The Journal: Crimson Skies: (The Journal Book 3)

by Deborah D. Moore

  While everyone was getting settled, I had a brief chat with Amanda, and she went across the street to the truck and secured a couple of large cans of soup, plastic spoons, and Styrofoam cups.

  “I’ve met some of you already. For those I haven’t, I’m Tom White, the Emergency Manager for Marquette County. This is Allexa Smeth, the Emergency Manager for Moose Creek. For the time being, we are in charge. If you have any questions or concerns, you bring them to us.

  “The guidelines for your stay here are simple: Until everyone is here, the housing you are assigned is temporary. There may be some adjusting necessary. Plus, there are some who are coming back to Moose Creek, and it’s only reasonable that they would want their own house back. We don’t know who they may be yet.

  “On the back of the card you were given, please print your full name, your husband or significant other’s name if they will be joining you later, and your children’s names and ages. Also, yours and your husband’s occupation or any other skills you have. If you have hobbies like sewing, knitting, or gardening, write it down.

  “Next: Everyone here has children, and all children from age four to sixteen will attend school once things settle down. Your housing is in the center of town and the closest to the school so the kids can walk.

  “For the next week or so, meals will be furnished at the Inn. That’s the big red and gray building across from the school. It has a commercial kitchen and restaurant seating. Remember, this whole situation is new to us too, so we need time to figure out how to handle things. So please be patient.”

  Just then one of the older boys pushed a smaller boy, who fell against another who pushed him back, and a little girl started screaming. A mother glanced over at the instigator, said something to him, and turned back to us. The boy pushed again and she ignored him.

  I stood up. “The next thing we are going to address is your children’s behavior! You,” I pointed at the dyed redhead, “Get that boy under control or you will be both on the next bus back to Marquette.” She looked ready to protest and then thought better of it. She took the boy by the arm and stepped outside.

  “We are not your babysitters. Understand that and things will work much smoother. I know everyone is in a state of shock. Believe me, at this point, so am I. I found out three hours ago I was going to have five hundred people on my hands. I’ll be blunt,” I said, “I’m not happy about it. All I ask is you respect each other. We all need to work together. You or your kids act up, you’re out of here.” I sat back down and the room got very quiet.

  “Who is number one?” Tom asked, barely suppressing a chuckle.

  The first woman came to the desk and presented her 3x5 card. Tom checked her name on the back, how many children she had, their ages, and if she was expecting a husband to join them later. He then passed the card to me, and I did my best to match a house for them. I wrote an address on another 3x5 card and handed it to the subdued woman, who sat back down.

  “Once you’ve been processed, you’re welcome to get a cup of hot soup over at the kitchen here. Please take care of the containers yourself. Remember, nothing is disposable anymore. Even the Styrofoam cups will be washed and reused.”

  Tom called the next one up, a young woman with a very young and very pregnant daughter.

  “I saw the sign across the road,” she said. “You have a hospital here?”

  “Yes… Judi,” I said, glancing at the card Tom had handed me. “My husband is a doctor. And this is Marci?” I gave them a warm smile. Mark will be delighted to have another maternity case.

  “Oh, thank God!” Judi leaned in to whisper, “Marci is only thirteen. She’s only a child herself and I’m so worried about her delivery.”

  “Once everyone gets here and settles in, you can set up an appointment with him,” I reassured her.

  Tom called the next one and we processed all of the families in less than an hour. Once everyone had a cup of soup they were more cordial, even chatting and laughing amongst themselves.

  I stood to address the room. “A few more things we need to cover. The clinic and hospital across the street are for trauma care. It’s a field hospital with only four beds, and we have only one doctor. If you break your arm or get injured somehow, he can take care of it. If your kids come down with a cold or the measles, he can’t fix it. Keep the child or yourself at home to prevent spreading whatever it is you have. This is not a clinic to run to with every sniffle or bruise.

  “After you settle into your new house, please feel free to wander around town. There’s a playground and tennis courts behind the school. There is also a picnic park and a ball field near the old post office. We hope to have the food service operating within the next couple of hours. That will also be where notices will be posted.”

  ~~~

  The women and children were loaded back onto the waiting bus. Tom decided to stay behind and work on the computerized list, while Amanda and I joined our new residents for the short ride to their new homes.

  As we turned up Superior Lane, I pointed out the Inn on one side and the school on the other. Another twenty yards and I asked the driver to stop. After checking my handwritten list, I called out the first three names and they got off the bus, along with what luggage they had. They matched up the house number on their card and let themselves in.

  We repeated this sequence every half block until the bus was empty.

  Back at the township hall, I gave the bus driver a big bowl of soup. When he finished, he went back to Marquette and the sports arena to wait for the next load of refugees.

  As rocky as this first processing was, I hoped they would all be this smooth.

  ~~~

  “Mom, here’s the list for the motels,” Eric said, handing me his spiral pad. “I’m surprised so many of them have kitchenettes.”

  “That could be handy,” I thought out loud. “What we really need at the moment, though, is some workable system of feeding everyone. Tom, did you see anything on those cards about cooks?”

  “The only one that was remotely close was someone who said they loved to cook,” he told me as he flipped through the cards. “Here it is: Piper Weston.” He jotted down the address she had been assigned.

  “Amanda, would you go talk to her and see if she could help? Once we get the women together again, we should recruit kitchen help. These people will have to learn right from the start to do things for themselves,” I said. “Jason, can you drive that semi over to the service entrance of the Inn? The driver went back with the bus. Then you and Eric unload what looks useful, like cans of soup or stews, easy to fix items. Use your best judgment. It will give them a start, but keep the rest of it locked up.”

  “I can help with the cooking, Mom,” Jason offered.

  “If you want, but I need Eric back here before the next busload arrives,” I reminded them.

  Ken and Karen arrived back at the offices around one o’clock, looking a bit peaked. Ken handed me their list while Karen went into the bathroom and threw up.

  “What’s going on, Ken?” I asked, looking over at the bathroom door that was only partially closed.

  Ken wiped his hand over his face and took a deep breath. “Everything was going really well and we were getting a lot done. Keith and Carron Kaye are still in their home by the way, and said to say hi. Anyway, we were almost finished when we ran into a problem on the east end of the lake. We knocked first like we had been doing, and someone answered, said to come in,” he visibly shuddered. “It was Harvey Ward. He was sitting in a recliner, buck-naked, holding a shotgun, and he… wasn’t alone. There were ten corpses in the living room, Allexa! He had them sitting in chairs, on the couch watching movies. There were even four sitting at the table like they were playing pinochle!”

  “Harvey’s House of Horrors,” Karen said, joining us. She looked unusually pale. “That sick bastard had shot every one of them and posed them like they were company. Men, women, even a couple of teenage girls … I think they were girls.” Karen ran ba
ck to the bathroom.

  Ken looked in the direction his wife went for a long moment before continuing. “Harvey was giggling like a madman and talking to us about joining the party. Then he focused on Karen and stood up.” He turned his back to me for a brief moment. “He was… aroused. Karen pulled her gun out and shot him in the face and then in the crotch.” Ken let out a nervous chuckle.

  “We need to mark that place completely off limits,” I whispered.

  “I ran a roll of police tape around the house. Anyone getting close should get the message,” Ken said.

  “Do you want to take Karen home?” I asked him gently.

  “Actually, I think she’d rather keep working here, if that’s okay.”

  ~~~

  It was mid-afternoon when the next busload arrived with perhaps a dozen personal cars following. We used the same procedure of issuing numbers. Though this group was all childless older couples, we still passed out fifty numbers. By assigning these couples to the various motels, it went quickly. There were a few exceptions.

  “Is there any chance we can get a house with a yard?” one woman pleaded. “I’d really like to put in a garden. I do understand about using the housing space wisely, and if my daughter and her husband move in with us, it would save space and I’d have some help.”

  “I agree. Let’s look at this other list,” I said, shuffling some papers. I found the list Ken and Karen had dropped off before they started patrolling the parking areas. I assigned the family a house down on Lake Meade.

  Four others came to Tom and asked about joint housing. Seems they had been close friends for many years and wanted to stay together. I really thought that if we made as many feel welcomed and as comfortable as possible, the fewer problems we would have. I assigned them a house next to the other family.

  I gave the same speech about getting along, the hospital, and the food.

  “Perhaps I can help,” a middle aged woman said, approaching me. “I come from a really large family. I’m used to cooking a lot at a time, and I’d like to help somehow. I’m Marsha by the way.”

  “You just got yourself a job!” I said enthusiastically. “In fact, let me have your card back, I’m changing your housing to live right at the Inn. It has a dozen rooms on the upper floors. Let’s take a walk and you can choose whichever room you want. That might be your only perk. The rest is going to be a lot of work.”

  I left Eric and Tom to escort the other couples to the various motels. As a tourist town, Moose Creek had several seasonal motels that had quickly become a benefit to us as instant housing.

  I introduced Marsha and her husband to Jason and Amanda, and returned to the offices in time to see the three long commercial tankers backing into the lot at Frams’.

  “What are those, Tom?” I asked.

  “Propane, gas, and diesel. Each of the three locations gets the same thing. I thought it only fair.” He leaned against the doorway. “It will still have to be rationed. When this is gone, it’s gone.”

  What a daunting thought.

  “That’s it for today, Allexa,” Tom yawned. “I don’t know about you, but that was exhausting. I still need to get back to Marquette.” He paused for a long time, not moving to leave.

  “What, Tom?”

  He looked at me, then away. “You know, this is what we trained for, and we did well today. But all of this has such a… a final feeling to it.”

  “Are you coming back?” I asked in a small voice.

  He smiled at my obvious emotional pain. “Yes, Allex, I’m coming back. Jim and I discussed it and I volunteered to move here to Moose Creek and give you a hand in running it. We couldn’t just dump five hundred people on your doorstep without some help.”

  “Is Jim coming too?” I asked. I’d grown quite fond of the Colonel.

  “No, he feels he will be of better use in the Soo fighting the Canadians.” He laughed. “Who ever thought we would be at war with Canada?” That left me speechless and sad. “Let me give you and Eric a lift home, Allex. We’re done for now and tomorrow is going to be a very long day.”

  ~~~

  Rayn’s Hummer and a step-van were sitting in the driveway. Rayn was sitting on top of the picnic table with a glass of water, deep in thought. Mark was nowhere in sight.

  “Rayn, where’s Mark?” I asked, alarmed.

  “He’s in the house, having a drink. He’s really upset and I think he’s mad at me,” she stated.

  “Over what?” I asked.

  She frowned. “Maybe you should ask him.”

  Just then Mark came out the back door. “She almost killed me!” he snapped, pointing at the young lady sitting quietly.

  “I did not, Doctor Mark!” Rayn protested.

  “What in the world happened?” I asked, wrapping my arms around Mark, so glad to see him home. “No, don’t say anything yet. I think I need a drink for this. Tom, you want anything?”

  “No, though I’d like to know what the fuss is all about.” He grinned.

  Mark followed me inside, and I saw Eric sit down next to Rayn and hug her. They were going to make a good couple.

  “One of you start from the beginning,” I pleaded, taking a sip of my spiced rum. It went down smoothly, just like it should on a rough day.

  Mark and Rayn glared at each other.

  “Mark, how did it go at the pharmacy?” I asked, hoping to get something started.

  “Actually, it went quite well,” Mark said. “We finished everything in less than two hours. The sorting, packaging, even marking all the boxes. There wasn’t a great deal left. I did manage to get some vital things for the hospital.”

  “Since the pharmaceuticals were at the top of Col. Andrews’ priority list, those were loaded first and left with a guard, even though there isn’t anyone left in town who’s out to steal,” Rayn chimed in. “After that all of us circulated with shopping carts. It was actually kind of fun. Three semis are now loaded with an amazing variety of things. One of them should arrive in Moose Creek in a few hours. The soldier driving it will sleep in the cab tonight to protect it. Oh, and he’s staying with us so he will need quarters.”

  “Us?” Eric gasped. “Does that mean you’re staying?”

  “Of course I’m staying,” she laughed. “I asked for this assignment as soon as it came up.”

  “Rayn, I’m delighted you will be here, but let’s get on with what happened, please!”

  “I volunteered to drive the pharmaceutical truck,” Mark stated. “That’s it over there.” He pointed to the oversized step van. “I wanted to stop at the Medical Center before we came home since there is no going back.” He looked at me; his eyes had a touch of fear. “Oh, Allex, it’s bad there, really bad, there are fires everywhere.”

  “He told me that if I didn’t stop with him, he would go alone.” Rayn glared at him again. “I couldn’t let that happen, so I went.”

  “The parking lot was empty. I pulled up as close to the doors by the rehab center as I could, and Rayn was right behind me. I went to the equipment supply room first and found what I wanted: a wheelchair. I went back for another one while Rayn stood guard. I also found several pairs of adjustable crutches and some limb stabilizers that I piled on top of the second wheelchair. When I was headed back to leave, some guy stepped out from one of the therapy rooms and pointed a gun at me.” He swallowed hard. “I’m not afraid to admit that I was really scared, Allex.”

  “The guy didn’t see me at first,” Rayn stated calmly. “When he saw me and turned my direction, his whole body turned, including his gun hand. As soon as the weapon cleared the doctor’s range, I fired.”

  “The Arc,” Eric said, and Rayn nodded. “Once the perp began the Arc, that curve of space where the gun isn’t pointed at anything, the doctor was no longer in danger of being shot by a reflex firing,” Eric explained. “The Arc lasts only a fraction of a second.”

  “She could have hit me!” Mark yelled starting to pace.

  “Mark, where did the bullet actual
ly hit?” I asked.

  “In the middle of his forehead.”

  “From what I understand, Rayn is an excellent shot, and that was a very short range. So it was exactly where she aimed. You were never in any danger from her hitting you. It sounds like she saved you.” I hugged him tightly. “I’m really glad she did!”

  “It was really loud,” he said, his voice quieting. “My ears are still ringing.”

  “So did you bring the wheelchairs with you?” Tom asked.

  “After all of that I was not about to leave them behind. Allex, I want to take one to Collins. He’s having a rough time getting around on crutches with a broken arm.”

  When Tom was getting ready to leave, a moving van pulled into the driveway. It was getting busy here.

  Staff Sargent Frank Sanders, one of the colonel’s private detail, stepped down from the driver’s seat. Rayn and Eric both stood and Rayn gave him a quick nod, acknowledging his superior rank. He returned her gesture, also nodding to Eric, who outranked him. Even though Eric was no longer active military, it was all a sign of respect.

  “Ma’am,” Sgt. Sanders said, “this is a special delivery from Col. Andrews. I’m to give only you or the doctor the keys. One key is for the truck, the other is for the padlock on the back doors.”

  “What’s in there, Sargent?” I asked.

  “I don’t know, ma’am.”

  Mark took the keys and opened the padlock, looked inside, and then locked it again. He stood by my side, grinning.

  “Do you need a ride back to Marquette?” Tom asked the young soldier.

  “Yes, sir, I do, although I will be coming back tomorrow to stay.”