The Last Tribe

by Brad Manuel

  “We are doing well on supplies. Raleigh was unique. Everyone left. The stores were abandoned, and left full of food. Hell, I have a warehouse store down the road with enough canned food to feed a hundred people for a year.” Todd paused. “I’m worried about two or even three years out more than I am two months out. When all this pre-made stuff is gone or rotten, when we can’t find canned tuna or pasta, when all the flour goes bad, if we don’t know how to do it ourselves, we’re screwed.”

  “I know, but at least we have two, maybe three years to figure out how to make and find our own food.” John looked at his beer.

  “We have a long time to talk about this stuff. Let’s focus on what’s been happening. I have to hear the story of that guy.” He tipped his beer glass towards the snoring dog in the corner.

  “That, my dear brother in law,” Emily paused for affect, “Is the first dog of North Carolina.” She told the tale of finding the dog on her mansion tour. John and Matt laughed so hard they cried at some of her stories. Todd sat back and smiled as his wife entertained them. It was a great night, the best any of them had since the rapture.

  Todd and Emily’s house was cold in the mornings, not as cold as it had been in the winter, when the entire family moved mattresses down to the living room to sleep next to the fire, but cold enough that all of them wore heavy shirts or light jackets inside.

  “The standing house rules,” Todd began. “The first person awake puts a fire bundle in the fireplace along with two logs, let’s Hubba out, and presses the coffee maker button. The coffee maker runs on batteries, it was by far my greatest find. Emily can endure a lot of hardship, but not having coffee is not one of them.”

  Todd made the fire bundles in advance, forming small sticks, dry leaves, and old newspapers into a loose mass of tinder. There were typically a few coals left from the night before, the fire bundle, when put on the hot ashes, would catch after a few minutes, and was a safe way for his young boys to start the fire each morning. Emily did not like her six and seven year olds playing with fire, but realized that her new reality meant the boys had to learn how to make and sustain fire safely.

  The adults said their goodnights and were asleep before 10pm.

  Todd was usually the first one up, or he would wake when he heard Jay or Brian go downstairs. If Todd was up first, he would make the fire from scratch, conserving the fire bundles. If he came down with one of the boys, he would walk them through making the fire. This morning was different. Todd heard Jay come out of his room talking to his cousin, Craig.

  “We have to start the fire to heat up the living room, then let Hubba out, and then press the coffee button. You do not want to see my mom if she doesn’t get coffee. Seriously, she’s like a bear. We call her mommy bear if she doesn’t get coffee.” Their voices trailed off as they went downstairs. Todd rolled over and looked at Emily. She was smiling. Her eyes were still closed.

  “He’s right about that.” Todd said to her.

  She opened her eyes. “Are you going to talk to John about Hanover?”

  “He has to go. His son is up there. There is no option for him. If he and the boys go, you know I believe we should all go.”

  “I know, but we can’t live up there. It doesn’t make any sense. It’s too harsh. We can’t grow anything, and there’s no reason to put ourselves through those conditions. My boys are too young. Hanover was fine when we thought other people might be alive, when we were concerned about lawlessness or chaos. Everyone is dead. We can live anywhere. We can live here.”

  “Emily, you and I have talked about this. We are going. We don’t have a choice. Greg is up there. Hank and Paul are up there. If we end up back here, or down in Florida or somewhere like that, okay, but I think you have to resign yourself that we are staying together, and that means going to Hanover.”

  “You need to talk to John before we go, so he understands it will be an up and back excursion. Maybe float the idea that you two go alone. I can stay here with Matt and the kids.”

  “Okay, okay. Let’s feel out the situation.”

  Halfway through the short but cold North Carolina winter, Todd reconsidered a move to New Hampshire. As he and Emily discussed their options, it made sense to live in a place like North Carolina or Virginia, where the winters are mild and the growing seasons are long.

  A place like Florida created the opposite problem to New Hampshire. The summers are too hot and oppressive. Todd and Emily discussed the topic endlessly, deciding the mid-Atlantic states were their best option. They wanted to settle and get seeds in the ground as soon as possible.

  On one of their many family days out, they visited a family farm amusement park. Emily picked the park because it had big slides and fun buildings, rather than mechanical rides requiring power. Similar to Pullen Park, the farm had a diesel train Todd was able to get working. The train went around a large oval, and was considered “lame” by Jay and Brian. Todd agreed about the ride, but what he noticed during their trip around the track was the antique farming equipment on display. The owner had an incredible collection of old-time tillers and seed row makers, things that Todd thought would be useful in their new life.

  He went back to the farm the next day and unbolted several pieces of equipment, loading as much of it as he could into a U-Haul van. The equipment was in a neighbor’s driveway, ready for use this spring.

  The farm amusement park also had livestock, which Todd and Emily adopted. Goats, chickens, roosters, and rabbits lived in their neighbor’s backyard in hutches and coops built last fall. Goats were a source of milk and easier to manage than cows, and they ate just about anything given to them. The chickens were a source of eggs and meat. The rabbits were delicious.

  Todd and Emily were not eager to leave their safe and sustainable family compound to brave a northern New England winter.

  Todd got out of bed and went downstairs. Jay took Craig next door to gather the morning’s eggs. Their hen population was growing thanks to Emily’s incubator. There were more than enough eggs for the three additional mouths.

  The coffee was done. Todd placed sugar in a cup and poured himself a steaming mug of morning energy. He moved from the kitchen to the living room, where the fire was warming the cold morning air.

  John came down the stairs and sat in a chair across from his brother and near the fire. “We had a solar powered house in Charleston, right next to the bay. It was fantastic. We fished for our meals, kept the house warm with electric heat, ran lights at night. I believe we could have lived down there for quite a while.”

  “Until a hurricane slammed into you without warning.” Todd replied.

  “Well, yes, until a hurricane came.” John pointed to the coffee. “Do you mind?”

  “John, you are not a guest, everything we have is yours. We have to think as a single family or unit, not two families that are visiting each other. Yes, take some coffee.”

  “You don’t have to freak out because I politely asked for coffee in your house.” John was not used to Todd being the serious one. Todd was the youngest, the funny one, the sarcastic brother who was seldom if ever serious.

  “You know what? Now you can’t have any coffee.”

  “Good luck with that. I’m taking the coffee.”

  The men watched through the back windows as Jay and Craig walked towards the house with a basket of eggs. Jay was non-stop talking to Craig, telling him about everything he could. Craig smiled and nodded. He was a great older cousin, and understood his role. They opened the back door and walked in.

  “So you have to be really careful with the goats, because they are mean sometimes, and hiss at you, but we still milk them. You put their heads in this wood thing that my dad made, and then you can milk them. “

  “So where’s my goat’s milk for my coffee?” John asked Jay.

  “I don’t milk the goats alone. I was just explaining that to Craig. It’s a two person job, and we usually do it in the afternoon, when it’s warmer.” Jay was a fountain of knowled
ge.

  “There is milk in the fridge in the garage. The food stays cold in there right now.” Todd offered to John. “It’s on the shelf below where you got the beer.”

  “Oh, okay, I was just kidding, but I’ll take it. Great.” John got up and walked into the garage to get the milk.

  Todd went onto the back porch, still in his slippers and robe, to light his pizza oven. Designed by a famous American cook, the oven was large enough for several items, but small enough to light every day without burning too much wood. Todd made bread, pizza, and roasted meats. This morning he was going to bake bread from dough he made before going to bed. He placed a large cast iron pan on one side of the oven to pre-heat for an herb frittata.

  He came back inside to knead the dough into shape.

  “I will repeat my accolades from last night. That is one sweet pizza oven.” John was in awe.

  “It’s portable, and is coming with us wherever we go.”

  “We’re going to Hanover though, right?” John looked at his brother after the “wherever we go” statement.

  “Of course, but if we pick a place after Hanover, it goes with us.” Todd did not avert his eyes, he answered firmly, directly.

  “Okay.” John replied slowly.

  Craig and Jay did not pay attention to the exchange, they continued to talk about “stuff.”

  “We usually have toast and eggs, or maybe pancakes and eggs for breakfast. I guess we’re having fresh bread, which can take a while, ‘cause my dad needs to heat the oven. He usually lets us have a granola bar or a cereal bar or something like that until the big breakfast is ready. Do you want one?” There was no one more excited to talk to other people than Jay. He was a chatterbox. The previous options of Mom, Dad, and brother knew all his stories, introducing new people gave him a new audience.

  “I’m good.” Craig replied. “You want to go kick the soccer ball around until breakfast is ready?” Craig was equally excited to meet up with younger people who would play.

  “Yes!” Jay did a gesture with his arm, making a fist and pulling it down so his arm was bent.

  “I’ll call you when breakfast is ready. Have fun.” Todd said as Jay and Craig pulled on heavier coats.

  “Okay,” they both replied, running out the door.

  “We have a good life here, the growing season is longer, the winters are mild. The summers are hot, but not horrible. It’s a nice place, John, a great place to consider.”

  “Wait a second,” John started. “Wasn’t Hanover your idea? Aren’t we heading up there because you suggested it six months ago? Now you don’t want to go?”

  “A lot has changed, John. Look at the animals I’ve gathered. Look at the weather here in February. You know there are still snow storms headed towards Hanover. Six months ago I didn’t know how this would all shake out. Now we do know. There aren’t roving bands of marauders that we have to avoid. There hasn’t been a military crackdown. Six months later we’re it. Emily and I need support to raise our kids. You need support to raise your kids. I can’t make this decision alone, but I can tell you, Hanover is not the best option for survival.”

  John nodded. He agreed. “We screw up in New Hampshire, we have no options, we’re dead. We screw up here, miss the harvest, bugs eat our food, we can get to the coast and eat fish. I know. Up there, we freeze and starve.”

  “Let’s forget about long term for now. We have to go. Your son is up there. Our brothers are meeting us there. I’m not saying my house is the best option, maybe your solar house on the coast is better, but we have to discuss our future. Emily and I are not going to move to Hanover just because we said we would during the chaos of a pandemic.”

  “So today’s discussion is not where to live, it’s when we leave.” John said as he drank his coffee.

  “Yep, right now we talk about getting up there. We’ll talk about where we live later, as long as you agree it isn’t Hanover.”

  Brian came downstairs asking where Jay and Craig were. Todd and John pointed outside and said one word, “soccer.” Craig pulled his shoes on as fast as he could, screaming “thanks!” as he ran out the door.

  Emily was next into the kitchen. She walked straight to the coffee pot. “Who has been drinking my coffee?” She stared at John. “You brought your own pot and coffee, right?”

  “Nope.” John said, taking a long, dramatic sip from his cup.

  “It’s only the second day, but I’m not sure this is going to work.” Emily said to Todd. “He’s your brother, so please talk to him about the rules. Rule one, don’t touch my coffee. Rule number two is to follow rule one, and you’ll do fine.”

  Todd turned to John, “Don’t drink all the coffee. We need Emily to drink her coffee.”

  “Apparently.” John replied.

  Emily smiled as she poured herself a cup. “So what’s on the agenda today?” She asked bluntly.

  “I say we enjoy ourselves for a few days while we try to plan our next steps. Is that what you are thinking?” John answered.

  “That sounds like a great idea. We have a lot to talk about, and a lot of decisions to make.” Emily knew her husband broached the subject of Hanover and where they should settle. “But first, let’s figure out how we are going to feed our kids, and what sort of fun we want to have.” She took a sip from her mug. “There is a lot of fun stuff we can take Craig to today. We have working trains, slides, paddle boats, fishing.”

  “I think he’ll be happy to play in the street with his cousins all day. It has been a while since he’s had other kids his age to kick or throw a ball with.” John looked out the front windows. He smiled at his son playing with his cousins. “He’s had a hard time. I love that he can finally play.”

  Todd spread olive oil and salt over the top of his bread, getting ready to put it in the oven outside. He poked his fingers into the top and sprinkled sliced shallots and rosemary onto the focaccia. “Well, you’re here now. We’ll let the kids enjoy a few days before we talk about next steps.” He continued to work, cracking a dozen of the eggs into a large bowl with a fair amount of goat’s milk. He began to whisk the bowl, stopping to add salt and pepper before whisking again.

  Todd had the dough in a pan on a large pizza paddle. He picked it up to walk out to the pizza oven and start baking his morning bread. It would not take long to cook. He had enough dough to make four pans of bread, two for this meal and two for lunch or supper. In the new world of finite fuel and materials, he always utilized a hot oven for multiple baking.

  Emily went to the cabinet and pulled out a box. “I’m going to make some brownies, as long as the oven is on and we have eggs.”

  “Homemade brownies? Now I understand why you don’t want to leave this place.” John was excited for the food. He had electricity and fish in Charleston, but he had not eaten fresh eggs or bread in months. His family survived on rice, pasta, and fish. He was also excited about the fresh goat’s milk, relegated to non-dairy powder for his coffee since the pandemic.

  When Matt stumbled down the stairs there was a bounty on the table of eggs, fresh bread, milk, and coffee. He was happy to enjoy the feast, but less enthusiastic when he learned one of the house rules, “last one up does the dishes.” Brian, on the other hand, was excited Matt was in the house, as he was consistently on breakfast dishes duty.

  The day went according to plan, lots of playing, catching up on stories from the winter, and decompressing from the previous six months.

  Matt returned to the role of ‘kid,’ enjoying games with his younger brother and cousins.

  The Dixons ate a late dinner. Jay, Brian, Craig yawned before finishing their brownies. Fifteen minutes after the brownies, they were in their beds fast asleep. Emily tucked the children into bed and came down the stairs in comfortable pajamas and a robe.

  “We have three very tired boys upstairs.” She reported to the group.

  “That was a great day Aunt Emily, thank you.” Matt put a log onto the fire in the living room and sat down next to it. �
��You were talking about planting crops at the local Y?” Matt restarted a conversation from earlier in the day.

  “Yes, there is a fence around this huge open space at the Y just down the road. There are two levels, probably four or five acres. We could use a tractor to plow this spring, get crops into the ground, and it is close to the house.” Todd sat down in a chair in the living room with Matt.

  “Where is the water source? Is there a natural lake or something nearby? We can’t rely on rain.” Matt asked questions based on his months of farm studies.

  “There is a reservoir pond that is pretty close, maybe 100 or 200 yards away, but it’s down a hill. I don’t know of a river or stream that is close.” Todd leaned towards Matt as he spoke.

  “A reservoir is nice, but it will dry up just as quickly as our crops if there is a drought. We need a natural body of water that will withstand drought, otherwise we risk losing all or our food in a matter of weeks. If it doesn’t rain during the month of July or August, and we don’t water our crops, we’re done. If we do use a reservoir, well, it needs to be above the crops so we can use aqueducts to move the water to the fields as needed. We can’t use watering cans and walk 200 hundred yards up a hill.”

  Todd nodded. “You’re right.” He said. “You’re right. That field would work if we could guarantee rain all year, but if we get three weeks of no rain? Done.”

  “If we don’t have a natural water source near here, I’m not sure we can live here, meaning this house. We can’t risk losing water. Rain barrels won’t keep us going if we have to use them for ourselves, crops we have at the house, and the animals.”

  “Okay, I got it. You’re right. If we have a drought like we had a few years ago, when it didn’t rain for about three months, 100 rain barrels won’t keep us alive, let alone our crops and animals.”

  Emily entered the room with a glass of wine. She sat on the couch and listened.

  “We could get closer to Falls Lake or the Neuse River, those are both large water sources to sustain our crops and livestock.” Emily interjected.

  John walked into the room, having cleaned the dishes after dinner. “We want a body of water nearby so we can drink it, hunt the animals that use the water, fish, and use the water for crops. Water is life.”