The Troop

by Gayne C Young

  “What’s going on?” Carl asked himself as much as he asked me.

  “I dunno.”

  Carl and I stood there wondering for the few minutes that Johnny and Dad talked then Dad came over and said, “Let’s get everybody together and get over to the water hole. Johnny’s gonna stay behind and do some work on his radio.”

  Carl and I nodded and Johnny walked over and went into his trailer. I’ll never forget the look on his face. For some reason Johnny looked scared. Which scared me cuz I didn’t think Johnny was scared of anything.

  10

  I thought about the look on Johnny’s face all the way to the water hole. Him being scared didn’t make any sense. I replayed what happened prior to his looking that way. Carl’s phone was dead. Mine was dead. Carl’s battery was dead. Johnny did something with his watch. His phone was dead. Then he went to the cab of his truck with his keys but didn’t start it. Dad walked over. They talked. Johnny looked scared and we left him behind.

  None of it made sense.

  None of it.

  I more or less forgot about it all once we hit the water hole. It was hot and the hike up had only made us all hotter and the water was nice and cool. We all got in - except Bob who took a nap under his now favorite tree - and swam and jumped from the rock wall sides and sat under the waterfall.

  “Hey Taylor,” Carl called to me as he swam my direction. “When you and your Dad hunted here, how far above the spring did you go?"

  “What spring?"

  Carl jerked his thumb toward the waterfall. “The one up there. Feeds this pool.”

  “I don't know. Not far. It's just another valley up there. Like the one we are camping in. Not as many trees though, more open.”

  “Did you get a phone signal up there?”

  “No. You can't get one around here. Balmorhea’s the closest place. Why you asking? You miss your girlfriend?”

  “Yeah,” Carl admitted. “A lot.”

  “Do you love her?” I teased.

  “I dunno. Maybe. But I know I miss her a lot and she's going to be mad if I don't text her soon. I mean I told her I would.”

  “See if Johnny can get her on his HAM radio thingy or something,” I suggested.

  “Can you do that?” Carl asked. “Like, HAM radio text to a cell phone?”

  “I have no idea. But it never hurts to ask.”

  “Guess I will.”

  Right then Bob walked to the edge of the pool and leaned over to splash water on his face.

  “You going to get in?” Matt called over me and Carl to his dad.

  “No,” Bob answered. “Water’s too cold for me.”

  “Come on Dad,” Matt prodded.

  “No,” Bob said again. “But do any of y’all know what time it is? Think my watch battery went dead or something.”

  “I don't wear a watch,” Carl said.

  “Me neither,” I added.

  My dad swam over from the far wall and climbed out next to Bob.

  “I left my watch back at camp,” Dad explained. “Why you asking? Got some place to be?”

  “Just want to make sure we get back in time to shoot some arrows,” Bob answered.

  “Yeah, there's been a change,” Dad said. “Johnny had some problems with his radio that he's working on right now so he can't lead the class today.”

  “So we get to swim longer?” Liam asked.

  “Yep,” my dad answered before turning back to Bob.

  “I see,” Bob said. “But will the boys still have enough time to complete their Archery badge.”

  “They'll have plenty of time to work on that,” my dad promised. “Plenty of time.”

  11

  We hiked back to camp to find Johnny sitting under his tarp, fiddling with his HAM radio. He stood as soon as he saw us coming and he called my dad and Bob over to him. I and the rest of the troop split up with some of us going back to our tents to change or drop off our backpacks and others grabbing snacks or just screwing around. I put on some dry shorts, hung my towel up, then made my way back to the dinning fly. I got a big cup of Gatorade from the jug kept there and had a seat. Liam came and sat next to me and he looked over at the three adults talking.

  “What's going on over there?” Liam asked. “Bob looks pissed.”

  “I dunno,” I said. “Bob’s probably yelling about liberals or something again.”

  Liam laughed and agreed with me. Carl came over with Jack and they each got a cup of Gatorade and sat.

  My dad came over and said, “Carl, I need all the scouts here for a meeting. Can you see that they get here quickly? Thanks.”

  Carl nodded and got up to retrieve Matt, Andrew, and Luke. He returned with all in less than 10 minutes. We all turned our chairs to face my dad, and Johnny and Bob came over. Bob still looked furious. Johnny and Dad looked bothered.

  “Guys, we got some serious news to share with you,” Dad began. His voice was strong but somewhat shaky. It reminded me of the day he told me and my sister that he and our mom was getting divorced. His voice had me worried.

  “So I need everyone to listen carefully and pay attention,” Dad continued.

  We all nodded and I saw a look of concern wash over all my friends’ faces.

  “Johnny's been keeping up with the situation and knows more than any of us so I'm going to let him speak first.”

  Johnny stepped forward and said, “Guys, like Mr. Hammond said, this is serious so please listen.”

  “What's wrong?!” Luke burst out.

  My dad held up his hand for Luke to be quiet and Johnny continued. “There's no easy way to say this but….OK…the United States was attacked sometime this morning or late last night by something called an EMP. That's an electromagnetic pulse. It's a weapon that destroys all electronics. Anything with a circuit or a battery.”

  “Our phones,” Carl whispered to me.

  “I’d like to say that we don’t know if any of this is true!” Bob interrupted. “It’s just a theory.”

  Johnny's hands exploded in disbelief. “It's not a theory!”

  “I'm sorry but I need more than just the word of two guys on your radio.”

  “Wait,” Carl jumped in. “How does your radio work if the thing kills stuff with a battery? Or circuit thingy?”

  “All of y'all come on.”

  We all followed Johnny to his radio and gathered under the tarp.

  “I had my radio and a few other devices protected with this EMP bag.” Johnny held up what looked like one of the insulated freezer bags my mom uses to bring groceries home from the store. “My friends that Bob's talking about use the same kind of bags.”

  “Who?” Jack asked.

  “I've been in contact with Bill in Austin and my friend Dave up in Washington DC.”

  “What’d they say?” Jack continued.

  “That everything is dead. The country’s at a standstill.”

  “Just because they have no power in those two places doesn't mean..."

  "Bob! Yes it does! Everything here...” Johnny waved his arms to show that he was talking about the camp. “Is dead. Austin and DC are dead."

  "That doesn't mean..."

  Johnny turned some knobs on his radio and the speaker hummed to life with a series of odd electronic sounds then a voice came over the flat techno signal. It said, “The emergency alert system has been activated. Stay tuned to this station for vital information from the United States government.”

  “That recording is coming out of El Paso,” Johnny explained. “The same message is also coming out of Austin. Denver. Houston.”

  The message droned on, “The emergency alert system has been activated. Stay tuned to this station for vital information from the United…”

  The message stopped.

  Johnny said, “What the hell?” then sat at his table to get a better look at the radio.

  The speaker cracked and a voice spoke.

  “My fellow Americans…”

  “It’s the president,” my dad
announced. “Everybody be quiet.”

  We all nodded and stood staring at the speaker.

  “This morning at 11:45 AM Central Time, the United States was attacked via an electromagnetic pulse centered roughly 300 miles above our country by an unknown force. With rare exception, electronics, power supplies, and communications within the lower 48, parts of Canada and Mexico have been destroyed. As a result many lives have been lost and many more hang in the balance. Yes, this attack has destroyed much and the costs continue to grow. But it has also given us strength and the determination to bring together our American family. Through sacrifice and determination, we will come together to assist those in need, to help one another, and to rebuild. We will not be alone in this endeavor. The world is eager to help. Today, I received word from many world leaders, all pledging support, personnel, and assistance in rebuilding our way of life. They have also sworn to assist us in bringing our attackers to justice. The road ahead is one of uncertainty and one of heavy sacrifice. And I am putting our military in charge of leading us through this valley of unknown territory…”

  “Martial law,” Johnny whispered. “Did he just declare martial law?”

  “Tonight, I ask for your prayers for those who grieve, for those who suffer, and for our country's future. We will rebuild. We will bring our enemies to justice and we will remain a beacon of freedom and opportunity for the world to strive toward.

  Good night and God bless the United States of America.”

  Johnny turned off the speaker.

  12

  “Matt, pack your things,” Bob instructed. “We're leaving.”

  “Leaving?” my dad questioned in disbelief. “How? Everything’s dead. Our vehicles…”

  “We're hiking to Balmorhea to where there's some kind of aid then on our way back to Fredericksburg.”

  “No Bob. No,” my dad decreed. “It’s seven miles to the highway…”

  “Another 35 to town,” Johnny added.

  “I'm not asking permission,” Bob retorted.

  “We need to stick together,” my dad cautioned him. “To survive. We have to start working together now more than ever.”

  “Our best chance to do that is to get civilization,” Bob almost barked.

  “Where the president just declared martial law?” Johnny blurted. “You have no idea how bad things are gonna get out there in civilization. Trust me on this one. I've seen it firsthand.”

  “How bad?” I spoke up. “Like what's going to happen?”

  “What's martial law?” Andrew asked.

  “Martial law’s when the military is in charge of everything,” my dad explained.

  “Is that bad?” Andrew continued.

  “Historically? It’s never good,” my dad answered. “But based on what's coming, it's probably necessary.”

  “What is coming?” I asked again. “What does all this mean?”

  “An EMP knocks out anything and everything that runs on electricity or a battery. So, 99% of all transportation – cars, boats, planes - are dead. That means they can't deliver food or medicine,” Johnny explained in his matter-of-fact tone. “If a plane was in the air when the thing went off, it crashed. If a car was driving, it came to a stop.”

  “So when the grocery store runs out of food…”

  “Then there's no more food,” Johnny finished my sentence.

  “What will people do?” Liam asked, his voice telling me he was starting to understand our new world.

  “They will either work together or fight,” Johnny continued.

  Just how bad things were going to get was becoming very clear and it was scary. I saw the looks of fear on all my friends’ faces. I guess Dad saw it too because he tried to put us all at ease. He said, “Our families back home are all smart. They’ll work together I'm sure most people will.”

  I looked at Johnny. His blank stare told me that he didn't believe what Dad was saying.

  “There's military bases in San Antonio only an hour from Fredericksburg,” Dad continued. “They'll help ensure safety. See that people get fed.”

  “Which is why Matt and I are leaving,” Bob reiterated.

  “Bob, the heat alone,” Johnny exclaimed. “The distance.”

  “We’ll leave at sundown,” Bob declared. “It's bright enough to see with the full moon. We can make it to Balmorhea by dawn.”

  Bob and Matt left and made their way to their tent.

  “I'm going with them to Balmorhea and then home,” Carl announced.

  “No, you're not!” my dad exploded.

  “You said it yourself, everything’s changed. We don't get to be kids anymore. It's time to grow up and I want to help,” Carl decreed.

  “You'll help by staying here. You'll help us survive,” my dad argued.

  “You're just worried about your girlfriend,” I blurted out for some reason. I immediately regretted saying it.

  “I am!” Carl fought back. “And my mom. And I'm going to go help them both.”

  “Both of them would want you to stay here to live and not take a chance with your life,” Dad explained.

  “A big chance with your life,” Johnny offered. “There's no water between here and Balmorhea. None. And there's no way you can carry enough.”

  “I can try. And if we hike all night like Bob said we can make it by dawn,” Carl assured us.

  “Over 40 miles in about eight hours?” Johnny said. “No, Carl, y’all can’t.”

  “Carl, I'm telling you that you can't go,” my dad insisted.

  Carl turned to Johnny, “You said you were only a year older than me when you joined the army.”

  “That was a different time and a totally different situation.”

  “Not really.”

  “Yeah, really. I didn't have a family. I was looking for reason and a way to get out of there. You have a family here. And one back in Fredericksburg that wants you to stay safe until it is time to go home.”

  “I agree Carl,” my dad said. “You have a family here.”

  “My real family’s back home and I'm old enough to decide to get back to them.”

  My dad and Johnny looked to each other to exchange thoughts and feelings without words.

  “I…we, can't make you stay Carl,” my dad said. “We're not going to fight you about it but I guess given the circumstances you are free to make up your own mind.”

  Was Dad really going to let him go?

  I couldn't believe it.

  I don't think any of us did.

  “Two conditions,” Johnny decreed. “I check your pack and supplies before you leave, and you promise to find a way back here if things go bad. You’ll understand what I mean when you see what town looks like after being shut off from the world for a day. If you make it that far that is.”

  Carl said, “I agree,” and walked over to shake Johnny's and then my dad's hand. The look on Johnny's and my dad's face were ones of regret and of an understanding that things had changed. Carl left to make his way back to the tent and my dad looked to the rest of us. He said, “Carl's right about one thing. Everything’s changed. Our time for fun and your time to enjoy childhood are unfortunately over. It’s time to grow up. It's time to work hard. Here’s how we survive.”

  13

  “Water’s no worry at all,” Dad began. “There's two springs on the property and a creek. Once our water filters give out, we can boil our water until it's safe to drink.”

  “Food,” Johnny chimed in. “We have four days left as planned. We can make that last twice as long by just eating the stuff in the ice chest first – meats, eggs, cheese, etc. We hold off eating our nonperishable goods – our canned and freeze-dried food - until after all the other stuff is gone.”

  “There's plenty to eat out here,” my dad started again. “Deer, boar, rabbit, and a few cows. We’ll start hunting and trapping but first we’ll make a smoker. That way we can preserve what we kill. We’ll work on that first thing in the morning.”

  “We're all going to g
et skinnier,” Johnny declared. “But none of us will starve.”

  “Medicine,” my dad began again. “I know Liam and Jack take meds for ADHD. Anyone else?”

  “I take medicine,” Luke admitted. “For anxiety and ADD. My mom makes me cuz the doctors says I have too.”

  “OK,” Dad said. “This won't be easy but y’all will have to wean you off your meds. You’ll start by cutting your daily dose in half for two days then do a quarter dose after that.”

  “But I need Adderall to focus,” Liam said.

  “I know you do,” Dad sympathized. “But we have no choice.”

  “Hey,” Johnny looked at Liam with a kind of fatherly understanding. “Trust me. I'm a medic. All of you will have problems going off the meds. You'll get headaches for a while, but you'll adapt.”

  Liam nodded his head.

  Jack said, “OK.”

  “Taylor the same goes for you and me for contact lenses,” Dad warned. “Who else here wears contacts?”

  Jack and Andrew said that they did.

  “Wear them while you can but after they're out, you're back in glasses,” Dad instructed.

  “I only brought one spare set of contacts,” Andrew said. “And my glasses are my last year's prescription.”

  “I got two sets of spares,” my dad admitted. “After that I’m in the same boat as you on the glasses. My glasses are from last year too. We'll just have to make it work.”

  “What about toilet paper?” I asked.

  Luke, Liam, and Andrew snickered then broke into hard laughter.

  “I'm not joking,” I assured them.

  “We know you're not Taylor,” Johnny chuckled. “From now on just get by with as little as you can. I'll show everyone some alternatives once we get to that point.”