Tabitha moved to have a seat at the dining table in the open kitchen area. “This is normal. I mean, even if we weren’t dealing with an EMP that plunged us into the dark ages, this kind of thing would have happened.”
“If the EMP hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have hooked up with Wolf, and Lily would have her dad all to herself.”
Tabitha shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. It’s not like relationships didn’t happen before all this started. Plus, Lily likes you. She’s been your shadow the whole time we’ve been here. She’s just going through a hard time. I have a feeling the two of you will get along fine once she accepts this.”
Regan threw her head back, looking up at the vaulted ceiling. “Why is it so damn hot?”
Tabitha giggled, standing up from the table. “I hope it gets better. Wolf and his family don’t appear to be quite as miserable as the rest of us. There’s hope we’ll tolerate it better. We need to give our bodies time to acclimate.”
It was a nice idea, but Regan couldn’t imagine ever being comfortable in the high humidity of Florida. She was more of a mild temperature kind of person. She didn’t like the cold, either. She preferred four full seasons with tolerable conditions. Not to mention heat and electricity when things outside got uncomfortable.
Everyone could have their fantasies.
“It’s close to lunchtime. Hopefully, the weather breaks soon. I’m so miserable I don’t even want to eat,” Regan complained.
“Oh, but everyone else does, and we’re on kitchen duty this week. I don’t know what Wolf’s putting together for lunch, but I think it’s another night of fried fish and some fresh salad greens from the aquaponics garden tonight.”
Regan rolled her eyes. “It’s like we had that last night and the night before.”
“You know what Wolf said. We eat the fresh stuff while it’s available and save the canned goods and freeze-dried stuff for later. This could all get worse. We don’t want to have to draw straws to decide who gets eaten first,” Tabitha teased.
Regan stopped at the doorway and turned to look back at her friend. “Gee, you’re so full of hope, you inspire me,” she said dryly.
2
It had been three days since Wolf and Regan’s kiss, and things had only been getting worse. Tensions ran higher and higher with each day that passed, it seemed. In the afternoon, everyone usually hung out in the house, avoiding the point in the day that, given the season, was either rife with downpours or bound to be the hottest part of the day. Lately, Regan dreaded those hours spent inside the house with everyone in close proximity. The house was good-sized, but it wasn’t big enough for each of them to have their own space.
Lily had made herself scarce as of late, but that didn’t relieve any of the tension. Instead, it made it worse. It made Regan feel guilty for being the trigger that had pushed Lily away from the group, and especially her father.
The last few days had been full enough of rain that the ground outside the house was as soggy as the air was muggy, but today had been a rare afternoon of sun. It seemed to have done something to dry out the puddles, at least, Regan thought as she looked out over the yard. Today, she’d been doing her best to avoid everyone else by hanging out in the small screened-in patio until it cooled down a bit.
When the door creaked open, Regan looked up and waved to Tabitha languidly—it was too hot to do much more than that with any gusto, but she took the glass of water her friend offered eagerly.
“Hey,” she said, sitting in the available patio chair next to Regan. “Figured we could both use some more hydration before we go back out into the sun.”
“No kidding. Thanks.”
“Whatcha’ reading?” Tabitha asked, nodding to the book in Regan’s lap.
Regan put down the book she had been reading about hurricanes and looked at Tabitha. “Really? You don’t think it’s the same book I’ve been reading the last few days?”
Tabitha raised her hands in mock innocence. “Can’t a friend say hi?”
“You’re not here to say hi. I can see you have something on your mind and you’re about to tell me what it is. So, tell me.”
Tabitha eyed her and took a sip from her glass, then nodded. “I want to try and help soothe the ruffled feathers in the group.”
Regan knew exactly who Tabitha was referring to, of course. “Lily? Has she said something to you? I’ve tried talking to her, Tabitha, I promise. She doesn’t want to talk to me and always finds something that has to be done—far away from me. I don’t want to chase her around the island and make things worse. She doesn’t want to deal with me, and I’ll respect that.”
“Don’t beat yourself up over it. But, yes, I want to try and smooth things over with Lily. The girl is really stressed. I have a feeling she’s headed for a preteen breakdown if we don’t help her out. All that angst and nowhere for it to go? Talk about something that’s unhealthy. She needs an outlet. She needs to connect with someone. Right now, she must feel more alone than ever. We need to give her some sense of normalcy. You know what happens when you keep all those feelings bottled up inside,” Tabitha added as she looked at her pointedly, one brow raised.
Regan let out a long breath. “I’m not the one walking around like a ticking time bomb.”
“No, you just run away and ditch us,” she replied, a smile on her face to soften the blow.
Touché.
Tabitha smiled before reaching across the expanse between the chairs, touching Regan’s forearm. “I don’t feel like things are getting done as well as they could be. Everyone is bickering and just bitchy in general. I was thinking we could work in pairs. We can switch up the pairs after a few days. None of us really knows each other all that well, despite the close quarters. We need to build camaraderie. It’s hard to work in a group of seven people, sure, but it’s harder to work alone.”
Regan eyed her friend carefully. “Wolf put you up to this, didn’t he?”
Tabitha threw her head back and laughed. “How did you know?”
“Because I know Wolf, and this is definitely something he would do. It’s like his survival show; putting people in pairs, letting them get used to each other, and then switching things up.”
Tabitha’s soft laughter filled the space. “I never thought of it like that. You’re right, but it worked there, so it makes sense that we can make it work here.”
Regan scoffed. “I nearly killed my first partner, and I think she was feeling the same way about me.”
“That was different. We all get along fairly well here. There are no serious conflicts. The issue with you and Lily isn’t that bad. It will resolve with time. I just want to help speed that process along while helping the rest of us get to know each other a little better. Come on, what do you say?”
Regan groaned, hating the group dynamic drama. It seemed like such a waste of time and energy. Working alone wasn’t as effective maybe, but it was a hell of a lot more peaceful.
Tabitha leaned back in her chair and sipped at her water, staring out over what would technically have been called the yard, although there wasn’t any grass. It was full of thick trees that came up to within about twenty-five feet from the house. The spacing had been arranged on purpose in case a tree blew down in a storm, so that it wouldn’t hit the house and cause serious damage, but somehow it seemed to highlight how solitary the house was, and how large Mother Nature was.
“It’s a good idea,” Tabitha emphasized after a moment, apparently thinking that Regan had decided to move on from the subject. “Working in pairs means we still get to split the workload, but it also gives each of us a chance to get to know someone a little better. Right now, Lily, Wolf, and RC are kind of leading the pack. They know what to do and are trying to do everything or tell us how to do whatever’s left. It’s like we’re in two separate groups, but we don’t want to be freeloaders.” Tabitha leaned over. “They might make us walk the plank or something,” she whispered, adding a dramatic gasp for effect.
Regan rolled
her eyes, but couldn’t help laughing. “You’re just a comic genius, aren’t you? I get it. I don’t want to be a burden. I’ll play along with your little game,” she conceded, hoping the irritation she felt wasn’t too blatant in her voice.
Tabitha grinned. “Great! Then we’ll pair up, make BFFs, and life will be great!”
“Great,” Regan echoed. “Let me guess, you and Geno are a pair?” Regan guessed.
“God, no!” Tabitha exclaimed, her face twisting in mock horror. “I spend plenty of time with that man. We do not need to work on our communication or get to know each other any better! We’re good.”
Regan grinned. “So, what’s your plan? Who are you sticking me with?”
“I was thinking you and I could take over the aquaponics system for now. There’s room enough for me to try and grow some medicinal plants alongside the vegetables we’ve got in there.”
“Oh,” Regan breathed out—that didn’t sound bad at all. “I’d like that. I can handle you.”
Tabitha giggled again. “That is high praise coming from you.”
“You know,” Regan said, “it seems like there’d be something like that already.” It was something she had noticed a few days ago, but hadn’t said anything about for fear of insulting Wolf’s survival knowledge. “Why doesn’t he have a garden?” she asked in a low voice, just in case Wolf happened to be outside the house. He would hear through the screened walls if he was.
Tabitha smiled. “I asked that same question. Actually, Geno asked. He was excited about the idea of finally getting that big garden he’s always wanted. Wolf said we’re welcome to try, but that it won’t produce as fast or as much as the aquaponics. He explained that the rains that are going to be drenching us over the next couple of months make it tough to really grow anything, especially if there’s a strong storm that could knock over plants. I get it, considering how much rain we’re already seeing, but he did say I was welcome to try. There’s a small plot on the side of the greenhouse where the aquaponics system is housed. I think I’ll try. Most bugs will stay away from herbs, which means I can grow those outside and save the space in the tanks for actual food.”
“Did I mention before that I know nothing about gardening?”
Tabitha laughed. “But, I do. A little, at least, and you’ve been reading those books about aquaponics. Wolf swears it’s pretty much dummy-proof. Between the two of us, we can figure it out. Plus, do you want to be out there doing the grueling manual labor?” she teased.
Regan nodded easily—it was no secret that manual labor under the hot sun wasn’t her thing. Secretly, Regan also couldn’t help being relieved that she wasn’t going to be paired with Geno or, worse, Wolf. That would only make things worse in her mind. She had made it very clear to him that there would be no more kissing or touching in front of the others, and working beside him all day would only add to the temptation. It was just too soon for them. She could understand why their new relationship bothered a few of her new housemates, even if it really wasn’t any of their business. They were living in a fairly delicate balance already, and relationship drama wasn’t going to help anyone get used to it if things went bad.
Turning her full attention on her friend, Regan prodded her, “Okay, tell me what else you’ve got going.”
“I’m going to put Geno in charge of the maintenance around here with RC. RC knows where the pumps are and what needs doing to keep this place running, but I think Geno can try and get that boat running. He can also learn from RC about the solar power system. I think, once he’s shown how it works, he’ll be able to fix anything that goes wrong. Plus, even if they don’t realize it, I think those two look at problems similarly and will get on great if they get stuck together on machinery.”
Regan nodded her head. “Makes sense. I will say that for your husband—he is a bit of a mechanical genius.”
Tabitha smiled proudly. “Yes, he is. And this way, if we’re dealing with multiple problems, Geno, Wolf, and RC can divide and conquer. The sooner something gets fixed, and back up and running, the better it is for all of us.”
Regan nodded, seeing the logic in that grouping. “I agree. What else do you have up your sleeve?”
“I want Wolf and Lily to work together. It will give him a chance to reconnect with her. I think we can all see they need some father-daughter time. They both know what needs done around here and will be more like the managers. They’ll be following up on all of us.”
“What about Fred?”
Tabitha smiled. “Fred is one of those guys who really does work best alone. He’s going to do a full inventory of the supplies in the storage room as well as come up with a plan to stretch the supplies for as long as possible. Wolf wants him to plan for us to live here a full five years without any help from the outside world. He’s also inventorying the guns—there are a lot of guns. I didn’t realize just how many Wolf had stashed around this place.”
“Five years!” Regan nearly shouted.
“Shhh!” Tabitha hissed, though the doubt was clear on her face, as well. “That’s what he says. Just in case. He wants to get to the mainland and connect with a couple guys he knows that have ham radios. It’s the one thing he doesn’t have here. He’s hoping they can give him a better idea of what happened and how bad it is.”
“Where are all these guns? I only saw a few rifles and the six handguns that we’ve all been carrying?”
Tabitha grinned. “I know. That’s the point. I happened to find a shotgun, apparently one of those Mossbergs he talked about, stashed under the couch.”
Regan’s eyes widened. “Under the couch?”
Tabitha nodded. “There’s a small pistol inside that potted palm in the living room as well.”
“How? What? Why?” Regan asked shaking her head.
“It’s in a plastic bag stashed under the soil. I guess Wolf is ready for an attack and has weapons stashed all around the island—not to mention enough ammo to go to war according to Fred.”
Regan was in disbelief. “I thought he was the peaceful type.”
Tabitha grinned. “Sometimes you have to force the peace issue. If someone shows up here, I don’t think you can simply tell them you’re peaceful. Whoever has the most guns wins and in this case, I think Wolf wins.”
“Wow. I had no idea. I guess that should make me feel safer.”
“Yes it should. Five years is a long time. We’ll probably be meeting a lot of not-so-nice people and will need every one of those guns,” Tabitha warned.
Regan swallowed down the nerves she felt at the thought of being stuck on the island for that long, but she supposed it made sense to plan for longer rather than shorter, and be prepared. “I know that’s on his mind. It’s something he complains about a lot. He’s beating himself up over not having some way to communicate.”
“Do you know anything about those radios?” Tabitha asked.
Regan shrugged. “I know, with the right equipment and an experienced operator, you can talk to people on the other side of the country.”
“Can you imagine?” Tabitha asked wistfully. “What if this whole thing is isolated to just this one area? We could be sitting here, suffering, while the rest of the world carries on business as usual.”
Regan smiled. “I thought that in the first week or two, too. But when I was at the compound, the grapevine of information said it was everywhere. And, if it weren’t, it kind of seems like we’d know by now, but maybe not….”
“What do you believe?”
“I have no idea. We have to believe at least part of it’s true, though, right? The how and the why are likely to remain a mystery for a long time. Unless we get invaded by a foreign military, and then we’ll know,” Regan quipped.
“I don’t even want to imagine what that would be like,” Tabitha said shortly, leaning back in her chair and staring out into the trees. “No communications. No way to call for help. Nowhere to get help. It’s too much to wrap my head around. I think it’s best we stay on the i
sland and forget about the outside world.”
“You know that isn’t possible,” Regan offered gently. “I think we have to be prepared to deal with people coming out here eventually.”
“Don’t say that! I like living in my bubble world—and that is where I am going to stay,” Tabitha said, a hint of laughter in her voice.
Regan nodded, happy to live in that world for a short time. It gave her brain a brief respite from the constant wondering and what-ifs. The break was sorely needed.
A cool breeze flowed through the screened-in room. Both women lifted their arms and let it wash over them, enjoying the little break from the heat.
“He thought of everything,” Tabitha said, picking up their conversation. “I can’t imagine where any of us would be without him.”
“I know. It wouldn’t be pretty. Did you ever watch his show or the ones like it?” Regan asked in a low voice.
Tabitha smiled. “Honestly, not always. I mean, I liked his show because I felt like I was learning, but the other ones? I always chalked most of them up to people acting crazy. I used to tell Geno I couldn’t imagine living my life preparing for the worst. It seemed like it would be a real downer. Boy, do I feel foolish now.”
Regan laughed. “Sadly, I think it’s only a very small part of the population who actually did prepare, which is why we’re out here on an island. I bet you there are families across the country, especially in the mountain regions, that are living in bunkers.”
Tabitha shook her head. “It’s crazy. I feel bad that I thought they were a little nuts. Turns out, they were smarter than the rest of us. Like you said, if it hadn’t been for Wolf—”
She didn’t finish her sentence.
It was the same comment they had all made about a million times. Regan liked to think she could have handled it, but deep down, she wasn’t so sure. Without anyone by her side or watching her back, it would have been a lonely, scary world. She’d gotten just a taste of it in the way she’d stumbled into that compound, and that had been more than enough for her.
Survivalist Reality Show: The Complete Series Page 29