by AJ Newman
“That’s the pot calling the kettle black, isn’t it, little sister?” Tom said before kissing Kate again.
*
Chapter 8
Ashland Oregon – Bald Mountain Farms
Jackie and Kate were busy preparing for their weddings, so they didn’t even try to go on this scavenging trip with the men. Tom asked Rick to watch over the ranch in his absence. Tom wouldn’t say it, but he also didn’t want both of them to die in a firefight before the weddings. He even knew Rick was the one he’d want in charge if something happened to him. Tom took Jerry since they were going to scavenge the area where Jerry had lived. Also, Jerry knew how best to capture the rabbits, alive.
Tom covered the men's mission, since the women were planning weddings and had no interest in rabbits or goats. Only Lucy was in the barn tending the rabbits. He covered their route to and from Jerry’s home and planned to stop at a hardware store to pick up the telephone wire Jack needed.
Tom had been concerned because Bill had made a big deal about wanting to go along on the mission. Tom could tell Bill was mad after Tom had to take him to the side and ask him to calm down, and that only two people would go on this trip. He thanked Bill for the eagerness, but gave a firm no. Tom asked Rick to watch Bill while Tom was gone because Tom had a bad feeling about Bill’s anger.
Rick looked across the barn at the horses. “Tom, we’ll be riding horses all of the time when the gas runs out.”
Tom countered with his thoughts. “We need to get some old diesel engine powered vehicles. They’ll run on animal and vegetable oils. I think we can begin distilling our own alcohol and start mixing it with our gas to help extend our time before we run out. Maybe we’ll find a tanker full of Stabil and mix it into some of these gas station tanks.”
As usual, Tom drove away from the ranch after midnight and took a different route to the east side of Ashland. Jerry observed the road ahead with the night vision scope, but it really wasn’t needed because there was a cloudless sky and a full moon. They only saw a few lights on and no vehicles on the road, this time.
Bald Mountain Farms started in northeast Ashland on the eastern side of Highway 5 and ended due east of Talent. A huge company based in Delaware owned Bald Mountain Farms. One of the original owner’s sons, who’d grown up on one of the ranches purchased by the company managed the operation. The headquarters was on North Valley View Road at the extreme southern end of the property. Jerry had lived in one of the old ranch houses on the Talent-Ashland border.
Jerry gave directions to an old barn not far from his home. Tom noticed the three older trucks parked in the back. “Do any of these run?”
Jerry pointed at the Ford on the left side. “That old 1954 runs pretty good and should have over a half tank of fuel. I used it at least twice a week to run into town for supplies and hardware.”
They hid the pickup in the barn and placed clean plastic gloves on to reduce human smell on the previously cleaned cages. They took seven live catch rabbit and small game traps, set the traps along the brushy fence lines, and baited them with apple slices and canned peach and pear slices. They walked back to the truck, and Tom unfolded a large dog cage to get ready to receive the rabbits.
Jerry looked at the dog cage. “We only need two or three breeding pairs to raise more than we could possibly eat.”
Tom replied, “By having eight to ten breeding pairs, we can jump-start the process and eat more rabbits much sooner. Then we can pare back the number of breeders. I’m working on a worst-case scenario at all times. The same for goats if we can catch any of them.”
Tom unfolded a larger cage for the goats in the bed of the truck. The two pens took up half of the bed. Tom asked, “How small are these pygmy goats?”
Jerry replied, “They’re about the size of a medium-sized dog. Six will fit in the cage for the ride home. Two can fit in the cab if needed. These have been pets, but we have eaten some of them. We probably need to find regular-sized goats for a steady meat supply.”
“My goal is to have a self-sustained bunker. We have several rooms that you haven’t seen yet. I want to be able to raise some animals underground if things get worse,” Tom shared.
Jerry laughed, “Have you ever smelled goat crap?”
“No, but it will beat starving. Now, how do we catch the goats?”
Jerry said, “I’ll place these tin pie plates around the area. I trained my goats to come to me for grain. The problem is, they were trained to go to the house. The tins will attract them to the area, so they’ll find the grain. I hope. Goats are curious. We’ll place some grain in the large trap for the bucks. They’re the hardest to catch. The does, wethers, and kids will walk up to me to get grain.
They set the goat trap near the barn since Jerry saw goat dung on the ground nearby. Pleased with the position of the trap, they went to check the rabbit traps. Tom was surprised when all but one had a rabbit. He wasn’t happy because half of the rabbits were plain American wild rabbits. Jerry took the rabbits from the cages and placed them in a bag. Tom wanted the wild ones to eat, even though he wasn’t a fan of rabbits.
They made sure each trap still had fruit and left to see if they’d caught a goat. They were halfway back to the barn when Tom heard the bleating of a captured goat. “That sounds like it’s saying whyyyyy, why, whyyy.”
Jerry said, “That’s because we caught a kid. They often make that sound.”
Tom said, “Let’s go get the critter.”
“No! The mother is around somewhere, and she’ll come to the sound of the kid. Hey! Look! We’ve attracted several goats. Get your ropes ready. Be careful not to choke them. The does are easier to handle, so you take them while I hold that buck. Spread some grain out in front of you, and they’ll let you tie them up. Ignore the two kids. They’ll come to their moms.”
In a matter of minutes, they had the adult goats roped and in the cage with the kids.
Jerry said, “We only need another buck for insurance and a couple of females. Bucks can service ten to twenty does. These aren’t rabbits. The does need to be about a year old before they’re bred. They can get pregnant at about four to six months old.”
A couple of hours later, they had two pairs of New Zealands and a mixed pair of Californian and New Zealand rabbits. Jerry loaded six does and two bucks in the cage and kept three kids in the cab. Tom didn’t like the animals upfront because they were like puppies exploring everything. The tiny goats were under his legs, and one even tried to sit on his head. “Jerry! Please tie them down so you can watch the road.”
Tom looked over at Jerry and saw he’d placed the kids in burlap bags with only their heads sticking out. The sounds of ‘whyyyyy, whyyyy, why’ got on his nerves, but at least they weren’t romping around the inside of the truck, crapping all over the place. Tom thought, Maybe I’d better revisit that dumb idea about raising goats in the bunker. Whewwwww, that crap stinks.
Tom knew he didn’t have time before sunrise to hide the truck and walk to the hardware store, so he stopped by a utility pole on a side road. “Jerry, I’m going to cut one of the phone lines and take the wire back to Jack. We can do that several times, and I think we’ll have enough wire.”
Jerry said, “Won’t work.”
“Huh?”
“Fiber-optic lines have been in widespread use since 2030. Cut the electric lines. Wire is wire.”
They cut over a mile’s worth of electric lines and got back on the road. Tom veered up toward the hills away from Ashland when he saw a glint of light behind him about a quarter-mile. He made the turn onto Dead Indian Road and tromped down on the gas pedal. The engine roared, and Jerry yelled. “What the heck?”
“Someone is following us a ways back. I caught a reflection of the moon in their windshield. He can’t see us right now. I’m putting as much distance between us as possible before he makes the turn. I know where we can turn off the highway and hide,” Tom said.
“You don’t think they’ll shoot at us, do you?”
<
br /> Tom laughed. “It kinda depends on what they want to do with us. If they want the truck, they won’t shoot. They’ll follow us and steal the truck before shooting … What the hell? Hold on!”
Tom’s quick reflexes made the difference between life and death when a car pulled across the road. He was only a half-mile up the road when he veered off to the left, ran through the fence, passed the front of the vehicle, and steered back on the road, tearing down another section of fence. The wire ripped down the pickup side and caught on the back bumper, yanking posts from the ground before breaking. Over a hundred feet of fence and posts were tagging along for the ride.
Tom kept his foot heavy on the pedal until he had to slow for a series of sharp curves. He felt the truck shudder, and suddenly the sparks from the wire scrapping on the road stopped. “I hope those posts slow them down.”
What Tom didn’t know was the truck chasing them had slammed into the car that had tried to block them from escaping. Neither vehicle was in any condition to chase them up the mountain road.
Tom used the same tricks to avoid capture they’d used when Sam and he’d escaped the thugs before. He parked on the side of the back road where Sam and he’d parked, hiding from the ones chasing them. Tom looked at the goats and listened to the continuous whyyyy, whyyy, why from the kids and thought, Sam was much better company and sure smelled better.
As before, the ride home took several hours longer than planned, due to hiding for a couple of hours. Tom helped unload the critters and then asked Rick to gather Granny and the girls. Tom took a quick bath to remove some of the goat smell and went to the library, where he found the others waiting. Tom looked around the room and then said, “We were followed out of Ashland and then ambushed just after turning on Dead Indian Road. Someone in our group contacted Carlos or the gang and gave them our route home.”
Rick thought for a minute. “Only us plus James, Jack, and Bill knew where we were going and the route home.”
Tom replayed the meeting in the barn and wasn’t happy with what he remembered. He’d now narrowed the list of suspects down to two of his trusted crew. Now, he only had to spring the trap on the rascals.
“No! I’ll be the only one who knows what I’m telling our suspect. That way, I’ll be sure no one slipped up and accidentally told someone else. Sorry, but it’s my life on the line,” Tom told his closest allies.
Granny B didn’t like what she heard. “Then how can we help protect you?”
Tom replied, “Granny B, you and Kate can cover my absence. If anyone asks, I’m tinkering with the truck up at the cabin. Rick and Jackie, you’re going to go with me, but won’t know where we’re going until we’re on the road. You two will be snipers watching my back.”
Jackie was relieved. “I feel better about your plan. At least you won’t be like cheese in a mousetrap.”
Kate frowned and then shifted in her seat. “Just when do you plan to spring the trap?”
Tom looked up at his bride-to-be. “Tomorrow would be best.”
Kate’s face flushed, and she bit her lip. “Before or after the wedding?”
Tom’s eyes opened wide. “Huh?”
“I guess we can skip the honeymoon night.”
“Oh! Crap! I was so focused on … “
Kate faked a laugh. “Most men wait a few years before forgetting their wedding day.”
Tom thought, The spy will have to wait.
*
Chapter 9
The Clark Ranch – The Bunker
The large dining and meeting room had been adorned with balloons, streamers, and homemade flowers. The long table was covered with white tablecloths. The large windows were open to the fall sunshine, which made sharp shadows mixed in with bright sun-washed patches in the canyon. All of the ladies were dressed in the finest clothes they had. The men had clean shirts and jeans.
Granny B was to take on the role of conducting the wedding. She wasn’t a preacher, but she was the one pushing civil weddings even though they couldn’t have a religious wedding conducted by a person of the cloth.
Granny B wore a long black skirt, white blouse, and black jacket with an artificial rose on the lapel. She wore her hair in a tight bun with a red ribbon. It was the first time many of the crew had seen her in anything but jeans and t-shirts. Granny B never wore shorts, even on the hottest days because of wounds on her legs she’d received during the war.
Rick and Jackie were to be married first, with Kate being Jackie’s maid of honor and Tom giving away the bride and being Rick’s best man. June sang a love song that had been popular before the lights went out with Jack strumming his guitar. Tom walked Jackie up to Granny B and Rick and then stood by Rick with the ring in his pocket.
Granny B opened the family Bible, read some scripture, and then conducted the wedding vows. They both said, “I do,” and Granny B told them to kiss. They kissed a bit too long. “Okay, stop so we can get the next wedding done. You have the rest of your lives to play kissy face.”
Everyone broke out laughing as Rick and Kate quickly walked out of the room only to return as June started singing again.
****
The married couples spent the next two days honeymooning in their new apartments away from the others. They were happy, and Granny B was now delighted that none of that pre-marital hanky-panky was going on under her roof. She delivered room service for all meals and added a bottle of wine for their lunch and dinners.
“Kate, I’ve never been this happy before. I’ve even been able to forget the apocalypse going on around us.”
“Hon, I fell in love with you the day after we met. I wanted to kill you on the first day.”
Tom smiled and wrapped his arms around his new bride. “I felt that zing my grandpa told me about the first time I looked into your eyes. I’d never experienced that feeling before. The electricity ran down my spine to my toes, and my stomach did flip-flops.”
“Tom. We really don’t know each other that well. Do you want children?”
“Yes, but I’d like to wait a while to see how fast civilization comes back. You didn’t say, but I think you have a birth control implant under your arm,” Tom said.
“I should have …”
“Babe, that’s a good thing. I’m kinda stupid, but you said I didn’t need to …” Tom said, but was interrupted.
Kate rubbed her face into Tom’s shoulder. “I got my first implant when I was in high school because my mom was worried about an unwanted pregnancy. She really didn’t have any worries back then. This implant was installed about seven months ago, and they usually last about two to three years.”
Tom squeezed her hand. “That gives us time to figure things out, and then we can have as many babies as you want.”
Kate chuckled. “I’m not a rabbit. A boy and a girl will be enough for me.”
Tom and Kate left their room before dawn on the third day and made coffee before sitting in front of the window overlooking the canyon. Tom sat in a kitchen chair with Kate on his lap when Granny B came out of her room singing an old song from The Sound of Music. Kate joined in, and they harmonized for a few minutes.
Granny B poured a cup and joined them by the window. “This used to be my view from my upstairs bedroom before Jonas became paranoid and made us sleep in the bunker. Kate, see that little pine tree sticking out sideways? Just on the other side, there’s a small waterfall during the spring melt and runoff. I loved to watch the waterfall.”
They continued listening to Granny B reminisce about her early life at the ranch. They learned how hard life was when she and Jonas had just started life together. She almost sounded melancholy before she cheered up and said, “Yes, it was tough and hard most days, but that’s what binds a man and his wife together for life. When you live through tough times together, it makes the good times so much sweeter.”
Granny B heard a door open. “That’s Jackie and Rick. I heard them stirring an hour ago, which reminds me that I need more insulation between my wall and
theirs. My God, that girl can be loud.”
Granny B and Kate giggled while Tom stayed quiet, looking down at the floor. Jackie and Rick brought their coffee and dragged two chairs over to the window to admire the scenery with their relatives. Granny B excused herself and went to make more coffee.
Jackie hugged Kate. “Hello, sister-in-law. Good to see you again.”
Kate said, “So much for small talk. Tom mentioned a discussion you had with him about humping and moaning.”
“Do what? Why would Tom tell you that story about him?”
Kate snickered. “Apparently, his sister has the same problem.”
Jackie looked clueless. Kate said, “Granny B just asked Tom to install more soundproofing between your rooms because it sounded like someone was killing somebody next door.”
Rick was speechless, and Jackie laughed so hard she choked. “Rick told me I was a bit loud. It would be hilarious if it wasn’t Granny B in the next room. Hey, we did think to place a pillow between the headboard and wall.”
The next morning, Tom and Kate joined the team for breakfast before dispersing to do their chores. Kate brought a cup of coffee and a glass of milk to Tom. “I’m not a fan of Granny B’s powdered milk.”
Kate said, “Give it a try, please.”
Tom took a small sip, and a smile came over his face. “This is good.” He took a big gulp of the liquid. “It’s richer and creamier than I remember milk to be.”
Greta said, “That’s because it’s goat’s milk. June taught us how to milk the does. It ain’t easy.”
Tom laughed. “Thanks for the milk, and you’ve been hanging out with Granny B too long. Saying ain’t isn’t proper English.”
