"Had to make room for extra batteries. Maybe next time. Look out through the hole in the paint on the windshield. What do ya see?" George said, flipping a switch that turned off all the interior lights except for the video screens.
John hunched forward, pulled off the metal cover and put his left eye as close as he could to the windshield. He was surprised that he didn't see anything. George must have expected him to see something, but he had to say "Nothing."
George stopped the car and said. "Open the door, hop out and take a look around."
John stepped out onto the berm of the road, closed the door and walked around the car. He couldn't see any light coming from the car anywhere. Just another blob of black in a night full of black.
Getting back in, he said, "Good thing I didn't walk too far away. I might not have found my way back. Interesting. What's the range and how do you recharge it?"
"At least fifty miles, probably eighty. We had some solar panels left over. I put them on the barn. They directly charge the batteries. I found three of these cars. I took the best batteries from each. The cameras and lights use separate batteries to make sure the range isn't compromised. I may be able to add more batteries, but it cuts down the amount of stuff we can carry." George eased onto the pavement and did a U-turn, heading back toward their compound.
"So, we use this for foraging. Is that it? We can go twenty-five miles. That's half of the county. It's quiet and, with no lights, it's almost invisible. I like it. How long does it take to recharge?"
"One or two days, if the sun is out. When do we try it out?"
"I'm in. Call me when it's fully charged. George, you've outdone yourself this time. If you weren't driving, I'd say 'take a bow.' "
George beamed with pride as if the car were his son scoring the winning touchdown at the homecoming game.
* * *
It was three days later when John was getting ready for bed that he heard a knock on his bedroom door. "Yo."
"It's me, John. What do ya say to another ride in the stealth car? We were busy making the barrier around the compound with cars and I forgot you wanted to go for another ride."
The door squeaked as John opened the door. "Sure George, no problem. You have a target in mind?" He grabbed a shirt, went into the hallway and closed the door quietly. Cho was already in bed and asleep.
"Not so much. We'll drive by some remote gas stations and stores to the north. If we see anything interesting, we can check it out."
"OK, what should I bring?"
"I'm thinking pump shotgun."
"Sounds good," John said, opening the hall closet and pulling out a gun. "You know what I like most about this weapon?" he said slapping the side of the barrel.
"What's that?"
"The sound it makes when you cock it. Anybody who hears that sound knows you don't have to be the world's greatest shot to cause some serious damage. The sound alone scares off over half the home invaders who hear it."
"OK, let's go. Tunnel or overland."
"Tunnel. Never know who's out there. Could be somebody with a big gun, watching us from a thousand feet away."
"Are you paranoid or smart, John?"
"Paranoid is when you think they're after you and they're not. Smart is when they are after you and you know it. So, what do you say?"
"Smart, it is."
As they climbed up into the barn, George said, "What do you think about Fred and Masako? Hope I'm not punchin' a tender spot."
"No, of course not." John felt the ridges in his brow deepen. He didn't know why. He and Masako were in the past, but he felt a little pang of jealousy, which he would never admit to anyone else. "Like she says, life goes on. She's really a nice lady. A little weak, but she deserves to be happy. Fred can help her be strong and if Fred can make her happy and she makes him happy, then fine for both of them. He's a nice guy too, and he deserves to be happy. I knew he liked her when I was in school in Japan."
"Mighty big of you, John. She was really into you. I could see it in her eyes."
"I think she's gotten over me. She probably has a few good memories of me. More than I deserve. But, I have Cho, George. She's more than I deserve, too."
"What about Carla and Isaac? Are they what you thought?"
He mulled that over before answering. "No, she really isn't pulling her weight and neither is Isaac. So far, that decision has been a mistake. But, we can give them some more time to fit in."
"They aren't tryin' to fit in. Just holed up in their cabin all the time. Even eat their dinner there most nights."
"Yeah, Cho says that too. What about Iris?"
"She's nice. She spends most of her time in the kitchen, helpin' Marceau. Iris sees Marceau as some kind of food goddess. She's tryin' hard to learn. We've spent some time together. I've enjoyed it. I almost feel human again some times. If it weren't for this virus thing. "
John could detect the sadness in George's voice about the virus situation as they invaded his happy thoughts of his relationship with Iris. He needed to keep everyone's spirits up. "Glad to hear you and Iris are getting along. I was worried you might feel left out."
"Not a chance. Actually, this has been fun, even without Iris." George's voice had resumed his usual happy-go-lucky tone. "Especially, the car. I've dreamed about this for a long time. But life isn't so bad and it is definitely better with her."
"It is a butt ugly car," John said, looking at the black lump of a car. "That might make it even better. It might startle anyone thinking about taking a shot at us just long enough to give us the edge. I take it, you're driving and I'm riding shotgun,"
"Makes sense. I have the key and you have the shotgun. Right?"
George maneuvered the car around the right angles and through the two gates with ease.
"You guys did well on the driveway. That should slow down any intruder."
"A bit. We did put in an alarm. I wish we had something better. Like spikes in the road."
"Next month. Put it on the list."
"Yeah. At the bottom of that ten page list."
"We do have a long list, but I think we're going to have some time soon."
Silence enveloped John and George as each became lost in his own thoughts. It was a perfect night for the drive, with no moon. Only darkness. No sound to be heard. Not even a lonesome coyote in the distance. Only the soft whir of the electric motor, barely audible. After about ten minutes, the screens in front of them showed a gasoline station, barely visible in the darkness.
"Let's check it out." George pointed to the station on his screen and then drove past the station, did a U-turn and slowly went back, checking for life signs. He made another U-turn and drove around back.
"Don't see anything. What do you say, John?"
John tapped George's shoulder and pointed. "The back door. You want to do the lock picks or you want me to?"
"The door is fastened with a hasp lock. Odd for a back door. The bolt cutter is in the back seat. It's way faster. Glad you picked that up at the Tractor Store."
"That was one crazy day. I was grabbing things right and left. As fast as I could. My adrenalin was off the scale. You know, it's only been a little over two months since I left China."
"Time flies when you're havin' fun."
"And fighting for your life."
The car crawled to a stop. George took the bolt cutter from the back seat and jumped out as John cocked his shotgun. Cautiously they walked to the back door. George popped the lock with one quick motion. They both stood to the side while John, pushed open the door with the barrel of the shotgun and pointed his flashlight in. They heard no noise, so they entered.
They searched every aisle and found most of the shelves empty, with only a few still containing merchandise. The section on hardware and car and tractor parts was almost untouched. They took it all and threw it into three boxes they scrounged from a display area and shoved the boxes onto the back seat of the car. A door located in the rear of the store led to a storeroom. In one cor
ner, they found four ten-pound bags of rice, two large bags of beans and a box. They opened the box and discovered it was full of canned food.
"What do you say, John? It must have been a delivery for someone and was never delivered."
"Looks that way. A shame for them, good for us. That's a week of food. Wow. Your car just paid for itself, although I knew it would." John looked over at George and smiled with pride. It was the perfect car for their situation.
They loaded the car with everything they found and made one last pass through the store. Behind the last door was an office. They cast their eyes around the room and saw the outline of a man in an office chair behind a desk. John pointed the shotgun and spoke, but the man didn't move. They looked at each other, not sure what to make of it. When they drew nearer, they saw the man was slumped over the desk, a revolver in his hand, and dried blood on his temple.
"Only the strong may live," said George.
"And the weak shall die," said John. "I don't really blame anyone for cashing in their chips in this situation. He may have seen his first symptom of the plague. Or his wife may have had it. Or he just wasn't strong enough. You have to be strong to go through all this. Especially alone. It's pretty horrendous when you think about it. We've been spending all our time solving the problems and haven't been worrying about how life has changed. We've seen this as a challenge to prepare for the future. Others just saw it as trouble they didn't like, didn't want and couldn't handle. To make it, your will to survive had to be strong."
Both stood motionless for a few minutes, each deep in thought. John's memories of the first man being carried out of Bug City flooded to the front of all others. Then the faces of all those that he knew who had probably died. Those in China, Dubai, France and in England. This man would be another ghost in his already-crowded memories of this virus. They walked out of the room and the store and drove toward their fortress in the country.
After about ten minutes, George said, "I've seen Masako, Marceau and Elspeth all break down and cry. For no real reason. Sometimes at the smallest things. It just builds up inside until it finally gushes out."
"I worry about Masako. That she's not strong enough."
"Letting it out is better than keepin' it in. If you dam up a stream, sooner or later it breaks through and tears out the whole dam. I learned that as a boy. We had a little stream we used to dam up from time to time. I think she'll be OK."
"What about you, George. You ever shed a tear or two?"
"No, but I've been too close too many times. You?"
"Close once or twice. The psychological aspects of this are so bad. The whole world is changing. Nothing you can rely on. Nothing is the same. No more police, banks, stores, telephones, cars, Big Macs. Damn, I miss them. It's a load to bear. What if we brought everybody together and talked about it. I'm no shrink, but it would be like a group session."
"It's a good idea, but we shouldn't do the whole group. Too much chance of losin' control. Only a few people at a time. You should mention the good parts of all this."
"Yeah, what's that?"
"Also, no more lawyers, traffic police, government, taxes, bosses, noisy neighbors. That's a relief isn't it?"
"It's time to go home and have a drink."
"I'll have a double."
* * *
"Another great dinner and thanks again to Marceau, and Iris who helped. You know, Marceau, you say you feel bad because you don't see your contribution, but we do. You have no idea how much I look forward to these meals. We all do. They have been the great end to many, many really bad days. Scary days. The only good thing we ever experience anymore. You have no idea how much it means to us all. These dinners may be the last piece of civilization we have left. Soon, the power will be gone. The stores are already gone. Most everything else is gone. As Elspeth reminds us, the theatre is gone and most of the great things of life are gone. That is all so sad. But, you keep making great food. Making me happy for a few hours a day. Thanks."
"Merci, Jean," she said with tears in her eyes.
"John's right. I've never had food this good. Never, I'm serious. In my whole life. It's the only part of this life that's better than the life before. We keep talkin' about bein' lucky to still be alive, but we're really lucky to have these meals to come home to."
"Merci, George."
"I do have something else I wanted to talk about tonight."
"Uh-ho, Fred. Now we're gonna find out why we have to work double overtime."
"No, no, none of that. I just want to point out that which doesn't need to be pointed out. The walrus in the living room."
"Elephant, John," said Elspeth, pouring her flask into her glass. "Elephant in the living room. And I echo what George said, 'uh-ho'."
"Oh come on guys," said Masako. "Give John a chance. He's done a good job of taking care of us."
"I agree," said Marceau, raising her glass. "Here is to John. He saved us all."
"To John," echoed through the room, as everyone saluted with their glasses and took a drink.
"Thanks, guys. But, you understand that I'm not totally altruistic. Without you all, I wouldn't survive either."
Tom looked at Elspeth and said, "He has a point you know."
Elspeth raised her glass and said, "To all of us," as everybody made another salute and took another drink.
"I wasn't going to say anything bad, guys. Nothing bad at all. Of course, the elephant or the walrus is the plague. Some of us have known about it for two months, maybe three. Some far less. Much has happened in those months. We have been planning for it, living it and now it's here. That's about all I have to say. This is a turning point. The point we've been working toward. The point we all wished would never come. The point most of you believed would never come. I know what you all were thinking. You were thinking John oversold this. John led us astray. John has lost his marbles. Nope. That, I'm sorry to say, was not the case. I, more than any of you, wish it weren't. But that's all past. As the Japanese say, the corner has been turned. Now we work toward a better future. A future certainly better than the present and better than the past, if we do it right."
John raised his glass and said, "To a great future."
"To a great future," they all said, raising their glasses.
Chapter 31 - Problems
The screen door accidentally slammed behind John, startling Fred, who was tweaking a knob on the radio, tuning it to a frequency George had read to him from his little spiral notebook.
"You could end up dead, good buddy, if you scare a guy with a bang that loud."
"Sorry. I'll remember next time. How's it going guys? What have you been up to?" John eased into the rocker opposite George and Fred, leaning back and almost tipping over.
George stuffed the notebook into his pocket. "A few upgrades on the Leaf. Added the extra screen. I can understand why you wouldn't want to sit there watching where we just were."
"Also," said Fred. "We've been improving security. We've set up a room in the attic where we can look out two sides of the lodge and we have cameras on all four sides. The signals are piped down to the living room and to our cabins. It's been a worthwhile week."
"What are you listening to?"
"Amateur radio, John. It's just coming on. One of those frequencies the TV people gave us in their last broadcast."
"Yeah," said George, "That was a show to remember. Damn depressin' though."
"Good evening to anyone who can hear me. News from around the country and around the world. As I said last night and every night for the last week, the future is bright. Only the past and the present are grim. As far as I can tell, all of us now alive are resistant to the plague. Very few deaths are being reported. Mostly a few of the very young and the very old. If you are alive and listening to me, you are not going to die from the plague. If you go into the cities, you could die of hundreds of different things, but probably not the plague.
"To recap recent history, the Chinese attempted to create a virus which
would debilitate any enemy and it got loose. It debilitated China. They created the ultimate weapon and then they paid the ultimate price. Rumor has it that we had a spy in China and that he sent back reports of this virus to the government. Weeks before the virus was released. Our government ignored these reports and refused to do anything to prevent what everybody I've talked to believes was inevitable. And what everybody I've talked to has said was preventable with a single missile strike."
"That was you, John. You sent reports."
"Yep. I was the one the government ignored. And everybody paid the price. But, if they had sent a missile, a big one, I would be dead now. To be certain they killed the virus, the whole town would have to be scorched off the face of the earth. Burned to a cinder. Then what? The Chinese would have launched missiles and then the Russians. Would it have been better? No, it probably would have been worse. Radioactivity everywhere. All over the globe. It sounds like our do-nothing government did the right thing -- for once -- they did nothing. But …" He abruptly stopped as George waved a hand and turned his ear toward the radio.
"The population of the United States is probably less than one hundred thousand. Maybe half that. It means that the average state has about two thousand people. The average county, only twenty people. The time to fight each other is over. Now we have to work together to start a new civilization. The way it should be started. The right way. The thought of it makes me proud to be an American.
"For those of you who have heard some strange rumors, I will go over my list of rumors. First, it is true that those of us in America were more susceptible to the virus than our Mexican and other southern neighbors. That makes sense because the Chinese were targeting us. The virus was tailored just for us. We were singled out as the civilization they most wanted to destroy. It's like receiving an award. Makes you proud to be American, doesn't it?
"Second, it is true that the US military, sitting in their bunkers defrosting their frozen sirloin, saw through satellites that our neighbors to the south were planning an invasion, and attacked those nations with devastating effectiveness using cruise missiles and ICBMs. They destroyed a large fraction of those populations and most of their industry. Again, proud of our military. Keeping us safe, even during these darkest of times. We paid the taxes to build those weapons and to pay the salaries of the missile crews in those bunkers. And we paid for all the steaks they are eating now. Knowing we can deliver such a blow even in these horrible times, makes me proud to be American.
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