by S A Ison
How? He was sure the truck was gone. Maybe rent a car and head home? What would it be like? Nuclear fallout? Was Denver hit? There would be no power, but would his wife and daughters still be alive? Safe? He had to get to them. Sitting up, he tried to swing his legs around, to stand, but he was so weak, he could only move them slightly. The pain from his leg sent a sharp, burning pain, up to his brain. His head began to swim, and he laid back quickly, becoming nauseated. His mouth watered and he swallowed rapidly. His hand hunted for the water and he grabbed it, sipping the cool liquid.
“You okay Hogan?” Nurse Trish asked, walking in with a tray of food. She sat it on the rolling table, beside the bed.
“Just got dizzy. I was trying to get up.” He panted.
“Oh, you need to stay put. It will be another day or two. Your brain was shaken up a bit. You try getting out of that bed too soon and you’ll kiss the floor.”
“I’ve got to get out of here, I’ve got to get home. Find my wife and daughters.”
“They’ve set up barriers and roadblocks, no one can get across it. They’re letting people come east, but no one is allowed to head west. If you went, you’d be sent back.” Trish said, her soft eyes filled with compassion.
“What? That’s crazy. Aren’t they going to help those people?” Hogan nearly shouted.
“The government said they will send people in when it’s safe.”
“But it won’t be safe for decades, what about the people who survived?” Hogan said angrily, his eyes looking around, for a way to escape. He could hear the monitors beeping wildly now.
“I don’t know. We’re not being told much. It’s almost as though everything on the news is being censored. They’re all just repeating the same thing, like the news anchors have the same script and they’re reading off that. There are preparations that are starting. The government is beginning to set up refugee centers, for those who do come east. Apparently, there are tens of thousands of people on the move.”
“Jesus, where are they going to put them?” Hogan wondered.
“FEMA is appropriating land and putting up some tent cities. The local news says they expect millions, not thousands of survivors to head east, if they can get here.”
“Millions? Where in the hell will millions of people go?” Hogan was nearly breathless. Millions? If Katrina was bad, how in the hell was FEMA going to deal with millions of displaced Americans?
“I don’t know. The local news stations are speculating that the millions will have to disperse throughout the eastern part of the country. A lot of farmland has been destroyed in the west, oil and natural gas lines as well. We have power here, but a lot of areas are without power that aren’t even near the dead zones. So, not only the people from the stricken areas, but also areas that are affected by the weakened or destroyed infrastructures. Damned near all of Kansas, Nebraska, North and South Dakota are without any power. Most of Texas as well and all of Oklahoma. From what the news says, it doesn’t look like those states will see any kind of stability or power for a very long time. Military bases were targeted as well, but the government isn’t saying which ones.” Nurse Trish said. Hogan could hear the fear in her voice.
“What does that mean?”
“I don’t think they can fix this; I don’t think FEMA can fix any of it, nor the government. It’s just too big, too widespread. Our country’s crops are gone, if not all of it, most of it, as well as the land that it was grown on, the storage facilities, railroads and so on. How are we going to feed millions of refugees coming over our way, when our food supply has been cut?” She said, her voice low. She looked over her shoulder and Hogan wondered at it.
“Why? What aren’t you telling me Trish?” he asked nervously, his own voice a whisper.
“Hogan, there is no way any of the remaining states can absorb that many people. Our food supply has been decimated. It’s October, and whatever crops we have, have been harvested and gone either to other countries or to market or destroyed. The skies are covered, and the temperature has dropped. I honestly don’t know when or if the skies will clear by spring. We’re going to be lucky to have enough food for ourselves. Especially, now that a very large portion of the land for growing food has been destroyed. I, honestly, don’t think the government will be able to help those coming east. I don’t think they’ll be able to help us. The nukes hit oil pipelines. We’re going to have gas shortages. The prices on food and fuel will skyrocket.” She said.
He looked at her, shocked. Yet, he knew she was right. She’d figured this out fast.
“You think that’s why there is such a pinch on information coming out of Washington?” He asked.
“Yes, I do. I don’t think the American people know what’s coming. I think shit is really going to get ugly. Especially, when much of the food processing has been destroyed. A lot of large cattle ranches are in the west. As well as poultry, wheat, oats and other grains. Our food supply has been cut. We’re not even talking about economics either, the dollar has started its plunge.”
Hogan was speechless. He looked at Trish, her brown eyes filled with fear. What in the hell was he going to do? How could he get home? It would take him months and he was pretty sure he’d have to walk. He could drive until the gas gave out. He was sure once he got deeper west, it would be dangerous to have a working vehicle. Yet, he couldn’t not go. He had to get to his wife and girls.
“I’ve got to go find my wife. I can’t just leave her there.”
“I hate to say it, and please forgive me for being brutal, but she may not be alive. Again, the government isn’t telling us a lot about the locations of the hits, only that there were over a hundred nuclear bombs dropped. Even if you could get to her, you’d have to bring her back this way and I can’t even imagine trying to get there and back.” She said, doubt clear in her voice.
“If I could get a vehicle, I could get cans of gas and food supplies. I could drive there, maybe through the barricades or around them.”
“Hogan, I’m a prepper. I’ve thought about these kinds of scenarios for years. What do you think desperate people are going to do when they see a working vehicle? Their chance to get away from the disaster in a fast way. You’re going to be the only one going west, while millions are coming east.” Trish whispered harshly, looking over her shoulder.
Hogan looked at her, open mouthed. Prepper? How would she know what would happen? Then he too thought about it. His panicked mind only wanted to get to Laura and the girls. Trish was right though, he could almost hate her for it, for bringing him back down to earth and reality. He could walk, but again, it would take him months, if ever and add winter’s fast approach, and not to mention, his hurt leg. He’d have to know where the bombs had been dropped and what would happen if while walking, he walked into a dead zone? With radioactive fallout? His eyes filled with frustrated tears. Trish blurred in front of him and he felt her hand on his shoulder, squeezing.
“I’m sorry Hogan, I am. This is a really shitty situation, that is only going to get worse. I saw that you have a tattoo on your arm. Army, right?” She asked.
“Yeah. I was in transportation. Like my civilian job, I moved supplies.”
“Look, things are going to only get worse as the days go by. You’ve been trained by the army. The city has had local news crews out in choppers and there are thousands of people on the move, heading our way. It’s going to take them a while to get here, but they’re coming. Many of the cities are already deploying the National Guard to help. But we both know, with that many people heading our way, it’s going to get ugly fast. Especially, when the local people realize that those thousands, if not millions, heading our way will take all of our resources. Like locusts, the refugees will chew through everything. They can’t help it, they will be desperate and by the time they reach Kansas City, they will be beyond frantic. There isn’t going to be enough for everyone, especially with half of what we had destroyed.”
“You’re right. You’re smart. It’s gonna be a
shit show.”
“Look, I live out in the country, east of Jacomo Lake. You’re going to have to have a place to go once you’re well enough to leave. I know you want to go back home, but right now; I don’t think that is a possibility. You’re welcome to come and stay at my place. You can watch the place while I’m at work and maybe we can think of something, to get you home safely. Again, we’ve got no information on what is going on west of us. Only that there are refugees heading our way. Look, I’m off in an hour and I won’t be back for two days. You can give me your answer then. Your phone and personal items are in the drawer beside you. Think about it. I’m going to be heading to the stores and stock up while I can still actually afford the prices. In another week, those prices are going to skyrocket, if not sooner.”
Hogan nodded numbly. His arm extended blindly, and he tried to reach the drawer with his things. Trish reached over and pulled out a plastic bag with his things and handed them to him.
“Thanks. I’m going to try to call Laura. I know, I know, but I have to try. I’ll think about what you’ve told me. Thank you.”
“I’m sorry Hogan, I am. I can’t even imagine. Look, here’s my number. Call if you need anything or just want to talk. I’ve got a lot of preparing to do. I’ll see you in a couple days. Eat, you’ll need your strength.” She said, handing him a slip of paper with her name and number on it. She turned and left him alone. She shut the curtain behind her, giving him some privacy.
Turning on his phone, he waited. Then he hit dial and waited. He got a tone and then a recording. Due to recent events, we are unable to complete your call. He tried twice more before stopping. He pulled up a news channel and watched for a few minutes. It essentially told him the same information that Trish and Wang had relayed. He knew and understood the government didn’t want people to know how bad it was. That would cause widespread panic. Like the panic you feel now, he thought grimly. He closed his eyes and let the tears slide down his face. He was trapped.
Ӝ
Trish pulled out of the hospital parking lot. The last four days had been frightening as she and the others watched the news, tethered to the TVs throughout the hospital. Her mind had been going nonstop, thinking of all the implications, this devastating attack would have on them all. Long term effects. One of the worst things was that she couldn’t share her knowledge with anyone at work. Either they’d look at her like she was a crazy lunatic, or she’d start a panic. She had no proof, but her own gut instincts and a kind of knowledge that she’d worked on and developed over the years. Years of preparing for various situations.
She didn’t know Hogan from squat, but he had military training. That would be crucial. She would see if she could look up some information on the man. Look for any kind of arrests and such. On the surface, he seemed like a good man. She was a pretty good judge of character. She’d known that she’d need another person, but as yet, hadn’t found anyone. It was a delicate balance finding others who shared your views, especially with regards to end of the world situations.
She could kick herself now. For all her prepping, she’d not gotten a weapon yet. Nor had she trained with one. As a nurse, she’d seen the effects of careless firearms handling. Perhaps, if Hogan took her up on her offer, he could teach her. She was angry with herself for vacillating back and forth on that issue. She’d make sure she’d correct that deficit.
For now, she’d head to SAM’s and fill her truck with supplies. With the coming nightmare, you can never have too much, she thought grimly. Then she’d head to Big Lots and do the same. She’d make a run home and dump it, then head back to the stores in different clothing and a hat. She didn’t need to raise suspicion. People were spooked with the bombings and so they should. She was frightened as well, but she couldn’t hide. She needed to get supplies while she could. Yes, she had plenty of supplies hidden away and stored up, but in the coming days, all hell was going to break loose. Especially, when the first refugees got there. The poor souls would of course, be welcomed, at least at first. Trish thought that most Americans are compassionate people, that is until their own circumstances are threatened.
The refugees coming might be Americans, but they were coming with empty stomachs and only the clothes on their backs. It was mid-October and the daytime temperatures were in the mid-sixties now and cold at night. Within a week or better, those temps would start dropping. In a month, they’d be hitting near freezing at night. That was when the very old and young would suffer if they couldn’t find shelter. The farther the refugees had to walk, the more danger they were in.
What would happen when people started closing their doors to strangers? What would those refugees do when their children were starving? Would FEMA be ready for the massive influx along the roads? How would they get all those people to the camps? No, it was going to turn into a shit show, just like in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, only this would be on a staggering scale, with millions. A shiver passed down her body. Pulling into the store’s parking lot, Trish got out and headed in. She grabbed a cart and went to the dry goods section. She hauled two hundred pounds of rice onto her cart, four fifty-pound sacks. She moved to the flour, beans and other aisles, gathering what she could.
Heading to the paper aisle, she grabbed the large business style toilet paper rolls. They were huge rolls and would last a long time. Then she grabbed the multipacks of regular toilet paper rolls. She also hit the spice aisle, she looked at the people around her. She saw no panic in their demeanor. She picked up five large bottles of dried onions and dried garlic. She also picked up ground spices as well as pure vanilla extract. At home, in the basement, she had jars and jars of shortening.
She’d seen a couple of “how to” videos about canning shortening for long term storage. She knew how important it was having fats stored. It had been simple; melt the shortening down to liquid, but not so hot as to boil. She’d then poured the warm liquid into the jars and then pressure canned them. Once the jars cooled, the liquid had turned back into white beauties, ready for use when or if she’d need them. Guess I need them now, she thought.
By the time she reached the register, she was puffing, the cart heavy as she pushed it forward. The cashier raised a questioning brow.
“Family reunion. Guess who has to cook.” She grinned, causing the cashier to snigger. She didn’t want to raise an alarm and when she came back later, she’d make sure she went to another cashier for checkout. Ten minutes later she was heading for Big Lots. Her truck held the supplies easily and she had a tarp to pull over and secure. No one could see into the truck bed. That was good. She’d been prepping for seven years. After witnessing the aftermath of Katrina, Trish had thought about prepping for years.
She hadn’t known how. She had lived in Kansas City, in a small apartment, moving there, just after her husband, Ryan, had died. She couldn’t afford much since she had to pay off student loans and on a single paycheck. But then, little by little, she began to watch prepper videos and she watch prepper reality shows. Those people seemed like nuts and crazies. But still, the notion tickled her brain. She resisted for a long time.
Pulling into Big Lots, she got out of the truck and looked around. Everyone looked normal, if not a little worried. She thought once more on when she’d made the decision to become a prepper. Her apartment lease was coming up for renewal and her rent was going up nearly one hundred dollars. She’d thought about buying a home, and it was looking like she might as well, since her rent was about as much as a mortgage payment. She’d scoured the home listings, not knowing what she wanted, but knowing she’d know when she saw it.
She found three farms, not huge, but each having something she thought she might need. The farm she’d settled on was a seven-acre property, with a large barn, several outbuildings, an acre of pasture with a large spring fed pond. The property also boasted a thick forest that surrounded it, giving her the privacy, she wanted. The two-story home itself wasn’t much to look at, but it had its own well and it also had a handpump we
ll head behind the house. The newer well had been drilled ten years before, so she knew it wouldn’t go dry, or at least she hoped it wouldn’t.
Trish stopped at the cereal aisle and picked up large containers of oatmeal and syrup. There was a slight bump in the price, and she gritted her teeth. It was already starting. She pushed her cart on.
The house was a three-bedroom one bath affair, with an eighty’s decor. It needed a hell of a lot of updating, hence the reasonable price, but the roof was solid, as were the bones of the house. Plumbing and electrical were good as well, she’d had the house inspected before she purchased it. What the house also had was a deep and large cellar. The floor was dirt and the cellar had floor to ceiling heavy wooden shelving.
Trish knew she could bury supplies in the basement and no one would be the wiser. She could seal the supplies in containers and bury them. She’d have to make up a diagram to keep track of where she buried things, but that hadn’t been difficult. She was now sitting on a staggering amount of food and supplies. She’d also set up for redundant supplies, like flashlights, batteries, sheet plastic, tools, and other odds and ends. It had been a long process of gathering things she thought she might need, like candles, matches, hurricane lanterns, lamp oil and cloth wicks.
The house was surrounded by a large chain link fence and within five years of moving in, Trish had gotten three large dogs. The last one had been a puppy; the other two were from a shelter. All big and intimidating dogs. She thought perhaps she should get another one. Trish had also acquired an assortment of animals, rabbits, four goats and a Billy, and an assortment of chickens. She’d thought about getting larger animals, but that was a lot of work for a working nurse and she didn’t have a lot of knowledge when it came to big animals.