American Revenant (Book 2): Settlers and Sorrow (5 page)

            Returning
to the house with their tools they went to work quickly once Jonathan pointed
out where he wanted his wife’s final resting place to be dug.  They had offered
to help out of sincere concern, but each person felt a need to return to their
loved ones, and hold them close. 

            Between
the four of them they had a proper grave dug in very little time.  Jonathan
went into the house just as the last person was being helped out of the hole. 
He brought out a folded blanket; it was obviously old but had gotten much love
and tender care from its owner. 

            “This
was Martha’s favorite.  Whether she was watching a show, or reading or just
dozing on the couch she had this over her legs.  I asked her once why she liked
it so, and she just said that it made her ‘feel comforted’.  I don’t even
remember where it came from; I just know she loved this old blanket.  I like
the thought that it will make her feel,” Jonathan paused for a second, as that
deep thickness returned to his voice, “comforted from now on.”

            Jimmy
took the folded blanket from Jonathan, and with the help of his friends, gently
wrapped her in it.  Once they had Martha’s body tightly wrapped, Rick jumped
down into the hole they had dug.  Jimmy, Gordy and Lisa carefully passed the
body down to him, and Rick laid her as gently as possible in the dirt.

            “Mr.
Cambrey, would you like to say a few words?”

            “Not
much to say, Gordon.  The Lord has her now, and that’s all my old heart needs.”

            The
group wasted no time filling the hole back in.  Jonathan told them he would
create a marker for the grave, and that they should be getting back to their
families. 

            This
time Lisa did give Jonathan a brief hug, and the other men shook his hand.  “If
I’m not around when you folks come back with your families feel free to use my
house, and anything else you might need.  I thank you all for what you’ve done
for me and for Martha today.  God bless each of you and yours.”

Chapter 7

            “So,
this old man that only a minute before had been holding you at gun-point
invited you in for coffee and told you all about his wife and how she became a
zombie?”

            The
incredulity in Jan’s voice was obvious to the others seated around the fire. 

            “Yep,
that’s exactly it.  I think the old man was scared, alone, and desperate. 
Plus, we may have been the first people he had seen since everything went crazy
that didn’t want to take something from him.”

                “
Gordon, I still can’t believe you just went right in and sat
down for coffee with this man.  I mean, what if he had wanted to take something
from
you? 

            “Jan,
we can talk about a sad and nearly broken old man or we can talk about moving
everyone to this camp.  Nothing happened and I wouldn’t have had anything to do
with him if any one of us had felt that we were in danger.”

            Everyone
had been overjoyed to see the group return, and couldn’t wait to hear about
what they had found.  Gordy told them all to wait until dinner-time when
everyone would be gathered around the fire.

            Once
the meal was ready and everyone served, Gordy and the others shared everything
they could think of about the camp and what they thought could be done with
it. 

            The
size and defensibility of Oko Tipi was the most important topic they
discussed.  Rick outlined the camp in the sand they kept near the fire, showing
locations and how he thought they could make a fence or wall around the camp. 

            A
larger defensive wall could be built but it would take a long time by hand.  A
basic fence that would at least keep out any stray zombies could be easily
erected, especially if they could find some fencing, or barbed wire. 

            The
outline for the fence, and later a wall, would be nearly a mile in length,
surrounding the entire camp.  There was a securable gate on the road that led
up to the camp, and they would build out from there. 

            With
comfortable shelter already in place it was believed that the majority of their
time could be spent in securing the camp, and ensuring there was enough food
and water to get through the winter without any problems.  They would still
have to spend time filtering and boiling the water.  Long term food storage
would difficult, especially meats, without some type of freezer or
refrigeration.

            Based
on the observations of the scouting party it was decided, as a group, that they
would move everyone and everything to the camp over the coming days.  Though
they did not feel as hurried to get moved as they had when they were trying to
escape Hannibal, time was a factor.  There was a lot of work to be done in a
short amount of time.

            Their
world, the whole world, had turned inside out and upside down in early August. 
The first week of September was only a few days away.  They figured they had at
least two months before cold weather set in, possibly three if they were very
lucky.  Though they had learned quickly not to stake lives on luck. 

            Conversations
lasted well into the evening, with people dozing fitfully near the fire.  No
one wanted to turn in for the night, not when they had just been given news
that to them felt as exciting as Christmas morning.   Isolationism was now
something to be sought out, not an aberrant mindset.  To be set off from
others, far back in the woods away from heavily populated areas would be a
comfort.  Spending less time worrying about zombies creeping up on them at
every moment, while spending more time living, even if living was simply
surviving, would be a wonderful thing.

            Mike
was still awake, while Lisa had fallen asleep leaning against him.  He held
her, both for comfort and to keep her from falling over.

            “Tell
me, do you guys really think we can make this work.  I’ve been to the camp a
few times, I know what it’s like, but can we really turn that place into a
home?”

            “Sure
we can,” Gordy spoke quietly, not wanting to disturb anyone sleeping. 
“Everybody is kind of high on the thought of it at the moment; they don’t quite
see how much work it’s going to take.  And it
will
take a lot of work. 
But yes, I know we can make it not only safe and secure, but a home, for
everyone.”

            Mike
nodded, hoping his friend would say just that.  “That “for everyone” brings up
another question.  Are we going to bring others in, or are we just going to
keep it strictly us?”

            Jimmy
had listened quietly, half dozing, but perked up when Mike said, “I’m curious
about that.  We all know there is strength in numbers, but how do we trust
anyone?  Can we afford to risk bringing other people in?  Can we afford not
to?”

            “Both
are good questions,” Gordy said, “but I don’t think we can just decide ‘yes’ or
‘no’ on something like that.  It would most likely have to be a case by case
basis, wouldn’t you think?  Which brings up something else.

            “I
know you guys have considered me the leader of our happy little family, but
regarding important decisions I think we should have a council of five or six
people that make decisions affecting the entire group.  I would be a lot more
comfortable with that, than one person having carte blanche.”

            “Probably
not a bad idea, Gordy.  It might be a good idea to have one person in charge of
security, one in charge of health, another in charge of food and water, and so
on.  The people that hold those positions make up the council.  That way, the
council will always be able to voice all concerns for the overall group.”

            “Damn
good thought, Rick.  And thanks for volunteering for Head of Security.”

            Rick
laughed quietly.  “What the hell, I didn’t volunteer for anything.  But I’m
pretty sure you’re going to say something like, ‘You’re the most qualified for
the job’ and you would be right.  Doesn’t mean I was offering myself up there,
buddy.”

            Gordy
looked at Rick across the fire, could see his smile flickering in the low
flames.  “Yeah, but your also too smart to pass it off on someone less able
than yourself,
buddy
,” Gordy said, smiling back.

            “Yeah,
you may be right.  Ok, so I’m chief ass-kicker.  Do I get a badge, or a
nightstick maybe?”

            “Your
badge and your nightstick are that .45 you always carry.”

            Jimmy
and Mike agreed with Gordy, thus their first council position was filled.

****

            Everyone
was up early and eager to begin preparations for the move to the Camp.  As the
camp became fully alive, Gordy called everyone over to the morning fire and
explained what had been discussed the previous evening. 

            Tamara
felt uncomfortable with the idea of a council, as if the thoughts of the whole
were being displaced for the judgment of a few.  “We’ve all known each other
for years, and so far we have made every big decision together, as a whole. 
Why do we need a council now?” 

            “Everyone
will still have input on everything,” Gordy told her and the group overall. 
“We need to consider several things, though.  Once we begin the process of
making Oko Tipi a safe environment many of us will always be busy.  There’s a
lot of work to be done.  Because of that there may be times when decisions will
have to be made without some people being involved.

            “Also,
there is going to come a time when new people, other survivors may want to join
us.  We will need to take every precaution if and when we allow new people in. 
When it comes to that, I think the council should have final say, no matter the
case. 

            “But
overall, the council will deal more with resource accumulation and allocation,
Tam.  People will have jobs, such as health care, security, water, food.  The
people chosen for those jobs, and we will all choose together, will also make
up the council.  That will be the biggest benefit of having a council, to
police the resources, making sure there’s always enough, and that we always
stay safe.

            “Just
so everyone knows, Rick has volunteered to be our Head of Security.  Is
everyone ok with that?”

            When
no one offered up an objection Gordy clapped his hands together and said, “Ok
then, that’s settled.  Tam, I hope you’re ok with the idea of a council now.” 
Tamara nodded that she was, though she still held reservations against it. 

            “We
have a lot of work to do to get everything moved over the next couple of days. 
Since we don’t have the trucks everything will have to be moved by hand from
the boats all the way up to the camp.  This will take some time, and be very
back breaking work, but it will be worth it in the end.  Once everyone has
eaten some breakfast we can get busy with packing things up and loading the
boats.”

            Once
Gordy was finished, he got some breakfast for himself.  After breakfast he went
to his wife and pulled her aside.

            “How’s
Dean doing?”

            “He’s
ok, hurting a lot right now.  It’ll be months before he’s fully healed.”  Jan
looked over to where he son sat propped up on a sleeping bag outside his tent.

            “He’s
strong, Jan.  You don’t have to worry about him,” Gordy said, seeing the
terrible look of sadness on his wife’s face.

            “I
know that, “she said, looking at her husband, “but I do, and I will.  If I know
you at all I know you will too.”

            Gordy
knew she was right, but said nothing. 

            “I’m
giving him what pain medication I can, but he refuses to take it most of the
time.  He just tells me that we should save it for when someone really needs
it.  I’ve got him on antibiotics, but Gordon, we’re going to run out of those
fast if we have any more injuries like Dean’s.  Eventually we’re going to need
more of everything medical.”

            Gordy
nodded, thinking that supply runs would have to be made into Hannibal, possibly
even Louisiana.  “I’ll do what I can for medical supplies.  Once we get everything
moved to Oko Tipi you should see about setting up a dispensary, and getting an
inventory of everything we have and all that we’ll need.  You might consider
enlisting Lynn, or Tam to help you out with that.”

            Jan
nodded, and Gordy stepped in for a kiss.  She put her arms around him, hugging
him tightly for a moment, and Gordy leaned into the hug, needing her as much as
she needed him.

            Gordy
spent a few painful minutes talking to Dean.  It was painful for both of them,
though for different reasons.  It hurt Dean to talk, and it hurt Gordy to see
his son in so much pain.

            After
leaving Dean, he found Jack helping pack up one of the jon-boats.  “Hey, Jack,
have you seen Calvin?”

            “Yeah,
just a minute ago, I think he was headed for the latrine.”

            “You
think you could spare a few minutes?  Let’s go find him; I have a task for you
two.”

            They
met Calvin a minute later, returning to camp. 

            “I’ll
be glad when we have a bathroom, or at least an outhouse,” he said, “I hate
using that dug out ditch.”

            “You
and me both, man,” Jack said.

            “Calvin,
I want you and Jack to take care of something, if you don’t mind.”

            “Sure,
what’d you have in mind, Dad?”

            “Gather
up a couple of long guns, and handguns, a box of MREs and some bottled water. 
Get about two hundred rounds of ammo for each gun, too.  Find something
airtight if you can, then take the whole thing to the center of the island, and
bury it there.”

            “Leaving
behind an emergency cache?” Calvin asked.

            “Exactly. 
Just in case someone ever needs to come out here, whatever the reason may be, I
want there to be something out here for them.  We’ll tell everyone about it
once it’s done.”

            Jack
and Calvin went right to work on their project, and Gordy rejoined everyone
else in packing.