Apocalypse Wow, Pt. 08

In Part 7...

The relationship between Jim, Simone and Chloe reached a new peak as they shared a wild, passionate threesome and later, for the first time, Simone and Chloe spent the night alone together.

As they plan for the future, a trip to the closest city, Durden, for some much needed supplies instead revealed a shocking discovery: Caroline, a new survivor and a doctor at the city's hospital.

As the newly formed foursome made their escape from the city, they were set upon by red-eyes and, if not for their new friend's surprisingly astute marksmanship, they just might not have made it.

***

It's the End of the World as Jim Knows it.

Part 8 - "Where'd you learn to shoot like that?"

***

What's the matter with you?

*Nothing Dad, I'm fine.

Well now I know something's wrong.

*What the hell are you talking about?

It's been my experience Danielle that you only ever refer to me by that term if you are either A- feeling very nostalgically affectionate towards your old man or B- feeling mad as hell towards your old man. Now, I may be no expert on body language, but you don't look too affectionate to me just at the moment.

*How could you Dad?

How could I what?

*Don't start with me asshole. You know what I'm talking about.

I'm sorry Dani... I am. I was going to tell you but-

*But what? You fucking forgot?

No... I... Dani, listen to me. These last few weeks... I've spent more time with you and with the kids than I have in... well, in too long. And seeing what you're doing, actually being a part of it... and remembering how it all started... it got me thinking I guess. And then you got me to go back to the school and-

*So this is my fault? Is that it?

Well, yeah I guess the scouting team have you to thank for their newest recruit.

*Scouting is dangerous Dad. You... You're...

Sweetheart, I have to tell you, if you're about to tell me I'm too old for scouting, I strongly advise a change of tack.

*Hhhhhh... you're impossible.

Do you think I'm too old?

*No... it's... No Dad...

What is it Dani? Talk to me.

*I don't want you to go! Are you fucking kidding me?! You've been in this... this... funk for like two fucking years. You... retreated to this house like a fucking hermit and now... now... just when... when you're coming back to us... and the kids......... Daddy...

Come here sweetheart......... This isn't a bad thing D. It's not. I'm glad you brought me out of that... whatever you called it...

*Funk.

Right. You've made me feel like I have a sense of purpose again Dani. I guess I thought it was OK to hand over my responsibilities, let the younger folks at it, you know, but... I feel good D. I feel strong. And everything we've been talking about, all the things we had to do back then... Honestly, after you leave I find myself sitting here thinking what the hell am I doing? I could contribute so much more.

*But the school-

I love teaching Dani, you know I do, but... come on, they don't need me. I can be more useful scouting. I fucking invented scouting.

*That was a long time ago Dad. And what if I need you, did you think of that? You could be gone a year. I mean, I could be-

I know D and I did think about that.

*And?

And I know you have the Community here to support you, same as it's always done, same as it is for all of us. We put our trust and our faith in one another Dani, we have to. And I know there's no one who believes that more than you sweetheart. You live it everyday. And we all do our part to contribute, just like I have to.

*Oh Dad...

So are we still at mad as hell or have we moved on to nostalgic affection?

*Shut up......... I love you Dad.

I love you too sweetheart. Now what do you say we get back to it? Seems I might have to be somewhere else in a couple of weeks.

*Right... OK.

Where were we?

*You just got back with Caroline, Jerry met you at the house.

Right. Now, genuinely, I'd been a little worried about Jerry although Chloe had insisted he'd be fine by himself. Anyway, there was a lot of relief going around after making it back in one piece after... well... you know, and I guess seeing Jerry sitting there at the bottom of the steps wagging his tail was just another layer.

So Chloe did this big "Hey Jer!" as she climbed out of the front seat and Jerry happily bounded over to her. "Caroline, this is Jerry, the fourth resident of our little sanctuary," she said.

Now Caroline had climbed out too by then and Jerry ambled over to her. Shit, he was so damn happy to meet someone new, his tail was wagging so much, he almost struggled to walk. And Caroline smiled. I mean, she'd done it, weakly I guess, fleetingly a couple of times before we'd left the hospital but this was the first time I saw her really smile. It was... it was nice. I remember looking at Simone with a big stupid grin on my face and she was doing the exact same thing to me.

"Jer, this is Caroline, our new friend," Chloe said completing the introductions and all.

Now, I was a little struck by this. Was Caroline our friend? Was every person we met - assuming there would be more - going to be our friend? Or at least friendly? Shouldn't we be more wary of new people? I knew everyone in the world wasn't good, I'd dealt with my fair share of assholes and dickheads in my life.

But... still, even as that thought passed through my head I knew Caroline wasn't one of them. I know it's all well and good to say that now but, I just knew. Sure, we had lots of questions about her, not least her fucking amazing marksmanship, but... well... I guess I just had a feeling about her.

And she was a fucking doctor! I mean, OK we had to get to know her and be able to get along with her but she was a fucking doctor! The end of the world hadn't much use for high school teachers or lawyers so Simone and I would have to get by on whatever other skills we had, but Caroline, she was fucking indispensable, you know?

Anyway, Simone started leading us up the steps, asking Caroline, like "What'll it be? Something to eat? Maybe a hot shower?" like we were a fucking hotel or something. And Caroline had not stopped smiling. She was kind of looking around her, actually did like a full circle before turning back to Simone.

"I... I... don't know...," she said, "I really want both of those things. You can't really eat in the shower, can you?" I mean it wasn't a side splitter or anything, but we laughed pretty hard. I'm telling you, we liked her immediately. All of us.

"How about Jim fixes us some food," Simone said, "and Chloe and I can show you upstairs, get you fixed up with some clothes and a towel and whatever." So I had my orders.

I heard plenty more laughing upstairs while I got the food ready, after feeding Jerry of course. Honestly, that dog could eat all day everyday and never get any bigger. Anyway Simone arrived down a few minutes later. They figured Caroline a pretty good size match for Chloe so they'd left out some clothes and then showed Caroline to my parents' room where Chloe was in the process of putting on fresh sheets.

Simone came over to me pretty unceremoniously and enveloped me. I took her head in my hands and just kissed her softly. The relief in her eyes was... was a little bit overwhelming actually. I don't think there were too many times I felt her hold me so tightly.

"I was so fucking terrified Jim," she said, and she kind of rested her head against my chest.

"You were amazing out there Simone," I said, "and it was just like you said it would be, with the three of us, looking out for each other."

Chloe wasn't far behind Simone and when she saw us, she joined in too, wordlessly. Just wrapped her arms around us. And so we just kind of stood there for a while, holding each other. Being thankful for each other.

Actually, it went on so long I started to wonder about... well... how were we going to explain to Caroline about... you know, us. You might remember Simone and I having a conversation about the same topic when Chloe first arrived but... obviously things were... different now. And I really didn't want to make Caroline uncomfortable. I was already thinking about her being one of us, you know?

And not just because she was valuable, as a doctor I mean. Obviously, that would be a huge asset to us, having someone with that kind of skill and knowledge but, really... well, even then... my main concern was... for her. I mean it. I wanted her to be safe, to be comfortable. To be able to have hope for the future instead of just struggling to survive. I guess even then I'd started to feel like that was what we'd survived for.

Anyway, we separated eventually so I could go back to preparing what was effectively lunch. I guess it was early afternoon at that point. Chloe headed out to check the electricity system, which she usually did several times a day just to be safe, while Simone and I got lunch ready.

They'd told Caroline to take her time in the shower and she certainly took full advantage so I think she was a little sheepish when she came in to the kitchen at last. I remember her hair was still wet and she was wearing a simple top and shorts I recognized as Chloe's.

"I... ah... I'm sorry..." she said, "I think I might have... ahm... used all the hot water."

"Don't be silly," Simone said, and just smiled at her, "that's what it's for. Besides, there'll be plenty more soon enough."

"How do you... I mean... god... I have so many questions!" Caroline said, after Simone showed her to the table.

Now, Simone and I looked at each other and this kind of mutual understanding passed between us. Obviously we had a lot of questions for Caroline too, and we knew there was probably a lot she could tell us. But we also knew that, at that moment, the most important thing was to help her to feel comfortable, to feel like she could trust us, to feel safe with us.

So I said, "Well, start anywhere! What would you like to know?" just as Chloe came back in.

And so, in no particular order, as she asked her questions, we told Caroline everything that had happened to us since the First Day, and a good deal about ourselves from before too. And you know, it was nice actually, that part, it reminded me of just how much I'd gotten to know about Simone and Chloe, and them about me too I guess. More often than not it felt like we were answering questions about each other as well as ourselves when Caroline asked.

And, no, we didn't tell her about all the sex. We hadn't discussed what we would say if it came up somehow and I guess it really didn't. We just went with what felt right as we needed to. So by the end of the story, she did know that Simone and I were... an item I guess but not about the other stuff. Not about Chloe I mean... Chloe and me that is. Or Chloe and Simone. Or Chloe and Simone and me at the same time. OK, so she didn't really know a lot about that... side of things. For the moment.

Anyway I guess we were answering questions for maybe a couple of hours. Lunch was finished, coffee too. I can't deny that it was another huge plus point in the Caroline column that she got really excited about the coffee.

I should say at this point that while, yes, our first impressions of Caroline were very positive, it was clear to all of us that she was being guarded. Throughout the whole time we were telling her our story, she didn't reveal anything about herself, didn't jump in to acknowledge a similar experience she'd had or anything like that. Still, we stuck to our unspoken plan and just left it up to her.

So when it had kind of reached a natural conclusion, I made the suggestion that we should really unload the car before it got dark and Simone and Chloe were totally on board with that.

And then, just as we went to clear the table or whatever, Caroline said "I guess you all must have a lot of questions for me too." And sure, we looked at each other but there was still no need to talk about it. We all understood.

So Simone spoke for us. "Sure we do Caroline," she said "but... it's been a really eventful day and, after everything you've been through I guess we figured you should... take it easy, relax a little. We can talk more later or, in the morning, whatever."

And she smiled again, Caroline did I mean. Not the same as that... that joy she'd had when she first got out of the car, but... I think the way Simone had explained what we were thinking might have been exactly the right thing to say. She was always pretty good at that.

"OK... sure," Caroline said. "But I want to help with the car, relaxation was never really my thing."

"The more the merrier!" I said and we set about it.

Now the car was packed tight so it did take us a while to get everything into the house. I was a little curious how Caroline would react to the guns.

"Holy shit," she said, when we got to them, "you guys got some serious firepower here. You got all this at the big-box store?"

"Yeah..." I said, "I... ah... I don't really know a massive amount about guns, I mean, like I said, my dad taught me a little but I guess I picked the ones that looked the most menacing, you know?" and I kind of smiled crookedly.

"Well, you did good Jim," she said. Now, to me, this was a pretty solid hint, obviously taken alongside what she'd actually done with a gun at the hospital, that there was a lot more than just being a doctor to Caroline than we knew at that point.

So we made a start on stowing and organizing the supplies and dinner was a little later than usual that night. Chloe lit the fire and told Caroline that, seeing as it was her first night with us and all, she got to pick the movie if she wanted. We'd just finished the Godfather trilogy so Simone pleaded for something a little lighter and we got Grease. I'd actually seen Caroline's face light up when she saw it in the stack. I'm not a huge musical guy but... hey, who doesn't like Grease?!

And it was nice, you know? We got a story from Chloe about how she'd been a pink lady in a high school production and then we insisted that she sing along with a couple of numbers, which of course she was only too happy to do. And I thought Caroline was starting to open up a little... like, she genuinely enjoyed herself. Maybe it was just... being in company again, you know? Having other people around or whatever. But she was happy. And we learned our first little bit of personal information about her - man, could she sing!

Anyway, I thought everybody looked pretty tired after the movie, I was certainly exhausted.

"Well, I'm pretty beat guys," I said, "think I'll hit the hay," and I stretched out a bit. Simone told me she'd be up in a few minutes and Chloe kept her distance when wishing me goodnight.

"Goodnight Jim," Caroline said, "and... thank you."

"Night Caroline," I said, "I'll give you that one for free, but no more thanks OK? I'm just glad you're here."

"Me too," she said and just smiled this little smile and nodded softly. And I knew she meant it.

I was almost asleep when Simone climbed in beside me maybe twenty minutes later.

"And then there were four..." she said, "well, five I guess. Can't forget Jerry," and she had this big broad smile on her face and she kissed me softly.

"What do you think?" I asked.

"Same as you," she said and I had a bit of a chuckle at that. "Obviously she's being careful," she said, "that's only sensible, it's what I'd do but... I think she's starting to get the idea about... who we are, that we're not weirdos or whatever."

"I dunno Simone," I said, "some of the stuff that's gone on around here lately has been pretty fucking weird," and got a dig to the chest for my trouble.

"Shut up," she said, "I don't mean that. Besides, we'll figure that out. We're not going to be able to keep it a secret forever, and we shouldn't. I just think we should let her get to know us a little before she finds out, like..."

"That the three of us can't keep our hands off each other?" I suggested.

"Exactly," she said.

And there was no argument here.

And then in the morning, Caroline was already up when I went downstairs. We'd shown her where the basics were in the kitchen and sure enough she had a steaming pot of coffee made. That was probably why I was smiling a little stupidly when I came in.

"Now that's a smile a good pot of coffee deserves," she said, grinning a little.

"Yeah... it's... Chloe did the same thing on her first morning here..." I said, "made a pot of coffee I mean. Just remembering that I guess. So... how'd you sleep?"

"I slept great..." she said, "I... I really didn't think I would what with all the excitement yesterday and, well, in a strange place and all..."

She kind of trailed off and I had the feeling she wanted to add 'with strange people'. I don't know, maybe I'm wrong about that.

"But I guess," she went on, "a hot shower, some actual clothes and a hot meal makes a pretty big difference."

I kind of smiled and I nodded politely. I was thinking about how Simone or Chloe would have been so much better in this situation along with, well, something to say I guess, when she surprised me.

"Jim?" she said, and she was looking at me with this... I don't know, but it was definitely a new look.

"Yeah," I said.

"Ask me a question," she said. "Start with the one I know you're dying to ask."

"Where'd you learn to shoot like that?" I said, didn't even miss a beat. We both chuckled at the shared understanding of what had been on my mind. But the barriers were down.

"I was, until pretty recently actually, I was in the military," she said, "the Navy, but I spent most of my time with the Marines. I guess they teach you a thing or two about marksmanship."

"Jesus, you can say that again. Semper fi," I said and she smiled and kind of made a little mock salute.

And then there was another moment of silence and I was pretty anxious not to let this opportunity pass to get her talking. I mean, she'd literally asked for it, she wanted to talk to me.

Anyway, what I said was "Do you want to talk about it?" Now, I probably hadn't phrased it great but, from the way she looked at me, I knew she knew what I meant. The First Day. How she survived. It was a look that said, yes I do while at the same time asked for patience. There was an understanding that it wouldn't be easy.

And so we talked. Chloe and Simone had joined us not long into it and I was glad of that. I think Caroline was too, in fact I know she was, she told me later. She was glad she didn't have to retell the story.

So she started way back. She was 32, originally from New York, a third generation Chinese-American. Her mother was a teacher, her father a police officer. She'd wanted to be a doctor all her life but a more traditional route through medical school was beyond what she or her family could afford. So she'd joined the Navy, who put her through college, and served as a doctor mostly with Marine units until around 18 months previous when she took up the job in Durden.

Now, the obvious question to me here was wasn't this a massive fucking change of pace? I mean, Durden was effectively a tiny little backwater from what I knew of it, lacking in almost any excitement whatsoever. She said that's exactly why she picked it.

Anyway, fast forward to the First Day. She'd gone to work as normal. Actually, her initial description of her day really reminded me of what it had been like for Simone and me that morning too. Obviously we were doing something a little out of the ordinary but, you know, there was traffic. It was a little warm for my liking. I was thinking about asking a new girl at work on a date while I drove. You know, normal shit.

So it had been a quiet morning in the ER, nothing too taxing or concerning and then all hell broke loose. Caroline thought one of the orderlies had been what she called patient zero, at least in the hospital. It became pretty clear to her after just a few minutes that, whatever was going on wasn't confined to the hospital.