Aftermath - 02

by D. J. Molles

  “By the way,” he continued. “Where’d you get all this water?”

  “Well,” Marie took the bucket from him and set it down. “Water is the one thing we’re not desperate for. We’ve been busy over the last month, trying to build ourselves a life out here. I got enough scrap wood together with some tarp and built a big rain basin at the back of the building. It’s getting low now, but with August coming on, I’ll be hoping it fills up again.”

  “You’re quite resourceful,” he observed.

  She smiled. “It’s a team effort out here. Most everyone contributes. Most everyone except Jerry.” Her lips flattened out as she poured some of the water into a large stainless pot. “I shouldn’t be uncharitable. Jerry has his place: he knows how to organize people and is good at moderating our meetings and keeping us on track. But at the end of the day, when muscle and sweat counts, Jerry don’t have much to offer.”

  Marie put the half-empty bucket down and pushed it off to the side with a foot, then stooped and hauled up the large pot and placed it on a big metal box that appeared to have been constructed up against the outside wall. Lee noticed that it seemed to be the source of the stifling heat in the room.

  He pointed to the big box. “That a wood-burning stove? Did you make that too?”

  “Nope,” she reached over to another five-gallon pale, picked it up easily and looked inside. “One of the guys put that together for me after we figured out why we were having extra dinner guests every time we cooked outside. The smell of the cooking food brings ‘em in like moths to a flame.”

  She turned to the stove, then paused. “Captain, you said you were here to check out our supply situation?”

  Lee stepped forward, sensing that she held those supplies in the single five-gallon pale. “Yes, that’s what Bus sent me over here for.”

  Marie turned to him and tilted the pale so he could see inside.

  It was a little less than a fourth of the way full of white rice.

  Her face was grim. “This is it. You’re looking at my supplies, Captain. I figure on getting about thirty cups of cooked rice out of this, and then we’re done. No more food.” She poured the rice into the pot already sitting on the stove. She put the bucket down and gestured to another, smaller pot sitting on a wire rack near the stove. “I got some beans left, but not a whole lot. I’ll mix them into the rice and tonight everyone gets a half cup of rice and beans, and that could be the last meal they have.”

  “I’m bringing back food supplies. In fact, now that I know about the rain catch around back, that’ll save me a lot of room I would have wasted on water.” Lee sensed that there was something else that neither Bus nor Marie was saying. “Is there anything else I should focus on?”

  The look on her face was guarded. “Captain, I’ve got a list longer than your arm of things that would make our life a helluva lot easier. But as far as necessary, I think food is the big one. Besides, I don’t really know what you have squirreled away, so I don’t really know what to ask for.”

  Lee stretched his neck and looked thoughtful. “Why don’t you give me the top items on your list, and I’ll let you know if I can get them for you.”

  “Hmm.” She smiled, hesitantly. “Not something most men think about, but feminine products would be great. Most of the women have work to do around here. We can’t have them being out of service for a week every month. Also, a lot of the women in camp are in relationships, which makes me worry about pregnancies. That is something we can’t afford to worry about right now, and some form of contraceptive would be helpful.” She sighed. “And of course, winter is going to be here soon. A lot of folks around here just feel the heat and don’t even consider it, but I was raised on a farm, so I’m always thinking about the weather. No one has any cold-weather gear, no blankets, no sleeping bags. Everyone was dressed for summer when this happened.”

  Lee was impressed with her foresight, something uncommon in your average civilian. “You’re a very practical thinker, Marie. I think Camp Ryder is lucky to have you looking after them.”

  She didn’t respond. Lee felt the silence turn into that awkward expectation, like she was waiting for him to give her an answer.

  “The feminine products should be in with my medical supplies. As far as winter supplies, I will be bringing back some field jackets. As many as we can fit.” Lee smiled ruefully. “Speaking from experience, they won’t keep you comfortable if it’s below freezing, but they will keep you alive...at least in this climate. The contraceptives I don’t have, but I will keep an eye out for them. I imagine that they aren’t high on the list of looted items, so they probably won’t be hard to find.”

  Marie looked relieved, but only slightly.

  Lee raised his eyebrows. “And there’s something else that doesn’t have to do with supplies.”

  She regarded him for a long moment and Lee could see storm clouds brewing in her face. With her wiry build and lean features she wouldn’t have attracted many men, but she had eyes that showed a depth of concern and intelligence long forgotten in the old world of vapid beauty. It didn’t bring forth desire, but respect.

  Finally she nodded. “I talked to Harper after you first got here. He said you claimed to have communications equipment, like radios and stuff. Do you have those things?”

  “I can get them, yes.”

  “Then I have a very big favor to ask of you. It’s probably why Bus sent you to me in the first place. I understand if you don’t want to, or if you just can’t. I won’t hold it against you.”

  Lee waited for her to spit it out.

  She turned and busied herself with mixing the rice into the pot of water, steam finally beginning to rise from it. “I know that you guys are going to be passing by Smithfield. I have family there—a sister, brother-in-law, and two nephews. They lived very close to the downtown area and I know that people have been saying that something bad happened in Smithfield, but no one seems to know what it is. I need to know if my sister survived.” She paused. “If anybody survived.”

  “So you want me to look for your sister?” Lee’s eyes narrowed slightly. “What does that have to do with communications equipment?”

  Marie swiped quickly at her eyes before turning back to him. “Before we lost contact, my sister said they were bringing everyone in town to the First Baptist Church. It’s a big church, with the tallest steeple in town and big columns out front. It should be pretty easy to pick out. If you find any survivors, I know you can’t bring them back here, but if we could establish communications with them then we might be able to help each other. Her name is Julia.” The ghost of a smile passed over Marie’s lips. “She looks nothing like me.”

  Lee realized that not only was this a personal favor for Marie, but excellent information for him to work off of anyway. If there was a band of survivors in Smithfield as he’d originally suspected there might be, and Marie was family to part of their group, that might be the tie that could bind the two groups together.

  “Okay,” Lee nodded. “I’ll go into Smithfield. I can’t promise that I’ll find anything, but I will try.”

  “Thank you.” Marie smiled, this time genuinely. “You’re an answer to prayer, Captain Harden.”

  Lee didn’t feel like an answer to prayer, but linking the Smithfield and Camp Ryder groups would be a massive step towards reestablishing order in the region. He kept his more pragmatic thoughts to himself and smiled back at Marie. “We’ll see what we can do.”

  ***

  The waning hours of daylight Lee spent with Harper, Miller, Doc, and Josh. None of the four men had any military experience, though everyone except Doc had at least some experience with firearms, either through hunting or recreational shooting. Somehow, the young medical student had managed to survive six weeks of complete social collapse and devastation without firing a weapon.

  Good for you, Lee thought.

  Ammunition was scarce, and firing off rounds would only attract unwanted guests. So Lee instead taught what bas
ics he could about safety and squad tactics. He focused on what he felt were the three biggest components to a successful team: do your job, communicate with each other, and don’t be a hero.

  While there were many other things to learn about being a member of a tactical team, Lee wasn’t trying to train Special Forces soldiers. He didn’t need them to be able to shoot a moving target from the bed of a pickup moving at 45 miles per hour, or fast-rope out of helicopters. He just needed them to survive the supply run.

  He helped them with some basic pointers on weapon handling and moving as part of a squad. They also broke up who would be doing what when the trip was made. None of them came out and talked about the dangers of the trip because none of them knew what those dangers might be. It could turn out to be a few hours in a truck with no trouble at all, or all hell could break loose and they could have to fight their way back.

  Lee knew all too well how horribly things could go wrong.

  It was decided that Harper would drive, while Lee navigated from the passenger’s seat. Doc would sit in the rear passenger side and Josh would sit in the rear driver’s side to watch their flanks. Miller would be in the bed, covering the rear. The last thing he told them was to drink plenty of water and get hydrated, as they would be heading out with minimal supplies to save cargo room in the truck.

  As they were finishing, everyone began to form a line at the front of the Ryder building. Marie was inside with her big pot, scooping a single cup of rice and beans for each person. Lee felt a deep hollow ache in his stomach and swallowed hard against it. He watched the line forming and looked at the faces of the people gathered there. They were too thin.

  The longest Lee had gone without food in the field was about seventy hours. He felt he was well within that range and knew that his body could continue to operate efficiently, despite the pain in his gut. Knowing this, he decided not to enter the line.

  He did, however, help himself to some water. It was hot and still cooling down from when Marie had boiled it, but he knew that warm water metabolized and hydrated faster than cool water, so he didn’t mind. The rainwater was probably okay to drink directly from the basin as it was not runoff from the roof but caught directly from whatever rain cloud it came out of. But since it was standing water, boiling it was a good precaution to protect against dysentery.

  Lee drank his water by the old turkey-fryer Marie had boiled it in and watched the line dwindle as everyone passed through. They gathered inside the Ryder building where all the indoor shanties were made and found places to sit and socialize. Despite their desperate circumstances, the sound of the conversation filtered through the open door and Lee thought it sounded hopeful.

  It seemed that even though most of them had held Lee in suspicion only hours earlier, they now found themselves with their backs against the wall and the only hope they had to look forward to at this very moment was Lee. Perhaps when he had returned Harper safely to them after gathering gas, he had gained some trust with the community.

  If he had been willing to risk his life to get gas to make the trip, and if Harper believed in him enough to go along, perhaps there was something to his wild stories after all. Perhaps he wasn’t a spy. Perhaps he was truly there to help them.

  After all, what else did they have to look forward to?

  Lee felt that responsibility settle heavily around his neck.

  The darkness closed in fast and Lee refilled his water bottle and took a seat on the front steps of the building. In the blue twilight, the late-July fireflies were putting on a show and the heavy thrum of nature in the hot sun settled into the evening sounds of crickets, frogs, and the occasional night bird.

  There was a scuffle of footsteps behind him and he looked back to see Angela and Sam and Abby coming out of the front doors. Sam’s face brightened as he saw Lee, and the three of them took a seat on the steps with him, the two kids between the two adults. Lee was glad to see them, but felt strangely edgy at the same time, as though he and Angela were acting out the motions of a family, and the kids were just going along with it.

  The need to be with other people is always greater than the need to actually know them.

  Sam looked up at Lee with one of his enigmatic expressions. “I heard about what happened earlier. I’m glad you’re okay.”

  Sounds like an adult, Lee thought to himself but only offered a smile.

  Playing the part.

  Angela had her arm around Abby, who remained very quiet. “Yes, Sam was very worried about you today.”

  “I wasn’t worried,” Sam protested quietly. “I know he can take care of himself.”

  The kid looked like he wanted to say more, but looked down at the ground and pinched his lips together. Lee thought he knew how the rest of the sentence would have gone: It’s just that I’ve already lost everything else.

  “Did you guys get some food?” Lee asked, hoping to move the conversation off of himself.

  “Yes.” Angela nodded. “I didn’t see you in line.”

  “Oh, I got some earlier,” he lied, because he didn’t want her trying to convince him to eat when he’d already made up his mind.

  “I’m still hungry,” Abby said in a subdued voice.

  She was still detached, Lee noted. Just like her mother had said.

  “So, if you could eat anything right now, what would it be?” Lee leaned back with a thoughtful look on his face. He wanted to keep the kids talking, maybe turn their thoughts to more pleasant things, even if those things were only memories.

  “McDonalds,” Abby said instantly.

  “Oh really?” Lee sounded fascinated. “And what would you get from McDonald’s?”

  Abby smiled and seemed to come alive a bit. “I’d get some chicken nuggets. And some French fries!”

  “That’s it?” Lee looked shocked. “What about a cheeseburger?”

  “Yeah!” she nodded. “In the happy meal. With the girl toy.”

  “And some ice-cream?” he added.

  “Uh-huh. With chocolate syrup.”

  “Mmm.” Lee put on a dreamy expression for kids’ benefit. “That does sound good. What about you, Sam?”

  Sam was more thoughtful. “I miss pancakes. With butter and syrup. On my birthday, mom would make chocolate chip pancakes. Those were really good.” He closed his eyes like he was tasting them again. “I want a big stack of chocolate chip pancakes.”

  Lee smiled at the two kids and found Angela looking at him, though he couldn’t see her expression in the darkness. Feeling suddenly awkward again, Lee sat up. “I probably need to get to bed. Got an early start tomorrow.”

  Angela stood. “Some of the folks were nice enough to help me set up a little room of our own over by the medical trailer.”

  Lee must have looked hesitant because Angela continued, quickly. “I think it would help the kids sleep if they knew you were there with them.”

  “Of course,” Lee backpedaled into graciousness. “Thank you for offering. Didn’t want to be in that medical trailer again anyway.”

  The dinner gathering was beginning to disperse and those that did not sleep inside the Ryder building were making their way out into the shantytown. Everyone’s conversations quieted as they neared Lee and his little group, and then picked up again once they were passed. But the feel was not one of ostracism, as it had been earlier. Now it seemed they were just more interested in what Lee might be talking about and were taking a moment to listen in, though Lee and Angela said little as they walked to her shack.

  The makeshift room was hastily thrown together with some two-by-fours, a few pallets, and some blue tarp, which covered the structure and provided the doorway. Inside were several large pieces of cardboard laid out as beds and a small, windup LED lantern casting a sharp glow over everything. It reminded Lee of a homeless camp, but he supposed that’s what they were.

  Homeless.

  The kids settled in quickly and were asleep almost instantly. Angela took her daughter’s dirty tennis shoes off, and th
en removed her own. Lee followed suit and removed his boots, wondering if the four of them miraculously didn’t stink, or whether he just didn’t notice anymore. As he pulled his left boot off, a piece of thick paper fell out onto the ground. Lee picked it up with a furrowed brow.

  It was the scratch off lottery ticket that Jack had given him just before he died. Jenny or Doc must have taken it from his old pair of pants and put it in his boot for safe keeping. Lee stared down at it thoughtfully until he realized that Angela was watching him with that same soft look that made him so uncomfortable.

  He forced a smile. “Jack made me scratch the lottery ticket. Said I should keep it for good luck.” Then he stuffed it into his cargo pocket without another word and began stripping off his socks.

  As he laid his socks out over the toes of his boots, he noted that Angela kept hers and Abby’s on and that they were about as filthy as the shoes they wore.

  Lee nodded to their feet. “You should take your socks off. Feet can catch some pretty nasty things if you don’t let them breathe. Air your socks out too, especially if it’s the only pair you got.”

  Angela nodded as though what he’d said made good sense and took her and Abby’s socks off. The little girl slept through it all, her legs flopping around limply while her mother worked. “Thanks,” she said simply.

  Lee laid back on his cardboard mattress and rested his head on his arms. For him, the silence grew thick and strained, but Angela was soon asleep and her breathing was even. He felt that strange feeling of living someone else’s life, but despite whatever he felt about it, Angela and the two kids seemed to draw comfort from him.

  Eventually he did fall asleep. And when he did, it wasn’t dreams that followed him through the night, but memories of all the things he had lost.