deadheads by jade swiler (superbooks4u TXT) 📕

I woke up to bright sunlight. My head was pounding so hard. I tried to put my hand to my forehead and realized I was tied with both hands to a bed frame made out of metal. I started to struggle when a mans soft voice spoke to me.

“It’s okay Jade, we had to tie you in case you turned. How are you feeling?” a mans face came in to view above me, his hair was grey and his eyes a deep hazel. He had a sad but kind face.

“ my head hurts.” I choked out. My throat was so dry.

The man reached over me and cut the ties that held me to the frame. I almost screamed when he eased my arms down to my sides. He held a glass of water and I took a drink, it was cold, colder then I had in a long time. I drank it greedily until he made me stop.

“I’m Doc Willis, I was at your camp but Seth got most of us out of there. Your safe right now. I’ve been giving you fluids but if your feeling up to it later, ill bring you some food. “ the gentle touch of the Docs hand and then it was gone.

I fell asleep again and it was later when I woke to Seth sitting next to me.

“hey “ he said softly.

I smile then frowned. “what happened? Seth, I was bitten.”

“I know baby, I know you were. The bite was infected but we got it cleaned out and sewn up. It will leave a big scar though.” Seth told me as he rubbed my hand on the blanket.

“I didn’t turn.” I made the statement.

“no babe, it seems your immune to the virus that started all this shit.”seth replied and I tried to sit up but got dizzy and passed out once again.

It took 5 days before I was able to get up and walk around. My arm felt like I had lost half of it but at least I could move it. My wrists were blue, black and green from bruising but seemed to be okay as well. Seth had gotten away after they took me and opened the gates to deadheads. People in camp were with him and attacked the guards and soldiers and came for me. They took food and trucks and the Doc knew of this place where we were at now, it was called a gated community for the rich. Seth and some of the other guys had went all over to the house’s around here and taken down the garage doors. They chained them together and made our own camp with metal walls for protection.

The community was pretty good sized, it had rod iron fencing all around it except for the lake area. This place butted up to a large lake. Besides houses, there was another lone building in the gated community, a club house or community center. There was a large kitchen and dinning area, this would be our new food center. There was about 50 of us here. We all worked together and made things to help us. Down by the lake, there was a metal wall that went in to the lake a ways, it sectioned off an area to wash our clothes in. In the middle of the town was a hand pump that gave clean water. A scientist name Geoffrey had told us all that the virus hadn’t been able to stay alive in the water and it would be safe to drink it. Scouts had went searching nearby areas and had gotten a lot of jugs for water and food and extra things we would need.

The doc and Seth had snuck to a local hospital and gotten drugs and medical supplies we would need. The docs house was made in to a small clinic for the sick. The living room was a waiting area, the 3 bedrooms on the main floor were examination rooms and the kitchen, a drug room where pills and other stuff were kept. . He lived upstairs in the last bedroom.

We were set up here and it felt very good. In the back of my mind I worried though, I was immune to the virus, I knew Harris wasn’t going to stop or Grayson, until they had me back. I remember the last thing I heard Grayson say, “I was the key” but like Seth said, we had weapons, and the men to stop harris and any army he had left after the deadheads were let in.

Joanna Morse was a school teacher so with Jess and a few other women, a school of sorts, in one of the empty houses near the center, was made. Roger Hemmingly , our town builder, had found flat black paint and had painted a wall in what used to be a living room. Now they had a black board.

Tables and chairs were found and for the 12 kids in our group? School was back in session.

We had found seeds to start a graden in a hardware store, but because it was coming on winter, we would have to wait until spring of the next year. I had to stop thinking about that. It was just starting fall and soon winter would be here. I don’t think anyone thought about that. We would need a way to get the power back on and a way to heat the homes here.

Later I found Seth in the center going over a meal planner with the cooks. We had food but not enough to survive all winter, just a few months. We needed to talk about hunting as well. The virus didn’t effect aniamls, no scientist knew why but they were immune.

“ hey Seth. We need to talk , got a second?” I asked as I walked up to him.

“sure, I’ll meet you outside in a minute.” he responded.

I headed back outside and sat at a picnic table that was set up near the door.

Seth finally came out, he was all smiles. God I loved him. I didn’t know how he felt but it really wasn’t the time to discuss it either but I knew soon we would have too.

”what’s up?” seth asked and sat down across from me.

“well I have been thinking about a few things, I think we need to call a town meeting today. We have to get ready for winter and some other things. “ I told him.

Seth looked thoughtful for a second and then smiled.

“your right, lets get this show on the road now.”

When he got up and started yelling for everyone to meet right here where I was sitting, I almost swallowed my tounge. I thought he would ask me what I meant or we would talk about it , not just jump the gun.

A crowd started fileing in towards the center. Word was spreading fast. It took almost 15 minutes for people to get in place faceing the picnic table but it seemed everyone was there.

“its all yours.” Seth said with a smile. I cast a murderus look at him and stood up on the table top to see everyone.

I was so nervous I had to clear my throat several times before I could talk. Every pair of eyes were on me and seemed to bore in to my skull. I hated public speaking, that’s why I never took it in school!

“hi everyone, my name is jade. We need to start making plans for winter, getting the power back on, finding a way to heat the houses, food. Anything, medical, or whatever that we all can use here. The army is still out there as well and we need to make plans to fight if we need to. Our future depends on us staying on guard.”

Everyone started to nod at what I was saying. Seth agree and took over for me. 2 county workers before the virus knew which grid this community was on, they had an ideal of how to get the power on. Then sme others wanted to be on the search missions for the stuff we would need. Some others wanted to know what I thought we could do about heat.seth handed the top of the table to me to stand on and answer that if I could. Still wanted to beat him for doing it though.

“I thought about wood burners. It would be easy to install them in a house, run a pipe through the wall and bingo, instant heat. Same wih the community center. Some of the houses, like my own, have fieplaces but we all know that will not heat a full house.” I told them.

More people wanted to go look for wood stoves. We all had a game plan and it was going to make things easier here to live when winter came.

We broke for lunch and seth and I took a short walk to my house I shared with him and jess and the kids.

“that was a great ideal. I never thought about any of that to tell the truth. And bringing up the ideal about hunting, I think you made every redneck here think they be in heaven.” I had to laugh, there was 6 guys, all seemed to have a leader named Billy jo. They were a bunch of good ole’ boys but I liked them well enough.

We sat out near the porch. The day was warm but not too warm. A gental breeze was blowing in from the lake and it felt good after so many days of scorching weather.

“ do you think we will be able to make it here?” I quietly asked Seth.

“I think we have a better chance then anywhere else. Your ideals this morning was good, keeping fires buring on the ice once the lake freezes will keep deadheads from reaching us, the hunting to feed us and the wood stoves for every house to keep us warm. All great ideals.” Seth replied.

I saw a crew yesterday fixing the gates to better keep out deadheads, steel poles were welded to the gates so a thick bar of steel could be put across it. Deadheads wouldn’t be ables to break through that.

“Seth!” a voice yelled from across the street.

I looked up and saw a guy around my age coming towards us.

“hey marcus, whats up?” Seth yelled back with a smile on his face.

Marcus was once a soldier in harrises army. He had left when we did because of the strange things that had happened there.

“we need you at the kitchen, we have an ideal and want to run it by you.”

Seth looked at me and smiled and touched my hand and then was gone.

I planned on going out alone tomorrow to search for stuff. I didn’t tell seth because I knew he would have been upset, but since I found out I was immune to the virus, I wasn’t afraid anymore like I used to be. Sure those nasty deadheads could still eat me alive but at least if I could fight, I would be okay.

That night I slept with no dreams and woke up to bright morning light , feeling wonderful for the first time in months. When you in an end of the world frame of mind, you welcomed anything to keep you busy and free of worry. Today I planned on going out with the other srearchers. I knew seth wouldn’t want me to go but I really wanted to have a part in this.

(5)

The air was warm and moist from the rain the night before. I had left to search about 3 hours ago and hadn’t seen any game so far. I had my pack and sword with me plus 2 knifes. Seth had wanted me to use a gun but I did better with the knives and sword.

I had been walking south of the gates when I came to my first house. As I stepped