“It sure is, babe. I’m just letting you know that dinner is served.”
Maria let out a long yawn and rubbed her eyes. “I’m sorry, I must have fallen asleep.”
“You sure did. I think we’re going to have to start setting up camp further from the road if you intend to snore like that every night,” Sean finished with a smile.
“No way. Was I really snoring that loud?” she asked sincerely. Sean nodded back to her with a smile. “Did you say something about food? I’m starving!”
“Yeah, it’s all ready to go,” he said as he handed her the warm Mountain House meal. “And you say I never cook for you.”
“You don’t,” Maria muttered in response while poking fun at her husband. Sean had never been a very good cook and never really tried. If it involved a microwave or open flame, he was a gourmet chef. Otherwise, the cooking around their house was performed to perfection each night by Maria. She quickly sat up in her bag and dug in. They ate in relative silence, relishing every bite. They each had a Snickers bar for dessert and washed it down with a leftover Gatorade he had taken from their fridge. Maria quickly slid back down into the warmth of her bag and started to zip it up.
“I thought you said these bags were warm?” she complained. “I’m still chilly.”
“Did you change out your undershirt and socks like I said?” Maria didn’t respond, so Sean took that as a no. “It’s your choice. You can either be chilly all night, or you can spend a few seconds cold while you change, and be warm all night.” With a huff of frustration, Maria unzipped her bag again and started pulling off layers of clothing as quickly as she could. She tossed her still damp undershirt and sports bra on her boots next to her and started to re-dress. After she had swapped out her socks, Sean had her sit up and he laid out the damp shirt and socks underneath her inside her bag. “Even through your coat, your body heat will dry these before morning,” he explained.
“Before you fall back asleep, I need you to put these in the foot of your bag to keep them from freezing.” He removed his own tactical vest and reached inside the two interior chest pockets of his coat and pulled out Ziplock bags containing the individually wrapped bottles of insulin. “I’m not sure, but I don’t think they are supposed to freeze. I would put them in mine, but I take up every square inch of my bag.” Maria shrugged and slid them down to the bottom of her sleeping bag. “I think I’m gonna have one more cup of coffee before I crash. Do you want one?”
“No thanks, baby. I’m just really exhausted and all I wanna do is sleep,” she said as she started to zip her sleeping bag closed again.
“That’s fine. I’ll be back in just a second.”
Maria sat back up quickly, afraid of being left alone in the dark. “Where are you going? You’re not leaving me here, are you?”
Sean chuckled at her. “I’m not going anywhere; I’ll be just outside, three feet away.”
She relaxed at that. “Alright, just promise me you’ll never leave me alone while I’m asleep, or go off somewhere without telling me. If I woke up and you weren’t here, I... I don’t know what I’d do. I’d freak out.”
Sean put on a serious face and told her “I promise” in the most reassuring tone. He leaned over and kissed her once more before crawling back out of the makeshift tent and putting some more water in the kettle. While waiting on the water, Sean gathered up the food wrappers and shoved them down into the large mouth Gatorade bottle screwing the lid on tight. Although black bears were pretty rare these days close to town, he didn’t want to take any chances.
Sean quietly rummaged through his sack till he found his waterproof stuff sack with his clothes. He pulled out a fresh t-shirt and wool socks and stripped down to the waist. His t-shirt had been soaked through and he was instantly chilled when the wind hit the moisture. He stood with his chest bare letting the icy breeze dry his skin. It wouldn’t make any sense to put a dry shirt on his clammy skin. He stood with his arms outstretched and looked at his physique. He had grown soft over the last few years with a bit of a belly, but there was no doubt in his mind that he would lean out over the coming months. Rationed food and hard work would make his body hard once more. He stood bare-chested as long as he could take it then dressed himself with the clean undershirt.
Sean poured himself another cup of instant coffee and sat alone in the dark. His mind tried to wrap itself around the last two days and how life had been forever changed. It was hard to fathom. He wasn’t worried or afraid; he had a job to do. His mission for now was to get to the family farm and make sure they were squared away. Sean had been preparing for this exact situation for years. Besides his experience as a Survival Instructor in the Air Force, he had read numerous books on prepping. He had brought along some of his favorites, including Patriots by James Wesley Rawles and Tappan on Survival by Mel Tappan, which he intended to leave with his relatives. They were getting a late start, a very late start, but they were survivors. They were hardworking county folk who already knew how to hunt, fish, and garden. However, they would have to accept the mindset that they were on their own now. Once they accepted the new reality of life, Sean was sure they would adapt, improvise, and survive.
Sean swallowed down the last drop of coffee and rinsed out his canteen cup. With a groan of sore muscles, he pulled himself up off the ground and stretched thoroughly. He hoped he didn’t get any cramps during the night in the confined space of the sleeping bag. Sean crawled halfway in his bag and placed the SU-16 by his side and the Glock 19 with an extra mag next to his head. After swapping out his socks, he placed them with his damp t-shirt in the bottom of his bag to dry. Sean set the alarm on his little Swiss Army clock and pulled the zipper up to his chin. Deep sleep overtook him instantly.
Chapter 8
The alarm bell went off, jolting both Sean and Maria upright in their sleeping bags. It took them a few moments to orientate themselves to their surroundings before Sean reached over and turned it off. The sun must have been coming up over the horizon because it cast the snow outside with an orange glow. The morning air was crisp, probably in the low twenties. A slight crust had formed on top of the snow and it looked like the ground was covered in orange glitter. It was beautiful. Sean saw Maria lay back down next to him so he joined her. At some point in the night she had cinched her sleeping bag tight. There was only a two inch hole left open and Sean smiled at the little puffs of breath coming out into cold air. He unzipped his bag enough to squeeze his arms out. Slowly working the cinch tie, Sean opened up the head of her sleeping bag. Maria groaned in protest, “It’s cold!”
“I know. It usually is in December,” he replied. She slowly opened her eyes and glared at her husband. Sean smiled at her and leaned over to kiss her nose. “How’d you sleep, my dear?”
“It’s cold out there,” she responded with a smile.
“How was your bag? Did you stay warm last night?”
“Yeah, and I’m still warm...and it’s freeeeaking cold out there.” She closed her eyes and started pulling on the cinch. Sean chuckled at her and fought her hands for control of the cinch tie.
“It’s time to get up and get on the road, babe.”
“I know.... I’m ready,” she said in a serious voice.
Sean heated up some water and they each had a full double serving of Mountain House eggs and bacon with instant coffee. It was short work to break down the camp and repack the ponchos and sleeping bags. It was a lot more work lugging their supplies back out to the road with sore muscles. Within an hour of waking up, they were peddling down the highway. The sun came up just as they rounded the first bend. There was a complete silence to the landscape. No sounds from other people or cars whizzing by. It was peaceful. They stopped a few times and then for lunch a few hours later under an overpass.
“This is the last bridge before our exit,” Sean stated matter-of-factly.
“I know where we are,” Maria replied boldly. “How much longer do you think until we reach your parents?”
“I
t’s only a fifteen minute drive, so I’d say... maybe another two hours or so at the rate we are going and taking breaks.”
“Good. I’m ready for a long nap.”
“And you are rightfully due one.” Sean pointed down at her stomach. “How’s my boy doin’?”
“I’m ok. I actually feel good. I’m...”
Something perked Sean’s hearing and he held up his hand for Maria to be quiet. It sounded like a swarm of bees, but Sean knew better. It was December. He strained his ears and the sound was getting louder and definitely coming from up the road.
“Grab your pack! Head up the embankment there and take cover on the bridge. Stay out of sight. If you hear me fire, pop up and give cover fire in case I need to retreat!”
“Ok.” Maria didn’t say anything else. She just grabbed her pack and started scrambling up the hill. Sean threw his own pack into the ditch where Maria had scrambled up the hill and took up position behind one of the bridge supports. He looked back at their grocery carts full of supplies. There was no time and nowhere to hide them as the sound of the approaching vehicle was getting louder. A few seconds later an old Volkswagen bus came around the bend. Sean always thought they sounded like the little spaceships from the old Jetsons cartoon he used to watch as a child.
As the little VW bus came closer it slowed to a crawl and eventually stopped just ten yards away on the opposite side of the divided highway. From behind the bridge support Sean heard a squeaky door open and the muffled whispers from the occupants. Sean took a quick peek around the edge of the concrete and noticed it looked like a couple of college kids. If they were armed, Sean couldn’t tell. He took a deep breath, removed the tension bands from his spare mags on his tactical vest, and clicked off his gun safety. Leaning out from behind the barrier, he leveled his SU-16 at the chest of the nearest threat.
The kid looked as if he was about to have a heart attack and flung his hands up in front of him. “Peace man! Please, we didn’t see anyone! We don’t want any trouble! Please!”
“That’s my wife’s food you’re looking at. What do you say you hop back in your vehicle and head off down the road?” He didn’t need to ask twice as they scrambled back into their vehicle and sped off.
Once they were a safe distance away, Sean sighed in relief and clicked the safety back on. A few moments later Maria slid her way back down the embankment. “You didn’t have to be so mean to them, did you? Can you blame them for stopping? They obviously didn’t see us.”
“No, I don’t blame them at all. I just did what was necessary, that’s all. I don’t think they were any kind of threat, but at the same time, I didn’t want their wheels to start turning. There were three of them and one of me. They were probably the nicest guys in the old world. At the same time, if I had come across passive and friendly and they weren’t... nice guys, they might have decided to jump me with their greater numbers. The way I handled it didn’t give them the chance to think. We can’t take any chances. We have to assume from this point on that everyone is a threat and enemy. People will be getting desperate soon and if you let your guard down for one second, that super nice desperate guy you were just talking to might stab you in the back for your food.”
“That makes sense, I guess. I just hate to think about people that way, you know?”
“I know. I do too, but we have to now,” Sean explained.
“Ok, let’s just go. I just want to get to your parents’ house,” Maria pleaded, exhausted.
They loaded up their packs and were once again peddling down the road. The last few miles seemed to take forever, but they eventually made the final turn-off and were soon peddling down his parents’ driveway. They pulled the bikes behind the house and Sean quickly retrieved the hide-a-key from its secret location. Sean was just sliding the key in the lock when movement through the window in the door caught his attention. The door swung open and Sean’s father scooped him up in a big hug. “Praise the Lord!” He let go and wrapped his arms around Maria. “How’s my girl and my grandson doing?”
“He’s good,” Maria replied. “I’m just really exhausted, that’s all.”
“Well, come inside. I’ve got the wood burner cranking and it’s nice and warm. I was just trying to go through some of the stuff down here in the garage and decide what to take and what to leave.”
“So we’re headed over to Grandpa’s like we discussed?”
“Well, yeah. The last time we talked about this type of thing, you kinda convinced me that we should get everyone together at the farm; strength in numbers, right?”
“That’s right. I think it would be best to pool all the extended families’ resources together. Have you gotten in touch with Uncle Will or Nathan yet? What about Danny?” Sean’s mind was racing with all the things that would need to be done.
“Whoa, hold your horses, son. Let’s get upstairs and get this pretty wife of yours situated first. There will be plenty of time for talking and planning later.”
“Thanks, Samuel,” Maria said with a small side glare at her husband as she walked by. Sean hurried and put the key back in its place and grabbed both of their packs, dumping them just inside the door.
He made sure the deadbolt was locked and hurried upstairs into the arms of his mother who was waiting at the top of the stairs. “I’m so happy you made it. Did you guys really walk all the way here?” his mother asked.
“Kind of. We rode our mountain bikes. I rigged up a way to pull grocery carts behind them so we could bring what we could,” he said as he looked over at his sister finishing a hug with Maria. He reached out to Allison and grabbed her up in a big hug, spinning her in a circle resulting in a squeal of delight from her. “How you feelin’, Kiddo?”
“Okay. I’m feeling a little better today than yesterday,” she answered as Sean set her down.
His mom smiled at her children and then cut in to hug him once more. “I’m so happy you two made it here safe. We’re not totally sure what to do next. Your father walked over to the farm yesterday and checked in on mom and dad. I’m not sure what we can do. Dad only has so much insulin left and then.... Samuel was talking about trying to head into town to a pharmacy today, but we weren’t sure how safe it was....”
Sean reached out and grabbed her hand. With a big smile he reached inside his chest pocket and pulled out a zip lock bag and handed it to her. She looked back at him in confusion as he pulled out another zip lock bag from his other chest pocket.
“What’s this?” she asked, confused. Sean had individually wrapped each vial with strips of t-shirt material to protect them.
“Open it up and check,” he replied, trying to hide his smile. Her fingers fumbled with the opening. “Carefully now,” he cautioned. She pulled out a vial and unwrapped it. When she realized what was inside, her eyes welled up with tears. Sean wasn’t used to seeing her get emotional so he put his arm around her. “I know this only delays the inevitable, but it should buy us some extra time with him.”
“How did you manage this?” she asked in wonder.
“You don’t want to know, mom. You raised me to never steal, but I made a decision and stuck to it. I think I did what was needed, and I did it out of my love for my family.” He looked into his mother’s eyes, needing reassurance. She nodded at him and smiled. Sean felt the firm grip of his father’s hand on his shoulder.
“Good work, son. I’m proud of you.” Sean beamed with the praise. All his life that was all he had wanted, was to make his family proud of him. He had made some mistakes in his life and some of them were big, but his parents had always been there for him; encouraging him, supporting him, and praying for him.
“Thanks, Dad.” Sean looked up at his wife who was standing next to them beaming with pride. “Mom, can you set Maria up in the bedroom so she can get some rest?”
“Sure, Sure! Come on. Let’s get you in some warm blankets,” she said as she wrapped her arm around Maria’s shoulder and led her down the hall.
Maria looked over her sh
oulder suspiciously. “You’re not going to go anywhere without telling me, are you?”
“No, babe. If I leave, I’ll wake you first, okay?” Sean assured her.
“If you go somewhere, I’m coming with you!” she insisted.
“Ok, Sweetie. We’ll see,” Sean responded with a smile.
“No, we won’t see.... If you go somewhere, I go too. That’s just the way it is from now on. And I’m not going to take ‘no’ for an answer. I go where you go!” She said it with a finality that didn’t leave it open for discussion.
Not wanting to upset her further, and seeing no reason why she couldn’t come if he made a trip to the farm, he walked over to her and kissed her on the cheek softly. “I love you so much. That sounds like a deal. Go get some rest and I’ll come get you in a bit if we decide to go somewhere.” She nodded in agreement and continued down the hall with his mother leading the way like a mother hen.
“How was the trip, son?” his dad asked. “Did you have any trouble on the way? What is it like in Pittsburgh?”
“We got out just in time, I think. Things weren’t getting bad yet. In fact it was pretty eerie. There wasn’t much movement in the streets. Most people seemed to be holed up in their houses just waiting. I was also surprised at the lack of people moving on the highway. It just goes to show how few people know what is going on. I expect a pretty large mass exodus in the next couple days when the riots and looting start. We had a couple nervous encounters on the road, but nothing serious. How about around here?”
“I haven’t seen anyone moving. I heard a vehicle going down the road earlier but that was the only one. I walked over to the farm yesterday and looked in on Grandma and Grandpap, but didn’t see anyone moving about.”
“That’s to be expected, I think. But we can’t let our guard down. Things are only going to get worse. We need to get over to Uncle Will’s and get them packing. Do you know if the old Massey Ferguson is running right now? I’m guessing the newer tractors aren’t going to be running.”
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