by S A Ison
“It is in the military. Sometimes it’s a good thing, sometimes, not so good. The thing is, I think the government is trying to keep the country from exploding. If what you say is true so far, then resources are going to start disappearing.” Hogan said.
“I’d gone shopping the last couple days and the shelves are starting to get thin and the prices are starting to go up. See, look over there at the gas prices. It’s already up over a dollar and it’s been less than a week.” She said, nodding her head, as the truck passed the gas station.
“I see that. So, what’s the plan?”
“I’ve set up your bedroom. You have the run of the house. Once you’re up to it, you’ll have the care of the animals. I hope you don’t mind. I’ve got an assortment. Just be mindful of the stitches on your leg. I’ll take those out in a week or so.” She grinned.
“You and my wife’s parents.” Hogan grinned painfully.
“Look, maybe once the dust settles, we can start to figure out how either to get you to Colorado or to get information. Right now, I think they’re just trying to protect people, you know, from the dead zones. I think maybe the government is just trying to figure out what to do. At least I hope they are.”
“I hope so too. I know you’re right. I just feel frustrated that I can do nothing.”
“You said your in-laws have a farm. Then I’d bet dollars to doughnuts that Laura has gone there with your girls. Does your father-in-law have guns?” Trish pulled down the last stretch to her home. Here, there were less homes and more fields.
“My wife has a weapon, and she’s a great shot. My father-in-law, Bart, was a Marine for about eight years before he went back to the family farm. Laura’s mother, Milly, had also been a Marine. That’s where Bart met her.” Hogan smiled.
“Damn, so anyone going to their farmhouse is in for a rude awakening.” Trish sniggered.
“Yep, I’d say, they might walk in, but they won’t be walking out. Bart taught Laura well and she’s proficient with her weapon. Bart has a gun safe in his basement with a hell of an arsenal. They used to kid me about being army, saying how ashamed they were that they had to tell friends about their army puke son-in-law, but they love me anyway.” He smiled and then chuckled.
Trish pulled into her long drive, it curved and there were large oaks along the drive. The leaves were brilliant in their autumn glory and the drive was peppered with blowing leaves.
“This is nice.” Hogan said, looking around.
“It’s home and it’s private.” She grinned. Pulling around, she drove up and parked under a carport. It was near a large fence and gate. Three large dogs were by the gate, joyous in their greeting. Barking loudly and jumping up and down. When they caught scent of Hogan, they really began to go crazy. Trish looked over at Hogan and shrugged.
“We don’t get many visitors out this way. They’re usually better behaved.”
“That big one won’t eat me, will he?” Hogan asked. Hogan referred to a large beast, Baby, who was a mastiff mixed with a Saint Bernard. He was an ugly dog and Trish had fallen in love with him at first sight. She’d gotten him when he’d been a tiny runt. His large loose lips dripped, and spittle flew when he barked.
“That’s Baby, he’s my baby. The black one is Jewel, she’s a black lab mix with some kind of hound. She’s a sweety. The gray one is Ralph. He’s a Great Dane mixed with a Labrador retriever mix. They’re all good dogs and sweet and protective. Anyone thinking about getting into here, well, they’d just about better think about it again.” Trish laughed, speaking loudly over the din of barks.
“I can see that.” Hogan grinned, his voice raised. When they walked up to the gate, Trish held her hand up in a fist. At once, all the dogs quieted and sat, vibrating with excitement.
“Easy. When you go in, hold out your hand. I’ve trained them to sit quietly or as quiet as they’re capable of. Let them sniff you. They won’t jump on you, but they’ll run around you. Just ignore them and head on into the house. Once they get used to you, they’ll just ignore you.” Trish instructed.
Opening the gate, both went in. She watched as Hogan walked to the dogs. His shoulders were relaxed, and she was glad. The dogs were intimidating, and she was sure they’d tear an intruder apart, but with someone she brought in, the dogs knew they were welcome. But then, Baby lunged.
Ӝ
Franktown, CO
Laura was sitting at the kitchen table, when her father came up from the basement. His face was lined, but now the lines were deep with grim news. Her father had a CB radio in the basement, it was inside, what he called a faraday cage. To her, it was just a small closet. She didn’t really understand but watched as her father walked to the stove and picked up the still warm coffee pot and poured a cup of coffee. He walked over to the table and kissed Laura on the head and took a seat. Just then, the girls came running in and hugged each grandparent, then ran out to the back screened in porch. There was a wooden dollhouse set up out there.
Laura saw the smile that flitted across her father’s face, then disappear.
“What’s wrong dad?”
“Since the power went out, I’ve been monitoring my CB, I’m careful with the battery, so I don’t turn it on much. Haven’t heard a peep on it until today. I’m not sure, mind you, and a lot could just be rumors and speculation. It seems that North Korea dropped a bunch of nukes on the United States. Most of them dropped on the western side of the country, essentially dividing the country in half.”
Milly choked on her coffee and looked to Laura and then Bart.
“Jesus Christ. What the fuck?” Milly expostulated and it shocked Laura. Her mother rarely swore, but she knew her mother was a prior-marine as was her father. The color washed from her mother’s fair complexion, leaving her looking older than her sixty-two years. Bart nodded his head and took a napkin and handed it to Milly.
“Okay, so here is what I can make out, through what I’m hearing. There was a nuke detonated in the atmosphere. Now that would have caused us to lose power and electronics. Just as Donny had told you. EMP, electromagnetic pulse. The other nuclear bombs were dropped all over, so those areas are what is called dead zones out there, where there are lethal levels of radiation. No one is clear on where those locations are, but that they are spread from California to Kansas, Nebraska, the Dakotas and below as far as Texas.”
“Christ, so, if we haven’t been radiated, then we’re trapped here, in the middle. Essentially hemmed in.” Milly breathed, the cup in her hand shaking. Laura’s heart was racing.
“There’s no way for Hogan to get home, no matter how bad he wants to, my god, and if he is trying, he might well run into a dead zone. Unless he can identify a route that is safe.” Laura said, sorrow nearly choking her. Her eyes stung and her parent’s blurred before her. She felt her mother take her hand and squeeze.
“Do you think we’re affected with any kind of fallout, Bart?” Milly asked.
“I don’t think so, but honestly, there’s no way of knowing. I don’t have a geiger counter. I’d almost say no, if they did hit Denver, I don’t think it would have made it out this far. We’re pretty far from the city’s center. Besides, I suspect that many military bases were hit, or pipelines, or power grids. I’m hearing a lot of nothing though. The government isn’t telling anyone much.” Bart grumbled.
“So, we’re essentially trapped here. There is no way to go to Kansas City. And there is no way for Hogan to come here.” Laura said numbly.
“Unless the government does something, like evacuation. But that would be on such a massive scale as to be impossible. The government won’t spring for that and I’d say, consider us a loss, casualties of war. We’re on our own. The thing is, we need to get ready. Anyone surviving will be on the move soon, looking for food and shelter. Denver will only have so much food and once that’s gone, the people will be spreading out, if they already aren’t. It’s been a week now, and I’m pretty sure a lot of the food has been taken or eaten.” Bart said grimly.
“It’s a good thing we have JoJo and Jenny. They can at least be an early warning for us.” Milly said, her mouth flattening out.
“Still, we’re gonna need help to hold this place. I think I’ll take a trip over to Quinn’s house. You remember Quinn?” Bart asked Laura, who shook her head.
“He took over Robert Liery’s farm. Liery had sold off most of his land but left about five acres and the house. Quinn Stapleton bought it about ten years ago. Good man, jarhead too. His wife died three years ago, cancer. Very sad. Anyway, I think I might invite him to come and stay with us.” Bart said, scratching his bewhiskered cheek. It made a soft rasping noise.
“Where on earth are we going to put him, Bart? I agree, but do you think he’d want to come. He’s been kind of a shut-in since Zoe died.” Milly asked, getting up and pouring another cup of coffee. She walked over with the pot and poured more for Bart. Laura shook her head. She couldn’t drink coffee like her parents, it made her too jittery.
“We can put him in the study. The couch is a fold out. I’ll go talk with him, see if we can’t bring along his things. I’ll get the old tractor and drive over there.” Bart said.
“You got enough diesel?” Milly asked, doubtfully.
“Sure do, honey bunny.” Bart grinned.
“Mom, how long is the propane going to last?” Laura asked nervously.
“Should be quite a few years dear, don’t worry. Your father had a new tank buried last year. The old one had to be replaced, so your father went big and bold on it.” Milly grinned. Bart snickered, his shoulders bouncing up and down.
“We’ll be able to cook for a long time. We got plenty of wood in the barn for the woodstove, though I’d suggest we bundle up more and keep the fire low. At some point, the wood will get harder and harder to come by.” Bart said, draining his coffee cup. He went to the sink where there was a tub of soapy water. They had a water pump outside that had the old fashion pitcher pump. It was mostly used for the animals, but since the power had gone out, was now used for the house as well. The old outhouse had also been opened back up for use. Laura’s mother had cleaned it up and both women had spent the previous afternoon, painting the interior.
Allain and Alexa had been nervous about using it, so Laura had suggested they paint it, make it bright and inviting. The girls had gleefully helped with the painting. They painted white on the interior and then used her mother’s acrylic paints to paint flowers, butterflies and Laura wasn’t quite sure what else, since the girls were in conflict about what their paintings were. Bart had put a five-gallon bucket of water in the bathroom. This was to be used for the toilet, only at night. Each room had an old fashion ewer and bowl, for spit baths, there would be no more regular bathing.
“Guess you’d better get going, it’s about an hour drive there on that old tractor.” Milly said, getting up from the table.
“Guess you’re right, honeybunch. I’ll take a can of diesel with me, just in case.” Bart got up and kissed his wife on the cheek. Laura smiled at her parents. Milly had grown up in Kansas and had gone into the marines when she’d gotten out of high school. She and Bart had been stationed in Naples, Italy and had fallen in love there. They both eventually gotten out of the marines and had come back here to take over the family farm. They were both still in love and she’d seen them walking the property, holding hands. Her eyes misted, thinking of Hogan, and knowing that he might as well be on the moon, she’d never see her husband again. She’d been grieving but hadn’t really known it. She’d held out hope until now, that Hogan would find his way home.
With dead zones, there was no way for Hogan to get to her, nor she to him. Hogan was a wonderful man, her man, but he was no superhero. He was a man; an ordinary and modest man and it would be an impossibility for him to attempt the suicidal trip. Simply walking to her parent’s home had been grueling, seven hours and she had Randy following behind her for part of that trip. She shivered at the thought. Bastard. With no one coming to help them, she knew that chaos would follow shortly, if it hadn’t already in the city. She’d seen the programs on TV about end of days. How people went crazy, killing each other over a can of soup. Would it be that bad? What would she do to protect her daughters? You would have shot Randy in the street, her mind whispered.
Ӝ
Kansas City, MO
Baby lunged forward, but Hogan stood still. The massive dog fell at his feet and turned over onto his back in a submissive roll. His heavy tail thumped on the ground and his mouth opened and the dog grinned up at him with impressive teeth. Hogan almost had a heart attack. He bent down and cautiously rubbed the dog’s belly. The other dogs whined, wanting the same treatment. He walked toward them and let them sniff his hand, and they too were happy to meet him.
“Sorry about that. He’s still young yet.” Trish apologized.
“It’s okay, as long as I didn’t lose a hand, I’m good.” Hogan grinned, holding up a hand and wiggling his fingers. They walked up the steps to the house. Hogan looked around, it was a nice property, though the house looked a little dilapidated. It was in need of a good painting, but looked solid enough for all that.
“I have set you up in the back bedroom. I hope you don’t mind, I put my husband’s clothes in there for you. You’re about his size.”
“Oh. Okay.” Hogan said, feeling a little awkward.
“He was killed in a car accident eight years ago. I just haven’t been able to get rid of his things. Sorry. I’m not a hoarder or anything, but, well, I just couldn’t.” She shrugged and smiled lopsidedly.
“I’m sorry. And thanks. I guess I need something other than the clothes on my back. Thanks. Maybe I can pick up some things, in the next few days. When I’m up to it.” They walked up the stairs to the second floor. It had a long narrow hallway.
“I doubt it. If you don’t have cash, you must have a local driver’s license if you use a credit card. They aren’t taking any out of town credit cards. I was behind a guy in Big Lots, he was from somewhere in Kansas, but had a credit card. The store manager said that because of the affected areas, they could not be sure that the credit card company would pay, since they didn’t know about the billing situation in Kansas. It got kind of ugly, so I went to another register. I got out as fast as I could, in case it really went south.” Trish said, opening the door to Hogan’s new room.
Inside the room was a twin bed. The room was neat and clean. It had a large window, framed by white lace curtains. The room had a small dresser, nightstand with a brass lamp and there was a small closet. It was simple and unadorned. There were no pictures or paintings on the wall.
“I don’t have a lot of guests, sorry.” Trish mumbled.
“No, Trish, it’s fine. Thank you. Really.” Hogan assured her. He only had the clothes on his back. He was essentially homeless and was here only by her kindness. Had she not invited him to stay with her, he’d have been homeless, out on the street. He could have gotten a room, but with the credit card situation, he’d have been out of luck. He would have ended up at the newly established tent city. No, he was better off than he could have been. He’d make sure she’d not regret inviting him into her home.
“Let me give you the nickel tour, just let me know if your leg starts to bother you. This will really help me. Depending on the shifts I worked, I had to run home on my breaks to feed and tend to the animals. That usually meant I had to eat and run. A lot of times, the animals were left to fend for themselves. If we were slammed. But with you here, I can now leave it to you.” She grinned. Leaving the house, they walked out to the back, he saw a large barn, and was impressed. Though the house itself looked run down, the property was neat and well managed. The barn was faded but in good repair. The large pasture held five goats, which kept the ground well cropped. As they approached the pasture the goats came running toward them, bleating wildly.
“I guess they’re happy to see us?” He grinned. The pasture was surrounded by a wire fence, with posts every ten feet or so. There was
a good-sized pond off to the side of the pasture, with cattails and he could hear frogs croaking. There were scores of dragonflies that hovered over the pond, their bodies glistening in the dull daylight. Soon, they would die off. He was surprised they hadn’t already.
“Yes, they think I have something for them. I do.” She laughed and pulled small apples from her pockets. Each of the goats was given an apple. The Billy had impressive horns and he stuck his head up to the wire. Trish leaned over and scratched between his horns. The animal closed his eyes in bliss and then turned and walked majestically away, the girls following in his wake, his long testicles swaying gently as he went.
“I spoil them. Over there is their shed. In the winter, they’ll go to the barn. Better insulation and safer from hungry predators. The shed is well built, I had it done when I’d first gotten the goats. Working shifts, I wanted to make sure they had a place to go if it got too nasty. It has plenty of hay for them to sleep on or munch on. They usually chew a bit. I have a large bin with their food, that’s in the barn. We can walk over, and I can show you. There is also a well pump, over there, near the house. Just use the bucket beside it to water the animals. They’ve got plenty right now. I usually fill their trough every other day.”
“Are those rabbit hutches?” Hogan asked, seeing a long low hutch by the barn.
“Yes, I only have a couple of bunnies though. I have processed everything for the winter. Come next spring, I’ll breed them and get more. You ever eat rabbit?” Trish asked.
“No. Good?” Hogan asked.
“Taste like chicken.” Trish sniggered and turned pink. He laughed. Trish had smooth light brown skin. She was near his age, but had fine lines, laugh lines. It was one of the first things he’d noticed when he woke up, what three days ago? Christ. It had been a week since the accident, since his world had ended.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, sorry. I was thinking it’s only been a week since the wreck, and the bombing. Yet, seems kind of longer, if that makes sense.”