Read THEM (Season 1): Episode 1 for Free Online

Lake?”
    “None, and don’t think I didn’t think about it when I was pissing my pants in that attic. I’m telling you, those people vanished—poof, into thin air. Creeps me the hell out just thinkin’ about it.”
    “Fair enough. If any other caravaneers or salvagers come through, do me a favor—chat ’em up and see what news they have and what they’ve seen in the Corridor.”
    A nod from Tucker was all I needed in reply. Time to get started on that honey-do list.
    - - -

[4 ]

ABOVE
    A bout three hours later, and I had already repaired the walls of Kara’s place and started in on the fence. Like I said, most folks holed up in underground bunkers or fortified houses after dark, and Kara’s place was no different. Her late husband had found a load of railroad ties from somewhere, and decided to shore up the walls of their home with them.
    In effect, he’d turned their small ranch home into a veritable fortress. By using metal spikes to hold the ties together, and long hardened bolts set through the brick and studs of the interior walls, he’d fortified the house such that it would take a serious effort on the part of even the most determined monster to bust through. Solid metal shutters sturdily attached with the same long hardened lag bolts, reinforced metal security doors, and a thick sheet metal roof completed the effect.
    But even railroad ties rot, so I’d had to pull a few out and replace them from the pile Kara’s ex had left out back. This also required adding extra lag bolts driven through the wall to hold them in, considering that I couldn’t use the original method of driving spikes down through the tie above. Actually, I was pretty sure the replaced ties would be stronger than the original.
    I thought about the prospect of future ties going bad and wondered if there was some way to further treat them against rot. Texas heat and weather changes were just hard on structural materials; however, there might be something to coat the outside of the ties with to prevent any further damage. I made a mental note to check the storehouse in town to see what they had.
    Compared to the house, the fence was fairly easy to mend. Kara’s place also had a six-foot chain link fence topped with barbed wire around the perimeter. Not tall enough to keep out any real baddies, but plenty high enough to prevent the lesser undead from getting inside the yard and close to the house. Besides, it gave her dogs a place to roam where they wouldn’t become zombie chow, or people chow for that matter.
    The fence was in good repair. It just had an upright or two that needed to be reset. I dug out around the poles in need of repair, mixed some concrete up from the stores Kara’s ex had left, and poured it into the holes after I plumbed the uprights. After that, I checked the razor wire and barbed wire atop the fence all around, closing gaps with fencing wire that I tied nice and snug. Before long the place was looking much more secure, if not more cozy. Not much coziness to be had from a pitch-black log cabin and razor wire. Such was life in the New World.
    As I walked back to the house to clean up, I made sure her dogs had water and started pumping well water for the outdoor solar shower. Not much more than a black fifty-five-gallon drum and a garden hose, but it actually worked quite well for the purpose. Finding a clean set of BDUs and fresh T-shirt, I soon had the grime and mule odor from the trail scrubbed off.
    Then, I went to work at my beard with a straight razor and the homemade shaving cream Kara kept around for me. Out at the cabin, I just grew my beard long; however, when in the settlement I knew Kara liked me clean-shaven so I took the extra trouble and time. No sense risking my chances at getting lucky tonight. As I worked, I took stock of myself in the little shower mirror, and what I saw reminded me of how I looked when I first got back from the ’Stan, just ten years older. Hollow cheeks, distant eyes, and