by Lopez, Rob
Attacking the chair leg one more time, she felt lonelier than she’d felt in a long time.
4
It wasn’t safe to light a fire during the day on account of the smoke being seen for miles, so they waited until nightfall to prepare the evening meal on the stove. Rick and Scott had returned after a three-day absence, so tonight would also serve as the group meeting to decide their next move.
“I don’t think we have much choice,” said Rick, the flickering candles adding gloomy shadows to his face.
Lauren pushed aside her bowl and began to pass apples around to everyone sitting on the lounge floor. Everyone was so hungry that the first few minutes of the meeting had passed in silence as they devoured their beans and zucchini without so much as a pause – even Josh, who absolutely hated zucchini. The apples had been gathered from neighborhood gardens and were rationed to one a day. They’d gathered a sizable quantity, but they were one of the few fruits that could be expected to last into the winter months, so they had to go easy on them.
“We can’t stay here,” said Lauren grimly. “It’s not safe.”
“Where are we going to go?” Rick bit into his apple and looked around at them all. “Anybody got a cabin or an uncle’s farm to go to?”
“The radiation, Rick. What about the children?”
Rick didn’t want to get into a domestic argument, so he turned to Scott. “Tell them,” he said.
Scott finished off his apple, core and all. “FEMA camps are a mess. People are dying there already, and that’s in the better ones. They ain’t getting enough food and the ones that aren’t sick are getting testy. They’re time bombs waiting to blow.” Scott licked his fingers. “Independent minded types are heading elsewhere, but they’re all getting the same idea. The Uwharrie National Forest is teeming with people now, all trying to hunt and fish. Every yahoo with a gun is shooting anything that moves, and most of them don’t know what they’re doing. I give them two weeks, tops, before they’ve killed or scared off all the wildlife. After that they’ll be eating the tree bark. They got no shelter and no clue. Once the woods get damp and cold they’ll be riddled with lice and parasites. They’ll make good fertilizer.” Scott scratched his beard. “Out west of Charlotte, things ain’t looking so good either. Rock Hill and Gastonia have been evacuated on account of the contaminated Catawba River flowing down from Lake Norman, where the power station blew. A whole swathe of communities are gone, including my sister’s trailer park. I have no clue where they went, but I think they headed west to the mountains. There’s camps all around Spartanburg – just people sitting in the fields trying to get something from the farms. At Shelby the cops are trying to pass people through, moving them onto Hendersonville and Asheville. Most of the smaller towns off the main highways have got pickets out, turning people back. Strangers ain’t welcome in most of the places we’ve seen.”
Rick waited a while in the ensuing silence for all that to sink in. “We’re in the eye of the hurricane, here,” he said. “In fact, we’re lucky, because there’s nobody here.” He looked at his wife to forestall what he knew she was going to say next. “We’re outside the ten-mile zone for a nuclear disaster. Of course, it might not mean much as I don’t know which way the wind was blowing at the time the reactors blew, but the truth is – and hear me out – persistent radiation can cause cancers late in life. I’d consider us fortunate to be able to make it that far. We’re more likely to starve to death, long before that. Right now, we’ve got shelter. Don’t underestimate what that means for this winter. We can set out now if you want – on foot since the truck’s still broken – and we can spend a while wandering until we find someplace. And that’s hoping we don’t meet trouble on the way. Then let’s say we find somewhere to hole up. We need to find fuel, food and water sources, and stockpile for the coming months. And if we end up in the hills and the winter’s bad … well, that’s just a whole bunch of unknowns you’ve got there. I mean, whatever we can think of, others will have too. There’ll be competition, and people are going to be desperate.”
Lauren brooded for a moment. “Don’t like it,” she said. “Where are we going to find food in this place? Everything’s been looted. Once we’ve harvested what we can find in gardens, that’s it. Growing season’s about over.”
Scott and April both turned toward Rick, to see what his play would be.
“Everything outside Charlotte’s been looted more, because they’re still being looted,” he said. “At least here, there’s a chance to find something that’s been overlooked.”
All heads, including the children’s, turned back to Lauren.
“That won’t last us the winter,” she said.
“It could.”
“That’s a long shot.”
“So’s everything else. More, in fact.”
The others kept glancing from one to the other, like they were watching a verbal tennis match.
Lauren pursed her lips. “We’re living in the shadow of a nuclear disaster. The land’s been poisoned. At least let us move farther out.”
Rick felt all eyes turn to him. He turned to his wife. “So where do you want to go? If you want to be really safe, we need to be outside the fifty-mile zone. That takes us to Spartanburg in the west, or the Uwharrie Forest in the east. We checked those places for a reason, you know? If you don’t believe me, you and I can go out on the bikes tomorrow and take a look.”
Lauren clearly didn’t like her husband’s tone, but struggled to think of an answer. Scott stepped delicately in to defuse the situation.
“At Chernobyl, there’s been a few people living within the exclusion zone for about thirty years now. Not saying we should stay here that long, but maybe spring will be a better time to move out. A few months, no more.” Scott squirmed a little. “Places outside might have … uhhh … emptied out some by then,” he added with a grimace.
Lauren shot him a glance. “Why don’t you just say we’re waiting for people to die, Scott?”
“Sugar-coating it for the kids, Lauren.”
Lauren frowned. “They don’t need it sugar-coated. They’ve got a right to see how things stand. There’s no Santa Claus, either.”
“Well, shit, now what am I gonna do come Christmas? I got me the beard and all. Just needed a red coat.” He leaned in toward Daniel and Lizzy. “Don’t believe a word she says. He’ll come.”
“Okay,” cut in Rick. “We need some consensus on this. Anybody who thinks it’s a good idea to bug out, raise your hand.”
Nobody did. Rick turned to his wife. There was no dissent there, though she was a little sulky.
“For the record,” he said, “I don’t think this is the ideal location. We’re too close to the main highway. When things get too bad in the camps, I think people are going to start drifting back. Those that don’t head to the coast are going to try to make their way to the mountains, and they’ll pass through here.”
“We could put signs out, marking this as a radiation zone,” said Scott. “Might encourage them to go around.”
“If you were starving and you saw a sign like that, would that deter you?”
“Probably not.”
“No. Might even alert someone to the fact that we’re here. We need to lay low, cover our tracks and avoid drawing any attention. Need to fortify the place too, just in case. As far as weapons go, we’re not doing so good. We’ve got about two mags each for the M4s, and two Glocks with two mags apiece. The revolver’s down to two rounds, the Beretta twelve and the Ruger nine. Shotgun’s got twelve shells and we have sixteen rounds for the hunting rifle. I’d like to find more, if possible, but I don’t hold out much hope. I figure the gun stores will have been among the first to be looted, but we’ll get around to checking them anyway. We need to stockpile everything we can.”
Lauren raised her hand. “Will the chairman allow me to make a suggestion?”
Rick arched his eyebrow at her. “The chairman might.”
“There’s still a lot of veget
able vines growing in people’s yards. We’ve picked most of them clean, but if we dig them up and put them in pots, we can bring them inside. Might be able to get another crop out of them. The dining room has a large south-facing window. We can convert that into a hothouse.”
Rick nodded his approval. “That’s a good idea.”
Lauren gave a mock bow.
“We’ll start on that tomorrow,” said Rick. “Any other business?” he asked the others.
Nobody had anything to add, so Rick tossed a wind-up kitchen timer to Scott. “You take first watch, Santa.”
“Ho, ho, ho,” said Scott, pulling a face at Daniel and making the boy giggle.
As everybody got up, Lizzy pulled at Daniel’s arm. “Do you want to sleep in my room tonight?” she said. “I have a bunk bed.”
“Can I sleep in the top bunk?” he asked eagerly.
“Sure, if your mom lets you.”
Daniel didn’t bother asking his mom. Instead he dashed out of the room.
April lifted a finger to tell him to take care – there were no lights outside the lounge – but his little feet were already pounding fearlessly up the stairs.
Lizzy picked up one of the candles in a glass. “Don’t worry,” she said seriously. “I’ll look after him.”
She wafted regally out of the room and April was left staring, looking forlorn.
“Are you okay?” said Lauren to her. “You’ve been quiet this evening.”
April gave her a pensive look, then forced a smile. “Just tired, that’s all. I’ll turn in now. Wake me when it’s my turn for guard duty.”
Josh was about to leave when Rick called him back. “The revolver,” said Rick, putting his hand out.
Josh’s face darkened and he pulled the gun out from his waistband, handing it over without meeting his father’s gaze. Rick took it and Josh turned on his heel and walked off with angry steps.
*
“You should trust him more,” said Lauren as she lay on the king-size bed. The house was lavish and huge, with almost everybody getting a room to themselves, though they had to drag a mattress from another house into the games room for Scott. He slept on the pool table.
“He’s not ready for that,” murmured Rick. “You shouldn’t have given him the gun.”
“I had no choice. I needed to go out and I needed someone with me. You said nobody should go out alone, and I could hardly take April and leave the children alone. Would have made no sense not to arm Josh.”
“You should have waited till I got back.”
“I’ve been waiting years for you, Rick. Told myself a long time ago I wasn’t going to wait anymore.”
There was an awkward silence, and Lauren knew she’d hit a sore point.
“Fine,” said Rick, rolling over.
Lauren waited a while. “Is this how it’s going to be? The cold shoulder when we disagree?”
Rick sighed and rolled back. “He’s only thirteen, okay? Last thing we need is for him to blow his own goddamn head off.”
“He’s twelve and he’s your son. You’ve got no faith in him. He picks up on that, you know? He’s not stupid.”
“I didn’t say he was.”
“But you treat him like he is. Rick Nolan, your son is growing up, and he’s getting a lot like you. That’s the problem.”
“How so?”
“He’s got no respect for authority. Sound familiar?”
“No, he just doesn’t like being told what to do.”
“That’s the same thing.”
“No. If someone clearly doesn’t know what they’re talking about, their rank doesn’t matter. But if someone really does have something to teach, and you don’t want to listen no matter what, that’s arrogance.”
“Is that what you think you see in him? You do not know your own son.”
“No, I don’t, alright? He looks at me like he’s permanently pissed. With that attitude, he’s not safe with a gun.”
“Then teach him.”
“He doesn’t want to be taught. All he wants is to be proven right all the time. There’s no place for that out there.”
Lauren put her hand on his chest. “He’s not arrogant. He’s just defensive because he thinks you’re disappointed in him. And let’s face it, he’s right, but he doesn’t know how to change that.”
Rick’s chest rose and fell as he contemplated her words. “This isn’t a game. He needs to set aside his ego and get with the program. Got no time for teen rebellion. Things are bad out there and I don’t know how we’re going to make it. He’s got to learn, and he’s got to learn fast.”
Lauren put her head against his shoulder. “You have to put your ego aside too, darling. No point waiting for him to learn. You’ve got to teach him. You haven’t spent much time with him.”
“You’re saying I should spend quality time with him?” he said derisively.
Lauren grunted. “Call it boot camp, if it makes you feel better. Point is, we both need to train our children now. Even Lizzy. Childhood’s over. We don’t have that luxury anymore, and Josh certainly doesn’t. He’s got the best dad in the world, so don’t write him off yet. He’ll surprise you.”
Rick was quiet for a moment. “I’m not the best father.”
Lauren traced a finger on his chest. “Did I ever tell you I loved you?”
Rick turned his head. “You might have mentioned it once or twice.”
Lauren found a hair and pulled it. “Good. So don’t be an asshole. I didn’t marry you for that. And you’re the only father Josh has, so step up.”
Rick rolled toward her. “Yes, sir,” he said, kissing her.
Lauren put her arms around him. “Do we have time for this?” she asked coyly. “You’re on watch in two hours.”
“I can make it real quick, if you want.”
“Don’t you dare,” she breathed, pulling him closer.
5
“You’ve got to pull the trigger straight back. You’re snatching it to one side.”
“I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.”
“I’m not, Dad. I’m holding it as steady as I can.”
Josh was standing on the deck in the yard, holding the empty revolver out in both hands. Rick stood behind him, holding the two bullets in his fist. “We’ll see,” he said.
Rick hooked a sheet of paper to the hanging basket hook and inserted one of Lizzy’s pencils in the barrel of the revolver.
“Hold the gun until the pencil is just touching the paper. Then squeeze the trigger.”
Josh did so. Taking a deep breath, he gripped the pistol tight and pulled the trigger. The pencil pushed against the paper, marking a jagged line two millimeters long.
“See? You’re pulling it to the right when you squeeze the trigger. You may not notice it, but that’s enough to miss your target at thirty yards. You’ve got to focus on pulling the trigger straight back.”
“That’s impossible. It’s this gun. The trigger’s loose. See? It moves from side to side.”
Rick took the revolver, touched the pencil in the end to the paper, and squeezed the trigger. The hammer clacked and pushed the tip of the pencil through the paper.
“It’s not impossible,” he said. “You just need to practice.”
“The gun’s heavy, Dad. I can’t hold it steady.”
“You need to get stronger, then. Drop and give me ten push-ups.”
“Are you serious?”
“Very. Now get down and give me ten.”
Josh got down on the deck and began his push-ups. By the third he was already struggling.
“Keep your back straight,” said Rick.
Lizzy and Daniel were out in the neighboring yards, gathering twigs with Lauren and April. Scott had propped a ladder against a tree and was busy sawing the lower branches. It wasn’t an ideal solution as the wood was fresh and full of sap. They didn’t have time to let it dry, so it was going to burn poorly and produce a lot of smoke. They needed to find a bigger saw to start
felling trees and building up a store.
Josh grunted as he struggled to lift himself up for the fifth push-up.
“That’ll do for now,” said Rick. He tossed a leather handbag to Josh. “Use this as a holster for the revolver.”
Josh pulled a face as he held up the ladies’ handbag. “I’m not wearing this. I put the pistol in my waistband.”
“That might look great in the movies, but it’ll fall out when you climb your first fence.”
“I’m going to climb a fence?”
“A lot.” Rick loaded the two bullets into the revolver and handed it over. “We’re going to scout for medical supplies. Keep the gun secured in your bag and stay close behind me. You’re going to learn how to move tactically through a city.”
“I already learned that with Mom.”
“You haven’t learned enough.”
They climbed the fence at the bottom of the garden and began making their way through people’s yards, moving from tree to tree. It wasn’t strictly necessary as Rick assessed the threat level to be low, but climbing through the yards was a good enough alternative to an assault course for Josh. It would also serve to make him a little less cocksure.
He moved up to the back of a house and motioned for Josh to press himself against the wall. With a nod of his head, he pointed toward the large kitchen window.
“When you go past a window like this,” he whispered, “always look inside first. Some of these houses might still be occupied, and anyone inside with a gun who sees a silhouette pass close by might shoot first and ask questions later. When you get close to a building, assume there’s someone inside until you’ve cleared it.”
Josh’s eyes widened a little, like he was slowly becoming aware that he was in a potential combat zone. Rick didn’t mind him thinking that, even if it was an exaggeration. It might seem OCD, but it was how Rick himself was trained, and how he’d survived almost fifteen years of near constant operations. He wanted to scare the boy and make him more alert.