Surviving Day by Day (Book 3): Still They Come (13 page)

Ceara glared at everyone, “No one leaves, and we don’t lose anyone else!” She sat back down and crossed her arms.

Alden sat back and adjusted his leg on the stool. He was watching the body language of the group. “You’re right, Ceara. We don’t need to be sending people off right now. Our group is wounded and with me, along with Tonto, not at a hundred percent, I don’t feel comfortable breaking us up, even for a few hours.”

Alden looked to each of them, “My thoughts are this, you all have to go around and find ways to defend or prevent wanderers from getting in here. Just around our fence line. Start from there and work your way back creating defenses and traps that will slow down and possibly stop any attackers, using what resources we have available.” Alden grabbed his crutches and stood up, “Get creative folks. I’m going to do what I can and that’s clean the weapons.” Alden turned and headed towards the house.

Looking around the camp, Beth started thinking of several ways to make it difficult for the infected to get close. Landmines were the first thought, followed by steel traps laid upon the ground, to where if one would step into it their feet would be caught rendering them immobile. These were some pretty good ideas, but she realized when Alden said the word ‘creative’ that she had to get more ideas than just that, because there was no army surplus store just around the corner to get the gear and equipment that she needed.

Taking a sip of her coffee, and then after placing it back down on the table; Beth began, “Ok.... Alden said ‘creative’ so I will start it off with suggestions. History tells us that the Natives defended their lands with more than just bows and arrows. They used the materials at hand; they made trip wires and dug small trenches to trip up the enemy’s horses. Now grant you, we don’t have the supplies that we need, but if we scrounge around I’m sure we can come up with some of the basics. Now one of my ideas is, maybe going out say two hundred feet and making some sort of barricade but then that is where we come into needing supplies that we don’t have. Then there is maybe digging a trench around the perimeter so that when the infected walk into it, they would be trapped. We could destroy them in a centralized location. This would be a good idea but the digging part is what has got me stumped.”

Charlie and Colt both turned to Beth and said, “Digging a trench?” Colt went on, “Unless you have a backhoe in your purse, that ain’t going to happen.”

Charlie chuckled, “Yeah, I don’t see me and Colt digging a 5 foot wide 10 foot deep trench around this place in the next week.”

Ceara sat listening, “Next week? We don’t have a day...” She got up going to the trash can, “What if we made some kind of booby traps with the cans we have. We have plenty of them, not like we have the trash man picking these up. I just don’t know what do with them.”

Charlie sat thinking for a few minutes, “It would be cool to have them as grenades but I’m not sure how to make that work either.”

Ceara jumped up, “Hey Tabitha, didn’t you say there were an ammo store in that town you and Hea... I mean, you and Alden went to? You guys never went in because of the guy shooting at you, but maybe they are gone now! Maybe there is some gunpowder or other stuff there. I doubt there are mines or grenades, those would be long gone but simple stuff we could use... maybe??”

Ceara dropped back in her chair just as her excitement left her face, “We can’t go, Alden’s hurt.”

Colt looked over at her, “So? What’s that got to do with anything?”

Ceara looked from Colt to Charlie then the others, “Well, isn’t it obvious? Alden goes on all the runs, we can’t go without him...can we?”

Colt stood up, “The hell we can’t, but if we are going, we have to decide who is going, and do it now. I’ll go, who else wants to go?”

Ceara stood with him, “It was my idea, I’m going!”

Charlie glared at them, “No one is going anywhere! Ceara, didn’t you just have a meltdown about us separating?” What is the difference in this and us going out to take out a few wanderers?”

Tabitha smiled, “I’m in, I owe a few of the zombies for what they have taken from me, and I plan on collecting!”

Ceara looked down to Charlie, “The difference honey, is that we aren’t going out to meet and greet them. We are going to get stuff to help set traps HERE! We’ll be back soon.”

She sat back down, looking into his eyes, “Charlie, I need to do this, I owe it to Heath and Maximus. I have to prove it to myself that I have gotten smarter and I’m not just reacting. This is a plan; I’m not just going off half-cocked.”

Charlie wasn’t appeased, “No one leaves or does a damn thing till the idea is run past Alden! If we do this, then I am going. Colt, no offense but I would feel safer if I was there.”

Colt nodded, “No offense taken, Charlie. If Beth wanted to go, I would insist I go too. So, you, Ceara, and Tabitha can go. I’ll start working on things here.”

Beth leaned forward with her arms folded again in front of her, “Ok… now I need you all to think about this and please hear me out.”

Ceara looked over at everyone and was eager to begin the journey, but realized that since this was part of Beth’s plan, she wanted to show to Charlie and everyone else that she was very serious, “Please go on, Beth.”

Beth smiled then continued, “Do you all remember when we made our first run and Alden said that Ceara and I were to go together?” Everyone looked around and then one by one began to nod in agreement.

“Well, I think the same rules apply to this situation here. All of us cannot go, and putting people together like you all want to do, will cause emotions to be high. You all know that Alden would say the same thing. Now, Ceara, I don’t have a problem with you going, as long as you are okay with it. Tabitha, you made a very good point and you would know what we need as far as ammunition and traps since you did live in the woods for years, right?”

Tabitha shook her head, “Damn right, Beth!”

Beth looked back over to Charlie, “Charlie, I understand what you are thinking right now, but you have to keep your head clear, because that man and his dog in there need you too. That is why I think you need to stay here with me. I need to stay because of the condition of Niz. She is stable, but not out of the woods yet. If Alden sees you here, then you can talk with him and keep him focused. If I may make the suggestion Colt, you lead up the group, followed by Tabitha and Ceara. Ceara and Tabitha know what they need and you know what to look for as well. I have faith in you. I know that you will protect them, so that you all will come back home safe and sound.”

Alden opened the back door and came out on his crutches with his cleaning bag hanging around his neck. He moved back to the table taking the bag off and setting it down. He looked at the group, who were all now silent and just looking at him. As he sat back in his chair, he propped his leg up then smiled, “Someone going to help me out and get my coffee?”

Charlie grabbed his cup and filled it, then handed it to him, “Alden we were talking...” Alden held up his hand as he took a sip and Charlie stopped talking.

“I heard what you were all saying. I've been standing in the door for the past few minutes. You all have a good plan and Beth was right to split you up. I told you a long time ago, that you kids are getting close to each other. We don’t need any lovers’ quarrels or damsels getting saved, we need people who will work as a team, like a team.”

He watched as he let the last line sink in, “So before you go, I want to see a list of what you hope to get. Remember this is a weapons run, nothing more. I’ll have my own list in a few minutes.” He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a small pencil along with a little black notebook and began writing.

Ceara looked at Charlie’s confused look whispering “I just thought we would know when we got there.”

Charlie shrugged, “Well, guess you better start thinking, or you ain’t going.”

Ceara smirked, “You are more like him every day.” She turned back to Alden, “To be honest, I just thought we would know when we got there. You know, like we did when we went to the drugstore. I know that gunpowder would be good, maybe there would be something like bear traps??”

Colt cocked an eyebrow at her, “Bear traps? We’re going to an ammo store right, not a hunting store?”

Ceara gave a heavy sigh, “Yes, well I guess...” She looked to Tabitha, “It is ammo, right?”

Tabitha had a pen in hand, already writing, didn’t look up to answer Ceara but spoke to her while making her list, “Red, it is an ammo store, BUT… they may have other things there that we can use such as grenades, maybe even landmines or the materials needed to make landmines. Hell, maybe they have rabbit traps or some sort of traps that we could use.”

Ceara smiled, “See, Alden... I don’t need a list, Tabitha’s got this. All she has to do is tell me what to get!”

Quickly, Tabitha put her hand on Ceara’s shoulder, giving her a sincere look, she interrupted, “Now Red, I don’t want you thinking that you're just the bag girl. You are very smart and if you see anything, or have any ideas, then by all means throw them at me. Just because I know what I am getting, doesn’t mean that there isn’t something else that I may not be seeing.” Tabitha hated to stop her, but for the first time since Heath had gone, Tabitha wanted to try her best to put her best foot forward and give Ceara encouragement instead of criticism.

Ceara shrugged, “Only time I’ve ever even been in an ammo store was with dad and all I looked at were fishing lures. HEY we could grab those, right? Make like a snag line?”

Charlie smiled, “See, now you’re thinking. Grab as many as you can!”

Ceara smiled, “I have my moments. They probably don’t have any real ammo or guns left but they should have crap in there that has some kind of spring load thingy and we could make something that would blast them!”

Colt laughed, “Spring load thingy? What the hell is that!?”

Charlie looked over at him, “Hush, she is trying. I still don’t like her going without me, so you guys better take care of her!”

Ceara hit him, “Charlie, stop acting like I am helpless little girl! I’m grown and been through enough in the last few months that I know the dangers.”

Charlie looked to Alden, “What are we doing while they're gone? I can make some of those poles like you had back at your cabin. Not as good as those without the same kind of trees, but I’m not sure it will matter. Stabbed is stabbed, right?”

Colt started pacing, “If I remember right, don’t most those stores have repair centers in the back? We will go back there and see what we can find. We only have a couple of the night scopes, so if we can find a few of those, we need to grab them.”

Beth looked over to Tabitha who was still writing stuff down, “Tabitha, can you keep your eyes open for any medical stuff? I don’t know if they would have anything like that but if you see any first aid kits or anything, we sure as hell could use it. Some of those stores I know have field dressing kits for certain injuries. I have enough here for the meantime, but if by any chance you see bandages, supports for say Alden’s leg or something of that nature pick it up please.”

Tabitha wrote it down, “Sure thing doc, will do! What about Ace bandages or back supports? Would that be a good thing to pick up as long as I am there?”

Beth shook her head and smiled, “That would be perfect!”

Alden handed his list to Ceara, “Here cupcake, you’re in charge of my list.”

Ceara started to look at it. It contained only a few words.

Gunpowder

Brass/cartridges

Bullets

Press

Ceara had a puzzled look on her face. Alden reached over and took her hand, “Cupcake, Colt was right, there will be back room. In it you will find all of these items so we can start making our own ammunition, if we have to. Grab it all and be sure to get the press. It will be a machine with a product name on it, but it will say the word PRESS. This is important because if you can’t get the press, it will be very hard to make the bullets.” He squeezed her hand, “I’m counting on you, okay?”

Charlie walked over and looked at Ceara.” the press will look like an old time counter can crusher.”

Ceara looked at him, “the one that you sat on a counter and put the can in then pulled the lever?” Charlie nodded then Ceara turned to Alden and smiled, “I got this, Sir.” She stood straight and saluted with her left hand.

Alden roared with laughter, “TROOP, YOU SALUTE WITH YOUR RIGHT!”

Ceara turned as red as her hair then giggled and saluted with her right hand, ‘SIR... YES SIR!”

Colt stood back taking off his hat, wiping his brow, “Daylight is wasting, I say we do this and get our asses back. Does anyone know which car has the most gas? My luck we would run out and have to hoof it back.”

Charlie stood up with Colt, “The rover is full, plenty of space too. Ceara, can we talk?”

Ceara looked to the others, then to Charlie, “You really do worry too much, I’m going to be fine!”

Charlie took a step off the patio, “It isn’t that...,” He held out his hand, “please?”

Ceara took it, and they walked across the yard to the barn with Tiger and the un-named puppy tagging along. As soon as they were in the barn, Charlie pulled her into a hug, “Ok, I lied... I want you to be careful; do not take any chances you don’t have to. Don’t leave the others and don’t let them go off either.”

Ceara leaned back smiling at him, “I knew you were going to be like this. Charlie, I told you I need to do this. I think it is more for me than anything else. I messed up a lot...”