monster | troy otto

part three

Somewhere along the road, Grace had drifted off to sleep, leaning against Troy's shoulder. They'd stopped along the side of the road once deemed safe and rearranged everyone amongst the many vehicles that had made it out. Grace had ended up in the front seat, between the driver and Troy. A large bump shook her awake and she quickly grabbed the screwdriver she'd been using as a weapon lately. "Where are we?" She mumbled, relaxing after she realized they were still driving. 

"We're almost there," Troy replied. Grace could see he was after finding some sort of bandage, most likely belonging to a first aid kit in the truck, and was holding it to his injured eye. There was no way of knowing the damage Madison had done to Troy's eye, not until they got where they were going.

Nobody had discussed where exactly they were heading. Grace could only hope it was safe.

Another hour passed before they stopped. It was a ranch, vast grassland entirely fenced in. There were stables, a large assortment of tents and campers, as well as cabins, and a beautiful grand home right in the middle. There were even cattle, and horses, Grace noted with delight. She'd always been an animal lover. This place looked like it hadn't been touched by the downfall of civilization, aside from the weapons the men at the gate sported. 

The truck pulled to the side, letting the other vehicles pass through the large gate. "Yo, who'd you piss off to draw guard again, huh?" Troy joked with the man at the gate.

In a straight tone, the man responded, "your father wants to talk to you."

"Jake already talk to him?"

"Jake ain't here. That's the thing, he ain't been here since he left. He's overdue." With those words, the tone changed in an instant.

"Alright," Troy said, opening the truck door and getting out, pulling Grace as well, gesturing to Nick and Madison, "get out of the truck."

"What?" Nick asked, confused.

"Get out of the truck and wait outside!" Troy demanded, having gotten back in his seat and closing the door. "Now, c'mon, get out!"

The mother and son joined Grace out of the truck, standing there with the guard as the truck pulled away, driving into camp. They closed the gate and Grace sighed, plopping onto the ground. She could hear Nick and Madison arguing, but tried to ignore it as she closed her eyes and leaned back, feeling the sun's rays on her skin. She stared into the camp, watching as the day continued on for the people inside. 

Some time passed before an older man approached from the other side of the fence. He offered Madison a cup of coffee and conversed with her for a few minutes. Then, Madison steps back and the man called out, "welcome, Nick and Grace!" he directed his next shout towards the man at the gate, telling him to open it. 

 Grace followed behind Madison and Nick as they were lead through the camp, the man introducing himself and giving them a tour of sorts. Everyone in the ranch had been doomsday preppers, preparing themselves for the downfall of humanity, but the dead coming back had been a surprise. Grace scoffed at that idea. How could anyone be ready for such a thing? Grace hadn't been. Neither had any of her family, that was if one could even call those people that.

Jeremiah gave Madison and Nick a cabin, then gave Grace a room in his own home. There was a free bed in the cabin, but he thought it best to give the Clarke family their own space, upon request of Grace. 

The young woman was given a change of clothes but chose to keep her own boots. Jeremiah told her where the bathroom was and Grace nearly squealed in delight upon finding the tap had running water. She washed up as best she could in the sink, managing to wash the blood off her skin and hair. She got dressed in the jeans and tank top, slipping on a light plaid shirt as well. It wasn't enough to keep her warm, but it would protect her arms and shoulders from the sun. 

She was braiding her wet hair in her appointed room when the door opened. "Dad said you mentioned experience with animals?" 

"I used to work with animals." She replied. Technically, it wasn't a lie, but she couldn't find it in herself to tell anyone what her life before had been like.

"Does that experience include horses?" He asked, holding a cowboy hat in one hand. 

"I suppose you'll have to find out." She smirked, accepting the hat. It reminded her of what her husband had worn, back when he was alive. 

"I suppose so." He agreed. 

They walked to the stables, where Grace could hear the sounds of many horses. Troy lead her to the last stall, where a black horse stood. He was fairly large, with a few white spots adorning his sides. "His name's Cow." 

Grace shot Troy a questioning look, and he shrugged his shoulders, "one of the kids named him. We lost his rider recently, so if he'll adjust to you, then he's yours." 

"Mine?" She murmured, running her hand along the animal's neck gently.

"Your responsibility, your job, so to speak. Everyone here has a job, that's how we've lasted so long. If he'll work with you, then you'll be the one to take care of him and earn your keep." Tory clarified.

"Right." Grace nodded, understanding. She knew she wouldn't be allowed to stay here without putting in some work. "Taking care of one horse isn't exactly a full-time job. Need any help farming?" 

"See, now you've changed my view of you entirely. I had you pegged as one of those rich, country club girls." Troy joked, glancing her way, "yeah, I bet we could use an extra hand for some of our crops. I'll mention it to my dad, but in the meantime, Cow here is your job, every day. Work on building his trust." 

Grace smiled at that. It felt like at least one part of her life would go back to normal, as weird as that sounded. Her grin grew when Troy asked if she wanted to bring Cow out into the training pen.