The new group leader, Gilley spoke, “would it be possible for you guys to build some sort of transport for water?”
Tate said, “We sure can work on that. If we built some type of tank truck, it would need a pump to get the water.”
“Then we would all need at least those 55 gallon barrels, maybe some type of bigger containers to store the water that we hauled.” said the church group leader.
Tate confirmed that he and the mechanics would start work on the water solution before any other projects.
In the lake group, there was a dental hygienist and Smitty's wife had worked in the medical field. They were a welcome addition to the small medical team. The nurse from the church group asked to speak to the group on another subject.
“Those of us that have some medical training have a suggestion to make to the township. We would like to take one of the buildings, here on the church property and make it a hospital. We were all so saddened by the death of Brother, from Jack's family. We don't believe we could have done anything to change that outcome. However, we could have a place to treat people with illnesses or that get injured. We could gather all the supplies and resources available, have a clean environment. Even a place to isolate some and help keep illnesses from spreading. All of us are willing to participate in the care giving. There have been others, like Matt, who are interested in learning to give at least basic care.”
All of the representatives agreed that a hospital or clinic would be a great asset to the town. Only one or two dissenting voices spoke up, raising the question, “why should we take the sick into our compound?” They were assured that this effort would be supported by all of the groups and no one group would carry the burden. The dissenters were voted down. An unused building was chosen. The medical team would work with others, start a list of things that would build up the clinic stores and equipment. The scavengers and barterers would work to fill the list. In the outlying areas, there had been clinics, there would probably be no drugs left, most certainly other useful items. Some of the women present volunteered to help set up and clean. They would create the Unity Hospital.
In these weeks of calm, Unity had an opportunity to grow stronger and safer. The new residents would allow them to have a bigger militia that was better equipped. The plans for more vehicles would give them greater range and mobility. The were forming plans for co-operative methods to make them more self sufficient in replenishing food supplies and they had started creating a hospital for the town. These were days of shared hard work and important gains.
***
One of the mechanic's scavenging trips had taken them into the edge of the city. It was risky but they were looking for certain parts and equipment. They encountered a lone man. He was on foot, dressed in camo. There was a large pack on his back. He was heavily armed. The man said he roamed, the over 50 square miles of the city. He knew the city well. He managed to stay away from trouble, because he was alone and knew how to move covertly. There were four of the Unity men on this expedition. They all squatted down in the back of an automotive store. They did a bit of trading with the man.
He warned the crew, there was definitely a very vicious group that mostly stayed in the northern half of the city. However, they had been moving farther south through the city. He told them that there could be as many as a hundred in the group, seventy five, for certain. There were a few women in the group, but it was mostly men. They were of varied races and it seemed that a tall black man was the leader. They had four running vehicles that he had seen. He said that he had observed lots of guns and weapons. Everyone was armed.
By sneaking around, looking and listening, he learned quite a bit about them. There was a lot of fighting among themselves. The women seemed to be there willingly and there was not enough of them to go around. Everyone in the group was very afraid of the leader. Punishment for not falling in line was quick and deadly. The man said that he, himself, had located more into the southern city to avoid encounters with this group.
The mechanics made a bargain with the loner. If he heard that the bad seed were moving any where near the southern suburbs, he would leave them a message. What was once a gourmet grocery store stood at the northern edge of their borders. Large concrete planters flanked the top of the steps to the store. They would check the planters, every two or three days. If he had info, he could leave them a message there. He could also tell them if he needed something or if he needed help. The store would be their contact point.
They took the report back to the township representatives. The lake group, Jack's group and Joel were located closer to the northern boundary store. They volunteered to have someone check the planter. Each group picked Monday, Wednesday or Saturday.
***
Beth and Jack didn't always get to go to bed at the same time these days. Sometimes, Beth would take the first watch after dusk or would take the very early watch. After all, she was the grandmother and she was needed for the daily chores. Truth was, she was a much nicer person when she slept at night. Tonight, they both slid into the sheets, cool from the late Fall air. They held hands and talked quietly for just awhile. About a year and a half ago, their world had narrowed down into a small and tight space. Now, it was slowly opening up. They both knew these changes were very positive and important for the survival of their family. A little part of them wished for that smaller existence, back. Jack in particular felt much more at ease when he had control. The opening up meant there had to be trust in others. For every pound of benefit, an ounce of vulnerability is paid. They closed their weary eyes. A fragile peace floated over the compound and Unity.
Chapter Six
THE UNITY MOTOR COMPANY
Now that the lake group was part of the town, there were about six men plus Tate and Jack in the mechanics crew. These men all had experience with building and repairing vehicles. Tate was the unofficial shop foreman. There were several of the young men in the township, that were willing to learn. They would certainly be helpful with the physical work. The crew had been discussing, planning and working together for about a week. They were tackling the problem of a practical way to transport water to the groups. A way to supply the groups, with more than just a few gallons at a time. This was a top priority for Unity. Each of the separate groups that formed the township had managed to keep their water supplies adequate for their families. Each of the groups would continue to use water catchers, to conserve and recycle their stores of water. However, clean and clear water would never or not in any predictable time frame, flow from the faucets. A transport system and larger volume storage containers would greatly improve their situations.
Joel had his own supply of water and shared freely with the hermit. They thought that the small pond on the community garden and stock location, would supply that project. Also, the developing hospital should have some water supply of it's own. One afternoon, several of the mechanics were doing basic maintenance in the auto shop. Jack offered an idea.
“There is a volunteer fire department building within our borders. It is between here and the church compound. If we could locate a grass rig or preferably, a tanker truck, it would work for our water transport. A tanker truck can carry about 5,000 gallons of water. Volunteer departments have these tankers, because fire plugs are not always available in rural areas. We would need a pump. That should be found at maybe a farm and ranch supply or possibly a pool supply company. That many gallons of water, distributed to all of the three groups and the hospital should last nearly three weeks.”
Tate said, “Wouldn't that type of vehicle be diesel fueled?”
“Yes,” said Jack. “I don't really know much about diesel engines or if any of them are still running. Might depend on the age of the truck. You know, we have also discussed acquiring a small school bus. It would most likely be diesel. There is diesel fuel around in storage tanks. How stable, for how long, we don't know. But, it is no different with our gasoline fuel.”
The crew was enthusiastic about this i
dea. The school bus was also something that they agreed was needed. It would not only carry a number of the people or children, it would have hauling capacity. It could be re-enforced and armored. It would be their second project.
The project that would have to be bumped down on the list was the one that the mechanics really wanted to get into. They wanted to build, or re-build, at least one bad-ass armored truck or SUV. A strong and fast machine for the militia. A team creation of the Unity Motor Company.
The very next day, Jack and Tate went to the nearby fire house and located the tanker truck that would be their immediate project. One of the mechanics had actually been a diesel mechanic in the service. He checked out the tanker. Even though it did not start right up, he believed it was not damaged, it just needed a little work. He thought he could get it running, right there in the truck bay. Some of the other crew would search for a pump. There was a storage tank of diesel in the back of the station. They would need to search the area for more places that they could access diesel fuel.
Gilley, from the lake group, remembered a storage container he had seen. It was a large plastic tank with a metal cage around it, for support. He had known a ranch owner that had several on his place. He thought they were about 300 gallon capacity. At one of the Unity meetings, when water storage was being discussed, he related this, “It seems like these containers would be great for our groups to store larger volumes of water. I am not sure but I think we could find some at a farm and ranch supply.”
Smitty, from Gilley's group, said, “You know that place that sells barrels and containers. It's on the highway that goes to the lake. I think I have seen some of those, out behind the main building.”
It was decided that they would try to acquire three or four of these containers for each group. If the tanker became mobile, each group could store their share of a water haul. They would also get at least one, to serve the hospital. These containers were large and not supposed to be out in the sun, if used for water storage. Some would have space to place them inside, some would have to be creative as to where they placed them. Gilley and Smitty, Michael and two of the church group, Eric and Lee from their compound volunteered. They would take the SUV and the War Wagon and pull the two flat trailers that they recently used to move the lake group.
It took two trips, to two different locations. The crew was able to provide four containers for the church group and one for the hospital. They found three each, for Jack's compound and the lake group compound. At Jack's compound, they placed the large containers, next to the fence on the end near Casa Dos. They built a shed type roof over them. The tanker could pull up to the outside of the fence and by dropping a hose over, fill the containers. The mechanics had hit a snag or two in repairing the tanker. They had to search at several places to locate some replacement parts. They were still confident that it would be put into service. The water project was progressing, soon they would have a more efficient water system up and going.
***
The next couple of months was what most folks called “the holiday season”. Depending on your personal beliefs, that meant from Thanksgiving through Christmas and the eve of a new year. The groups were faithful to checking the contact point for word from the lone man. There had not been a sign or a message left in the big concrete planter. It was close to Christmas and it was Jack's turn to check the planter. It was very cold on this day, but he had chosen to walk the two mile round trip. The gourmet store had been what they called a market. A big fancy grocery store that carried tons of fresh produce, all kinds of fancy foods. There had been a butcher and chef on site. It had catered to the affluent populace that had slowly eeked into Jack's suburbs. Even with his gloves on and walking he was feeling pretty frosty. He went up the twenty or so wide steps that led to an outdoor bar & grill area. The tables bolted to the floor still scattered around the long veranda of the store, the red and white striped umbrellas were mostly faded and tattered.
He went to the big planter. The soil was about a foot below the top and only a dried up stalk or two remained, of what had once been colorful flowers. Mostly out of habit, he looked over the edge. He rubbed his hands together then saw, there was something there...hey, there was something in there. He reached down and pulled up a cloth bag, about 6 inches by 12 inches. It had a drawstring top. He carefully loosened the string. Inside the bag, were some packages of nuts and a few pieces of hard candy. There was also a smaller cloth bag. It had .22 bullets in it. A faded christmas tag was on top of the goodies. In a neat script, it read, “Merry Christmas, the Loner”. Jack quickly, looked all around, nothing other than a cold wind blowing the trash and leaves. Well, I'll be damned. The guy is still around. Best thing is, no warning message. He looked real good in the bag and the planter again, to make sure.
The next day, Beth insisted that one of the men take another bag and place it in the planter. It had some home-made preserves and a few other supplies. The card inside read, “Merry Christmas, Unity.” They would continue to check the contact point on a regular basis.
Because of security, there was no big gatherings in Unity. They just could not take the risk of leaving any of the compounds deserted and unprotected. Christmas was not an exception. Everyone celebrated in their own personal ways. There was some exchanging of baked goods and tiny things for the children, among the groups. Jack and Beth's family didn't feel real cheery. It had been very cold all week. They dressed warm and kept a fire going in the fireplace. The loss of brother was a weight that pulled on their hearts. There had been good things this year, there had also been hard things.
For the children, they put up a small tree and had stockings filled for them. They planned a special dinner for Christmas Day. They were just getting ready to have their meal, when the clang, clang, clang sounded outside. The children jumped up and shouted, “It's Herm, it's Herm.” They knew the drill. The ran to the garage/shop door and waited for it to be raised. As the door lifted, the funniest site met them. They rarely had snow in their part of Texas but something frozen and white was peppering down. Herm's loaded wagon was being pulled by a white goat. Herm himself, was wearing several layers of clothes. The top layer was a heavy red wool coat that was probably originally a woman's. On his head was a stocking hat with ear flaps. His wild white hair sprang out from underneath. Sleet sparkled in his beard. The children clapped with excitement. Big Dog and Little Dog barked like crazy. He moved into the garage, the goat dragging the wagon. They lowered the door.
Herm looked every bit like a raggedy doomsday Santa Claus. Who could help but laugh at this site. They tied up the goat and insisted that Herm come in for dinner. Of course, he had little treasures for the children and he had brought some canned goods for the family, not for trading. They had made him gifts and he took each gift like they were gold. After dinner, they all sat by the fire. BJ sat at the grubby old man's feet and the children asked for Herm to tell a story. He accepted some hot cocoa. He didn't speak for a little while, then he spoke in his gravely voice.
He told a story of how there once was man with a family. He lost that family and he went to live in the woods. He lived in the woods because it was quiet, no one told him what to do, in the woods. He lived with the animals and they became his family. He searched high and low, he found many treasures and piled those treasures at his house in the woods. Then one day, he met a new family. That family traded their treasures for his treasures, sometimes, they shared and he shared with them. He was happy in his house in the woods, yet, he was very happy to know this new family. He looked down at BJ and smiled with a mouth that didn't have a full set of teeth. The children clapped and thought the story was great.
Herm said, “Well, it has been nice, I better get “goat” home.” His odd little procession soon faded into the afternoon gray.
The mood in the family was lifted. The men talked about the plans for the bad-ass vehicle that they would build. The women talked of women's things and the children played in the floor. Eric had gone to Casa Do
s and built a fire. All the bedroom doors were open, so maybe the chill would be somewhat lessened. Some of the others would take the cold night hour watches. They would let Trish and Eric end the day with their girls.
The parents carried their small daughters to their private space. They placed the tired and drowsy children in their beds. They had on flannel pajamas and several blankets. They would sleep warm. Trish and Eric had used some of Beth's old drapes and divided part of the room off for the girls. The children usually played together on the patio or in the common room at Poppa and Gram's. They did have some books, crayons and coloring books and some stuffed animals in their bedroom space. Princess cut-outs decorated their wall. Trish and Eric, had pushed their bed together, like the other couples. A dark print comforter covered their bed. A long upholstered chaise lounge sat to one side. It had once been theirs, then it was passed to Beth and now back to the couple. There was a small chest in front of it that acted as a table. A lantern sat on it. Since their space was a living area, they had to create a closet behind some more drapes. There were some built in bookshelves. A family photo was there and most of their other belongings. They too, had a drawing of Lynn's, framed and hanging on one wall. It was a picture she drew from memory, of their lake house and a water view. They sat on the lounge and breathed out. It was nice to be in their space with their family, for the night. The twins were down the hall in their bedroom, a very faint sound of music came from their players. Lee and Lynn were catching a nap, before their watch. Jason and Dianne walked their watch. They snuggled under a heavy blanket, they might move to the bed and they might not.
No Normal Day II (Unity) Page 7