Government Z (Book 1): The Beginning (5 page)

Morning seemed like it came early.  It had been six weeks since I had seen that mysterious white flash, but I kept my thoughts to myself and tried to be strong for the community we had started to make.  Rus and Christi packed up the cut up zombie bits and head for town to feed the children.  Christi gave me a big hug and long kiss before leaving.  I told her to be safe and call on the CB if they needed us.  I am going to take Bev and head out for more lumber and cages.  I talked with Bruce and I know what else he needs for the doors to open.  Rus can you stop at the hardware stores up there and get all four by fours you can find, some more plywood, a post digger, so we can build a catwalk I asked.  Yep Rus answered.  As Christi and Rus headed out Rus gave an oooooo woooooo yell out and headed down the road.  Bev and I departed shortly after they left. I left Mike in charge since he was leading the construction team.  Let’s get to work on these rooms Mike said. Let’s start unloading the other truck because it will take a little bit to unload all the shingles.  While they were unloading the shingles Mike found the industrial sized generator Bruce and Bryan had forgotten all about.  Ok Chris can you start working on installing that industrial generator and get some power to the house and we can use the power tools.   Within an hour Chris had full power back on the property. Everyone was doing a great job with teamwork to get everything done as quick and efficient as possible.  It was another easy trip for Rus in the city.  The children were all still secured.  They got feed the cut up zombie pieces afterward Rus and Christi made their way to the lumber store.  Come in Rus and Christi Chris called over the CB.  Go ahead Christi called back.  Can you find heavy duty spotlights, PVC pipes, and all the electrical equipment you can find Chris asked? No problem we are just arriving here now Christi said.  Once hooked to the docks Rus located the forklift and started loading the lumber needed.  Christi can you find duct tape and start taping all the PVC pipes together so they will be easier to load Rus asked.  Yes I can, I will also get the electrical wires rolled up and loaded into containers.  It took two hours then they had loaded all the lumber, hanging brackets, and electrical equipment in the store.  Rus also suggested they take the entire stock of ceiling fan/lamp combos.  Do we need anything else Christi asked?  Rus looked up and saw over Christi’s shoulder out in the garden department and saw a small Bobcat T250 mini scoop, a T80 mini bulldozer, and a Bobcat 331 mini excavator.  Those would help speed up construction I think Rus said.  They all fit perfectly on the trailer they locked up and made their way back to camp.  Come in Chris or Mike, this is Christi.  Go ahead Christi Mike responded.  We will be there shortly after eleven. We found some small construction equipment to help you with these projects Christi said.  A mini bulldozer, mini excavator, and a mini scoop Christi added.  Can you CB Bev and Bryan and see if they can find a mini steam roller that would help level the land to build on Mike said. 

Bev and I headed west to see what hardware stores we could find that had not been explored yet.  We traveled thirty five miles west before we approached a large hardware supply store.  Bev dropped me off at the entrance and then went to park the rig in the docking area.  I entered the hardware store and made a B-line straight for the lumber department.  I found a forklift and loaded the first half of the trailer with four by fours and plywood.  Bev got a call over the CB from Rus and Christi.  Bev came out to the sales floor to tell me we needed to find a mini steam roller.  I gave her a funny look and laughed.  What for I asked.  Bev shrugged her shoulders and said I have no idea they just said we needed to find one.  After we finished loading the lumber I grabbed a few more pallets of cinder blocks.  Bev asked what those are for I thought that’s what Rus was getting today.   I told her it was for a special project Rus and I would be working on.  I grabbed a few heavy duty hooks that were capable of holding several tons of weight.  Bev and I locked the trailer and headed out in search of the steam roller.  Before we get the steam roller let’s head over to that party supply rental place.  We stopped and Bev asked what are we looking for here?  I said table and chairs for the mess hall that way everyone has a place to sit. As I walked in sitting right inside the door were two racks on wheels with about twenty chairs on each. Can you start loading these racks Bev I asked as I wheeled them out to her?  I am going to go look for tables next.  I found seven eight foot long tables.  These will be perfect I thought. We drove across town after we loaded everything from the party supply store until we came to a construction rental site.  We parked our truck in the dock and started looking across the two acre site.  Finally after fifteen minutes of searching we found a walk behind mini steam roller LTC08 and we loaded it into the trailer.  I also found a large roll off truck that has a large cable attached to the back end with six inch thick steel beams still on the flat bed.  This may come in handy I smirked.  Let’s check the office for keys and then head for camp.  After searching the office and finding the keys Bev and I headed back for camp it was shortly after twelve thirty.

Rus and Christi arrived back right at eleven. Bev and I arrived back at camp around two in the afternoon. We parked the trucks in the driveway and unloaded the construction vehicles to help move the wall along faster.  Now we were able to dig the trenches for the rest of the walls in just a few hours instead of days by shovel.  We worked from dawn to dusk everyday for the next six weeks and completed the wall around the entire property.  Once the walls were complete by the middle of June we started on the additions to the property. Mike took a small four person team and started using the construction equipment to lay-out foundations to the extra building we wanted to make.  My parents house would be converted into a full blown command center, a thirty by thirty mess hall for cooking and eating in which would be located directly behind our new command center, a twenty by twenty armory for all the weapons and ammunition which would be built in the island of the driveway, two long cabins coving the entire north wall divided into small private rooms for everyone to sleep, and a pole barn which Mike said we needed supplies for in the southwest corner we would convert into a garage to maintain the vehicles and trailer we obtained.  Mike’s crew was able to lay all the foundations in two days as the rest of us started assembling walls and roofs that could go up once the foundations had set.  As soon as the foundations were set all the walls were installed and hinged together. Once the walls were up we continued to complete the floor while Chris began to run electrical wires to each build for the generator to supply power for either the equipment or needs of each room.  Blake and Brent were on the newly built roof over the kitchen applying shingles with Steve.  Jessica, Samantha, and Brianna were painting the outside of the house.  We will need to get drywall and installation for the rooms the next trip we make Mike suggested.  Chris went to work installing a new breaker box for the projects and then he can tie each breaker into the generator.  You found the top of the line eco-friendly generator Chris said.  It runs on solar power and if it doesn’t have enough solar power it will run on gasoline, so we will have full power to this land once I complete everything Chris said.  That’s awesome Rus said. Chris, Jason, and George will continue working on the electrical and we can get to work on the main doors Mike said. 

  The remodel in the new mess hall was in the final stages of being completed.  All the cooking supplies, freezers, fridges, cabinets, and food were installed and stocked.  Oh my god I said as I entered the newly finished room.  This is amazing Bev said.  Well once we unload the steam roller we found tables and chairs so the ladies can start setting up the mess hall while we finish the door I suggested.   Great let’s get to work Mike said.  Rus, Mike, Bruce, and I laid out the railroad ties and started to connect them with the two by fours we had cut to form two x-patterns at the top and bottom of the ties.  We turned it over and formed the same pattern on the opposite side to keep the ties together.  I brought the heavy duty hooks over and said we can use these for door knobs to pull the doors open.  We also mounted eight large hanging hooks across both doors.  One set was about four feet from the bottom of the door with the second set eighteen inches above the first set.  Mike was working on some hinges that would be mounted to the door and wall.  Once he was finished we mounted the hinges to the door and prepared to raise the door to the wall.  Everyone came out to help or see the first door go up.  We had the scaffold set up next to the wall with Mike, Chris, Bart, and Bev on it.  The plan was to get the door held up in place and the four on the scaffold to secure the hinges to the wall.  Rus got in the mini scoop and used the scoop to help lift the door up.  Standing behind Rus were twelve of the men and women in the camp holding ropes that were attached to the top of the door, so when Rus got the door standing vertical we could hold it in place and not allow it to tip over.  The door was now vertical and the team on the scaffold rushed to get the hinges secured.  Ok Rus back up Mike shouted.  Rus backed the mini scoop up and holding in place was one of the doors.  It was an amazing sight to see.  All this hard work was starting to pay off.  We moved the scaffold and prepared the second door to be installed.  We got it up in place while the team secured the hinges again.  Back up Rus. Mike shouted.  Rus backed the mini scoop up and the second door was in place.  We opened and closed the doors several times to make sure they moved easily.  They worked perfectly now and closed right together with no gap.  Bruce, Jason, George, and Blake grabbed two large four by fours and placed them in the mounted brackets on the back of the door.  I see only one problem now that the doors are on Rus said.  What is that Mike asked?  The larger trailers won’t be able to clear the door from the road now.  Mike said well we can build a turnaround in the field across the way.  Now that the outpost is secure we have time to finish these side projects over the next few months I said.  Let’s have a celebration in honor of this accomplishment.  Let’s enjoy tonight and sleep in, tomorrow we will get back to work.

Chapter 6

Everyone slept in the house and we barricaded the door and windows for the night.  Taking the chance the wall and new doors would hold for the night.  Everyone slept till at least nine in the morning.  We prepared a large breakfast for everyone and decided what needed to get done.  We gathered everyone in the new mess hall and Rus broke down the plan for what needed to get done.  Christi and all the other medical professionals will work on the pole barn we will transform into a make-shift hospital; Mike will lead everyone else in finishing the electrical, roofing, and painting; While Bryan, Bruce, and I will head out for the drywall, pole barn supplies, and more food. We are survivors of the horrible situation right now.  In this short time we have become a community, friends, and family.  We have also accomplished so much in the past four plus months and we can’t stop now since there is still so much to get done.  We have to stick together and work hard, we may not always agree on everything but we will be there for each other until the end Rus added.  Everyone applauded his great speech and headed to work. 

Christi, Jessica, Samantha, Anne, Dr. Chen, and Dr. Li led the medical team working on the hospital since they all were in the medical profession.  Let’s tear out the lofts first and then we can rebuild walls and make the north end of the pole barn a recovery area.  It took six hours to tear out the loft since they were trying to reuse all the wood for the walls they were building.  They got the loft reused for a couple of the walls managing to create a three recovery rooms and one surgery room.  Make a list as we complete each section so when we head to one of the hospitals again we can get the supplies needed.  We need IV’s, five tray tables, surgical tools, recovery supplies, and at least heart/blood pressure monitors Dr Li said.  Let’s get the medicines and supports organized and see what else is needed too.  We can use all these small storage compartments to separate all the medicine, so one of you needs to label each compartment and three of you can separate the medicines Anne said.  The rest can continue to put away the supplies and prep the rooms for use Anne added.   

Chris led Jason and George to the generator first so they could start installing it.  After the generator was ready to be turned on Jason and George started digging a small trench to each building and laying the pvc pipe down so the wires could be fed to each building underground.  Chris started with the new mess hall so the kitchen was usable and the food could be frozen or refrigerated before it spoiled.  Mike led the rest of the team shingling the roofs and painting the outsides of all the building.  The roofing went very fast having the air compressor and nail guns.  The team was able to lay a row of shingles out and nail it down in the matter of seconds.  Mike’s team worked hard and was able to knock out all the roofs and first layer of paint by sundown.  Chris, Jason, and George were able to fed wires to every building through the underground trenches and pvc pipe they were able to lay down, but Chris needed some supplies to finish the insides of the cabins and garage.  

Bev and Abby went room by room and truck by truck making a list of what was running low.  When they got to the pole barn Dr Li had the list of supplies needed to complete the new hospital.  They next talked with Chris to see what he needed to complete any of his projects or items he needed to have on site for a just in case moment.  Next they talked to Mike to see what else he may need.  We need to keep barrels of gas on site for the new construction equipment, vehicles, and the new generator Mike said.    After getting a count on what weapons and bullets we had in the truck Abby and Bev made a list of what bullets we were running low on.  They also made a list of what weapons were available.  Finally they went and talked with the guys to see what else was needed.  Jason and George suggested some off road vehicles to patrol the open fields and smaller trucks to go for supplies.  Dr. Chen made us smile when he asked for cigarettes and alcohol.  I asked for a large table, chairs, maps, and paper so we could turn the master bedroom into our main command center control room.  Now that the supply needs were written out it was decided what trips would be made and to where.

Rus, Bruce, and I made our way back to the building supply in the refrigerated truck and semi when we noticed as we went through town windows smashed in several businesses as we drove by.  I guess that’s our answer if there are still other survivors out there Bruce said.  We arrived and docked at the truck bay.  Rus grabbed the fork truck while Bruce and I swept the store for danger.  Rus started loading drywall and mudding supplies into the trailer; Bruce started getting the supplies Chris had asked for, while I continued scouting the store.  I had made it to the garden center of the store where I discovered the doors had been removed leaving a huge hole in the side of the building.  I stayed guard at the hole for over an hour when Rus and Bruce finally found me.  All the drywall, installation, electrical, and siding for the garage is loaded, is there anything else we need Rus asked.  I think we need plumbing supplies, toilets, and showers that way we can build a restroom like at the campgrounds so everyone won’t have to wait all day for the bathroom or shower I said.  Rus closed the trailer door after we loaded everything we thought we needed.  Take this back to the compound so they can get it unloaded before sundown I said.  Bruce and I will get food at Foodmart since it’s a bulk supply chain I added.  Rus headed back to camp as Bruce and I made our way to the Foodmart.  As Bruce and I entered the Foodmart the smell from inside was almost unbearable.  We had to cover our faces with our bandanas just so we could enter the store.  The smell of rotting fruits and vegetables was the first thing we came across.  The floor was sticky from the juices that covered the floor in the produce department and fruit flies buzzed all around.  We made our way to the back room where we could grab flatbeds that would be easier to transport the quantities we needed.  Let’s get all the canned fruits and vegetables we can since the fresh stuff is beyond rotted I suggested.  On the way back from our first trip we caught a whiff of something so terrible that not even our bandanas could stop the stench.  It came from the butcher shop inside the store.  The smell of rotting meat and fish started to take over the produce department.  As we made our way past we heard a loud bang coming from inside the butchers shop.  The butchers shop windows had all been broken and glass covered the entire floor.  Bruce and I had our guns drawn and entered the shop.  The noise was coming from the freezer where the other meats were kept.  As we approached I saw the locking pin was in the door.  Should we open it I asked Bruce.  Bruce took a position in front of the door as I slowly pulled the pin out of the door.  I pulled the door open and a fifty year old man dressed in a butchers coat and hat falling face first onto the floor.  Bruce helped him up and sat him in a chair.  What’s your name Bruce asked?  My name is Sergei, the butcher said in a thick Russian accent.  How did you get locked in that freezer I asked?  I have been living here since this whole thing started and living off the food in the store Sergei said.  The other day a group of people came in to raid the store for food and locked me in the freezer when I tried to defend myself Sergei continued.  They had guns and I didn’t stand much of a chance Sergei added.  A sound of crunching glass caught our attention and as we turned we saw a small group of five people staring in at us four men and a woman.  The leader of the group had a gun pointed at us which he fired as we turned hitting Sergei in the middle of the chest.  Bruce and I took cover behind the heavy wooden butchers block returning fire when we could.  We tried asking them to join us but they just continued firing shots at us.  Suddenly we heard the woman shriek out a scream and then the sound grass breaking as they took off running.  As we looked up from behind the butchers block we saw four zombies advancing toward the group until one of them turned toward us and let out this hiss like growl over the scent of fresh blood coming from Sergei.  Bruce and I jumped up onto the tables and began firing at the group of zombies before they could advance toward us taking them all down.  Alright lets grab what we can and get back to camp before anyone else shows up I said.  After we finished loading the truck up we saw several zombies taking to the streets as the sun started to set.  There is no way we can make it past them Bruce said, so we locked the truck up and headed back inside the store.  We took refuge up on the top racking by using the lift in the store to avoid being at ground level in case the zombies entered the store again.

Rus arrived back at camp surprised at the progress that was made by the team throughout the day.  We got everything we need to finish off the projects plus start one more Rus said.  Where are Bruce and Bryan at? Christi asked.  They went on to get food and told me to come back to camp with this load Rus said.  The sun started to set on camp and there was still no word from Bruce or Bryan.  Don’t worry they will be fine Rus told Christi and Abby who were looking very nervous. His words meant nothing until they returned to camp safely. Rus sat with Mike and Chris asking how long it would take to finish the current projects.  With the rest of the electrical supplies I need it will take me two days max to complete all the wiring and hook up to the generator Chris said.  With everyone available to drywall and mud we will be able to go as fast as the electrical is completed Mike added.  Well I’ll take one person to help me start on the siding for the garage pole barn and then assemble a tool shed I picked up so we can store all the tools we have Rus said.  Morning came with still no sign of Bruce and Bryan.  All we can do is continue on and hope for the best Rus said at breakfast.  Everyone ate breakfast then started another day improving the compound and making life a little easier.  Meanwhile Bruce and I awoke from the top of the shelves where we made camp for the night.  We looked around and saw it was safe to head down the lift.  As we were coming down gunfire started hitting the lift and we ducked down inside the small cart to avoid being hit.  We could hear the leader of gang from the night before barking orders.  We returned fire catching two of them in the leg.  The firing continued but not at us we noticed.  We looked up to see zombies attacking the small group so Bruce and I made our way around the zombie attack and headed for the truck.  We arrived at the front door only to be met by the leader of the group.  Please you have to save me, everyone else is dead he screamed.  We heard the zombies now making their way toward us with four new zombies joining them.  Oh my god those are my friends the leader cried out.  Bruce looked at him and then at me.  I jumped up in the truck and started the engine.  Bruce looked over his shoulder at the zombies then turned and looked at the leader that was just firing at us.  Bruce raised his gun and handed it to the leader and simply said good luck.  Bruce jumped in the truck and we drove off leaving him to fight on his own.  I could see Bruce clinching his fist and I asked him what was wrong.  Bruce said nothing asked dropped some bullets in the cup holder with a shit eating grin on his face.

Bruce and I returned to the compound around ten in the morning and were greeted by upset but happy ladies.  Get some breakfast and come help us bitches Rus said as he patted us on the back.  You missed a good fight Bruce bragged.  Zombies and psychos trying to shoot us Bruce added.  Bruce and I finished breakfast then unloaded the food truck into the mess hall kitchen.  What’s next Mike asked?  Let’s start cementing the four by fours in place for supports when we build the catwalks Rus suggested.  Continuing to work hard by the end of the week all the buildings were up and operational, the catwalk was completed across the west wall and staircases were up at the northwest and southwest corners.  Abby and Bev had made trips to feed the children every two weeks since the last time Bryan and Rus went.  They used the bodies Rus carved up from the Old Train Yard.  The children were still as good as they could be and were still secure in their cages they were left in.  It had been a long journey since this all started at the beginning of April and now it was almost the mid August. Time was moving fast and there was still so much to do.  We decided Rus, Bruce, Abby, Christi, Jason, George, Brianna, Samantha, and I would make a three day trip and get all the supplies we would needed to complete everything in the outpost.  While we are gone everyone else will continue to get the catwalk done and a couple of other projects I said.  We will take two of the semis and the refrigerator truck as well.  Mike we need you to make a new road and have it curve out into the field and then have it enter straight into the compound that way the semis will get clear of the doors and we don’t have to get new trailers every time I said.  Tomorrow we head south to search some major cities that have been unexplored by us. Tonight we rest it may be the last time we see each other with unknown danger we head toward.  Tomorrow is the beginning.  We will continue to grow, help those who want help, and most importantly we will survive Rus stated.