"That's it. And in the head at that," Ed said grimly.
"But," Kira challenged him, "that's a target the size of a big man's fist."
"Yes it is." Ed grinned at her. "I can do it and I'm confident Tom and Shane can, or will learn fast. And you will too. It might take three or four bullets, but it can be done. The rest of you need to learn to shoot like the pros if you want to live. It's that simple. We'll start training with shotguns and clay birds to get the feel of leading a target. Then we'll start on the handguns.
"When we make ammo runs, we need to bring back more shotgun shells as well as rifle and handgun ammo. Also, we should pick up more shotguns, throwing devices for clay birds and cases of clay birds. John, we'll need an engineering design to construct a concrete pigeon house where the birds will be thrown from. There were several private gun clubs within a hundred miles we can visit for ideas. And we'll need to locate and retrieve several pallets of pre-mixed concrete for that."
I chuckled as I turned to Shane. "We thought we had everything covered. Then Ed throws a wrench into the training and we've got a whole new set of problems. But seriously, Ed, thanks for the insight. We'll need your expertise in setting up the additional training program."
Vivian raised her hand for attention and made a grunting noise. Sheepishly she entered the male domain. "Kira and I spoke yesterday, and we wondered why there isn't a fence around this building? It would be a good first line of defense. Sort of like that warehouse you picked me up at. As it is now, when zombies attack, they pound on the steel siding trying to get in and the only people who can shoot them are in the guard towers. If they were stopped maybe fifty feet away from the building, they could be shot from the shooting windows on the second floor."
Kira sat grinning smugly as I looked at the other men. Shane spoke, "That's a great idea. When we erected this base building, we put a staggered double layer of steel siding on the first floor so the zombies couldn't pry the panels off easily. We only anticipated a few undead in small wandering groups. The local undead. But since they roam in increasingly larger groups, we suspect they're migrating from the population centers to the rural areas. A fence to stop them at rifle range is a great idea." Shane, turned to me, then to, Ed, and John. "Why didn't we think of that?"
I shrugged and rolled my eyes. "I don't know why, but I'm glad the ladies did."
I watched as John leaned back in deep thought with his eyes closed during the conversation. He glanced around the group before he spoke. "I'll assume we all agree this is a suggestion worth moving on." He ran his fingers through his short kinky black hair as he waited for affirmative nods from the group and got them. "I suggest holding the fence one hundred-fifty feet from the building. That keeps the targets at rifle range and leaves enough room inside to accommodate large equipment, like that tractor and trailer load of food that came in recently. Our bulldozer can remove eight inches of sod from inside the fence line, and we'll fill it with three layers of different sized rock back up to grade. The concrete slabs over the fuel tanks will prevent them from being a problem as we excavate. There are piles of gravel available at several quarries in the area. Albert and Vince will have to check out loading and hauling equipment at those quarries while another group locates ten foot high chain-link fence material, barbed wire, and post at distributors’ yards. Electric sliding gates can be controlled by the watch tower guards. Shane can direct a crew to take the gates and operators from existing fences at nearby businesses. He can run the wire and connect them here. I'll have dimensioned drawings ready next week. In about three weeks, we should be ready to start installing the fence. Thanks, ladies, you did great. If we weren't a dry town, I'd buy you both a drink."
As I stood to leave, John, Vivian and Kira left the group too. During days I had free time, I tried to circulate and talk to all our residents. Some needed occasional pep talks to ward off the feeling of despair over the constant threat of the zombies and the cooped-up feelings of cabin fever from being inside the compound for weeks on end. The fence would help alleviate that closed in feeling by allowing us to sit outdoors and refresh safely.
After lunch, Kira and Marilyn found me. Both seemed excited and Marilyn spoke first. "We have a plan put together for picking a name for our group. Everyone, including the teens and children, will be encouraged to submit an entry. A committee of three volunteers will pick five names to be voted on by all our residents. Sam said he can paint the name on a large board and hang it on the building."
She looked to Kira. "Andrea volunteered to make a batch of special treats so we can make the occasion a big celebration. What do you think?"
I grinned as I listened. The women were as excited as teenagers planning their first date. "I like it. How about announcing it at the next weekly meeting? We'll spread the word then about what I envision our future will likely entail. That has
