EMP Lodge Series Box Set | Books 1-6

by Hamilton, Grace

  Megan started to say maybe they should wait, but stopped when Rosie gave her a look.

  “Don't you dare doubt yourself, Megan. We'll be fine,” Rosie assured her.

  “We should probably have someone help you here.”

  “Garrett was just in and he volunteered,” Rosie said. “It would be great if he could start turning that one section of the garden. I will spread the compost while he does the shoveling.”

  “Did you get the plastic put up in the greenhouse yesterday?”

  “Yep and Linda had been kind enough to split the seeds she had stockpiled. I was able to get some different herbs started in the greenhouse,” Rosie explained.

  “Awesome! What did you get?”

  “I already had a few, but with the new baby coming, I jumped at the chance to get more peppermint. If the baby has colic, the peppermint will help soothe the tummy. I also got some thyme. If anyone gets a chest cold, the thyme will go a long way to breaking up congestion,” she explained with a great deal of excitement. “I didn't even know what all she had given me. It was all in a can and I forgot all about it.”

  “That’s amazing! I hope we do get to see them again,” Megan said wistfully.

  “I'm sure we will. Every time I chop up some fresh rosemary or smell the oregano in the many tomato dishes I hope to prepare this year, I will think of them fondly.”

  Megan laughed. “Me too. I can't wait to taste fresh herbs again. And of course, I know you have a million different ways to use them to keep us all healthy,” she winked.

  “I don't know about a million, but with all of the plants that grow wild in the forest and what we have growing in the greenhouse, we won't have to be so worried about the lack of medicine. I'm going to be starting some new plants from what we have growing already. Since I’m about out of seeds, I’ll be doing fresh cuttings to get them started. My goal is to have a bunch of plants on hand to use for bartering this summer.”

  Megan was intrigued. “That’s a great idea, Rosie. I think with your knowledge and the plants you can trade, they will be very valuable. I can only imagine what they will be worth to others. How do you get a tiny herb to grow without a seed though?”

  “I'll show you.” Rosie said, grabbing one of her mint plants from the counter. She picked up her scissors and carefully separated a stem from the rest of the bushy plant.

  “I make a nice clean cut, about halfway down the stem,” she said, snipping the plant off. “Now, some plants, like rosemary, are a little thicker. I’ll make the cut a little higher on the stem to get the newest growth. I don't cut any stems that have flower buds at the top.”

  “Do the herbs flower?” Megan asked, trying to think if she had ever seen such a thing.

  “Yes. Some do, like rosemary, dill and oregano. It’s easy to get the seeds from those herbs after they’ve dried, but taking cuttings helps speed things along.”

  Rosie grabbed an empty jar and filled it about three quarters full with water.

  “Now, I stick the cutting into water and wait a few days. Roots will form and shoot out from the stem. I’ll leave it in the water for a couple of weeks until it has a nice, healthy root system and then I transplant it.”

  “That's awesome. So, can we do that with cuttings from the fruit trees?” Megan asked, getting an idea.

  “Yes, same thing. We cut a section from the new growth of the tree. Pop it into water and wait about a month for the roots to form. Then it would be ready to plant. I think I know where you are going with this and it is an excellent idea!”

  Megan smiled. “Well, we could plant more and increase our harvest and trading fruit trees for other goods is also an option.”

  Rosie agreed. “Just remember, it will take a few years before any of the fruit trees actually bear fruit.”

  “That seems like forever, but if this stretches on, it’ll be a good idea to have a steady source of food. Even if the power is fixed and things go back to the way they were, fresh fruit is always going to be a luxury. I imagine it will be a long time before grocery stores are open and stocked again.”

  “This is true. And, fruit is expensive in general.”

  They both sat in silence.

  “Rosie?”

  “Yes?”

  “Do you think it will ever be like it was before?”

  “No, I don't. Too much has happened. I think the EMP has shown people how vulnerable we all are. I know I will never go back to the way I was before. I don't want to. I never want to depend on anyone else to take care of me and mine. I took way too much for granted and I can't imagine ever falling into that false sense of security again.”

  Megan was relieved she wasn't the only one who felt that way. While she would certainly love the perks of electricity again, like hot water on demand and a refrigerator, she couldn't see herself living in the suburbs surrounded by people who were friendly in normal circumstances, but would turn on each other should disaster strike.

  “I don't think I can either. I mean, we go back, get settled in, get complacent and boom, another disaster strikes. I think if it all goes back to semi-normal, I am going to buy land in the boonies. I’m never going to be dependent on businesses and the government for my survival. I want to be far away from society.”

  They had all learned similar lessons. Being in the city with everyone fighting for the same limited resources had been extremely dangerous. Wyatt's father had lost his life because of it.

  Rosie slowly nodded her head. “That's smart. I hope everyone learns the same valuable lesson. We can't take anything for granted ever again.”

  Megan had a feeling Rosie was talking about more than grocery stores and electricity. She had lost two of the most important people in her life post-EMP, plus her daughter before that. All too often, people took their loved ones for granted, assuming they would come home. It made them all appreciate each other a bit more and gave them the strength to overlook some of the annoying habits they all had. It had taught them patience, forgiveness and understanding.

  “Okay, well, enough of that, I need to get back to work,” Megan said, breaking up the gloomy atmosphere that had suddenly settled in the room.

  She stood and stretched her back, trying to relieve the painful knots before she had to get back up to the site and start working again.

  “Sore?” Rosie asked.

  “Yeah, a little. I'll be fine,” she answered.

  “I have some of that dried white willow bark. I'll mix up a tea real quick. That will help relieve the pain.”

  The mention of the willow bark brought back memories of Greg. They had gone on the hunt for the bark to use as an aspirin substitute.

  “That would be great. I'm going to check the goats and make sure the chickens didn't escape last night,” she said, heading out the door.

  Misty greeted Megan at the back door. Of course, she wasn't in the pen. She never was.

  “Hey, girl. How are your new feathered friends?” she asked rubbing the goat between the two horns on top of her head.

  Misty turned her head and pressed into Megan's hand. She loved her head being rubbed.

  Megan was relieved to see the chickens walking around the pen, pecking at the ground. They seemed healthy enough.

  She moved the wooden pallet they used as a gate and walked into the pen. She got down low to peek inside the covered area they had made for the goats to sleep. The chickens had made themselves right at home last night.

  Megan's heart raced as her eyes focused. In the corner of the shelter was an egg. It was their first egg! She wanted to scream and shout in excitement. She reached in and carefully grabbed it, being extra careful with her precious cargo.

  “Good girls! I don't know who left us this little gem, but I thank you oh so much. For the two who didn't leave me an egg, get busy!”

  The chickens ignored her and kept scratching and cackling among themselves. Megan carefully carried the egg into the kitchen and held it up for Rosie to see.

  When she walked in, Ro
sie was dumping the coffee grounds from the percolator into an old bucket they used for kitchen waste. The grounds were going into the garden soil.

  “Look!”

  “Oh my! Would you look at that!” Rosie exclaimed.

  “I can't believe it. Soon, we’ll have fresh milk and eggs. It will be like old times,” Megan declared. “The kids are going to be so excited.”

  “We need to get a rooster,” Rosie said, appearing deep in thought. “While three hens are great, we need more chickens. There’s only one way that is going to happen.”

  Megan laughed. “I’ll certainly keep my eyes open for a rooster.”

  Rosie took the egg and put it inside a cup for safekeeping.

  “How long can we keep the egg without refrigeration?” Megan asked, suddenly worried about eggs going to waste.

  “Back when I was a little girl, we didn't refrigerate our eggs at all. If you don't have a rooster running about and the eggs are kept cool, they won't spoil for a while. In fact, fresh farm eggs aren't like the eggs you used to buy in the store at all. Grocery store eggs were only good for a month or so in the fridge because they were actually old by the time they hit the shelves,” she explained.

  “They can sit out of the refrigerator?”

  Rosie nodded. “If you can get your hands on some mineral oil the next time you’re in town that would allow us to keep the eggs on a shelf for months.” ,

  “Eww,” Megan said, imagining the smell of rotten eggs filling the root cellar.

  Rosie chuckled. “No, it isn't gross and they won't stink because they won't be rotten once we coat the eggs with it. The root cellar isn't going to get above seventy degrees, which is perfect for storing the eggs. They will be good for two months or longer. I can't see the eggs actually not being eaten faster than that, but if we happen to get more chickens, we can preserve the eggs.”

  “I am guessing mineral oil was probably not at the top of the list for looters. When we go on our next run into town, I will be checking the major pharmacies. Every town has one of those stores,” she joked.

  “Watch this,” Rosie said.

  She grabbed the cup with the egg in it and a small cooking pot. She filled the pot with water.

  “I'll show you a trick my mom taught me. You put your egg in a pot of water. If the egg sinks to the bottom, it is fresh and good to use. If it floats in the middle somewhere, it is a little older, but still okay to use. If it floats on the top, it is old and you probably wouldn't want to eat it,” Rosie gestured for Megan to look in the pot.

  When she looked, the egg was sitting at the bottom.

  “Once we start getting some good egg production, we can test the eggs if we are worried about them not being good to eat. I have a feeling that isn't going to be a problem around here. These things are going to be going fast!”

  “I can't wait to eat some scrambled eggs. I think I will see if Brenda will take me back to that barn. Maybe there are more chickens or even a rooster around,” Megan said, hopeful it was the case.

  “It's certainly worth a shot,” Rosie said. “Here, drink this before you head back up there.”

  “You know, once we get more eggs, these shells combined with the coffee grounds will really help the garden soil. I have also read the egg shells are a great way to keep the deer from eating our veggies. I imagine we will need all the help we can get,” Rosie said, putting the egg back in the cup.

  “I checked out the garden the other day. The soil looks great, nice and dark. There were plenty of earthworms in it as well. They are really enjoying those coffee grounds you have been putting out there all winter.”

  Rosie laughed. “Yes, I know you guys thought I was crazy sprinkling coffee grounds on the snow, but I knew they would eventually get worked into the soil. I wanted to make sure the worms had something to attract them and they needed to be well fed to keep up their hard work.”

  Megan drank the tea, hoping it would act fast. She imagined everyone else that was on the work crew yesterday was probably feeling the same way.

  “Thanks, Rosie. I am going to head back up there. I'll check in later. Send any able-bodied person up when they roll out of bed, if you would, please.”

  “Oh, you know I will. I'll have Garrett stick with me for a while, but the rest I'm sure will be up and going soon.”

  “Thanks, Rosie,” Megan said, before heading back out the door.

  As she walked up the slope of the hill, she allowed herself to envision a future filled with fresh milk, eggs and maybe even some fried chicken. The chickens and goats were their first step to a self-sustaining way of life.

  Now, all she had to do was prevent a wall of water from destroying the dreams of a prosperous future with the people she loved.

  14

  Megan wiped her brow, taking a moment to catch her breath. They had been working hard the past week and she could finally see the results. She stood back and admired the work they’d completed. It was moving along now that everyone knew what to do. She ran her hand over the wall that was forming pleased that it was already dry. It was almost impossible to tell where the individual bricks were set on top of one another.

  “It looks good and solid,” Wyatt said, coming to stand beside her. “Are you feeling more confident about it?”

  She nodded. “I am. It would be great if we could dig down a bit to create a trench to help slow the water while increasing the height of the wall. It isn't feasible to build the wall much higher, but if we can dig down, I think it will be far more effective. I know this is a proven method of building and it has been around for centuries, but I would feel better knowing we were taking every precaution.”

  “I know erosion will be a definite result if the water remains constant, but we only need it for one purpose, the dike will help. The lodge is far enough down that even if some of the water does make its way over the top or through some cracks, it isn't going to be devastating,” Wyatt reasoned.

  She arched her back, feeling the strain of the long day.

  “Need more of mom's magic tea?” Wyatt joked.

  “Yes, I do. It worked great for most of the day, but now I can feel all those aches again.”

  “Go ahead and head back. We'll finish up here and be down shortly. I think everyone is hungry and ready to call it a day,” he said, gently rubbing her shoulders.

  She nodded in agreement. The sun was setting and the temperatures were dropping. They had been sweating with the physical labor, but now, without the sun to warm them, they would get chilled.

  “Don't stay too long,” she said, before heading down the hill.

  The kids were finishing their dinner when Megan walked in. They had done their part mixing and hauling more buckets of clay and mud up from the stream, even though Megan wanted them to rest today.

  “The rest of the group will be down soon,” Megan told Willow who was slicing bread at the counter.

  “Okay. You look beat. Can I get you a plate ready?” Willow asked her with concern.

  “Not yet, thank you. I'll wait for everyone else. I'm going to go change.”

  Megan walked straight to her room, kicked the door closed and flopped back on the bed. She was exhausted. The choice between lying in bed or eating was a tough one. She wanted to do both.

  The sound of Wyatt's voice woke her up instantly. She had dozed off, fully clothed; her booted feet hanging off the bed. She wasn't exactly comfortable, but she didn't want to move.

  She blinked several times, trying to determine how long she had slept. It felt like it had only been five minutes, but she knew it was probably much longer than that.

  He popped his head in the door. “Mom said you passed out. Want me to grab you some dinner or you feel like coming out?”

  “I'm good. I had to rest my eyes for a minute. What I really need is a good long soak in a tub full of hot water.”

  “That could be arranged,” he offered.

  “No. Maybe when all of this is done. I'm not going to sit back and relax ju
st yet.”

  “Okay, suit yourself.”

  Wyatt left the room and Megan rolled over and carefully pushed herself up off the bed with her arms. The pain in her lower back was intense. She needed to get some more of the willow bark tea in her system.

  She managed to untie her boots and kick them off before heading into the kitchen.

  Wyatt was sitting at the bar, shoveling food into his mouth. She could tell by the smell, Willow had made a hearty venison stew. It was a regular on the menu.

  “Here,” he said, gesturing to the empty seat next to him. “There's the tea. Drink up.”

  Megan carefully climbed onto the stool, doing her best not to jar her back.

  She drank the hot tea and almost instantly began to feel better. There was a bowl of stew and a slice of bread waiting for her. She quickly ate it. It was then she realized how famished she was.

  “Your muscles need sustenance,” Wyatt told her. “It isn't about eating to eat. It is about keeping your body fueled.”

  Megan knew better, but the day had been so busy, she hadn't thought about eating. No wonder she was feeling so weak. She remembered her dad talking about the importance of food and criticizing the experts who said a person could live without eating for several weeks. She had gone almost twenty-four hours and could feel the effects. Her body was screaming for nutrition. Her muscles were seizing and cramping to the point she could hardly move. She couldn't imagine how anyone managed to keep up a steady pace if they had gone days or weeks without eating.

  “I think we should go check on the patch tomorrow,” Chase said from the table.

  “Good plan. We'll take up another bucket of mud in case we need to add another layer,” Wyatt agreed.

  Tara was washing dishes in the sink. “How close are you to finishing the wall?”

  “We made good progress today. It isn't going to take as long as we thought so long as we can keep going at this pace,” Bryan told her.

  “We need to start digging a trench?” Megan said thinking aloud. She was not looking forward to that backbreaking job.