Better Lucky than Good (Records of the Resistance) (26 page)

The sound of his heavy vest landing on the floor was amplified by the close confines of the small hut.
 

"Then stay." he answered.

"Just hold still!" Melanie said, while attempting to further stifle her muted laughter.

Despite his protestation, Clay had been awoken by Mel from his well deserved nights rest long before any of the others belonging to their growing community.

"You know, I am capable of doing this on my own..." Clay cautiously replied, while doing his best to outstretch his neck.

Presently, Clay was sitting in a chair with his throat lathered in shaving cream. Melanie had positioned herself slightly to his side, while still remaining behind him. Using her fingers, she gently tilted Clay's head back; exposing his neck.

"Being able to do something, and actually doing that thing, is very different. Which is apparently your situation, because you've been scratching your neck since yesterday and kept me up all night with your jostling." Melanie said as she leaned over Clay, her stomach gently brushing against his cheek.

“Just my neck... I’m keeping the beard.” Clay said.

The smooth glide of the razor across his neck was audibly betrayed by an abrasive scrape, as the blade sheared the long hair growing from beneath Clay's jaw. To his surprise, Clay found himself slipping into a relaxed state. Allowing himself to close his eyes, Clay awkwardly wrapped his arm around Melanie's waist; finding the small of her back with his fingers.

The sound of the razor against his skin was entrancing. With every pass, Melanie swished the blade around in a bowl of hot water which she had procured prior to awakening Clay. Since his return from the woods, Clay's days had melded into one chaotic blur. He had maneuvered from one situation to another without even a moment of relaxation. Sleep was done solely out of necessity and as their bodies had dictated. The relative safety that had accompanied their growing numbers had afforded Clay a chance to fully appreciate this luxury. Particularly due to the community remaining at rest, allowing him a moment to forgo his responsibilities.

Three loud knocks echoed through the tiny construction, startling both Clay and Mel.

"Ouch!" exclaimed Clay as the razor cut into his neck.

“Oh, my God. I'm sorry!" cried Mel, as she grabbed a small towel and held it against the fresh cut.

"Everything okay in..." Tim said as he pushed open the door and poked his head into the small room.

"Oh shit, sorry!" he exclaimed as he quickly shut the door, believing he had just interrupted a much more intimate moment than he actually had.

"It's okay Tim, come in..." Clay said, placing his hand over that which Melanie was using to hold the towel against his neck.

"I'm really sorry, guys." Tim said as he entered the room.

"What's up?" Clay asked.

"I was just checking in. Some of the team leaders are up and getting ready to start the day." Tim answered.

"What about Smith, and O'Conner?" replied Clay.

"Ready, whenever you are. They were up before I was." said Tim.

Clay knew that it was more likely that they had never gone to sleep. He had seen Corporal Smith tending the wounded and it was likely that O'Conner had assisted him throughout the night, rather than rest while his teammate was at work.

Clay was moments away from answering Tim when Melanie cut him off.

"He can go when I'm done, and I'll be done shortly." Mel said, her tone denoting that there would be no debating the subject.

"Yes, ma'am." Tim said with a smile, understanding her completely.

"Again... Sorry guys." he said with a laugh as he backed out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Melanie lifted the edge of the hand towel from Clay's neck.

"It stopped bleeding. I'm so sorry..." she said, while inspecting the cut.

Clay didn't respond, instead choosing to resume the position he had been in prior to being interrupted.
 

*****

By the time Clay and Melanie reached them, all of the team leaders as well as both Smith and O'Conner had already gathered together. All were casually standing or leaning, laughing or chatting. It was as if the world had returned to its former state.

"Uh, hey guys..." Tim said, still slightly embarrassed.

Muffled chuckles sounded from within though group at Tim's comment. Melanie and Clay shared a parting glance with one another, before Melanie removed herself from Clay's side and positioned herself next to Lindsay.

"Aren't you guys a little over dressed?" Kevin asked sarcastically.

Clay and Melanie had both joined the meeting bearing weapons and having donned their vests, as had Smith and O'Conner. Clay's team leaders on the other hand, were hardly dressed for an encounter with the infected. He wasn't sure if it was Tim's comment coupled with the groups laughter, Kevin's sarcasm, or the casual manner by which they were conducting themselves that had him so frustrated. The culprit mattered not. The community had known only success since the arrival of Clay, and were becoming over confident. The consequences of the false sense of security that had been developing within the walls of the store were unimaginable. A constant state of readiness had to be maintained by everyone, should they be prepared to handle the worst case scenario. Such as that witnessed by Clay at the farmhouse.
 

Clay had roughly divided the people into loose categories, each with a team leader at their head. Jamie, being a capable shooter had been given the job of overseeing those who desired, and were able to fight the undead. Since her arrival, Lindsay had taken charge over the family groups within the community. She had a child of her own and could identify with those under her. Being an experienced driver, Tim had been the natural choice for heading up the drivers. The tasking however, went beyond just driving. Maintenance and repair were also a necessity. If the drivers required assistance with more complicated repairs, they could turn to Mick. Having proven his mechanical aptitude on several occasions, Mick was the perfect candidate. Modifying weapons, improvising explosives, and fixing anything mechanical fell right within his skill set. While Kevin had no obvious talents, he had been previously employed as a manager at the very building they were currently occupying. Although managing and leading were two different roles entirely, Clay could count on Kevin to ensure progress within the community in his absence. Kevin's experience guiding large groups of individuals made him an indispensable asset to Clay, when dealing with day to day matters.
 

Clay had made it quite clear that after having been designated as team leaders, they were to find individuals within the community who showed promise in their trades. This had happened naturally for the most part, as people had a tendency to gravitate towards the jobs they were most skilled at. The teams were small, but would soon grow as their community gained strength.
 
As their population increased, so would the necessity and importance of the team leaders.

While the group lacked any sort of medical team, they did have Corporal Smith at their disposal for the time being. Forming a team of their own was quickly becoming a top priority for Clay. However, due to the depth of knowledge possessed by Smith, it was unlikely that he would be able to form a team without the presence of a medical professional.
 

Melanie was the only person present, aside from O'Conner who lacked a team of her own. She had proven herself to be unique from any other individual whom he had encountered thus far. Melanie was the most capable of adapting to their new environment, completely abandoning who she had once been for who she was now. This was a trait that every living person should desire. Although reluctantly, Mel had become Clay's right hand.
 

Serving as an inspiration to their respective teams, Clay couldn't possibly allow his leadership to demonstrate anything less than himself. They were after all, an extension of him and were about to get a lesson on that subject.

"Over dressed?" Clay responded, his eyes piercing into Kevin's.

"Yah... I mean... We're inside. There's no infected in here. We're safe." Kevin stammered, feeling a degree of unease at the way Clay was looking at him.

Out of the corner of his eye Clay could see both Smith and O'Conner look briefly at one another, then shift uncomfortably where they stood. They had been in Kevin's shoes before.

"Safe." Clay replied. "Really? You think you're safe?" he continued, becoming more angry.

The area had become completely quiet, making Kevin's sigh resonate through their immediate vicinity.
 

"Clay, I'm not sure what you want me to say here. We aren't soldiers. How are we supposed to know what to do?" Kevin asked, clearly already regretting his earlier comment.

Kevin's argument was sound. How were they supposed to know? Clay paused briefly as his eyes skipped from one person to the next, until he had looked over each of the people before him. No. They weren't soldiers. However, just because you aren't something, in no way prevents you from learning to be that something. They would have to learn.

"From now on, each of you will be armed and wearing a vest. Whether your role is that of combat or not, is irrelevant. As team leaders, you will always be ready to fight." Clay said, pausing for a moment before continuing.

"I understand that none of you were prepared for this. Who could have ever predicted the outbreak? So, we all have a little catching up to do and we're all going to have to learn as we go. We have a lot of work ahead of us today guys and this routine is unlikely to change anytime soon. Your lives... All of our lives, depend on how we conduct ourselves on a day to day basis. We need to be prepared for anything, and ready to react to the worst case scenario at any time." Clay said.

The area fell silent again. The brief speech had it's desired effect and his team leaders had all adjusted their posture. Everyone slowly moved towards Clay, forming a semi circle around him.

"Just tell us where to be, Clay." said Tim, finally breaking the silence.

"Corporal Smith, how are our new arrivals?" Clay asked, looking directly at the medic.

"All but fifteen are ready to join the rest of the group and those who aren't, are in stable condition. I wouldn't plan on moving them anytime soon though. They're all on IVs, some of which I had to improvise. They're starving and dehydrated and aren't capable of moving under their own power. We got them here just in time. Most of them wouldn't have lasted much longer." Smith replied, in a manner expected of a professional soldier.

"Alright. Are you able to leave someone in your stead? I'd like you to go to the pharmacy and put together first aid kits and medical bags. None of us know what to look for, particularly in regard to antibiotics and other essential drugs. We won't have a medical team after you leave us, but when we locate a suitable candidate I'd like to have the tools they would require." Clay asked.

"Yah, I can get that all together. I'll try to group some meds together that can be prescribed with little training. It'll help until you find someone to administer drugs properly. Locating a paramedic will be a big help, but a nurse or doctor is what you really need around here." Smith said, offering further advice.
 

"Lindsay, how are the families?" Clay asked.

"Better than I had expected they would be. Everyone seems to be in pretty good spirits. I haven't met any of the new arrivals yet. I did walk through the ward this morning though, but they were all asleep." she replied.

"Good. I need you to choose three people from within the families. One to assist Corporal Smith in the pharmacy, one to watch over the ill in his absence, and another to work towards integrating the new, able bodied arrivals within the rest of the group." Clay's instructions were coming at the group fast.

"Got it." she replied.

"Has anyone within the families expressed any interest in fighting the infected, or are there any whom you believe to be capable of doing so? I need some volunteers from the families to form a sort of body guard, in case we encounter any infected." Clay asked, continuing to talk to Lindsay.

"I can think of a few." she replied.

"Good." responded Clay. "Mel, I need you to gather up enough two way radios for everyone here and distribute them accordingly. Try to find some with headsets."

"Okay." she replied.

"Afterwards, I need you to gather up all the ‘little rifles’ and meet up with Lindsay. We need to arm the bodyguard. We can't have our frontline guys escorting them everywhere. Find someplace away from the rest of the group and get Lindsay and whoever else she brings with her, some range time. We have plenty of ammunition, so make sure they get a lot of practice." he continued.

"It'll get done." she replied again.

As Clay and Mel had approached the gathered team leaders, he had wondered if things would change between them within the group dynamic. She had again proven that should could rise to the occasion.

"Mick, while Melanie is distributing the radios, I need you to sort out the ‘little rifles’. Make 'em quiet, just like Mel's. After she picks them up, I need you to take your team and start gathering up essential tools. A drill press, hand tools... Whatever you need to work on guns, fix vehicles or fortify a building. The only catch is, whatever you gather has to fit in a space no larger than a third of the size of the eighteen-wheeler's trailer." Clay said.