“Could be a week, maybe less,” said David. “Doc said it could vary.”
“Wash your face,” Liu heard Karen tell Samuel in the bathroom. “All your face,” Karen continued. Liu still resented that there had been no discussion as to who was responsible for Samuel. Karen just was, always was. No discussion, no question, no doubt. Liu understood it did not take a village, it took a Mom, but they should have at least discussed it.
Samuel bounded into the room, still wet. He was enthralled by the fire, and stared in wonder at the large flames. He looked at the pictures in his red Bible carefully, turning the pages. He found the story of Samuel and handed it to Karen. Samuel stared at the picture, as Karen read, moving her finger to point at each word. Samuel turned to another story.
“Does anyone else want to read,” Karen asked, warming in the glow of the fire. Liu nodded and Samuel handed her the Bible. Liu showed everyone the picture of baby Moses, then read it to Samuel who crawled into her lap.
“That’s like you found me,” Samuel said, looking at Liu, Zeke, David and Karen. It was quiet for a few moments. The rain splattered softly on the tin roof, the wind was increasing. Liu wiped away a couple of tears rolling down her face.
“I think the water is ready for the hot chocolate,” Zeke said. He picked up the kettle sitting next to the fire with a kitchen towel and moved it to the stove. There were four large styrofoam coffee cups ready and he filled them about two thirds full. Each adult got a cup, two packets of Swiss Miss hot chocolate mix with marsh mellows, and a plastic spoon.
The rain began to pound loudly, more insistently against the tin roof and the shutters. They could see and hear the tree limbs creak and sway, whipped by the wind howling over the ridge. Liu was glad they were not out there in a tent.
“Time for bed,” Karen said after she gave Samuel several spoons of hot chocolate, cooled down.
Liu watched Samuel wrap his arms around Karen’s neck as she carried him to his sleeping bag. The flames were dying, and the red coals lit the room in a warm glow.
The storm grew louder, it seemed the wind whipped the rain horizontally against the storm shutters. The hot chocolate cup warmed her hands. Liu felt an indescribable peace, a sense of belonging, as she looked at Karen putting Samuel in his sleeping bag and everyone spread out in the room.
Liu realized she could be out there alone, cold, wet, and dying. She was grateful she was in the Nuclear War Club.
71.
Just before midnight, Zeke climbed down the ridge to wait for Liu. The moon had climbed the horizon, and in isolated cloud breaks he could even see silhouettes past the road. The rain had eased up to a drizzle, the scattered clouds were still low, dark, and threatening.
Exactly on time, Zeke looked though the binoculars and saw Liu climb down the stairs with her rifle ready. He enjoyed the revealing way the rain plastered her clothes to her body. She moved stealthily down the stairs.
“It’s Liu,” she said, holding her rifle out horizontally.
“Zeke here,” he said, stepping out of the cover. “We set up two guard points, top of the ridge and below the house. Let’s go to the top ridge first,” he continued.
Liu followed about three yards behind. He took off the sentry binoculars and handed them to her. She immediately scanned slowly past the house and along the adjacent ridges. No movement, no lights.
“I almost shot a deer below the south guard point,” he said pointing.
“Anything else?” she asked.
“No, that’s about it. Be aware of an approach through the woods,” Zeke said.
"Got it,” Liu said matter-of-factly, all business. Liu’s manner shouted, your shift is over, your relief is here, now leave, Zeke thought
Zeke turned and trudged back to the cabin, wishing he could have found some excuse to stay with her. Doron was up, and using pliers to retrieve a bubbling hot opened can of chunky chicken soup next to the fireplace.
72.
Liu drank the last of her coffee from the green Stanley thermos, and shifted the wool army blanket over her shoulder. She replaced her wet socks with another pair of dry wool socks from a Ziploc plastic bag. She was still chilled to the bone, so she got up and moved to the south guard point to warm up. She checked the house, David was approaching.
Her heart raced. She felt guilty, and tried to control her excitement. Her hands shook as she opened her makeup mirror to check her face.
She had never made any move towards David, but she had always been attracted to him, she dreamed of him. Worst of all, her dreams of him had only intensified after David had married Karen.
Liu had fantasies during the hours of solitary guard duty of David. She imagined what could develop when he relieved her, alone in the night. She always tried to manipulate the guard duty schedule so David relieved her in the middle of the night.
Somehow, in her fantasies, Karen was not a factor, and remained her friend.
Once she did have a nightmare where Karen had calmly told Liu that she had to shoot her, that’s the way cowgirls were when someone messed with their husband. It was the Code of the West, Karen explained, had to be done. Then Karen blasted Liu, as she woke up from her nightmare.
This is not good, she told herself. Living just a few feet away from David in the cabin was dangerous. It was like a dark cloud of anger, bitterness, rage, and envy at Karen would suddenly come and surround Liu. Liu understood now what Zeke meant when he said the dark came. Ironically, she liked to be with Karen precisely because the dark cloud never came around her when she was with Karen. And paradoxically she knew that she could never love a man who would betray his wife. That’s what her head knew, but that’s not what her heart felt.
“It’s David,” he said.
“Liu here,” she replied.
“What’s up?” David replied.
“I thought I saw something move beyond the perimeter towards the road. I checked, but no activity, no tracks. So I took a headlamp, tied it to the end of a tree branch, turned it on, and left it for backlight,” Liu said, pointing, and hoping her voice was steady.
David smiled. Liu was brilliant. The headlamp slowly swayed in the wind about 50 meters away backlighting two trails near the road.
“Liu, that was a smart move with the headlamp. You need to brief the others, we can use that when fleeing at night. It looks like someone moving when the limb sways in the wind. Combined with a sighted Doron’s Deathmaster it could hold up a pursuit for a few minutes,” David said.
Liu just stared at David, giddy and savoring every moment of being alone with him.
“Yes,” she quickly recovered. “This is a good place,” Liu said. “It’s easy to defend, and concealed.”
“Yes, we should be ok,” David replied.
Liu took off her binoculars from around her neck and handed them to David. As she handed him the binoculars, he started to slip in the mud on the sharp incline. He grabbed her shoulder to keep his M-16 from falling in the mud.
David quickly steadied himself and stepped away.
The effect of his touch on Liu was electric, the strength of his touch lingered, and inflamed her desire. She could barely resist the dark cloud.
“Sorry,” David said as he took the binoculars, completely oblivious to the passions his touch had unleashed in Liu.
Liu turned quickly, and simply waved goodbye. She did not trust herself to speak. She was weak and trembling, and even the slight climb back to the cabin was challenging.
The soft rain camouflaged her tears. She dried off her face, and even managed to smile at Doron as she opened the door.
73.
“So Doron, you are back among the living?” Liu asked.
“Yeah, the happy pills Doc gave me have run out,” Doron said.
“Any trouble breathing?” Liu asked, distractedly as she thought of David.
Maybe David had wanted her stay, she thought. David must have felt the passion also, she reasoned. Maybe I should make an excuse to go back to him.
“Slight wheeze,” Doron said. “Seems I have no infection.”
“Liu,” Doron said.
“Yes,” Liu replied.
“Thanks for taking care of Ashley and me. I remember you changing my bandages and watching the ivs,” Doron said.
“No problem,” said Liu grabbing a set of dry clothes and heading to the bathroom.
Liu returned a couple of minutes later wearing an oversize t-shirt, and sweat pants. She hung her wet clothes on a chair near the fireplace to dry. She set her sleeping bag against the wall, rolled over, and tried to sleep.
Doron sipped his soup in the dying glow of the fire embers. Liu felt his eyes staring at her.
She rolled over, and challenged his gaze until he looked away.
74.
David watched Karen check Ashley’s forehead as she held the thermometer under her tongue.
“She has a fever, Doc said that could be a warning sign of infection,” Karen spoke softly to David.
Doron watched Samuel and David eat cereal with dried milk mixed with the spring water at the dining table. Samuel was opening several of the small boxes, especially Lucky Charms with the leprechaun, and mixing the cereals together. Liu and Zeke were still asleep in the living room.
“Samuel, you cannot open any more cereal boxes to find the leprechaun until you eat these,” David said.
David watched Doron stand up slowly, grab the wall, and hobble to the kitchen table. Karen rushed over as David helped him sit in a chair at the table.
“Do you want anything to eat?” Karen asked.
“Any cans of boiled peanuts left?” Doron asked. “A whole case,” said Karen, opening a can and sliding it Doron with a styrofoam coffee cup for the empty shells.
“David, how did you find this place?” Doron asked. “I mean well water in the kitchen, this is great!”
“Liu did. We are going to stay here until you and Ashley recover,” David said.
“Do we still have the medical books Doc gave us? I might as well start studying them,” Doron said.
David went to his bedroom to retrieve the book box for Doron.
“So I understand its Mrs. Karen Phelps now?” Doron said to Karen.
“Yes, you were at the wedding, you were just unconscious,” Karen said.
“The story of my life,” Doron replied.
“Did I do anything heroic when I was shot?” Doron continued.
“No, you just managed to get in the way of a bullet,” Karen said.
“Doc didn’t give either of you any happy pills for me?” asked Doron.
“No,” said David. “He said if you didn’t get an infection, put you back to work.”
“I am going to sleep,” said David, heading for the small bedroom. Karen had blacked out the windows so they could sleep off shift.
“Doron,” said David, retraining with notebooks in his hands, “Ashley is getting a temperature. Focus on treatment. Zeke, Liu, and Karen are working extra night shifts because you and Ashley are out and Jorge is dead. We need you back as soon as possible,” David said.
“Got it,” said Doron.
“And check these out. I found these notebooks of articles printed off the Internet, written by preppers, people who prepared for nuclear war and other catastrophes,” David said.
“Here is a promising antiseptic treatment developed by an English Chemist in WW1 named Dr. Henry Drysdale Dakin. Dakin’s solution consists of boiling 32 ounces of water, then adding ½ teaspoon of baking soda. Then add 3 ounces of bleach. Its unstable and you have to make it immediately before use. We can make and use it, we have lots of bleach and baking soda. I found it on a printed copy of the website “Prepper’s Will” in an article “Dakin’s Solution, A Homemade Antiseptic” written by Bob Rodgers,” David explained, pointing.
“We sure could have used this earlier. I am on it,” Doron promised
“And, David,” Doron said.
“I am grateful you took care of me and Ashley,” Doron said.
“Nuclear War Club membership has its privileges,” David said.
75.
On the third day, Doron was strong enough to take a guard shift. Ashley’s temperature was gone, and she could walk around the cabin.
Just before the first night shift, David announced, “Ashley and Doron are recovering. We need to discuss the next step.”
“We have water here and seem hidden. Why not just stay here?” Liu asked. Everyone was sitting around the table, shelling pecans. Liu had found a pecan tree, and Karen put everyone to work shelling them, handing them each two, one quart Ziploc bags with their name on the bag, to fill up. Doron had drawn a chart on the back of a cereal box of the most efficient way to process the pecans in an assembly line, which everyone ignored.
“How does everyone feel about Liu’s suggestion?” David asked. He was determined not to overshadow the team decision process. In combat, there could only be one commander. That was the iron war for all armies in all history. They all accepted that, and agreed that was David. But otherwise they needed a consensus. Not unanimity, this bunch could never unanimously agree the sun rose in the east, but some type consensus.
“We need a town or larger group,” said Zeke. “It’s only a matter of time until we cross the greens again.”
“Doron?” asked David.
“We haven’t received anything on the shortwave. I understand Sarge said parts of the South are reorganizing civil governments. The Northeast was repeatedly hit, it’s like a radioactive soup. Here, we are off the grid and have water. I can go either way,” Doron said.
“I think we need to go south to Alabama or Texas, as Sarge said. It’s only a matter of time until we are found here and have a firefight. And people, bad people, are going to find military weapons and form larger gangs. This place is not good for growing crops,” David said.
David did not tell them he had a bad feeling that they needed to leave now. There was no logical basis for his gut feeling, but Sarge had always said listen to it.
“Sweet home Alabama,” said Zeke.
“Liu?” asked David.
“I am on the team, if we go, I am on the bus,” Liu said.
“Ashley?” David asked.
“I am in, let’s go,” Ashley said.
“The tribe has spoken. We head out tomorrow at dark thirty,” said David.
“Doron, we need a military or gun resupply. We are getting low on ammo. Give it some thought, maybe we have to change our route. Maybe a wiped out military base,” said David.
“Sure. I will check,” said Doron.
“And David, have you ever thought about flying to Alabama?” asked Doron.
“I thought the EMP destroyed the avionics and engine chips on planes,” said David, intrigued by the idea.
Combat was not like TV or video games. When it’s real you know the odds are good you are not going to survive many more firefights and ambushes, David thought. Get in enough firefights, and sooner or later a bullet has your name on it.
“Maybe, but think about an old DC-3. It was a WW2 plane designed and built before computer chips, it’s tough and rugged. It was made to land on dirt roads. Skydivers use the DC-3 to this day. It could transport all of us, and a motorcycle. There were a lot of them made,” said Doron.
David was glad Doron was back. Flying east? Seemed impossible, but with Doron, you never knew.
76.
The first red streaks of dawn pierced through the mountain gap as they stood around the hood of the truck. It was cold and damp, with patches of fog as the clouds passed low. Samuel was asleep in the wool blanket in the truck cab.
David glanced outside the kitchen window and could see Doron pouring some steaming coffee into his mug, then putting the sooty coffee pot on the truck tailgate. He knew everyone was waiting for him as he feverishly moved the photos back on the mantle, stacked the firewood, swept the kitchen floor, then filled the Clorox jug with water, and replaced it near the pump. He left a note on a post it no
te in their Family Bible thanking them, carefully printing each of their names. He walked out, then locked the door with the spare key they had found on the mantle. He slid the key underneath the door.
He saw Doron and Karen intently watching him, looking puzzled. David knew his behavior could seem bizarre, but he hoped the elderly couple, or their grandkids, made it home.
He realized the Grandmother had been homeschooling a child here when he found all the prepper materials they had printed off the Internet, and her large print Bible. He found the notebooks with the labored handwriting of a child, and the grandmother’s teaching plan for math, reading, spelling, science, and history.
David remembered when he had been homeschooled for two years, and how regular school seemed easy by comparison to his Mom’s requirements. She had demanded that he learn how to teach himself, and always question any stampede of the herd. “Always remember cattle get spooked and run off the cliff, one after another. So do humans. Never, ever, outsource your thinking to the herd,” she said.
Home scholars were exactly the kind of self-sufficient people he hoped to have as neighbors in Alabama. David realized that without planning it, they had been home schooling Samuel by reading him the stories every night. Samuel was proud that he could read many words himself from the red kid’s Bible. The first word he had proudly read all by himself was “God” since it was in almost every story. Samuel like to copy the words onto the back of cereal boxes, he had asked David why they didn’t wear name strips like the soldiers so you could write them down. David smiled at the thought as he walked up to the truck.
Karen returned his smile, and handed him a cup of coffee. He carefully wiped the dew off the truck hood twice, tested it with his finger, then spread out two maps. The first map was a Visual Flight Rules airplane map that showed power line easements, and telephone pole paths. The second was a road atlas with California and Nevada paper clipped.
“Doron has mapped the best route. We will cut away from the power lines later today, because they lead to Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas and Hoover Dam, which are all Stage 3 hot,” David said, as he pointed.
Nuclear War Club: Seven high school students are in detention when Nuclear War explodes.Game on, they are on their own. Page 22
