Take Shelter

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Take Shelter Page 2

by Chris Kreie


  “So this was a camp?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” said Michael. “I had a field trip here back in fifth grade. That trip sure was a lot more fun than this one.”

  “How long have you been here?” asked Austin.

  “This is our third day, I think. It’s hard to keep track. We left home the day the Visitors showed up. My parents didn’t want to take any chances. Our neighbors heard about this place, and my folks thought there would be safety in numbers if the Visitors invaded.”

  “You mean when the Visitors invade, don’t you?” asked Austin. “They’ve already released the EMP. An actual invasion has to be the next thing to happen. That’s what one of the guards at the front gate said, at least.”

  “Yeah, that’s what they’ve been telling people around here,” Michael said. “I don’t know. I’m not sure where they’re getting this information, but they seem confident that an attack is coming.” He shrugged. “I’m trying not to think about it.”

  Michael led him into the dining hall, which had clearly been used as a large community space for the camp before the attack. Tables lined the room like a school cafeteria, and at one end was a large buffet-style table.

  “You missed lunch,” Michael explained, “but it looks like they’ve got some leftover snacks that you can grab.”

  Sure enough, there were a few mini water bottles left and a handful of cracker sandwich packs. Austin grabbed one for himself and one for his mom. He and Michael sat down at a table together so he could eat.

  “So you’re here with your mom, right?” Michael asked as Austin shoved a cracker into his mouth. “Where is she?”

  Austin swallowed without really chewing, he was so hungry. He took a long drink of water. “She got a little worn down while we were walking,” he explained. “She’ll be fine. She just needs to see the doctor here.”

  Michael snorted.

  “What is it?” Austin asked.

  “We’ve got a medical clinic, yeah,” he explained. “But there aren’t any doctors or nurses here. They just call the Yellow Jackets who work in there the ‘medical staff.’ Basically they took over what used to be the first aid station for the camp.”

  “Seriously?”

  “But it’s better than what you’re going to find on the outside, right?”

  “I suppose,” said Austin. This news wasn’t good, but Austin tried not to worry. He told himself rest was all his mom needed to regain her health. With a few nights of good sleep and some food, she’ll be better in no time, he thought.

  Austin scarfed down a few more crackers before Michael spoke again. “Why do you think they’re here?” he asked.

  Austin shrugged.

  “My theory is they’re going to turn us all into zombies then sit back and watch us destroy ourselves,” said Michael. “That way they’ll easily be able to take over the planet.”

  “Watched a few movies?” asked Austin.

  “It could happen,” said Michael. “Why do you think they came?”

  “I have no idea,” said Austin. “But whatever their plan is, it’s probably not good for any of us.”

  “Hey you!” A loud shout came from behind them. They turned to see a Yellow Jacket walking their way.

  “Uh, yeah?” asked Michael.

  “Why aren’t the two of you working?” barked the Yellow Jacket. He spotted the empty cracker wrapper in Austin’s hands. “What are you doing eating those? We’re supposed to ration everything!”

  “Dude, relax,” Michael said. “I’m just showing him around. Austin just got here.”

  The Yellow Jacket looked at him. “O’Donnell, right? You should be at the registration building to get your assignment.” Austin was surprised this guy knew his name. Apparently word of newcomers traveled fast around here. The Yellow Jacket turned to Michael. “You should get back to work.”

  Michael looked at Austin and rolled his eyes. “These guys really need to chill out a little. I’ll see ya later.” With that, Michael walked outside.

  “Registration is that way.” The Yellow Jacket pointed in the opposite direction of where Michael had headed. “You’d better head over there.”

  Chapter 3

  It turned out “registering” really just meant telling the Yellow Jackets about any useful supplies or food they’d brought into the camp with them. Austin and his mom had little with them besides the clothes in their backpacks, but he offered to donate the last of their water bottles to the cause. He decided not to tell the Yellow Jackets about that last packet of medicine after hearing what Michael had said about the clinic.

  When they were finished Austin was sent to the river for his work assignment.

  “Over here!” A Yellow Jacket called him over. “Take this.” He handed Austin a shovel and pointed into the woods. “Go that way. See that big oak tree? Start there. Every three paces I want you to dig a hole—twelve inches around and four feet deep. Think you can handle that?”

  “What are the holes for?”

  “We’re building a fence,” said the Yellow Jacket.

  Austin looked at the wooden handle of the shovel. “Can I have some gloves?”

  “We don’t have any,” barked the guard. “And enough questions. Get to work.”

  “Oh, uh, okay.” Austin walked to the oak tree. He marched three paces and began to dig. The work wasn’t easy. The ground was filled with rocks and tree roots. And his hands became covered with blisters within minutes. The first hole must have taken him nearly an hour to dig. When he was finished he walked three more steps and began the process all over again.

  As he dug Austin noticed other people doing the same work on the other side of the river. Some were digging while others put tall posts into the holes or mixed cement to be poured around the posts. Not a single Yellow Jacket was doing any work. Instead they watched over the others or barked out instructions.

  A scary question flashed inside him. Are they building the fence to keep the Visitors out or to keep the rest of us in?

  After an entire afternoon of exhausting work, with barely a break for water, the Yellow Jackets ordered everyone to stop working. Austin noticed a few people sigh with relief, and he overheard one person say something about dinner. People headed toward the dining hall. Austin looked at his hands. They were covered in blisters and torn skin. He tried to ignore the pain as he followed after everyone.

  In the dining hall he followed the others through the line. He was handed a protein bar and half a plain bologna sandwich. “Um, can I have an extra?” he asked, thinking of bringing it back to his mom. “I have to—”

  “No extras,” a Yellow Jacket barked. “We have to ration our food supplies. Everyone gets just enough.”

  Austin didn’t bother trying to explain about his mom again. Maybe when he brought her to the clinic, there’d be more food for her there, even if there weren’t any actual doctors.

  He took a seat at a crowded table and tried not to eat his food in one bite. Just as he’d finished his meager sandwich, he noticed a middle-aged man in a yellow jacket standing in front of the kitchen counter. “Good evening, everyone!” shouted the man.

  All talking ceased. And everyone around Austin stopped eating. The noises from the kitchen had come to an abrupt halt. All eyes were on the man. He was joined by two other burly Yellow Jackets.

  Who is this guy? wondered Austin.

  “As most of you know, I’m Mr. Forrester.” The man grinned at the crowd. “What a great day! We continue to clear more space for our garden. Our plans for a greenhouse are complete. We foraged for thirty pounds of crops from nearby farms. And we welcomed five newcomers into our camp.”

  He paused for a moment, clearly expecting some kind of response, and then the diners broke out into applause.

  “That’s the good news,” said Mr. Forrester. “Now for the bad. Our scouts have brought us grim reports from the outside.” He looked at a sheet of paper in his hands. “Beyond these walls, life has descended into complete chaos. Violence i
s everywhere, and food has run scarce. People are fighting over a simple blanket or a bottle of water.” A gasp went out from the crowd.

  Austin was confused. He and his mom had seen none of this.

  “But here’s the worst part,” said Mr. Forrester. “The Visitors have landed.” Another gasp. “Yes, you have a right to be worried. We have only preliminary reports, but so far it doesn’t look good.”

  A loud murmur filled the room as diners turned and talked with one another. “But that’s why we’re here!” shouted Mr. Forrester to regain their attention. “And that’s why we all need to stick together and work hard to strengthen our beautiful camp against whatever’s happening out there.”

  The crowd once again clapped their approval.

  “Enjoy your meal!” Mr. Forrester broke out in a huge grin. “And keep up the good work!” He and his Yellow Jacket guards disappeared into the kitchen.

  Austin frowned. Something about what Mr. Forrester was saying just didn’t ring true. His stories sounded like a plot from a bad movie. On the road they hadn’t heard anything about the Visitors landing. But then, Austin wondered, why would he lie?

  Chapter 4

  After dinner Austin went to the cabin to check on his mom again. She was sleeping when he got there, and he didn’t want to wake her up. He knew she needed all the rest she could get. He gently touched her forehead. She still felt warm. Austin looked over and noticed she’d had a little of the water he’d left her, but she’d barely eaten half a cracker.

  Not knowing what else he could do for her now, Austin left her and headed back outside.

  He ran into Michael on the main path.

  “How was your first day?” asked Michael.

  Austin held up his hands. “I’ll let you be the judge of that.”

  “Yikes,” said Michael. “Well, those blisters will turn to calluses eventually. You’ll be fine.”

  “Thanks for the sympathy.” Austin snorted.

  They wandered through parts of the camp Austin hadn’t yet seen. Michael showed him where to request some blankets for him and his mom. Austin noticed a group of men standing outside one of the buildings.

  “That’s our shower building,” Michael told him.

  “You have showers?” asked Austin.

  “They don’t work,” said Michael. “We get clean with a sponge and a bucket of freezing water from the river. It’s not much, but at least we’re not stinking up the cabins.”

  Dusk was starting to descend on the camp. Soon they wouldn’t be able to see where they were walking.

  They completed their lap around the campsite, and Michael sighed.

  “Well, we’d better get back to the cabin. We don’t have much time.”

  Austin frowned. “For what?”

  A Yellow Jacket met them at the door. He held a clipboard in his hands. “Names?” he asked flatly.

  Michael gave his, and then Austin did. “What is this for?” he asked.

  The Yellow Jacket checked off their names on his list. “Curfew. Every night at sundown.”

  “Curfew? So we’re just stuck in here like prisoners?” asked Austin.

  The Yellow Jacket scoffed. “You’re not prisoners.” He turned to the family lined up behind Austin and Michael, clearly done talking to them.

  Austin shook his head and followed Michael into the cabin. What a day, thought Austin. It hardly seemed real. It was like he and his mom had traveled into an alternate universe.

  Before climbing up to his bunk, Austin checked on his mom one more time. She was still in a deep sleep. He draped a blanket over her, not wanting to bother her. He hoped to find her in better condition in the morning.

  In his own bunk, Austin rolled up a blanket to use as a pillow and pulled another one over himself. It was too short so his feet stuck out, but it was better than nothing.

  Before he realized it, he’d fallen into a heavy sleep.

  ***

  Austin was awoken the next morning by the sound of voices. Other people in their room were speaking as they headed out the door. He rubbed at his eyes and noticed the sun had risen. Austin lay still for a minute, then quickly remembered his mom. He got up and went to her side.

  “Mom,” he said as he leaned over her bed. She barely moved. “Mom, how are you feeling?”

  She turned toward him. Her eyelids were heavy. There was a cloudiness in her eyes. “I’m better,” she said. She lifted her head and looked around the cabin. “Is it time to get up?”

  “Yeah,” said Austin. “We need to eat and then go to work. But if you’re still not feeling well, you should keep sleeping. You need to get your strength back.” He noticed Michael watching them from the doorway.

  “No,” his mom said, sitting up. “I need to do my share. I’m fine now.” She removed her blanket then got to her feet. Austin held onto her arm. He could feel the weight of her body. He noticed her knees were quivering.

  Austin shook his head. “Mom, I don’t know . . .”

  Suddenly her legs buckled. Austin moved quickly and grabbed her under the arms. Michael dashed over to help.

  “You’re not ready to work,” said Austin. Michael gave Austin a worried look. “We should bring you to the clinic.”

  “No clinic,” his mom snapped. “I’ll be fine. I just need more sleep.”

  “But someone there could help,” Austin continued.

  “No,” she said again. “I don’t want them to think I’m contagious. They might not let us stay.”

  “They might have medicine to help,” Austin said. “And fluids.”

  “One more day. All I’m asking is you give me one more day.”

  “All right,” said Austin. He helped her back into the bed, tucking a blanket underneath her head. He grabbed the last packet of gel tablets and handed her the bottle of water. This time she took them without protest. “But if you’re not better by tomorrow, Michael and I are bringing you to the clinic. Like it or not. No arguments.”

  “Okay.” His mother closed her eyes.

  He eyed the pack of crackers. “And make sure you eat something. Keep drinking that water too.” She kept her eyes closed but nodded to show him she’d heard him. Austin didn’t like the fact that she only had a few crackers to eat throughout the day, but he didn’t know what else to do.

  As he and Michael walked over to the dining hall, Austin told himself that he would grab her some more food the first chance he got.

  Chapter 5

  After breakfast, Austin was again sent into the woods near the river. The open sores on his hands made digging even more difficult than the day before. The work also quickly became boring. He wondered what Michael was doing. Or the dozens of other teenagers he’d seen around camp. It had been days since he’d hung out with people his own age. He missed it desperately.

  As he was in the middle of digging his fourth hole of the day, Austin heard a voice behind him. “Would you like some water?”

  He turned to see a girl about his age standing there. He was surprised to see how clean she looked compared to everyone else. She was holding out a plastic cup. “Thanks.” Austin grabbed the water and gulped it down in one long swing.

  She took back the cup. “You’re welcome.” She then began walking away.

  “Wait a minute!” Austin called. “Can you stick around for a minute? I haven’t had a chance to talk to many people since I’ve gotten here. What’s your name?”

  The girl paused and turned back to him. “Darsha.”

  “I’m Austin. It’s nice to meet you.”

  She smiled softly. “I really can’t talk. I’m bringing water to everyone.”

  Austin looked over at one of the Yellow Jackets. “These guys work us pretty hard, don’t they? At least your job’s not too bad.”

  Darsha’s face reddened and she looked down at her feet. “Oh, I’m just . . . volunteering. It’s not really my job.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I have to go,” she said again.

  “Oh,
sure, okay. Well, I’ll see you later I guess.”

  She smiled. “Sure.”

  Austin watched her walk toward the river then he went back to his digging. Volunteering? he wondered. What in the world did she mean by that?

  He worked straight through until lunch. One his way to the dining hall he swung past the cabin to check on his mom.

  He was hoping to find her in better shape than she was when he left her that morning.

  “Mom,” he said rubbing her back. “It’s Austin. How are you?”

  She turned toward him and forced open her eyes. “Not so good,” she mumbled.

  Austin felt panic wash over him. His mom looked awful. Her skin was ghostly white and a thin film of sweat covered her face. He’d never seen her like this before. He fought back thoughts of what might happen if she kept getting worse. Instead he sprang into action. “Let’s get you to the clinic,” he said. He reached around her body and helped her up. She was dead weight.

  He managed to drag her across the floor and stumble out the door. As they walked across camp Austin could feel dozens of eyes on the two of them, but no one offered to help them.

  He was surprised when Darsha suddenly appeared. “Here, let me give you a hand.” She dipped her head and draped one of his mother’s arms around her shoulders.

  “Thanks,” said Austin.

  “No problem.” The two of them walked in silence until they arrived at the medical clinic. Austin had spotted it when he’d first arrived, but now that he was close he realized it was nothing more than a cabin—similar to his own, just slightly larger.

  Darsha led the two of them inside. “This woman needs your help,” she said to a Yellow Jacket sitting at a table.

  “What’s wrong with her?” asked the woman, reading a magazine. She didn’t look up.

  “My mother is sick,” said Austin.

  The woman finally looked at them. “With what?” she asked.

  “I think she’s dehydrated,” he explained. “We were walking for days. She’s exhausted and hasn’t gotten enough to eat.”

 

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