Solar Cycle 24
Page 11
Part 10: The shooting of Ally Gorton
It wasn’t long before there began to be trouble; they hadn’t been in the cave two months before everyone began to get on each others nerves.
He knew they were going to have to start spending some time outside, or they would end up killing one another. People just weren’t formed to be holed up twenty four seven and that was all there was to it.
Not only that but the food that it took to feed them was dropping at an alarming rate, and he knew they would have to go and get more.
“Gary, we are going to have to start spending time out of here at night; the bickering has to stop, and we are going to have to re-supply too.”
“Yeah, let's plan on going out tonight at eleven.”
“That’s well and good, but we won’t be able to see to forage at night; I'm going down to Dalton McCormick’s dairy farm. Its a couple miles down the road; I'll see how he and his wife are doing. His wife is in a wheel chair, and I want to see how he is fairing.”
“OK Rob, just don’t stay out too long, I’ll take care of things here until you get back. OK?”
“OK.”
“I mean it Rob, we can’t afford for either one of us to get sick, and we depend on each other too much.”
“Got it.”
That night they all walked out of the cave into the dark of the night, the fog had rolled in as they stood at the edge of the field; the white house looked eerie in the night.
Kathleen breathed deeply of the night air; she felt the load of being cooped up lifting a little. Somewhere a dog barked, and everything seemed so normal.
Early the next morning Rob cranked up the four-wheel drive and eased it onto the black top and headed west toward Dalton McCormick’s farm, which lay 3 miles down the road.
He met no one which was not all that unusual out here on county roads that time of day.
When he got to the farm, he eased the car into the drive way, there was no noise but the crunch of the wheels on gravel.
Usually, when he came here Daltons Australian, Shepard met him at the front yard, but he saw no sign of life as he stopped the car and got out.
He walked to the front door and knocked loudly then listened for footsteps, but none came.
He knocked loudly several more times and when there was no answer, he walked to the back of the house.
As he rounded the house, he saw a dead calf near the gate that led to the barn, it walked over for a closer look, and it looked as if the calf had been dead for days.
“Hell, I’m going to have to open the front door.” He mumbled as he walked back around the house.
He turned the knob on the front door, and the door opened easily; he walked slowly into the front room, and then he saw them. His wife was sitting slumped over in her wheel chair and Dalton lay on the floor, his rifle beside him; they had committed suicide. He had shot her and then himself. The stench of the room hit him full force, and he gagged as he rushed for the door. He slammed the door behind him as he leaned on the fender of the car and wretched time and again.
“There’s nothing here, I’m not going back in there, not for any amount of food.” He mumbled as he gunned the car out onto the black top.
Instead of turning back toward home he headed for Estes Park, afraid of what he would find, but he had to find out.
The small town looked strange as he pulled into the parking lot of the Safeway store. The front windows were smashed.
The building looked abandoned as he walked up to the front door. The door gave as he pushed it open. He thought he saw a shadow as he walked into the darkened store proper.
The sliding glass doors were wide open.
He walked towards an isle; the floor was littered with paper, spilled boxes, and he saw what appeared to be dried blood on a register.
He walked on down the Isle and rounding a corner he was met by a snarling German Shepard that had been feeding on something in the floor.
As he started backing away he realized that it was a human body the dog was feeding on.
Bile rose from his stomach as he turned and rushed head long for the front door.
He leaned on the hood of the 4x4 as he wretched uncontrollably.
He backed slowly away from the awful scene, then turned and ran toward the car, got in and slammed the door,
He still felt queasy as he drove the last mile back to his place. He got about 1500 yards from the house, and then the car just died. He let it roll to a stop, put it in park and tried the engine again, but it was no go.
He suddenly remembered what they had talked about, and he guessed that some of the transistors in the ignition system had burned out. This car was a 1991 year model, but it still had transistors.
He got out of the car, locked the doors and walked the rest of the way to the cave. He crawled through the small opening and pulled the camouflage over the entrance.
Kathleen, Gary and Ruth were sitting at the table playing gin rummy as he entered.
“I’m ahead of these two, what did you find?” Gary asked as he intently looked at his cards.
“ Dalton shot his wife and then shot himself; they are both dead.”
“What? Oh my God.” Kathleen looked at him horrified at the announcement.
“Oh my God is right, the Safeway store at Estas Park was stripped bare.” He didn’t mention the scene in the store.
“Also the 4x4 quit a ways down the road; I think the transistors are gone.”
“That means most all other vehicles will have stopped running, that was an early model car and the transistors weren’t so critical; the newer ones will have stopped running over a week ago.” Gary said, and laid down his cards on the table.
“The domino effect is well under way.” Rob said as he drew himself a large glass of water.
“We need to learn more about what is happening, the next time the meters get a lower reading. We can use the Mustang to go further toward Seattle, maybe all the way in to Seattle, but we need to both go for our own protection.” Gary looked around the table.
“I think it’s too dangerous to go into Seattle proper, maybe if we travel to the outskirts of the city?”
“Yes, that might tell us how things are shaping up.”
“I don’t want either of you to go.” Kathleen said with fear in her eyes.
“We have to begin to forage for food, and we have to find out what we are up against. “ Ruth said gently. “We need to take whatever risks are involved.”
“Ruth is right honey.” Rob reached across the table and laid his hand gently on Kathleen’s.
“What do you expect we will find down there Gary?” Rob asked.
“Well, blindness for one thing, along with sores and boils for the ones who have been exposed for a given length of time, sickness, disease, death everywhere. I would be guessing.” But it didn’t sound to Rob like Gary was doing much guessing.
“Let me ask you and I want a straight answer Gary, did Dalton have the right idea?”
“I just don’t know. It may come to that yes.”
Kathleen looked at them with horror, “Suicide? Murder? He murdered his wife and then took his own life, is that what we are down too? Is that what we’ve done all this for?”
“I don’t know; I don’t have the answers!” Gary said angrily.
“let's just calm down and try to come up with answers; we haven’t been far enough out yet to know what’s happening.”
As the days past the instruments read with lower and lower numbers, finally Gary announced that it was time for them to go.
Gary charged the battery to the Mustang while Rob loaded the car with some food, guns and ammo.
There were tears in Kathleen’s eyes and Ruth’s eyes as they watched the Mustang disappear around the bend.
The Mustang bounced in a pot hole as Rob was injecting a shell into the pump shotgun, “Take it easy will ya?”
“Sorry, this road isn’t a freeway you know. What do you expect to shoot with that
thing?”
“I didn’t say anything in front of the girls, but in the Safeway store I ran into a large dog eating a body.”
“Feral dogs already? I didn’t expect that. Interesting”
“Interesting hell, its downright medieval Gary, do you always have to think like a scientist?”
“Sorry.”
They came to a pasture with two cows that were standing by the fence; there were three others dead in the field.
“Let’s stop and examine these cows.” Gary said and pulled the Mustang to the side of the road.
They got out of the car and walked to the fence for a closer look. The cows didn’t move.
They saw that the cows were blind and starved, sores covered their eyes and when they drew near the cows bawled pitifully.
“Just as I expected.” Gary said and turned back to the car; he opened the trunk of the car.
“What are you doing?”
He pulled the rifle from the trunk and began loading shells into the chamber, “I can’t leave them like this.” He raised the weapon and fired twice; the cattle sank slowly to their knees then fell over onto their side; Rob leaned against the car and vomited.
“We are not ready for this you know.” Gary said as he looked straight ahead.
“Yeah, I know, remember what Ruth said about the fellow on the bus?" Rob looked at him.
“Yes. I believe he somehow knew this was coming.”
“We should have known it was coming too.”
“Yes.”
They returned to the car and continued on up the road.
“What is that up ahead?” Rob pointed down the road.
“Looks like someone sitting by the side of the road.”
As the object came more into view, they saw it was a woman sitting by the road holding a child of about five years old in her arms.
The child was dead, and she sat gently rocking back and fourth; her eyes were open, but unseeing; blisters and open sores covered her face and arms.
Satan stood on a high mountain and watched without mercy as Gary loaded the weapon, aimed and fired.
That evening the four of them held hands across the table and formed a circle of bonding, each accepting Jesus Christ as their redeemer in life or in death.
The end
This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end
Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
(Lyrics from “The End” and sung by The Doors.)