by Bowman, Dave
"I grew up with three sisters," Charlie said. "Chocolate bars were a staple in our house."
It was well past dark, and Mia was dozing off in her seat. Charlie and Liz washed the dishes while Nick and Jessa put everything away. Liz, Jessa, and Charlie realized the importance of keeping the house clean and tidy – not just to deter critters, but also out of respect for the home they had been generously accepted into.
Mia watched them through sleepy eyes. She had thought about mentioning that her pet dog had died from the virus, but she just didn't have the heart. Everyone had seemed so excited about hunting wild game, and she didn't want to dash their hopes by pointing out that wild mammals could have fallen prey to Hosta as well.
She hoped she was wrong – maybe there would be plenty of deer in the mountains, unaffected by the virus. Maybe they hadn't been exposed to the virus, or they had higher levels of resistance to the illness.
Mia decided not to say anything for now. She had always gotten into trouble by pointing out things grown-ups missed. She had learned to keep quiet most of the time.
16
September 6
Liz was the first one to wake the next morning. She had never been a morning person, yet here she was waking up before dawn – and before everyone else – even though her days at the coffee shop were long gone.
She put on a sweater, as the morning was brisk, and went outside just as the sun was rising. It was beautiful in this part of the state, and so different from the desert landscape she was used to that surrounded Albuquerque.
She crossed the meadow quickly and entered the forest, being careful to look around in the early morning light and remember the way she was going. Every so often she made little piles of rocks – cairns – so that she'd be able to find her way back to the meadow. But she wasn't too concerned. She had an excellent sense of direction, and rarely got lost, even in the woods.
She made it to the vehicles in good time. Everything was just as they'd left it two nights ago. She unlocked the door to the Dodge truck she had driven there, the old door making a loud creak as it popped open.
She reached underneath the seat and found the gun Mia had given to her. The metal was cold in her hand, and it felt heavy. She would have to learn how to shoot this thing, and it made her heart beat a little faster.
A twig cracked behind her, and she whipped her head around to look. She held her breath as she craned her neck to look through the foliage. Hearing nothing more, she turned back to the truck.
Another noise in the forest made her spin around. Her heart was racing now. Something was moving back there.
"Who's there?" she demanded of the dark woods. She clenched the gun in her hand, pointing the barrel down. "I -- I have a gun!" Her voice was shaking. She saw a tiny movement behind some trees on the other side of her truck, and she squinted to see better.
"Don't shoot!" a male voice called to her. "I'm not armed."
Liz sucked in her breath and her body tensed all over. Her arms shook, and she tried to steady the gun with both her hands. She kept the barrel pointing down and her arms straight out.
"Come out here where I can see you!" she hissed.
A man emerged from the woods into the small clearing where the vehicles were parked, his hands in the air. He stopped twenty feet from Liz, fear written on his face. He was wearing ragged clothing and carried a backpack slung over one shoulder.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," he said slowly. "I was just walking around these woods looking for water. I'm camped not too far from here. I saw these vehicles, and I thought somebody could give me some water."
Liz stared at him as she tried to catch her breath. He had frightened her terribly, and she was still shaking.
"I'm James," he said, taking a step forward.
"Just stay right there," she said. He obeyed, showing her his palms.
"Where are you from?" she asked, trying to decide if he was safe or not.
"Albuquerque," he answered. "Drove up a few days ago with a couple of buddies. They didn't make it. Damn virus is a bitch."
She nodded, but still held the gun tightly.
"I set off yesterday in my car scouting for a new place to set up camp. There's not much water to be found around here. But I ran out of gas, so now I'm on foot."
"Are you lost?" Liz asked.
"No, not lost," he said. "Just thirsty and hungry. Say, you wouldn't have anything to spare, would you? Seems kinda stupid to survive the virus but then starve to death out here."
Liz gave him one more look, then set her gun down on the seat, keeping her eyes on the man. He looked to be in his late 30s or 40s, and he didn't seem threatening. She couldn't refuse to help him. She couldn't just let someone die when she had food and drink to spare.
She still had some of her stash of the food they had gotten from the Olsens' store. She moved her eyes quickly between the pile of food and bottles and the man, who stood there unmoving. She grabbed a bottle and threw it to him. She was still afraid to approach him.
He tore off the cap and downed it quickly without stopping. She tossed him a bag of cookies and he scarfed them down. While he ate, she grabbed a few other things -- a couple cans of tuna, cans of soup, more cookies, chips, and water. She put them all in a plastic bag . She grabbed her gun again, just in case, and walked closer to him, then reached out to hand the bag to him.
"Thank you so much," he said gratefully, accepting the bag but staying rooted in place. "You're saving my life."
She smiled. "You're welcome. I wish I had more to give."
"This is great, this will help me a lot until I can find a source of water and somewhere to fish. Got some poles. Just need to find a nice trout stream. What's your name, by the way?"
"I'm Liz."
"Looks like you're here with some friends," he said.
"Yeah, there's a few of us." She didn't want to give any more information than that. She was hoping he would leave soon.
"You're lucky. It's hard being out on your own," he said, shaking his head. "Can't believe my buddies died. The world has become a terrible place now."
She looked at him sympathetically. "I wish I could offer you a place with us, but my friends aren't open to letting anyone else join."
"I totally understand, Liz," James said. "You gotta look out for your own."
"And I better get back there before they start to worry about me."
"Of course," he said. "I need to be moving on, as well. Keep looking for a stream. You wouldn't happen to know of any around here?"
"No, sorry, I don't," she said sadly.
"No worries. I'll find something," he said, turning to go back into the woods. "Best of luck to you, Liz."
"You too, James. Good luck," she said, and watched him hold his hand up in a wave as he went back into the sparse forest. His figure got smaller until she could no longer see him.
She wasn't sure what to think. Her mind filled with guilt for not helping him more, concern for his well-being, and worry about what Nick and the others would say if they found out.
She looked at the stash of food and water in the truck. It wasn't much, but it could save someone's life. She had planned to carry it all back to the lodge to contribute to the community food stores. Instead, she pushed it all under the seat, out of sight. Maybe it would be best to keep a small amount of food separate. It'd be her secret stash, and she'd be able to do what she wanted with it. Besides, they were going to go get more food from the stores abandoned by victims of the illness anyway.
After placing the gun and box of ammo in her backpack, she set off through the woods in the direction of the lodge. As she went, she dismantled each pile of rocks she had set up on the way out, sending the small stones scattering.
She debated whether she should tell the others about James. She knew it wasn't good that someone had seen the vehicles. But James didn't seem like a bad guy -- he'd just had some bad luck and was thirsty and hungry. Why should she refuse him a little help when she'd been so lucky to have re
fuge at the lodge? It seemed inhumane not to help him.
Maybe Nick would let him join their group – maybe he would turn out to be an asset for them. He mentioned fishing -- he could contribute to their food supplies, and also help with defense of the lodge.
But the way everyone had talked last night, Liz figured it was out of the question to invite someone else to the lodge. Nick had seemed totally opposed to the idea.
As she got to the edge of the woods and looked out across the meadow and the house standing across from her, she decided she better not mention James to the others. She didn't want anyone to get mad at her for giving away food. She hurried to cross the meadow, hoping no one would notice her absence.
She left the backpack on the porch and opened the front door, wiping her hands on her pants as if she'd just come in from washing her hands after using the outdoor latrine.
Everyone was smiling and talking, and no one paid much attention to Liz joining them.
"You're in the clear, Jessa," Charlie was saying. "I can't see a trace of gray on you."
Jessa was looking relieved and smiled at everyone's congratulations.
"That's awesome, Jessa," Liz said, patting her on the back. "You're immune."
"Yeah, I guess so. It's been long enough since I got exposed to the sickness that I think I'm not going to catch it," she said. "That damned virus isn't going to kill me after all. Oops, sorry, Mia."
Mia smiled. "It's OK, I've heard much worse."
While everyone was getting breakfast ready, Liz slipped out again to grab her backpack and sneak it back inside to her room without anyone noticing.
She was happy that Jessa was apparently past the risk of coming down with the virus symptoms. She was also relieved that no one asked her about what she had been doing carrying her backpack around outside before anyone else was up.
Liz tried not to worry about James. He'd probably come across some little creek or springs with good water. That part of New Mexico had plenty of springs. And she was sure he could find some abandoned house or store with food left to supplement what he could fish. She'd given him enough to tide him over for a couple of days without cutting too much into their food stores. It felt like the right thing to do.
She pushed James out of her head as she sat down to breakfast. Everyone was in good spirits after seeing Jessa wake up without any signs of the Hosta virus having infected her. Liz was hungry, and she ate her fill with her new friends, happy that the five of them had survived the worst epidemic humanity had ever seen.
17
Nick placed the six firearms and a sampling of the ammo that each of them had brought on the patio table. Everyone looked down at them.
Mia and Liz had brought a Smith and Wesson 686, and Mia's dad had loaded it with .38 special rounds. Nick smiled at their good fortune. A heavier .357 revolver coupled with a lighter cartridge would be easier for Liz, who was small, to shoot. The coupling meant reduced recoil and improved accuracy. It was the perfect setup for Liz. With some practice, Nick knew she'd be able to fire it reliably.
He went over basic gun safety, which was a review for Charlie and Jessa, but essential for Liz and Mia. He explained the different parts of the firearms and taught the major points of care and maintenance.
It was time for Liz and Mia to become more comfortable with guns, Nick had decided. They learned how to hold the unloaded weapons, to always point the guns in the safest direction, and to never put their finger on the trigger until ready to fire. The words straight trigger finger were drilled into their heads.
Once they had learned how to load the weapons, it was time to practice shooting. They walked to the edge of the meadow to the makeshift shooting range Nick had set up. Nick handed out the ear and eye protection he had stored in the lodge.
Liz turned out to be a decent shot, and she was getting a bit more comfortable around the firearms, but still a little uneasy. Mia, on the other hand, was still terrified. She paid attention through the whole process, but wouldn't shoot. Nick didn't want to scare the girl, so he didn't press her.
Everyone else got to practice shooting as well. Charlie and Jessa were both pretty accurate, but some regular target practice wouldn't hurt any of them.
After a while, Nick thought that it was good enough for the first day. He'd have to keep training Liz until she became fully competent with any of the guns they had, and he'd like for Mia to be able to shoot if needed. But he didn't want to overwhelm them, so he planned to return to gun training the next day.
In the afternoon, everyone set about their own work independently.
Nick had no ambition to be a dictator. He didn't want to make anyone do anything. But he had learned over the years in his work as a contractor how to delegate tasks in a way that worked for everyone. People didn't like being ordered around, and they wanted to do work they enjoyed. With this in mind, he helped everyone to find work they could do best.
Charlie wanted to hunt. Supplementing the group's food supplies was a priority, so he and Nick planned a hunting trip for the next day. They would go to a hardwood forest area where Nick and his brother had always gone to hunt deer.
Jessa volunteered to build a drying rack station over the fire pit to dry the extra meat they wouldn't be able to eat the first day. After she finished that project, she wanted to work on the rainwater catchment system.
Liz wanted to start setting up the garden beds. That evening, they all mapped out the beds and made a plan of how to construct them. Liz wouldn't be able to do it all on her own, but she would get the project started the next day.
Nick asked Mia if she wanted to be in charge of the food stores management, and the girl's face lit up. She enjoyed the responsibility, and she was certainly the best among them at math, so it made sense.
Jessa and Nick went through the food with Mia to make sure Mia understood what kinds of foods were protein, carbohydrate and fat. They needed to consume some of each macro nutrient group each meal.
Eating only lean animal protein without fat or carbohydrates would put them at risk of rabbit starvation – the medical condition caused by eating nothing but lean meat. Charlie had heard stories of people who became ill living off only rabbits or squirrels, so they agreed they would need more variety in their diet. Fat would become even more important in the cold months, giving them a long-burning fuel.
Avoiding carbohydrates was something Jessa and Liz had already experimented with and found it incapacitated them with fatigue, so the women especially wanted to make sure they didn't unintentionally go too low-carb. Being a growing child, Mia would also require a certain amount of carbs. Charlie said he wasn't sure what a carbohydrate was, but he added, smiling, that he didn't want to give up his pasta and rice if he could avoid it.
And of course, they needed a certain amount of protein every day to keep their bodies and brains functioning.
They also talked about various micro nutrients – vitamins and minerals – and which foods contained them. Nutrition would be important for them to maintain their health and strength, so they had to watch their food intake. The key was to eat a balanced amount of nutrients and have enough calories to do the hard manual labor ahead of them. Jessa and Nick both knew of co-workers who had drastically slashed calories in their efforts to lose weight. After a while, the extreme dieters would always start to feel cold, sluggish and unable to keep up with their physically demanding jobs.
Now that the survivors were going to transition to a self-sustaining lifestyle, they would have to eat well to fuel their bodies. Having enough food was crucial.
Mia was fascinated listening to the adults talk about nutrition and how it affected the body. Armed with some basic dietary training, Mia would be able to manage their food supplies and plan meals competently. She'd track how much they ate each day and keep an eye on the rate at which they were consuming the food. This would be essential information to get them through the winter.
Charlie came in and showed them a fistful of small weeds with re
d stems and small leaves.
“Purslane!” he announced, nibbling on the leaves.
“You can eat that?” Mia asked.
“Yep, it's pretty good,” Charlie said. “There's quite a bit out there.”
“And we can get wild mushrooms when it rains,” Jessa said.
“Sure, and wild onions, and dandelion leaves in the spring,” Charlie added. “Nettles come up in the fall and spring. All kinds of wild foods.”
Mia tasted the purslane. “Tastes kind of strange, but not too bad.”
“Nice find, Charlie,” Nick said.
“Yeah, we can get wild foods for a lot of the year. It won't be enough to live off of, but it's a nice supplement. And it's nutritious. A lot of the old timers in Jemez liked to eat this kind of stuff.”
“Yeah, my grandma swore by dandelion leaves. She said it was her spring tonic,” Jessa said.
“So we'll have some fresh foods, even before we get the garden going,” Charlie said. “Even just a little will help.”
Nick agreed. He was already growing tired of canned foods, and the freshness of the wild greens was a welcome change.
Nick liked seeing everyone busy at work. He was hopeful that this little group of survivors would do all right.
The world had become so quiet without the sound of cars driving on nearby roads or planes flying overhead. It was easy to forget that they weren't the last people on earth.
At dusk, they heard gunshots in the distance. It was a jolt to them all, and they froze, listening. The gunfire was a sharp reminder that they were not alone in the world. It was the first noise Nick heard from other humans since arriving at the lodge, and it was a rude awakening.
The shots were distant, and it sounded like someone hunting. Nick reasoned that it was to be expected since there were other survivors trying to find food in the woods, but the sound made him feel a little uneasy. There were people nearby, and he didn't know if they were friendly or not. Friendly neighbors would be a blessing. People to trade with and help each other out would be welcome. Unfriendly neighbors during the breakdown of civilized society could be a nightmare.