by Cooper, DJ
Matt just shook his head, rolled his eyes and left Sam to fend for himself. The girls began to explain in great detail that they were going to can it or dry it into jerky. They asked him how he thought they preserved it back before electricity?
After the food preservation lesson was over, Sam whispered to Matt, “Thanks for warning me, buddy.”
Matt just laughed and said. “Some things you just gotta learn on your own.”
Tawny made some coffee while everyone sat to watch the news. Looking at the coffee container, she winced. Destiny saw her and asked, “Whatcha thinking?”
“We drink a lot of coffee around here.”
“Yea?”
“Well, we didn’t get more. If this is one of those vices we all seem to have, shouldn’t we get more?”
“Well, I guess you’re right about that. Now that you mention it we should get some decaf too.”
“Why decaf.”
“Because, if the proverbial fecal matter hits the oscillating device… and we run out. The caffeine addiction is going to hit us all like a ton of bricks.”
“Awww, geez. Right? That headache is monumental.”
“Let’s plan to pick up both.”
“Ok.”
Nothing was really being reported in the news, which made them all think something was very wrong. With the things that had come up over the past week, it was strange that nothing was being reported. Near the end of the newscast, Matt regarded it with disdain, “This is nothing but fluff and fiction.” What they’d expected to hear came through like an alarm bell. “A cyber-attack against the banking industry today has caused some computer glitches in the system. At the close of business today all systems will be offline until Tuesday morning. This bank holiday will allow programmers to correct the problems with the computers over the weekend.”
Dez spit her coffee out. “Cyber-attack? Yeah right. They know what is coming with the fall of the U.S. dollar and even now they’re still trying to save the banks over the American public?” Continuing, she emphasized in a rant how the government always looked out for the corporations instead of the people.
They were discussing all of it and the implications of what the bank holiday would mean when there was a knock at the door.
Tawny got up to answer the door and as she was walking over said, “At least we got to the store before the rush.”
Loel and Frank came in and immediately said, “Did you hear?”
Sam nodded. “Did you get in touch with everyone to pull some money out and get to the store this morning?”
Loel nodding said, “Sure did.” Walking over to the counter where Dez offered him a cup he continued, “A few were concerned about their savings and about pulling it out. I told them that they could always return the money to the bank after the weekend.” Sipping on his cup, he sat down and finished by saying, “No harm no foul, right?”
The small group perceived this as the beginning of the fall of the U.S. dollar. They asked that all of their new friends meet up this evening to go over some contingency plans. They wanted to talk about preparations for the possibility of hyperinflation or maybe even civil unrest.
Chapter 4
“Trouble this way comes.”
“When written in Chinese, the word “crisis” is composed of two characters – one represents danger, and the other represents opportunity.”
– John F. Kennedy
The people began to arrive and the chatter was, for the most part, centered on the bank holiday. It seemed that no one realized the issue at hand was really the Petro-dollar. Many were even still focused on Ebola.
Sam spoke over everyone. “Ebola is not the real issue here. I for one am not even sure it ever was. It was just something to keep everyone’s eyes off the real problem of the petrodollar.”
Aaron asked, “What’s a petrodollar?”
Matt stepped up to explain how it worked, “Nixon bartered a deal with the oil-producing countries of the world back in the 70’s. This is when OPEC agreed to this and in essence elevated the US dollar to the world’s reserve currency. In that deal, they agreed to use US dollars as the standard currency for oil trade.”
“What does that have to do with the bank holiday?” Frank asked.
Matt continued, “The US dollar has been failing. As you probably know, it is no longer backed by gold. This deal ensured the dollar would retain its value. Nixon agreed then to not print too much money.”
He paused to let it sink in and continued, “The US went back on that deal and has been printing money like it’s going out of style.”
There were some murmurs of understanding, but most still didn’t understand why it had anything to do with the current issue.
Matt was becoming agitated as he tried to explain further, “The current administration has printed so much unbacked currency that the US dollar is actually near worthless at this point. Without the oil to back it, it is just paper.” Most of them then began to understand the implications and agreed that it was a possibility that the banks would not reopen any time soon. Speculation centered on the fact that they couldn’t reopen when the dollar was in a free fall. But more so, they discussed the implications on the dollars that they now held in their possession.
They spent time speculating on how it would go down and the possibility of riots. They also discussed other things like communication and security. Everyone felt confident that they could shelter in place for now and they made a schedule that required that each day two people would make the rounds to check on all the families in their group.
They’d concluded the meeting and were finishing up the snacks and coffee, just visiting, so it surprised everyone when there was a loud pounding on the door. Dez went to answer it and as she did George burst in yelling something difficult to understand.
They all heard him bellow as he burst in, “… My people! I called a meeting, and now I find everyone must have come here.”
Aaron looked up and said, “Who the hell are you?”
Only Loel and Frank continued to attend his meetings this past week, and even then it was mainly to keep an eye on him. George had wanted to kick Dez out of his group for a quite a while and after she and Matt said they did not agree and could no longer attend, George began making remarks about them at the meetings.
This, and his power issues had really shown much of the membership his volatile demeanor, and many began to drop out over the past few days as well. This angered George and he accused Matt and Dez of stealing his people.
Dez shouted, “Who the hell do you think you are bursting into my home like this?”
He yelled at her, “Shut up!”
Glaring at her and Matt, he began again, “I knew you were stealing my people!”
Loel stepped up and said, “Look around George, where is your membership?”
George stepped back and looked and said, “Well, you’re here and so is Frank.”
Matt was getting angry and snapped at George, “Because they come to visit us does not mean anything. From what I understand they are probably the only two who still associate with you!”
Loel cut in and explained to George, “These are my friends from my subdivision. They are not a militia. We were having a discussion on prepping, George. This has nothing to do with you.”
George began to stammer, “Well, I… I called a meeting and when no one came I thought…”
Dez snapped at George, “Well, you thought wrong! I never had a single word to say about your little militia. I also know all about the things you have been saying about us. Maybe they are as sick of your tyranny as I was. You and your…”
George felt helpless and foolish. Matt could see this in his face and spoke up, hoping to save George from Dez. “George why don’t you have a seat and chat with us for a bit. The others were just leaving, but we were planning to contact you this evening anyway so it is probably a good thing you came over.”
Matt gave Dez a look that meant, ‘Enough,’ and said, “Hey
Dez, can you grab George and me a cup of coffee?”
Dez knew the look and lowering her tone she said in a dejected voice, “Sure.” Glaring back at George as she sulked off to the kitchen
George agreed and made apologies all around. Everyone but Dez nodded in forgiveness.
“Listen, George” Matt started, “I know Dez and I are not part of your group anymore, but we wanted to get with you and your guys about security for our town. We feel like this banking holiday is just the beginning and had hoped you would agree to work together for things like patrols, assisting other families, local LEOs. Maybe offer up ideas to get some personal security plans to help others be safer.”
George looked confused and said, “Do you really think that is necessary?”
Matt continued, “I don’t know, but we should at least start thinking about it. We know how good you are with this stuff and thought maybe we should talk to you about our concerns.”
Loel was watching the conversation and whispered to Sam. “Oh man, he is good, and he knows exactly how to get George in line.”
Sam whispered back. “How do you deal with an egotistical ass? Play on his ego. Gotta hand it to him, he’s smooth.”
George reluctantly agreed with Matt and said he would talk with the others and get back with them tomorrow. As he left, he thanked Dez for the coffee and apologized to her personally.
This shocked Dez, and she said, “I’m sorry too, George, we just butt heads on things. I know and respect that you know your stuff.” She shoved her hand in his direction. As much as this pained her to do, she knew it was better to have an unsteady ally than a pissed off enemy. She didn’t really mean it but knew how Matt wanted to be certain George would not become a future problem. She was willing to do what she could to try to diffuse the issue. They’d already discussed this inevitability, as Matt put it. They knew George would eventually pose a possible problem and wanted to keep him at arms-length but still close. George shook her hand and nodding in acknowledgment, he turned and left.
Once he’d gone, Matt said. “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?” Questioning, seeking approval of his own thought process.
Dez smirked, “Smart ass.”
Chapter 5
“Preparing”
“There is no harm in hoping for the best, as long as you’re prepared for the worst.”
-Stephen King
Jeremy and Toni didn’t want to waste any time. Driving through the night, they arrived at three o’clock that morning. Exhausted and wanting to get settled in they stowed everything quickly to try and catch a power nap before sun up.
They asked their friend, Lynn, to tag along. Lynn Ryan was a former Marine and quite outspoken. Everyone thought she was just a bit crazy at times, but not in a bad way, and she was decidedly considered an asset to their group.
She was a small woman with long straight blonde hair, not what one would call the quintessential marine type. She always made fun of herself about being OCD, often driving everyone crazy reorganizing things, but a very sweet person all in all. Everyone liked Lynn and she always knew she was welcome whenever she felt like stopping in.
Dez set up the sofa for her after Jeremy phoned earlier that day telling his mom that Lynn was with them. He told her that they’d be in sometime in the middle of the night. Getting out the bedding, she tried to have things prepared.
The house was filling up quickly it seemed, and they were going to have to get sleeping arrangements settled. Dez was pleased that everyone would be there but had anxieties about how crowded the house was becoming.
Charleigh and Connor arrived later that morning. Dez was tickled to see Ariel and immediately went to fussing over her. Ariel, who was Dez’s first grandchild was spoiled rotten. Every time she came to her Mimi’s house spoiling would commence immediately, and she knew it. And as usual, Dez went right to spoiling her. She kept a secret stash of chocolate that only she and Ariel knew about. Of course, Dez sent her right to it with a wink and the customary smooch.
Ariel was an exceptionally pretty baby and was getting prettier by the day it seemed.
Dez would laugh about it and say. “Of course, I'm not biased at all.”
She was worried about getting everyone settled in, commenting that this was going to take some doing with Sam occupying the spare room. Tawny offered to have Lynn share the cabin with her and Dylan. This made accommodations a little more comfortable and seemed to ease Dez’s anxiety some.
Once everyone arrived safe and sound they congregated around the table for the usual Saturday brunch. Jeremy was chatting away with Matt, who was always very insightful. He was only twenty-nine and sometimes wise beyond his years. Tall at right about six feet, with dark hair that he kept in a buzz cut, he looked a little lanky. He and Toni had been together for almost 10 years now, and she fit right in as part of the family. Dez was practically beaming that day. Having the kids all there always made her happy, but today it was with a bit of sadness because of the circumstances.
Jeremy spoke up to describe his trip from Pittsburgh. “Listen, I don’t think it is going to take long at all for stuff to go to hell.”
Matt asked him, “Why is that?”
Jeremy began to explain what they’d seen. “There were a few times we had to look around for gas because some of the station owners had already raised the gas prices to take advantage of peoples’ fears. About half of the places we saw were still pretty much the same but in a few places they’d already raised prices to over five dollars a gallon. One place we saw near Cincinnati was over eight dollars!”
Charleigh added, “When we’d stopped to get some juice for Ariel, it cost four dollars for a small bottle.”
The murmurs around the table grew in volume until Tawny chimed in, “Listen up! We need to make a plan. I think all the cash we have on hand will be worthless in a much shorter time than we thought.” Once everyone quieted down, she continued, “I know we all had our bill money and spare cash put aside for when this is over, myself included. Honestly, I really feel like we need to stock up as much as possible right now. We need to head out this morning and get things, mostly non-perishable things, tools, ammo, barter items and anything else we need to add to our supplies.” Everyone nodded in agreement and began to chatter about what most thought would be needed.
Dez got up and went to the island in the kitchen, pulling open the cabinet she gathered a box of writing supplies and began to hand out some paper and pens for everyone to make some lists. They were each to write down ideas of what they thought might be needed or could use. They would do this during the morning and then would go out in groups this afternoon to gather what they could. As she did this, she mentioned to Matt that she could not help but feel grateful they had spent the past few years stocking up on non-perishable items and other things.
Dez was always what one would call prepared. She’d raised the kids alone and often had to make do. She recalled stories her grandmother would tell of the great depression and passed them down to her own children. On the other hand, she thought Matt just liked playing with guns. She would tease him about it often, but he was actually learning a great deal about bushcrafting and other outdoor skills. She found him quite handy, she would say.
They sat to compile their lists of what they thought would be needed or good to stock up on. Some of the things on the list were common to all the lists. These included fuel, ammo, first aid, tobacco, coffee, and liquor. These things were all at the top of the lists that everyone made.
More food and paper goods along with seeds and garden tools were added. Dylan said he wanted wire for snares, as his trap had been, as yet, unsuccessful.
This surprised everyone and wire was immediately added to the list. Tawny was all smiles with pride over how her son was so helpful and that he had been so grown up. They added over the counter medicines and extra first aid supplies to the list, along with masks and pandemic safety items. They wanted to be prepared just in case this Ebola thing was actua
lly a thing.
Toni spoke up, “I think we need to get more organized and prioritize. First and foremost, we must get the main things such as water, food, shelter, and security under control. Then we should branch out from there.”
They all nodded, “Ok.”
Matt said, “First, water. What do we need?”
Dez said, “I think our water is pretty well covered with the well and rain barrels but some extra barrels wouldn’t hurt, and we could use some purification methods, just in case.”
They added to the list water purification tablets, iodine, extra filters, and bleach.
Matt spoke again. “Next, food, how are we on that?”
Most agreed that the food was mostly taken care of but they should look for more spices and maybe some bouillon cubes to make the couple hundred pounds of dried beans and rice taste better. They also agreed to snag anything else nonperishable that might add to meals.
Matt said, “I think that shelter is pretty well covered, but I think we should get some tarps and plastic sheeting they can be handy for shelter and many other things.”
There were murmurs of agreement and they moved on to the topic of security. Most had .22 or 9mm handguns because the 9mm was long ago decided as the handgun for the group; all that is except Lynn, who carried a .45. They discussed the idea that she should swap it for a 9mm so ammo would be the same. She only had 200 rounds of ammo for it. Tawny noted that it was more expensive than a 9mm to buy, but they would have to look into it because 9mm ammo had been hard to find lately.
Dez spoke up in the middle of the conversation, “I think we need to consider non-lethal forms of defense. We may have to defend ourselves but don’t want to run into legal issues if we use lethal force in the beginning.”