Survivalist Reality Show: The Complete Series

by Grace Hamilton

  Regan had noted the same fact. There looked to be half as many people here as there’d been in the town. Wolf had said the town couldn’t defend itself because of the low number of people. How was this any better? Suddenly irritated, she wondered if Wolf had pushed them to come here because it was what he wanted and not what was for the best.

  “There’s the van!” Travis pointed out, running ahead.

  Regan turned to look at Tabitha, a grimace on her face—she and her husband were holding hands, bringing up the rear of the group, and didn’t seem as concerned as she felt. She wondered if they were noticing the same things she was. Wolf had talked them into coming here and everything he had said appeared to be a lie at the moment.

  Instead of growling or frowning, Tabitha smiled back. Regan faced forward again, following the others as they made their way along a narrow road that led to the community center. She had no idea what to expect, but hoped it would be more promising than what she was seeing outside.

  “Come on inside,” an older man with black and gray hair invited them from the steps of the community center.

  Regan hesitated, but Wolf took her hand. “It’s okay. Come on,” he encouraged her.

  “We need to talk,” she hissed.

  “Not now.”

  “Wolf,” she started, but she didn’t get to finish as the others practically pushed them up the steps.

  They all walked inside together, squeezing through the double doors. And there, Regan looked around the large space and saw RC standing in the room, surrounded by several men and women. He appeared happy, which was an anomaly in itself. She had never seen him so happy.

  “Wolf!” he called out, waving his son over.

  Wolf grabbed Regan’s hand and pulled her along with him. Regan glanced back at Tabitha as she went, feeling extremely nervous. But Tabitha waved her hand at her, telling her to go on as a woman welcomed them.

  “How’s Lily?” Wolf asked his father immediately.

  “She’s fine. She was in here a second ago, but when she saw Travis, they ran off.”

  “They did what?” Wolf growled.

  “Relax. She took Travis to meet some of the other kids,” RC assured him.

  Wolf nodded before turning his attention back to the people his father had been talking to. Regan gripped his hand tight, anxiety making her clingy. There was another round of introductions. Regan knew there was no way she was going to remember everyone’s names, so she simply smiled and nodded and did her best to appear friendly. So far, everyone seemed very nice, welcoming them with open arms.

  But, “nice” didn’t matter if there was no food or water—or, most importantly, safety and security. She was doing her best to give the situation the benefit of the doubt, but it wasn’t looking promising.

  “We’ll have a dinner tonight. Your group can sleep in here before your journey tomorrow,” the elder, who Regan also learned was the man in charge, announced. They all thanked him in turn, following the chatter and introductions as best they could.

  Wolf had dropped Regan’s hand and was busy chatting with another group of people. Feeling a little lost, Regan wandered outside for some fresh air. The sun was slowly moving across the sky. She sat down on one of the steps, staring out at the place they had worked so hard to reach.

  Maybe she had built it up in her head too much. Walking through the gate had been a huge letdown. She wasn’t sure what she had expected, but this wasn’t it. She’d wanted to see citrus groves and fields of food growing all around. She’d wanted to see houses and women hanging laundry as their kids played. She’d wanted the town they had left, maybe, or at least a version of that town.

  She heard the door open behind her and scooted to the side to make room for whoever was leaving the building. The booted feet stopped next to her. She knew those feet.

  “Is everything okay?” Wolf asked, sitting beside her.

  She nodded, but her throat was tight. “Yes.”

  “Liar.”

  She sighed. “I think I was expecting something different.”

  “Like?”

  “You said they would have food and other goods we could trade for. I don’t see that they have much of anything. What they do have, I think they’ll need to keep for themselves.”

  He chuckled low in his throat. “Regan, you’ve not see the entire reservation. You’ve seen one small part of it. I talked with some of the members. They have been lucky to have a very successful growing season.”

  “Growing what?” she asked.

  “The corn is still in the fields. It will be ready for harvest soon. We’ll help with the harvest and earn corn as payment. There is a small citrus grove that has plenty of lemons. There are plenty of beans, as well, with the pumpkins readying for harvest in a couple months. There is food all around you,” he insisted.

  She wasn’t sure where the food was since she couldn’t see it, but she would take his word for it. “And they’ll share?” she asked quietly, wondering how she’d feel in their place.

  “We have a lot of stuff in that van we can use to trade. We have to leave the van here anyway. That van is worth at least a month’s supply of food and some building materials. We can also hunt alligator to use as trade. They’ll use the hides to make goods. We’re going to be okay, Regan. I’m not promising it’s going to be easy as we establish ourselves, but we’ll make it. We’re all fighters.”

  “I want to see these crops you promised,” she pressed. “With my own eyes.”

  He laughed, and put his arm around her shoulder. “You will. They also have store houses where they have stored dried food. Regan, you have to understand, a lot of the people here have fought long and hard to hold onto the traditions of our ancestors. They may not be as self-sufficient as the tribe was two hundred years ago, but they’ll get by,” he insisted. “They were surviving on their own before the EMP, and they’re prepared to continue to do so.”

  “We could learn a lot from them,” Regan mused aloud.

  “Yes, we can. All of us can.”

  “I’m sorry to be a downer. I guess I expected to walk into a little piece of heaven. I built it up in my mind and, when I saw it, I was surprised. I appreciate it all, I really do, and I’m willing to do the work to earn our keep,” Regan said softly.

  Wolf pulled a face. “What does that mean?”

  “We’re outsiders.”

  “Technically, we’re all outsiders,” he replied easily.

  She shrugged. “I am. You’re not. Heather and your dad aren’t.”

  He shook his head. “We haven’t been here in a long time. We haven’t put in the work. They’ve welcomed us, but we can’t stay.”

  “The swamp?”

  He nodded. “Yes, we’re moving into the swamp. I’ll go out tomorrow and do some scouting to find a good place to establish a camp. I don’t want to be too close to these lands.”

  “Why not?” she asked.

  “Because, honestly, I don’t know that it will be safe for long. I have no idea how long it will take for the world to be rebuilt, but in a few months, I imagine things are going to be far worse. This area is wide open, and there is no way anyone could truly defend it. I don’t want to be close if that happens. I think the majority of people will stay out of the swamp simply because it is uninviting.”

  “I hate that there’s nowhere safe. I want to be able to go home, lock the door, and feel safe in a home,” she said, unable to hold back a frown.

  “I know you do, and I want that, as well. Going into the swamp is our best chance at feeling safe. We’ll be isolated. We can set up booby traps to alert us to anyone coming near. We will be hidden from view, too, which is the best thing possible.”

  She nodded, trying to picture the future. Every time she thought she had finally come to terms with swamp life, a little part of her brain threw out a what-if that gave her some small hope for a different life. But it was time to stop thinking about the what-ifs and accept the swamp as her home. That was the only way sh
e could find peace and avoid situations like she was in now, feeling defeated and disappointed.

  “Okay.”

  “Okay?”

  She nodded firmly. “Yep, I am not going to say another word in protest. I will embrace the swamp. I’m happy to live in the swamp.”

  Wolf burst into laughter. “Keep telling yourself that and you’ll believe it.”

  “I hope so,” she murmured, leaning her head on his shoulder as she changed her ideas about what the future would be like. She adjusted it to visualizing a future in the swamp. That was all she would allow herself to think about.

  22

  It had been three months since they’d arrived in the swamp, and Regan couldn’t help but be very pleased with their progress. The cooler weather had made everything far more tolerable. It was nice to get to feel a little chilly in the middle of the night. She was actually thankful for all the blankets Heather had insisted they bring along.

  Regan sat on a stump furiously knitting as she worked to finish the blanket she’d started on a month before, her loaded handgun beside her. Despite the relative peace they had found, she would never feel completely safe. She looked at the progress on the blanket, wanting to give it to Lily for her birthday, even if it was a little late—or early. None of them knew for sure what day it was, after all.

  Tabitha walked over and lifted one end of the blanket. “This is amazing. I had no idea you were so talented.”

  “Thank you. It’s a hobby I learned a while ago. I wanted something to do with my hands to keep from smoking. I’ve always kind of dabbled with it, not thinking I would ever actually use the skill.”

  Tabitha giggled. “And then you found yourself living off the land in a swamp.”

  Regan grinned. “Exactly. Heather has helped me a lot, too, showing me some new stitches and how to keep my lines straight.”

  “Lily will love it.”

  “I hope so. With the cooler weather coming, I figure we can use all the extra blankets we can get our hands on. Wolf assures me it never gets all that cold, but I’d rather not take the chance. It isn’t like I can turn the heat up if I’m cold.”

  “I’ll leave you to it. I’m going in search of some flowers.”

  “Flowers? Medicinal?” Regan asked.

  Tabitha shook her head. “Nope, good ol’ fashion flowers that are nothing except pretty to look at.”

  “Oh, fancy,” Regan joked.

  Tabitha walked down the pseudo-path that led away from where Regan was currently sitting near the fire pit. They had collected dried needles to use as flooring of sorts to keep from always walking on mud in their swamp home. It gave it more of a woodsy feel than the wet swamp appearance. They all knew where they were, but they didn’t need to be constantly reminded of the swampy ground.

  Regan listened to the sounds of birds and insects buzzing around her. What had once been an annoyance had become comforting. These sounds meant she was home. The silence during the day and the rather loud nights with all the nocturnal creatures hunting for meals had become the norm. It didn’t freak her out or even keep her up at night.

  She held up the finished blanket and smiled with satisfaction. She had finally done it. It felt good to work with her hands, making something that was useful and would be valued. She folded the blanket up carefully, unspeakably proud of herself.

  Tabitha reappeared with a grin on her face. “Come see!” she said gleefully.

  Regan followed after her friend, wondering what she had created now.

  “What do you think?” Tabitha asked, standing back and admiring her handiwork.

  Regan looked at the small shack Tabitha and Geno were calling home and smiled. Tabitha had collected some swamp lilies and arranged them in an old, rusted coffee can she had found on one of her scavenging trips.

  “I think it adds a nice touch,” she said, nodding her head.

  “I have a lot more if you want to put some out at your place,” she offered.

  Regan looked over at her own home, which was a little bigger than Tabitha’s and housed herself, Wolf, and Lily. The homes had been built from old barnwood and metal siding taken from one of the abandoned trailer homes on the reservation. They had used old wood pallets for floors, which had made Regan happy. They no longer had to sleep on the ground. The pallets were stacked on top of wood they had taken from the old stage, raising the shacks about a foot off the ground, which helped cut down on moisture and pests. With a few more pieces of wood and the bedding Heather had brought from home, they each had beds. The beds weren’t fancy pillowtop mattresses, but they were better than the ground.

  “I think that would be a nice touch,” Regan said, heading back toward her own house. “I’m going to go put this on Lily’s bed to surprise her when they get back.”

  They heard a crunching noise and turned to look toward the path that led to the small lake within the swamp where they got all their water from. Heather waved as she walked past them carrying a laundry basket full of wet clothes.

  “I’ll help you with that,” Tabitha volunteered.

  “Thank you,” Heather said with a friendly smile.

  Regan dropped off Lily’s blanket and then caught up with them. Together, the three women walked toward an open area at the back of their camp, where they had strung rope between a few trees to use as a clothesline. It was one of the few areas that received unfiltered sunlight. As they draped the clothes over the line, Regan looked around their little village. It was probably less than half an acre wide, but it was enough for them. It was a relatively dry spot in the swamp, slightly elevated. Wolf had scouted for days until he’d found the perfect spot for them to set up camp. It was surrounded by tall cypress trees, and no one would ever find them unless they knew where to look. Wolf had rigged numerous alarm systems around the perimeter to alert them to any visitors. Not even the people who lived on the reservation knew where their camp was.

  Travis and Heather had their own place in the large cabin which the reality show’s production team had once used to film the contestants’ confessionals while Fred and RC were sharing one of the shacks left from the production crew. They each had a cot to sleep on, while the couples chose to sleep on wood pallets. In the center of their tiny village, they had a large fire pit with an oven made from stones that had been gathered from all around the swamp. They were able to cook meals in the oven, and had even learned how to make tortillas and other breads with the help of the women on the reservation.

  A table, built from more of the old barnwood was their community gathering place, set near the cooking pit. The outhouse left from the crew had been moved a few times, each time so that they could place it over a new hole to use as their bathroom. No matter what, the outhouse was always placed a good two-hundred feet from their water source in order to avoid contamination. Regan had made a point of trading for some of the sanitizer back at the clinic, which they kept on a little table beside the outhouse in what she referred to as their handwashing station.

  “Have you and Geno discussed the situation anymore?” Heather asked, bringing up the subject that had been at the center of some heated debates around the campfire over the past two months.

  Regan grimaced, hating that they were all prying into a very private matter.

  Tabitha sighed. “We have.”

  “And?” Regan prodded, knowing Tabitha had changed her mind several times.

  “I’m pregnant,” she said with a huge smile.

  Regan and Heather both gasped in surprise.

  Regan stared at her friend, shocked. “What?”

  Tabitha shrugged. “I took a test while we were at the clinic. I didn’t want to say anything until I was sure things would be okay. I’m in my second trimester.”

  “Oh my God,” Regan said, shaking her head with disbelief. “I had no idea!”

  “That means you’ve got a bump, doesn’t it? Let’s see it!” Heather exclaimed.

  Tabitha stretched the loose t-shirt she was wearing tight over her abdom
en, showing off the slight baby bump.

  “A baby!” Regan squealed, far more excited than she’d thought she would be.

  “Are you upset?” Tabitha asked.

  “How can I be? I only want what you want. If you want a baby, I’m on board. You know we’ll all do whatever we can to help you,” Regan assured her.

  Tabitha smiled, but it was a nervous one. “I want this baby, and I know Geno wants the baby, but it feels selfish to bring a child into this world.”

  “A child won’t know anything different. You’ll shower the baby with love and do everything you can to keep him or her safe,” Heather reasoned.

  Tabitha nodded. “I hope so. I’m probably going to be a nervous wreck. Geno is already a little crazy with worry about everything. I’m surprised you guys didn’t figure it out, actually, the way he’s been acting around me. We were going to tell everyone soon, but… well, I guess I kept putting it off,” Tabitha chuckled, “getting used to the idea myself.”

  Heather smiled. “You two are going to be good parents.”

  “I don’t want to be worried about how I’ll feed our child or keep him or her safe. I mean, the houses help ease my mind. At least I know I can keep the baby out of the weather, but there are so many other things I worry about,” Tabitha said, sighing.

  “Like?” Heather asked, finishing hanging the last bit of laundry.

  Tabitha shrugged. “Like, how I will clothe the child, diapers, bathing, and handling that first couple of years when the baby can’t talk and tell me what hurts.”

  Regan shook her head. “It’s too bad about the clinic. That would have been nice to have on standby, but with your own training, Heather’s experience, and the help of the people on the reservation, it’s going to be okay.”

  “It’s terrible what happened to those townspeople. Wolf was right about another group coming along and taking over. I can’t believe they killed the only doctor to be found for miles around. I’d hoped they would have more time to enjoy their happiness after we liberated them,” Heather commented.