Kira put her waste in an empty snack bag and leaned back. "I heard the story of how you and Emma won a lottery and had oodles of money to build the compound we live in. What's your story before that? If you don't mind talking about it."
I nodded then sat a minute thinking back. "Emma and I dated in high school. I'm thirty-three by the way. Neither of us had siblings. There were no children either. After graduation we married, and I joined the Army. My red headed buddy, Shane and I went in together and served together for six years. He and I were best friends since kindergarten. We were both recommended for Delta Force and went around the world doing bad-assed things in several countries. I was the designated sniper, and he was my spotter; although he’s as good a shot as I am. We both became disillusioned with the government and military command and accepted our discharges.
Luckily for me, Emma was still waiting when I got out. She'd finished a business degree and had a job. Plus, she worked part-time as a physical training instructor.
"After my discharge I got into carpentry. When I felt I'd acquired enough knowledge and skill, I opened my own general construction business. Emma quit her job and became my office manager. We both liked horses, and when the lottery money came through, we bought two hundred acres where the compound is located. We intended to board and train horses. Months before the zombies ate their way across Europe, the design for a horse barn changed to the present compound. Even with the zombie invasion, life with Emma was good. I still love her, and I think of her often, but she's not in my head as much as when she died. I'm finally to where I can talk about her and function full time." I paused for a drink. "Now it's your turn. What are you willing to tell me about you and Paige?"
"I'm thirty-one and my background is much the same as yours, except I had one brother. He was a Marine and died in Iraq. He didn't like what was going on there, but he felt it was our duty to clean up the mess our government made. He believed it was the result of good intentions with unintended consequences.
"Carl and I dated through high school before he joined the Navy. Within a year of enlistment, he was selected for the SEAL program. I had Paige after one of Carl's visits home. Six years later he requested a discharge and left the Navy. He'd stayed in for eight years and I missed him terribly. He came home, got a job, and we married. We were happy, he earned a good living, Paige had learned to love him, and he was a good father. But there was always an undercurrent of unrest with Carl. He wouldn't admit it, but I think he missed being the real life daring action hero. You already know the rest from the time the zombie threat materialized."
She looked the saddest I'd ever seen her. I reached toward her and placed my hand on her shoulder. "There was a small percentage of Special Forces soldiers who got hooked on the danger, as well as the power of life and death they had over other people. Most of that type ended up being mercenaries, paid guns who would kill anyone they were pointed at; like the bunch that captured you. You should be proud that Carl resisted the urge to continue and chose you and Paige over something else he was attracted to. It's a hard urge to resist. I know because I had to make that decision too. For me, Emma was worth the effort, and Carl apparently felt that way about you, too."
She smiled brightly. "Thanks for the pep talk, handsome. I don't know why I needed it today, but it helped."
As we'd talked, the light in the room had gradually dimmed. Night was approaching and the building had cooled. I turned to Kira. "Give me a hand cutting the tablecloth in two pieces while we can still see. We'll each take half of it and one of the flags to cover us while we sleep."
After the tablecloth was cut, Kira stood and peered into the gloomy room. "Where do you want to sleep?" she asked.
I pointed to the floor in front of the couch. "You take the couch. It's too short for me." I removed my utility belt and kicked off my boots. My M14 and Glock were placed on the floor next to me within easy reach and with the barrels pointed toward the door. I lay on my back with two towels from the kitchen for a pillow, closed my eyes, and listened to Kira snuggling in on the couch.
"Good night, Tom."
"Yeah. See you in the morning."
We spent the following day cooped up in our hideout. Occasionally we'd look outside and see varying numbers of zombies staggering like drunks at an Alcoholic's Unanimous Convention. Toward evening the numbers dwindled to none.
As we lay in the dark, Kira said, "Tom, you awake?"
"Yeah, I'm still awake. All we've done is sit, so I'm not tired."
"What's going to happen when there aren't enough people at the compound to keep everything going? I mean, with James' death there are what, twenty-five adults and seven kids. If more children aren't born the population is going to slowly exterminate itself with shrinking numbers."
I snickered. " Recently I talked with Ira about that. The problem should resolve itself in the next couple of years. As you likely know, we have a large stockpile of birth control pills on hand. Most of
