Beyond The Burning Shore: Searching For Survival

by Ron Foster

  “Could be, we shall see. I figure we just bug in and stay inside as best we can. No reason for us to go out anywhere except maybe down to the river to draw water and that’s it, well that and get rid of trash or use the latrine. Speaking of latrines it’s about to get real funky nasty around here when the water stops for good. That could be if it stops entirely, there is just no telling if that electrical shutdown will help them restart the turbines again or not. I figure the water department has got enough fuel for the emergency generators to diesel power the pumps for a few weeks, if need be. The electrical outage shouldn’t affect natural gas too much but then again won’t be any fun around here if the gas mains somehow catch on fire. Anyway, if the water flows, the city flows; if the water stops, the city stops and the people have to leave, simple as that. Speaking of water flowing, I wonder what in the world the dam is going to be doing? This river gets kind of crazy with the water levels when the dam starts releasing water. Usually I refer to the dam’s website for level schedules but I can’t do that at the moment to get any news.” Hogan said.

  “That is a good question.” Annie said pondering it.

  “I say that they retain water in the reservoir so they can dump it over the turbines to restart the generators.” Hogan said pondering it.

  “Is that how they do it? Wouldn’t they dump the water while not producing power and let the water build back up on its own since the pumps will be down?” Annie questioned.

  “Well you could very well be right. I don’t know much about how that thing works or their emergency plans for a disaster but I would say if you predict increase in fires you need more water so they would keep the reservoir full. Who knows? That could be a good thing because it will block a lot of that sewage and such that will be flowing into the river and polluting the hell out of everything.” Hogan said not liking the sounds of the options they had going on.

  “So how far down the river do you plan on going if we end up having to go with that mode of transport? I am guessing that there is going to be a lot of people migrating towards water around all those state parks and such down that way.” Annie said.

  “I figured the same; I have got me a hard to spot campsite all picked out upstream from the parks to hang out at for a bit. Its remote and being upstream I won’t have to worry about all the pollution from the humans at the park washing downstream on me; course we got a whole city on the other side. People will be driven to seek out water to live; refugees will be on the move migrating towards any water source. I figure gas powered outboards as well as rowing and paddling craft will eventually bottleneck around the end of the kayak trail. I don’t want to be there when everyone starts bugging out into the woods or gets stranded on the river bank somehow thinking they can make it just fishing. Somehow or another we got to find ourselves a way to portage and hopscotch around obstacles to more navigable waters and keep heading south. I see some likely options on this road map I got but that doesn’t mean I know where rapids are etc.” Hogan said trying to explain that the end of the rainbow was fraught with danger that he had yet to figure out how to get around.

  “I have seen the devastation a thousand acre wildfire can cause so I understand your concerns about firestorms that may spin off to enflame neighborhoods. Have you thought about that there are a lot of clear areas and streets and stuff around us so maybe we won’t have to rush out and get out onto the river just to escape the inferno? I do think though, Hogan, your idea of us hanging tight and waiting it out here and trying to drive out after the migration mayhem dies down is a pretty good one. With what supplies we have here on hand we could stay here for months bugged in if need be. A steady diet of beans and rice is going to suck but I will be damn grateful for it so excuse me when I complain later. What about the fish in the river, Hogan? I mean will they be safe for us to eat?” Annie asked thinking how they were going to augment their diet.

  “Well, I hope we can still fish but if we see a big fish kill on the river that means a major sewage or factory chemical spill etc. is coming downstream and we don’t eat any, otherwise I think it would be ok. I wouldn’t suggest us making any sushi out of them, though.” Hogan said with a dry laugh.

  “So what is the bug out strategy on the boats? I mean I can inflate mine with air in about eight minutes but that’s not something I care to be trying to be doing in the parking lot with smoke and ash flying in my direction.” Annie declared imagining a horrific scene.

  “Now that’s a subject we got to put our prepper wits on. We should have a certain amount of prior warning that we need to move if a fire is approaching. I have been thinking on that some and have some observations. We will know tonight or by morning more on what the current fire situation is somewhat but we won’t know for days its escalation, epicenter or its hottest burn direction. It’s going to be difficult for us to judge though with all the smoke and haze I expect and who knows about changing wind directions. On the bright side, at least we don’t have to worry ourselves any about airplanes falling out of the sky and crashing and burning all around us as everything in every airport is pretty much grounded nationwide. Keep in mind too, Annie, that they said we had a twelve hour warning but I know from experience that a coronal mass ejections effects can be here in less than an hour if a solar wind gets behind it. The governments most likely won’t have a chance to tell anyone of the change in the storms arrival if that occurs so watch the skies for auroras. I say we just keep the boats put up and under wraps for now. I thought about filling up mine earlier and car-topping it but advertising that I have a boat could end up being problematic. Also I am worried if some idiot decides he is mad at me or the world for some reason and decides to stick a hole in it. It only takes me about ten minutes to inflate it anyway and I can’t see not having sufficient warning but you never know and it is easy to misjudge the speed and direction of fire. Loading the boats and getting them down to the river is another story, we got to think about how to stage our supplies for that.” Hogan said as he dropped each battered soft shell crab into the hot oil and watched them sizzle.

  “YUM! That looks and smells so good!” Annie said smiling and looked around the complex at other people starting their own dinners on BBQ grills and such.

  “There are still a lot of cars missing out of the parking lot, Hogan. Do you think they are trying to leave the city?” Annie said speculating.

  “I hate to say it but I hope so. The fewer people that will be remaining around us the better I like it but they could be anywhere. People could be stuck at work shutting crap down, they can be trying to buy food and water, some might be out of town etc. I guess we will know tonight when everyone should be home if they have any sense at all. Anyone stuck in traffic might end up walking home back here after a few days, that is if the cars still work. I am really worried about that particular major piece of hell occurring. Most likely vehicles will remain operational but not a lot is known about very high magnitude solar flares effects on cars electronics. If the computer chips do fry and transportation stops, we will be living here for a long time to come, I think.” Hogan said flipping the crabs to cook the other side.

  “I wish we could have these on toast but I am glad you still got a loaf of fresh bread. Are you going to try to make bread with all that flour you got?” Annie asked.

  “I could maybe make something passable for a loaf of bread in a Dutch oven if I had the wood fuel needed to do it but I probably won’t bother. Ha! If we end up going to the woods you are going to learn a new definition for a bread stick. That’s going to be meaning dough wrapped around a stick and baked over coals! Oh and shovel cakes when I make pancakes on my entrenching tool over a campfire. Ha! Ha!” Hogan said while transferring his fried sea delicacies to a plate for a quick drain on paper towels before slapping one on a couple pieces of bread and nothing else and handing the sandwich to Annie.

  “Wow I have died and gone to heaven! You can cook Hogan!” Annie said after the first bite and then the two munched their lunch and said li
ttle else until every morsel was gone.

  “That was some fine eating and we still have some Chinese leftovers and all that meat half cooking in the oven. I guess we get to be gluttons before we will get to be starving!” Annie said rubbing her tummy.

  “You got that right! It might be a bad way to get our stomachs into condition for lean times but if you look at it historically speaking our bodies were kind of made to do that. Indigenous peoples would go through periods of no game to hunt and subsist on roots and such and then someone kills something like a buffalo and everyone gorges for awhile until the cycle starts again.” Hogan said eying the whiskey bottle but knowing he ought to be doing something more productive but what that something was he didn’t have a clue at the moment and there was nothing to do but to wait.

  “Let’s go back to my house and get all my pots and pans brought over here to fill up with water. You know what? If there is any water pressure to speak of I think I’ll wash out the trash cans and fill them up too.” Annie said finding something more useful to do than start a hurricane party.

  “I wish you hadn’t told your neighbors you were leaving.” Hogan said spoiling the upbeat mood.

  “Why not? What’s wrong with that? You didn’t say a word about me saying not doing that when I mentioned it.” Annie said concerned.

  “Well I just started thinking this whole grid down thing out a bit further. From now on everybody will be watching everybody else’s comings and goings. I don’t think most people have the capability or knowledge to break into one of these steel door apartment units by themselves but it only takes a little determination and the right tools and you can get in. People will be looking for units that appear vacant or unattended to break into and look for supplies. Hey, have you seen our maintenance guys or manager anywhere today?” Hogan asked.

  “Uh no, what do you want them for?” Annie asked.

  “I think it might cost us that last hundred bucks you got to find out.” Hogan said deciding just one more drink wouldn’t hurt anything and heading for the bottle with the objecting Annie following him.

  “But that’s all the money we got left in the world and you know we will never probably see a bank open a door again maybe in our lifetime.” Annie said demanding he stop what he was doing and talk to her.

  “Chill out, you are going to like this idea and most likely I won’t even need to use your money. I will get you some gold maybe to replace it soon if I do end up having to use it. Give me a minute to think this thing out and you can fuss at me for stealing a few ice cubes because I am going to have me a cold drink while I still can.” Hogan said going over to the dining room table and putting on his shoulder rig holster again.

  “That looks like you’re expecting trouble! What’s up? Where are you going?” Annie said pointedly.

  “No, Annie, this looks like I am thinking about causing some of my own trouble if need be, but don’t worry. This mad monkey has a plan.” Hogan said and then went to his dresser drawer and strapped onto his belt a spare small sheath knife he wore in State Parks when they had a Bowie knife ban that prevented him from carrying a bigger blade.

  “Where you do plan on going? You haven’t said yet. Do I need to be strapping on gear too?” Annie said a bit flustered that Hogan wasn’t talking enough and instead flitting around his apartment grabbing bits of this and that and adding to his pockets.

  “You might say that I am going foraging for a fugitive to help us out getting something.” Hogan said with a grin enjoying tormenting his friend Annie just a bit more. It was usually her that could set Hogan up for a fall and a funny remark but he was in his own when it came to preparedness points to ponder and dangle at her strong curiosity. He enjoyed playing with her dangling tid bits of preparedness and survival tricks at her while she in response acted like a cat that couldn’t resist or pass up a bit of yarn to bat around.

  “What is the easiest way to break into a vacant apartment for supplies, would you say little Miss Annie?” Hogan said with a mock snide look.

  “There is a trick to this! I know there is and I know you!” Annie said studying the smirk Hogan was trying to not show.

  “How can that be a trick question? Ok, I will phrase it another way. What is the least path of resistance to get into one of these apartments?” Hogan said sipping his drink and then putting it down as an idea came to mind to exchange the shirt he was wearing over his shoulder rig and t shirt for an olive drab fishing vest with a concealed carry holster built in. He removed his shoulder rig and put the pistol in the vests inside pocket.

  “I guess I would break a window or jimmy a patio door.” Annie said confident in her response.

  “Nernt! Wrong answer!” Hogan said making a buzzer like noise.

  “You are on the right track though both of those ideas would work easier than trying the front door. The answer that I wanted you to say was using a freaking key to open the door. I bet you know who has the master keys for everything around here. Like you said there are lots of people leaving and seemingly for the moment not making it back home etc. Pretty soon I am sure that even if it’s nothing but a roll of toilet paper there is going to be something in those empty apartments in a week or two we and a lot of others want. So once everyone who is watching and wondering about those empty units and what they might contain they will start considering breaking and entering them for survival sake if nothing else. So you think in order to get a hold of some supplies do you think they might team up with others to do just that?” Hogan said letting out some more yarn.

  “Then they either break in as a group or use a key if they have one?” Annie said searching his face for any more clues to this frustrating game.

  “Exactly! So bottom floor units might get their patio windows smashed one night or somebody will be hunting for the resident manager for a key and maybe offering to share the wealth with him for unlocking the door. But she ain’t going to be there, she will be the fugitive everyone is cussing for leaving the property and taking the keys with her. Now if I can either talk or scare her into seeing things my way and get her to move upstairs in that empty apartment over me, we might have some new angles to work off of. I bet she already knows which apartment belongs to someone out of town on business or vacation. If I can get her on my side and under my protection as it were we might be able to go “shopping” right now and get her and ourselves established with a lot more canned goods than we have now.” Hogan said thinking that people have been known to tell their landlord they would be away for a period of time.

  Hey first come first serve when it comes to survival supplies, Hogan thought. Someone was going to get those empty apartment supplies eventually and he saw nothing wrong with using a little influence to stack the deck on his side to insure his survival and help someone else. A bit immoral maybe he thought if it somehow turned out a person managed to make it back here only to find their pantry totally empty, he couldn’t live with himself if that happened. Well maybe he could keep an eye on the places and sneak some food back to them if he saw someone appear out of nowhere but he would jump that hurdle when he encountered it.

  “So you are going to try to kidnap the apartment manager? Well that’s an exaggeration but I wouldn’t put it past you to scare her to death with looter zombie stories. What will the neighbors say if they see her moving over here?” Annie asked not so sure this was a good idea and somehow might expose them to even more danger.

  “There is a young couple who are living across from that apartment. I don’t know them personally but I do see them occasionally and I think they are the type of people that can most likely be convinced to keep their mouths closed once they find out the manager is now living across from them for their own safety if nothing else. Damn, I wish people would speak to each other more these days. Right now I am wishing I had talked to all the neighbors around here some rather than just giving the occasional nod at them as we come and go. Anyway, I am going to try to gain access to the keys to this little kingdom before somebody
else thinks of the same notion and beats me to it.” Hogan said mischievously.

  “I sort of see where you are going with this crazy plan. You want to stockpile that apartment over us with whatever we can find in vacant apartments and install the manger up there correct? I can understand that reasoning but I can also see some dangers in it we need to discuss. I still can’t however figure out what you need my hundred bucks for?” Annie said holding the bill up between two fingers.

  “Thanks.” Hogan said reaching over and snagging it

  “I doubt I will need it now that I am talking this little nefarious plot through but I was thinking I might want to borrow a ladder I would forget to return from the maintenance guys, if I can find them. They might need some palm greasing but I need me a ladder if the manager balks to get easier access to balconies I might want to explore someday. I am also betting they might have some plywood in the maintenance shed to cover up broken windows and such that they might sell me so I can fortify and secure my place a bit.” Hogan said putting the bill far down in his shirt pocket for ready access to pull out at just the right point in an anticipated negotiation.