by A. American
With the rain now spent, the sky was clear, and I could see the stars shining brightly overhead. There were even more stars visible now, or so it seemed. But it only made sense. With nearly all man-made pollution gone, the sky was clearing up. It was like stepping back in time, to a time before the Industrial Age. Approaching the bunker, I could hear voices, certainly more than just Perez and Ian.
Someone turned on a light as I approached. “Hey Morgan. Look what we found,” Mike said.
Turning his head, the light fell onto a man on the ground. “Who the hell is that?”
“He’s one of the people that’s been watching us,” Dalton said.
“Where’d you guys find him?”
“Dalton found a hide over behind Tyler’s place. We laid up an ambush and managed to bag this turd,” Ted replied.
I looked down at the man. He was wearing mismatched camo and worn sneakers. He had a camo ball cap on his head with the logo of some concrete company on it.
“He doesn’t look like DHS to me,” I said.
“He’s not. I think he’s part of Billy’s group,” Ted said.
“He looks a little rough even for that bunch.”
“We’ll find out soon enough. When the old man gets ahold of him, he’ll talk,” Mike said.
“He is persuasive,” I replied.
The man never looked up, choosing instead to keep his eyes on the ground in front of him. I kicked his foot, but he still wouldn’t look up. Looking at Ted, I said, “You guys taking him home with you?” Ted nodded, and I looked back at the man and kicked his foot again. “Take my advice, make it easy on yourself and just answer the questions. We’re not going to kill you, but that old bastard will make you wish you were dead.”
Mike grabbed the man by his arm and jerked him up, “On your feet, shithead.” They led the man away towards their house, leaving me and Dalton in the darkness.
“You can take off. Danny will be here in a minute,” I said to Dalton.
Dalton rolled his shoulders, “I’m good. We laid in our hides for hours. I need to stand up.”
I went down into the bunker and grabbed the NVGs from where they hung. Coming back outside, I fired them up and took a look around. With the clear sky, I could see quite well. Hearing footsteps, I looked back to see Danny coming down the road.
“Yo!” I called out. He responded in kind.
When he got to the bunker, we filled him in on the night’s events. He listened to Dalton then asked, “How did you get him?”
“Oh that was easy. He didn’t come in until after dark, and we had night vision. We watched him walk up, and I just stood behind a big tree. He came ditty bopping down the trail with his rifle slung over his shoulder. When he passed me, I just stepped out and quickly put him in a sleeper hold. Wasn’t even a fight.”
Danny laughed, “You guys are nuts. I don’t know if I could do that. Just reach out and grab someone.”
“It gets easier the more you do it.”
Now it was my turn to laugh, “The more you do it. Just how many people have you, put to sleep?”
Dalton shrugged, “How many grains of sand on the beach?” Danny and I both laughed at the reply.
“I can count how many I have, three. Only people I ever put to sleep were my daughters when they were babies,” I said.
Dalton cocked his head to the side and said, “You put babies in a sleeper hold?” he laughed after making his little joke.
I shook my head, “You’re not right.”
“You going to hang out or go get some sleep?” Danny asked.
“I’ll hang out. Might go in and take a nap in the bunker.”
“Go on inside and we’ll hang out here,” Danny replied.
“Wake me up if something happens,” Dalton said as he ducked down into the bunker. He came back out almost immediately with a bucket. “What the hell is this? Smells like piss.” I looked back. Dalton swirled the liquid around for a moment and sniffed it, “It is piss! Who the hell keeps a bucket of piss?”
I laughed, “I guess the girls used it for a latrine.”
Dalton walked over to the side of the road and dumped it. “We need to do something about this. That’s just nasty.”
“I’ll sort something out today. We need a way for the girls to go when they’re up here,” Danny said.
“I’ll help,” Dalton said as he tossed the bucket to the side of the road and went back inside.
Danny and I went to the front of the bunker and sat down on it. With the top rising above the ground it was about the perfect height. We talked in soft whispers to kill the time. As always, we’d scan the area with the NVGs from time to time, but the night would thankfully prove to be uneventful. When the sky started to lighten in the east, I saw headlights swing out onto the road from one of the small side streets. I figured Sarge would be here early, but he was even earlier than I had anticipated.
He pulled up beside us and stopped, “We’re going to get Mary. Be right back.” I nodded and he pulled off.
“You guys going into town?” Danny asked.
“Yeah, I guess they’re bringing in some stuff. The clinic is the most important. We’ll see what they bring.”
“Thankfully, we haven’t really needed the clinic until that shooting. I hope it goes back to the way it was.”
I looked over at him, “We may not have needed it, but those folks in town sure do.”
“You keep messing with Thad, and you’re going to need the clinic,” Danny said with a laugh.
I laughed, “You should have seen him when we were walking home.” Thinking about it got me to really laughing. “It was hilarious. When I asked what kind of snake it was, he replied, it was a snake kind of snake!”
Sarge pulled back up in the Hummer. “Saddle up, buttercup. Time to make like a baby and head out.”
I shook my head and couldn’t help but smile, “They’re getting worse by the day.” As I got in, I asked, “You learn anything from that guy?”
Sarge waved me off, “I ain’t even talked to him. He’s stewin’ in his juices right now.” Sarge looked out at Danny, “Thad will be up here shortly.”
Danny nodded, “That’s cool. Dalton’s in the bunker asleep.”
Just as he said that, Dalton emerged from the entrance. Rubbing his head, he said, “I was. You’re a noisy ass bunch.”
Sarge looked over at me, then back at Dalton. “Damn, I should have become a psychiatrist.” Dalton looked at him and leaned back against the bunker, waiting for what was surely to come. Sarge didn’t disappoint. “That way, I could get paid to pretend I give a shit.”
Dalton chuckled. “Don’t you have a leg to hump somewhere?”
Sarge smiled, “That I do, and it ain’t going to hump itself!” he shouted as he stomped on the gas and we pulled out.
I spun around and smiled at Mary, “Good morning. How are you doing out this early?”
She smiled in return, “I’m good. I’m always up early.”
I reached back and slapped Doc’s leg. He ducked down through the turret, “Sup?”
I smiled a broad cheesy grin, “Mornin’ Sunshine.”
Doc shook his head saying, “You ain’t right,” and disappeared back up top.
We headed out to nineteen and towards Eustis. It was still very early, the sun just barely peeking above the horizon. The road was littered with debris from trees. The rain had pulled all manner of crap down. Other than the debris though, the road was empty. We quickly passed the Kangaroo and I saw one person there setting up for the day’s trading. Seeing the market made me think of Mario and Shelly. It had been a little while since I had seen them; maybe we’d go look them up on the way back.
We made it to Eustis without issue. After pulling through the barricade, I wanted
to see the progress of Cecil’s crops. As we moved through town, it was obvious he’d been very busy. Every possible space in town that could be planted, was. But studying the progress, it just didn’t look like it would be enough. Even the green space where the old hospital once stood was planted. The corn was now poking out of the soil. But we needed more land, and I had an idea.
Sheffield and Livingston met us as soon as we got out of the truck. They looked amped up and ready to go.
“Plan’s changed a bit,” Livingston said.
“How so?” Sarge asked.
“We’re going to use the front parking lot as an LZ. The first Chinook will land there and unload. Once we move everything, the second one will sling in a bladder of fuel.”
Sarge shrugged, “Whatever floats your boat. Have you talked to them this morning?”
“Yeah, they’re in the air already.”
“Then all we’ve got to do is wait,” Sarge replied as he climbed up onto the hood of the Hummer.
“Have you seen Cecil this morning?” I asked.
“Not yet; he’ll be around later,” Livingston replied. Shaking his head, he added, “That guy is something else. All he does is work; he doesn’t stop.”
“I could see that coming in, but I don’t think it’s going to be enough.”
Livingston looked surprised, “What do you mean? We’ve got crops planted everywhere.”
“Yeah, but there isn’t more than an acre or two in any one place. We need more, a lot more. I’ve got a place in mind not far from here where there’s probably sixty acres of open ground we could plant.”
“How far from here?” Livingston asked.
“Couple of miles up nineteen, not far.”
“How would we secure that? It would just get picked clean at night.”
I laughed, “That’s why you’d have to position people over there. Set up a camp and cycle some of your people through it.”
Livingston swept his arm out, “We’re already providing security for all the crops here.”
“True; but now that the Eustis PD is back in the picture, we can use them to keep an eye on things here. That will free up your people, and you can move some of them out to the other farm. Because it would be a farm.”
Livingston thought about it for a minute. “I guess you’re right. If the police step up, we could do that.” He looked at me, “But they have to stick around. No disappearing.”
“I think they will. Seeing you guys here gave them the confidence to come back. I can’t blame them for leaving. Hell, I would have done the same thing.”
The thumping of an approaching Chinook ended our conversation. We moved around the armory to the north parking lot to watch as they came in. These machines always amazed me. The two huge rotors beating the air to carry the massive machine aloft was a sight to witness, from the ground anyway. I had no desire to ride in one. The thing looked to me like it defied the laws of physics; and I didn’t want to be around if the law won.
The two choppers came in and circled once before the leader began his descent to the parking lot. The pilot made it look so easy as he drifted down, sliding in sideways for the last bit as the tires connected with the asphalt. Sheffield and Livingston had their people ready and they were at the back of the big machine as the load master lowered the ramp. Several people ran down the ramp; and with the help of the crew and the Guardsmen, the supplies inside were unloaded. The pilots stayed in the cockpit with the engines roaring, ready to take off in an instant.
Some of the material was on pallets, and thankfully Sheffield had come up with a couple of pallet jacks from somewhere. This really expedited the off load. Faster than I would have believed, the machine was empty. The crew chiefs were leaning out of their positions to make sure no obstructions created a hazard as the pilots applied power and the behemoth began to lift off. It wasn’t long before it was climbing high into the sky and falling in behind the other with its sling load of fuel.
Once the first machine was at altitude, the second began its approach. This one was a little different, as they didn’t have to actually touch down. The pilot demonstrated exceptional skill as he brought the load slung beneath him in and seemed to make the load arrest its forward momentum right over the parking lot. As soon as the bladder was steady he began to slowly drop it down while his two crew chiefs leaned out, calling distance to him. Once the bag was on the ground, someone inside released the cable holding it, and the machine began to climb up to join his wingman.
The whole operation went fast and smoothly. I was surprised at how quickly it all happened. But in short order, we were standing in silence among the piles of material just delivered. Doc immediately found the medical personnel, and they were quickly sorting out where to put the clinic. Sheffield and Livingston joined the discussion, having their own ideas about where it needed to be. I stayed by the Hummer. None of this was up to me; and I thought it better if I just stayed out of the way. Sarge was still sitting on the hood, paying little attention to the activity.
“Why aren’t you helping them figure out where to set up?” I asked.
Sarge leaned back, resting on his hands. “For the same reason you’re not. It ain’t my business.”
“I’m going to see if I can find Cecil,” I said as I looked around.
Sarge hopped off the truck, “I’m going to go through some of this shit and find what’s ours before these booger eaters steal it all.”
I left Sarge and headed off towards the gate. Quite a crowd had formed to watch the show this morning, and I had to make my way through them. As I did, I was peppered with questions.
“What’s on those helicopters?” A man asked as I passed him.
I shrugged, “Army shit I guess.”
“When are they going to bring in some food? We’re starving!” A woman shouted.
“I don’t know,” I lied about that one.
“If they’ve got helicopters and stuff, they should be able to help us!” Another voice shouted.
I finally made my way through the crowd. I didn’t see Cecil, but didn’t really expect to. I had an idea where I could find him. I made my way towards the lake and the crops planted along its edge. I wandered along for a while, looking at the plants in their various stages of growth. It did look like a lot; and it would be for a family or two, but not for a whole community. In that context, it was woefully inadequate.
I eventually found Cecil. Like me, he was wandering around the lakeshore, checking on his crops. The sun was finally up, and the price the rain brought from the heat would now come due. As I walked towards him, steam rose from the saturated ground as the sun climbed higher into the sky.
“Morning Cecil, looks like it’s going to be a blister of a day.”
Cecil looked up and smiled. In the way of some old men, he stood with his hands on the back of his hips and looked up. “I think you’re right. Sun’s gonna boil all that water off and it will be like a damn jungle.”
“The rain was nice; but it comes with a price,” I replied with a chuckle.
Cecil turned and looked back towards the armory, “You boys get a delivery this morning?”
“They brought in a field hospital and some other stuff.”
Cecil nodded, “That’s good. Them poor people are sufferin’ something terrible up there. When I saw those birds coming in, it reminded me of a little mountaintop firebase I was on in Vietnam. We called them things shit hooks,” he laughed. “I hated riding in them. Just seemed unnatural that the thing could or should fly.”
I laughed, “I know what you mean. They say the bumblebee shouldn’t be able to fly. Guess no one ever told them.”
Cecil gave out a laugh. I liked him; he was an easy person to be around. “You just out inspecting the crops this morning?” He asked me.
“No; act
ually, I was looking for you.” I looked around at the small patches of planted ground. “I really don’t think this is going to be enough for everyone here.”
Cecil snorted, “Hell no it ain’t! I tried to tell that snot-nosed Captain up there; but like all brass, he won’t listen. You hang some color on an asshole’s collar, and he thinks he knows it all. Sad part is they usually don’t learn until people are dead.”
“How much land do you think you could plant?” I asked.
Cecil shrugged, “No limit really. The deciding factor is fuel, manpower and seed. We’ve still got quite a bit of seed.” Cecil winked and leaned in close, as if he were about to offer up a secret. “I’ve found more seed, by the way.”
Surprised, I asked him, “Where?”
He smiled broadly, exposing large white, straight teeth, “That’s a need to know-only basis. And you don’t need to know, Sheriff.”
I chuckled at him. “As long as you know, I don’t give a shit.”
“And that’s how it should be!” He barked in reply.
“I’ve got an idea about a place we could plant. It’s a lot of beautiful open land.”
“Where you thinking?”
I pointed north, “You know where that big piece of property is on forty-four just east of nineteen?”
Cecil nodded. “Yeah; on the north side of the road there across the road from the Trout Lake Center.” He paused and shook his head, “You ever hear of a dumber name for a lake in Florida? Trout Lake. There ain’t no trout in that damn lake!”
He cracked me up, “You’re right about that. Always thought the same thing. But that is the place I’m talking about.”
Cecil rubbed his chin as he thought about it. “That’s awful far from here. It’d probably get picked clean before we ever got the first bean from it.”
“I’ve already talked to old Snot Nose. They’ve agreed to station some soldiers there to provide security. We could also move some folks in there to tend to everything.”