by P. A. Glaspy
"Tanners and Stephens with me to the Humvee; everyone else double time over to the camper with those supplies. We'll get the seating arranged after we get hooked to the camper."
The Guardsmen hustled across the street with the food, water, and ammo, as well as Liz’s and Darrell's packs. They set the supplies inside on the floor. Darrell had the camper's hitch raised so that all Damon had to do was back up to it. At the Humvee, the Tanners got in the back seats and got settled. Jason took the passenger front seat. Damon started the Humvee.
"Are we good on fuel?" Jason asked. "Did anybody think to top us off?"
Damon nodded as he put the vehicle in gear. "Yes. Marco took care of it this morning. I just hope it's enough with all this weight we're going to be hauling."
"Hang on a sec." Jason jumped out and ran back behind the building. In a moment, he was back with two jerry cans and a hand pump. He opened the back hatch and set them inside. He came back and climbed back in the front seat. "For shopping later," he said.
"Good idea." Damon took his foot off the gas and started out of the gate. Just as he was about to reach the street, half a dozen men jumped out in front of him. They were panting as if they had run a good distance, and they had various types of rifles, pistols, and shotguns all pointed at the front of the Humvee. Damon wasn't positive, but he thought that some of them may have been in the group he encountered the first night by the strip mall.
"We're gonna need you to turn off the engine and get out of the car," one of the men called out. "Nobody has to get hurt. We just want the ride."
It had apparently escaped their attention that there were five Guardsmen across the street. Hutch motioned to his team who all took up positions around the camper. Damon watched and as soon as he got the nod from Hutch, he rolled down the window. Jason did the same. They both had pistols in their hands, below the console. Tanner was armed as well.
"We can't do that," Damon called back. "You fellas need to disburse before one of you gets hurt."
The leader laughed. "Say what? We've got you outnumbered three to one!"
Damon smiled. "Turn around."
The group all turned to see five Guardsmen, as well as Wayne and Betty Newsom pointing guns in their direction. Their eyes grew wide as Hutch yelled, "Drop your guns and put your hands in the air!"
With seven guns on one side and an unknown number on the other, the would-be carjackers laid their weapons on the ground and raised their hands. Damon and Jason both exited the Humvee and walked to the front. Hutch continued calling out orders.
"Take three steps back, get down on your knees, and lock your hands behind your head. Light, gather those weapons."
"Yes, sir," Darrell replied as he ran toward the men. He picked them up and hurried back to the camper.
"Just lay them on the ground there after you unload them. Manning, give him a hand."
Stacy went over and took one of the guns and unloaded it. Darrell did the same. Hutch hollered to Damon.
"Okay, Major, come on over." He kept his rifle trained on the kneeling men, never taking his eyes off them as he issued orders and instructions. Damon nodded, and he and Jason got back inside. He put the Humvee into gear and pulled out into the street. He executed a three-point turn and started backing up to the camper. Marco was directing him to the hitch. They got it in one try. Damon and Jason both got out of the vehicle and kept an eye on the car-jackers while Marco finished hooking up the camper.
Seeing that the weapons had been emptied, Hutch gave another order. "Now, throw all their ammunition across the street into the armory's driveway."
Darrell and Stacy did as he had instructed. With the heavy snow, the bullets and shells sunk into the deep white fluff.
Now, toss the guns over there, too."
They did this as well. Darrell groaned as he heard one of them hitting asphalt when it sunk. Hutch raised an eyebrow at him.
Darrell shrugged. "Sorry, Cap. I just hate to see guns get abused. Dirtbags, yeah, but those poor defenseless guns." Stacy snickered, and Hutch hid a grin.
Marco signaled that the camper was on and ready to go. The five Guardsmen loaded into it. Hutch turned to the Newsoms.
"Up to you how you handle them when we're gone. I'd say give them a chance to not be dicks, but that's your call." Wayne nodded as he kept the rifle trained on them. Looking at the men still kneeling in the snow-covered street, he said, "Life's going to suck, probably for a while. You can work together and try to get through it without hurting other people, or you can take chances like you did today and likely end up dead, especially if you go into a situation like this without knowing all the dangers. You might want to rethink your path while you still can. Let's get moving people!"
With that, he climbed into the camper and shut the door. Damon pulled out slowly and headed west.
Chapter 23
Joel spent the next hour with Jack, sharing his ideas of what needed to be done in the neighborhood if they had any chance of survival. Jack seemed to be absorbing all the information.
"I want you to dole out the food we have here," Joel said. "If you're smart, you can get quite a few meals out of it, especially if you make soups and stews. I'm sure you don't want to be responsible for everybody, but I guarantee if you give them a bunch of things, they'll waste a good part of it. Once the jar or can is opened, you either have to eat it or refrigerate it. Without a way to refrigerate it, that only leaves eating it."
Jack nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and now is no time to be wasting any food. I know you're leaving, but if you weren't, how would you handle it?"
Joel thought for a moment, then replied, "I'd probably do a community meal once a day. Soup or a casserole-type dish, something that you could feed a bunch of folks with. It'll be tough, limiting yourselves to one meal a day, but if it's a good meal you can live on that for a while. You could supplement fish from the pond, maybe some squirrels. I've never killed and cleaned one myself, but it can't be a lot different than cleaning fish. I guess you'll have to just try it."
"That sounds good except for one thing."
Joel set his mouth in a grim line. "Beth."
"Yep. She's not going to like any of this. She's already been whining about how much you all have and you not being willing to share any of it."
With a shrug, Joel said, "Sorry, buddy, but that's your problem to figure out. I would suggest you move your family in here though."
"Do you think that's necessary? I mean, we've got a wood-burning fireplace, too. In fact, our houses are the same floor plan. Why should we move?"
"Because the food, chickens, and generator are here. If you want them to stay where they are, you need to be here to keep your eye on them. If no one is in the house, it will be much easier to break in and take whatever is here. And I'm not just talking about the neighbors."
"Who else do we need to worry about?" Jack asked, confused.
"Everybody. Once everything is gone from the stores, which could already be the case, scavengers will be going door to door, looking for empty houses to get any food that might have been left behind. After they get through with the empty ones, they'll likely start on the rest. I wouldn't take the chance if I were you. Hunger breeds desperation, and desperation is hard to fight. I hope you don't have to deal with that for a while, but I fear it will come sooner than you might think."
"And the guns?"
"Totally up to you who gets what. The upside is you'll be able to defend yourselves if someone does show up trying to get the food and stuff. The downside is you can't really practice, because then people will know you have guns and try to take them, to use them to get your supplies. No facet of this situation is a positive one, Jack."
"You've got that right. Yeah, I'll talk to Margie and just tell her we need to be here, so we'll be close to everything you're leaving for us. I think I'll leave out the part about the scavengers for now."
Joel stood up, signaling the end to the conversation. He handed Jack a key and a pistol with a box of
ammo. "It's pretty late now, so we'll probably leave first thing in the morning. I don't want to be driving into God knows what in the dark. Here's a key to the house. Once we're gone, come down and get my trailer for your riding mower so you can move your family in faster. Pack clothes and personal stuff tonight. I doubt we'll see each other again, Jack. I wish you and your family all the best. Keep that gun with you all the time. The bad is coming, I just know it."
Jack took the key and pistol in his left hand and held out his right to Joel. "Thank you for this, Joel. You may be saving our lives."
Joel looked at the outstretched hand, then pulled Jack into an embrace. In his ear, he said quietly, "It's probably going to get bad, buddy. You may have to do some things that you'll have a hard time accepting. Just remember that it's you and yours versus them now. Do what you have to do to keep your family safe, no matter how bad it is or how it makes you feel for doing it."
Jack squeezed him back then pulled away. "I'll try. That's all I can promise."
Joel nodded and walked him to the door. "Good luck, Jack. You're going to need it."
While Joel was talking to Jack, his family was busy packing clothes. Carly went to her mother.
"Mom, I only have two suitcases. We stuffed most of mine and the boys’ clothes in trash bags. What should I put those in?"
Lauri stood up and stretched her back. "It's probably best to just leave them in those bags. They should pack tighter than suitcases. Oh, we need to get the presents from under the tree. There's brand-new clothes for the boys, plus new winter coats."
"Yep, I brought the Christmas presents I had at the house, too. Yours and Dad's are pretty much worthless, but Elliott's should come in handy."
Amanda came and joined them in the master bedroom. "Can I talk to you a second?"
Carly turned to her and said, "Sure thing, G.I. Jane. That was a bad-to-the-bone attitude you had going with Beth, by the way. Good for you. She's about useless."
Amanda was looking at Lauri. "I want you to know, Mrs. Chambers, I would never put any of you in danger. But I won't stand by and watch someone try to take advantage of you or try to guilt you into doing something that is not in your family's best interest. We're in hard times now, and we have to harden up if we're going to make it."
Lauri hadn't stopped her packing when Amanda came in or when she addressed her. She seemed to be considering what Amanda had stated. She put the blouse she had just folded into the bag on the bed.
"I don't know you very well, Amanda, and I do find some of your methods quite brash." Amanda appeared to be about to speak. Lauri held a hand up.
"Let me finish. That said, I also understand that you're right and we do need to get tougher. It's hard for me to look at people and not try to find the good in them. I've always believed people were innately good; but I've also never seen people who were scared of starving to death. We're fortunate to have someplace to go that will most likely keep that from happening to us. Not everyone will have that option. I think fear will make them do things that, under normal circumstances, they would never even think about doing. So, I'm glad you're here, Amanda. I'm glad we have someone who can show us how to protect each other. What the world is becoming is not your fault. You didn't ask for this anymore than we did. We haven't known you long — less than twenty-four hours — yet, you have asserted yourself as a part of our family, dedicated to its safety. I don't know that we could ask any more from a person who, up until yesterday morning, didn't know any of us any more than we knew you. We're going to get through this together. And please call us Lauri and Joel."
Amanda smiled at her. "I'm glad you feel that way. I can't believe it's only been about a day since I got here. So much has happened and more is coming. I will do whatever I need to for us to get where we're going in one piece. I have a couple of questions though."
"Of course. What do you need?" Lauri asked.
"For one thing, I need some clothes. I basically have what I'm wearing and an extra set. That's it. I couldn't drag my suitcase down the road with me."
"I'm sure we can help with that," Carly said. "You look like you're about my size. I've got tons."
"Great. Thank you. The next question is a lot more personal." Amanda paused, then went on. "What do we do about feminine protection? I have some tampons in my bag because … well, you never know … but not enough to last forever. What are we going to do for the next few months, maybe years?"
Carly's eyes grew wide. "Holy shit! I hadn't even thought about that! My monthly friend doesn't show up for another couple of weeks. What are we going to do?"
"Well, score one for menopause," Lauri said. "I guess we'll have to improvise. I have no idea how it was done before feminine products, but women have been dealing with it for a lot longer than tampons and pads have been around, so there's a way. We just have to find out what it is."
Carly wrinkled up her nose. "I bet it's gross whatever it is."
Amanda nodded. "Can't see how it could help but be."
"On this one, we all agree, girls," Lauri added. "Now, let's see about getting Amanda some more clothes."
After Jack left, Joel went out to the garage. Will was pulling out the last of the ammo cans that they weren't taking with them. Joel went over to lend a hand.
"Oh, thanks, Dad. These things weigh a ton!" Will said, emphasizing his statement with a grunt as he lifted the large container. "How did Teddy handle them? There's no way he could have lifted this, even if he had been eating right."
"My guess is he's had them for a while, possibly years. As long as you keep it dry, ammunition lasts a long time. Well, according to Teddy; it's not like I'd know. What about the rest of them?" He pointed to several cans still in the Scout.
"Those go with us, per Amanda. She said they go with the guns she picked out for each of us. I hope no one shoots one of us. You know, I mean one of us shooting another one of us."
Joel chuckled. "I think we'll get her to give us some quick gun-handling training tonight. We'll head out first thing in the morning. We can pack the car tonight. I'm afraid it's going to be a tight fit, even if we just take clothes. Five people and their clothes can take up a bunch of room."
"Actually, that'll be five people and the clothes of three people. Amanda and I pretty much have what we're wearing. We'll have to get some donations."
"Oh, that's right. But Carly will also be bringing more stuff for Aaron and Cameron, so we're back to clothes for five people. I think we better go ahead and get that luggage carrier bag mounted on the roof. Plus, I've got the cargo carrier in the corner that goes in the hitch receiver. We'll take it, too. I've got a feeling your mother and sister are going to have a lot of clothes to bring."
They finished unloading the ammo cans they weren't taking and set them on top of the pile beside the door. They were leaving at least twenty guns, in a variety of styles and calibers. They were taking that many with them as well. They placed the soft canvas bag on the roof and tied the straps to the luggage rack. Once it was filled, they would only have to zip it up and buckle it. Once that was done, they inserted the steel cargo carrier into the hitch. The hitch was low enough that they could open the tailgate without hitting the carrier.
Satisfied they had the vehicle as prepared as they could get it, Joel looked at Will and said, "Okay, let's go see how much they think they're taking. Then we'll let them know how much they can take."
Will laughed and followed his father back inside.
They heard the women in the back of the house and found them with clothes lying out all over Joel and Lauri's bed.
Shocked, Joel said, "You're supposed to be packing this stuff, not looking at it!"
"Sorry, honey, but we had to find some things for Amanda to wear. She pretty much has nothing but the clothes on her back. We pulled some of Carly's stuff out for her to look at. Will, we unpacked some of Aaron's clothes as well since you're in the same boat. Believe it or not, he's about your size now."
Will went over and picked up a
shirt. "Oh man, this is great. Thanks Mom, Car. There's been so much going on I hadn't even thought about more clothes. Yeah, these should be perfect."
Joel looked at the pile of bags. "That's a lot of clothes. I didn't think we had that many clothes. I'm not sure it's all going to fit."
"What? That's just yours and Mom's!" Carly exclaimed. "I have twice that many bags for me and the boys in the other room!"
Joel shook his head. "There's no way we can take all that. You're going to have to leave some here."
"But you said we wouldn't be able to buy any new clothes for a while and we'd need everything we had. I have three bags of shoes! We won't be buying any more of those either, right?" Carly was starting to sound frantic.
"I'm sorry, Carly, there just isn't room. When we brought all this here, we didn't know how we were going to get out there. Now that we have the vehicle, we know how much space we have to haul in. I'm going to say we can get twelve bags in the back with the guns and ammo already there plus two people. Someone is going to have to ride between the bucket seats up front. Then, maybe six bags in the bag on the roof and another six in the cargo rack. So, a total of twenty-four is all we can take. That comes out to three per person, counting what we'll bring for Will and Amanda, as well as Aaron and Cameron, and leave us three for bed linens, towels, and any soaps, shampoos, toothpastes, that kind of stuff we can pack. We'll need that stuff, too."
Carly was whining. "I have three bags of just shoes and boots! How am I going to decide what to leave? I don't want to leave my shoes."
"Well, honey, you're going to look mighty strange running around in the middle of winter, naked, in your shoes." Joel started for the door as the rest of them snickered and laughed. All but Carly.
"But, Dad …"
He turned back. "No buts. Three bags each. We need to get this done quick, so get to deciding what's staying and what's going." With that, he headed back down the hall.