I was back in my office working when Dad came in. He closed the door behind him, so I knew that something was up and he wanted to discuss it privately.
“Pumpkin, you had a good idea bringing up that we should get ready for changes in the weather. I was just wondering what brought it up.” Before I had a chance to answer, he added. “You know, you had that same look on your face that you used to have as a kid when you’d get those dreams.”
I tried to think of a way to keep from explaining what was going on because my dreams are a personal thing to me, but I know Dad won’t let me off that easily, so I sighed and admitted, “Yes, it’s something like that. For the last few days, I’ve been having the same dream on and off, but in different variations.”
“Go on.” He said as he focused his gaze on me in full concentration.
“Well, the message was essentially that we had a storm coming that will kill us if we aren’t prepared.”
“And you’re just telling me now?” asked Dad with a raised eyebrow.
“It’s just that it’s…it’s hard for me to talk about what I see, Dad.” I tried to explain. “I haven’t had these dreams since I was a kid and you have enough on your mind without me adding stress to it.”
“So, why’d you bring it up today?” he asked, sitting back and crossing his arms.
I looked down and picked at a nonexistence something on the desk in front of me. “Because I knew that if I didn’t tell you, the dreams would become more intense and after the one I had last night…” I shook my head to erase the memory of the children being ripped away by the storm.
“I see. Do me a favor. Okay?” he asked. “From now on, tell me the first time that you have one of these dreams.” I started to argue, but he raised his hand and continued. “Now, I know that you don’t like talking about it, but all of our lives depend on us making the right decisions for our safety and if we don’t have all of the information available, how can we do that?”
I nodded in agreement, then looked up and asked, “Will you try to keep anyone else from finding out…about the dreams, you know?”
“Sure, Pumpkin,” promised Dad. “but it’s not something to be embarrassed about. You have a gift and you should be thankful.”
“Sometimes it seems more like a curse,” I complained.
He got up from where he was sitting and came around the desk to give me a bear hug and then after kissing my forehead said, “Well, guess I should get to work.”
He started to walk out and then stopped and turned around, “Oh, I forgot something. Would you mind helping me out with another project? I need to keep up with who is doing what job and what’s completed or needs to be done. Could you start logging everything so that we can be more organized? It would take a lot of pressure off of me trying to remember it all. There’s a lot more people to keep up with now.”
“Sure, Dad.” I answered, thrilled to have another job to do. After all, there’s just so much that you can write in one day and the list of laws and constitution for the complex were almost completed. I like being able to contribute. Sure, I still get to work guard duty on the roof once in a while and go on excursions as a driver or guard, but I feel that I’m not putting in my fair share of work.
I shouldn’t have complained. The universe complied and the last few days have been packed with work. People are toiling away twenty four hours a day to complete the cabins, the bunkhouses where the teenagers will be staying with the teachers who had made it their responsibility to take care of them for the long haul, and all the other parts of the complex. Sometimes it’s hard trying to sleep with all the sounds happening around us, but I’ve since learned that the secret to falling asleep is being too tired to stay awake. That doesn’t seem to be a problem anymore.
I helped out by going into town with the scavenging teams and hooking to trailer after trailer that we then parked outside of the fence line to block any creatures that decided to climb on top of the vehicles. We did two lines like this and spaced them offset like bricks on a house.
Zombies would have to push through almost twenty feet of vehicles before they could even reach the fencing in order to come inside and if there’s time, we want to add another layer. Our gate was the week link, but we now keep all three RV’s pulled in front of it at night for safety.
We weren’t sure that we could get all of them moved in a short time period, but we got it down to a science to save time. Beau, Dad and I would back up to the trailers and connect with the kingpin, then each of us had a teenager who would quickly jump down, climb onto the catwalk and hook up the pigtails. All in all, it took only a few minutes and we were on our way. What took the longest time was the drive into Indiana to get the trailers. This town was too small to have any around, so we had to travel where we could find them.
The freight that we found in the trailers was offloaded before they were backed in and helped us to stock all the buildings up on everything we would need during the next few months until the gardens begin to produce and we got things up and running to become self-sufficient.
Some of the trailers were moved into the perimeter to use as storage units and to create walkways that would be beneficial in the coming storm. Dad had kept his word and didn’t tell anyone about the dreams, but they worked as if they could feel that something was coming and were preparing for it.
The trailers were lined up on both sides with about five feet in between that created a safe passage that would help to block out blowing snow if we had to travel outside for some reason. Hopefully, that wouldn’t happen, but it’s always best to be prepared.
Because the medical clinic is located inside of the main house, most of us thought it would be best for everyone to stay here in snowy weather just in case there was an emergency, but the newcomers had been locked in the basement away from their families for too long and longed for the privacy their cabins would bring.
With electricity for cooking and heating and a fireplace as backup, they weren’t worried about staying warm. They would have plenty of food and warm clothes to hunker down with until any storms were over, even if it meant not going outside for an extended period of time.
Knowing that kids get bored and it doesn’t take long for cabin fever to set in, some of us went scavenging for toys, books and board games to keep the kids occupied for prolonged stays indoors. We also found some hobby kits, art supplies and other things for the adults to do. We learned that Jim is pretty good with a guitar and when we handed the Gibson to him, his eyes watered. Small things matter in a zombie apocalypse.
The teenagers planned to stay in the bunkhouses so they would get a break from working and could just hang out and sleep in every day, but unbeknownst to them, the teachers had us pick up educational supplies so that while they all were stuck inside, the teens could continue with their education. Their hopes of having a snow day – or week – with nothing to do but sit back and enjoy were going to be dashed, but I could appreciate the teachers’ point. The longer the kids stayed away from their school work, the harder it would be to catch back up.
Education is important. So is art, music and all the things that we took for granted in the old world. We are building a future here. There aren’t a lot of people left alive after the infection and every day there will be less unless we can hold on and survive. So far on our travels through Harrison, Casper and Idaho Falls, we haven’t found any other people alive. It’s a shame that the crazy extremists were able to kill the others before we found out what was going on and ended their reign of terror. It’s such a waste .
Every life matters in this brave new world. No, we aren’t starting from scratch, but we have a challenge ahead of us to not only stay alive, but to build the kind of society that will be smart, compassionate and hard working. Every person that we lose means that we also lose the collective knowledge that each of them accumulated while alive. It’s a loss that is irreplaceable.
Chapter Seventeen
Let it Snow!
“A
nd finally Winter, with its bitin', whinin' wind, and all the land will be mantled with snow.”
Roy Bean
I was on the roof taking a turn at guard duty that evening when the wind began to pick up. It was extremely warm during the day, which Beau said was the sign that a cold front is about to hit. The heavy air is laden with the smell of moisture and by sundown, the sky became covered in gray clouds. Birds of all types were pecking at the ground in search for bugs and worms to eat in preparation of the coming expected blizzard.
The gusty wind had already made it difficult to maintain balance on the angled rooftop, but I jumped and almost fell when a bolt of lightning lit up the gray sky and was immediately followed by a deafening crash of thunder. Then came a downpour of sleet and snow that made it impossible to stay on the roof.
We already prepared for the storm and were ready. Terek, my partner on guard duty tonight, and I walked back downstairs to inform everyone else that what they heard wasn’t gunshots, but thundersnow. The families moved into their cabins earlier in the day and the teens into the bunkhouses. Beau kept his place above the stables next to the barn and decided to sit out the blizzard there in order to keep an eye on the livestock.
We emptied out the barns on the ranch and packed them full of cattle, food and water. The men and women of the complex did their best to cover any holes where wind or snow would seep through in order to keep the cattle as warm and comfortable as possible, then filled the stalls with soft hay for them to lay in.
They brought four house trailers onto the property to house the chickens and other animals so they wouldn’t be outside in the elements. The trailers weren’t decorative, but had been constructed with heavy insulation and would make a warm home for the animals until the storm was over and they could go back to their homes.
The rooms in the first trailer were now filled with hay and shelves for the chickens to roost on. We put enough chicken feed and water inside to last for a while and put all the crickets we could find from PetSmart and other pet stores inside of the space to supplement their diet. We divided the other trailers among the sheep, pigs and other animals who called the ranch their home. It wasn’t the best case scenario, but was the only idea we could come up with considering our limited time.
With input from Beau, Hector and Pete, we knew that it’s abnormal to go to such lengths to protect animals from the elements, but our very lives depend on keeping them healthy and alive. They provide milk for the children and in the future there will be butter and cheese. The eggs add protein to diets and are used in cooking. I don’t want to think about killing any of the animals for meat, but I realize that I won’t change the minds of the carnivores around me by throwing a fit or complaining.
All things considered, we’re prepared for this, but even though we worked tirelessly to get everything done, there’s always a gnawing sensation that we missed something. There are a myriad of things that could go awry. For instance, the storm can damage the solar panels. It’s not that we will be seeing the sun for a few days, but when the skies clear, we will need the panels to provide electricity for our homes.
We all have heavy duty backup generators attached to propane tanks behind the buildings so that no one has to go out in the storms to refuel them, but even with that, something could go wrong and they could stop working. With only a fireplace to keep families warm inside, they would be extremely uncomfortable and could possibly get sick.
I have to wonder how people were able to stay alive in the pioneer days. They were a hearty group of people and strong. I can only hope that I’m able to make my own ancestors proud by conquering this world that we now live in.
My mind kept running over the list of the work assignments that were completed. Firewood? Check. Everyone has a month’s supply. Water? We have enough bottles of water to see to our needs for at least that long in case the power goes out and the water pump shuts down. Food? There’s enough stocked up to feed our community for several years due to the truckloads that we brought in. We even have refrigerated products thanks to the reefer trailers.
We couldn’t use perishable food that was in the grocery stores because the power had been out and the meat and dairy products were spoiled, but while we were searching for supplies, we happened upon the reefers that were still running in the parking lots of truck stops.
The drivers were long gone, so we didn’t figure they’d mind us taking the meat, dairy products and produce in them. After all, we have hungry children who need nutritious food and teenagers who can eat their own body weight and still feel ravenous.
I began to panic. The reefers! That’s it. How are we going to refuel the reefers when they’re empty? Terek told me while we were on guard duty that Benson and Sawyer topped them off this morning when it was warm outside, but how long they run at full capacity until they run out of fuel? I stopped there and executed a head palm.
I was overthinking this. If we’re in a blizzard, the temperatures will be below freezing. It won’t take a reefer running to keep the food cool. Anything left outside in the elements will freeze. That’s the reason why we put the animals inside.
I didn’t tell Dad, but he wouldn’t be shocked if he found out – just upset with me. While we were out getting trailers, I towed some empty moving trailers, the kind you rent, into the pasture on the ranch close to the tree line. With the help – and silence – of Terek, Benson and Sawyer, we put hay, water and several types of food inside.
One of the trailers was filled with plastic dog kennels and we opened them up so that any creatures that needed a place to stay could go there to stay warm. I realize that not all animals get along, but it should help any stray dogs or cats. Squirrels and skunks would be able to stay warm and so would the deer. The only danger would be from zombies, but animals are fast and can get away from the slow moving creatures.
The hard part was figuring out how to keep it warm inside, but still have an entrance. Terek and the others cut holes in the doors that were large enough for them to get inside and small enough to keep large predators out. That solved the zombie problem.
I wonder if they can even walk in the cold. Would it affect them like it would a live human? I’ll have to bring this up with Jason.
On day three of the blizzard from hell, our resident scientist made a statement that cheered us up. In his opinion, the time has come and gone for the nuclear power plants to have overheated and since the Geiger counters have shown no radiation reaching us, Jason believes we’re now in the clear.
It couldn’t have come at a better time because we were all beginning to get cabin fever. There are just so many games of pool you can play without dreaming of cue balls and even though I love watching movies, living in the theater was great for the first couple days, but afterwards, they all sounded alike; same characters with different plots and titles. My brain was becoming numb.
Yes, I still have work that I could be doing, but the list of laws have already been completed and as for logging our history, there’s not a lot to write about while sitting and waiting for a blizzard to end. Seriously. To make it worse, my period started. Yeah, I went there. Periods were my nemesis when the world was normal, but now I understand why women used to call it “the curse.”
It’ s not that I don’t have the comforts of home. Unlike the zombie apocalypse scenarios you read about or see in movies, we are doing great. I even have my own ensuite where I can bathe and stash my feminine products. That isn’t the problem. It’s just that usually, we dump and burn our own trash in barrels outside, especially anything that has blood on it because it attracts zombies.
While we’re stuck inside, I’m not able to do that, so I’m forced to keep the unmentionables in a plastic sack that’s tied up inside of another plastic sack. I haven’t let anyone in my room lately even though with nothing else to do, everyone wants to “hang out” like school kids.
Forgive my grouchiness. No, it’s not PMS. Don’t even think it. It’s just that this has always pissed me
off. Even as a little girl, I remember asking my parents if boys had periods and when they said no, I asked what they had that was just as bad. They couldn’t give me an answer. That’s when I realized that life isn’t fair.
Damn it! Someone’s knocking on my door.
It was Dad. Some of the people in the main building are feeling sick and Doc Taylor thinks that it’s the flu. Apparently, not all of us got our flu shots this season. Since we have so many staying in their rooms puking and running to the bathroom, I just got volunteered to monitor the radios.
We decided before the blizzard hit that it would be a good idea to be able to communicate between buildings in case of an emergency. It was Terek’s idea and a good one, I might add. We check in with them periodically to see if everything is okay. We don’t just sit and talk, though. It would be too confusing.
There are four families that we rescued from the church, Hector and his family, Greg and his family, the teens and teachers, and Beau besides those of us here in the main building. We have actual codes like law enforcement used to use – an idea that came from one of our rescued men who used to be a cop – and we use them instead. All the conversations are logged in a book.
Speaking of books, I’ve been sitting here reading the next book in the Mark Tufo series for most of the day and can’t decide whether to laugh or be scared for the main character. He’s a kick ass guy who tends to do stupid things. In other words, he’s a normal guy. He’s also married and although he tries to be the leader of the house, he understands that if the “wife ain’t happy, no one’s happy.”
It cracks me up because he’s not afraid to rush into a horde of zombies to protect his family and will face down any fiend or monster that comes along, but when it comes to the woman that he loves, all she has to do is give him “the look” and he turns to mush. Well, it’s not just that. She also knows how to manipulate him through offering his favorite foods and because he knows that as much as he loves her, she loves him just as much.
Nuclear Undead: Wake the Dead Page 22