Surviving The Zombie Apocalypse (Book 1): Sanctuary (26 page)

The
temperatures in the northwest corner of
Nebraska
were much better than what we’d had in
Texas
and
Oklahoma
and most of the trip north. It had
cooled off quite nicely.

“We can
smoke some as well,” she continued. “The jerky won’t have chemical
preservatives, just salt, and we can’t do it as thoroughly as you should
without a smoke house, but it’ll be good for a few weeks. No point in wasting
any.”

Susan
did have some useful knowledge bouncing about in her head. She and Timothy were
good additions to the group. I had no idea if they’d stay with us or not in the
end, but at the very least they were a wonderful replacement for Julie. Then
again, anyone, short of a serial killer or a politician, would be.

*
* *

“You
want to do the cutting?”

Mary and
I were almost at the spot where the deer had fallen.

“I think
I’ll let you do the messy parts.”

I smiled
at her. “Don’t like getting blood on you?”

She
glanced back at Lois and waved. Her sister appeared worried, but we had a clear
view all around. No zombies, assuming there were any nearby, would sneak up on
us.

“Actually
Jacob, it’s the smell, if it’s anything like the rabbits. Disgusting.”

“True,”
I admitted. “Keep an eye out for me then. I’ll try to be fast.”

*
* *

It was
on the twenty fifth day of the ongoing zombie apocalypse that I finally found
the spot I’d been looking for. It was perfect, absolutely, sweetly perfect. Not
as perfect as Briana’s breasts – probably shouldn’t have written that – but
that is only a straight forward statement of absolute reality. The place was
nearly a half mile off a service road, deep within the forest and well away
from the highway. To reach it you had to drive over a long twisting meadow.
After it curved around a wooded hill that hid the place from view, this field
expanded. In the back there was a fast moving creek and probably an easy to
reach water table if digging wells. There was also a second, smaller rise that
looked high enough to never flood.

My
intention was to build on that elevated spot and use the meadow to keep animals
and plant crops. I was certain we could easily obtain horses and cows and sheep
and whatever else from nearby farms. The zombies didn’t bother them, and most
farm animals could survive on their own, at least if they were in a pasture or
managed to get loose. Might be hard to find living chickens however. Most of
those would be in coops and have likely run out of food and water by now. That
was something to move forward on. I, for one, wanted fresh eggs.

“What do
you all think?” I asked.

“I’m not
going to give an opinion,” said Miranda. She was standing beside Mary with one
hand on the teenager’s arm. “I can’t really see that well.”

“Very
funny,” said Lizzy. “I’m laughing over here. Hah hah.”

“But is
it nice?” she asked.

“It
really is,” confirmed Briana.

“We have
more than enough room to build a wall and put houses inside,” I said. “There’s
a creek by the trees. In front is a huge open area where we can plant corn or
whatever and have horses and other animals. This is a good place to settle in,
much better than the campsite the church group’s been using.”

“It is
better than the lake camp,” admitted Timothy. “What do you think?”

Susan
nodded. “Only, the cars can’t get here, just the trucks. Well, maybe. It’d be
hard in a normal car.”

“And
Jeeps,” I added. “Those are best you can get.”

“We know
you like your Jeep,” said Briana. She reached up to pat the top of my head.
“Now, stop talking about it.”

Mary
began to snicker.

“Why
don’t we fan out and look more carefully,” suggested Lois. “Make sure it’s as
good as it looks before we start work.”

“Makes
sense,” replied Lizzy.

“You up
for a walk Miranda?”

“Sure
Mary, but don’t let me step in any holes and keep me kinda near the cars in
case we need to get back fast.”

“They’re
not cars Miranda,” I said. “They’re…”

Briana
slapped my shoulder hard. “Jacob! Didn’t I say no more talking about Jeeps?”

“Point
taken.” I sighed.

There
was more giggling from Mary.

“Take
your radios,” I ordered, trying to ignore her, “and call in if anything
happens. Susan, Timothy, remember, zombies are slow. You can outrun them easy,
so don’t panic if you see one. Just call me and Lizzy. They can be taken care
of. If worse comes to worse, come back here and lock yourself inside your
pickup and drive off.”

*
* *

“Come on
Jacob.”

I
followed Briana toward the creek. Lizzy and Lois were checking the area to our
right. Susan and Timothy had gone to the left. They were moving slowly and with
more caution than anyone else. Cherie had chosen to remain in the central area
with Mary and Miranda.

“You
think this really is the place for us?”

“Yeah, I
do.”

She
leaned up against me. “Good. We need a home. By that, I mean you and me, Jacob
and Briana. No, Briana and Jacob. My name should always come first.”

I put an
arm around her narrow waist. “I think we’re pretty much a matched set.”

That was
true. After the night in the park ranger’s house, I’d decided that we were
meant to be. Did I love her? Well, that’s a bit more complicated. I certainly
thought we were compatible. Under normal circumstances nothing would have
happened. Really, Briana was seventeen. I’m thirty six, twice her age plus two
– can’t forget that – but with the zombie plague and the end of the world, such
things seemed a whole lot less important. We were both intelligent, so
conversations were never dull. We were attracted to each other. She was
gorgeous, so that was never a problem. I’m a bit unsure as to what she sees in
me, but I’m not inclined to question the matter.

But
anything long term requires love, real love, or a whole lot of willpower and
determination which I lacked, so I guess the complicated love factor needs to
be addressed. So, was I in love? No doubt about attraction, as I’ve already
stated. That had always been there. Same for fondness and friendship. I liked
Briana from the start. Infatuation, that definitely existed, even before I got
to see her in lacy red underwear, then minus the bra. Quite spectacular. I’m
old enough to know that infatuation fades, most often without ever turning to
something better. If that was the case, this entire matter would end badly.
Yet, I didn’t think it would, and the more I thought about it, the more I felt
what I was feeling really was love.

I had
known Briana for less than a month. That’s not very long. However, we’d been
together the entire time, and with the exception of using the toilet, or more
often going behind a tree, it really was 24/7. Compared to normal people dating
or hanging out, we were probably in the five or six month range. That made me
feel better.

“I think
we need to spend the night in a house. Maybe the one we checked this morning,
with the green trim. It’s nearby, and we have to pass down the road again
anyway.”

“Funny
how we found this spot near the very end of our search,” I said.

“Absolutely
no changing the subject.”

“Not
that,” I replied, with a smile and a squeeze from the arm still wrapped about her.
“Just an observation. The house is fine. The others will be happy too. Susan
and Timothy really complained about sleeping in their truck last night.”

“Big
babies, both of them.” She pulled on her hair briefly. “But nice overall.”

“Now
who’s changing the subject?”

“I would
slap you, but then I’d have to pull away, and I rather like you holding me.”

“I enjoy
it too.” She did feel good pressed up against me. The smell not so much. We
both needed a bath, but we’d take care of that before going to bed. “And I have
no problem doing it for a long, long time.”

She
stiffened slightly, and I realized my mistake.

“I
didn’t mean what you’re thinking,” I said quickly. “I was thinking about times
like now, not the holding at night to keep the dreams away or to just feel
safe.”

Briana
nodded. “You know I’m a good girl. I mean... Well, you don’t really, but I’m a…
you know.” She started to blush.

“No need
to be getting embarrassed. I haven’t even been on a date in years, four or five
I think. That’s far more tragic and if publicly known could be the source of
much mocking.” I paused. “Don’t tell Lizzy.”

“I
won’t. You really haven’t been out in years? Not even to dinner?”

I shook
my head. “Nope, mostly out of laziness and a desire to avoid nutty women. I’d
had some bad experiences before my self-imposed boycott.”

“My mom
didn’t go out much either. She did at first, after my dad left, but then she
got tired of the games and mostly stopped.”

“It
doesn’t get any easier with age.”

She ran
a hand across my chest. “You are old, but in tolerably decent shape.”

That was
only a little distressing.

“Anyway,”
she continued, “I’ve decided you’re the one I want to be with, forever.” Briana
looked up at my eyes, gauging my reaction. It was apparently favorable since
she smiled broadly. “So tonight will have more than you just holding me tight,
and running your hands over some personal places.”

“Couldn’t
help myself. Sorry about that.”

I know I
didn’t sound the least bit apologetic, nor had she protested in any way.

“But
since you were naughty, you have to give me a massage first, longer than the
last one.”

“Am I
going to get one in return?”

“I
promise to return the favor, but it’s not one I’m likely to keep.” She laughed.

“How
about a kiss before we actually start looking around like we’re supposed to
be?”

Briana
stood up on her toes. A second later the radio came alive.

“We can
see you,” announced Lizzy.

“Not
me,” said Miranda, “but Cherie and Mary have been giving me a very detailed
description. When are you going to get to the good parts?”

“We
weren’t watching,” said Susan. “Timothy and I were respecting your privacy.”

Briana
and I heard Timothy say “liar” in the background. The microphones on the radios
had certainly been manufactured with quality in mind.

“Stop
turning red sweetie. We’ll get a lot worse ribbing over dinner. Lizzy will have
plenty of time to think up all sorts of comments, and I’m sure Mary will add
her own.”

“Are we
really that cheesy or…” She trailed off. “I don’t even know the word.”

I
shrugged. “Can’t say. I’m pretty sure our conversations could come right out of
a cheap paperback.”

She
laughed, but looking back on it, I think I was correct. Neither of us were
especially good at the romance talk. We tried, but the words never came out
quite the way we hoped. We knew what we meant however, and that’s the important
thing.

“Feel
free to tease Lizzy right back. I wouldn’t comment about her relationship with
Lois though. She’s still uneasy about being out of the closet.”

“Lois is
a darling,” agreed Briana, “but Lizzy is always good to make fun of, and she
plays right back.”

She
hesitated.

“What is
it?”

“I,
well, would you consider maybe having Pastor Wills making things, you know,
official? Not right now, since he’s not here and all, but when we get settled
and have a free moment.”

This was
something I had not, in any sense of the word and then some, expected. The
thought had not even occurred to me.

“Official
as in marriage?” I asked, seeking clarification.

She
blushed again and squeezed my hand. It was a lot to ask, and Briana knew it.
This was rushing things on an epic scale. Of course, we could also be zombie
chow tomorrow. Live for the moment seemed more applicable than at any other
time in my life.

“We’ll
talk to him.”

Briana
let out a shriek and leapt into my arms. I was not at all prepared for that – I
seem to be very unprepared when it comes to matters relating to ordinary human
interaction – and I went tumbling back, only to have her land on my chest. It
sounds charming, romantic. Briana is five foot seven, and while she is slender,
there’s also a good bit of muscle on her. In short, the love of my life was not
the lightest gal around.

“Sorry,”
she said, when I let out a gasp.

“No
problem. You didn’t break any ribs. Bruised a few, maybe. Knocked a bit of air
out of me too.”