Brian’s car.
The sunshine is out, and the sky is clear.
We load up Brian’s car with all the supplies.
Wesley and Jakobe take the shopping carts.
Lauren, Kat, Brian, and myself go back into the Big Club and over to the front table where Kat and Brian’s weapons are.
Brian and Kat grab their weapons and make sure they didn’t forget anything.
“I’m looking forward to learning about the drone Brian.”
Brian replies, “Me too. The drone you gave me will really help out. St. Petersburg is having a lot of trouble still. The drone will help me get visuals on the trouble areas while I’m safely inside the protected borders of The Grove.”
Lauren asks, “St. Pete is bad? What’s going on there?”
Kat puts her handgun in her holster and says, “St. Pete is rough. Downtown St. Pete is a war zone. It’s filled with zombies, gangs, dead bodies, and more and more gunfire. The pier is a battleground and most streets are unsafe to even walk down.”
“I want to know more about St. Pete and what’s going on down there. Tampa Bay is important to me and that includes St. Pete.”
I see that Brian and Kat aren’t wearing orange badges like Lauren and I are.
“Has anyone given you orange badges?”
Brian and Kat say, “No.”
“I will bring some badges with me when I see you at The Grove.”
“What’s up with the badges?” asks Brian.
“The orange badges are supposed to protect people from being killed by the military. If you don’t have a badge when the military sees you, they might kill you.”
“How do you know this?” asks Kat.
“People around the area have told us this. I trust the information and it’s not worth the risk to not have a badge that could save your life.”
“Then we need those badges. Please bring some badges for us when you make it to The Grove. When do you plan on coming by?” asks Kat.
I look at Lauren and say, “Tomorrow, we will come by. We are interested in checking out St. Pete and The Grove.”
Kat says, “Great. I will tell my boss to expect you some time tomorrow.”
“We will be there around noon or so tomorrow.”
“Sounds good. Thank you, Ryan and Lauren,” says Kat.
Lauren and I say goodbye to Brian and Kat as they exit the Big Club.
Lauren looks at me and asks, “People from Boca at The Grove? My parents could be there?”
I look at Lauren and say, “Maybe sweetie. Hopefully. We will check it out tomorrow.”
CHAPTER 5
TO THE GROVE
“You ready to go Lauren?”
“I’ll be right out. I’ll meet you and Phil outside,” says Lauren.
Phil and I exit my house.
“What’s up with this place? The Grove? Why is it called that?” asks Phil.
I put my gear, katana, the orange badges, and two bags in the trunk of my SUV.
“It’s called The Grove, because of some orange juice company took over the naming rights to the baseball stadium after the team left. The Grove is basically a FEMA shelter now. People go there for medical care, safety, food, and help. I’m sure we will see some people in pretty rough shape there.”
Phil says, “I have been wondering how people are making out since the world fell apart. I’m sure The Grove will be an eye-opening place.”
Lauren comes out of our house and locks the front door.
“Hey Phil. What’s going on?” asks Lauren.
Phil says, “Ready to roll to the Big Club and then to The Grove.”
Lauren puts her bow, bolts, and bags into the back of the SUV next to Phil’s gear, shotgun, and bags.
“Let’s get going.”
Lauren, Phil, and I get into my SUV.
I start up my SUV and look at Lauren.
“You got everything?”
Lauren says, “I got everything I need. Let’s go. I’m anxious to get going.”
I exit out of my driveway and exit the neighborhood through the South entrance.
Phil asks, “Why are you anxious to get to The Grove?”
Lauren looks at me and says, “I’m curious about what goes on there and who is there. Kat told us that they got a bunch of people from all over Florida.”
Phil asks, “Who are you looking for Lauren? Who are you hoping is there?”
“My parents mostly. They were living in Boca Raton. Kat said she met some people at The Grove that were from Boca,” says Lauren.
I glance at Lauren as I am driving down the road and feel that she is hoping to see her parents at The Grove. I feel that it’s a long shot to find her parents, but I want to stay positive for Lauren.
“They definitely could be there sweetie
but even if they aren’t, we will make a trip to Boca to find them.”
Lauren smiles and says, “Thank you honey. That means a lot to me.”
I turn down a street and see a small SUV stopped at the edge of the road in the distance.
A woman is flagging me down to stop.
Lauren says, “That woman wants you to stop. Are you going to stop and help them?”
Phil says, “Slow down, but don’t stop completely. Let’s check this out before we just blindly help them.”
I agree with Phil and slow down as I approach the woman and the SUV.
The woman shouts with an European accent, “Please! Help us!”
The woman is holding a little white poodle in her hands.
I drive past the SUV and off to the side of the road.
Phil, Lauren, and I look around to see if it is a trap and what is going on around the SUV and the woman.
“The coast is clear right now. I see a man working on the engine. I think they are just broken down,” says Phil.
Lauren looks at me and asks, “What should we do?”
I look at Lauren and say, “Stay near the SUV and cover Phil and me. Phil and I will check out these people.”
Phil, Lauren, and I exit my SUV.
The woman comes running over to me and says, “Thank you. Thank you. We need your help. Our vehicle just broke down.”
Phil says, “No problem ma’am. Where were you headed?”
The man stands up from leaning under the hood of his SUV and shouts something in another language.
The woman says, “We were going to St. Petersburg to the shelter. We ran out of food in the house we were renting for the summer. We are from Belgium.”
Phil walks over to the man and says, “Hello sir. I’m Phil. You mind if I take a look at your SUV?”
The man shouts, “Go ahead! The belt keeps slipping off!”
I look at the woman and ask, “What’s your name ma’am?”
The woman replies, “I am Tamara. That’s my husband Jan, and this is our dog Luna.”
“Very cute ma’am. Your dog is very cute. How long have you been stuck here?”
I look over at Phil and at the SUV engine.
Tamara says, “I don’t know. We have been here about an hour now.”
Jan says, “We need to find another vehicle. This one sucks.”
Luna barks at something behind the broken-down SUV and we all look that direction.
Four zombies are approaching the vehicle from a nearby neighborhood entrance street.
Lauren runs to the trunk of my SUV and opens the trunk.
I look at Lauren and shout, “Throw me my katana!”
Lauren grabs my katana and tosses it to me.
Phil takes out his handgun and points it at the zombies.
Phil aims his handgun at a zombie, but a body comes running into his view of the zombies.
It’s Jan.
Jan takes a tire iron and hits two zombies.
A zombie is about to bite Jan on his neck.
SCHAFF!
An arrow comes flying into the zombies’ head before it can bite Jan.
Three more zombies come slowly walking towards Jan’s SUV.
Phil kills a zombie with a clean headshot.
BANG!
“Jan come back here!” shouts Tamara as she holds her dog Luna.
I run towards the three remaining zombies and kill them with hacks, slashes, and stabs from my katana.
I look around and see the two zombies that Jan hit with his tire iron.
The two zombies are slowly crawling towards the SUV still.
I walk over to the zombies and stab them both in the back of the head.
The streets and area are clear of zombies now.
Tamara looks at her husband Jan and shouts, “What were you thinking? Always trying to be a hero! You are lucky these people came and helped you!”
Phil and I walk back to Jan’s SUV.
Phil grabs the loose alternator belt and tries to put it back on.
I look at Lauren and ask, “You okay?”
Lauren gives me a nod and says, “I’m okay.”
Lauren walks past me and grabs the bolt out of the zombies’ head.
“Nice shot,” says Tamara.
Phil gets the alternator belt back on and says, “Jan. Start it up.”
Jan jumps into the driver seat and starts up his SUV.
The SUV starts up.
The belt squeals as it turns but it stays on.
Phil says, “It looks good for now, but you want to get another ride if you are driving a long distance.”
Tamara says, “Thank you. We appreciate it. We are only going a couple of miles down the road to The Grove.”
I look at Tamara and say, “We are going to The Grove as well. We will see you there. Drive safe.”
Jan says, “Thank you. Come on Tamara, let’s get going before we break down again.”
Phil closes the hood to Jan’s SUV.
Tamara gets in the SUV passenger seat.
Phil and I walk back to my SUV.
Jan drives by us and gives us a goodbye honk from his SUV horn.
Lauren shakes off the zombie brains and blood from the bolt she shot into the zombie.
I place my katana and Lauren’s bow in the trunk, and we all get back into my SUV.
I pull up to the Big Club parking lot and see that there are some people banging on the protective fence near the front entrance.
Wesley and Jakobe come out to talk to the five people that are banging on the fence.
I drive my SUV to the front entrance.
Lauren, Phil, and I get out of my SUV.
The five people look at us and then go back to yelling at Wesley and Jakobe.
“We want in your store! We don’t want your care packages again! We don’t need Aspirin! We need shelter!” shouts one of the men at Wesley.
“Excuse me! Step away from the fence please!”
A man looks at me and shouts, “Fuck you!”
I look at the group standing outside of the Big Club and don’t see them holding any weapons.
The five people look to be in rough shape.
“Please, everyone! Step away from the fence! My men can’t let you in! We can give you some food and water though!”
A woman shouts, “We don’t want your shitty food and water! We want inside the store!”
I step towards the man that cursed at me.
The man looks at me and tries to punch me.
I easily duck out of the way from the man’s punch.
I look at the man and shout, “Don’t freaking touch me man!”
I step back, and Phil runs over to me.
I look at Jakobe and Wesley and shout, “Keep the fence closed! They don’t get anything from us now!”
The man and woman who previously shouted at me look directly at me.
The man and woman grab small knives from their pockets.
I see the man and woman take out their knives, so I reach for my handgun.
Phil fires a warning shot in the air.
BANG!
The woman and man stop in their tracks, while the three-other people run away from the store.
I take out my handgun and point it at the man.
Phil stands next to me and points his handgun at the woman.
The woman looks at me and says, “Shoot us or don’t, but don’t play any games with us.”
I look directly at the woman and shout, “Get the fuck out of here! Don’t ever come back here! My men will kill you, if you come back here!”
Phil says, “Both of you. Get the fuck out of here. Go find another store to bother.”
The man and woman are just staring at Phil and me.
I raise my gun above the man and woman and pull the trigger.
BANG!
The man and woman duck down.
Phil shouts, “Get the fuck out of here! Before we kill you!”
The man and woman run away fr
om the front entrance of the Big Club towards the street.
I watch the man and woman run away and then look at Phil.
“What ungrateful pieces of crap!”
“You surprised? Everyone wants everything for themselves. You might be being too nice with this place and giving out the care packages. People will take advantage and see your hospitality as weakness or an opportunity to get more out of you,” says Phil.
Wesley and Jakobe open the fence and walk over to Phil and me.
I look at Phil and say, “You probably are right Phil. We need to stop giving people handouts.”
Wesley says, “I think we should keep giving out items to people though. We just have to pick and choose who to help.”
I look at Wesley and say, “That’s easier said than done. Let’s develop another plan going forward but we won’t be giving out anymore care packages. Let’s load the rest of the care packages and the items from the list I made into a truck.”
Jakobe asks, “What’s going on? Where are you taking these supplies and care packages?”
“I will explain inside. What truck can we take with us?”
Jakobe says, “You can take the red truck. I’ll go get it from the back and bring it over here.”
Jakobe runs back inside the Big Club to get the truck keys.
Lauren walks over to me with the list of items I want to bring to The Grove.
Lauren hands me the list and we walk inside the store.
Phil asks Wesley, “What was up with those people? Were they here before?”
Wesley replies, “Yeah. They were here before. The man and woman that came at you are a pain in the ass. They have come here several times. I didn’t know what to do.”
“If they come back here. You need to make an example of them. People will keep trying to take what we have here, and it won’t stop unless we show people that we aren’t messing around!”
Wesley says, “Yes sir. We will do our best. I don’t know if I can kill them, but I will make sure they know not to mess with us.”
Phil says, “You have to be willing to kill them, Wesley. They could hurt you and this place. They won’t hesitate to kill you, so you need to not hesitate to kill them.”
I see the look of concern on Wesley’s face.
I walk over to Wesley and say, “Just keep the fence closed. Don’t let anyone near the store entrance and no more care packages for anyone.”
Fight 4 Us (Book 6): Keeper Page 5
