by Dave Bowman
They each got to wash themselves in the outdoor shower before returning to the kitchen for dinner.
It had been a productive day, and they were glad to have tasks to keep themselves busy.
"Canned beets," Nick said as they finished their food. "I never was a fan, and we've got cans and cans of them in there. My wife insisted we stock up on them."
A sad look came over his face.
"What was her name?" Liz asked.
"Kaitlyn. She got sick first, then Owen followed. He was ten years old.”
"I'm so sorry," Jessa said. She thought of her friends and family who she didn't know were alive or dead. A lump grew in her throat.
"It was the hardest thing in the world," Charlie said. "Watching them die like that. All my family. Getting sicker and there was nothing you could do."
Liz thought about how she had been oblivious to the start of the virus, and hadn't been around any loved ones to see them die. The guilt she felt about her best friend dying was strong, and she spoke to break the silence that had fallen upon the group.
"Jessa, did you lose a lot of people to this thing?" Liz asked.
"I'm assuming I lost everyone," Jessa said, sighing. "I didn't see it happen though. I was out in the woods near Pecos when it hit. I was working on Forest Service wilderness, away from civilization for five days, and without radio contact after the first two days. I got back the day before yesterday and everyone I saw was dead."
"Must have been a shock," Charlie said.
"Yeah, it was crazy. Like the world had ended and I was the last one to find out. I went back to my house in Santa Fe and started to pack up and leave, but I got really sleepy and passed out. Slept like a log for a night and nearly a whole day."
"Yeah, I slept for a long time too," Liz said.
"Same here," Nick said. "Couldn't drag myself out of bed."
"It must be the body's way of fighting it off, right?" Charlie asked. "Those of us who were strong enough to fight it off are still living."
"I guess so," Liz said.
Jessa frowned. "There's something that worries me, though. I was exposed to it a lot later than everyone else."
"So?" Charlie asked.
"What if the virus incubates for a few days, and then you show symptoms? I could still come down with it."
"How do you feel now?" Nick asked.
"I feel fine, all thing considered," Jessa answered. "Just worried."
"It seemed like people got sick about three days after exposure to the thing," Nick said.
"So if I make it through tomorrow without symptoms I should be OK?" Jessa asked hopefully.
"I think so," Nick said, and smiled at her.
"You don't have any gray in your skin," Charlie said. "That's a good sign. Plus, you got tired and slept it off like the rest of us, without any other symptoms. I think you're safe."
"I hope you're right," Jessa said.
They were quiet for a moment.
"Does anyone know how this even happened?" Liz asked.
"There are a lot of theories out there," Nick said. "The official line is that the virus is a mutation of the flu. Kind of a super flu. They're not sure where it started -- some people were saying Europe, some were saying Asia. But it spread to every continent before anyone realized how deadly it was."
"Last I heard the government was trying to come up with a cure or vaccine for it, but nothing would touch it."
"It's all so crazy. I just can't get over how many people it killed. It must have been at least eighty or ninety percent of the population."
"About ninety-six percent," a tiny voice said.
They all turned to look over at Mia, sitting in the corner.
15
They were surprised to hear the little girl speak.
"Did you hear them say that on the news, sweetie?" Liz asked.
"No, it's my own calculation," Mia said quietly.
She looked around to see them all staring at her, surprised. Realizing they were waiting for her to continue, she began to explain.
"It's an estimate. I came to that figure based on the populations of El Paso, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Jemez Springs, the number of people each of us has seen alive the past three days, and an estimate of the surface area of each person's hometown we each traveled through. I figured that only one out of every two to five survivors would be out on the streets at any given moment -- admittedly, it's a wild card. Still, though, it seems logical, because some people will be afraid to go out, but they'll also need to seek food and companionship. The actual number of Hosta victims is probably somewhere between ninety-four and ninety-eight percent. Ninety-six is a good estimate."
The four adults stared at Mia, their mouths ajar.
"I know what you're thinking," she continued. "This is a small sample of the world -- just a few cities in the American Southwest. Well, we do know the virus had spread to all the continents on the planet, and it's highly communicable and airborne. There's no reason not to assume its effects were as devastating the world over. There might be some pockets of isolated populations that haven't been exposed to the germ, though."
After a long moment's silence, Nick was the first one to speak.
"Well, here I was thinking you were just an average nine-year-old. I didn't know we had a child genius in our midst."
Mia smiled shyly, her self-consciousness suddenly returning.
"Wow, Mia, now I know how to get you to talk," Liz said, giving her a squeeze. "Just ask you to explain some complicated equation to us."
"I like math," the girl said quietly.
"And geography," Jessa said, winking at the girl.
“I got some help from the road atlas in my dad's truck,” Mia admitted.
"Your logical process sounds good to me,” Jessa said, leaning back in her seat. “So ninety-six percent, huh? Wow."
"Albuquerque seemed so empty," Liz said. "At first I thought I was the only person left alive."
"I think a lot of people left the cities when they realized how bad this thing was," Charlie said. "There was a big stream of traffic into the mountains the first day people started dying. I think folks were trying to get out."
"I didn't see anyone in the woods above Pecos," Jessa said. "Maybe they just didn't make it that far."
"People are probably hiding out all over these mountains," Nick said. "The ones who survived this thing had to leave the cities. They became dangerous."
The women nodded, having seen and heard how hellish the cities had become.
"The population might continue to decrease, even among the immune," Jessa said. "It's like going through the trauma of the end of the world has made people insane."
"Yeah, I heard a lot of gunshots after things got really bad. And explosions," Liz said.
"Those of us the virus spared still have to survive other people," Nick said grimly. "And then there's starvation and dehydration that can do us all in, too."
"I think the population will keep dropping a bit until it levels out," Mia said.
"And only the strong will survive," Nick added. "We need a plan."
They all agreed.
"We may have lost most of the population, but the ones who remain are desperate. If they haven't already left the city, they will when the food and water runs out. They'll be looking for shelter and sustenance, and there's no law to keep them in line."
Nick paused.
"So we'll have to defend this place and the supplies."
"What does that mean exactly?" Liz asked.
"It means we protect with force what he have here.”
He saw the look of worry on Liz's face.
“I'm not saying we can't have a few neighbors. If a few people want to set up camp nearby, I'll consider it. They'll have to be like-minded, though, and be willing to put in the work to pull their weight."
"What about helping people in need?" Liz asked.
"I'm all for helping people when I can," Nick said. "That's why you folks are here. But the
re's only so much you can do. We can't open up the food stores for everyone who passes through. At a certain point we have to take care of our own. My family is gone, so I can spare enough to help you all out. But we have to draw the line somewhere."
Liz nodded, but something didn't feel quite right to her. Nick had been so generous to her and the others, and she didn't like the idea of turning away other people who might be in need. Of course, it wasn't her lodge and her supplies, so she knew she didn't have much say in the matter. She would follow Nick's wishes.
"Once we've become self-sufficient, that's a different story. We can have people living near here, and we can form some kind of partnership with other groups. That's what humans have always done to survive, in one form or another. I think it'd be pretty hard to make it living off the land all on your own out here."
"You mean like trading with them?" Charlie asked.
"Something like that, yeah," Nick said. "But the plain truth is that right now we're not self-sufficient. We're still eating food produced by factories that don't exist anymore and trucked in through a system that fell apart. Those resources won't last forever. We'll transition to eating what we can produce and hunt ourselves, but it'll take time. Once the gardens and the irrigation systems are in, and once we have a sense of how reliable the wild game is, then we can think about newcomers joining us and working together. But until then, we can't open our doors."
Liz nodded. It made more sense when he said it that way.
"I'm all for defending what we have here," Jessa said. "I've got a pistol to back that up, too."
"I brought my Winchester Model 70. For hunting and home defense," Charlie said.
Nick smiled. "I like the way you two think."
Liz exchanged a quick glance with Mia, then looked back at Nick.
"I have a gun, too," Liz said.
Nick, Charlie and Jessa all looked at her, surprised that she would be carrying one.
"Well, it's Mia's gun, actually. Mia's parents' gun, I guess. She handed it to me when I found her in Albuquerque."
"It was my dad's gun," Mia said meekly.
"We took it with us," Liz said.
She didn't mention that the gun was still underneath the driver's seat in the old truck parked with the other vehicles. To be honest, Liz had forgotten about it, and she was too embarrassed to admit that. She hoped Mia wouldn't bring it up.
"Do you two know how to shoot it?" Nick asked, looking at Liz and Mia.
They shook their heads no.
"Then tomorrow will be gun training for Liz and Mia."
"For me too?" Mia asked, surprised to be included.
"Sure," Nick said. "You need to know gun safety, and you should be able to shoot a firearm in case of emergency. We'll go over everything you need to know. And target practice for everyone, including me."
"OK," Liz said, nervously. She was still uneasy around guns, but she figured she and Mia should learn how to use them. No one in her family had owned a gun, and she had never really been around firearms much.
"All of you will need to get familiar with the property -- where the high points are, where the places to hide are. We can discuss strategies later. The more prepared we are for intruders, the better off we'll all be. Agreed?"
They all nodded.
"So that's the home defense part of the plan. It'll be a work in progress," Nick said. "That leaves the plan for water and food supplies. The well here is safe to drink from, and we've got a shower rigged up for at least the warmer months. It's a deep well, but I'd still like to make it last as long as possible. We'll need to build a water catchment system."
"Yes!" Jessa exclaimed. "I've always wanted to make one of those. A few friends of mine had those rigged up."
"Well, good, you can be in charge of getting that system set up before the late summer rains come," Nick said, smiling. "We'll use rainwater for washing clothes and irrigation."
Jessa nodded, excited about her new project.
"Food is something we'll have to constantly work on. We'll have to get gardens in place quickly. Maybe we can even plant some cold-loving crops soon. Then, in the spring, there will be more to plant. We'll need to have a good bit of potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, greens, beans, and corn. I want to focus on the most nutritious and caloric foods we can grow. Got lots of seeds in glass jars out in the shed."
"I hope there'll be some room for chile peppers in those garden beds. I don't think I can live too long without chiles," Charlie said, grinning.
"I think we can squeeze them in," Nick said, laughing.
"Plus they're a good source of Vitamin C," Jessa added. "I don't think we're going to be drinking much orange juice any time soon. No more shipments of citrus from California and Florida. We'll need peppers and greens to keep the scurvy away."
"Good point," Nick said. "Now, getting those gardens going will be a lot of work. We'll start making compost now, but it won't be ready until next year."
He frowned, thinking about that last point.
"I'm not much of a gardener, to be honest. That was Kaitlyn's area of expertise. But I do worry about this soil. Don't know how fertile it'll be without compost. And we don't have any at the moment."
They could hear the worry in his voice.
"It'll produce something the first season, right?" Jessa asked. "It might not produce the county's prize-winning tomatoes, but maybe we could at least grow something easy like some greens. Then next year we'll have more organic matter to add to the soil."
"Yeah, but I was counting on having some food from a fall garden. I guess I wasn't as prepared as I thought I was." Nick frowned again, frustrated with himself, and angry at fate.
"There's always hunting, right?" Charlie asked. "Plenty of deer out there, and grouse, too. If we're lucky we can get an elk. Dry that meat up over a fire, and we'll be set for the winter."
"Yeah, we'll just have to rely more on the animal foods at first. Hunting and fishing," Nick agreed.
"How long will our non-perishable food last?" Liz asked.
"About four months," Nick said. "It won't get us through the winter alone. We'll need more."
"In addition to hunting and fishing, some of us could go scavenge again, right?" Liz asked. "There was still so much food in the Olsens' store in Jemez Springs."
"It might come to that," Nick said. "I'd rather avoid it because it's dangerous and it uses gas, which is also in limited supply. Also, as time passes there will be less food left in the stores."
"Do you think we should go on a raiding trip soon, then?" Liz asked. "It would be better to have more food, right?"
"I'd be up for it," Jessa said. "It can't hurt to have a surplus of canned foods. And besides, you don't want to be around me when I do low carb. I get cranky without starch and sugar."
Liz laughed. "You and me both. I'll need some canned potatoes and dried fruit to get me through the winter."
"And just think," Jessa said, her blue eyes getting big, "There may never be any more chocolate again. We need to get every bar we can."
The guys smiled. "All right, let's plan for a trip or two to the stores around here," Nick said. "Gotta keep the ladies happy."
"I grew up with three sisters," Charlie said. "Chocolate bars were a staple in our house."
It was well past dark, and Mia was dozing off in her seat. Charlie and Liz washed the dishes while Nick and Jessa put everything away. Liz, Jessa, and Charlie realized the importance of keeping the house clean and tidy – not just to deter critters, but also out of respect for the home they had been generously accepted into.
Mia watched them through sleepy eyes. She had thought about mentioning that her pet dog had died from the virus, but she just didn't have the heart. Everyone had seemed so excited about hunting wild game, and she didn't want to dash their hopes by pointing out that wild mammals could have fallen prey to Hosta as well.
She hoped she was wrong – maybe there would be plenty of deer in the mountains, unaffected by the virus. Maybe they had
n't been exposed to the virus, or they had higher levels of resistance to the illness.
Mia decided not to say anything for now. She had always gotten into trouble by pointing out things grown-ups missed. She had learned to keep quiet most of the time.
16
September 6
Liz was the first one to wake the next morning. She had never been a morning person, yet here she was waking up before dawn – and before everyone else – even though her days at the coffee shop were long gone.
She put on a sweater, as the morning was brisk, and went outside just as the sun was rising. It was beautiful in this part of the state, and so different from the desert landscape she was used to that surrounded Albuquerque.
She crossed the meadow quickly and entered the forest, being careful to look around in the early morning light and remember the way she was going. Every so often she made little piles of rocks – cairns – so that she'd be able to find her way back to the meadow. But she wasn't too concerned. She had an excellent sense of direction, and rarely got lost, even in the woods.
She made it to the vehicles in good time. Everything was just as they'd left it two nights ago. She unlocked the door to the Dodge truck she had driven there, the old door making a loud creak as it popped open.
She reached underneath the seat and found the gun Mia had given to her. The metal was cold in her hand, and it felt heavy. She would have to learn how to shoot this thing, and it made her heart beat a little faster.
A twig cracked behind her, and she whipped her head around to look. She held her breath as she craned her neck to look through the foliage. Hearing nothing more, she turned back to the truck.
Another noise in the forest made her spin around. Her heart was racing now. Something was moving back there.
"Who's there?" she demanded of the dark woods. She clenched the gun in her hand, pointing the barrel down. "I -- I have a gun!" Her voice was shaking. She saw a tiny movement behind some trees on the other side of her truck, and she squinted to see better.