A child shall lead them (part 2)

60 zombies and 2 grueling hours later the boys collapsed covered in blood and sweat. "We did it guys. We fucking did it." Rat gasps having had to switch with Alex after an hour because Alex had started to lose his grip on the knife he was using. The stench of rot and filth was unable to touch the boy's through their exhaustion. "Go upstairs and rest guys, I can nail up some boards on this window." Jason says hobbling over to a pile of floor boards they had pulled up for that purpose. "No blackie, we can do it." Tank punches Rat, sending him flying into the pile of zombies. "Won't tolerate that racist shit anymore you got me?" The largest boy growls. Rat nods nursing his face. "Jason is in charge, we all agree right? His plan worked right? He is smart, he knows people, he had us where we needed to be and it worked. He plans what we do ,and we live." Riley said, rising off the bloody floor. "No more racist. No more rapists. No more thieves. If you live you work together. If you are a scum fuck you die. I think we can agree on that rule right?" The boys turn to Jason. "I will add it to the rule book. Well put Riley." The youngest boy beam's. As Riley looked to each boy he saw complete agreement even from the injured Rat. "Well I'm pissed off so what next Jason?" Riley asks. "We need food, water, and weapons or medicine that sorta thing." Jason mused. Tank scoffs and turns on a sink and gestures to the running water. "Don't know how long the electricity will be running or the water we will use until it stops but should prepare for it going out now." Jason says absentmindedly cleaning his cane cementing the boys trust in him. "Oh and keep all the plastic bottles we find we are gonna fill them and store them for said event." The boys nod and Riley slings a backpack a zombie had been wearing over his shoulder before climbing out the window. He couldn't be there right then. "Oh and Riley could you fix us up a car?" Jason asks from the window. "Yeah I can do that."

Wandering from house to house in the col-de-sac Riley figured most of the zombies around were dead in their living room. He was tired and exhausted but needed to do something until he was calm. Turning a corner chef knife in hand he was grabbed struggling he fell to the ground the zombie falling on top of him. Struggling and fighting to get the knife up the rotting corpse's teeth snapping inches from his face Riley slid his arm into the zombies mouth. Pain flew along the limb and as it clamped down harder Riley drove the knife under its chin into its brain. Panic flooded Riley as he dropped his leather jacket and inspected his arm. Who doesn't want to be a survivor in a zombie apocalypse but to be taken out the first day. His arm was purple with bruises but no blood or tears were present. It seemed his jacket had saved him. Yanking his coat back on the boy inspected his would be killer. It was the corpse of a police officer. Riley removed his belt and checked his gun as his father had taught him many years ago. Riley checked vehicles and found a truck that started and had a half tank of gas. "Nice" he mumbles to himself. After loading up on canned pasta at a small gas convenience store Riley drove the truck back and entered the house.

"Give me the fucking gun Riley." Tank yells again as he advances. "Fuck you I found it I killed the zombie its mine." Riley growls drawing the pistol. THUD THUD… all the boys look at Jason. "I have a solution if you don't mind." The youngest boy says calmly gesturing to Riley to holster the weapon. Riley does as he is asked and crosses his arms. "I figured something like this would happen so I came up with a fun and safe system to insure we don't stupidly kill one another over guns and bullets when there are zombies to do it for us." The 2 oldest boys shamefully look down. Jason as per usual was right. Riley removed the gun and belt and set it on the counter. "Thank you Riley. Now we will do everything for points. 1 point per zombie killed, 50 points per haul of goods and resources, 100 points for a day of maintenance and development at base and varying others as we come across them." Jason said sitting on the stairs. "How can we trust that someone actually killed as many zombies as they say they do?" Rat asks. "You bring in the head you get the point. Teamwork is worth double points." Jason replies. "The gun will go in Miss Shelly's old room that we will convert into a market. It is 500 points." Jason sighs. "We need weapons for all of us. We do but more than that we need each other. We all have strengths that help each other's weaknesses we are our greatest tool." The boys nod. "Get some rest, we have a busy day tomorrow." With that the boys go to their rooms and fall into an exhausted sleep. Waking from a nightmare Riley hears a knock on his door. "Come in." Jason hobbles in and plops down beside Riley. "Cant sleep?" Riley shakes his head. "I was wondering if you would mind taking the truck to that old lumber yard down a ways and loading it as much as you can and bringing the wood for our wall." "Wall?" Riley asks. "Yep, my plan is to plant a 4 by 4 at fifteen or more feet long. Every 4 feet around our cul-de-sac and a gate at the road. Giving us more storage space and development room as well as keeping zombies out." Riley nods, impressed with the younger boy. Standing up and stretching Riley opens a drawer and pulls a flashlight out. "What are you doing?" Jason asks. "No time like the present." Riley says, sliding his jacket on then his backpack. "In the dark?" Jason asks worriedly. "Why not? I got headlights and flashlights" Riley replies picking up his chef knife. Jason grabs the older boy's arm. "Yes?" Riley asks. "Take this notebook and keep track of your actions like a diary but it'll be used as a training log and research into killing them easier." The younger boy hands Riley a leather bound notebook with a black ribbon and a few pens. "And this one for looted or future looting places." Handing him a smaller pocket sized notebook. "Gotcha." After slipping them into his bag Riley wanders down passing Tank who is doing push ups in the hallway. "Where are you going?" He grunts between each push up. "Lumber yard and scavenging." Riley replies starting down the stairs. "It's dark out." Tank says jumping up and following Riley. "Noticed," He replies. "Tank, can you dig me some holes?" Jason asks. "Holes?" Questions Tank. The youngest boy nods. "About 3 feet down for the posts Riley is going to get." Tank watches Riley leave out the window. "We aren't stopping him?" "I don't see why he can't sleep. It might as well be productive." Jason replies. Tank retrieves a spade from the garage. "I'll dig your holes" He grumbles climbing out the window followed by Jason. "I'll show you where."

Riley parks in front of the lumber yard and attaches an abandoned trailer to the pickup. "First rule of scavenging everything is useful." Riley chuckles to himself. Once the trailer is secure he creeps along the shelves until he finds the 4x4's carefully grabbing one he makes his way back. Riley does this for an hour before he sees a zombie. Walking up to it he drives his knife into the back of its head. Carefully he lowers the body and returns to his work. Once the trailer was stacked about 4 feet above the side rails Riley searched for rope or trailer straps. He finds both and 2 more zombies which he dispatches with chin stabs. He secures the load and then jots down the events in his new journal. In his little notebook he wrote down the name and address of the lumber yard. "Should I check the store?" He mused, tapping a pen against his chin. He creeps to the door and nearly shits himself when the automatic doors open. Chuckling shakily he enters. It's much smaller than the yard he had just pilfered but had a ton of tools, nails and cement. "Oh I'm gonna hate myself tomorrow." Riley whispers as he begins loading the first pallet.

Tank wipes sweat away from his eyes as he and Slim finish digging the last hole for Jason. Riley's truck pulls up and parks. The tired form of Riley slides out and walks over. "Got the wood and a little extra I'll clear more tomorrow." Riley says tiredly as he passes Jason, nearly falling in one of Tank's holes. "Wake up Alex and Rat. Tell them I want these posts raised and level full of cement before breakfast so they can set" Jason says as Riley enters the house. After doing as he was asked Riley went to the garage and started setting up the power tools he had gathered. "What are you up to Riley?" Jason asks standing in the doorway leading from the garage to the house. "Workshop." he replies finishing up. "I need to ask you for something Riley and I'm not gonna lie it won't be easy." Jason says sitting down. "Need me to hit a Walmart in the city?" He chuckled. "No Riley I need you to be the one that doesn't work the compound, I need you to be out there everyday scavenging and fighting walking our perimeter." Jason says, tapping his cane rhythmically. "Why me? Why not Tank or Slim?" Riley asks. "You went out at dark, took a risk and came back with what we needed." Jason sighs. "You will be disdained and they won't like you but we need your skill that is getting honed." Riley nods. "You will also have to be our bad guy." Jason says sadly. "What does that mean?" Riley asks. "People will eventually come and we need them to fear the rules. You will be the one to exact punishment and when others won't follow our ways or try to take our things or lives you will kill them." Jason says. Riley puts his hands on the workbench. "Do the others know your request for me?" Riley asks. "No they don't because I need them to fear you as well." Jason says. "How does that help?" Riley asks. "Because one day what they fear in you they will come to look up to and what was once a feared villain when all fails and it seems we are doomed will be a hero."