by Lopez, Rob
Rick stood up. “According to Packy, I’m a pessimist, so I don’t do the whole positive waves thing.”
“You don’t have to. We still have the Bergen Mountain militia. They’ll stand by you.”
*
The defenders of the town of Black Mountain watched as the lone, half-naked figure walked slowly toward them up Highway 70, waving his army shirt above his head. The sun burned off the mists that rose from the Swannanoa River and clung to the wooded hills. Rifle scopes zoomed in on the figure, checking him for weapons, but the man with the sagging, hairy chest, and more body fat than the apocalypse warranted, appeared to pose no direct threat, though he walked with the confidence of a man with an army behind him. The defenders stayed low, wary of hidden snipers, but the highway stretched empty into the distance.
Major Connors, still waving his shirt, halted a few yards short of the barricade. “Who’s your chief honcho?” he said.
Connors was escorted to the mayor’s office and led inside. Seated behind a desk was a bearded man with dark, hollow eyes. Behind him stood some guy in a rent-a-cop uniform, wielding a shotgun. An elderly gentleman wearing an old army uniform with ribbons on his chest occupied an adjoining desk.
“I take it you’re the mayor?” said Connors to the bearded guy.
“Not really, he …” began the man.
“Yeah, yeah,” interjected Connors. “He died, then the guy who succeeded him died, now it’s you. I’ve heard it before. Whatever. Let’s cut to the chase. I’m Major Connors, U.S. army,” he cut a glance to the elderly gentleman, “serving, not retired, and I’m here as a representative of the state government in Asheville.”
“State doesn’t operate out of Asheville,” said the bearded man.
“It does now,” said Connors. “May I take a seat?”
The bearded man, eyeing Connors warily, indicated a chair.
Connors sat down and put his shirt on. “Now,” he said, buttoning it up, “it seems we have a situation here.”
“I don’t see that it’s much of a situation,” said the bearded man. “You people in Asheville run your own town, and we run ours.”
“You fired upon state representatives.”
“We fired on a bunch of armed civilians who refused to take heed of our warnings.”
“And you unlawfully detained two of our militia.”
“We arrested two idiots who thought they could threaten every man at the barricade.”
“Your opinion of who those people are doesn’t actually matter, so I don’t accept your excuses. You have been shown letters of state authority, you have willfully assaulted agents of the state and you have kidnapped, without due authority, two of those agents. Under the law as it stands, that makes you guilty of treason.”
“Bullshit.”
“No doubt you wish it was. But the law doesn’t care what you think.”
The bearded man leaned forward. “We don’t recognize your authority, and a few handwritten notes won’t change that. State government operates out of Raleigh, and we’ve heard nothing from them since the solar flare. I don’t think we ever will. An armed mob that turns up on our doorstep demanding weapons and taxes will get the same treatment as every other gang out there. My primary responsibility is to the people of this town. If whoever’s in charge in Asheville wants to negotiate with us for some assistance, that’s fine. But they don’t get to dictate to us.”
“I understand that you have secured, and appropriated, the Burnett Reservoir.”
“It’s an important water source.”
“Indeed it is. For a lot of people in Buncombe County, not just yourselves. I understand that you threatened the county director of Asheville, telling him you would cut off Asheville’s water supply if he didn’t comply to something.”
“Hey, he was threatening us, demanding we take in refugees from his city. I told him we were in no position to be able to do that. Cutting the water supply was the best way of ending things peaceful-like.”
“I agree with you, there. But see, this isn’t the county director doing the asking now. This is the state governor, and he is mandated to raise a militia for emergency use, with federal assistance from personnel like myself. He’s your boss, and he’s not demanding that you do anything that would threaten the safety of either you or your town. In fact, he’s very concerned about the lives of everyone under his responsibility, because he’s that kind of guy. He’s also not above understanding the need for a little sovereignty. All he’s asking is a survey of your weapons, so he knows whom he can count on in the defense of our state, and a minimal tax for the benefit of all the people in the state, should they require assistance. I mean, if you don’t produce much, you won’t pay much tax. And if things go bad for you this winter, we’ll be there to help. It’s not that unreasonable.”
“I told you, we don’t recognize your authority, no matter how much you sugar-coat it. And we don’t appreciate being threatened by force of arms.”
“I haven’t threatened you yet,” said Connors, “but if I do, you’ll be in serious trouble, because my men are trained and well armed.”
The elderly gentleman in the old uniform pitched in: “So are our boys, and you’d be advised not to try anything.”
Connors turned to him. “I would, would I?”
“That you would. Take note: these young men and women are the finest that I’ve ever trained. They’re dedicated to their country and their homeland, and they are prepared to give their lives for the cause. We have military vets in our ranks with the same dedication and the skills to pass on, and they don’t like to be pushed around. None of us do. I don’t know what kind of people you’ve had to deal with so far, but I promise you, you’ll rue the day you tried to take us on, because we’re dedicated to freedom.”
“Sounds like a lot of dedication. Say, it’s getting pretty warm in this office. Can someone get me a glass of water, piped from your excellent reservoir?”
The trio exchanged glances, wondering if this was some kind of trick. Rent-a-cop left to go to the bathroom. When he came back, he remained in the doorway, glaring at Connors.
“Oh yeah,” said Connors nonchalantly, “about that reservoir. It’s now under the control of the state militia, and you’ve been cut off for your intransigence.” He turned to the elderly gentleman with a smile. “We’ve got vets too. In fact, I don’t imagine there’s a single group in this fine land of ours that doesn’t have at least one vet in their ranks. We kind of get around. Mind you, some vets are worth more than others. And the defenses you organized for the small group you left to guard the reservoir … well, let’s just say they weren’t all that effective.”
Connors pulled a sheet of paper from his pocket. “Now let me see if some of these names are familiar to you: Avery Johnson, Rebecca Thorpe, Peter Grant, Emily … Rathbone, I think it says here. Bud Clark, Seely Eisenhower, ah, what the hell, I’ll let you read it. It’s a long list.”
He handed it over to the gentleman, who read the names with increasing annoyance.
“Fifteen in all,” said Connors. “College kids, mostly.”
“What have you done with them?” demanded the gentleman.
“Nothing. They’re all fine and in protective custody. Seems they weren’t prepared for a night raid on their positions, but, wisely, they chose to surrender. Smart kids. Took a little tear gas, of course, but it all ended well. Oh, there’s another five we bagged from a patrol in the woods, and another couple from some other place. They’re all on the list. Guess you don’t need to worry where they are any more. If you were worried at all, that is.”
Connors turned back to the bearded guy. “You’re not dealing with amateurs, now. We’ve been lenient with you, so far, but I’m not sugar-coating it anymore. You will release the two militia members you have detained, and you will allow us into the town to conduct a proper inspection of your weapons and resources. Only fully automatic weapons will be confiscated, but the rest you can keep, upon registration. After
that, your boys and girls get to come home safe. I can’t say fairer than that. Should you resist, however, and should you be tempted to detain me, then my men have their orders. We have heavy weapons, we have done a thorough reconnaissance of your defenses and troop numbers, we have four platoons positioned at various locations around the town, and if we have to attack, we will prevail, and you three gentlemen will be held directly responsible for any loss of life, either from our side or yours. And you will be charged with treason, for which the penalty under existing emergency laws is death. You will be given a trial, of course, but I think the evidence will speak for itself.” Connors leaned back and folded his arms. “Pick your next move very, very carefully. Your lives will depend on it.”
27
“Do you think he’ll have the guts to do it?” said Lauren, leaning on the deck rail. Down below, Packy conversed with Chuck by the lake.
“Do what?” said April, sorting through a collection of baby clothes.
“Talk to Dee.”
“I don’t see that he’s interested. Packy’s obsessed with money, cars and himself.”
“There’s not a lot of use for money these days.”
“Well, whatever passes for money. He just wants stuff, and a chance to goof around.”
Dee drifted through the compound like a lost ghost. As she moved farther from him, Packy quit his conversation with Chuck and nonchalantly moved on a parallel path to Dee. When she stopped to draw water from the creek, Packy halted to begin a conversation with someone splitting logs.
“That’s what he wants us to think,” said Lauren. “But I suspect there’s more to Packy than meets the eye. Deep down, he’s a sensitive guy.”
“Packy? Sensitive?” April snorted derisively. “Every time he opens his mouth, he pisses someone off.”
Dee moved away from the creek with her water and Packy abruptly ceased his conversation with the wood splitter, who was none too pleased at being interrupted, and moved to find someone else to talk to, always in Dee’s shadow.
“He’s just clumsy,” mused Lauren. “I don’t think he knows how to talk to women, so he puts on this persona of being cool and careless. Look how he’s following Dee.”
April glanced over the rail. “He’s stalking her.”
“He doesn’t mean any harm. He’s just trying to find a way to talk to her. It’s cute.”
“It’s creepy.”
“Give him a break.”
“He doesn’t need one. Dee’s the one who deserves a little slack. She’s finding her place in the world. It’s good to see her giving her time for those women. Hopefully it’ll bring her out of herself. Last thing she needs is some freak making eyes at her.”
“Packy’s more subtle than that. I really think he cares for her. He just doesn’t know how to bridge that last connection. But he will. He’s creative. Look at how he volunteered himself to drive her around the different settlements when she visits the women.”
“He does that anyway. Guy’s got itchy feet. He only wants to drive around cutting deals and maybe checking out different women. He’s not the kind to stick around.”
“I agree. Except he is sticking around. Why do you think that is?”
“Profit. When he can’t make any here, he’ll be gone. What do you think of this?” April held up a baby’s black and white bodysuit with a hood and panda ears.
“That is so adorable! And I think you’re reading him wrong.”
“Who?”
“Packy.”
“Who cares about him? Look at these gorgeous clothes. I can’t wait to put my baby in these.”
“Have you thought of a name?”
“Jasmine. Or Kitty.”
“And if it’s a boy?”
“Haven’t thought of any boy names yet. I’m hoping for a girl. Daniel wants a sister. Like Lizzy, but younger, so that he can get to be the boss for a change.”
“What does Scott think?”
“He says he doesn’t mind, but I think he wants a girl too. He thought up the name Kitty.”
Lauren smiled. “I see you’re bringing out his feminine side.”
“Nah. He says he’s still going to teach her to hunt and shoot.”
*
“First thing you gotta do is watch where you take a piss,” said Red.
Josh was unzipping his jeans to do exactly that. Awkwardly, he stopped himself. “Why?”
“It’ll leave your scent here for days, and the deer will smell it. It makes them more cautious and they just avoid the area altogether, so you don’t take a leak in the place you’re hoping to shoot. You’ll be wasting your time.”
“But I need to go.”
“Then you should have thought of that before we set out. You can go if you want, though. Ain’t no point shooting around here. Your pa took patrols through this area. He’ll have scared all the deer off.”
Josh got defensive. “My dad knows how to patrol quietly. He’s special forces. The deer won’t even have noticed he was here.”
“Ah, they’ll have noticed,” said Red, chewing absently on a chicory leaf as he gazed at the forest. “Running a patrol ain’t the same as hunting. You’re chasing different quarry and looking for different sign. Guys probably left a piss-trail all the way back to camp. Ain’t no raider going to sniff that. But a deer will, and they remember. They’re smart. You gotta understand, you’re hunting them in their own living room. You leave the wrong scent or disturb it in any way, and they’ll know about it. No, we gotta go off the trail and scout where they’ve been – try and figure out where they like to hang out. Then we build a couple of stands. In fact, we’ll build one here first. Eventually they’ll return here.” Red held up the chewed leaf. “Their food’s here.”
“Why don’t we just walk until we see one, then stalk it?”
“You can if you like the exercise. That’s about all you’ll get. Hunting deer ain’t like shooting squirrels. I told you, they’re smart. They hear better than you, smell better than you and probably see better than you. This time of year especially, they ain’t rutting, so they’re super-cautious. And with so many humans desperate for food, the deer are feeling the pressure. If you’re moving around, they’ll see you and take off. You gotta be smarter than that. We’re going to be hunting the darned things all year around. We’ve got to think ahead and plan ahead, so we won’t be doing any shooting today. We’ve got to know this entire mountain. We’ve got to find where their favorite food is, where they like to walk, who they like to hang out with, all that stuff. After that, we can start planning when and where to kill them. And when not to. Don’t want to go shooting all our food before the fall and leave nothing for next year, do we? This here’s our territory, now, and we’ve got to manage it.”
Josh simply wanted guidance on how to shoot a deer to guarantee a kill, and hadn’t expected a lecture on husbandry. “So what are we going to eat today?”
“Raccoon, I guess.”
Josh groaned. “I’m getting tired of raccoon meat.”
Red laughed. “This winter, I would have killed for raccoon meat. You’re getting too comfortable, kid, complaining about what you’re eating. Just be glad you’re getting some.”
*
Rick coiled the half-inch black plastic tubing round and round against the plywood sheet, holding it down with his knee and feeding cable ties through pre-cut holes to hold the tubes in place.
“What’s that for?” said Lizzy, watching.
“It’s a solar radiator. Black plastic attracts the heat of the sun and warms the water inside, then you can take a shower.”
Scott nailed the last part of the frame of what would become the shower-house. Together, he and Rick took the radiator on its sheet and hoisted it up to form part of the roof.
“And what about this?” said Lizzy, indicating a sawed drum raised on bricks.
“That’s for washing clothes,” grunted Rick.
“Don’t we have that already?”
“Yeah.”
&nb
sp; “So why another?”
“Well, see, it’s part of a new design,” said Scott. “You put your clothes to boil in the barrel, you get in the shower, and by the time you come out, your clothes are clean.”
“But they’ll be wet.”
“That’s the flaw in the design. It’s for patient people only.”
“It’s for your friend, Lucy Jane,” said Rick firmly. “We boil that sweater of hers while she gets clean.”
Lizzy pulled a face. “She won’t like that.”
“She’s got lice. She doesn’t need to like it. She either takes that sweater off or I throw it in the water with her still in it.”
“You wouldn’t!”
“I think he would,” said Scott.
“That’s cruel.”
“So is typhus,” said Rick.
“I’m going to tell Mom,” said Lizzy, running off.
Rick glanced at Scott. “Still want to have a baby girl?”
“Sure, but she’s got to understand sarcasm.”
“You think I was being sarcastic?”
“That might have been too much to ask,” conceded Scott.
“Never mind that, take a look over there.”
Over by the cabins, John Yorkin was involved in a heated argument with one of the Clement brothers.
“I wondered when that would happen,” said Scott. “It’s been building for a while.”
“Yeah, that guy’s got a temper on him.”
“Think we should go break it up?”
“Don’t know. Let’s just see how it pans out.”
Dee approached Rick, balancing Jacob on her hip. “Mr. Nolan, I’m ready for my trip to Black Mountain.”
“Sure, hold on,” said Rick, keeping an eye on the distant argument.
“It’s been a while since I saw Sonita there. I promised her I would visit her soon.”
“I heard you. Just wait.”
John Yorkin broke off the argument and stomped away to his cabin. The younger Clement brother walked away in the opposite direction, into the forest.