"Get your rifle ready," he said, looking at Masako and whispering in her ear.
"Yes, I know. You were right and I was wrong. Sorry."
"Some day, you'll be right and I'll be wrong. I'm looking forward to that day. It's just not going to be today."
"What do we do?"
"We wait."
"For how long? We're running out of time."
"As quiet as it is, I'm afraid that if we go back, we might make a noise that would alert them. We don't know how many they are. It could end badly. Let's try to wait them out. We need more intel. How many and how strong are they?"
* * *
Twenty minutes later, two heads popped up behind the pile of lumber. The two people then stood up. They walked around the pile, each carrying two suitcases. They sat the suitcases on the ground and looked up and down the tracks.
"I was right," whispered Masako into John's ear. "It's a great day."
"Quiet. They picked up their suitcases and they're heading this way."
Another five minutes later, the two had walked to near John and Masako's position in the forest. The red-headed man was as thin as Penny, maybe more so.
John stepped out of the woods, his rifle pointed at the man. "Stop. Put the suitcases down. Cover them Masako." John put his rifle down, walked over and frisked the man, then stepped back and picked up his rifle, pointing it at the man, "Frisk her, Masako."
Masako did as he said, and stepped back. "Clean."
"Bring the suitcases over here. Open them and check them for weapons."
After Masako had gone through the suitcases, she looked up at John. "Nothing here. Just clothing and a little food. Not even a pistol."
John looked at Penny and said, "So, what's the story? You said your husband was dead."
"He is. This is my brother, Al. Where's your train. I thought you would meet us here. We thought you'd gone back where you came from. Did I say something?" Her voice quivered.
"We are meeting you here. Everybody we've met in the last few months has tried to kill us. We're a little skittish when it comes to meeting new people. We just took the train out of harm's way. Wouldn't want to lose it. Just in case you turned out like all the rest."
"You actually run a train? Gee whiz, I thought Penny was crazy when she said she saw a train on the tracks. I didn't believe her, but she was so happy, I went along with it. Golly, a train. I thought she had finally lost it. But, I grabbed my things anyway and came over here while she was packing. I didn't want you to leave without us. Times have become awfully bad. You know?"
John smiled nervously, still not sure if things were safe. He looked around the area, trying not to be too obvious, as he spoke. "It's not really a train. It has four cars, two passenger cars which will carry two people each, a flat bed and the engine in the back. But it's made from bicycle parts and the engine burns wood. It works pretty well. So, Masako says you folks know all about the cave area of Kentucky."
"We went on vacation every year, up until a few years ago. Our father was a rock collector. They had some nice rock shops near the caves. If you're into that sort of thing. I guess no one is nowadays. I guess food is important now. Oh, yeah, where was I? Gosh, I don't know, but Penny said you were in a hurry. Shouldn't we be going?"
"Sure. If you don't mind, I'll keep the rifle ready. Masako, can you help Penny with her suitcase."
"Sure, be glad to."
When they arrived at the train, Al walked around the train three times rattling questions about everything and saying golly and gee a lot, driving John to the limit of his patience. After the third go around, John suggested it was time to go and that he and Al take the first car with Penny and Masako in the second, so they could all become acquainted with each other. They rearranged the boxes on the flat car and used their spare rope to tie on the suitcases. The flat car looked dodgy, with things piled all over it, but after a few minutes of tugging at the boxes and suitcases, John was satisfied that everything was secure and nothing would fall off. John put a few more logs into the combustion chamber of the gasifier and jumped into the first car, alongside Al.
As they came up to speed, Al said, "How long have you had this? Did you build it? Gee, I'm a bit of a tinkerer myself."
"We have our own tinkerer, George. He built most of it, with some help from a few others. He made a trip to the coast in it and brought back a load of fish. That used to be a one day trip. It would be two days now. Any fish in the streams here?"
"Lots. Before the virus, this area was hard hit by the recession. The government shut down most of the coal mines a year or two ago. No work. People left. With the recession, tourists stopped coming. Even before the virus hit, the local towns were ghost towns. So, when the panic did hit, not many went out in the woods hunting. Gee, that's how we survived. Hunting and fishing. Penny planted a small garden. Then, we were hit by those people on their bicycles."
John looked over in time to see Al shiver. "Bad time, was it?"
"For Pete's sake, we hadn't set up any kind of warning system. They killed Penny's husband and my wife. We killed three of them and they left. Went west, where they originally came from."
"Did you hear anything about where they were from?"
"No. They were close when we first saw them. I could hear voices, but I couldn't make out any words."
"I didn't see any weapons in your suitcase."
"Bow and arrow. You know what they say, never take a bow to a gunfight. It's quiet, but has little range. I left it. Penny said you had rifles. I figured that you wouldn't need our bows."
John cringed at the thought of another 'Gee', but it wasn't enough to keep him from talking with Al. It was good to finally talk to a different person. One who wasn't pointing a gun at him. "Actually, we have a few of those, too."
A short pause in the conversation followed before John asked another question he had been wondering about.
"How did your enemies get through your barricade of logs?"
"Walked around it, I suppose. They had bicycles with an outrigger. Didn't weigh much. I guess that's what they did. Gee, I don't have a clue."
They had been traveling about half an hour when John slowed and stopped the train.
"What's going on, John?" Al said.
"See up ahead. That switch. It's set to straight through. We need to go to the north, or right. This is a good sign. It means the last travelers through here kept travelling west. After we pull the train through, I'll reset it back west. If they come back they won't notice a difference and won't suspect we were through here."
The lines between Al's eyes deepened. "Are you always so thorough?"
"Always. In this new world, you make mistakes and you pay a high price. No more slaps on the wrist. No two hundred-fifty dollar fines for speeding through a construction zone. The penalty for everything is that you are wounded or you are dead. And these days, being wounded usually leads to being dead."
"Our new world isn't so great, is it?"
"It's now better than it was. You are the first people we've met who haven't tried to kill us. So far, anyway," John said, looking over at Al with a raised eyebrow.
With Al's help on the maps, John navigated the small train to a siding only a mile from one of the commercial caves in Kentucky. The siding connected to a commercial building. John's lock picks quickly opened the back door and the four spent the night sleeping on office chairs and desks. John, however, slept lightly, wondering if Al or Penny were who they pretended to be or if they would kill Masako and him in their sleep.
* * *
When he awoke the next morning, John was thankful that he and Masako were still alive. Al and Penny led the way to a commercial cave they had visited many times on vacation. As they walked around the curve coming up to the reception building, John spotted a man, sitting on the porch.
Al said, "Wait. Let me. I'm sure I've seen him before. It's been a few years."
John looked at Masako with a look which said "Get ready. This is a setup."
Masako looked back with another look which said, "Come on. You're paranoid."
John put his hand out and stopped Al. "I'll go with you." He looked down at his rifle and said, "Just in case."
Al shrugged and led the way as the women moved back behind the trees, with their two heads peeking out around a bush.
"Howdy, there, young fellers," the man sitting on the porch said. "Ain't seen nobody comin' up that road for a long time. Where y'all from?"
"Howdy," said Al. "We're looking for a place to live. I'm from Kentucky. We used to come here on vacation when I was young."
"We're looking for a cave," said John. "You know of any around here that nobody is living in."
"Can't rightly say. I went over near Rainbow Cave, huntin', a month ago and nobody was there."
John looked through his guide book and found the map with the caves listed. Then he pulled up his compass. "About a mile that way," he said, pointing north.
"That's right, young feller. Not far. Used to walk twenty miles to work every day when I was your age. Gettin' too old for that, now. Can't go more than ten before gettin' winded these days."
John and Masako and their new friends hiked to Rainbow Cave. It was vacant and suitable. There, John found an old rack of tourist information with a brochure about another cave a few more miles away from the main highway. It was called Hidden Cave and was smaller than Rainbow Cave, but still far larger than the group would need. At the mouth of the cave was a building where the tours started and where souvenirs could be purchased. The back of the building surrounded the entrance to the cave. The roof of the building could be used for solar panels. Some power was already wired into the cave. John called back to the lodge and reported his findings. As originally agreed, he provided the GPS coordinates in code, just in case anyone were listening, and kept the length of the call under a minute. It was decided that he and Masako should stay at the cave and explore the area while the others made the journey.
Chapter 80 - A New Underworld
As soon as George received the call from John, he jumped into the pedal powered Dark Dart train and went to see Bugs. Standing in the front yard full of fluffy white bunnies, he explained the situation and the fact that the group was leaving. Bugs began to pace back and forth.
"I don't know what I'm going to do." He reached down and picked up a rabbit, holding it up in front of his face, nose to nose. "What should we do Sweetums? If the government comes and they are hungry, they'll eat you. We don't want that, do we?" Bugs wiped the tears from his eyes with his free hand. Sweetums twitched his nose. "You're right. I can't allow that. George, we're going with you."
"Sure, I'll fix up one of the government SUV's for you and your bunnies, Bugs. But, I don't think you'll all fit. I could give you a trailer. You could put some hutches on that, but you still couldn't take all your bunnies."
"That's great, George, isn't it Sweetums?" Sweetums twitched his nose again. "I suppose everybody else can make it in the wild." Bugs, wiped his eyes again. "Sure, they can. I'm sure of it."
The next day George brought the big black SUV and a trailer. Bugs crammed as many of his rabbits as possible into the SUV. The rabbits were on the seats, in the floor and in the passenger seat. They had transformed the black interior of the SUV into a moving blanket of snow. After putting as many hutches, filled with more rabbits, onto the trailer, he opened his gates allowing the rest to escape into the forest. George thought he saw Bugs crying, definitely sniffling, but decided not to mention it. After all, they were only rabbits, no humans.
Meanwhile, Fred began taking the glass out of the green house. When George returned, he said, "It looks like it's coming apart easier than I thought. But it will still be a lot of work."
"I put it together with screws. That's easier when a person is building alone. So we should be able to take it apart and transport it. We always knew this day would come."
"You did?"
"Of course. Things are changing quickly. We have to react. In the military, we rarely spent long in one location. I got used to moving. Packing and moving. It's a way of life."
"It'll take time to take this thing apart. Lots of time."
"Right, but I'm not leaving without it. Grab Chung and Pierre and Iris and anybody else who isn't busy. As long as they can use a screwdriver."
It took two long days to finish loading all their belongings onto two large trucks. At dawn the next day, everyone was ready, but nervous. They were putting their lives and everything they had worked for over the last six months into these two trucks. If the move weren't successful, they would be in serious trouble.
Pierre and Chung found a semi truck at an abandoned trucking company. Fred and George took that truck and the flatbed they had borrowed from the county to the gas station where they had rigged the pumps. They made sure to pack the tools they needed to hack pumps for use later at their new location. The trip was expected to take ten to twelve hours, travelling more slowly than typical interstate speeds to save fuel. Originally, they considered bringing extra diesel fuel, but their trucks' two hundred fifty gallon capacity would allow the whole trip without a refill. At six to eight miles per gallon, their range would allow a trip halfway across the country, if necessary. They could even take the trucks back home and make a second trip if they had to.
Fred climbed into the cab of the semi and turned the key. Chung climbed into the passenger's seat and stowed his bag behind. He kept a rifle on his lap. "Ready for a new life?"
"Yes, but it isn't the first time. I remember selling my truck and buying an SUV six months ago after John called. I thought he was crazy then. Maybe he was crazy, then. Maybe he's still crazy now. I don't know what convinced me to come here. Maybe Masako. She has always been level headed. Except for the last few months. Maybe that was her thyroid. I hope this time that the new life sticks. I don't like starting over."
Chung blinked a few times. "I understand that. I'm not crazy about the idea either, but I suppose we have not choice. Are our chase cars ready?"
"Yes, Pierre and Marceau are in one of the government cars with a trailer full of gasoline. They will follow us about a mile behind and Bugs is after them. He's sitting in a car full of rabbits and cabbage and carrots. He grabbed everything left after Marceau's final harvest. You know -- that boy is crazy."
Fred grinned. "We're all crazy. But he could be the secret to our success. Unless we find good hunting grounds, rabbits could be our only meat. How about George and the flat bed?"
"I talked to him a few minutes ago. One minute after Bugs leaves, George will pull out. Another minute later, Iris with Little John. I'm surprised George was able to bring all three of the electric cars. One on the flat bed, one towed behind him and one towed behind us."
"George would rather cut off his left arm than leave one of his cars behind, or his solar panels."
"How about his chase car?"
"Iris is driving Little John in one of the government cars. I wish John had come back. I would like to see him in that last car."
"Me too."
* * *
Their travel route was selected to avoid steep mountains. Fred thought they would be most vulnerable to attack at the slow speeds necessary to travel over the steepest mountains. As a result, they began their trip with a detour south until they picked up an east-west highway. Two hours into the trip, Fred perked up and said, "Check that out Chung. A black SUV, like the ones we were given by those government guys."
"The didn't really give them up easily. Like the one we gave to Binky and his party, you mean. That crazy guy has done something stupid, again. John was right about him. Totally bonkers."
"Simca was right too. He does some surprisingly smart things."
"John and I are right too. He does some surprisingly stupid things, too."
Chung radioed to the others and it was decided that Pierre and Marceau would stop and check out the SUV, while the others continued, at a slower pace. Twenty minutes later, Pierre caught back up with
the convoy and reported that it was the same SUV, but the bicycles and other items were missing. An hour later, Fred saw bicycles ahead. Chung radioed Pierre again and it was agreed that the whole convoy would stop this time and take a break. Everyone was interested to hear what happened and didn't want a second hand account of what would surely to be a story worth repeating.
The bicyclists were surprised to see the small convoy stop, and initially ran off under a small bridge. Fred and George were finally able to convince them that they had been found by friends.
"Hey, Binky," said Fred. "What happened? Where is that car we gave you?"
"Bloody cars. Always breaking. Not reliable."
He looked over at Simca and said, "Perhaps you can provide some further information? Binky, the Duke, possesses a minimal understanding of machinery."
She looked at Binky and then back at Fred. "I don't understand why you people have such a problem communicating with Binky. It broke. How's this? The engine made a boom sound and then the car slowed down quickly. I tried to start it, but it wouldn't turn over. Isn't that what you Americans say."
Fred looked at George.
"I checked the oil before they left. Did you folks run over anything? Anything big. Like a giant rock? Did you leave the highway for any reason?"
Simca looked somewhat sheepish and said, "We left the road yesterday to pick some fruit from an orchard. Binky drove over a small wall."
"Quite small. Tiny, really. Only a foot or so high. These cars are made for such things. No problem at all. Slowed down a bit. A Land Rover wouldn't even slow down on such a puny thing."
Fred turned and looked at Pierre, closing his eyes briefly in disbelief, and said, "Was their any frontal damage to the car?"
"Yes, now that you mention it." Pierre walked back to his vehicle and retrieved a camera. He handed it to Fred, who searched through the pictures. He shook his head and said, "Binky. Don't drive any more. OK?"
"What is it," said George, taking the camera. "Looks like he hit a wall. Probably totaled the radiator and the oil pan." George switched his gaze from Fred to Binky. "Like Fred said, Binky, don't drive any more."
The Weak Shall Die: Complete Collection (Four Volume Set) Page 81