He looked her in the eye for a long moment. “Yeah, sure,” he said finally, solemnly. “Okay. And, uh…thanks.”
“Just, please don’t make me regret it.” She fired up the Jeep and turned it around, heading up the road where Wade and Russell had already vanished.
CHAPTER 17
The trailer was empty after only two runs—much faster than Cameron had thought. It turned out that a lot more of the cans had been damaged than it looked like from the rear, and most of the damaged ones were towards the front. Once they’d sorted through about half of the cans, she wasn’t finding any more than were intact, and gave the rest of the trailer up as a bad job.
Everyone in the community helped unload the food into the community clubhouse near the front of the compound. When it was all done, they all stood back in a little group to look it over. There were literally thousands of cans—everything from soup, to fruit, to pickled vegetables—as well as boxed rice and more macaroni and cheese than Cameron thought she could eat in a lifetime. Though she suspected that, if things stayed the way they were, that limit might be tested.
“So what do we do with it now?” said Russell. “Should we divvy it all up among the cabins?”
Cameron thought about it, and then thought about the food she already had stashed in her basement. It wouldn’t be fair to take an equal portion to everyone else when she already had that—and if the others found out about her stash later, which they would at some point, it could easily spark tempers. “No,” she said. “Let’s leave it here. If it comes to the point where we need it, we’ll set someone up in charge of cooking and maintaining the supplies, and they’ll distribute it meal by meal.”
“I’ll take care of that, of course,” said Bill. “It’s in the clubhouse, after all.”
She met his look with an equally determined one of her own. “It’s in the clubhouse, Bill, not your cabin. This place belongs to all of us, so there’s no ‘of course’ about it. Besides, are you gonna be all of our personal chef? Slaving away in the kitchen to make sure we all have our bellies full?”
That made him scowl, which was nice, but Cameron immediately wondered if she’d made a mistake. Framing it that way didn’t make it any more appealing to anyone else there than it did to Bill. Bettie, of course, would know why Cameron had put it that way, and she’d probably be more than willing to cook for the community, but they’d need Bettie to manage the foraging and gardening, if indeed they were going to stay in this place for the long haul.
The long haul, she thought. She was already thinking of it. Turning this little cabin community into a permanent little settlement. The idea seemed ridiculous on the face of it. But the first stake had been planted the second she heard what happened to Seattle, and every scrap of news they received from the outside world only drove the point deeper. She knew there was no way she would try to take Alex and Piper back to the city when they arrived, not for several weeks at least. For now, at least, they were going to have to turn this place into a home. And in the meantime, she knew from her time in the service that it was what they all needed, anyway.
Everyone in the clubhouse had gone quiet, and she realized she’d drifted away while the conversation continued. She squared her shoulders in the silence and gave everyone a long look. “All right. We’ve danced around this topic before, but it’s time we get explicit. We’re going to assign jobs to everyone here. The number one priority is food—gathering, hunting, everything. But we’re going to need other things as well—little repairs and upgrades to cabins and whatnot. We’re not all going to go on some crazy work schedule yet; a few hours a day should be fine, for now.”
Gina looked around, frowning. “We’re being put to work? But we live here.”
Bill gave her a lascivious sneer, and the rest of them shifted uncomfortably. But Cameron spoke before anyone else could. “You’re right. And you don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to. But we’re all going to share our resources to get through this—and we’re all going to work together, too. If you’re well stocked in your cabin already, then have a great time sitting around and playing crossword puzzles, since that’s about the only thing there is to do now that TV isn’t an option. But as for the rest of us—you work to help the community, and you get food from the community. That’s the deal. Everyone agreed?”
No one moved or said anything for a second. Then Wade muttered, “You got it, boss.” Slowly, one by one, everyone in the room nodded.
“All right,” said Cameron, releasing a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. “Let’s figure out what we’re all going to be doing.”
* * *
The first job assignment was easy: Bettie was put in charge of gardening and growing “crops,” such as they were. Cameron was tempted to join her, but she knew her talents would be of better use elsewhere, and so she put up a call for volunteers.
“I’ll help her with that,” said Hernando immediately.
“Really?” said Cameron, raising an eyebrow. “Gardening.”
Hernando’s nostrils flared, and he rolled his shoulders. “Yeah. Sure. Why not?”
Bettie stepped over to him and patted his arm. “I can’t wait. We’re gonna have such fun.” Hernando ducked his head.
Debbie, Russell’s wife, joined the gardening team as well. Next Cameron asked who had experience with firearms. A surprising number of people raised their hands—her and Wade, of course, as well as Scott, Russell, Bill, and Chad, the father who’d arrived with the first group of stragglers. A woman named Aubrey, who Cameron barely knew, also raised her hand, though her husband Ken didn’t.
“My dad used to take me shooting,” she said, lowering her eyes as if embarrassed. “I’m … I’m not a crack shot, or anything, but I can fire a handgun, shotgun, rifle, whatever.”
“All right,” said Cameron, nodding and pursing her lips. “Then Wade, Russell, Chad, Aubrey and are going to hunt—wait, Aubrey, do you know how to clean an animal?”
The girl went a shade paler. “No, I—I don’t. And, sorry, but I don’t want to learn.”
“No problem. You can still help us bring them down, and we’ll take care of the rest.” Cameron gave a reassuring smile and then turned to Scott. “Scott, I know you can shoot, but you’re also sort of a handyman, right?”
“Uh-huh,” said Scott, nodding. “Mostly electrician, but I can do other little stuff—patch holes, hang things, whatnot.”
“I’d rather put you on that, if it’s all right,” said Cameron. “What with the weather, if any cabin’s got leaks in the roof, we’re going to find out about it real quick, if we haven’t already. Windows might need fixing, and a lot of electrical systems have been fried, especially if they were connected to a computer. I don’t think anyone else here has the skill set to deal with that.”
“Happy to,” said Scott, nodding. He probably knew what she wasn’t saying—that he was a little old to be traipsing through the woods shooting at deer and rabbits—but she got the feeling that he appreciated the way she framed it.
“I’d, uh—ahem.” Aubrey’s husband, Ken, raised his hand suddenly, clearing his throat as though he was surprised to have heard himself speak. “I’d be willing to help Scott. If that’s all right. I’ve never really be the handyman type, but I’ve always wanted to learn, and I’m happy to carry and hold things to help him.”
“Sure thing,” said Cameron. “If it’s all right with you, Scott?”
“Better you lugging supplies around than me,” said Scott. He stuck out a hand for Ken’s and shook it vigorously. Ken smiled weakly. Cameron was pretty sure the guy was a lawyer or paralegal or something like that, and hoped he wasn’t going to treat this as some sort of field trip.
“What about me?” said Bill. “Why aren’t I going to go hunting?”
Because I don’t want you wandering around the woods with a gun, and we all know it, and you just called attention to it, you absolute moron, thought Cameron. But she only said, “Because I was going to put you i
n charge of security. I mean, that seems to be what you’re most concerned about, anyway.”
An ugly gleam showed in Bill’s eye, and Cameron hoped she wasn’t making a terrible mistake. “That makes sense. Maybe the new girl can work with me.”
He gave Gina a wink, and she carefully avoided his gaze. “I’ll work with Bettie and Hernando, if that’s all right.”
Before Bill could snap back at her, Cameron interjected. “Jeremy, can you help Bill out?”
Jeremy, who had come in the same car as Gina and Hernando, gave Bill a little side-eye. But he nodded after only a moment’s hesitation. “Sure.”
“Good. And everyone who doesn’t have a job yet, you’re going to work with Bill, too, at least temporarily. The first thing we’ve got to do is check the fencing all around the cabins and make sure it’s secure, and it’ll be useful to have more than two people working on that until it’s done. Once the fence is secure, we’ll figure out more permanent jobs for you.”
“Even me?” Naomi, the girl who had come with the first stragglers, piped up from near the back of the room. Cameron had barely noticed her. Her injured arm was still in its splint and sling.
“I don’t think you can help much on fence repairs, Naomi,” said Cameron. “But can you help Bettie with the gardening? I’m sure she’d love to teach you how to grow plants and things.”
“I’d love to,” said Bettie, smiling at the girl.
“Sure,” said Naomi, giving a nervous little smile.
“In that case, I’d like to work with them as well, and not on the fence,” said Kira, the girl’s mother.
“Absolutely,” said Cameron. “Okay. Everyone knows what they’re doing? Good. It’s too late to begin today, but we’ll start tomorrow. And, really quick—thank you all. I appreciate everyone being understanding and willing to help. I think we’re going to have a pretty good time.”
There was a chorus of assenting murmurs, and they all began to drift out of the clubhouse. Once most of the eyes were off her, Cameron left, too, slipping out the clubhouse door with Bettie close behind. Bettie waited until they were a little ways off from the clubhouse and no one else was within earshot, and then she stepped closer to speak quietly to Cameron.
“So you’re setting us up for the long haul, huh? You think it’s really that bad?”
Cameron glanced over her shoulder to double check no one was close enough to hear. “Honestly? I doubt it. I think things’ll go back to normal soon. But it’s what could happen in the meantime that worries me. Even if we’re only here for a month, or a couple of weeks—you pen twenty people up in an enclosed space for fourteen days, and you don’t give them anything to do? You’re gonna have problems. At that point, hurricanes and blizzards aren’t close to as dangerous as people.”
Bettie nodded slowly. “So you keep everyone busy and you keep them out of trouble. That it?”
Bill came to mind, and Gina, and Hernando. Cameron gave a little grimace. “That’s the idea, anyway. Let’s hope it works.”
CHAPTER 18
The wide open plains of South Dakota made their road west an easy one. They walked on open land for the most part. Alex noted that Denny always kept a road in sight, but never too close. It was the same thing Alex would have done. With the road in sight, they could take advantage if they saw an abandoned car, or maybe a truck carrying useful supplies. Meanwhile, by keeping it a safe distance away, they could get out of Dodge if anyone spotted them and headed out to investigate.
But they didn’t see any abandoned vehicles, and no one spotted them or came out towards them. In fact, they didn’t see anybody at all. The roads were eerily abandoned, both the freeway and the smaller country roads they passed. They walked wide around the farmhouses and microtowns in their path, but Alex began to feel like they didn’t need to worry about it. No one seemed to be home to see them pass.
After lightening the morning they met Denny, the rain grew stronger again as the day wore on. Alex broke out the rainproof jackets he’d purchased for himself and Piper. He’d brought a spare, and after only a moment’s hesitation he gave it to Denny. It seemed like the least he could do after Denny was willing to guide them, and even if Denny snuck off with the jacket, it was only a spare.
As their journey went on, however, passing into a second and then a third day, Alex grew less and less convinced that Denny was the type to sneak off and leave them high and dry—or high and soaked, with the weather being what it was. Whenever they stopped to eat, Denny provided his own food, and shared some with Alex and Piper as well. He had tastier provisions than the almost military rations Alex had stocked up on, and the bacon in particular was a welcome addition to their diet. As they walked together, Denny would tell them stories about the lands they were passing through, about his personal experiences there or the bits of history he’d picked up from his time on the road. Pretty soon Alex became convinced that Denny was just glad for the company, and wasn’t going to do anything to jeopardize the presence of the first people he’d traveled with in a long time.
It wasn’t long before even Piper began to warm up to the old hobo. Alex was glad to see it, though he knew he was the reason she’d started off somewhat paranoid in the first place. By the middle of the second day she was laughing at Denny’s lame jokes, and she’d engage him in small snatches of conversation as they walked, or when they ate. And Max had warmed to the old man almost from the moment they’d met him, so that the whole group’s journey together became a pleasant one, despite the darkness of the circumstances that had driven them together.
“How long have you been homeless?” asked Piper, on the morning on the third day. They’d just emerged from their tents and were eating a quick meal, heated on a fire Alex had built under a little rain screen.
“Piper,” said Alex.
“Nah, it’s all right,” said Denny, waving off Alex’s concern. “I’ve been wandering since I was younger than your dad is now. I didn’t exactly pick it—always thought my life would be a lot different than this—but once I got used to it, I found out it actually wasn’t so bad.”
Piper’s brow furrowed. “But you don’t have a house. Don’t you want a house?”
“Not so much,” said Denny. He gave Alex a quick glance. “Don’t get me wrong—I’m sure your mom and dad are happy to have a house. They want to take care of you. And you probably like it, too. That’s fine. But me? I can go anywhere I want.” He waved an arm at the land around them, gray and rain-soaked though it was. “Living in a house, I can’t just pick up and go anywhere I want any time I want. Right now, I can. And that’s the kind of life I want. A lot of the time, I think it’s what I’m meant for. Maybe that’s why … well, maybe that’s why I ended up where I am.”
He cut himself off abruptly and stared down at his food. It drew Alex’s attention, and he studied the hobo with renewed interest. His gaze drifted to Denny’s ring finger. There was no band there, but something told Alex there might have been, once upon a time.
Denny shook himself, as though he were shrugging an old blanket off his shoulders. “Anyway. Most people wouldn’t do well at this. You’re lucky to have two parents who keep a roof over your head and food in your belly. Don’t forget that, okay? You’re lucky.”
Piper glanced at Alex, and quickly turned away when she saw he was already looking at her. “Okay,” she murmured.
* * *
The weather only got worse the farther they traveled. Soon, in order to keep the road in sight, they had to walk less than half a mile away from it. Their jackets kept the rain off them, but didn’t do much to stop the cold, which whipped at them on winds that were almost strong enough to knock Piper over. She took to holding Alex’s hand as they walked, leaning forward into the wind. Max no longer ranged ahead and around them, instead plodding along miserably at Alex’s heels. Denny and Alex both tried to keep away from trees, knowing that in the wind, a branch could easily snap and strike any one of them.
They weren’t careful enough�
�or maybe the wind was stronger than they’d thought. One moment they were struggling down a long slope covered in mud and slippery, and the next Alex heard a whoosh as a branch flew from nowhere and struck Denny in the chest. Denny gave a shout as he lost his footing. His rear struck the ground hard, and he started to slide. Alex tried to grab for him, but missed, and had to fall to his knees to keep from falling over himself. He planted hands and feet wide, crouching like a crab. He could only watch helplessly as Denny tumbled down the hill, striking a sizable rock halfway down. When he reached the bottom, he lay still.
“Denny!” cried Alex, shouting to be heard over the storm. But if Denny heard him, he gave no answer. Max went running down the slope, which was no trouble on four legs, apparently. Alex looked to Piper. “Come on. Carefully.”
Step by hesitant, shaky step, they made their way to the bottom of the little dell. Just as they finished the awkward climb, Alex felt a rush of relief—Denny’s hand rose to pet Max, who was sniffing at the hobo’s face. Just as they reached him, Denny slowly pushed himself up to sitting with a groan.
“Holly fuck,” he said, grimacing. His eyes darted to Piper. “Sorry.”
“Forget it. Are you hurt?” said Alex.
Denny arched his back, then lifted his knees. “Doesn’t seem like anything’s broken. Hurts like all get-out, though.” He tried to stand, winced hard, and put a hand to his side. “Hitting that rock didn’t help. But I think my ribs are all right.”
“Sometimes they can break, and it’s hard to—”
The hobo cut him off with a look. “I’ve broken a rib before, son. Trust me—I think I’m fine.”
Alex loosed a sigh and offered a hand. Denny took it gratefully, and allowed himself to be pulled up. “All right,” said Alex. “We can rest a second. I—”
Survival EMP (Book 1): Solar Reboot Page 15