EMP [Collateral Darkness] | Book 4

by Tony Mastrolacasa

  “The truck would be a huge help, guys.” Rob added. “There’s a lot of people in the area that could use the vegetables we produce and maybe we could trade for some wild game.”

  “None of those families tried to leave?” Stu asked. “I mean, nobody decided to just hump it home on foot?”

  “Three couples left that same morning.” Hal replied. “I think they were from the Barrie area, so it was doable. Of the seven families that decided to stay, five are from the States. None of them thought they could make it home with young kids in tow. Since their families were all together, they figured it was safer to just stay until things got ironed out. The two families from Toronto decided to stay because they figured the city would be a nightmare by the time they got there. I imagine they weren’t far off.”

  “We needed the help anyway, so it worked out good for us too.” Rob added. “Unfortunately, not having a running truck or enough rifles has really screwed up the works.”

  Hal offered to show them his operation and discuss a possible deal, but only if they agreed to show him their home immediately afterwards. These were unusual times. If these strangers were going to know where his family lived, he would need to see where theirs lived as well. It was only fair and after a short discussion off to the side, they agreed to it. They also agreed to negotiate for a truck, but not Leo’s Bronco, of course. Stu’s 15 year old son had made that abundantly clear to his dad.

  “So, assuming we like what we see, what’s a truck get us?” Stu asked as the four of them walked back to the awaiting brothers.

  “How does two mixed bushels a week sound?” Hal replied. “Whatever happens to be ripe and ready to harvest. That’s guaranteed, but we’ll bring a third if it’s available.”

  “But not forever.” Rob was quick to add. “We’ll need an end date. Eventually, we’d need to call the truck paid off in full and start receiving something in return.”

  “Yeah, I think that sounds fair.” George said. “What do you say we consider the truck paid for once winter’s over? Say… late March.”

  “I don’t know about that one, George.” Hal replied. “We really need that truck, but I can’t promise to go that long without getting something else in return. We’re really struggling to keep things going over there. We need to trade as much as we can for meat.”

  “Well, I think we might be able to help you out with that too, Hal.” Stu said. “On top of the truck, we’ll supply you with some meat too. We’ll agree on a spot to meet up each week that’s about half way. When you show up with those vegetables, we’ll send you home with a nice amount of game meat. As a matter of fact, if we can get our first bushels today, we’ll send you off in a decent truck that will have half a deer in the box.”

  “Right on! So, you thinking that old Dodge over there?” Rob asked, motioning towards the pick up.

  “No, we have another solid four wheel drive back at camp.” Stu said. “That pretty black Power Wagon over there is Corey’s favorite. He’d be a miserable prick if we sold it out from under him.”

  “Damn right, I would be.” Corey said.

  Hal smiled and said, “I think I’m really gunna like you guys.

  Chapter 3

  “I wonder how they’re making out, Syd.” Brian said, taking a seat beside her on the dock. “How much did they figure they needed to find?”

  “To stay healthy, Nichelle said that 20 people would need to consume at least 10 cans of quality vegetables per day.” Sydney replied. “She’s the family doctor, so she would know. You brought along sacks and sacks of seed from the Co-Op, but it won’t produce anything we can eat until late next summer.”

  “…and George said it would be around 150 days until some wild plant in the forest would be edible.” Brian added.

  “So… 10 cans per day for 150 days… That’s 1500 cans, Bri. I doubt they’ll find 100.”

  “We still have a bunch in our stores, though, right?” Brian asked. “Shit, I think Fran brought along six totes full of her preserves.”

  “Yeah, I double checked Gwen’s numbers.” Sydney replied. “She was correct. Right now we’re good until mid January. That still leaves over two months with nothing unless the guys find more.”

  “Okay, so that cuts the number in half then. It’s a big area with lots of empty cottages. They might…”

  “…It’s gunna take them forever to find that many, Bri.”

  “Maybe, Syd, but they’ll find them. You know Stu… he won’t come back until he does.”

  Sydney simply smiled at Brian and stared out at the lake again.

  That’s what I’m afraid of.

  ◆◆◆

  “…And this here’s the brains of the operation.” Hal said. “This is my wife, Nora. Nora, this is Stu, George, Corey and Leo. They may be interested in setting up a trade deal with us.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you all.” Nora said as she set down a basket of tomatoes and peppers.

  “Nice to meet you too, Nora.” Stu said, speaking for the group.

  “I hope Harold hasn’t promised you too much.” Nora said. “My husband’s mouth can sometimes be bigger than his brain.”

  “Well, I love you too, sweetheart.” Hal said.

  “Ha! Nothing’s been promised yet, Nora.” George replied with a chuckle.

  “You remember old George Brickham that used to come around every so often? The guy that always had those two big black labs with him?” George asked his wife. “George here is his grandson.”

  “Oh, what a small world.” Nora replied. “Those dogs of his were just beautiful. He never went anywhere without them.”

  “Yeah, Kane and Mabel, he named them. They were his babies.” George said, recalling the dogs fondly.

  “Actually, you see that birdhouse under the eves of the house over there?” Nora asked, pointing over George’s shoulder. “Your grandfather gave me that 20 years ago.”

  “You don’t say.” George said with a huge smile. “Gramps used to love building those things.”

  “Rob’s got some stuff in the trailer for you, love.” Hal said, anxious to get on with it. “We found some of those big stewing pots you’ve been asking for. I’m taking these guys on a quick tour of the greenhouses.”

  “Okay, Harold, I’ll go and take a look.” Nora replied. “Oh, by the way, Donny stopped by earlier today to check in on us.”

  “No kidding. How’s that old hermit doing?” Hal asked. “I was starting to wonder about that guy.”

  “He said he’s doing fine. He never had power anyways, so things aren’t a whole lot different for him. Said the only thing he misses is his radio.”

  “Well, I’m sorry I missed him. Did you send him off with a basket?” Hal asked.

  “Of course.” Linda replied. “He wouldn’t accept it until I agreed to take a couple of snowshoe hares that he snared this morning.”

  “Good deal.” Hal said. “I think I’ll clean them up and give them to those American families. Their kids are looking a little peaked.”

  “That’s what I was thinking too.” Nora said.

  “Come on, guys, I’ll show you around.” Hal said, turning back to his new friends.

  Leaving Nora to her chores, Hal led them to the first greenhouse and held the door open for them. As soon as they stepped through the door, a wave of hot humid air smacked them all in the face. The building was also completely loaded with vegetable plants of all shapes, sizes and colours. They all immediately felt the need to remove their coats before going any further.

  “What have you got heating this place?” George asked. “Is there a furnace here?”

  “No, there’s an outdoor wood-fired boiler down by the lake.” Hal replied. “I’ve got hot pipes running to every building on the property. As long as we keep the stove down there fed with wood, all of these buildings will stay warm all winter. We were planning on opening the place up to the snowmobilers, bring in a little extra business. The provincial trail runs right down the centre of this lake.
Rob and I ran heat piping to all the cabins last spring. Of course, I suppose that was all for nothing now.”

  “Well, you probably saved all of these families, Hal.” George said. “Gave them somewhere to wait out the winter.”

  “Is the water pump still running?” Stu asked. He was somewhat familiar with hydronic heating systems.

  “Not the electric one, no, but I’ve got a windmill pump down there that’s entirely mechanical. No electricity required. Of course, there isn’t always enough wind to run it, but the hot water naturally rises and heads to the buildings. Then the cool water drops back down to the boiler. It’s not as efficient as when it’s pumping, but it still works. If needed, there’s a hand pump that someone can crank on in order to get the water moving around again. Rob’s been working on getting his exercise bike hooked up to it.”

  “Well, that’s the way to do it.” George said. “One fire keeps all these buildings heated… genius.”

  “Well, I don’t know about all that, but it seems to work… as long as we’re able to keep that fire fed.” Hal said.

  “Might be worth looking into, George.” Stu said. “Propane isn’t gunna hold out forever.”

  Stu received a silent nod of agreement from George as he considered the idea.

  “The truck will really help with gathering wood too.” Hal continued. “That little ATV wagon can only do so much. If the fire goes out, all the pipes freeze and we’re screwed. Antifreeze was one of the things we were out looking for today. I’ve got a couple of fireplaces in the house, but the cabins and the greenhouses don’t have any other source of heat, so it’s important we keep that hot water flowing.”

  Hal took his guests through each greenhouse and then walked them up to the house where they could chat and work out the details of their deal. On the way to the house, Hal called Rob over to join them as well. A teenaged girl was just heading outside when they came up to the door.

  “Hey, Liv. You headed out to help your mom?” Hal asked.

  “No, she said she didn’t need me again until after dinner, Uncle Hal. I heard you had some people here and I got curious.”

  “This is my niece, Olivia.” Hal said. “This is Stu, George, Corey and Leo.”

  “Hi.” Olivia said with a shy smile. She was speaking to all of them, but her eyes were fixed squarely on Leo.

  “I think I’ll just stay outside until you’re ready to go, Dad.” Leo said, hoping to spend a little time with someone his own age for a change. The fact that Leo found Olivia extremely attractive played into it as well, of course.

  “You want to show Leo around, Liv?” Hal asked.

  “Sure, Uncle Hal.” She said. “Come on, Leo.”

  The two teenagers walked off together as the men went in and took a seat at the kitchen table. Hal walked over to a cabinet and began working away on a combination lock.

  “I don’t have any Jim Beam, but I might have a bottle of Jack in here.” Hal said. “Anybody interested?”

  “If you’re gunna start asking dumb questions, Hal, this is gunna be a long day.” George said with a wide grin.

  “Ha! Without dumb questions I’ve got nothing.” Hal said with a chuckle.

  “Truer words have never been spoken.” Rob commented sarcastically.

  They all watched as Hal opened the door of his liquor cabinet and revealed its contents. Other than a few bottles of wine, it was completely stuffed with bottles of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey. Black labels, green labels, white labels, red labels, he had them all.

  “Ha! How many damn bottles have you got in there?” George asked.

  “A shitload.” Hal replied with a smile. “It’s kind of a hobby, I guess.”

  “Well, pick one and get to pouring, my friend.” George said.

  “If you don’t mind me asking, Hal, who’s this hermit guy you mentioned earlier?” Stu asked.

  “Who, Donny? He’s just an old trapper friend of ours.” Hal replied. “He’s had a cabin back in the forest across the road for 40 years. Around 20 years ago, he retired from the mine, divorced his wife and moved back there full time. Guess he couldn’t talk his wife into joining him. Now he spends his days hunting, trapping and blowing up beaver dams.”

  “I see. Well, I’m glad he’s doing alright.” Stu said.

  “Yeah, me too.” Hal said. “He doesn’t come around very often, but we haven’t heard from him in months. I was actually thinking about checking in on him myself. We’ve got enough to deal with around here without having to worry about him too.”

  “This is a pretty big operation you got going here, Hal.” Corey said. “You sure you have enough hands to keep up with everything?”

  “We’ve got plenty of hands. We just don’t have enough rifles to put in those hands.” Hal replied. “We’re hoping to trade for a few more if we come across anybody willing.”

  “This place is right off a main road too.” Corey said. “Guaranteed, you’re gunna have people wandering in from time to time. Have you guys had any problems yet?”

  “Nothing serious.” Rob replied. “Just a few groups walking by, families mostly. Most of them just waved and kept on going. A few saw what we had and wanted to stay, but Hal told them to keep walking. Some had guns with them, but they didn’t want any trouble either.”

  “Yeah, security has got to be an issue.” George said. “You’ve got to have somebody watching that entrance day and night.”

  “We do.” Hal said. “Six people are out there every night, four of them armed. The rifles are usually out with the hunters during the daylight hours, so we only have two guards armed with shotguns during the day. Rob and I took the rifles with us today on our little scavenging run.”

  “What do you think, Stu?” Corey asked.

  “Well… four armed guards at night would be okay if there were others on stand by that could help out in a hurry.” Stu replied. “Two during the day though… that could be a problem.”

  “We’re hoping to find more weapons, but they’re not something people generally leave lying around in their cottages.” Rob said. “I doubt many will be interested in trading them for some carrots either.”

  Hal placed a half full glass of Tennessee’s most popular export to Canada in front of each man at the table and took a seat.

  “Our American guests have been helping out with security.” Hal said. “All five are military families, three active duty, two retired. They’ve been coming up here as a group for five or six years now. They’re a solid bunch of people, so I know I can trust them. They’re probably the best hunters we have too, especially their wives. Can’t remember the last time I bagged a deer, but those ladies have brought back three so far. We’ve gotta find a way to hang a rifle off of every one of their shoulders full time.”

  The group could tell that Stu was deep in thought. They watched as he took a sip of his drink, got up from his chair and walked over to the doorway leading to the front room.

  “You mind if I take a look through that front window, Hal?” Stu asked.

  “No, go right ahead, Stu.” Hal replied.

  Stu walked over to the large window and looked out towards the road. Whatever Stu was thinking, it was obvious that he was happy to work it out on his own, so they left him to it. George may have owned a successful security firm down in Toronto, but Stu was the expert in this sort of thing and his friends knew it. Hal and Rob, however, had no idea.

  “Was Stu a cop or something?” Hal quietly asked.

  “Ha. No, he handled security for his community down south.” Corey replied. “There’s probably 30 of us alive today because of how he had that place set up.”

  “He’s a millwright by trade, but he has a background in security.” George added.

  Stu walked back over to the table and took his seat again. It was obvious that he had something rather uncomfortable to say and he needed to figure out a way of saying it without offending their new friends. For the second time today, Stu had the same thought.

  Man,
I wish Brian was here.

  “Alright, I’m gunna throw out an idea, but I need to explain myself first.” Stu said. “Please don’t get excited by what I’m about to say, okay? I’m just ‘spit ballin’ here. Remember, we want to trade with you guys and we’re no threat to you. Your produce is extremely important to us, but if you tell us to leave, we’ll leave. We understand that we’re just guests here and we won’t stay if we’re not wanted.”

  “Just say it, Stu. Any suggestions would be appreciated.” Hal said, that familiar nervousness creeping into his face again.

  “The way this place is set up… I don’t see you being able to hang onto it.”

  “Damn, Stu…”

  “…I know, George, I’ve got no tact.” Stu said. “I’ve heard it all before, but hear me out.”

  “Okay, as long as you know what you’re doing… go ahead.” George said, hoping Stu wasn’t about to blow their whole deal.

  “It’s no offense to you, Hal and Rob.” Stu continued. “You guys are protecting the place the best you can. You’ve got armed guards by a gated entrance and you even have a few unarmed people out front where they’ll be seen. You’re doing everything right. It’s the damn location that’s the problem.

  “There’s this thing that a general said during World War One. I can’t remember his name or even what country he was from, but the guy was considered a brilliant strategist. We learned about him in high school and for some reason I never forgot what he said. ‘When planning the defense of a fixed position, three basic elements must be considered, overwhelming firepower, superior tactics and natural concealment. Without at least two of these three critical components, no amount of planning will keep you from being overrun.’