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Part 38
The day of the meet up and communal butchering arrived. Jim and Lyle- dressed in their "Sunday worst", smelling of woodsmoke and a couple days body odor left before sun up with the cows.
They arrived at the church as dawn was breaking. Gibson, his wife and a couple women were already there. Don was working frantically on getting a fire going as the women off loaded firewood off of two red "Radio Flyer" kids wagons. The wagons were overloaded well beyond their means. Eight foot rachet straps went around the stacks of wood and back under the wagon kinda securing the load.
"Bet that was fun to drag up here." Jim said as they approached.
Don was caught off guard and hadn't realized Jim and Lyle had walked up on them. "Oh! Jim! Didn't see you coming", he replied.
"We were toying with the idea of starting a stampede in your direction just for fun." Jim joked pointed at the cows.
"Jim you remember my wife Liz." Don said.
"How are you doing ma'am?" Jim said.
"And these are her nieces Sandy and Lauren. They were visiting us when everything happened." Don said.
The sight of two young women brought Lyle out of "commando mode" as he called it, and caught his attention. He cleared his throat.
"Oh yeah" Jim laughed, "this is one of my nephews, Lyle." Jim said introducing Lyle.
Lyle was clearly interested in the girls. Thoughts like that for a single man at the retreat had largely been put to rest for a while. With the constant watches, work and patrolling, their was little time for "personal needs" outside of hygiene issues and sleep.
Jim and Lyle helped the Gibsons get the fire going, well Jim did. For the most part Lyle was talking with Sandy and Lauren.
"Hey there Don Johnson, you need a reminder why the hell your here?" Jim said flatly to Lyle.
Lyle replied, "I think we have that pretty well covered don't you?"
"Don't start getting all complacent on me due to "the view" here huh?" Jim said.
Gibson had canvassed a couple mile area around his church spreading the news about the gathering. Within about an hour, three dozen people had slowly trickled in to the church. For most, it was a reunion of old friends and neighbors not seen for a long while. Several times Jim overheard the phrase "we thought you all left" in conversation between various folks.
The usual country pleasantries seemed more forced than anything else. Like people falling into a long forgotten ritual. For a long while now, "socializing" might mean helping your closest neighbor clear a field of fire or work with him turning soil but that was it.
At first, you could cut the tension in the air. Jim studied faces of those he knew before the collapse. He could almost tell who had hardened or make a good guess of it.
For all the internet talk before the collapse about "playing the gray man", just the way some of these men and women stood, carried themselves and conducted themselves showed Jim who were survivors and who were still sheep.
"Some things you can't disguise" Jim thought to himself.
Most of the people that came to the church, Jim had seen around the area. Many Jim knew in one way, shape or form. A handful seemed to be new to the area. One couple in particular stood out to Jim. They had been seen at the Smith's residence. Mr. Gibson had talked to them a bit and they claimed to be relatives of the Smith's. They claimed that when they arrived there, the Smith's could not be found and since they "knew" the Smith's so well they figured their best bet was to "look after" the house for them.
No one had heard from or seen the Smith's since just after everything started.
The couple were grungy looking and Jim figured they didn't look much different before the collapse. The guy had the look of an MMA wannabe punk, complete with the tats, double ear rings, etc. The girl didn't exactly look like a church girl. Two young children were with them, a girl about 6 and a boy about 8. Both children lacked manners and respect for most adults.
For the most part this family kept to themselves, saying hello to Mr. Gibson once. They offered very little help as the cows were butchered. The woman sat reading a well worn paperback book about vampires while the man chain smoked.
"How in the hell does he still have cigarettes?" Debbie's husband Johnny said to Jim as they cut meat.
"Beats me. Did Zach Smith smoke?" Jim asked.
"Think so, him and his wife." Johnny replied
"Hey Jim, why don't you just say what everyone has been thinking?" Brian Flanders spoke up.
Brian Flanders was an instigator, a trouble making POS and Jim couldn't stand him. The guy had no backbone, wouldn't stand up for something himself, but would graciously con someone else into a fight and then sit back and laugh as they fought it out. Jim had little patience for the man even before the collapse.
"What the hell do you mean Brian? And why aren't you helping more?" Jim replied.
"Yeah Brian, get some damn work done. Before Jim here kicks your sorry butt." Johnny said with a laugh.
"Listen, seriously. No one thinks it's odd that that grungy pair just happened to "find" the Smith's house without the Smith's in it? Do they look anything like the Smith's? People are saying that they came in and killed the Smith's, hide the bodies and came with this wild story." Brian said.
Jim looked him dead in the eye and spoke "Brian that's a very serious accusation. Don't even say crap like that unless you know it's true."
Flanders backpedaled "I'm just repeating what others are saying. That we ought to be questioning them not feeding them."
continued
The day of the meet up and communal butchering arrived. Jim and Lyle- dressed in their "Sunday worst", smelling of woodsmoke and a couple days body odor left before sun up with the cows.
They arrived at the church as dawn was breaking. Gibson, his wife and a couple women were already there. Don was working frantically on getting a fire going as the women off loaded firewood off of two red "Radio Flyer" kids wagons. The wagons were overloaded well beyond their means. Eight foot rachet straps went around the stacks of wood and back under the wagon kinda securing the load.
"Bet that was fun to drag up here." Jim said as they approached.
Don was caught off guard and hadn't realized Jim and Lyle had walked up on them. "Oh! Jim! Didn't see you coming", he replied.
"We were toying with the idea of starting a stampede in your direction just for fun." Jim joked pointed at the cows.
"Jim you remember my wife Liz." Don said.
"How are you doing ma'am?" Jim said.
"And these are her nieces Sandy and Lauren. They were visiting us when everything happened." Don said.
The sight of two young women brought Lyle out of "commando mode" as he called it, and caught his attention. He cleared his throat.
"Oh yeah" Jim laughed, "this is one of my nephews, Lyle." Jim said introducing Lyle.
Lyle was clearly interested in the girls. Thoughts like that for a single man at the retreat had largely been put to rest for a while. With the constant watches, work and patrolling, their was little time for "personal needs" outside of hygiene issues and sleep.
Jim and Lyle helped the Gibsons get the fire going, well Jim did. For the most part Lyle was talking with Sandy and Lauren.
"Hey there Don Johnson, you need a reminder why the hell your here?" Jim said flatly to Lyle.
Lyle replied, "I think we have that pretty well covered don't you?"
"Don't start getting all complacent on me due to "the view" here huh?" Jim said.
Gibson had canvassed a couple mile area around his church spreading the news about the gathering. Within about an hour, three dozen people had slowly trickled in to the church. For most, it was a reunion of old friends and neighbors not seen for a long while. Several times Jim overheard the phrase "we thought you all left" in conversation between various folks.
The usual country pleasantries seemed more forced than anything else. Like people falling into a long forgotten ritual. For a long while now, "socializing" might mean helping your closest neighbor clear a field of fire or work with him turning soil but that was it.
At first, you could cut the tension in the air. Jim studied faces of those he knew before the collapse. He could almost tell who had hardened or make a good guess of it.
For all the internet talk before the collapse about "playing the gray man", just the way some of these men and women stood, carried themselves and conducted themselves showed Jim who were survivors and who were still sheep.
"Some things you can't disguise" Jim thought to himself.
Most of the people that came to the church, Jim had seen around the area. Many Jim knew in one way, shape or form. A handful seemed to be new to the area. One couple in particular stood out to Jim. They had been seen at the Smith's residence. Mr. Gibson had talked to them a bit and they claimed to be relatives of the Smith's. They claimed that when they arrived there, the Smith's could not be found and since they "knew" the Smith's so well they figured their best bet was to "look after" the house for them.
No one had heard from or seen the Smith's since just after everything started.
The couple were grungy looking and Jim figured they didn't look much different before the collapse. The guy had the look of an MMA wannabe punk, complete with the tats, double ear rings, etc. The girl didn't exactly look like a church girl. Two young children were with them, a girl about 6 and a boy about 8. Both children lacked manners and respect for most adults.
For the most part this family kept to themselves, saying hello to Mr. Gibson once. They offered very little help as the cows were butchered. The woman sat reading a well worn paperback book about vampires while the man chain smoked.
"How in the hell does he still have cigarettes?" Debbie's husband Johnny said to Jim as they cut meat.
"Beats me. Did Zach Smith smoke?" Jim asked.
"Think so, him and his wife." Johnny replied
"Hey Jim, why don't you just say what everyone has been thinking?" Brian Flanders spoke up.
Brian Flanders was an instigator, a trouble making POS and Jim couldn't stand him. The guy had no backbone, wouldn't stand up for something himself, but would graciously con someone else into a fight and then sit back and laugh as they fought it out. Jim had little patience for the man even before the collapse.
"What the hell do you mean Brian? And why aren't you helping more?" Jim replied.
"Yeah Brian, get some damn work done. Before Jim here kicks your sorry butt." Johnny said with a laugh.
"Listen, seriously. No one thinks it's odd that that grungy pair just happened to "find" the Smith's house without the Smith's in it? Do they look anything like the Smith's? People are saying that they came in and killed the Smith's, hide the bodies and came with this wild story." Brian said.
Jim looked him dead in the eye and spoke "Brian that's a very serious accusation. Don't even say crap like that unless you know it's true."
Flanders backpedaled "I'm just repeating what others are saying. That we ought to be questioning them not feeding them."
continued
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