Final Dawn: Escape From Armageddon

by Maloney, Darrell

  “The last three bays, numbers 22 through 24, are being used for storage and supplies. All there are in those bays are stacks and stacks of boxes and lumber and stuff. Not worth seeing, but you’re welcome to walk over and check it all out if you wish.”

  No one wanted to.

  So Hannah continued.

  “Well, it looks like it’s almost lunch time, so let’s all head back to the dining room and enjoy a hot meal. Mark will take over for me there and share some more information with you while we’re eating.”

  The group walked back to Bay 9, asking questions of Hannah along the way.

  Little Anna, Debbie’s daughter, asked if there was a pony she could ride.

  Hannah grew sad and went to one knee.

  “No, honey, there isn’t, and I’m sorry. But I’ll tell you what. How about if we make Uncle Mark your personal pony? We’ll tell him that he has to put you on his shoulders and take you for a pony ride whenever you want. And if he ever says no we’ll spank him and make him go to his room. Okay?”

  Anna giggled. “Okay,” she said. “It’s a deal.”

  As they neared Bay 9, an old fashioned dinner bell started to chime. Mark had hung it on the kitchen wall for the kitchen staff to signal when each meal was ready. And everyone gathered at the kitchen’s serving line, where forty trays were lined up for the taking.

  Each person took a tray and found a seat. Bryan remained standing after the last person took his seat, and offered a short prayer.

  “Dear God, thank you for the blessings we’re about to receive. Thank you so much, Lord, for the opportunity to gather here in this place and enjoy each other’s company. And for the chance to continue our lives together under your guidance and wisdom. We will carry on, with your continued blessings and in your name. Amen.”

  -46-

  After Bryan was finished, Mark stood up to speak.

  “May I have everyone’s attention, please? I don’t want to interrupt your meal, but there are a lot of other things we need to discuss, and the best time to get everyone together is at mealtime. So please continue to eat, while we share the information with you.

  “And please, feel free to interrupt me at any time if you have any questions.

  “On the wall behind me is a list of all of the positions we need filled with volunteers. One of the best ways to fight boredom for the next few years will be to stay busy. There are plenty of jobs to keep everyone occupied, and we’re encouraging everyone to find something that interests them and volunteer for it.

  “However, we will never force anyone to work if they don’t want to.”

  Robert, David’s brother, read down the list on the white board behind Mark, and broke the ice.

  “I see there’s two positions for the water plant. What’s involved in that?”

  “Mark smiled and said “Thanks for asking, Robert. The water plant positions involve refilling each RV’s water tanks twice a week with clean, recycled water, and emptying the shower water from each RV and transferring it to the water plant. It also involves treating the water at the plant, by adding various chemicals, aerating it, and testing it twice a day to see how each batch is progressing. As in every one of these positions, we’ll provide training and someone will help you. None of these jobs involve working alone. In every case, there will be at least one other person working with you. This particular position would require each volunteer to work probably twenty to thirty hours per week.”

  Robert said “Well, you can put me down for one of those slots.”

  Mark complied with Robert’s request and wrote ‘Robert’ in block letters next to the entry.

  “Anyone else?”

  No response.

  “Okay, I’ll move on then. If any of you have any questions about the other positions, please see myself or Bryan in the next day or two and we’ll tell you what’s involved for each one.

  “For those of you who are new, we have been discussing the type of government we want to have in the mine going forward. We’ve come up with an idea, but wanted to fly it by you new folks to see if it was acceptable to you.

  “It is important that you do not see the mine as belonging to the four of us who set it up. That’s not the case at all. The mine belongs to all of us. Each of us is an equal partner, and should have an equal say in how it is run and the decisions that have to be made.

  “For the past week, we have been kicking around different ideas for running the mine, and what we’re all recommending is that we borrow some things from some of the Native American tribes, and other things from our modern United States government.

  “What we’re proposing is that we get together one evening a week right here, in this room. We’ll have an elected speaker to do what I’m doing right now, and opening up the discussion and keeping order. The speaker will have no more power than anyone else. He or she will just keep things moving and maintain a certain decorum.

  “Under our plan, anyone at the weekly meeting can bring up any matter of discussion they wish. Say, you don’t like the amount of calories we’re being given with each meal and would like to see it increased. You stand up and raise your point, and state your reasons why. Then, one at a time, in an orderly fashion, anyone else who wants to add their input either for or against your proposal will have their turn to speak. After everyone has stated their opinions, we will ask for a show of hands.

  “Everyone who is over eighteen years of age may vote. Persons who are younger than eighteen may attend the meetings, but are not allowed to participate in either the discussions or the voting.

  “If the majority of the votes are in favor of an increase in calories, then the calories will be increased.

  “In the event of a tie vote, our three elders will vote a second time. Since there will always be three elders, and since each must vote in the event of a tie, there will always be a decision made.

  “The elders are simply the three eldest members of our group. Native Americans placed great respect and dignity upon the elders in the tribe, and we should do the same. The elders, because of their experiences and wisdom, occupied a place of honor, and enjoyed special privileges due their position.

  “For example, you’ll notice on the white board behind me that we are looking for three volunteers for elder aids. Two females and one male. These aids can be adults, but ideally should be teenagers of the same sex as the elders they assist. Since our elders, by nature, are usually elderly, they require assistance in some of the things they do.

  “Their aids will do things like help them get up in the morning and assist them to getting to breakfast. Do their laundry for them. Keep their homes clean if they are unable to do it themselves. Select their tray at mealtime and bring it to their table, and then clear their tray after they are finished.

  “These types of positions in Native American culture were looked upon not as positions of servitude, but as positions of great honor. Because usually, the aid grew quite close to their elder, and had the opportunity to learn from them, and absorb some of their wisdom.

  “There are other benefits bestowed upon the elders. They will occupy the three RVs closest to the common areas. They will never be assigned any jobs or tasks, unless they themselves choose to do them. Their RVs are furnished more elaborately than the others, and no one else starts their meal until the elders are all seated.

  “These are just a few things that some of the early American tribes did to honor their elders, and we propose that we carry on in those traditions.

  “One last thing we want to give the elders is the power to settle personal disputes between any of us. Say Bryan and I have a dispute over a particular CD. Each of us thinks we own it, and neither of us is willing to share. Because, after all, we all know that Bryan is a selfish, self-centered butthead.

  “We want the elders to have the authority to decide who is in the right. And we both agree that their decision is final, and agree to abide by it.

  “Along with that authority will be the power t
o marry two of us. There will be no ministers or justices of the peace in here or on the outside after breakout. We propose that if two of us fall in love, and convey that love to the elders, that they have the legal right to declare us married. And to grant divorces as well.

  “Okay, what I’d like to do is give everyone the opportunity to debate this proposal for our new government. Who’d like to go first?

  Bob, David’s dad, stood up and asked “In the case of a dispute between parties, do they have to go to the elders and ask for a resolution, or do the elders just step in and make their decision?”

  Mark said “Ideally, the two parties will agree to take their dispute to the elders and ask them to make a ruling. However, if the elders notice fighting and arguing going on between the two and want to put a stop to it, they certainly have the authority to step in and do so.”

  “Who are the elders?” asked Mark’s Uncle Marty.

  Mark answered “I’m glad you asked, Uncle Marty. The elders will always be the three oldest members of our group. You’ll be one of them. The others are my mom, Phyllis, and Helen Kenney, Joe’s mom.

  “Are there any other questions or comments?”

  Mark looked around the room and didn’t see any more hands up.

  “Okay, then, I’d like to put this measure to a vote. All persons who are at least 18 years of age, who vote ‘yes’ please raise your hands. Okay, thank you. Now, all persons who are at least 18 years of age who vote ‘no’ please raise your hands.”

  Mark looked at his mom. “I counted 27 for and 3 against. Is that what you counted?”

  Phyllis Snyder shook her head yes. And Mark continued.

  “Very well, the proposal carries and is now our official form of government. Our next meeting will be right here, on Monday night, at 7:30 p.m.

  “Is anyone interested in taking over the job I’m doing now at future meetings?”

  No hands went up.

  “Okay, I will continue to do this for future meetings, unless one of you wants to relieve me in the future.

  “We’re going to let everybody take a few minutes to finish eating. Then we’d like to ask everyone to hang around if they can. We’ve got a lot of other things we need to discuss as well.”

  -47-

  After everyone finished eating, Mark walked back to the front of the group.

  “Looks like everyone’s done. For those of you who don’t know her already, I’d like to introduce my mom, Phyllis, who will explain our dietary stuff.”

  Phyllis Snyder walked out of the kitchen and faced the group.

  “Hello. First, I’d like to make a pitch for two more volunteers for our kitchen staff. What we do isn’t hard, but we’d like to have enough people to break into two shifts. Otherwise our days are going to be pretty long. If anyone is interested, please see me after the meeting.

  “We’re going to prepare meals three times a day for everyone. The breakfast meal will be done around 7 a.m., and we’ll ring our dinner bell when it’s ready to be served. Lunch will be around 1 p.m. and dinner around 7 p.m.

  “All of the brown trays will be identical, and the portions will be as close to equal as possible. Just to keep us honest and make us try our best to make sure each tray contains the same amount, the kitchen staff will always take the leftover trays that no one else wants. If we mess up and give one tray a lot less than the others, we know it’ll be left behind and we’ll wind up eating it. So that’ll keep us straight.

  “When you take a tray, be sure to take a brown one. The three green trays are for those who are diabetics. They get the same number of calories as everyone else, but they are on restricted diets, so their food will be different than yours. We also have one person who is allergic to certain foods. Her tray will always be red. Please don’t take that one.

  “If any of you new folks have any dietary restrictions, please see me after the meeting and let me know, so we can alter your meals accordingly.

  “We are aiming for between 1900 and 2000 calories a day, split between three meals. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but doctors say it’s sufficient to keep us healthy. I can afford to lose a few pounds, and some of you may want to as well. I assure you that in the months ahead, we will all get skinny. But nobody is going to starve to death. I will promise you that.

  “We are going to have to use our foods in a certain order. Our canned goods have the shortest shelf life, then our frozen foods and then our dried foods. Because we have to use everything before it expires, it might make some rather odd food combinations.

  “For example, if we have several cases of canned ravioli and spinach that are getting close to their expiration dates, we may have ravioli and spinach for breakfast, lunch and dinner for two days in a row. Obviously, we will try to avoid that by planning ahead as much as possible. But if occasionally you get some strange things to eat, please don’t be angry with us.

  “The only other option to that is letting food expire and having to throw it away. And in our situation, we’d consider that a cardinal sin.

  “Any questions about meals? Okay, then, I’m going to turn it over to Debbie, our house medic.”

  “Hello, everyone. Most of you know me. For those of you who don’t, my name is Debbie Bay, I’m married to that wonderful man over there named Mike, and Mark and Bryan are my little brothers.

  “I’ve been a paramedic with the San Angelo Fire Department for the last seven years. I’m not a doctor, and would never claim to be. But I can treat you if you fall victim to some type of trauma. And for other medical issues, I will work with you to try to diagnose whatever is ailing you, and help you find a game plan for treatment.

  “We have brought with us a vast amount of medical research material to help guide us in this process, and I’m confident that we can provide the very best medical care possible under the circumstances.

  “As Mark said, I will be in the clinic from 8 a.m. until noon each day and would encourage you to walk in any time you want to talk. I’m also available at all other times. Just say the word.

  “I’d also like to discuss a program I’m setting up to augment the calorie intake of those of you who are carrying a few extra pounds. Don’t be embarrassed. I’m not talking to anyone in particular. You better than anyone know whether you fall into that category, so I won’t mention any names.

  “If you think this applies to you, please see me sometime in the next couple of days. This is very important, because we need to keep a close eye on your weight loss.

  “The American Medical Association recommends that those people who are dieting lose no more than four pounds per week. Losing too much weight too quickly can put stress on the heart, and can do your body a lot of harm. And when dieting, people with extra weight tend to drop weight very quickly, at least initially.

  “None of us will be dieting, but the kitchen is going to restrict our calorie intake to only what we need to survive. So it pretty much boils down to the same thing.

  “The bottom line is this. We will all lose some weight, but we don’t want anyone to lose more than four pounds per week. So anyone who is at least thirty pounds overweight needs to enroll in the supplemental calorie program that I’ll be running. Anyone else is also welcome to sign up, if you feel like you’re shedding weight too quickly.

  “Here’s how the program will work. You will have a standing appointment at the clinic every Sunday afternoon for your weekly weigh-in.

  “Say your weekly appointment is at 2:15, and you come in and get weighed. That will be your benchmark for the week.

  “You’ll come back in on Wednesday for your first check. If you’ve lost fewer than three pounds, then that’s great. If you’ve lost three or four pounds, I’m going to send you to the kitchen with a prescription for a couple of sandwiches, or some cookies, or something that’s going to add a thousand calories to your diet.

  “We’ll repeat the process on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

  “The purpose of all this is to slow down your weig
ht loss if it starts to run away. We don’t want you to lose more than four pounds a week.

  “A couple of tips for all of you, whether you fall under this program or not. You’ve noticed that there are pallets of bottled water and canned sodas everywhere you look. Hannah thought to buy as much as she could so that no one would get thirsty.

  “Please take some of both of these items back to your RVs and put them into your refrigerators. It is important that you stay hydrated. Drinking several bottles of water a day will help keep the hunger pangs at bay.

  “Also, for those of you with a sweet tooth, a can of soda will temporarily satisfy the urge for sugar, and it’ll also add calories to your diet and slow down your weight loss a bit.

  “Just be sure you don’t drink too much soda. Most of your fluid intake should be water.

  “Does anyone have any questions of me before I turn it over to David?”

  Mike’s brother in law John stood up.

  “I’m a smoker. I brought four cartons of cigarettes in with me, but I know they won’t last forever. Do you have any nicotine patches for when I run out?”

  “I have a few nicotine patches, and a lot of nicotine gum. If you’ll follow me to the clinic after we’re done here, I’ll give you some.

  “I would encourage you to try to slow down your smoking as much as possible. If you smoke a pack a day, try your best to cut it to half a pack, then to a quarter of a pack. The less you’re smoking when you run out of cigarettes, the easier it’ll be when you have to stop cold turkey.

  “Any other questions? Okay, good. Because I see David chomping at the bits over there to get a chance to talk.”

  David came to the front of the room, and then turned back to Debbie.

  “Chomping at the bits, huh? Oh, I get it. A tooth joke. To introduce the dentist. Not a funny joke, but a joke nonetheless.”