OUTNUMBERED (Book 5) by Robert Schobernd Page B

rutted and muddy dirt lane. The potholed macadam from the Masters’ place took us south until we turned east toward Deliverance. For most of the trip, we were surrounded by scattered rain storms that didn't help cleanse anyone's mood.
     

CHAPTER THREE
     
    B efore midnight, we passed through the gates at home and parked.  At the office, I posted a meeting notice on the bulletin board for the leadership committee to assemble at two the following afternoon. An hour later, Kira and I had checked on the kids, snacked, bathed, and then snuggled on the couch to talk. Both of us were jacked up due to the stupidity of the group who chose to follow Nate and Tim. They were doomed from the time Joe and Ronnie were released from our secure confinement. We sat in silence touching until I said, "I looked at the door to the room where Joe and Ronnie were confined. The wood was splintered like a mortar round hit it. When they made the transition to zombies, it looked like they kicked and beat the door to smithereens. They must have attacked whoever was in the room, and after those victims turned, the attacks spread until all the others were caught."
    Kira rested her head on my shoulder, "It's a wonder the five who made it here were able to escape."
    "Yes. And it was pure luck that Suzie happened to focus on Molly hiding in the weed cover. If she'd been left, the zombies would undoubtedly have found her, or she would have died of starvation and exposure."
    I kissed Kira, "I'd better get to bed. What's left of tonight is short, and tomorrow's going to be a long day. Are you ready?"
    "No. I'm not relaxed enough to sleep. I'll read for a while."
     
    After a late continental breakfast the next morning, I sat in our room at my laptop. The more I'd thought about our upcoming move the more advantageous an earlier uprooting appeared. An agenda slowly took shape for submittal to the group.  As my ideas flowed, I occasionally tested them on Kira. At first, she rejected the suggestion of an immediate move from Deliverance. Slowly, after much discussion, she accepted my reasoning; and as we spoke, she added good suggestions to fine tune the move. She didn't look forward to the disruption, especially in cold weather, but saw the logic of acting quickly. Focusing on my work was hard with three rambunctious kids wanting dad's attention. I played with them for a short time before Kira took pity on me and gathered them to visit her friends.
     
    At five minutes before two, the leadership committee assembled. They hadn't been briefed on the purpose of the impromptu gathering, and the entire group appeared curious.
    "You've been asked to meet because I've given a lot of thought to our upcoming move away from here. All of our talks have been based on the premise of an early spring move. I'm now thinking there are many disadvantages to that timing." Several frowns indicated I clearly had their attention.
    "Tilling the overgrown raw ground is going to be a major undertaking. Then getting crops planted during the spring season will require perfect weather if we wait until the ground is prepared. If the weather doesn't cooperate, the ground won't be ready, our crops could fail, and there may be a food shortage. It's a risk I'm not in favor of taking." Several members spoke at once as I passed the meeting agendas around.
    Andrea Michaels was upset and questioned me the loudest, "We discussed this at length this summer and fall. The option that was favored was to hold the move until early spring. Has something specific changed your mind?" 
    Everyone was quiet as they waited. "Several issues have caused me to reconsider our option. We've lost fifteen members recently. They were counted on to facilitate the work projects as we moved. That's a big factor in my doubt that we can handle everything we've planned. The schedule was tight before; now it's overloaded.
    I checked the agenda. "Preparing the ground for planting is a huge unknown. With more than ten years’