The Weak Shall Die: Complete Collection (Four Volume Set)

by Taylor Michaels

  "You're right, George. If the weather doesn't get you, the deer and raccoons can damage a lot of corn and other things. But hopefully, we'll get them before they get us."

  "I'm plannin' on it, ol' buddy. But, we'll still need a big inventory of food. We'd better lay in a lot of canning supplies. Jars and such. Those are on the list and they'll take lots of space in the van."

  John laughed and said, "I always thought Elspeth could change the mood of a party in a heartbeat. You can do that too, George. But in the other direction."

  "Bring on the booze," said Elspeth. "He's really bringing me down. I need a stiffener."

  "That estimate may be optimistic," said Fred.

  "Who has the key to the liquor cabinet?"

  "Elspeth, the liquor is mostly under your bed," said Masako.

  "Right where it belongs," Elspeth said, pulling out a flask and filling her teacup.

  "We won't have all the time between now and when the virus hits," said Fred. "Before then, we'll have a panic, when everybody realizes what's going on. Once the panic hits, going to the store will be over. Things will disappear from the stores in a day, two at most. They'll storm the warehouses. Gangs will take over and nobody will go to work. If we're not ready by then, we'll go hungry until fall."

  "John, do you know how to make whisky," said Elspeth.

  "I do," said John, "And some of the others do too. The problem is that the main ingredients are food items. So we would have to choose between eating and drinking."

  "I vote for drinking," Elspeth said, filling her teacup again.

  Fred continued, "I was reading on the web a month ago, forty-six percent of the people have less than eight hundred dollars in the bank and twenty-two percent have less than one hundred dollars in cash. Most of those people have not done any prepping and have less than a week's food in the house. Some only two days. As soon as the food disappears from the stores, they'll hit the streets to take any food they can any way they can. For those with guns, 'any way they can' means 'the weak shall die.' And don't forget, in the US, there are more than two hundred million guns. We have to be ready for the food to disappear and for people to want what we've stored away."

  "Two hundred million and six," said Elspeth. "Where's that key?"

  Everyone was looking at Elspeth and smiling when John said, "Right guys. We should make as many trips each day as we can and make sure we always have the gas tanks filled up. We'll need some 55-gallon drums. Put those at the top of the list. We'll empty the vehicles into them each time we come back. Leave only enough gas to drive to the first or second gas station. Take a full five-gallon can with you for insurance if you want. If we don't have a couple hundred gallons when it hits, we'll be in deep crap. Also, we'll need diesel for a tractor. You see any signs of panic buying, George?"

  "Nope. Quiet as the Texas prairie at dusk. One thing did worry me a bit. A clerk at one grocery store recognized us and asked why we were stockin' up. I told her we was just movin' in and stockin' up in case of bad weather. But, I don't think she bought it."

  "Come on, George. It didn't have anything to do with that. You should know better. Where's your brain? Have your instincts completely shriveled up and died?"

  "What are you gettin' at, Fred."

  "She didn't recognize us. She recognized you, ol' buddy. She was hitting on you, hotshot. You're so involved with this virus thing that you're forgetting who you are. Any other time, you'd be inviting her for a drink, right?"

  George looked over at Masako, who was smiling. "And how do you know who I am? We just met. And, this ain't no other time. It's the beginnin' of the end. We gotta keep our heads on straight."

  "The end doesn't have to be all bad, you know. People with their heads on straight can still have fun," Fred said, smiling at Masako, who was smiling back. "She seemed nice."

  "Yeah, she was nice. Maybe I'll go back tomorrow. You catch her name?"

  "Name tag said Iris."

  "OK, guys," John interrupted," do what you have to, but we have to be ready."

  "That does bring up a point, John. We're not sure what everybody's relationship is here, but there appears to be a shortage of women in the group."

  "Like I said, Fred. Do what you have to. I'm not making any rules for anybody. We're all independent people here. Just don't forget security. Yours and ours. I don't want to sound weird, but we all have a lot invested in each other. We know each other and we've learned to trust each other. As time goes by, it will be more and more difficult to meet new people and to make friends we can count on. If you're going to make any new friends, make them soon or don't make them, ever."

  "Gentlemen. Gentlemen, if I could have your attention," Elspeth said tapping her fork against her cup. "Possibly, you're overlooking the simple answer," she said as she finished the last of the clear liquid in her teacup and refilled it from her flask. "Perhaps, we should dispense with the outdated concepts of fidelity and monogamy. The world is changing and we have to change too. It would reduce the number of mouths to feed. I say, it's the bloody smart thing to do."

  Masako and Cho laughed and Marceau nodded.

  John folded his arms across his chest and thought, Elspeth, what am I going to do with you? You are going to upset the whole apple cart with your randy behavior. Getting the guys fighting over the women is the worst thing I can imagine right now. Worse than the plague. Everybody has guns. This could get out of hand quickly. "You were always the life of the party, Elspeth. I missed you. I know I've said that before, but it's true. I really did."

  "John, don't give me that bloody crap. You and your bloody middle class morality are bringing me down. You definitely are. Times are changing, boys. Anybody who doesn't change will be left behind," she said, taking a long drink from her teacup.

  "You're right, Elspeth. Times have changed and we need to change too."

  "Damn right they have."

  "One other thing," said Fred, possibly sensing John's desire to change the conversation. "The guy at the sporting goods store said something about a prepper group south of town, about ten miles. On the right side of the road. Remember that? Said their greenhouses could be seen from the road. Maybe, we should go for a visit. Would be the neighborly thing to do. He also said they had some solar panels. George and I know a bit about electricity. If we bought some panels, we could install them. Especially if we'd seen how it was done."

  "He's right," said George. "We talked about solar panels before and this could be the last chance to learn somethin' and scope out a system that's workin'. I haven't seen any others around town."

  "Sure, take the van and check it out. Take someone with you. And for the drums, there's an oil company in town, near the railroad tracks on Route 401. You could see if they would give or sell you some drums. If they had oil in them, they won't require much cleanup to hold gasoline or diesel. Anything else, like grease, would be more difficult."

  "Another thing," said Fred. "We've been worrying about food and a few other things. Once the panic hits, gasoline will also disappear. You talked about storing gasoline, but that won't last forever either. Even if we douse it with that gasoline stabilizer. That stabilizer needs to go on the list. Before long, we'll need transport that doesn't use diesel or gasoline."

  With some irritation in his voice, John said, "Cut to the chase, Fred. What's the bottom line? Make this easy for me."

  "Horses. Your father used to keep horses. We should have some. They eat grass. We could use them for hunting and short range foraging. Save gasoline."

  "Sure, why not? Who knows the most about horses?" John said, glancing around the room and stopping on Elspeth. He knew that Elspeth rode. Maybe he could get her more involved in their prepping by putting her in charge of buying and taking care of some horses.

  "Well, I've ridden a few," said Elspeth. "Always enjoyed it. We'll go looking for some. How many do we need? Three or four?"

  "Sounds good. You and Tom and Harry take care of the horses. Make sure you lay in a supply of what
ever medicines or vitamins or special food or equipment they need."

  "Saddles," said Elspeth.

  "What," said John.

  "You have to have saddles and brushes and those things you put in the horse's mouth."

  "Sure. Get whatever we'll need. Maybe one of those new American saddles with the alcohol detector built in. You can't pull on the reins unless the alcohol content of your breath is below some number."

  "You're joking."

  Chapter 19 - Preppers

  The next day, Fred and Masako took the van to town and turned south onto Highway 401.

  "You know, it's really nice seeing you again, Masako."

  "Yeah, me too. I'm glad you weren't hurt in Iraq. Must have been bad."

  "Bad and strange, but it had its good parts."

  "Really, what? Not the sand. I heard that got everywhere. Yuk."

  "You. Why do you think I came to Tokyo to see John so much? I didn't care about him. I came to see you," he said, turning away from the highway and giving Masako a long look.

  She smiled and her cheeks turned a light pink, "Really, I'm glad you did. Why didn't you ever say anything? I always looked forward to seeing you."

  The truck swerved a little, and Fred shifted his eyes back onto the road again. "Well, at first, I thought you and John had a relationship. Especially since you were in camp together for years. Later, after he left, I did say something. After John went to China. But, you were in another relationship by then."

  "Another relationship? I'm not sure I was ever in a real relationship with John."

  "Really, I thought you and John were tight. I was surprised you moved on so easily. You two had known each other for what, six or seven years. Since that strange summer camp you both went to, right? And then the University."

  "Did he ever tell you about that summer camp?"

  The trees along the road gave way to farmland and. Fred slowed down and began looking around, trying to find the solar panels.

  "Not that much. I asked him once why he kept going year after year. Sounded boring making billfolds and swimming. Then, he mentioned your name."

  "Really?"

  "Yeah, I thought he was really into you. It looked that way."

  "I think he just said that to keep from telling you what summer camp was all about. To avoid telling you he was learning to be a spy. Eight weeks every year for ten years. He wasn't into me. He was into spying. He loved it. Like his body was an avatar in a giant video game that was the world. He was inside, looking out, playing the game. The fun part of spying for him was having people to be into him. Deep down, he's a little narcissistic. He didn't really care what their secrets were or who they were or what their problems were. He just wanted to know their secrets. Like a stamp collector gathering stamps. He gathered secrets."

  "Did you have any secrets?"

  She smiled again and said, "That's a little personal, but not many. My father had secrets or he knew other people's secrets. I caught John photographing papers on my father's desk once. I was supposed to be the one spying on my father. I don't know why he was doing it, too," she said with a little irritation in her voice. "He thought he talked his way out of it, but I knew what he was up to." She raised one eyebrow and said, "I watched him carefully after that."

  "Wow. John was spying on you or your father. That doesn't sound right. You don't spy on your friends," he said, turning away from the highway and giving her another long look. Masako pointed to the road and he got the hint and his attention was once again on his driving.

  "John practiced charming people. So much so that it became a habit. Just like putting on his shirt in the morning. Eventually, he disappeared and all that was left was this charming spy." She paused for a moment and looked sad. "He built a whole persona for himself, like some people build themselves a house. Then, after he built it, he just moved into it. The real John was lost forever. Around the age of twenty, he became completely false. I never knew whether he was agreeing with me or just saying whatever words he needed to say to keep my trust."

  "That's sad. I always thought he was such a great guy. What about him and Cho? They seem close."

  "Ha. They are not close. They're identical. Cut from the same cloth. The proverbial two peas in a pod. She built a house too. A different house. She wasn't spying for the purpose of learning government secrets. She was spying to make money. Not actually spying, just gathering information. Information she could use to her advantage at some future time to make more money. Somehow, I don't think they are lovers -- not in the normal sense. They are partners in two businesses. His and hers. Their businesses have much in common, but they aren't the same."

  "But the spy business is over now. And whatever business she had in China is gone. He has no reason to spy on anybody and she isn't going to be selling women any more. At least I don't think so," Fred said, raising his eyebrows and giving Masako a questioning look.

  "Hell no! She's not selling me. She didn't say anything to you did she?"

  "No. No. Not at all. If they are like you say, what's their game now?"

  "I don't know. They probably don't know either. They're regrouping. Trying to find themselves. But, he does act differently. I don't have the impression any more that I'm being conned. He genuinely seems to care about me -- about all of us. Maybe the spy is gone and the old John is coming back, slowly. It will take a while."

  "So where would that leave him and Cho?"

  "No idea. I've gotten a few strange vibes from him over the last week." She turned her head and looked out the window at the trees. The road was now blanketed in the overhanging limbs of the dense woods crowding the highway. The two-lane road was narrower than it had been.

  "And what's the story on this Charles guy? I always feel he's watching and waiting for the second when he jumps me and tries to snap my neck. I had a lot of military training, but I feel like a schoolboy beside him. He was some super spy and super soldier, all rolled into one. It wasn't just that he blew up that boat, but he was prepared to do it. I mean what kind of person carries bombs around?"

  "I never met him before, either. That Scottish accent is interesting. Like Sean Connery, just not as deep. I wonder if we could have him say, 'Bond, James Bond,' " she said, laughing. "But, he does seem weird. Sophisticated and suave, a real womanizer, but oddly creepy. You should have seen him with the stewardesses on the plane from Dubai to London. He wasn't just romancing one of them. He was going for both. Almost succeeded. Just weird," she said, with a shiver.

  Fred slowed the van. "I think we're here. The greenhouses are right over there." He turned right from the highway and onto a narrow dirt road. It wound around before going past a two-story white farmhouse in front of a large barn. "This must be it. What now?"

  "I'll go ask if they know who owns the greenhouses," said Masako. She saw Fred unfastening his seatbelt and said, "Maybe, I should go alone. It would be less intimidating."

  "You sure?"

  "Yes, I haven't intimidated anyone since high school," she said with a wry smile.

  She knocked on the door of the house and an older woman, thin with grey hair, came to the glass storm door, but didn't open it.

  "Who are you? You look Chinese. We don't want any virus here. Stay back."

  "My father is Japanese, but my mother is American. I have lived in California for most of my life. My boyfriend's company moved him here. We arrived a few weeks ago. We are interested in becoming self sufficient, especially with the Chinese virus around. We heard that someone around here was into prepping and being self sufficient. Do you know anything about it? Are those your greenhouses? They look well-built. We are interested in building our own. It would be helpful to see how you constructed them."

  She waited a few minutes, as if deciding whether or not to believe Masako. "Wait here. I'll call my son."

  A few minutes later, a man, tall, dark hair, rugged, fit and around forty, walked around the corner of the house. "What do you want?"

  Looking closely, Masako
could see a bulge in the man's pocket. He was armed. "As I told your mother. We've been reading a lot on the internet about self-sufficiency and prepping. And now with the virus problem, we thought we shouldn't wait any longer. We figured we needed to learn something. Maybe save our lives. We just moved in and we've read a lot on the internet. Any way you could give us some tips? Maybe show us around. We're not sure where to start and we may not have much time. I'm really worried."

  "You looking to steal something?"

  "No!" Her eyes grew wide and she looked insulted. "Of course not. We need help. I don't have a gun and you do. I expect with such big greenhouses and a big house, you have many people to help defend the place. If you don't want to talk, we'll go on. I'm sorry to bother you. There's still a lot on the internet to read."

  "OK, wait. You can come. Tell your boyfriend to stay put."

  * * *

  That evening after dinner, John again thanked Marceau, then looked over at Fred and Masako who were seated beside each other, closely. "How did it go with the shopping and the preppers? I saw the drums you brought. What was it, six?"

  "Yes, I'll bring some more tomorrow, drums take quite a lot of space in the van. They were just giving them away. They were clean. Had grease in them, but with drum liners. The prepper place was where the man at the sporting goods store said it was. You wouldn't believe the story Masako made up about her background. If being innovative is the mark of a survivor, she's going to survive."

  "I feel bad about lying, but it is necessary. I know it was harmless, but still …"

  "No need to feel bad about it," said John. "We must change our way of doing things, if it helps us survive. What did you learn from the preppers, Fred?"