~
The Hummers pulled up onto a broken section of pavement that fronted what was left of the diner and shut down. James, Aaron, Amy and several others walked across to the Hummers as they rolled to a stop.
Conner stood, brushed imaginary dust from the front of his jeans and then pulled Katie to her feet. He stooped down, picked up Brian and settled him onto his shoulders. The Dog followed them as they walked over, completely unlike his usual exuberant self. He stayed at Conner's side taking small, measured steps to match his speed.
Conner looked around him. Everyone was carrying a weapon in their holster, over their shoulder or both. No one was really expecting trouble, but after the past few weeks no one was taking any chances. Even Janna Adams, who had never handled a gun, wore a shoulder holster with what looked like a huge rubber gripped forty-four Magnum pistol, something straight out of a Hollywood movie, flat beige camouflage paint, black rubber grips and a heavy duty nylon webbed holster. She wore a smile on her face, maybe to offset the pistol, Conner thought.
The front drivers' door of the lead Hummer opened and a large red-haired man stepped out onto the cracked and buckled pavement. The other doors opened and the rest of the party began to climb out.
“Jeff,” Conner asked?
“Conner,” Jeff Simmons responded with a smile. They both nodded and then shook hands heartily.
A tall woman, almost as large as Jeff himself stepped next to him. “This is my woman, Shar... Sharon,” Jeff said.
Amy, Katie and Janna Adams stepped forward.
Sharon smiled and took their offered hands, “Shar... To pretty much everyone,” She said.
It took a few minutes to introduce everyone, and then they made their way to the tables. There were three small children, about the same age as Janelle and Brian, accompanied by an older woman. She took a seat next to Lilly where she had settled Janelle and Brian to keep the two smaller children out of the way.
“Who is you?” a blonde haired little boy asked Lilly. “I'm Ben,” he smiled.
Lilly smiled back, “I'm Lilly,” she told him. “This is Brian, and this is Janelle.”
The little boy looked suspiciously at Janelle. Probably at the age where he didn't quite trust little girls yet, Lilly thought. He smiled shyly at Brian.
“I'm Jessica, Lilly,” the older woman told Lilly. She turned to the other two children who were trying to hide behind her. “And this is Mark, and this little lady is Rain.
Lilly smiled. “Hello, Mark. Hello, Rain. Rain is such a pretty name.”
“My mom told it to me,” The little girl said seriously. She fixed her eyes on Janelle. “I got some dolls. You got some?”
Janelle turned and pointed at the store behind her. “I got some. I got a lot. Are you going to live with us?”
Rain shrugged her shoulders. “I don't know 'cause nobody told me, 'cause I'm just a kid.”
Janelle solemnly nodded her head.
Rain got up, crossed the short distance, climbed up on the seat next to Janelle and sat down.
The other couple from the third Hummer had made their way over to the table. They were young, possibly younger than Lilly, Conner thought. He reminded himself how much everything had changed though, how mature eighteen was now, how actual age didn't have as much to do with life as it once had.
As Conner shook hands, he realized he had been wrong. David, the young man, was certainly Lilly's age, maybe a year or two older. But the woman, Arlene, was much older. Maybe in her early thirties. Again he reminded himself that it didn't matter. Even so, it reminded him of Lilly and Jake. Lilly came over, Jake with her, and the two couples seemed to hit it off immediately.
The entire camp was bubbling over with conversation. Janna Adams, Amy, Dustin and Allison began serving breakfast to the newcomers. The hum of conversation dropped lower as the camp began to settle down to eat.
~
“I never thought of something like a Hummer, Jeff,” Conner said.
“There was a National Guard base. About twenty of these things just sitting there,” Jeff explained.
“We were right next to a big military base and never even thought to check it out,” Conner said. “Drove by that base all the time. Saw them. Most of them were like yours, the H-1, version, but I know there are other versions that aren't military. The H1 and the H2 both,” Conner said.
“And three and four,” James added. “But the three and four versions are not really military trucks, not really even off road trucks. But they are really good off road vehicles, and what about all those Jeeps? One of those new four door models. I should have thought that, and I didn't,” James said.
“Well, next time we need a new vehicle we'll look in that direction,” Conner said. “But the ones you guys are building are probably going to be damn hard to beat when you're done with them.”
There were a few of them sitting around talking. The rest of the camp had drifted off to begin the projects they had planned to do the day before. Lilly had taken all five of the children to the toy store to keep them occupied. Jessica went with her.
Molly, Jake, Dustin and Allison left to go to the garage, and it looked to Conner like James was looking for an excuse to get his hands greased up again. It was probably why, Conner thought, James came up with an excuse to leave a few moments later.
“Well, Jeff,” James said extending his hand. “It was good to get to talk to you, but if I don't get over to the garage there's no telling what those kids will build... or take apart,” he finished with a laugh.
“It was good to meet you, James,” Jeff said. They shook hands goodbye, and that left Amy, Aaron, Katie and Conner as well as Jeff, Sharon, David and Arlene.
“So,” Conner said in the silence that fell, “have you guys thought about how far you might actually go? I mean, all the way to California or just west?”
“Well, when I said west, it's more southwest we were thinking. Texas, Mexico, maybe even South America,” Jeff said.
Conner nodded.
“James and his wife Janna, and maybe a few others, are going to go back to the land. They're looking for a place. Wilderness, or close to it,” Katie said, “To settle down.”
“We discussed that, but we don't know just yet,” Jeff said.
“It would have my vote,” Sharon said.
“Mine also,” Arlene said. “We've only been traveling a week, and I'm already sick of it.”
“Maybe we're closer to a decision than I thought we were,” Jeff said sheepishly. “All of you looking at doing that?” he asked.
Conner looked at Katie; Katie looked at Amy and Aaron and then back to Conner.
“It's on the table,” Conner said. “We talked it over early on, but no one fully decided. James and Janna, they have an idea of rebuilding the Indian Nation. That is a different thing than deciding to live in the wilderness, I think they have a specific place picked out, the forever wild area up around Kentucky, Tennessee. Extends into Alabama. Huge.”
Jeff nodded. “I think I heard about that somewhere. Read about it, maybe in school.”
Conner nodded. “It almost sounds like anti-technology talk. Maybe no rifles. That's what I got from what they said early on. But I think that has changed. I think they've revised things a little. Anyway, it's there on the table.” He looked at Katie. “I guess for me personally, and I mean me, nobody else, it depends on what my woman wants to do. If she wanted to go, I would. I mean we're all going to live somewhere. There really aren't any cities left. If there are, they're unsafe, or worse from what we've seen,” Conner said.
Katie smiled at him. “We met some real crazies back in Old Towne,” she said. “This has brought out the worst in some people.”
“I told Conner last night we've had a rough time ourselves. We've taken to avoiding towns, cities. Starting something over again in the middle of nowhere don't sound so bad compared to what we've seen,” he said softly.
He paused for a moment and a pained look crossed his face. “The li
ttle ones, the older woman... we found them abandoned on the outskirts of a little city up north a little further, and the people we're refusing to feed them. Too old... Too young... Worthless they told them. That shocked me. But she told us later that they had been toying with the idea of killing them out right.” Jeff nodded at the face Katie made. “And the women they had with them they treated like possessions.” He shrugged, “We took them with us. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't leave them.”
“It was the same back where we came up. They were about to try to take us,” Amy said. “We spoiled their plans I think.”
Jeff nodded. “Maybe I'll talk to James and his woman a little more later on,” he said. “See exactly what they have in mind.”
“I think he'd like the opportunity, and to be honest, I'd like to hear what he has to say too, where they've gone with their thinking.”
“We've got the little ones. Traveling isn't exactly the kind of life they need,” Jeff added.
“Well, we've got a way to go anyway before we hit southern climates. So we've got to travel some,” Conner said. “There's time to make our decisions.”
“I think most of us want someplace safe. That's all, just safe,” Katie said.
“Safe sounds good,” Arlene agreed. She squeezed David's hand, and he pulled her closer to him.
“I can get behind that,” Aaron said. “I grew up in the city. I thought that was bad, but what we just went through in Old Towne? Those people were crazy... still are crazy, I guess. It's like the way the city was, but if you took off all the controls. No cops, nobody to stop you at all. Makes me wonder what things are going to be like in a few years. I want Amy and our children to have something safer. Sometimes I think James's idea isn't all that bad,” he paused and scuffed one booted foot at the ground before continuing.
“I don't know about leaving all the technology behind, that seems a waste. Not all of it was bad. What do we really have left? Cars and trucks? High powered weapons? I guess it's all still out there somewhere. But the vehicles, the weapons will all rust away, fall apart, then what? We'll run out of bullets someday. Does anyone know how to make bullets, where to get the stuff to make gunpowder with? I don't, that's for sure. And so what little we have that we're using will pass away on its own. Maybe, in another twenty thousand years or so, we'll all be living in caves throwing spears at our food. I read something about that once. The world goes just so far, something happens and it falls apart. Society devolves, then the whole thing starts all over again from nothing,” he shrugged, seeming uncomfortable.
“You know, I never heard you say that much at one time before, Aaron,” Conner said laughing.
Aaron nodded. “I don't, not usually, but I guess I've been thinking as well, Conner. I have Amy to think of. We have each other to think of. In the old world, well, I was OK with letting shit go by... slide. I had an attitude of whatever I think or want won't make a difference so why bother? But now, that's all changed. We're the ones building our own world. We can do it right. Not like those guys back in Old Towne,” Aaron finished.
“I agree. And I like the way that you put it, Aaron,” Katie said.
“Yeah, it really is that way,” David agreed.
“I care about what Conner wants. I, we, want to have children. We want them to be safe. Conner and I haven't really talked about it, but I'll bet that all of us will be talking about it tonight,” Katie finished.
~
The morning crept by, and eventually Aaron, Amy, and Katie said their goodbyes and left to take care of their own responsibilities. David and Arlene went with them. They all headed for one of the chain stores.
Conner, Jeff and Sharon wound up checking over a large map of the Eastern United States that Conner had been carrying with him. It extended to about the middle of the country. The red line of a grease pencil ran roughly along, following major routes and ending in Mobile Alabama.
“Why Mobile?” Jeff asked.
“Aaron's people are from there. He lived there as a kid until his parents died, then he came up here to live and ended up in the city, New York, living with an Aunt. From there he went up to Old Towne to work and stayed. But, he remembers the gulf coast as a kid. A little town called Pritchard. He wants to see how it is, whether any of his people are still there. It's south, that's where we're going. About as south as you can get, and we'll have someone that knows the area when we get there,” Conner explained.
“Got the same thing,” Jeff said. “Arlene comes from Texas, spent time in Arizona, and got around in Mexico quite a bit as well.”
They all stood from the map and Jeff looked over at the Auto store. “Think they got tires to fit my trucks?” he asked.
“I wouldn't doubt it,” Conner said. He looked over at the Hummers.
“Oh, they look okay,” Jeff said. “It's dry rot. All cracked and split from sitting around. If you wouldn't mind us being here a while, maybe we can change those tires out. I've been more than a little worried about them,” Jeff finished.
“You're welcome as long as you'd like to stay, and I'm sure that comes from everyone. Let's go see what they got,” Conner said. He and Jeff walked over to the auto garage.
~
By late afternoon they had swapped out tires on one of the hummers and started on a second one. Dustin and Allison, who had gotten pretty good at changing tires with only tire irons, had done the first few tires to show Jeff how it was done, then left him to it.
Molly was still working alongside Jake and James. Between the three of them, they had finished the third Suburban, complete with tube bumpers, top racks and rock slider side steps, along with larger, wider tires and the heavy duty suspension parts they had used for the other trucks.
They had also installed two winches on this one, front and back.
“We'll use it to pull out any of the other trucks that get stuck, whether in front of or behind us,” James said.
They had wandered over to look over the Hummers, and Jake had gone with Jeff to show him where the tires were stored. Jeff had found the tires he had wanted immediately, and Jake had helped him to get them back to the garage.
Conner had left to locate Katie and the others. He'd finally found them, over their heads in boxes, in a large storage building attached to the rear of one of the chain stores.
“Looking for flour,” Katie told him. She turned and pointed at three large boxes resting on the concrete floor. Those are one pound bags boxed and untouched. All the twenty five pound bags we found are wet or eaten into, or both.” She shrugged, leaned towards him and gave him a quick kiss. He looked injured.
“Baby,” she said. He looked around. They were momentarily hidden in the stacks. He pulled her to him and kissed her harder.
“Bad Conner,” Katie said, pulling him closer to return the kiss.
“You guys,” Amy said coming around the corner of a stack of boxes. She smiled though.
Katie giggled and Conner rolled his eyes. “Okay... flour,” he said and began looking in earnest.
~
An hour more of searching located two more boxes of the one pound bags, a palette of twenty five pound bags full of rat burrowed holes, and several cases of peanut butter.
David and Aaron had loaded up two large rolling carts, and they were all helping to pull them out through the main store and into the parking lot. The peanut butter, the salvageable flour, several cases of vegetables and canned meats, several kinds of energy bars, along with dozens of cases of sports drinks filled the carts.
“No bottled water at all,” Amy said.
“I know,” Katie said. “And we have a lot, but it's not like we can turn a tap and get more.”
Everyone murmured agreement or nodded their heads. There were cases upon cases of sports drinks and vitamin water, and they had taken several cases of those, but they found no bottled water at all. As they were pulling the carts back, they ran into the men from the garage coming back from a stream that ran behind the garage area back along the wood
line.
The water was ice cold, but everyone liked to stay clean, and it was amazing, Conner thought, what you could get used to when there was no alternative.
“I do miss hot showers,” James said. “I think a new world will have to find a way to do hot showers.” Everybody laughed.
“I'll be up later,” Katie told Conner. She'd simply picked up new clothes while they were in the store, as had Amy and Arlene.
As they headed down towards the wood line, Allison, who had stayed behind to help Dustin pick up the garage, called out to them to wait for her. She caught up and joined them walking down the trail to the small stream.
The men had picked up their own clothes and headed to a spot around a small bend in the stream, out of sight of the women.
~
Lilly and Jessica had cleaned up a few more of the motel rooms, including a double with adjoining doors to keep the children together. They had heated water and bathed the children in one of the bathtubs. Getting the water up from the stream had seemed as though it would be the hardest part, but Dustin and Allison, testing out one of the lifted Suburbans, had taken them down with several large water containers, helped them fill them, then drove them back up in style.
The kids loved riding in the Suburban. It was just another game to play.
They had not even given them too hard a time about taking a bath. Jessica took over watching the freshly scrubbed children while Lilly left to go down to the creek to get herself cleaned up.
Sandy and Susan were coming up the path as Lilly was going down.
“Cold?” she asked. The day had warmed up. She was hopeful.
“Jesus, is it ever,” Susan answered through chattering teeth.
“Oh well,” Lilly said.
“We need to get one of these Brainiacs to figure out how to get us hot water,” Sandy said. “I may never warm up again.”
“Oh, I doubt that,” Susan said dead pan.
Lilly laughed and headed down the trail, leaving the two of them walking slowly, arm in arm, up the trail.
When she arrived, Molly, Allison, Arlene and Sharon, along with Katie and Amy were already there.
Earth's Survivors: box set Page 55
