by James Hunt
Adam collapsed to his hands and knees on the concrete. A few tears splashed the driveway.
“My boy said he was hungry and I can’t… I don’t have anything to give him.”
Frank came out from behind the screen door. He and Mike knelt down to Adam and helped him up.
“Frank, why don’t we go around and get a pool going for anything that can be spared. I bet we could get a little something from everyone,” Mike said.
“Yeah, we can do that,” Frank replied.
“Adam, you head back home. Frank and I will see what we can put together, okay?” Mike said.
Adam wiped the embarrassment from his eyes and nodded. Mike watched him shuffle back over to his home. Mike noticed faces peering out from behind blinds from the front windows of a few of the houses, checking out the commotion.
Anne came out the front door and joined them.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Put together some goods for the Stahls,” Mike said.
“Anne, wait,” Frank said.
He rushed back inside and came out with a few cans of peaches.
“For Adam,” Frank said.
***
The sun dipped below the horizon when Mike finally finished cutting the plywood. He started labeling each one: Living room. Kitchen. Bedroom. Each piece had small holes cut close to the corners that would allow them to look outside. He brought them in the house and rested each piece of plywood at its corresponding location.
“What are you doing?” Anne asked.
“For the windows. In case things get bad,” he said.
“I gave those supplies to Adam. He broke down when he saw them. I’ve never seen him like that before.”
“Nobody was ready for this.”
“You were.”
Anne grabbed his arm and pulled him over to her. She rested her face on his chest and he rested his chin on the top of her head. Her hair was still warm from the sun and there was still the faint scent of her shampoo, lingering under his nose.
The two of them rocked slowly back and forth. The room around them was still and quiet. The light breaking through the windows caught the swirls of dust flying around in the room.
“You know… I think I’m going to have to overrule your no shower rule,” she said.
Mike pinched her and she squealed. She threw her head back laughing.
“You smell really bad,” she said.
“Better get used to it,” he said.
“You’re a good man,” she said.
A knocked from the front door interrupted their kiss. Mike lifted the back of his shirt, revealing the pistol and checked the peephole. When he saw who it was he flipped his shirt down and opened the door.
Nelson’s eyes went to his feet. His hands fidgeted awkwardly at his sides.
“It’s just. Well, I heard about what you did for Adam and I…”
“How much do you need?” Mike asked.
There wasn’t any malice in Mike’s words, no sense of mockery or “I told you so,” just a genuine concern. Nelson kept his head down.
“Just a few days’ worth. You know until all this blows over.”
“Is Sean allergic to anything?” Anne asked.
“No, but he doesn’t like Brussels sprouts,” he answered.
“Who does?” she smiled.
“Come on in,” Mike said.
Mike and Nelson sat on the couch while Anne put together a package downstairs. Mike unhooked his tool belt to get a little more comfortable and laid it next to the plywood on the floor.
“Been busy today?” Nelson asked pointing at the plywood.
“A little,” Mike said.
“You know if you’re working on any projects around the house I’d be happy to help. It’s the least I could do. I used to be a foreman before I met Katie-”
Nelson’s throat caught at the sound of his wife’s name.
“Sorry,” he said.
“How long were you a foreman?” Mike asked.
“Five years, but I was doing construction since I was eighteen. Never really thought I was the college type, so I got the first job I could after high school and just worked my way up.”
“I had no idea.”
“Most people don’t. I miss it some days, but most days I don’t. Seeing you covered from head to toe in sweat and sawdust doesn’t bring back any fond memories.”
“Yeah, I’d love to take a shower.”
“No water pressure?”
“Not anymore.”
“I might be able to help with that.”
Mike took him downstairs to the water heater and they located the water pressure regulator. Nelson took a look at the configuration of pipes, gauges, and valves spread around the basement.
“The water pressure coming into the house from outside is more powerful than most homes need, so contractors use a pressure valve to decrease the water flow coming through the pipes. If I open up the pressure on the house’s end it should squeeze out more pressure for another shower or two.”
Nelson opened the valve up and the pipes hissed and rattled from the water rushing through.
“That should give you a little modern comfort. For a while at least,” Nelson said.
“Thanks, Nelson.”
Anne met them back upstairs with a bag of canned goods: corn, peaches, green beans, and beef.
“I can’t thank you two enough,” Nelson said.
“It’s our pleasure,” Anne said.
Nelson left and Mike headed upstairs. He knocked on Kalen’s door. She cracked it open.
“What?” she asked.
“Oh, nothing. I just wanted to see if you should take the first shower, but if you’re busy…”
The door flew open and she nearly knocked him down on her way to the bathroom.
“Are you serious?” she screamed.
“Hold on. Make sure you have everything ready before you turn it on. And be quick. I’m not sure how long it’s going to last.”
“Dad, you’re amazing.”
She ran back over to him and wrapped her arms around him. When she dug her face into his chest she pulled back.
“And you smell terrible.”
“I know, so make it quick, huh? I’d like to take one too,”
“You can have my shower time, Dad!” Freddy screamed from his bedroom across the hall.
“Thanks, buddy,” Mike called.
Day Five
At least ten families crammed into the living room. Most of them stood, while a few others sat stiffly on couches and chairs. Ted Beachum stood at the front of the living room. He paced back and forth in front of his audience rubbing his hands together, searching for words.
“I think it’s safe to say that the power’s not coming back on, and nobody’s coming to help. It’s time we get organized,” Ted said.
Heads nodded in agreement with the exception of one. Ray Gears stood silent in the back corner.
“We need to pull everyone’s resources on the block and see who has what to offer. From there we’ll divide it up based on the size of each family and their needs,” Ted said.
Bessie Beachum, Ted’s wife, came up behind him. She placed her hand on his back. She was a woman who was always well groomed, meticulous about her entire appearance, but the past five days had left stray hairs sticking out and old makeup flaking off her cheeks. The tired bags under her eyes aged her and the attempt to re-apply the blush in her cheeks was the equivalent of trying to hide an ugly picture in a beautiful frame.
“There are some people in this neighborhood that had no idea that this could happen. How were we supposed to prepare for something like this? How were we supposed to know this would happen?” she asked.
“Nobody could have known,” a woman cried.
“Exactly. These are circumstances that are beyond our control, so the only way to survive now is by whatever means is necessary,” Bessie said.
“And who will decide what means to use on whom?” Ray ask
ed.
Everyone in the room turned to look at Ray, who was leaning against the back wall of the living room with his hands in his pockets.
“The neighborhood will,” Bessie replied.
“The neighborhood?” Ray asked.
“It’s the only way we’ll survive this, Ray,” Ted said.
Ray rocked his chin in his hand, mulling the response over.
“Well, if it’s the neighborhood that’s deciding, I think we’re missing a few members aren’t we?” Ray asked.
Most of the neighbor’s faces wore looks of surprise and innocent ignorance, but out of all the faces Ray watched Bessie’s was the one that frightened him most.
“We extended the invitation for everyone to come. I can’t force everyone to be a part of this,” Bessie said.
“You can’t force people to be a part of your community of help and survival, but you can force people to give you the supplies to keep it going?” Ray asked.
The heads in the room were swiveling back and forth from Ray to Bessie. Even Ted’s face went back and forth. They were all searching for some unnamed enemy to point their fingers at, but the real enemy was their own ignorance. And they knew it.
“I’m sure that those who see someone in need will be more than willing to participate if they’re able to,” Bessie replied.
“Just like any good Samaritan would,” Ray said.
“Now, why don’t we start with everyone that’s already here?” Ted asked. “Bessie and I will head over to everyone’s house for an inventory check and see what we have, and then divide it up amongst ourselves. Then we can spread out to the other houses and see if they want to join in. Tim, we’ll start with your place.”
The crowd dispersed and headed back to their homes. Ray was the only one that didn’t go home. His feet took him to Mike’s house.
***
Mike smacked the last nail in place for the upstairs bedroom window. He brushed some of the plaster off the bed that had fallen from the wall and stood back to examine his work. He worried that the nails wouldn’t be strong enough to hold the plywood in place covering the windows if someone wanted to force their way in, but he did the best he could. At the very least it would give him and his family time to escape.
He gathered up his nails when he heard muffled voices coming from downstairs. When Mike walked over to the stairs, he saw Ray and Anne in the foyer below.
“It happened today? Bessie told me that it was tomorrow,” Anne said.
“Mike, we need to talk,” Ray said.
The three of them sat in the living room and were joined by Ulysses. Ray recounted what had happened at the meeting with the Beachums’.
“So, what? They’re going to try and steal our supplies if we don’t hand them over?” Anne asked.
“Everyone’s starting to feel the pressure. There were at least ten families at that meeting,” Ray said.
“They’re being driven by fear. Ray’s right; it won’t be long before they start stealing instead of asking,” Ulysses said.
With the windows sealed shut, they had lit candles to help illuminate the house. Mike looked at shadows being cast across half visible faces. Men can’t survive in the dark.
“We leave tomorrow,” Mike said.
“You got room for one more in that Jeep?” Ray asked.
“What if we don’t?” Ulysses asked.
“Relax, Ulysses. I just need to know if I should wait around or not,” Ray said.
Mike mulled it over. Ray had known about his Jeep and, to his knowledge, hadn’t told anyone else about it.
“Pack all of the food you can. Do you have a gun?” Mike asked.
“Yeah.”
“Bring it and all the ammo you have.”
After Ray had left Anne ran upstairs to gather the kids. Ulysses walked over to Mike.
“You trust that guy?” Ulysses asked.
“I’ll find out soon enough,” Mike said.
Mike made five trips from the cellar to the Jeep in the garage. He threw packs of food, ammo, and first aid kits in the back of the Jeep. He strapped everything down with a few cargo belts, checking to make sure it was secure.
He heard shouts coming from upstairs. Mike made it to the second floor and Anne was standing outside Kalen’s door with both her hands on her hips.
“Kalen Grace Grant, you open this door right now!” Anne said.
“What’s going on?” Mike asked.
“She’s locked herself in her room, because she doesn’t want to leave.”
“Let me talk to her. You make sure Freddy’s good to go,” Mike said.
Anne threw her hands up and walked into Freddy’s room. Mike knocked on the door.
“Kalen, open up,” Mike said.
“No! I’m not leaving.”
“C’mon, Kay, open the door. You owe me that much for the shower.”
There was a pause and then the sound of footsteps and the door unlocking.
When Mike entered, Kalen had her legs crossed sitting on top of her bed scratching the paint from her nails.
“I’m not going,” she said.
“Well, Freddy will be devastated.”
Mike ignored the eye roll, and focused on the smile instead. He sat down beside her, putting his hand on her leg.
“What’s going on?” Mike asked.
“It’s just not fair, Dad! Why did this have to happen now? Why couldn’t this have happened after I was dead, or at least after college? What am I supposed to do now? What am I going to do with my life? What has the past three years of high school meant if it doesn’t exist anymore? James was just starting to like me.”
Mike cringed at the sound of James’ name, so he was glad she wasn’t looking at him. He didn’t think it would help the situation.
“Kalen, we can’t control everything that happens to us. The best we can do is prepare and hope for the best.”
Her shoulders began to shake and Mike walked up behind her and she spun around into his arms, her tears soaking through his shirt.
“I’m scared, Dad.”
“We’ll be fine. I promise.”
The Night of the Fifth Day
Twelve families brought all of the canned goods and water they could find. The measly collection of their combined efforts lay scattered across the floor of the Beachums’ living room. It was enough to feed each family for another day. After that they would have nothing.
“This is everything?” Ted asked.
“That’s all we had,” Rusty said.
“We were down to our last can,” Sam replied.
“We brought more than everyone else. I just want to point that out,” Brian said.
The families were restless. Everyone’s eyes drifted from the food and supplies in the middle of the room to the faces circling it. Family members whispered in each other’s ears.
“I bet Frank has more than what he brought.”
“There’s no way they only had one can.”
“Just because they’re fat asses and don’t know how to ration we’ve got to give them our food?”
Bessie checked each house she visited from top to bottom. She spent all afternoon going door to door, scouring every cabinet, cupboard, cellar, attic, and shed to find what she could.
“I think it’s safe to say that everyone here contributed as much as they could,” Bessie said.
Everyone stopped talking and looked at Bessie.
“However, it does seem that a few of our neighbors are in a better situation than we are and aren’t matching our… generosity,” she said.
Bessie made her way over to Adam. He kept his head down and avoided looking at her the entire night. She knew that Mike had given Adam supplies.
“Adam,” she said.
Adam kept his face down. His feet shuffled awkwardly in place. He fiddled with his hands, pulling at his fingers. Bessie walked slowly to him, showing motherly concern.