The bunker wasn't comfortable, but it was safe. That was our motto from the moment we took over the place. After days of losing people, provisions and everything else, having a fortified, stable and, most importantly, hidden location was the best news in the universe.
After our arrival and that shitty first night, the following day was for acclimatization and recognition of the region. We faced only two zombies, which we killed easily with the spears, since they tried to run after us and ended up face down on the ground every five steps. We didn't notice reapers at night, because the bunker had some acoustic insulation, and because we didn't keep looking through the door's little window to see if some of them would pass.
The creek next to the bunker had clear, clean water, and I think that was thanks to the fall of civilization, as there was no one else around to pollute it. We discovered that about 600 meters above the bunker, there was a relatively high waterfall, about three meters, and which formed an interesting pool for bathing and maybe doing other things... maybe. The creek had only very small fish and small frogs, and we would only fish them if it was absolutely necessary. That part of the forest was surrounded by a larger river, which was about 3.5km from where we were. The main river, in terms, there were certain parts where we could cross the waters on foot without problems. On the banks of the larger river was the city of Logan, but walking south, following its course, we could see some dams, farms and small villages. One village in particular had a cluster of five or six houses that were fenced off, and we saw people living there, but we only watch from afar. It was still too early to make introductions. We did all this reconnaissance work throughout the day, taking care to demarcate some trees, so that we wouldn't get lost, which would be very easy.
There was, however, a much smaller dam and much closer to us, about 1,5 km, practically swallowed by the forest. It must have been an old fish farm, because Blaine and Sam managed to catch three big fishes that become our diner. Brittany seasoned them with a little salt and pepper and the boys roasted them. A piece of fish with a side of rice: the best meal we've had in a long time.
"We need sleeping bags and new clothes asap." Brittany grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil.
"I think we need food and medicine first." Quinn argued.
"We need all that and a lot more." Mike synthesized. "But we're not all going into town together."
"Why?" Blaine questioned our as-yet-undeclared new leader.
"Because we need to be smart this time. First, we have to secure the bunker. We need to divide tasks, be organized. We need to do this now, because if we do it later, we will lose."
At that moment, I was sitting on the cement floor, just watching the conversation. Mike, Rachel, and I did most of the scouting of the forest, and I thought it was only natural that one of the three of us would have to do the worst job of all. It took us about three hours on foot on our first expedition to reach the city, largely because of the work of demarcating the trees and recognizing the terrain. But it would be reduced by up to 40 minutes in the next few times. Brittany was right about having new clothes and sleeping bags, because the cold was getting hard to bear. Sam and Blaine satisfied our hunger by fishing, but we needed other things too, like fruits, vegetables and maybe, just maybe some lost cow, chickens or a dear. Anyway, we would have to learn to farm. And if you think about it, our list of needs was huge.
"First thing tomorrow, Santana, Rachel, me and Blaine are going into town. And you will stay here. It's fine if you want to step outside for a moment, but the most fundamental rule is that always, no matter how or why, one of us has to stay inside."
"Why?" Joe asked.
"Imagine if our neighbors decided that the bunker is better than the houses they are in? Or if some stranger passes through this forest, or if someone is hunting or whatever... dozens of different things can happen. Now imagine if everyone is outside when one of these situations happen?" Mike launched hypothetical situations.
"We will lose the bunker." I said with the best elemental expression.
"Exactly. We know that after that door closes, only a bomb would make it break. This is our home from now on, and we need to protect it at all costs."
I was exhausted from the scouting expedition. Even if I've had a meal, it seemed that the good single one wasn't enough to guarantee some comfort in my stomach. We practically had the same clothes on our body for four days, we were dirty and smelling because nobody had the courage to bath in the icy water. Imagine the smell of sweat and fish inside that bunker? Ah, the horror! I lay down once more on the floor, next to the stove, because it was the only thing that kept me warm besides my girlfriend and the clothes on my back. And it still wasn't enough.
…
We had a short list of things we were supposed to pick up and we went out to do the "shopping". Rachel had her favorite weapon, a hunting rifle with an optical sight. I had my pet revolver and also a knife. Blaine and Mike carried pistols, the spear and a knife. We were aware of one thing: we didn't have a car, we didn't have metal armor protection, so we had to be silent and sneaky. We wore thick coats, not just because of the cold, but because it was the only protection we had in case a zombie tried to scratch or bite us.
"Be careful, babe." Brittany gave me a peck on the lips before I left with the others. "Come back to me without bites and without scratches."
Tina also said something and kissed Mike before we left. I looked from Rachel to Blaine. It seemed like a lifetime, but their partners had died within weeks of each other, and I bet seeing the remaining couples must have mixed feelings for both of them. I never really understood Blaine and Kurt's relationship. They liked each other, of course, but they never had much in common besides their passion for music. Rachel and Finn didn't have much in common either, but in a weird way, they made sense as a couple.
We started to walk, and we headed further along the demarcations we had made. Thankfully, even looking for the marks, our arrival time in the city was 30 minutes shorter than yesterday. Maybe, when we got to know that forest like the back of our hand, that time would be even shorter. On the way into town there was a group of huts. I believe there were at least five of them, and they were all unoccupied. Before the river, there was a small neighbourhood, which was where we began to take great care. The town of Logan really began after the river crossing. We passed over a wooden pedestrian bridge. We entered the outermost cluster of houses in that part of the city, and just ahead was the industrial sector, or something like it since the city was really small.
So, we were attentive when entering the outermost neighborhood of the city. We needed to be alert to the slightest sign of movement of people and zombies. However, we only saw the second species walking around: two to be exact, while a few others were just standing there watching the weather. We crossed the neighborhood and our first reconnaissance mission inside the city without being seen. We reached the school grounds and walked right past it. We walked in silence along a secondary road until we actually entered a commercial area of the city, which was our focus of interest.
What caught our attention was seeing some of the buildings destroyed with bombs. What appeared to have been the town hall was in ruins from a fire. There were also many bullet signs fire burns on the walls of some buildings. We counted at least ten partially destroyed buildings. Whatever happened in Logan, it was definitely a war for a reason. A type of conflict that certainly must have happened in bigger cities like Columbus and Dayton, but I didn't imagine something similar could have happened in a small town like that one. Perhaps that was why it was abandoned, that there were only zombies roaming around.
We demarcated some buildings that interested us: the wallmart and the restaurants. The wallmart was for the obvious reason, but restaurants, in addition to spoiled food, used to stockpile oil, flour, grain, and cleaning supplies. They were also places that should be least targeted in the waves of assault. Rachel demarcated the public library, because she still insisted that we should look for technical and entertainment books to learn new things useful for our survival, and to pass the time. We also found out where the hospital and pharmacy were. The problem was that the hospital was one of the buildings bombed and the pharmacy looked like a zombie dorm. There was a butcher shop that had a small crowd of zombies around it. I think those creatures had already consumed possibly all the meat that once existed in that place, yet they remained nearby for a strange reason.
The truth is that the zombies didn't even have sense or logic. There were those who walked in a group in any direction, but most stayed still, looking at the time, only reacting when they heard a noise. There were zombies that reacted and ran after birds and crows. We saw a lot of squirrels and some rats around, taking advantage of the fact that they were much more agile than the zombies. We saw no domestic animals, we believe that dogs and cats must have run away from there towards the forest.
We needed to come back with something and we checked into a small hotel. Inside we found a zombie, who attacked us as soon as he saw us. Mike finished him off by sticking the spear in his head before he "screamed" to their other friends. We walked with caution, because there could be reapers there too. Rachel signaled to a closet in a room next to the reception desk, with the call sign on the door "staff only". We turned on our only flashlight and opened the closet. We smile hide when we see bags with those kits with soap, shampoo sachet, conditioner, moisturizing cream, toothpaste, a small comb, a nail file, a toothbrush and a razor blade. We took what we could fit into our backpacks. We didn't want to explore that hotel further in order not to give a chance for other zombies.
We waited for a horde of zombies to pass through the street before heading out on our route out of town. But first, I pointed to a sporting goods and camping store. Sleeping bags were part of the collection plan, and I wasn't willing to spend another night without any kind of comfort in the bunker. Mike wanted to ignore it, but I insisted and Rachel nodded. I tested the side entrance door to the stockroom, because if we tried the main one facing the main street, we'd be seen by the zombies. The storeroom door was locked, so I used my picking skills and managed to unlock it within minutes. Mike and Blaine went ahead to check if there was anything unwanted inside. They found two dead people and, by the state, they had left this world a long time ago.
We ignored the grotesque smell and sight to start picking up things that interested us. And how precious things were there! We picked up sneakers of various sizes, baseball bats, T-shirts, shorts (because summer would come someday), socks, sports bra, athletic tight shorts that could be worn as panties, pants and thermal clothes, jackets and, mainly, sleeping bags. We put everything we could into sports bags. Mike made us carry everything but Rachel, because she needed to be free in case we needed to defend ourselves, which would be very difficult carrying weight.
When we leave the store, we are faced with a zombie. My heart almost came out of my mouth, because I was in no condition to shoot. Mike acted fast. He managed to hit the creature's head with the spear before it even made that horrible sound that zombies make. That way, Rachel wouldn't have to shoot and make the unwanted noise. Food, medicine and books would be for other days. It was really hard to be sneaky and carry loads of stuff. A group of zombies saw us when we were in the last neighborhood of town houses before the forest. Rachel accurately shot the two closest, and it gave us a much-needed head start on the dash into the woods. As she carried no weight, Rachel caught up with us quickly. I was so terrified that I was facing a zombie without the advantage of a car that I didn't even look back. We crossed the river at the same point we arrived and when we looked back, we saw that the zombies were having a hard time following us through the rough terrain. Still, they kept going.
"Hold on a little longer, people." Mike spurred us on as we ran like crazy.
I couldn't take it anymore and I was the first to stop after the first ten minutes of running into the forest. You might think I was in enviable physical shape as a cheerio, doing all Sue Sylvester's tough physical training. Yes, I had an enviable physical condition in school days. Now, try spending months in an apocalypse eating just one meal a day, often precariously? No matter how hard you work, no matter how much you exercise, your stamina and physical strength will not be the same. That's why, yes, I couldn't take it anymore and stopped because I needed to catch my breath for two minutes, not to mention that I was dizzy precisely from the lack of calories that I hadn't ingested yet that day. We spent almost the whole day exploring the city, and we did it just by putting water in our stomachs. Rachel ran over to where I was. She made me drink some water from her bottle and took half of the weight I was carrying. She looked over my shoulder.
"Santana, we don't have any more time. You promised to get back to Brittany without bites and scratches. So put that leg of yours to work now!"
Rachel tugged on my clothes and I got up and started walking quickly, even though my legs were wobbly. I was suffering from fatigue, I had cramps, but I kept getting pushed around by Rachel. Lucky for me, and that of the group, the zombies didn't run or walk efficiently in a wooded environment. The only advantage they had over us was that they didn't get tired. On the other hand, they were stumbling and inefficient creatures, true walking corpses, which is why we even managed to increase our advantage a little over the small group that was chasing us. When we saw the bunker, we saw that Brittany and Sam were on top of it, on our roof of dirt, weeds, grass and leaves. Brittany waved wildly when she saw us approach.
"Get in now!" Mike ordered. "We are being chased!"
Sam walked over to us and helped us through the final meters carrying two of the bags. As I walked past Rachel, Brittany climbed down from the roof and closed the door. I didn't faint, I swear I didn't lose consciousness from fatigue, but my legs lost strength when I found myself in a safe environment. We arrived at the mission with only a few minutes left before sunset, and no wonder Brittany, Sam and the others were very worried.
Quinn hurried to meet me. I was suffering from fatigue. I thought my blood pressure was low because I was in a cold sweat. Quinn took one of the bags we had brought and made me lie down. Then she put my legs over the bag, because it was a way of stabilising my blood pressure.
"Tina, bring a glass of water with a pinch of salt!" Quinn ordered.
The next minute, I had my head in Quinn's lap as she slowly fed me the lightly salted water.
"Zombies at our door." Tina warned, by checking in the small door's window.
"They can't get in. Tomorrow, we kill these things." Mike said.
"But zombies will attracted reapers to us." Sam was worried.
"Again!" Mike was speaking like a leader. "Nothing can break down that door."
"Did you run that far carrying all those bags?" Quinn said bemused. "It's no wonder that Santana arrived in this state. It's crazy to do that in our physical state."
"We did what needed to be done." Mike defended our action.
"And what have you brought to worth that effort?" Joe asked.
Blaine opened our backpacks and showed us the good amount of hotel hygiene kits we'd brought. Then he went to the sports bags, except the one under my legs, and showed me the sleeping bags, the clothes, the sneakers. It wasn't food, but everyone got excited.
I really only needed half an hour to get back on my feet. Tina served my dinner, with an extra portion of rice and fish. I devoured it all in a few minutes. Afterwards, Brittany did a really amazing thing for me. She grabbed one of the hygiene kits, some new clothes, and put a pot full of water on the stove. She then filled a bucket with cold water, and mixed the water she had boiled in the pot, creating a combination of still cold but bearable water. Brittany pulled me into the bathroom, which didn't smell very good. She took off my clothes and hers. She threw two mugs of water on my hair and hers and put some shampoo in my hands. My hair was so dirty, I don't know if that's why the shampoo didn't lather, or if it was because of the lame formula. Anyway, it smelled good. We rinse the shampoo with two mugs of water each and apply the conditioner. With the water that was already running down the body, we washed ourselves with the small soap. We washed our bodies and private parts that, truth be told, didn't smell very good anymore. One mug to rinse the conditioner (more or less), one mug to rinse our private parts, three mugs to rinse the rest of the body.
We didn't have towels, but we made one from a cotton T-shirt we picked up at the sports store. It might seem precarious, but believe me that the bath in a mug with a tolerable water temperature made me a different person. Before putting on new, clean clothes, I saved mug to brush my teeth. I wore one panties-short, sweatpants, sport bra and a long-sleeved T-shirt. I put a new sock on my foot and put on my new sneakers. Brittany did the same with similar outfits. We comb our hair. When we got out of the bathroom, we felt all eyes on us. I bet everyone thought we locked ourselves in the bathroom to have sex, but when they saw we'd showered, I swear everyone lined up to heat water in the pan, mix it with water in the biggest bucket, and take a bath with the mug, like Brittany and I did. Brittany was really a genius to "invent" mug bathing.
"We now have a sleeping bag for everyone." Mike said later when everyone was happy and relaxed with the bucket and mug bath. "But it's not enough. Tomorrow we need to get some rugs to insulate the cold floor. That's going to be crucial for our survival here during the winter."
"Still, it's good to have my own sleeping bag for now on." I said with absolute sincerity.
"Since everyone has a sleeping bag, we should decide who gets the bed." Sam was already arranging matchsticks for the dispute.
"No!" Mike determined. "If we have equal conditions for sleeping, then there is no point in someone taking the bed. Do you agree?"
No one objected but Sam. We organized ourselves in the distribution of sleeping bags, including the space in the bunker. The most disputed point was, obviously, the closest to the wood oven. I no longer cared about it, since I was warm with the bath and the new clothes. Not that the sleeping bag made it all that much better that we were still sleeping on the floor. Take a comforter, fold it in half and place it on the floor, then lie on it. You'll notice that it's not about having softness, because that doesn't make much difference against hard ground. On the other hand, it makes a lot of difference to have a warm fabric separating your body from the cold and dirty floor. I kicked off my new sneakers and climbed into my sleeping bag placed between Brittany and Rachel. Joe turned off the light, and he looked like he was about to tell some story, while the zombies made the irritating screech they made against our door. I didn't hear anything, because as soon as I lay down, I passed out from exhaustion.
As I said, the first two nights in the bunker were horrible. But the third one, as we were all clean and with a minimum of sleeping conditions, was simply wonderful. Note that no one needs a lot to look good, but having the minimum is essential for any human being.
...
On the second expedition to the city, I was absent, recovering physically from the great effort I had expended the day before. The priority this time was to find food and who was part of the group was Mike, Rachel, Sam and Blaine. There were seven zombies on our doorstep, and before anything else, we killed them with the spear and used up some ammunition. Only then was the group cleared to go into town.
For those who stayed: tasks. The first, a collective one, was to get rid of the zombie bodies. Joe and I piled them up some distance from the bunker, in a clearing in the forest. We placed some stones around them to prevent a forest fire and set them on fire. Without Blaine, Joe didn't go fishing, so he had to cut down some trees to make firewood. I helped Quinn, Brittany and Tina to roll up and store ours sleeping bags. We cleaned the place, and Quinn made a good system for storing our clothes, stored the rest of the hygiene kits. In fact, each one kept the clothes on their backs and two or three changes.
"What are we going to do with all these dirty clothes?" Tina sighed as she saw the pile of them right in the middle of our bunker.
"Looking for a public laundromat nearby?" I ironized.
"Seriously, Santana. We're going to need to wash these clothes sometime."
"We have running water, a sink, bar soap. We just need someone strong and enthusiastic enough to wash it all away. They can dry well if we place them near the wood oven." Quinn suggested.
"We can improvise a clothes line in the trees near our bunker on sunny days." Tina was less than enthusiastic about the housework. Well, I didn't blame her.
"We can do it, as long we collect all the clothes before nightfall. This can attract attention from people or unwanted things." I said.
"Well, Tina and I can do the washing up... Joe's outside chopping wood. Brittany, you should stay here and clean the bunker and ensure security. Santana, could you find some meat for us to eat today?" Quinn stared at me as if I were a hunter.
"Me? Hunting? What skill do I have to hunt?"
"Aren't you part of the G.I. Joe?" Quinn mocked me while the rest started laughing.
"What?" I was confused.
"Don't mind her, babe." Brittany kissed my cheek.
"It's because you and Rachel and Mike are always involved in these chores of breaking into houses, killing reapers and zombies, blowing things up. While we are the collectors." Tina explained.
"Collectors?" I was still confused.
"Have you never seen Naked and Afraid?"
Those stupid reality shows. Yes, I knew they existed, but they never came to my attention for more than an episode. That's why I was out of the expressions generated by these tv shows. The basics were always to find shelter, get water and make a fire, right? Well, our shelter was a well-protected bunker, we had water from a cistern and a clean stream half a kilometre away, and matches, alcohol and kerosene to make a fire in the wood stove. We were fine.
Either way, it was obvious that I knew the roles we were playing out. I belonged to the team of alphas, who went out to explore the world, and the others were on the team of betas, who took care of the home and the most mundane daily tasks. Still, I didn't know how to hunt. I could fish, maybe a could kill a snake if I see one. All you have to do is secure it with a branch with a Y-shaped end and then cut off the head, right? I don't know anything about traps or techniques. I just know how to shoot.
Brittany and I decided to leave the bunker when Joe arrived, even though it was snowing. This was no longer our concern as we now had proper clothing to get us through the winter. I took my revolver, reloaded it, and also grabbed a baseball bat to defend ourselves. You never knew. I didn't promise I'd go hunting, but if I saw something, I'd try to catch it.
"I loved that you stayed with me." Brittany said as we walked hand in hand following the course of the creek.
"In that case, I will collapse from exhaustion more often."
"Not so much. Yesterday you scared me. You arrived whiter than me."
"Seriously?"
"Your lips were colorless. I thought you were hurt."
"It was really exhausting. Running from zombies carrying all those bags was tricky."
"I guess so."
"But being taken care of by you made up for it all." I smile at my girlfriend.
We stopped walking for a moment and we kissed. There were days when I couldn't be alone in a relatively quiet situation to be able to kiss my girlfriend like that, passionately. Brittany pulled me until my back met the trunk of a tree. Then I felt her hand go into my pants. I did the same to her. Think about it: it was cold and snowing a little bit. Taking off our clothes and doing what we wanted properly wouldn't be a good deal. So, yes, we satisfied our desires and needs in a clumsy way, with our hands pressed inside our clothes, with the difficult to move our hands inside, but we managed it. Even if I didn't get there, it was still good to make love and feel alive. It was difficult to be intimate with my girlfriend in a bunker with seven other people in it. So yes, the forest was the solution, even if we were cold because of the winter.
That's when we heard a cracking noise of sticks and leaves. I pulled Brittany away from my body and hushed her. I was vigilant to identify where the noise was coming from, and who or what was making it. Then a deer passed about 15 meters from us. I had a gun in my waistband, and Quinn ordered me to hunt something. But think about this: I had never seen a wild deer before, walking freely in the woods. My experience with these animals was at the zoo and also at a sanctuary farm that I once went on a school trip, including with Rachel Berry in the same class. All I thought when I saw the deer was: what a majestic being!
I knew that one day that relationship would change. That one day I would think more about my stomach than my feelings. But that first contact was one of peace, amazement, respect. Brittany clapped her hands and the deer got scared and ran away. That's when we heard a shot. I pulled Brittany behind me, and drew my revolver. I didn't have to look far when I heard a husky female voice.
"What do you think you are doing? You ruined my dinner!"
Two people, also two women, appeared in our field of vision. One woman was older, old enough to be my mother. The other was a girl, a child who must have been 13 at most.
"Who are you?" I asked, aiming my revolver, but also protecting myself and Brittany against a tree.
"I don't answer to anyone who points a gun at me." She screamed.
"Not a chance, lady."
"Not a chance!" A third person, a teenage boy, appeared behind us, also pointing a shotgun.
I didn't drop my revolver. Instead, I holstered it in my waistband and held up my hands.
"I don't want any trouble, okay. We are here in peace."
The older woman approached, still pointing her shotgun, while the teenage girl stayed behind. The boy walked around until he was in a favorable position to talk to the old lady without taking his eye off us.
"What are you doing here?" The woman asked. "Where did you come from?"
"Look ma'am." Brittany said gesturing with her hands, also asking for calm and caution on her part. "I arrived here with my girlfriend and my friends after we got a bit lost after leaving the place we were."
"Where exactly?"
"Lakeview."
"Lakeview?" The boy looked puzzled. "That hole full of uptight rich scums?"
"Not so much." I tried to negotiate and not confront, after all, I had two shotguns pointed at my face.
"What happened in Lakeview?" The older woman asked.
"It was about six months of relative safety and isolation, until someone in the community was attacked by a reaper, or by a zombie, and didn't tell anyone, as always happens. Me and my friends managed to escape, and since then we've been going from stop to stop losing and gaining things... surviving. We ended up here, in this forest."
"Where exactly?"
"In an abandoned bunker!" Brittany handed us over and I closed my eyes for a moment. I would never have said my exact position.
The older woman lowered her shotgun and ordered the boy to do the same.
"Are you sure the bunker was abandoned?"
"Yes." Brittany confirmed. "The door was just ajar and the place looked abandoned."
The woman seemed to relax a little.
"You are from those fenced houses by the river, right?" I speculated.
"Have you been spying on us?" The boy pointed the gun again.
"No, but we did the reconnaissance work in the region. To find out whether or not we would have neighbors. We don't want trouble with anyone, and we don't want to cause any kind of trouble." I explained and the older woman gestured again for the boy to lower his gun.
"What are your names?" the girl asked.
"Santana and Brittany." Brittany answered for me.
"How many are you?"
"Ten." I know the bill wasn't correct but she didn't know that. Ten seemed to me to be a fair number of defenders.
"Ten in that bunker?" The woman mocked. I liked that she did that because it was a sign that she had no interest in moving. "Good luck!" Then she faced me, gun still down. "That bunker was built by Jonas. He is or was a very smart guy with some money, but he wasn't very good in the head. He used to live with his wife on one of the fanciest cabins in the woods, and when everything happened, he moved to this bunk. But Adele died by cancer. Two months ago, Jonas said he was going to hunt further south and never came back."
"That explains the subject, and also the fact that we found some stuff inside the bunker." Brittany said.
"Yes... and the fact that we haven't seen potential residents in this area for a long time." The woman explained.
"I went to town yesterday with my friends." I asked. "We saw sights that something bad happened. Do you know something about?"
"Three months after the attacks and the virus, a group of militiamen who settled in Athens tried to take over the flour factory in the city, and people fought back. Logan was partially destroyed and many people were infected, including the militiamen. They said that a chemical weapon was thrown into the city, and those who survived it left. But today I don't think the chemical weapon was real at all. "
"We passed through this town, Nelsonville. We saw barriers in the streets placed on purpose. It had nails to drill cars that passed on the highway."
"It's the ones." The woman warned. "We only stayed here because we didn't get involved and stay away from those people. If you want to survive, I suggest you do the same. The militiamen made Nelsonville a kind of advanced base, because there is a fuel depot there, which they guard night and day. They sometimes appear in Logan because of the flour and cement. But rest assured, because this city is not of interest to them, in the sense of settling here, because they are building a real fort in Athens. They are calling it the walled city of Andrade."
"Andrade?"
"That's the name of their commander. The visionary of the thing. That's why I say, stay out of their way, they'll be fine. Just like we were."
"I understood. They're not very good people..." Brittany wailed.
"They are very selective with people who seek refuge with them. And you're right, generally speaking, they're not good people."
"We saw a group like that on the Ohio River. They took over the hydroelectric plant." I informed. "Is it the same group?"
"We cannot say." The woman looked at the time and signaled to the other two. "Time to go. Those Gollums will show up soon."
"Gollums?" I asked. "Like Gollum from Lord of the Rings?"
"Did you read it?" The teenager was excited for the first time.
"I never read the book. But I've seen the movies... many times. Before you go, what are your names?"
The older woman frowned and said.
"Joey. This is my nephew Alex and this is my daughter Hannah."
"Nice to meet you, Joey."
"Well, we will see you around."
They left and we saw that, at least at first glance, they were distrustful people, as it was no different in the world we lived in, but they seemed to be decent people. Joey's departure gave us the signal that we needed to go home too. Ours, however, was a lot closer than Joey's house. Also, the cold tightened. I held Brittany's hand and about 20 minutes later we were back in the bunker. We knocked on the door and Tina was the one who checked who it was through the little window. She immediately opened the door and we entered witnessing an atypical scenario. Mike, Rachel, Blaine and Sam were already home, it looked like they had just arrived. We saw that they brought in bags full, I still don't know what exactly, and the rugs. Blaine was also being attended by Quinn.
"Santana, wash your hands. I need you here now!"
"For what?" I went to the sink and washed my hands thoroughly with the bar of soap.
"It was an accident." Rachel said. "The Wallmart…is the official Reaper dorm! We tried to pick up some things quietly at a restaurant, but there was an accident..."
When I saw what the accident was about, I saw that Blaine got shot in the ass.
"The gun slipped." Sam was crestfallen.
"Are you saying that Sam shot Blaine in the ass?" I felt like laughing. "I just hope it wasn't anything personal because Blaine is gay or bi..."
"Fuck off, Santana, we almost died."
Quinn made Blaine take off his pants and he could see that he was embarrassed to be naked from the waist down. Well, before I came out as a lesbian, I had experience with some boys, and I can say that Blaine may be a short guy compared to the others, but he is well endowed. No wonder Kurt fell in love, even though he had absolutely nothing in common, not even chemistry, with Blaine. Quinn had already disinfected a pair of tweezers that weren't even surgical. She found the bullet fairly easily while I cleaned up the blood. We disinfected the place, and this time Quinn insisted on sewing, under my supervision. Blaine had a hefty shot of vodka and our job was done.
"What happened?" I asked as I helped Quinn clean up the material full of Blaine's blood.
"We went into a McDonlads and got some cleaning products that were there. A reaper was hiding and lunged at us and Sam, when he started shooting, took aim wrong a couple of times. Luckily Rachel had her hands free." Mike explained scowling at Sam.
"Right... Brittany and I went out hunting... on Quinn's orders, and bumped into our neighbors."
"You mean those people who are living in those houses by the river?"
"Yes. Those ones. We met at least three of them. Joey, the daughter and a nephew of hers."
"So it's a family."
Brittany and I spent the next ten minutes explaining the details of this encounter. Then we organized what the group brought us in the sports bags: cleaning products (which would be good for cleaning and softening the smell of the bathroom), some of those handmade scented candles that are sold at an absurd price, packets of sauce of tomatoes, bags of processed bread that was expired but apparently still edible, canned goods, two books and the rugs. No medicine, and I guessed there wasn't time to look for anything better or more substantial with an injured Blaine. Tina and Brittany made our meal of the day: pasta with tomato sauce and beef jerky to eat with the expired breads, which were a little dry. That was a not very tasty mess, but no one complained, as everyone was filling their bellies.
"I can go back to the city with you tomorrow." I said while eating my bread. "I had a good day. We can return to the city to secure more provisions."
"Yes, I think another five trips to the city, and we can secure enough materials for us to last a week without having to take any risks." Mike analyzed.
"Yes, for us to spend our first Christmas together as a family." Joe reminded us.
Christmas was right around the corner, which meant Rachel's 19th birthday too, and Brittany's 20th birthday in January. We wore a wristwatch because it was a necessity in order not to miss sunset. But I confess that I completely lost track of the calendar. For me, days of the week and month made little sense. How crazy was that?
Rachel picked up one of the books. She started reading aloud without anyone asking.
"The jockey come to the doorway of the dining room, then after a moment he stepped to one side and stood motionless with his back to the wall…"
I could say I was annoyed, but it would be a lie. I paid attention on Rachel's reading that shot story. It was good, and she was right. We needed some of these distractions to feel like people.