Afraid of the Dark

by Chris Hechtl

  “We shouldn't bother with trading at all if we're that low on food,” a guy said.

  “Hey man, we've got to be good neighbors. We're all in this together. We trade them stuff, maybe they don't come over here so soon. Or maybe they learn to make something we really want and need but can't do ourselves.”

  His table mates were amused, looking at each other as they played with their food. One guy just picked at his food, not looking up. Another smirked at another guy. “Seriously, I mean we can do it, its just going to take time and patience. And well... more room,” the guy said helplessly. He waved.

  “More room?” another person at a nearby table asked looking up.

  “Yeah,” he turned in his chair to face the new person. “Yeah we've got hydroponics, greenhouses, and barns, but we need room to grow food. It takes a lot of space for food to grow you know. Something like an acre or so per person I heard. Maybe more. We've got a lot of mouths to feed...”

  “Speaking of which, you going to eat that?” his table mate asked pointing to his plate. Ling hunched over his plate protectively.

  “Feed your face Ling, we've got to get back to work here,” another guy said quietly.

  “Yeah sure,” Ling said, suddenly hunching his shoulders and looking down at his food. “Yeah,” he said, picking up his fork and straightening his shoulders as he realized it wasn't a put down. “We'll get it done. You'll see.”

  “That we will kid, one day at a time,” the guy said with a nod of approval.

  ...*...*...*...*...

  “That was close,” Spencer said as an aside to Jayne as he kept scanning the crowd. Jayne turned, back still stiff, arms crossed. She paused near him and the door. “Boss lady, you ah...”

  “What?” she snarled.

  His eyes widened a little. “Look, sorry,” he said, hands up in a supplication position. “No need to bite my head off lady, I know we need the protein but...”

  She glared for a moment then looked away. “Sorry,” she mumbled after a moment.

  “Yeah I know, heat of the moment,” he said, watching her shoulders shake a little. That really had been a close call, for them and for her. He shuddered at the thought of that guy having a hidden shiv. Most people turned over weapons when they came in, but not all. Some still clung stubbornly to them.

  “Look boss, don't mind the airheads popping off. They don't know jack.”

  “Which is part of the problem,” she sighed softly. “He's pointed that out. Ignorance breeds stupidity. We're going to have to correct it.”

  “How?” Spencer asked, blinking at her.

  “I don't know yet. Maybe post the facts and figures somewhere. Get it out there so they know what we're doing and why.”

  “Um, you sure that's wise. We don't want a panic or anything.”

  “Best I can think of,” she said, shaking her head and hair. “I've got to check in with the other stations.”

  “Yeah, um, have a good day,” he said.

  “Better than this I hope,” she said, rolling her eyes and pushing the door open to walk out. She bumped into a pair of people coming in and kept going.

  “What's her problem?” the guy asked, looking back at her.

  “Snobbish. Must be nice at the top,” the other said.

  “Don't start,” Spencer sighed. “The lady's having an off day fellas. Just leave her be,” he said quietly. They looked at him and then moved to the back of the line quietly.

  Chapter 49

  Todd nodded grimly to the crews as they passed. They had hot wired trucks and utility vehicles to use. Work crews were out clearing downed lines and shutting off utilities just in case. They were even taking down solar panels and solar heaters from houses since they had run out of new ones from the stores. He'd grabbed a set from the tool store on Sunnymead the first week. The things were great.

  He grinned as he watched a work crew setting up to mulch. The aliens were everywhere, both plants and animals. The crews had gotten devious. They had welded and rigged spinning blades with motors from rotor tillers on the front of some of the trucks. Some trucks had also rigged mulchers and garden equipment on booms to reach out to kill aliens in hard to reach areas. One guy used a street sweeper to sweep up babies and plants. He wasn't sure where the guy dumped it all. Usually they picked a field and then when the day was done they lit a bonfire before they left.

  Now though, with the aliens in the ground, that was a bit more problematical. Most likely they would find a nice empty parking lot. He shrugged. Not really his problem anyway.

  Water was still an issue. The promised Colorado River water had been a hit and miss sort of thing. Sure it was in the pipeline, but not much. There were too many breaks upstream apparently. Also thirsty alien plants had started to grow roots into the pipes, tearing them apart. They were barely getting a trickle of water. Enough to make some happy, some was better than none of course, but not enough to really turn things around.

  Which was why he had a crew out pulling rain gutters and anything like a rain barrel. Rain water was still needed for the farms. Hell, they were recycling the run off from the farms but it still wasn't quite enough for some.

  Things weren't all bleak, some things were looking up. He had even had a girl make a pass at him yesterday, lightening his mood. When she'd found out he was a widower with kids she'd backed off. It felt good though to have someone interested in him again, even if she just wanted someone to provide for her.

  The kids were doing better now that the schools were shaping up. The three teachers and a host of aides and other staff members had survived to get to the mall. True, some were traumatized. So were a lot of people. Life went on. The kids were over the worst of their grief for Mary. He felt the hollow void when he thought her name and gently put it aside. Mary wouldn't want him to pine away for her.

  One high school chem teacher named Charles Schroder who lost his family in the invasion was still a bit grief stricken. Luckily word had it that he had been drawn into helping kids adjust and helping with chemistry projects. Something about rockets. He had been an immense help with various projects including refilling the fire extinguishers and making the flame throwers. He was glad they had those now, they were life savers.

  It was Mr. Schroder who had polled the parents and then had gone to the council to set up the first school with another teacher.

  Jayne and her DMV human resource girls had found a math tutor to teach math, an English college professor to teach English/social studies, and a few others to handle other classes. All kids under twelve went to school. Kids under six went to day care. Most teens attend for a half day if possible. Otherwise they worked. Even the kids over the age of eight had some sort of chore. He'd been amused when an eight year old had put a guy down for bitching about cleaning last week. He had so wished he'd had a camera then. He was damn proud of the lad even though he wasn't his own flesh and blood.

  He was glad both boys hadn't put up so much as a whine when they found that out. Brian was doing great. TJ had been a little traumatized but the boy was settling in and his grades were picking up. He'd even got into some of the projects his group was helping out on.

  They used to joke about school being a structuralized day care for most kids. Now it was vital. Shane O'Neill had made a speech about it, how they had to look out for the next generation. That they had to set the ground rules early and set up the system and keep civilization alive.

  Todd smiled. The day care in the toy store was a stroke of genius. The parents had joked about the kids living there, and how we all wanted that growing up. At least it had kept them content. Knowing their kids were cared for had allowed parents to open up and get out and get to work.

  People were still sleeping in corridors and storage areas. Jayne had moved the storage of clothes outside. There still wasn't enough room. At least most people had an air mattress or a sleeping bag. Some just had a comforter. Even with all the buildings they had it was still tight. He was just glad that since he was in the
militia he and his family got a bunk bed in the barracks. It was a little weird for the boys to share the top bunk, but at least it was a bed.

  “We're here,” the driver said, pulling up behind the truck and slapping the truck into park before turning off the ignition. “Another day in the trenches,” he said heavily, reaching for his helmet.

  “Its better than sitting in the base waiting for...” Todd grimaced at the look the others were giving him. Kane rolled his eyes. “Fine. Let's go frag some alien ass.”

  ...*...*...*...*...

  Rafe watched Ray and Eugene bitch about the weather and sighed. He'd been stuck in the clean up crews, there being nothing available anywhere else. He was about fed up with it. It wasn't the job, hell, he was grateful to keep busy, and he wanted to earn his keep. No it was the constant griping that was getting to him. Constant. Whine, whine, whine; bitch, bitch, bitch.

  When his shift was over he checked in with the super, Dale. “Um, boss, can I talk to you a moment?”

  “Something on your mind?” Dale asked, cocking his head as he signed off on a clipboard and handed it to his assistant. “You getting along with your crew?”

  “Yeah, well, yes and no. I, boss I'd like a different job.”

  “So?” Dale asked. “Put in for one.”

  “Problem is I'm new here. I don't know how to go about it. How to get a reference or something for outdoor stuff.”

  “You serious?” Dale asked, stopping and turning to him. Rafe nodded. “You're okay with going outside? I mean out of the perimeter? Not many people are, kid.”

  “Sure. I, well, I was in a warehouse. I fricken walked to the harvesters when we ran out of resources boss. I can hack it out there if I have to. What do you have in mind?”

  “They are always asking for people to do stuff. Clean up crews for the roads, harvesters, and other shit. You name it.”

  Rafe's eyes widened almost comically as he shook his head and gulped. “I'm not, I was into shooters but I don't have a weapon or anything, I don't have experience for that sort of thing. I can drive if they need someone, and I can haul shit. Just tell me where and when.”

  “Sure,” Dale said nodding in appraisal. He studied the kid. He was good troop, never complained, never slowed down. He kept his head down and nose to the grindstone, unlike the slackers. “You're going to be out all day till damn near sundown. Some people can't hack that.”

  “Funny how it is, I mean a year ago...”

  “A year ago people were eager to get their own corner office and out of the cube farm,” Dale said, wrinkling his nose as he interrupted. “That's part of my problem with a lot of people. We've become a society of paper pushers. No one to get things done when they need doing.”

  “Not me. I did landscaping when I was a teen. I can handle it,” Shane said, jutting his chin out.

  “You're one of the few then,” Dale said. “No one else is willing to stick their neck out.”

  “Hero,” Rafe muttered.

  “What's that?” Dale asked.

  “Sorry, just remembering the theme song to a superhero movie I watched. Something about not waiting for a hero. Nickleback.”

  “Yeah, okay, whatever,” Dale said shaking his head and pursing his lips. “Look, I'm not promising anything but I'll put a good word in. The turnover is high, the jobs are tough and dirty, and the pay is the same as what you're getting here. Room and board, that's it. Maybe the occasional bonus now and then.”

  “Fine with me,” Rafe said, jutting his chin out a little. “I want to pull my weight.”

  “Well, will wonders never cease son,” Dale said, slapping him on the shoulder. “I'll find you tomorrow and let you know one way or the other.”

  “Thanks boss,” Rafe said, giving him a boy scout salute and then walking off whistling. Dale watched him go and then pulled out his smart phone.

  “Joe, you still need a hand in automotive collections?” he asked. “Yeah? Well, I've got someone in mind. He's a noob, but he's got the right attitude....”

  ...*...*...*...*...

  Torres heard the gunshots and paused. She looked at her team. “Something I'm missing? We just got here.” she said looking around. They were on Indian, near the center of town. There were a lot of older houses, stucco or brick. Most were overgrown with alien plants now. The entire city was starting to look like a damn alien jungle. In another year they wouldn't be able to tell what was what and where. The street signs seemed to serve as posts for alien vines to climb and spread from.

  “Boss we've got a situation here,” the voice said over the radio. Darrin, no Jorge, no, Peter. Hell she wasn't sure who. Ever since she'd been put in command of a hundred people she'd stopped trying to keep track of who was who.

  “Can you be more specific?” she said into the mike.

  “Mexican standoff. Ran into it when we pulled up,” the voice said over the radio.

  “Um...”

  “Someone's holed up in a house and shooting at us,” the voice said as another shot rang out.

  “Oh, is that all. Be right there.”

  “Well, that's not good,” Torres muttered. She clicked the mike as she motioned for the team to get back in the truck. “Be there in a minute. Pull everyone back.”

  “Roger,” the voice said.

  “Boss we going to flush them out?”

  Torres looked at the others and snorted. “If they are protecting their home, its their right. We'll leave 'em be. But they don't need to be shooting at us. Waste of ammo.”

  “Funny boss, really funny,” Tom said.

  “For you, waste of a bullet,” she said, giving him a syrupy sweet smile as the others chuckled.

  ...*...*...*...*...

  They pulled up a minute later and nodded at the teams hunkering down around the vehicles. Most of them were at the end of the block, some were taking cover. She slammed her door shut and walked over. “Okay, who's in charge and what the hell's going on.”

  “Ah boss, you're in charge remember?” a guy said. Torres gave him a dirty look. He finally pointed to a guy rubbing his elbow and staring down the street.

  “So?” she asked, strolling over to him. “Want to fill me in?”

  He glanced at her but kept looking down the street and rubbing his elbow. “We pulled up and started setting up shop when some yahoo started taking pot shots at us. End of story.”

  “Really?” Torres drawled. “Anyone talk to him? Or at least try to?”

  “Or her, no. No intel boss, no idea who it is. Hell could be a Gremlin for all we know,” the guy said. “Damn it, hit my funny bone when I hit the pavement.”

  “Hurts doesn't it,” Torres said not sounding very sympathetic. She paused, working her jaw as she looked at the area. It was a nice enough neighborhood, even with a few alien weeds. Old of course, most of Indian was old Moreno Valley. She blinked after a moment in dawning comprehension. Only a few aliens weeds. Someone or something was uprooting the things as soon as they sprouted. Interesting.

  “Yo!” she yelled, waving a hand. She took out her side arm and set it on the hood of the truck with her rifle. She quickly shined her badge on her chest armor. Hopefully it would be visible.

  “Yo, um, boss you ah...” Tom asked uncertainly.

  “Stay Tom, you're too big a target,” she said with a wave. She moved out, moving slowly to the center of the street then slowly strolling up it, hands above her head. “I'd wave a white flag if I could. Let's talk!” she yelled.

  “Um, you think this is wise?” Tom asked the others. The others shrugged.

  “Dunno, hell if I know,” Angie muttered, eyes glued to Torres.

  “Its the boss in a nutshell,” Ursilla sighed, sitting back and popping a seed in her mouth and sucking on it.

  “Yo! Hello!” Torres said. She paused as a shot rang out and something spangled in front of her. “Now cut that shit out! We're not aliens here! Save the damn bullets for them!”

  “That's far enough!” A thin reedy voice yelled. She stopped
and looked around. Finally she spotted someone in the white brick building nearby. He had a little sniper's nest going. She turned to face him, arms spread to show she wasn't threatening.

  “Look we're...”

  “Looters. You can move along,” the guy snarled. “Before I fill you full of lead.”

  “Fine. We'll skip your block if you want, no skin off my nose,” she said turning. “Wrap it up boys and girls, move to the next location,” she said whirling her finger around.

  “You mean it?” the sniper asked, suddenly confused. She turned back.

  “Yeah, you're just defending your turf. We've got no beef with you. If you've got the aliens cleaned out of here, we're good, you've done the work for us and we can move on,” she said pitching her voice so he could hear her from that distance.

  “Seriously?” the guy asked. She looked over her shoulder to see him coming to the window. He had the rifle at port arms.

  “Yeah. Look man, I'm a deputy sheriff.” She pointed to the badge on her chest and then tapped it. “Part of my job is to clean out the aliens and like you said, loot for food and weapons.”

  The door to the house clicked and then opened slowly. A face peeked out, then a smaller one down low. The guy swore something Torres couldn't hear and then growled setting the rifle down. “Dana, Nadine! Get back in the house! I told you to go to the safe room!”

  “Its okay,” Torres said, hands out, motioning for everyone to remain calm. “All friends here,” she said as a little girl came out and cocked her head at her.

  “Shit,” the guy muttered and left the window. After a moment he came back for the rifle and came out the front door. He marched up to her, passing the girls.

  “You serious about being a cop?” he asked as he stopped about six feet away from her, carefully pointing the gun down. Torres nodded and pointed to her sheriff's badge once more.

  The guy squinted and then muttered and spat. “Don't mean nothin', anyone could have one of them. You could have picked it off some corpse or something.”