by D A Carey
“That does make sense. I should go tell my mom first, though.”
“My parents asked me to keep their plans a secret. People get irrational when they think they’ll lose their doctor. I trusted you to keep their secret by telling you this.”
“I can’t lie to my mom.”
“She will understand later, Kate. It’ll be like eloping.”
“Matt, oh my God, are you asking me…?”
Matt pulled her close. “For now, let’s get to Louisville. We have time for everything else once we get there.”
“Okay,” Kate said in her little girl voice.
<< Liz >>
As Liz took up slack on the trigger, she saw a child in the background. Taking a slow deep breath, she shouted, “Freeze, don’t move a muscle!” inwardly cringing at how shrill she sounded. She wondered if she sounded as scared to them as she did to herself.
The lady in front raised one hand while pushing the child behind her with the other. “My name is Aditi Kumari. It’s only me, my father, and my daughter here. We’re hiding here from the people in Memphis. We don’t mean any harm.”
“Tell them to come out.” Liz tried to sound harsh and commanding like Vince would have.
An older man, appearing vibrant and in good health, stepped out and put his hand on the shoulder of the girl of about nine standing behind her mother.
“This is my father Anoop and my daughter Sheetal,” the Indian woman said.
“Where is your husband?” Liz probed.
Aditi stood tall and answered defiantly, “We lost him in Memphis. We were caught up in the riots and were accused of being foreigners. I have lived in this country and practiced medicine here for fifteen years.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.” Liz stepped closer and motioned for Aditi to lower her hands.
“His heart was weak, and when he fought with those men to keep us safe, it finally gave out.” Aditi hung her head in weary sadness. “After that, we were so scared and Memphis was all riots and terrorism. We were scared to stay there without my husband with people thinking we may be terrorists, so we took as much of our belongings as we could and headed south until the car ran out of gas. This place looked abandoned, so here we are.”
“I am sympathetic to your story, and I don’t mean to be crass or self-serving, but you said you’re a doctor? I have a man with me who’s been shot. Would you please help him? I’ll trade or give you anything we have.”
“Yes, I’ll do whatever I can to help. It’s the way I was raised and what good people should be doing. You don’t owe me anything. Give me a moment to get my things.”
“Before you go, do you have any guns or knives?”
Aditi stopped mid-turn and peered back over her shoulder warily. “No, we don’t have guns. I do have knives for cooking and scalpels and the like for surgery.”
“Well, I do have a gun, and I’m not afraid to use it. I suspect you’re probably okay, and I want to trust you, but I’ve been through a lot too, and I’ll be keeping my eyes open.” Liz hated herself for being so distrustful of Aditi. She’d learned from Vince to trust yet be vigilant. She’d also learned the hard way the cost of being too trusting.
“We’ve all been through a lot. It’s the way of the world now,” Aditi said wearily.
<< Christy >>
Watching the exchange from the Bronco and covering Liz the best she could, when Aditi turned to get her things, Christy called out to Liz, “Should we bring Junior in here?”
“Yes. Can you two handle him by yourselves?”
“We’ll figure it out. Don’t bother trying to help. We’d feel better with you standing back some and covering us.”
“Good thinking.”
A moment later, Christy and Mary stepped forward, barely supporting Junior’s weight. He was semi-conscious and not totally dead weight, yet it was all the women could do to move him before Aditi’s father Anoop rushed to help get Junior to a table inside the amusement center so Aditi could examine him.
When Aditi returned with a bag of first aid and medical equipment, Christy said, “I was a corpsman in the Navy. I can help.” Seeing the confusion on Aditi’s face, she added, “That’s like an EMT and physician’s assistant rolled into one.”
Aditi’s face brightened. “Of course, that would be a great help.”
“We’ve kept pressure dressings on the wound all the way here. Still, I know he lost a lot of blood. I don’t see any pulsing bleeds, and I know that’s good. I just don’t know how to tell if anything vital was hit, and I haven’t had time to try and sew him up.”
“You did fine. I can make no promises, though. We’ll do all we can.”
Seeing the two ladies work so well together, Liz said, “Christy, do you have things covered here?”
“Yes, why?”
“I’d like to ask Mary to help me attend to Vince. We need to find a place to…bury him.” Liz couldn’t hide the sob that escaped her throat.
Aditi and Christy both paused in their work. “Oh my god, Liz, I’m so sorry. I got so engrossed in helping Junior. I should have helped you see to Vince.”
“No, it’s okay. Vince would want us to focus on the living. I’ll just need some help getting him to some place soft that I can dig. It’s dark out now, and no one should be able to see us. I need some time alone with him before we do what we need to.”
“Of course. I’ll do anything I can to help,” Mary said, speaking for all of them.
<< Dave >>
Dave finished dressing for the hike. He’d gotten so used to riding horseback lately that his weatherworn lace-up hiking boots had languished in the back of his closet for too long. Just then, Levi’s hulking form darkened the doorway, and without glancing up from lacing his boots, Dave said, “Levi, my friend, I can’t tell you how much I’m anticipating this.”
“Yeah, it’s like old times.”
“Hiking was always my way to clear my head. Lately, I get a lot of the same feeling when riding a horse. For such a wide open place, it can still be hard to be alone sometimes.”
“This will be good.”
“I’ve seen that cabin on the edge of the valley a hundred times. It always looked so small and empty. Now with the smoke curling up from the chimney, I want to go pay a visit.”
“I think you’ve taken a liking to Tim Bolton, too.”
“That I have. I feel a kindred spirit to a man who loved this valley before it was needed the way it is now. It’s like it cradled men like him and me emotionally before all this, and now it’s doing the same physically for a whole lot more people.”
“For Tim and his daughter, it’s more emotionally than physically for now.”
* * *
“Hello, the cabin!” Dave called from a good distance away in an old tradition around western camps when men who were friendly announced their presence from a good distance, while men with bad intentions tried to sneak up.
“Come on in with your hands empty!” Tim yelled back gruffly.
A bit surprised, Dave advanced with his hands in the open. Levi followed behind Dave, close, but far enough back and to the side to get his gun in action quickly if need be.
Tim stepped out from the cabin with a smile on his face. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to alarm you. When you ‘hello’d’ the camp, it brought back happy memories. You see, I like to think of myself as an amateur western historian. I always believed the tradition of ‘hello’ing the camp was a sign of simpler times when bad guys wore black hats and the good guys wore white and announced their intentions. I got carried away and answered the way an old western man might have when being approached in his camp. I didn’t stop to think how it might sound to you.”
“It’s quite all right.” Dave reached out for a handshake and offered a smile. “We’re glad to see you both here and doing well. I’ve been hiking these parts for many years. I saw your cabin during the construction of mine and always wondered who lived here. It looked so lonely with no activity. Now with people inside a
nd smoke coming out of the chimney, it looks just right.”
“I’m glad you stopped by. I’d invite you in, but it’s very small inside. We don’t do much more in there besides eat, sleep, and cook. Have a seat on the bench outside and I’ll get you something to drink.” Tim disappeared into the cabin, returning a moment later with a pitcher of cold water and cups.
After the men had sat for a moment enjoying the view and small talk, Dave got to it.
“Tim, I stopped by mostly to invite you and your daughter up to my place for dinner. We show movies in the community center on Saturday nights for the teenage kids. Your daughter might enjoy some time around people her own age.”
“I don’t know if she’s ready for that yet. We’re still getting our feet under us here.”
“Kids are more resilient than you think. Besides, pushing her to get back out there among people would be good for you, too. It would force you to do the same. If you think the movie is too much, at least have dinner with me on Saturday.”
Amy stepped hesitantly out of the cabin door and asked, “What movie are they playing?”
Dave turned a grandfatherly smile on Amy. “It’s good to see you again, Amy. I have a niece you remind me of. She’s a few years older than you, though. She’s as beautiful as they come and smart too.”
“Thank you,” Amy said shyly.
“To answer your question, I don’t know exactly what they’re playing tonight. I do know they’ve been going through a lot of the 80’s movies lately. I’ve heard it will be either Sixteen Candles or The Breakfast Club. I know some of the kids wanted them to play the 80’s version of Red Dawn, but the parents thought that hit a little too close to home.”
“My dad and I used to watch 80’s movies together. Jay wasn’t much into them.” A tear rolled down Amy’s cheek when she mentioned her brother’s name.
Tim pulled her close and said, “It seems to me dinner and a movie might be a good idea after all. What time should we come?”
“Around six should be fine. I can send someone down to get you if you like.”
“We can walk. It’s not far.”
“Okay, we’ll see you then. If you’re interested, we can go riding sometime, too. I’ve got some great gaited horses here my nephew helped me buy and send up from Kentucky. They’re still adjusting to the altitude and need some gentle exercise.”
Amy’s face lit up.
As they left, Levi asked Dave, “Why are you taking such a special interest in those two?”
Dave couldn’t explain it any more than he had a good feeling about Tim and was reminded of Kate through Amy. He’d always had a good intuition about people and had learned to trust it years ago. Plus it made him feel good to be nice to them.
<< Louis >>
The South Park Valley farmers market near Main Street in Fairplay, simply renamed “The Market,” was a huge success. While disposable items would be hard to come by if things dragged on for a long time, durable items like tools and food that could be hunted or grown could be traded as long as people wanted. Originally, the plan was to have the market close to SOP-Town like Ellie did in C-Town. However, they decided that as long as the valley was secure, keeping it in Fareplay gave the town a sense of independence and allowed SOP-Town to remain more secure.
In another move, the town council enacted a valley-wide edict requiring that ten percent of all foodstuffs grown or harvested in the valley be donated to charity to help feed the elderly and infirm. Signs were posted all around the valley.
The vote wasn’t unanimous, and what made Dave and Louis most happy was the final compromise the valley council agreed on. At the bottom of the signs proclaiming the new law, the valley council proudly proclaimed this was an “on your honor” law. There would be no prosecution or fine for not obeying. They only wanted to help feed their neighbors who needed help. The result was so many donations of deer, beef, beans, carrots, and tomatoes they had to temporarily suspend the collection for fear the food would go bad.
Louis and Ellie were now talking on the satellite phones a few times a week. While the Sat phones weren’t as stable as they would have preferred, they were much better than they’d been during last year’s chaos. Louis was happy to find a kindred spirit in Ellie, and they shared what was working and what wasn’t with the markets. Cattle were plenty, and people wouldn’t starve, and they were trying to grow vegetables. Greens would be scarce this winter because they planted so late in the season, and it was already getting cold. The only growing that could be done this late in the season would be indoors.
During one of their calls, Ellie shared with Louis the incident they had bringing food back from the Pendleton farm. Louis was stunned and knew Dave would want to hear about it right away.
On another call, Ellie shared the success of Malcolm and Mike’s automotive and small engine repair business. That got Louis’s mind churning on a line of business for barter that focused more on services than goods, and he vowed to take that up with the valley council the next day. Some of the services Louis mentioned Ellie had not thought of. This was the brand of back and forth thinking that motivated the two of them.
Heat was another concern the two discussed. Because they’d gotten started so late in the year and people were concerned with the immediate needs of survival, most people hadn’t had time to reflect that the situation might last a long time and they would need warmth when the snow fell. It was Don Allen who pressed Ellie to form work crews to cut wood, suggesting they begin as far away from C-Town as they could. When Ellie asked him why, he explained that if they ran short and the snow drifted high, it would be hard to travel far. Louis immediately understood the value of wood as a heating source and vowed to implement the same plan at SOP-Town. While they had a supply of coal, it would be best to save that as a last resort. When Dave was brought into the loop on the firewood plan, he insisted that the men and women from the valley on those teams would be paid in food and supplies for their efforts. He asked the valley council to find which people needed wood in the valley and couldn’t provide it for themselves.
The South Park valley had another natural resource that made wood gathering easier. The woods and mountains around the valley had a lot of wild burros that could trace their lineage back well over a hundred years to when they were turned loose when the silver mines played out in the 1800s. Since then, they’d become a novelty in the valley. Now with most motorized vehicles out of commission, valley residents were once more catching and training the burros to carry packs. Gathering firewood and bringing it back into town would be a perfect job for the burros.
Louis and Ellie also shared news from outside the communities with each other. Louis had all his secret sources and satellite feeds. Ellie had AM radio and the occasional TV station they could pick up through one of the magic jack devices, though her most reliable source was the people who came to trade. Some of those people had relatives they’d traveled to check on or knew a guard at a FEMA camp. In a time-honored tradition, people traded news as much as goods at the trading posts.
Even though the EMP attack had been thwarted, chaos reigned in one form or another throughout the eastern half of the U.S. Cities were experiencing riots and terrorist attacks. While they would never admit it publicly, the liberal-controlled FEMA and DHS groups now admitted that the years of race baiting, privately financed protests, and migrant caravans had been a mistake. Too much discord had been sowed and too many criminals had infiltrated the migrants and asylum seekers. The result was a level of terrorism and violence that was tearing the country apart.
In locations where the violence wasn’t taking over, there were small protected areas, some government controlled like in Louisville and some privately controlled compounds and sections of country.
The president was in hiding after retaliating against other nuclear powers suspected in aiding the attack on America, which in turn created fallout between U.S. European allies and other nuclear powers. While the strikes had dwindled, almost the
entire world was under some form of national strife. It would be a cold, hungry winter in the U.S., Europe, Russia, China, Iran, and Korea. The economic fallout from the nuclear strikes would trickle down to the countries not directly hit by nukes, causing more death and despair.
The western half of the U.S. was a communication black hole. Dave was worried sick and constantly pressured Louis to use all his resources to find news from the west and hopefully of Vince and Liz.
A secondary, yet still large, concern for Dave was for the Texas chartertown. While they’d been supplied with the best communications gear and instructed to build a Faraday cage, communications with them had been nearly nonexistent. There was a brief message about a faulty Faraday cage and ruined equipment. That was all they had to go on. The site was built to be self-sufficient, so Dave had to trust that they were okay for the moment. It wouldn’t do to risk men and resources going through such an area of lawlessness only to find that everything was fine with them.
<< Matt >>
Matt’s parents regularly boated out of the new docks at C-Town. They enjoyed their time on the river and occasionally traded their medical skills for fuel for the boat. Ellie and the C-Town leadership were aware that Carol and Steve were making the occasional trading trip to the FEMA camp in Louisville. They’d warned the couple to be careful. With Louisville under martial law, their boat could be confiscated at any time. The Hanovers scoffed at the idea and insisted that as doctors they were nonpolitical and in no danger.
