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  “Bob we have the two Humvees, and Ben’s team is ripping them up any time they stop to fight, or we corner them. We are systematically wiping them out. We will miss some because about a third of them threw down their guns and went back to their houses. We’ll have to develop a plan for them.”

  “Thanks for the update.”

  Bob, Bill, Will, and Maddie left in Bob’s truck to visit the rest of their team to see how they fared in the fight. Bill brought first aid supplies to treat any of the wounded.

  Their first stop was Greg’s place, and they found a large part of their team gathered there licking their wounds. Betty Lou suffered the most series wound and would recover from the small caliber wound to her leg. Bill had to dig deep to extract the bullet from her upper thigh. She would be sore for a couple of weeks but would soon be back to full strength.

  They went on stopping to check for wounded, and Bill patched up any they encountered. When they got to the wall, they saw Izzy holding one of the guards in his arms. She was his sister, Kathy, and she had been struck in the chest by a high-powered bullet and died quickly.

  Izzy was weeping with Helen trying to console him.

  Izzy looked up, saw Bob, and said, “She has no husband, and her daughter is only ten years old. I will raise her as my own and tell her every day what a beautiful person her mother was.”

  Bob replied, “Izzy, take some time off from your duties and take care of the daughter. I’ll work on the funeral.”

  Helen and Gabby stayed with Izzy and were a big help consoling the young daughter.

  The sniper attack failed to weaken the people Horseshoe for the planned frontal attack; however, one person was dead, and thirteen people were wounded including Jake, Bob, Maddie, and Will.

  ***

  Jake was already in bed due to the pain pill that his dad gave him to help him sleep. His foot was going to be fine; however, the slow moving bullet struck the middle bone behind his middle toe, and it hurt like hell. The family was gathered at Bob’s house on the deck in the dark. They didn’t want to chance a sniper seeing them from across the river.

  Bob poured everyone two fingers of Bourbon and made a toast, “To the best damn family and the most accurate snipers in the world. Those assholes won’t fuck with us again.”

  Jo added, “I have never been so scared in my life. Not for me but for each of you. I would give my life for any one of you.”

  “Everyone agreed and took a sip of the whiskey.”

  Jane spoke up and said, “I want our weddings to be this coming Wednesday. That hail of bullets made me worry about Bob, and I didn’t want one of us to die before we get married.”

  “Momma Jane, I agree. Will and I want to be man and wife as soon as possible. I want to be Maddie Karr before the weekend.”

  “Jo said, “What will you two couples do about a honeymoon?”

  Maddie quickly replied, “Will and I plan to go to Cancun or perhaps just stay in our trailer for a couple of days by ourselves. Missy, that means you need to move in the house.”

  “It’s not like y’all haven’t been acting like a married couple all along.”

  Will threw a sandal at her and said, “What have you and Matt been doing over at the abandoned barn. We saw you raking the straw out of your hair the other day.”

  “Will that’s none of your business and Matt is my boyfriend.”

  Jo loudly said, “Time out kids. How old is Matt?”

  “Mom, he’s 18 and a great guy. I’m sorry I stirred the shit,” Will replied.

  “Will I’m not mad at you or Missy. It’s just that this disaster has forced both of you to grow up quickly. I love you and know I can’t keep you under my apron forever. Bill can you make a chastity belt?””

  Missy was now four shades of red darker than she was when the shit hit the fan about Matt and said, “Mom, we’ve only kissed, and it’s nobody’s business.

  Bill spoke up and said, “I wonder if any other family is having these kinds of conversations anywhere else in the world.”

  Jane replied, “I think we are all very opinionated, outspoken people and say what’s on our minds. I sometimes worry that our poking into people’s love lives might cause embarrassment to Will and Missy. I apologize up front but have to admit that we will probably keep doing it until they have kids of their own.”

  “I just don’t want to hurt mom or dad during these discussions. I think the give and take of the teasing helps me through the day and I don’t give a rat’s ass what any of you think about what Maddie and I are doing between the sheets.”

  Jo raised her glass and said, “Spoken like a true Karr. Let’s move the weddings to tonight.”

  Everyone laughed and then began drifting off to their rooms for the night.

  Maddie and Will got in bed, and Will spooned up to Maddie’s back to go to sleep. They lay there for a few minutes without saying anything as Will kissed her back around the wounds she suffered earlier in the day.

  “Will, do you think it will ever be safe to have kids and raise a family?”

  He kissed the nape of her neck and replied, “We need to keep being careful for about 3-6 months until the big die off is complete and then it will be as safe as it’s going to get. I want to have our first child before all of the medical supplies run out. I also want us to go on a scavenging trip to find more antibiotics, so we’ll have some when the kids are young. I wonder how long the pills and liquids last before going bad?”

  “What do you want first? A boy or a girl?”

  “I don’t care as long as the baby is healthy and looks like you.”

  “Aw, that was sweet. We’ll make warriors out of them boy or girl. I want my kids to be survivors.”

  “Amazon girls and Tarzan boys?”

  She replied, “More like a Super Girl and Super Boy.”

  Maddie fell asleep in Will’s arms thinking that her father had to be eradicated before she got pregnant. She didn’t want that bastard around her kids.

  ✼

  Chapter 8

  Day 13 - The Weddings

  Maddie woke up when the alarm went off on the old wind-up clock. She lay in the bed with Will spooned against her back. He was trying to wake up as he yawned and wrapped his arms around her.

  “You are going to be my wife today.”

  “And you are going to be my husband, and we can stop playing house and act like real married people do.”

  He pulled her close as his hands roamed over her body and said, “We can start now.”

  She pulled away, jumped out of bed, and replied, “We’ve started now a dozen times. I’m shocked your parents moved the kids out of our little camper. No, you have to behave and wait for our honeymoon. Surely you can wait 12 hours until after the reception.”

  “I might die of frustration before then.”

  “That’s a chance I’m willing to take. I’m going over to make the coffee before mom wakes up. Get some clothes on and join me.”

  “Darn, Papaw warned me that they all change after they get a ring on their finger.”

  She jumped on top of him and began tickling him until he cried, “Stop.”

  “Say, uncle.”

  “Uncle.”

  Her warm body on top of him did nothing to ease his frustration as she pulled her shorts on and tied her halter. She walked out the door as he was dressing.

  Bob, “I’m going to take a quick shower, and I think you should join me.”

  That ended up taking a bit longer than she planned and Maddie and Will were sipping on their first cup when they walked into the kitchen.

  Jane hugged both and said, “My favorite couple. Let’s fill up and go out on the deck. I love the early morning before the sun rises.”

  “Son, I want the family to all stay close to my house. I’d like to propose that we run down to Carthage and bring several of those modular houses back here for you and your dad. How does that sound?”

  “Great. I agree on strength in numbers, and the privacy makes i
t work. By the way, you might want to lock the doors or at least close the bathroom door when you um…um…sing in the shower.”

  Jane popped him on the head and said, “Bob sings very well in the shower.”

  “TMI.”

  Maddie changed the conversation and said, “We’re going to need everything from sheets to pots and pans.”

  “We got you covered from our many scavenging trips and Greg’s hardware store. You won’t need a thing.”

  Jo and Bill came dragging out of the house a half an hour later, and Jo’s first words were, “That was some great singing in the shower this morning.”

  Her mom replied, “That’s the pot calling the kettle black. It must have been. I see both of your hair is wet.”

  “That only underscores the need for Bill and me to get our own place. One of the campers will do, but we need something larger for the long haul. We still have Missy and Jake to consider before singing in the shower.”

  Maddie asked, “Will, has your family always said everything that enters their mind?”

  “Yep, pretty much. When I was younger, I heard the adults talking and didn’t know what I was hearing. Now I’m just used to the crude jokes, teasing and sexual innuendo.”

  Bob replied, “I think he’s talking about me.”

  “No, mom and dad are just as bad. Grandma Jane was always lady like until she started singing in the shower with you.”

  “So, I’m a bad influence?”

  Maddie replied, “No, you are a sweet, joker who makes this family fun to be part of. I love every one of you, but Bob you are the spice that makes the family better.”

  Bob got up, walked over to Maddie and sat in her lap as he said, “This girl is a keeper. Will, you had better keep her happy.”

  Maddie pinched Bob’s ass to get him to get off her lap and said, “My almost-husband keeps me very happy, and this family is icing on the cake.”

  Maddie and Jane took over Bob’s house to get their hair done by Jo, makeup was done by Missy and dressed for the 1:00 wedding. The men were using Will’s camper to get ready.

  The wedding was at Greg’s barn, and it had been decorated with streamers and hand painted signs to celebrate the occasion. One of the ordained deacons from the Baptist Church performed the ceremonies. Jane and Maddie were gorgeous in their wedding dresses.

  Maddie’s started out as a white evening gown that had been fitted to her slim body. Jane’s dress was light blue and started life as a gown before removing the sleeves and adding a sash. Both of their veils had been made from a lace curtain. The men wore two of Bob’s black suits with ties. Considering the world had fallen apart, they looked great as the weddings proceeded.

  The reception was also held in the barn with plenty of food, beer, and wine. Bob was the life of the party as he cracked jokes and danced with Jane. Will danced with his new wife first, then his Mom and finally his Grandma Jane.

  Jo had a smile as Will waltzed her around the dance floor and said, “Will I am so proud of the man you have become. You and Maddie were made for each other. She is beautiful and is a great fit for the family. I won’t lie, son, I’m glad that you two are married now, and my first grandchild will be born in wedlock.”

  “Mom do you know something that I don’t?”

  “No, but as much as you two fooled around it wouldn’t surprise me.”

  “Mom, trust me. She isn’t pregnant.”

  “That’s good but don’t wait forever to have some grandkids.”

  “Will laughed and said. Wait, oh don’t wait.”

  “She laughed and said, “You know what I mean.”

  “I do. I was just kidding.”

  The reception was going strong when Bob and Jane left in Bob’s truck, and Will and Maddie left in one of the ATVs. Both had cans tied to the back and signs with Just Married on the back. Bob and Jane went to Bob’s home, and Will drove to the camper. The people at the reception rotated out with the guards, so everyone was able to enjoy the event. The reception party was over just as the sun went down.

  ***

  Several hours later Maddie and Will lay on the bed holding each other and looking at the rings on their hands hardly believing they were now man and wife.

  Maddie looked out the window, saw the moon high in the sky, and said, “Are you game to go skinny dipping?”

  “Hell yes!”

  They gathered a blanket, their AR’s, pistol belts and headed to the rocky bluff on the river.

  Maddie saw Will grab the blanket and said, “We think alike.”

  They quietly walked past a noisy Max on their way to the river with Max following a few yards behind. The night was perfect with the half-moon in the sky and a gentle breeze. They quickly arrived at the bluff and shucked their clothes off. Will spread the blanket and they made love in the moonlight.

  They were happy and carefree as they climbed down the rocks into the cool water and fooled around some more before going back up to the rocks to make love again. They were very occupied when they heard a vicious growl and a man scream. Will shined a flashlight and saw Max had a man’s arm clamped in his teeth.

  Maddie fired her AR three times, as Will brought his up to his shoulder. Will saw another man and cut him down with a well-placed shot. Several more shots were fired from the direction of the trailer. Maddie and Will were standing naked in the moonlight with their ARs ready to fight.

  “Y'all put some clothes on,” called Grandma Jane.

  Bob used his walkie-talkie to radio back that all was well and there were several bodies to dispose of over by the river bluff.”

  Maddie and Will scrambled to get dressed and then called for Bob and Jane to join them.

  Bob walked up and said, “See Jane, I wasn’t the only one who thought about skinny dipping in the moonlight on our wedding day.”

  “Jane replied, “Looks like Will and Maddie beat us to the river.”

  “Damn, those perverts were watching us from the bushes when Max attacked, or we would have been killed.”

  “I count five dead assholes. They were already over here, and it looks like they were going to raid our supplies judging from the empty bags piled beside them.”

  Jane asked, “Was the water cool?”

  “Mom it was fantastic and y’all can have the river. Will and I have swum several times and will go back home now.”

  “Could y’all stay back in the bushes for a while and stand guard while we go for a swim?”

  “We’d be glad as long as there isn’t any hanky panky.”

  Bob replied, “I don’t know about hanky, but there will be plenty of panky going on.”

  Jane must have pinched him because he cried out in pain as they scampered down the rocks to the water.”

  Maddie and Will found a place where they could be ready if needed and stayed on guard until Bob and Jane came back up to the top of the bluff.

  Maddie told Will, “You know the world has changed when you have to stand guard while your grandparents are skinny dipping in the moonlight.”

  Will rubbed Max’s ears and said, “We owe you a big steak.”

  “Son now you and Maddie need to keep some of the details to yourselves about our adventure tonight.”

  “Yes, that would be embarrassing for Jo to hear about what actually happened, Maddie replied.”

  It was 4:30 in the morning when they arrived back at Bob’s house. Max jumped up on the deck and lay down beside the back door as they went into the house. Jane and Maddie stayed in the house while Bob grabbed several bottles of beer and took his grandson out under the stars.

  Bob handed him a beer, and they sipped on the beer while waiting on the coffee.

  Bob looked around and said, “How many men can say their wife shot a bunch of bad guys while standing naked in the moonlight?”

  “I don’t know Papaw, but it scared the shit out of me. Maddie reacted much faster and probably saved our asses.”

  “I hate for you two to start your marriage in this screwed up wor
ld.”

  “Papaw, the world was already pretty much screwed up before the lights went out. Now we just have to survive until the die off is complete and start a new better world.”

  “That’s very astute of you to see it that way. Please remind me to keep a smile on my face.”

  “You always make everyone smile. I’ll be glad to return the favor.”

  ✼

  Chapter 9

  Day 20 – Peace and Prosperity

  The next two weeks were very peaceful, and the community was able to focus on making life better for all. Ben’s team headed north to their new home and stayed in contact with Jim and Bob’s communities. It was hard to imagine it was only three weeks since the lights went out since so much had changed in their world.

  The steady stream of Walkers had dropped to a small but constant flow and the ones still on the road were filthy, diseased skeletons of the people they once were. It broke the community’s heart that they couldn’t help these people. The crops were just a few inches tall, and their supply of food would barely make it to the fall when the plants could be harvested.

  The Walkers did bring them two schoolteachers, a doctor, and several mechanics that were vetted and allowed to join the community. Bob had the guards constantly looking for people who appeared to be clean, and disease free as the herd of people streamed by the Horseshoe, and they continued to find good people with usable skills. They also found some government officials who thought they should be in charge of the community and they were forcibly sent packing.

  There hadn’t been any more attacks since Maddie, and Will were caught with their pants down. The guards stayed vigilant, and they doubled the roving guards on horseback during the nights to stop any surprise attacks. Jim’s community rooted out all of the near do wells and criminals across the river on the Horseshoe’s east side, and Bob got volunteers to settle the land trapped in a loop of the river to the Horseshoe’s west. He had the team actively looking for people to join that community that was also under his rule.