But the Children Survived

by A. L. Jambor

  “You will make peace with this someday, Christie. It will happen. You’re a good person driven to an act of violence. It's not the first time that has ever happened, and it won't be the last. We are animals, you know.” George then got up and left them alone.

  “Well, that was weird,” Andrew said.

  “He's just trying to help. Maybe he's right, but I just don't feel like I'll ever get over this.”

  Andrew took her hand. “If you'll let me, I'll help you. You're not alone.”

  Christie looked at Andrew. He looked so handsome, and she cared so much for him. She had been afraid to care that much for anyone again after losing her family the way she had, and it didn't help that the whole country had died overnight. What was certain in this world anymore? Maybe Andrew was the only certain thing she would ever find.

  “I'll let you help me,” she whispered.

  She didn't smile because she was about to cry again. She didn't want to put him through that so she held back the tears. She tried to eat again and this time she could taste a little bit of the food.

  Christie was glad Andrew hadn't walked away after seeing what she’d done, and if he stayed she would be good to him. She wouldn't push him away or make him feel unnecessary. Andrew touched her face.

  “You're beautiful, Christie.” That did it. She couldn't hold back the tears anymore.

  Chapter 65

  Joe stood watching the bees. He’d found a hive in bush some distance from the main compound. He wanted to cultivate them so they could have fresh honey, but he didn’t know how. He made a mental note to go to the library on his next trip to town.

  Some of the biosphere kids had come to live at the school. By the end of the summer, the insects had also arrived. The insects had been distracted by the rotting flesh available to them on all the roads and residences of Pinellas County, but now they were turning their attention to the residents of St. Thomas.

  Dani and Jenny set out to find every citronella candle they could. They also had to find a good flea shampoo to help the suffering canines. All in all, it was getting mighty uncomfortable to be outside.

  The buildings had window screens, but the mosquitoes still managed to follow the kids inside whenever the doors opened. Joe went on a hunting expedition to find mosquito netting and came up with nothing. The only thing they could do was cover the kids in citrus oil and hope for the best. This growing problem prompted an urgent need to get the electricity turned on.

  The generators required gasoline and lasted only a short time. They needed a permanent solution so they could use the air conditioning. Joe went to the biosphere to see if they had any suggestions. Maybe one of them was an electrician.

  Joe climbed through the hatchway down the ladder and into the back room of the biosphere. There was nobody tending the garden. A week ago, the kids had harvested the field and the school had been given half of the crops. Now the field was freshly planted so it looked flat and brown. Joe walked past the field looking for Calvin or Christie.

  He made it to the field door without seeing anyone. When he opened the door, he was assaulted by the sounds of out-of-control children. They seemed to be everywhere, throwing things and screaming at the tops of their lungs. Joe walked to the cafeteria, ducking to avoid being hit by flying objects. Andrew and Pat sat at one of the cafeteria tables.

  “Hey guys, what the hell is going on?” Joe said as he sat down at the table.

  “Christie went to stay with Jason for a week,” Pat said. He sounded very tired. “The kids just won't listen to us.”

  “Have you tried talking to them?” Joe said sarcastically.

  “What do you think?” Andrew answered. “They're little heathens. They won't settle down.”

  “Can we go somewhere quiet and talk?” Joe asked. Andrew got up and led Joe and Pat to the Wilmer residence. When he closed the door, there was a blissful silence.

  “We really gotta get these kids under control before Christie gets back, or she'll kill us.” Pat bit his lip. The words had escaped his lips before he realized what he was saying. “Sorry.”

  Andrew gave him a mean look and then led them to the living room. They each took a seat on one of the overstuffed chairs the Wilmers seemed to favor.

  “Okay Joe, what can we do for you?” Andrew asked.

  “We need electricity. We need air conditioning because the bugs are driving us crazy. It's just too hot to keep the kids in a classroom for more than a couple of hours.” Joe looked anxious. He really hoped the guys could help him. “Are there any electricians here?”

  “Jasper died the day of the…of the thing,” Pat said. “He supervised the installation of the satellite dish and the solar panels.”

  Joe's eyes lit up. “Solar panels! That would work. Florida is covered in them. We would just have to take them off roofs and install them at the school. Does anybody know how to do that?”

  Andrew and Pat stared at Joe with blank faces.

  “Sorry dude, I just do pipes,” Pat said.

  “And I do software,” Andrew said.

  “Has anybody tried to contact Canada?” Joe asked.

  Andrew and Pat looked at each other. No one tried to get on the Internet since Gerald’s death. The equipment connected to the satellite was in his lab. There had been a half-hearted effort to clean the walls and objects in the lab, but it had been so covered in blood that they gave up after a while. Now they realized they would have to finish the job so they could use the computers.

  “Maybe we could get the kids to help,” Pat suggested.

  “What are we gonna tell them, it's spaghetti? Besides, Christie would....really be mad at us,” Andrew said.

  “Christie isn't here,” Joe said. They all looked at each other conspiratorially.

  “It wouldn't take that long, Andrew. We got most of it up. I'll work with them. We'll pick out the instigators and they can help me.” Pat was looking at Andrew, waiting for him to say no.

  “It would have to stay a secret. What if one of the kids snitches us out?” Andrew really didn't want Christie finding out about having kids clean up that lab.

  “Maybe if we just don't mention it,” Pat said hopefully. “That we cleaned the lab, I mean.” Then Pat thought of something else. “Can't we just move all that stuff outta there? Does it have to stay in that lab?”

  Andrew got up and put his hands on Pat's head. He leaned over and kissed the top of Pat's head.

  “That is genius. I must be loopy from all these kids to not have thought of that myself. We can move it to George's lab. He never goes in there anyway. Then we can seal off Gerald’s door like it never existed. Pat, you're amazing.” Andrew went to hug him and Pat moved out of the chair so quickly he almost fell down.

  “No more kissing,” Pat said.

  “I was just gonna give you a hug.” Andrew puckered and chased Pat around the chair. When he stopped, he looked at Joe.

  “Can you help us move that stuff today? The sooner we get it done, the better. If I can hook onto the Internet somewhere, I can find instructions on hooking up the solar panels. If we have to do it ourselves, the Internet’s our best bet.”

  “Sure, I can stay for a while.”

  The men left the residence and found the main street of the City covered in books and paper from the library. That was it, as far as Andrew was concerned. He was locking the kids in their houses until they settled down.

  Joe took over and stood on a bench. He told the kids it was clean up time. At first they ignored him, but Joe could yell really loud, and when he did he sounded mean. Joe began yelling. The kids stopped and listened.

  “GET THIS MESS CLEANED UP NOW!” he yelled.

  The kids ran around picking up papers and books from the floor. They kept a wary eye on Joe. Andrew and Pat helped the kids by directing them where to put the debris. When they were done, Andrew sent them all to their houses and locked the doors for an hour’s timeout.

  The men went up the stairs and began moving the computers out o
f Gerald’s lab. With the three of them working, it took no time at all.

  Once Andrew got the computers hooked up to the satellite modem, they were able to find an English Google page. It was probably from Britain. They searched solar panels and found several videos on solar panel installation on YouTube.

  “This may not be as bad as we think. These instructions are pretty straightforward. We can do this, guys.” Andrew always loved a new project. “We just have to drive around and find the solar panels. Somebody will have to stay with the kids.” Joe and Andrew looked at Pat.

  “Hey, listen, I'm wiry. I can climb onto roofs like nobody's business. You need me out there.”

  Pat was right. They did need him to get the panels down. They would have to wait for Christie to come back from Jason's so they could go out to search for the panels.

  “Send somebody over to get me when she gets back. I'll tell Dani we have a plan.” Joe shook their hands and started towards the field room.

  “Wait,” Andrew called after him. “You can go out here.” He pointed to the front hatchway.

  “I didn't know there was another way. Thanks. That saves me the walk.”

  *****

  When Jason suggested Christie spend some time by the ocean, Dani had encouraged her to go.

  “You need some peace and quiet. The ocean is very soothing. Take some time off. The guys will be fine. They're grown-ups, right?” she said.

  Dani had told the men that if one of them said anything to stop Christie from going, Dani would bring the rest of the kids to the biosphere for a vacation. The men all wished Christie a happy vacation and made sure she was ready to go when Jason and Mark came to pick her up.

  For a week Christie, Mark, and Jason sat and watched the ocean, played board games, and shared their feelings about that awful day. At the end of the week, they all felt a little less burdened by their experience.

  On the way back to the biosphere from St. Petersburg, Christie had Jason stop by the school. She wanted to see how they were doing, and she missed Dani. They had become good friends in a short time.

  When they arrived at St. Thomas, they were greeted by the sounds of the kids playing on the basketball court. Jason and Mark went to watch the game while Christie went to find Dani. She found her grading papers at one of the desks in the first building parlor.

  “You're actually teaching them!”

  Dani looked up and smiled when she saw Christie.

  “We gotta keep them occupied. They would drive us crazy if they just hung around. It's not so bad. They're all the same age and we split them into two groups. Julius helps and so does Jenny. It works.”

  “You look happy, Dani.”

  “I am happy. Joe is so...he's so much better than before. He really did change. I wish his mom could see him. He was such a screw-up before. I really like him, ya know?”

  “Yeah, I know. I feel that way about Andrew too. He's a good guy.”

  The two women smiled. It was good to be with a friend.

  “The guys came up with a way for us to have electricity. They're gonna take solar panels from the empty houses and install them here. But they need to leave the biosphere to do it. They were waiting for you to come back. I thought maybe Jenny could help you with the kids.”

  Christie looked grateful. She didn't mind helping the school, but the thought of being alone again with all those kids was overwhelming. Calvin had gone to Atlanta to search for his children, so she had the field to care for too. He was going to come back, but they didn't know when.

  “Please, ask her if she'll come.” Christie said.

  Dani took a break and walked Christie to the kitchen for a cup of tea. It felt strange to do something so normal after weeks of chaos. Dani and Christie sat at the big table in the dining room, and shared memories of the last few weeks. When the tea was gone, Christie sighed.

  “I guess I have to get back to the facility,” she said. “You don’t how much I’ve missed having another woman to talk to. It’s so good to have you, Dani.”

  “I do understand. Jenny is great, but she is still so young. We need to do this at least once a week. Next time, I’ll come up there.”

  As they parted at the car, Dani and Christie hugged each other.

  “I’ll see you next week, Dani,” Christie said. She waved as Jason drove away from the school. Dani waved goodbye and returned to her papers.

  A week later, the men began to go out in the truck and search for solar panels. They picked up a bunch of rechargeable tools at a home supply store and charged them at the biosphere so that Pat could get the panels removed quickly. When they found a house with panels, Pat would climb up the ladder and dismantle them, then he handed them down to Andrew and Joe.

  They would fill the truck, take the panels back to St. Thomas, and go out again to retrieve the boxes and inverters they would need to wire the panels to. By the end of the week, they had enough materials to cover the big buildings. The smaller ones would have to wait.

  Now came the hard part. They would have to install them. Pat mounted them on the roofs by putting them on the way he had taken them off. But who would wire them to the boxes and inverters?

  “I think I can do it,” Joe said, “if somebody guides me through it.”

  They picked up a laptop from an electronics store. Andrew charged it and then downloaded all the instructions they’d found on installation. As Joe handled the wires, Andrew read the instructions and Pat handed Joe the tools. When they were done, they stepped back and looked at the panels. They looked like the pictures.

  “We have to wait a few days while the cells collect energy,” Andrew said. “It may be sooner, but to be sure, we should wait until we switch it on. You'll have power for several hours a day and then it may kick off until the cells fill up again. Maybe you'll have to cut the air overnight so you won't lose the lights.”

  “With fall coming, it should be cooler anyway,” Joe said.

  They let three days go by before switching on the box and inverter. Dani stood in the kitchen by the light switch and when the guys yelled to her, she flipped the switch. All the kids cheered as the overhead lights came on. They now had electricity.

  Chapter 66

  Jason arrived at the school one day to visit Jenny and talk to Dani. He told her he wanted to find Tomlinson's medical files. He wanted her help him find the doctor's office.

  “I may still have a file at my old house. I kept all the info in case I wanted to have another baby. We could go down there on Saturday.”

  Dani could leave on a Saturday without disrupting the school schedule. They agreed that Dani would drive down to Jason’s on Saturday and they would find Tomlinson's office.

  Mindy asked if she could go with Dani so she could visit Mark. Dani was reluctant to leave them alone until Mindy reminded her that they had been alone for a long time without any trouble. Mindy seemed so much older than her 10 years.

  On Saturday morning, they put Baby Girl in the back seat, climbed into the sedan and drove to St. Petersburg. Dani really enjoyed the time alone with her little girl, and Mindy loved having her mom all to herself.

  Mark was happy to see Mindy, although he tried not to show it. He put on one of his moods and acted mean. Mindy was used to his moods and decided to play on the beach with Baby Girl. If Mark wanted to join them, he could, but she wasn't going to let him spoil her fun.

  After a while, Mark came out and sat on the beach. Mindy threw sticks for Baby Girl to chase. She watched Mark out of the corner of her eye, and then Mindy walked over and sat next to him.

  “You get so mean, Mark. Why do you do that?”

  “I don't get mean. I just get mad.” Mark looked down at the sand. He had a stick in his hand and was drawing lines.

  “What are you mad at?” Mindy was now using her finger to write in the sand. She was writing her name.

  “I get mad because you like those girls so much.” Mark dropped the stick and put his arms around his knees.

 
“I like you better.” Mindy looked at Mark. He turned and looked at her.

  “Then why don't you stay here?” He looked into Mindy's eyes. He looked like a little boy.

  “Because that's where my parents are.” Mindy thought for a minute. “You could come there, ya know.” Mindy smiled. “We could be in class together. You could sit behind me.”

  “But your friends will still be there.”

  “You have to learn to share, Mark. I would have to share my time between you and them. You would have to find a friend of your own. But we could still be together sometimes. It's more than we are right now.”

  “Do you really think I could find a friend?” Mark sounded dubious.

  “There are over a hundred kids there. You'd have to be a moron not to find a friend there.”

  Mark looked at the ocean. He would miss the beach too much if he left it.

  “I can't go. I love it here.”

  “Then come back on weekends. I bet Jason would bring you. He loves seeing Jenny.”

  Mindy was right. Jason did drive up there all the time to see Jenny. He could bring Mark back and forth.

  “Do you think your mom would let me?”

  “Of course she would.” Mindy was grinning from ear to ear. “I’ll ask her. So, you'll come?”

  Mindy's eyes were excited. Mark had seen that look when she thought she was going to see her parents. He felt happy that she would be excited about having him live at the school. That meant she must like him at least as much as she liked her parents.

  “I'll come.” He braced himself for the hug to come. Mindy put her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

  “Yay! I'll ask her when they come back. Let's go find something to eat.”

  Mindy called Baby Girl and the trio walked back to Jason's house to look for food.

  *****

  Jason drove Dani to her old house on 22nd Avenue. They parked in front of the little white house with green shutters and got out of the car. Dani went inside and into the back bedroom where she had a filing cabinet.