The End of America

by Pete Thorsen

  “Yes the panels run it just fine. We are hoping to find a small chest freezer so Don can shoot a deer or something to provide us with some meat. We don’t want any of the meat to spoil. Don added some more panels and batteries to make sure we would have enough power to run the freezer if we do find a smaller one somewhere.”

  “Do you have a well that the solar panels run also?”

  “We have what Don called a ‘spring house’ just above the house. It does not require anything to work and we have running water in the house. The water pressure is pretty low but I’m not complaining. We even have hot water.”

  “Who’s the owner of the house?”

  “Some guy in New Jersey. If he ever shows up we will move out of his house. In the mean time its working out very well for us.”

  “I don’t think you have to worry about the owner ever showing up. Be a shame for the house to just sit empty. Seems like you made some improvements too.”

  “Some friends found us a large full propane tank that we were able to haul up and connect to the house. It did have only one small little tank.”

  “Must have been good friends to give you something like that tank.”

  “We kinda traded for the propane but we gave them a whole big truck full of food. They were in the town and are all gone now.”

  “Can I ask what happened to them? You don’t have to answer if it hurts to think about it.”

  “I’m trying to be strong. I was pretty bad when my husband died. We don’t know for sure what happened to the townsfolk. We think it must have been a gang or something. They were all shot as far as we know. Do you have enough food for Murgatroyd?”

  “I do have some food for him but he can get off his lazy butt and get his own food outside. I let him lick the bones when I get a rabbit or squirrel. Don’t want to spoil him any.”

  Bev could tell the cat was borderline fat so Sam was obviously feeding him plenty.

  “You two can wash up for lunch in here (pointing at a door). And just set that lazy cat outside.”

  They took turns washing up in the bathroom. The water faucet worked fine so Sam had something hooked up to provide running water inside from the windmill, likely a storage tank that was set higher than the house.

  They sat back down at the table and the three of them had a nice lunch and talked together most of the afternoon. They learned a lot about each other and Sam told them to stop up here anytime. When it got well into the afternoon they finally said they should be heading back home and said goodbye to Sam and Murgatroyd.

  The ride home was done in a much better mood than the drive up. Both were happy to find someone else alive and in their ‘neighborhood’. Don still brushed out their tracks though after they turned into their driveway. There was no reason for anyone to drive up this winding dirt road but they would be as careful as they could anyway.

  On the way into the house Bev gave Don a quick hug and thanked him for finding Sam and Murgatroyd. She said they were just what she needed. Don just said ‘we aim to please’ and left it at that.

  After supper they both paged through the stack of books they had brought home today from the one vacant house. The amount of now very valuable information contained in the books was incredible.

  Day Nineteen

  to Day Twenty Three

  The next day they both puttered around at home with Don working outside and Bev working mostly inside. In the afternoon Don told Bev he was just going for a short walk and would be back in few minutes. This one time she let him go by himself. He was back in about a half hour and had two squirrels he had bagged with his 22 rifle.

  It had been years since he had skinned out any game but it came back quickly. That night he fixed the two squirrels for supper and Bev said they tasted OK but there wasn’t much meat there. Don agreed and said he might just leave the squirrels for Murgatroyd and Bev thought that was a good idea.

  The following day they decided to go searching for a small freezer. They got out to the highway and stopped at many houses and went through them. They did find some stuff they put in the truck including a bunch more food. They found a couple freezers but they were full sized ones and both had food inside and after opening them they wished they hadn’t.

  Don did find another golf cart and put the batteries in the truck. He also stopped at a couple cars and siphoned gas into the truck and then filled two five gallon gas cans to bring home. In one garage there were two mountain bikes that they both thought they should bring home. The bikes would let them travel way faster than walking if something happened to the truck. With the pickup box about full they returned home for the night.

  In the morning they resumed their search for the small freezer. Again they found a few things in each house they went through but still no freezer. Then in the early afternoon Don hit a jackpot in one garage. There was an odd looking pickup up on blocks in the garage. The keys were in it and when Don jumped it with the truck it started and seemed to run fine. When Bev asked what it was Don said it was an old Ford Falcon pickup from the early sixties. They both decided to make it a gift for Sam. It took a little bit for Don to get it off the blocks but the tires were still aired up and Bev drove it out of the garage. Since it was still early they left for Sam’s house to drop it off.

  Sam was all smiles when they pulled up at his place with the two rigs. When Bev told him he could have the odd the little pickup he just glowed with happiness and she thought she could see tears in his eyes. He said he had once owned a Falcon car of the same vintage and had really liked it. He had never expected to ever have one again.

  He asked them to stay for supper but Don said he didn’t want to drive home after dark as the bright headlights could be seen on the hill for many miles. Reluctantly Sam agreed with him that it would certainly draw attention to them. They all said their goodbyes and the two left for their house leaving a very happy Sam behind.

  The next morning they were back on the road looking for their freezer. It happened at the third ‘vacant’ house they stopped at. Don stopped the truck and they both got out and started toward the house when Don thought he saw a shadow through a window. He jumped back and grabbed his rifle while yelling a warning to Bev.

  She turned to look at him and a shot rang out from the house. Don saw Bev fall and he had his rifle by that time. He started shooting just below the window where he saw the shadow. He shot until the magazine was empty and dropped the empty mag and seated a fresh one and continued shooting until that mag was empty also. Then he dropped his rifle and ran to Bev’s side. Don could see blood all over her chest but the blood seemed to no longer be pumping out. He called her name repeatedly while touching her neck to check for a pulse which he knew would not be there.

  When he finally realized she was gone he let out a roar, got to his feet, and ran towards the house while drawing his pistol. The front door stood no chance against his charge as he kicked it so hard the wood jam was just splinters and the door swung open and smashed against the inside wall. Don stormed into the house looking for something or someone to kill. In the living room he saw a man lying on the floor in a pool of blood with a rifle lying nearby. Don fired many shots into the body that was already dead. He then ran through the rest of the house kicking in any door that was closed but found no one else to kill.

  Walking shakily back outside breathing heavily he again knelt by Bev’s side. He dropped his pistol and picked her up to cradle her in his arms. Then he just held her and slowly rocked back and forth with no comprehension to time passing by.

  When at some time later he came back to reality he laid Bev back down and tried to stand. His legs wouldn’t work and he ended up just rolling on his side and relished the pain that was radiating up from his legs. He lay there some time before he could slowly start moving his aching legs.

  After awhile he managed to stand and felt himself moving. The rest of the day for Don seemed to flow in and out of reality. He seemed to remember a flash where he was driving his pickup then he
saw himself with a shovel. The next thing he remembered he was in his house and it was dark. Then he seemed to wake up and someone was shaking him and calling his name then it was gone again. Finally when he got his eyes open Sam was standing over him with a worried look on his face. It seemed to be early morning or early evening.

  “Don can you hear me? You have to stay awake.”

  He tried to sit up when he realized he was in bed and felt Sam help steady and lift him to a sitting position. He tried to talk but his mouth was so dry he could only make a weak croak. Sam was holding a glass of water to his lips and he made an effort to drink. Then he started to choke but a little of the water did manage go down.

  Sam continued to keep trying to get him to drink until about half of the glass of water was down his throat and the rest was running down his chest. He tried to stand but Sam held him down to the sitting position. Slowly he started to feel a little bit stronger and managed to croak out something that sounded like “water”. This time the glass of water was only half full and he got most of it down his throat before some more choking.

  He just sat there for a time before he remembered and said “Bev”. He could feel the tears running down his face.

  “You just sit there for a few minutes and then we’ll see if you can eat something.”

  Don just sat still and tried hard not to think of anything. He could hear Sam moving around and he realized his eyes were shut. Now when he opened his eyes he saw the lights were on and Sam was coming back.

  “OK. I got a little soup for you to try to get down. We’ll take this real slow. Do you think you can hold the spoon?”

  Don moved his arms some and opened and closed his hands a few times. Then he nodded his head. Sam pulled a chair up closer to the bed and held the small bowl of soup that was sitting on a plate close to him. Don started to reach for the plate.

  “I’ll take care of holding this. You just concentrate on trying to hold the spoon and getting it into your mouth.”

  Don spilled the first spoonful but managed better with the next few. After a bit Sam took the soup away and told Don that they would take this slowly. After a bit he again held the bowl of soup up and Don continued eating. When he was done he felt a little stronger.

  “Bev’s dead.”

  “Yes, I figured that out. I assumed that is her grave out back there.”

  “I don’t know. I don’t remember much. We stopped at a vacant house to look for a freezer. I thought I saw something move through a window and yelled for Bev to get down. I heard a shot and saw Bev fall. Things are real fuzzy after that. I remember shooting a lot. And I remember seeing a man’s body. Then I remember holding a shovel and that’s about it.”

  “OK. Don’t try to go through it all again. It is in the past and this is the here and now. You had me pretty worried. I couldn’t get you to wake up. Murgatroyd wanted to go for a ride in the new little pickup so we came here.

  I saw your pickup with the doors standing open and the house door standing open also. When I got in the house you were sitting in one of the kitchen chairs covered in dried blood. I tried to get you to wake up but had no luck. I finally got you into bed and let you sleep but tried to wake you every hour or so. When I saw the fresh grave out back I guessed what happened. You just sit there a little while and we’ll see if that soup can bring back some of your strength.”

  After a little while Don again tried to get to his feet. This time Sam helped him stand. Don then sat down on the edge of the bed for a bit and with Sam’s help he walked into the kitchen where he sat in a chair. Sam dished up a little more of the soup which Don ate. Along with a cup of coffee. Don saw it was dark outside so he must have been out for awhile. After sitting some time Don was able to get up by himself and made it into the bathroom. When he came out Sam told him to go lay down and Murgatroyd and him would sack out on the couch for the night.

  Day Twenty Four

  Don woke up on his own in the morning. He smelled something good and realized he was starving. He took a fast shower, got dressed, and walked into the kitchen where Sam was frying up some reconstituted hash browns. Don sat at the table where Sam set a cup of hot coffee in front of him. The hash browns were soon done and Sam dished some of them and also some fried canned ham for both of them. They ate in silence until both were done and each had a fresh cup of coffee.

  “Thanks for saving me. I don’t think I would have made it on my own.”

  “I’m sure you would have been fine but I’m glad I could help a little. That’s what friends are for. You certainly have a lot of food around this place.”

  “Yes. And now with just me it will last a very long time. You are welcome to take as much as you like.”

  “Thanks but I have enough to last me awhile. Maybe sometime in the future we might have to pool our resources but I’m fine for now.”

  They sat and drank coffee in a comfortable silence for awhile until both cups were empty.

  “I think I will look at the grave and pay my respects. I don’t even remember where it is.”

  Both men rose and went outside where Sam led Don to the new grave site. It was a little distance from the house in an opening where you could see the hills and valley in the distance.

  “You picked a nice spot. You did a good job.”

  “Thank you but I remember none of it. We did not know each other very long but she meant a lot to me.”

  “I could see when she looked at you that she felt the same way about you. The world is a very hard place and a very dark place now. Evil has control right now but good will triumph over evil. We just have to pass through the time of chaos.”

  The men stood at the grave and both said their goodbyes to Bev. Then walked back towards the house.

  “If you are OK now I’ll take Murgatroyd home. Please come on up as often as you want. You know you will always find a friend just up the road.”

  “Thank you for everything you have done for me.”

  The men shook hands and Sam called Murgatroyd who jumped in the little pickup without any urging when Sam opened the door for him. Don watched as they drove out of the yard and they headed back to their home.

  He then went into the garage and found a nice hardwood board and a piece of metal. He then gathered up a little bit of wood and started a fire outside. He heated the metal and burned Bev’s name and the year of her death deeply into the board. Then he put out the fire and fastened the board to a stake which he pounded deep into the earth at the head of Bev’s grave.

  He then went to the pickup and he could tell that Sam had washed inside the cab to remove the blood. Bev’s rifle was still inside but not his own. He checked in the house also but did not find his rifle or pistol. He then ate a solid lunch to help build his strength back and left with the pickup.

  Don drove directly back to the place where Bev was killed. His rifle and pistol were lying on the ground outside the house where he had apparently dropped them. He picked them both up and reloaded them before putting the pistol in his holster and his rifle in the truck. Going into the house he found the dead man lying in a big pool of dried blood. Don could see the man had been shot many, many times.

  He picked up the man’s rifle and what he assumed was the man’s backpack. Kicking the man over Don removed the man’s belt and holster that contained a pistol. He took all that stuff out and put into the truck. He then looked around the house and the garage.

  He was not surprised that there was a small empty chest freezer in the garage. It just seemed natural that one would be here of all places. He carried the freezer and a bunch of other useful things he found out to the pickup. Then in the garage he found a board and taking a garden hoe he busted the plate from the hoe so it just had a metal rod sticking out the end and walked outside. He again built a fire and heating up the end of the hoe he burned the word ‘murderer’ into the board before putting out the small fire.

  He walked out to a nearby fence and cut a piece of barb wire from it which he attached to th
e board. Then he dragged the man outside to the front yard where the buzzards would be able to see him easily. Then he wrapped the barb wire around the dead man’s neck so the board with the word ‘murderer’ would stay forever on his chest. His work done Don got in the truck and drove home.

  When Don got home and unloaded all the stuff and he thoroughly cleaned all the guns. He put most of the guns in the secret room. He would now carry a pair of matching pistols and his AR-10. He then spent the remainder of the day cleaning up the house. His plan made he slept soundly that night.

  Day Twenty Five

  The next morning he ate a good breakfast and left with the pickup. Don was going back to his store to see what was left of the store and the town. He would be cautious but hoped to run into some bad guys. He thought his extra ammo would likely still be in his old Suburban if no one had found the drawer under the trash he had dumped in to cover it.

  On the way in he made a mental note of what trucks he passed on the highway and thought he might return to go through some of them. He saw no one on the way in and was soon coming into the somewhat large town. After close to a month he doubted there would be very many people alive in this town.

  Don thought it was quite possible that there might be packs of feral dogs that he would have to keep a close lookout for. Even well armed if he was surprised at close range with a pack of dogs it would be doubtful he could come out alive. He drove directly to his store and saw the front windows looked cracked but it didn’t look like anyone had gained entry through the front of store. They likely thought a farm store had little to eat or drink and was not worth the extreme effort it would take to get in.

  Parking at the back of the store Don noticed someone had made an effort to get through the large roll-up receiving doors. But he had re-enforced them well enough to resist the attempts to get them open. He sat for a minute and just looked all around but he saw no movement anywhere.