Descent Into Darkness

by A J Newman

  “I sorta feel the same way. We are still young but don’t need to wait too many years if you do want to have a baby,” Joe said.

  “Joe I can’t get excited about washing shitty diapers. So maybe we have enough kids,” Cobie said.

  “You don’t have to wash shitty diapers. You have two young women who would dote on a baby and do all the work except feeding them,” Joe replied.

  “Oh crap. There won’t be any formula. Perhaps we need to practice abstinence,” Said Cobie.

  “Preach that crap to the girls,” Joe laughed.

  Later that night, Joe asked Cloe how she and Cole were getting along. “You and Cole seem to be with each other all of the time. Are you getting sweet on him?”

  “Yes, but I have a lot of work to do to make him a good boyfriend, but he will do until then,” Cloe bluntly said.

  “I’ll bet you are up to the task. A word of caution, don’t try to manipulate him or lie to him. My last girlfriend wanted me to be something I could never be,” Said Joe

  Just before bedtime, Joe sat by Cobie on the porch and said, “How much work do I need to have done to me before I will make you a good boyfriend?”

  “Are you referring to what Cloe said about Cole?”

  “Yep.”

  “Darling you are perfect,” Cobie said as she shook her head to say no.

  “You are a grown man where Cole is young and impressionable. They both will be good influences on each other.”

  “You women are always trying to change men to make them into something different,” Joe said.

  “A smart woman knows how to do it with the man never knowing it’s being done. The trick is to be patient and not push too much while rewarding the improvements with a very desirable treat,” Cobie said and then kissed him passionately.

  “I like desirable treats. So, I won’t know what you’re doing to me until it’s too late. Will I?” Joe asked.

  “Darling, I’ve just heard women talk about that stuff at the beauty parlor. I’ve would never try to change you. Oh, make sure you take your boots off before entering the cabin,” Cobie replied.

  “Yes, Dear. Hey, where is my treat?”

  “Let’s go on to bed.”

  “Yes, Dear.”

  ***

  Sarah waited until Ben had gone hunting and made the painful trek down the mountain to Joe and Cobie’s home. She knew her time was growing short since the pain was becoming so intense even the Lortabs weren’t helping, and they made her drowsy. She was also bleeding more each day, and it was getting much harder to keep these developments from Ben. She had to rest several times along the way to her friend’s home.

  She saw Joe helping the girls cut and stack firewood and shouted to them. “Joe that’s a beautiful family you have. Could I have a private word with you and Cobie?” Sarah asked.

  “Certainly,” Joe replied. He then turned to the girls. “Hey, girls, finish stacking the wood and then you are free until after lunch.”

  Joe led Sarah into the house where Cobie was reading a book about canning. Cobie jumped up to greet her guest and hugged Sarah. Cobie couldn’t help but notice how frail Sarah was and how skinny she was.

  “Sarah it’s so great to see you. I’m sorry we haven’t been up to visit, but frankly, we’re just getting used to each other and making this rowdy bunch into a family. What can we do for you?” Cobie asked.

  “Well, I guess I need to just blurt it out, or I’ll just bawl for an hour. First, everything I tell you must stay with only you two until the right time. Can you promise me that?” Sarah asked.

  “Of course, we will keep what you tell us in private,” Joe answered.

  “Okay, here is the situation. Now don’t stop me or I won’t be able to finish ... oh crap. I’m dying. I have cancer and only a few weeks or months to live.”

  “Oh, my God, Sarah!” Cobie said.

  “Cobie, let me finish. Nothing can be done. I’ve made my peace with the Lord, but Ben is in bad shape. I need your help to make sure he survives after I’m gone. This is the tough part for Ben. I want you to know that I’ve talked with Jane and she will be taking care of Ben after I die. I have asked them to start dating now. They are attracted to each other but won’t hook up until after the funeral.” Sarah said.

  “Sarah, we’re so sorry. We will be glad to help, but what can we do?” Cobie asked.

  “You two are crucial to my plan. They are doing the best they can with dates hiking in the woods, fishing, and picnicking. I need you to let the others know it was my idea and they weren’t slipping behind my back. Ben is having a tough time with this and doesn’t want people to think he was a cheater. Hell, I’ve tried to get them to spend some nights together to make sure they are compatible but only have been able to get them to talk and hold hands. Who knows what they do in the woods, but my guess is not much. Ben will fall for Jane, and she is onboard. She is attractive, and they have a lot in common. They need each other to survive,” Sarah said before breaking into tears.

  “Oh, my God, you are such a brave woman, I would want to do the same for Joe, but it would be the hardest thing I ever did in my life,” Cobie replied.

  “I’ve had six months to make my plan, and it is the hardest thing I have ever done. Joe, I’m glad you didn’t bring that single guy back from Ashland for Jane. She is a perfect match for Ben. I need to leave now, or I won’t be able to make it back up the hill in time to beat Ben back from Hunting,” Sarah said.

  “Hold up a minute, and I’ll drive you back to your home. Are you sure you don’t need anything?” Joe asked.

  “If you have any to spare, I could use some strong pain relievers,” Sarah said.

  “We have plenty to spare,” Joe said as he went to get their last bottle of Lortabs.

  ☆

  Chapter 12

  Life settled down quickly after Joe brought Cobie home. The entire group was busy surviving while keeping guard against outsiders. They had a stretch of time where they didn’t see any more people wandering around the woods or on the Forest Service roads. It was a time to work hard and stock up on food and supplies to get through the next winter. Their best hope was to get their crops in, smoke as much meat as possible, and learn how to can food.

  Joe sipped a cup of bitter brew made from a root that Sarah told them would taste like coffee. Joe had cheated and mixed the ground powder into his last five-pound can of coffee to make it last longer. It was too strong for his taste but did satisfy his need for a morning pick me up. Cobie had begun making salads and other dishes from the young shoots of several plants as they poked their heads above ground. They were thankful for the advice from Sarah on wild edible plants.

  Cobie brought her cup of hot tea out to join Joe in the cool morning air. She loved listening to the birds chirping and squirrels scampering through the branches as the sun rose and began peeking through the trees.

  Joe heard the door open and saw Cobie closing the door. “Good morning darling.”

  “You got up without me. I missed you,” Cobie said as she sat down on the steps and kissed her husband.

  “I lay there awake watching you as you slept for an hour. You are so beautiful and restful when you sleep. You are also damned sexy, so I had to get out of bed to keep from assaulting you this morning,” Joe said.

  “Hmm. Assault with a friendly weapon. That would have been a great way to wake up.”

  “Remember that tomorrow morning,” Joe said.

  “Emily seems to be fitting in very well. She is very smart and has good manners. I think Cloe and her are very good for each other. She is teaching Cloe about homemaking skills, and Cloe is teaching her about trapping, hunting, and skinning animals. That’s kinda weird isn’t it?” Cobie said.

  “You changed the subject; however, I agree. They are good for each other. Cole is also a good influence on our daughter. Now, don’t get mad at me, but Cloe has always had a quick wit and a sharp tongue. She seems more mellow and thoughtful before she criticizes since she sta
rted hanging out with Cole. I think Cole’s calm nature has been very calming on her,” Joe stated.

  “Do I have a quick wit and a sharp tongue?”

  “Dear, you are a very thoughtful person who can also be very assertive when needed. You stand up for what you believe in and are 100 percent loyal to your loved ones and people who are loyal to you,” Joe replied.

  “That was very sweet. You also ducked the original question,” Cobie said.

  “Dan and I’ll be taking Emily, Butch, and one of the new girls with us to see if we can find some more chickens at the ranches on up northeast of here,” Joe announced.

  “Take Joan, I think she really likes animals and will tend to be one of our strongest farmers. Be careful. We had several days of calm and peace but remember there are still some bad people out there. I’m still afraid those Muslim Terrorists will come back,” Cobie said.

  “That whole deal about the Muslims has me confused. These men showed up, killed some people, shouted praise God in their language, and disappeared. Something is just fishy about that. Why were they here in Southern Oregon and where did they go? It’s not like we have anything strategic to the USA right here in Ashland,” Joe commented.

  “Well, let’s not borrow trouble. Jane and I are taking Peggy, Dot, and Charlie hunting for medicinal and edible plants today. We’ll be back by noon. I want to make as much medicine as possible before Sarah passes. She is a wealth of help on how to processes the plants into herbal remedies. Peggy has great penmanship and will write the recipes in a log book.” Cobie said.

  “I’m sorry, but is Peggy the other girl we found in Ashland?”

  “Yes, you are getting forgetful.”

  “Peggy and Joan are kinda dorky, if you ask me,” Cloe said as she slipped up behind Joe.

  “Good morning sunshine. Where is your partner in crime?” Joe asked.

  “I’m right behind her. I needed some tea. That stuff you call coffee will burn your throat,” Emily said.

  “Cloe, what does Ben have you and Cole doing today?” her mom asked.

  “We get to learn how to plow and pull guard duty while the plowing is being done. Ben is a stickler for operational security. He talks like that even though he was only in the National Guard,” Cloe said.

  “Make sure all of you have your bear pistols,” Joe said.

  Cloe reached around her waist and swung her Ruger .357 Magnum so Joe could see that she had the gun. “Dad, after that bear tried to eat Bennie and me, I don’t go to the bathroom without this gun. Cole has a Ruger .44 Magnum, and I want one also. Jane didn’t think I could handle that big of a gun.”

  Ben loaded the Jeep and wagon with the plow and part of the fence posts to go around the newly plowed field. Jane added a lunch basket, water, and snacks so they could work all day. Plowing was a boring job, but everyone knew how important it was to their future. Jane enjoyed Ben’s company and had to watch flirting with him around Cole and Cloe. She knew it would soon be time to let them in on Sarah’s plans.

  This would be a larger field that would have corn this year and maybe winter wheat next year if they could find the seeds. Their long-term survival meant they had to stop scavenging for food and start producing their own. The pre SHTF food would eventually be gone and since most were concentrated in the cities, was dangerous to acquire. Joe and Dan had made a few more raids into Medford and Ashland but didn’t find much food and the new leader of Ashland had roadblocks all around the city. They were afraid the city’s new police force would shoot them as looters, so they stopped looking for food in Ashland.

  Jane was the first to be trained on how to drive the Jeep in four-wheel low so the Jeep would have enough power to pull the one bottom plow through the meadow. Even though the meadow had no trees, there were roots from trees that burned to the ground over a hundred years ago. Every time the Jeep hit a large root, the Jeep bucked and came to a halt. The small roots just popped out of the ground. Cloe and Cole took turns hauling the small roots out of the meadow while the other guarded the area.

  Jane had been plowing for over an hour when suddenly a white object popped out of the soil behind the plow. Ben got to the object first and picked it up. The others joined him as he bounced the football-size object in his hands.

  “Ben, what is it? It looks like a plastic pipe,” Jane said.

  “It’s six-inch PVC pipe with caps glued to the ends. I’m wondering what’s in the pipe. Here hold it. It’s very heavy for a ten-inch long piece of plastic pipe,” Ben said.

  “We need to open it,” Cloe replied.

  “Can I hit it with a hammer to see if the plastic breaks?” Cole asked.

  “Cole hit it all you like. That PVC is tough, and our small hammer will only put dents in the thing. Let’s take it back to Joe since we found it on his property. It could be one of those family things where it contains photos and keepsakes from Joe’s Grandparents,” Ben suggested.

  Jane climbed back in the Jeep and said, “Keep your eyes out for bears and thugs. I’m plowing!”

  Jane plowed up another of the small sealed pipes before lunch, and they placed it in the wagon with the first one. After lunch, it was Cloe’s turn to plow, and she only plowed two rows before she hit something larger and the plow broke off the trailer hitch.

  Ben ran over to the Jeep and said, “I knew this would happen eventually. Dan and I will take the plow back to the workshop and weld the rascal back on the hitch. We’re done for the day.”

  Cole and Cloe were behind the plow digging in the dirt to see what had caused the plow to break. “Ben, come here quick. We found what broke the plow. Bring a shovel.”

  Ben fetched a shovel and joined the others. They were staring at an object at the bottom of the furrow. It was the end of a sealed PVC pipe like the others; however, this pipe was about twelve inches in diameter, and only two feet of it could be seen. Ben began digging the dirt off the top of the object, and five minutes later, they saw the entire pipe.

  The pipe was six feet long and took Ben and Cole to lift it onto the back of the wagon. It had a large gouge in one end from the plow striking it but otherwise was still intact.

  “Cloe, didn’t Joe say that his Grandma and Grandpa were preppers? I’ll bet this contains guns and ammunition. I can’t wait to open it,” Cole said.

  “Let’s head on home and show these to Joe,” Jane said.

  “But Mom, there could be more of these out here,” Cole said.

  Cloe handed Cole the shovel and said, “Cole, the plow is broke. The buried treasure is buried. I’ll stand guard while you dig all night, but I think we should go home. Joe … err … Dad mentioned something about his Grandpa taking him treasure hunting but always buried something instead of digging something up. I think we found the somethings.”

  They drove back to Joe’s home and waved at him to join them at the wagon.

  “What the heck have you got in the back of the wagon,” Joe asked.

  “We were hoping that you could tell us,” Ben said.

  “Boy, these small pipes are heavy,” Joe said as he picked one up.

  “I wonder if these are what my Grandpa was burying. These small pipes look familiar. Let me get my saw,” Joe said.

  Ben held one of the pipes against the porch floor while Joe sawed the cap off the pipe. The saw cut the plastic with no problem but hit something hard. Joe asked Ben to rotate the pipe as he sawed, so they only cut the plastic. The cap soon fell to the ground along with a pile of coins.

  “Look, it’s full of money,” Cloe exclaimed.

  Joe dumped coins in his hands and saw they were all pre 1965 silver coins. “These are real silver. I’ll bet my Grandpa squirreled them away as part of his prepping.”

  Joe dumped the rest of the coins on the porch, and a small folded piece of paper fell out on top of the coins. Joe unfolded the note.

  “I buried this money on May 20, 2018, with my Grandson Joe. If you found it, then I don’t need it anymore. I hope you found it, Joe. If you’re not
Joe, I hope it comes in handy.

  Shorty Harp.”

  “My Grandpa did bury this. Crap, I never heard anyone call him Shorty. Let’s open the other containers. The silver won’t do us much good, but maybe there are guns or ammo in the big one,” Joe said.

  They cut the top off the next small pipe and found more silver coins and a duplicate of the first note.

  “Well, maybe one day we can trade silver for food or something useful,” Jane said.

  “At least the next one is not full of silver or gold,” Emily said.

  They all stopped what they were doing, looked at each other, and broke out laughing. “What did I say that was so fricken funny? It’s not like it’s something we can use like food or toilet paper,” Emily said.

  “Hon, you didn’t say anything wrong. It just shows how much your priorities change when the world collapses. I don’t know what is in the big pipe, but I do hope it’s something we can all use,” Joe answered while he hugged Emily.

  Joe began sawing on the end of the huge pipe while Ben and Cole held it down. He was careful not to cut beyond the thickness of the pipe and soon had cut a ring around the pipe. He took a hammer and knocked the end from the rest of the pipe. They saw the end of a large metal can sticking out of the pipe. Joe tried to grab the edge with his fingers but couldn’t grasp it tight enough to move the can. Ben stuck the point of his knife into the rim and slowly drug the can from the pipe. A white label on the can said, “SUGAR.”

  “It’s food! Yeah!” shouted Jane.

  Joe looked into the pipe, and there was another can. He got up on the porch and helped Ben tip the pipe up on the far end, and they shook the pipe while Cole tapped it with a hammer. The first can slid out slowly, and other cans followed it to the ground. Each had a label noting the contents of each can. There were only two more of the huge cans, the rest of the contents were actually bundles of smaller cans. They found salt, pepper, spices, flour, whiskey, and a can with .22 and 30 06 caliber bullets.