by A. American
Gina disappeared behind the house, calling out as she went. She always made me smile. She was just a little thing but carried such a large presence. Always willing to help. And always in a good mood. As if she were from a different time and none of this affected her, it was just another normal day.
She soon returned with Dylan in tow. He was wearing cut-off jeans and no shirt. He was soaked in sweat. He smiled as he walked over, holding his hand out to Sarge. The old man grasped it tightly and they shook.
“How the hell are ya, Linus?” Dylan asked.
“Busy as a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest.” He nodded at Gina, “She keeps me hopping, day and night.”
Gina swatted at him. “Oh stop it.”
“She said you guys have more than you can use. Anything you want to give, we’d be glad to take to town,” I said. “Lot of people there that could use it.”
He nodded. “Not a problem. We got a God’s plenty. It would take the load off us. You want to wait a minute; I’ll get you loaded up.”
Sarge waved him off. “Naw, don’t worry about it right now, Dylan. We’re not going back to town until tomorrow. Could we drop by in the morning and pick it up?”
“That’d be fine,” Gina said. “It would give us some time to get it ready.”
“We’re going to the lake for a swim this afternoon,” I said. “You two want to go? I think Thad is going to put a piece of pig on the fire too.”
Gina looked at Dylan and smiled. “It is awful hot. A swim would be real nice.”
But then Gina seemed to have a sudden change of heart and frowned a bit. “It would be nice. But with all this work we’ve been doing, I just don’t feel up to it. But you can go.”
Dylan retorted. “And leave you here alone?”
Gina’s hands went to her hips. “I can take care of myself, mister!”
Dylan wrapped an arm around her. “I know you can. But who’s going to take care of me?”
Sarge snorted. “Not me!”
Dylan nodded at the old man. “See? That’s why I have to stay with you.” He looked at me and said, “Appreciate the offer, but we’ll pass this time.”
“Not a problem, buddy. Maybe next time,” I replied.
When we made it back to the ranch, the girls were already in their suits. It was kind of humorous to see them in bikinis with beach towels slung over their shoulders and even a couple of brightly colored inflatables. The kids, Little Bit, Jace and Edie were also in swimwear and unable to stand still. Jace had a small ring-float around his waist as he hopped up and down. Little Bit carried a boogie board slung over her back.
When we got out of the truck, Mel shouted at me to hurry up and change, they were all ready to go. Looking at Danny, I asked, “Who’s going to keep an eye on the ranch?”
“Dalton and Perez are staying behind. Perez said he doesn’t swim and Dalton didn’t want to leave the place unsecured.”
Miss Kay had prepared some food, and she and Bobbie were carrying it out to the vehicles. It didn’t take long before all was ready and loaded into everything we had that rolled. With all but two of us going, we needed every set of wheels we had. I loaded Mel and the girls into the Suburban and we fell in line at the rear of our little convoy. As we passed the bunker, I stopped.
Perez was lazing in the shade of the tarp at the rear of the log structure. Dalton was leaned over the top of it looking down the road. “You two don’t want to go?” I asked.
Without lifting his hat, Perez replied, “I ain’t no wetback.”
Dalton shook his head. “Nah. I’ll hang around here. You guys go and relax.” He placed his weapon on the top of the bunker and propped himself up on his elbows. “This is relaxing to me.”
“Alright then,” I replied. “I appreciate you guys hanging back.”
“I feel bad leaving them here,” Mel said.
I shrugged. “Someone has to stay behind, and they volunteered.”
She reached over and grabbed my arm. “I’m glad you’re going. It’s going to be nice to just relax and pretend everything is normal. Even if it’s only for an afternoon.”
Lee Ann laughed. “Everything is normal, Mom. It’s just that normal is different now.”
Mel smiled. “I guess you’re right.”
We made it to the lake and pulled down to the edge of the water. It was mid-afternoon and getting hotter. As soon as we stopped, the kids bolted for the water. Lake Dorr had a small white sand beach and they wasted no time crashing into the warm water.
Likewise, most everyone else followed suit. Jess, Fred and my girls were quickly splashing one another as well. Then Ian and Jamie waded into it and soon the edge of the lake was a riot of laughter and splashing. Mel and Bobbie carried camp chairs down to the water’s edge and set them up while Danny and I helped Thad with the pig parts he was going to roast. Sarge and Miss Kay took up position at one of the concrete picnic tables.
Once Thad had everything he needed, he told me and Danny to beat it. He was the king of his domain when it came to this, and he didn’t like any meddling. So I left him to it and waded out into the lake, spreading my arms and falling backwards into the water. It was a little warm, but still refreshing.
It didn’t take long before the kids set upon me like a bunch of water nymphs. I tussled with them as they shrieked and laughed. Danny quickly joined in, taking some of the heat off me, thankfully. But it was fun to be rolling around in the water with the kids. Someone, I think Mike, produced a football and an impromptu game started in the shallows.
It began friendly enough of course with the kids joining in and everyone being gentle. But Mike had the ball once and was making a dash up the edge of the water. He was running hard and fast and the kids didn’t even try to catch him. Ted, on the other hand, had no problem with it. He slammed into Mike, knocking him from his feet and sending him flying into the air before crashing back into the lake. The ball popped free and landed with a splash right in front of Mary. Thad held his hands out, “Throw it to me!”
Mary picked the ball up with a big grin and tossed it to him. With ball in hand, he started towards the far end of the swimming area in knee-deep water. The kids were quickly on him. Like the Lilliputians trying to take down Gulliver. Then Jess, Fred and Aric jumped on. But the big man kept going. Ian and Jamie were lounging in the water’s edge, watching the show. But even the addition of my girls couldn’t bring the big man down.
Jamie slapped Ian’s shoulder and nodded in the direction of Thad. Ian smiled and the two jumped up, running through the shallow water, sending up geysers each time their feet crashed into the lake. As they closed the distance, Jamie dove and wrapped her arms around Thad’s knees. Ian came up from behind and slammed into Aric’s back, who was the last one on Thad’s back. This finally toppled the big man into the lake.
Mel and I sat watching all this. I’d taken a seat beside her in a folding chair. The laughter was infectious and we were both hee-hawing as we watched the show. It took Thad a minute to free himself from the tangle of bodies, but he did manage and made his way back to check on his roasting pig parts. He was smiling broadly as he left the lake, pausing to grab a towel to dry himself as he headed for the smoker we’d brought with us.
I got up and pulled my shirt off and dropped it into the chair. Mel looked up at me in a squint, “Going swimming?”
I nodded and looked up. “Yeah. It’s hot, but I really need to cool off.”
Little Bit saw me walking towards the water and threw the football. I caught it and ran right at her. She squealed and tried to run away, but the water made her slow and I dove and caught her, taking her into the water with me. We swam and played for a long time. Bobbie sat with Mel after swimming while Danny and I entertained the kids. Even Mike, Ted and Doc got in on it. We’d hoist the kids onto our shoulders and they’d jump in. Edie always held her nose, she was a cute little thing.
Sarge sat with Miss Kay in the shade and watched. He’d taken his boots off and rolled his pants up
to reveal feet that were so white they appeared translucent. Miss Kay was full of smiles. She would wave from time to time and nudge the old man and point out some antic the kids were engaged it. It looked as though everyone was having a great time.
After spending time in the lake, I decided to get out and relax and returned to my chair. “I thought those kids were going to drown you,” Mel said.
I laughed. “Wasn’t for lack of trying.”
Sitting in the chair, I dried my hair with a towel and hung it over the back of the chair. It was a funny feeling being here playing in the water as if everything were normal. But then, wasn’t it? This was a normal thing to do, after all. It made me think of a line I used on guys when I worked industrial construction, conditions are what you make ‘em. And we were making some fine conditions.
The activity in the lake died down a bit as everyone was getting worn out. The kids sat in the shallows, and with Danny’s help, they set to making a sand castle, of sorts. We were sitting on the side of a lake on a beautiful summer afternoon. The smell of wood smoke and grilling meat drifted on the air. Fat dripped into the coals and snapped and popped. The two created an incredible aroma in the air. But this could also be a problem.
Reaching down, I pulled out the small radio from my vest lying beside the chair. Extending the antenna, I powered it up and started to go through the shortwave bands. Normally, I did this during the night, but I was relaxing and it seemed like something to do. Initially, there was nothing but static. But eventually, a faint signal came across. I tried to get it in clearer, but it just wasn’t working out.
Pulling out my small survival kit, I took the small roll of brass snare wire. Wrapping one end around the tip of the antenna, I made a hook on the other and hung it up in a Myrtle tree. This improved the reception considerably. A British voice came clearly from the little speaker. It was some wanker from the BBC.
Hearing the voice got Mel’s attention and she looked down at the radio. “You got a station? Are they playing music?”
I laughed. “No. It’s the BBC. If they did, it would probably suck. Sounds like it’s the news.”
We listened as the talking head covered some domestic news. It was kind of interesting to hear someone talk about fuel prices and a shortage of potatoes due to some sort of strike. But the newscaster shifted to concerns on the international front. In particular, the good ole US of A.
I had to change my opinion of the guy reading the news. I could hear the genuine concern in his voice. He covered the dire situation most of the USA was in now. Then he gave a statistic that shocked me.
In a thick British accent, he said, Present estimates indicate that nearly seventy percent of the population of America are…dead. You could hear the pain in his tone when he said it.
Mel looked at me wide-eyed. “Did he just say seventy percent?”
I nodded as the voice continued. But as bad as things are for those that remain, it would appear they are about to become much worse. The United States Navy is currently engaged in a significant naval battle with the People’s Liberation Navy. Reports we’re receiving here in London indicate the Chinese have lost numerous vessels. But through weight of sheer numbers, their landings on the California coast continue. Threats of tactical nuclear weapons are being issued from both sides. Beijing has insisted that any such use would result in retaliation against the entire continent.
The US Navy has likewise indicated that the use of any nuclear weapons would result in a full scale retaliatory launch. This, of course, has increased tensions around the globe, with Russia stating they would come to the aid of China should they be attacked. However, the Russians have been silent on their participation in the relief, as it was initially called. But reports coming out of the US via HAM radio indicate the Russians have already made landings there, using Cuba as a staging base. The southern peninsula of Florida is reportedly under the control of the Russian and Cuban forces at this time.
“What?” I practically shouted.
“Sounds like we’ve got some trouble coming our way.” I looked over my shoulder to see Sarge standing there, coffee cup in hand.
“Do you believe this crap?” I asked.
He shrugged. “What would it benefit the Brits to make shit like that up? You could hear it in his voice that he was sincere.”
“We’re in a world of hurt,” I said.
Sarge sipped his coffee. After a moment, he said, “Those commie bastards we’ve crossed paths with so far were probably just pathfinders. I’m guessing they’re trying to consolidate Dade and Broward counties. Might even be up to Brevard by now, at the space center. Sooner or later, they’ll start making their way into the more remote places.”
“How the hell are we going to fight the Russian and Cuban armies?” I asked.
“Are we going to be alright?” Mel asked.
Sarge sniffed. “The Afghans kept them tied up for a long time. They never did settle that little conflict. Unconventional warfare can be hard on a conventional army. Against a dedicated and armed populace, they’ll have a hell of a time.”
I stood up and shook my head. “I don’t want to fight a fucking war! I just want to make do. Try and live a peaceful life with my wife and kids. This is bullshit. Every time we make a little headway, something else comes up!”
Sarge patted my shoulder. “Anything worth having is worth fighting for. And, more importantly, the only easy day was yesterday. Now suck it up, buttercup. We got shit to do.”
“Uh, Linus,” I heard Thad say. It was odd to hear him use the old man’s given name, so it got our attention. We both turned to see a group of people standing in the parking area. There were several men, women and even kids. All of them looked like shit. Their clothes were slick with filth. Their hands and faces grime-covered and their hair, all manner of ridiculous.
One of the little kids, maybe three years old, was wearing nothing but a t-shirt, from which his distended belly protruded. He, like many others of the group, scratched at their heads from what was probably a terrible lice infection. Several of the members of the group were armed with various types of weapons, including clubs. A girl, that I estimated was older than ten, stood staring at us as she picked her nose about two knuckles deep.
“They look like wild animals,” Mel said.
Our visitors were not unnoticed; and now everyone was watching them, except the kids, who were always oblivious to such things. Sarge drew his knife as he walked over to Thad and cut a large piece of meat from the rear ham sitting over the coals. Taking a big bite, he stepped towards our visitors. With his lips slick with fat, he smiled and asked, “How y’all doing?”
The men and women of the group shared looks, most of them settling on one man in particular. He was bearded in the way most men were today. But his was unkempt and nappy, as was his hair. He was holding a single-shot shotgun by the receiver at his side.
“We smelled your meat. Came to see what it was.” The man said.
Sarge took another bite and motioned at the man with the piece of meat. “You knew what it was. You said you smelled the meat. So, did you come to see what it was? Or see if could you take it, since you came with them guns?”
The man looked at the shotgun in his hand. “Hell, everyone carries guns.” He licked his lips and continued. “We just smelled it and it was more than we could stand. Had to come see what it was. You don’t smell that sort of thing now-a-days.”
Sarge took another bite of the meat and asked, “When was the last time you folks ate?”
“Meat?” The man asked. “Hell, it’s been a while. We kilt a possum last week, I think.”
“What are you living on?” Sarge asked.
The man shrugged and scratched at his beard. “Whatever we can find. Game’s getting hard to find. There’s fish, but even that is getting harder.”
Sarge nodded and stood there for a moment before looking back over his shoulder at Thad. “Thad, you think we could spare some of this fine pig for these folks?”<
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“I’m sure we can,” Thad answered.
Sarge looked back to the group and motioned with the piece of meat dangling from his hand. “Lean your shootin’ irons against that tree there and come over here and get yourselves something to eat. We got enough for all of you.”
A murmur went through the small crowd and they all began to move. Most of them, in their rush, simply dropped their weapons where they stood. They rushed Thad, making me and the guys nervous. Mike and Ted ran up to get between them and Thad, weapons at the ready. The group slowed.
“Just line up, folks. You’ll all get some,” Sarge said. “Mind your manners.”
Thad started cutting pieces of meat from the bone and handing it out. The members of the group took them greedily and immediately started to eat. Not like a hungry person. But like a hungry dog. Stuffing as much into their mouths as they could for fear someone would take it from them. It was sad and sickening.
As this was being done, I looked at Mel and told her to get the kids ready to go. While this was hospitable at the moment, it could turn at any time, and I wanted to be ready to bolt. Plus, our picnic was now officially over.
The people spread out from one another with their prize. I watched them as they eyed one another as they forced as much meat into their mouths as they could. Even the little kids did this. Though their primary defense was to run and hide. Like a small scavenger would when he manages to steal a piece of a large predator’s kill. They would run into the underbrush, completely disappearing from sight.
Once they all had some food, Sarge walked over to the man that had spoken for the group. I wandered over to hear what was being said.
“Where you folks living?” Sarge asked.
The man jabbed a greasy finger in the direction of highway 19. “We been staying in the campground there.”
Campground was a bit of a misnomer. In Florida a number of places called campgrounds became permanent resting places for all manner of travel trailers and campers and their residents. Maybe calling them a campground made it sound a little more fun than the reality.