Stay strapped or get clapped G! - Can we talk in private?
Stay strapped or get clapped G! - Can we talk in private?
"Hey! They're here! They saw the note!" I immediately ran towards the gate and opened it. Kaley and Olivia followed after and I saw a camper outside the fence.
I opened the fences and let the camper in. A few splashes of blood were scattered across it and it looked like that it was rammed onto a few of them. It had a few dents here and there but it was still in working condition.
The door opened and I saw Kaley and Olivia's parents walk outside.
"Mom! Dad!" the two shouted with tears in their eyes.
I locked the fence behind and looked behind me. I smiled brightly looking at the four of them and tears fell on my eyes as well.
The four were in the ground crying and laughing and I just stood at the side happy for them. Allan was a slobbering mess while looking at them from the catwalk while Jenny and Aubrey were also teary-eyed.
Olivia was crying her heart out, hugging her dad while Kaley was the same, hugging her mom. Matthew and Marisha looked a bit famished but their faces were giving out expressions of joy and relief.
"W-W-We were so scared when there was no one at h-home! We just came back earlier and the w-whole place was filled with t-them!" Marisha was crying. Her eyes were red as well as her nose and she wouldn't let go of Kaley which was also a mess.
"You just came back today?! You saw the note then?!" Kaley said while wiping her eyes though tears were continuously flowing out from her eyes.
"Yeah, we figured that you two were safe when we saw that not just the supplies were taken but our pictures as well. We found the note in our bedroom and we found the stash that you hidden where I hide my gun." Matthew said, hugging Olivia tight.
"Well, it's all thanks to him." Kaley looked at my direction and the two scanned their eyes towards me.
"Mr. And Mrs. Payan, I'm not sure if you remember me but I'm the kid whom you helped years ago when your daughter transferred to my high school. It's great to meet you again and I'm happy that you two reached this place safe and sound.." I said respectfully as I made a small bow.
"Who?" Matthew looked at his wife.
"Oh! Are you that young man from back then? Dear, he's the one you almost scared to death with that look of yours. You look really different now!" Marisha exclaimed, wiping her eyes.
"Ah!" Matthew exclaimed as he finally remembered.
Matthew let go of Olivia and he approached me. He still had this domineering presence but it was nothing to me after all this time. He was looking at me straight in the eye and he exhaled after wiping his eyes with his sleeves.
He placed his left hand on my shoulder and then he raised his right hand for a handshake. I raised my right hand and we had a very strong handshake. I took it well but his expression turned different and he wasn't stopping and he was applying more force, trying to make me wince.
"This old man! Same as always. I'm not the same as before though." I thought to myself as I felt him squeeze even tighter.
I held my ground and squeezed harder.
I saw his eyebrow twitch while we were staring at each other. We were in a deadlock but I heard a clang.
It broke the tension and it resounded near the gate.
Matthew's grip lessened and he immediately let go.
"Ouch! Marisha! What was that for?!" Matthew exclaimed.
We looked back and Marisha was holding a pan.
"I know what you're doing!" Marisha exclaimed.
"Oh, I see it now. Kaley takes the most from her mom while Olivia from her dad. That almost psychic ability from Marisha and that death grip from Matthew is evidence." I thought to myself.
"I'm just giving him a handshake..." Matthew said weakly.
"Handshake?! Don't lie to me! We should be thanking him at least, you doofus!" Marisha exclaimed once more.
"'You doofus?' Yep, definitely from her mom." I smiled inwardly.
"Anyway, we're just having lunch. Care to join us? You must be tired and hungry, please." I said to them.
I opened the gate of the compound for them and they parked their camper next to the HUMVEE.
I introduced them to the group and I grabbed them a plate. I left them alone for now and I walked back to discuss the plans with Oscar. Zeus glanced at them and his tail slowly wagged though he followed behind me.
"That their parents' kid?" Oscar asked.
"Yeah, let's exclude Kaley for the plans for now. I'm thinking of another gas run to take every last drop from that station so we could go to the other one past the DDR camp." I said.
"That's good. I remember that there is a store there that has propane tanks and a bicycle shop." Oscar said.
"Yeah, if we're lucky, we could get one of those gas compressors so we could refill the ones that are empty." I added.
"Hold on, why don't we just get those electronic stoves? We have a lot of panels, right?" Jared added.
"It's possible, but when it hit, people rushed to the appliance store before they thought about food. Remember the appliance store near the public market? That place is probably barren by now. Well, most of the people here use stoves fueled by propane tanks and we only have two electronic stoves here. My aunt uses both types of stoves when she's cooking food for everybody because only using those electronic ones will take too long because of our numbers. However, if we find a house that has them, we'll definitely get it to save on gas." I explained and he nodded.
"Let's prep now and we'll leave in half an hour." I announced it to the rest of the group.
When I walked up to my room, I saw Kaley following me from behind. I waved her down and told her to stay for now since her parents were here. I checked my armory and I called for Lois.
"Hey, come with us for the moment yeah?" I said as I handed him a Ruger 10/22 and a Bereta M9.
"Oh! You're taking me outside? Nice. This is a Ruger 10/22, right? I love this gun so much." Lois was smiling as he held it. It had a low-power scope, a sling, and a suppressor.
"Yeah, focus now and don't doze off like last time. Remember the lesson we took? What's the basic firearm safety rules?" I looked at him.
"Of course, stay strapped or get clapped G!" Lois said proudly.
*thunk*
I threw a knuckle at the back of his head.
"Ow! I'm joking! Ahaha... the rules were: Always keep your firearm pointed in a safe direction, treat your weapon like it's always loaded, keep your trigger finger outside the guard and off the trigger until you're ready to fire. Umm- oh! Be certain of your target, your line of sight, and what lies beyond it. Lastly, always wear ear and eye protection when using and maintaining them." he recited what I said before when he went for my lessons.
"Good. And?" I looked at him if he remembers the rules of this place.
"Protect everybody and in turn, they will protect you. Leave no one behind." Lois said solemnly.
"Are you fine with that Ruger 10/22 or do you want an M70?" I asked.
"Nah, I like the .22 that's why I came for practice last time. The rounds for the M70 hurts my shoulders." Lois replied.
"Hah! You should get used to it in the future. I thought you want the Henry .45-70?" I asked.
"I just like the sound it makes when you push a round in the chamber, that's worse than the M70. Besides, good shot placement is key, right?" Lois said.
"Well, you're right about that. Let's go now, they must be waiting." I said.
I gave him a few more items and then we headed out.
Russel came with Oscar and Jo to get some gas while I'm with my usual group though Lois replaced Kaley for the moment.
We split off at the elementary school and we turned right and passed the DDR Camp a couple of blocks away.
We reached the destination and we parked in front of the store that sold propane tanks. We managed to get 20 tanks of 15kg in weight and 10 tanks of 5kg in weight. There was no gas compressor inside unfortunately so I opened the next store that sold bicycles.
We loaded 5 road racers, 3 kiddie bikes, and 5 shopping bikes with a basket in front of it. The ride was pretty uneventful and we only used a few rounds of our ammunition to kill a few that got too close. Well, Lois killed the most because shooting with the 10/22 was quieter compared to our guns. We let him have his fun and he added a few dozen to his body count.
When we got back, Oscar's group was still not here so I made a quick call.
-
*bzzt*
"You still kickin' old man?"
*bzzt*
-
*bzzt*
"Bah! Filling this tank takes too damn long! This kid kept on insisting we take the good stuff."
*bzzt*
-
We then asked for help with unloading the truck of its contents then I saw Jay approaching me from the side.
"Hey, can we have one of those bikes?" Jay asked.
"Oh, these are for you guys since you're the farthest one from us. Take a pedicab too for your parents so someone could drive them here. I gave one to Andrew's family as well because we're conserving gas. So, use those for now." I replied.
Jay was taken aback from the simple gesture and he was wearing a bright smile.
"Really?! We could use this?" he asked again.
"Yeah, this place is not a sweatshop, okay? I treat everyone as my own." I said with a smile.
Jay's smile was bright and he took one to test-drive.
As the guys were unloading the contents of the truck, I felt a strong hand on my shoulder. I looked back and saw Matthew looking at me with a solemn expression.
"Can we talk in private?" Matthew said.
I nodded and I guided him to the gym. However, a few people were using it so we headed to the rooftop where there was only the two of us.
"We're pretty much alone here. What do you need to talk about?" I said as I turned around to face him.
The wind was blowing and it masked whatever we were talking about. You'd only see us looking at each other with serious expressions while our mouths were moving. The clouds were slowly moving from the blue sky but it wasn't as pleasant as to what we two were talking about.