The World We Live In | 𝚃. 𝙾𝚃𝚃𝙾 ♤

Chapter 12

 Troy thoroughly worked to comb through the long strands of barbed wire with his thick, protective gloves dressed in his loose working clothing. Today was a day of fortifying their walls. It was an ongoing chore, and with so much acreage circumventing their land, it felt like a never-ending job. Broke Jaw Ranch strung out for at least 15 miles, and while their fences were strung with wire, some parts were in terrible shapes. Some pastures weren't even adequately fenced and all. Troy and Jake had helped their father build sections of these fences when they were boys, and Troy had done a lot of after-cate when Jake left for college. Growing up, Troy spent countless hours riding to check the cattle, which usually included checking fences or even emergency repairs. They'd collected many old strings, and Troy was very busy with the tedious task of cutting and separating the wires. He felt a slight burn in his neck when he moved it from left to right and pulled the end of his collar up to protect his flushed skin. He looked around him and saw the Ranch bustle with people and activity. Today, they were fortifying the fences, but the entrance gates too. The design was drawn by one of their members and looked simple enough. They transported two iron doors that belonged to shipping containers for the enclosure of the gates. Spiked barrier traps made from wood and metal would be the first defense line to keep mostly the dead out. And they would open the gates from the inside with a unique mechanism manned by the guards. Troy sighed after finishing the following line of knotted wires with some pliers. He'd gotten through a decent length of strings before getting up to help carry the wood and lumber collection for the fortification.

Troy was so engrossed with his chores that he did a double-take when he heard the rare but familiar laugh of Cristine in the distance. The sun hit his face, and Troy raised his hand to block the intense rays and shadowed his face. Like a lot, she wore her light working clothes and her worn-out baseball cap with her curled signature ponytail hanging out from the back opening. Cristine talked animatedly and saw the way her profile stretched before her facial expression blossomed into a smile. Troy then looked at the person she was talking to and narrowed his eyes. It was one of the new people, the one with some medical knowledge. Troy remembered when he processed the man. He was a jumpy and nervous type, but he handled himself well enough. The man was alone for a while and needed to get used to people again. But like most of the new faces, he did everything to fit in and didn't complain. Troy moved his jaw back and forth and slowly removed the industry gloves while he kept his eyes plastered on the man in question. Before his mind even processed it, his legs moved in action, and Troy headed for the two in a straight beeline. When he came closer, he could make out half the conversation. There was playful laughter within Cristine's voice when addressing her conversation partner. Troy heard her say, "-I've never done those, and I don't know if I'm supposed to be impressed or weirded out that you did."

Ethan shrugged with a nervous laugh, "I mean, if you haven't worn a ridiculous costume or not with your friends, have you seen the 'real' San Francisco?" The man was at ease with the nurse, who came off as standoffish and unapproachable at first. She was guarded when it came to specific topics, but she was more open-minded than the militia and Troy, the ones who found him and took him back here. She was very open-minded and less wary than the rest, but maybe that was because she'd been out there too.

"Get drunk with friends, sounds like my kind of scene."

Ethan's eyes twinkled. "It's the cheapest party you'll ever have. I'm surprised you have never done it."

"Surprised you've never done what?" Cristine was about to answer when Troy dropped a question right between their conversation. It was so sudden it took both a while to recover. Ethan shifted on his feet and buried his hands in his pockets. His gaze almost immediately recoiled from Troy's face. Cristine felt that his sudden intrusion was peculiar but didn't search for anything behind it and answered in a firm voice that showed her repose on full display.