by AJ Newman
They loaded all the remaining food, clothes, weapons and personal items that would fit in the back of the pickup. The truck had a camper shell so their stuff would be hidden during the trip home. They didn’t look outside or they would have seen the kid peer in through the garage door window closely watching them load the truck.
***
He rode quickly home and told his dad and the men who were visiting, the woman who lived three houses down on the right had a lot of food.
They still had plenty of food, but the store was empty as were the restaurants. They had kicked, scratched and beaten their neighbors to get their cart full of food out to the truck only to find the truck wouldn’t start. They had to push the damned cart the five miles back to their place. Then the hunters arrived and provided fresh meat.
“Charles, we won’t hurt the women, but we need their truck and half of the food. It should be easy taking them away from two women.
They got their ATVs out of the garage and sped off to Patty’s house and arrived an hour after the women.
“Jeb, let’s watch and make sure there are no others around. I don’t want to be sucked into an ambush.”
They watched for about an hour until they saw the garage door rise and charged towards the vehicle backing out of the garage.
***
Mary lifted the garage door with the manual pull rope, looked around outside and said, “Patty, let’s head on back to the ranch. This took longer than I thought. It will be getting dark in a couple of hours and I want to get home and fix supper.”
“I guess I’ll have to start calling it home. It was your home so it comes easy to you.”
“What’s going on between you and Matt? I saw you two kissing. I know he likes you.”
“He told me he loves me.”
“Great, what did you say to him?”
“Thanks.”
Mary started backing the car out of the garage when she answered, “What? I thought you cared for him. I know he wants you.”
“George wants me, but mainly in his bed. I don’t know this guy. He is divorced and hasn’t dated in months. I wonder if he wants me because I am a woman and near him. I really like him, but it’s too early to say love”
“You got him wrong. This is a good man. He……………”
Mary didn’t finish the sentence because her door was yanked open and a gun was pushed in her face. She reacted by pushing the gas pedal to the floor. The tires squealed, gunfire erupted, the side window shattered and Mary felt intense pain in her side. Patty drew her side arm and returned fire as Mary whipped the wheel around, slid sideways, shifted to drive and spun the tires as the truck sped away.
Patty was scared to death, but reacted quickly as her training took over. She pointed, aimed and squeezed the trigger at the closest threat. She fired twice striking him twice, and then turned to the man by the garage door. She was reaching out the window as the truck sped away and fired several times before he fell. She heard the window shatter behind her and felt the glass pieces impact her neck and face, but did not feel the bullet as it entered her back.
Mary saw the closest man get shot in the chest as Patty returned fire. Several bullets blew out the back window as she sped away. Patty kept shooting, and then slumped over in the seat.
“Patty! Patty! Damn it Patty, wake up.”
Mary pulled over, painfully leaned to Patty’s side. She opened the door, rolled Patty forward so she could check out the wound. Patty had been shot below the shoulder and the bullet went through the muscle on the outside of the ribs. Mary tore her shirt and made two wads to put pressure on the wounds. She tied the two wads in place with torn strips from Patty’s T Shirt. She didn’t look at her wound and drove towards home before crashing into a tree a half mile before the turnoff to the ranch.
***
I knew they were running late, but wasn’t worried at first because they were armed and the road between here and Mary’s place only had a few people. All of them knew Patty and most knew Mary so there shouldn’t be any problem.
I busied myself setting the table and waited for their return. It got dark and I knew something must have happened. I tried to stay busy while thinking that nothing could have happened when I suddenly grabbed my guns, hopped in my truck and headed to Patty’s place.
The Northern Lights were dancing across the sky and I almost didn’t notice as it had become an everyday event.
It only took 15 minutes to get to Mary’s place and I found two dead men and a shot up house. The bodies were being hefted by several women. I guess they were taking them home.
I spun the truck around and sped back into the dark towards home. I thought that they must have taken a back road and I missed them on the way. I was flying low when I saw the reflectors off in the woods. I jammed on the brakes and slid past the spot. I backed up, drove down into the woods and parked behind Mary’s truck.
They were both slumped down in the seat. I used my flashlight to check on them and saw they were both wounded. I picked Patty up and placed her in the bed of my truck then returned, picked Mary up and placed her beside Patty.
I quickly checked them out and saw that neither was bleeding profusely. Mary had a chest wound so I took a baggie and taped it to her chest with duct tape to help seal it until I could get her home. Patty’s wound was through and through and didn’t look like it entered the chest cavity so I hurried them back home.
Mary had the worst wound so I worked on her first. I gave her a strong pain pill so I could do what I had to do.
My training included taking care of gunshot wounds, but the instructor made it clear that death was likely from any wound to the chest cavity. Mary had been shot in the side and the bullet exited her back missing any vital organs. Infection would likely be her worst enemy.
I cleaned and swabbed both holes with antiseptic and then stitched both wounds before starting an IV with antibiotics. I did everything I had learned and could find in the manual, now it was up to God and Mary to decide if she would live.
I was so busy trying to save Mary that I was surprised when Patty mumbled. I washed my hands, put surgical gloves on and examined her. I removed what was left of her T Shirt and bra so I could get to the wounds and swabbed her with antiseptic. As I thought, the bullet entered the flesh outside the rib cage under her left arm and exited the side of her chest.
The bullet probably scraped her ribs, but I wasn’t going to perform any surgery. The best thing for her was for me to swab the wounds with antiseptic sew them up and start an intravenous antibiotic, just as I had done for Mary. Compared to the gunshot wounds, picking the glass out of Patty was a tedious affair.
I slipped a pain pill under her tongue and double-checked the medical book to make sure I had done all I could.
I cleaned Patty up and placed her arm in a sling from the medical supplies. Then I covered each of them with medical scrubs and blankets. I added a 5% glucose IV to both women, then reread my medical books to make sure I hadn’t missed anything.
I had already done more than I thought I’d ever be called upon to do. I was scared shitless.
I tucked both under their covers and brought my supper back to the great room where they were laying on the two couches. I finished eating and brought an air mattress into the room so I would be close to them during the night.
I would have to rely on Tina and Gus to bark if strangers came around. The dogs didn’t bark that night and I was able to sleep for two hours at a stretch. Staying up for 48 hours sounded easy two days ago, but it surely did suck now.
It was even worse when the alarm went off every two hours so I could check on the girls.
✪✪✪
✪
The billion-year odyssey of the Alpha Omega trio concluded in a colossal, fiery display of ejected plasma, cast outward into the Cosmos.
In a final act of kindness, Earth lay only indirectly in the crosshairs. The planet Earth would continue. However, humankind’s continuance was, and may still b
e, in doubt: only The Earth Abides.
Chapter 8
Coronal Mass Ejection
I guess you noticed that I changed from hand written to typed text, which has to be much easier to read than my awkward attempts at cursive writing. Even my best effort smeared a bit. Now I have to go back and type the first seven chapters. Crap!
You have waited patiently and now this is where TSHTF, or TFTDM (The Flare that devastated mankind).
***
I woke up to Patty talking fitfully in her sleep.
“No George! Stop!”
Then there was silence before I heard her yell, “Go! Go! They’re shooting.”
It was early morning and I’d had enough sleep to get by, but not enough to stop yawning every few minutes.
I checked on Mary and saw no change in her at all so I returned to Patty. I could stare at her face the rest of my life and hoped I would. Suddenly her eyes opened and she stared up, into my eyes.
She blinked several times before uttering, “Where am I? Where is Mary? What happened, my side hurts like hell?”
“One question at a time young lady. Y'all got into a gunfight with two men. You killed them, but they wounded both of you. Still, they lost; you won. Your wound isn’t too serious, but Mary’s may be life threatening.”
She lunged upward and hugged me as she cried, “Darling, please help Mary,” as she screamed in agony.
“I will, but, right now, please, lie back, and rest. I will take good care of both of you, but Mary is in God’s hands. Her wound is severe.”
I left her and checked on Mary who needed fresh IVs. I made the change and swapped out Patty’s antibiotic IV, then fixed breakfast, and warmed up some chicken noodle soup for Patty. I hated to wake her, but she needed to eat.
I shouldn’t have worried as just the smell of the soup brought her eyes open. I helped prop her up on two pillows and fed her a spoonful at a time until she ate her fill.
“You’re a good nurse.”
I looked over at Mary and replied, “Right now I hope I’m a great doctor.”
Patty shook her head in acknowledgement, closed her eyes and almost instantly fell back to sleep.
An hour later, she awoke again, and asked, “Does the Doctor have a bed pan?”
“Oh shit.”
She began to laugh, but the pain it caused shut down any attempt at levity. She said, “No, just pee. Help me to the bath room.”
When I tried to return her to the couch, she balked and wanted to sit in the recliner next to Mary. I helped to get her seated, moved her IV, and then placed a blanket over her.
She looked under the blanket and said, “Nice T Shirt ya’ got here, Doc, now where did you put my shirt and bra?”
“Your shirt is in the garbage and your bra is soaking to get the blood out. I’m afraid it might not come clean. I’ll try bleach.”
“Matt, thanks for taking such good, care of us. Mary told me you were one of the good guys. She was right, you are.”
“Thank you, Patty. I don’t think anyone has ever said something as nice as that to me. It means a lot.”
I hadn’t turned the heat on and the air was cool. She sat there and watched Mary for the next several hours with the blanket up to her neck. I knew it was going to get much colder before this was over.
Just before lunch I asked, “Patty are you all right with me taking a run up the road to make sure those people aren’t looking for us. I also need to bring the truck back. It will only take an hour or two tops.
“Yes, just leave a couple of Glocks with the 31 round magazines and please get back quickly.”
This experience had immeasurably matured Patty. I felt much better about her survival prospects. No longer was she the fearful, cry for the masses, little girl.
She had morphed into a woman worthy of bringing humankind back from the abyss. I felt an incredible pride and tenderness for this lovely and determined woman.
After feeding Patty another bowl of soup, I checked on Mary. She was still asleep and resting peacefully. I checked her IVs and then tended to Patty. I again took her to the bathroom and then returned her to Mary’s side.
Patty looked down at the bag on the side of Mary’s couch and said, “Catheter?”
“Yes.”
Patty managed a weak smile and said, “If she asks, tell her I installed it.”
“Yeah, thanks, I was wondering how to handle that.”
“She won’t ask, but, you know, just in case.
My face turned red and all I could say was, “Yeah, okay, gotcha’. Here is a bottle of water and a chocolate bar in case you want them while I’m gone.”
I kissed her on the forehead and left.
I had planned to ride a bicycle to where the truck had careened off the road, but the snow, which seemed as though it would never thaw, lay heavy on the road forcing me to don my snowshoes and trudge on down the road.
What I saw actually frightened; tracks in the snow, tire tracks, and no way to hide them.
I found the truck still deep in the woods. The only way anyone would have spotted it was to approach from behind in the dark with the lights on. The reflectors shine very well on the back of the truck. I would remember this and tape over the ones on all of our vehicles.
I started the truck, and then checked it for any damage. The truck had numerous bullet holes, but was not mechanically damaged, so I stowed the snowshoes inside the camper, placed my Keltek carbine and Glock on the seat next to me and the truck fired right up.
I put the truck in four-wheel drive and backed cautiously out of the woods and onto the Highway.
I drove slowly back to Mary’s house, passing a house where several people waved at me. I waved back and went on. I pulled the truck off in the woods, hid it a quarter of a mile from her driveway and walked up to the house from the woods.
I was only about 100 feet from the back of the house when I heard two men drive past in an old Chevy car.
They went up the road a short ways then drove back and pulled into Mary’s driveway. They got out of the car and walked around the house as if looking for Mary’s truck.
“I know that bitch came back here. Come on let’s go in the house. They may have hidden the truck. We’ll make them wish they were dead instead of my brothers.”
It was clear these men didn’t know that both women were wounded and they wanted blood.
I moved a little closer to the main door beside the garage and waited for them to come out. I only waited 10 minutes and both walked out cursing.
“Those bitches took everything worth having. We will track them down and kill them.”
“But after we have some fun.”
“Oh hell yes, ya’ know I’ll bet it’ll be more fun for us than those two murderin’ bitches.”
I had a bead on the mouthy one, squeezed the trigger and a red cloud blew out the back of his head with bits of his skull and brain matter. I quickly re-aimed and placed two bullets into the chest of the second man.
I walked up to them and saw that the man with the sucking chest wound was not dead…yet. He was fighting desperately to get a breath, and trying to speak as he coughed blood. His eyes were pleading when I calmly shot him in the forehead without a second thought.
The snow in which the two men lay had turned crimson before the bodies cooled, and their hearts stopped pumping.
I stripped them of their weapons and ammo before searching their car for anything of use. I didn’t find anything useful so I opened the hood, took the distributor cap and spark plug wires.
I thought about torching the car, but I just could not bring myself to harm a car that might save a good person’s life one day.
I took a different route home to avoid the house where the people waived at me. I would deal with them later.
Killing the two men began preying on my mind during the trip back home. I kept second-guessing myself, wondering if it had really been necessary to kill them. I drove home, got out of the truck and promptly vomited as
I fell to my knees. Even though I had come to know that, they had to be scratched from the rolls of humanity, for everyone’s safety.
I was not a murderer and that was absolutely what I did not want to become. I stood there frozen, standing in the dry, blowing snow, my hands on the truck as I realized that there were way too many bad people out in this, not so Brave New World. People would kill me, or the girls, for a scrap of food. I realized beyond question that I had to deep six this moral issue and do whatever it would take to survive. Yeah, whatever it takes to survive.
Sheeple, or sheepdog? To be one of the sheeple I had to place my safety in the hands of others. No, that would just not do at all.
I decided then, and there to be the new face of law and order. I was born to be the sheepdog, a vigilante.
This moment proved to be an epiphany for me that would be a driving force in my life.
No, there would be no more vomiting or second-guessing the killing of evil men. It became crystal clear to me, try to hurt any innocent person around me, you die.
Looking back on this moment I think the glare from snow brought everything into sharp clarity. It had a precipitous impact upon my evolution, or mutation, depending upon perspective.
The snow was a foot deep, and I had no way to hide the tracks.
“Patty, I’m home! The trip went well. I brought the truck back and the supplies were still in it.”
“Thank God the rest of that bunch didn’t find the truck. Did you see any of them?”
I thought about not telling her about the fight, but I decided that I would never lie to those I cared for.
