The next important thing that Roman did was removing the stored food from the root cellar and burying it in multiple locations. Roman had calculated that about five million people would leave, or try to leave, the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex once they understood the food situation. He had estimated that they would leave in equal numbers, mostly towards the southern one hundred-eighty degrees of a circle. He didn’t think too many would head north in the winter. Most of them would walk, taking the highways out of town. Once out of town most of them would leave the highways because there would be too many people on them for anyone to reasonably believe they were going to find any food. Or be able to keep it if they did. There would be stalled eighteen-wheelers loaded with food on the roads that would become magnets for armed gangs. That food would be quickly removed and carried off to hiding places. When that food was gone, and it would go quickly, there would be nothing left anywhere near the highways.
So some four and a half million people would head out across country; roughly two hundred and twenty-five thousand people per degree of semi-circle. Given that they would spread out as they got further from town, Roman’s calculations indicated that something on the order of twenty thousand people would be coming his way in two weeks. If only two thousand of them came through his immediate area, and they all came through in a one-month time frame, then he would be looking at seventy people a day hunting food near him. Those were just average numbers though. He might go days without seeing anyone, or several hundred might show up together. Roman knew that there was no way to fight off those kinds of numbers of starving people. There was no way to feed them, either.
His best thoughts on strategy were to hide the food where it wouldn’t be found, and take to the brush until the walking starving were gone. They would take one look and him and his wife and see healthy people, which would mean they had food. Roman would not be able to hide that fact. Starving people who knew he had food somewhere would turn vicious. Torture was a real possibility. His house would draw them, as they would naturally look inside it for food, along with every other house they came to. So Roman made his current priority hiding the food.
Once the food was hidden, he began doing the same with his tools and equipment and anything that he was going to need in the future. He didn’t think starving people would take off with an anvil, but by the same token it only took a few minutes to bury it right there in the yard so he did, along with everything else of utilitarian value. He also made the house appear abandoned and recently looted, so as to ward off any raiders.
He made preparations for him and Sarah to walk into the bamboo behind the house and disappear. He pre-positioned guns, ammo, food, tents, sleeping bags, extra clothes, radio and batteries, and everything else that they might need. It was tedious work. All the items had to be thoroughly weather proofed and buried in places no one would find. He made a map to the location of each item, using symbols that only he and his wife could interpret. Then he made two copies of the map and buried them in spread out locations. Roman wasn’t planning on losing anything.
His preparations were barely completed, he thought well in advance, when they came into play. Roman had been thinking of the large cities; he hadn’t been thinking about the small towns that were closer. Upon later reflection, he realized they would go through the same transformations as the cities. Their food chains were just as fragile, but they were closer and those walkers started showing up sooner. Those thoughts would come later though. Right now, he saw four men armed with rifles and shotguns approaching down the road. He had only seconds to act.
Chapter 8
Jerry called a family meeting.
“OK, here is what Dave and I have come up with. We think we should stay here until the kids are healthy enough to walk all night cross-country. We think that could be six to eight weeks out. During that time, we’ll all be getting exercise, which we need. We’re hoping there will be decent weather when we’re ready to leave. We’ll also use this time to prepare and organize.
“In the meantime, it looks like the safest place to set up camp is down in the crawlspace under the house. I know, I know. It sounds disgusting and filthy and you’re wondering why. Hear me out before you object.”
Jerry then went on to explain the positives and the negatives of living under the house. Everyone listened closely and by the end of his arguments they were persuaded that he had thought this through carefully and that all of his points were valid. There was a brief discussion and then they all headed to bed, scattered out around the house in various rooms—helping to make one of Jerry’s points that they couldn’t afford to be separated in an emergency, it would take too long and be too difficult to communicate effectively under those conditions.
The next morning Jerry and Dave took up their rifles and four buckets along with rope, a machete and a shovel. They were going to the creek to make their first water run. While they were gone, the women would excavate two slit trenches in the backyard bushes for sanitation purposes.
Jerry and Dave left just before the sun crested the horizon. They wanted the cover of darkness but they also needed enough light to see by; this was not familiar terrain. After the route was established, they could traverse it in the dark. They chose a route through the field behind Jerry’s property. The field could be seen from some of the two story houses, so they carefully worked their way to the creek using the natural cover presented by the brush and trees. When they had to walk across an open place, they did so as casually as if they were just out for a stroll. They did not want to draw attention by acting suspicious. It was a careful balancing act between skulking along behind the brush and strolling through the open, and they felt a little bit silly.
The creek was surrounded by thick brush, but there was a spot that afforded them an easy descent to the water. The creek still had some flow, even in the drought. Since it was winter, there was reason to hope the creek would continue to flow for the time they would remain in town. They did not consider that the large number of other people also taking water from it might reduce the flow.
Jerry and Dave knew that this water couldn’t be consumed without being thoroughly treated. It contained surface runoff and would be full of pollution, not the least of which would be heavy metals and herbicides. Using the machete, they cut two saplings and trimmed them into poles. They tied a jug to the end of each of the poles and putting the poles over their shoulders worked their way back to the house. They did not intend to make this trip again in daylight and sincerely hoped that no one had seen them make this one. When they returned home, they set up a water processing system like Roman’s. They waited until dark to set up the solar evaporation stills, and did so out in the field away from the house in inconspicuous places, but places they could observe from the second story windows. They had no intention of doing anything that would make the house look inhabited; to the contrary, they intended to make the house looked abandoned and looted.
The crawlspace below the house was accessible through a trapdoor behind the furnace, and it was through this door that Jerry and Dave looked down to survey their new home. They saw that they had a big job in front of them, but they also saw that it was doable. The first step would be to rearrange some of the below floor duct work in such a way that anyone looking down would have only a limited blocked view, and not be able to see what was really down there.
They did not know how much time they would have before the first gangs started moving through the neighborhood, so they did the false-work first. They carpeted the inside of the closet where the crawlspace hatch was located so the trapdoor would not be visible to the casual observer. They rigged up two cardboard boxes filled with light items, and fastened them to the top of the hatch. When the hatch was dropped into place, the casual observer would not notice that there was a crawlspace hatch beneath the carpet and boxes. Finally, the trapdoor was fitted with a slide bolt so that it could be locked from below.
With those preparations in place, they dug out the “liv
ing room.” The pit was four feet deep so that the adults could stand upright without hitting their heads on the overhead floor joists. It was twelve feet wide and fourteen feet long. Because hygiene was critical, the pit was lined so that they would not be in direct contact with the soil. Scavenging insulation from the attic, they placed this against the dirt. For a temporary lining they used a blue tarp that Jerry had, and then carried in mattresses, blankets, and pillows. The first night under the house was perhaps the least comfortable one they would spend there, but it was still cozy and warm and everyone was happier being together. There was room to stretch out for everyone, and with their combined body heat it was warm.
The next day the improvements continued. They dug trenches, or “runways,” to the four perimeter walls, and then along the walls back from the foundation pedestals. Weakening the foundation was carefully avoided. Next they dug what Jerry called “spider holes” every ten feet or so around the perimeter of the house. These would be used as firing positions. Dave cut small crosses into the underpinning sheets. From the outside they hoped they looked decorative, if anyone ever noticed them—they were back behind the hedges surrounding the house and were difficult to see. They provided excellent places to put a rifle barrel through and fire from.
They also prepared four escape routes by loosening the fasteners holding the underpinning at the four corners. In an emergency evacuation, they could run to any corner, lift out a sheet of underpinning, and crawl out into the yard behind the hedge. The four adults could hold off an attack for quite awhile, yet they could get out quickly if they had to.
From a nearby foreclosed house, Jerry and Dave salvaged a carpet, slipping in and out without being seen after dark. This was then used to line the pit and runways and spider holes. Everyone was following strict discipline to keep dirt out of their new living area and the carpet helped tremendously. It also acted as additional insulation against the earth.
The loose soil from digging was taken, at night, out to the field and spread out where it would not be noticed. Two “restrooms” had also been carved out under the crawlspace. These were outfitted with wooden chairs with a hole cut in the seat and a bucket beneath. A cover was kept on the buckets and they too were carried off and dumped at night.
Excess carpet was spread across the “ceiling,” turning the living space into a covered cave. Doorway slits had been cut at entry and exit points. With that in place, they were free to use candles inside. This extended their waking hours beyond sunup to sundown.
All this work was completed within four days.
The upper house had been made to look abandoned, the image helped along by the front door hanging from one hinge and the back door propped open with a brick. No trails of dirt were left in the house leading towards the hatch. Nothing in the yard indicated current occupancy. To passersby it looked like one of millions of looted and abandoned homes. It did not draw attention.
Jerry knew that getting more food was out of the question, but there were other things they needed. They needed medicines, toilet paper, toothpaste, first aid supplies, and feminine hygiene items. Jerry decided it was time to make a trip to the store. He convened an adults’ meeting.
“We need some things; things that I am hoping may have been left behind after the riots. I am hoping what we need has been left behind. We need to make this foraging trip. I have been thinking on who should go, but I want to hear your thoughts.”
Dave said, “My first instinct is for you and me to go. But suppose we don’t make it back. What happens to our families? Two people must go so that they can watch each other’s backs and carry back more. Three would leave the rest too vulnerable. Looks like it needs to be a husband and wife team to me.”
“Exactly what I thought,” Jerry responded. “Obviously I want to go as we know this neighborhood better than you two. If we leave after dark, take plenty of time to get there, look around and pick up the supplies and travel back carefully, we should be back before daybreak.”
That evening Jerry and Karen armed themselves. Jerry chose a semiautomatic rifle, an old SKS that he’d had for years. They were about the least expensive semi-auto combat rifles on the market, and they were reliable shooters. Karen chose the pump shotgun and loaded it with buckshot. They put on empty backpacks, slipped out behind the hedge and stood for a few minutes, waiting while their eyes adjusted to the light level. It was still eerie, the utter darkness and silence of the city. Stars twinkled overhead as though they were in the country. Now and then a glint of light would spark and vanish in one of the windows down the street; some people were still using candles. Strangest of all was no airplanes in the night sky. They had grown used to living between Love Field and DFW. At any time, they used to look up and see twenty or more aircraft coming and going in long lines. Karen shuddered, recalling the planes that crashed when the solar storm hit.
After a few minutes, Jerry led off, staying within the shadows and moving slowly, watching and listening for as much as possible. To him, the key was to move slowly, and silently; to see and hear as much as possible. He did not want to walk into trouble. If there was trouble he wanted to stay far away from it. The nearest grocery store was a half mile away, a short walk if one just walked normally. It took them two hours to travel it and at times Jerry still felt like they were rushing.
When they entered the store, they did so through the back door. They eased in slowly and quietly, expecting ambush at any moment. Eventually Jerry was satisfied that they were alone. He had brought along a flashlight with fresh batteries. Tape covered the lens, leaving a small hole in the center that allowed only a tiny beam of light out. Despite it diminutive size, Jerry still felt like he was swinging around an enormous searchlight, attracting every bad guy within ten miles.
They picked their way through the piles of goods, finding most of what they wanted, packing their backpacks full. They had thought that they might use a shopping cart, if any were around, to carry back more, but Jerry was too nervous about the noise it would make so had abandoned that idea. They were nearly ready to leave when Jerry heard faint footsteps approaching the storefront.
Chapter 9
Matt found I-20 West to be mostly clear of blocked cars and he rarely saw another moving vehicle. I-20 West was not usually as busy as I-35, even on its worst days. Stalled cars and trucks were spread out on the average of a half a mile apart; most had pulled over to the side. This made easy going for Matt, so he took advantage, easily making eighty mph.
There were people walking alongside the highway, trying to get to the nearest town. Most of them just stared at his moving vehicle with dulled eyes, but some seemed angry and gestured their emotions. “It’s strange,” Matt thought, “they’re mad at me but I’ve done nothing to them; I didn’t put them on foot.” Why were they angry at him? Yes, he had a car that was operating, but it was because he had made preparations. He had rebuilt this old truck himself, a project nearly anyone with basic tool skills could have done. He had thought ahead and taken a few precautions. It wasn’t rational for them to be angry at him. In fact, it was completely unreasonable. Matt recalled hearing someone once say that, “People were unhappy not because of what they didn’t have, but because of what other people had.” Matt thought that was the operating factor here.
Matt had driven for several hours and was nearing the state highway, where he would leave the interstate. It was time for a comfort break. A rest stop was out of the question; there were a lot of people at those as he drove by. He waited until he had crested a hill where he could see a long way in all directions, and saw no one around. He got out, but did not shut off the engine; he didn’t want to take any chances. Everyone got out and hit the bushes to take care of their immediate needs. After that they stood by the truck, doing squats, and walking and jumping a bit getting the blood flowing again.
They had only been driving again for a few minutes when Kristy turned to him and said, “Matt, I left my purse by the tree! We have to go back!”
&n
bsp; Matt wondered what could be in her purse worth going back for. Credit cards and money were no longer of any value. Well, not true, paper money could be used as toilet paper. But, he knew her well enough that it wasn’t worth arguing about. It would be easier to just go back. “All right.”
Matt slowed to a near stop as he crested the next hill. Even though he had not seen another car moving, he wasn’t about to pull a u-turn in a blind spot, so he eased up to the top of the hill where he could see. Later he would say that God was with them, because by pulling this slow maneuver he was able to see the roadblock ahead. Had he been going at speed he would have seen it too late and would have had to either pull up to it and stop, or try to ram through it. The roadblock was made up of cars pushed across the interstate in a sharp valley between two hills. Any cars coming along at any speed would not see it in time to avoid it. It was a clever trap.
From two hundred yards away, Matt stopped and stared. There were armed men standing at either end of the line of cars. It was impossible to mistake their intentions. They were there to steal. If he had gone on, he and his family would have been lucky to walk away with the clothes on their backs. It was incredible good fortune that he stopped where he had.
The road-blockers saw him at the same time. They started waving for him to drive on down to them, smiling and trying to look friendly. Quickly pulling a u-turn, Matt sped off, the men now shooting at him in the mirror.
As soon as he was below the crest of the hill, he turned to Kristy and said, “God made you leave your purse, and now we know why. Let’s go get it.”
This left Matt with a tactical problem. He could detour back a few miles and take a different route to the state highway he was seeking—but he could also run into another roadblock on the smaller road system. It wasn’t hard to set up a roadblock in a spot where it couldn’t be seen until too late to avoid. His guess was that this was a group of deer hunters going to their lease, and they had decided to commandeer whatever vehicle and supplies might come along. If they had thought of doing that already, how many others out there were thinking the same?
A Distant Eden Page 6