Next World Series (Vol. 1): Families First

by Ewing, Lance K.

  The girl had started to shake just a little and Joy knew she needed a fix soon. The deal was as good as in the bag, so she pressed on. “Tell me what I need to know,” Joy stated bluntly.

  “OK, OK. I got the groceries at Kroger about three miles back and went to walk out with my cart like I always do. But the manager guy at the front said no carts out of the store after the lights went out. They said since nobody’s car was starting they didn’t want people taking the carts home. So I went across the street to Target and there were a few carts left in the parking lot. I like them carts better anyway… So what about my money? I don’t have all day.” “OK,” said Joy. “I’ll give you $50 cash right now for the cart. Take it or leave it!”

  The girl was shaking more now and Joy knew she was about to close. She wanted to save as much cash as possible to buy whatever she could on the way home. “All right. All right. I ain’t got time for this shit. Give me the cash.” “Sure,” said Joy coolly, as she deliberately grabbed the cart. “Don’t forget your groceries.” With that, the girl took her bags and cash and started back down the road without another word.

  “OK, boys. Who wants to get into the cart?” “Me! Me! Me too, Mommy.” “I’m tired,” said Jax. “And we’re hot,” added Hudson. “I have to pee,” chimed in Hendrix. “OK, guys. A quick potty break and then we’re headed out.” No other kids in the history of the world, she thought, love to pee outside as much as my boys.

  She had to smile as she remembered that just two weeks ago she was talking to a brand new neighbor when she looked over and the twins were peeing on the neighbor’s new lawn. “Oh my god! I’m so sorry,” she said, just as Hendrix emerged from a bush saying, “Mommy, I pooped.” She was mortified, but Lance had had a good laugh when he got home from work that night.

  “OK, boys. In the cart and let’s move.”

  As she pushed down the road toward the grocery store, her mind began to wander… Did I really kill that man back in the parking lot? Are they going to arrest me or give me some kind of award? Like having the very first baby of the New Year?...

  “Mommy…”

  Congratulations, Joy. She could almost hear the TV awards show. You were the very first person in the entire country to take a human life after the apocalypse.

  “Mommy…”

  You’ve won a brand new car!

  “Mommy!!”

  “Huh? What?” as she realized that she had zoned out for a minute.

  “Mommy, why are there all these people walking in the road?” asked Jax. She was jolted back to reality and realized there were a lot of people walking the street.

  Focus, she told herself. Don’t let your guard down for a second.

  Now she could clearly see that the grocery store she was looking for was about three blocks up, on the left. “OK, guys. We’re going to make a quick stop up ahead and try to get a few things for the trip.”

  She decided to head to Kroger and skip the Target store. She wasn’t about to lose the Target cart now. They still had a ways to go to get home.

  As they rolled into the Kroger lot, the scene was chaotic, to say the least. The front glass doors were wide open but there was a crowd of people standing between the two doors. “Why aren’t they going inside?” she said out loud.

  As she got closer she heard shouting from inside the store, and in a single rush forty or more people disappeared inside the store. She heard more yelling and a woman screaming “Leave him alone! Get off of him. He’s just the assistant manager. It’s not even his store.”

  There was more yelling and people started pouring out with carts half full of what appeared to be anything they could grab. A woman ran out with a torn dress and another man with his face covered in blood, both pushing carts and running like hell.

  Joy really wanted to get some goods to take home and had some cash left, but she just couldn’t take the kids inside. She decided to wait for just a little bit on the outer edge of the parking lot and see if she could buy some things from someone leaving the store.

  After a few more minutes a young girl of maybe twenty came out of the store and headed straight towards her with a completely full cart. Joy’s hand was on her pistol tucked just inside her purse.

  “Excuse me,” she said to the young girl when she got into ear shot. “Are you interested in selling any of your things there?”

  “Nope,” the girl said in a labored voice. “But I’ll tell you what. I’m going to get a couple more carts full while I still can. If you watch this cart for me and the next one, I’ll split some of the stuff with you. You need diapers or anything?” “We don’t wear diapers!” retorted Jax immediately.

  “You would be doing us and yourself a favor if you hit the rice and bean aisle,” replied Joy. “Get the bulk kind and any canned meats, fish and soups you can carry. Oh, and canned vegetables, batteries, pasta and bottled water.”

  “I’ll see what I can do. Wish me luck,” she said, “and don’t take off with my cart.”

  “I’ll be right here,” replied Joy, and she meant it.

  The girl was gone for about twenty minutes and Joy was getting a little worried about her. The boys were being really good under the circumstances.

  Then she saw the girl running with the cart, coming from the side of the building. It was completely full and looked heavy.

  “Are they coming?” she was yelling to Joy, while she kept looking back over her shoulder. “No, I don’t see—wait! Shit,” said Joy. “Get down, boys, now!” she yelled. “Lie down flat in the cart.”

  There were two men and three women chasing the young girl. She was just about at the cart when Joy drew her weapon. The girl stopped in her tracks. “No!” she screamed. Don’t shoo--”

  “Get behind me,” called Joy, “but leave the cart here in front of mine.” She wanted to shield the boys as much as possible if she couldn’t walk away from this.

  She now wished she had bypassed the store altogether, but it was too late. She yelled to the advancing group to stop, holding her gun, but they kept coming.

  “Cover your ears, boys, right now!” They did as she asked and she fired a single shot into the air. All five people stopped dead in their tracks about twenty yards away from her.

  “The next one,” she yelled, “won’t be pointed up.”

  “What are you doing chasing this poor girl?” Joy asked, clearly angered.

  “She’s got the last cart,” replied one of the men, probably in his mid-fifties.

  “Is it worth dying over?” asked Joy. “Well, no,” said the man. “But we have little ones at home too,” gesturing towards the boys, now with their heads starting to poke up. “We can’t carry much without a cart and we saw she had two. We just wanted to talk to her and see if we could figure something out. That’s all,” he retorted. “We just want to feed our kids.” Joy believed him.

  “OK, what’s your name?” she asked her new friend with two carts. “It’s Maggie, and I guess I could maybe give them a cart, but not a full one.” “An empty cart would be a huge blessing for us,” chimed one of the ladies in the group. “We can get our own food.”

  Maggie started emptying the full cart, dividing things between her half-full cart and the ground by Joy’s feet. The group took the empty cart with many thank-yous and headed back into the store.

  “You don’t have to divide it equally,” said Joy, “since you did all the work.”

  “I didn’t,” said Maggie. “I gave you more. I don’t have any kids to look after and I just live across the street and can come back later if I need to.” Now Joy was doing the thanking.

  She got the boys repositioned on top of the canned goods and headed out towards home. “Mommy, you scared us,” said Hudson. “I’m sorry, Sweetie,” is all she could say.

  She wondered what tomorrow would be like if things were already this bad on the first day. All these people don’t even really know what’s going on; yet when they do, may God bless us all.

  Joy was both relieved and ne
rvous to be back on the road. They had about three miles to go to get home and they were stocked up. She vowed to remain alert and vigilant for the rest of the trip but gave herself a little leeway to think about Lance.

  She knew he would be headed home and would get here as soon as he possibly could. She would have to tell him about what happened at the gym and hope he wasn’t upset about it. Deep down, she knew he would want her to do whatever she could to protect her and the boys, but she couldn’t put that bloodied man out of her mind. If the power came back on in an hour, she would just be a lady who likely killed a homeless man in a parking lot. She felt sick about it but had a feeling this might not be the last time she had to protect her kids.

  She was making good time and was coming up on the 121 Interchange with Stacy Road. She was grinning and said, “Boys, just about a mile and a half to home.”

  “What’s that, Mommy?” asked Hendrix, as she turned around to look behind her. She watched in surprise as an old Ford Cutlass was slowly coming up behind them, weaving in and out of cars. She kept up her pace but felt nervous as the car crept up toward her. The Cutlass was behind her now and going as slow as a car could go without stalling.

  “A car, Mommy. A car…” came more than one voice from the cart. “Let’s get a ride and go see Daddy,” said another. “Lay down, boys,” she said with a stern voice.

  She walked a few more steps and realized the car was not going past. OK, she thought. We are so close to home. You have to deal with this. She looked around, hoping somebody was close by, but saw no one.

  ”Hey Baby,” came the first of three cat calls from the passenger side of the car.

  She didn’t think they had seen the kids yet and hoped she could play along just long enough to get prepared. “Just heading home,” she replied, only slightly turning around. She now had her hand on the 9mm but kept it under a blanket in the cart.

  “You want a ride?” came another voice from the back seat. “No. I’m fine,” she called.

  “Yes you are,” said the passenger. With that she stopped, drew her pistol and aimed it squarely at the driver’s front window. He hadn’t said anything yet, but she knew he had the choice to stay or drive off, regardless of what his buddies wanted. The driver stopped and ducked slightly, with the car still idling. Nobody moved.

  “Stay down, boys, and cover your ears,” she whispered. Hopefully they will leave.

  As she turned back, the front-seat passenger was opening his door slowly. And stepping one foot out on to the ground. This is getting bad, she thought. She pointed the pistol at the front headlight and fired. Boom! She heard but didn’t see where the bullet hit.

  “I think we’re safe,” laughed the passenger to his buddies, as he had now stumbled out of the car. “She can’t hit shit.”

  She fired again, aiming at his right knee, just visible beyond the open passenger door. Her shot was a little to the right and hit the door. With the hollow points she thought that it may not go through it to hit him. She really didn’t want to kill anyone right now.

  “Mommy, Mommy,” she heard from the cart. “My ears hurt.”

  “All of you cover your ears now,” she said to the boys, with a soothing let’s-get-in-bed voice.

  “Come here, Darlin’,” the man slurred, obviously drunk. Her next shot was dead on, hitting the man just above the right knee with a thud. He screamed as blood poured out, covering his leg and jeans. She steadied for another shot as the man tried to climb back in the car. “Go! Go! Go!” he yelled to the driver, and they sped down the road.

  She trained her sights on the passenger window as they left but didn’t fire another shot. She was so relieved that they were gone.

  “We have to get home now, boys. They may be back.”

  “But Mommy, why does their car go and ours doesn’t?” asked Hudson. “I don’t know,” she replied, thankful that was all he was asking about. “We will have to ask Daddy.”

  She picked up the pace now, almost to a jog. The boys didn’t mind and were yelling, “Go, Mommy! Faster! Faster!”

  She breathed a sigh of relief as she could see the intersection of Ridge and Eldorado Streets. She was almost home and already felt safer. She cut across the median and across the easement lawn, then ducked into their neighborhood. “No point in going all the way around without a car,” she said out loud. “Savannah Drive coming up!” she exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.

  As she rounded the corner she stopped suddenly, not believing what she was seeing.

  “Oh my god!” she cried. “I don’t even believe this!”

  “What, Mommy?” asked Jax. “Why are you praying?”

  “Everything is fine, Honey. In fact, it’s just great!” Joy felt relief for the first time today.

  She rolled the cart up to her driveway. Up and down the street, neighbors were grilling in their driveways as kids played soccer and rode their bicycles in the street. She started to cry for the first time today.

  “Honey, what’s wrong?” asked Lucy, a middle-aged lady from next door.

  “I’m just so happy to be home,” replied Joy. “Have you seen Lance?”

  “No,” said Lucy, “but Ringo has been barking for a while. I would have let him out but I couldn’t find a spare key.”

  “I’m sorry about that,” said Joy. “It took us a long time to get back here.”

  “Oh, no worries, Sweetie. Just thought he might have to go potty... What’s with the cart? The closest Target is miles from here!”

  “Let me get inside and get things settled real quick, and I’ll come out and tell you what I know.”

  “Hope you guys are hungry,” replied Lucy. “Everyone is barbecuing.”

  Ringo was crying and wagging his tail like a big baby. Ringo was the biggest dog in the neighborhood at 150 pounds. Lance got him as a puppy, picking the biggest white lab he could find. With two baby boys and one on the way, they needed a dog they could wrestle with that wouldn’t mind the ear- and tail-pulling. He was a big baby with a bark and growl that would deter most people that knocked on the front door. He was glad to go out in the backyard. Thankfully he didn’t leave a mess in the house.

  “OK, guys. Everyone go potty and play in the front room,” she called. “I have a few things to do.”

  Joy immediately went to Lance’s side of the bed and retrieved the red binder from the lockbox underneath. She had never looked through this but knew it was the first thing she should do in an emergency situation. Lance had always said to just start with steps 1-5.

  She opened the binder to the cover letter and read out loud.

  Honey, if you are reading this, please know I love you and our boys more than anything in this world, and no matter where I am I will do everything humanly possible to get home to you as soon as I can. Please follow these steps I have laid out.

  STEPS TO PREPARE

  In garage closet:

  a. Water jugs, 4 x 7 gallons each, drinkable water

  b. Canned and dehydrated food, three to four months’ supply (good for 2 to 25 years)

  c. Gravidyn water purifier with instructions, up to 40,000 gallons. Will purify pond, lake, river water (not pool water)

  d. Handheld can opener, flashlights, short wave crank/solar radio for info, batteries

  Considerations: If your cell phone does not work and car won’t start, it’s bad. If phone works, it’s temporary.

  1. Pool water is salt and not drinkable for any reason (cannot be purified). Good only for bathing or flushing toilet.

  2. If water is still flowing out of tap, fill as many plastic storage bins as possible from attic ASAP, using outside hose and all sinks. Water will stop coming out of taps soon. Also fill bathtubs and any pots and kitchen containers that will hold water. There are two water purifiers in garage, one small and one large. Gravidyn capable of filtering thousands of gallons of water.

  3. Take any cash (including kids’ piggy banks) and go to store right after filling water containers. If car works, try to fill tank
quick if any stations have backup power. Your credit and debit cards won’t work at store or bank. Cash only. Buy as many things at store as you can. Spend all cash as you won’t get another chance to go back later. Stores will be picked over in less than 24 hours and cash will be worthless in a week.

  4. If car doesn’t work, walk to Market Street and take a cart home. They should have temporary backup power. Fridge stuff gets eaten first (no more than 4-6 hours or put in freezer). Freezer second (24-48 hours) and canned after that. Seal upright freezer in garage with electrical tape.

  5. If I’m at work I will immediately drive or walk home. If I have to walk it will take a day. If I am out of town, I will find a way back but it will take days or weeks. In that case, get with neighbors or go to our church or your mom’s house and paint a note on front door where you went and what date (kids can ride in grocery cart).