by N. C. Reed
“Kids, we're going home.”
“We're staying,” the two said in unison.
“Behave then,” Ronny told them, winking at Angela. “I'm sure that Grandpa and Grandma have room for you to bunk down.”
“Course we do!” Gordon said at once.
“Then I think we 'll go and have a chat,” Ronny said, following Alicia toward their house. “A long overdue one.”
“I hope he beats her ass til she can't sit to eat,” Leon the Elder said, his voice still tinged with humor. The family chuckled again while the newcomers looked a bit uneasy.
“You can laugh,” Clay told them, grinning. “In a day or two you'll know her well enough to know how deserved that was. But a good rule of thumb around here is if we're all laughing, you can too.”
“True enough,” Gordon chuckled. “Where did those marsh mellows get off to?” he asked, looking around. “Ain't had me a roasted marsh mellow in a good long time. Momma, you want one?”
“I believe I do,” she smiled.
“Well, y'all don't just stand there,” Leon the Elder told the newcomers. “Gather on around here and lets all get to know one another.”
-
Talk lasted until well after midnight, though some members began drifting away sooner. Those with small children like Martina Sanchez needed to get them to bed, and the group from the convoy were all tired. Barnes was the last to leave, along with Clay and Lainie who had stayed until then. Once everyone else was gone, the two old comrades talked seriously for a minute.
“I still expect this to be bad,” Barnes admitted. “It's like we got the damage without the casualty count.”
“What does that mean?” Lainie asked, frowning.
“When we thought this was going to be a strike, we figured a large chunk of the world's population would die in the exchange, especially here,” Clay said grimly. “Instead, we get the most severe damage short of that, with everything shut down including hospitals, shipping, everything, but there's no loss of life. That means that disaster plans that are written for similar events will be completely useless.”
“But isn't it good that so many people didn't die?” Lainie was confused.
“It would be if they weren't going to starve to death in the next few weeks,” Barnes as just as grim as Clay. “Or die from unclean water. Or disease. Or in the violence that a lack of food and clean water can cause. Or-”
“She's got it Bear,” Clay said tiredly, then looked at Lainie.
“What he's trying to say is that those people, a great many of them anyway, are still going to die, but what happens in the meantime? Hungry people do awful things,” he said sadly.
“And if that ain't the truth you ain't never told it,” Barnes sighed, almost in depression.
“Well, we 'll start worrying about that tomorrow, right?” Clay slapped his old friend on the shoulder. “Meantime, I'm bunking down. Good to see you, man,” he hugged Barnes tight.
“You too, brother,” Barnes returned the embrace. “Talk to you in the morning.”
“Got it.”
-
It took getting used to and a few hours didn't do it. Manual alarm clocks rang early and the Sanders clan rolled out with them. Chores had to be done, end of the world or no. It took about an hour-and-a-half to complete the things that absolutely had to be done that time of year and then people began to gather around in Gordon and Angela's back yard.
One of the things that no one had to think of was how to cook except during winter. Angela had an outdoor kitchen in a screened in patio in her back yard, complete with a Monarch wood cook stove and a hand made Cherokee clay oven. There was a sink with pumped well water inside, and before the storm the night before there would have been a ceiling fan to circulate the heat out. That heat was welcome in the chill of the morning however, so no one complained.
Gordon said grace, the newcomers bowing along with the family, and then everyone dug in to an old-fashioned country style breakfast.
“Mrs. Sanders this is a fine meal, ma'am,” John Barnes complimented. “I don't know the last time I set at such a fine table.”
“Thank you, Mister Barnes,” Angela smiled. “It's a treat to see people enjoy.”
As people began to finish eating the talk turned to their situation.
“Guys, do you think it's safe to start-” Clay began.
“No,” the twins said, echoed by Johnathon Jackson. The twins did the 'creepy' thing, turning his direction in unison.
“You want to explain?” Leanne asked nicely. Encouragingly.
“The storm's effects will linger for two to five days at a minimum,” Johnathon reported. “A storm this magnitude will leave energized particles in our atmosphere for at least that long that could affect almost any electrical system other than simple circuitry. It's unlikely we would see another surge like last night, but it's not impossible. As a rule, so long as the aurora is visible to us, there's a danger.”
“Right,” Leanne and Leon confirmed. “When the aurora dies down, that will be our signal that things are getting back to normal in space,” Leanne continued. “In the meantime it's best if we don't tempt fate by bringing things out of storage early. But we do have the throw aways,” she reminded them.
“Throw aways?” several voices echoed down the tables.
“Second hand things like boom boxes and inexpensive FRS and GRMS radios,” Clay nodded. “Things that didn't cost us much and if we lose them to a surge, it's no real loss since they were bought for that. We have to remember that the SAME and EBS networks are likely not hardened enough for a storm of this caliber so. . .we probably won't get much news other than by word of mouth. And when we do get it, expect it to be days old already.”
“Or more,” Barnes agreed. “We've seen that in societies where there's no industry. Runners carry word from village to village. Takes days or even weeks for news to make the rounds.”
“That will keep us from helping others too much,” Patricia sighed.
“Ma'am, you need to forget that for the first two weeks or so,” Barnes said bluntly. “The plain fact of it is, there will be a lot of people perish in the first two to three weeks that you won't be able to help. Lack of oxygen equipment for one thing. Running out of meds is another, just as examples. I don't mean to disparage your thinking, ma'am. It's just that all it will do is make it hard on your if you try to do the impossible.”
“I'm afraid he's right, ma'am,” Tandi Maseo spoke up softly. “I'm afraid I know from bitter experience. And when you try, and fail, to save someone, you 'll be blamed by those around you for not doing enough or not doing all you could have. Once things settle down and people get used to the fact that we're going to have to live differently for a while, it will be easier.”
“I have patients who will need me,” Patricia objected, but it was more for form than anything else.
“Those that have a chance at survival will still need you when it's safer for you to travel, ma'am,” Maseo nodded.
“You seem awfully sure that there's no way to help those people,” Alicia spoke for the first time that morning. Her voice wasn't nearly as surly as it usually was, and Angela and others had noted that she had used a cushion in her chair and had sat very gingerly when she took her place at the table. She had blushed red when Leon the Elder had snickered nastily at that, but said nothing.
Ronny sat beside her with a look of complete innocence on his face.
“We've been through this before, ma'am,” Mitchell Nolan said softly. “It's not new to us.”
“Where?” more than once voice asked.
“That's enough,” Clay said flatly, drawing attention to himself. “They're sharing what they have learned the hard way. Where we learned isn't important. Stick to facts that are important to us right now. People will go through a few different stages, depending on how strong they are. Panic is first. Running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, not knowing where to turn or why.”
“Next is denia
l, if the person isn't strong enough to deal,” Caudell spoke next. “This can't be happening. The government will fix it. All we have to do is be patient. People will invent reasons for what happened that can be repaired.”
“Then anger,” Barnes was nodding. “Why didn't the government warn us? Why hasn't the government fixed this? Why did companies not shield their products from this kind of thing? They will rage against anyone and everything associated with the government they perceive as having failed them. Deceived them even.”
“Which leads some to wild conspiracy theories, especially in the void left by loss of communications and the twenty-four-hour news cycle,” Nolan took over at that point. “It's the Russians, the Chinese, the North Koreans. Maybe the Japanese pulling another Pearl Harbor. Islamic terrorists disabling our grid to hide a massive terrorist attack on U.S. soil. The list will go for as long as their imagination can come up with something.”
“Finally comes despair,” Clay finished. “The reactions will vary from person to person or group to group, depending on how stable they are, how strong they are. Physically, emotionally, mentally. The first to despair will be parents, good parents anyway, who can't feed their children. They will blame themselves for that and. . .well, they 'll blame themselves and their children are hungry. You can theorize the rest.”
“And in the midst of all that is going to be desperation,” Jody Thompson's quiet baritone rumbled through the patio. “Desperate people can and will do terrible things to their fellow human beings. Don't imagine for a minute that because you know someone that they won't attack you. If they get desperate enough, you can be assured that they will. You have to decide before then what you're willing to do to stop them.”
“You have to protect and provide for your family most of all,” Jose Juarez said flatly. “The group you are part of must become your family. Your familia,” he used the Spanish word. “All that you do must be directed to the betterment of la familia. If it isn't then you or they may not make it. Someone you think you know will knife you, or someone you love, square in the back if they think it will get them what they want. The first time you let your guard down might be the last.”
“You make it sound like we're at war with our neighbors,” Robert scoffed. “That's ridiculous.”
“Is it?” Clay asked, bringing the conversation to him once more. “Is it really? And while you won't be 'at war' with the people here close, since they can feed themselves so long as no one hurts them, you can bet that it will be nearly war like when people in Jordan, and then Peabody remember that all the farms out here are 'hogging' or hoarding things they need. And since they need them, they automatically have a right to them, regardless of whether you can spare them or not.”
“Once they convince themselves that they're right, then they can attack you in good conscience,” Barnes agreed. “It takes a few days to work up to that, and you will lose a lot of them to despair and denial. But desperation will bring only the hardest and most determined to your door, intent on blaming you for their misfortunes and intending to take from you the things you need, and worked for, to provide for your family.”
“I've known most of the people around here my whole life,” Robert was shaking his head. “I don't believe they will behave like that.”
“How were they behaving yesterday after that news release?” Clay asked.
“What?”
“You and Patricia were at the clinic, right?” Robert nodded in reply. “Ronny and Alicia, you were in Lewiston, right?”
“Yep,” Ronny nodded. He was taking in every word being said.
“How did people in Lewiston behave?”
“It was a madhouse,” Ronny answered. “Complete chaos.”
“Lainie and the kids were in Peabody,” Clay turned to them. “What happened?”
“People went crazy,” the twins replied in unison. “We saw at least six wrecks that I can remember,” Leanne continued.
“And people at stores fighting over things,” Leon nodded. “Charley Mack almost didn't give us the pump we'd already paid for. If it hadn't been for you being so well known, he wouldn't have.”
“It was wild,” Lainie nodded. “I'm not qualified to judge their behavior as out of the norm, but it was wild.”
“So imagine what it was like today when cars wouldn't start,” Barnes said. “When the radios and televisions didn't come back on. No news, no way to get anywhere. Some people with little or no food in the house and lacking knowledge of how to get it. Don't know how to hunt, to fish, to forage. To have a garden. And if they do, they still may not know how or be able to defend it.”
“Chaos,” Clay sighed. “That's what you're facing right now is chaos. A little forethought may have helped the emergency services to some extent, but that's just a bit. They won't be able to do anything about people being hungry. Sick. Cold. It's coming on to winter and every electric heater just stopped working, either because it's dead or because it can't get power. The pumps that keep natural gas flowing are dead. No gas. Those with wood heat and propane will be okay at least short term, assuming they had plenty of wood and plenty of propane.”
“But weather is a killer,” Tandi Maseo took over, casting a look at Patricia. “Leaving aside the possibility of frostbite, there is always the risk of hypothermia. And it kills more people than most high-risk sports do, including cliff diving and mountain climbing.”
“That is true,” Patricia nodded. “And it sneaks up on you. You don't realize you're sick until you're on the cusp of being too late.”
“People who have good insulation in their homes can get by with the bare minimum of heat so long as they dress warmly, but there's another problem. Water for people on city water lines has stopped moving now,” the medic noted.
“Hygiene will be a big deal now,” Patricia nodded. “Germs spread for lack of hand washing and with drinking water at a premium, hand washing will not be a priority for most people. Hand sanitizer will make up for some of that while it lasts, but it will run out quickly.”
“And people won't be conserving what they do have at first,” Leanne said from down the table. “Most people will believe this is just a temporary problem. Some will probably treat it as a lark, saying that whatever the problem is it will be fixed in a day or two and 'we better grill these steaks before they go bad' type of things will be done. It's the weekend after all,” she shrugged.
“By the time people realize just how bad last night was, most consumables will be gone,” Leon nodded. “We are, as a people, wasteful in the extreme. We throw away tons of material every year that should be recycled and put back to use. And there's another problem,” he added. “No one will be picking up the garbage anymore. We need to separate our own garbage out. Cans in one place, glass in another, burnable material separate from that and food where it can be dumped if we can't save it. Cans are valuable for repairs, and glass containers can be reused so long as we have a lid.”
“Plastic?” Caudell asked.
“You can, but plastic bottles contain chemicals that will absorb into whatever you put in them,” Leanne fielded that one. “Better to use glass or a cup. It's safer long term.”
“Okay,” the soldier nodded.
“Sanitation will be almost as big a problem as hygiene,” Patricia sighed. “Lord have mercy. I hadn't thought this nearly far enough through,” she put her face into her hands. “So many problems,” her voice was muffled.
“Don't worry, ma'am,” Tandi Maseo told her softly. “We 'll help you. We've seen this before in much worse places. We 'll get through it.”
“We have to face another threat that will happen eventually,” Gordon sighed. “I don't know how long it will take them to get to us, but someone will remember we raise cattle,” he pointed out. “When they do, then we 'll start losing them. If we don't have a great big crowd out here demanding we just hand them over.”
“We can deal with that,” John Barnes said simply. “You give away what you've a mind to, Mister San
ders and we 'll make sure no one takes more than that.”
“We can't just turn away hungry people,” Alicia said. “That's ridiculous.”
“Alicia,” Ronny said softly. “Remember what I said.” That was all he said and she frowned but fell silent. Ronny looked at the crowd.
“No one is taking anything from my children,” he said firmly. “Period. I don't care who they are or what their need is, or what they think they're entitled to. My children will not suffer for someone else's sake. And I don't care who that someone else is, either.” His voice rang with certainty.
“You 'll do all right Mister Tillman,” Jody Thompson's deep voice rumbled. “You 'll do just fine.” Ronny nodded at the compliment but said nothing else.
“We can plan on what we can do for others and be ready to parcel that out, but we have to draw a line somewhere. We can't let everything go or there's nothing left for next year,” Gordon got the talk back on track. “All we can do is all we can do.”
“There are a couple things we can do,” Barnes said, glancing at Clay. “Our trucks should still run. And we've got five trailers.” He left the statement hanging.
“And go where?” Clay asked him. Barnes shrugged.
“Gotta be a warehouse around somewhere,” the big man replied.
“You mean steal?” Angela demanded.
“We prefer to use the term 'appropriate' or 'arrange for', whenever possible, ma'am,” Mitchell Nolan told her politely. “And since we aren't thinking about getting things for us, well, that wouldn't really be stealing, right?” he smiled hopefully.
“If you're taking something that doesn't belong to you it's stealing,” Alicia said before her mother could answer.
“If you're feeding the hungry it's benevolent,” Angela said at the same time, her voice tender. “Not possibly what the Lord would have done, but we can't exactly feed Peabody with a few small fish and loaves of bread, now can we?”
“No ma'am,” Nolan grinned. “We can't.”
“So long as we don't injure innocent people, I'm not against it,” Clay admitted, perhaps surprising some of his family though not all. “There's one more thing we haven't mentioned, at least,” he added.