by P. A. Glaspy
“Charlotte, honey? You in here? Where is everybody?” He looked around and was immediately concerned when he didn’t see or hear any of his family. He raced to each bedroom, calling out their names. He was just about to go into full on panic mode when he heard talking coming up from the basement. He rounded the corner to see his wife, daughters, and granddaughter coming through the basement door, the girls’ arms loaded with home canned goods.
“Jim? Is that you running around up here? What’s the matter?”
Jim ran to his family and wrapped them in a group hug before stepping back and scolding them.
“Why wasn’t anyone watching the front?!? The door was unlocked. Anybody could have just walked in here! And what were you doing going down those stairs, honey? You could have tripped, fallen, and broken your neck.”
Charlotte told the girls to set their jars down on the table next to the rabbits and put her left hand on her hip while the right steadied her on a cane.
“I wanted them to bring a few things up so we don’t have to keep going up and down the stairs. I’m sorry about the front not being guarded, but we were only down there about ten minutes, Jim. What could happen that fast?”
“I’ll show you. Follow me. Everybody.”
Jim walked to the door, took his watch off and handed it to Shannon. “Once I get on the other side of the gate, start timing me. Y’all wait here.”
He walked down the driveway to the gate. He wanted to show them exactly how it would happen, so he climbed the fence. Once there, he yelled back to the house, “Okay, darlin’, start timing!”
He climbed the fence and walked back toward them. The driveway was about five hundred feet long. He walked at a pretty brisk pace, but not running. When he stepped up on the porch, he hollered, “Time!”
Shannon looked at the watch, then back to her grandfather. “Two minutes, Grandpa.”
He looked at his wife. “Two minutes, honey. Had I been running, like someone who was trying to get here as quickly as possible, maybe one minute or less. In the remaining seven or eight minutes they would have walked through the front door, found you all together in the basement, and I don’t even want to think about what could have transpired before I got here. Bad things happen fast. We can’t stop being vigilant for a second.”
Carrie put her arm around her mother’s shoulder. “I was supposed to be on watch. It’s my fault. I’m sorry, Dad. It won’t happen again. It’s just really hard to keep an eye on everything, and get the things done in here we need to do…”
Jim nodded. “Yes, sweetie, it’s very hard for just the five of us to take care of and secure this place. Honestly, it’s impossible. Let’s go inside. We need to talk about what happened while I was out hunting.”
Jim’s mind was pretty much made up that they needed to take Monroe up on his offer while he was walking home. Since he had gotten there, events had sealed the deal for him. Now he just needed to talk his wife and daughters into leaving their home. Good luck with that, buddy.
****
After hours of talking, arguing, crying, and finally planning, they decided as a family that moving to the farm was indeed the best option for them for the foreseeable future. The girls were devastated at the thought of leaving their home, but Jim assured them that he could get back on foot in about 30 minutes if needed. He was relatively sure once they left the house that it would be open season on whatever they left behind for the scavengers, so he told his family to take anything they didn’t want to lose. They spent the rest of the evening packing clothes into anything they could find (Jim reminded them to take the winter stuff as well, just in case), all the canned goods they had put up, and loading it all into the motorhome. When that was done, they went to the garden and pulled everything that was ready, loading it into baskets which also went into the camper. When they had finished, there was barely any open space in their motorhome.
“Jim, how is this going to work? We have so much stuff in here, there’s no place to sit, much less sleep. Do we have to take all of it now? Our house isn’t far from the Warrens, surely we could use someone’s truck to come back if we needed some of this stuff. Winter clothes? It’s May. We won’t need winter stuff for at least five or six months. Surely things will be back to normal by then. I really think we should leave most of this stuff here and just come back if we need it.”
Jim shook his head. “Char, you need to look at this like we may never come back here. Once we leave, there’s no one to watch the place, so anybody can come in here, see we’ve left, and take the place apart looking for anything of value we might have left behind. They could burn it to the ground out of spite. It won’t be safe to come back here for anything and there’s no guarantee anything would still be here if we did. Monroe has lots of storage space – barns, sheds, garages – so we’ll have places to put the things we aren’t using when we get there. The food will go into their food stores. They cook for the group, so we don’t even have to worry about keeping those supplies in the camper. This will just be for sleeping and if we need to get away for some quiet time. They have a small community set up and they want to expand and bring in more people. It will be much safer there, especially for you and the girls.”
“Why are you so worried about us? Did you hear something you haven’t told us?”
Jim had intentionally left out the story about the attempted abduction of Casey Callen, hoping to shield them from some of the ugliness this new world was serving up. He could see he would have to tell them now, so they would understand his urgency to get them relocated to a safer place. Once he had related the horror of that situation to his family, he could tell by the shocked looks on their faces that despicable acts like the ones Alan and his crew were perpetuating had not crossed their minds. Normal people don’t go out of their way to hurt others. Living in the country had sheltered them from the ugliest scenarios the pulse had caused.
Knowing what the world was like now gave them a sense of urgency they didn’t have before to get moving. They spent the rest of the evening finalizing their packing. More than once Charlotte broke down at the thought of leaving her home. They had bought the place right after they got married and had the house built custom for them.
“I can’t believe we might never see it again. This is the only home our girls have ever known. Are you sure this is the best way to go?”
“Yes, Honey, I’m sure. After what Monroe told me, we’ve been damn lucky to have not had any more trouble than we have so far. The Glass brothers are angels compared to the guys they ran into at the Callen place. We need the safety of their numbers. Things are going to get worse. Much worse. We need them. They need us. We need to do this.”
Charlotte nodded reluctantly and dried her eyes. “Okay then. No more boo-hooing. First thing in the morning, go let them know that we’re moving in. It will be good to see Millie and Monroe again. I just hope we can make it work.”
“We’ll make it work. We have to make it work. Our girls’ lives depend on it.”
Jim had no idea how right he was. Trouble was coming, fast.
****
The tractor was able to pull the motorhome, but it was very slow going. By the time they got it back the next day, it was well into the afternoon. Everyone was exhausted once we’d finished stowing the food they’d brought in the root cellar (which was definitely at maximum capacity at this point) and the extra clothing and personal supplies in one of the trailers we’d brought. With everything out, there was less weight and Pete was able to push it where Monroe had designated for them, close to the outhouse, but not too close. With a portable tank for their black water that could be hauled to the outhouse to empty, Charlotte and the girls were given the privacy of their own bathroom.
The arrival of two available women caused a bit of excitement among the single men. Almost immediately it seemed they weren’t as scruffy or gamey as they had been the day before. Even the younger boys appeared to be a bit cleaner, what with a teenage girl on the place. Ben and
Rusty actually asked Janet to cut their hair, and when the Thompson boys heard there was a potential barber, they requested a trim as well. When Mike, Bill, and Ryan lined up, Bob started teasing the lot of them.
“Well, look at all you fellas wantin’ to get beautified all of a sudden. You’d think there was a Sadie Hawkins dance coming up or somethin’. You do know the world has gone to shit, right? Why you all so worried about what you look like? It couldn’t have anything to do with our new arrivals, now could it? Y’all are pathetic. You’d think you never saw a gal before.”
Janet gave him the stink eye. “You might think about some personal grooming yourself, dear. Your hair is getting a bit long, and apparently you’ve lost your razor in the move.”
“Honey, it’s the end of the world. No one shaves in the end of the world. They do good to wash up from time to time. We’ve got more important things to worry about than shaving.”
Janet looked at the three clean shaven men waiting for a haircut. “Apparently that doesn’t apply to everyone. Only married men.”
Monroe rounded the corner just then, clean shaven as well. Janet looked at her uncle, then her husband. “Apparently it only applies to you then.”
The haircut crew laughed, Monroe looked confused, and Bob just got in line behind Ryan, who was the last guy. Ryan turned to him with a smirk. Bob shot him a look that could take out a small town.
“Don’t say one damn word, Lawton.”
They all lost it then, and the three men all held up their pinky finger in Bob’s direction. Bob responded with his own finger gesture.
Even though he didn’t know what was going on, Monroe grinned at them. “When you fellas are done getting purty we need to work the Dotsons into the security schedule, Mike. Not Charlotte or the girl, but Jim and his daughters are all excellent shooters. They’re almost enough for another team by themselves. They brought food that would last them damn near a year, so we don’t even have to worry about planting anything else just yet. Jim, Ashley, and Carrie will help with the hunting, too.” The last comment was directed at the Lawtons, since they had pretty much assumed the hunting duties, leaving others free to perform other tasks. Ryan perked up and a huge grin spread across his face.
“They hunt, too? Oh man, I know I’m falling in love now.”
“Easy, little brother. Getting a haircut ain’t gonna make you pretty. Your face still looks like you’re getting over the chicken pox. You might scare the hell out of them.”
“Pfft. Just gives me character. Makes me look bad ass.”
Bob put in, “If by bad ass you mean it looks bad and you’re an ass, then yes, yes it does.”
“Whatever, Pinky.”
Ryan turned his back on Bob as the rest of the men, including Monroe, busted out laughing again. Janet had not yet heard her husband referred to by the new nickname and looked questioningly at him. He just shook his head vigorously, as if to say, Drop it, honey. Don’t ask.
Mike got control of himself. “I’ll give them a couple of days to get settled, then we’ll move them into the rotation. Do they have a preference of whether they are together or not? I really think Carrie should stay back. I don’t want to risk anything happening to our new nurse.”
“Me either, and I’ve tried to tell her that myself, but she’s adamant. I think they’re worried about earning their keep here, which is horse shit and I’ve told them that, too. Maybe we could come up with a new addition to the detail that keeps her, Kate, and Millie close to the house. Maybe watching the new fence line the guys are putting up. Yeah, while you fellas are getting all trimmed up, Russ and the rest of them are running new fence. I reckon you’re allowed a bye, since most of you just came off watch, but make sure you go check to see if they need any help when you’re done. Pete is on the tractor cutting the new path behind the Thompson place where you marked it, so you should probably go check his progress as well. Matt, since she’s about done with you, you hustle back there and check on him. I didn’t want him to go without a body guard, but he said he wanted to get started on it before it got dark, and already had the tractor out from moving the motorhome in, so he went on.”
Mike looked concerned. “No, he should not have gone without someone to watch his back. Janet, I’ll catch up with you later on the haircut. I don’t want him alone. He’s barely learned to fire a gun, and he sure wouldn’t hear anybody coming in on him over that tractor.”
With that, Mike headed toward the house. Bill stepped out of line and followed him. “Wait up, Mike. I’ll go with you. I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about, but just in case…”
“Okay, I’ll meet you at the new fence. Let me get my stuff.”
Ryan called after them. “You guys need me to come with you?”
Mike shook his head. “Nah, I think we can handle it. You need to stay here and let Janet see what she can do about making you not so scary looking. I’m sure she does great cutting hair, but the rest of you…well, she won’t have much to work with.”
Bill slapped him on the back with a snicker. Ryan picked up a dirt clod and hurled it after them. They side-stepped it and kept going. Ryan mumbled under his breath, “Assholes. No brotherly love here.” Then he yelled after them, “I don’t have to take this kind of abuse! You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone! Someday!”
Bill turned and walked backward, antagonizing his little brother as he went. “How can I miss you when you won’t leave??”
He laughed, and turned back toward the bunkhouse, where he was heading to grab his guns and pack. They weren’t expecting any trouble, but they wanted to be ready, just in case. They weren’t ready. They just didn’t know it.
CHAPTER 24
Clay and Jay Glass had done alright hitting up the people in the area for help. While not everyone had donated to their food fund, a lot had and some had been good for more than one round of supplies. Two times was pretty much the limit of the neighbors’ generosity, however. After that, they got comments like “maybe you fellas should try hunting or fishing.” Jay was open to that. He had even talked to more than one person about them possibly teaching the guys how to clean game. Clay, on the other hand, was more interested in what he could get without that much work.
The Glass family was the result of a system that rewarded individuals for not being productive members of society. Rhonda Glass had been “disabled” after a stack of cases of plastic bowls toppled over on her two years earlier at a warehouse store. That just happened to coincide with the government assistance running out she was receiving for being a single mother, as Jay was just about to turn 18. She had never worked a regular job and neither had her sons. They didn’t know how to take care of themselves because they had never had to do it. “Uncle Sam” had provided their income.
They lived in a small trailer park where the rent was cheap. The owner, Keith Bilton, had been harassing Rhonda for the rent money for two weeks. She had told him more than once that she couldn’t pay him until she got her disability check, and with everything shut down she had no idea when that would be. He told her she had until the end of the month, then she was out unless she figured out some way to pay. So now, besides trying to get food, they needed to get their hands on some money as well. None of them yet realized that paper money had no value anymore.
Clay had been scoping out houses where there had been no answer from inside when they knocked asking for food. He hadn’t had to break in to any yet, though he chose to try at the Dotson home, only because he knew they were sitting on a buttload of food they were being stingy with. He was sure the Warren place was a goldmine of supplies, but there were just too many of them with guns in there. There was no way just he and his brother could get in and out of there. Plus, it would have been a lot of work. No, they would work the empty houses first.
They starting breaking into any house where no one answered their knock. They took all the food they could find. Then they rummaged through closets, drawers, and medicine cabinets looking for valuables and prescripti
on meds. They were rewarded with some cash but mostly a whole lot of guns and ammo. They took it all without knowing that was one of the new currencies. They siphoned gas out of any vehicle they found sitting. They had five-gallon cans piled up under their trailer. Keith had let them use his old pickup, which was still running, in exchange for them keeping gas in it, and a percentage of whatever they looted. They gave him half the cash, about a quarter of the food, all the live animals they had stolen (since he knew how to clean them and they didn’t), but none of the weapons. Even Clay had figured out that, at some point, they were going to have to start taking from people who refused to share what they had with their neighbors. They’d need the guns for that when the time came. In a world where there was no longer government assistance, or factories making food and clothes, it was the strongest and smartest who would survive. Those who were willing to do whatever they had to in order to get what they needed. Clay intended to be a survivor. His brother had no choice but to be one as well. Their momma had taken care of them their whole lives. They’d take care of her now, no matter what they had to do to make that happen.
****
It was purely a coincidence that the Glass brothers ran into Alan and his crew. It was ironic that it happened at the Dotson house. Over Jay’s objections, Clay wanted to scope the place out, to see if there was a way to breach the house, or at least the basement, without being seen.
“Jay, I’m telling you, they are sitting on a mountain of food in there. That old lady can cook, and she can put up what she cooks and grows. It ain’t fair, them havin’ all that and not sharin’ with others. It ain’t neighborly. Plus, I guarantee they got piles of guns and ammo. Old man Dotson is known all over the county for his huntin’ skills. We’ve about run through all the empty places out here. We’re gonna have to start makin’ folks share with us.”