by James Sperl
While the lounge area was inviting, Clarissa suspected Andrew’s reason for bringing them down here had less to do with the library than it did with the pantry across the room from it, which he had filled to the brim with food. Were it not for the seamless way it blended with the surrounding space, Clarissa would have found its presence there odd.
Cans and containers lined each of five shelves, with floor space reserved for larger tubs and topped buckets. Jarred items of various colors were arranged neatly alongside their canned counterparts on the upper shelves while bagged and sealed foodstuffs had been placed more haphazardly on the ones below.
Clarissa scrutinized the pantry. Andrew hadn't stocked it as a result of a single shopping trip. He had compiled the stores over some time, clearly before the Sound showed up to wreck everyone’s lives. It begged the question: Why did Andrew have it? She was just about to ask, but Valentina beat her to the punch.
“Is this what you wanted to show us? Food?” She raised her eyebrows into questionable arcs. “Yeah, well, that might be great for one person, but as you can see, there are four of us here. We’d go through that in record time.”
“I have to agree with Val, Andrew,” Clarissa said. “While it does look like a pretty good stash, I’d be afraid it wouldn’t get us very far, particularly if we’re in this for the long haul.”
“Which we hope we’re not,” Valentina added pointedly. “I hope this wasn’t your final push to get us to stay. ’Cause if it was, it didn’t do the trick.”
Andrew nodded contemplatively. “You may be right.” He eyed the pantry for a moment then crossed the room over to the library. Without another word, he faced away from the women and pushed against one of the bookshelves with both hands. For a moment, Clarissa thought he was reacting to her and Valentina’s disappointment, that his last-ditch effort to convince them to stay had not gone as he had hoped.
Then the bookshelf sank into the wall.
It depressed several inches, but no sooner did this happen than the bookshelf eased forward ahead of a pronounced clink. Andrew held onto it firmly until the width of the shelf—and the section of wall attached to it—cleared the cavity from which it had just rested flush. Another series of spring-like pings followed, then Andrew pulled sideways. The entire shelf drifted to the left, revealing a metal door. Andrew produced a set of keys, selected one, and slipped it into the lock. He pushed the door inward to reveal another room.
Clarissa and Valentina stepped forward, their mouths agape. Even Rachel lifted her head to look.
Who was this guy?
As Clarissa moved closer and saw what lay inside, she knew Andrew had made his point without saying a word. She would, of course, need to consult with Valentina and Rachel, but if their reactions were anything like hers, the discussion could well be considered closed.
It looked like they were staying.
* * *
The room was the size of a large master bedroom, only instead of a bed, the space was packed with meticulously arranged stand-alone and wall-mounted shelving, all of which had been filled with enough food to stock a small grocery store.
Clarissa didn’t try to hide her amazement.
“Oh my God,” she said, as she stepped into the room. “Andrew, how…” She couldn’t finish her sentence and instead placed a disbelieving hand over her mouth.
“What the hell?” Valentina said, leading Rachel in behind Clarissa. Wide-eyed, she surveyed the room then looked at Andrew with a new level of scrutiny. “Are you one of…those people?”
Andrew took her comment in stride. “Which people?”
“Those crazy people who think the world is going to end every ten minutes so they dig holes in the ground and stockpile food.”
“Well, I haven’t dug any holes. And, no, I don’t have a bunker either, if that was your next question. But as you all can see, I do have enough food to get us through for quite awhile.”
Andrew wasn’t kidding. Cans and jars and bags and bins populated every conceivable shelf space. But that wasn’t all. He had stocked first aid supplies, batteries, soaps and cleaners, and medicines, and further investigation revealed a small refrigerator, a gas camp stove, and a corner sink complete with a hand pump. A fold-down cot, which was currently secured, had been installed along the far wall. It even had a small space designated for what looked to be a toilet. The supplies would easily last months, and that was if all four of them ate like gluttonous kings at every meal.
Clarissa found her voice again. “I can’t even imagine how long this must have taken you.”
“I can’t imagine how much it all must’ve cost you,” added Valentina.
Andrew offered a grim smile.
“It wasn’t as expensive or difficult as you think. It took some time. No question about it. What you see took years to accrue. I just had to be disciplined about it. Every time I’d go to the store, I bought a third more food than I needed. Do that every time you go, and it doesn’t take long to amass a good store.”
“Yeah,” Valentina said, “but what are you amassing it for?”
Andrew nodded. “I know what you all are thinking. Here’s this crazy old man who lives in the mountains.” He thought a moment then looked at each woman. “It’s okay. I guess I’ve more than earned that distinction, but I’m all right with that.” A moment of silence passed before Andrew added, “Though for the record, I’m not crazy.”
“No one thinks you’re crazy, Andrew,” Clarissa said. “It’s just that…well…this is unfamiliar territory for us. It all just seems…I don’t know, a little extreme.”
“And it is. I’ll grant you that.” Clarissa lifted her head at his confession. “But I’d trade preparedness over people’s perception of me any day of the week. I know how insane this looks. Hell, I’ve questioned my sanity countless times as I’ve puttered around up here. ‘Andrew, you’re losing your marbles,’ I’d say to myself. But then I'd take a breath, step back, and look at the state of our world. And it’s then I know I’m doing the right thing.”
“So…” Clarissa began, “…if this isn’t a bunker, what is it?”
“It’s a hideout. Someplace where I can lie low if people come scavenging, because believe me, if things continue to go south, they will.”
Valentina thumbed over her shoulder into the previous room.
“Then what’s with all the food out there? That’s not hidden. If anyone comes down here, that’s the first thing they’ll take. Doesn’t make much sense to keep it all out in the open like that.”
“Ah, but I believe it does,” Andrew insisted. “Ever heard of mugger’s pay?”
Valentina wrinkled her nose. “Mugger’s what?”
“Mugger’s pay.” Andrew gawked at the women. “Hasn't anyone been to New York?”
Clarissa and Valentina looked at each other and shrugged.
“Anyway, mugger’s pay is a colorful term I learned there years ago. It essentially refers to reducing the potential for loss. For example, if you knew you were going to be walking through a particularly sketchy neighborhood, and you had money, the wisdom was you took the bulk of what you had and hid it, say in your shoe, keeping only a fraction of the cash in your wallet. That way, if you got mugged, you had something to give the would-be robber so he’d leave and you didn’t lose everything. At least that’s how it's supposed to work in theory.”
Clarissa looked back into the library, her eyes narrowing with understanding.
“So if someone comes here looking for food and finds that pantry…”
Andrew bobbed his head. “The hope is they think they’ve hit the mother lode, stock up, and move on. I used to have a lock installed on the door at the top of the stairs, but I took that off to make it easier for people to find the food stash.”
“Why?” said Rachel quietly, her dark eyes struggling to find life. Clarissa moved to her friend and placed a gentle hand on her back. Rachel offered her a wan smile.
“Well, I figure if someone does show up look
ing for food, they’ll likely suspect it’s kept in the most fortified area. By leaving the stores in the library out in the open, they get what they want, and I get to keep what I have without anyone suspecting a thing. Sort of like hiding in plain sight.”
“What if they don’t move on?” said Valentina.
Andrew scowled. “I’m sorry?”
“You said once people found the food you thought they’d move on. What if they don’t? You’ve got some pretty stocked shelves out there. What if people show up and think the house is empty? And then they discover all this food lying around? Seems to me they’d make the most of it and hang around for awhile. Especially if things get scary.”
“You make a valid point, but it’s one I have thoroughly considered,” Andrew said. He crossed the room to replace a bag of rice that had fallen off a shelf. “It’s all about mitigating risk. That’s why there's a sink. A stove. A bed. Toilet. If need be, this room will allow me to hole up as long as necessary in case of an emergency.”
Valentina took several steps toward the cot then stopped.
“I don’t know if you’ve done the math yet, but I only see one cot. Might want to do a head count again.”
Andrew stood and swiped his palms on his pants. “Yeah, well, like I said, I was prepared to hole up.”
“Was,” Clarissa repeated. “Meaning, if we stay, you won’t have to.”
Andrew eyed each woman. “The numbers would be in our favor. We would always have someone awake to keep watch, and, as you can clearly see for yourselves, we have enough supplies to last us for months, probably even a couple of years if we ration well. And that doesn’t include what we can get from the garden, the chickens, and the goats.” Andrew checked his watch. “Speaking of which, it’s milking time.”
He walked past the women toward the door then turned and faced them. He inhaled and thought a moment before speaking.
“There’s not much more to say. You see what’s happening out there. And now you see how you’ll be safer here. I’m not guaranteeing nothing bad will happen if you do decide to stay, but there were never any guarantees before the Sound arrived either, were there? But I believe if we stay together, if we combine our numbers, we at least have a fighting chance to outlast whatever this is.” He offered a weak smile. “It’s your decision ladies.”
He started to turn, but Clarissa’s words spun him back around.
“Andrew,” she began, “there’s something I’ve been wondering. Have you considered staying at one of the school shelters the mayor talked about? They seem like they’re the perfect solution for, you know, someone in your situation.”
Andrew laughed, but despair replaced humor.
“The shelters? In that barely contained chaos? Things are going to degrade at lightning speed in the coming days, Clarissa. You saw what happened not two hours ago. People aren’t just frightened—they’re terrified. And for good reason. The shelters? To survive them would mean putting faith in the hands of total strangers. I’d no more insert myself into that environment than I would step in front of a speeding train. And given the two options, I’d choose the train every time.”
Andrew looked as if he wanted to say more but stopped himself when he read the concerned expressions on each woman’s face. Valentina and Rachel looked away uncomfortably, but Clarissa continued to watch him. She stared into his sad, drooping eyes and read in his slumped-shoulder stance something she hadn’t noticed before. Andrew exuded a strong sense of independence and self-reliance, but he was just like everybody else—afraid.
Several seconds of unbearable silence passed before someone spoke again, and when Andrew did, all he said was, “Please close the door when you’ve finished, will you?”
After that, he turned and climbed the stairs.
CHAPTER 18
“I don’t know,” Valentina said through a mouthful of salami and cheese sandwich. “He’s got the setup, the food. That part’s fine. It’s just that…” She glanced from the dining room into the kitchen and living room then delivered a final look toward the second-floor balcony, which overlooked the first-floor living space. “…the dude is weird.”
Clarissa rested both elbows on the oak dining table, as she nibbled from her sandwich. Before Andrew tended to his goats, he had invited the women to help themselves to lunch. The offer was warmly received. Now that things had calmed, the women realized they were rather hungry. Even Rachel had an appetite.
“Why is he weird?” Clarissa asked ahead of another bite. “Because he’s prepared?”
“Prepared,” Valentina scoffed. “He’s one of those prepper people, like on that Doomsday Preppers show.”
Rachel sipped from a glass of water then set it down beside a plate with a half-eaten sandwich on it. A healthy color had returned to her cheeks, and her eyes once again sparkled with life.
“Doomsday Preppers?” said Clarissa. “That’s a National Geographic show. Since when do you watch National Geographic?”
“Hey, there’s more to me than Real Housewives of wherever.”
“Well, I’ve thought about it,” Clarissa began. “I’m staying. If even a fraction of what Andrew says is true, then I’d rather be here than in the city.”
Valentina straightened. “Yeah, if it’s true. We don’t know.”
“No, Val, we don’t, which is all the more reason we should stay. Come on, we’ve all seen the movies and read the books. We know what happens next. People are going to become less and less civilized if the disappearances keep up, and I don’t even want to think about what’ll happen if that sound comes again. We should be thanking Andrew, not raking him over the coals. He’s offering us food and shelter in a remote location. And for what? To make sure he sleeps through the night? Do you know how many people would kill to have that trade-off?”
“I’m staying too,” said Rachel. “Clarissa’s right. This is too good a deal to pass up. I don’t want to go back to town.”
Valentina set down her sandwich. “I don’t particularly want to go back to town either. But the idea of being beholden to someone doesn’t sit well with me. Think about it. He’s a fifty-something single guy living by himself in the woods. And now he’s got three young women—three young attractive women if I’m keeping it real—all living with him under the same roof? No good can come of that.”
Clarissa shook her head. “I think you’ve got him wrong. I know how he can seem, but in all the years I’ve known him, through all our conversations, brief, awkward, or otherwise, I’ve never felt threatened by Andrew. If anything, I feel sad for him. I think the guy’s just lonely.”
“Of course he’s lonely!” Valentina blurted. “And now he’s got a live-in harem.”
“Val…” Rachel said through pursed lips.
“Look,” Clarissa said, “even if you’re right—which, for the record, I don’t think you are—would you rather take your chances with one guy in a controlled environment where food and shelter are guaranteed? Or would you rather be thrown into the madness of a town gone wild and left to fend for yourself? Let me put it this way: what do you think happens if grocery stores can’t restock their shelves? Or if water and power—the Internet—all stop working? How do you think people will react? What do you think some will do to get them? Me? I’d rather not find out.”
Valentina contemplated this.
“But here, we’ll be able to keep almost all of those things,” Clarissa continued. “I’ll bet you the water here is well, which means there’s no dependence on city service, and did you see his solar panel array outside? The only things that’d be out of our control are the phone lines and cell service. And even if they go, we've still got his radio setup. We’d still have a connection to the outside world.”
Valentina swallowed the last of her sandwich and pushed her plate away.
“I hear you, Clar, but you’re throwing out a lot of ifs. Yeah, everyone at Holsten’s lost their shit today. But things have settled now. I mean, hell, look at Rachel.” Rachel cocked her hea
d. “No offense, Rach, but you were a zombie for the past couple of hours and only returned to the land of the living, like, twenty minutes ago.”
Rachel started to protest but decided to remain quiet.
“All I’m saying is, I just want to make sure we’re not making an extreme or rash decision. Because I’m not going back to Pastora unless you guys do.”
Clarissa reached across the table and gripped Valentina’s hand.
“I know you’ve got reservations, Val. But I really do think they’re unfounded. We’re making the right decision by sticking around.”
Valentina searched the surface of the table before looking up. “I hope you’re right.”
“Well, we’ll know soon enough if I’m not.”
Valentina’s brows flatlined. “That’s not very reassuring.”
Clarissa grinned.
“Seriously, though,” Valentina continued, “what’s he do up here all by himself? And did you all see the way he OCDed over that picture on the mantel? The guy’s off.”
“What picture?” said Rachel.
“Oh, that’s right. You were drifting on a cloud somewhere then.”
“Don’t make fun of me. I’ve never been in a situation like that before.”
“No one’s making fun, Rach,” Clarissa said. “Val’s just having a go.” She checked the front door to make sure they were alone before turning back to Valentina. “I noticed that about the picture too. Did you also happen to notice that the woman in that picture is the same woman in every picture around the house?”
Valentina straightened. “For real?” She craned her neck and peered into the living room to scout the displayed framed photographs.
“Must’ve been his wife.”
“Where is she now?” Rachel asked.
“That’s the thing,” Clarissa said. “No one’s seen anyone else around since we got—”
Loud footsteps clomped on the porch just ahead of Andrew, who appeared in the doorway carrying two containers of milk. “You all doing okay?” he said.
