by Ron Foster
“If he wasn’t actually taking anything then you were wrong for accusing him. Most likely he was looking at those things because he asked me about some I had in a survival kit I gave him and I told them they were for collecting water.” Farley said eying the man angrily.
“Survival kit, huh? I never heard that one before.” The man said suspiciously.
“Yea, you put a condom in a sock and you got you a canteen. How much is the bank line?” Farley asked keeping an eye on Frazier who seemed to share the old mans suspicion of shoplifting.
“That will be 8 bucks, tell you what make it 3 bucks and tell your lady and the boy I am sorry o.k.?” Barnett said not too meaningfully.
“O.k., sorry for the misunderstanding.” Farley mumbled and threw three dollars on the counter and picked up his line and left.
6
GETTING TO KNOW YOU
They were the only car out on the highway, that wasn’t that unusual on a normal day and Farley had not expected anyone to be out except maybe some hunters or possibly a straggler or two like him bugging out to the lake. All the houses he had seen on this trip had been still, no folks out in the yard or sitting on porches but it was obvious most were occupied with cars in the driveways.
Farley had trouble wrapping his head around what he called the “Great Exodus” that was still occurring even now. People all over the world had but one thought, who am I going to share the end of the world with? What place offers my best chance for survival? People in the cities moved in with relatives in the country, parents moved in with their children or vice versa to face this disaster together. People thought about what one person or another do I want to spend the end of days with and made commitments and promises they had never considered before the big awakening had occurred.
Farley called it the big awakening because the flood of emotions that came after the lights out disaster occurred had made people focus eventually on what was really important in life. They reexamined what it was to love and be loved, what it was to care and be cared for. Most folks learned more about themselves than they ever could imagine as they confronted fears both old and new, as well as what their own personal meaning of what hope was.
Some found solace at first in their religion and became distraught when they started questioning their beliefs. Other people became self destructive both to themselves and their families focusing on deep abiding anger or self pity about the world no longer being fair with them. Time, countless hours of time to analyze and question the meaning of this new life that they found themselves in and were totally unprepared for, allowed people to do a lot of soul searching.
Regrets we all have things that we have said or done, things we should have said or done weighed heavy on everyone’s mind until the concept of just surviving another dark day took over. The disaster was the great equalizer in many ways, the divisions between rich and poor were no longer measured in bank accounts and electronic goods. Fine houses and fine furniture doesn’t mean much when your kitchen cabinets are just as empty as everyone else’s but the rich still survived and the poor still coveted their goods.
Like any disaster or war torn area, business still functioned in black market goods and human misery compounded but this time the big reset for civilization was not just technology and spirituality, it was price of life itself.
“I recognize where we are at now, there is a gas station at that crossroads coming up.” Farley said slowing down to pull over.
“Well, that gas station got pretty well ransacked.” Farley said looking at the glass door broken in and various sorts of debris strewn about.
“Are we going to look around to see if they left anything?” Jeremy said, looking highly interested.
“It is dangerous to be seen hanging around such places and worse to go inside one. There is nothing we want here.” Farley said pulling back out on the road.
“I didn’t think I would find this place again so easy. As I remember it, we should come up on a boat repair place. They have a boat storage yard; we should find us some gas there unless everyone got the same idea to scavenge there. Then there is a sandwich shop and up the road from that is a bar. I don’t remember much more than that but I can find my way from here.” Farley said searching his mind for landmarks.
“Look, there is a deer!” Jeremy said pointing to the side of the road as one slowly bounded off.
“That’s a good sign, could be that folks over this way are not out hunting that much or he would be holed up back in the deep woods. Hard to say though, it’s pretty common to see deer on the road on this end of the lake. There is a big stretch of power company timber land back here and the Air Force has some kind of resort taking up a lot of acreage not too far up the road. That might be an interesting place to look around at, it’s not like anyone would be on leave these days and vacationing there. Matter of fact when we get done looking over my place I think we will head that way. They should have some rental boats and I need a boat as well as some gas.” Farley said.
“I want me a canoe!” Jeremy said before his mom firmly told him there was no way he was going to end up with one to which Farley just smirked at him.
“You know that’s not a bad idea, Jeremy, I am sure they have some and also some small outboard run abouts. With the gas situation the way it is a canoe might be the ideal thing to have on the lake. They probably have some of those pedal boats over there too you can mess about with if nobody is around.” Farley said thinking about the few facilities he had seen.
“Sounds like this might turn out to be a fun day after all.” Becky said relaxing a bit.
“Well, we can’t let our guard down and we need to be on the lookout for folks out here scavenging just like us.” Farley reminded everyone.
“There is that boat yard up ahead, doesn’t appear to be anyone about unless someone’s inside.” Farley said looking at the empty parking lot.
“The chain is busted on the gate.” Jeremy observed.
“Looks like someone got here before us.” Becky said.
“Yea, they did, might be some gas on one of them boats in the racks but I don’t feel like climbing around them at the moment. Let’s go look at that Air Force place, ever since I remembered it I been thinking about it.” Farley said looking over the seat at Becky.
“Sounds fine to me but I don’t like all this sneaking around even though I know it’s necessary.” Becky said worriedly.
“I don’t like it much either but like you said it’s a necessary evil.” Farley agreed.
“I can climb them boat stacks, Farley.” Jeremy said not put off.
“I might get you to help me later on; right now I want to try for some easier pickings.” Farley replied and backed the van out and started heading towards the campgrounds.
“This place is a bit out of our way but I think it’s well worth the trip. It sits pretty much off on its own road with nothing for a few miles in either direction. I doubt if it’s staffed or has any military police around but who’s to say until we get there and have a look.” Farley stated.
“What is the military doing these days, Farley? Any ideas?” Becky asked.
“That’s a good question; I have been thinking about that some myself. The two biggest military bases we got close to here are training bases so I imagine they will just shut them down and transfer the personnel elsewhere. That’s why I am reasonably sure that resort area will be vacant. I read where a lot of the strategic bases can generate their own power now so those type of facilities are probably overstaffed and on high alert. How long they will be able to feed all those soldiers and family dependants I have no idea. The government has enough emergency power act laws that they can pretty much commandeer whatever they want but with the grocery store trucks not moving and the gas not flowing, logistically speaking I don’t know how long they can hold things together.” Farley said contemplating.
“After talking to you, I am having second thoughts on going to Mobile.” Becky said broaching the subject.
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“Are you thinking about staying up here?” Jeremy asked, very interested in what his mother had in mind.
“Well, could be, I was thinking about all those relatives of ours piling up out in the country most likely if they don’t have somewhere else in mind. There will hardly be any room for us and you know how nobody much gets along anyway.” Becky said.
Farley didn’t say anything, he didn’t much like the sound of that but he couldn’t really blame her. They couldn’t survive on the lake alone on just fish and it sounded like she was asking him to adopt her and that kid or something.
A noticeable silence fell over the van as they traveled along. Farley tried to make small talk and act like he was mostly interested in the houses they occasionally saw on the side of the road versus commenting further at this time on Becky’s statement.
“The entrance to that place is somewhere up ahead. You see that sign over there, that blue and white military warning sign?” Farley said pointing to a Property of The U.S. Government on the side of the road. “It’s got a pretty big entrance just like you’re going to a regular campground or whatever that you can see from the road but I don’t know if they’ve got regular security gates up there or not. I imagine that these days they probably have a little guard shack or something with a MP guard if there’s anyone around, but I can’t see them stationing anybody out there. They probably shut it down on day one of the grid going down. There is a sign coming up here on the left that says the resort is 1.2 miles. Tell you what, if there are cops there I’m just going to get out and talk to them and see if there’s any news. Otherwise, we’ll just go on in.” Farley said getting closer to the entrance.
Farley got up to the big log sign saying Blue Creek Resort hanging above the road and slowed. Across the road was a heavy iron pipe gate that was padlocked shut. You could see not too far distant a ticket office just like you’d have in a regular park and no sign of any other military structures.
“It doesn’t appear that there’s anybody back there.” Farley said examining the padlock on the gate. “Oh this isn’t shit; cheap ass military put in all these iron bars and got a cheap Wal-Mart lock on it. Ya’ll excuse me I’m about to use my axe as a door key.” Farley said grabbing the axe. He had learned a thing or two in the Army about getting into that type of lock when he or somebody else lost their keys. Normally every barracks has a big pair of bolt cutters around for that but you can also do the knock the hell out of it on the right side and the things will spring open.
“Neat trick, Farley!” Jeremy said admiringly when after three or four hard whacks Farley finally sprung the lock.
“I’m going to drive the van through. You close the gate and stick that busted lock back on it so that it looks like it would be hard to open.” Farley said as he proceeded to put the axe up and drive through the gate.
“I fit the lock on there pretty good, Farley; it still looks like it’s locked.” Jeremy said.
“Thanks, Jeremy. Now they might just have that other gate locked and if there is a gatekeeper or a military policeman present, depending on which, we can guesstimate what kind of reception we may get. If we don’t see anybody at first, we can find a place we can hide this van a bit and walk around maybe so we can hear vehicles coming while we’re exploring and hide. Does that sound o.k.?” Farley questioned and everyone agreed.
“They won’t arrest us or anything, I am pretty sure. They might be upset we broke their lock up there but maybe we can tell them the lock was already broken off of it. I should have tried one of those side road gates. Matter of fact, I should have tried to come in here that way to begin with but I wanted to see if they had anybody on the main gate first. Oh well, we’re here now.” Fraley said slowing at the small cabin-like information booth at the camp’s entrance.
“What are you doing, Farley? You are not going to break into there are you?” Becky asked.
“No, I’m getting us a couple of maps for this place. Nice of them to supply them for us.” Farley said reaching into one of the plastic bins in the facility.
“Here ya’ll go. If we get separated for some reason, don’t go wandering off too far. We can meet up at this washroom here.” Farley said pointing at it.
“O.K. now, off we go!” Farley said and commenced to drive very slow listening and looking around the place.
“Should be a camp store over here on the left according to the map.” Farley said as they started approaching a turn in the road. Farley pulled into the parking lot and immediately noticed one of the panes of the glass in the door was broken in. He got out taking a quick look inside the store and seeing that it was pretty much looted of anything edible noted it still held lots of fishing gear and souvenir type stuff.
Farley got back into the van and told them of his findings and then he stated that the store being looted like that could be a good or bad thing.
“What do you mean, Farley? It’s a bad thing if it’s been looted or is that a good thing?” Becky questioned.
“Well, it’s a good thing in one way because if there was somebody here or had the military police been around they would have had somebody clean that mess up and secure the door some way. It’s a bad thing that the store is already looted because the folks could of put their own lock on that gate and be staying around here somewhere.” Farley said sticking his rifle up on the dash and reaching for his pistol.
Farley drove on further into the campground area, past RV pads and outdoor public restrooms.
“I doubt we’ll see anybody but if we do we’re going to give them a wide berth and ya’ll just be careful. Damn, I hate this. I wasn’t looking for this kind of adventure with you two today.” Farley said driving the van down a trail marked primitive campgrounds.
This was the tent area for the campground and he doubted anybody would be staying down this way, and after he passed a number of sites he stopped and pulled his map back out.
“Let’s figure out where we’re at here. The way I see it, we can park this van somewhere next to this trailhead up here and just walk on down to the main cabin area. If there is anybody around here, that’s where they’ll most likely be staying. Hopefully, if there is anybody here, we’ll see them before they see us and we can just back out quietly.” Farley said laying out his plan for them.
“Sounds good to me. Look Farley, there’s a lake on this thing. A resort on a lake with its own separate lake. Why would they do that?” Becky asked eyeing the map.
“It is probably stocked with fish. Military bases usually provide some kind of recreational fishing lake so I guess here they are just improving their guests’ chances of having a good time.” Farley said.
“That’s good for you to know I guess, that is if the fish are not biting on your end of the lake.” Jeremy said.
“Well let’s go for a walk.” Farley said leading the way down the trail after locking the van up.
“This place is kind of nice; I hope nobody is staying here.” Becky whispered walking along the trail.
“Yea me too, I could see moving over here if it’s safe.” Farley said watching the trail and the woods carefully.
“When we get closer you should let me go sneak up and take a look around first. If there is somebody staying up there they might not be as apt to chase a boy.” Jeremy said.
“Thanks, but I prefer to do that job of scouting myself.” Farley said after considering the proposal.
They came up on the trails end much sooner than they thought and a road leading to 10 cabins appeared. “You all stay here for about 15 minutes; I am going to go get a closer look.” Farley said after seeing no visible vehicles at the cabins that he could see from his vantage point.
“Ok, be careful Farley!” Becky whispered and he set out to quickly walk towards the back of the first cabin for a better look. Each cabin had some lake access but nothing else. The map he had listed two fishing piers on the main lake further up and he figured if anyone was living around here that was a likely place to look for them and k
ept on moving in their direction after seeing the cabins were unoccupied and as far as he could tell the locked doors were unmolested.
No one appeared in his quick perusal of both piers and he headed back to round up Becky and Jeremy. They saw him walking up the road and came out of the woods to greet him.
“No sign of anybody, Farley? “ Becky asked, relieved.
“No, I haven’t seen anyone, I guess we can go back and get the van and explore the rest of this place. I got to thinking, there should be a caretakers place or something around here but there isn’t any shown on the map. Neither is any kind of utility shed where they would keep mowers and cleaning supplies and such. I guess we are just going to have to look for both as we look over this place further.” Farley advised.
They got back in the van and visited the swimming beach and next to it they saw a small boat rental facility. The door to the place had been crudely jimmied open Farley guessed from someone like him looking for gas. All of the gas tanks for the small outboard Jon boats were missing and that struck Farley as somewhat odd.