by Nathan Jones
After a long, thoughtful pause he abruptly straightened and continued hastily, as if to leave the unpleasant issue behind. “On to other matters. As you should all be aware by now resupply from outside sources has nearly completely halted for the foreseeable future. As it stands we're basically limited to what we already have or can produce in town. Now when when we spoke with FETF earlier they encouraged us to keep things business as usual to avoid a panic until things could get back to normal, but after some debate with the council we've decided that's not going to be enough.
“As of today all restrictions on hunting, fishing, and gathering on public lands is suspended. If you have or can think of any means of producing food we strongly encourage you to do so. Furthermore, anyone with an excess of fuel, food, or other necessities is encouraged to donate to the town storehouse, which will be set up in Tillman's Sporting Goods and organized by Councilwoman Tillman. Please see her for more information about donating or receiving aid. Now we do realize the need to see to your own survival, but you should also be aware that our chances of getting through this will be better as a community. We can't afford to all go our own way and die alone when together we can pull through.”
Trev both agreed and disagreed with that line of thinking. Like Lewis had said, they needed the town to be strong for everyone's wellbeing. But at the same time they had to be ready to look after their own wellbeing if the town couldn't pull through. He couldn't help but think of the President's speech after the attack where he talked about everyone sinking or swimming together. That sort of strategy would just see everyone dead where a few could have lived, same as if they decided to accept all refugees and try to share out food equally.
Anderson continued his spiel in the same rapid, almost panicked pace, as if trying to get through unpleasantness only to find more unpleasantness ahead. “Be advised also that power and therefore water is expected to fail within the next few days, if not sooner. The spring at the edge of town flows naturally and is therefore not dependent on pumps, so get used to drawing your water from there until we can think up a better solution. Although the Aspen Hill Canyon stream is another potential source of water we strongly advise against drinking from it unless you ensure the water is thoroughly purified first. The water can be used for other purposes, such as manually flushing toilets or watering gardens.
“On the subject of sanitation, we should warn you that it's anyone's guess how long before the sewer system backs up, and we definitely don't want that. We caution you all to have outhouses dug and constructed before the sewer system fails, and be prepared to plug your toilets just in case. Even those with septic tanks should be aware that the tank will eventually fill.”
That wasn't a problem at the shelter. Lewis had created a drainage field for the septic system that would last pretty much indefinitely with minor maintenance. Yet another thing Trev could be grateful for while living with his cousin.
The Mayor's speech drew him back in. “Also, obviously, without fuel the garbage trucks will not be running. Garbage can potentially cause as many sanitation problems as sewage, so we urge you all to dig garbage pits well away from your houses to dispose of your waste. We'll also be organizing teams to dig public latrines and waste dumps at suitable locations and could use volunteers for that.
“Moving on. After much discussion we've decided that we can't rely on the strength of the dollar as a means of currency, and trying to do so would be pointless since we're cut off from the rest of the world. Therefore we advise all citizens to switch to a barter system instead. However, although you would be wise to no longer accept dollars as payment we still feel it will be prudent to keep the previously accepted dollar value of items as a standard for trade to avoid confusion. We understand that in any economy values will shift according to supply and demand, and even at the best of times the value of goods is open to negotiation, but those price tags at the store are a good place to start any haggling.
“Now, we have to stress that volunteer efforts are as important as, if not more important than, material donations. We encourage all citizens to seek us out for any ways you can be of help in the community, especially if you have any skills that would be of use. Most especially, if we're to follow Officer Turner's advice about roadblocks we're going to need to keep them manned in rotating shifts. That's a lot of people volunteering a lot of time, so if you know how to use a firearm and can spare even one shift a week that would help tremendously. We'll even find a way to furnish you with a firearm while you're on shift if you don't have one, as long as you've got the skill to use it.”
The Mayor actually reached up to wipe at a bead of sweat on his forehead, then smiled in a self-deprecating way. “All right, then. That's the general stuff, now let's get down to brass tacks and talk specifics.”
* * * * *
After the meeting Lewis led the way over to where a harried-looking Councilwoman Tillman was fending off dozens of people vying for her time. From the sound of it far more of them were requesting aid than offering it.
Catherine Tillman was the wife of John Tillman, owner of Tillman's Sporting Goods, who Trev and Lewis had gotten to know pretty well during their building project since it also doubled as the town's hardware store. Although the woman showed no favorites she did get to them faster than some of the others.
“Trev, glad to see you made it home safely,” she said, shaking his hand warmly. “We were all worried when we heard you'd injured yourself and had a long walk home.”
“Thank you,” Trev said awkwardly, not sure why they'd navigated the crowd to be here. He looked at Lewis.
“I'd like to donate 500lbs of wheat to the storehouse,” his cousin promptly said.
“And 100lbs from me,” Trev hastily added, although he hadn't been planning on a donation. It felt flimsy and tacked-on compared to Lewis's offer, but he didn't have nearly the food supply his cousin had stored away. Also hadn't Lewis been against donating food in their earlier discussion since it might give away that they had extra to spare? And 500lbs! That was 40 weeks' worth of food for a grown man, give or take. Sitting through the meeting had obviously changed his mind.
However flimsy Trev's donation felt right after Lewis's offer, 100lbs was two months' worth in its own right and probably more than he could spare. At least Catherine didn't seem to think his donation was pathetic. Her eyes widened as she looked between both of them. “Well that is very generous, thank you! Bring it by any time, or let us know if you need help getting it out to the store. Or I suppose I should say storehouse, now.”
Even as Lewis assured her they had large sturdy wagons just for that purpose and could manage on their own her attention was diverted to the next person clamoring for her time, and Trev allowed the crowd to push him out into a clearer spot along with his cousin.
“Well, if it isn't our town's two biggest proponents of shirking Christian charity.”
Trev turned to see Anderson approaching through the crowd. Before he or Lewis could respond Catherine, who'd overheard the remark, broke away from the people she was with to intercept the Mayor.
“Now that was an unfair thing to say,” she scolded with her hands on her hips. “These two young men just donated generously to the storehouse.”
The Mayor had the grace to look embarrassed and quickly continued, getting right down to business. “Listen, I hear you boys live a bit beyond the northern outskirts of town. Since you seem so keen on turning people away maybe you can guard that northern border for us, out far enough to give plenty of advance warning of danger and turn back anyone who comes by.”
Trev wondered if Anderson could be any more of a jerk, insulting them and then asking them to do something for him. It was like the man wanted them to refuse so he could validate his low opinion of them.
Lewis wasn't happy about the request either, although not for the same reason it turned out. “All due respect, Mr. Mayor, but we've got our own troubles trying to survive same as anyone. Night and day patrol duty over that larg
e an area is an impossible job for two people, and doesn't seem quite fair when there are hundreds of other people in town who could help out. Weren't you just encouraging everyone to man the roadblocks, even if it was for just one shift a week?”
Anderson glanced at Catherine, who was still facing him off as if to remind him she was a part of the conversation even if she wasn't saying anything. “Look, that's a fair point. We're just a mess right now trying to get things organized. Could you at least keep an eye out up there for a few days until we can get a patrol roster going? A week at most.”
Trev exchanged looks with his cousin. Lewis had said they needed to contribute however they could, and this seemed like a good way to do that. His cousin seemed to agree, because after a few reluctant moments he sighed. “We'll do what we can with rotating shifts.”
That was a brutal schedule, alternating 8 and 16 hour days with no time off. Trev didn't like the thought, but if it needed to be done and he'd promised to do it he intended to. He nodded to show his agreement.
The Mayor's expression lightened a bit with relief. “Good, good. I'll make sure you guys have radios. Do you have your own guns?” The both nodded. “All right, good. You can bring the radios around to recharge at Officer Turner's office whenever you need, and report in at the same time or over the radio.”
“We can report in over the radio,” Lewis said firmly, which was a relief to Trev since it would save them a walk to town and back. “We've got solar power at home so we'll be able to recharge the radios ourselves if you've got spare chargers.”
“Solar, eh?” Anderson said with a whistle. “Sounds like you boys are set up. Wish we had more of that to go around in town.” He spent a few moments arranging some final details and then excused himself to get back to the people pressing for his time.
“Well I notice he didn't bother to say “thank you” in all of that, so I'll do it for him,” Catherine said, squeezing Lewis's arm encouragingly. “Thank you.” She glanced over her shoulder and sighed. “Excuse me, I've got my own impossible task to manage. You boys take care of yourselves out there.”
With that business done they stopped for a moment to talk to the Larsons and share their best wishes on Matt's safe return, then Lewis led the way to the door.
“I can't believe that guy,” Trev said for his cousin's ears only, eyeing Anderson as they slipped outside. The Mayor was shaking hands and easing fears among the crowd. “So we're unChristian for not wanting everyone in town to starve to death?”
“If I have to be the one to speak the hard truth that leads to everyone's survival I'm willing to do it,” Lewis replied. “And even if everyone thinks I'm heartless, you notice nobody was in a hurry to disagree with me and say that maybe we really should let thousands of people come eat all our food so we all starve to death.”
“Yeah, funny how that goes.” Trev stretched and groaned, sore from sitting in a chair for so long after a week of walking long distances. “Can't wait to start a thankless job barely anyone will even know about.”
“We're not doing it for recognition, we're doing it to protect the town. Besides, at least you can just bring your weapons and a daypack for the shift. It'll feel like a vacation compared to lugging that overloaded pack for a week.” His cousin glanced at his leg. “You going to be up for it?”
“My leg's fine,” Trev said, which was mostly true. The pain and swelling were almost completely gone, just a slight twinge when he really stretched it. “Come on. I don't know about you but I'm exhausted. After the week I've had I wouldn't mind sleeping for twelve hours straight.”
* * * * *
It didn't take Matt long to pack everything he though he'd need, so while he waited until full dark so he could try to slip out to his car he watched the news with everyone else in the lounges. He was there for the breaking stories of the riots beginning in Provo and Orem, including the one at the store that seemed to have been the first and some newscasters speculated might have tipped others off when people saw the smoke. He thought he might have seen himself in some of the grainy camera footage, although he couldn't be sure.
That pastime ended around sunset when the power went out. Due to the suspicious timing some of his dorm mates speculated that the city had deliberately cut power to try to discourage the rioters and encourage everyone to just go home. Matt wasn't sure if that made sense, especially since with the power cut the rioters might be tempted to light more fires to see instead of giving up. Not to mention that without lights they'd have an easier time looting without being caught.
Either way the RAs came out in force about that time shooing everyone to their rooms and urging them to sleep until morning. Instead Matt pulled out one of his two small but powerful LED flashlights and did a last check of his room. He was using the cart to haul most of his stuff, better organized to fit his personal things, as well as rolling his full suitcase along behind him. He'd also put Trev's Glock in his jacket pocket in case he needed it.
Once that was done he wheeled everything out to the apartment's living area and sat on the couch waiting as it got darker and darker outside the windows. That reminded him uncomfortably of Trent, who he hadn't seen all day. None of his other roommates seemed to be around either, leaving him alone in the dark.
He found himself again wishing he'd managed to get ahold of his mom on the land lines. They'd all shown a busy signal, either because the lines were down or because service had been cut off. He hoped she wasn't worrying too much. He'd sent her an email on a friend's computer since internet was still up, so hopefully she'd gotten that.
When it was finally completely dark Matt called a goodbye to roommates that probably weren't even there and left the dorm. Down the hall he could see flashlights swinging around in the lounge, students talking quietly about what was happening, but he turned the other way to leave by the side doors. It was eerily dark outside, made even more unnerving by the ruddy glow of fires on the horizons all around.
As he pushed the cart and pulled his suitcase he expected the security guard from before to come chasing after him, but nothing happened. He reached his car and quickly tossed everything in the backseat, then pushed the cart over to the sidewalk and wedged it there. After a last look at his college and dorm to say goodbye to his old life, Matt opened his car door and slipped behind the wheel.
Before anything else he closed his eyes for a moment in a silent plea. It had been months since he'd last used this car, and although he knew he still had a few gallons in the tank the gauge read empty. But that wasn't a problem, was it? He'd heard you could drive 50 miles after the gauge reached empty, and that would take him most of the way home. All the way if he was lucky.
He put the key in the ignition and turned it.
The engine sputtered, trying to start, and after a few long seconds finally turned over with a low rumble. He leaned back, grinning in relief, and reached down to put the car into gear. But just as he started to shift into reverse the engine sputtered again, tried to keep going, then abruptly died with a rattle and the squeal of a fan belt coming to a stop.
Matt sat frozen, staring at the steering wheel in blank disbelief. He knew he shouldn't have been surprised that the car was completely out of gas after sitting on empty for so long, but he still felt a little bit betrayed.
50 miles! Isn't that what everyone always said? When the gauge was on empty the car could still go 50 miles before dying. That would've at least gotten him into familiar territory where he could approach people who were practically neighbors for help getting the rest of the way home.
He punched the roof a few times, then shoved the door open and sprang out of the car, slamming it shut and leaning back against it to stare at the sky overhead. Along with fires painting the horizon in front of him red he could hear distant shouts and screams, which from far away sounded a bit like an outdoor music festival. Except it wasn't.
What was he supposed to do now? He'd waited too long to buy what he needed from the stores, so now if he tried to ma
ke the walk down like Trev he'd be stuck with almost no food or water and nothing to carry it in besides his school backpack, which meant he couldn't really carry a sleeping bag or anything very bulky. He supposed if it was literally life and death he could walk 75 miles without much food, although the trip would be brutal, but without water it would probably be impossible.
There was no help for it, he was going to have to gather up the water bottles he'd filled up for his apartment, most of them still sitting in the kitchen, and load up his backpack with everything he could find. His only hope was that he hadn't waited too long to l-
“Psst!”
Matt yelped and whirled towards the noise, unconsciously grabbing for Trev's gun tucked in his pocket. His hand missed twice going in, then the gun got caught in the fabric and he couldn't manage to tug it free. After an embarrassing ten or so seconds he was still struggling as he finally got a good look at the person who'd approached him.
Or at least her silhouette in the near total darkness. He was pretty sure it was a girl standing on the sidewalk beside his car, with long hair and wearing her backpack while rolling a suitcase along behind her. She was in a dark sweater and jeans and was really hard to see.
“Uh, hello?” he hissed, letting his hand drop away from the gun. He'd really have to find a way to draw it faster so he didn't end up dead in a real emergency.
“Hi,” the girl whispered back, raising her free hand to wave. “Um, we haven't really met before but I'm in your English class. Samantha Hutchins?”
Matt felt himself relaxing. “Oh yeah, sure. You go by Sam, right?”
“Yeah, but only because it's like the only nickname that works.” Sam hesitated. “Listen, this is going to sound weird but can I hitch a ride with you?”
Matt blinked. “I'm heading down to Aspen Hill. Didn't you say you came from back east when we introduced ourselves on the first day? New York City, right?”