Burn District 1

by Jenkins, Suzanne

  Quietly putting the teakettle on, he needed down time from constant worry and from Kelly. Finding a trailer for her was the solution, but he had to implement the idea with finesse. She was a great gal, but although their relationship was a friendship only, it was draining because of what it seemed to mean to Laura. The last time he had any intimate conversation with his daughter was the day she’d arrived, when they sat together around the campfire. It was difficult to be around her now without Kelly always popping up to join in the chat. He’d have to be strong and ask her to allow him a little time with Laura. Maybe he’d just tell her he wanted to spend some time alone with her. “Don’t ask, you knuckle head,” he said to the air. “Just tell her.”

  “Are you talking to yourself?” A small voice from the master bedroom; Kelly took it over after Randy and Carol moved out.

  “It’s just an old man having a moment,” he whispered to her. “Come on out and have tea with me.”

  Pulling on a sweatshirt over flannel pj’s, the desert was cold at night and Kelly dressed for comfort, not seduction. She went into the bathroom first, and Steve could hear water running and teeth brushing. Dragging out their relationship was working for Kelly. As she was getting to know Steve, she realized the age difference did matter; he was so a man in his late fifties, trying to avoid topics that were too emotional, wanting to talk about his late wife and the years he spent in the Marine Corps and in return, not all that interested in her boring little life. And after the first kiss on the first night, he’d never approached her again. But Steve had a refreshing positivity that she was growing to admire. They’d probably never be a couple; he was just a really nice man. Somehow, Kelly had to convey to Laura that she and Steve were friends only.

  He was waiting for her with a cup of tea when she came out of the bathroom, making it just the way she liked with hot milk and sugar. “If I stay up, I’ll have to take a nap later,” she said, sipping tea. “What’s on the agenda today?”

  Looking through the window over the desert, there was just enough light to make out a kit fox mother with two youngsters. Sighing, he pulled his eyes away from the view. As much as he loved it there, they were going to have to make a decision soon about what their next step would be.

  “We need to have an alterative plan. ‘Woe to those comfortable at Zion.’”

  “I don’t get it,” she said, frowning.

  “It’s from the book of Amos,” Steve explained.

  “I guess I didn’t listen in Sunday school,” Kelly stifled a yawn, preparing for another story.

  “The Israelites hung around for three years, complacent, thinking their vantage point was impenetrable. But they were wrong and the shit hit the fan when the Assyrians took the city.

  “I feel like that now. Like our junk-wood fences and junker-car barriers can’t protect us. Outlaws are merciless.”

  “You want to leave the camp?” she asked, frightened.

  “I’m not alone. Mike’s been talking about going back to Pennsylvania ever since we got here, just to see if anything’s left.”

  “He’d leave Laura and the kids? I find that difficult to believe.”

  “You’d be safe here with Randy,” Steve said. “Everyone knows how to shoot now. You’re a better shot than Mike, but don’t tell him I said that! I’ll deny it.” Kelly smiled at him. It was one thing to be a good shot at a target, another all-together, protecting oneself from murderers.

  “Well, if you’re asking me, I say you shouldn’t go. At least not all the way back to Pennsylvania.”

  “We can get there in a day if we don’t stop.”

  “Yes, if nothing else happens to you. What will we do if you’re murdered on the way?” Kelly felt her temper growing. One of Steve’s methods of communication was to shake things up when he didn’t intend to do what he was proposing.

  “Okay, take it easy,” Steve said, smiling. “No one is getting murdered. This entire conversation is probably a waste of breath.”

  “What was my original question?” Kelly asked, confused.

  “You asked what was on the agenda today,” Steve answered, chuckling. “I said I was going to talk to Mike regarding what we should be planning for next.”

  “Okay, well how about working in the garden across the street? Forget any trips back to hell.” Steve got up to reheat the water.

  “We’ll see. It won’t work for us not to know what’s going on beyond our camp. Eventually it will come back to bite us in the rear.” Rustling and then laughter came from the bunks.

  “Grandpa! Ha! You said rear,” Junior yelled. The boys were awake. Kelly slid out of the dinette. Worthwhile conversation was impossible once the boys joined in.

  “Come out, you two. I’ll make you pancakes. But you have to promise not to tell the others I cook.”

  “We won’t. Junior almost slipped and told Mom you made us grilled cheese yesterday,” Ned said, giggling. “I told him to be quiet.”

  “Yes, well thank you,” Kelly said. “We don’t want that to get around.” Steve smiled.

  “I’ll get in the shower first today, if you’re sure you don’t mind taking care of breakfast.”

  “Why would I mind? It’s not even seven in the morning yet. I plan on going back to sleep as soon as these two are fed.” She got the pancake mix out and added water. That was easy enough. It was getting the butter melted in the pan without burning it, or preventing the smoke alarm from going off. The boys had laughing hysterics the first time it happened.

  “Pipe down if you ever want me to cook for you again,” Kelly admonished that day. Slowly, she was becoming important to the boys, and they to her. The girls already couldn’t make a decision without conferring with Kelly first. If only their mother was as forgiving as they were loving. She knew the difficulty between Laura and her would come to a head soon enough and she didn’t want to precipitate it. All good things would come in time.

  ***

  While the day began for Kelly and Steve, Chris Monroe, trying not to eavesdrop from his berth in the front of the rig, was ready to move on too, hearing what Steve said about wanting to find out what was happening in the world.

  If Elise hadn’t been with him the day he left camp, he’d have continued through Yuma. As soon as Steve came out of the shower, Chris was going to approach him about going along on an information gathering expedition. Getting through to the other side of Yuma where his parents had a hanger and landing strip, he hoped that a plane survived. The best way to find out what was happening in the world was to fly above it. While he’d been in the desert with Elise and her family, he’d never seen or even heard a plane overhead, the omission unsettling.

  They’d heard rumors of gang wars and disorder in the bigger cities but nothing about an organized rebellion. Maybe it was too soon for a leader to rise up. Something else that had bothered Chris was the absence of activity along the border. Recovering from his accident, he kept his eyes pealed on the border fence and hadn’t seen human life, when in the past the remote area was an open door to illegal traffic.

  The berth had an accordion privacy screen Chris pulled aside. “I guess it’s time to get up,” he mumbled, the boys joking around at the dinette while Kelly flipped pancakes.

  “Yep, I guess if you want to sleep in around here, you have to go where the boys are not,” she said, chuckling.

  “Hey, grandpa woke us up!” Junior said.

  “Bite us in the rear,” Ned repeated, the boys giggling hysterically. Kelly rolled her eyeballs, putting plates of pancakes down in front of each of them.

  “Syrup?” she asked, and they shouted “yes.” A knock on the door, Kelly unlocked it to find Laura on the other side.

  “Good lord, I could hear the laughter across the yard. What on earth is going on in here?” she asked, smiling at her boys.

  “Kelly’s busted!” Junior said.

  “Yeah, now Mom knows you cook,” Ned said with a mouthful. Kelly stood glaring at them with a spatula in her hand.

&nb
sp; “I know she cooks,” Laura said drily.

  “I should really spank the syrup out of you boys for that,” she said teasing. More rounds of laughter from the boys.

  “Well now you’ve done it,” Laura said laughing. “We’ll have to spank the syrup out of my boys from now on. Scoot over, Ned. Yum, those look good. You made us delicious fried chicken and potato salad when we left Pennsylvania. I didn’t forget that.”

  “Whatever,” Kelly said, smirking, but pleased. It was the first comment Laura made to her in days. She piled a stack of pancakes on a paper plate and slid it over to Laura. “Chris, you hungry?” He nodded, motioning for Junior to move over. Kelly poured more batter in the frying pan, making pancakes for everyone. Breakfast was fun and relaxing, but the adults felt that growing anxiety when something unknown was about to change. Only they thought they would be doing the changing, not that change was coming to them.

  Chapter 17

  Laura

  Chris wants to go to Yuma today. He said he has a feeling about it.

  “That cop who stopped us in Yuma warned me that if times were different, I’d be prosecuted for murder because of the plane crash. If I’d been alone, I’d have challenged her, but I didn’t feel right about doing it with Elise in the car. I know Grandpa Steve doesn’t think it would happen, but she could’ve had me arrested right there on the spot if times were different.

  “The story about my family taking off also didn’t make any sense. I can’t believe they’d leave without trying to find out where I was. My plane is still sticking up out of the house I crashed into. My dad knew where I was headed; he’d have come looking for me within an hour of my expected return time. He’s a very practical man. The plane cost a hundred thousand dollars. If he knew I’d crashed, he’d try to find out what happened to me so they could collect the insurance for it.” I thought it was unlikely insurance companies were even functioning but kept it to myself.

  “What do you want to do about it?” Steve asked.

  “I’d like to head up there without Elise,” he answered. “She’s not going to like it, but I think it’s too dangerous for her to leave the camp.”

  Increased danger was something we faced each day. We’d taken extra precautions since we’d found Candy and Jessica’s bodies after they were murdered. I’m angry because they’d taken risks that were unnecessary, which led to their death. The first time we met, I felt a connection to Candy. She was my age and I was looking forward to developing a friendship with her. I cared about Jessica’s baby, looking for baby things when we looted. We talked the whole time, sharing stories while we sorted through the belongings of dead people.

  They were supposed to come to the camp for dinner last Friday and when they didn’t show up, Steve and I drove over to their trailer. They’d gone to the grocery store without us one last time after they’d promised they’d never do it. I found a box of pudding mix on the ground by the car, the canvas bags she used blowing around the yard, empty, as though someone had taken what they’d looted. I wondered if she was looking for the ingredients to prepare something special for us.

  Raiders must have followed them from the store, murdering them as they tried to run into the house. Candy’s body was on the steps leading to her front door and Jessica was just in front of her, on the deck. Candy had obviously tried to shield Jessica with her body. It had just happened; their bodies were still warm. I turned Jess over, feeling for a pulse, feeling for baby movement. She was due any day. But the baby was still. I started to sob, but Steve grabbed me.

  “There’s nothing we can do here,” he said urgently. “Let’s go. Their murderers may be watching us.” I let him pull me up, holding me as we ran to his truck. The next day, we armed ourselves and went back to the store. But just as we were loading the truck, a big, military-type Jeep full of filthy, yelling young men pulled into the parking lot and came for us. I thought they were the thugs who killed my friend and her daughter.

  “Get in!” Steve screamed. “Draw your weapon!” I did as he said, but I was too frightened to shoot. My dad threw his truck in reverse and taking off on two tires as they pursued us.

  “Take the wheel,” he yelled, when I hesitated to shoot. I steered the truck for him as he leaned out the window and shot the driver, the large vehicle careening off the road. It wasn’t until we saw them in a field that he felt like he could turn the car around and go toward camp.

  “Keep your gun aimed at that Jeep and fire if they come at us,” he screamed.

  “We’re fucked now,” I cried. “They’ll know our truck!”

  “Don’t worry about that,” he said after a while, calming down. “We’ll take a different car when go next time, and another person to act as a spotter.” My heart was banging in my chest.

  “Dad, we need to move on. I feel it. Being out here is too risky. I’m not sure how to find out where safety is, but there must be a way.”

  Chris wanting to go back to Yuma was a gift. Living in the city would be safer than being out in the middle of nowhere, wouldn’t it be?

  “I appreciate you not asking to take Elise with you again. But you shouldn’t go alone.”

  “I agree, Laura,” Steve said. “I’d actually like to go along if you’re okay with it, Chris.”

  “Ah, I don’t know how I feel about that, Dad,” I replied. “We need you here.”

  “Who else should go? Mike has a family and Randy has Carol. I have an inflated opinion of my usefulness around here. Everyone, including Junior can all wield a gun as well as I can. Kelly, you too.” He turned to Chris, who looked confused.

  “I’m inviting myself along. Is that okay?”

  “Yes, sir,” Chris said, relieved. “I’m glad to have you.” I didn’t argue because he had a point. Kelly was cleaning up from breakfast and I caught the look she’d given Steve. He didn’t count her as someone left behind until he clarified himself.

  “Kelly, are you game?” She looked up from the sink.

  “To say goodbye to you?”

  “No, knucklehead, to come along with us,” Steve replied, chuckling, my boys joining in, hearing knucklehead.

  “Sure, I’ll come,” she replied, turning back to the dishes, but smiling.

  “I’d like to go, too.” Junior was serious, sitting up straight, waiting. No one said a word at first, as Steve looked between Junior and me.

  “I don’t think that sounds like such a great idea. It’s too dangerous,” I said, wishing I hadn’t sounded so lame.

  “I’m almost as old as Chris,” Junior said. “And Grandpa Steve says I shoot better than Dad does.”

  “Now you were supposed to keep that a secret,” Steve fired back, but looked at Junior, rubbing his chin.

  “What do you think, mother? Junior here is right; he is one of the best shots. We might need him.”

  Junior would be eighteen in a matter of days. He worked as hard as the rest of the adults in camp. And my dad was correct; we’d watched him use a gun safely, shooting the head off a snake. No one but me knew he cried later about taking its life.

  “Don’t tell anyone, Mom,” he said, making me promise. He was also reading Steve’s history books about the world wars, which frightened me a little bit. I asked him about it.

  “Junior, what’s in those books of grandpa’s that’s so compelling?”

  “It was just like it is now, people running from something, but trying to make it right.”

  “Do you understand…” I started to say, but Mike said to leave him alone.

  “He needs to know what’s going on, Laura. Let him read.”

  So that’s how four people from our camp left after breakfast for Yuma. Once they made the decision to go, they didn’t waste any time. Mike was making coffee when I got back to the trailer. I told him about the group leaving.

  “Junior wants to go,” I said, standing at the counter. “I’m a little nervous about it, but can’t see any reason to make him stay here.”

  “He’s growing up,” Mike sai
d. “He’s proving himself to be responsible.

  “So you don’t have any objection to it?”

  “Outside of not wanting my son to leave, no,” Mike replied. “He’s in danger here or there, what difference does it make?”

  “Boy, that sounds so hopeless,” I said. “I guess I sort of like having some control over our children.”

  “Ha! That time is over. Look, we both know we’re playing a waiting game out here.” I thought of my false sense of security because we had a little bit of food.

  Everyone had their hoarding security blanket. My dad’s was cars. He had an acre of cars lined up that he’d taken on his looting missions. Carin had a fabric hoard. Carol liked paper products; toilet paper and paper towels especially. Mike had tools. Randy had a storage trailer arsenal; gun safes looted filled to the brim with ammunition and guns of every make, even reloading his own bullets.

  After leaving my house in Pennsylvania, the thought of leaving the camp; all my collected foodstuffs, my unfinished garden, was frightening.

  We stood in a circle, wishing them safe travels, when Mike stepped forward. “I feel like I’m supposed to pray for you,” he said.” I’d never heard him pray. No one protested; it was such an unusual request for him to make, its need must have come from some spiritual place. Steve shrugged his shoulders.

  “Okay, go ahead, but make it snappy.”

  Mike closed his eyes, but didn’t request others to do so. I watched him carefully. His cheeks flushed, his thinness scaring me again. I hoped he was okay. “Everyone here is important,” he said, searching for words. “May you use common sense, stick together, watch out for one another, and stay safe.” He looked up and frowned. “That’s all.” Junior took Mike’s hand as we walked toward the car, a nineteen eighty-six Cadillac found at the side of the road in Tulip. When he didn’t drive his truck, it was his go-to car.