“I think so.”
“Now, let’s take out the guts.” Kirk said as he used his knife to open up the squirrel’s abdomen. He pulled out the intestines. “If we had to and were going to stay here a little while, we could clean them out and make a cord out of them.”
“Why would you want to make a cord out of the guts?” Lucy asked. She showed more interest than Kirk would have assumed.
“Because you can never have enough cordage. Besides, if you cleaned it up and sterilized it, you can use it for making stitches and stuff.” That lit up her face and brought a sparkle to her eyes.
Kirk removed the rest of the innards into his hand. “Can you identify all of these?”
Lucy pointed at each one as she named them. “That’s the heart, the lungs, the liver, and I’m not sure what that is.”
“That’s the uterus. This was a girl squirrel. What we’re looking for here is any sort of disease, any spots or dark colors, or worms in the heart, liver, or lungs.”
“They don’t look like they have anything wrong with them.” Jimmy said.
“Why would we care if the squirrel had anything wrong with its organs?” Lucy asked.
“To make sure that they’re ok to eat.” Kirk said as he pulled out the healthy looking organs and tossed them into the pot. Lucy made a face, and Kirk smiled at her.
“Lucy, come help me gather up our blankets.” Sherry called out. Kirk watched her turn and go help her mother. He noticed Tara looking at him with pursed lips. Leesha’s face wasn’t much friendlier. Under their disapproving gazes, Kirk did something that he hadn’t done in years. He felt his face grow warm as he blushed.
He cut the squirrel into quarters and dropped them into the pot. “Let’s clean these doves.” He said to Jimmy. He ran his right thumb into the dove’s neck, underneath the breast, and grabbed its back with his left hand, his fingers touching underneath the bird. He used the leverage to pop out the bird’s breast. It came free of the bird, taking the wings with it. He clipped these off with the knife, wiped off a few stray feathers still stuck on the bare breast, split the breast in two with his knife, and dropped it into the pot. He handed the second bird to Jimmy. The young man struggled with tearing the breast out, but managed after a couple of tries. He smiled at Kirk as he dropped the split breast into the pot.
Scott had the fire going, using the last bit of the wood they had gathered yesterday. “You making another stew?” Clay asked Kirk.
“Yep. When you need to get the most nutrients out of something, a stew is usually the best way. You get the water and everything that gets absorbed into it.” Clay nodded as Kirk cut up the wild onions he had found, mixed them with the clover, and dropped the greens into the pot.
When the stew was ready, the group filled their bowls. Kirk noticed that Tara hung back from the rest. She got something out of her pack and turned away from the group. Seconds later, she put something back into her pack. Kirk couldn’t make out what it was, but it looked almost like a needle.
As they ate breakfast, the group planned their hike for the day. They would head east of town and cut south for as far as they could get. Scott hoped to cover twenty miles, but Kirk convinced him that it would be better and more realistic to shoot for ten. They found a small creek on Kirk’s road atlas that should make a good place to camp. Kirk instructed them on plants to look out for along the way. He got his edible plant book back from Tara and showed the group some diagrams of some edible plants like thistle, clover, wild onions, and dandelions that they should look for on the way.
By midmorning, the group departed. Kirk felt how they watched him. Only Jimmy and Lucy didn’t watch him like a hawk. He smiled sadly to himself and kept walking.
Chapter 20
On the third afternoon since receiving the garbled CB broadcast, Will and his family came to a fork in the road where Tennessee Highway 53 and Highway 52 met. They had kept to the woods and travelled cross county until the hills and low mountains forced them to the roads late yesterday. Thankfully, they had not encountered any other groups. The few houses and farms they passed appeared uninhabited. Will doubted that they were, but he didn’t want to risk a confrontation.
Will looked at the crossroads. Can’t exactly turn back now. He thought to himself. The north fork would take them to Celina, where he thought the broadcast had originated. He hoped this went well. They were low on supplies. Their remaining ATV had run out of gas soon after they had taken to the roads. They lived off of what they carried on their backs.
Will led the group up the hill to the north, staying to the right side of the three-lane road just in case they needed to take cover in the ditch. When they reached to top of the hill, they encountered the wall. The road here had been excavated into the small mountain, leaving a sheer rock face on either side of the road. Someone had piled cars on top of each other, creating a wall that stretched across the road from rock face to rock face. All except for a single heavy-duty truck parked parallel to the road. Will assumed the truck was the gate. Repurposed hunting stands stood just behind the wall, their shooting platforms high enough above the wall to give the four men inhabiting them a good vantage. All four men trained their guns on the group.
The group followed Will’s lead, slinging their weapons and holding up their hands as they approached the wall. When they were within fifty yards of the wall, one of the men from the watchtowers called down. “Stop right there!”
“What do you people want?” Another armed man said as he and a friend climbed on top of the heavy-duty center truck.
“We heard your CB broadcast and thought this might be a place that would offer refuge to folks with nowhere left to go.” Will shouted back.
“We’ll see.” The man called back. “We’re not taking in just anyone. We have a process. I’m going to explain it to you now. You ready?” The man took out a small notebook.
“Yes, sir.” Will called back.
“First, we are going to ask you some questions. You will answer. If we do not like your answers, you will turn and walk away. If you do not leave or try to get through the barrier, you will be shot.
“If we do like your answers, then you will drop your weapons and supplies and step away from them. We will collect your gear and escort you to a quarantine facility. Once you have passed the three-day quarantine, you will be questioned again. If at any time you do not wish to enter the town or want to leave, we will escort you back outside the city barriers and return your stuff to you. Is this acceptable?”
Will had expected a lot of things coming to Celina. Such a formal, structured process was not one of them. “I’ll need a few minutes to talk this over with my group. Is that ok?”
“Of course. You have five minutes.” The man on the truck shouted back.
“What do you guys think?” Will said as he turned back to his family.
“I don’t know.” Barry said.
“I don’t like the idea of giving up our weapons.” Joey said.
“I agree.” George said.
The women were quiet. “What do you think, mom?” Will asked.
“I’m just wondering about this three-day quarantine. How are we supposed to eat?” Betty said.
“Good point.” Will replied. “What about you, hun?”
“I think the quarantine is a wonderful idea.” Jenny said.
“You do?” Joey asked.
“Yes. They’re being very smart about how they let people in. If they’re as bad off for medical supplies as everywhere else we’ve come across, then you can’t just let someone carrying something infectious into the town. Something as simple as the flu could wipe out a bunch of people. Heaven forbid someone gets in with something like tuberculosis or worse. This place has a good doctor or doctors that are at least doing something to combat epidemics. I’m willing to bet that the last part of the quarantine will be an examination by a medical professional.” Jenny said.
“I’ve been sick. Do you think they’ll keep me out?” Chuck asked.
“You seem to be recovered, dad. As long as you’re not showing any symptoms, you shouldn’t be contagious. They should let you in.”
“What about you, Will? What’s your take on this?” Pam asked.
“I think we should go for it.” Will said. “Whoever’s running this place has managed to keep at least those guys fed. They’ve also managed to not get overrun, although I don’t know if they’ve had to fight off any intruders; but the defenses look pretty strong. I like the fact that they’re looking for multiple threats to the community. If we’re going to try to find a place to live, I think this is as good as we may come across.”
“What if they just take our stuff and kill us while we’re in the quarantine?” Joey asked.
“I don’t think they will.” Will said.
“Why not?” Barry pressed.
“That guy’s reading off a checklist. Either that or he’s just very interested in the little notebook he has. I think that whoever is in charge here has set up a pretty good organization. Not the kind of thing that you would expect from someone who just wants to take all of your stuff.” Will said.
“But what if they do?” Joey said.
“Listen, I can’t promise you that they won’t. I just don’t believe that they will. But if we are going to find a home, we’re going to have to trust someone.” Will said.
“Well,” George said, “let the man know.”
Will turned back toward the man on the truck. “If you take all of our stuff, what will we eat while we are in quarantine?”
“You will be provided with normal rations for your time in quarantine… So, you in?”
“What questions do you have for us?” Will asked.
“Are you travelling as a group or are you individuals?”
“We’re a family.” Will answered back.
“Line up and introduce yourselves. Please list your occupation or any skills that you have that might benefit the town.”
“What sort of skills?” Will asked.
“Just answer the questions.” The man replied.
Will stepped forward. “I’m Will Baker. I am a small engine mechanic. I also served as a Marine.” He pointed to Jenny. “This is my wife, Jenny. She’s a trained nurse. This is her brother Joey Williamson, he’s a supply manager for Wal-Mart and a former Army soldier…”
Will continued with the rest of the family. When he finished, the man on the truck turned and said something to the man beside him. They talked for several seconds before Will interrupted them. “Do we get in?”
The man looked up. “Why do you want to join our town, Mr. Baker?”
“We had our own secluded cabin in southern Tennessee until it was overrun by a band of thieves and raiders. We had to abandon it. We took up residence in an abandoned house we came across until we were chased off from there as well. We want to enter your town to become part of a community. We want to work and contribute to the security of your community.”
The man on the truck fell silent for a few seconds. “Please walk over to the left side of the road and deposit all of your weapons and gear. Once you are done, go back to the other side of the road.”
Will and the family did as the man asked. Men climbed down and removed the cinder blocks under the truck’s tires. The truck rolled back, opening a passage in the car wall. Three men came out of the opening. Two kept their weapons at the ready as they approached Will and his family. The other pulled a small cart and collected their gear. The man they had been speaking with appeared in the opening. “These men are going to be your escort to the quarantine facility. Do not get close to them or try to touch them in any way. If you do, you will be shot.”
Will and the family walked through the opening where two more armed men joined the escort team. Will looked around to see several other men behind the wall. The escorts led them away from the wall and into a small metal building on the edge of town. The family walked in, and the escorts locked the door behind them. Will looked at their new surroundings. Six cots, bedding materials, and a metallic picnic table furnished the room. A couple of buckets labeled dry and liquid waste sat under a pair of makeshift toilets. Will hoped this wasn’t a huge mistake. This would be the end of their family or the greatest gift they could have received.
The woman who opened the quarantine door three days later wore a medical uniform, a surgical mask, and gloves. Two armed men followed behind her. They also wore masks and carried their weapons in gloved hands. The woman spoke. “Good morning. I’m Dr. Moore. I’m here to examine you. Please follow my directions and do not make any sudden moves. My escorts will deal with any aggressive behavior. Do you understand?”
The woman began her exams. She listened to their breathing, to their heartbeats, and used a mercury thermometer to take everyone’s temperature. She took blood pressure readings and looked in their mouths, ears, and noses. When finished, she removed her mask and turned to her guards. “They’re not carrying anything dangerous as far as I can tell. They’re good to go.” She turned back to the family and smiled. “Welcome to Celina.”
The guards removed their masks as well. The one on the right addressed the group. “The Sheriff would like to see you. Please follow me.”
Will balked. “When do we get our gear back?”
“After you meet with the Sheriff.” The man said. “Please follow me.”
The family followed the guards into town for about a mile. Will saw a lot of activity in the town. A couple of tractors worked in the open areas around the town, while men used tillers to plow smaller areas. The group stopped in front of the sheriff’s office. The guards led them into the single-story building, down a short hallway, and into an office toward the back. A tall, skinny, white-haired man with thin, wire-rimmed glasses stood up from behind the desk. A three fifty-seven Smith and Wesson revolver sat holstered on the man’s hip. “Good morning folks. I’m Sheriff Terrance White.”
Will stepped to the front and introduced the group. He noticed the shadowbox hanging on the wall. It contained military memorabilia. “Were you in the Army, Sheriff?”
“Yes.” The Sheriff White. “I moved back here in eighty-eight when I retired from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel. I ran for sheriff the next year and won. Been doin this job for twenty-six years now.”
Will did the math. He guessed the Sheriff would be close to seventy years old. “Well, sir, why did you want to see us?”
“Right to the point. I like that. I don’t usually meet with newcomers right away, but given your group’s skills, particularly the military and nursing experience, I wanted to welcome you personally. Being a small town in rural Tennessee, we don’t have a whole lot of ex-military guys living here. Oh, don’t get me wrong. Our little town is very patriotic and sends several young men and women a year off to the forces. Not many of them ever make it back. They get out into the big wide world, get some training or some college, and end up settling down somewhere else. I’ve only got a handful of ex-military guys living here right now.” The Sheriff looked up at Jenny. “And you can never have too many medically trained people in times like these. I just want to sit down with you folks and personally discuss how you might best fit into the community.”
“Why the emphasis on the military experience?” Joey asked.
“Like you folks told the guys who interviewed you while you were in quarantine, the world’s become a dangerous place. We’ve been lucky so far. We didn’t get a huge wave of people looking to get out of the cities. The town population has just about doubled since everything went south, but it came in smaller groups that we could handle. We’ve got close to twenty-five hundred souls calling Celina home now. After the first big wave of about three hundred folks, we set up the protocols that you went through. Since then, we’ve just been letting in people with skills that the town could use. We’ve been fortunate that we haven’t had to turn away too many people. However, I don’t expect that’ll be the case forever. Folks around these parts are good people, but they’re not s
oldiers. While most of them have guns, they’re hunters and fishers and farmers rather than trained soldiers.”
“The guys at the gate seemed to be pretty disciplined.” Will said.
“They are. Being sheriff, I got to know just about everyone in town. When all of this went bad, I gathered up the folks that I knew had some military experience and deputized them. I had half of them keeping order with my trained deputies and the other half working as cadre to teach the rest of the folks.”
“It seems like you have a pretty good system.” Will said. “What do you need from us?”
“While my folks have pretty good discipline for regular folks in irregular times, the more men I can get with the type of training you’ve had, the better.”
“I see.” Will said. He looked up to the wall behind the sheriff. A large map of Celina hung on the wall. Will saw the chokepoints and defensive positions had been highlighted in red. Green plots that he assumed to be farms filled in the open areas. Some buildings had been colored blue.
“You like the map, son?” The sheriff asked.
“Yeah, it looks like you have everything drawn out pretty well.” Will said.
“Thank you.” Sheriff White said as he turned to point out some of the highlights on the map. “As you can see, we’ve got barricades set up on all three of the roads into town. The mountains and the river create a natural barrier for the rest. We’ve got enough open land inside the perimeter to farm enough food to live off of and some pasture land too. We’ve even got some set aside for cotton and other utilitarian crops, just in case this thing drags out for more than a year.”
“We noticed some of the tractors working the fields as we walked into town.” Barry said. “How do you still have fuel? How have you got all of this set up with no supplies coming in? The other towns we’ve seen or heard of have been a hot mess.”
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