by Eric Vall
It was hot as hell, and I looked around to see that we were surrounded by flames on one side. This could go wrong very quickly, we had to be extremely careful.
“Pull your shirts up!” I yelled. I couldn’t have the girls breath in too much smoke. They could have a severe reaction or even go into cardiac arrest if their lungs filled up too much.
My eyes burned as I looked around, but I spotted the tractor and made a run for it.
“Shovels are on the porch!” I heard Paige yell out as I ran toward the large piece of machinery.
I made it to the tractor and turned the key over before I took off toward the field. As I accelerated, though, I heard something hit against the tractor, and I spun around to see Tara on the back of the thing.
She was just above my rear wheel well and she hung onto a small bar that was built in to help people get up into the driver's seat. Her ponytail had come undone, and her long hair looked silvery in the weird light. She had a shovel in her other hand, and when she saw me she gestured for me to continue on.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I yelled out over the rumble of the machinery.
I wanted to stop and get her off, but I had no time. I could see up ahead that the fire had taken over the back part of the field. If I didn’t get to it soon then it would make its way over to the crops in a matter of minutes.
“You need someone to help put out the embers over here,” she hollered back. “Just keep driving!”
I shook my head, but kept going. She wasn’t wrong. It would be easier to keep the fire at bay if she could get any of the small embers that tried to travel while I took care of the larger area.
I couldn’t run over the fire directly, so I’d have to create a new line and try to connect it to where our first line had held up.
It looked like it was only a small area where the line had been compromised, but that was enough, and we now had a good ten by thirty foot area of the field that was on fire.
“Hold on!” I yelled to Tara as I turned the tractor as sharply as I could and hit the button to lower down the box blade that was attached at the back.
The smokey haze in the air took on an orangish brown color that let me know the sun was up. I pressed hard on the gas and forced the tractor to go its maximum speed.
At one point I felt Tara hop off, but when I looked back she was using her shovel to smash down some embers that had made it past where the box blade had laid a new line.
I managed to connect our new line to the old one, then I turned the tractor around and went back the way I’d just come in an effort to make the line as clean as possible.
Tara hopped back on when I went by again, and we continued to go back and forth and along the perimeter.
It was hot as hell since we were so close to the flames, and I felt that my entire body was soaked in my own sweat, but I couldn’t worry about that. My eyes burned as I drove, but I kept my shirt pulled up to try to protect my lungs. I’d do what I could about my eyes later.
The fire blazed around us for what seemed like forever, until the whole of it began to move further east, and we were left with small remnants that continued to chew at the forest around us. All the trees were black and charred, and the ground as well, but almost all of our crops had survived, and I breathed a sigh of relief and shut the tractor off right there in the field.
“We did it!” Tara said as she climbed up into the driver’s seat with me. The platinum blonde was soaked with sweat, and her eyes were bloodshot as hell, but I couldn’t help but smile at her still. Her skin had black smudges all over it, and her whole body had a dark sheen on it from the smoke.
“We did it,” I agreed.
“We fucking did it!” she squealed, and she threw her arms around my neck.
“We need to go check on the girls,” I said.
The air was still smokey as we walked back to the farmhouse, and I could see some flames here and there, but overall the fire had moved up the hill. If I looked to the east I could still see the flames lick at the mountains behind Betty’s house, but for the moment it appeared that we were in the clear.
Tara and I found the rest of the girls on Betty’s porch. Their shovels were coated in ash and they laid out on the steps looking absolutely exhausted.
“You all did good,” I congratulated them.
“You did better,” Paige said. “Our crops are safe.”
“They are,” I said with a smile.
Even with all our preparations, the fire had managed to jump the line. We’d made it just in time to save the farm, though, and that was what mattered.
We were all hot and covered in sweat and soot, but we could breathe easy knowing that we’d have crops to make it through the winter.
The rumble of an engine got my attention, and I looked to see one of our jeeps headed down the driveway.
Upon closer inspection, I realized that it was Rolly and Betty. Once the vehicle was parked the old woman stepped out of the passenger seat and looked around in awe as she placed her hands over her mouth.
Kimmy and Anthony got out from the backseat, too, and Kimmy put her hand on Betty’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” Rolly told me as he walked over. “I couldn’t hold her back any longer.”
“It’s fine,” I told him with a smile.
“It didn’t get us,” Betty said softly, then she turned around and threw her hands up into the air. “It didn’t get us! Our crops are safe! Thank you, Lord!”
The old woman cried and threw her arms around Rolly’s neck while the girls jumped up and down and screamed with happiness, obviously overtaken by Betty’s enthusiasm.
I smiled as I watched tears stream down the old woman’s face. I knew how much this place meant to her, and more than the farm itself, the crops that we’d planted.
Our livelihood was still intact, and that was all I could ask for at the moment.
“Tav!” Tara yelled, and the platinum blonde came running toward where I stood next to Rolly with the rest of the girls on her heels.
“We made it through!” Bailey hollered.
“I know!” I called, and I felt a genuine smile come to my face.
Tara got right up to me then, and she didn’t slow her pace one bit as she lunged forward and pounced on me. The platinum blonde wrapped her legs around my waist, and I caught her easily and spun her around in a circle as she showered my face with kisses again.
“I can’t believe that worked,” Anna said as she looked around with a huge grin on her face.
“I know,” I agreed as I set Tara back down onto the ground.
“This is amazing,” Kimmy said as she looked around. Baby Anthony squealed in her arms, then. He could clearly tell that everyone else was excited.
“We did it, Anthony!” Bailey cooed, and she tickled the infant’s foot so he squealed again.
“Seems like we got our broadcast out a little late,” Paige chuckled.
“Even if we only gave them ten minutes’ notice, that’s more than they would have had,” Kimmy said with a shrug.
“That’s true,” the brunette agreed.
“Should we take it down now that the fire is out of the area?” Anna asked.
“I guess it doesn’t really apply anymore,” Bailey said with a frown.
“And now it’s just giving our channel number out,” the redhead pointed out.
“You’re right,” I agreed, and I turned to Kimmy. “Is there any way we can change the broadcast?”
“Of course,” the dark skinned woman answered with a nod.
“Good,” I said.
“What are you going to change it to?” Bailey asked.
“I think we should go with our original plan,” I said. “We should set up a location to meet. Maybe we could say something like ‘We are a group of survivors. We would like to meet with other survivors in two weeks. If you are a friendly, reply on this wavelength’. What do you think?”
“I’ll find a good town for us to meet in,” Paige said. �
�Then you can add the date and location.”
“I like it,” Anna said. “I think saying that we’re a group comes across as strong.”
“I also like that you don’t mention that we heard their original distress signal,” Kimmy said. “I think that might be good.”
“So, it’s settled, then,” I said. “That’s the broadcast that we’ll put out.”
“Perfect,” Kimmy agreed. “We can have it done tonight if you want.”
“I think that’s a good idea,” I said. “For all we know, they could have evacuated by now so they may not even hear it.”
“If they’re north of us that’s a valid thought,” Paige said with a nod. “Though I feel like we probably would have seen people if they took the main road. Especially if they have vehicles.”
“They could be south of us, too,” Kimmy pointed out. “Or east or west.”
“We really don’t have much info to go on here,” I sighed. “They could be anywhere.”
“Yeah, but if they turn out to be scum, we can just kill them.” Tara shrugged.
“Exactly,” I chuckled.
“Wait,” Tara said, and she looked around the group seriously before a smile broke out on her face. “Does this mean we get to go swimming?”
We all laughed, and I once again promised to take the girls swimming as soon as I could. For the moment, though, I was just happy that our crops had survived. Our hard work had paid off and our fire lines had worked. We were going to make it through the winter, and that was all that mattered right then.
Chapter 14
Once we were back home, we informed the civilians about the crops, and I gave everyone the day off to relax. They’d earned it after the physical and emotional work they’d done recently. Kimmy and I redid the broadcast, though, and I fed the horses, chickens, and cows before I started my own day of relaxation.
Honestly, I’d been up for pretty much two nights in a row, and I didn’t get much relaxation out of the day, but I did get a lot of sleep. Without having the concern of the fire lingering over me, I was out like a light once my head hit the pillow.
I woke up refreshed, but I didn’t see any of the girls around. Light shone in through the window, so I knew it was still daylight out, and I yawned and stretched before I stood up and headed into my small dorm room. I changed into some fresh clothes, then headed downstairs and found everyone already outside. The air only smelled slightly of smoke, and it was a good feeling to be able to take a full, deep breath.
“Well, hey there,” Tara said as I walked over to the table where everyone was sitting. “We thought you were dead.”
“I just took a little nap,” I chuckled.
“Little nap?” Betty laughed. “Son, you were out for nearly twenty four hours.”
“What?” I asked, and I looked up at the sky and realized that she was right. This wasn’t later in the day, it was the next morning. I’d slept all day yesterday after we got back from the farm, plus through the night.
“He had no idea,” Tara giggled.
“I’m sorry,” I said as I sat down.
“Here,” Rolly said, and he pushed a cup of steaming coffee toward me. “This oughta help.”
“Thanks,” I told him as I grabbed the mug.
“You were up two nights in a row, dear,” Betty told me with a smile. “I’m glad you got some sleep.”
“Apparently I needed it,” I sighed.
“I’m sure you did,” Rolly agreed. “Staying up for forty-eight hours on top of doing physical labor would be draining for anyone.”
Part of me was still stunned that I’d slept that long, but I knew what Rolly and Betty were saying was true. My body had been running on empty, and it had been in desperate need of some sleep. I’d ignored it since there was so much going on, but the second that I was able to relax, it all came crashing down.
“We saved you breakfast, too,” Kimmy told me as she put a plate of food in front of me.
“I figured you’d be extra hungry since you didn’t eat all yesterday,” Betty told me.
The plate that Kimmy had set in front of me was piled high with food, and I shot Betty a quick smile before I dug in. The grandmother knew what she was talking about. I was absolutely starved, and my mouth continued to water even after I shoveled the first bite into it.
“We took care of feeding the animals this morning,” Paige said after I’d gotten a few bites into my breakfast. “But we are going to need water for them today.”
“Alright,” I agreed. “We’ll need to haul some.”
“I think I’ve found a place for us to get water from,” the brunette told me happily.
“Oh, yeah?” I asked.
“Yeah,” she said. “It’s a state park south of here. It will take a bit more time than getting it from the creek, but this is a larger body of water so it should still have plenty.”
“Sounds good,” I told her with a smile. “Thank you.”
At this point, even if we had to haul water for the rest of the summer, which it looked like we might, I couldn’t bring myself to be mad. Our crops had made it through a natural disaster, and since we had a good relationship with Renee, getting fuel wouldn’t be difficult.
“Is there anything specific we need to do today?” Anna asked. “I mean, besides getting water.”
“I don’t think so,” I said, and I turned to Betty. “Do the crops need anything?”
“They could use some love,” the old woman said. “But that shouldn’t take too long.”
“Alright,” I said. “We’ll head out to get water after breakfast then, if you and the rest of the civilians want to head to the farm.”
“Sounds good,” Rolly agreed.
“We’ll try to make it another easy day for everyone,” I said.
I’d given everyone pretty much the whole day off the day before, but I knew they still had to be exhausted. We’d worked ourselves to the bone the last few days, and my muscles were definitely feeling it. If I was sore, then I knew that everyone was as well, and I didn’t want to overwork them. Besides, since the fire had moved east and we were going to get water for the crops and animals, there wasn’t much to do at the moment. We’d need to put back up our traps soon, but I wanted to give that a week or so since there were probably still animals in the area.
The only other thing we had to worry about at the moment was the meet up with the other survivors Renee had heard over the radio, and that wasn’t for two weeks. Plus, that would just be the girls and I. There was no reason for the civilians to come along for that.
After I had finished eating, the girls and I headed over to the trucks with the water barrels on them and piled in. Anna drove one, and I drove the other, but this time Paige and Bailey rode with me.
The brunette gave me directions to the national forest area where we were headed. It didn’t seem like it would take too long, but it was definitely out of the way, and the trips would quickly add up when it came to fuel. Still, we had Renee and the refinery, and as long as we made fair trades, I knew that she’d continue to supply us with however much fuel we needed.
It was still warm out, but it was cooler than it had been. The added heat from the fire was dissipating slowly as it disappeared further east, and I was grateful to have some of the warmth taken away. I let the windows down as we drove, and the breeze felt refreshing and cool against my face.
The girls were quiet as we made our way along the highway, and I thought about everything that we’d been through lately. Our crops had made it through, and truly that was all that mattered at the moment, but it had been a close call. Much too close for comfort. I didn’t want to put my community through that again, but unfortunately, there wasn’t much I could do when it came to natural disasters.
I thought about all of the offers Renee had made for us to come and stay at the fort, and at that moment they seemed better than they had in the past. The fort was nearly impenetrable. It was large, and it was right by a large body of water so ther
e was no risk of running out like we were at the moment. There was also land around it that could be tilled and used to grow crops.
There was also some added privacy since Fort Ticonderoga wasn’t next to the main highway. There was less of a chance of someone stumbling across it. Also, because the fort faced the water on one side, that meant that there were only three sides where someone could try to attack from.
I didn’t like to have to leave our home, but I felt that it was the best choice for my people.
I also knew that I couldn’t stay at the school forever. The United States of America needed help, and once things were good here, I was going to have to move on and help rebuild our republic where I could.
We were going to take it back.
Paige directed us to a parking lot for the national forest that led right up to the water. There was even a boat launch area, so I backed up to that and hopped out.
“It’s really pretty over here,” Bailey said. “I can’t believe I’ve never been here before.”
“It’s not too far from one of the towns we’ve gone to in the past,” Paige said. “But it kind of got overlooked since there’s no stores or anything to loot.”
“Lots of water, though,” the blonde replied with a smile.
“Thank God,” Paige chuckled.
Anna pulled in behind us, and she maneuvered her truck so she could back up next to us, but I heard her and Tara bickering, and all of the sudden the redhead slammed on the breaks.
“Do you want to drive?” I heard Anna ask through the open window.
Tara huffed and climbed out of the truck then as Anna finished backing it up to the water.
“Geez, she’s so sensitive,” the platinum blonde muttered.
“Were you being a backseat driver?” I asked with an amused smile.
“I was just giving pointers,” Tara said innocently.
“Nobody likes a backseat driver, Tara,” Bailey cautioned.
“Yeah, yeah,” the platinum blonde replied with an eye roll.
Kimmy and Anna came up to us then, but the redhead was clearly still irritated. She had her arms crossed and she glared at Tara with a stern expression.