single nod.
She wrapped her arm through his and smiled as she snuggled in close. “I am excited to meet all of your friends,” she said to what she thought was her new pet.
Chapter Four
Togetherness
“Sucks out there, don’t it?” Lisa said as she sat down across from Krupp, who had his daughter on his knee as if she were still a child on Christmas morning. A scene that Lisa never had herself, which left her envious.
“Thanks for taking care of my daughter,” he said with a guarded voice.
“Taking care of? It’s not like that. The chick watched my back during the shit fire in the hospital,” Lisa started only to be interrupted by Danny’s chant.
“Potty mouth, potty mouth.”
It wasn’t so bad the first time she heard it, but now she had a sneaking suspicion that he was talking about her. Krupp couldn’t help but smile, and Lisa continued on after glaring at Benson, who shrugged as if to say it is what it is .
“Then when they breached the compound, she must have dropped fifteen with that Marlin .22 Magnum she’s carrying.”
“She is a hell of a shot; better than her old man,” he replied with pride.
“So, what happened to Traynor?”
“I don’t know. We split when she wanted to go to her house first. She couldn’t keep her voice down and talked way too much, so I figured I was safer on my own. I heard multiple shots in the distance, but it was too far for me to get to in time, not to mention she didn’t have any rounds left that I knew of. I saw the horde but couldn’t tell if she was still there.”
“That sucks. I wish we could have all made it. It would have made things much easier.”
“Things? What things in particular?” Krupp asked as more people started to show up.
“I don’t know; whatever it is we decide to do, which is partly why we’re having this meeting. I picked Tyrell, who comes with Amber, Cat, Larry, Bret Junior, and that tall guy right there for my five. Benson picked you, Tommy, Malcolm—an old vet that he came in with—and two more who I don’t see, but I hope it’s someone dealing with the food.”
Benson was spot on. He grabbed a man who seemed to be running the kitchens in an impromptu fashion and another man who had started taking inventory on what was inside the trailers that made up their fortress; a number of which were reefers, which meant food.
Lisa stood up to call the meeting to order and started off with a matter-of-fact tone.
“I am going to start out with the things I feel are a must do and will follow it up with the optional info. I’m not doing this because I am in charge—because I’m not. We are all going to be in charge because the only thing bigger right now than the basic daily struggle to survive is the struggle find a long-term solution. We are not going to find a solution hiding out at the Sam’s Club. We had an Army major with us last night, and he suggested that we re-take the whole city. ‘Impossible,’ I thought. Now after thinking about it for a while, it is what we must do and we have to do it fast while the resources are still fresh.
“Okay, that is what is on the must-do list in my book; next, would be the question of what are we going to be?” Lisa said and waited for a response, which didn’t take long.
“What exactly do you mean?” Larry asked.
“Well, are we going to be a compound, where the walls are defended against all invaders? Or are we going to be what Hot Springs has always been: open to the public?”
“I can’t see it being manageable if we just let everybody in. I mean, there are a lot of bad people out there that we just can’t have here in town.” Krupp spoke up and a couple of people nodded, including the LARPer, Tyrell.
“Wait a minute, this event was life changing, and those who might look bad, or may have been bad, might not be now. I think we need some bad on our side right now,” Amber, who was with Tyrell, spoke out.
“I had to kill a drug dealer early on
She wrapped her arm through his and smiled as she snuggled in close. “I am excited to meet all of your friends,” she said to what she thought was her new pet.
Chapter Four
Togetherness
“Sucks out there, don’t it?” Lisa said as she sat down across from Krupp, who had his daughter on his knee as if she were still a child on Christmas morning. A scene that Lisa never had herself, which left her envious.
“Thanks for taking care of my daughter,” he said with a guarded voice.
“Taking care of? It’s not like that. The chick watched my back during the shit fire in the hospital,” Lisa started only to be interrupted by Danny’s chant.
“Potty mouth, potty mouth.”
It wasn’t so bad the first time she heard it, but now she had a sneaking suspicion that he was talking about her. Krupp couldn’t help but smile, and Lisa continued on after glaring at Benson, who shrugged as if to say it is what it is .
“Then when they breached the compound, she must have dropped fifteen with that Marlin .22 Magnum she’s carrying.”
“She is a hell of a shot; better than her old man,” he replied with pride.
“So, what happened to Traynor?”
“I don’t know. We split when she wanted to go to her house first. She couldn’t keep her voice down and talked way too much, so I figured I was safer on my own. I heard multiple shots in the distance, but it was too far for me to get to in time, not to mention she didn’t have any rounds left that I knew of. I saw the horde but couldn’t tell if she was still there.”
“That sucks. I wish we could have all made it. It would have made things much easier.”
“Things? What things in particular?” Krupp asked as more people started to show up.
“I don’t know; whatever it is we decide to do, which is partly why we’re having this meeting. I picked Tyrell, who comes with Amber, Cat, Larry, Bret Junior, and that tall guy right there for my five. Benson picked you, Tommy, Malcolm—an old vet that he came in with—and two more who I don’t see, but I hope it’s someone dealing with the food.”
Benson was spot on. He grabbed a man who seemed to be running the kitchens in an impromptu fashion and another man who had started taking inventory on what was inside the trailers that made up their fortress; a number of which were reefers, which meant food.
Lisa stood up to call the meeting to order and started off with a matter-of-fact tone.
“I am going to start out with the things I feel are a must do and will follow it up with the optional info. I’m not doing this because I am in charge—because I’m not. We are all going to be in charge because the only thing bigger right now than the basic daily struggle to survive is the struggle find a long-term solution. We are not going to find a solution hiding out at the Sam’s Club. We had an Army major with us last night, and he suggested that we re-take the whole city. ‘Impossible,’ I thought. Now after thinking about it for a while, it is what we must do and we have to do it fast while the resources are still fresh.
“Okay, that is what is on the must-do list in my book; next, would be the question of what are we going to be?” Lisa said and waited for a response, which didn’t take long.
“What exactly do you mean?” Larry asked.
“Well, are we going to be a compound, where the walls are defended against all invaders? Or are we going to be what Hot Springs has always been: open to the public?”
“I can’t see it being manageable if we just let everybody in. I mean, there are a lot of bad people out there that we just can’t have here in town.” Krupp spoke up and a couple of people nodded, including the LARPer, Tyrell.
“Wait a minute, this event was life changing, and those who might look bad, or may have been bad, might not be now. I think we need some bad on our side right now,” Amber, who was with Tyrell, spoke out.
“I had to kill a drug dealer early on
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