by Sage du Toit
Chapter 5
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4 February 2021
Douglasville, GA
They repacked everything in the morning and Sam asked Tom what he thought about leaving Lucky out of the trailer and if he could make her a gas mask. Tom told her that he could try to make her a gas mask but Lucky would probably sense the nerve gas long before his detector even would. He recalled that during his studies there was an article that said cats were super sensitive to nerve gas and before it even came near they would howl and meow and run away. He said if Lucky would stay with them and not wander off while they were traveling it would be a great way to warn them not to enter certain areas too.
When they were ready to go, the last thing Sam did was put the kittens in the trailer. She left Lucky out and just put her on the back of the bike on top of the saddle bags where she had strapped a pet bed she was originally going to leave behind. Lucky seemed to enjoy it and when Sam got on the bike and started peddling, Lucky just sat up and looked around. Tom was following behind her and told her that Lucky looked happy with her new spot.
They took the short cut through the woods and this time when they came to the Coffee Shop they stopped. Sam looked through the glass front door and could see a few bodies inside, slumped to the floor. The Coffee Shop was a quaint place with lots of interesting touches. Not the typical Starbucks Sam was used to seeing on every corner. She wished she could have visited the place before N-Day. The front door was unlocked and they walked in. The place was untouched. They decided to only take what they could carry and tell the Country Store group about the rest. Most of the coffee was unground beans and Sam didn’t want to take a noisy coffee grinder. She was happy when she found several bags of roast that was already ground. There was a stand where you could mix different flavored powders and sugars in your purchased coffee and she searched inside of the stand for any unopened jars or bottles. She didn’t want to take a chance with something that had been open and exposed. While Sam was gathering coffee items, Tom was looking through the food items and selected a few they could use.
When they went back outside, Sam didn’t see Lucky. She called her with the low whistle she had been training her to come to and she came around from behind the building. Sam got her bike and Lucky jumped on top of the kitten trailer and pawed at the top. Tom saw what she was doing so he unzipped it for her and she was wiggling inside of the opening before he even had it wide enough. They both watched her as she checked over her kittens and then laid down with them. Tom grinned at Sam and told her Lucky was going to do just fine.
When they arrived at the Cracker Barrell they could see the group had already been up and fast at work. They had taken Thomas’ truck and loaded it down with mattresses and blankets from some place. When they walked in the front store area it already looked different. They had also found privacy dividers and were setting up little areas for each person or family.
When everyone saw that Tom and Sam were there they stopped and gathered around them. They all thanked Tom for the masks and started showing them the changes they were already making. The kids were all helping as well and the place was looking a little crowded but everyone looked happy. They were all busy and it was still early in the day, Sam checked her watch it was only 08:00.
There was a large fire roaring in the fireplace and Sam went to warm her hands. It was still very cold outside and the fire felt wonderful. Sam remembered Lucky and the kittens that were still in the trailer outside and she asked if it would be ok if she brought her trailer inside. Noah heard what she said and asked if he could go help her.
Sam unhooked the trailer and put the wheel on the front bar. She let Noah push the trailer inside while she opened the doors. She had him push it in near the fireplace where they had left an open area with some tables and chairs. They had even moved in a few of the rocking chairs and placed cushions and blankets over them. Sam thought they were making the place look real homey and comfortable.
Sam showed Noah how the front cover unhooked and then unzipped and rolled up the front flap. The kittens were already jumping out and exploring. Serena was rubbing around Noah’s ankles and he picked her up and cuddled her. Before she knew it all the Country store group were around them and looking at the kittens.
Sam hadn’t been introduced to everyone yesterday and when an older lady came out of the kitchen area and saw the kittens her face turned sour with disgust and she turned around and went back into the kitchen. Sam wondered what her problem was but made a guess that she didn’t like cats. Chris, the man that introduced himself as the manager, came out of the kitchen with another tall man. They both came to pet the kittens. The tall man introduced himself as Daniel and said they were just cooking some breakfast if they wanted to join them. He also said not to worry about that old bitty, Linda, she had come into the kitchen complaining about filthy cats being in the dining room and Chris had told her it was a new world and that any animal that was alive now would be allowed to come into the restaurant and even the kitchen!
They had the food set out buffet style in the kitchen and everyone stopped what they were doing and came to get a plate. There were fluffy biscuits, gravy, pancakes, and fried ham. There was more than enough for everyone. While Sam was waiting to fill her plate, she looked around the kitchen. They had neatly stacked some of the food from the small Country store in the back and she could see a door open to a store room where they had put more. There was also food left from before they showed up and saw that this group would be well off for quite some time. There were also a lot of other food places around. They should be fine with this small group for some time.
She thought the one thing they were lacking right now was guns for protecting what they had. Then she remembered that the Academy had been emptied of all the guns and ammo and wondered where they all were. Hollis and Martha had both been carrying guns and they had assumed they had picked them up from Academy, but where were the rest? When they were bringing the food over from the little Country store she never saw any more guns or even boxes of ammo.
They were all done eating and everyone was helping to clean up. Sam found Tom at the sink helping to wash dishes and she carried a stack of plates over and started helping. Another man she hadn’t met yet was also there helping and he held out his wet hand to her and introduced himself as James. He said he used to be the dishwasher here so it was just his habit to always help wash the dishes. He told them that the others helped too but when she asked he said they didn’t have any type of roster or schedule, everyone just pitched in. He said that so far it all seemed to be working out. Sam was glad to hear they didn’t have any slackers in their group. That was one of the things they had to deal with in Fort Jackson when they were there.
When all the cleanup was done she asked Tom about the guns from Academy and he said he didn’t know. So, they went to find Thomas to ask him. They found him sitting at a table with the older man from yesterday that had asked about going outside. They were playing chess and it looked like the older man was winning. They waited for a few minutes and watched and when the old man moved his queen and said, “Checkmate!” Thomas made a grumpy face and then shook the man’s hand with a grin. Thomas introduced the man as Charlie and told them he was a fierce chess player so to watch out if they played a game against him!
They told Tom they needed to talk to him for a minute. They both felt like this was probably a topic not to bring up in front of the new group yet. They walked off toward the front doors and Tom indicated to Sam to go ahead. She said, “We think these people you are with now need better protection. When we were in Academy, we saw that all the guns and ammo were gone, but we didn’t see that y’all had any at the other store, other than the ones that Hollis and Martha were carrying.” Sam left it an open-ended question so that Thomas could fill in the blank if he knew. She could see that he was a bit surprised.
“Well now, when Hollis came back with the guns he said that was a
ll he found. I rightly don’t know where the rest would be. I guess we will have to go ask him!”
Sam thought it was strange that the only places that had been looted were by Hollis and that he would hide the guns but bring all the food back. They had never asked him directly if he was the one that had looted the Academy previously…was there a possibility that someone else had come into this area to loot. And if so who? If not, then what would his purpose be in hiding the guns and ammo? Maybe he was keeping them in a safe place so the kids didn’t get into them. Sam decided she was going to give him the benefit of the doubt until she knew for sure.
Thomas told them to take his truck and go visit Hollis. Before leaving, Sam found Beth and told her they were taking Thomas’ truck to go check on Martha and Hollis and asked if she could keep an eye on Lucky and the kittens for her. Sam told her that if they caused any problems, they could put them up in the trailer. Noah was listening to her and told her that he would watch them and make sure they behaved. Sam ruffled his hair and told him to keep a special eye on Trooper, he tended to get into troubling spots.
On the short drive over Tom told Sam that Daniel, the cook they had met that morning, was looking at his bike and told him there was a pro bike repair about a mile down the road and he thought they should visit it on the way back. Since hooking the trailer to his bike Tom had realized he might need a better bike. The frame was a little too small for him and even though he had raised the seat he said he still felt a bit cramped.
They pulled behind the little Country store and knocked on the back door. They didn’t want to just walk in and catch the couple in an awkward position. They waited a few minutes and there wasn’t an answer. Tom knocked harder and called out to them but when there still wasn’t an answer after a few minutes more they started to get worried so Tom tried the door handle. It was locked.
They walked around to the front of the store and banged on the windows and told them they were there to check on them, thinking that maybe they were in the front so couldn’t hear them knocking on the back door. Sam saw that one of the posters where they lifted it to peek out was up so she covered the glass and tried to see inside. It was completely black inside and she couldn’t see much. They walked back around to the back and when no one answered on the third try, Sam told Tom to pry it open. He always carried his little pry bar around with him in his belt. The bar was only about eight inches long and it had a flat slightly curved end and the other end and the other end bent at an angle. It was a very effective pry bar.
The door came open without a problem. The back room looked empty without all of the boxes in it and the place was deathly quiet. Tom signed to her and told her to approach the front quietly. She followed behind him thinking that it was too late to be quiet. They had already made a bunch of noise and neither Martha or Hollis had come out. When they got to the front room, they saw the couple had made a big bedding pallet in the middle of the floor with candles all around. There were a few open food packs lying on the bed and several empty bottles of whisky. There was also a small plate with a spoon, a lighter and a syringe.
Sam had seen enough movies portraying drug use to understand what those items signified. She bent down and shook Martha and she didn’t respond. Tom checked Hollis and rolled him over. He had been lying face down on the pallet. Tom checked for a pulse and looked at Sam and shook his head no. Sam felt for a pulse on Martha’s neck and found one. But her breathing was shallow and she was very pale. Tom told Sam to grab some blankets so they could wrap her up, then he quickly picked Martha up. Sam grabbed the gas mask that was sitting on the counter and he stopped so she could slip the mask over Martha’s face. Tom carried her out to the truck with Sam following close behind him.
He had Sam climb in the front seat and he put Martha down next to her and told her to hold on to her best she could. He said he was going to be driving fast. In just a few short minutes they were already pulling up in front of the Cracker Barrel. Sam helped Tom get Martha out and ran inside to tell Beth what was going on. Beth went into immediate Nurse mode and started telling everyone what to do. Beth grabbed her husband, Jacob, and told him to go to the closest medical facility and look for a specific drug. She wrote it down on a piece of paper. Tom still had the keys to the truck and he went out the door with Jacob.
Sam pulled out their medical bag that also had IV kits in it and showed it to Beth. She gave Sam a quick hug and took the bag and went to work. Martha was laid out on a mattress near the fireplace. Her body was ice cold and Beth asked if someone could make some hot water bottles. They covered her in blankets and Beth started an IV. Beth asked Sam again to tell her what they found and she told her about the items next to the pallet and that when Tom rolled Hollis over she saw that his arm was still bound with a rubber band and a syringe was still stuck in the bend of his arm.
Beth told her that it sounded like they had overdosed on Heroin. She shook her head and said she just didn’t understand it, Sam didn’t either. Thomas was sitting close by and he told Beth about how Martha and Hollis both went through drug withdrawals at the start of N-Day. He said he had hopes that they wouldn’t both get back into it but Hollis would often come back from looting trips smelling like marijuana or hyped up on some drug he found. He told them he didn’t want to say anything before, but Hollis and Martha would often fight after those time and then he would lay off it for a bit or else he just hid it better. None of them thought they were staying behind on their own to go on an alcohol and drug binge. They all just thought they wanted some alone time as a couple.
Tom and Jacob came back after a short time and Jacob handed Beth a box. It was a type of nasal spray and Sam was surprised, but Beth said it was the right one. She squirted the spray in Martha’s nose and they all weighted. Everyone was sitting close by and even the teens and kids were quiet. Martha had taken care of them and kept them safe, so the children were all very concerned.
While they were waiting, Mew came and crawled in Sam’s lap and then down the front of her shirt. It made quite a few people smile to see the small kitten pawing at the top of her shirt and then ducking down inside. Sam explained to everyone that Mew had been bottle fed because she was so small and she started doing that for warmth when she was very tiny.
Sarah asked her how long she had Lucky and how did the cat get pregnant and survive. Everyone listened closely as Sam told her story of finding the cat in the house. Which lead to more questions and then Tom and Sam each telling their stories of surviving and the group in Fort Jackson. They were all fascinated about the group in Fort Jackson and wanted to know more about them. They also told them about the groups that tried to kill them in Augusta and Atlanta and that scared quite a few of them.
They still hadn’t found out about the guns, and with Hollis dead they might not ever know unless he had told Martha. It was almost noon and Martha seemed to be stable so everyone started wandering off to do different things. Tom told Sam he was going to take Jacob and they were going to go back and dispose of Hollis’s body and search the place to see if they could find the guns. He had told Jacob why they went to see Hollis and Martha when they went to get the medicine for Martha. Sam told him to be careful and to hurry back.
Chapter 6
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Sam helped Sarah set up the mattresses they had brought with sheets and pillows and thick heavy down comforters. She asked her where they found them all and she said there was a great Home Store right up the street, they must have passed it coming here. Sam recalled the store and asked if they had thought of moving someplace bigger like one of the hotels. Of course, the hotels didn’t have a big giant fire place. Sarah said they had all discussed it last night. Their group had decided that for now they would stay here and make it as comfortable as they could for everyone while they scouted around the area for a better place. Now that they could go out they were going to look for more survivors and try to start a community like Fort Jackson. She said they were s
o motivated by the stories that Tom and Sam told of those survivors and all they had, they wanted that too.
Sarah asked Sam if she was hungry, she showed her all the individually packages of snacks and foods they had organized, everything from chips to dried fruit snacks. She said they had decided a long time ago they would only use the gas stoves and ovens once a day. Sam saw there were even biscuits left over from breakfast. Sarah explained that Daniel, the cook, was amazing and always managed to cook enough of things to last just long enough. She said he was the one that was able to stretch out the food they had and now they had this abundance of food they were all very relieved.
Daniel was standing nearby and joined in the conversation. He said that he had some great ideas for upcoming meals with all the food they had now. Sam told him that if they were worried about the gas going off they should go over to the Academy and get some of the propane tanks and a gas grill. The cage with the locked propane bottles was still untouched and there were a bunch of gas and wood burning grills. She could tell Daniel was excited about the idea and he suggested they go after eating. Then she remembered they didn’t have transportation, other than the RV.
Sam asked if they had checked yet to see if any of the vehicles in the parking lot would run. Sarah said they just assumed that none of them would work. Sam finished off the protein bar she was eating and suggested they get keys from everyone and go try them all. They gathered all the keys and told everyone what they were doing. The old man, Charlie, who kept repeatedly telling Sam he was 72 and still driving just fine said he would come out and try his old truck himself. Several other people said the same thing, Sam thought they were all probably hoping that each of their vehicles would start. As they were getting ready to go outside, she reminded Charlie about his mask and then helped him put it on and tightened the straps.