by C. A. Henry
“What can I do to help? My car is in the shop, so just tell me where to start,” Erin offered.
***
They had made quite a bit of progress on the cleanup when Tanner walked in. He jumped in and helped with some of the heavier items, like the shelves that had been overturned.
“Why would anyone just destroy this place? There’s no profit in vandalizing your store,” he commented.
“I think they were angry because the register was empty. This is my punishment for not leaving any money for them to steal,” Lydia sneered. “I’m so glad that the shop is in town, so the city police have jurisdiction. With the mood I’m in, dealing with Deputy Kline would have pushed me over the edge.”
“Any suspects?” Erin asked.
“Yeah. The jerk and his buddies. They’ve been hanging out across the street a lot lately, but this morning, they are nowhere to be seen.”
“Who’s the jerk, or need I ask?” Tanner wondered.
“Ollie. I don’t know his last name,” Lydia sighed. “I wish they’d send him to jail again. Or Timbuktu.”
“His name is Simmons. So the police are on this?”
“I called them first thing, They dusted for prints, but hey, it’s a store. There are prints everywhere. We might get lucky, though. I wiped the register down before I left yesterday, and cleaned the glass jewelry displays. Yeah, we might get lucky.”
The three friends washed their hands and locked the shop, then walked to the café for lunch. Lydia insisted on paying, as a thank-you for the help. Several locals had already heard about the break-in, and they expressed their hopes that the culprits would be caught.
“At least I have insurance and a couple of good friends to help clean it up,” Lydia smiled. “Things could be a lot worse.”
***
The next day, Lydia called Erin. “I just heard from the police chief. They got a match on the prints from the register. It was Ollie and one of his pals, the one they call Weasel. Their prints were in the system because they’ve both been in prison. ”
“So they’re in jail now?”
“Yep. They picked them up a little while ago. They’ve been living in an abandoned barn out west of town. Weasel refused to talk, but Ollie made a deal. At first, he tried to blame it all on Weasel, but wound up pleading guilty to vandalism and theft to get out of the breaking-and-entering charges, plus he violated parole. They got Weasel on parole violations, too. He’ll have to serve out the rest of his original sentence. Seems he neglected to check in with his parole officer for several weeks. They’re going back to prison, so the town will get some relief, for a while, anyway.”
***
Lieutenant Vince Sullivan strode through Cell Block A and stopped in front of a cell where a single person stood, staring between the bars. Sullivan had worked his way up the ladder from rookie guard to officer status over a period of about ten years. He was a bull of a man, with huge arms that bulged with muscle, short brown hair, and a uniform that was immaculate. His demeanor was cool and calm, and he seldom smiled while in the presence of inmates. On the rare occasions when he did smile, the effect brought a distinct chill to the air.
“Well, Simmons. I knew you’d be back. You just can’t stay out of trouble, can you?”
Ollie Simmons sneered at the lieutenant. “We’ll get you someday, Sullivan, when you least expect it. I’ll get out again, and when I do, I’m going to rape your sister and then I’m going to rape her little boy. I’m gonna make her watch while I slit his throat.”
Sullivan stepped closer, and spoke softly. “I know that some of you jailbirds like to pee in a cup and throw it on your guards. And I know that some of you have AIDS, and a few other little illnesses. Let me make it real clear to you, Simmons. I have the key to the gun case on the other side of that metal gate. If any of you throws piss on me, and I find out I got a disease from it, I will have nothing to lose. I will open that case and then I’ll come through here and shoot every one of you and leave you to bleed out. And if you are the one who throws a cup of piss on me, I will shoot you in each foot, then each knee, then each shoulder, right before I shoot you in the gut. Don’t mess with me, Simmons. As long as you are in here, I own you. Give me any trouble, any trouble at all, and you’ll be sorry. You’ll be real sorry.”
Chapter 15
Mid-June
Two days later, Tanner knocked on Erin’s door just after daybreak. She stumbled to the door in her pajamas, and rubbing her eyes, complained, “What in the world are you doing here at this hour?”
“There’s news, and it’s bad. Sit down and I’ll tell you.”
“I need coffee. Let’s go to the kitchen. Do you want a cup?”
Tanner nodded, and while Erin started the coffee brewing, he began. “OPEC announced their decision this morning. They voted for a total embargo. They will not sell any oil at all to the US, and if any other nation buys from them, then sells to us, they will shut them off, too.”
Erin stared at him, stunned. “But can’t we buy oil from Venezuela or somewhere?
“Venezuela is a member of OPEC. We can get some from Canada, and maybe from Norway, although production there is down. This is going to have a huge impact on our economy, so big that I can’t even imagine it. But just think: if we had that pipeline from Canada that never got built, we could manage to get through this a lot better.”
Everything is going to get more expensive, everything from water bottles to toys to PVC pipe. All of our plastics and synthetic fabrics are petroleum-based. People are already starting to panic, They showed long lines at the gas pumps on the news this morning. Brazil won’t sell us any oil, citing a fear of terrorism as their excuse. Norway’s production is so far down that they don’t have enough to sell us, or at least not enough to do any good. And the president was asked at a press conference if he would allow the government’s oil reserves onto the market to ease the shortage, and he said no. His excuse was that we might need that fuel for the military if things go that far. I can’t believe that he doesn’t see what will happen if we can’t get gas for all the trucks that deliver goods all over the country. And let’s not forget that he is the one who blocked the building of the Keystone pipeline.”
“So this is the poop hitting the fan. Do you think that we’ll get to the point of rioting and violence?”
“I know we will. I think that this is the proverbial last straw, and the camel’s back is the US economy. I don’t believe that the leaders of the OPEC nations realize that what they have done will cost them dearly, too. These days, every nation’s economy is linked in intricate ways to every other nation’s economy, directly or indirectly. The US is way too big to go down without the effects being felt all over the world.”
***
The bad news continued to pour in for several days. A terrorist group claimed “credit” for blowing up the Alaska pipeline with explosives set at several places in remote areas. Safety valves prevented a huge spill, but small oil spills dotted the length of the pipeline. The damage would take months to repair under the best of circumstances. Someone also managed to use Stinger missiles to blow up many of the oil storage tanks in Cushing, Oklahoma, where a large portion of America’s oil reserves were stored, and using plastic explosives, also damaged the pipes that had earned Cushing the title of “Pipeline Crossroads of the World”. Explosions and fires at refineries in Houston and Tulsa seriously damaged the nation’s ability to turn crude oil into usable fuel. Electric power stations in California, upstate New York, and Texas were sabotaged as well, causing widespread outages. An attempt by hackers to get into the computer system for the grid was thwarted, barely in time to prevent a total shutdown of electricity for much of the country.
In response, a mob in Dearborn, Michigan attacked a Muslim neighborhood and killed dozens of people. It quickly became unsafe for any Muslim woman to go outside in a burka or a hijab anywhere in the U.S. Arab immigrants were bullied on the streets and threatened even in their homes; their children st
ayed home from school due to the taunting, shoving, hits, and kicks they received from classmates. If any American citizens tried to intervene, the mobs turned on them, too.
Within a very short time, Tanner’s prediction was proven to be correct. Reports on the news featured empty store shelves, videos of fighting at gas pumps, and looting in almost every city. The president made his usual speech trying to calm things down, but failed to take action to stop the violence. Congress passed a resolution condemning the embargo; it was a useless gesture. Most trucking companies simply recalled their trucks or told the drivers to park them and find their way to safety. Many truckers simply unhooked the trailers and took off for home, leaving whatever they were hauling for the looters. There was not enough gas available to deliver goods anymore. In two separate incidents, one in Michigan and one in Illinois, tank trucks delivering gasoline to convenience stores were hijacked, the drivers beaten and left for dead.
Government policies having discouraged the use of coal, most homes and schools in the north used heating oil in the winter. Even though it was early summer, people were frantic in their fear of the cold that was only a few short months away. Hundreds of thousands of people got on waiting lists to have their vehicles modified to run on compressed natural gas, ultimately driving the price up for both the natural gas and the conversions.
Just an hour before one of the Tulsa refineries exploded, Mac McCoy left there, driving a tank truck full of gasoline from Tulsa to convenience stores in McAlester. He heard the news reports on the radio, and simply exited the turnpike, headed toward his home near Kanichi Springs. Fortunately, he knew the backroads and was able to get there without traveling on major highways. When he arrived, he drove past the house, and turned onto a dirt track that led back through the woods to a large clearing where he could turn the rig around if necessary. He got several large camo nets out of a big plastic crate he had hidden back in the trees, and covered the truck with the netting. Then he walked home to his wife and child. He would come back later, and bring the fuel stabilizer that he had stored in his garage.
***
Valerie’s boss had already told his employees not to come to work until things settled down, but Valerie had learned just days ago that she passed her CPA exam, and she wanted to get her personal things from the office. She had already given notice, and was planning to start working for herself immediately. All that remained for her to do at her old job was to pack up her belongings and turn in her keys.
She taped the box closed and gave the office one last look to be sure she hadn’t forgotten anything, then slung her purse over her shoulder and lifted the heavy box. Taking the elevator to the parking garage in the basement, she struggled to balance the box and open the car door at the same time. She heard a slight noise and turned her head just in time to see a fist coming at her. That was the last thing she remembered about that day.
***
Erin got the call from Jen late that afternoon.
“Val got mugged this morning. She’s hurt, but not badly enough to be admitted to the hospital. They’re full, anyway, with people who have been caught up in the riots. A guy knocked her down, grabbed her purse, and then kicked her, from what we can tell. She has two broken ribs, a big gash on her head, and is bruised pretty much all over. He also stole her car, but at least he didn’t rape her. Things are really getting bad here. There’s looting everywhere, and several buildings have been burned. Sarah and I have been trying to get Valerie to leave town, but she refused. Now, she says she’s ready.”
“Come on, and please be careful. Bring whatever you can’t live without and get out of there,” Erin urged. “Do you have enough gas to get here?”
“I bought a squeeze-pump thingy to syphon gas. We’ll get what’s in my car and use it to fill Sarah’s Explorer. It should be plenty to get us there,” Jen assured her. “We are all spending the night at my place, and we’ll leave early tomorrow.”
“What about your family? Are they coming, too? And Valerie’s new boyfriend?”
“Mom insists that this will all blow over soon. She thinks we’re overreacting, and Dad is humoring her. Valerie broke up with her guy last week. He was acting way too possessive.”
“Well, tell them that they’re welcome to come later if necessary. I wish they would come now. If it does blow over, they could always go back home, and no harm done. But I seriously doubt that this will just go away.”
***
Tanner checked in with Erin later that day, to tell her that he was moving into his grandparents’ house to help them and to be closer to her. So far, there was no looting or violence in Kanichi Springs, but there were rumors of trouble in nearby small towns.
Erin told him about Valerie and that the girls would be arriving the next morning.
“I’m taking three of my dogs with me, but I need to put two others somewhere. I can’t leave them at the kennel if I am not going to be there to take care of them. If I bring a load of dog food over, would you board them for me? They’re not as great as Blitz, but they’re good dogs, and having them there would help keep you safe until your friends arrive.”
“Of course, I’ll take them. Just so you know, I’m staying close to home. If I do have to go anywhere, I’ll take Blitz along and leave the other two to guard the lodge, but I plan to avoid going anywhere if possible, at least until the girls get here. Bring the dogs over anytime.”
***
When Tanner got there, he let the two German shepherds out to run for a few minutes and unloaded several large bags of dog food. Erin had cleared a space for it in the mudroom, and Tanner stacked it against the wall.
“I have plenty more stored when you start to run low. I appreciate your help on this. The black dog is Flash, and the tan one is Major. They are both almost through with their training, so if you don’t mind, I’ll come over a few times and finish that here, You can even help, if you want to. They’re learning the same commands that Blitz knows,” Tanner suggested.
Erin held her hands out for the dogs to sniff, then petted each of them. “Maybe I’ll be able to sleep at night with them here.”
“I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon,” Tanner promised, then gave her a quick kiss, and was gone.
***
Sarah, Jen, and Valerie got to the lodge just after 11:00 the next morning, Valerie was dopey from pain medication, so while Erin helped her into bed, the others started to unload Sarah’s Explorer. It was stuffed, and there were several bags strapped onto the luggage rack. Erin put Valerie in the second downstairs bedroom so she wouldn’t have to climb the stairs, then helped carry in several boxes and bags.
“I’ll need help with the big cooler, “Jen noted. “It’s too big for one person.”
“What’s in there?” Erin asked.
“Whatever we had in our refrigerators. Some milk, meat, butter, cheese, and frozen veggies. We’ll need to eat most of it real soon, before it spoils.”
They lugged the cooler into the kitchen, and started putting the food into the refrigerator. When the cooler was empty, Erin stared at it, hands on her hips. “Next time, you need to get a cooler with wheels.”
***
Just as they were clearing the lunch dishes, Tanner arrived on foot, carrying his bite suit. Erin made the introductions and invited the others to watch the training session. Valerie didn’t feel up to going outside, and excused herself to lie down again.
With Tanner acting as agitator, Erin ran first Major, then Flash, through a series of commands, then worked all three dogs as a team. Sarah and Jen were impressed with the dogs and with Erin’s new skill in handling them.
When the session was over, Erin offered drinks and cookies, so they all went inside, gave the dogs treats, and settled down in the living room.
“So what’s the plan now?” Jen wondered. “What do we do to stay busy around here?”
“Spoken like a true city girl,” Erin teased. “There is so much to do, you won’t believe it. I have a container garden on the
deck upstairs, and there is plenty that you need to know to stay alive out here if things don’t improve.”
If things get worse, there will be the possibility of others joining us. We need to figure out where to put them and how to divide up the workload. Every able-bodied person will have chores to do, and will, most likely, have to stand guard at times.”
“Stand guard? Out here?” Sarah asked, incredulously.
“We are lucky to be so far from a large city,” Tanner explained. “But eventually, desperate people will be fleeing the cities, on bicycles or on foot, if that’s all they have. They’ll be looking for food, shelter, and safety, and some will be willing to kill for it. People will lose their humanity, and do things they would never even consider doing under normal circumstances. It would be unwise, even now, to go outside unarmed. In a few weeks, it could get you killed.”
“Do you really think it will get that bad in just a few weeks?” Sarah questioned.
“I do. It won’t be the first time, either. It’s happened before. There have been food riots in Amsterdam, Japan, India, and Poland. The riots that started the French Revolution began over food. Throughout history, when there is a shortage of food or prices get too high, people riot. It’s happened in Argentina, in Venezuela, in Greece -- anywhere that people can’t get the food, water, and services that they depend on. Unless the terrorists stop blowing things up and OPEC suddenly lifts the embargo, or we find another reliable fuel source, it’s going to get a whole lot worse than you can imagine.”