Chapter Seven
Emma and Ginger drug the deer out of the truck, got it hung, and skinned. It took both of them doing all they could to get it strung up, but once it was hung, Ginger was quick to get the creature skinned and the butchering started. Emma did as she was asked and carried pieces of the deer inside so that Ginger could work with them and get them preserved.
It took them four hours but they got the deer broken down into manageable pieces, then Ginger buried the carcass. Emma went inside to check on Eve and Jeanne.
Eve was on the floor next to the sofa and Jeanne was lying on her back her arm over her eyes, her ankle propped up. "We got the deer taken care of mama."
"Alright baby." Jeanne said as she shifted to get up, tried and collapsed back to the sofa with a curse.
"Mommy?" Eve said softly, looking up from her coloring then getting up and running over to Jeanne.
"Mama!" Emma said grabbing for her as she stepped closer, then dropped to her knees beside the sofa.
"Go get Ginger, Emma" Jeanne said her voice strained.
"I'm right here." Ginger said coming over and pushing Emma gently out of the way. She lifted Jeanne's foot and softly prodded.
"Fucking hell!" Jeanne cried and Ginger slowly lowered her foot to the floor.
"I don't think it's broke. Either way, you should stay put for a while. We'll get that deer taken care of, dry it, can it, cook it, we should be ok for a while now." Ginger nodded. "You just take it easy." Jeanne nodded, but tried to get up again.
"Did ya make sure the front stairs were barricaded?" Jeanne asked Ginger. Ginger nodded.
"Honey it's all taken care of. I'm gonna go start fixin' that deer and some dinner. You holler if you need me. Emma, you're with me Rosy." Emma nodded and followed after Ginger.
Jeanne sat staring at her ankle and the floor, then smiled when Eve came and wiggled into her lap. "Mommy, is gonna be otay."
Jeanne stroked Eve's head softly then smiled. "Do you like it here Evie?" Jeanne asked as she studied the little girl.
"I rike it mommy. I rike it a rot."
"I'm glad." Jeanne said wrapping her arms around the little girl and laying back with her, then rolling so her back was against the sofa and Eve was laying in front of her on the wide cushions. Eve lay still for a while as Jeanne stroked her hair.
"Mommy, what was Daddy rike?" The little girls question caught Jeanne off guard.
"Well baby, he was taller than mommy, he had big hands, and blue eyes. Eyes you could get lost in. He used to look at mommy sometimes when she was scared and she wouldn't feel scared anymore. He could hit a deer from far away, and he was strong enough to string it up by himself. He was tough man. But kind." Eve was watching Jeanne, her blue eyes fixed on her face. "You look a lot like your daddy. He was a good man. He took care of me, he was always there, he never did the things his daddy or mine did, I loved him." Eve nodded.
"Mommy, will I ever see daddy?" Jeanne didn't know how to answer that question.
"I…I don't know."
"Dinner's ready." Ginger said coming in and moving to pull Jeanne's arm over her shoulder and get her up and to the table. "I made deer and corn pie." Ginger said softly. "I hope it's alright."
"Ginger it will be divine." Jeanne assured her.
Another three months passed. The weather began to warm and Jeanne's ankle healed. Their food supply was almost gone and the dead had become a serious problem again. Jeanne had taken down seven in one day.
"I think it's time to move on." Jeanne told Ginger that night at dinner. "Our food is almost gone, the winter is over, and the dead keep coming. We should pack up tomorrow or the next day and head out."
"Where will we go?" Ginger asked.
"I was thinking we could head west. Maybe things are better that way. Or maybe we can find other people, people like us. I figure the Rockies are a good place to hold these things at bay, maybe on the other side there is a camp or something. Or maybe if we can get north enough these things will freeze. I just know we need to get out of here."
"We need to get out of here. I just don't know where we'll go, or how we're gittin there. How much gas we got?"
"Not much, about a half tank, a little less. Enough to find a gas station, if it idn't over run." Ginger nodded and sighed.
"Mommy I'm hungry." Eve said softly as she snuggled down next to Ginger.
"I know baby, I'm sorry." Jeanne said looking at Ginger. "We gotta get outta here." Ginger nodded again.
The next day Ginger and Jeanne worked on packing everything into the truck, they packed everything they thought they might need. It didn't take long to pack. The girls said good bye to their home of almost a year and climbed into the truck. Jeanne started it and headed for the road. They would head west, as far west as they could get.
Unfortunately their truck had other plans. As they were rounding a curve in the road a group of the dead were stumbling across the road. Jeanne tried to swerve to miss them and ended up head first down a hill, then slide sideways into a tree.
She, Ginger, and the girls were able to get out of the truck, but had to leave most of their gear behind. Jeanne was able to rescue her crossbow, quiver, machete, and Daryl's revolver and their packs. From there they walked.
It was getting dark when they came upon a sign "West Central Prison. Do not pick up hitchhikers." A cold chill ran down Jeanne's spine, but they continued to walk. As they approached the prison they could see several of the dead crowding the fence. They seemed to sense that there were living people around because they turned and all headed right toward Jeanne, Ginger, and the children.
"Ginger you better use this." Jeanne told her shoving the revolver into Ginger's hand. In the next instant she swung the cross bow up and fired into one of the dead things heads. Ginger took aim and fired catching another through the eye. Which gave Jeanne enough time to reload and fire again as they made their way toward the prison gate. "Give me the blanket out of your pack." She told Emma as they reached the gate. Taking it she tossed it up and over the razor wire, as the dead approached them. "Emma you first, up and over. Go!" She told her as Emma began to climb. "Now you Eve, follow Emma, do just like she did. Good girl. Ginger, get going. I'll hold them off." She said as she loaded another bolt. "Get over and cover me through the gate." Ginger climbed over the fence with amazing speed, then waited for Jeanne to come over as well, shooting at any of the dead who got close. She was almost out of their reach when a tall man grabbed her and pulled her down, she let out a blood curdling scream as she feel into the group of them. She kicked and thrashed knocking them off of her, trying to struggle up. One of them bit her shoulder and another bit her leg. Just as she was losing hope of escape she heard gun shots that sounded too far away to be Ginger. She was suddenly able to free herself of the dead and climb over the fence.
Ginger helped her toward the inner yard as a young boy came running out. "Please." Ginger begged. "Please help us."
"She's been bit." The boy said pointing to Jeanne. He lifted his gun and took aim at her head.
"Please, wait. She won't turn. I swear she won't turn. Please, help us."
"I won't turn." Jeanne said pushing Emma and Eve behind her. "If you don't believe me that's fine, I'll stay out here as long as you want, but please, let my kids in, please, I'm begging you." The boy seemed to consider this for a long time.
"You been bit?" He asked Ginger.
"No, please. None of us have except Jeanne, but she won't die, she won't turn. She just gets a fever, then she gets better. She's been bit before. Please, let us in." The boy nodded once, then unlocked the inner gate. The four of them hurried in and followed the boy as quickly as possible as he lead them into a holding area locking the door behind him. Then he went over to another door and went inside, locking that one behind him.
"You'll be safe in there. Nothing can get to you." The boy said then moved away.
"Hey!" Ginger called going over to the door. "Please, can we have some water? Do you have any bandages?"
"Yeah." The boy answered as an older man came toward the door.
"She's been bitten?" He asked, nodding toward Jeanne.
"Yes Sir." Ginger answered as the boy came back and handed water through the door. "If she turns I'll kill her, but she won't."
"You sure about that?" the older man asked. Ginger nodded.
"Thank ya'll for letting us in. We woulda died out there."
"Mama, I'm hungry." Emma said softly as Jeanne took a seat at one of the tables.
"I know baby, but we just have to wait for now. Ask Miss Ginger for some water."
"Carl, can we git these girls some food?" the man asked the boy. He nodded and went to find something.
The boy came back and passed some crackers through the door. "Thank you." Ginger said as she took them from him and went to sit with Jeanne and the girls.
