HADRON Dark Matter

by Stephen Arseneault

  Chapter 9

  _______________________

  As they ate, the chop from a rotor wash grew louder as Don Rogers approached in his helicopter. They met him on the lawn as he hopped out of the craft with his son beside him.

  “Just came from the hospital. Dontell went into cardiac arrest about a half hour ago.”

  Johnny crossed his arms. “What? No. We just saw him earlier.”

  “They operated on his leg this morning. He lost too much blood.”

  “It's a hospital, they couldn't give him more?”

  Don pursed his lips. “Hospital was overloaded all night and the blood bank didn't deliver any this morning. Yesterday, they had three pints of O-negative, a rare type. It was all used on someone else just before we brought him in.

  “They put him on a saline drip thinking they would be OK until the shipment arrived. Word came that it wasn't coming. They decided to operate to try to stop the bleeding... he didn't make it. The entire blood stockpile was being re-routed to the Navy base for redistribution from there.”

  Mace said, “Wait, they're taking control of the blood supply after a few days without power? That doesn't sound good at all.”

  Johnny took a deep breath. “Sounds like some bonehead is jumping the gun.”

  Don continued, “Gets worse. They're calling up all reserves. Ordering them to report in to their posts. Word has it that anyone with prior service will be called next. I've been listening over the shortwave, which has been functioning on and off.

  “Anyway, London, Frankfurt, Moscow, Beijing, they are all without power. Australia seems to be a partial holdout, but the interference is building there as we speak. I have a connection in DC who says they're gearing up for the long haul on this. He told me it would be wise to stockpile what I could.”

  Tres asked, “Any word from other places in the US? I have people near Traverse City.”

  Don sighed. “Wish I had word for you, son. There's just not a lot of people out there that know anything. Most of my shortwave friends have been stuck to their radios just listening.”

  Don asked, “What kind of preparations do you have? I know you and Jane are active in the shooting community. Of everyone I know, I suspected the two of you the most likely to be preppers.”

  Jane walked up. “Don, Cam, what's happening?”

  Johnny stepped over for a hug. “Dontell passed this morning during surgery.”

  Jane comforted her man. “Oh no. What happened? I thought he was in good shape.”

  Johnny shook his head. “He was O-negative. They ran out of blood for him last night and the blood bank didn't deliver any this morning. They attempted to operate but he went into cardiac failure.”

  Jane sighed as she hugged him tightly. “I'm sorry.”

  Johnny released her as he wiped a tear from an eye. “That's not all. Mace, fill her in.”

  “Power is out the world over, and the folks in DC seem to be circling the wagons for the long haul. Don's been on the shortwave, and the news from around the globe is not good. I think we need to look at either loading this place up with supplies or getting out of town.”

  “If the decision is to leave, I'll volunteer my helicopter. It's just Cam and me. And with the way things are sounding, someone might be looking to confiscate my bird, so I'd like to make use of it while I can.”

  Johnny said, “Surprised its still airworthy.”

  “I've been having trouble, but the flight controls seem to all be working. Electronics are in and out though.”

  Jane asked, “You had breakfast?”

  Don shook his head. “Coffee and toast this morning.”

  Cam added, “I haven't eaten since last night.”

  Jane waved them in. “Come on, we've got plenty. We can talk as we eat.”

  Mace said as they walked, “We were discussing where we might go if we leave. Down the coast, maybe Knotts Island, or inland to Organ Cave in West Virginia.”

  Don replied, “I've been to Organ. Rented a farm from a friend online who lives about fifteen miles from there. Nice guy, loaned us a car for a day. I took his kids for a ride in the helo around the area. I can make that on a single tank.”

  Johnny frowned as he bit into a biscuit. “Nothing on Knotts?”

  Don shook his head. “Flown over it. It's an isolated area, but I couldn't say much else about it.”

  Tres pointed. “Three to one!”

  Johnny took a deep breath. “You better watch yourself when you're sleeping, little man. Johnny's gonna come down hard.”

  Jane said, “Shut up and eat your biscuit. We'll talk about where once we've figured out if. We're only a few days into this. Any talk of leaving for anywhere is premature. Why is it men always have these end-of-the-world fantasies?”

  Mace laughed, “Probably from watching too much Gilligan's Island as a kid.”

  The discussion circled around for several minutes as Vanessa looked on sheepishly.

  Jane put her hand on her shoulder. “Hon, if anything is bothering you, please speak your mind. We're all equals at this table.”

  Vanessa took a sip of orange juice. “I just feel like I'm some kind of baggage, that's all. You people know guns. And you have a helicopter. What worth am I to this group and why would you keep me around? If you leave, am I invited?”

  Jane replied, “First, we aren't going anywhere... yet. Second—”

  Mace held up his hand. “I'll take this one. Look, you are an equal member of this group. At the moment you might not feel like you contribute much, but your time will come.”

  Vanessa half frowned. “My time? What would I have to offer?”

  “If this continues, whether it's fighting off intruders, cooking, harvesting food, or washing laundry, everyone here will be pitching in. And I know you'll do your best at whatever that is. You always worked hard and took care of business at the bar. I have confidence you'd do the same with any other task.”

  Vanessa looked around the table as she offered a half smile. “Anyone need a waitress?”

  Jane said, “You like animals, right?”

  Vanessa took a breath. “Yes.”

  “Well... there, if we make it to a farm, you can be in charge of the animals.”

  “Great. The most I've done with animals is pet them. I had a cat once when I was a kid. It ran away.”

  Vanessa began to tear up as she laughed.

  Tres reached over. “Hey, your position isn't any different than mine. All I've done is follow these three around for the few days day. What kind of contribution is that?”

  “Yeah, but you're a guy.”

  Tres pointed at Jane. “She's a girl. And I'm pretty sure she can kick my ass at just about everything.”

  “So?”

  “So just do the best you can. Nobody expects anything more. Besides, I don't want to be stuck with only talking to all these old people. I need someone near my age.”

  Vanessa replied as she dried a tear. “You’re sweet. But I'm older than you think. And with way more miles.”

  “How old?”

  “Twenty-nine.”

  “What month?”

  “June.”

  Tres held up his fork, swirling it around. “Big whoop. So you've got me by three months.”

  Cam frowned as he looked around the table. “So I'm the only kid here?”

  Don replied, “You've got plenty of time to make friends. World's not over yet.”

  Cam picked up a spoon full of grits. “Girls at my school are all snotty anyway. What's in West Virginia?”

  Johnny laughed. “Cows and coal. And lot's of both.”

  Mace said, “So... who thinks we should stay here and fortify this place? We'd have to repair the gate, but it's a quiet, out of the way street. And the seven foot rock wall surrounding this place would be an asset. As well as being able to keep watch from the roof.”

  Don raised his hand. “Ordinarily I would say to stick it out here for at least a week. I'm not so sure about that given the go
vernment response I'm hearing. The longer we stay, the harder it will be to leave. Government might even close down the roadways if things start to get way out of hand.”

  Johnny asked, “You were just up. What do the roads look like right now?”

  “There are some jam-ups on the Interstates, but I could steer you around them. If you want, we can go scout that out now. Highway 460 runs all the way to Lynchburg. We can cut over from there by going up to I-64 or down toward Roanoke and through the mountains. Cam's stepmother was from Lynchburg. He's got step-cousins there he's never met. And for those who are curious, she ran off with my ex-partner. They live in California. Cam's mom passed away just after he was born, in an accident. So it's just the two of us.”

  Jane shook her head. “Sorry to hear that, Don. I didn't know.”

  Jane turned a nasty eye toward Johnny.

  Johnny shrugged. “Sorry, Dear. Just not a gossip.”

  Vanessa laughed. “Since when?”

  Tres said. “I'm for leaving now for Organ Cave, but I'll admit to being biased. That would put me a lot closer to home than I am here.“

  Johnny went next. “I love this house... and this town. But I have to say I'm for leaving if there's a chance we'll be trapped here. If we go and things settle out, we can come back. If they shut the roads though, we're not stuck. We can always take the boat.”

  Mace glanced over at Vanessa.

  “I'm just along for the ride. I don't have anything to add.”

  Jane said, “You get a vote just like everyone. And don't be afraid to voice it.”

  Vanessa cleared her throat. “OK... if it was up to me, I'd stay. I mean, we have stores here, there are people... not everyone is bad.”

  The discussion continued for a half hour before a vote was called for. The group decided they would stay unless something new came to light. They had supplies, at least for the near term.

  The remainder of the day was spent fortifying the estate. The night brought with it sounds of more gunfire. The day that followed saw all communications and power remaining offline. After a fourth night of looting, fires and robberies, a morning flight was taken in the helicopter.

  Don and Mace flew over parts of the city. “Those highways are jammed with abandoned cars. And every grocery store we've been over has been looted.”

  Don replied, “Retail stores too.”

  Mace sighed. The National Guard haven't deployed. Something's not right.”

  Don said, “What strikes me is there's not another bird in the sky. I would have expected Blackhawks to be flying around for military comms at a minimum.”

  Mace nodded. “None of this makes sense. Where's our government? The locals can't handle something this big without help.”

  The engine of the helicopter sputtered for several seconds before recovering.

  Mace asked, “That's the second time. Everything OK?”

  Don shrugged. “Whatever that interference is has been messing with the systems. They're shielded, but apparently not fully.”

  “Might be time for a second vote. I don't like the lack of response I'm seeing down there.”

  The helicopter landed in the massive back yard of the Tretcher estate.

  Mace delivered the news from their scouting mission. After a quick vote, it was decided to take the opportunity to leave. The topic again turned to where.

  Johnny said, “We can take the boat, the RV, and the helicopter to Knotts. If we head inland, the boat gets abandoned.”

  Tres replied, “I have a Masters in mechanical engineering with an undergrad in agriculture. If we go inland and need to grow anything, I know how.”

  Johnny countered, “Knotts Island is farms. Anything you can grow at Organ you could grow on the island.”

  Tres nodded. “I could, but we don't even know if the residents would let us on there.”

  Johnny returned a grin. “We were invited. Remember?”

  Jane held up her hand. “I vote inland. Knotts will be hot and humid in the summer and loaded with mosquitoes. And I love the mountains, and it's closer to Gerrardstown if we decide to head there.”

  Mace nodded. “Sorry, Johnny, I'd have to go with Organ as well. Knotts is a bit close to here.”

  The diesel engines of the boat could be heard starting up. Johnny raced from the house as the boat pulled away from the dock at full throttle. A silhouette could be seen standing at the deck controls.

  Johnny stood at the dock as the others gathered around him. “Boat's gone.”

  Tres replied, “Kind of makes the island useless.”

  Johnny turned with a scowl. “Who'd you pay?”

  Jane said, “Let's finish this. We're wasting time.”

  They returned to the house.

  Still in protest, Johnny shook his head. “And what happens if we get to the cave and it's locked up? Or worse, someone else has taken refuge?”

  Mace said, “It's out in the country. If need be, we would camp out and keep looking for somewhere to shelter. If we make it to Knotts Island, we may not be able to leave. And we have the RV.”

  Johnny rocked back in his chair with his arms crossed. “Well, now that we no longer have a boat, I suppose I won't oppose Organ Cave.”

  He pointed around the table. “But I reserve the right to say I told you so if it all goes wrong.”

  Cam stayed with Vanessa to clean up from the meal. The rest of the group wandered out to the garage for a planning session.

  Johnny said, “We take every round of ammo we can carry. And our reload equipment. And vests and goggles. And all the guns we can carry as well.”

  Mace asked, “You have containers we can pack all that in?”

  Jane waved her hand. “Over here. The ammo is mostly crated already, so that's done. I think we pick through the arsenal and take at least three weapons each.”

  The door to the gun room was opened. The hidden bookcase door followed. Weapons were selected and stacked on the table in the garage. Jane began the process of packing spares with the help of Don Rogers and Tres.

  Mace stood looking at the Thompson hanging on the wall.

  Johnny said, “She's heavy. We have plenty of rounds that she'll shoot. She won't do you wrong in close combat.”

  Mace replied, “I’d hate to see a good gun go to waste in this situation. How about this, we put it on a maybe list. We might be overloaded with what we want to carry as it is.”

  Johnny smiled. “What the heck. We'll make room. If anything, we might be able to trade it for something else we need. Guns are going to be like gold if this all goes the way it's looking.”

  Mace stopped for a moment. “You know, since my father passed, I've always had that feeling that I didn't have anyone to fall back on in hard times. I hate to think about it this way, but it's probably a blessing for him to not be here. Mom's with Brad out west. He's a good man and will take good care of her.”

  Johnny said, “You have a brother don't you?”

  Mace half frowned. “He's in Phoenix last I knew. A bum. Haven't talked to him since just after I got out.”

  Johnny took a deep breath. “I'm right there with you. And so is Jane. She was adopted, you know, and her adoptive parents were old when we first met. Mine were too. Our parents passed only three years apart and each within six months of each other.”

  Mace said, “Didn't know you were adopted.”

  Johnny half laughed. “I wasn't. Jane was at birth. My parents passed when I was thirty-two. I suppose she and I may now be lucky in that respect. They won't have to endure whatever it is that's coming.”

  Mace replied, “Sounds like you've already written the world off.”

  “Let's hope I'm just a fool in that regard.”

  Mace pulled the Thompson from the rack. “Well, anyway, I'm glad you decided to come into the bar on a regular basis. Sure made those shifts go by a lot faster with someone there to talk to.”

  Johnny grinned as he picked up a crate with loads for the older weapon. “I kind of had to come in
there. Jane was tired of my talking at home.”

  Jane poked her head into the gun room. “Let's get a move on. You two can play grab-ass later.”

  The weapons and ammo were evenly split between the RV and the trailer, with a small cache going to Don and Cam on the helicopter.

  Johnny said, “We're on day four and the world has gone mad.”

  Mace shook his head. “I don't get the response from the government. There aren't any planes in the air and our military appears to be confined to base.”

  “Maybe they're under orders.”

  “An order like that would have to come from the top. Why would the people in D.C. order such? This is all of our lives... everyone's. And when I was up with Don we hardly saw a truck on the road. New supplies aren't coming anytime soon.”

  Johnny nodded. “That makes the decision to leave all the more important. Water pressure's already dropped by about half. People are gonna start coming out of their homes pretty soon. And if we look like we have power... they'll be coming over that wall. Leaving is a good thing.”

  With the protection items stowed, attention was turned to food.

  Jane pulled the wagon toward the house. “I'll empty the pantry. You take everything we have in the storeroom.”

  Johnny nodded. “Will do.”

  Tres said, “Trailer or RV?”

  Johnny replied, “We'll stack it behind the trailer and divvy it up from there.”

  Mace took a deep breath as he reached for the first of the Tretcher emergency stash. The neat stack of boxes was carried to the back of the trailer.