by AJ Newman
I knew where this was heading, and I didn’t want a fight. “I was robbed just north of Murfreesboro. The assholes took everything I had.”
“So, they left you with a pistol after taking everything you had?”
“No, I took it off the three men who just walked up behind you,” I said, knowing the chance of them falling for this trick was slim and none. However, one of the men whirled around to see who was behind him, which distracted the one still facing me. I drew my gun and shot the same time as the man fronting me. The bullet hit my chest and stung like hell. I shot again at the second man, hitting him in the back before he pulled the trigger, sending a wild shot into the trees. My chest hurt a bit as I shot each of the men in the head to finish them off. I know it sounds cruel. However, the bastards were going to kill me for a pistol. My chest began to hurt like hell as I checked it. I lifted my shirt and didn’t see any blood. There was a bruise on my chest that was getting darker by the minute.
There it was again. The exhilaration from winning the gunfight and killing the men was a huge rush at first. Then the realization that I had killed again struck me. The high was great, but the crash downward, and guilt later screwed with my mind.
The bullet had struck the small tin that held my survival fishing equipment. It was in my shirt pocket, which also contained the .22 pellet that had hit the tin can, and banged it into my chest. The asshat had a damned pellet gun! I searched the men and found a tin of pellets to go with the Benjamin pump air gun and a .38 S&W on the other scumbag. There was a half-empty box of .38s in his pocket. I rubbed my chest and then dragged their bodies into the brush.
The two men lost their lives because they wanted to rob me, and I almost died because I didn’t trust them to take my possessions and leave me alive. If the scum had a .38 or a 9-mm, I might be dead now, and no one would read my story about the apocalypse. I didn’t know if I was stupid and lucky, or stupid and good at what I do best. The Army trained me to kill, and now that skill had come in handy to save my life.
As I walked the horse, goat, and cart back to my parent’s home, I reflected on the current situation. Were there millions of bad people out there just waiting for the opportunity do bad things, or were there millions of good people driven to do bad things to survive? I felt no sorrow for the lives I had taken in battle, and now I didn’t feel anything, except the urge to get back to the girls to make sure they were safe.
My 9-mm was in my hand and the .38 in my lap on the way back to my home. I didn’t see anyone this time and called out for Karen when I turned down the driveway. MMax and Tina came running, and MMax jumped into my lap. MMax intensely sniffed my clothes as if he was looking for something. Tina followed MMax and almost turned the cart over. Karen and the girls waved from the porch. I waved back to them and decided not to tell them about the dead men.
I said, “I’m back and ready to head on to Smyrna. Can you ladies be ready in half an hour?”
“Jason, are you okay. You look, well tense.”
“I’m good.”
Karen said, “Maybe.”
I noticed they looked different. They were clean and smelled good. None of us had a proper bath since the day the crap hit the fan. “How did you get a bath?”
Karen batted her eyes at me, teasing me. “We found your well out back and filled the tub with water. I hope you don’t mind, but we also borrowed some of your Mom’s clothes. We filled the tub again for your bath.”
I acted offended and then pretended to smell my armpits. One whiff and I fell to the ground and played dead. MMax ran over and poked me with his nose to wake me up. “I get it. You think I stink. Well, as a matter of fact, I do.”
I went to the bathroom, stripped down, and crawled into the tub of room temperature water. I slunk down in the water and relaxed, even though it was a bit chilly. I closed my eyes just as the door opened and Karen said, “Cover yourself. I need to get your dirty clothes and wash them.”
I dropped my hands to cover myself, and she saw the angry purple and yellow bruise on my chest. “Jason that is a new bruise. What happened?”
There I was with my private area covered by my hands, talking to this gorgeous woman as my face turned beet red. “It’s a long story about my trip to get the cart. Can I tell you later when I have some clothes on?”
Karen laughed and chortled. “Why, the big strong soldier is blushing. Here is a towel. I’ll bring you some clean clothes.”
Suffice it to say I thought about Karen as I finished bathing. My mind wandered back to what I must look like with the week-old beard. I jumped out of the water and wrapped a towel around my waist. The medicine cabinet still had my dad’s razor and plenty of blades, so I hacked away the long hair and then gave myself a close shave.
There was a knock on the door. “Are you decent?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
Karen poked her head in and handed me some of my father’s clothes. He was about my size, so the clothes fit, but the pants were an inch or so short. I left the bathroom and went to my parents’ bedroom to find some socks and shoes. I planned to put together a couple of bags of clothes and supplies, and then pick them up on the way back from dropping Karen off.
☆
Chapter 11
April 3, 2038: –TSHTF plus 8
While I washed the dust and stink off my body, Karen and the girls busied themselves with preparing a fantastic lunch. Our home had the huge LPG tank out back, so the stove and oven worked fine. They found the shelves had been raided, but the hidden stash had a month’s worth of canned and dried food. They even found flour and the ingredients to make some fluffy biscuits.
I walked into the kitchen, and Chrissy made me sit at the head of the table. A tall glass of sweet tea was placed in front of me while the girls set the food on the table. There were carrots, potatoes, spinach, and fried ham for lunch, along with the large cathead biscuits. I waited until Karen, and the girls sat down, and then dug in like a starving man with zero manners.
I looked up and saw them staring at me. “What are y’all looking at? Haven’t you ever seen a hungry man eating a fantastic meal? Karen, this may be the best meal I have ever eaten.”
Karen’s whole face smiled at me. “What happened to your face?”
“I shaved. You know most civilized men shave. Darn, this is good.”
“You’re just sick of the roasted rabbit. Wait until we can find some fresh beef or pork and I’ll show you some real down-home cooking. Don’t you think we need to say Grace before eating?”
I replied. “Oops, please lead us in Grace.”
Karen bowed her head. “We thank you, Father, for sparing our new friend and us from this holocaust. Thank you for the food on our table. My girls and I thank you for bringing Jason into our lives and giving him the courage and skill to save us from that horrible man. Please help that man find peace in this world and forgive him for his sins. Amen.”
Karen looked up at me. “Now, eat your spinach. It’s good for a growing boy. Hey, wait a minute. You’re chewing.”
“Only soft stuff. I’ll put the rubber bands back after we eat.”
I pitched scraps of ham to MMax and Tina as I looked around the table, and wished Mom and Dad were there with us. This was the first time in many months when I wasn’t on guard and ready to kill someone trying to kill me. We ate our fill, and I had seconds before the ladies sent me to the back porch while they cleaned up the kitchen. I fell asleep in my dad’s rocker while MMax and Tina watched over me. That day will always stick out in my mind because it was one of the only relaxing days, I would experience for a long time, and it gave me a glimpse at what family life could be for me. I liked it.
We spent the afternoon searching the home for anything I might need on my trip to find my parents and anything Karen might need. The first thing that got my attention was my dad’s gun safe. I knew the combination and opened it to see that his AR15 and favorite sidearm were missing along with his 12-gauge, a 9-mm pistol, and his Ruger 10/22 rifle.
All of the ammunition for those weapons was gone, except one box of .22 long rifle ammunition for the Ruger. The only guns left were my old 20-gauge with two old boxes of No. 8 shot, a Stroeger .22 Caliber air rifle, and my Ruger 10/22 rifle. I gave the 20 Gauge and Ruger to Karen and her girls to help them hunt or defend themselves.
I looked across the room to my dad’s desk and saw the map of Rutherford County on a corkboard. “Karen, come here, please.”
I heard her down the hallway. “Just a minute.” She rounded the corner. “Hey, can we use the toilets as long as we haul water to flush? We’re tired of heading into the bushes.”
“Yes, but make sure you pour plenty of water in the tank, so it gets the right amount of water.”
“Well, I’m here. What ya want?”
“This is a map of the county. Point out where you live. I want to select the safest route possible to get there,” I said.
Karen leaned over me and pointed to the street where she lived. “Right there on the northeast corner of Bellaire Drive and Bailey Collins Drive. Just west of the high school.”
I looked at the mileage scale. “It’s only about seven to eight miles as the crow flies. There’s no way around it. We’ll have to go through some highly populated areas to get there. We’ll have to carry any supplies from here on our backs. The horse and cart will draw too much attention.”
Karen placed her hand on my shoulder. “That’s okay. The only things that have to go are the guns and ammo, plus a small amount of food just in case our home has been looted.”
I felt her hand and replied. “Karen, you could go with me to my folk's place. It would be much safer, and my folks would love to have the company.”
She was surprised by the offer. “I like you, but we barely know each other. I can’t just move in with you after knowing you for a couple of days.”
I about choked. “Whoa there, missy. I meant to join us for our mutual safety, not marry me. I uh …uh. I’m not looking for a wife.”
Karen snorted as she laughed. “Got you! You should have seen the look on your face. Hey, wait a minute. Are you implying that I’m not pretty enough?”
“I uh …I uh. You know what I mean. You’re beautiful and a great woman. I …uh.”
“Boy, you’re too easy to mess with. Yanking your chain is way too easy. Your face is fire engine red.”
I jumped out of my chair and tried to grab Karen by the waist. She ran, but not fast enough. I almost had her when she tripped on a rug, causing us both to fall in the hallway. I had my arms pinned under her, but quickly freed them. I started to help her up when I saw both of her daughters staring down at us, still on the floor with my arms wrapped around their mother. Missy tried to keep a straight face. “Sir, what are you doing with my mom? Mom, you need to get off the floor and act your age.”
Before either of us could speak, Chrissy added, “Shame on you Jason, for attacking our mom. You’re a jerk.”
I began stammering again, and they broke out in laughter. “Mom is right. You’re too easy. Yanking your chain is almost no fun.”
I gently shoved Karen out of my way and growled as I stood up. I kicked the small trashcan and left the room, talking to myself. “I can’t wait to drop these ungrateful jokers off in Smyrna.”
I stopped in the hallway around a corner and was about to break out laughing when they came charging behind me. Karen called out as she rounded the corner. “Jason we didn’t mean to make you …”
She ran into me and bounced off my chest. The two girls slammed into her, almost knocking us all down. I steadied Karen at arm’s length. “Got ya, didn’t I? That’s the first installment. I’ll plan something more devious later.”
“We thought we’d made you mad. We’re sorry!” both girls cried out. I turned to them and held my arms out. Both rushed to me, and I embraced them. “Girls, I’m not mad. I just wanted to pull your legs a bit. I don’t have any children, but if I did, I’d want them to be just like you two varmints.”
I’d only known them for a couple of days and didn’t realize how close we’d become. I now knew I’d miss them very much after I dropped them off in Smyrna. I had to remember they had their own lives to live, and I had my mom and dad to worry about, thanks to this apocalypse crap.
April 4, 2038 –TSHTF plus 9
We left about 4:00 am and worked our way across to Sulphur Springs Road. There weren’t any others out this early, and the spring air was a bit nippy. A few dogs barked, and one tried to join us as we trekked along the road and dodged abandoned vehicles. MMax’s ferocious growl sent that dog scurrying away. We were lucky, and the barking dogs didn’t draw human attention to us along the way.
We turned north on Highway 41 and kept a lookout for other travelers. Chrissy pointed out a man and his family heading south on the opposite side of the road. It was still dark, with only a quarter moon to give us light. They all had backpacks, and the man pushed a wheelbarrow. They looked like refugees from a war zone, and I guess they were. They stared at us as we stared at them without waving. Two ships passing in the night without signaling to each other.
The world was screwed was the main thought on my mind when Karen said, “Here is where we climb the fence and drop down to Chicken Pike. We can get on Lee Victory Parkway and then cut across the school property to our home.”
The grass was wet and slippery when we left the highway and tried to walk down the steep slope to Chicken Pike. We all slipped several times and busted our butts on the dew-soaked grass. We brushed ourselves off after reaching the road below and headed the short stretch to Lee Victory Highway. A few minutes later, we were hiding behind a van and looking at the school for signs of danger and people. I hated to think that way, but now people meant danger to me.
“Jason, we need to hurry up, or it will be daylight soon. We’re only half a mile from our home.”
I knew I had to play it safe. “Hold on. We must scout the area before charging into the situation. Everything could be great, and your neighbors could be there to welcome you, or there could be people squatting in your home. Let’s err on the side of safety.”
They knew I was right. I led them around the west side of the school and thought we’d gone unnoticed until we heard a clunking sound coming from one of the school’s doors.
“Follow me. Quickly, ladies,” I ordered as I led them away from the school and into a thicket of trees and bushes. I looked back and saw several men looking around where we had been. One pointed at the other and walked back to the school, obviously disgusted with the other man.
I went on to the other side of the thicket and saw the same devastation as we’d encountered at my parent’s neighborhood. “Karen, which one of those is your home?”
“Ours is the brick one-story with the clay trim and the old red pickup parked in front of it.”
I asked, “Do you own an old red pickup?”
“No, but my neighbor on the right side has a brother who owns that truck. He isn’t a nice man and always gets into a fight with his brother. I think he’s a druggie and just tries to get money from his brother. Be careful around him if we see him.”
MMax caught a whiff of something in the air, and then sat and pointed his nose upwind. Then MMax and Tina gave their low growls to alert me that something was wrong. We watched the house for a few more minutes and didn’t see anything. I made the girls wait until I could enter the home from the backside and check the house out before waving the ladies to join me. I ran across the road with MMax leading the way. I ducked into some Burning Bushes to hide when I heard a noise from the house on the right, but no one came out. The back of the house was a shambles. There were broken windows, and the back door stood open. I saw piles of beer cans, whiskey bottles, and two mattresses on the deck. Someone had made this into a party location. MMax sniffed around, but didn’t find any immediate danger.
The door was open, so it was easy to walk into the kitchen and clear the home. MMax didn’t notice any dangers or humans. We searched every ro
om, and the place was disgusting. I really didn’t want Karen and her daughters to see the remains of what must have been an ongoing drunken orgy. I picked up bras, lady’s undies, and other stuff that I didn’t want the girls to see and threw them in a trash bag.
I walked back to their hiding spot and motioned for Karen to get off to the side. “Karen, your house has been trashed. It has been used for parties and debauchery. You might not want to take the girls into the house.”
I could see anger wash over her face. “I just bought the home last year. It isn’t as nice as our old home, but it is ours, and I can afford it. We have to see if we want to live here and we need some clothes.”
“Okay, but I warned you.”
Karen looked up and said, “I know, and I appreciate the warning.”
“Karen, one last warning. I kicked some stuff under the couch and recliner that you really don’t want the girls to see. Also, brace yourself for the stench. One bedroom was used as a bathroom, and the bathroom is literally full of crap. Your clothing has either been stolen or thrown on the floor.”
“Oh God, perhaps I need to go inside with you while the girls wait outside.”
I replied, “They will be safe with MMax guarding them while you take a brief tour. I’ve been to some third world shitholes, and have never seen anything like this. Oh, sorry for the language.”
“You can curse around me as long as you don’t drop the F-bomb too much. I also speak French.”
“Huh?”
She smiled, “You know when a prude curses and says, pardon my French.”
I laughed from deep inside, and she joined in with her snort laugh. “Girls, follow close behind your mom and me. I don’t see any immediate danger, but I think there have been some bad people around here.”
We snuck across the street and slid between the houses to Karen’s back yard. Karen spoke. “I want you two to stay on the deck while we check the house out. Sit down, so no one can see you. We’ll be back in a minute or two.”
