by Pete Thorsen
On the warmer days we often take walks in the afternoon so we all get some sun, fresh air, and exercise. Kim makes all of us take a multi vitamin everyday because she said we can not risk anyone getting sick. I think the chance of any of us getting a virus like the flu is very slim now for two reasons. I think the radiation might have killed many viruses and with zero contact with any other people it will likely also make it very hard for us to contract a virus.
The very cold temperatures worries me not so much for our own existence because we are warm and have plenty of food and fuel but I am worried about all the natural things in the area coping with the very unnatural cold. The plants and the animals in this region have never before encountered this cold. It is maybe twenty degrees or so below the previous records and forty degrees or more below the averages.
I think that things from trees to mice might die from the cold. I am very glad I am down here instead of in a northern state like Montana or Wisconsin because it must be almost unbearable there. It is likely that every citrus tree in the United States has already died and can only be re-grown from seeds at some later date when or if temperatures return back to the old normal. Even all the cactus around here must be frozen solid by now and I wonder if they will just die or be stunted or what the outcome will be.
It would be safe to say many animals will die; both native species and exotic species like cows and horses. Though I think many animals have died from the radiation already. I would have butchered a beef cow but I never saw a live one. With the shorter growing season it will be hard for surviving humans to grow food in the summer and with some or a lot of the livestock and native game animals dying it will be hard indeed for many people to survive.
But I do know that nature is very resilient and life does find a way to survive. Even with all the food that we have amassed here at the house I wish we would have brought even more back here. The severe cold will certainly ruin much of the canned food that is left in unheated stores and warehouses. Until now I had never even thought about food warehouses. There must be some in one or more of the surrounding towns. That is something we will have to check on in the spring.
The severe cold will also ruin all the plumbing in every house and commercial building that had water in the lines. Fixing a house to live in will be quite a difficult task after this long winter. Much of the infrastructure of the United States and other countries will be damaged or ruined by this terrible cold. The whole world population must be just a fraction of what it once was and many are likely still dying everyday I bet.
Our generator and our gravity water system are working really well so far. We now have over a foot of snow on the ground here and the snow will help insulate our water supply even more. I check our power supply at least once a week and so far the panels are keeping the batteries up fine. I am glad I added all those extra panels though.
I don’t think we use a lot of electricity most days though we do occasionally use the microwave and sometimes the toaster. I know those put a serious drain on the system but both of those items are only run for a few minutes at a time at most. The clothes washer takes a bunch of power too and we don’t use the dryer because it is an electric one so I strung clothes line in the living room.
Yes I know it’s a redneck thing but it does work well and we really have little other choice. I suppose I could go to town and bring out a propane clothes dryer and I likely will next year but we will get by this winter with clothes lines. We are all used to eating the venison now and we have it quite often.
We have quite a bunch of canned hams, canned chicken, tuna, and some smaller amounts of other canned meats like beef, shrimp, and some other seafood so we do have choices. Kim is a great cook now and she makes us different things all the time to eat. Yes, I know how lucky I am.
Merry Christmas everyone! We had a great Christmas yesterday. We didn’t exchange gifts and I don’t think any of us missed that part of it at all. We played Christmas music all day long and often we all sang along with the songs. It truly was a great day that I think we will all look back on fondly and remember for a long time.
Well it’s a New Year today and it sure is a big change from the last New Year’s Day. It makes me wonder just how many other people are even still alive to mark this New Year and makes me wonder about the life that Mia has ahead of her.
We are not doing anything special today and when I look at Kim I can see she is a little down today also and must be having some of the same thoughts I am about this past year and some worries about what this year will bring. But we are determined to survive and make as pleasant and fulfilling a life for Mia as we possibly can.
I start the pickups every week or two just to keep them in better running condition. Today when I started one and let it run awhile to warm up we all got in and took it for a ride. We took the four wheel drive pickup and I kept it in four wheel while we were out. It had no problem getting through the snow that is on the ground and it was great getting away from the house for the afternoon and see some different scenery.
It was actually quite pretty in many spots with the snow on everything. I suppose it was a little dangerous because if something would have happened we might have had a tough time getting back home again if we would have had to walk. But it was still a fun trip and turned out to be a good outing for all of us. Other than some birds we didn’t see any animals but a couple times I think I saw tracks in the snow from some kind of animals though I never got out to check what the tracks were from. It was good enjoyable day.
It’s been a few weeks and I haven’t written anything in this journal. I just didn’t have much to write. Things are going well here and we are all healthy and as happy as can be expected. I think Kim and I are very lucky to have Mia here with us. The days would be boring indeed without her to brighten things up for us. It also gives us something to do and a purpose when we teach Mia everyday.
Both Kim and I are really learning a lot at the same time as Mia even though we are supposed to be the teachers. We all are doing a lot of reading and while some days we get a little bored with the sameness (is that even a word?) of every day it is not even close to how boring it was for me in the mine those two months alone.
I regret not bringing some exercise equipment here to the house but we have now included a Physical Education class to the school curriculum everyday so we all are getting some exercise. Yes I noticed my pants were getting a little tight in the waist but I am confident that the trend of getting bigger will reverse now with the exercise class everyday.
Yes! It’s been a couple weeks or so and my pants are fitting more normal already. Happy days. The exercise class I think is lifting all our spirits a little too besides keeping us all in better shape. I’ll make sure to thank all the members of the school board for adding the Phy Ed class.
We have more snow on the ground now and I’m glad we took that ride in the pickup when we did because we could never do it now with all the snow on the ground. I watch the thermometer all the time now to look if there is a warming trend that could mean spring is coming but so far nothing. I freely admit the winter and being cooped up in the house is wearing on all of us at least to some extent.
Spring is coming. The snow on the ground is definitely melting a little everyday. I think official spring is in a couple weeks away yet and I’m sure the snow will be all melted by then. I see more smiles in the house already and I’m sure the melting snow is a big part of the reason. We are all chomping at the bit to be able to get outside again. The haze that was so regular is way thinner than it was outside. The sky is still not crystal clear but there has for sure been a major improvement.
My personal prediction is that it will be back to normal in another six months (hey it doesn’t hurt to guess). I don’t know if that means next winter will be warmer but I assume it will be at least to some extent. Maybe we were a little stingy with our wood burning this winter but we were all pretty comfortable and we have a lot of wood left over (we are still bur
ning wood for heat but I know the end of that is coming).
It’s Spring Time!
The snow is gone and I say it is really spring. The temps are still cool but it does not freeze at night anymore. We have taken many drives in the pickup and have gone hiking around home. I have seen several critters so I know at least some have made it through the winter. There are also many birds that we see everyday. All three of us walk around with smiles everyday just because it is Spring.
It is too early to go anywhere too far yet but Kim and I have been talking and trying to decide if we should go and actively search for other people. It is a big decision and we are still talking about it. We can use the motor home and either travel around fairly close by camping and sight-seeing or strike out and see if we could find others that are still alive and maybe see how much devastation is out there.
The farther we go the bigger the risk. We established right away that we would not split up. Whatever we decide will include all of us. I think we will decide in a month or less. Neither of us are really for or against. For right now we are just keeping the thought in the back of our minds and we will just see what happens.
It is getting warmer. Today it hit sixty for the first time. I have started and run all of our vehicles and they weathered the winter just fine. We are making day trips two or three times a week now. Sometimes we don’t drive very far; we only drive a few miles from home so we can hike in a different area. Mia is growing fast and even though we had ‘bought’ larger clothes and shoes for her we will have to do more shopping soon.
We went shopping for new clothes for Mia today. We did not know what to do with the clothes that she grew out of so we put them in a big tote and left them inside one of the clothing stores. While in town we let Mia pick out several more programs for her laptop that she wanted to try out. We also brought home more books that we all picked out.
One more thing we brought home but likely won’t use much until next winter is some exercise equipment. I did not want to forget and not have it next winter.
It is warmer now though both Kim and I agree it is way cooler than it normally would be this time of year. Still haven’t decided about searching for others yet even though the weather is now warm enough so we could leave anytime. I told Kim we should decide one way or the other and if we are not going we should plant a garden soon so we could have some fresh vegetables (though we still have a ton of food on hand and could still bring more home).
We have decided to take the motor home east and check out a few towns east of us. We will stop at Payson and Show Low then go north and get on interstate forty and drive to Gallup, New Mexico. We will decide at that point where we will go next; either farther or back home.
On the Road Again
We left this morning in the motor home. We are all excited about the trip. I drove pretty slowly even though we were obviously the only ones on the road. But we are in no hurry and there were a couple places where rocks had rolled onto the road and I wanted to take no chances. The roads have had no maintenance for almost a year now but had no traffic either. It is just safer to drive slowly.
It was afternoon by the time we got to Payson after stopping a few places to admire the view or just stretch our legs a little. I honked the horn when we got to town and we stopped to walk around some. I carried my shotgun in case of feral dogs but I figured the winter would have done most of them in already.
We saw no one and no evidence that anyone was even there. I had clipped the ‘Nuke Alert’ on a belt loop just to monitor the radiation level. It had been quiet the whole trip so far. We walked around some but we didn’t need anything and after awhile we left and continued our drive. Late this afternoon I stopped at a park area and we stayed there over night.
This morning we drove to Show Low. We all saw some elk! That was great and all three of us were excited to see them. We also saw some deer and Mia thought she saw a bear but it was only a flash and she wasn’t sure. There are some pretty spots in Show Low, no people though, at least that we could find. We actually stayed in town quite awhile walking around and then driving a little and walking some more.
It is so sad to think about all the people that have died. We have never seen any kind of airplanes or jets flying over since the war either. We left Show Low and headed north towards the interstate but we stopped and stayed overnight before we got to the interstate. That’s when Mia started up an ‘interesting’ conversation.
“Thank you, Daddy for taking Mom and I on this trip. It is really fun.”
“You are certainly welcome but you know we are really not your mom and dad.”
“But don’t you love Mommy and me?”
At this point Kim was looking right at me.
“Yes sweetie, I love you and Mommy with all my heart.”
“You love Daddy and I don’t you Mom?”
Kim had never stopped looking at me and did not stop when she answered either.
“Yes honey, Mom loves you and Daddy with all my heart.”
“So doesn’t that make us a family?”
“Yes, I guess it does at that.”
Thinking about it afterward I am convinced that Mia started that conversation with very specific goals. She is a very bright girl and I was not at all surprised when early that evening Mia said she was extra tired and was going to bed early tonight. Leaving Kim and I alone.
“I think I’ll go out and just stretch legs a little.”
“I’ll come with and look at the stars.”
Once we were outside I did not think there was any reason to beat around the bush any longer. We both knew why we were outside.
“I do love you with all my heart and have for a long time.”
“And I have felt the same towards you. Thank you for being so considerate for so long. I admitted to myself some time ago that I am totally in love with you. And the fact that we are the last man and woman has nothing to do with it.”
We kissed that night for the first time and subtle changes must have been visible the next day because Mia had the biggest smile on her face all day long that Kim and I had ever seen. That little girl is wise way beyond her years. Of course I think Kim and I did a lot of smiling also.
The next day we turned back toward home. Mia said she would help us plant and take care of a large garden but we better get it started. We took a different route home on the return trip just to see more places and there was always the hope that we might see more people like us. I know they are out there someplace.
At home the sleeping arrangements did change around some and everyone seems very happy about it. I know I am. To think it took World War Three for me to find the family that I always wanted. I am a happy man indeed.
The End
The
Carrington Event
Revisited
By
Pete Thorsen
Formerly published under
The Pen Name
Jack Forester
Originally Released
On Kindle October 2013
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, except that brief selections may be quoted or copied for non-profit use without permission, provided that full credit is given. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is entirely accidental.
Prologue
The bullet hit the back of the man’s head, killing him instantly. Cal holstered his pistol and wondered how on earth someone as stupid as that man he had just shot had stayed alive this long after the Event. What did that man think that trailers full of goods were just setting out waiting for someone to take them? Cal had pulled his three-wheeled trailer that he had made himself off the highway and next to a stand of trees as he had some personal business to d
o in the woods.
When he came back there was the idiot fixing to steal his trailer. Cal walked over to the dead guy and stripped off the man’s pants, boots, shirt, and small backpack. He went through all the pockets and removed everything in them, same with the pack. Looking over the items there was very little of any value there which did not surprise Cal any. The man was obviously stupid so would not likely have much. But all his stuff would be added to Cal’s trading supplies. The boots were not his size and were mostly wore out anyway but still had some trade value. He crammed everything into the back pack and tied it on his trailer then headed back to the highway to continue his journey.
The Event had happened about nine or ten months ago now Cal figured. That was what everyone called it. That was when all electric items quit working. And they still don’t work. Whether true or not word was that it was all caused by the sun hitting the earth with some kind of radiation or blast or something.
Whatever it was it sure was powerful. Every battery exploded or burst open or at least got very hot. Some had exploded violently. Some wires had burnt up; some had just got so hot they burned all the insulation off. Electric transmission lines had all got hot enough to melt or at least sag down until some of them touched the ground.
For some reason many people thought they could get small engines or old cars running but that never happened. The starter motors were all burnt up along with all the coils and anything else with a wire in a motor. Even the magnetos in small engines were fried. Every wire every there had either melted or at least got very hot ruining what ever they were in or connected to.