by Wilson Harp
“Who is we, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“U.S. Army Reserve unit from town. We had some equipment survive the burst, and we acted quickly to establish control and mobilize the population. How did Kenton go about setting themselves up?
“We were able to organize quickly. Got wells and latrines set up, started planting crops in the first few days.”
“Hold on, David from Kenton. I’ll just be a minute.”
“What do you think that is about?” I asked Tom and Kenny.
“Not sure,” said Tom. “But we should be taking notes.”
“Do you think they can pinpoint where we are broadcasting from?” Kenny asked.
“I’m not sure,” Tom said. “But they already know where Kenton is.”
“David? Are you there?” Sergeant Webb said over the radio.
“I’m here, Sergeant.”
“Okay, is there anything you need up there? We don’t have much food but we can come and try to help you with water purification.”
I looked at Kenny and Tom. I was hoping they would have an idea of what to ask for, but they looked back at me with the same look I thought I had.
“Medicine,” I said finally. “There are quite a few folks running low on medicine.”
“Yeah, that’s something we are all dealing with. Can’t help you there. Listen, how this normally works is, we send a team out to assess the situation of people calling for help. But you sound like you have everything under control. Is that what I am understanding?”
“It’s pretty well under control. It’s been tough, but I think the town will be okay.”
“I know it may be a lot to ask, but how many folks do you have up there.”
Kenny smacked me on the shoulder and emphatically shook his head “No.”
“Prudence would be to let that question lie for the time being, Sergeant.”
“Understood. We would like to maintain contact with you, David. Are you in charge of the radio?”
“Uh, no. Actually, I fixed it and we are just trying it now. Tom is with me and he will be the one who mans the radio for us.”
I handed the mic to Tom. It was a thrill to speak to someone else from a far location, but Tom was who would be running our communications station.
“Thank you, David,” he said as I stood from the chair. He sat down and turned the mic back on.
“This is Tom,” he said. “I have some questions about what is going on if you don’t mind.”
Kenny tapped me on the shoulder and motioned for me to follow him as he walked out of the small shed.
I left the shed and closed the door behind me.
“Wow, man. I just can’t believe it,” he said. “David, you have reconnected us with the outside world. And whether it is better or worse out there, we will at least know.”
“We will.” I said. I realized my hands were shaking and I still wanted to run. It was sinking in that I had done it. I had fixed the radio. The frontier around Kenton was no longer limited to the range of Buck and his hunters. It was miles and miles away, days by foot. If the army really did have control of Cape Girardeau, then we had access to the Mississippi river and Illinois. If we had access to Illinois, then I could make my way to Chicago.
“You okay?” Kenny asked.
“Yeah, just all catching up to me.”
“Well let’s go tell Sophia and the others. They’ll want to know. You can hang out here until Ted gets back this evening. He’ll know who to tell, and when, in town.”
“Sounds good to me,” I said. “I feel a little shaky now, anyway. What time is it?”
Kenny looked up at the sky. “Looks like it’s right at noon. Let’s go kill a couple of hours.”
We walked down the path to Sophia’s house. The gardens showed abundant crops. Cucumbers, melons, squash, tomato plants, small hot pepper bushes and neat rows of cabbages, were all proof Ted and his people would be well-fed come winter time.
“They will be harvesting the wheat in the next few days,” I told Kenny. “Looks like we might get some flour within a few weeks.”
“I bet you are missing bread, aren’t you?”
“You aren’t?” I asked.
He smiled and shook his head. “Nah, Sophia had laid in about two hundred pounds of flour before the event. She had it sealed up in big tubs. That was her ‘end of the world’ supplies. Ted doesn’t want word to get out about how much we have up here, but we won’t be hurting for flour for a couple of years. Hopefully by that time things will be better and flour won’t be a concern.”
My mouth watered at the thought of a piece of bread. “Do you think... I mean if it isn’t too much to ask?”
Kenny smiled at me. “You fixed the radio. I’m going to fix you whatever you want for lunch.”
We entered Sophia’s house and were met by their two large golden retrievers. I reached down to pet them and marveled at how well fed and fit they seemed.
Sophia came out of the kitchen with her daughter Kaylee in tow.
“David, what a nice surprise. I didn’t think we were going to be having visitors today.” She glanced at Kenny as if it was his fault she wasn’t prepared to entertain guests.
“We have a radio, Sophie,” Kenny said.
“We do? David, did you get it?” She squealed bringing her other two kids running into the room.
“Where is it? Is it set up already?” she asked.
“Yeah, Tom’s talking to—“
I was interrupted as she threw herself on me. She hugged me and held me tight as I tried to tell her who Tom was talking to.
“Hey sis, I think David’s hungry. What can you make him?”
Sophia let me go and spun around hugging her kids. “Lunch. We’ll fix lunch. Is there anything special I can make for you?” Tears were running down her cheeks as she laughed and jumped with her kids. Even the dogs joined in to the happy sounds and movements.
“Whatever you were planning will be fine,” I said.
She stopped and looked at me as she wiped her eyes. “Okay, but I want to make something special for this occasion.”
“Chocolate chip cookies.” The words fell out of my mouth without thinking.
“Yeah, mom. Chocolate chip cookies,” her kids repeated.
“Okay,” she said. “I still have some chips. I’ll make you a batch.”
“Can I maybe take a couple home with me? They’re my dad’s favorite.”
“Absolutely,” Sophia said. “I’ll make some we can eat tonight in celebration and then I will give you some to take to your family. Just don’t let word get out. I can’t bake cookies for the whole town.”
I smiled and found a seat in her living room as she, the kids and the dogs all paraded into the kitchen.
“You have that much of a craving for chocolate chip cookies?” Kenny asked as he sat down in a large leather chair.
“I would love one,” I said. “But really, it’s about my dad. When this all started, we talked about what we would want. I wanted to go home to Chicago, find Lexi and Emma, and figure out how and where we were going to live. His goals were simpler. He wanted to ride in a car again and feel the wind whip by. He wanted to have a reason to get dressed up. And, he wanted a chocolate chip cookie. He had the first two a couple of weeks ago at your trial, now I’ll be able to make all of his wishes come true.”
“That’s nice,” Kenny said. “I get that. Sometimes we dream so big it’s better to focus on other people’s dreams. It makes us think if we can help them along the way, then maybe someone else will come along and help us. When I was leaving New Orleans, I was stuck in Shreveport for a week or so. No money, no food, no place to sleep. But, I had a friend up in Memphis, so I just needed a ride. Took me two days, but then this guy just walked up to me and said ‘Hey, you look like you don’t belong. I’m heading out of town. Want a ride?’ I almost turned him down, but he held out a bag of burgers to me and I figured if he was crazy enough to feed me and trust me in his car, I would leave Shreve
port with him.”
“Where was he heading?”
“Memphis. He told me he was going up there to tell his church what he saw down in New Orleans. They were going to buy supplies and then go down to help with the clean-up. My friend lived two blocks from his church. He gave me a ride, but to me that meant a chance at life. And I think it meant more for him, too. You are going to give your dad a cookie, but it means a dream fulfilled, and that’s powerful, David.”
“Dream fulfillment one cookie at a time,” I said.
“Powerful.”
I didn’t feel powerful, but his words showed me sometimes what I do resonates louder than I realize. I don’t get to see all of the effects because I am in the center. The radio was my big excuse for not going to get Lexi and Emma. Now the path was clear. I needed to think about my own wishes. And with all of dad’s wishes completed, mine somehow did seem more achievable. Powerful indeed.
A short while later, I sat down for a meal I would not have passed up before the event. Baked chicken with a honey and thyme glaze, carrots, green beans with bacon drippings, and water sweetened with berries. Sophia set down a small basket of drop biscuits and my mouth watered so much I feared I would drool.
We sat around the table and talked about anything and everything. The children drove the topics of conversation. They were mostly interested in their animals and when they would have more visitors. Soon, though, Sophia set them to their chores and Kenny and I sat and nibbled at the ends of the luncheon.
“Kenny.” The front door eased open as Ted called.
“In here Ted,” Kenny responded.
“Baked chicken. Any left?” Ted asked as he came in.
“Nah, David here took your portion.”
“He deserves it, getting that radio up and going. Good job,” Ted said as he walked over and sat beside me. “I was just speaking with Tom, he is getting a pretty clear picture of the situation.”
“How’s it look?” asked Kenny.
“Not good. The major cities are inaccessible and most places weren’t able to pull it together quick enough to fend off disease.”
“How much of the world was hit?” I asked.
“As far as our army friends can tell, all of it. There might have been some remote places that didn’t feel the sting, but they wouldn’t have had much to fry out in the first place.”
“So this is it? This is the starting point of rebuilding our world?” I asked.
“Yes. Kind of,” said Ted. “We do have books and knowledge of technologies, so it is reasonable to believe we can quickly move ourselves forward.”
“And you have to realize, David,” Kenny added. “Not everyone was affected. The Amish, for example, probably aren’t living too different. Low technology nations and people in remote areas may have had some luxuries taken, but their essential day to day life goes on as normal.”
“That’s true, I guess. I just can’t imagine how all areas will get everything they need to rebuild civilization,” I said.
“At least for the next several decades. Local areas will need to specialize and then trade will start again. Routes will have to be secured and kept safe. As that happens, and as laws develop, people will resettle lands that have been polluted,” Ted said.
“Polluted?” I asked. “How so?”
“Well, unless I’m mistaken, there were thousands of meltdowns at nuclear power plants all around the world. Most of them probably were localized. Radioactive dust probably created a kill zone of ten to fifteen miles downwind of them, but for the most part, we just need to avoid those areas for a couple of decades. After a time, people can start going in for short periods and recover materials.”
I had never thought of nuclear plants. Were there nuclear plants on the way to Chicago? I would need maps and more information. Maybe it was for the best I didn’t head up right away.
“What about the cities?” Kenny asked. “I mean, I figure cholera hit pretty fast, but do they know what the cities look like? Did they all burn?”
“Not sure,” Ted said. “If they have some transport, they may have had a look at Memphis or Saint Louis, but I don’t know if Tom has been specific with his questions yet.”
“Are you staying for dinner, David?” Sophia asked from the kitchen door.
“Oh, no. I should probably head back.”
“Cookies aren’t done yet, but they are about to go in the oven. You are welcome to stay if you want,” she said.
“Stay, David,” Ted told me. “I saw Anne and she said she would keep your parents company tonight. She knew it might take some time up here and if everything didn’t go right, you might not make it back this evening.”
“Okay,” I said. “If Anne is keeping an eye on them, I’ll stay for dinner.”
“Stay the night,” Sophia said from the kitchen. “Kenny will set up a room for you. Bet you would like a hot shower tomorrow.”
“You have water pressure for a shower?” I asked.
“Enjoy Shangri-La, David,” Ted said. “A night in paradise.”
Chapter 19
“David!”
I sat straight up. I wasn’t where I was supposed to be.
“David!”
The voice was insistent. A door opened. Not from where I expected. Why was Lexi yelling? No, it wasn’t Lexi.
“David, get up. Now.”
Anne was framed in the doorway, a light silhouetted her.
“What?” I asked. I was sure my voice sounded feeble and confused, because it was.
“David, get up,” she repeated.
“Come on, grab your pants and put them on.” I heard Kenny behind her.
I swung my legs over the side of the bed. The bed in Kenny’s house. I had stayed up at Ted’s compound because Anne…
“Aren’t you supposed to be with my folks?” I asked Anne as she tossed me my t-shirt from a chair.
“Get dressed,” she said. “You have to get dressed.”
Her voice was strained and I saw her eyes were red and puffy.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. I was alert and aware. My senses were sharp and my movements efficient as I pulled on my pants and located my boots. I had slipped my t-shirt on and had my boots in my hand before she spoke again.
“Ride Bonnie, and get home David. You just need to get home.”
She was calm, but rattled. I could tell something terrible had happened, but I also knew I would get no more information out of her.
When my feet were firmly planted in my boots, I hurried out of Kenny’s house. The room that had been set up for me had no windows, but as I moved out of the glow of the lantern Kenny held, I noticed the pre-dawn light was already wakening the world.
I left his front door and almost ran into Bonnie. She was saddled and ready to go, so I mounted her in one smooth motion and guided her toward the gate. She sensed my unease and by the time we hit the driveway, we were at a trot. When her hooves hit the blacktop, I urged her to run. We were at a full gallop once we hit the highway. I knew Anne would have to check her hooves later, but at the moment I just needed to get home.
I raced past the checkpoint, the men there calling to me. I had the stray thought they might shoot at me since I didn’t heed their call. But as there was no sharp report that crackled through the morning stillness and I didn’t topple from Bonnie, I assumed they recognized me and let my wild passage go unimpeded.
Through the town Bonnie galloped. More people were up and about than I would have figured, but I normally didn’t head into town this early. It wasn’t so crowded I had to hold my mount back, though. I pushed ahead and rode hard. If Anne had mounted up and sought me out this early, and if she wouldn’t tell me what the problem was…
I pushed forward even more. Bonnie had foam flecking at her mouth and her flanks were getting wet. I was running her harder than she had probably been ridden in years, if ever.
I saw my parent’s house and I saw the small group of people on the front lawn. Then I saw Luke. He stepped out of the
house and I could see his head bobbing, as if he was crying. Someone in the group had seen or heard Bonnie racing down the road. They turned as one, and I saw Luke hold up his hand in the light mist of the morning.
I pointed Bonnie toward the house and pulled her up as her hoof hit the front lawn. I jumped from the saddle and ran the last 15 feet or so.
“David,” Luke said. “I’m so sorry.”
I pushed past him and saw my mother sitting on the couch with Rose. I froze. I knew something bad had happened when Anne woke me, but I didn’t want to think about who it was. I felt like someone was squeezing my heart. I turned and ran down the hall. I looked in their room. Their room. My mom and dad’s room. There in the room that I didn’t belong. There was my dad, sleeping in the middle of the bed. Sleeping. But he never slept on his back and he never slept in the middle. The sheets were neatly tucked around him.
“David, I’m so sorry,” Luke said softly from behind me.
“When? Did he… Was I too late?”
“He was gone when your mom woke. Anne tore out of here to get you, but by then… I’m so sorry David. He passed in his sleep.”
I felt Luke’s arm around me. I realized my legs were weak and I shouldn’t be standing, but Luke was holding me up.
“Let’s go to your mother,” he said.
I tore my eyes away from my dad and nodded. I kept my eyes closed as we went to the living room. I never wanted to see the house again. Its image was a mockery of my life. The place where I had grown up. It couldn’t be the place I saw my dad dead.
I sat on the couch and found my mother had her arms around me.
I wanted to say something comforting to her. I wanted to remind her he was a good father, husband and man. That I loved him and he loved me and her. I wanted to express my love for him, my love for her, and my sorrow for her.
I couldn’t. All I could do was sob and hold her. She did the same. No words of comfort, no words of grief came from her. Just tears and her arms.
I opened my eyes and saw her. Her face was contorted in pain, her grief mirrored mine. I blinked away the tears and saw there were others in the room. They whispered and spoke. I heard a few people in the kitchen.
