by N. C. Reed
Rhonda held her peace as she digested what Billy had told her.
“I. . .I didn’t think. . .I mean, I thought we were safe,” she managed after a minute.
“Might be we are,” Billy nodded. “But I ain’t willin’ to take a chance on it. We been runnin’ ass over tea kettle for over a month. Longer, really. We got to stop, and take stock. We’re vulnerable, and not a little bit weak. We need ever edge we can get, and having motion detectors and cameras and what nots is a pretty good edge. We need alarms for the houses, too.”
“And while Howie is a sure 'nough redneck genius, reckon he can’t just make somethin’ outta nothin’. He needs stuff to work with. We got to get it for ‘im. Simple as that.”
Rhonda nodded, realizing at last why Billy was so set on doing this.
“Be careful,” she said, he voice almost hollow. “I can’t do this without you.”
“Yeah, you can,” Billy assured her. “Just keep your rifle to hand, and stick close to the house whilst we’re gone. Should be back this evening, although we might not make it until tomorrow. We got to see what we can find for Howie to use.”
“Now I need you backin’ me. I can’t be doin’ what all needs doin’ with you gettin’ all mad at me ever time somethin’ ain’t to your likin’. Won’t work. We all got to do what we can do. This here, I can do.” He fell silent, breathing a bit hard. Rhonda realized that Billy was really worked up over this, and tried to soothe him.
“I didn’t mean to come off like that,” she admitted. “I just. . . .”
“You just wanted me not to be goin’ no where,” Billy cut in. “Won’t cut it. We need this stuff. All of it we can find. That means we need to get out and lookin’ for it. We been uncommonly lucky with weather so far, considerin’. But it won’t last. We got to gather the harvest ‘fore it gets too cold.”
*****
Billy, Pete, Toby and Howie crammed into the Ford early the next morning. Toby had readily agreed to making the trip again, although Jerry wasn’t eager to see that. He also wasn’t willing to stop him. Toby had grown up all of a sudden. Jerry hated that it had taken the end of the world to make that happen. Still, he was glad that Toby was doing his part.
“So, what is it we’re after?” Toby asked, getting settled.
“Electronic goodies,” Howie grinned. “Cameras, microphones, wire, alarms, motion detectors, wireless transmitters, receivers, monitors. . . .”
“The whole shebang, then,” Toby nodded. “You’re aimin’ to wire the whole place.”
“You got it,” Howie nodded.
“Have you thought about how you’re gonna get power to’em?” Toby asked.
“Uh, still working on that,” Howie admitted. “Gonna be a problem.”
“Some of that stuff works on batteries,” Toby mused. “Gonna need to find rechargeable batteries for that. Lot of’em.”
“True, true, but we’ll work something out. Just have to put some thought into it, that’s all,” Howie waved the problem away.
“Just use solar,” Toby shrugged. “Be done with it.”
“Finding that many solar chargers will probably be an issue,” Howie replied, speaking as teacher to student.
“Nah. Just take’em from solar power lights. That’ll work fine.”
Howie turned to look at Toby, giving the teenager his undivided attention.
“Say what?”
“Solar cells from solar powered lights,” Toby said again. “You know, like you put along garden paths, driveways, and such like. You can solder them into the power system, and they’ll keep the rechargeable batteries charged on the spot.”
Howie stared at Toby for a long minute. Toby simply stared back. Finally Howie smiled.
“We need to talk, kid.”
Behind the wheel, Billy managed not to chuckle. Toby was showing his worth more and more every day.
*****
“Okay,” Billy said as they approached Columbia. “I can’t see how anybody’ll still be around here no more. Not after the train came through. But we ain’t takin’ that for granted, understand? So be on your P’s and Q’s.”
“Keep track of what you see, too,” Pete added. “There’s several places we didn’t quite get to. You see something useful, grab it. If it’s too much for us to carry today, we can always come back for it.”
“Might be we can check for gas, too,” Toby opined. “Might be the train people didn’t take it all.”
“Good idea,” Billy nodded. “Okay, that CB place is just up here, so we’ll start there.”
The foursome spent the rest of the day moving cautiously through what was left of town. Pete had noted on the way in that the two motorcycle riders he had taken out were still there. No one spoke as Billy guided the truck around the bikes and bodies. There wasn’t really anything to say, anyway.
They quickly took everything they could find that might be useful in securing the Farms. Billy, by far the least able to identify useful electronic items, stood guard while the others searched for and retrieved the things they wanted.
The Train had not, for whatever reason, hit the Radio Shack, or any of the other places that dealt in electronics. Howie cackled like a mad man at times, finding stashes of equipment that would help him wire their homes.
As the sun began to wane, it was time to make a decision.
“If we’re gonna stay, we can keep lookin’,” Billy told them. “If we’re goin’ back, then we need to be thinkin’ on headin’ that way. What’s the verdict?”
“We’re not finished,” Howie said at once. “There’s still other places to look. And we need this stuff.”
“Like as not be snowin’ by mornin’,” Toby put in, looking at the sky. “Colder now that it was just an hour ago. And it ain’t just cause the sun’s gettin’ on over. Air smells wet.”
“You right about that,” Billy nodded in agreement.
“I say we bivie here and keep working,” Pete said finally. “I’d really like to get done, and get home. I don’t like so many of us being gone like this.”
“Then let’s stay at it,” Billy ordered. The group continued to work on through the night. Howie and Toby had even started removing surveillance cameras from stores, along with their routing equipment.
“Won’t do much for remote’s, but where we can get power to them, these cameras are great,” Howie pointed out.
“And we can use’em on barns, along the pasture areas, anywhere there’s a nearby source of power,” Toby added, handing down another camera.
“Where’d you learn all this stuff, kid?” Howie asked. Toby grinned.
“Hey, man. It ain’t all about the Xbox, ya know?”
It was late when they finally stopped. They decided to make camp in the convenience store they had just stripped. A watch was set, and they settled in.
Billy was the last on watch, and Pete shook him awake at four in the morning.
“Snowing, Billy,” he said, as Billy came awake.
“Figured,” Billy said gruffly. “How bad?”
“It’s pretty heavy right now,” Pete admitted. “Been that way last hour or so. And it’s cold. Colder than it’s been being since the blizzard.”
“That might be bad,” Billy mused. “You better get some sleep,” he told Pete. “Liable to be a long day.” Pete nodded and settled into his bed roll. Billy got to his feet, went out the back to relieve himself, and then settled in at the counter to watch.
He was convinced this was a good idea. But he agreed with Pete. He didn’t like it that so many of them were away at one time. They just didn’t have enough manpower to do all the things that needed doing.
But what choice was there? What they had was what they had. It wasn’t like they could just advertise for new neighbors.
Well, they could, of course. There were plenty of people out there right now that would give their eye teeth to be living on the Farms. He thought then about the people left in Franklin. How many of them were cold and hungry tonight? How
many had died in the blizzard that had hit just a few weeks ago? They were short on food, and probably fuel. What else would they need?
There was no way to help the town, either. Billy hated to say it, or think it, but that’s just the way it was. The resources at the Farms would do fine for their number, and maybe a few more, and for some time to come. But with so many others, their supplies wouldn’t last more than three weeks, Billy guessed. Maybe a month, at the outside.
There was no point in trying to help others, only to wind up needing help themselves. Didn’t make sense. There was only so much they could do, and right now, the way Billy saw it, they were doing it all.
He had wondered about maybe taking three of four steers to Franklin. Riggs could distribute the beef once it was slaughtered. People could live for a while on beef, especially with some rice and beans. The Farms didn’t have enough rice and beans to go around, but they could part with a few head of cattle.
And, he admitted, it wouldn’t be a bad way to take a look at the people still in and around Franklin. Maybe there were two or three others who might be interested, and that could be useful.
But all that would have to wait, at least for a while, he decided. He realized with a start that it was daylight. The snow hadn’t let up, but they had work to do.
He decided when they got back, and everything was done, then maybe they could have a meeting, and decide what to do. For now, though, they had to get to work.
He rose from his seat and started waking the rest of the crew up.
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
The trip home was long and tedious. Roads were slippery, and the salt and plow trucks weren’t running anymore. No one was left to drive them.
“Salt,” Billy muttered as he drove.
“What?” Pete asked.
“What?” Billy looked over at him, then straight back at the road.
“You said ‘salt’,” Pete told him. Behind them, Howie and Toby were already working out how best to cover the Farms.
“I did?” Billy frowned. “Well, I was thinkin’ it, anyway. We got that truck, and then a plow, and didn’t get no salt. We shoulda got some salt.”
“Oh. For the roads, you mean.”
“Yeah. Helps melt the snow and ice. Won’t matter none, can we get home, anyway,” Billy added. “Long as we get back, we’re good.”
“Will we?” Pete asked, looking at the still falling snow. Already several inches of powder covered the landscape.
“We will,” Billy nodded firmly.
“We still need to do something about that sat phone,” Pete pointed out.
“Such as?”
“I don’t know, just yet. We may have missed a call these last two days,” said Pete, as the thought occurred to him. “That might be bad.”
“They’ll figure it out sooner or later, anyway,” Billy shrugged. “Thing is, we need to be ready. They ain’t no tracks near us. Long as them coyotes didn’t mention us to their friends, there’s no reason for’em to come lookin’. And I don’t think they did.”
“I don’t either,” Pete mused, looking off into the distance. “According to what we’ve seen so far, they were marking supplies for later pickup, and then moving on. They probably saw us as a chance to get some for themselves. If they had reported in about us, then they’d have to just mark it, and move on.”
“What I was thinkin’,” Billy nodded.
“So we got some time,” Pete sighed. “We better make good use of it.”
“Yep.”
*****
It was after dark when Billy finally rolled into his own yard. The electronic equipment was now in the same barn with the bio-diesel set-up, safe and dry. Everyone was at home, dropped off as Billy went.
He parked the truck close to the house, and grabbed his gear, hurrying as much as he dared to get out of the weather. It had turned colder, and the snow was still falling. Rhonda met him at the door.
“Are you okay?” she asked, hanging his coat to dry, then helping with his gear.
“Just tired,” he smiled, working his boots off. “And hungry,” he added, sniffing the air.
“Chili,” Rhonda smiled. “Just about ready, too.”
“Leaves me time to clean up some, then,” Billy told her.
“Sure. It’ll be on the table when you come down.”
*****
Billy and Danny cleared the snow away the next morning. The snowfall had stopped sometime during the night, after Billy had gone to bed. It was still cold, but work had to be done. Danny, as always, was ready to go. As they worked, Billy talked to him, teaching him things, preparing him for what might come.
“But how ‘bout them people in the woods?” Danny asked, as he and Billy finished putting the Ranger away.
“What about’em?” Billy asked.
“What happened to them?” Billy looked at the teen for a long moment, then sighed.
“You gotta understand, Danny, them people meant to do us in. Kill us all, and take what we had. Only maybe not kill the women, if you take my meanin’,” he added. Danny’s eyes narrowed at that.
“I get it,” he nodded seriously. “Kinda like coyotes.”
“Exactly like’em,” Billy nodded. “And what do you do with coyotes?”
“You kill’em,” Danny replied flatly. “So you and Pete got rid of’em, yeah?”
“We did.”
“Good,” Danny nodded firmly. “Wish I coulda helped.”
“No, you don’t,” Billy told him softly. “Ain’t no glory in killin’ a man Danny, or a woman, neither. Even when they got it comin’, it ain’t somethin’ to take light of. Understand?”
“Not really,” Danny looked puzzled. “They meant to hurt us.”
“And we made sure they can’t,” Billy replied. “But killin’ folk ain’t really nothin’ to be proud of. It’s just somethin’ that needed doin’. Like when you kill a coyote. You bother braggin’ on it?”
“Well, if it’s a great big’un, yeah,” Danny shrugged. “But ever body kills coyotes. Ain’t no real big deal.”
“And this ain’t neither. It ain’t nothin’ to be prideful of, or to go braggin’ about. You do what has to be done, and you make sure it gets done. But killin’ folk ain’t a thing to be proud of. And these days, it ain’t nothin’ short of a sinful waste. Ain’t many people left in the world no more. Losin’ even one is a bad thing.”
“Only sometimes, some o’ the people what’s left, they ain’t good people, Danny,” Billy went on. “And that’s a shame. We all need to be workin’ together to make sure we survive. Make sure we rebuild. But some, they don’t care ‘bout that.”
“They don’t think on the future none. All they care ‘bout is right now. What they can get right now. They don’t think past the nose on their face. And they’ll take whatever they can from whoever they can, and hurt anyone tries to stop’em. If they can,” he added.
“But we don’t aim to let’em,” Danny was starting to see Billy’s point. “Do we?”
“No, boy, we don’t,” Billy said flatly. “Anyone comes here needful, we’ll try and help, if we can. Anyone comes here willin’ to work, if they can, is welcome, long as they remember this is ours, and it ain’t here for them, but for us.”
“And if somebody comes aimin’ to make it their’s?” Danny asked.
“We convince’em it ain’t healthy, boy.”
*****
“So from now on, you don’t go wandering off alone, Missy. Understand?”
“I don’t see why,” Mary sighed, as Rhonda finished. “I can take care o’ myself, you know.”
“I know you did,” Rhonda nodded. “But this ain’t the same. These people were about to attack us, Mary. Kill most of us, and keep a few women alive for. . .well, for.” Rhonda looked at her. Mary stared back a minute, and then suddenly her eyes widened as the point sunk home.
“Oh,” she said quietly. “I didn’t think about - ”
“And we didn’t want you to have to,” Rho
nda told her sadly. “Unfortunately, there’s not a way to keep from that. We all have to be more careful. We should have been doing it all along, mind you, but we got complacent. Everything was going pretty well, and we started to get. . .not careless, really, but just complacent. Like things were always going to be okay, as long as we stayed here on the farms. The valley would be safe, no matter what.”
“So it ain’t safe?” Mary asked.
“It is,” Rhonda nodded firmly. “And when Toby and Howie get done, it’ll be safer still. But that doesn’t mean there’s no danger about. We have to start being more careful. And we’re going to. Including you.”
“Okay,” Mary sighed. She had become accustomed to having free reign anywhere in the valley where the Farms lay. By now she knew the surrounding area almost as well as anyone, except Billy and Toby. And Jerry, of course.
Now, she’d have to stop that. She could still feel free to be about her business on the Todd farm. There was always someone nearby, if she needed help. And Dottie usually followed here wherever she went.
But her rambling from house to house was over. At least for now.
“So what are we gonna do, then?” Mary asked.
“What do you mean?” Rhonda asked as she placed the dough she’d been working on into the oven.
“Well, if we might not be safe, we have to make it where we are safe, right?” Mary reasoned. “How we gonna do that?”
“You leave that to the grown-ups,” Rhonda chided humorously.
“Toby ain’t no grown-up!” Mary shot back.
“Oh, he most certainly is,” Rhonda replied. “And don’t you ever think or say otherwise,” she added, emphasizing her point with a shaken finger.
“He ain’t to me,” Mary almost sulked.
“Then you keep it to yourself, young Lady.”
“Fine.”
*****
