Not Dead in the Heart of Dixie

by R Kralik

  It took about five minutes to find the access door which was also locked. They successfully employed the pry-bar and Mr. Colt again. They looked through the door and saw a staircase leading down to the semi-dark warehouse. They pulled out their flashlights and headed down.

  The warehouse area was vast and there was a lot of empty space but there was also pallets full of various colored feed bags.

  Mick played around with one of the "emergency" manual levers and cranked a handle until one of the loading doors was half-way up. Light flooded the area and they went to work.

  Mick hopped down off the dock and pulled the truck and trailer up beside it. The trailer isn't tall enough to back up to a dock for loading.

  They filled the trailer with goat feed, shredded beet pulp, black oil sunflower seeds, and alfalfa pellets. They also found a half-pallet of chicken feed and was able to get a good bit in the truck bed and covered with a tarp.

  The corn, oats, and whole grains were gone. There were several barrels of molasses and the label said they were "intended for livestock only." Mick said he would've taken them if he had somewhere to put them.

  They also found bags of cat food, rabbit feed, alpaca feed, and a pallet of pig feed, but they didn't take any of that. There was no cattle or horse feed to be found.

  After they got the trailer loaded, they jumped in the Dodge and were ready to head back.

  The Dodge wouldn't start. It wouldn't make any noise at all. They climbed out and began searching for the problem. Cold rain went down their necks and backs, soaking them from top to bottom.

  Darkness was coming on fast but they stayed out in the rain and worked on the Dodge. One of them held the flashlight while the other "checked this" and "wiggled that." They couldn't get the engine to turn over. The door lights and headlights wouldn't come on. Mick believes the alternator is dead.

  It was past supper time and the weather had gone from bad to worse. It was thundering and lightning, and the rain was blowing sideways. They grabbed their backpacks and headed to the office to get out of the rain, discuss their options, and eat something. They slept in a meeting room near the office. It was carpeted and the door had a lock. They felt it would be better than sleeping in the truck or the open warehouse. They hung their coats, jeans, socks, and shirts on chairs to dry while they slept. Mick said it was “damn cold in there” and he didn't get much sleep.

  Mick woke before dawn and it was still raining. He knew that the only choices they had were to find a vehicle with a trailer hitch or find a vehicle with the right type of alternator, remove it, get it into the Dodge, and pray that it would work. He knew we were all worried sick by that time, so he decided to look for a vehicle with a trailer hitch.

  Jesse said he knew where to look. They gathered up their backpacks, grabbed a full gas can out of the Dodge, and left on foot.

  Jesse led him along the lake front until they came to a campground that had several little log cabins and a marina. There were vehicles parked at a few of the cabins and several more at the marina. Many of them had boat trailers hitched to their rears.

  Mick decided that, since he'd killed Jason's Dodge, he needed to bring back something a little nicer to replace it. He looked through several vehicles before he found a white Lexus SUV with a boat trailer attached and the keys above the visor.

  He thought Jason wouldn’t mind that trade. The Lexus had half a tank of gas, so they hopped in and drove back to the milling company.

  Anyway, they loaded everything from the Dodge into the Lexus, pushed the Dodge out of the way, hitched up the trailer, and made it home in time for lunch.

  Jason says he doesn't need to go back for the Dodge because the Lexus will be great for carrying kids. He had a twinkle in his eye and a bounce in his step. I thought he was gonna give Mick a kiss, but he didn't.

  10:00 PM...

  We had big fat cinnamon raisin pancakes with syrup and bacon for supper. Sometimes, we like to have breakfast food for supper. It was filling and delicious.

  When we need bacon again, we'll have to use the jars from the pantry unless the good Lord drops a couple of fat pigs where we can find them. I canned 30 pounds of bacon in the pressure canner last summer. I learned how to do it from a YouTube video. It works great! The bacon comes out a little crumbly, but it's real bacon.

  It's still raining but has slowed to a light drizzle. We have nothing left to store water in, and the pool is overflowing into the yard. Even the garden tub in Marisa's old house trailer is full of water.

  We now have enough goat feed to last until we can get some barn lootin' done and the browse starts growing in the pasture again.

  Mick says there's no goat feed left at the milling company. We got the last of it.

  Soo says the chickens are perfectly fine using his old motorhome as a coop. Jesse finished building a good sized run and attached it to the motorhome. He and Jeremy gutted the motorhome and built wooden nesting boxes to put inside. They added a couple of tree saplings across the middle so the chickens can give in to their roosting instinct. There were several bullet holes in the roof so they strapped a tarp over it.

  I'm tired from not getting any sleep while Mick was gone, so I'm off to bed.

  Bye for now.

  Tuesday, February 11

  We have an egg! It's a funny shaped egg, but it still an egg!

  We have no idea which chicken laid the egg, but we hope it's a good sign that all three chickens will start laying pretty soon.

  Most of the men at Kapper Hill Compound are out working on the fence. Pop and Mr. Hobbs are standing watch and filling each other’s head with all sorts of ideas.

  The ladies will be working on laundry in a few minutes. We hope to have it done before lunch.

  Marisa will be helping. I told her she needs to keep herself busy and she seems to have taken my advice to heart. She won't let Amber and Michael out of her sight even though Carisa and Merry promised to watch them carefully.

  Hisa and Valerie are out for a morning walk. The sun is shining and, even though it's cold, Hisa thinks the exercise will be good for Valerie. If all goes well, Valerie may join us for supper tonight. Hisa doesn't want to push too hard and will leave the final decision to Valerie, but I'm hoping she'll come.

  I'm headed out for laundry duty. See ya later!

  10:00 PM...

  It was very busy around here today.

  The men came in for lunch and they were covered in red mud. Mick says he almost got his feet stuck several times. We made 'em leave their boots and coats on the porch before we'd let 'em in the house.

  After lunch dishes were clean, I went down to the basement to check out Carisa and Merry's organizing skills.

  It looks pretty darn good for two teenagers who've never done it before! I told them that the applesauce could be used as an oil substitute in baking and a lot of the other fruits would be used for pies. The jellies and jams will mostly be used for pancakes, biscuits, or toast, so they might consider putting the canned fruit section near the baking section.

  I explained to them that beans can be considered a protein and used as a meat substitute and told them to put them in a section of their own.

  That was about it. The rest of the place looks neat as a pin, even the shelves are labeled. They have all the long-term food organized and in its own section. Smart girls!

  Mick thinks they'll finish the fence on the left side of the compound within the next four days if all goes well.

  He worries that it'll be obvious we're here because of the driveway. We need a gate, and it's hard to camouflage a gate.

  Valerie didn't come up for supper. Hisa says she's not ready for a large crowd yet. That's okay, we'll wait patiently.

  Hisa's getting a little more information out of Valerie. We now know she is from Athens, Alabama and she is fourteen years old. I'll write out any other information Hisa gets from her.

  It's been a long day and these old bones are tired.

  Bye for now.

  Wedn
esday, February 12

  We have another egg! Woo hoo! It's a pretty egg and is sitting beside yesterday's egg in the refrigerator. We're saving them until we have enough to bake a cake. We only need two more. Then, we'll save enough to make a nice breakfast with real eggs. I want mine fried in bacon grease with medium yolks.

  Nana and I were making breakfast when we saw two small figures walk past the kitchen door. It was Hisa and Valerie, out for another morning walk.

  I believe that Hisa is trying to get Valerie comfortable with the back yard since that's where we work most of the time. Hisa was pointing out the laundry area, Pop's motorhome, and the area where Jason splits wood.

  I hope these morning outings will get help Valerie get more comfortable with her new home. Hisa stuck her head in and asked if she could grab oatmeal to go. We fixed her up and she headed back to Clinic Diane with Valerie following close behind.

  The guys are working on the fence again, and Jeremy and Jason are off on a fence finding mission. They took Mr. Hobbs' Silverado and the flatbed trailer.

  Marisa says the kitchen at her house is gutted. I'm gonna head over there and help her decide where to put things when Jason starts bringing them in. Pop can tell her where she should put a cook stove in case we ever find another one.

  See ya later!

  2:00 PM...

  I saw smoke rising from the chimney of the big house with the pond this afternoon. I hope Mr. Whomever is keeping warm..

  We haven't heard anything at all from that place. The guys on duty haven't been able to see any movement through the binoculars. I may just march up to the door with a little plate of fried pies and introduce myself. Hopefully, I won't get shot.

  I intend to take Mr. Hobbs and Marisa with me tomorrow, so we can check at least one of the houses on the other side of the woods to our right. I wanna start with the chicken-killer-dog's house. Maybe they have food or something useful I can take as restitution for all the chickens their dogs killed.

  I'm a little nervous about going without Mick, but both Mr. Hobbs and Marisa are good shots, and Mr. Hobbs can kick some serious HDI butt. I hope there's no one there and a lot of good stuff to bring back here.

  I'm throwing together beef stew for supper tonight and I want it to simmer for a couple hours. It won't be one of the commercial beef stews from the truck stop. I'll be using my home canned veggies and some of the stew beef I canned last summer. We'll have saltine crackers to go with it but Mick likes to eat it with bread and butter.

  I'm headed out to get started. See ya later.

  10:30 PM...

  Jeremy and Jason came home with a flatbed trailer full of chain-link fencing. They got it from a propane company. There was lots of fencing around the place, but no propane canisters other than the big round ones.. There were several different trucks there.

  None of us know how to move, or set up, one of those big propane tanks and we don't wanna blow the house off the side of the hill trying to figure it out.

  Jason mentioned that he wants to get the fencing that runs alongside the Interstate. There should be miles of fencing there. It's hard to find 6' fencing at residential homes.

  Mick got a pretty good cut on his forearm while he was working today. He said he got it from a sharp piece of wire at the end of one of the fencing rolls. He went to Clinic Diane and had Hisa clean and bandage it. Valerie's eyes lit up when he walked in, but she didn't say a word. He said "hello" and thought he saw her smile a little. He was surprised at how much better she looks.

  They're using giant staples to nail the fencing to the trees and cutting the tops of the “post trees” off to use for firewood. Mick had a box full of staples in the basement. I have no idea where he got them and he can't remember either. He thinks he got them at one of the many yard sales we used to visit. I guess those staples have been down there for 15 years or more.

  I'm surprised that more of the men haven't gotten nasty cuts. They all have a black fingernail or two, from missing the staple and hitting their thumbs or finger. Mick says they'll run out of staples before they finish the fence, so they'll have to use big nails and hammer them half-way in, then hammer the rest of the nail over the wire.

  Everyone loved the beef stew and I got a lot of compliments. It was good for my ego.

  Jesse told ghost stories to Amber and Michael in front of the fire after supper. Thankfully, the stories were in the "very mild" category and the kids spent more time screaming and laughing than they did scared and shivering.

  Well, I better hit the sack and get some rest before I attempt lootin' the neighbor’s house tomorrow.

  Bye for now.

  Friday, February 14

  We got two more eggs today! Now we can bake a cake. I love those little chickens. They're so easy to take care of and they reward us with yummy goodness.

  Nana says she'll make the cake after lunch while Mr. Hobbs, Marisa, and I are lootin' the neighbor's house. I have nervous energy about going there. I'll need a glass of milk and a big slice of cake when we get back.

  Elaine plans to make lasagna tonight, but she'll substitute the ricotta we don't have with the soft goat milk cheese she made yesterday.. We still have a lot of pasta from the truck stop haul and I have lots of canned ground beef and tomato sauce in the basement.

  I better get outa here and help get lunch ready. I also need to make sure we have everything we need for the lootin' run.

  3:30 PM...

  We're back from the lootin' run. I ate a huge piece of cake with chocolate frosting along with a big glass of milk. I needed it.

  We drove straight up the driveway to the chicken-killer-dog's house. Mr. Hobbs jumped out to keep watch while Marisa and I went to knock on the door. We knocked twice and nobody answered. I noticed Mick’s note regarding the location of their dogs was still stuck between the screen and the front door.

  We walked over to Mr. Hobbs and the three of us made the decision to push the garage door up, hoping the entrance from the garage into the house was unlocked.

  As soon as we got the garage door up, we heard hissing and scratching. We went on full alert and pulled our pistols, ready to eliminate any HDI that was inside.

  There was a blue PT cruiser in the garage and, although we could still hear the hissing, we couldn't see anything moving about. I told Mr. Hobbs that there might be an HDI in the PT Cruiser so he stuck his face up to the window to look inside. He saw nothing out of the ordinary.

  We were listening intently, trying to determine which direction the hissing was coming from. Marisa jumped and pointed to the corner of the garage.

  Looking out at us was a pair of beady eyes and a long gray snout. The mouth was open slightly and the creature was hissing.

  The beady-eyed critter reached out with its front foot and scratched a box that was sitting nearby. There were two more sets of beady eyes behind it.

  Mr. Hobbs just about busted a gut laughing when we he saw that critter. He wanted to shoot it and have possum stew. Marisa threw a fit and said there was no way she was going to let him kill that momma possum because she had two little babies to raise.

  I was still feeling anxious and thought to myself that, if I was the possum, I'd run out and attack those humans so they wouldn't get my babies. I don't trust hissing possums. Never have, never will.

  Marisa tried the doorknob to the house entrance and it was locked. We were disappointed and looked to Mr. Hobbs to kick the door in. He stepped up and ran his hand along the top of the door frame, and that hand came down with a key. I can't believe people hide keys where any ol' bad guy and anyone who has watched crime shows would know to look.

  We stepped into a pretty good sized laundry room. There was plenty of daylight coming in because none of the windows were boarded up. We raised our pistols and cleared one room at a time before looking for loot. The place looked like the occupants had simply gone out one day and never came back.

  We looted the kitchen and found enough food to last a family of four about a week. It'll
feed our bunch for two or three days. There was two cases of bottled water on the laundry room floor. We placed all the food we found beside them because we wanted to take everything out the garage door.

  There's a door in the kitchen that leads to a basement. We already had a full load, so we decided to come back later and search the basement.

  There's a large sectional sofa in the living room. It has a pull-out bed on one side and reclining seats on the other. There's a matching black leather chaise beside it. Mick will go back for that set because it'll add a good bit of sitting space to our living room. We'll give our old sofa bed to Soo and Hisa.

  Marisa plans to send Jason back to pull out the kitchen cabinets and install them at their house. I think that's a great idea!

  We quickly finished looting the rest of the house and were heading out the door when we heard sounds coming from the basement.

  Mr. Hobbs opened the door and the three of us peered down into a black abyss. The only light came from the open door where we were standing.

  Within five seconds, there appeared a man and woman HDI at the bottom of the stairs. I was mortified. They started snarling, howling, and trying to crawl up the staircase. They both looked like they'd been there for a while.

  The woman's right eyeball was laying on her cheek and her left eye was moving around in a random pattern, trying to focus on us. I could see that she was missing several teeth when she snarled and clenched her jaws together. Most of her clothing had been ripped off and she had only her bra and skirt left. She had a piece of silver garland wrapped around her neck like a scarf. She was barefoot and had oozing wounds all over her feet, face, stomach, arms, and legs.

  The man was sportin' a Santa hat and he was missing the sleeve of his shirt from one arm. The arm was swollen from a huge bite wound. He had an empty alcohol bottle stuck in the waistband of his pants and I was surprised that it was still intact. One side of his mouth had been split from the corner of his lips to the curve of his chin. The wound was gaping open and I could see rotting flesh inside. His fingers looked bloody and worn, like he'd been trying to dig, or claw, his way out for so long that they were filthy, pus-covered nubs.