I had finish loading the supplies that we had collected from the cars into the Rv when Ethan started to fuss for a diaper change so i had to change him before going to the farm. I had talked to Dale and he agreed to wait on Daryl with Andrea before following us to the farm. I had given him enough food and water from the supplies we had found to last him three days for three people. That would be plenty to last them or at least I hope it was.
I was getting the kids loaded up into Rv when Glenn told me was going to drive T-dog in Carol's car so Sam didn't have to see him so sick so young. Plus Carol didn't want to drive her stick shift. I don't think she knew how since her husband seemed to always control her in any and every way he could. Carol and Sophia would ride in their car with Glenn while I drove the Rv with the boys. I put Ethan in his seat while Sam got into his so we could get going. i wanted to get setup before dark at the new place and have a look around.
I followed Glenn around the cars that were left on the highway. We had to move a lot of them but were able to leave some. I followed Glenn as we got off the highway on to a gravel and dirt road that was well kept up. We passed several farms that I took note of and so did Matt since I let him sit in the passenger seat to help me remember the way back. I could see him taking notes as we passed each mail box had a farmer's last name and house number clear as day and he wrote them down for us to check out later. We arrived at the farm to find it looked like the dead had missed it all together.
I pulled to a stop so Matt could get out and get the gate since Glenn had opened it Matt would close and latched it. There was a pretty brunette hair girl standing on the porch with a shorter and younger blond beside her. They kind of looked like each other but not to much so they must have had different moms or dads judging by the similar manner they stood and their face were shaped they had to be related by how they were acting towards each other.
I had learned to read people in the military and that skill had come in handy lately so I wasn't complaining. I pulled the Rv up most the way to the house but stopped a good ways back and pulled just off on one of the side parking areas and backed the Rv around so we were facing the road if we had to leave in hurry. Plus we were far enough from the house for a little bit of privacy this way. I turned off the Rv as I got up and went to get Ethan and Sam.
I strapped Ethan to my chest facing me since he had fallen asleep on the way here. I made sure both Matt and Sam had their socks and shoes on before getting out of the Rv. I grabbed Ethan diaper bag along with my bow before getting out of the Rv and locking the door. I kept Sam close to me as we walked up to the house and I could tell that this place wouldn't last long but it would be fun while it lasted.
"Hello there I'm Ellen these are my sons Matt, Sam and Ethan." I told the girls pointing out who was who.
"Hello I'm Maggie and this is my sister Beth." The older brunette said.
"Momma can I go play." Sam asked me.
"No Sam we don't know what we are doing yet plus this isn't our land so we can't do whatever we want." I told him climbing the steps on the porch.
"Matt go get that bag of supplies that we found on the highway will you." I asked him knowing that he knew which bag that i meant.
"okay mom." he told me before walking off to the Rv with the keys in his hand.
"O My Gosh Maggie look it's a baby." Beth squealed coming closer to look at Ethan.
"Beth stop that not nice." Maggie told her sister.
"No it's okay yeah, this is Ethan he is about 7 months old." I told her taking him out of his sling and putting him on my hip since he was awake now.
"I just love kids I use to babysit all the time." Beth told me playing with Ethan making him laugh.
I followed the girls into the house with the bag that Matt had brought me and was met with a older man with white hair talking to shane and Rick who looked like they were talking about something important. I smiled at the Older Man as he smiled back at me and the boys. I shifted Ethan who was getting hungry and I could tell so I got out his bottle to feed him when Carl started to scream.
"Beth will you do me a favor and take Sam outside to the barn for a bit to see the animals." I asker her nicely
"Sure come on guys let so see the horses and chickens. You can even feed them." She told Sam taking his hand and leaving.
I handed Matt his brother to feed while I took the medical supplies into Rick and the doctor who name was Hershel. I watched Matt as he sat down on the couch and started to feed his brother and was happy to do. Matt enjoyed helping out with his brothers and always wanted to help anyway he could. He had got that from both me and his dad. I hurried down the hall to the room that Hershel had went in and listen to him list off supplies that he would need to get the bullet fragments out Carl.
"Rick i have some supplies here if you me to have a look at him. I have some combat medic training." I told him standing at the door frame and gave Lori a nod.
"No I don't want her touching my son she not a doctor." Lori yelled causing Ethan to start crying in the living room.
"Neither is Hershel. Plus I trust Ellen." Rick told her.
"Hershel an old army technique is using coconut water to help stabilize the blood pressure along with saline. We used it several times if we didn't have one or the other and it works wonder for helping people hang on longer." I told him holding up the bag of coconut water that I had gotten out of storage for this reason.
"But I'm going to need a favor in return for all this coconut water this is a fourth of my supply. I need Hershel here to find me or point me to a farmer who use to breed dogs because I want to get one for each boy." I told them.
"How Dare your try and use my sons injury to your advantage." Lori screeched at me standing up to come at me but Rick stopped her.
"Your son dying is unfortunate for me he's a good kid. I'm trying to keep my family alive and dogs can smell, hear, and sight so they can detect walkers sooner then we can, they are great at hunting, and lastly they are great protecting or guarding something or someone." I told her.
"Well there was a breeder down the road that bread boxer and labs but that was almost 4 months ago he brought in his dog that was a fawn brindle boxer pregnant with 4-6 pups they would be boxers. He brought in the 4 pups that survived about a month ago to get checked out and they were heathy. He lives back at the Blue mail box with Brooks 435, that's back towards the highway." Hershel told me as he reached for the water.
"You will get half now and the other half after I get my puppies for the boys. This will last you at least 3 hours so you will be find until I come back." i told them giving Hershel two cartons of coconut water.
I went out to the living room and saw that Ethan was asleep on the couch between two pillows with Matt reading a book beside him watching him. I smiled at him and picked up Ethan to take him back to the Rv to put in his moses basket for now. I would have Carol watch him for me while I went to get at least 1 if not 3 puppies from down the road if they were still alive. I hoped they were if not I would have to find a dog somewhere else. I was brought out of my thinking by Sam running into the room calling my name.
"Momma Momma Momma guess what." Sam cried excitedly
"What buddy" I asked him bending down to his level.
"I got to brush the horses and fed the chickens and and Beth said I could help get eggs tomorrow can I, can i, can I please." Sam begged me.
"Sure bud but you have to get up early so they are collected before everyone is up." I told him standing back up and picking Ethan up in my arms.
"Okay Mommy." He told me as he gave me hug.
"Why don't we go to the Rv for a bit and work on some school work." I told the older boys.
"O I have some note book paper and old school books if you need them." Beth says from behind the counter where she was cutting up vegetables for supper.
"That would be great they are out growing the books they have now because they know everything in them." I told her shifting Ethan in my arms.
"I will give them to you at supper it should be ready in about 3 hours." She told as finished cutting a carrot.
"Why don't I help you and it will go faster I don't mind at all." I told her smiling.
"Don't you have to go down the road I thought I heard you talking to daddy about it." Beth asks me.
"I don't have a car and I'm not taking my Rv down there. The only cars I know of are at the highway and I don't have any extra gas to spare to run the extra car." I told her sadly.
"O we have horses if want to ride one down there I'm sure Maggie won't mind taking you she has been taking every chance she can get to get out of the house for a while." Beth told me wiping her hands off and going to get Maggie.
I looked over at the couch and neither of the boys were there any more and that scared me so I went to find them. I looked in the bathroom that we passed on the way in they weren't there. I looked on the front porch and they weren't there either and I really started to get scared them. I called their names and got no answer. My heart started to race but that's when I saw Matt open the Rv door after I called his name again. I walked over to the Rv to find that Sam was coloring and watching some cartoons at the table while Matt watched him.
"Sorry mom he wanted to color and I knew that you didn't want him coming by himself so I walked him over. I just got him settled and was about to come tell you when I heard you calling." Matt told me with his head down.
"It's okay Matt you just scared me I couldn't find you." I told him kissing him on the head.
"Here go put your brother in the bouncer for a while so he can get rid of some of his energy." I told Matt handing him Ethan.
I went over to the storage room and got out some 4 boxes of pasta noodles and a big bag of flour. I put them in a basket before locking the storage room back up. i went to the fridge and got 5 canned sodas one for each person. I was hoping that this would get me some fresh eggs and milk for the next few days maybe some cheese if they had any. I knew that trading for fresh food would be the best thing for my kids so that's what i would do.
I was hoping some of the close houses would have some good canned and dried food since most the owners would have left or be dead. I also went ahead and made Ethan a couple more bottles so that I would have them since I was planning on asking Carol or Beth since I really liked her and she was good at watching Sam or Ethan while I went hunting with Matt to get some fresh meat. We only had some from time to time and that wasn't good for our health. I was putting bottles in the fridge when Maggie knocked on the Rv door.
"Hey just a second I putting the last of Ethan's bottles in the fridge for the next day or so." I told her as I put the last bottle in and closed the fridge.
"Matt I going with Maggie for a bit watch your brothers Carol or Beth will be by in a few to get you and your school work for you to work on in the house so get yours and Sam's school books and flashcards together." I told him as I grabbed the hunting riffle and some ammo that I kept hidden behind the couch since all this started.
"Okay mom be careful." He told me as he started to get the school books and flashcards together.
I also grabbed a bag to put the puppies in if we got any in. I followed Maggie out of the Rv and closed the door leaving it unlocked for now. I also had my bow and arrows along with some string to set some traps to catch some meat in the small front pocket of the bag. I also had a water bottle and couple power bars to. I saw that Maggie had both the horses mounted and ready to go. I had rode a couple horses growing up so it wasn't anything new for me. I got up on the horse easy before we started down drive way since the road would be the easiest way to go.
"So do you have any neighbors still or have they all died or gotten sick as your dad calls them." I asked her.
"Most are sick or killed themselves why." She asked as she got down to open the gate for us to walk out of.
"Well I assume if they are dead then you won't mind me going and collecting the left over food, water, medical supplies, and other household items they have that I could use." I asked her knowing I was planning on going weather she approved of it or not.
"Yeah I don't see the problem just don't tell daddy that I told you. He still thinks the people are alive just sick, but I saw them get shot in the heart, neck cut open, walking on broken legs and they would still be coming after you nothing alive does that." Maggie told getting back up on her horse.
"We call them walkers and your right they aren't people anymore and the best thing for them is to put them down. Their kind of like a rabid dog their isn't a cure for them." I told her as me gain speed to a trout.
"I will write down who is gone and who isn't but for now lets just get your puppies and get back." She told speeding up to a gallop.
We arrived at the driveway and I could tell that something wrong base on how the gate that was closed earlier today was now wide open and there was a trail of blood going down the drive way. I looked at Maggie who hadn't notice the trail of blood yet and was about to enter the gate on the horse but I stopped her by grabbing her reins which caused her horse to stop.I gave her a look that I knew she would recognize as be quiet and do as I say. I could tell that she was scared now by how she frozen when she saw the blood.
"Maggie stay here with the horses while I go see what is going on if anything happens or walkers start showing up go home and I will come back through the woods." I told her.
"But you have never been in theses woods before it's easy to get lost. I grew up in these woods and still got lost my first couple times going back in them." She told me dismounting her horse as I did the same.
"Maggie now you're going to have to trust me just a little bit because the last thing i want to do is tell your sister and dad that you're dead because something happens and you can protect yourself." I told her.
"Okay." She said taking my horses reins as well.
"Do you know how to shoot." i asked her and her eyes got twice as wide.
"Yeah I been hunting several times with my dad and Otis why." she asked me.
"Here take my hunting rifle but only shoot if it's life or death because the walkers are drawn by sound." I told her as I handed the hunting rifle and the extra ziplock bag of ammo I had with me to her.
I got my bow ready and put an arrow in the string so it was ready to fire. Maggie tied the horses loosely on the gate so that they would be able to get away if they fought against it which they would if danger was coming their way. Otherwise they would stay there and eat the grass around the edge of the gate. Maggie followed me slowly keeping her eyes looking all around us. I saw movement in the bushes before I heard the groaning of the walker as I exited the tress that lined one side of the driveway. This meant that there was an opening in the fence line somewhere.
I shot the walker before it was fully out of the woods. I went over to collect the arrow not wanting to leave it. I saw that this one had been dead a long time so it wasn't the farmer I was here to see. There was no fresh blood on it so it wasn't the threat I was looking for and I took the time to point this and several other things out to Maggie hoping that this information would save her or her families life on day. I was walking away from the small wood area when I heard the groaning of walkers coming from the front of the house.
I motion for Maggie to be quiet and she nodded at me as I rounded the conner and whistled getting their attention. I shot the first one before it could even take a step. The next women went down just as fast after two steps. Then the last male went down last after about five steps. I could now hear the whining of puppies and looked at Maggie and she herd the noise to. It was coming from under the front porch where the walkers were standing on top of which meant that they must have been looking for them. I collected my arrows wiping them off on a spare rag I had before putting them in the sheath with the other arrows.
"Maggie keep watch while I check under the porch and see what is left." I told her since we could tell by the blood at least one of the dogs or pups under the porch had been killed or was dying.
I bent down to find three medium boxer puppies. I looked at Maggie and motion towards the small cage that was at the edge of the porch and she brought it over to me. i saw that it had handles on each side so that would make carrying it home on the horses easier. I grabbed the first black puppy with white on the lower front paws, there was a white stripe going up the middle of its chest, I also saw the belly of the pup was white too. I could tell that it was being well fed, it was the biggest one in the litter and a boy.
"First one is a boy that's black and white." I told Maggie as I handed it to her to put in the cage.
I saw that the next one was a small runt of the litter. It was a girl brindle puppy and you could tell that she was also being fed good but she was still the runt of the litter base on the size of her. I handed her to Maggie to add to cage. The last pup was a another boy and it was a dark brown almost black color fur all over with the black and white on the face like most regular boxers were. it was crying out as soon as I picked up causing the mother to emerge from farther down under the porch and she started to lick at my hand that was holding the puppy.
"Second is a Girl brindle pup. Third is a Boy that's white but he is dead." I told Maggie as I hander her the brindle pup with it crying the whole way.
The mother dog was a light fawn color with a brown spot around the left eye. The tips of her front paws were white like the first pup. I was about to get out from under the porch when I note another pup that we farther back it was almost identical to mom but with out the spot on the it's face. So it was a girl fawn color puppy which is the light brown with a black and white face like the picture perfect boxer and it was also dead when i reached it so I left it there with it's sibling.
So there was four pups and the momma two of the pups were dead. The black and white one and brindle one were the only ones alive still the other ones either dead when she gave birth to it or the walkers got them. They mother dog was a light fawn color and was also alive and well. She looked a little under fed but other than that she looked to healthy as did the two pups. I was getting out from under the porch as we herd the front door open and out came an old man who looked to be in his 90's nineties easy.
"You want to dogs." He asked motioning to the cage with the mother dog and two pups in it.
"Yeah I will take all three if you want." I told him.
"Good I got bit earlier trying to save that third pup under there that's now dead and i was going to take them to Hershel later on today but you saved me the trip." He told us showing where on his arm he was bit.
"I'm so sorry do you have some one to help you or something." I asked him.
"No my wife died on the first day all this went down." He told us letting us in the house for a few minuets.
"I'm so sorry for your loss my husband died about year and half a ago." I told him with tears in my eyes because I knew what it was like to out live your best friend.
"I was planning on killing myself so that I didn't hurt anybody but since your here will you help me." The old man asked me.
"Sure why don't I cook you some supper and then we you fall asleep afterwards I can do it you won't feel a thing." I told the old man before Maggie could answer.
"Maggie why don't you take the horses back to the farm and after I take care of this I will drive his truck back to the farm with the supplies in it." I told her.
"Are you sure I can stay and help I don't mind. It's no different than putting one of the horses down." She explained making me know that this woman was going to survive this world just like me.
"No No no need to go through all that trouble I'm already in pain just do it now." He told me handing me a hand gun revolver.
"Okay then where would you like to do it." I asked him taking the gun from him.
"Maggie why don't you get the boxes from the closet over there so you and your friend can get all the canned food from the basement you know where it is." The old man told her.
"Yes farmer John. Daddy will appreciate the food and supplies." she told him walking over to give him a hug before doing as he asks.
"Up stairs in bed." He told me as he started up the stairs.
"Maggie the keys to my truck are on the table by the door like normal and the tank is full." Farmer John called over his shoulder.
When we got to his room I saw that he had started to pack up all the useful supplies as he could since his room was mostly stripped of everything useful like weapons and clothes or socks that were still good were boxed up and at the door. I saw him get on the bed and lay down. I had cocked the gun as we climbed the stairs so he wouldn't know it was coming until he was dead.
I had him lay on the bed and as he was closing his eyes I shot him so he didn't see it coming. It was the most humane way to do it that way he didn't have time to be scared or afraid. I guess from being in the military I had learn expect that killing was a part of life and now it like being back in the foreign countries. Killing was going to be a part of living day to day now so you had to except it or you would die.
I crossed his arms over his chest before moving to cover the dead body up with the sheet at the end of the bed.