by Stalter, D
“It’s good to meet you, Mary. Is it okay if I join the people paying respects?”
“I apologize,” she said. “It was just an automatic response trying to protect Allison.”
“I understand. We don’t have a lot of faithful followers. It’s the bad apples that get all the attention. But I promise you, not all of the FEMA officers are bad. In fact, very few are.”
Frank nodded. “We’ve been working together since shortly after the flare. He’s fair and honest.”
Mary nodded towards the stable door. “Go through that door and straight back to the arena.”
It was only after he’d walked away that she noticed the people streaming from the two school buses parked nearby. There were dozens of people - many she recognized. One separated from the line forming to enter the stable.
“Mary!” The tall woman dressed in tight slacks, furry boots, and a matching blue coat and hat hurried across the driveway. “I hoped I’d get to see you today!” It was her next-door neighbor from town.
“Lisa!” Mary grinned. “I was hoping you’d stayed in Princeton. I wanted to get to town to check on everyone, but we’ve stayed pretty busy out here. How are you and Don?”
“It’s been tough, but we made the right choice in staying.” Lisa looked at the front of the bunkhouse. “The town seems like a ghost town sometimes, but I’m amazed at how close the remaining families have become.”
“We feel the same way out here. People who we probably saw every day in town and never paid attention to have now become family.”
“Exactly!” Lisa agreed. “We’ve made so many new friends.” She took Mary’s hand. “How is James’s wife doing? I didn’t know her, but I knew James.”
Mary’s face became solemn. “She’s an amazing woman. She’s still making sure that everyone is good and needs nothing. I think she’s going to be okay. Especially since she has Jaden.”
“Jaden?”
“Did you know Bill Gordon? His wife was killed in that car accident about five years ago?”
Lisa’s face lit up. “I knew Bill and Elise. I felt so bad for their little girl. She became awful quiet after her mom died. We’d see Bill and her at a restaurant and she looked so sad. Never heard her talk.”
“Well,” Mary said. “Then she’s blossomed. She attached herself to Allison on the first day and, if you want to know the truth, she’s probably second in command when it comes to making decisions around here.”
“No! The Jaden I knew would only be about twelve.”
“That’s the same girl. She turned thirteen now. I can’t wait for you to meet her. Come on, it’s cold out here.” She led Lisa through the stable to the arena.
Men were moving more hay bales. They’d arranged them in a semi-circle facing a wooden box set on more bales. The kerosene heater had been placed in the center of the bales of hay.
“I wonder where they got a coffin?” Mary mused.
“Don went to Rolly’s lumber yard and put it together. I hope Allison likes it.”
“She will. It’s beautiful.”
Mary spotted Allison near the front of the hay bale seats. “Come on.” She took Lisa’s hand. “I’ll introduce you.” She led Lisa to the front where Allison stood, her arm around Jaden’s shoulders, talking to a man who looked familiar.
She looked up as Mary and Lisa approached. “Mary,” she held out her hand, which Mary took. “Do you know Pastor John? He was – I’m sorry – still is the pastor at our church. He’s offered to perform the service.”
Mary nodded to the pastor and smiled. “Thank you,” she said. She turned to Allison. “This is Lisa. Her husband made James’s coffin.”
Allison felt her eyes tear up. “Thank you,” she said stepping forward. “It’s beautiful.” She put her arms around Lisa and gave her a hug. “Thank you for coming.”
The service was short but the procession to the grave long.
After James had been placed in the ground, Pastor John gave a short prayer.
The FEMA official stepped up to Allison and handed her a wooden case. “This is to recognize a great American who stood when everything around him was falling apart. Who stepped into bigger shoes and went beyond what was necessary to ensure others were safe. We dedicate this to his memory. May it give you some peace.” The case had a glass front that displayed an American flag.
Allison reached out and took it. She held it cradled in her arms as she cried. She barely noticed when Will and Rolly stepped up on either side of her and put their arms around her, leading her back toward the barn.
Tables had been moved into the arena. They were loaded with food. Sandwiches, cakes and cookies were arranged on white table cloths. While not toasty, the arena was warm enough. Allison stood at the front of the room, near the kerosene heater, while a line formed for people conveying their condolences.
Jaden stood next to Allison with her arm around Allison’s waist.
The FEMA official, Jeff Jensen, was the last in line. When he reached Allison, he held out his hand, which she took.
“My condolences,” he said.
“Thank you,” she replied.
“Is there anything you need?”
“No, thank you. We are doing very well.”
He cleared his throat. “Uhm. I have a request to make.”
“What is it?” she asked, her eyes sharp.
“I have an announcement that I need to make to the entire group.”
Allison felt chills crawl up her back. “What is happening?”
“No, it’s not bad. I promise. It’s just that as commander of this region, I am required to make this announcement. I can wait and come back in a day or two, or if you agree, I can make that announcement today.”
Allison sighed. “Get it over with.” She flipped her hand and left her palm facing him. “Go ahead.”
“Thank you,” he said softly.
He turned toward the group of people, some who were quietly eating and some who stood in smaller groups talking. “May I have everyone’s attention?”
The room became silent, every eye watching.
“I’d like to bring Frank McCall up with me. I’ve discussed this matter with him earlier and will be holding a meeting in town tonight.”
McCall stepped away from the group he’d been talking to and stood next to Jeff.
“Go on,” he said.
Jensen waited another moment before beginning. He took a deep breath. “I want to make sure you all know where I’m coming from. When my team was deployed to this region to help ensure an orderly transition, we came expecting what we’ve experienced in the past - what we’ve been trained for. We didn’t expect to be welcomed with open arms – and you guys didn’t disappoint us.”
There were low laughs and several men muttered, “Got that right.”
Jensen continued. “Chief McCall and I butted heads a lot in the first few weeks. He refused to recognize me and my team as rescuers. Heck, he even refused access to Princeton for my team. It was not going well. My training and my experiences told me that I had to take my men in and take control of the town. We almost did. But, a couple days in, Chief McCall came to me and said he wanted a ‘sit-down’. It didn’t hurt that he brought a bottle of bourbon.”
More people laughed.
“In that sit-down, Chief McCall laid out what his team was doing and demonstrated a plan for the weeks and months ahead. His plan made sense. His request to me was that I back off on bringing my team into town. He claimed that he was maintaining control in town. He thought I should concentrate on maintaining control of the county outside of the town. Now, I’m not used to being told what my job should be, but I agreed to give him one week to organize the town. If he could prove to me that his town was under control and safe, I would allow him to lead the town while I protected and maintained peace in the county.”
He looked down at the notebook that he held in his hand.
“Chief McCall proceeded to start cleaning out the town. For the fir
st week, I felt as if I were working for him. He sent his men door-to-door giving people the choice of staying in town and being assigned jobs in exchange for food or getting a ride south on the FEMA bus. That first week, we had three busses running around the clock transporting people to places that had not lost power.”
He consulted his notebook again.
“Five thousand three hundred residents of Princeton chose to leave town. In addition to that, we also transported four hundred and fifty-three travelers who were stranded on the highways and nine hundred and seventy-two people who refused to say where they were from.
“A week after that bourbon meeting, he escorted me to Princeton and gave me a tour. I have to say that I was impressed. You have a beautiful town and I’m not going out on a limb when I tell you that what he accomplished couldn’t be accomplished by my team. Against my better judgement and all I’d been trained for, your town not only survived, it suffered absolutely no damage.
“Another thing Chief McCall requested was that I leave this particular community alone. Again, that is not in our procedures. Let’s just say that when people band together, it’s too easy to become a feudal system. I was concerned, but I gave it a chance. When I learned that the town was providing this community with supplies and, in return, receiving medicine, produce and meat, I knew that once again, Chief McCall had been right.
“I want you to understand that my team and I have been deployed on numerous occasions. And before joining Homeland Security, all of us worked in similar jobs in other countries. What we saw accomplished here was nothing short of a miracle. I guarantee that there is no other community who has survived as well as this one. And, if you had been any closer to a big city, I doubt this community could have stood up under the tests it would have been put through. City people have a totally different mindset. You are lucky to have the community that you live in. And I am lucky to call Chief McCall my friend.”
There were a few smattering hand-claps, until it caught on and the arena exploded with cheers.
When the applause died down, Jensen looked at his notebook and then turned the page.
“First, I have some news that I think you’ll all want to hear. Then I’ve got an announcement that we’ll talk about.
“The first bit of news is that power is slowly being restored. Chicago is slowly coming online. Currently there are three Chicago communities that have full power. Efforts are being concentrated on restoring power to places where they can make best use of manufacturing facilities. It’s proving to be a slower process than they’d hoped, but it is progressing.”
“How long until we get power back?” a voice called.
Jensen didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he looked down at his notebook. He raised his head and said, “Probably not for twelve to eighteen months.”
“What do you mean?” a man shouted. “Chicago can have power now and it’s only seventy miles away. It can’t take that long to bring power out here.”
Another man shouted, “We have a power plant just twenty-five miles from here, why can’t we get power from there?”
Jensen raised his hand and the arena became silent once again. “The problem is spare parts. They simply don’t have the parts to get everything running at once. They are working on fitting some manufacturing plants to make the parts needed, but it doesn’t happen overnight. The power plant that you mentioned is nineteen miles from here. It has been inspected. According to the report, there are multiple issues and it is estimated that it will take a year or more before it is brought online.”
“That’s bullshit!” a man roared. “I worked there. That plant was in great shape.”
“I’m sorry,” Jensen said. “I’m not an expert. I am simply telling you what was in the report.”
“What are you going to do about it?” another man shouted.
Jensen turned to address him, but Frank McCall beat him to it. “Randy, you need to back down. Jeff is doing his job. His job does not entail getting power plants running. It is to keep us safe, to help us when we need it, and to keep us informed. He’s doing his job very well. If you have issues with how long it’s taking to get the power restored, Jeff is not your enemy.”
He turned back to Jensen. “Might be wise to move on to your second point,” he suggested.
“Okay then. My second news is also good news. We will start getting gasoline and propane deliveries in the next few weeks.”
“Praise the Lord!” a woman exclaimed.
“However,” Jensen continued, “There will be a rationing system. And, the price will be locked in.”
“Oh, crap!” It was the same man who’d complained about the power plant. “How much are they going to try to squeeze out of us?”
“Each family will be allowed to purchase twenty gallons of gasoline per month.”
“Twenty gallons! A month? Are you freaking kidding me? Just getting to work and back, I go through more than that in a week.”
Frank shook his head. “Now, you aren’t likely to be going to work for a while yet, are you? Look, let the man say what he needs to say. We’re going to have another meeting in town tonight. You’ll have your chance to have your say.”
Jensen looked back at his notebook. “Propane and diesel fuel will be rationed for farmers only. If you live on a farm, you’ll be provided with tickets that you can use to purchase either propane or diesel fuel. We don’t have an amount set yet, but they are doing studies to determine how much fuel a farmer needs to plant, maintain, and harvest.”
“How will we get our tickets?” Allison asked. “We don’t have mail delivery anymore.”
“You will need to come to our office in town. I’ll have a list of every family in the county. You request your tickets and we’ll give them to you and mark that you’ve gotten your tickets.”
“I’m done listening to this bullshit.” Again, it was the man who’d complained about the power plant. “I’m going to go sit in the bus. I’ll see you guys when you get done listening to this jerk’s crap.” He turned and stomped out of the arena.
When he was gone, Jensen looked up from his notebook.
“This last announcement is one that I’m required to make,” he said.
“Your government needs your help.” He spoke as if reading from a text. “In the first days after the solar flare damaged our electrical grid, many bad actors ran loose. Those bad actors resorted to killing and mayhem. Our cities were abandoned. Many were destroyed. Your government needs your help to rebuild these cities and bring them back to what they once were.
“We have comfortable apartments to house all those willing to help. These apartments have full power. We have plenty of food. Every worker will be allowed to move his family into one of these apartments. Your families will enjoy television, video games and a free movie theater. Every worker will be paid an hourly wage. Every worker will receive Personal Protective Equipment in order to do the job safely.
“If you have any questions, please let me know.”
“What’s the job?” This was from a person Allison recognized as a cashier from the local grocery.
“First and foremost, the job we need to accomplish before the warm weather returns is body removal.”
A collective gasp was audible.
“How bad is it? How many dead are there?” a woman in a red coat asked.
“No one knows the exact number, but it is estimated that 90% of Chicagoans did not survive the first three days.”
“You mean that there are over two million dead people in Chicago?”
“That is an estimate. And there are also dead animals to dispose of. Numbers unknown.”
“So why can’t the half million or so who made it out come back to clean up?”
“Some are. Some can’t because they are too old or young or not healthy enough. Some have decided they don’t want to return to Chicago. But some of those displaced are returning to help with the cleanup. We need more people though.”
He rubbed his eyes
. “You know, I’ll bet these people want to get back to Princeton.” He looked around the crowd of people. “I’ll be meeting with you guys in Princeton this evening. You can head back and help get the word out. I’ve got a couple favors to ask these people here so I’ll just see you all in town tonight.”
Allison walked to the door so that she could thank each person again for their support.
Chapter 26 Riley
Ten minutes later, when the buses were gone, the group had settled into the common room. Hot tea and coffee sat in mugs on tables. Jensen stood at the front of the room.
“I wanted to talk to you as a group without the people from town because I have some additional information that might be important. Frank is aware of this and approves.”
He picked up his mug and drank until it was empty. “All right,” he continued. “I told everyone that a half million people, more or less, had survived Chicago and had been moved south. That is true. There are an estimated two million dead in Chicago. Most still lie where they fell in the first days. It’s not pretty. Remember, we still had some decent heat for a month after the flare. I’ve heard that it is a horrible mess. But we really need to use this winter season to get the bodies removed. Rats and other disease spreading varmits are making things even more dangerous.”
He looked around the room. “Any questions?”
No one answered.
“What I want to say to this group is not something that I’d want to get back to my bosses. I suggest that none of you volunteer for this particular job.”
“Why is that?” Rolly called from the back.
“Because of the half million survivors waiting down south. This group is critical to the survival of the town. The town is one of very few that came through the flare with no damage. If this group splits up, there is no guarantee that the power will come back on in the time frame experts are suggesting and many of those half million people are going to be headed north in a few months.
