I think that people thought I was keeping track of it, but I have not been. It didn't occur to me until he asked me this evening. It did make me think. I ticked off the ones I can remember in my head and I was shocked. I think Jimmy will be too. The ones I know for sure that have come here one way or the other over the last few months come to about two hundred. That sounds crazy. How could that be? But then I thought about the corn harvest. One day and we were done. Early at that. Then I thought about when the last time my name came up for a watch was, and I can't recall. Two hundred and winter is coming and that may mean a push for others to get here before winter does. I know. I hear those conversations every day on the radios. There are groups on the way now.
Jimmy believes that we will number in the thousands. He says it is the way it is supposed to be. The creators purpose. And it has been growing, but not in the way I thought that it would. Not the way that Jimmy told me when he dreamed about it in the old world. The reality is that there are very few Native American people here at all. I thought there would be many. But I think maybe that the way it is growing is right. That it is the way it was supposed to be all along. People in the old world thought our people had no nation when the whites came to this country. Thought we were ignorant and lived separately, but we did not. We were many people bought together as one. We had a Nation then. Leaders. It is the same here. It really is.
After all, the idea was to put hatred aside, and that is what we have done, isn't it? Yes. I think so. For the most part anyway. I guess we still have things we hate. The dead. The gangs that rule some cities that are still out there in the world. The gunfighters we hear about are feared and hated. They are nomads, traveling town to town and killing the dead for pay. I don't know if I can bring myself to hate them for that though. They kill, but they kill the dead. The problem is a few step outside of that role and kill the living as well. Jimmy believes some of that can not be helped.
My point is we do still hate, just not each other... Or a color... Or a point of view, a lover, a child, whatever the thing is. We had so many lines in the old world and they meant very little, we just hated nearly everything we did not understand, or did not want to understand.
So we are growing, and will continue to grow. Jimmy says the thousands, and he has not been wrong yet. I think I will either do a census myself or get someone to do it.
A funny thing has happened to me. I have always been so insecure, but some way, somewhere, I lost that. I am too busy to be insecure. I don't have time. And the things I say are respected. I had no idea what that would mean to me. It is a good feeling.
Katie is as big as a house. Lilly is even bigger, and Amy almost as big. Annie has a little bump, easily seen. Arlene is only barely showing, and I imagine Molly will be showing a little by the time they get back here. And I know of seven other women who are pregnant. I guess we are in the kid business and happy about it!
Along The Ridge
The forest ran down along the ridge from the mountain, covering the naked rock in places, the roots of the trees going down into the cracks in the rock, the trees themselves stunted but strong.
The dead were spread out along the ridge. Squatting in the shadows. Huddled against the trees, friending the shadows that hid them from the valley below. They started a few feet into the trees, spread loosely, hidden within the shadows, and extending back into the darkness from there.
Tosh stood at the tree line itself. Her body leaned into, blended with, the trunk of a huge pine. Her familiars were close around her. They were her closest. Almost lovers if sex were a part of her life, and it was not, but the same closeness. The same intensity in the relationship. Familiars. The immediate army, and the larger army radiating out from there.
She could send them down into the valley now. It could be over for those in the valley just that fast. They were no match for her. No match at all. She watched for a few moments longer. The little lights here and there, shining through the darkness. The smell of wood-smoke on the air. They believed they were safe. And they were for now. They were for now because the thing inside her that guided her had another plan. Another place for her to be, and she had to follow. When it was over, when the other thing was finished, she would be back. She would be back with many more thousands joined to her army, and the end would come for those below just that much faster.
She stood for a few moments longer and then turned away. The others fell in behind her as she picked up her pace from a fast walk, moving at a sprinting lope through the trees. The wolves and the lions, the other wild animals that called the forest home, fled before them.
Down in the valley Jake dozed lightly, leaning back into the shadows at the side of the barn.
TWELVE
Mike and Candace
Kumbrabow State Forest
Valley Head WV
September 26th
They had left I 81 once they had crossed the Susquehanna river. They had been unable to find it again easily. They had instead kept south on back roads and flat land where they could make good speed. The farther from the main roads they went the easier it was to travel. The roads were less congested. The problem was that the destruction was wide spread. More than once a section of road they were following had disappeared into water, or into a ravine. It happened fast, you had to pay attention. They had found the state forest area, pulled off on an overgrown road and made their way a little deeper into the forest. A ranger shack had supplied what looked to be a good place to sleep for the night. It would be the first time out of the trucks in a few days. It would feel good.
“I could stay right here,” Cathy said. “I really think it's beautiful.”
They were inside near the wood stove they had kindled. A deer carcass hung just inside the doorway. They had shot it right in the front yard of the shack shortly after they had stopped. Steaks were cooking on top of the stove in a cast iron pan.
“I like mountains too,” Candace agreed.
“Yeah, except, this would not be a good place to be in a few months when winter rolls in I bet,” Alice threw in.
Cathy frowned and then sighed. “Didn't think of that.”
“Reason we are heading south to begin with,” John said. “Easier winters... We hope.” He sighed too. “But it is pretty. I love it too. So... I don't know, wild, I guess. Primitive. I could see me living in a place like this, but only if I had a partner who was a good hunter... Well supplied before winter. Safe. More people to help. Life would be a little tougher here, I guess, but the beauty might be worth it.”
“I think south will be tough too,” Ronnie said. “Hurricanes, storms, flooding I would bet, after all, all that water ends up down there some place and all the rivers have to be overflowed... Maybe even changed course. And living down south brings its own problems. Like it's hotter than hell several months out of the year, even if you live on the Gulf. The storms. Snakes, and bugs that can kill you.”
“What?” Mike asked.
“What?” Ronnie asked him.
“Bugs that can kill you? And, what kinds of snakes.”
Ronnie laughed. “Snake of all kinds. Too many to list. That is semi tropical. Probably will be tropical eventually, maybe even is now. All the animals that call it home were controlled because of the people population. We already noticed most animals made it and the people didn't, so those snakes are not afraid of much of anything anymore. Scorpions, bot flies, kissing bug, fire ants, a lot more. Most can't kill you but they might make you wish you were dead. Now the snakes can kill you. And it's not like you can run to the hospital.”
“Jesus,” Candace said. “Thanks, Ronnie. Thanks a lot.”
“Hey. I didn't make these bugs, I just thought you should be aware. Look, it's not a big deal, just something you have to be careful of. Like... Like, say, freezing to death up north. My first winter up there I went out in January, 32 below zero with the wind chill. No hat, and my ears froze so goddamn fast I thought I would lose them.”
“Only takes about
ten minutes to get frostbite when it's that cold,” Mike said.
“Yeah,” Candace agreed. “Lucky you didn't lose them, part of them.”
“Okay, so see? It's the same thing. Different area of the world. You just have to be aware of it is all. Learn.”
The cabin shook as something slammed into it from outside.
“What the fu...” Ronnie began.
“Douse that lantern... Lock that door,” Mike said as he lunged for his machine pistol where he had laid it down by a small, pine table.
The cabin plunged into darkness and they were all momentarily blind from the lantern light. A few seconds later their sight began to return.
“Get your guns in your hand now that you can see,” Mike whispered. “Jesus, don't shoot any of us... Watch the windows.”
There were two small windows that had been set into the cabin wall, one on each side. The one side, Mike remembered, faced the deep woods. The other faced the road. He motioned everyone toward the back of the cabin so they could look forward and see out of both windows.
“Shoot the window out we don't have a way to stop them,” John said.
“A man, or a bear, can easily break one of those windows if they want to,” Candace said quietly. “It's no protection at all.”
Something slammed into the wall directly behind them and Cathy screamed before she could stop herself. Something answered from outside at the back of the shack. A low growl that turned into a snarl that did not sound like any animal any of them had ever heard.
“Oh God,” Cathy said. Candace pulled her to her and buried her head into her breast. “Shh... Quiet, Cat, quiet.”
The silence came back heavy and then whatever the something was, it continued to bump its way around the side of the shack, seemingly headed toward the front. Silence and then the shape of a man appeared in the g;lass of one side window. A second later and the glass shattered; the figure began climbing into the room.
The gunfire was deafening inside the little shack. The man blew into pieces long before he made it through the window, and was tossed back out onto the grass. A second later another came to the window and snarled at them. All of them fired. Silence returned fast and hard. Cathy sobbed from Candace's breast where she held her tight.
“Sss okay,” Candace told her. “It's okay. Ssh, it's alright.” The seconds dragged and the silence remained, punctuated only by Cathy's sobs. Mike and John made their feet and went quickly to the doorway. Flashlights in their hands. “Ronnie?”Mike turned back around to him. “Ronnie don't let anything in here,” Mike told him.
“No way,” Ronnie agreed tightly.
A few moments outside told them everything they needed to know. Noises from the woods told them more. They were back quickly.
“Plague,” Mike said. “Get whatever you can get fast, probably guns only. There are more of them back further in the woods. We've got to go.”
They drove the overgrown dirt road carefully, there were dozens of plague victims crowding close to the road, shying from the light, but not wanting to. They made the small county road they had followed in, turned south and drove into the night.
Conner
On The Road
September 27th
“How are you feeling,” Conner asked. It had been nearly two days since Jessie had been shot. She had slept through the day before, waking up late last night and assuring Conner she would be good enough to go in the morning.
“This is the easy part, Jess,” he had said. “It's all down hill from here. We can wait another day if you're not ready.”
“I'm the doctor and I say I'll be ready,” she had told him in mock seriousness.
Now she looked at him and smiled. “I'm ready to go see this valley of yours, Conner,” she told him.
“It's everyone’s valley, Jess. Yours too for as long as you want it... If you want it,” Conner said.
“Is that all you are offering?” Jess asked. Her eyes were suddenly more direct: More open.
“Jessie,” he said.
She held her hands up. “I know. That wasn't fair... Your Katie is a pretty lucky woman. I hope she knows it,” she said.
“I think I'm a pretty lucky man, Jess.” Conner said seriously.
“I guess that is what makes me feel the way I do, if you weren’t that kind of man I wouldn't feel this way. Ironic... I know...” She looked away and the silence held uncomfortably for a few moments.
“I feel pretty good, Conner. Sore, but I feel good. Steve did a good job with the stitches and I see the excess fluid is draining nicely... The leg looks pretty good to me,” she said.
“It looked good to me too,” Conner said, and then colored when he saw the look of amusement in her eyes. “I mean...” he started.
“I know what you meant. I was just teasing. I thanked Chloe and I thanked Steve. I wanted to thank you too... They intended to kill us. I have no doubt that they would have, had you not come back.” Her black, liquid eyes teared up. “Thank you, Conner,” she said softly.
“Just wish we could have gotten there sooner. It was just a fluke of the wind that we even heard.” He stood. “Okay... About fifteen minutes, Jess, and we're pulling out.”
She dried her eyes with the heel of one hand. “Okay,” she said huskily. “I'll be ready.”
They had stopped at the farm store in the middle of the night and picked up the other truck. There had been no dead around, or they had kept their distance from the dry pine branches they had set afire for torches. Ten minutes after that they had been at the Jeep dealership and had picked out two Cherokees.
They weren't exactly what Conner would have chosen had he had the time, but it had been full dark by then and there had been noise from the tree line despite the fires they set and the torches they held. They had simply jumped the Jeeps. One had had a fender dented in nearly to the tire, but Dustin had convinced it away from the tire with a heavy sledge hammer. The tire itself had not been damaged. Probably the fender had been dented by the other Jeep that had been parked next to it.
Conner had moved both of those Jeeps just a few weeks before to get to what he had wanted so he knew the keys were in them and they would have enough gas in them to at least get them to the campground where they could fill them up.
The trip in had been uneventful from there on. They had arrived early yesterday morning and Steve had taken over Jessie's care. The artery had been nicked, but the pressure had allowed it to begin to heal on its own. A couple of stitches to close the wound, antibiotics and an antibiotic salve, along with fresh bandaging, finished Steve's work. Steve found a large lump on her head that had worried him more than her leg had.
“Whatever did that may have done more damage than the bullet did,” he'd said. “It's probably why she's out.” He peeked at her eyes. “Let's hope she doesn't have a concussion... We'll just have to watch her for the next day... We don't have to go right out, do we,” he had asked.
“No,” Conner had told him. And just like that he had changed his plans and decided to stay. He had been set to pack her up safely and get her to the cave and Sandy's care as soon as he could, but if that trip could jeopardize her they would stay right here. “You call it. We'll sit here until you say we go.”
Steve had nodded. “Good let's sit out tomorrow and see how it goes, it may be that's all we'll need,” he'd said.
Conner looked around at the small clearing now. Everyone was standing around waiting. The sheep and goats were loaded. Four of the big trucks ready to go. The two Cherokees they had picked up. Two pickups. The four small Jeep like pickups and the four electric four wheel drive vehicles they were towing. Everyone grew even quieter as he looked around.
“Okay, let's go,” Conner said. He walked over to the truck he and Aaron were driving, got into the passenger side and Aaron pulled around the other trucks to lead the way.
The Nation
“There are two ways you can do it,” James said. He held an ear of corn in his hand by the stalk with the ear po
inting away from him. He held a curved knife in his hand. He took the knife and ran it down the length of the cob: A slab of corn fell away and into the bin. He rotated the cob twice more and he was finished. “That's one,” he said.
“The second way is to let the machine do the work.” He fed a cob into a screw like apparatus that he, Dustin and Jake had worked out. It had four blades mounted at angles. The cobs rotated up against the blades and were peeled like a potato.
He picked up half a dozen ears of corn and slid them down the chute that fed the machine. “If you keep this chute full the machine will do the rest.” The machine grabbed each ear, stripped it, and then dropped the cob into a large basket that would eventually be dumped and taken to mix in with the silage or fed to the pigs as it was.
They were in the second day of harvesting the field corn. They had about a quarter of a field to go. At the rate they were going they would be done sometime this afternoon. When they had planted this same field they had figured at least four days to harvest it with the labor they had available at that time, Katie recalled. She and Janna had talked about how many newcomers that there might now be in the Nation this morning. It was something that Katie had not given much thought to either. She, like everybody else, had assumed that someone, probably Janna, was keeping track of it. She had an idea that Janna's conservative number of about two hundred was way short of the real number.
Jamie, one of the women who had come in a few months earlier had been siting with them this morning as they had discussed it and she had volunteered to get the number for them. Katie wondered now how well she was doing, and what the real number might be.
Earth's Survivors: box set Page 101