Dangerous Shores: Book Three; The End of the Road

by Christine Conaway

  Frank had been the take-charge guy and she’d gladly accepted his leadership skills. They’d butted heads more than once, but he’d brought valid reasons and ideas to their survival plan. She found herself missing him for more than just personal reasons.

  “Now I guess when that gets charged we’ll set up the inverter and get some of those other batteries charged in case we need them.”

  “Do you want me to carry up the rest of the equipment and see what’s what? There’s an awful lot of radios and walkie-talkies and a charger for the NiCad batteries. Both of those two top shelves are full of radio equipment.”

  She looked at Mike, “You can set up any of that equipment you think we’ll need. As soon as the battery is charged enough I want to set up the receiver and listen. We may hear something even if we can’t transmit right now.”

  Mike went back to the cellar and brought up a box of the smaller radios. Brad was fiddling with one of the handheld walkie-talkies. “You know these have a good two-mile range and in the right conditions even farther. We should use them between the two houses.”

  “Oh thank God…” Ellen exclaimed. “Brad, I’m sorry. It seems I have done you an injustice.” She laughed when she said it to take the sting out of her words. “I keep waiting for someone else to step up and offer advice. So far it has only been Rob who’s offered up any ideas.”

  “Well,” He looked at Rosa and she nodded, “Like Mike here, we felt like interlopers. We didn’t know what our place would be in the bigger picture. You offered us a place to go and have provided so much for us already we didn’t want to rock the boat. We’re just grateful to be here. We thought that in time you would seek us out and ask for our opinions if you wanted them.”

  Ellen was glad she was sitting down. After the relief she felt from hearing him, she realized she may have come across as wanting to be the person in charge. She was so used to doing everything alone she had put up barriers. Most times she found it easier to do things herself rather than ask for help or another opinion.

  “I have so many thoughts running through my brain right this second I feel overwhelmed. This is going to be the last idea I’m going to present alone. I think we should have a meeting with all of us together up at the other house. There are so many things we need to talk about. I’m afraid we won’t be left alone up here. Someday someone is going to decide they want what we have and no matter how much or how little they think it is someone is going to try to take it. We need to get together and decide how we are going to keep it.”

  She looked around to see how they were taking her words. There were nods and smiles all around.

  Brad looked thoughtful, “I do have some organizational skills and I know a little about inventory. I’m thinking with what we have in your house and the things here we should inventory, organize and get our supplies in a central location away from either house. Whenever whoever is cooking needs something other than the basics they can go shop the main supply.” It could prevent the loss of everything if we ever did have a problem.”

  “I think I have the perfect place to set up our groceries. The milk house is cinderblock and the roof is in good shape. It may work for our store.” Ellen was grateful for Brad’s contribution because it allowed the others to open up as well.

  “I was thinking it would get the children back in school. Maybe not the same type of school they had before but there are things they could be learning and it would occupy some of their day.” Rosa told them.

  “That makes sense to me. Chelsey taught fifth grade, and kept my books for me if that’s any help. Myself; about all I do is raise cows, or rather beef cattle and I’m a competent pilot and I can use a bow to hunt with.”

  “Don’t underestimate yourself Uncle Mike.” Donna had heard his comment about the bow. “He was state champion all through high school and college. He isn’t giving himself enough credit. He taught my Dad…he taught my Dad and Mom to use a bow a couple of years ago. He taught me when I was eight.”

  Chelsey put her hands on Danna’s shoulders. “We lost Mathew on our way up here. But it still seems like he’ll come walking out that door any second.”

  Donna turned into her Mother’s arms and Chelsey led her inside the house.

  “Sorry about your brother in-law. When Chelsey feels up to it maybe she could go through the basement and write up an inventory. We’ll do the same at the big house. I think I have some other ideas to throw out and I bet you guys do to. So bring them to the meeting tonight and we’ll open them all for discussion. As far as I’m concerned everything on this property belongs to all of us to be shared by all of us. Most of it can’t be replaced so we need to be smart with what we have.”

  They agreed to meet when the sun set and Ellen, Rob, Brad and Rosa headed back to their house. Mike would bring the fully charged radio with him and maybe they would hear what was going on in the outside world.

  As they walked, Ellen began to tell them what her father had always told her. “Somewhere on this property is a bunker. I don’t know where or even if it’s true, but my Dad always said to come home if something like this ever happened. He used to go on and on about how prepared they were for anything. I think there has to be more than just the food we found in the house.”

  “Maybe he was including what you just found at the other house.” Rosa said. “There is a lot of food there.”

  Ellen stopped studying the land. “I don’t think so. Uncle Jerry never told my folks about all of his stores. He showed them to me but that was ten years ago. He had quite a bit of stuff then but I can see he was busy the last couple years before he died. I think they had something else in mind. I remember hearing my folks talking about a fallout shelter. Back in the fifties and sixties is was a big thing. I do remember seeing a cement truck come rolling up the road every couple of days. I was a little kid and it always came around my nap time. After the first time I saw it, I’d peek out my window instead of napping. I saw it a couple more times. I never said anything because I thought it was some kind of big secret. Then I suppose I’d forgotten all about it until a couple of weeks ago.”

  “I guess we need to find it then, if it does exist. Put the kids on it. If it’s out there with a little incentive, they’ll find it.” Brad said with a laugh, “Trust me on this. We used to hide their Christmas presents and no matter how creative we were they always found them. We finally gave up and told them if they wanted to see them before Christmas they could look in our closet. It seemed to take the thrill out of the find. I don’t think they ever did look. But they were good hunters.”

  They laughed together and walked on. “Let me show you guys the out buildings. I think some of them could be turned into bunkhouses for the boys or even homes for families someday. We know where there are unused building supplies and I bet you we could find more if we looked.”

  By the time they had wandered the whole property and inspected every structure they were tossing ideas around. They would bring them up at the meeting.

  When Mike Chelsey and Donna arrived they began the introductions again. Chelsey was armed with a notebook Ellen recognized as one of the many she had kept for her journals. Donna and Mike both carried a cardboard box. Mike had the radio equipment while Donna had the walkie-talkies and two other smaller radios.

  The first order of business was to set up the receiver. They put it on the table on the upper level to allow more room in the kitchen area. Brad showed his boys how to use it and left them sitting and scrolling through the channel’s. All that Brad was able to pick up was static and white noise. At one point they thought they had heard a voice but they couldn’t pick it out. Jesse wrote down the frequency and they continued through the dial listening for a few seconds at each one.

  Once everyone had been fed and the dishes cleaned, they found places to sit. Ellen stood to address them.

  “First off, we are not just a group of people who have come together for our own survival. I would like think of us as being family. That means we tre
at each other as family members.”

  They agreed with her and by the time the meeting was over they had decided on a council of elders for lack of a better term which would consist of Brad, Rosa and Maggie. They would have the final say on any dispute or grievance. Plus, it would be up to them to decide who would be allowed to join their group if it ever came down to that. They all realized and understood to be successful in farming and defense they would need more people. They would try to recruit from their own neighbors first. That task would go to Ellen, because some might remember her along with Rob and Alan.

  Rob would also be in charge of teaching everyone the correct use and maintenance of all firearms while Mike would teach them archery skills. They agreed the bow and arrow could be the weapon of the future.

  Rosa and Chelsey would begin regular school hours as soon as they were set up with Donna and Karen as their assistants when they were needed.

  Jamie and Jesse would learn everything they could learn about the radio and it’s uses. They would see that the batteries were always charged and equipment maintained. They along with Alan would also be in charge of finding a bug out location in case one was ever needed. Both boys had been eagle scouts and knew quite a bit about using a handheld compass and tracking.

  Hannah and Maggie would be their medical personnel. Between the two of them they would keep track of their dietary needs. As soon as Liza and Angie had recovered from near starvation, they would be on the kitchen crew along with any child that was capable of handling a specific chore. The younger kids would be called on for wood detail and weeding.

  Dana and Olivia would also assist in the kitchen and in the infirmary if there was ever a need for them.

  “Okay,” Ellen stretched and yawned. We’ve got most of this under control now. How about we get some sleep? I’m ready…”

  A squawk from the radio stopped her words. They turned to look at Jamie and Jesse. They both had their heads close to the speaker. Jamie held his hand up to silence them.

  Both boys sat straighter and looked at each other wide eyed. They turned as a unit to face them. Jamie told them what they’d heard. “They’re coming.”

  “Who’s coming?” Brad asked.

  “Men…bad men and women and soldiers.”

  “Who told you this? Where are they coming from?”

  “The guy said he only had a minute but they are on every night after sunset. He talks to a guy down the coast and relay’s the information on to anyone listening. I think it was the end of his broadcast but he’ll be on tomorrow. The only thing we heard clearly is that an army or an army of men and women were coming north. Nothing else we could understand.”

  “Well, we knew it had to happen. After seeing the ships in San Diego unload all those troops I figured it was only a matter of time before someone tried taking over. It stands to reason the civilians would be trying to find somewhere to go.”

  “What do we do?” Maggie asked. She had been thinking about Eureka the past couple of days and wondered how life was down there. More than once she had wondered how their lives could have been different had they stayed in Eureka.

  “Right now, I don’t think we can do anything until we know the threat for sure. We’ll have the boys monitor the radio every evening and more if they want.

  “Can I listen too?” Karen asked. “I’d like to learn to use the radio too.”

  “I think with time all of the kids should learn. Us adults as well.” Rob said. “I do think Ellen’s right though. We need to turn in and begin again in the morning. It could be months or even longer before we have to deal with any of this, but the sooner we get started on our preparations the better off we’re going to be.”

  Ellen walked out on the porch with Mike. He turned and asked, “Are you headed in now?”

  “No I need some unwind time. I think I’ll walk for a while. Why?”

  “I’m thinking I’ll just walk Chelsey and Donna to the house and then take a trip through the lower pasture. The last two of my cows was due to drop their calves today or tomorrow. I’d like to check on them. You could walk with me if you’d like.”

  “Okay. Let me grab a jacket and let someone know where I’m going.” Ellen stepped inside the door and told Maggie where she’d be, grabbed a jacket from the coat rack and closed the door behind her.

  They followed Chelsey and Donna back to their house and cut across to the lower pasture. Mike held the wires apart so Ellen could climb through without snagging her clothes. They found a cow down obviously in labor. Mike knelt down by her head and rubbed her poll. He said soothing words to her and walked to where Ellen sat on a fallen tree.

  Ellen told him about their whole trip beginning with the first morning and ending with the burning of the Annie-C. He told her of coming up from Renton and the loss of Chelsey’s husband and his dilemma of where to go. It had taken them two months to get there because and they’d had to walk the whole way. They were unarmed and hid out for days at a time only walking at night to avoid being seen. He confessed that they had to steal food from stores along the way to survive.

  Ellen told him about the soldiers in Panama and about how they may show up someday unless their government got their act together and the military got sorted out. They exchanged stories on how they would like to see their survival efforts pan out. They had similar ideas about setting up a trading post and uniting all of their neighbors.

  If they found enough interested people, they could form some sort of a militia to patrol and protect all of their interests.

  Ellen told him about the Major and his meeting with two other people that was to have taken place in the Dry Tortugas. He agreed it didn’t sound good but there was nothing they could do to stop it until or unless their forces grew in size. They were but a small contingent of people. They were ill-equipped to deal with any kind of military forces or the people headed their way unless they could gather their neighbors and find some way to arm themselves.

  The cow bellowed and pulled herself to her feet leaving her calf on the ground. A cloud of steam rose from its wet body. She turned and began to nuzzle and lick her new calf.

  “Well that was easy.” Ellen remarked, “But then I didn’t have to do the work.”

  “He’ll make a nice herd bull someday. Hopefully we’ll all be around to see him grow up. Well Miss Ellen, it sure was nice to finally meet you and to find out you aren’t ninety years old. If I ever see that lawyer of mine again…”

  They laughed. “In the grand scheme of things I think every decision we make decides which road we are going to travel. We open one door and close another. The road in front of us may not be easy, but I believe we can survive, regardless of what is thrown at us. We have to for the sake of the children.”

  The End

  Dear Readers,

  I had thought to find the ending with The End of the Road being the last book in the series. I thought that finally getting to the farm would suffice as an ending, but I find myself seeing this is not so. There are still so many events left unfinished.

  After the last read through, before it goes off to the editor I find myself with a list of questions.

  Do the soldiers from Panama ever make it to Washington State?

  What happened to the New World Coalition?

  Did Hannah’s real father have something to do with that?

  Where did the gold coins that Hannah’s mother left her go?

  Can they even use the gold for the good of their group when other things carry more value? Would you rather have a gold coin or a half dozen chickens?

  What was there about the small picture frame that caught Ellen’s interest? We already know that someone had spent time holding it by the wear marks on the frame, but who and why?

  Will their neighbors consider them a threat to themselves or be willing to join together for survival?

  Can they build a sustainable community?

  Can they survive the hoard headed their way, be it evildoers or the military?

>   Is it the United States of America military or another part of the New World Coalition?

  Can they even survive in the harsh new world they now find themselves in?

  So many questions I think need to be answered. It would no longer be considered a sea adventure, but I think it would still fit into post- apocalyptic or dystopian genre. I know this group of people will stand and fight for what they believe in.