Surviving Day By Day (Book 1): So it Begins (43 page)

A man called to her, “GLORIA YOU HIT?” “YEAH THEY FUCKING SHOT ME IN MY ASS AS I WAS TRYING TO RUN!”

Several men started to laugh, and one spoke up, “AS BIG AS IT IS IT SHOULDN’T HURT THAT MUCH
, NOW SHUT THE FUCK UP!”

Alden was snickering as he waited to pick his next target. A man with a German WWI helmet stuck his head up, BANG and the head was rolling back across the field. Tabitha saw someone trying to get to the left, she knew she could let him and fired three shots fast. He turned back towards the group. Alden called down to Tabitha,
“LET THEM HAVE IT POUR IT ON!!”

His voice boomed through the woods and startled Tabitha. She turned, looked up and saw him fire three times. Turning back she flipped the switch to full auto and used her clip in a second. Pushing the button it dropped out and she slapped another in then pulled the trig
ger. Nothing, “WHAT THE HELL?!”

Alden looked down, “RELEASE THE CHARGING HANDLE!” Tabitha pulled it back and chambered the round then pulled the trigger using short three and four round bursts as she tried to pick targets.

Alden emptied his first clip, put in another and fired ten rounds quickly. He could hear the screams of pain coming from the group and knew
he
and
Tabitha
had made their point. Alden climbed down as Tabitha changed another clip. Alden grabbed the empty clips then pulled on her shirt, “Fire and we go!”

Tabitha turned and unleashed the full clip on the group then turned and ran following Alden. The gun fire was continuing as the group was firing wildly into the woods. Suddenly Tabitha heard a scream and the gun fire stopped then started again only this time no bullets were coming towards them. Alden smiled at her
as he led the way, “Deadheads.”

Soon the two were back at the cabins. Charlie and Colt were standing watch. Charlie looked to Tabitha then Alden “Are they Coming?’ Tabitha smiled not tonight I don’t think.”

They stood and listened to the gun fire in the distance gradually subside. Alden reached and took the M-16 from Tabitha and smiled at her, “Not bad…. Not bad at all…”

Ceara was asleep by Maximus when Alden and Tabitha came back,
as she woke,
she quickly checked on him then went to the kitchen with everyone else, she listened as both Alden and Tabitha told what had happen. It sounded like the deadheads would take care of what was left of the group that had attacked the cabins. She knew it was wrong but she was glad they would suffer. Alden looked at her, “How’s Max?”

She looked back into the living room, “Still sleeping, but Beth got the bullet and sewed him up pretty good
. He should be up before long.”

She suddenly realized and outcome of what Alden and Tabitha had done, “If the deadheads attacked those people, well that just means we will have more deadheads around
here.”

Colt smirked, “But if we go out there tomorrow and scout out that area we may be able to gain a few more guns.”

Ceara looked at him unbelieving, “You want to go there
,
then you can do it without me, I don’t want no part of that!”

Alden held up his hands, “Ok, e
nough of that, where’s dinner?”

Beth and Ceara both looked at him. Alden shrugged, “What, we brought enough food back. Did you guys think we wouldn’t be hungry just because we’ve been out? Hell we didn’t go to dinner.”

Tabitha laughed, “Yeah, I could use a little food.”

Ceara gave a heavy sigh, “Well we did have a little bit going on here too, ya know?” She started pulling out a couple of pans, “Charlie will you get the fire going in the stove and I think the last of the steaks are in the cooler out back.”

Charlie nodded and headed out the back door, Colt followed him, “I’ll get the
wood, and you get the cooler.”

Beth went to the living room looking around at all the supplies they had come back from town with, “This looks like a mini store.” She snagged two cans of corn and green beans, and then got the powdered milk, remembering that Alden had been excited to find it.”

They all got back in the kitchen and Ceara started laughing, “Oh my god would it not be classic
after
we did all this and risked everything to find out we have no can opener!
”

Several eyes turned to Alden, he smirked, “What?”

Charlie smiled, “You know you have o
ne.”

Alden walked to a drawer and pulled it open and didn’t find one, on th
e fourth drawer he pulled out a
hand held can opener. Handing it to Ceara, “Well now we don’t need to worry about if I do or not.”

Ceara shooed them all out of the kitchen, “You guys fix the steaks out there and I’l
l handled the veggies in here.”

Charlie followed Colt and Alden out of kitchen. As they got out side
,
he looked up at the moon, “Damn that’s pretty.”

Alden look
ed up and smiled, “Yeah it is.”

He turned and walked out front towards his truck. Retrieving his bottle of moonshine he walked back around the house and took the lid off. Taking a drink he handed it to Colt who simply took a swig then spit it out at the fire, “What the hell is that shit?!?”

As the moonshine hit the flames they flared almost singeing Charlie’s eyes bro
ws. “Damn it, Colt. Watch out!”

Alden started to laugh as he took anot
her drink, “This shit is smooth.
”

Colt trying to get a bottle of water out of a cooler, “
Yeah, smooth a
s gasoline.”

Charlie laughed and took the jar and a swig. His eyes squinted as he swallowed it and a raspy, “Whoaaaa, that stuff burns.”

He took another swig and handed the jar back to Alden who had pulled up a wooden lawn chair and was now sitting in front of the fire. Looking to Charlie and Colt, “You guys are getting pretty good at this fire stuff.”

Charlie went to his cabin and came back with two more plastic lawn chairs. “You know guys, if the world wasn’t in such a bad state, this would be a great night.”

Alden stared into the fire, “ Well for what it’s worth, this is how the world is outside the U.S. We’ve be
en spoiled inside our borders.”

Colt looked to Alden, “Man, I bet you have seen more in a month than I’ve seen my whole life. The only place I’ve ever been is Branson, Missouri
and that was just for
mine and Jessica’s honeymoon.
”

“
Yeah I know, not too damn romantic but it was all we could afford. We planned on going to Hawaii in the next couple of years but guess that won’t happen now.” He looked around at the woods, “This is the furthest I’ve been from Memphis since I moved there ten years ago and before that I was in this little shit hole town you wouldn’t know the name if I told you. Shit, I had a boring life but
I’ll be damned if I don’t want it back.”

Charlie tossed the steak on the grill as the flames had died down to coals. “I don’t know if I want my old life back or not. I mean it wasn’t really that great. You see I got more now than I ever had. I have the one thing I always wanted; too bad
it took this for me to get it.”

Alden looked at Charlie and handed him the jar. Charlie took another drink longer this time then looked to Colt who was looking at him confused. Charlie handed Colt the jar, “You see Colt I finally got me a family.”

Charlie looked at Alden then turned back to the steaks. Alden looked at Colt and smiled, “Yeah Charlie I guess you’re right. I finally got one too. I just never thought I’d be a
Dad
to a bunch of cupcakes.”

Colt had taken a swig just as Alden spoke and choked not only on the taste but the cupcake statement. Moonshine was coming out his nose
as he coughed, “Damn it Alden!”

Alden reached up and took the jar chuckling, “You’re getting the hang of this.” Putting the lid back on, “But that’s enough for now boys, I can’t have you all drunk and puking at dinn
er. It would ruin my appetite.”

Ceara, Beth and Tabitha heard the men laughing and glanced at the back door. Ceara looked to Beth, “Can you go get some water and we can make the mil
k for Alden?”

“No problem”, Beth said as she dried her hands off with a dish towel. “Ladies
,
I will be right back, I got to go get something out in the truck.”

Making her way out of the kitchen Beth went outside and opened up the door to the truck. She remembered the fine china she had put underneath the seat and thought that this night would be a perfect night to use it.
W
ith all of the worrying that Ceara had been doing over Maximus
,
Beth thought this would be a very nice surprise. After picking them up and holding them tightly so that she would not drop them Beth bumped the door shut with her hip then made her way back inside where she stacked the china on the table hoping that one of the girls would see what she did. Continuing on Beth made her way over to the cabinets to find six glasses and purposely did not look at Ceara or Tabitha while doing any of the work. Beth wanted the plates to be a surprise for her and she thought
that this would be a good way.

When Beth found the glasses she lined them up and then grabbed the box of powdered milk. Reading the directions were easy enough and she realized that since she didn’t have a pitcher to put it in that she would use one of the quart jars that the green beans had been stored in. Beth washed the jar really thorough then followed the directions on the side of the box.
Tabitha walked over to the table and noticed the dishes stacked up. She had never seen anything as pretty as them. “Ceara, would you check these out here! We will be eating like kings and queens tonight. I mean I have only seen stuff like this at department stores where all I could ever
do was just look and not touch.”
Tabitha gently picked one up and looked at the little blue roses that were etched beautifully on the plate. “Beth, where o
n earth did you find these at?”

Beth was finished with making the milk and
set
it beside the glasses. Turning around with a smile Beth looked at Tabitha and then went over to Ceara, “I just had a feeling that we needed something new for a change. You know, instead of paper plates a
nd paper towels to eat off of.”

Ceara looked from the plates to Beth, “When did you grab those?”

Beth just w
inked at her, “I have my ways.”

Ceara went to the plates and picked one u
p, “They really are so pretty!”

Tabitha picked up the glasses, three in each hand, “Yeah, well you wanted them so you are now the official dishwashe
r.”
Turning Tabitha went out of the din
ing room and out the back door.

Ceara smiled at Beth, “I don’t care,
I’ll wash them and
I love them
, thank you!” She picked the stack up.

Beth grabbed the milk and as they walked through the kitchen Beth got the pan of green beans, “We will send one of the boys in for the corn.” They joined everyone outside and Ceara started to set out the plates, Charlie picked his up “Wow, what’s the occasion?”

Ceara smiled, “Beth got them when we were at the farm, aren’t they pretty?” Ceara looked to everyone, “You guys
better
be careful! Don’t break them!”

Charlie set his gently down, “Now I’m a little scared to eat off them.”

Ceara smirked, “Don’t be silly, oh and will you go get the corn off the stove?”

Charlie headed inside as Alden set the plate of steaks in the middle of the picnic table. “This all looks pretty good girls.”

Charlie rejoined them and set t
he corn beside the green beans.
Alden picked up one of the plastic lawn chairs and took it to the head of the picnic table, “I’m the oldest so I guess
I
get this spot.” He said with a big grin. It was then he noticed the quart jars of milk, “Oh bless the ancients. I’ve been dying for a glass of milk.”

Charlie took a sip and made a face of disgust. “Real
ly, Alden? You call this milk?”

Alden smiled back as he took a big drink, “Damn straight
,
it beats the hell out of just water, besides I got used to the taste overseas where milk was gold if you could get it. We mostly had to use this.”

Charlie looked at him, “Ugh if you say so. I still think it tastes l
ike duck food.”

Ceara looked at Charlie, “and you would know what duck food tastes like… why?”

They all laughed as they sat down to eat. Charlie pulled the steaks off and placed them on the plates then took his seat, “If it’s okay with you all I’d like to
say grace.”

He watched their eyes as he waited. He knew that these folks probably didn’t have much to be grateful for, hell even Alden’s life had been turned inside out. It seemed to Charlie he was the only one who kind of benefited from the mess. Alden looked to the group as they all seemed to be looking at each other.