Brandy Creek (Book Two Completed)

Part 17

The smell of burning flesh hits me for the second time in about twelve hours. When we made it to the new settlement the first thing we did was burn the bodies we had left. Now everyone is hauling out blood stained mattresses, while Blair keeps note on how many of what sizes are being tossed into the fire. We would need to go out and replace them. Taking a deep breath, I try not to choke on the smell, hopefully the mattresses will cover the smell soon. I move over to the washing station Lex and others had set up, I take the hose out of the bucket and spray my arms down. Not a lot of people were willing to touch the bodies, they would have to get over it at some point. But I would give them this moment to not have to deal with it. So I had lead the charge on the bodies.

"Here let me help." Its Gad - Matos father who speaks, he takes the hose from me so I can grab a bar of soap and scrub my hands. And yes, Mato's family had bullied their way into coming. His mother and sister were in the daycare area with a few others watching all the kids while we cleaned the area up. "I wanted to ask to go with to get the new mattresses."

"Did you ask Mato?" I ask him and got a annoyed looked from it.

"He's my son, I'm not gonna ask him for permission. I'll listen to his advice but not ask for permission." And he had come to me for said permission. "I wanted to ask because I saw a mattress firm on the way up here, its just down the street from a home goods. We can knock out two things at once."

Mattresses, new sheets, pillows and blankets? We could have everyone in there own space with a real bed tonight. It would help motivate everyone tomorrow, because tomorrow I want to work from sun up to sun down on that wall.

I give Gad a nod. "Know how to shoot a gun?"

He scoffs at me and places the hose back into the bucket -once my hands are completely rinsed off. "I grew up on a farm, and my dad would take me huntin' as soon as I was big enough to hold a rifle."

"You have one?" I ask and he flashes me his pistol tucked into his waist band under his flannel. "Go to the storage apartments, ask Tyler to get you a big gun that you're comfortable with along with extra ammo. Take a backpack with you."

He throws me a towel before heading off to get his gear. I turn and head over to Blair, who gives me a nod of acknowledgement. "I'm going to take Bjorn and Gad to get mattresses, sheets and pillows, I need three more people who can lift and still have some steam to do so."

"I can go with you." She suggests and I shake my head.

"You're doing a great job managing the heavy clean up. And don't suggest Mato or North, most of the guys are working on organizing the parts for the wall." Speaking of them I look over to see one chunk of the wall that was missing, North is standing in his shirtless tattoo glory. His grandpa is next to him, pointing things out that North grabs and moves to a designated pile. I'm not a builder, I have limited knowledge on what they are doing, so I'm just letting his grandpa take over the supervision of that.

"Becca is surprisingly strong." Blair nods to where she's helping a man with a twin mattress. "The hauling will be good for her to build up strength. She has potential."

That last bit was said with something akin to a dreamy tone in her voice. Blair clears her throat and both my brows go up. "Anyway.. Greyson could also be good, he should be back in a minute. Ah! Joe can help you too."

"Help with what ma'am?" Joe has one of those country accents that reminds me of a cowboy. Maybe he was one fifteen years ago. He tosses some bloody sheets into the large bonfire and squints behinds his large glasses from the flame blazing higher.

"Natalie and a few others are going to go get new mattresses, sheets and other stuff. She needs movers." Blair answers him.

He pulls a rag from his pocket and uses it to wipe off the sweat on his face. I'm surprised he wasn't wearing a hat because his head looked like it is starting to turn red. He tucks the rag into one of his pockets and nods. "I can do that, love to be useful."