Earth's Survivors: box set

by Wendell Sweet

  The topic shifted to the forever wild area, what they would need to take with them and what they would need to do once they got there.

  “We've got to figure out how to get cows, horses, chickens and pigs there in reasonable numbers,” James said. “We talked a little about driving them in. Like a cattle drive, old fashioned cowboy stuff, and we talked about trying to drive them in, in cattle trucks, if we could find or build something that can work.”

  “James?” It was Arlene. “I've done a little ranching, worked on one for a while out of college. I know a little about it. You're talking some real work rounding up cattle and horses, teaching some others to ride horses to keep them moving. That's hard work for real cow hands. Really hard to imagine regular folks getting it done easy.” She smiled, clearly nervous but also in familiar territory.

  “Now, cattle trucks will work, so will horse trailers. We just have to make a few trips is all. We can catch them and turn them loose once we get close to where we are going. There's no way to get the kind of fencing up that we need,” she said. “Not now, but late fall or next spring we can. They'll winter fine on their own for the most part. Oh, and I definitely want to go,” she added with a surprised chuckle.

  “Oh, stupid,” James said. “First things first. Does everybody want to go? Is there anyone that doesn't want to go?”

  Nell raised her hand. “We do want to go, we talked it over last night and again this afternoon. We want to go.” Molly held Nell's hand as she spoke.

  Another spontaneous cheer went up, and The Dog and Angel went chasing around and barking once more.

  “That is really it then,” James said. “Well, I liked what Arlene said. I didn't know we had an expert.”

  Arlene laughed. “I'm no expert,” she protested.

  “To us you are. Hell, to this world you are,” James said seriously. “So, go ahead. I didn't know about horse trailers that would take more than two horses,” he said.

  “Oh no, they got horse trailers that will take as many as 10 horses in safety. That is the key. Now, with a cow, they crowd together and it makes them feel safe. With a horse, they have to be separated or they'll just keep on pushing, maybe kicking too. The cattle trucks are easy to find. Any truck dealer might have a few, but we'll be coming into beef cow country soon, and I'm sure we'll find more than a few. We could make a couple of trips, although we'd have to get gas, or we could get us 8 to 10 of those trucks, put the horses in and bring them in,” Arlene said.

  “Are they a hard drive?” Jake asked.

  “Not too,” Arlene said. “Standard shift, mostly, but a few automatics. I guess we'll be driving so slow it won't matter much.”

  “You know, almost the whole of the north west side is flat lands. Mountains to the south and to the east. Once we get them past that, there isn't anyplace they can go. They can winter, and next year when we have a place for them, we could round them up. We might lose a few, and there are probably wild horses in there to, so we could gain some. But it'll work,” James said.

  “That's sounding good,” Conner said.

  “Easy even,” Aaron said.

  “Oh, squash that. It ain't going to be easy at all. We have to catch them first. Cows? Not a big a problem. Horses? Oh brother. Thankfully it hasn't been long, and we shouldn't have too tough of a time of it,” Arlene finished.

  “That's good enough for me,” Lilly said.

  “Yeah.”

  “Me too.”

  Several others spoke out loud while they were nodding.

  “Well, we'll need other things as well I guess. Janna is going to start a list. We'll all add to it. I guess we'll start now,” James said. “What else can you think of that we need or should take?”

  “Books,” Janna herself said.

  “Medicines,” Sandy said.

  “Carpenter tools. Hammers. Levels, and saws. Oh, and nails,” Aaron said.

  “Hand plows, saddles, stuff like that,” Arlene said.

  “Why not some solar panels?” Dustin said. “We could use them to keep a few lights running, maybe a 'fridge, monitor a CB maybe. They're easy to hook up and use, and they work pretty well,” he finished.

  “Good,” Arlene said. “Good.”

  “Some cast iron wood and coal stoves. That is if they still make them,” Lilly said.

  “We talked about hybrid seeds today, so trying to find a store somewhere along the way would be a smart thing to do,” Conner said.

  “Maybe one of those metal buildings on a truck. There's nothing to them when they're apart,” Aaron said.

  “Maybe a few of them,” Jeff said. “They might have to do us for a while.”

  “Pots and pans. The heavy duty stuff. Stuff that will last,” Amy said. “Cast iron.”

  “And those steel laundry tubs.” Katie said.

  “Maybe some...”

  The conversation and suggestions went on and on, some drifted away to take the first posts of the night. In the end Janna had most of a spiral notebook filled with notes.

  The good feeling stayed with them, fueled by the knowledge that tomorrow would see them back on the road and heading for their destination some twelve hundred miles to the southwest.

  Mike And Candace

  Mannsville New York

  They were pined down in the remains of a pole barn, in a field just a few miles outside of Watertown off route 11 south. The rains had been so hard, and so frequent, that the fields and roads were completely flooded. They had been forced to stop after twice driving into water far too deep for the trucks.

  The field they were in was higher ground that most of the others. They shared one wall and the partial metal roof of the collapsed pole barn with a few wild cows they eyed them suspiciously.

  Their corner was reasonably dry, but several days of rain and boredom had blighted their spirits and they worked hard to keep off each others nerves.

  “I learned to sew as a girl,” Pearl said now. She held Candace's hand and guided the needle as she repaired the hem of her jacket.

  She had caught it on the ragged edge of one wall as she had run over into another part of the pole barn that had no ceiling. In her haste to get out of the rain she had caught the edge of the jacket and ripped out the seam. The seam also formed the bottom of the pocket on that side. Without it she had found herself slipping items into that pocket that then fell to the ground, or the concrete floor of the pole barn, or down between the seats in the truck. She focused and tried to keep her line straight. It wasn't so hard once you got the needle threaded.

  “Just like that, good girl,” Pearl encouraged.

  Candace smiled. “So,” she raised her eyes from the seam, “Where were you back there?.”

  The smile that had been on Pearl's face fled. “I was held... Held by mad men...” She seemed to consider a moment. “A mad man, perhaps. The rest were not quite so rabid.” She rubbed at her eyes and then raised them from the floor where they had sunk of their own volition.

  “One of his own men let me go... I suspect, of course, that he let me go to make a way for himself to escape...” She shook her head. “He was not a virtuous man. No, he let me go and if I made it he knew that his chances would be likewise as good or better. Why, he could even say he was out looking for me if he got caught, could he not? Right.” She looked back down and then out at the falling rain.

  “Sorry,” Candace said. “I didn't mean to make you relive it. It doesn't matter.” She looked back down at the hem, nearly half done, and took up another stitch.

  “It's all right. It's not so bad. The bad part is this,” she raised her hand to indicate the world. “Who knew all of this was... Gone... Who knew?”

  “I suspect your mad man must have,” Candace said quietly.

  Pearl nodded. “I suspect, no, I know he had something to do with this. Played some part in all of it. His man, Pierce, near as well told me as much.”

  “You mean, something to do with the whole world being messed up?” Candace asked surprised.
<
br />   “I believe so... There is a base there, you know.”

  “I knew that. My boyfriend worked there until he was transferred overseas,” Candace agreed.

  “No,” Pearl said quietly. “Another... One far below the city itself.

  Candace raised her eyebrows. “Below the city?”

  “Sounds crazy, I know. But believe me it is there. That is where they held me. My mad man, Weston, Major Weston is all I know him by, commands it with an iron fist. It is sealed, or it was until I broke out... Supplies to last a very long time. I suppose he could grow to be an old man, if he isn't already, and die there hiding from... Well, whatever it is that he is hiding from there... Or waiting out.” She met Candace's eyes and they were dark, contemplative, sad.

  Candace stayed quiet, she had questions she wanted to ask, but she held them back. She had the feeling if she pried that Pearl would close up again as she had been the first few days she had traveled with them. “Are you... Are you okay from it? … I mean did they hurt you? I know it's not my business. I know I shouldn't pry. Forgive me.”

  “More than once. I really had no hope of making it out of there alive. I knew, you see. I knew it was there. Sort of like that old joke where the man says, 'Yes, I can tell you, but then I would have to kill you.' Only, it was no joke.” She focused on her hands were they clutched one another and battled in her lap. She raised her eyes and tears threatened at the corners. “It's alright. I'm alright, or I will be alright. I just... I just need some time before I talk about it. Just...”

  “Hey,” Ronnie said. “Is this a private party or can anyone come?” He and Mike had been across the road checking a small shopping complex that was mostly collapsed. They both had boxes in their arms.

  “Yeah. We've been toiling away in the rain, but we bought you some good stuff.” He smiled, a lopsided grin that lit up his face. His hair was plastered to his head, and his skin was overly white from the cool air and the constant rain.

  Pearl smiled widely, sat up straight and tried to peer into Ronnie's box. “So what have you brought us then?” She asked. Her eyes were red, but no more so than Ronnie's own eyes from the rain and wet.

  “Wow, she turned on that English accent hardcore. I think she wants what you have in that box, Ronnie,” Mike laughed.

  Candace took a deep breath to clear her own head. Mike leaned close. “Okay?” He asked. His eyes were still smiling but had a hint of worry in them. Candace was pretty sure he had realized how he felt about her and was having a hard time dealing with the emotions that had come with it. She would have liked nothing more than to lean forward and kiss him hello. See how that smoothed out the worry lines embedded in his forehead. But, they weren't at that place yet. She offered him a huge smile instead. “I'm fine, I really am okay, just bored. How's that leg? Don't over do it,” She cautioned.

  He smiled widely. “Oh, it's nothing. It's good.”

  “Good? You nearly got that leg shot off. I'll take a look at it later on. Now, what gives? What's in the boxes?”

  “Yes, what is in the boxes?” Pearl added.

  Ronnie tipped his box forward and Mike followed suit. Jugs of sports drinks, candy bars, and several cans of canned meat.

  “Get out,” Candace said as she grabbed a candy bar and a can of the meat. “I love this stuff!”

  “The candy?” Pearl asked? She had pulled out a candy bar for herself.

  “The meat,” she laughed. “I know we all say we hate it, but fry this stuff up and it's golden.” She looked at the candy bar. “This too, although it will give me about seven hundred pimples probably.” They both laughed.

  “Why is it so unfair?” Pearl asked. “A few ounces of sweetness and days of paying for it?”

  “Proof that God was a man. A woman would have taken care of that!” They both laughed again and Candace saw a real smile surface and settle onto Pearl's mouth.

  “Hey,” Ronnie said. He held up a box of pancake mix and a jar of peanut butter.

  Beside him Mike lifted another box of pancake mix and a jar of grape jelly. “We got both,” He said reverently.

  “Oh my God,” Candace said. Her eyes rolled comically. “Okay, Pearl, we best get the frying pan and get dinner going. The mighty hunters have returned with provisions.” She looked down at the cows that were watching them. Mistrustful of the sudden outburst and the laughter. “Hmm, do you think one of you could get us some milk? That one cow is nursing and if she is nursing that means she can give us a little.”

  “I tried to get close the other day and she was none too interested,” Mike said. He looked over at the cow and she shifted her weight and stared him down as though she had understood what Candace had asked him.

  “See that?” Ronnie asked. “She knows. That is no dumb cow, right there. No dumb cow at all. She'll kick your ass right back to Watertown.”

  “That's what I'm worried about,” Mike agreed. “Well, you get a rope and I'll get a pail and let's see if we can convince her.”

  “Well... Be careful, of course,” Pearl said.

  “Yeah... It was a suggestion, but don't end up getting hurt,” Candace added as they walked away. She turned to Pearl.

  “I am sorry... I hope you can be okay.”

  “I will be,” Pearl said. She turned back to Ronnie and Mike. “Those two will surely get themselves kicked about.”

  “Think so?” Candace asked. “I hope that they would be smart enough to call it off if it looks dangerous.” She broke off as Mike and Ronnie walked over to a sack of grain that had probably been in the barn for a while, Candace judged, by all the dust that rose when they picked it up. The two of them carried it over to the cows who still watched them carefully and stopped about twenty feet away.

  “Here cow,” Ronnie called. He ripped open the top and spilled some grain onto a reasonably clean space of concrete.

  Candace sniggered and Pearl raised one hand to her mouth to stifle her own giggles. “God,” Candace said.

  Ronnie looked over and made a face.

  “Come on cows... Come on girls,” Mike encouraged. He picked up a handful of the grain and walked slowly to the cows with it. One cow lifted her head and then wagged it up and down. Mike stopped. “What's that mean?” He asked.

  “Um, I think it means, hey, bring that shit a little closer, Man,” Ronnie said.

  The cow tossed her head and then trotted the few feet to Mike. She looked at him warily, extended her neck far longer than Mike had thought was possible, and then lipped the grain from his hand. Two other cows, too curious to stay still, trotted over, and a second later they were licking Mike's hands with their rough tongues. A second after that they hurried past him as though he didn't exist and began to eat from the pile on the floor. Mike looked up at Ronnie amazed. “Get the pail and the rope, Man,” Mike told him.

  Ronnie came over with the pail and the rope. “Well, which one you want to do?” Mike asked him.

  “Um, I'll hold the rope... Yeah, I'll hold the rope,” Ronnie decided.

  Candace watched as Ronnie slipped the rope over the cow's head and Mike carefully reached under her and grasped her udder. The cow did nothing: Intent on eating the grain. Mike's head popped back up a second later. “Uh, how do you get the milk to come out?”

  Pearl laughed, jumped to her feet and dusted off her jeans. “Let's go show them,” she told Candace.

  Candace laughed. “How about you show them, because I don't have a clue... Doesn't it just come right out?”

  Pearl laughed. “Nearly.” She reached Mike, slipped by him and fastened one hand around a teet and pulled down as she squeezed lightly. “Not hard. Slow and easy.” The milk made a load noise as it squirted into the plastic bucket. A few seconds later Candace and Pearl had retreated to start dinner while Mike and Ronnie took turns milking the cow.

  SIX

  Conner and Katie

  April 25th

  “No,” Conner said, “I don't want to get up.”

  “Are you sure?” Katie asked teas
ingly.

  “The sun isn't even up,” Conner said.

  “Nope, but this is our last morning like this for a while,” she said.

  “Oh,” his arms reached around her and pulled her close. “In that case,” he said.

  ~

  After they made love, they lay awake talking in low whispers, watching light creep into the world.

  “There was a song I liked, A minor, like the key?” Katie said.

  “I remember that. Some guy.” Conner said.

  “Yeah. There was a line, really there were a few lines that I liked, but one was like the guy was talking about my life,” she said. “It was, 'I'm just sitting here waiting on a bus for the next.' Talking about his life and how it was, how he felt about it. That was me. I used to look out at the world and wonder where I was going to, what moved me along to whatever might be next, because there was nothing here for me.” She finished softly.

  “I know that feeling. I felt that as well,” Conner said.

  “Yeah, but where I'm at now is the exact opposite of that. I've got the whole world somehow. You... I know we'll have children, a safe place to live, friends. God, how could I have been so far down? Now I can't wait to live life, see what today is. It's just such a different place. I love you so much,” she said. Her eyes were shiny in the sparse light. He kissed her and pulled her to him.

  “I love you too,” he said as he kissed her again. He kissed her neck, worked his way down to her breasts, then across her stomach as she lay back into the pillows.

  And the light crept slowly into the room.

  ~On the road again~

  The camp began to break up at mid-morning. The day was gray and overcast, a few drops of rain falling from the sky. But the gray day and rain couldn't put a damper on the smiling faces talking to one another, laughing behind the glass windows of the vehicles as the caravan pulled away parallel to the highway, riding through the grassy field which wasn't in much better shape than the road.

  Each truck had a V.H.F. radio so they could communicate with each other and a C.B. radio to monitor everything else. The skip talk on the C.B. was light this morning. Twice a voice bled through claiming to be from somewhere in L.A. and warning everyone to stay away. The voice claimed the city was on fire, gangs fighting for control of what was left.