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  Jan was thankful Billie helped with plowing and planting, but Mark was just about worthless and Billie only halfheartedly tried to get him to work. Jan bit her tongue on more than one occasion, and knew the time would come when the boy would eat more than he was worth to her.

  The plan for planting the corn was a bit more involved, since her books on farming said to plant the corn in short rows in a square. That would help speed up pollination and thus improve yield. Jan drew out squares as she sipped her coffee and waited for Billie to join her as she had done lately.

  She heard the rattle of coffee cups and knew Billie was up for the day. Jan steeled herself for the talk with Billie about her son Mark. Jan knew Billie was sensitive about Mark’s lack of initiative, but it had to be dealt with sooner rather than later.

  Billie walked out of the kitchen door. “Good morning, Jan. I see the sun is peeking through the trees this fine morning.”

  Jan smiled at Billie and said, “Pull up a chair. I have drawn up a plan for planting our corn, and really need Mark to pitch in and help. I’m going to plant several rows of popcorn for a nice surprise for him.”

  The smile on Billie’s face turned upside down. Billie had known this was coming and still didn’t have a good response. “Jan, I know Mark should be more help, but in his defense, we didn’t have much work for him to do around the house. He became a couch potato.”

  Jan’s fingers tightened around her cup. “Billie, who mowed the grass, cleaned up his room, took out the garbage, raked the leaves, or shoveled the snow?”

  “My husband and I did all of those tasks. The truth is I did all of them and held down my job,” replied Billie.

  Jan steadied herself for resistance. “Well, things have changed, and Mark needs to learn these skills, or he will either starve or rob people to eat when he grows up. I’m sorry, but I don’t intend to work my butt off while he sleeps until ten am every day and then goofs off. You have to become his mother, not his friend. Do it as nicely as possible, but you have to lay the law down and enforce what you tell him.”

  Billie had heard the same speech from her mother and sister, so the fact that Mark was lazy wasn’t a surprise to her. What scared her was that Mark might refuse to work, and she didn’t know what to do if he rebelled.”

  Billie spoke in a low unsteady voice. “Jan, what do I do if he refuses to work?”

  Jan almost choked. “You start by explaining that we all have to work to grow our food if we want to eat. No work, no food. Explain to him that TV games and goofing off died when the bombs fell. He needs to grow up and help around the farm if he wants to stay here and reap the benefits. Try being nice and hold back the stick unless you need to get tough.”

  Billie looked in shock. “Do you mean, spank him?”

  Jan said, “No, he’s too big for that. You stop feeding him until he decides to work. Start now by waking him up and getting him to the breakfast table.”

  ***

  MMax wasn’t happy when his nose found the odors of the mad woman and bad boy up ahead. He didn’t like them and didn’t want Jason around them either. Then MMax smelled a different scent coming from a good woman. He loved her smell. There was also the scent of a good man, but the odor was very weak. MMax couldn’t understand why the good woman was with the mad woman and bad boy.

  ***

  The glow to the east announced that it would soon be light enough to get a better view of the cabin and any occupants. I heard a rooster crow and chickens clucking, but no sounds came from the cabin until the sun peeked above the trees. The first sound I recognized was the screen door slamming at the back of the house. Then I saw a woman walking to the henhouse who was not my mom. I couldn’t make her out, but my mom was a skinny woman who ran marathons, and this lady had a well-filled-out figure.

  I was engrossed in watching the lady come and go to the barn and chicken coop and didn’t hear Karen wake up. I heard her steps when she walked up behind me. MMax didn’t growl so I knew it was one of the ladies. Karen kneeled down beside my prone body. “Are you enjoying spying on that woman?”

  “Do what? I’m surveilling the place to make sure there aren’t any thugs, criminals, rapists, or bad guys. Besides, I haven’t seen my mom or dad yet,” I replied.

  “So, you’re not a peeping Tom?”

  “No, I am a professional soldier performing surveillance on a target,” I said with a dollop of sarcasm.

  “I’ll bet that’s what all the perverts say when they get arrested. Hey, a young boy is walking around the side of the house, followed by an older woman.”

  I squinted to see them. “That’s my mom and the bratty kid I ran into with his mother on the way from Crossville.”

  Karen’s face soured as she turned to look at me. “Do you have a habit of running into women with children?”

  I returned the sour expression. “No, you don’t get it. My horse got spooked one night, and we literally ran through their camp, knocking them to the ground. She is one mean bitch. I think the man who captured you is the one trying to find her. It’s a long story, and she can tell it to you once I think it’s safe to go on up to the house. I’m worried that I haven’t seen my dad.”

  “Surely, he made it here with your mom.”

  “I’m going to go around to the back of the home and see if Dad is in the barn,” I said.

  “Be careful.”

  Then I heard two more voices, “Be careful, Jason,” coming from Karen’s girls.

  I replied, “Thanks for the concern. I need you three to watch for any strangers or other danger. If I’m not back in a few minutes, get the hell out of here.”

  MMax and I went into the woods to the left of the house and made our way through the dense brush until we could see the back of the cabin. I was much closer now and could clearly see the people. There on the deck was Mom, the lady, and her son. Mom was serving breakfast to them. I could smell coffee and bacon. That’s right bacon. Damn, I love bacon.

  I watched for a few minutes, and it was evident they weren’t being restrained by anyone. Mom had her shotgun beside her chair, and the woman had her 9-mm tucked into her waist. I stuck both of my pistols in my waistband behind my back and slowly walked toward them with my hands in the air.

  The woman saw me first and drew her pistol. I could see her get Mom’s attention. She said, “It’s that damned bastard who tried to kill us. Run him off before he gets another chance.”

  Mom reached for her shotgun and swung it in my direction. Mom stopped and stared in my direction. I was only fifty feet away when I yelled, “Mom!”

  She laid the shotgun on the table and ran toward me, yelling, “Jason, you’ve come home!”

  I ran to her, picked her up, and hugged her. “Mom, I’m so glad you are okay. Where is Dad? How did you meet these people?”

  We walked to the deck as Mom spoke trough the tears. “Son, I haven’t seen your dad since the day after the bombs fell. He walked into town and never came back.”

  “Mom, why didn’t you wait for him at the house?”

  Mom had tears in her eyes. “Son, people knew we had food and came to take it from us. Billie, Mark, and I took all we could carry and came here just as the looters showed up. Billie and Mark came by the house and stayed the night before heading on to her sister’s place. Her sister and her family had been killed, so Billie and Mark came back here to stay. They have been very helpful.”

  I was disgusted that the woman and brat were with my mom. I whispered, “I’ll bet they are helpful. That woman is a pain in the ass, and her kid is a worthless brat.”

  Mom was shocked at my words. “Jason Walker, watch your tongue. You don’t know these people, so don’t talk about them. They might hear you.”

  “Mom, I ran into them on the road coming here. I don’t like them.”

  “Jason, please, For my sake, be nice to them,” Mom said.

  We were now close to Billie and Mark. Billie said, “Well if it isn’t the reckless asshole who almost killed Mark and
me. What are you doing here? Please don’t tell me this is your son Jason who is so ‘kind and gentle’.”

  Mom’s face turned red, and she placed her hands on her hips. I wanted to run and hide just like I used to do when Mike and I pissed her off. Mom said, “Look, both of you need to stop bad mouthing the other and play nice, or I’m going to cut a switch and tan your asses like the kids you are acting like.”

  I think my face was almost as red as Mom’s was, but not as red as this woman named Billie. I stammered and finally said, “Mom, I’m sorry. The woman is a guest in your home, and I will treat her as such.”

  Billie looked down at the ground as she shifted her weight from foot to foot. “Jan, I’m so sorry. I don’t like him, but this is your home and Mark and I are guests. We’ll leave as soon as we can get our gear together.”

  I didn’t see Karen and her daughters peering around the corner of the house, listening in on our entire conversation. When I heard they were leaving, my face broke out in a grin. Mom saw me and said, “Billie, you will do no such thing. You and Mark are welcome in my home. Jason, you will be nice to them, and we will all get along.”

  Mom looked past me and saw Karen and the girls as I started speaking. “Mom, I’ll behave, and again, I’m sorry. I do need to tell you about …”

  Mom pointed behind me. “You were going to tell me you brought company? Ladies come on over and let me meet you. I hope you didn’t hear our little squabble.”

  Karen walked up, and before I could introduce her, she said, “I’m Karen Martin, and these two are Chrissy and Missy. Jason rescued us from a horrible situation and saved our lives several times. We owe him a debt that can never be paid.”

  Billie whispered, “I’ll bet she hasn’t paid you.”

  Karen glared at Billie, but Mom stepped between them. “Ladies, let’s all behave like ladies and gentlemen. Karen, have you and your girls had breakfast?”

  “No ma’am, but we don’t want to put you out. We’ll rest up this morning and then leave,” Karen said in a humble voice.

  That pissed me off. Karen would have to leave because of that woman and her brat? Before I could say anything, Mom said, “You are welcome here as long as you want to stay. It’s dangerous out there, and we have plenty of food in our cellar and out in the woods to last until the crops come in. Besides, we can use help from these two young ladies. They need to learn how to chop weeds in my garden and use our hand plow. Darn, we need a horse.”

  I looked over at Billie. “Billie, what happened to the horse I loaned you?”

  Billie looked down at the ground and then stared at me with fire in her eyes. “Someone stole it while we were sleeping.”

  I expected as much from her and didn’t say anything. I turned to Mom. “Mom, we have a horse hid in the woods.”

  Mom looked down by my side. “Great. That will make plowing much easier. Now, introduce me to this pigmy German Shepherd.”

  Mom advanced and leaned over to pet Tina and Tina wagged her tail as Mom petted her. Then Mom turned to MMax. MMax growled his low rumble that said, “Get the hell out of my face, or I’ll bite you.”

  “Son, your dog growled at me. I like Tina better.”

  “Mom, be careful around MMax. He’s not a pet. He is a trained attack dog and can kill a grown man. I’ll formally introduce you to MMax so he will feel safe around you after I get some bacon in my belly.”

  “I know you told me about MMax in your letters, but I was expecting a large dog,” Mom said.

  “Mom, MMax is a Belgian Malinois and is more powerful and faster than a German Shepherd but smaller, so I can carry him when necessary. He and I have made two dozen jumps.”

  Mom had a dumb look on her face. “Jump where?”

  I laughed. “Out of an airplane to conduct covert missions and to attack our enemy. MMax is trained to detect ambushes and explosives. He has saved many soldiers’ lives on several occasions. He saved my life earlier this month. I was on the way to the VA hospital in Nashville when my plane crashed. Thanks to Karen, I have quickly recovered from most of my wounds. It was only the other day that I took the bands from my broken jaw.”

  I opened my mouth, and Mom saw the metal pieces glued to my teeth. “My baby boy was wounded? I didn’t know. Did they use one of those bioengineered glues?”

  “Mom, I’m okay now. The docs used the latest medical wonder drugs, and my foot, groin, and jaw are almost a hundred percent.”

  Mom replied, “You stick to killing people, and I’ll handle healing people. I’ll examine you after breakfast.”

  Billie walked over to Karen and me and said, “I’ll play nice, as long as you play nice.”

  I replied with a smile on my face. “I’ll play nice until you and your brat leave.”

  Karen didn’t like my remark. “Jason, be nice to the poor woman.”

  Billie stepped toward me and glared. She didn’t see MMax slip up behind her and hike his leg. He peed on her pants and then growled behind her. MMax scared her. She turned around and started to draw her pistol. I yelled, “MMax, watch her,” and drew my pistol.

  This was serious, but both Karen and I had a hard time not laughing at her wet leg. Billie took her hand from the butt of her pistol. “Call your mad dog off.”

  I knew I had to get things calmed down for my mom’s sake. I slid my pistol back in my waistband and extended my hand. “Let’s all have a do-over. I’m Jason Walker, and this is my friend Karen Martin. We are glad to have you stay with us.”

  Billie shook my hand and then Karen’s hand. “I’m sorry we got off to a bad start. Just keep your animal away from me, and we should get along fine.”

  MMax growled as she left.

  Karen said, “Apparently, MMax is a good judge of character.”

  I caught Karen off to the side while we washed our hands. “Karen, you are welcome here. I don’t know why Mom lets that bitch stay here, but you are certainly welcome and needed to help us survive.”

  “Thanks, but I’m not sure Billie wants you, me, or the girls around.”

  “Billie can kiss my ass. That bitch isn’t going to come between my mom and me, and she certainly isn’t going to cause you trouble while I’m around.”

  I patted Karen on the back and left before she got all sentimental.

  Mom caught me by myself. “Jason, you look happy but very tired. Are you and Karen together?”

  “No, Mom. I’m just helping her stay safe until she figures out what to do.”

  Mom said, “Son, I’m worried about you. Your dad told me about your nightmares.”

  “Mom, they are almost gone now. The constant fighting kept me in a mental fog and stressed to the max. I’ll be fine.”

  “Son, it's hard to deal with being responsible for someone’s death.’

  ☆

  Chapter 14

  Mom did her best to make everyone feel at home and took the time to have each of us introduce ourselves and tell one story about how the apocalypse had affected us. I felt a bit sorry for Billie when I heard her story. It made me wonder if my sister and brother had survived the attack. Mom saved my tale for last.

  I started with the IED explosion and wound my way through the medivac plane crash and then the rest of the story. Mom actually laughed when I mentioned crashing into Billie and Mark. When I got to the part about saving Karen and the girls from Ray, Billie did a double take.

  Billie choked on her eggs. “Do what? You let Ray go? Why didn’t you kill him?”

  I slowly looked at Karen, Christy, and Missy and said, “I should have killed him, but I couldn’t kill him in front of these young girls. If I had to do it over again, I might have done it differently, but that’s what happened, and I can’t change it now.”

  Mom broke into the conversation. “I think you did what you had to do. Surely this Ray character won’t keep after Billie.”

  I answered, “We need to stay vigilant. After hearing Billie’s story, I wish I had killed him. I was just tired of killing people. We onl
y know about two women this man has …” I looked around the table at the kids and said, “tried to abuse. There are probably many more.”

  Mom broke the tension. “Son, I want you, Karen, and the girls to rest up today and then tomorrow, I want you to join us out in the gardens. I do need you to figure out how to hitch the horse to the old plow.”

  “Mom, I’ll get the plow harnessed to the horse this morning with a jury-rigged harness. Then later, I’ll check some of the old barns around the area for a real harness.”

  We finished breakfast, and I noticed Mark was bird-dogging the girls. Karen didn’t appear to mind him hanging around the girls, and it wasn’t my place to stop him. Mom caught Mark and said, “Mark, I need you to fetch a hoe and help me plant these tomato plants. You will use the hoe to build a mound, so I can plant the tomato plant.”

  Mark balked, but shut up when Karen said, “Christy, help Jan and Mark build the mounds, so Jan can quickly set the plants. Missy and I will help Billie plant the peppers and onions. The girls and I love gardening.”

  Mom teased Mark. “Well I think you girls need some rest, but I won’t stand in the way of some young people who want to work. Mark, grab a hoe for you and the girls.”

  Mark grumbled a bit but didn’t act out in front of the girls. He followed Mom’s direction and worked more that morning then he had in his entire life. The boy was five-foot-eight and weighed almost two hundred pounds when work started that day. The boy needed hard work and a steady hand to keep him headed in the right direction. Mom was up to the task, and enjoyed working with the lazy kid. She had a hell of a lot more patience than I had.