by P. D. Clover
Dee let out a long breath, then we heard a door slam upstairs. Dee smiled and said “Well, ‘what’s the news?’ you missed while you napped? Is that seriously your question?”
“Yeah” I said while eating an apple slice off a plate Dee had in front of her. Apparently, she wanted a snack as well.
“Oh, and where’s Matt?” I asked.
“Matt is in the U-Haul truck, he is sorting or stacking, I don’t know, something like that. He was taking inventory of the trailers, and when he opened the U-Haul stuff fell out and hit him. He said it was because of your driving. Then he went back outside muttering after I moved the truck to a better position. This way we can put the loading ramp right on the porch. Should be easier that way, I think.”
“Wow, how long has he been up? Didn’t he sleep?” I asked
“He got up around 2-ish, just in time to watch the last videos of the sky that were posted online, while videos could still be posted,” Dee said.
“Well good on him... I had some crazy dreams, I…”, I immediately stopped talking and closed my mouth when I saw the look Dee was giving me.
“Seriously Henry?” she asked.
“What?”
“You slept through the damn beginning of the apocalypse, and you walk down all showered and chipper, asking ‘what’s the news’, like it’s just another day?” she said exasperated.
“Well, it is another day, a strange day…yes. But just a day… and don’t forget, I laid hands on Bill. I’m probably going to be riding pretty high on that one for a day or two. As for everything else, well… I’m waiting for you to tell me,” I said blankly.
Dee shook her head and let out a little laugh, “Something is wrong with you. You know that?”
I nodded and exhaled, “You’re not wrong Boss… so, what happened while I slept?”
“Here’s the cliff-note version…our President declared martial law, as has every other country on the planet. He’s also activated the National Guard, apparently all deployed US forces and assets are heading home as we speak. There is a nationwide curfew, mass rioting in all major cities worldwide, all bank accounts are frozen, all credit is frozen, all gas stations have been declared a national asset and are to be turned over to the local government officials (as are grocery stores and hardware stores), cell phones no longer work, home phones no longer work (or at least ours doesn’t)… Oh, and people have been driving around the neighborhood like maniacs… I think it’s people trying to get their kids from school or trying to get to their families. So, we have stayed inside while you took a nap.”
I nodded, “Have you heard any gunshots or people shouting? Did you hear from your Firm?”
“I haven’t heard any gunshots yet, and I did get an email from my Firm as well as a call from Bobby. All future sessions have been canceled. He told me to keep the SUV and gas card. He didn’t know about future paychecks or if the company credit card would work, but he said to use it like it was my own and when things calmed down, he would get back in touch with me. I guess there is no point lobbying the government when the country is under martial law…” Dee said with a bit of dark humor to her tone.
“Well, I don’t know about that as a general rule, but I know they don’t need any energy, gas, water and sewer consultants to explain why infrastructure investment and maintenance is important,” I said flatly.
“I suppose your right, I will miss it… I will miss a lot of things…” Dee trailed off, staring at nothing.
“Hey Boss!” I said loudly. “I need you to stay with me. Keep it together… There are still miles to go before we sleep... yeah?” I asked with a smile.
Dee smiled and nodded, “I’m here Henry.”
“Just checking. I need to go outside and see where Matt is, and then I need to go talk to Josh. Most importantly, we will need to get everything unloaded tonight. I imagine everyone is in some form of shock, so we have that working for us. But people will notice the trailers and vehicles. If anyone askes, tell them I was getting ready to remodel the third floor, and the trailers and camper are Matts. He was going to stay with us and help me over his vacation. It’s pretty thin, but people should be too distracted to ask too many questions,” I said.
“So, tell me what all went down on your shopping trip? You said you had a strange night. How exactly was it strange?” I asked.
Chapter 17
After getting the run down from Dee on her adventures in last minute disaster buying, I walked outside to find Matt. I could hear him cussing my driving inside the U-Haul. I banged on the roll up door.
Matt opened it up. He was wearing a head lamp and trying to wrangle cans and bags of beans. It looked funnier than it was. I couldn’t help but let out a bit of laugh, “What are you doing?” I asked.
“Cleaning up your mess as usual and… staying busy,” he said grudgingly.
“I figured,” I said with a smile. “Hop on out. We will deal with this tonight. It’s best you keep your strength for the moment.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I just…well, after watching those videos I…” he stammered.
“I get it man. Come on, let’s have a coke on the porch. We need to be clear about what we need to do next,” I said.
I turned to walk back to the porch.
Matt griped, “I hate Cokes.”
“I know. That’s why I’m getting you a water,” I said as I walked into the house and grabbed a cold Coke and bottled water from the fridge.
I walked back out and didn’t see Matt. I began to walk around our wrap around porch, and then I found him sitting on the front steps. He was watching the street quietly.
“Here ya’ go Amigo…” I said as I handed him the bottled water.
Almost like a confession, Matt said, “It’s all gone to shit man. The whole world has gone to shit.”
I just stared at him. Matt was a solid guy, loyal and steadfast. Not much could get to him, let alone rattle him. As he sat staring off into the street, I knew this had penetrated his armor of Zen like calm. The reality of this situation had set in.
I could not let his, nor my mind dwell in that abyss for too long, “Welp, look at the bright side…” I said.
Matt turned a questioning eye towards me, as I continued to look at the street where an occasional car or truck would fly down the street, ignoring the four- way stops at each intersection.
“This is the best moment of this whole thing,” I said cheerily.
“Oh yeah? How exactly did you determine that?” Matt asked dryly.
“The world is indeed shit at this moment. In fact, I would guess that its only getting shittier every minute,” I said as chipper as squirrel who found an acorn.
“Yeah…… I’m still not following,” he said. But now his entire attention was focused on me.
“No one has decided to throw it at the fan yet,” I said flatly.
Matt began to laugh. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” he asked.
“A whole lot my Brotha... Now, I need to know your head is in the game, I need you on this man.”
“I’m here. I just got a little lost for a moment,” he said with a smile. “You know it’s only a matter of time before someone throws great, big handfuls of shit at the proverbial fan, right?”
“I do, but that is tomorrow’s problem… Now let’s get going. We need to talk to Josh, and I need to fill you in on Dee’s shopping extravaganza.”
We got up off the porch and walked down to the sidewalk. We continued the two blocks to Josh’s house, and as we walked, I gave Matt the short version of Dee’s shopping trip. She had purchased all the clothing and boots in our sizes and all the backpacks available from the 5.11 and Duluth Trading Company stores. That all went without a hitch. They thought she was strange, but they were unwilling to let that get in the way of the biggest single sale either store had ever had. Hell, she even sweet talked them into loading it all for her with no bribes necessary. There is something to be said for the charm of a Southern woman. Her night turned cur
ious when she went to Gordons Food Supply, a restaurant food whole seller that also sells to the public. When she was doing her best to sweet talk the manger into helping her, a group of four people came in and interrupted her conversation with the manager. She said they were aggressive and a bit panicky. The only reason the manager didn’t call the cops was they all appeared to be nerdy science types. So, Dee stepped in with her “loud voice” (an ability seemingly that all Southern women share) and took control of the chaos. The booming, in-charge voice coming from someone so small seemed to stun the high-strung newcomers. She asked the manager to please excuse her and these new people, as they were all from the same church and eager to win the charity donation event. He seemed to accept that, and as he walked away Dee whirled at the group taking charge of the situation. She explained that she knew why they were there. She explained that she was there for the very same reason. She told them that there was no need to make a scene and to remain calm, as there was plenty for everyone. A young bean pole of a science nerd, maybe twenty-five with greasy black hair and a pock marked face, asked Dee what if they didn’t feel the same way. She calmly replied that should they continue to test her, she would put bullet in his leg and that when the cops came to sort things out, she would be released until a full investigation could be done. She asked him if he really wanted to be sitting in a hospital when the event happened. After the event, why would the cops come looking for her? The bluff worked, and the young scientists stepped in line and called the manager back over. Dee explained that they were going to purchase most of the store that night, and she would be willing to pay cash to any employee who was willing to help her. The manager himself and two others helped Dee get what she needed and loaded it for her. She paid them a thousand dollars each in return. The scientist-types were left to their own hands. She said that once she was outside, she saw their vehicles, all large SUVs with Y12 security stickers. They worked out at the Labs, so that’s how they knew. She had thought about going over and asking about what they knew but figured it wasn’t worth it since they had been so aggressive in the beginning, also she did threaten to shoot one of them.
I finished retelling the story as we approached Josh’s house. I stepped up on the porch and knocked on the door. The door opened, and Josh was there with his gun-belt on. “Hey Henry, Matt. How are y’all doing? Everything okay?” he asked with a touch of apprehension in his voice.
I shook his hand and Matt did likewise, “We’re all good… I just wanted to check in and see how you and your missus were doing. I didn’t hear from you or the others until 8:30 this morning.”
“We’re fine… well, actually Reba is still a little shook up after watching the videos of the sky in China and the Presidential address. To tell y’all the truth, I’m a little shook up as well by just the seriousness of the situation I suppose. Now what do you mean you didn’t hear from me until 8:30 am? I texted you back as soon as I saw it. That was around 1 a.m.”
I frowned, “Hmm, that’s curious then. Your message and the Brothers’ came in at the same time, 8:30am. That doesn’t sit right.”
“Maybe they were held up and pushed through in the morning?” Matt added.
“Maybe, but it doesn’t feel right… Oh well, it doesn’t really matter at this moment. Did you make your last-minute runs?” I asked Josh.
“Yes, but I went to the local grocery stores. I didn’t feel like I had time to make it to a store further away,” Josh said with a sour tone.
“Well fuck, what’s done is done. You know someone will come sniffing around once people snap out of this shock. Someone will put 2 and 2 together.”
“Yeah, I do. I will deal with that if it comes,” Josh said.
“It’s not ‘if’, Brother. It’s ‘when’... but that’s tomorrow’s problem. Have you heard from anyone? Mayor, Police Chief?” I asked.
“Yeah, I’m about to head out and walk the neighborhood. The Mayor wants to have a neighborhood meeting at Noon tomorrow. Apparently, the sheriff’s office and County Executive are still in communication with the Governor’s office.”
“Copy that buddy. Make sure you take your BaoFeng with you. If you need help, call out… You still have your radio sheets?” I asked.
“Absolutely,” Josh said as he moved his unbuttoned and untucked flannel shirt revealing his Baofeng UV5R handheld HAM radio.
“I figured you would be at least monitoring the channels,” Josh said.
“Good stuff Killer… Well, we are gonna hit the road. We still have a lot to do tonight. In another hour and a half, it will be dark. Be safe on your door-to-door adventure and stay warm,” I said.
“Will do,” Josh said as Matt and I walked off.
As we walked back to my house, which was sadly a two-block journey up hill, Matt asked, “What do you think is going to happen?”
“Short term or long term?”
“Both” Matt replied.
“Long term is easy; I have no fucking clue. Short term, it’s gonna be hard. A whole lot depends on what the local officials do, what the Federal Government does. They must keep feeding people. They have to keep things moving somehow. Somehow those California peaches need to get picked and shipped. Best case scenario: things burn in the cities and densely populated areas. In about six months, the government gets out of the way of capitalism. Capitalism will find a way. That’s what it does. If there is a need to be met, entrepreneurs will find a way as long as they can profit from it.”
“Okay, I get that. But how will we do business? Money, that stuff?” Matt asked.
“Great question! I have no idea. I’m not any smarter than the next asshole. I’m just better prepared, but even that won’t mean anything if we can’t secure the neighborhood,” I said, as we approached the stone retaining wall in the front of my property.” I stopped for a moment to admire the blood on the stonework.
“What do we do about him? Can’t leave an enemy at our back…He will fuck you the first chance he gets,” Matt said.
“I know. I’ll take care of it in a couple of days. I need everything to relax first, then I’m gonna park a hollow point in his grape,” I said with a smile. “But we have shit to do once the sun sets, so make sure you grab your red headlamp. I don’t want anyone to see what we are doing. I will make sure the flood lights and interior lights are off in the house and vehicles.”
“Should we just use our NODs?” Matt asked.
“I don’t know. I was thinking about that. There is a good chance someone may come over while we are moving stuff, and I would rather news of our night vision devices not make it around the neighborhood. Everyone already suspects me of prepping. I need them to think their best shot is coming in at night. Keeps the advantage in our court,” I said somberly.
“You really think it’s going to get like that?” Matt asked seriously.
“Does a hobby horse have a wooden dick?” I asked.
“I love that movie. Roadhouse is sooo underrated,” Matt said with an odd amount of passion.
“Your fixation with Patrick Swayze is unsettling,” I said flatly.
“Greatest actor of his generation,” Matt said.
“We are not having that argument again. I am going to be an adult and walk away, because we have adult stuff to do… We don’t have time for me to once again correct you. Because clearly Keanu Reeves is the greatest actor of his generation. Everybody knows that,” I said as I quickly walked away.
“That’s right you coward…run away! You know the Matrix doesn’t hold a candle to Ghost!” Matt called as I walked inside to turn off the flood lights.
As I came outside, “Ghost! Are you shitting me? Ya gonna throw out Dirty Dancing to?”
“I don’t need to, you did it for me,” Matt said flatly.
“I am gonna shoot you with a bean bag. You know that, right?” I asked.
“Makes sense. Violence is often the first path taken by those who lack the evidence to back their claims.”
“I cannot do this with you agai
n. Just put on your head lamp and let’s get this shit unloaded. You and your weird ass Patrick Swayze fixation,” I said as walked back inside.
“It’s not weird. He was very talented. Did you ever see him dance?”
“Stop talking to me,” I replied as we began unloading the U-Haul.
Chapter 18
Seven hours later…the kitchen, basement and third floor were filled with food, clothing, vitamins, a variety of GNC products, guns and ammo. Guns and ammo were transferred to the third floor, food sat on pallets in the basement and clothing was tossed into piles in the dining room, to be sorted later. Matt and I were exhausted. We had consumed a dozen protein bars and twice that amount of ibuprofen. Our muscles were shot, and our backs were going to be sore for the rest of the week… but, it was done. All vehicles, trailers, and the camper were empty. Even though it seemed like a lot, I knew we had missed things. I didn’t yet know what things, and that is what bothered me the most. Matt and I now had to drive the U-Haul truck down to the bottom of the hill and park it on the abandoned papermill site, next to the river. After that we needed to make it back up the hill and get on the HAM radio to check in.
“You ready to roll?” I asked as I climbed into the large box truck.
Matt replied “yeah, I was just grabbing the Leopold thermal. Since we are keeping the NODs here, I didn’t want to wander off into the night without an advantage.”
“Good thinking…” I said.
I turned the truck over and kept the head lights off, I used the streetlights to navigate out of my yard and into the ally. Pulling out and heading left down the hill to the river, I gently rode the breaks. I could have kicked myself as I looked in the side view mirror and saw everything behind me bathed in red light. The night was awash in the red brake lights of the truck, it felt like I had sent up a flare in the night sky or something.
I turned to Matt, “On the way back, we are going to cut down two streets, then over and up a street. I should have thought about the brake lights…”
“I didn’t think of it either man. We are ragged out. We need to park this beast, get back, make the check-in so everyone doesn’t come looking for us, and then sleep for the next fifteen hours.”
