Beyond The Burning Shore: Searching For Survival

by Ron Foster

  “Where in the world do you plan on bugging out to? You know these roads are going to be all clogged up in seconds if they aren’t already jammed up leading into the city now. How much cash have you got on you? We can go to the corner convenience store and load up if it doesn’t look too bad. If it’s packed, we bypass it and try to hit the Food Lion for some canned goods are the only two things I can think of.” Hogan said studying the full size pistol she was barely concealing.

  “We have only got just twelve hours to get away they say, why don’t we leave now to and head to your place in Alabama?” Annie asked.

  “Dang give me a minute. I don’t think that’s possible to do safely right at the moment.” Hogan said as he went to his backpack and pulled out a crank and battery/solar powered radio.

  Once he got the batteries loaded and tuned in to a local station, they both listened intently to the emergency broadcast streaming out reports for a few minutes. A national Emergency had been declared with warnings to prepare for extended power and water outages. People were advised to stay home and not go out unless absolutely necessary and listen to the Presidents Emergency address to the Nation in an hour it said. Traffic reports when Hogan found one were scanty but were pretty much as he bad he guessed with temporary road closures and wrecks.

  “Fat lot of good that will do!” Annie began to say regarding the instructions on stay indoors before the power suddenly came back on and the TV began to stream its annoying alert noises and recorded warnings again.

  “I guess some of the power stations hit the off switch a bit too early! Ok what we need to do is get ready to bug ourselves in here and not be thinking about bugging out just yet. Everyone at the moment is going to be losing their minds on the road and I bet it gets even worse the later it gets. Let’s go try to get ourselves some food if we can and see what the traffic is doing. If it looks like we can get a clear path out of here, we will just go ahead and leave now before the interstate exits shut down. You are welcome as you know to go hide out at my prepper shack for as long as it takes but I bet the roads out of here are snarled already from that brief power outage. People are fools even when the streetlights are working properly. I bet a lot of places and intersections are already screwing up by the numbers if the traffic lights have been off at all.” Hogan declared.

  “I started hearing ambulances and such at about six thirty. I am not sure just how long they have been broadcasting the initial warning.” Annie said as the power began blipping on and off before finally staying off.

  “How are you fixed on water?” Hogan asked as he went to fill up his bathtub.

  “I have already done that and have filled most every pot and pan in the house with water. Want me to start filling up yours? Feels weird to do that with the river so close by but I remembered what you said about the pollution that might be coming downstream if the power stayed off awhile.” Annie said before Hogan’s phone began to ring and Annie’s too.

  “Hogan, try to get to me, scratch, scratch electronic noise, if you can make it, garble, garble #%@” and then his phone went dead again as well as Annie’s.

  “That was my family trying to see if I was alright.” Annie said beginning to cry but still dutifully filling up Hogan’s pots and pans with precious tap water.

  “It will be ok, Darling, we will get through this.” Was all Hogan could come up with to say as he stopped her from her task momentarily and held her for a few seconds, overwhelmed at both of their current state of affairs.

  The radio droned on in the background with local traffic reports interrupted by emergency broadcast messages that said nothing other than we were in for deep doo doo and for citizens to get water and supplies if they could.

  “Great, no water pressure.” Hogan said as his faucets flow turned to a trickle.

  “Dang it! I had the perfect way out of this mess a moment ago I thought because my boss said for me to come to his house to ride it out. We would have been sitting pretty there, but the radio just said traffic was hopelessly snarled from Buford highway and beyond with Forest Park cutoff closed from a semi accident and fires at the airport. Come on, you can leave that for later lets go to the convenience store.” Hogan said grabbing his keys and as they exited his apartment he could see other people must have woken up and heard the same broadcast they had.

  “Maybe not! Look at all those people rushing to get out! Let’s just stay here at home for awhile until the parking lot clears and avoid the accidents and work on what we got on hand. How are you fixed for food?” Hogan asked Annie.

  “The usual, it’s the end of the week and I was going to go shopping Sunday after we went fishing today to do the re-supply. I haven’t got anything much at all stored for preps here except 72 hours in my bug out bag and maybe a weeks’ worth of odd meals from buying an extra item or two every week when I go to the grocery store to build up something around here food prep wise. I am kind of like you; I had to leave all my long term storage food preps at home to move over here for a short while.” Annie said wringing her hands.

  “Well some folks call me crazy but I got 45 lbs. each of beans and rice in five gallon buckets I threw in the back of my van coming up here as back up preps. I will be proud to share those with you and I even got two cases of spam, one of which just got delivered by Amazon yesterday. Other than that, my pantry is kind of lacking but I got a solid week or two worth of basic canned goods like soups and ravioli and such.” Hogan said contemplating their next move.

  “I thought you might have something crazy like that put back and I am so glad that you do and offered to share! However, as grateful as I am that doesn’t tell me what our next step is, what are you thinking, Hogan? That food won’t last as long as this problem is going to be going on. I think we need to be leaving out now, don’t we?” Annie declared and looked to her friend for some miraculous advice she knew wasn’t forthcoming but had to ask anyway.

  “Gimme a bit. Hey coffee water is still hot, want some?” Hogan asked.

  “Oh that would be wonderful. I was in such a hurry to get my stuff together and packed and get over here that I missed my cup this morning.” Annie replied appearing much more calmed down as their mutual plight registered and a plan of action started to be made and discussed.

  “First things first, let’s deal with our most imminent dangers.” Hogan said as he poured her a cup of coffee.

  “We are avoiding danger by not getting out at the moment. No sense foolishly charging out in this mess if we don’t have to right this minute. Hey you want a shot of whiskey in your coffee? I shouldn’t be even thinking of doing one but I need a bit of the hair of the dog to clear my head after last night. Damn your friends can drink!” Hogan said making a small joke that didn’t go over very well.

  “No I don’t want one but you go ahead. Liquor store?” Annie asked thinking of barter material and less likely places to visit that would be not flooded with customers at this hour maybe.

  “Good idea but they don’t open until 10 o’clock and that’s if they are coming in to work at all today but add that to your list.” Hogan said thinking that was a very good idea seeing he only had a half of bottle himself in the apartment to make it through the whole apocalypse. Hey they carried ice and snacks also in that store so why not?

  “How much ammo you got on hand?” Annie questioned.

  “Enough, we ain’t going to try to go to the gun store or Wal-Mart, if that’s what you’re thinking. Besides I only have 24 dollars or so in cash on me and who knows what the credit cards are doing today.” Hogan said dismissing the idea.

  “How much cash do you have anyway?” Hogan inquired.

  “I have over $300 I got put back and some in my purse left from last night I will count now.” Annie said going to look.

  “Looks like I got $363, what can we go buy?” Annie asked trying to think.

  “Give me a minute to let this drink unfrazzle my nerves some; I can’t believe I didn’t replace my reserve cash I spent the other day instea
d of going to the bank. Annie what business is close and open in the next hour or so that we haven’t mentioned yet?” Hogan said studying the problem more closely.

  “How about going to the pet store?” Annie exclaimed.

  “Yea let’s think about sitting on their doorstep pretty soon. I can eat sunflower seeds just as well as a bird can and I ain’t objecting to us buying some cans of Alpo dog food to eat if we have to. There isn’t anything around here to consider that’s close other than every kind of food restaurant imaginable. I wonder if we ought to maybe try to buy some of their uncooked inventory if the price is right. That is if we can find someone willing to sell us something. No bad idea, no one will probably even show up for work anyway to open up.” Hogan said looking out the window at the unusual amount of traffic moving around in the complex.

  Annie joined him at the window and looked out also.

  “I got to say it, You know if this event wasn’t so tragic and bizarre it would be kind of fun and interesting as an emergency drill to speculate on what everyone is doing or thinking about doing at the moment. What do people do when they find out their world collapses in 12 hours?” Annie murmured.

  “So far they aren’t freaking out around here too bad. A lot of people have some kind of stupid media induced idea we all turn into manic gibbering idiots at the first sign of danger manifesting itself when I have found exactly the opposite is true.” Hogan said noticing people were pretty much driving normally and allowing each other to pass and go on when in doubt.

  “Come on Hogan, we can figure things out in the car. I will be careful driving but we are getting in on this great big going out of business sale somehow while we can maybe still find something.” Annie said taking her belt off to change the position of her hip holster to a small of the back carry rig.

  “NEAT! A multi position holster, that’s a pretty slick setup, Annie. I saw one of those things advertised in Sportsman’s Guide once but I have never seen one in person. By the way, I was going to say something to you about it before we took off. I don’t think just because the emergency broadcast system said hell starts in 12 hours means you can open carry in this town just yet.” Hogan said while pondering if besides just his concealed carry Keltec 9mm he should grab his full size pistol and waistband carry it because all he only had was a shoulder holster for it.

  It was hot as could be moving towards the 90’s now it felt like and he really didn’t want to try wearing an extra shirt over that shoulder holster to try to conceal it. He noted his pistol carrying quandary to Annie who was all for him just wearing a t-shirt and putting on an open denim short sleeved work shirt over it because it didn’t seem to print the material too badly. She cautioned him however to just be careful if he leaned over so he wouldn’t be flashing the piece too much.

  “ I ain’t too worried about needing more than my little pocket rocket pistol but today I bet is going to be idiot day for everyone to be packing a pistol so I better have with me a bit more firepower on me, I guess. I am telling you right now though Annie, if that grocery store looks and acts like a Black Friday sale door buster special of people running over and trampling each other, we ain’t going to go near it. Those kinds of unruly crowds would mean we already got the poorer outlying neighborhoods already checking out the resources in this richer side of town and they tend to have the want to be gangster types with them that like to shoot up stuff for no reason and act like fools no matter what.” Hogan said as they walked down to her car.

  Hogan had advised Annie before he believes the most violent people-at least in the early stages of SHTF are going to be some of the more clueless young people and those on Welfare or other entitlement programs. Mostly he believed this to be true because generally speaking these people have NO concept of putting back supplies or are able to try to save some funds. They will be the first to become hungry, the first to make screaming demands on others, and the first to turn violent when they realize the gravy train of food stamps or other assistance isn’t running anymore.

  “You got a long gun hid somewhere in there?” Hogan asked eying the evidently packed to the gills little rental car her company had provided for her stay.

  “No damn it, all of mine are back at home in Missouri. It was hard enough for me just bringing my pistol here because they flew me in. I could have maybe figured something out to get a long gun here but it was just too much trouble. You know what they say about hindsight. Besides I had an assigned company representative come pick me up at the airport and I didn’t want to start any gossip the first day here with a checked rifle or shotgun I needed to retrieve from the baggage claim. I did think about though, I considered I might get away with saying I was a skeet shooter and bringing my shotgun but I decided against it. Anything that might be related to a rifle case freaks folks in my corporate world out.” Annie said with a sigh.

  “Throw your bug out bag inside my house at least and leave us some room in your backseat in case we manage to score some groceries.” Hogan said regarding the jumble of gear he saw in the car and mentally knowing that her trunk was equally packed.

  “Yea Ok, I forgot how pretty much loaded up my car was. I figured me and you would have already been on the highway by now. You sure you don’t want to reconsider doing that?” Annie said still wondering if trying to drive out wasn’t their best move but being so far from home she was going to stick to Hogan like glue and follow his lead because of his many years experience of being a master of disaster in situations similar to this.

  “I am still arguing with myself on that one, but we know the power has been flickering on and off for some time now and in my opinion it only takes only once or twice and five minutes of no streetlights for Atlanta downtown to get into a huge mess of dodge the bumper impassable intersections and folks wrecking.” Hogan said.

  “I see your point; you think we will be alright going out on the roads now?” Annie questioned.

  “I ain’t all that keen to try it, but I am willing to try if you are since we are in the suburbs and there is no ice on the roads to mess the speeders up. You remember when it snowed back in January or were you here then?” Ok you missed the fun, the whole damn city was shut down for days from a little snow and folks lost their minds sliding around or just stayed home waiting it out. Nobody knew how to drive in it; since I had driven in snow and ice before I used to make grocery runs for about a week for others because a lot of people in this complex couldn’t get out or back up that steep hill entering here.” Hogan declared as Annie opened her backdoor.

  “Want to take your van instead?” Annie asked.

  “No, it’s loaded to the hilt too. We were supposed to go fishing today remember? I got the ice chest, fish rods, my inflatable boat, motor; you name it in there.” Hogan said thinking in some kind of bizarre way it was pretty cool he was mostly already loaded up for a bug out if he thought about all that gear that way. What sucked was he was all ready to leave in an instant and he couldn’t get anywhere.

  “I forgot you been riding that raft of yours around and a bunch of other camping stuff since you been here.” Annie began before Hogan complained it wasn’t a “raft” it was an inflatable boat with a keel and a transom and everything and that the Navy Seals didn’t attack beaches on rafts they did it on Zodiac type boats. Besides it was called a Sport Runabout if she wanted to get technical.

  “Don’t be so touchy, I know what it is and I like the hell out of it. I wish I had one. I just always call it your lifeboat or life raft and occasionally interchange the word raft. I know how technologically advanced and tough that boat is. I buy from the same company Sea Eagle, don’t you know!” Annie said a bit miffed that Hogan was being such a stickler about what she called his boat but he was right. Maybe he was just being prickly about it because waking up to this crap with the mung head would make anyone testy. Secretly she was glad though that she was driving and not him because Hogan had refilled his drink again and brought it with him. He wasn’t even close to being drunk but he ha
d said he needed to put it down soon as a drink that early in the morning coming off the party of last night had him feeling it but it was the apocalypse so what the hell? He could have one if she was driving and he wanted it.

  The convenience store looked like an ant pile that had been kicked, evidently the power must have come back on because folks were trying to fill up their gas tanks as well as buy sundries.

  “Wouldn’t that be the pits?” Hogan remarked as he turned to look back “Just imagine Annie to be trying to fill your tank with the power going on and off? I mean you get a couple dollars worth and the power shuts off, a long line of cars is waiting in back of you wanting gas and the pump suddenly isn’t doing anything. Do you leave it and drive off or do you attempt to stand around until it comes back on?” Hogan asked.

  “Sounds to me like one of those conflicted card game questions but you got a point there. I wouldn’t know what to do.” Annie said referring to a prepper pastime in some community get-togethers of playing a game based on a certain circumstance and talking out various options and scenarios to survive it amongst the other participants.

  Hogan had a full tank of gas in his van because he had filled up the day before to go fishing. The plan was to put his boat in far downriver where he hadn’t explored yet but that wasn’t happening today. One nice thing about having an inflatable was no need for boat ramps to launch from because he didn’t need to drag it around on a trailer.

  Annie had her Sea Eagle 370 Kayak that could take advantage of all different types of just plain old river bank entry points also. As a matter of fact, it was that Kayak of hers that had brought them together and made them the friends that they were now.

  Hogan had seen an advertisement in the apartment complexes newsletter that said “Want to Learn to Kayak? Group accepts members’ 8-80.” and he had went to a Kayak and Canoe livery on the river to check it out. Annie was already a member and after he had rented one of the establishments solid kayaks and took a few lessons he had gotten to talking to her and found out they lived in the same apartment complex. He had asked her if she minded him taking her inflatable kayak for a short paddle with her because he was considering buying one. He felt like If he was going to keep pursuing the Kayak thing for recreation it would come out cheaper for him in the long run to own his own Kayak and he had no place to store a big plastic regular one like he had been renting. He thought something like Annie’s Kayak might be a perfect match for kayaking with the clubs in the Atlanta area. Well after that brief trial excursion they had started palling around a little bit just as friends and kind of became close prepper buddies over the months happily chattering about all things prepping and sharing several drinks or a meal here and there.