The Trip West: Rest Stop (Part 2)

Posted on Mon Aug 19th, 2024 @ 2:37am by Hale Stratton & René Rouen & Vienna Quinn & Reuben Baptiste & Timothy Reynolds & Ragnar Jørgensen & Timothy Cotton & Serena Reynolds M.D. & Thea Matthews & Chloé Rouen & Kimberley Hathaway & Joshua MacCallan & Kelly Cardona

3,315 words; about a 17 minute read

Mission: The Road Ahead
Location: Oneida Lake, New York (About 295 Miles Later)
Timeline: September 7, 2010 - 9:45 p.m.

[Over the Weapons Pile]

As Serena and the others started to get some food prepped, Timothy had asked for the weapons and ammo to be brought to the back of Edward's work truck, which the big man had already moved some of his tools to make a workspace. Over the open tailgate, Timothy had laid out a small tarp. On it, he started to lay out the weapons they had gathered. "Hey, Reuben? Would you please set up all the boxes of pistol ammo on top of the left box?" He pointed to the large tool box that sat atop of the entire driver's side of the work truck's bed. "TJ? Would you please do the same with the rifle and shotgun ammo on top of the right box?"

"Sure thing." TJ replied helpfully as he began to lay out the boxes of rifle and shotgun ammo, 12-gauge ,20-gauge, 16 - gauge and some buck shot. There was even some 410 gauge. For the rifles there were boxes of 22, 30-30, 7.62 a couple of boxes of 243 as well as 223 and many, many more.

Reuben nodded, "Sure thing. Pistol ammo on the box, by caliber." With that Reuben began selecting handgun ammo with the ease and quickness of a professional.

Timothy nodded to both men. He then began checking the movements of each weapon. Just because they were new, did not mean that they were properly lubricated. He started with the revolvers, then the semiauto pistols. Once those were good, and each were set in a safe condition, he worked over the shotguns, then the rifles.

"Okay," he finally said aloud. We have enough weapons here for each vehicle to get a pistol and long gun. As for the shotguns, those will go with whomever feel comfortable with them. As I've already got my service pistol, sniper rifle and Mossberg, we'll take the AR that I used in the gun shop." He looked over at Hale as he spoke. He glanced at the piles of ammo and nodded. "So long as we are careful, we should be able to stretch these out for a while." He indicated the two duffel that held various spare parts next.

"Once we get to your land and are able to set up an arms room, I'll go over and sort the parts. Hopefully, we won't be needing to use them for a long time."

Hale fixed Tim with a pointed stare, "and hopefully you'll refrain from using the AR unless there's no other possible option. I already have a pistol but I'll take a second for Alonzo and a long gun. And ammo. I'm down to nothing." He walked over to the pile and found one that would work for him and, out of long habit, checked that it wasn't loaded before doing an inspection. "Every cabin should have underground food storage, like the Quinns' had and I do have. We could probably expand that out into a place for the weapons."

TJ spoke next, "I have my pistol and rifle, Kelly has her pistol but we both could use some ammo for the pistols. I'll get some rifle ammo and take the Mossberg 500 pump shotgun and a box of ammo for it when we get to handing out the rifles and shotguns."

Henri approached Hale and looked at the arsenal laying out on picnic tables. He glanced at the teenagers before turning to Hale. "We will need to train the children in using firearms, at least a sidearm of some sort.

"Not just," Hale said as he turned toward Henri. "Half the adults don't know anything about weapons either. It's too late now but first thing in the morning, we'll get everyone started. How about that?"

Reuben picked up a Model 37 Home Defense Ithaca shotgun. He quickly ensured it was clear then inspected the shotgun, it was an 8 shot 12 guage. He smiled "I think I will take this bad boy with two boxes of 12 guage, and I will also take two more magazines for my pistol as well as two boxes of 9mm Parabellum, one of hollow shot the other eagle claw." with that he grabbed what he requested. He smiled "I agree we will need to educate folks both firearms and tactics if we are going to survive. I don't think they have to be up to military speed on tactics, just the basics, but weapons I say at least the average military recruit coming out of basic. What do you think?" he said looking towards Hale.

Thea rifled through her backpack then walked across alongside Reuben. “I have this...” She held out a small handgun. “My late husband taught me how to use it, but I don’t have much ammunition for it.”

Reuben stepped to the side a bit before taking the pistol from Thea, "First rule about any firearm is ensure that the chamber is clear and not loaded, especially when handing it off to another. Like this." Reuben slowly demonstrated for those around him. His tone was neutral and patient, one that is used for educating and not accusing. He pulled the slide back and out flew a .22LR round flew out, Reuben then dropped the magazine. Holding the weapon up he showed those around him how to ensure the chamber was clear. Smiling he looked at Thea, "This is a nice Sig Sauer P322 Semi-Auto Pistol." Reuben then reached over and grabbed two boxes of .22LR, and two spare magazines. He then reached down and picked up the stray round. He handed Thea the pistol, ammo, and magazines. "Merry Christmas early. I'll help educate you and the others more about firearms later, biggest thing to remember is keep the working end pointed away from anything you do not intend to shot." He winked and smiled "Appears Kenny decided to give you a bath."

Thea grinned and nodded. “He most certainly did.”

Kenny lay just a few feet from Reuben, and was slowly devouring the fish he had caught. His muzzle was pinkish red from the fishes blood and every once in awhile a loud snap or crunch could be heard. " Damn it Kenny, how many times have I told you that you are suppose to give me anything you catch before you eat it." Reuben chided gently. Looking at Thea he smiled "Sorry you got the bath, looks to me I actually get to eat my supper tonight. Kenny caught his, and as you may not want to observe is slowly making short work of it. Come on let's go back to the fire and let you warm up." Here Reuben looked up "May be getting some light precipitation soon."

Before anyone else grabbed weapons and ammo, Timothy spoke up. "We need to keep a roster of what everyone has, so we know where we stand against the world. I'll go around and issue the rest of the weapons and ammo to everyone. Everyone who has grabbed something, please go see my wife, Serena, and let her know, as she is in charge of group logistics right now." He looked everyone in the eye, using his best command tone. He wasn't berating them, or commanding them either. He was saying it in a polite yet firm, manner.

Reuben looked over at Timothy and gave a slight smirk that only a senior NCO could give. "Sure thing. I believe you know what I took and what I got for Ms. Matthews. Of course I'll be sure to inform Mrs. Reynolds." Reuben then turned to Thea, "Shall we?" he gave a low whistle and Kenny jumped up the last half of the fish he was eating dangling from his mouth, dripping blood.

"If we have any weapons that are malfunctioning, as long as someone has some tools, I should be able to make it work again," Killian commented having been quietly observing everyone going over the weapons pile. "Sorry, I'm was a gunsmith apprentice for the last year plus before the world ended."

Tim looked over at Killian and grinned. "Then you get those duffels," he pointed at the aforementioned duffel bags that contained the spare parts and tools for the weapons. "Once we get settled, I'll work with you on it. I've done a fair amount of tinkering and improving on my own weapons over the years.

"Looking forward to it," Killian stated with a slight nod of acknowledgement. He figured that once everything was divvied up, he'd take the aforementioned duffel bags and put them in the car before heading back to check on his wife.

After Killian replied, Tim looked over the rest of the collected weapons. As the military veterans of the group knew the AR 15 the most, as it was a near identical weapon of both the M16A2 and M4A1 platforms, he grabbed the other AR and handed it off to Hale. "Here. Also, I believe there is a scope in the spare parts duffel that will fit it. I've already got a scoped rifle, so I don't need it."

Hale took the AR15 for his own and four magazines, two 30-round and two 10-round, going through the process of checking it out. "We get any cleaning kits?"

Timothy nodded. "Enough to last us for a few months, at least, depending on how hard we are with our weapons."

"If we start running low on those supplies, I know what will work in a pinch and we can start looking for those supplies as we continue west," Killian offered. "The Gunsmith I worked under didn't like anything to go to waste."

Timothy looked over at Killian and nodded again, smiling softly as he replied, "Sounds like my kind person."

"Yeah, you'd probably like the old koot then," Killian replied.

Getting no objection, TJ took the Mossberg pump, a box of shells and then two boxes of ammo for his and Kelly's pistols. His hands full, he went to their SUV and put the shotgun and ammo in the back and went in search of Kelly to let her know he had gotten them some ammo.

[At the Grill]

Kimberly brought out some spices she had brought with her and with Serena they soon had the stew cooking away. It scented the air but they kept a wary eye out.

Serena left Kimberly with the stew and moved to check on the young teenager, Chloé who was sitting beside the fire. "Hey" She said softly. "You ok?"

The girl looked up and nodded. "Oui Madam, Sorry, yes." Serena studied her face and nodded "Okay, well, if you aren't, please let us know ok?" She chose her words carefully so she could understand due to the different languages.

Chloé smiled faintly and let her gaze drift back to the fire.

It had taken Calista and Killian time to get everything situated, taken their quiet moment before rejoining the rest of the group by the fireside. Killian had spent some time going over the car to make sure that everything was fine after their epic running out of the craptastic situation that they had been in.

Calista looked over to the group of people around the weapons pile and sipped her drink as she watched her husband interacting with the group. She remained quiet. This was the largest group she had been a part of since she had last been at work weeks prior.

[Back at the Weapons' Pile]

René approached Hale on his crutches. He had a concerned expression on his face, as if he was remembering something disturbing. "Monsieur Stratton, may I have a word with you?"

"Of course, Rene," Hale said as he gestured for them to move far enough away from the group to have a bit of privacy. "What's on your mind?"

René was quiet for a moment as he thought back to the time in the pharmacy. "Just before I was shot... I had cleared the pharmacy. I found the body of a junkie who had apparently died from an overdose."

"How'd you know," Hale asked, his head cocked slightly to one side. "That he was a junkie, I mean."

René sighed. "The needle was still in his arm and...there were no other signs of injury. No bites or scratches. Nothing that indicated he was attacked by one of the Soulless." René appeared thoughtful for a moment as he looked at the group not far away. "What should we tell the others?"

"About the man you found dead," Hale asked. "Why do you feel the need to tell them, Rene?"

René turned to Hale. "If the man died from an overdose and not from an infection of a bite or scratch from one of the Soulless...how did he...reanimate? That is my question. Perhaps we should discuss the matter with Doctor Reynolds and Doctor Quinn."

"Sure," Hale said. "Course, he could have been bit somewhere you didn't see. Still, something to keep in mind. We can watch for it in the future."

[Meanwhile, Back at the Table]

Ragnar inspected his blade by the firelight and then secured it in its scabbard that rested diagonally across his back; finally sure that none of the acidic gore was left to taint and damage it inside. He looked to Kelly and inquired of her. “You said you are a nurse?? Could you please take a look at my arm? I believe that it should probably be cleaned and tended to after the shop back there.”

Kelly offered a smile and a nod of her head. “By all means, the last thing you need is it getting infected. Let me get some medical supplies and I’ll sort it.”

Ragnar nodded and stripped out of his leather jerkin so that she could more easily access the wound and tend to it. He was solidly built from years working the forge and fighting in the arenas of multitudes of Renaissance festivals. He folded his jerkin and set it to the side just in time for Kelly to return with her supplies.

At the fire, Kimberly began to dish up the stew she and Serena had made. She made sure the younger teens got fed first then the adults.

René rejoined his sister and grandfather in line to get food. He was quiet as he got through the line and found a place to sit and eat with his family.

Vienna followed on behind René in the queue, she got the feeling that Chloé didn’t think very much of her, she made a mental note to speak to René about it. She gave her brother a big smile as she looked his way, just having him there meant the world to her.

Chloé sat and ate in silence as she listened to the adults around them. She was staying close to her grandfather and Brother.

Thea followed on behind the youngest, waiting patiently for her turn to get some food. She was glad to get whatever she could, good nutrition was essential for her and her growing son.

Reuben walked over to the vehicle and grabbed his ruck. He dug in it for a few seconds and pulled out an old, well cared for U.S. Army Mess Kit. He then walked back over to the grill and fire. He stood way in the back, Kenny laying at his feet slowly finishing his meal. Reuben wanted to ensure the youngest, then the female adults ate first; basically reverting back to his senior NCO days, troops and officers eat before the seasoned NCO's.

Timothy stood in line, behind Reuben. He could see what the old NONCOM was doing, and he felt the same way. When it was finally their turn, he spoke softly. "Go ahead, your turn."

Reuben chuckled lightly as he reached in his right lower DCU top and pulled out the hard case for his glasses. He gently put them in and returned the case back to its pocket, where he secured the buttons. Reaching into his left pocket he withdrew an eyepatch took his bonnie off and then slide the patch over his right eye, replacing his hat. "No, think I'll let everyone else get theirs first, have to watch this one..." here Reuben glanced down at Kenny who was finishing off the fish he had caught. "... before he decides to get into more mischief, he loves the attention he gets. Good news is I will not have to share my supper with him tonight."

Ragnar watched for a moment and then dug into his own bag to pull out a hand-forged portable trail kit fell into line with Reuben and Timothy; their thoughts mirroring his own though from a different path of life altogether.

TJ stood behind and to one side of Captain Reynolds and two other men whose names he believed were Ragnar and Reuben. He would wait for Kelly. He was thinking of the blunder he made in the gun shop. How could he have done it? Answer: He screwed up and he felt awful, thankfully no one had gotten hurt but it didn't ease his guilt.

“Hey, you okay?” Kelly gave TJ a worried look as she walked over to him, there was obviously something bothering him.

TJ flashed her a smile, "Hi Sweetheart. Sure, I'm fine." Then in a lower voice he said, Let's get something to eat, and I'll tell you." He could nothing from Kelly.

Reuben finally relented after Kenny finished his fish. He stepped up and presented the divided lid of his mess kit. "Smells delicious, guess it is my turn for some of of the stew please." Since Kenny had already eaten he decided to share a portion of his meal with Thea. He was not sure why he was being so attentive towards the woman, and he was not about to go down the road of figuring out his feelings for her. For now he would do his best to ensure her safety as well as Kenny's.

Serena sat with PJ in her lap, having gotten him back from Josh who was sitting at her feet eating. She fed PJ in silence. Her little boy was looking around at everyone quietly.

After getting food for himself and Serena, as he knew she hadn't eaten yet, Timothy moved over to where his family was sitting. When he reached them, he leaned down, kissing PJ on the top of his head, then up and kissed Serena on the lips. Afterwards, he sat next to his wife and son, looked down at his brother-in-law and smirked, "Sorry, no kiss for you."

Josh smirked back. "All good sugar lips, you are not my type." he quipped back. "I like my kisses from lovely ladies."

Serena rolled her eyes and took the food Tim had brought her with a warm smile.

Timothy smiled, chuckling softly. As they started to eat, he spoke to Josh. "We haven't has a chance to talk yet. How did you make it out of the City in one piece? I imagine things were beyond crazy down there."

Josh looked up at Timothy and gave a slight shrug. “My boss made a few comments a few weeks ago, and most of us were sent to work from home, courts were suspended and the jails were locked down. When Dad ate his gun, I packed up. Jasmine and I were separated and then she died, so there was nothing keeping me in the city. I was heading for Tennessee but the roads were bad south when I ran into Lydia and then we ran into Kimberly and then TJ.” He ate a bit more “Then into you lot at the medical centre, they were hoping for the safe zone.”

The group settled down for a meal and conversation. For once, the world cooperated which was a blessing all in it itself.

 

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