Engineer Benson - 13. Engineer Benson Chapter 13

August 03, 1993 Monday 8PM

It has been a few days, but we're done. Well, we're done with the cabin walls and the structural portions of the roof.

We spent the last three days logging, debarking, notching, and fitting logs into place until the external walls of the cabin were complete. Then, we put a simple shed roof on it. We've yet to get the metal sheeting on, but that's next, along with the windows and door. Then, it will mostly be dried in. This was our primary focus, and it paid off.

We also found time to make another supply run into town. This time, Garrett, Erin, and Buck made the trip. Garrett's archery skill enabled them to snipe zombies silently, and they managed to avoid risky encounters thanks to him. He lost three arrows due to breakage, though, and they take a long time to make, so it wasn't without cost.

In response, Buck took them to the hardware store. There, they scored some modern arrows with metal points and a nice fiberglass recurve bow from the small sporting goods section. Garrett thinks he can learn to shoot it with some practice, and I have no doubt that's true.

After that detour, they picked up additional canned food, more formula and baby food for Hope, then snagged some basic medical equipment and supplies for our resident unpracticed doctor. Buck was proud of their haul from PharmaHug, particularly the antibiotics, and I don't blame him. An infection could be deadly, so the drugs are a fantastic find.

There's a funny thing they found, too. A game. Something I've not played since I was a kid. It's called Break the Ice. That's going to be a fun little distraction later, even for the adults. I admit, I was pretty good back in the day, and it'll be fun destroying everyone in the house. I shall use my engineering knowledge and have no mercy. Haha.

I've also encouraged Jake to begin contributing entries to his own journal. Out of all of us, he has the most knowledge of what we face, and his words may save humanity sometime down the line if we are unable to help him with that. It'll be humanity's last chance at beating this thing if we fail to do it ourselves.

We will install the metal roofing, windows, and door tomorrow, and then we can start working on the floor. I have thoughts about the flooring material. We have so many stones stacked outside the walls; we will try to use them like gigantic bricks and fill the gaps with concrete. It'll be practical, and if we do it right, it could even look good. We'll see how it goes.

We've got a big day tomorrow, and I'm beat. I'm headed to bed.

Till next time.

August 06, 1993 Thursday 2PM

I was wrong. We had a few big days in a row.

After we finished most of the cabin, we got the foundation started for Garrett's watchtower/bunkhouse. This one is trickier, as we plan on a three-story structure so it has to be stronger right out of the gate. Luckily, I know this engineer guy. Haha.

Anyway, it'll be about thirty-five feet tall once it's all said and done. So in addition to buttoning up the place for Mark and me, we got a jump on the tower.

Garrett has been so excited for it. We were considering putting their whole family in it, since there will be three floors, but Erin wants to stay in the house so she can keep track of our food supplies easier.

Instead, once it's done, Mister Buck will move from the battery shed and take the bottom floor, Lisa will get the second, and Garrett will take the top. That leaves Jake.

"Once the tower is ready, the battery shed will suit my purposes well enough," he'd said last night while writing in his lab notebook.

Erin wrinkled her nose. "Why? There's another bedroom freed up now that Wayne and Mark are sleeping in their cabin."

Jake considered. "Yes, I suppose that's true, and the house is more comfortable." He shrugged. "If you're comfortable with that, then I am as well."

"I'm fine with it." Erin chuckled. "It's probably weird, but after having everyone in the house these last few weeks, I don't know how I feel about being alone. So company is good."

That's settled. Jake moved his few things into our old room, Lisa's on the couch now, and last night was the first time Mark and I slept in our cabin. It's still not completely done, but it's livable. It's a lot less complicated because we plan to make the house a communal area for cooking, showering, and as a gathering spot for us all. So it makes the other builds far simpler since we don't have to worry about a kitchen or bathing. Still, if we had to we could roast things over the fireplace we built in the cabin.

It has a simple, plumbed sink but no hot water—not yet. I'll work on that. I don't want to overtax the house's hot water, so I'll need to figure out something there. I have a few ideas, but we'll see if anything sticks. Hmm. Maybe I'll build a shower room—boys' and girls' style. It'll be like high school gym class all over again. I'm sure everybody would love that. Haha.

Oh. Garret just ran inside. Apparently, he spied some black smoke a couple of miles away. Looks to be on the edge of town near the McCoy lumber yard. Me, Buck, Mark, and Jake are going to check it out. Yes - Jake. He volunteered.

I need to help load up our weapons and some emergency food and water.

Here we go.

August 06, 1993 Thursday 440PM

We're back, and everybody is home and stable. Wow.

Anyway, we headed out, going as directly as we could toward the smoke.

"Looks like tires or maybe fuel burning." Mark leaned forward, squinting at the smoke and thinking hard. "It's definitely near McCoy's lumber."

I turned down the road to McCoy's. The turnoff to the lumberyard was a quarter mile away, a straight shot from our vantage point. And as we drove up, it was quite a sight.

Two burning vehicles mostly blocked the entrance to the lumber yard. Around them, a large group of zombies flailed about, trying to pass the obstacle. Most of the zombies were on fire, adding to the confusion and chaos of the scene. A few things turned our way, but most were fixated on the cars. A few were so damaged that they crawled, slowly disappearing under the vehicles.

Jake stared and gripped the van's first aid kit in his hands. "Fire. Something about the virus causes them to become slightly flammable over time. We still don't know why that is, but they do not fear it or anything else."

There were at least fifty charred bodies on the ground, and that many more struggled to pass the cars. The smell was horrific and we struggled to avoid gagging. As I parked across from the entrance, we saw past the vehicles. A few burning zombies staggered in the lumberyard toward a bulldozer parked about thirty feet from the gate on the gravel parking lot.

"The bucket!" Mark leaped out of the van, his knife in hand. "There are people in the bucket of the dozer!" He ended the closest zombie with a single efficient strike. It fell and continued to smoke and burn on the ground.

Someone had raised the bucket high off the ground, and two pairs of terrified eyes watched as the zombies slowly bypassed the wrecks.

"No!" A wavering shout drew the attention of the dead. "Over … over here, you bastards!" A man, bloodied from a hastily tended wound on his neck and dragging a metal bar as a makeshift weapon, yelled at the creatures that had gained entry to what looked to be the group's final stand. Then the man noticed us, and his eyes widened in surprise.

Buck ran to the high fence ringing the lumber yard, pulping a zombie's head with his bat on the way. "Mark!" He held his hands, laced together below his knees. "I'll get ya over!"

With no hesitation, Mark sprinted to him, and sure enough, Buck tossed him over. I heard Mark hit the ground on the other side, and the eager moans of zombies rose in response.

I assessed the scene. Jake stood outside the van, hugging our first-aid kit against his chest. His eyes were wide, and three of the dead staggered toward him, one seemingly unbothered by her burning hair. "Buck! Help Jake, I'll climb over!"

Buck and I traded positions, and two more zombies fell under our weapons during the switch. The fire was a welcome distraction for the thirty or forty left, as most seemed intent on throwing themselves at the flames or getting to the bulldozer.

I didn't have time to check on Buck. I tossed my axe over the fence and gripped the top. With a grunt, I hauled myself over the eight-foot wall and managed to land on my feet. I quickly scooped up my axe.

Mark and the mystery man had backed up to the dozer. The guy was exhausted and could barely stand, but he still managed to take out a smoldering zombie with that heavy steel bar. Then Mark stood before him to face the eight zombies remaining in the parking lot.

I met Mark, and we methodically ended the small group of zombies in the parking lot. Most of those had no eyes, thanks to them melting in the heat of the fire. So they snapped and lunged blindly around, making our task much easier than it otherwise would have been.

However, that fire was now dying. The flames and smoke from the cars had almost stopped, with only bits around the wheel-wells still burning.

We dispatched the rest of the zombies in singles and pairs as they crawled through the wreckage. Buck made a dent on the other side, too, and soon, they all lay still and silent on the ground.

"Jake!" Mark knelt next to the man who had slumped against the bulldozer. "Get over here with the kit!"

Buck dumped a canteen of water on the burned hood of one of the cars, eliciting steam and a hiss, then nearly threw Jake across the still-hot surface. The man skidded across the hot metal on his rump and somehow managed to land on his feet, that first-aid kit still clamped against his chest.

To his credit, Jake moved straight to the man on the ground. "Is he bitten?" Jake knelt next to him.

"No!" One of the kids in the bucket leaned over, staring down at us. He looked to be about twelve. A girl with a dirty face and in pigtails, no older than seven or eight watched as well. "He hurt himself on the cars!"

"Okay, good." Jake's hands shook, but he unwrapped the wounded man's neck. More blood oozed out of a deep gash, and the fellow groaned as Jake pressed a fresh bandage with antibiotic ointment against the injury. "Mark, keep pressure on it."

Mark followed the instructions and winced as the guy yelped in pain. "I know, man. I know. But we gotta keep what's left inside you." He looked worriedly at the blood on the ground.

Jake soon had the new bandage taped in place. "Okay, I'll take over when we get him to the van. Sir, can you stand?"

"Sure." The guy slurred. He tried to get up but couldn't get his legs to support his weight.

"We got him." He's really thin, so Mark and I hauled him up, putting one arm over each of our shoulders.

"I'll get the kids." Buck entered the bulldozer's cab. I'm not sure where he learned to operate one, but he lowered the bucket while we hobbled toward the cars blocking the way out. We stood there momentarily, staring helplessly at the still-hot, twisted metal.

"Out of the way, guys!" Buck yelled over the rolling sounds of the dozer's diesel engine. We did as ordered, and the machine lurched forward. Buck aimed for the cars, the bucket of the dozer down.

The bulldozer pushed aside the smoldering cars with ease. Buck turned it off and hopped down. "Come on!"

Before the noise could attract any attention, we piled in the van. Jake attended to our stricken passenger on the back bench seat, and the kids sat with Buck just behind Mark and me.

Then, we drove home. Luckily, with no further excitement. We arrived a few minutes later.

"His name is Russell," Jake said as we helped him and a barely conscious Russell out.

"An' the kids are Becky and Shannon." Buck smiled at the young ones. He had spent the ride home speaking to them in low, soothing tones. "Y'all are real brave, an' I bet yer hungry too."

They nodded, and we all met the crew as we approached the house. Soon, the kids, Erin and Mary Anne, had food ready for us and the young ones. We'd already warned them we were coming, thanks to Mark's walkie-talkie on his belt.

I'm not sure who was more excited about the kids, Garrett and Lisa, or Mary Anne and Erin. I think Becky and Shannon are still a bit shocked by their experience and the fact that we have electricity. They wolfed down a bowl of beans with dandelion greens and some cornbread while glancing up at the lights.

Jake had us put Russell in his room. Finally safe, he had crashed headlong into unconsciousness and didn't even react when Jake carefully rechecked the wound on his neck. Jake pursed his lips. "I'm going to have to suture this closed." His voice trembled. He checked Russell's pulse and then nodded to himself. "He's malnourished and anemic but seems stable, for now. But he will need some of our antibiotics and those sutures. That means I need some kind of local anesthetic and suture material. I can make regular thread work if it's sterilized before, but I'd rather have medical-grade sutures."

"All right, Doc." Buck motioned at Mark. "Wanna ride with me to the pharmacy and maybe the medical office, too?"

Mark nodded, then headed out to prepare the van for another trip.

Buck put a big hand on Jake's shoulder. "We can pick up whatever ya want if ya write it fer us."

"Y-yes." Jake breathed shakily as he wrote a short list for Buck. "I … I've not sutured since residency." He handed it over and looked up at Buck.

"I'm bettin' you hadn't stopped a man from bleedin' out in a while either, but ya did fine at that." Buck folded the list and dropped it into a pocket. "I'll see if Erin wants ta go, an' we'll be back in a bit."

Buck left with Erin and Mark. I left our doctor and his patient alone and joined Mary Anne and the four kids in the living room.

According to Shannon, Russell, Shannon, and Becky are not related, but their families all knew one another because Russell worked with their dads at McCoy logging. When his friends began falling ill, they asked him to watch their little ones to keep them safe.

And he did. For weeks, he did his best. Once he's awake and up, we'll chat a bit and find out what happened from his perspective, as I don't want to ask the kids too many questions. They've lost their families and been through god knows what else, so I think they've earned a break.

I have to point out - Russell is almost skeletally thin. The kids are a bit underweight, but nowhere near as bad as Russell. The man nearly starved himself to make sure Shannon and Becky got whatever food he managed to find. As soon as he's able to eat, we'll make sure to get a good, hot meal in him.

Garrett has loaded ”Legend” for them in the VCR, and they've all settled on the couch with Mary Anne. Becky even snuggled up to Mary Anne, hanging onto her arm like she was afraid she'd wake up, and it'd all be a dream.

You're safe now, kids.

After about an hour, Buck, Mark, and Erin returned. Their medical supply run went well, and we now have all of the items on Dr. Jake's list. Jake is working on stitching up Russell, and had already administered antibiotics from our supplies. I checked on him, and he's about done suturing. He's a perfectionist and is fussing over an elegant line of sutures closing up the wound on Russell's neck. If that’s him “rusty,” then I can’t wait till he’s feeling more confident.

Okay. They're getting to the good part of the movie, so I'm going for now. After that, I'll see if they want to play that Break the Ice game we found. They need to be allowed to be kids for a little while.

Till next time.

August 07, 1993 Friday 9AM

It's a beautiful, warm day, and we got an early start on our projects. While most of us worked on the tower and the cabin, Jake watched over and tended to Russell. His patient awoke early this morning, and Jake fed him some leftover beans, shredded game bird, and cornbread we needed to eat. "He needs calories." Jake smeared butter on the cornbread and stirred some into the hot beans. "This is a good start."

Russell ate it all. Even with the injury on his neck causing pain and the blood loss, the primal need for food made him ravenously hungry. After asking about the kids, he lay back down and went to sleep again. He needs the rest.

We took a break for a morning treat. It's Becky's birthday. She's eight years old today. The kids didn't expect it, but Mary Anne and Erin made a chocolate cake from some boxed mix that came with the house and some icing from cocoa, sugar, and butter. We briefly discussed it this morning and were all in favor of using up some supplies on the effort. That little girl saw the cake, and … she just started to cry. Mary Anne has become a comfort to her, and she scooped Becky up to hold her.

"I know we ain't yer kin, hon." She patted Becky's hair. "But you, Russell, and Shannon are here now. An' we take care of each other here. Okay?"

She continued to cry but nodded, her face against Mary Anne's shirt. So we all had cake, and there was laughter and happy faces.

We'd not even discussed it as a group this time, but we're taking these people in if they want to stay and if they'll contribute to our survival in some way. Buck did pull Mark and me off to the side this morning and made it known that was his opinion on the matter. With the way the others have behaved, it's apparent that's the prevailing thought, so that's what we're doing.

It does mean we're a bit crowded again, but we'll figure it out. Jake slept on the floor in his room last night while Russell had the bed. Becky shared the couch with Lisa, Erin had her room, and Shannon wanted to sleep in the tent with Garrett since we have an extra sleeping bag. The boys know one another from scouting, as Shannon used to be a cub scout a few years ago.

It works, for now. We've redoubled our efforts on Garrett's tower - we gotta get that done.

On a similar note, our cabin is really looking good. We finished the floor and it looks better than I had though it would. The flat stones we picked lended themselves well to a high-mass flooring material. It only took a bit of lime and some sand for mortar, and now we just need a few strategic rugs to finish it off. Both Mark and I were surprised but pleased with it. The only structrual thing left is to fill in the gap between the walls and the roof, and to find some furniture. I'd like to find a small bed for us. Our nest of blankets in the loft has worked so far, but a real bed would be great.

That reminds me - we will need furniture for all three levels of the tower too. I'm adding that to the list. There are so many empty houses in town, it shouldn't be a problem.

Oh, Dr. Jake's patient is up! Okay, back later.

August 07, 1993 Friday 1130AM

We spent some time talking to Russell. He wandered out into the living room, still pale and shaky from blood loss, but up and moving. Shannon and Becky were both overjoyed that he had awoken and peppered him with what they had experienced at the farm so far. He also had a piece of Becky's birthday cake delivered by Jake.

He smiled. His gaunt face seemed to struggle with the expression - I guess he'd not had much reason to smile over the last month or so.

"Cake." He laughed and picked up the fork. "Never thought I'd eat cake again." His gaze found those of ours as we found seats at the table. "Thank you. Thank you for keeping the kids safe, and for bailing us out at the lumberyard." He shook his head. "Memory is fuzzy, but I remember that."

"That's understandable. You lost a lot of blood," Jake said.

"Yeah. I guess so." He lightly touched the wound on his neck."Probably wouldn't have lived through that either if you'd not patched me up. Thank you."

"Jake here is our doc," Buck said. He patted his chest. "I'm Buck, farmer an' carpenter extordinaire. This here is Mary Anne, a great cook an' barber. Wayne is an engineer, and an' overall handy guy. Mark knows his way around a knife, and has killed more of those things than any of us. Erin has a gift fer tracking our supplies, an' turning them into tasty meals. She is also impressive with a spear. Her kids, Garrett and Lisa are great. Garrett shoots a bow and knows more than most about foraging and woodcraft, while Lisa is a great one to have on watch - aint nothing sneakin' up on ya with her around. The baby, Hope is sleepin' but she helps keep us sane - reminding us there's a future. And that it's worth fightin' for."

The whole room had fallen silent. I guess we were all processing what Buck said but more, what it was he thought of us. It was … nice to hear each person valued for their own gifts and skills - especially from someone like him.

Russell nodded. "Sounds like quite a crew ya got here." He took a bite of cake and chewed, then wiped his mouth. "Oh, lord. That cake is so good. Mmm."

"Eat it. We've got time," Erin said with a smile.

He did exactly that, then settled back in his chair.

"You probably have questions for me, so I'll tell you how we ended up where you found us." He took a deep breath. "I'd been asked by three friends - men I worked with at McCoy's to watch their kids. At least, the ones that didn't have the fever. I'm not sure why I didn't, but a lot of the other guys got sick, and we knew what was coming, thanks to the news. So I agreed, hoping they'd get better."

He took a sip of water and continued. "Things went from bad to real bad. After a week, we ran out of food. And after the power went out, quietly scrounging around the neighboorhood netted us next to nothing we could eat - a lot was rotted in warm fridges. But I kept trying. Found enough canned stuff to scrape by." He bit his lip. "But when out on a supply run, with Trisha, the oldest of the kids," he swallowed noisily and glanced at Shannon and Becky. "Shannon, can you take Becky to the yard and play for a bit?" Reluctantly, Shannon took the little girl's hand and went outside.

He gathered himself. "Trisha and me, we were on a supply run in a house. We could hear shuffling upstairs, so we knew we weren't alone. But the kids were back at home and so hungry - we had to make it work; we had to find something. So we quietly looted the kitchen for whatever we could find." He stared down at his rough hands in his lap. "I was starving, weak, and shaky. I … I guess that's why I didn't notice that Trisha had disappeared. She had gone to the bathroom, probably looking for water since we were getting low." He closed his eyes. "She started screaming. I ran to her, but one had already latched onto her leg, and the others were thumping down the stairs." He looked up at us. "I ran. Like a coward, I ran. I know she wouldn't have survived the bite, but it doesn't change that I left her to die."

"If you'd have stayed, you'd have died too," Erin said gently. "And so would have Shannon and Becky."

"I guess." He took a shaky breath. "Somehow, I'd held onto the backpack with the few cans of food we'd found. So, we got through the next couple of days. I did this over the next few weeks, alone, but I was running out of houses that weren't surrounded by the things. I knew we didn't have much time left. So I made a plan. I'm a forklift and dozer operator for McCoy. Well, I was. Anyway, I figured if I could get the dozer working, I could just run over any of the bastards in the way and get to the Gigamart. But, when I told them, the kids refused to stay. So I took them with me, using the tiny bit of gas in my car I had left. We got to the lumberyard, and I parked in front of the gate to block the way. One wrecked car was already there, so it really did the trick. Unfortunately, a pile of the things followed the sound of the engine and headed toward us. We got out, and went into the lumberyard, all the while I'm watching their numbers climb, and they began crawling under and over the cars. So … I had to do something. I set the cars on fire, but as I turned to go back to the dozer I caught my neck on a jagged piece of metal. It cut me wide open, and I thought I was dead. I panicked. Wrapped a piece of rag around my neck, and had the kids get in the dozer bucket. I knew I was bleeding out, and I didn't know what else to do, but lift it to keep them safe. Then I got out to try an keep as many of the things from getting to them as possible."

"And that's when we showed up," Mark said.

"Yes." Russel nodded. He sighed deeply. "And that's it. That's my story."

Buck cleared his throat. "Well, you an' yer charges have a place here if ya want it. We ask only that everybody pitches in an' does their part. What do ya say?"

With a laugh, Russell smiled. "I've not gotten a better offer." He looked around. "Thank you. Again. Thanks for what you've done for us. We'll do our best to help however we're needed."

Getting to his feet, Jake put a hand on Russell's shoulder. "You need more rest before you do any work. You're still grossly anemic and will be for probably a week."

"Listen to the doc." Buck rose. "The rest of us have a tower to build. Come on, folks - let's get it done."

I'm headed out with the rest. Till next time.