Encounter and Building

Day two 1:30 am

I jerked awake as I heard the dogs going ballistic, outside. Sitting up, I slid to the edge of the bed as the girls sat up. Grabbing my boots I yanked them onto my naked feet leaving the strings untied as I stood up. Going down the small set of stairs, I bumped into Naomi who was coming through the narrow door from the back.

"Sorry, James. What's going on? What's wrong with the dogs?" she asked.

"It's okay, and I don't know. Stay here!" I ordered.

I picked up the night vision goggles that Jane had found the night before and placed them on my head. I lifted the M1, and picked up the bandolier of clips as I stepped outside. It was a little chilly in the cave but then all I was wearing was my underwear. Leaning the rifle against the RV, I wrapped the bandolier around my waist and then picked up the rifle. Clicking the safety off, I reached up and turned the goggles on and slid them down. The cave lit up in an eerie greenish light, and I started walking towards the entrance.

The dogs were barking louder and then the blood turned to jelly in my veins when I heard the scream. It was like nothing I have ever heard before in my life. Clutching the rifle firmly, I looked around the corner at the dog building, and I could see the dogs barking. The bloodhounds were baying while the Rottie's and the Mastiffs were snarling. They were looking towards my right.

I turned and looked that way and I felt urine run down my leg, as I saw the giant shape charging me. It jumped towards me as I snapped the rifle up to my shoulder. I held the trigger down and the bullets slammed into the creature's chest and head. The eight bullets killed it and I hit the ground as the corpse slammed into me. I groaned as the girls came running out of the RV with rifles clutched in their hands. Jane turned the light on, and screamed when she saw the body of the cat pinning me to the floor.

The girls came over, and between the five of us, we rolled the big animal off me. It must have weighed around eight hundred pounds and was easily eight feet long. I climbed to my feet and looked down at the massive animal. Naomi was kneeling by the cat and then looked up at me as if asking why I killed it.

Naomi

I jumped when the gunfire shattered the air and watched the others run out the door with their weapons in their hands. The lights came on and I saw them kneeling beside James. I walked out and over and knelt beside the cat. It was so beautiful and I was angry with James for killing it. I love cats and as I looked up at James I knew it showed in my eyes.

"How!" I started to say.

That's when I saw all the blood on him and I screamed.

Kari

Kari jerked her head around at her sister's scream and saw her fall over the body of the cat. Rushing to her, I knelt beside her and saw she had passed out. Turning I looked at James and realized what it was.

"James, go get cleaned up. I think she thinks you were injured!"

James

I looked down at my chest and noticed the blood that covered me.

"Damn, I didn't think of that," I said.

I picked up my rifle and went inside. Stripping the bloody shorts off, I stepped into the shower and turned the water on. Grabbing the bar of Dial I scrubbed the blood off me.

I almost cried out when the soap went into the cut on my shoulder. I examined it and sent a silent prayer of thanks when I realized the tooth could have pierced my throat and easily killed me.

I was going to have to be more careful from now on. I have four women that will need me to protect them from the animals of this world and provide for them. I rinsed off and Jane was waiting for me with the medicine kit.

"Sit!" she said and I sat on the stool.

She examined the wound and cleaned and disinfected it. She pulled out a surgical needle and quickly stitched it up after applying some antibiotic cream with a numbing agent to the cut.

"James, this was close, it could have killed you," she said as she closed the kit and then kissed me.

"I know. I realized that in the shower," I said, and then I was hit by an eighty-pound cannon ball as Naomi was in my arms, crying.

I cooed to her and rocked her in my arms as I whispered in her ear I was ok. She finally calmed down, and sat there sniffling. She saw the wound and didn't say anything, but she touched the bandage and looked up at me. With a small kiss on my lips she laid her head down on my shoulder, and sighed.

Within minutes she was softly snoring and I carried her into the back and placed her on the bed. I covered her with the blanket and kissed her cheek.

"You're going to make a great daddy," Jane said as I turned around.

I smiled at her and walked out of the back and Jane closed the door. I grabbed some clothes and yanked them on, once I was dressed, I picked up one of the hunting knife that was in the box on the counter and we went outside. The girls were standing at the entrance with their rifles in their hands. Going over, I looked at the massive body and then got the forklift, a hammer, two hatchets and some rope from one of the PODS. We had marked each one with a general description of its contents.

Tying the rear legs to the blades, I then lifted the corpse up into the air and drove it a little ways from the entrance. Stopping, I climbed down from the tractor and kept the headlights on.

Jane and the girls came over and stood watch while I slit the Smilodon's throat to drain it. Once it was finished draining, I started skinning the kill, it took about fifty minutes since I hadn't done it in years, but I finished it and dragged the skin off. Taking the hammer I had brought, I broke the maxillary or the canine teeth free and set them on the ground. I then chopped the corpse up into sections with the hatchets and laid them on the skin. I stretched the skin and its contents across the forks with the excess rope.

Firing up the tractor, I drove over to the dog pen. I had Jane come over. I showed her how to move and lift the forks. She climbed up onto the seat, lowered the forks, and I climbed up. She raised the forks and inched closer to the pens. I watched the dogs jumping, and Sampson got a shock from the electric fence. After that they stayed back.

I picked up the first leg and tossed it into the pen. I threw the entire corpse over the fence and every dog but the mothers got some of it. Jane backed up and lowered me to the ground. We swapped, and I drove us into the cave where I pulled the skin off and laid it down until morning, dropping the canine teeth on it.

We shut the lights down and went inside the RV. I stepped into the shower and quickly cleaned up as Jane carried my clothes to the washer and tossed them inside. Stepping out as I dried my hair, I kissed Jane as she came back and she checked the cut on my shoulder and said it was fine. We went up to the loft and fell asleep in minutes as we cuddled with Charlene and Kari.

At six-thirty, the alarm started beeping. We all groaned as we got up. Charlene and Kari were out of the bed after giving me a kiss and running for the toilet. I was sore and noticed the bruising coming to my chest. I gently touched one bruise and winced in pain.

Jane saw me wince and said, "You need some Tylenol, stay here" and slid out of the bed.

I lay there like she said, but the smell of coffee cooking got to me. I slid out of bed. I was going to the stairs when Jane came up with a glass and a tiny plastic cup. She glared at me, but didn't say anything as she handed me the cup and glass. I took both, looked at the two white pills and popped them in my mouth and swallowed the water.

Jane took the glass and cup, and said, "Lay down, we will call you when breakfast is ready."

"I'm fine," I said.

"Do it. Now!" she snapped.

I saw it wasn't a battle I would win so I laid down and watched her smile at me.

"Thank you, James. You're not indestructible you know."

"I know and I'm sorry, I ... we just have so much to do," I replied.

"I know, but you still have to give us time to cook, so lay there and let the meds work on you," she said as she turned and walked down stairs. Reaching over for the remote, I turned the TV on and I stared and shock as KTVN Channel 2 - Reno Tahoe News came on. The top story was an F-5 tornado that ripped through the outskirts of Fernley Nevada killing five people.

"Ladies get up here!" I shouted.

The girls ran up, saw their pictures on the TV, and sat on the bed.

"Hello, everyone I'm reporting from the former ranch house of James Anderson. Early yesterday morning, in what is expected to be the worst tornado ever recorded in Nevada; an F-5 tornado ripped through this beautiful ranch house, that Mister James Anderson had just inherited from his deceased father. I talked with neighbors and they were horrified at what happened. James Anderson, 44, was killed when the tornado ripped through the home. Also killed were his new fiancée Doctor Jane Candles and her daughter Charlene. Jane was one of the local veterinarian doctors and had just moved in with James. They were planning on being married next Monday in Reno. Also killed were their daughter's best friend Kari Liao and her younger sister Naomi. All five bodies have been recovered and removed to the local morgue.

From what a neighbor had told me, Mister Anderson had decided to stay when he ran into an old girlfriend and they fell head over heels for each other. The sheriff has told me they would be buried next to each other as if they were married, and Judge Catherine Hyatt a cousin of Doctor Candles said she would submit a notice to the state, a marriage certificate so they had his last name. I quote Judge Hyatt, 'Jane called me the other day and was ecstatic that James had asked her to marry her. She asked me to be her matron of honor and I had accepted for her. It was time she had love in her life. I was so happy for her. The world has lost a fine veterinarian in Doctor Candles.' End quote, That's all from Fernley Nevada. This is Beth Miles for KTVN, Channel 2 News."

"Shit I wondered how they would hide us," Kari said.

"Me too Kari, at least they will give us a nice burial even if we're not there. I wonder how they made bodies for us?" I asked.

"It doesn't matter. That's the old world. We're on the new. We have a new life together. If what Kalib says is true, it will be a long and happy life, if nothing happens to us," Jane said as she kissed me.

Then she stood up and went down stairs.

I sat back and watched the rest of the news. Jane called me just as the baseball results came on. I turned the TV off wondering if the Yanks had won. Going down stairs, Naomi handed me my T-shirt. I kissed her on the cheek. Pulling the shirt on I went into the bathroom and pissed for what seemed like forever. I washed my hands and went out to the kitchen.

Shaking my head I felt like an ass. I walked over and tapped the controls and the two slides slid out giving us more room.

"Thanks, James, I didn't know how to do that," Jane said as she went to the back and pulled the table out.

She carried it into the front of the RV, while I pulled the cover off so we could all sit. Fixing the cushions, I took the table and placed it in its holders while Naomi grabbed the pole and held it in place. As I lowered the table, it locked in place and then Jane was there with a tablecloth that she tossed over the top. She had it quickly squared off and Naomi moved in with plates and silverware while Kari and Charlene started setting bowls of sausage, eggs, biscuits and gravy down.

Jane pushed over the roller chair and I sat down at the end while the girls scooted in after they grabbed their drinks and me a big eighteen ounce cup that I drank my coffee in. I had found the cup at one of the casinos and bought it. I added my milk and was looking for the Splenda when Jane handed me the box. I poured some Splenda in my cup and added the cream.