A. R. Shaw's Apocalyptic Sampler: Stories of hope when humanity is at its worst

by A. R. Shaw

  Then came the part he had not heard earlier but had suspected would turn out to be true.

  “This means,” the sober voice continued, “if you are a prepper and successfully hid from the virus, you are still in jeopardy and should remain separated from any immune survivors or you will succumb to the pandemic after all.

  “Additionally, The Charters of Freedom, including the US Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights, have been automatically secured in a high-security vault, located beneath the Archives building on Constitution Avenue in Washington, DC. They should remain so until all borders are secure and the population has succeeded in creating a republic once again. Until that time it is best to leave them where they remain.

  “This is a difficult world you live in now. Food and shelter should not be a survival issue in the short term, but you should educate yourselves and the younger generations on growing crops, hunting, fishing, and basic medical care.

  “Due to the lack of public services, your biggest enemy now is Mother Nature, including wildlife, weather, fires, and even humankind. Gather and take care of the young, because they will need your guidance. Above all, live peacefully.

  “This concludes this public service message.”

  Graham looked forward through the rain-streaked windshield, down the long winding road as they made their way through Falls City. There was the familiar alert beeping, and then the message began again. Graham reached over and turned the radio off. He did not need to hear it again; he was still trying to comprehend what he’d heard the first time. He looked over at Bang, who was now fast asleep with his head lolling onto the side armrest.

  Graham looked into the rearview mirror and saw Marcy asleep, her head on Macy’s lap. Macy looked directly at him with a worried expression in her vivid blue eyes. Sheriff must have been asleep too, because Graham had not seen even the tops of his ears over the seat for some time now.

  Macy still stared at him. “Do you have any questions, Macy?” he asked, not knowing what she was thinking but seeing that she looked terrified.

  “Does this mean it’s all gone? Everything?” she asked, as if trying to comprehend the incomprehensible.

  Graham swallowed, “Macy, it means we have to take care of each other now. There are no schools, no police, and no hospitals anymore. No grocery stores or farmers, for that matter. It means we have to do all of those things for ourselves now. At some point the fires or weather will hit the power stations and there won’t be power any longer or gas for vehicles. No iPhones, computers, or video games. It means we have to think differently and make new rules that make sense to us in these times.

  “We left the city because of the animals coming in after the smells and because people can no longer keep them at bay with everyday noises. Not to mention the fires that will soon come in and consume all the buildings and houses; there’s no fire department to put them out. That’s why I decided to head out to the cabin, because I know the area and I’ve hunted and fished there every year since I was a kid. It’s where my great-great-grandfather who was a logger lived, way back when. There’s an old apple orchard a few miles away too, so I know we can grow things there. It’s been done before,” he said.

  Graham looked back at Macy again and thought she looked a little more hopeful and a little less terrified. I’d better keep pushing these guys to think ahead and not look behind them or we won’t get through this, he thought.

  “We’re going to try to stop up here in Carnation and get some gas,” Graham said. “I’ll change Marcy’s bandage and give her some more medicine. We can get something to eat and hopefully find a bathroom. Sound good?”

  “Yeah, especially the bathroom part,” Macy said with a faint smile. “Graham?” she said. Her tone led him to believe she wanted to ask more questions.

  “Yeah?”

  “Thank you for saving Marcy. You could have left us there. I just wanted to thank you for helping us.”

  Graham just looked Macy in the eyes through the reflection in the rearview mirror and nodded solemnly.

  Macy hoped Graham knew how grateful she really was. So she would not cry, she looked out the window as the gray rainy day gave way to a few patches of blue sky in the late afternoon, set against the autumn hues of the landscape that rushed by.

  She was caught in a vicious cycle. She kept feeling as if she and Marcy were on a normal road trip with Mom or Dad, but then she would look up and see a stranger named Graham driving, a forcible reminder of why she was there. Then she would remember all that had happened that day, and the weeks before, as it replayed in her mind. Macy looked back out the window to get away from it all until she felt like she was on a road trip, once again.

  Graham slowed as he approached the little town of Carnation on Highway 203. There was an apparent attempt at a roadblock as he went into town, with a few vehicles parked in the road. Graham just drove around them on the soft shoulder. There were no signs up or any other warnings, so he just assumed it was an early attempt by the residents to keep traffic out of their town. He drove a little more slowly, dodging a parked semi truck just before the Tolt River bridge.

  They passed a baseball field, and Graham felt a pang of sorrow as he remembered the little league team he’d helped coach last spring at the insistence of his brother-in-law. He had not heard from that side of the family at all; he’d tried to call them when Nelly passed away, but no one ever answered. He shook it off and continued looking straight ahead.

  Carnation was a typical little northwest farming community. The main street led past a pizzeria, an Ace Hardware store on the left and a Mexican restaurant on the right. He noticed a little nondescript gas station and pulled up to one of the pumps. Not certain if they would work, Graham got out quickly and slid his credit card through. To his surprise, his card was accepted as if all was right with the world. He filled his tank while he looked around and noticed a few dogs lingering in front of the Mexican restaurant, but they did not seem to be paying him any attention. He finished, hopped back in the truck, and continued driving down the street.

  Two raccoons scrambled across the road ahead of him, which caused the loitering dogs to take chase, and Graham let up on the gas to slow the truck as they ran in front of him and across the street. Once they were out of sight he continued on, not wanting to stop anywhere close to the animals while he looked for a decent bathroom.

  Toward the end of town on the right was the Carnation Elementary School. Nothing but farm fields were farther down the street. He assumed the school doors were locked but pulled into the circular parking lot and got as close as possible to the front doors, providing for an easy getaway if they needed it. Part of him felt he was being paranoid, thinking of every contingency, but after the events of the past two days he just could not be too safe.

  Graham put the truck in park, and Bang woke up and looked around, stretching. “Is this a school?” he asked as Macy woke her sister and even Sheriff popped his head up in back cargo area.

  “Yep, but don’t worry, we’re just here to use the restrooms,” Graham said. “If we can, that is.” He looked around for any dangers that might lurk before he grabbed his rifle and opened the door. “You guys stay right here until I call you, and keep the doors closed.”

  They all looked around through their windows for any signs of life as Graham approached the double glass doors. He was certain they’d be locked, but when he reached to try the right-hand door, it opened freely. Thank God, I don’t have to shoot my way in, he thought, and turned back to the kids, who watched him expectantly. He held up his hand to tell them to stay until he checked the inside of the school.

  He walked in onto the blue rubber flooring. Hardly making a noise, he peered around the foyer, beyond what must be the office window, for the closest possible bathroom. The hall was a cheery place, with lots of natural light coming in the windows and had probably been remodeled recently. It smelled like crayons and disinfectant, like any elementary school. Graham kne
w the schools were shut down early in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus, but could not figure out why the doors had been left open. He listened intently and looked up and down the halls but did not leave the sight of the kids beyond the doorway. He noticed boys’ and girls’ bathrooms signs near the office, along the wall next to a water fountain, and walked back out to the truck after surveying the landscape for any possible dangers.

  The coast appeared to be clear, so Graham opened Macy’s door and motioned to Bang to follow. “Close it lightly, and be quiet. We don’t want to attract any attention,” he said. Macy grabbed the first aid supplies for Marcy, as well as the empty water bottles. Bang took his bow and arrow, as always. Graham reached in, picked up Marcy, and called Sheriff out over the seat. Again, the dog did not respond and just looked up at him confused.

  Macy patted her side and said, “Come, Sheriff.” He jumped quickly out of the back and onto the pavement.

  Graham shook his head, confounded as to why the police dog didn’t know common commands. “Bang, lead him into the building,” he said.

  The dog happily trailed the boy, sniffing at the new surroundings as Macy followed along.

  “The bathrooms are right over there. Let’s get in and out and be quiet about it,” Graham said.

  He could tell from their expressions that the kids felt as out of place as he did, sensed a wrongness. The need to be cautious in such a pleasant room, untouched by their new circumstances, went against the grain; it just did not seem right, juxtaposed as it was to the happy, colored balloons and the laminated cutouts of brown squirrels that were stapled to the walls. Marcy huffed a little, but no one said anything about it.

  Sheriff sniffed the hallway from side to side but stayed close by the others. Graham took Marcy into the girls’ bathroom. He opened the swinging door and peered inside. There were two white wall-mounted sinks to the left and three stalls behind them; all appeared safe. He put Marcy down on her good leg and helped her over to the first stall. Macy came in right behind him. “When you’re done, let me know and I’ll come back in and change the dressing by the sink,” he said, letting the door close behind him. He and Bang went into the boys’ bathroom and did their business, leaving Sheriff out in the hallway. After they had washed up, Graham went over to the girls’ door and knocked lightly. “Are you ready?”

  “Yeah, you can come in,” said Macy.

  She was getting the first aid supplies out of the bag as Graham pushed a rubber doorstop under the door to prop it open. “Macy, you and Bang refill those water bottles while I do this,” he said.

  He took a deep breath and walked over to Marcy, who hopped on one leg over to the sink. “How’s it feeling?” Graham asked.

  “The cut throbs some, but not as bad as before,” she said.

  “Well, face the wall. I’ll try to be as gentle as I can,” he said as he washed and dried his hands. He started to peel away the soaked dressing.

  She cringed a bit, so he stopped. “It’s okay, Graham, just go ahead and do it,” Marcy said.

  Graham exposed the raw looking flesh. He gently dabbed at it with sterile gauze and washed it with more sterile saline. Then he dried it by patting lightly. He applied new ointment and recovered it with a clean bandage.

  “I think we should just use the gauze to cover it after we get to the cabin to let more air get to it. Now, let’s get more meds into you and get going,” he said. Graham repacked their supplies and threw the bloody dressing in the nearby gray trashcan. At this point, that will probably stay there for eternity, he thought. Then he looped one arm around Marcy’s waist while toting his rifle with the other.

  “Graham!” Macy called from the hallway, a little alarmed.

  “What?” he said as he turned into the hall.

  “Sheriff’s growling at something down the hall.” Sheriff was crouched in front of them in the middle of the hallway, warning them of something beyond, down past the cheerful squirrel cutouts.

  “It’s probably a dog, so come on, it’s time to go,” Graham said as he ushered them all to the doorway. Looking to make sure the coast was clear, he opened the door and shepherded them all back to the truck. He held Marcy up with one arm as she hopped on one leg.

  “Come on, Sheriff!” he yelled. The dog dropped his warning growl and ran out, but instead of getting back into the truck right away, he ran over to the left of the door and lifted his leg at the nearest bush, all the while looking around for enemies.

  Graham shook his head, but got the kids into their seats quickly and then called the dog over. Sheriff jumped into the back as before. Graham held up his rifle and scanned the outside of the building while he edged closer to his own car door.

  As they drove away Graham noticed movement in his rearview mirror; someone was running across the street behind them. He stopped, rolled down his window, and yelled, “Hey!”

  The young man stopped. Sheriff started barking and the girls panicked. “No, Graham, keep going, please keep going!” they yelled.

  “Shhh, he’s just a kid,” he said back to them.

  The six-foot figure turned out to be a teen—Graham guessed about eighteen or so. He wore a blue plaid flannel shirt over ratty denim jeans and boots. The boy stared at him through suspicious eyes and dark brown, unkempt hair. Graham started to back up the truck, but the boy ran again. Graham put on the brakes. “Wait!”

  The kid stopped once more, but Graham could tell he was ready to bolt at any time.

  “I’m not going to hurt you,” Graham said. “Are you okay?”

  “I don’t need your help.” The kid looked distraught.

  “Okay, that’s good,” Graham responded, then after a few moments of silence with just the sound of the truck’s engine running he added, “We’re going up to Cascade. Do you know where that is?”

  The boy paused in thought, then nodded that he did.

  “If you want to, you can come up there when you’re ready. Leave me a note at the Cascade post office and I’ll check it when I come into town, once a week or so. Do you understand?” Graham asked him.

  “Yeah, but I don’t want to leave them just yet.” For the first time, Graham noticed the boy was armed as he pointed toward his home with a pistol that he’d had hidden behind his back.

  “It’s all right, I understand. When you’re ready, you’re welcome. Leave me a note, and stay somewhere safe in town. I’ll check for it.” He did not know why, but he trusted the kid.

  He watched the teenager’s eyes light up with momentary interest and turned to see Macy staring out at him from the backseat window. Again, the youth hesitated, looking undecided. “Okay, I’ll probably come, but not yet,” he said, jogging away down a side street.

  “Whew!” Macy said.

  Graham rolled up his window and moved on down the road. “That was weird,” said Marcy.

  “He’s all right,” Graham said. “He’s just scared. Maybe he’ll meet up with us after a while.”

  “He had a gun,” Bang pointed out.

  “He sure did. I think we’ll see a lot of that now, people carrying guns.” Graham stepped on the gas and the truck moved on. He reminded the kids to find something to eat in the back, and Macy pulled out a package of cheese and peanut butter sandwich crackers and began passing them around. They each had their own refilled water bottle, and Graham reminded Macy to give her sister more medicine. Soon they were silent again, having finished off their light meal and drifting off to their own thoughts without having much to say to one another. The drive made things seem too normal, but at least it gave them time to consider things as they were now.

  25

  The Journey to the Cabin

  Night was descending as Graham pulled up to the narrow dirt road turnoff that led to the cabin. He was a little saddened and surprised that he’d gotten this far and only run into the one young man and no other living souls. He felt a little less optimistic about the future.

  Graham came to a complete stop and turned on the overhead
light to see just how to put this unfamiliar truck into four-wheel drive. This caused the sleeping occupants to stir.

  “Where are we?” asked Bang.

  “We’re almost there. I have to get this thing in four-wheel drive. The road is always a bit muddy up there. I hope there are no downed trees in the way. If there are, we’ll have to get out and walk,” Graham said. He turned off the obtrusive light and drove slowly on the single-lane dirt path leading up to the family cabin; the truck bounced up and down over unseen dips in the road.

  The long day had been difficult. Graham held back the memory of killing a man and having to perform crude surgery to save a life. He never thought he was capable of doing either, nor did he ever want to again have the responsibility of such actions any time soon. His father had been that man, not him. Graham was a math professor—or had been. His father was the brave one, a soldier who’d fought in Vietnam and Korea. Reluctantly, he realized that he was his father’s son after all, and it was a good thing he knew it now because their lives depended on it.

  Graham peered through the light beams and saw a few brown deer that stared back at him before leaping away through the ferns and pines. He looked up ahead, noticed a faint light, and had a sinking feeling. He killed the truck’s headlights and, by memory, drove closer. Soon it became apparent that someone was already in the cabin; there was flickering light gleaming through the windows.

  He pulled up slowly into the clearing and saw a little red Ford Escort under the brush on the left side of the cabin. “Damn, someone’s here,” he said as he turned off the engine. “I’m going to check it out,” Graham said as he pulled out his rifle. “You guys lock the doors. Macy, can you drive?” he asked.