Stranded Box Set

by Theresa Shaver

  Mrs. Moore paused in thought before asking Liam, “Do you think you can take one of the bikes apart for spare parts with your injury? We should keep the parts in case one of our bikes needs them. The other two should be worth a fair bit in trade value.”

  Liam stretched slightly and tried to keep the wince from showing but nodded at his teacher anyway.

  She started to say something to him but just nodded instead. He would know what he was capable of and she hoped he wouldn’t overdo it. They didn’t have the supplies or trade goods to secure them a place to stay safely for the weeks it would take him to heal properly.

  “It’s the third week in September and the nights have already started to have a cold bite to them. Once we get off the train for good, it’ll take us at least four days to reach the border. After that, we’ll be heading farther into the mountains of British Columbia and the weather will be unpredictable. It could stay clear for all of October or there could be early snow. It’s impossible to predict what may happen. We most likely won’t make it all the way home before winter closes the passes unless we find quicker transportation. If snow comes early, we’ll have to hope we can stay in a camp or town and find some way to work for food until spring.” She took in their crestfallen faces and sighed. “I know it’ll be disappointing to get so close to home only to be stuck on the wrong side of the mountains but I believe we’ll make it there eventually.”

  Cindy spoke up, “What if we just stayed here or where we get off for the winter? We know they have the train running so food will be coming up from California. We could find somewhere we could stay and work at whatever was available for food.”

  Mrs. Moore nodded and looked to the others.

  “That is an option as well. We should all consider it and then take a vote.”

  It only took April a minute to shake her head and speak up.

  “I know it’s just a line on a map but I want to cross that line. I want to go now while we have supplies and we can trade the extra bikes for more. We have the rifles for hunting and we have a few more weeks of almost guaranteed good weather. If Liam thinks he can travel then I want to get as close as we can before we’re forced to stop.”

  She looked at the others and they all nodded their agreement.

  Mrs. Moore nodded as well. “All right then, we continue on for as far as we can.” She rose to her feet and glanced back at the train before turning back to them. “I’ll speak to Albert about the bikes. He seems to know who to trade with.”

  Mrs. Moore found Albert sitting on a bench eating out of a can of beans. He would alternate bites with a type of hard-baked, bread-like cracker. He glanced up at her approach and quickly wiped his mouth with an old-fashioned handkerchief before jumping to his feet. The teacher waved him back to his seat before settling down beside him.

  “I’m sorry to interrupt your meal, sir, but I was hoping to discuss some things with you.”

  He set his can of beans beside him on the bench. “Sorry, it’ll be at least two more hours before anyone can get back on the train but don’t worry, it’ll be well before dark.”

  Mrs. Moore inclined her head.

  “Thank you; that’s reassuring to know but I wish to ask your advice on another matter. With the loss of three of my students, we now have three extra bicycles we won’t be able to use. We’ll take one apart and use it for spare parts but the other two can be traded for more supplies. I was hoping you would know people here or farther along the track that would offer a good trade.”

  Albert leaned back against the bench and rubbed at his chin in thought before shaking his head.

  “I wish I could help you all out but I don’t know anyone personally this far north. You’re getting off near Spokane?” When she nodded her head, he hummed in thought before continuing, “Well, I’ve been through that area a few times now with the train and I can tell you what I know. They’ve set up a different type of trading system there. They’ve got a bank of sorts but more like a pawn type shop. You take your goods to it and they determine what it’s worth and give you paper chits to use in the market. I’d say bullets and medicine would be of the highest value but with foot power being the main way people have to travel, your two bikes should net you a decent amount. Just don’t take the first amount they offer. Wish I could help you out more but that’s all I got.”

  The teacher rose to her feet and thanked him. As she turned to leave, he asked her, “All them kids you have with you, they’re your students, not your blood?”

  She stood looking at her group in the grass and without turning back to face him, told him, “Until I get them home, they’re my everything.” And went back to join them.

  They ate the last of the fresh fruit and vegetables that night as they were starting to go soft along with a few handfuls of almonds for protein. When the water was boiling, they each had a cup of tea sweetened with a single pink packet of artificial sweetener. Disneyland had boxes and boxes of the individually packaged tea bags and sweetener that were light and didn’t take up much room in their packs, so they had a good supply, but they still only used one bag for every three cups to make them last as long as possible.

  As they waited to re-board the train for the night, they entertained themselves by sorting through the letters that they had taken from the first farm camp. They sorted them into piles by province and talked about some of the towns they recognized and places they had travelled to before the crash. The biggest pile was for Ontario and it was also the one that made them the saddest. With its huge population, they all knew that conditions there would’ve been the worst. The next biggest pile was for the Vancouver area and Liam was hopeful that they’d be able to pass them on to people they’d meet in the interior. He wondered what it’d be like to be a mailman now. Travelling across the country, searching out addresses that might not even exist anymore would be a dangerous job. It’d also be a huge adventure for the right person.

  By the time the train repairs were completed and they were allowed back on board, they were all exhausted from the long hard day. The grief they all felt at the loss of their friends was mixed with the nervousness of what they would encounter the next day when they left the train for good.

  April was so tired but sleep eluded her. She could hear the barrage of gunshots echoing through her head and even though she’d washed her hands more than once since it happened, she could still feel the sticky blood that had covered them earlier. She dozed off and on through the night but started awake often when others in the group would cry out or moan in their sleep as they relived the ambush and death that followed in their nightmares.

  It was a relief to her when the bell rang out on the platform just before dawn and she was quick to get up and put away her blankets. Eating their small cold meal took no time and April watched Cindy as she inspected Liam’s wound. She smeared some of their precious antibiotic ointment over the stitches and rebandaged it. April couldn’t help but admire his strength when he shook his head no to the offered over the counter pain killers saying he might need them more after they started biking again. They had very little in the way of medical supplies that Mrs. Moore had hoarded from the park and he knew there wouldn’t be any more to be found so long after the crash.

  With a shriek of its whistle, the train pulled away from the station and started down the tracks. If nothing else happened to delay their trip, they should arrive at their final destination by mid-afternoon, giving them enough time to negotiate their trades for more supplies. They would hopefully find a safe place within the camp or town for the night and then set out towards the border early the next morning. April leaned her head back against the window and let the motion of the train lull her into sleep. Thankfully this time it came without any nightmares.

  She must have slept deeply through a few of the stops. When Jessica nudged her awake, she said they would be getting off soon and she should gather her things. April just looked down at her still-packed bag and shrugged. There was nothing to gather. Everythi
ng she owned was in her pack already. She got up and started to walk down to the washroom and noticed that Liam was sleeping also. His face was slightly flushed and with a pang of worry she rested the back of her hand against his forehead to check for fever. If his wound became infected, their half-filled single bottle of antibiotics might not be enough to fight it. His eyes fluttered open at her touch and he gave her a sleepy smile before closing his eyes again and leaning into her hand. He was warm but not hot so April guessed it was just from the sun beaming in through the window at the back of his head. She let him sleep and moved on to tend to her own needs.

  Twenty minutes later everyone was awake and they all felt the train start to decelerate. The tracks were at a higher elevation than the city of Spokane as it came closer from the west. They could see a large river running around the edge of the city that created a natural boundary. There was no real station at this stop but trees had been cleared away from the east side of the tracks and a wide path could be seen running down to a cluster of buildings and parking lots that had the usual tents and campers set up.

  Mrs. Moore handed over the paperwork Albert had given them at the start of their train journey and soon after their bikes and carriers were unloaded and delivered. Mrs. Hardsky and Jessica helped Liam attach the three extra bikes to the three carriers with a mixture of rope, wire and bungee cords. They didn’t have enough hands to push the extra bikes to the traders and Liam would dismantle the one extra bike they were keeping when they found somewhere they could stay for the night.

  Albert came over and looked the group over before nodding down towards the pathway.

  “Head down towards those buildings. It used to be a college but they turned it into a relief camp. There’s a bigger one farther into the city but you all don’t want to travel through the wasteland of the city when you head out. Just ask around and I’m sure you’ll get directions for the next leg of your travels.” He looked the kids and adults over one more time before giving them a two-fingered salute. “Good luck. I hope you all make it home.”

  They all thanked him for his help and said goodbye before steering their bikes down the path. They had to walk the bikes and the overloaded carriers down the hill and April and Jessica stayed on either side of Liam to help him with the heavier trailer. Everyone was sweaty and out of breath by the time they made it down to more level ground and a paved road that led towards the buildings and camp.

  Chain-link fence had been erected around the first parking lot they came to with concrete traffic barriers placed strategically in front of the gate so a person would have to go in and out of them to move forwards. April guessed it was to stop someone rushing the gate straight on. The gates were currently wide open and people were coming and going freely as four men with rifles stood on either side of the opening.

  Mrs. Moore approached two of them and had a quick conversation while the others waited at the side of the road. The group couldn’t hear what they were saying but from the one guard’s actions it was clear he was giving her directions. After a few more minutes, the teacher turned away and waved her group forwards and they followed her through the gates and into a parking lot. They pushed their bikes down the main road towards the buildings, passing lines of tents of every kind from large sturdy canvas ones to children’s pup tents with faded cartoon characters on them, until they passed between two buildings and into what was once a huge central quad. The grassy expanse that college students used to sit on or play Frisbee on had been turned into a central market. There were tables and stalls with makeshift tarp awnings set up in rows with people selling all kinds of goods and supplies. All the former park’s picnic tables had been moved off to the side and grouped together so Mrs. Moore had them claim two of them.

  “Jan - you, Jenny, Susan, Cindy, and Liam please stay here with our gear. I’d like to canvass the vendors to see what they have and what they are charging before we attempt to do the bike trade. If we have an idea of what we need to spend on supplies, we’ll hopefully be able to negotiate a better amount for the bikes. I’ll take April and Jessica with me and be back shortly.”

  The ones staying back dropped their packs and settled on the benches. Mrs. Moore opened the front pocket on one of the packs and removed a pad of paper and pencil before she and the two girls walked over to the market. There was a large range of goods to be had with handwritten signs displaying the amounts for each item. The chit amounts were meaningless to the girls but Mrs. Moore wrote down amounts for everything she wanted.

  April and Jessica found themselves practically drooling over a table that contained personal hygiene items, from body wash to deodorant and even some makeup. They were both hopeful when their teacher wrote on her pad before moving them on to a stall that had camping gear.

  Mrs. Moore spent the most time looking through racks of winter weather clothing and spoke with the vendor about getting a bulk discount before they moved on to browse the food stalls. Bags of potatoes and root vegetables could be had as well as clear plastic bags of ground cornmeal and a flour mixture that just needed water added to make flat bread. The teacher walked past a stall with canned vegetables and soups but stopped at a table with dried vegetables in bags.

  As they headed back to the rest of the group, April asked her teacher how there could be so much stuff still available after seven months.

  “Well, the population of this city was over two hundred thousand when everything stopped working. Many people probably died like everywhere else leaving a lot of homes to be scavenged. This camp most likely has a team that goes out and searches for goods to bring back. There were also warehouses and stores that had stock. This world was filled with products to be had so staples and whatnot will still be available for a while to come. Most of the food we’ve looked at was probably grown after the collapse.”

  Mrs. Moore sat at one of the tables and went over her list. She would scratch off some of the things and add others before finally coming up with a tally and circling it. She leaned back and looked into the distance in thought. Everyone stared at her and waited for what she’d say next. She finally seemed to come to a decision and turned to the group.

  “There are things we need whether we wish to go forwards or not. Food, of course, but winter clothing is a must. We cannot survive winter in sweaters and running shoes. There were no bicycles for sale in the market so I have no idea what they will give us for them but we may have to trade all three and possibly some of our bullets to give us enough for all the supplies we need. Do you all agree to that?” Everyone nodded in agreement. “Then let’s look at all the bullets we have and determine what we feel we can trade if necessary.”

  The group quickly emptied the packs of the ammunition Val had given them and April added what she’d gotten after the ambush and made a pile on the table. It seemed like a lot and not nearly enough at the same time. The teacher frowned down at the pile before sectioning off some of the bullets and dumping them in an empty box. She sighed deeply and looked over the group again.

  “Alright, we’ll take all three bikes and the bullets for trade but we’ll start with just the two bikes and see how much that will get us.”

  They packed their gear back up and pushed the bikes through the market to where the main trades were done. The bank was set up in what had been the student’s bookstore. Mrs. Moore went in by herself with her pad of paper. Inside there were handwritten signs all over the walls stating set trade amounts for different goods. All the books had been removed and the back part of the store was roped off with piles of different goods behind it. The man behind the counter was flipping through an old magazine and wearing a Walmart greeter’s blue smock complete with a yellow smiley face button pinned to it. He looked up as the teacher approached the counter and set his magazine aside. He greeted her with a wide smile that matched his button.

  “Hello, welcome to the apocalypse, how may I help you!”

  Mrs. Moore just stared at the man with her eyebrows raised. It was a look that had many
of her students quaking over the years and the man quickly lost his smile and mumbled, “Sorry, bad joke,” before asking again, “What can I do for you?”

  The older woman nodded. “I have two fairly new bicycles in good working order that I would like to trade.”

  The man was all business as he pulled a large ledger from under the counter and flipped to the section he wanted. He asked if they were mountain or street bikes and buried his head back into the book when she answered him. Taking a small piece of scrap paper from a pile, he wrote a figure down and slid it towards her. She picked it up and compared the figure with the one she had on her pad before shaking her head and writing her own figure on the paper and sliding it back to him. The man screwed up his face and pulled at his lip before finally nodding.

  “I can do that.”

  Mrs. Moore stared at the wall behind him in thought. The amount he’d agreed upon wasn’t quite enough for all the supplies she wanted the group to have. A sign on the wall behind him came into focus. It advertised rates for accommodations. It listed the amounts for tents, cots or a dorm room. Under the rates were the words HOT SHOWER with another amount after them. She quickly did the math and came to a decision.

  “If you’ll match that price for a third bicycle, then we have a deal and I’ll purchase accommodations for the night as well as hot showers for eight.”

  The man wrote down some figures and did some math before asking, “You have the bikes here?”

  She pointed through the window at her group.

  “All right, I need to take a look at them but as long as they check out, we have a trade.”

  Mrs. Moore followed the man out of the store and stood by as he looked over the bikes. He nodded his head and stuck out his hand for her to shake. When he went back into the store she turned to her group and smiled.

  “Who would like a hot shower and a clean bed for the night?”