He grabbed one of the shovels and started digging fast, since they didn't have as much time now. It wasn't far enough from the house for his comfort, but sometimes they had to make do. After a minute everyone else shook off what had happened and started digging too. Burt first, then Carley and Randy. The others moved slower, but they did it without being told, taking turns and even helping to remove the head with a shovel blade, made easier thanks to the level of rot on the thing's neck, and pushed the body into the grave with only a little prodding. Jake smiled and nodded to Carley after they started walking again, this time two of the other men pushing the wagon bar.
“Not bad. I'm proud of you.” He said, hoping it wouldn't trigger a half hour rant about how he didn't have a right to feel pride over her actions.
She grinned a little instead.
“Yeah I'm the bad ass zombie hunter now aren't I. I nearly wet myself back there. That would have made me look tough wouldn't it?” She looked at the ground as she walked.
It would have been kind of funny, he assured her, but the chaffing would have annoyed for the rest of the walk, so it was just as well she hadn't. A lot of people did their first time, soil themselves, about a third. Jake hadn't, but he'd thrown up. Retching hard after shooting his mother. Enough that his Dad nearly ate his leg before he could recover enough to shoot. Carley had done better than that, he assured her.
“Better than a lot of people. You didn't even get yourself killed. So yeah, you're bad now. Just remember to shoot things in the head and don't give them a chance to get you. Don't get full of yourself and think that you're too tough to take down and you'll do pretty well.”
The conversation was low and gentle, it nearly sounded romantic in tone to Jake, lacking only decent subject matter, leaning in he explained what he was thinking with a smile.
“Maybe I should tell you that you have pretty eyes or something? Which you do, of course. This is surely the right moment to make a move, don't you think?”
She had to stifle a laugh.
“I thought you and Heather had something going, you always sleep together...”
He shook his head, but didn't explain it. After all that wasn't his story to tell. Plus, he didn't want to jinx it. The girl had gotten a bit cuddlier over time and maybe, possibly, it seemed like something could happen there someday, if he was patient and kind to her. It was hard not to be pushy, but he'd waited for twenty-four years, he could manage a bit longer.
Carley didn't ask, but looked curious. They didn't have TV, so any story you didn't already know seemed interesting now, didn't it? He shrugged and kept walking. If Carley really wanted to know, she could ask Heather. He still didn't even know how old she was. Looking around he realized that most of the facts about the people around him were a mystery. Even Burt, and really he felt about as close to him as anyone. Dave was thirteen, Molly nineteen and Tipper forty-two. The rest? Not a fucking clue. He hardly knew anyone's name even really.
It made things easier. If he had to cap Carley now to shut her up he'd probably hesitate slightly. He liked her. God knew why, but he did. Probably her looks, but she'd also really stepped up in the last month, which meant a lot. Even when he'd been locked in a room, she kept right on making sure the wood got in. That might just make the difference later.
“Burt, how much more wood do we need, do you think?”
The man chuckled softly and winked at him, moving close to talk, not just so his voice wouldn't carry, but so the others wouldn't hear.
“We've had enough for nearly a week. Now we're building surplus for the baths. We even have what we need for the greenhouse. I'm just waiting on the harvest to let everyone know. Besides, we'll need charcoal for the forge, which means green logs. I've been trying to keep people busy for a while. Stave off depression. Now if we could just get rid of the freaking zombies around here it might even work, don't you think?”
Jake did think and nodded at the man.
“Good, I'll get with Carl and we can go hunting then. We need to figure out canning and stuff too. Mary was on that with Lois, but I don't know anything about it. Meat can be dried, right? Beef jerky was dried meat, I think. I don't know how that works either, a kind of slow cooking?”
“You're thinking smoking, which we should do too, people will want the variety in the middle of winter. How many animals do you think you can get?”
They decided to plan on twenty, but seriously, who knew? With that they could feed their people a little meat each day for nearly half the winter. Not a lot, but enough to make a difference. Really they needed a lot more, forty or fifty deer at least, maybe a couple of the older cows. Randy moved over and listened.
“If we go back I bet we can find more. There are always stragglers and the Hofstadters kept a lot of other things, rabbits, goats and alpaca. If we can collect up those and some sheep, we can maybe make our own yarn. Or eat them. I don't know what they taste like, but I don't feel overly picky right now.” The boy smiled when he said it, but it was only the truth. Anything not human would be fair game for a long while.
Carley was holding the water container in place as they made their plans for the next day, a combination scouting and hunting trip hitting the river at dusk and staying in the other house for the night, it was small, but secure enough. Even if they didn't get anything they could bring back the wood stoves. Burt gave him a funny look when he mentioned that.
“Efficient.” The older man said, not as happily as would be expected normally.
Jake didn't get it, so he kept looking at the man until he explained.
“I didn't go in there myself. If I'd gone I would have known that they were there. Instead we sent Vickie's team in. Just realizing that I need to be a little more proactive, that's all. I never liked horror movies you know. Thought they were boring.”
Jake had liked them. When he was twelve, then they really had gotten boring. He preferred dark toned video games. He doubted that would hold now. Someday, when they had time for hobbies, he wanted to learn to make things. Maybe blacksmithing would be a good place to start? That or wood working. Something with his hands that created instead of destroyed. Something actually useful.
They walked back into a noisy mess, two women rolling on the ground in the backyard, pulling each other's hair and trying to punch the other.
Poorly.
It was really sad, and people just stood around watching as if it were happening in a school yard.
Pathetic.
On all counts. Someone should have stepped in already.
Neither was armed and no one had interceded. The fighting was bad, but could have been overlooked except that they were also too loud. Jake walked over and pulled his nine, getting ready to shoot. One of the women was Yvonne and the other was someone smaller, a hard, thin looking woman with a hooked nose and a tattoo of a butterfly on her left shoulder. Yellow and black. Quality work really, it was about the size of a pack of playing cards.
They didn't stop fighting, even as he stood there, getting ready to kill them. Jake rolled his eyes and sighed, then aimed a kick at each, taking them in the ribs, Yvonne first. Then Tammy. He thought that would be her name. They both stopped then and looked at him, scared.
Jake hated to be the bully, but... good. They were being morons. If this whole thing turned out to be over who Holsom had loved more he was just going to shoot them both.
“Bit of a disagreement? We really don't have time for this kind of thing. Come with me. If either of you does anything but follow meekly, I'll kill you.” He meant it, and his voice sounded low and dark. Jake was getting good at sounding menacing. Not really a thing to be proud of, but it worked so often anymore.
They'd made it to the back porch when Nate came out, holding a rifle.
“Oh Jake, good. I was just coming to shoot them. I doubt they would have bought it coming from me if I bluffed. So...” The man shrugged, thin shoulders making the weapon rise just a bit in his hands.
“Yeah, exactly. So. We may have to shoot them both anyway, depending on why they were doing it. Keep the rifle handy. Really, we should consider it just based on how much noise they were making.” He glared at the women for a moment.
“I'm very disappointed with you both right now. Fighting like that is stupid, but to make noise while doing it is asking to die. Three months ago we'd have been fighting of a steady stream of zombies right now. As it is we'd best put out some sentries.” He stared hard and at least Yvonne looked slightly ashamed of herself. The other woman didn't, she just looked away as if she had a right to do anything she wanted.
No matter who ended up dying because of it.
The men looked at each other and shrugged. This wasn't a school yard, and a fight was serious here. That it hadn't ended in death probably meant the women weren't really trying. Everyone knew how to kill now, even if they were afraid to.
Jake turned to them and waved them into the living room, grabbing two chairs for them on the way past.
“Sit please.” He gestured to them and after they did, got two more, one for him and one for Nate. He didn't really need to be there, except to kill them if they didn't stay calm. Other people crowded into the doorway, but Nate waved them away.
“Go now, leave them the meager scraps of dignity they have left.”
Sammi and Ken stood in the door anyway. For a second Jake was going to shew them off too, but then he remembered that they were in charge of Yvonne, so she at least, was their responsibility. Shrugging he nodded at them and gestured silently until they came over.
“Alright, what's the situation then?”
Sammi and Ken stood next to him, and Sammi spoke softly, going first to his surprise.
The story was ridiculous, nearly absurd in the telling. Tammy had come to get some food for one of the pregnant women, who was hungry, but didn't want to ask for more after the whole Holsom thing, since she was having one of his brood. That really would have been fine, they had enough now for a pregnant woman to have a bit extra, but instead of just telling the kitchen people that, which would have gotten them to hand over something to eat without much question, rationing or not, Tammy tried to bully them into it, without mentioning why. Lois had told her no firmly and gotten in her way as she tried to take the food anyway, which got the older woman a punch to the face. So Yvonne tackled the woman and dragged her through the door. They'd walked up about a minute later.
Uhg. Well, Jake didn't blame Yvonne for that part then, they needed to be willing to fight marauders now, so it was just the noise she'd made while doing it. Maybe her poor execution when it came to fighting. Given everything she should have grabbed a weapon. He'd have to mention that to her, but later.
Nate shook his head, then held it in his hands. Sighing loudly he looked around and got up to find Lois. Jake sat staring at the women firmly. If they moved he'd still just kill them. Mainly for being dumb. Tammy first though. She'd punched Lois. That wasn't just stupid, it was nearly insane. Like mugging a granny for her welfare check Back Before. Your own granny. Because that wouldn't make Thanksgiving awkward at all.