Post by Cassidy Porter on Jan 30, 2018 14:31:51 GMT -5
It had been almost a month since the group had settled into Glen Lakes Estates in Lexington. The Kentucky subdivision was like a dream, a gated community of multi-million dollar homes with all of the bells and whistles that made them luxury homes even after the world had ended. The roofs of the beautiful homes were made with solar panels, and it had been so long since Cassidy had been able to use a light switch that he was still surprised whenever it worked. Every house was equipped with a well, and that provided for both drinking water and usable water within the homes. Within the vast property, there were two different community gardens, and even then, the homes had been stocked with countless foodstuffs from long before the frightened community had shut its gates for good. The homes overlooked a lake, and the property itself was surrounded by mostly woods and overgrown weeds.
But even a shack would have been like a paradise to the weary travelers, who had spent nearly two months on the road before arriving at the compound in Lexington by pure luck. Cassidy had thought it was hard to survive when it was just himself and Calvin, but once they threw a baby into the mix, everything got infinitely harder. A baby didn't understand when it was okay to cry and when they needed to be quiet. Though, luckily for the group, Koya was a relatively happy baby. She was already used to this terrible new world, and Cassidy found her to be absolutely resilient despite her age. Much like her mother, who Cassidy had grown to protect during their months on the road. Calvin made things difficult in his own way, but luckily, Nick and Dean were there to balance him out and tip the scales back to sanity.
But even then, the months spent out on the road, especially as winter fell, had been hard on all of them. By the time that they had arrived at the locked gates of the Estates, they were all hungry, dirty, and tired. Cassidy very much felt like a wild pack of dogs as they had awaited a greeting from the other side. But their time on the road, too, had brought them all closer together, and although they had been dirty and dingy in the eyes of their hosts, Cassidy was confident, as if he had been standing with an army. The group had banded together and hunkered down in one of the vacant houses. But even then, the large homes were spacious, and the one that they had chosen sported five bedrooms, four bathrooms, two stories, and plenty of additional rooms for space. It was a nice way to keep everyone together, yet gave everyone the space that they needed to stay out of each other's hair.
Not that they really needed to. Although things got occasionally rocky, as they often did when people spent too much time together, the group got along well overall. Yet although they were settled in and doing much better now than they had been on the road, Cassidy couldn't stop the worry that welled up inside of him. The compound was like an oasis in this barren desert of a world, and how it hadn't been raided or overrun yet was an absolute mystery to him. The people that lived here were kind, but like little lambs. They had done nothing to provide extra protection for the property, and if a bandit really wanted to, he could climb the gated fence or find a way over the brick walls that surrounded the property line and sealed it off from the outside. The gated community's entrance was only guarded by the iron bars of the gate, and if enough walkers piled against it, surely they could break the hinges and enter. Hell, the first time that a walker even approached the gate, the people of the complex panicked and ran inside of their houses. And they had offered only stunned silence as Cassidy had stabbed it in the head through the bars like it was second nature.
So while everyone in his group enjoyed the luxury of the compound, as did he, Cassidy couldn't fully relax and enjoy it. He worried for the safety of the compound, but to his luck, the members of the community were so scared of the outside world that they listened to his diplomacy and agreed to reinforce the compound. Much to Cassidy's surprise, they didn't have a leader; they were just sheep, surviving somehow by pure and unadulterated luck. And having been an undercover officer for such a long time, Cassidy had long since learned how to meld his honest nature with his prowess and transform it into proper order.
Cassidy awoke early that morning, and as the sun filtered in through the cracked blinds, it was a gentle wake up call that partially warmed the chilly room. Cassidy made a mental note to grab more firewood on his supply run today. He worried for Koya's well-being when it got this cold, though he made sure to provide Sisa with multiple blankets and kept them in a room without as many windows when it got to be that cold. He dressed smartly in jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, a jacket, and boots, and he donned his hood as he ventured out into the house. He listened for signs of anyone being awake, but so far, he didn't hear any. He cracked Calvin's door open, as he often did, to check on him before he left the house. He was greeted with a pair of eyes peering up at him, sleepy, from within a cocoon of blankets. "God damn, James. You should knock first. Might end up catching me with my hand around my dick one of these days."
Although it was a crude remark, Cassidy couldn't help but smile. It warmed his soul to see his boy taken care of, fed and warm. Being in a stable environment had curbed his attitude quite a bit as well, though that didn't stop the occasional bratty episode. But even then, he would take a snobby Calvin over a dead Calvin any day of the week. Cassidy put his hands up in mock defense and shut the door. "Sorry, sorry."
Cassidy didn't bother Nick and Dean as he ventured past their room and over to Sisa's. They were grown men, and he wasn't about to invade their privacy. Even then, he merely paused near Sisa's door and listened, making sure that he didn't hear anything troubling from the other side. But once his sweep of the house was done, he walked down the carpeted stairs and ventured out into the complex. The air was crisp and cold, and as Cassidy breathed, it created a fog in front of his face. Maybe it would snow one of these days, but that spelled danger for the small crops that remained in the community garden. But the community members had stockpiled what they could before the freeze hit, and they were confident for a bountiful harvest in the spring.
Assuming that they made it that long.
As Cassidy rounded the corner of their block and scanned the streets, he wasn't met with any danger for the current moment. But Cassidy wasn't willing to bet on that sheer luck that these people clearly possessed. Luck had a tendency to run out, and Cassidy didn't want to be around when those dominoes fell. Their exterior defenses were meager, and they didn't even have a guard tower put into place. But Cassidy, Nick, and Dean were ready to change all of that in the coming weeks. Today's run was all about finding firewood and metal to build greater walls for the community.
"Good morning, James," Mrs. Tanner called from across the street. She had her young baby in a stroller, and her little girl, Annie, walked at her side. Cassidy almost didn't register it at first, but when he did, he smiled and waved.
"Good morning, Molly," he greeted back. Maybe one day he could be known as Cassidy. Maybe one day, everyone could know who he really was. But for now, it would be far too traumatic for Calvin. For now, he would keep it to himself. He parted ways with Molly, whose husband was all about reinforcing the community to keep his small children safe. The members of the community weren't vast by any means, but Cassidy had met most of them and saw a future that he could provide for them. There were the Tanners that lived down the street, and Mr. Phillip Baker, who was a dentist at the end of the cul-de-sac. There was a newly married couple a few houses down as well, the Kinseys. And there were a handful of families and couples that he was still learning the names of, scattered throughout the community. But he was most interested in Mr. Seymour Richards, an architect who lived in a large house that he had constructed with his own hands in the very back of the community. Perhaps together, they could fortify this place.
"Good morning, Janie," Cassidy greeted as he walked into the community garden. The crops that had survived were blanketed in tarps, and the young woman was in the process of covering the last vulnerable tomato vine.
"Good morning, James," she greeted with a smile. "Come to check on the crops?"
"How are they doing?" Cassidy asked, and as he checked under the tarp, he spotted a large and juicy tomato. He worried for the winter that was ahead, and as he looked over to her, he nodded towards it. "Hey, do you mind if I take one for Sisa? Koya is starting to be more adventurous with her food."
"Go ahead," Janie obliged. "I'm not sure that all of them are going to make it through the weather. I'll pluck most of them later."
"Thanks," Cassidy said, and as he plucked the ripe red tomato from the vine, he smiled at the way the skin shined in the morning sun and bid the woman farewell. Cassidy walked back to the house the long way, checking the perimeter, and by the time that he got back to the house, he heard someone rummaging around in the kitchen. And once the excited babble of a baby echoed through the foyer, Cassidy knew it to be Sisa and walked into the vast and beautiful kitchen to greet her.
"Good morning," he said, and as he came to find her near the counter, he smiled and ruffled Koya's hair. He set the tomato on the counter beside her and leaned against the granite. "I grabbed this for you. How did you girls sleep?"
But even a shack would have been like a paradise to the weary travelers, who had spent nearly two months on the road before arriving at the compound in Lexington by pure luck. Cassidy had thought it was hard to survive when it was just himself and Calvin, but once they threw a baby into the mix, everything got infinitely harder. A baby didn't understand when it was okay to cry and when they needed to be quiet. Though, luckily for the group, Koya was a relatively happy baby. She was already used to this terrible new world, and Cassidy found her to be absolutely resilient despite her age. Much like her mother, who Cassidy had grown to protect during their months on the road. Calvin made things difficult in his own way, but luckily, Nick and Dean were there to balance him out and tip the scales back to sanity.
But even then, the months spent out on the road, especially as winter fell, had been hard on all of them. By the time that they had arrived at the locked gates of the Estates, they were all hungry, dirty, and tired. Cassidy very much felt like a wild pack of dogs as they had awaited a greeting from the other side. But their time on the road, too, had brought them all closer together, and although they had been dirty and dingy in the eyes of their hosts, Cassidy was confident, as if he had been standing with an army. The group had banded together and hunkered down in one of the vacant houses. But even then, the large homes were spacious, and the one that they had chosen sported five bedrooms, four bathrooms, two stories, and plenty of additional rooms for space. It was a nice way to keep everyone together, yet gave everyone the space that they needed to stay out of each other's hair.
Not that they really needed to. Although things got occasionally rocky, as they often did when people spent too much time together, the group got along well overall. Yet although they were settled in and doing much better now than they had been on the road, Cassidy couldn't stop the worry that welled up inside of him. The compound was like an oasis in this barren desert of a world, and how it hadn't been raided or overrun yet was an absolute mystery to him. The people that lived here were kind, but like little lambs. They had done nothing to provide extra protection for the property, and if a bandit really wanted to, he could climb the gated fence or find a way over the brick walls that surrounded the property line and sealed it off from the outside. The gated community's entrance was only guarded by the iron bars of the gate, and if enough walkers piled against it, surely they could break the hinges and enter. Hell, the first time that a walker even approached the gate, the people of the complex panicked and ran inside of their houses. And they had offered only stunned silence as Cassidy had stabbed it in the head through the bars like it was second nature.
So while everyone in his group enjoyed the luxury of the compound, as did he, Cassidy couldn't fully relax and enjoy it. He worried for the safety of the compound, but to his luck, the members of the community were so scared of the outside world that they listened to his diplomacy and agreed to reinforce the compound. Much to Cassidy's surprise, they didn't have a leader; they were just sheep, surviving somehow by pure and unadulterated luck. And having been an undercover officer for such a long time, Cassidy had long since learned how to meld his honest nature with his prowess and transform it into proper order.
Cassidy awoke early that morning, and as the sun filtered in through the cracked blinds, it was a gentle wake up call that partially warmed the chilly room. Cassidy made a mental note to grab more firewood on his supply run today. He worried for Koya's well-being when it got this cold, though he made sure to provide Sisa with multiple blankets and kept them in a room without as many windows when it got to be that cold. He dressed smartly in jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, a jacket, and boots, and he donned his hood as he ventured out into the house. He listened for signs of anyone being awake, but so far, he didn't hear any. He cracked Calvin's door open, as he often did, to check on him before he left the house. He was greeted with a pair of eyes peering up at him, sleepy, from within a cocoon of blankets. "God damn, James. You should knock first. Might end up catching me with my hand around my dick one of these days."
Although it was a crude remark, Cassidy couldn't help but smile. It warmed his soul to see his boy taken care of, fed and warm. Being in a stable environment had curbed his attitude quite a bit as well, though that didn't stop the occasional bratty episode. But even then, he would take a snobby Calvin over a dead Calvin any day of the week. Cassidy put his hands up in mock defense and shut the door. "Sorry, sorry."
Cassidy didn't bother Nick and Dean as he ventured past their room and over to Sisa's. They were grown men, and he wasn't about to invade their privacy. Even then, he merely paused near Sisa's door and listened, making sure that he didn't hear anything troubling from the other side. But once his sweep of the house was done, he walked down the carpeted stairs and ventured out into the complex. The air was crisp and cold, and as Cassidy breathed, it created a fog in front of his face. Maybe it would snow one of these days, but that spelled danger for the small crops that remained in the community garden. But the community members had stockpiled what they could before the freeze hit, and they were confident for a bountiful harvest in the spring.
Assuming that they made it that long.
As Cassidy rounded the corner of their block and scanned the streets, he wasn't met with any danger for the current moment. But Cassidy wasn't willing to bet on that sheer luck that these people clearly possessed. Luck had a tendency to run out, and Cassidy didn't want to be around when those dominoes fell. Their exterior defenses were meager, and they didn't even have a guard tower put into place. But Cassidy, Nick, and Dean were ready to change all of that in the coming weeks. Today's run was all about finding firewood and metal to build greater walls for the community.
"Good morning, James," Mrs. Tanner called from across the street. She had her young baby in a stroller, and her little girl, Annie, walked at her side. Cassidy almost didn't register it at first, but when he did, he smiled and waved.
"Good morning, Molly," he greeted back. Maybe one day he could be known as Cassidy. Maybe one day, everyone could know who he really was. But for now, it would be far too traumatic for Calvin. For now, he would keep it to himself. He parted ways with Molly, whose husband was all about reinforcing the community to keep his small children safe. The members of the community weren't vast by any means, but Cassidy had met most of them and saw a future that he could provide for them. There were the Tanners that lived down the street, and Mr. Phillip Baker, who was a dentist at the end of the cul-de-sac. There was a newly married couple a few houses down as well, the Kinseys. And there were a handful of families and couples that he was still learning the names of, scattered throughout the community. But he was most interested in Mr. Seymour Richards, an architect who lived in a large house that he had constructed with his own hands in the very back of the community. Perhaps together, they could fortify this place.
"Good morning, Janie," Cassidy greeted as he walked into the community garden. The crops that had survived were blanketed in tarps, and the young woman was in the process of covering the last vulnerable tomato vine.
"Good morning, James," she greeted with a smile. "Come to check on the crops?"
"How are they doing?" Cassidy asked, and as he checked under the tarp, he spotted a large and juicy tomato. He worried for the winter that was ahead, and as he looked over to her, he nodded towards it. "Hey, do you mind if I take one for Sisa? Koya is starting to be more adventurous with her food."
"Go ahead," Janie obliged. "I'm not sure that all of them are going to make it through the weather. I'll pluck most of them later."
"Thanks," Cassidy said, and as he plucked the ripe red tomato from the vine, he smiled at the way the skin shined in the morning sun and bid the woman farewell. Cassidy walked back to the house the long way, checking the perimeter, and by the time that he got back to the house, he heard someone rummaging around in the kitchen. And once the excited babble of a baby echoed through the foyer, Cassidy knew it to be Sisa and walked into the vast and beautiful kitchen to greet her.
"Good morning," he said, and as he came to find her near the counter, he smiled and ruffled Koya's hair. He set the tomato on the counter beside her and leaned against the granite. "I grabbed this for you. How did you girls sleep?"