I say goodbye to Janet and pet Odin before they get into TJ’s jeep.
TJ, Janet, and Odin get into TJ’s jeep.
Lisa runs out her front door with Odin’s bag of food and bowl.
“Here guys. Don’t forget Odin’s stuff,” says Lisa.
Janet rolls her window down and takes Odin’s bag of food and bowl.
TJ and Janet thank Lisa and they exit the neighborhood through the South entrance.
Shaun comes out of his garage and walks to his jeep.
“You need help bro?”
Shaun says, “I got everything I need for the trip to Bo’s ranch, the Big Club, and to see William. If you can help us with my house. Like bringing stuff inside while we are gone, that would really help us.”
“I will. I will have everyone help out with your house.”
Shaun and Lisa get into Shaun’s jeep.
I wave goodbye to Shaun and Lisa.
Shaun exits Citrus Oaks through the South entrance.
I feel a strong breeze and I see dark storm clouds in the sky.
I bring in all the items that could be blown away outside around Shaun’s house. I place the hay bales next to Shaun’s house.
Matt and Phil exit Matt’s house and enter Matt’s garage.
“I think I saw some window shutters along that wall,” says Matt.
Phil walks over to the garage wall and sees several window shutters for Matt’s house.
“Awesome. Those should work out great and cover all your windows,” says Phil.
I check Shaun’s windows at the front of his house and see that they are the same hurricane proof windows I have on my house. Shaun and I won’t have to use window shutters as the windows we have will be safe against a hurricane.
Phil and Matt start bringing out the window shutters from inside Matt’s garage, and I walk over to them.
I see the window shutters and say, “Glad you have these shutters. I’m going to help my dad with his house next. Don’t forget about Jon’s house.”
Phil says, “I want to bring out these shutters and then I will check out my house and then Jon’s.”
I walk over to Bobby G’s house.
I stop in the driveway and look up at the big oak tree in Bobby G’s front yard.
The oak tree is in good shape and the branches aren’t overgrown. I think the tree should be okay for the storm.
“You in here?” I ask as I enter Bobby G’s house.
I walk into the house and see Bobby G outside on his back patio.
Bobby G is trying to move a heavy potted plant but it’s too heavy for him to move alone.
“Let me help you. That thing is pretty heavy. Let’s move it under the covered part back here.”
Bobby G and I move the potted plant to the covered section of his back patio.
I help Bobby G move all the loose chairs, and objects inside his house.
“Thank you, son. Some of those things are heavy,” says Bobby G.
“You doing okay dad?”
Bobby G replies, “I’m okay. Just been thinking about life lately. My life and the good times I had with everyone.”
“I guess that’s what you do when you get old? Any regrets?”
“No regrets. Some things I would have done differently, but I think life is about lessons learned and making changes from your experiences. There aren’t mistakes in life, only lessons learned,” says Bobby G.
“I’m glad. I think you had a good life so far. I can’t speak for the parts of your life before you had me. But for the 35 years you have known me, it’s been pretty great.”
Bobby G smiles and says, “Yeah. That’s for sure. We have had a lot of fun and good times. I think about them all the time.”
“I think you are set here. You should move your SUV into the garage and stay in our fourth bedroom. My house is better prepared for a hurricane. Plus, Lauren’s parents are here now.”
“Really, when did they get here? I haven’t seen Fran and Keith in years. I’ll be over in a little bit. I’ll move my car right now,” says Bobby G.
“We brought Fran and Keith back with us from our trip to The Grove. Come by when you are finished with your house and say hello.”
I say goodbye to Bobby G and walk over to my house.
I enter my house and Milo runs over to me.
“Hey belly boy. How are ya?”
Milo looks up at me and rubs against my leg.
Fran and Keith are with Lauren in the kitchen.
I grab a bottle of water out of the refrigerator.
Keith says, “Nice place you have here. Much safer and better than we had in Boca.”
I ask Keith, “What did you have down there? Did you board up your house and hunker down?”
“We went between our house and Ruth and Todd’s. Todd’s house is only a couple streets down from ours. He already had his hurricane shutters and plywood up on his windows. Since it was getting close to hurricane season,” says Keith.
Lauren laughs and says, “Hurricane season starts June first. When did he put them up?”
Fran says, “I don’t know but he might have been planning for hurricane season or for the zombies. The boards and shutters did help out though.”
Keith says, “Yeah, the covered windows helped with the zombies trying to get in, but they blocked the sunlight from getting in. It was so dark and hot in their house.”
“I bet. South Florida is always so hot. Especially when you don’t have air conditioning.”
“We had power for a while. The power lasted about two months after the reports from the news stopped and they told us to stay inside our homes,” says Keith.
“I hope Aunt Ruth and Uncle Todd are okay. They aren’t in the best shape since they retired,” says Lauren.
A strong breeze hits the house and moves the tree branches in my backyard.
“I need your help. TJ told me that a storm is coming here. A possible hurricane is coming towards the West Coast of Florida. We need to bring in everything from the backyard and secure everything.”
“Great! We should have stayed in Boca!” shouts Keith.
“Our neighborhood and Ruth’s neighborhood were lost. There were too many zombies there. We needed to leave,” says Fran.
“We should be fine. Our house is safe. We have hurricane proof windows and doors. My garage door is even hurricane proof.”
Lauren asks, “What should we do?”
“You three bring in anything that might blow away. Put everything close to the house under the back patio or in the garage. I’m going to put my SUV in the garage.”
Lauren, Keith, and Fran go to my backyard and start bringing in everything that they can.
I exit my front door and see that Matt is placing his shutters near his windows at the front of his house.
“You do this every year for hurricanes?” asks Matt.
“Sometimes the season is slow, but we are in the bad months of hurricane season now! We will get more rain and wind over the next two months!”
“Great. I can’t wait,” jokes Matt.
“Where is Phil?”
“He went to check out his house and then Jon’s!” shouts Matt across the street.
“I’m going to put my car in my garage! You should do the same after you get the shutters up!”
“I will!” shouts Matt.
I drive my SUV into my garage.
I exit my garage and see that we still have a lot of space to bring in any loose objects.
I walk to the side of my house and see that my garbage can is full.
Lauren walks around from the back of our house carrying a patio chair.
“That garbage can stinks. We really need to dump it somewhere,” says Lauren.
“Yeah. I will after the storm passes. I need to put the can inside the garage. I’m going to wait until the last minute because it smells so bad.”
Lauren puts the patio chair in the garage.
“How we looking in the back patio?”
>
Lauren replies, “Good. Just have three chairs left and the table. I’m going to wait to bring in the potted plants and vegetables.”
“Okay good. I’m going to walk around the neighborhood and check things out.”
“Okay sweetie. I’ll be here or over at Nicole’s house,” says Lauren.
I kiss Lauren goodbye and then walk towards the South entrance.
I make it to the South entrance and talk with the guards.
The wind is starting to pick up now.
“We have a storm coming this way guys. A hurricane. We need to secure the gates, lookout platform, and everything around the neighborhood.”
“We should put the lookout platform down on its side towards the wall to prevent it from being knocked down by the wind,” says Brody.
“Good idea. Do what you can here. You have some time until we need to put the platform down. You should do that last.”
I walk around the South entrance and the nearby homes. I talk with everyone and explain the situation to them. The people of Citrus Oaks prepare for the storm and bring everything that could fly away inside their homes.
I see Carlos’ house and decide to tell them about the storm.
As I stand at Carlos’ front door, I feel uneasy about talking with Carlos and Gloria.
I knock on the front door.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
I take a deep breath and try to calm my nerves.
No one comes to the door.
I knock on the front door again.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
I wait a couple of seconds and try to listen for any movement inside.
I don’t hear any sounds of movement inside.
I grab the door knob and try to open the door.
The door opens.
I slightly open the front door and shout, “Carlos? Gloria?”
No answer.
I walk away from the front door and look at Carlos’ driveway.
The driveway is empty.
I walk into Carlos’ house. I fear that they may have killed themselves.
“Hello? Is anyone here?”
I search the entire house, backyard, and garage.
No one is at Carlos’ house and the garage is empty.
I walk over to Brody at the South entrance and ask, “Has Carlos and Gloria been around? Did they leave?”
Brody replies, “I haven’t seen them since they left yesterday. I think you were gone when they left.”
“Thanks Brody. Let me know if they come back.”
“Will do boss,” says Brody.
I walk away from the South entrance and make my way towards my house.
Phil comes walking out of Matt’s garage.
I’m partially in shock that Carlos and Gloria are gone and partially relieved that I don’t have to worry about Gloria anymore.
“You okay Ry?” asks Phil as he sees me walking towards my house.
“Yeah. I’m good. How are you?”
“Pretty good. My house is not good for a storm, but Jon’s is good. They have hurricane windows and doors. I’m going to stay there with them,” says Phil.
I walk over to Phil and Matt and help them with putting up the shutters on Matt’s house.
Hours go by and it becomes night.
The winds continue to pick up and it’s raining.
Bobby G is in my living room talking with Fran and Keith.
Lauren and I are in our kitchen.
Phil is with Jon and Kelly in Jon’s house.
Matt is with Kylie, Ann, Nicole, Mason, and Mia.
Shaun pulls up to the South entrance.
Shaun honks his horn for someone to open the gate.
Shaun looks at Lisa and says, “I hope they all didn’t go inside their homes yet.”
Shaun honks his jeep horn again.
No one opens the South entrance gate.
Lisa asks, “What do we do if no one lets us in?”
Shaun says, “Someone will. If not, I will hop the wall and open the gate myself.”
Lisa looks back at a car that is behind Shaun’s jeep.
Suddenly, the South entrance gate opens.
Shaun drives through the South entrance and the car behind Shaun follows him.
Brody closes the South entrance gate and locks it.
“That’s it. Everyone is back now. Let’s go home,” says Brody to another guard.
Shaun pulls into his garage and the car following him parks in his driveway.
Shaun and Lisa exit from Shaun’s jeep.
Four people exit from the car that parked in Shaun’s driveway and they run into Shaun’s garage.
The rain is coming down harder now.
“Thank you for letting us stay here. The house we were staying in wasn’t safe for a storm,” says Jerri-Lynn.
“You are welcome. There are three bedrooms and two bathrooms you can use. Make yourselves at home,” says Lisa.
Jerri-Lynn, Kiersten, Andre, and Sam are taken inside Shaun’s house by Shaun and Lisa.
Lisa closes Shaun’s garage door.
The rain starts to come down harder and harder.
Several wind gusts push the tree branches around.
I look at Lauren and say, “We are in hurricane season now. I hope our weather doesn’t complicate things around here.”
CHAPTER 13
LET’S CLEAN UP
A few days have gone by and the hurricane is far away from Tampa Bay now.
The storm knocked down some trees and threw tons of debris and trash into our neighborhood.
I’m in my backyard cleaning up the debris that is all over the ground.
Lauren walks into our backyard through our white privacy fence gate and says, “We really need to remove the trash and debris from the streets now. The trash was building up before the hurricane blew all this extra crap into the neighborhood.”
I look at Lauren and say, “Yeah, I’m going to look for a garbage truck to bring back and help us clean up the neighborhood. I know the city dump is right near I-275.”
Lauren says, “Sounds good.”
I finish cleaning up my backyard and take the trash I collected to the front of my house.
I add the trash that I just collected in my backyard to the big pile at the end of my driveway near the street.
Shaun and Matt have made trash piles at the end of their driveways and so have most of my neighbors.
I see Shaun add another object to his trash pile and I shout, “Yo Shaun! You busy right now?”
Shaun asks, “What’s up?”
“I’m thinking about taking a trip around town to find a garbage truck or something that will take all this trash out of here.”
“Sounds good! I’m down to go! When are you leaving?” asks Shaun.
“In about 20 minutes!”
Shaun shouts, “I’ll be right over!”
Shaun goes in his house.
I enter my house and wash my hands.
Lauren is petting Callie on the sofa.
Fran and Keith are sitting outside under our covered back patio talking with Bobby G.
I walk out to my back patio and see Bobby G talking with Fran and Keith.
“What’s up Ry?” asks Bobby G.
“I’m heading out to find a garbage truck. The trash is really piling up around here now.”
“Good idea. You want me to come with you?” asks Bobby G.
“No. You stay here. Watch over this place while I’m gone. Shaun and I will be back. I’ll see you later.”
Fran, Keith, and Bobby G say goodbye.
I walk into the living room and say goodbye to Callie and Lauren.
I make eye contact with Callie and say, “Bye Ya-Ya.”
Callie blinks both of her eyes at me as she is being held by Lauren.
“I’ll walk you out,” says Lauren.
Lauren puts Callie down on the sofa.
Callie looks at Milo as Milo is sleeping on the center couch cushion of our eight-piece sectional sofa.
<
br /> I walk to the front door with Lauren.
I grab my bulletproof vest and katana that are sitting against the wall next to the front door.
Lauren hands me my thigh strap holster that has my handgun in it.
“Thank you, sweetie.”
I put on my bulletproof vest and thigh strap holster.
Lauren says, “Be careful out there. Love you.”
I kiss Lauren goodbye and say, “If you have time. See if you can teach Kiersten some bow and arrow skills. I know her mom Jerri-Lynn is teaching her knife skills with some blades.”
“They still at Shaun’s house?” asks Lauren.
“I think so. Let’s ask Shaun. He’s out by my SUV right now.”
Lauren and I exit our house.
“You ready bro?” asks Shaun as he stands next to my SUV passenger door.
“Yeah. Is Jerri-Lynn and Kiersten still at your house?”
Shaun says, “Yeah. They are still here. I think they are in the backyard with Lisa.”
Lauren says, “Great. I’ll be over shortly.”
“See ya later guys,” says Lauren as she goes back inside our house.
Shaun gets in my SUV passenger side door.
I put my katana in the backseat and then I get into my driver seat.
“You ready?”
Shaun replies, “Yeah. I got my stuff.”
I start up my SUV and exit through the South entrance.
The streets are much more dangerous since the storm hit.
Tree limbs, leaves, cars, zombies, and other random objects are all over the streets now.
I drive down a street and see the road is clear.
“I’d say we are pretty lucky. The neighborhood didn’t suffer any damage from the storm. Just some broken tree limbs,” says Shaun.
“Yeah. It could have been far worse. The winds definitely blew tons of stuff into the neighborhood though. I found a car bumper, a football, a metal trash can, and a shed roof in my backyard.”
Shaun laughs and says, “I had a television, a toilet, a pink bicycle, and several zombie heads and torsos in my backyard.”
“I had several zombie limbs but only one zombie head. It’s crazy that the zombie eyes still blink, and the mouth still opens without being attached to a body.”
“I know right. Zombies are freaking weird,” says Shaun.
As I drive down a road, I see two cars positioned in the middle of the road and I can’t get around them.
Fight 4 Us (Book 6): Keeper Page 13
