They’d already put the bathtub into the fourth stall in the bathroom. It had taken some doing, but they’d removed the toilet and had used several sizes of PVC pipe and had lowered the large slipper bathtub over the toilet hole. After several buckets of water, the bathtub was deemed useable. Emma had been the first to christen the tub.
“Though it’s only a couple inches of warm water, I’ll take it.” She’d laughed. It would take many buckets of water to fill the thing, so all had agreed that it would be a winter pleasure, where water was heated at all times on the wood stove. They could also use it to bath the children, reusing the water for each child. Amanda would go first, then Hailey and last, Cooper.
Brian’s grunt brought BJ back to task.
“I think that will do it. We can now wrap this thing and get the shingles on the roof and she’ll be water tight. Emma and Paadi will be in charge of putting the siding on.” Brian said, standing back and looking at the large shed. They still had shelving from the hardware store and would set it up inside.
“I’m going to build more shelving in there. Also, I’m glad the door we picked up for this thing has a deadbolt on it. It will at least slow an intruder down.” BJ said, walking around the shed. It was a foot off the ground, a ten by ten-foot structure and six feet high. It wasn’t tall, but wide and deep enough to store a lot of supplies. It was sturdy as well. BJ grinned at Brian.
“What?” Brian asked.
“I think we should build another, after we build one in the woods, for the propane tanks.”
“What? Why another?” Brian asked, surprise on his face.
“Well, the next shed, we should insulate, I think we’re going to need it to store the canned foods. That way, we won’t have to worry about it freezing and in the heat of summer will the insulated shed will also keep the jars cool. It’s either that, or dig a root cellar. We can build the insulated shed in the tree line, to keep it in the shade.” BJ suggested.
“Christ, I don’t want to dig a damned root cellar. That trench was bad enough and all those holes for the plastic containers. My hands have so many blisters.” Brian laughed, flexing his hands.
“You ever going to tell Emma and Paadi what happened at Walmart?” BJ said, changing the subject to something that had been eating at him. Brian looked around and BJ did as well. The women were in the garden, the children by the chicken coop.
“No, it would only scare them and what’s to tell. I killed a couple of maggots. Two less assholes in this world, two less child molesters.” Brian said darkly, then walked over to pick up the house wrap. BJ helped him. When the two men had gone to Walmart to pick up girl clothing as well as games and toys for the children, they’d been met on their third trip out to the trailer. Two grubby men had shown up, just as they were loading the trailer with more food. Walmart shelves were beginning to become bare of the foodstuffs.
“Hey, you assholes kill our friends?” A man with dull red hair shouted, a shotgun in his hands, he was pointing it at Brian and BJ, who looked like deer in the headlights.
“What? What the hell are you talking about?” BJ asked, though he suspected he knew. Emma had mentioned briefly about the men Paadi’d shot at the mattress place. It was only half a mile away from Walmart. He’d not gotten the whole story before they’d left, only the barest of highlights. He and Brian had figured they’d get the rest of the details once they got back from their run and the children out of earshot. Both men had speculated that Paadi had just shot them on sight. It would appear that the dead men had friends.
“We just found our friends this morning. Did you kill them?” The other man, had two missing front teeth. A beauty for sure.
“Mister, we just got here a little bit ago. We’re only here to pick up supplies. We don’t want trouble.” Brian said, his voice a deadly calm. Brian was an intimidating man; he was over six feet and broad through the chest and back. He’d have to be to be a firefighter, BJ thought. BJ was on the slender side with narrow shoulders. Not intimidating at all.
“That don’t answer our question asshole.” Toothless spat.
“No, we didn’t kill your friends. Like my friend said, we only got here an hour ago.” BJ said.
“You seen our kids then?” The red headed man asked.
“Kids?” BJ asked, surprised.
“Yeah, a little girl, about six, and a little boy, about three.” The man said. BJ looked at Brian. The women had said nothing about a little boy. Jesus, these animals had another little one. Where was he?
“We’ve not seen any children here.” Brian said, his voice now hard.
“I don’t believe you.” Toothless snarled.
“I don’t care.” Brian said. What happened next was a blur and BJ had felt himself shoved to the ground, falling off the trailer. He didn’t see Brian pull his Glock, but he heard it and he saw the two men dive to the ground. The man with the shotgun tried to raise it, but BJ saw the bloom of red spread across his chest. His eyes wide. Brian fired on toothless, hitting him in the gut. The man screamed in pain, and clutched as the blood gushed around his fingers.
BJ
