The Compound - Zeus
The Compound - Zeus
The gate was made with solid steel and it was segmented into four parts vertically. It could only be opened from the inside and it was pretty heavy.
The two inner parts could be folded inward to latch onto the outer parts and they could be folded once more to hug and latch on the walls. It was approximately 6 meters in height, 14 meters in width, and 4 inches thick. Each gate segment spanned for approximately 3.5 meters but one of them, which was the one on the furthest right, was a little different.
That gate segment had a small door that can be opened from the inside through a lever, and outside if you have the keys for it. It had a small handle outside and a slit for letters to be delivered.
Inside the compound, the landscaping was meticulously planned and each space inside wasn't wasted. There were some flora and a few things for aesthetic but it blends well with the whole compound.
Five modern houses could be seen in the furthest part from the gate and behind that was a backyard with a medium-sized pool with several benches, tables, and even a grill, perfect for outside picnics. The houses looked quite similar but there were a few distinctions like the American Flag located on the house on the left-most side and a few painted artworks on the walls from the house second to the right side.
On the left side of the compound were our workshop and our parking area. The working area had several tools and materials that were displayed and stored neatly. Aside from that, a few sections for woodworking, metalworking, repairing certain items, and etc. were also present.
Right beside it were several vehicles: a blue sedan, a black SUV, a covered motorcycle, and a white minivan. On the corner where the left wall and the front wall meet, two boats and a jet ski, covered by a tarp, were placed comfortably on metal bars welded through the walls and the floor. A trailer where they could be hooked up was right beside them in case we wanted to use them.
On the right side of the compound, two buildings were present. The closest one resembled a shed or a barn for animals and the one next to it resembled a greenhouse where the surrounding walls were translucent. Vegetables were being grown inside but a few fruit-bearing trees were present on the outside. The trees also provide shade and one of them had a swing attached by a rope.
'Home sweet home…' I thought to myself.
As we drove inside, I parked the ambulance near the white minivan along with the other vehicles. I hopped outside the driver's seat and I was followed by Kaley and Olivia. Their eyes wandered around but I asked them to help me with the luggage. I opened the door from the back to grab our supplies but I felt a quick hit to the back of my knees.
'This motherfucker…' I thought to myself.
My left knee folded but I wickedly grinned as I turned around to give the person behind me a high overhead kick.
"Fuck!" Jared exclaimed as he tried to block it. As soon as I saw his left arm rising up to block, I twisted my knee to redirect my high kick to a low kick towards his left leg.
My leg sliced through the air and a dull thud was produced.
Jared was too late to react to the quick switch and I managed to land a hit on his leg.
"C'mon bro! Can't you hold back at least? Sheesh!" Jared groaned as he was rubbing his leg furiously.
Jared was a head taller than me but I was older than him for a few years. He had a fit body but his height made him look like he was a bit skinny. He had short and straight hair and he had a fair complexion.
"Ohoh~ still training I see." Oscar gave me an approving look as he rubbed his chin.
"Bro, we're about to head to Wilcon's Depot to buy a few building materials but we saw you arrive from the cameras. Want to come with us?" Jared said as he swung the keys around his fingers.
I made a quick look around, "Nah, you guys could handle it. I'm going to have them settle here first. Where's the truck?"
"Oh, our uncles drove them to Polo and started to get everything from your stores. I also gave them the keys to the store here. They said they'll stop by there too later but they went for the farthest ones first." Jared replied. However, his eyes shifted to Kaley and Olivia and his eyes made this mischievous look.
'Oh boy.' I thought to myself.
"Hello, I'm Jared, his cousin. Wink once if you are taken hostage, okay? Hey bro, isn't kidnapping a crime? I know we're relatives but I'll file a- ack! Ow!" Jared was spewing bullshit but Oscar smacked the back of his head then he pulled him to his SUV.
"Bah! We're losing time and you just had to be like your cousin eh? Where the fuck is Lois? He's supposed to close the gate for us." Oscar grumbled.
Before Oscar started his SUV, he looked at me said, "Oh right, kid, I've talked to the others. They're coming and I said that we will have a meeting later at night. Hey, could you close the gate then?"
I simply nodded then he gave a small salute as he drove off with Jared.
I was about to close the gate for them but the door from the second house on the right opened. A sleepy kid in his teens walked outside eating a piece of bread.
It was my other cousin and Jared's younger brother, Lois.
Lois saw me and made an upwards nod then we went to the gate and closed it. He had curly and long hair, different from his older brother. Although they looked the same, his skin tone was much darker and he had this carefree and aloof attitude. He was the same height as me and he was built as a normal high schooler would.
After we closed the gate, he quickly went back to his house after sparing us a small salute. Kaley and Olivia just looked at each other before giving a funny look. They must've been referring to Lois's behavior but didn't put it to mind. I then motioned for Kaley and Olivia to follow me to my house in the middle which was the biggest out of the five in the compound.
As we stepped on the porch, a huge Golden Retriever popped out of nowhere, and on his leather collar, a metal name tag was hanging where the name 'Zeus' was written at the front. He was looking so happy to see me and his tail was wagging like a propeller. However, I couldn't pet him because of the bags I was carrying. He was trying to jump and kiss me and I was having a hard time reaching for my keys.
"Woof! Woof! Woof!" Zeus was fucking excited.
"Zeus, wait a sec. Sit!" I exclaimed then he quickly sat down. However, Zeus was still wagging his tail and the two behind me pushed me aside.
"He's so cute!"
"Hi, Zeus!"
"Take a picture with me~"
"Who's a good boy~?"
"Woof!"
"Yes! It's you! Come here!"
They kept on petting Zeus and now he was laying on the floor, kicking his foot in the air with his tongue out, visibly happy on what the two were doing to him.
I was finally able to open my door and place the bags that I was carrying. However, there was still more inside the ambulance so I went back to get them. Olivia stayed with Zeus but Kaley followed me from behind.
We were quiet on the way to the vehicle but I heard her mutter, "Hey, thank you again."
I just gave Kaley a smile but she gave me a sideways hug. Surprised, I ruffled her hair, getting her ponytail slightly loose. She let out a small hiss but then she pulled the tie off, letting her hair dangle once more. She was cutely pouting when she jabbed my shoulder but she went ahead and picked up a few more bags to carry.
As we walked back, the screen door from the 2nd house opened once again. A small girl with long flowing hair walked out wearing simple attire and a pair of glasses. It was Lois and Jared's youngest sister, Aya.
"Oh! Hi Sky! Mom~! Sky's here!" Aya said as she closed the screen door then it opened once again.
After that, an older woman walked outside and waved at us. She looked exactly like my cousins because she was their mother and my aunt, Sharon.
"Welcome home! Haa~ Lois just walked outside then went back, never mentioning that you arrived. Good thing Aya saw you, that kid doesn't have a care in the world sometimes." Aunt Sharon smiled.
Her eyes then shifted to Kaley then she gave me the same fucking smile Jared did. Aya also came out, smiling at the two of us.
"Can't believe I'd see the day you'd take a woman home! Aren't you going to introduce me?" Aunt Sharon snickered as I facepalmed.
"It's not like that! Kaley, forgive my aunt and the rest of them. My relatives are a crazy bunch. Aunt Sharon, Aya, this is Kaley, the one over there still petting the dog is her little sister Olivia. Kaley, Olivia, that one is Aya and that crazy old lady is my aunt, Aunt Sharon." I introduced them then Aya waved at them with a smile on her face.
"Oscar said there will be a small meeting later?" Aunt Sharon asked as her face turned solemn.
"Yeah, I hope everyone believes me now. Even so, I hope they come here safely." I said solemnly.
Kaley gave me a look of a person wanting to ask a few questions but she stopped herself and we continued to walk back to my house. Olivia opened the door for us and I gave them a small tour.
"This first floor here is the living room but I have space here in the corner for Zeus. We could say that the living room is actually his room and he likes to watch the TV with someone accompanying him. A couple of steps here are the kitchen and the dining area. That door at the end leads to the backyard and this door right by the stairs is the comfort room. You could help yourself with anything on the fridge and the cabinets, we also have a pantry here where we store other food supplies." I started.
"Oh~ Where does this lead to?" Olivia pointed at the stairs heading down.
"That leads to the basement that I use as a storage area. It's bigger than it looks from here but let's go upstairs to your rooms." I replied.
We walked upstairs and guided them to the three rooms on the second floor. I gave them a duplicate key for the two available rooms but they decided that they would just bunk with each other.
"That's okay. Here's the key for this room and this is the keys for the front door and the front gate. I don't want you two going outside without me but I am giving these to you just in case." I said.
"That wouldn't be a problem." Kaley replied and Olivia nodded.
"The cabinets and the drawers are free to use and you could unpack any way you want. If you need anything, just tell me and I'll see what I could do. The outlets are over here and over there but if it's still lacking, the extension cords are under that drawer. The AC's remote is on that table and you could turn it on whenever because we're almost running everything on solar power. However, we don't have bathrooms inside our rooms and they're all located by the stairs and on each floor but we have hot water and you're free to use them. If you want to use them now, I'll just use the one in the gym on the third floor. A-Anyway, I'll tell my aunt to include us for lunch and I'll just call you when it's ready." I concluded. I was about to leave them when Kaley called out to me.
"Wait. Thank you again." Kaley said to me.
"No prob-" I was about to give her a fist bump or a small handshake but she gave me a tight hug.
She was hugging me for about 10 Mississippi's now and I could smell her sweet scent. Her arms were wrapped around my torso, her chest was pressed against mine, and her head was on the side of my cheek.