OVERPOPULAS

Chapter 30

We approached the front of the farmhouse where I unlocked the front gate and we both walked in. The sun was shining down on us, we had to be gone for a good three hours or so, maybe even more.

"Hey guys!" Fred yelled out at us from on top of the house. "Do you like the new outlook? I figured since we have a scope on this rifle we might as well put it to use while also giving a comfy spot to sit down on." He had a white plastic chair posted on top of the flat roof, the rifle laying down on his lap. He looked at both of our expressions, we weren't really in the mood to comment on his new outpost. "You guys ok? Did something happen?"

"Come down and we'll tell all of you." Jesse said to him as we approached the front door.

His face turned to curiosity to worry in a flick of a switch. He quickly climbed down from the roof and landed right behind us as we turned the knob of the door.

We opened up and saw Alice taking a nap on the couch, Nancy was in the kitchen cooking up dinner, and William was helping her out.

Nancy darted her eyes and turned around to face us. "Hey you're both back." She greeted us. "Getting hungry? I'm makin some delicious-"

"We all need to have a talk." I interrupted her.

"Oh ok." She tossed some baked slices of potato up in the air and then back down. "This is almost finished, let me just sizzle it a bit more ok?"

"What's going on?" William asked us.

"That's what I like to know too." Fred butted in.

"Sit at the couch and wake Alice up as well. Everyone needs to hear this." I commanded.

Fred and William both looked at each other confused but complied in the end. They walked up to the couch and lightly tapped Alice on her leg.

Her eyes slowly opened and she yawned, stretching her arms out as she did. "Where's Lee?" She asked Fred as it was the first person that she saw.

"Over there." He pointed towards me.

"You're home!" She jumped off the couch ecstatic. She hugged me but that joy was short lived as her lively face gleaned up towards mine. She read the situation, something serious was going on. "What happened?"

"Sit down and I'll explain." I told her. "We're going to need a huge change of operations around here."

"Why? Is someone out to get us?"

I didn't respond to her and only motioned towards the couch.

The fear built up in her eyes as she shimmied over and sat right down in the middle of the couch.

"Ok ok the potatoes are done." Nancy hurried over. "What's going on?"

Everyone was huddled around the couch and were awaiting for what we had to announce.

I looked over at Jesse and nodded at her to signal that she could start. She took a deep breath and started spouting away.

"During our scavenge this morning. We were ambushed and attacked by a huge group of thugs." She said,

"Were both of you hurt?" Alice was the first to ask.

"I don't know about Lee but I was slashed by a passing bullet on my wrist." She showed it to them.

Nancy gasped and walked over to inspect her wound. "My god we'll get you bandaged up, did you bleed a lot?"

"No, but it stung quite a bit."

"We need to make sure it didn't nick a vein or something vital, or before it gets infected, we'll get that patched up."

They both walked into the restroom where Nancy pulled out the medkit and sat Jesse down on the toilet to heal it. Leaving me up front and the speaker.