Down the Hole

by Sally Six

  Bitty got a big smile on her face and jumped up and down saying, “Yes Daddy, yes Daddy.”

  He took Bitty’s BOB bag and threw it onto the front seat for her to sit on. He had Fred and Penny throw their backpacks in the truck also. He lifted Bitty up and sat her in the pickup on her pack and closed the door. “Okay here we go. Everyone ready?”

  Both Penny and Fred said they were. He then opened the door of the truck back up and rolled the window down half way so he could tell Bitty something or to steer one way or the other if he needed too. He had old fashion roll down windows. Also he was close so he could grab the steering wheel when he needed too.

  “Well let’s get to it.” Tom said. They all went to the back of the truck and leaned down hands on the truck. Then he said. “1 2 3 push.”

  They had the truck rolling and Tom ran up to the door and reached in and started to turn the steering wheel. He knew Bitty would have a hard time steering it onto the other road with no power steering. Now they were headed the right direction. It wasn’t as hard to push as he thought it would be. They were soon close to the Wilson driveway. It was a good thing too because it had started to snow about 20 minutes ago. Tom helped Bitty turn the wheel to the left and told Bitty to hold it there. Then he went to the back of the truck and they started to push again. He wanted it out off the road as far as they could get it. They got it half way down the driveway and off to the right side and Tom called a stop.

  “That should be good enough. Now to go down and talk to Paul Wilson to see if it’s alright for us to park the truck here until we can come and get it or our things.”

  Tom came around the truck and saw Paul Wilson coming out the door of his front porch. Paul gave a wave and Tom waved back.

  “Come on kids and Penny.” Tom said. “It looks like Paul Wilson is coming out to meet us.”

  They met Mr. Wilson half way to the house. Paul stuck out his hand and said. “Hi their Thomas, Bitty and Fred. What brings you up this way? Well besides the broken down truck.” Paul said with a smile.

  As Tom shook Paul’s hand. “I was wandering if I could leave my truck here for the time being to keep it and its contents safe if you wouldn’t mind for a day or two until I can come back to get it and or our things?”

  “Well sure Thomas. That’s no problem. It’s an older truck so it shouldn’t be too hard to fix.” Paul went on to say.

  Tom looked at Paul and realized Paul didn’t know what was going on. “Paul, it’s not going to be that simple.”

  Paul gave Tom a strange look and said. “What makes you say that Tom?”

  “Paul have you tried to start any of your vehicles?”

  “Why no Tom, we haven’t had a need to not since we went to get the mail in Anatone this morning.”

  Tom had to tell him. “You will find that they won’t start Paul nothing will.”

  Paul said. “Well, why not Tom?”

  “Paul, I hate to tell you this, but we have been hit with EMP. The last I heard on the news is that Russia, China and North Korea were all sending nukes our way.”

  Paul’s face turned white and he got a bit wobbly. Tom stepped over to Paul and held onto his arm. “You ok Paul? I know what a shock it is hearing it like this.”

  “Yeah, just give me a second to absorb the news. Are you sure Tom? Wait a minute our electric went out a bit after 5:30 PM tonight. Was that part of it?”

  “Yes,” said Paul. “That had to be part of it.”

  “Nancy isn’t going to like the idea of the electric not coming back on. Come on in and let’s get out of this weather.” Paul said.

  At that moment they heard someone yell from the house telling everyone to come in out of the snow. It was Nancy Wilson. She had come outside after a while wandering what was taking Paul so long after he said he saw someone pushing a truck into the driveway.

  As they were walking to the house, Tom said. “Gads where are my manners? Paul meet Mrs. Penny McElroy, she is my neighbor and babysitter.”

  “Hello Mrs. McElroy. Nice to meet you.”

  “It’s nice to meet you too Mr. Wilson even under such dire circumstances as these.”

  Paul opened the door to the front porch. They went through the porch and into the house. Nancy was still wondering what was going on as she went in right before her husband, Paul. Nancy said for everyone to sit down and she would get some tea and cocoa going to warm them all up.

  “Folks,” said Paul. “I’m going to go out to the barn and help Gus our son finish the chores. I think he needs to be in here to hear what’s going on. You warm up and we will be back in soon.”

  With that Paul went back out the door and headed for the barn.

  Nancy Wilson came back into the living room a few minutes later. “Good thing that I had Paul put that old fashion wood cook stove in the kitchen a few years ago. It always comes in handy at times like these, but normally the weather is worse than this when the electric goes out. She wondered about the strange looks on their faces when she said that.

  Tom introduced Penny. “Mrs. Wilson, this is my neighbor and sitter, Penny McElroy.”

  Nancy nodded at her. “Hello Penny please would you and that goes for the rest of you too? Please just call me Nancy.”

  “The same goes for me,” said Penny. “Just plain Penny is fine.”

  Nancy also had a cup of coca and sat down in an overstuffed chair next to the sofa where the others were sitting. Everyone seemed to be lost in their own thoughts. Nancy saw the look of grief on Penny’s face. She knew there was more going on here than just a broken down truck. People didn’t normally drag their babysitters around with them.

  Up in the barn, Paul stepped into the door and Gus looked up surprised to see his dad. His dad normally finished his chores and went to the house to help Mom with supper. All Paul had was to finish milking the four Alpine goats. So Gus milked one and Paul milked the other. They poured the milk from their milk buckets into a 5-gallon bucket. Gus picked it up to haul it to the house. Paul blew out the two kerosene lamps hanging in the barn by the goats and they headed out.

  “What’s up Dad?” Gus said as they walked to the house.

  “Looks like we have trouble son. Things are going to heck in the world. There’s someone in the house who is going to tell us what’s going on. That is one of the reasons that we don’t have electricity right now for one.”

  Gus didn’t like the sound of this at all. All that he could think of was what in the world is Dad talking about? They both stepped into the back porch where they had a small 100-gallon milk cooling tank. There was no power for it but it was cold out on the porch. Gus poured the milk in and turned to the double sink to rinse out the 5-gallon container. They then took off their boots and left them on the back porch. Hats and coats came off in the kitchen and were hung on a coat rack behind the kitchen door.

  They saw there were two large blue mugs sitting on the counter. They turned and stopped by the wood stove and poured themselves some cocoa before going into the living room.

  Both men were large. Paul was 6 feet 3 inches tall, weighted 260 pounds and Gus was 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighed 280 pounds. They may have had Wilson for a last name but they were big strapping men of German heritage.

  They went on into the living room and sat down in two large overstuffed chairs. One was on each side of Nancy facing the sofa with the living room coffee table in-between them and the people on the sofa.

  Paul spoke up first. “Okay Tom, I need you to explain to my wife and son just what you told me. About what’s going on out there in the world if you wouldn’t mind?”

  “Well here goes.” Tom then went on to tell Nancy and Gus just what had happened to them. How they ended up broken down and what the news was the last time Tom heard it.

  “To make matters worse, I believe we only have four to seven days before things get even worse for all of us especially the closer you live to town.”

  All Nancy could do is sit without moving. Her brain just couldn’t se
em to process the news that she had just heard. In fact, she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

  Gus looked at his parents and then at Paul. “Why four days to a week? What makes the difference?”

  Tom tried to answer this question the best he could. “In four days to a week, most families are going to run out of food and water. The water may be later for some depending on how much is in the water system. So some sooner some later with the water there is in the system for three to six days depending on how much people use. As far as food goes, most people, but not all have at least a week’s worth of food in their homes. It won’t be long before hunger sends them out the door to their neighbors and the stores. I am sure even before that time there will be a lot of looting going on at grocery stores, department stores and people’s homes by gun point and so on.”

  “I am also positive the two-legged rats will come out of the woodwork in a very short time as soon as they realize there are no phones to call the police and burglar alarms no longer work.”

  “It also won’t take long for people to start to look outside of town after that when their resources are exhausted in town. That’s the reason we pushed the pickup over here to help keep it and our things safe. This is all Penny has in the world right now. We might as well as put a come and get it sign on it if we couldn’t return in a day or so and had left it sitting out on the highway. So you see why we just couldn’t leave it there. Even with the snow here now, people will get desperate quickly. The snow will help delay things a little hopefully.

  I also think we are going to be living in the 18th century for a while if we ever get back to where we were before the bombs hit. That’s goes for no gas at least after a while with no refineries running, with the grid down and no electricity. It would take years to get that repaired. From the looks of it, I bet the EMPs took out the electric grid all across the country.” Tom then stopped and waited for someone else to talk.

  All that Gus could get out was. “But, but.”

  Then he seemed to shake himself and say. “But why?”

  Tom turned to Gus. “Who the heck knows why? Why they decided to do this now? I do think they have been planning this for years. We have been weakened. Our country that is by years of lessening our military, cutting our military spending just for plain old parts and new equipment. While my brother Titus was in the Army, he said they had to continually take off parts from one helicopter to repair another one. They couldn’t get new parts. He said that he wouldn’t ride in one for anything. And that’s just the helicopters.”

  “Also by trying to be politically correct all the time like keeping our boarders open without worrying about who was coming across. Look you have heard in the news for years about what just North Korea has been pulling. The same thing for China, but did anyone on top in the government say that you can’t do that. No we just pussy footed around with trying to bribe them into things. They took the bribes and they still did what they wanted, didn’t they. It was all talked up as cooperation. All the while, they were planning and getting ready to stab us in the back.”

  “So here we are. I think we are in for a world of hurt. Our country is now down a hole. I think it’s going to be awhile before we can pull ourselves back out of it. In fact, the whole world is down the hole at this moment with nukes flying back and forth.”

  “I also think we can’t defend ourselves alone in single families or be able to feed ourselves. We will be overrun trying to garden, raise animals and guard our families and properties. As I said, it won’t take long for the hungry city folks to begin to spread out and prey on others. The closer you are to town the sooner they will find you. I think before long we will have outlaw gangs again like the 1800’s.”

  The whole Wilson family turned and looked at each other knowing this was not good news even if they were eleven miles from the top of the grade.

  Paul asked Tom. “So say we have ten days to three weeks before someone finds us. Do you think that’s about right Tom?”

  “As far as I see it, being up here does help. First the people will go up Lewiston Hill then to the highway to Pomeroy and out Highway 95. Then the people from Asotin will go towards Clarkston, Lewiston and up the Anatone grade to the farms up here last. So I would say 10 days or less before you start seeing people and again it depends on how much snow we get this time and how long it stays. Either you have people you know come here to live with you, relatives that live close or whatever. Or you go elsewhere to someone else’s place. Sooner or later someone will try to take this place away from you. The same goes for most of the places up here unless people band together for protection.”

  Gus was just sitting there in his chair. He had got to thinking as Tom talked. The more he heard the more he scowled. He thought this place would be his after his parents either retired or passed on and now that was looking like a dim prospect.

  Gus’s voice was surly. “I won’t leave,” he growled out. “No way am I going somewhere else. Not for Hades or high water and no one is going to take it either. I just don’t believe that can happen. This isn’t the 1800’s or something. People will be more civilized than that.”

  Paul looked at his son aghast. “Son, I think Tom is right. Even if we do need to talk this over between us, we have to come up with something. You and I won’t be able to protect this place with your mom and what we have without some kind of help. You need to settle down and help think about this.”

  Gus started to mumble under his breath, but didn’t say anything else out loud for the time being. Tom just gave Gus a sidelong glance knowing Gus may be someone he may have to look out for.

  Paul spoke up. “Well one thing is for sure. You’re all not going anywhere tonight. No way those kids need to be out there in the dark, snow and cold walking to your new cabin or your parents place.”

  Nancy then said. “Penny we can put you on a cot in the sewing room. Tom and the kids can have the living room here if that’s alright with all of you?”

  Penny said. “Yes that’s fine, but I hate to impose.”

  “Oh pooh,” said Nancy. “There’s no imposing about it. You would do the same for us.”

  Tom was sure glad he had thought of coming here.

  “Thanks a lot and in return anything that we can do for you, just let me know.”

  “That’s a deal,” said Paul.

  At that time Bitty leaned over to her dad and tried to whisper. “Daddy, I’m hungry.”

  Nancy exclaimed. “Oh you poor dears. With all this news, I lost my manners. Of course, you haven’t had any supper. Just give me a few moments and I will get some things onto the stove to warm.”

  She quickly opened the fridge to get out the left over's from dinner. It was chicken pot pie. “Guess the fridge wouldn’t last long now,” she thought. No worrying about keeping things cold in it. She would have to get a box and put the things in the fridge into it and set them on the back porch or steps to keep cold now.

  Nancy thought as she worked. “Gads, the back steps won’t work. Animals might get into it.”

  “Paul would you come here a moment?” She called from the kitchen.

  He excused himself from the others and headed into the kitchen.

  “What do you need Nancy?”

  Nancy looked at her husband. “We have a bit of a problem.” Nancy worked as she talked.

  “How are we going to keep our food cool? I thought about putting them in a box outside, but that will draw animals. What do you think we could do besides the back porch?”

  “Only thing that I can think of is to do what my grandfather did. Dig a hole and put a cover on it to keep out litter and animals, cover it with straw to keep things from freezing in winter and cool in the summer. Guess I best get on it. I’ll go grab Gus. Two should get it done much quicker.”

  “Oh no said Paul, the milk how about the milk? It’s fine now with the cold but maybe not cold enough. I guess we best go over to the spring and build a building around it of some kind. Dig the spring
wider to put containers of milk in over the winter for spring time. Now that it’s winter, it won’t hurt for it to freeze, but for now it needs a safe place too.” He sighed as he turned and left for the living room.

  As Paul went into the living room to get Gus who was still sitting in the chair scowling. Paul walked into the living room. He saw the look on Gus’s face and didn’t like what he saw.

  He had hopes Gus would get over it. So he just said. “Gus I need your help to dig a cooler hole for our foods. The fridge isn’t gonna keep things cool very long now.”

  Gus just sat there not saying a word.

  “Gus did you hear me. Come on son.” said Paul. “I need your help.”

  Gus looked up at his father and blinked. “What Dad, what did you say?”

  “I said that we need to go dig an old fashion cooler hole for our food son. With no electric, the fridge won’t keep the food cool very much longer. Tomorrow we have to put the goats’ milk out in the shed to keep cold. It should keep tonight yet as the back porch is pretty cool.”

  Gus just looked at his dad and Paul could hardly hear him answer. “Okay.” Paul had to strain to hear it.

  Both men headed for the kitchen to get their warm coats, hats and gloves.

  “Hey Paul, Tom spoke up. I’ll help. That will make it go three times as fast. As cold as it is and the way the snow is falling, the sooner we get it done the better.”

  Paul looked at Tom surprise written all over his face. “Why sure Tom that would be great.” Gus just grumbled. “Sure, yeah like we need any more of your help.”

  Gus looked over at his dad and saw the expression of concern and then added quickly. “Any help is welcome.”

  Tom turned and went to the front porch to grab his warm clothes and found his gloves in his coat pocket. Tom then went through the front porch door and walked to the back of the house where Paul and Gus were coming out the back door.

  Paul walked over to his tool shed and opened the door. It was a 10 by 12 wooden shed with hinged double doors. Paul walked inside as Gus and Tom waited outside. Tom noticed the wind and snow were both picking up. That wasn’t going to help matters, but was a blessing on the other hand as it would help keep people inside and out of the mountains for now.