Fight 4 Us (Book 6): Keeper Page 4

  I walk into the kitchen and take out two bowls and two packets of apple cinnamon oatmeal.

  I look out the kitchen window and see that it’s raining. It’s raining hard this morning, my lawn and the crops in the backyard could use the rain. Our rain barrels were getting low as well. Water goes pretty fast around the neighborhood and it’s a welcomed sight to see the rain barrels starting to fill up again.

  Lauren walks into the kitchen and makes her oatmeal.

  I set the table with our placemats.

  Callie looks up at me as she stands next to her treat bowl.

  “Morning Callie girl. I will fill your bowl up.”

  Callie meows at me as I walk into the kitchen.

  Lauren fills up Milo’s food bowl and replenishes the water bowls for Callie and Milo.

  The microwave beeps, and Lauren takes out her bowl of oatmeal.

  Lauren puts my bowl of oatmeal in the microwave now.

  The kitchen smells like cinnamon.

  I pour two glasses of orange juice and put them on the table.

  Callie eats her treats from her bowl next to the kitchen pantry.

  Milo eats his food from his bowl in the corner of the living room.

  The microwave beeps, and Lauren takes out my bowl of oatmeal.

  I grab the two bowls of oatmeal and place them on our dining room table placemats.

  I sit down at the dining table and Lauren joins me.

  “It’s really raining outside there. Hopefully it will cool down a little now. It’s been so hot this summer,” says Lauren as she sits down in the chair next to me.

  “I hope so. It’s been pretty hot. August in Tampa, Florida is pretty hot. I can’t wait for the cool down we should get in December.”

  Lauren and I enjoy a nice breakfast together.

  As Lauren and I are eating breakfast this morning, I take a second to enjoy the moment.

  I can’t remember the last time Lauren and I had a nice relaxing breakfast together. It feels nice to just relax and have some time alone with Lauren.

  Lauren and I finish breakfast and get ready for our trip to the Big Club.

  “Do I need to bring anything?” asks Lauren.

  I put on a red athletic shirt and say, “Bring your weapons like it’s a normal run. Your bow, some bolts for your bow, and your handgun. We could run into some trouble on this trip and whenever we leave Citrus Oaks. Always be ready.”

  Lauren says, “Okay. I will be ready. Just wanted to make sure.”

  Lauren gears up for the trip and takes her weapons and gear to my SUV.

  I finish getting dressed, put on my bulletproof vest, grab my handgun, an empty bag, and my katana.

  The bulletproof vest still has the bullet in it from when Derrick shot me.

  I glance down at the bullet, and I think back to that day in Orlando when Derrick shot me.

  I say goodbye to Callie and Milo and exit through my front door.

  Lauren is talking with Phil under our covered front porch.

  I lock my front door and walk over to Phil and Lauren.

  “What’s up Phil?”

  Phil asks, “Going to the Big Club today?”

  “Yeah. What are you doing up so early? Couldn’t sleep in your new house?”

  Phil replies, “I slept pretty good actually. I like my new house. I’m just out for a run. I gotta stay in shape. I enjoy running and plan on running in the mornings now.”

  “I’ll join ya. We can start a morning running routine. I miss running. I haven’t had a good run since our trip to Tennessee.”

  Phil replies, “Sounds like a plan. I’ll be by the Big Club later today. I haven’t been there in a while.”

  “Sounds good Phil. I’ll see ya later. Stay dry. I don’t know how you are running in this rain.”

  “I like the rain. It cools me down. I’ll see ya later,” says Phil.

  Phil runs out from my covered front porch and towards Buck’s house.

  Lauren and I run through the rain and get into my SUV.

  I start up the engine and reverse out of my driveway.

  I drive through the South entrance and towards the Big Club to meet with Kat.

  CHAPTER 4

  WHAT’S OUR AGREEMENT?

  I pull up to the Big Club and it looks great.

  I park my SUV near the front entrance of the Big Club.

  There is a light rain sprinkle coming down onto the windshield of my SUV.

  Lauren looks through the windows of my SUV and says, “The coast is clear, and the front entrance looks to be in good shape.”

  I grab the bag and my katana from the backseat.

  Lauren takes her bow and bolts.

  We both exit my SUV and run to the closed front entrance door of the Big Club.

  I try to open the front door and it’s locked.

  Someone yells from inside, “Who is it?”

  “It’s me Ryan! Lauren and Ryan!”

  The door opens and two guards from the Warriors are standing there.

  “Hey Ryan. Sorry for locking you out,” says the guard.

  Lauren and I walk into the Big Club and the guard shuts the metal front door.

  Lauren looks at the guard and says, “I’m Lauren. I’m Ryan’s wife.”

  The guard says, “I know who you are. Nice to meet you. I’m Jakobe and this is Wesley.”

  “Nice to meet you guys. How are things going here? Are we all secure and running mostly on solar power?”

  Jakobe replies, “Yes sir. We are all secure and safe. The solar power is going strong. We have a lot of things running on the solar panels. Just need a couple more panels to run the ovens and freezers.”

  Lauren and I walk to the center of the Big Club.

  I look down at the spot where Joseph’s dead body was. The concrete is clean now, but I can picture Joseph’s dead body with the white sheet over him.

  I turn towards Jakobe and Wesley and say, “I am expecting a woman to come here. She should be coming alone but she might be with another person. Her name is Kat. She shouldn’t be a threat but be cautious with her.”

  Wesley asks, “What time should we expect her?”

  “Around 10:30. What time you got now?”

  Jakobe looks at his watch and says, “8:33.”

  I look at my watch and say, “I got 8:35, but that’s close enough.”

  I look at Jakobe and say, “Keep guard at the front and let me know when she arrives. Thank you, Jakobe and Wesley. Nice to meet you guys.”

  Lauren and I walk around the Big Club.

  Lauren grabs a shopping cart and says, “I’m going to bring back a couple of things for myself, Lisa, Kylie, Ann, Nicole, and the babies. The girls could use a couple items from here.”

  I walk towards the rear entrance and say, “Okay sweetie. Take whatever you want. I’m going to check out the back entrance over here.”

  Lauren walks down an aisle and starts looking at some items in the health and wellness section of the store.

  The store is clean, secure, and well-lit now. William’s group is doing a good job protecting and maintaining the store.

  I walk to the back entrance of the store and over to the two Warrior guards.

  “Hey guys. I’m Ryan.”

  The woman and man look at me and reply, “Hey Ryan. How are you?”

  I look at the new metal door that was installed and say, “I’m pretty good. How are things here? Any problems? What are your names?”

  The woman answers, “I’m Hailee and this is Donnie. The store has been very good. No problems. Only a couple of people have come by the store looking for help. We are still giving out the care packages, but there haven’t been too many people coming by lately.”

  I look at Donnie and ask, “Can you please open the door?”

  Donnie replies, “Yes sir.”

  Donnie unlocks the rear door and pushes open the heavy thick metal door.

  Rain is coming down as Donnie opens the door.

  I walk to the
doorway and look out.

  The rear entrance is heavily secured now. Huge piles of large truck tires surround the rear entrance and are blocking any zombie, person, or vehicle from getting in.

  I look at Donnie and ask, “What’s that wood platform next to the tires?”

  Donnie walks over to me and says, “That’s a lookout platform. The tires make it hard to see into the streets. The platform will give us some sight lines. It’s not finished yet. It’s been raining too much lately. When the rain clears, we will finish the platform and secure it.”

  “Nice. It looks great guys. I see you have the roof ladder inside the tire border, so we can safely get up to the roof. Have you noticed any leaks from the roof?”

  Hailee responds, “No leaks or problems just yet. We will keep an eye on it though. How is everything back at Citrus Oaks and at Warrior High?”

  Donnie and I close the heavy rear entrance door.

  I look at Hailee and say, “Everything is pretty good now. I haven’t been to your home at Warrior High lately, but I haven’t heard about any problems.”

  Donnie says, “Good. I hope those teenage punks don’t come around our home anymore. That one kid is a pain in the butt. I wish my brother let me take care of him.”

  Hailee says, “Baby, those kids are nothing but trouble. The one teenage group is good, but that one group is a major pain in the ass. I wish William would let us take them out. I was never that bad when I was in high school.”

  I don’t know what Donnie and Hailee are talking about, but I’m very interested in their conversation.

  “Who is your brother Donnie? What’s up with the bad teenagers?”

  Donnie says, “I am Tran’s brother. He’s the car guy for William. Bruce is our uncle. At least that’s what Tran tells me.”

  Hailee says, “The teenagers we were talking about are a pain in the ass. There seems to be several groups of teenagers, almost like gangs. Rivals from different high schools. Most of them aren’t bad and are looking for help, but the one group led by this punk kid Dolan are definitely a problem.”

  “Remember that time they tried to get into the school and steal a car. That Dolan kid needs to go. He has to be the one causing most of the vandalism and problems at the Eastern part of the school,” says Donnie.

  Lauren shouts, “Honey! Can you help me with this thing?”

  “I’ll be right there!”

  I look at Donnie and Hailee and say, “Nice to meet you two. I want to know more about those problem teenagers. I’ll talk to you later.”

  I walk over to Lauren.

  Lauren is trying to pick up this coffee maker that is stuck on a high shelf.

  Lauren is only 5 feet 3 inches tall and is struggling to reach the box.

  I grab the box and place it in her cart.

  “Can you get me two of them?” asks Lauren.

  I grab another coffee maker and stack it on top of the other coffee maker that I just put in Lauren’s cart.

  “What’s up with the coffee makers?”

  “Nicole and Lisa were talking about how they missed coffee. I know we have tons of those coffee cup things for this coffee maker. I just thought it would be nice to give them each one,” says Lauren.

  I grab a nearby shopping cart and put one of the coffee makers from Lauren’s cart in my cart.

  “What else did you get?”

  Lauren replies, “Just a couple of woman products for the girls. Lisa has been having a tough time lately. I know she misses her home in North Carolina. I got a couple of things for her to try and make her feel more at home.”

  “That’s a good idea. Let’s take these items and load them into our SUV. It’s right around 10:30 now. I’m sure Kat will be here any minute now.”

  Lauren and I exit the Big Club through the front entrance and load the items Lauren picked out into my SUV trunk.

  The rain has become a very light drizzle and the sun has started to come out.

  “It’s so hot outside,” says Lauren as we walk back into the Big Club.

  About an hour goes by and Kat still hasn’t made it to the store.

  I look down at my watch and Lauren sees that I’m concerned about the time.

  Lauren says, “I think I hear a vehicle pulling up.”

  I walk over to the closed front door next to Jakobe and Wesley.

  I hear two car doors open and then close.

  Wesley says, “Sounds like two of them. We never open the door for anyone. They have to knock, and we usually have the metal fencing closed at the front entrance before you can get to the front door.”

  I can hear a woman and a man talking. The voices are muffled as I’m listening through the closed metal door, but I can hear two people talking.

  There is a light knock on the metal door.

  Knock! Knock!

  “Who is it? What do you want?” asks Jakobe.

  “It’s Kat and Brian. We are here to see Ryan,” says Kat.

  Jakobe looks at me and asks, “Kat and Brian? Should we let them in?”

  I look at Jakobe and Wesley, “Yeah. Let them in but keep your guns on them. We have to check them first. Trust is earned.”

  Wesley opens the door and Jakobe points his rifle at Kat and Brian.

  “What the hell? We mean no harm! I have an appointment with Ryan!” shouts Kat as she stands outside the front entrance of the Big Club next to Brian.

  I walk next to Jakobe and say, “Come in Kat and Brian. We need to check you first before we show you around. We are just being safe with everything. Safety first and always.”

  Jakobe and Wesley escort Kat and Brian in the store.

  I close the front entrance door and lock it.

  “I’m sorry we are late, but The Grove can be hectic at times. Brian and I couldn’t get away from our patients,” says Kat.

  “What weapons do you have on you?” asks Wesley.

  Kat and Brian show Jakobe, Wesley, and me their weapons.

  “Place your weapons on the table at the front of the store. You will get your weapons back when we are done. No one will touch your weapons while you are here.”

  Kat gives me an unsure look.

  Brian says, “No problem Ryan. We mean no harm.”

  Lauren asks, “What’s The Grove?”

  Kat puts her weapons on the table and says, “It’s the old baseball stadium in St. Petersburg. It was turned into a FEMA camp, shelter, and makeshift hospital. Brian and I are nurses there.”

  Brian and Kat put all their weapons on the table at the front of the store and show us that they don’t have any weapons on them now.

  “I’m sorry about the weapons, but we need to be safe. We have had some trouble in here in the past and we are just being cautious with things.”

  Kat says, “I understand. We have our security at The Grove as well.”

  Brian looks at our huge warehouse and says, “Man, you guys have so much stuff here. You’ll be good for generations in here.”

  “Come on guys, grab a shopping cart and let’s see what you guys want from this place.”

  Kat grabs a shopping cart and says, “Again, I’m sorry we were late. I know I didn’t mention Brian at World of Trade, but he’s a good guy and I needed his car. My car is out of gas.”

  Brian walks over to Kat with a shopping cart and says, “Only used me for a ride huh? Real nice Kat.”

  Kat says, “You know what I mean Brian.”

  “That’s okay. I understand. Just try to be on time next time and don’t bring tons of people here. Our supplies need to last a long time. We aren’t running a charity here.”

  Kat looks down an aisle and asks, “What are you running here? Why did you even let us in?”

  I stop walking and look at Kat.

  “We are helping people here, but I just want to make it known that we aren’t just giving everything away here. I want to help people, but I have learned in my life not to be a sucker and just give things away for free.”

  Brian says, “I unders
tand what you are saying Ryan. You don’t want to get taken advantage off, especially when you are helping people. I get it.”

  Kat says, “I agree with you Ryan. I’m just trying to figure out our agreement and what you want from this deal.”

  I think about what Kat says and I’m not sure what I want from Kat and Brian. I believe in karma and the principle that you get what you give in this world. I do enjoy helping others succeed in life.

  “I just want to help you and form an alliance with you. You were looking for household items like soap, shampoo, deodorant, and stuff we have an abundance of here. What can you offer us in return?”

  Kat says, “That’s my point. I’m not sure what we can provide you. You already have all this. What else do you need?”

  Lauren says, “Material positions aren’t everything. These products are great and will help us, but people are what the world needs. Good people. Good people to get rid of the bad people, problems, and zombies.”

  I look at Lauren and nod my head.

  “Well said Lauren. I agree with what she said.”

  Brian sees a box on a shelf and shouts, “No way! I can’t believe you have this here!”

  Brian walks over to a box in the electronic aisle.

  I walk over to Brian and ask, “What is it?”

  “It’s a drone. A super expensive drone. I have a drone with a crappy camera on it. This one here is awesome. The battery lasts days before a recharge. The camera works at night, you can go super high with this drone, and the zoom on the camera is awesome,” says Brian.

  “Well, you can have it. Take two actually. We have about 30 of them here.”

  “You serious? That’s awesome. Thank you,” says Brian.

  “You’ll have to show me how to use one of these things. I have never used a drone before.”

  Kat and Lauren walk down the health and wellness section.

  Kat grabs a couple bottles of shampoo from a shelf and looks at Lauren.

  Lauren looks at Kat and says, “Take what you would like to have, just don’t clear out any shelves or anything. I’ll let you know if you can’t have something.”

  Kat smiles and says, “Thank you. You and Ryan are awesome for this. The people at The Grove will be very thankful for these supplies.”

  Kat grabs some vitamins, soap, toothpaste, tooth brushes, protein bars, and laundry detergent.