Not Dead in the Heart of Dixie

by R Kralik

  I headed to the radio building to see if I could get control of Josie. She believes she was able to make out three words from the jumble coming over the radio. Those words are “Cure, HDI, and Tupelo.”

  Oh My God, what if they've found a cure for HDI? What if bad guys are in Tupelo? What if the cure is in Tupelo?

  The radio's buzzing and it's hard to make out understandable words. Not only is there lots of voice traffic, but there's also lots of clicking.

  Josie thinks she heard Chris' voice and he sounded panicked and scared. She wants to go after him, even though she has no idea where he is or what direction the transmission is coming from.

  I grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her 'til she came back to her senses. Then, she started barking orders. I told her to shut up and go to her motorhome, get a little rest, and calm down. It's too bad that Hisa has no tranquilizers safe enough for pregnant women. I'd spike Josie's drink at every meal.

  Everyone got the chance to chime in with their opinion. Jeremy's only response was that he hopes the bad guys (or good guys) kill the Deliverance gang who captured him.

  Ian and Rick are still out. I have no idea when to expect them home. They were secretive about their plans and I hope they aren't doing anything stupid. They're well-trained, and I doubt they'd put themselves in real danger but I wish they'd come home soon. I need help controlling Josie.

  I can't sit here any longer. I need to get out there and try to straighten things up. We'd all be dead if the enemy decided to attack right now. See ya later.

  9:40 PM...

  Ian and Rick were home before supper. They spent hours on top of buildings in town, taking out HDI's.

  I thought they'd wasted ammo and I was beyond mad. I started yelling, and when I paused during my rant, they told me that Chris Knellson left an extra 1000 rounds of ammo on the condition they'd go to town and become HDI Snipers.

  Ian said they were precise, careful, and accurate. Not only did they take out 215 HDI's, but they also took out 11 fake military members. That made me feel a little better until I thought about the fact that they were able to find 11 fake military members and 215 HDI's. Both groups remind me of mice or roaches. When you see one, you can guarantee yourself there are 10 more to take its place.

  Ian and Rick's news has made me more paranoid than happy.

  We were scarfing down Isaac's birthday supper when shots rang out from the rear of the property.

  Mick, Dane, and Jason grabbed their weapons and headed out the door to join Jeremy and Soo, who were on watch and walking the rear fence perimeter. It was 30 minutes before Mick came back but it seemed like forever. He talked while he grabbed extra gear and ammo before heading back out. Ian and Rick joined him.

  While he was here, Mick told us that Soo heard noises behind the fence at the edge of the meadow. He motioned for Jeremy to stand still and listen. Jeremy heard noises as well and said it sounded like several people walking in the woods. There was no snarling or howling, and both men feared the compound was about to come under attack.

  The guard tower and catwalks are not finished and they couldn't see over the fence.

  Soo whistled, and Herb, the gelding, came straight to him. He stood on Herbs back and used a pair of night vision goggles to survey the area. He saw three figures running away from the compound and deeper into the woods. He saw a fourth figure heading toward the fence, and decided to shoot over its head to see its reaction.

  Soo shot, and the figure dropped to the ground. It stayed there several seconds before jumping to its feet and rushing toward the fence. Playtime was over and Soo took aim and fired. He saw the figure go down, get back up, and run away from the property. He shot again and the third bullet missed. The figure disappeared into the woods.

  Mick, Dane, Jeremy, and Soo are on watch at the rear of the property. Kevin, Isaac, Rona, Jesse, and Shawna are walking the perimeter at the front and sides of the property and Pop is on the front porch with Lisa, standing watch.

  Marisa, Emma, and Pao are on the back porch.

  Ian and Rick are somewhere outside the compound, searching for our suppertime visitors. I'm sitting here waiting for news, thankful that we still haven't removed the plywood from the windows.

  I'm nervous and scared. We haven't been attacked but we've definitely been spied on.

  I wonder how long those people have been in the woods. I wanna know who they are and what they want from us. I have visions of Ian and Rick dragging them onto the compound tied up with lots of rope. I hope my visions come true.

  Bye for now.

  Monday, April 21

  What would you do with eight skeletons? I'm talkin' about the living kind. Not the HDI kind. Not the dead kind... the living kind.

  What if three of them were the child kind? What if they begged you with their sunken eyes and were barely able to hold out their tiny hands for just one bite of... anything? Would you cut your meal portions is half to save their lives? Would you summon the best part of your humanity? I would.

  Would you feed 'em a good meal, wish them luck, and tell 'em to be on their way? I WON'T.

  Rick and Ian came home before dawn.

  I heard them both come in the front door. They weren't making “Mick” sounds. I knew it wasn't Mick walking down the hallway. I knew the kids were sound asleep in the basement because I hadn't heard the basement door creak.

  Rick opened the bedroom door without knocking and I almost shot him. If he hadn't quickly said “it's just me,” well, as John Wayne would say, he'd be pushin' up daisies right about now.

  I reached over and turned on the solar lantern about the same time he dropped a hideous creature on my knees. At first, I thought it was some kind of animal. It was covered in dirt and looked like it was near deaths door. Then, it looked at me and reached out a tiny human hand. My heart dropped to my feet.

  I picked it up, held it close to my chest, and started yelling orders at Rick as I climbed out of the bed and headed to the kitchen wearing an old football jersey and a pair of Mick's boxers. Modesty was the last thing on my mind

  I grabbed a clean dish cloth, stuck it in a bowl of water by the sink, and washed the little creature's face.

  By the time I got its face clean, Deuce was walking in the door with the morning milk. I told him to put it on the table and run to Hisa's house to wake her and tell her to get here fast. He stared at what I was holding, turned on his heel, and flew out the door. That's when Rick touched my arm and said “There's more.”

  I didn't understand what he meant. Did he have more to tell me? I shuddered and prayed to God that Rick didn't mean there were more sick people. Unfortunately, he did.

  I finally noticed Ian standing in the doorway and saw that he had another one in his arms. There was a third one with its rail thin arms wrapped around his neck and its toes hooked into the top of his belt for leverage. He said “there's more on the porch, but this is all the kids.” I thought I would either faint, or sprout wings and fly away right then and there.

  “General Hisa” burst through the door wearing a Miami Dolphins t-shirt and “Eeyore” pajama pants. She had her trusty black bag and began shouting orders. The Southern Belle portion of my brain said “her clothes don't match,” but I yanked myself back to reality a moment later. Damn Southern Belle brain! It needs to be slapped, hard.

  She told Rick to clear off the table so Ian and I could lay the children on top. Rick told her there were five more on the front porch and, I swear, she started cussing in Japanese while her hands flew all over the child I'd been holding. “This one's a girl” Hisa said. “Give her drops of milk with the cloth!”

  “Yes Ma'am General Hisa,” I thought.

  I dipped a fresh cloth into the milk bucket and began squeezing drops into the little girl's mouth. She opened her mouth like a baby bird and I fed her like a momma bird would.

  Suddenly, she lifted her head, clamped her teeth down on that cloth, and began sucking the milk out of it. Hisa wasn't looking, so I let that l
ittle girl suck every bit of milk out of that cloth. When she couldn't get another drop, she laid her head on the table, sighed, and went to sleep.

  A few seconds later Hisa yelled “This is a boy, Do the same thing!” I poured out a small bowl full of milk so I didn't contaminate the whole bucket. I dipped my cloth in the bowl and repeated the process for the little boy lying in the middle.

  The third child was sitting up. She was trying to talk but very soft raspy sounds were coming from her mouth. She was looking at me and motioning for the milk bowl while Hisa ran her hands all over her, listened to her heart, looked in her ears, and examined every inch.

  I didn't wait for Hisa's orders. I dipped another cloth into the small bowl and the girl reached out for it. I placed it in her hand and she pulled it to her mouth and began sucking.

  That's when I noticed General Hisa staring daggers through me. She didn't say a word. She sat down on a stool at the kitchen counter and begin writing out orders in a notebook. By that time, the sun was up.

  Hisa shoved the notebook into my hands and headed to the front porch to see what else Rick and Ian brought home.

  The younger girl and boy were sleeping and clinging to one another. I believe they would have been crying if there were hydrated enough to make tears. I have no idea what age they are. In their condition, it's not possible to even take a guess.

  The older girl was still sitting on the table. Her cloth had run dry and she was motioning for more. I put a finger up to tell her to hold on for a minute. I marched down the stairs, woke Carisa and Marisa, and told them to get every woman on the compound awake and in the kitchen as fast as they could.

  Both girls stopped at the kitchen doorway and stared at the little skeletons on the table. Neither of them said a word. Several seconds later, Marisa went out the front door and Carisa went out the back.

  A few minutes later Elaine, Nana, Rona, Emma, Marisa, Josie, Tessa, and Bree were in the kitchen with the notebook and the three little birds.

  I had to lie down. A few minutes later, I came to my senses and was surprised to find myself sobbing and hugging my pillow.

  I straightened myself up right away and got dressed. Then, I sat down to write.

  I suppose I need to go back out there and see what's happening. I don't wanna go, but I must.

  See ya later.

  3:00 PM...

  I don't know everyone's name yet. I only know that I've now seen in person what the Jews must have looked like after the Hitler Beast got a hold of them. Living skeletons look a lot worse in real life than pictures.

  The folks at Wilky Place want them.

  Hisa absolutely insists that Clinic Diane be taken to Wilky Place and parked up against one of the empty house trailers there. She wants to line up the doors and use the house trailer and Clinic Diane to watch over them and help them heal. She believes all of them, except two, will survive.

  Well, it ain't gonna happen. There is no way on earth we'll allow Clinic Diane to leave the compound with all our medications and medical supplies, and park in such a vulnerable place. There's no fence, for Pete's sake. What is she thinking?

  I told her not to ask again and she screamed at all of us that they'll be staying in her and Soo's house because there's plenty of room. I screamed back that I thought that was a wonderful idea!

  She stomped off, cursing under her breath in Japanese. I've heard those Japanese words a little too often. I think I'm beginning to understand some of them and if I'm right, Hisa better watch herself 'cause I'll start slinging them right back at her with a little southern fury mixed in.

  Anyway, besides the three children there's an elderly couple, two men, and one woman. I plan to be on the supper crew that takes their meals to Hisa's house.

  Hisa allowed them to have plain Farina for lunch. She said they can have plain Farina and Jell-O for supper. They can also have a half-cup of milk. She wants vitamins for adults and children from my coupon queen totes. We've all been taking daily vitamins, but I still have at least one full tote in the basement.

  The women from Wilky Place are here to assist Hisa.

  Serena Wilkerson already loves the children and plans to have them live with her and Brody. That sounds good to me. If she didn't take them, I would have.

  I'd like to sit with a couple of the adults and find out their stories, but Hisa said “not now, maybe tomorrow, we see” as she practically pushed me out the door.

  Josie finally heard from Chris. The panicked voice she heard earlier wasn't him. He “coded” that he's traveling with the strike team. They're going after whomever killed and burned his two soldiers and Sniper. For Chris, it was personal. He's extremely dedicated to his men.

  Anyway, He said he'd check back with Josie in two days. She seemed satisfied with that and finally left the radio building. Luke and Larson took her place on monitoring duty.

  The “Sniper” incident occurred only 25 miles from here. Chris is 25 miles away and he won't come to visit? He must be deep in the scary part of something big.

  Jesse and Jeremy finished filling the fence trailers with hay today. We need more hay, so I asked them to start filling the garage at the old Peterson place as well as the horse barn behind the Masterson house. They moaned and headed out for more. Jeremy says the pickin's are getting' slim. I hope they can find more, but I don't want them traveling near the area that where Chris and his team are working.

  Mick and Dane found two more display lots with little wooden buildings about ten miles from here. They'll have to load up the bulldozer and take a couple of big rigs and flatbed's to get them. They can leave the bulldozer there until we get all the buildings. Mick says there's a total of 14 buildings and Dane says the total is 13. I guess we'll find out.

  Ten miles is a long way. I've been stuck like glue to Mick since he came home. I don't know if I can handle it. Yep, I'm a wuss, but he's my man and I like 'em tall, sweet, and alive with the last name of “Kapper.”

  This afternoon, Pop told me to get ready for tomatoes from his early crop within three or four weeks. Yahoo! I can't wait. I'm truly a tomato addict. I canned and stored almost as many tomato products as jellies and jams.

  Anyway, laundry is going on, and Deuce is teaching Amber and Michael to ride horses under the supervision of Marisa, of course.

  I need to see healthy children laughing and playing so I'm headed to the meadow to watch the fun. See ya later.

  9:45 PM...

  Jesse and Jeremy found a small barn with 30 square bales of hay today. They unloaded it into the old Peterson garage and said they'd look for more tomorrow.

  I helped carry supper plates to the new folks this evening and met Tom Sulligent and his wife, Darlene. They're sitting up and talking. I asked if I could visit them tomorrow and get their stories. They said they'd be happy to see me. I stuck my tongue out at Hisa as I left. She playfully threatened to slice it off with a scalpel. I was glad to see she was in a better mood.

  An hour later, Hisa came to the house for clothing. She sent Valerie and Carisa to the basement to bring back anything they could find that would possible fit very thin adults and children. While they were searching, Hisa told me that Darlene Sulligent is dying from cervical cancer. There's no chemotherapy in the post-apocalyptic world, and there's no surgeon to try and remove the diseased parts.

  Hisa has allowed her to smoke some of the marijuana we brought home from the ckd's house. Darlene says it helps greatly with the pain, but makes her extremely hungry, so Hisa added half a cup of Farina as an evening snack and an extra serving of Jell-O for Darlene's breakfast meal in the morning.

  She also told me that one of the men named Jose’ has given up and refuses to eat or drink. His family was burned to death in their home while he was out looking for propane. He has no idea who set the fire, but his home was near the same area where Major Knellson's troops and Sniper were attacked and burned.

  I was struck with immediate fear. Our fence is made of wood. What if there’s firebugs in the area
? We need to keep the folks on watch, walking the perimeter every minute. We also need to find fire extinguishers and place them evenly all along the fence.

  Luke and Larson received a radio call from “Staff Sergeant Surn” before supper. He informed us that a Military crew consisting of 30 men will be here tomorrow to begin work on the chain-link fence surrounding the field. They expect to be here two or three days if all goes well. They'll bring their own cooks and mini-cafeteria to avoid using any of our supplies. There's already a few latrines the unit dug when they were here before.

  Larson and Anna spent a lot of time whispering in a corner of the living room after supper. My “mommy sense” began tingling and I told Rona she better keep the motorhome door locked and guarded tonight. Something tells me they're planning to sneak out and spend time together in the dark. I did it when I was a teenager. Maybe that's what put the suspicion in my mind.

  Most of the women from Wilky place went home tonight. They left Serena and Melody to assist Hisa overnight. Two women will replace them in the morning, and Tessa and Bree volunteered to take the afternoon shift. Clinic Diane is parked close to Hisa's house. Soo, Merry and Hisa are sleeping in the clinic so there's enough beds for the new folks.

  A group of eight HDI's appeared on the road right before sunset. Pop and Shawna put an end to them pretty fast. The bodies are loaded on the small flatbed trailer, ready to unload at the power lines tomorrow morning.

  We're adding a few dehydrated banana chips to the breakfast trays for the new folk’s tomorrow morning. If they keep it down, we'll add a few more to their lunch trays along with a half cup of pinto beans and a small amount of plain white rice.

  Hisa hasn't ordered supper meals yet. I'm sure she'll take care of it before lunch, so we have plenty of time to prepare.

  Nana says we're having pinto beans, rice, and cornbread for lunch and supper tomorrow because it's easy to make and she plans to get started on spring cleaning for every building in the compound. I'm not looking forward to it.