by Pete Thorsen
After that Don went to the front of the store and just watched out the windows for awhile and thought about what lay ahead. He was set up pretty well inside this store with enough food and water to last a fairly long time. He was sure though, that he would be leaving long before the food or water got low.
Things were all calm now but he did not think that would last for much longer. Right now most people still had plenty to eat and drink but that would not last and then they would get desperate. Desperate people were crazy and would do crazy things. Also people would be cooking with wood fires even here in town and the chance of a fire ‘getting away’ from them was fairly high.
If the town started burning there would be no way to put it out, it would have to burn itself out. This would also be true of any wildfire that started in the nearby hills; it would also have to just burn itself out. Don’s building sat well away from any other building so it should be safe from fire. But sooner or later people here would loot all the stores including this one. Don thought he had some time before this store would be looted but he would have to watch things closely so he could leave before he was trapped inside the store.
With leaving in mind Don looked over the different carts that were for sale in the store. After some thought he picked a four-wheeled cart that was made to be pulled by hand or could be hitched behind a garden tractor or quad. It was basically a large poly tub on wheels and had good sized pneumatic tires. He pulled one around inside the store some and decided to lengthen the handle. When that was done he drilled several holes around the edges of the tub with his ‘cordless’ drill so he could hook bungee straps or tie with rope to hold a larger load. He placed it in the back receiving area for now but thought soon he would fill it with supplies so he could grab it and leave at a moments notice. He figured he had a week or maybe even more before things got real bad.
After a quick lunch Don left the store and headed towards a sporting goods store that was a mile or so away. He was armed with one of his pistols and would always be armed even inside the store from now on, maybe for the rest of his life. The walk to the store was uneventful and there were many people out and about. No vehicles moving yet and everyone he saw was just walking and two were on bikes.
Things seemed a little more tense today which was totally understandable. There was no water at the taps anymore and this was the third day without power or cars or communications of any kind. At first everyone had just assumed it was a very temporary thing but by the third day people were naturally getting quite worried. The total lack of any kind of news was setting in as was the lack of any kind of police or Army or any rescue vehicles of any kind.
Most I assumed realized that here in Arizona without a water supply they would die. And without electric power there would be no water being pump out of the ground anymore. Water was often talked about and thought about here in the desert in regular times and these times were far from regular.
There were a couple of permanent very small lakes and a few even smaller ponds in the general area that could be used but that would be very difficult for the bulk of the population. If you lived five miles from a water source with no transportation you would die. You could move closer to the water supply but where would you live?
Maybe at some point ranchers with horses and wagons could haul water to people but how would they pay? Money still had some value today, or at least Don hoped so, but soon it would have no value at all. These people would soon be desperate and things would then get ugly. Those that had swimming pools would find people coming to beg for water or to steal the water. And there would be bloody battles over the water, just like there were over a hundred years ago.
It was still spring here so it wasn’t as hot as it would be in another month. In a month water would be needed in larger quantities by everyone. There were many functioning windmills in the country around here and I would think people would go to them if they knew about them anyway. The first ones there might try to lay claim and charge for the water and battles would ensue with blood running like water on to the ground.
Within a month food would be getting very hard to find. Pets would be eaten along with any other critter that could be caught or shot. Some pets would also likely eat their masters. Some people would turn their pets loose to fend for themselves and some of those pets would attack people to survive.
Gardens would be planted by those that had seeds and a water supply but the gardens would have to be protected from every hungry person in the area along with the normal wild critters. Sooner or later there would be reports of cannibalism. Many would commit suicide before it ever came to that.
There were a large number of older folks in the area both in old folk’s homes and living on their own. The ones in the nursing homes would die first. And the ones that needed oxygen and medications that would run out would also die quickly. Already any that had depended on their pacemaker would be dead. Of the rest many would fall victim to violence as bad people would pick the easy ones to attack first which would be the elderly. There were many dark days ahead and the more he thought about it the more Don was thinking he would just leave soon before things started to get that bad here in town.
When Don got to the sporting goods store there were many people around outside the store. Cautiously Don approached a group of people near the store front and asked if the store was open. One of them told him that it was but only two people were allowed in the store at a time and no guns could be purchased and only cash could be used.
Looking around a little Don asked if there was a line to wait in. He was told that it didn’t matter because there were way too many in front so none of this group would get to enter before they closed at sundown. The man said they were thinking about forcing the issue a little. Don politely thanked the man and retreated back the way he had come. He didn’t need anything that bad and it would be much safer just to leave.
On the walk back to his store Don thought he would pack his cart when he got back and maybe leave in the morning. If the group of guys attacked and looted that sporting goods store today or tonight that would set the precedent and soon every store and business would be looted. On the walk home he thought about what he would take with him when he left in the morning.
When he got ‘home’ he started packing the cart right away with everything he thought worthwhile judging by the weight, bulk, and the usefulness of each item. Plus he would carry his big backpack that had been in his truck though he would repack it some to transfer some of the heavier items to the cart and lighter items to the backpack. That would make the transport much easier.
He got the gold and silver out of his truck to take with. He hated to leave any ammunition behind but he just had too much to take it all. He loaded the semi hidden drawer in his Suburban with the ammo he was leaving behind and put in many other useful things from the store until the drawer was full.
Then he closed the drawer and locked it and went into the store and returned with a couple garbage bags of trash that he dumped in the back of his truck to hide the drawer. Don then had supper and finished loading the cart until it was heaping up then tarped it and secured the load. He barred the door to his room and went to sleep.
Day Four
In the morning Don made himself a very large breakfast and ate until he was more than full. He was leaving a lot of food behind so he wanted to eat as much as he could. Taking a last look around to make sure he wasn’t missing something that might be vital and he would regret later he pulled his cart out the door and locked it behind him. Looking around and seeing no one Don carefully hid all his keys in what he thought was good spot. No sense carrying those keys when he might never use any of them again. Grabbing the handle he started pulling his cart as he headed out of town on foot.
When Don had time off at any of the stores he was assigned to, he often drove around in the area. He never had anything to do and no friends to visit or girls to date so he just drove around and stopped here and there to hike some. He
enjoyed seeing all the new country and it gave him a better understanding about how people lived in that area.
He often bought area maps before he even got to the new town or shortly after for sure. He had been at this location for about four months and knew the surrounding area fairly well. He had hiked a lot more in this area because much of it was public land so he did not have to worry about trespassing on someone’s private land.
Don’s only immediate goal was getting out of town. His loose plan was to maybe find a house that was vacant and become a squatter. He had noticed that many houses in town and in the country here were vacant. He guessed many of these were seasonal/vacation homes for people that lived elsewhere or houses owned by land speculators. No matter what the reason any home that was currently vacant would likely never see the true owners ever again with the end of transportation as we were used to.
His cart pulled very easy even though it was loaded pretty heavy. Don had taken the time to pack the wheel bearings well with grease because he knew it would pay off later. The modified handle was working well though if it had been another six inches longer would have been a little better. It was slow going when you were walking. He guessed he was doing maybe two and half miles per hour. When he thought it was about noon he never made any lunch but had a couple of granola bars and a sport drink then kept walking.
He had been watching for houses off in the distance or a windmill in the distance. Once he thought he was over five miles from town he took short side trips down a few dirt roads. He found some houses that looked vacant but with no water source nearby they were no good for him. He really did not expect to find something the first day but he kept looking. He was vaguely heading in the direction of a home he had seen on one of his many outings. It was way down a dirt track road that ended at a locked gate. Looking farther past the locked gate he had seen a house and some solar panels but had not gone any farther and risked a confrontation with the land owner. That was a possible but would take him at least three days to get there walking.
Past that house on the ‘main’ dirt road there were many vacation type homes that would also be good possibilities. Some houses in this general area had no wells and relied on hauling water, those houses would be of no use to him. But there was no hurry. Water was the only pressing need and even vacant houses would often have water heaters that were full of clean water that he could drain out to keep him going.
As the shadows started to get long Don stopped at a house that was not occupied. It was locked up but he had come prepared for that. First he looked around in all the logical spots for a spare house key. He was sure most places would leave a spare key outside but this one if it was there was hidden too well for him to find. He checked all the windows but they were also locked and he was very reluctant to break an irreplaceable window.
He instead drew a short section of metal banding that they often used to secure items to pallets for shipping from the cart. The metal strip was somewhat springy and quite thin. He slid the metal strip between the windows and after a few minutes he popped the window lock. Removing his back pack he climbed through the window and walked around and unlocked the front door. The front door was just barely wide enough to admit his trailer. After also bringing in his pack, he toured the house.
It had many personal items inside and must be a vacation home. There was a little food in the cupboards but the refrigerator was open and empty. The beds were made and he would sleep in relative luxury tonight. For supper he used some of the food in the house and refilled his water supply from the water heater inside the house. He also washed up well and went to bed tired but content.
Day Five
The morning sky was bright and cloudless much like every other day in this state. Don was kinda reluctant to leave this because he felt safe here and it was comfortable. But it only had what water remained in the forty gallon water heater so he had to move on. He made sure everything was securely shut and latched but not locked so the next traveler would have easy access.
Then it was more walking and more pulling his cart. Throughout the morning Don walked many miles down several more dirt roads that led off the highway. He saw many houses that looked empty and thought that most of them would contain some food and other supplies that could be used but he never opened any of them. Right now his cart was full and none of the houses had a water supply so he kept walking.
He had to revise his estimate of when he might reach the one house he knew of that would likely meet his needs. He originally had thought maybe three or at most four days to reach it but now he felt it would be longer because he was not walking directly to that location.
This weaving back and forth going up these little side roads was eating up a lot of time but that was fine as time was all he had. After seeing all the empty homes he was not worried about food because he figured many would have at least some food inside. He had seen many rabbits and some cattle in the distance plus he knew that this was home to many deer.
He also assumed there were many edible plants but he was not familiar with them in this area. Many houses were obviously occupied but he saw no one outside any of them and had no interest in meeting anyone.
Around what he thought was about noon (his watch had quit working) he stopped where there was a little shade and ate a light lunch. Then it was more walking and looking at different houses. At one house someone came out and pointed a gun toward him but they never fired and he kept on walking. He thought that was certainly uncalled for and could have led to a shooting war.
Don was an easy going guy but did not like anyone pointing a gun at him. He would have fully understood if the guy had come out with a gun just to let him know this house was occupied and armed, that would have been fine. But the man had pointed the gun directly at him and he had been tempted to drop to the ground and shoot the man as Don was carrying a scoped rifle on his shoulder. Luckily for everyone no shots were fired. Even a slight wound now could easily kill a person with no medical care available anymore.
That was his only human contact for the day. Don stopped a little earlier than yesterday because he found a suitable empty house so he thought another hour of travel would make no difference so he stopped there. After a careful search he found a spare key so there was no crawling through a window this time. This house was similar to the one last night but it was a little messier inside.
It did have a larger supply of food though. The water heater was full but Don never used any of that water because there was a full case of bottled water in the pantry. He again used the food he found in the house for supper so to not deplete his own supply and even found room for a couple more items in his pack. After a search of the whole house he found three guns and some ammunition but he left it because he had what he wanted in the gun department already. He did take the time to hide the guns and ammunition both so they would be difficult for anyone to find. Don didn’t care if a good guy found the guns but he no control over who would find them and he did not want them used against him at a later date. That done he settled down to another nights sleep.
Day Six
Up early Don had another hearty meal from the stocks in the house and was ready to go. He put the key back where he had found it but again left the door unlocked for the next visitor. Soon he was back on the road to continue his search for a new home. The forenoon went by with no likely houses found and after the normal quick lunch break he was back on the highway again.
In the early afternoon he thought he heard a vehicle in the distance! He stopped to listen and soon realized that it was a vehicle of some kind and it was getting louder so it was obviously approaching him. He pulled his cart well off the highway and stood next to it.
This time he unshouldered his rifle and double checked to make sure a round was in the chamber and the safety was off. He thought it would be best to be prepared and he could always put the rifle down if they were friendly. They would likely just drive on by because he had nothing to offer them anyway.
/> Soon he could see what appeared to be a pickup coming in the distance. It was not moving very fast at all and as it got closer Don could tell it was running rather poorly but at least it was running. For whatever reason it looked like it was about to stop next to him and he steadied his nerves and held his rifle tightly. The truck came to a complete stop on the highway just a lane away from him.
There was a man driving with a woman in the passenger seat and another man in the back of the pickup. The driver said something to the woman and exited the pickup coming around the front of the truck to a stop just behind the passenger door. He was armed with a pistol in a holster at his side. The driver was obviously the leader as he said “We are out collecting and picked up some great stuff already.”
This prompted a burst of laughter from the two men and Don realized they were half in the bag already. The woman looked very unhappy and turned to look at Don. Though she said nothing it looked like she mouthed the word ‘help’. Then the driver spoke again.
“Yeah we are just out collecting and wonder if you would have anything we might want to collect. We can start with that fine looking rifle you have there.”
“You are welcome to get back in your truck and live another day or stay here and die.”
“You sure sound like a tough guy but we are tough guys too. So I’ll tell you to lay the rifle down and you can walk away but you will have to leave the wagon behind.”
Don saw no reason for further dialog and smoothly raised the rifle and shot first the driver and a half second later put two shots into the guy standing in the box who was already trying to pull out his pistol. Then he swung back towards the driver who had crumpled to the ground. Don watched the driver for a moment but saw no movement then stepped forward to look into the box where the other guy had fell out of his sight.
