by AJ Newman
Tom had been too mad and afraid to worry about clothes. “Darn, I knew I was cold, but all I could think about was killing these refugees from a bad 1950s’ monster movie. ‘Snakes in a Cave!’ would be a good name for it. Get dressed, and we’ll go check on James. I haven’t heard any shooting. They probably are standing outside the caves shivering and thinking we’re snake-bitten.”
They both dressed, and Tom gave her a set of earplugs and her shotgun. “Your backpack has five boxes of birdshot. Use them wisely, and don’t shoot yourself as I did.”
“Tom, I hope the rest of the snakes crawl out of their holes and warm themselves by the fire, so we don’t have to search for them. Crap, how many could be in here?”
“I believe I read there are anywhere from a couple to hundreds of snakes that cling together to stay warm in cold weather. I’ve already killed way over two-dozen of the creepy crawlies,” Tom replied and then said, “Let’s go check on the others.”
They took turns shooting snakes as they carefully walked toward the entrance of the cave. Tom saw a black snake just as Kate blew it to pieces. “Hey! That was a good snake!”
“It’s good now!”
“Hon! Seriously, there are good snakes mixed in with these rattlesnakes. They eat the mice and rats we hate so much,” Tom implored.
Kate gritted her teeth before replying. “I’ll try. I hate snakes.”
Tom saw flickers of light from James’ fire up ahead. “There are several snakes up ahead. Those three on the right are just little garter snakes. Shoot that wad of snakes to your right, and I’ll get the big ones.”
“Hunh? I can’t hear you!”
Tom made the gun sign with his hand and acted as he shot the wad of rattlers. Kate blasted them and the good garter snakes. He gave up and let her shoot away. Tom saw the fire and then a horrible sight. James’ legs stuck out of the cavern ahead, and two snakes were making themselves comfortable on top of him.
Kate winced. “Use your spear to flip those bad snakes off him so I can make them good snakes.”
Tom slid the tip of the spear under one snake and tossed it away from the body. Kate shot the reptile in mid-air and jacked another shell into the chamber, ready to shoot the next one. The snake struck the floor, heading toward Kate, who showed no mercy, and cut the snake in half.
“I nailed both of them. Damn, I’m good. Oh! Crap! Alice and the kids are … dead. Oh! My! God!”
*
Chapter 2
The Cave
It took another two hours to clear the cave's front and the chamber where James’ family died. Tom made a spear for Kate, and they killed most of the snakes by slashing and spearing them because the shotgun’s blasts were too loud. Every now and then, they’d go to the fires to kill any new snakes that had come out of hiding to warm themselves. It took patience, but Tom finally got Kate to stop killing the good snakes.
Tom looked around to see the carnage. “I’m going to fetch the cart from down at the cabin and bring it up here to haul those snakes to the front of the cave to skin and smoke the meat. Why don’t you come ….”
Kate cut him off in mid-sentence. “You’re not getting out of my sight. I’m stuck like glue to your side. Dump the damned things in the pit. I’m not eating anything that squirmy or that tried to kill me.”
“But babe…”
Kate turned to him. “Don’t baby me! Dump them or sleep alone for a year or two!”
Tom knew he couldn’t win. “Yes, ma’am. They’ll be dumped.”
They were both still shaking from the experience and had their flashlights shining around the cave’s floor to prevent any more. Tom killed two snakes on the way but didn’t see anymore. The inside of the cave away from the entrance was a steady fifty degrees. The snakes had thousands of crevices to hide in and would usually never be seen. As Tom walked, he thought about catching and killing the rattlesnakes without killing the good snakes.
Tom and Kate made three trips with the cart full of dead snakes before the cave was free of the deadly monsters. During their travels to dump the snakes, they discussed how to eliminate any live ones they’d missed. They also discussed how to arrange sleeping accommodations to prevent waking up with snakes in their beds.
Kate cringed and said, “Snakes in your bed are much worse than snakes in a cave. I think we can take some fifty-gallon drums and make some traps that will work. We just have to lure the snakes to bait or maybe some heat to get them to fall into the drum.”
“Sounds good, and then we can take the good snakes out and kill the poisonous ones. I like that. I wonder if Granny B has ever encountered a similar situation. Now, the big question is, what do we do with the bodies?”
Kate’s face scrunched up. “I think we have to take them back to the ranch and bury them. We can hide the graves.”
Tom and Kate had gone to the cave to help set up living quarters just in case everyone had to bug out from the ranch. James and his family were helping store the truckloads of items scavenged during the past week. They also had turned one of the larger caverns into barracks that could sleep twenty people. The hay bale beds didn’t appeal to Kate as much as they did the day before. Tom had accomplished everything the day before and planned to head back to the ranch after breakfast.
Tom secured the bodies to the pack mules while Kate put a cold breakfast together. The deer jerky and granola bars were filling, but Tom had to force himself to eat after losing this family. They were an integral part of his team.
Tom climbed onto his saddle and said, “Time to go home and tell them the bad news.”
Kate replied, “I’m calling Jackie on the radio to send up a drone to check our path home for any danger. Should I tell Jackie?”
“No! I want her concentrating on her duties. I’ll tell everyone when we get home.”
***
The Ranch
Jackie watched her brother and his wife riding through the trees to the trail past the other cabin and wondered why the pack mules still had bundles tied to their backs. She called Kate. “The coast is clear. Hey! Are you bringing some surprises back to us? I can see bundles on all of the pack mules.”
Tom took the walkie-talkie. “Jackie, I’d rather discuss the bundles later.”
Jackie saw something poke out from under a tarp on the last pack mule. She zoomed in to see the small foot dangling out from under the tarp. “Brother, I understand. Please stop and adjust your tarp on the last bundle. I think you’ll need to let everyone know before they see what I just saw,” Jackie said through tears. She sniffled and asked, “All of them?”
Tom said, “Yes, all of them. Please be ready to have everyone meet us at the barn when we arrive. I can only tell this story once.”
***
Jackie sent Greta to find Granny B, who showed up a few minutes later. “What’s all the secrecy about? Greta wouldn’t say why you needed me so quickly.”
“Because I didn’t tell her. Tom is bringing some terrible news back with him. He didn’t want to tell me over the radio, James and all his family are dead.”
“What happened?”
Jackie said, “Tom didn’t say, but they are all strapped to the mules. He said he wanted everyone by the barn when he arrives. He will be here in about ten minutes. I’m calling Greta in a few minutes to get everyone up here.”
Tears formed in Granny B’s eyes, but she wiped them away and steeled herself for the meeting. She knew they would have to be strong for Jack and June because James and Alice were their best friends.
Jackie pushed the talk button. “Tell everyone to gather by the barn. Jack? Jack?”
“This is Jack.”
“Come to the barn. Now! Bring Bill with you.”
Jack and Bill arrived on horseback just as Tom and Kate rode into view. Jack asked, “Where’s James and his crew? I thought they were coming back.”
Granny B said, “Tom’s going to fill us in on their mission.”
Jackie saw Tom’s face and instantly knew everyone
would see that something terrible happened. Tom and Kate dismounted and tied the reins to a fence.
Tom looked around at the group and took a deep breath. “We had a horrible thing happen while we were gone,” Tom said. He remembered that everyone didn’t know about the cave, so he told a white lie. “We went to sleep in an old cabin and woke up to find ourselves surrounded by rattlesnakes. Kate and I were in my sleeping bag and didn’t get bitten. James and his family were in another room, and they all suffered numerous bites. Kate and I killed dozens of the monsters trying to get to the family, but they were dead by the time we shot our way to them.”
Tom patted one of the bundles, and June screamed and fell to her knees. Jack held her with tears streaming down his cheeks. Jack’s head jerked up and asked, “How did you survive without a bite? All of them are dead, and you two escaped unharmed.”
“Jack, several snakes, tried to bite us through our tarp and sleeping bag, but their fangs weren’t long enough. I killed two while I was still covered up in the bag. Kate rolled over on one, and I stabbed it with my bayonet. We escaped by luck and not getting out of the bag until I had my knife and pistol in my hands. Once I was out, I grabbed my shotgun, which was beside my bed. There were dozens of snakes,” Tom said.
Kate said, “We think the kids panicked and tried to run through the snakes. Alice and James ran into the snakes to save their children. We weren’t faced with the same situation. We had a minute to plan what to do. They reacted to save their children.”
Jack calmed down, and Tom said, “We need to get them buried and pay our respects.”
Tom looked over his people. “It’s obvious we all overlooked the possibility of snakes seeking the warmth of our bodies and campfires. I believe it would be wise to check our barns, cabins, and vehicles for snakes and other vermin. I’m going back to perform a thorough investigation. We’ll meet again to discuss the findings and install measures to avoid that and other dangers.”
*
Chapter 3
The Ranch
Later that night, Jackie, Rick, and Granny B visited with Kate and Tom in Granny B’s suite. Tom started to give them the whole story when Granny B said, “Hold on for a minute.”
She went to a cabinet and returned with a tray containing five glasses and a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle aged 23 years. Granny B poured them each three fingers and raised her glass. “I’m toasting to celebrate Tom and Kate living through the most horrible situation I can imagine. Here’s to Kate and Tom and prayers for James and his family.”
Jackie hugged her brother and sister-in-law. “You did the best you could and were able to keep the cave out of the conversation. We will have to have a major war on snakes as soon as possible.”
Kate lifted her glass and took another sip. “Bad snakes. Your brother made me promise to only kill bad snakes.”
Granny B took another sip and then shuttered. “I hate snakes. They scare the poop out of me. I once read something about how miners used to get rid of snakes. I’m pretty sure your Papaw has the book in the library. I do know that an ammonia and vinegar solution repels all snakes. Planting lemongrass and marigolds also do the trick. Perhaps we spray diluted ammonia in our rooms first to drive them out and then work our way toward the back or maybe just drive them out the front of the cave.”
Kate chimed in quickly. “I vote for driving them to the back of the cave where we kill them.”
Granny B asked, “How did you save the meat? I hate snakes, but that was a ton of good meat that would help us this winter if we smoked it.”
Tom looked around the room but couldn’t look his grandmother in the eyes. “I dumped it into the pit. We had four dead friends to get home to bury. I didn’t have any way to keep it from rotting.”
Granny B just said. “Too bad.”
Tom changed the subject. “Jack took the deaths very hard and appeared to blame Kate and me for their deaths. He always seemed so reasonable in the past. Should we be worried?”
Jackie looked around the room. “He was staring daggers at you. If I were you, I’d sleep with one eye open around him.”
Rick was surprised. “I thought you two were close to Jack. Hasn’t he been working at the ranch forever?”
Tom shrugged. “Jack used to sniff around Jackie like a male dog sniffing a female in heat, but we were never close. Grandpa took him in when he was a teenager, and he’s lived with us ever since. He’s more like a trusted ranch hand than family.”
Rick said, “Hmmmm. If he’d been family, you’d have taken him to Hawaii with you. Maybe he thought of himself as your family and received a jolt when he wasn’t invited. Wasn’t it him that invited James and his family who invited others who invited all the others, and you ended up with a group taking over the ranch?”
Jackie and Tom stared at each other. Tom scratched his jaw. “That’s food for thought.”
Granny B changed the subject because she wanted to give Jack’s role at the ranch some more thought. “Son, how’s your hand doing?”
“My finger still throbs with pain, and I overused it during the snake eradication event. I’m going to take a hydrocodone pill and go to sleep when we’re done.”
Granny B went out on a limb. “About the snakes and James ...”
Tom made the timeout sign, rubbed the top of his head, and stretched. “That’s the rub. James and Alice had the first four hours of guard duty. Kate woke up before the four hours had passed. How did they make a trip down to the end of our living area and back every thirty minutes and not see any snakes?”
Jackie said, “What were they doing for four hours that was so important they allowed their family to be killed by those monsters?”
Granny B sneered, “Well, it wasn’t sex. Well, not for four hours! What do we really know about this family?”
Rick said, “Only what Jack and June told us.”
Tom replied, “Jackie and I knew of James when we were younger but didn’t know him very well. The evidence has just moved James and Alice up a notch on the who’s the spy game. Holy crap! We still think Samantha might be a spy, and now this. We have to find who has been passing on info to the Mendoza drug gang.”
“Who the hell can we trust?” Rick asked.
Granny B took Jackie and Tom’s hands in hers and asked Kate and Rick to hold their hands. She said, “Hold hands. You are in a family circle that can be trusted. We can’t trust anyone else. Rick, I know Greta isn’t a spy. She might let something slip that we need to be secret. Not trusting someone doesn’t mean they are bad or an enemy.”
Rick nodded. “I agree. One day Greta will join this circle but not now.”
Granny B smiled.
Tom pointed at Jackie. “I need you to use the drones to check on the area close to the cave. Look for any signs of intruders or anything that looks odd. One possibility is James or Alice was meeting someone in Carlos Mendoza’s group.”
Tom pointed at Kate. “Babe, I want drone surveillance on Jack anytime he’s out of the bunker by himself.”
Granny B said, “What about Sam? We talk about other risks but always come back to Sam and Lucy. I can’t say they’re enemies, but they do seem to have their own agenda, and we don’t know what it is, do we?”
Tom nodded. “I need to come up with a test. We need to see if we can use her and her vigilante buddies to help us or hurt Mendoza in a way that exposes her true motives and plans. And what about Lucy?”
Granny B said, “A rabbit don’t have babies without long ears.”
Kate’s head shook. “What the heck does that mean?”
Granny B grinned. “Sam is on Sam’s team and only on ours when it suits her. I can’t say she ever hurt us except for that foolish attempt to get us to take in that vigilante walking wounded group. So, if Sam is a crook, her daughter is a crook. That is, if Lucy is Sam’s daughter, she’s a crook also. I think that girl is somewhere from twenty to twenty-five years old.”
***
Almost four months had passed since the EM
P blasts had caused Tom’s plane to crash. Tom looked down at his left hand to see where the end of his pinkie finger was missing. The wound was less than a week old and still throbbed with pain. He could still feel his heartbeat in what was left of his finger. Someone had pushed Kate and him into the freezing water of their pond. Both were lucky to be alive and not have suffered much more significant injuries from the frostbite.
Tom sat in front of the fireplace toasting his feet and drinking a cup of steaming coffee as he reflected back on the events since the apocalypse started. The abrupt slide back to the rugged life before electronics and civilization was horrible. Still, Tom also thought about the good times and new friends they’d met.
Tom, Jackie, and Granny B had added several friends and a few strangers they saved from the apocalypse to their group. Jackie and Rick were married the same day as Tom and Kate. Of course, he dwelled too long on his thoughts about snakes and losing James and his family before moving along.
A month had passed since the confrontation with the vigilante’s leader. Tom monitored them and Mendoza’s men using the drones. Kate and Jackie trained most of the team to fly the drones while Tom concentrated on supplying the cave with what they needed to survive if the shit hit the fan again.
Granny B made up five gallons of a weak ammonia solution, and they used it to run out and kill any snakes still in the living area at the cave. They were surprised at the number of opossums, feral cats, and assorted other animals that fled that end of the cave system. Tom and Kate were astounded to see snakes crawl out from several hiding places close to their sleeping quarters. They quickly speared the snakes and sent them to snake heaven. The ammonia solution wasn’t that offensive to Tom and his snake attack team, but the snakes hated the smell.
Once the snakes had been dealt with, Tom designed a way to close off the entrance and install a door in the closure. He used lodgepole pine shafts to reach the ceiling and cut them a bit too long so he could jam them between the ceiling and the cave’s floor. Then he did the same thing horizontally across the tunnel. This gave a structure to nail planks to and close off the entrance. A set of double doors solved closing off the entrance to beasts, snakes, and cold winter air.
