Chapter 2 - Scavengers
John gathered supplies from anywhere he could find them. He was on a plateau at least forty miles across and a few thousand feet above the rest of what remained of Florida. He had finally circled the rock he was on and hadn't found a way down, although he did find clothes, food, water, liquor stores, grocery stores and gas stations. All were empty and falling apart. On his journey to figure out where he was, however, John had finally seen land far below and to the southeast.
He also found and moved into a metal building that seemed solid. It looked like a Quonset hut, a half round metal building from the second world war, used as an apartment and a garage for someone’s motorcycle. Everything he found that wasn't destroyed, he stored there, even if it wasn't something he could or would normally use, like the cases of liquor and wines in glass bottles with corks or the calligraphy pens and ink. If he found paper he would use the pen and ink for a journal, but he wasn't much of a drinker. First aid, a disinfectant was the primary reason he saved the drinks.
While he hadn't found anyone else, he hadn't searched every square mile of the plateau yet, either. It would have to wait until he was sure he would survive. There was a path down the side of the cliff face, a few hundred yards from the hut he was using as a base. It didn't reach the bottom of the cliff, but it did lead to a cave. The cave may come out near the bottom if John could get enough material together to search it.
Flashlights, batteries, radios and TVs all met the same fate. Gone, melted or ruined. Not all plastic was gone, a few things here and there had survived but none of them were useful, unless you counted the flush toilet that still worked. Of course, John had to fill the tank by hand, but it would flush. Weird. Toilet paper was the big find. Hundreds of rolls of toilet paper John would use as torches to explore the cave. Odd things were found like the bottles of lamp oil but not a single unbroken lamp to burn it in. Water was not a problem for the moment, with the town water tank still holding hundreds of gallons. In a few weeks, it would probably be gone from the small leaks in the tank but that was a problem John would handle later.
The lamp oil would be used on the toilet paper as needed to keep the torches going. A short pipe would do for the handle and wire wrapped around an empty tin can would hold the TP and keep it from sliding down. Now all he needed was fire. A smoldering building nearby gave him that and he walked down the path to the cave, eager to begin the search.
Christine was moving fast, pushing a flat metal cart she found in a hardware store. She had learned quickly and spent the first day ransacking houses and businesses for whatever she needed to live. Shoes were still a problem but she now had leather wrapped around her feet and more in the cart. Knives were a big deal for her now, even though they never were before. She had been excited to find a display case with military edged weapons including tomahawks, daggers and K-Bar knives. She took them all and strapped several on her belt or leg and handled them a lot.
She wore all black now, from her black cotton jeans covered with the black leather biker chaps to the silk blouse and leather vest. Over all her long leather coat with the beautiful embossed patterns. Shoes or boots would complete her ensemble.
Now she was getting close to home, her apartment south of Atlanta. It was the second day since she woke up and she was still alone, but it didn't bother her as much as she thought it would. She would get home and then head south. She wasn't sure why, but that's what she felt was needed. Home first; maybe find friends still there then south, as fast as she could go.
Water came up and slowed her travel but didn't stop her. On the sides of the road she could see that a swamp was forming, but the concrete roadway was still solid and a few inches of water wasn't a big deal. When she reached her home it became much more important. The swamp had risen and undermined the buildings leaving nothing standing. There were piles of rubble visible here and there, but most had sunk into the muck. She stopped and wondered if she should even try to look for her home or just keep going.
She left the cart on the road and waded into the former apartment complex. The muck tried to drag her down but she slogged through for almost twenty minutes before she realized that, without landmarks, there was no way to know where her home used to be. Saddened, she turned back to leave.
A short distance to the east Christine could see the playground, tilted in the muck, the swing set, monkey bars and the merry-go-round still there. There were piles of clothing still lying across the equipment, left when the tiny bodies of the children turned to dust and vanished. Christine looked away, tears forming as she thought of their deaths.
She couldn't help one more look as she passed by the merry go round on her way out and saw that two of the small piles were bodies. She ran to them and found a small boy about six and a girl about eight. The little boy was dead but the girl was still breathing. Excited by the find of another living person, Christine concentrated on the living child, ignoring for the moment the heartache she felt at the other child's death.
The little girl had parched lips and was pallid, with a weak pulse. Christine opened a can of water and wet the girl’s lips, then pulled her mouth open, pouring into it a small amount of water. Still unconscious, the girl moved and swallowed. Christine held the can to the girl’s lips again and the girl opened her mouth and took a small sip on her own. Christine did this again and again until the can was half empty. Then she picked the girl up, carrying her to the metal cart before she started walking again, still to the south, looking for shelter for the night. When she had regained full consciousness, a process which took the remainder of the night, Christine learned that the girls name was Tricia.
Christine and Tricia were sitting under a tree the next day, eating lunch, the only dry spot they had found since Christine had picked Tricia up off of the merry-go-round two days before. Tricia and a few other kids had been playing when this started and, when they woke up, the five survivors had tried to find their families. After not finding anyone, Tricia had gotten something to drink and waited at home for a while to see if anyone would come back.
When she heard someone calling outside, she ran out and found Timmy in the playground. Timmy was the dead little boy. Tricia sat on the merry-go-round with him and they both remained there, while the swamp formed and the apartments collapsed. When they woke up the next time, there was nothing left, no apartments and not any people.
Tricia left Timmy on the play ground to look for food and water, but couldn't find anything, except a little water coming from a broken pipe. While she was searching, Timmy was drinking the swamp water and when she got back, he wasn't feeling good. They sat on the merry-go-round until they both passed out. The next thing she knew, Christine was carrying her across the swamp. Christine told Tricia her story while they ate and Tricia had a little trouble with her age.
“You're really like thirty years old?”
“Yes.”
“Wow. That's really old. You don't look like an old lady.”
“Gee, thanks. Thirty-two isn't really that old. But I guess I was an old woman. That's how I thought and that's how I acted, but I'm not now.”
“No, you're really pretty now. I really like your eyes.” Tricia said in a wistful voice, “I wish I had green eyes.”
“You have nice eyes. Green eyes might look a little strange on you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I mean, like, your mom was Japanese or something, right? You've got those really big dark almond eyes that I was always so jealous of in school. Green eyes wouldn't look anywhere near as nice as what you have now.”
“Oh. Thank you. But I still wish I had them.”
“Want to trade?”
Tricia giggled. “Yes, you take yours out first.”
“Silly”
Still talking, they finished their lunch, then started moving south again, trying to follow the remains of the highway.
Joshua wasn't alone anymore. On the third day he had found Loren and she had also been alone since it started.
She hadn't seen her parents, any of the rest of the people who lived in the town or anyone else. She worked in her parents store, was twenty two, about five foot six with blond hair and brown eyes. She wasn't slender, but she wasn't fat either. A nice looking girl, really scared, but glad that someone else was alive.
While he was ransacking a store, he had found a pistol behind the counter. His curiosity getting the better of him, he checked to see if it was loaded and satisfied that it was, he aimed at the door and pulled the trigger. The noise almost made him deaf. His ears ringing, he put the gun in his jacket pocket and looked around for ammunition. He found two boxes of twenty rounds for the pistol, a box of a dozen paper shotgun shells for a 12 gauge in OO buckshot and a large hunting knife.
The knife was nice, with a skinning blade and a stag horn handle. It wasn't balanced for throwing, but it had a very good high grade carbon steel blade, not one of those stainless things that didn't hold an edge. Joshua wondered when he had become so fascinated by blades. He put the knife on his belt and then found the shotgun behind the shelf at the back of the store and took it too.
The problem was that Loren couldn't fire either of the weapons unless Joshua was touching them. It didn't matter if he held them solidly or just put the tip of a finger against the stock. Without his touch, guns were scrap metal. They both shivered when they realized just how much stranger the world had become.
Joshua had made a real find in Loren and he was determined not to do anything that would mess up the arrangement. Not only was she someone, much to his surprise, that he really liked, she could cook a lot better than he could. On the second day of their journey together, Loren had hitched a pair of horses to a wagon and promptly became a VIP.
She had been raised around horses and knew their care, feeding, handling, grooming and could even replace a shoe when needed. Even with his renewed vigor and athletic ability, even though he could run almost as fast as a horse, there was no way he could carry the equipment and supplies that were now available to them. A tent, quilts, a small stove, lanterns, pots and pans, tin plates, what a girl.
She knew the people who had lived on the small farm and that they took part in the Pioneer Days events. They had a chuck wagon, all set up for the 1800's without a single modern convenience or a piece of plastic. Two saddle horses were tied on to the back of the wagon and Joshua eyed them with a small amount of apprehension. They were huge and they looked at him like he was road kill. Loren said he was being silly, that she had ridden both of those horses before and handled this team and they were as gentle as a lamb. Joshua had never been around sheep before either, so that didn't comfort him much. Loren did promise that she would be gentle with him his first time, then blushed deeply, realizing what she said.
They had decided to head east until they found people and see if they could join a group. After all, there had to be survivors, other survivors beside themselves. They packed what supplies they could find and on the third day, headed east. Late that afternoon, south and west of them, a volcano began erupting.
Elizabeth was out and walking west. She had heard someone calling outside and went out to see who it was. Sarki, a girl from the house next door was looking for anyone who was still alive. She was nine and had been at Elizabeth's birthday party last Saturday. Now Elizabeth had a group of six kids and she was looking for water again. She was the oldest at ten and the youngest was five, with the most trouble coming from the six year old twins, Anthony and April. A dog leash and harness for each child, linked with other leashes, took care of most of it. The group resembled a pack of sled dogs more than kids now.
Elizabeth had the kids wait outside while she went into a grocery store to get food and water. She had been afraid at first, but she had finally started breaking into houses and taking things. Now she was careful but confident as a looter. She walked in and went to the aisle with the lasagna and spaghetti in cans and carried as much as she could back outside before going back in for drinks.
The smell was getting bad, from the meat and freezer section so she hurried to finish and get out. She had a bag she put the sodas in and as she passed the aisle with tuna and chili she put another dozen cans in it. Once outside she gave everyone a drink and sat down to eat some tuna. Fingers were all they had for now, none of them thinking of grabbing a spoon or fork from the house before they wandered off. For now tuna was the least messy although the little ones didn't seem to mind spaghetti on their hands. Elizabeth made a note on the small pad she took from the store, to find things to eat with. She would add things they needed to the list daily from now on.
They had changed directions a couple of times since the morning and were now headed east, away from Atlanta. They were still in sight of Stone Mountain but Elizabeth didn't know where to go and was just wandering for now, looking for food and people. Smoke had been in the air since morning yesterday and she was worried about fires and trying to see where the smoke was coming from. She was pretty sure it was coming from behind them, from the west, but she wasn't sure.
She got everyone up, a fifteen minute battle, then headed east again, thinking of looking for a place to sleep. A house or a motel or something, just not outside. Someplace with forks and spoons available maybe. The rest of the kids followed her, each one attached to the other by the dog harness and leashes.
Dogg had found a pair of pants and a liquor store. He was happy. He also found nuts, chips and assorted other junk food, on which he lived his entire life. With the food, drink and pants taken care of, Dogg had no worries. Except a car. He couldn't find one with tires. How some punk managed to steal every tire in Atlanta, he wished he knew.
The only other things bothering Dogg was the smell and his nose, from hitting the sidewalk. The bruise from the coffee table had faded to insignificance compared to the pain he felt from his broken nose. He had also been smelling sulfur for two days and it bothered him. He didn't know it was sulfur, it was just a stink, but it was a stink he didn't like.
When he got up on the third day there was smoke in the air and the stink was choking. He wandered out of the liqueur store and walked through the streets, swatting at the dirt and dust in the air. It was ash, but Dogg was not looking too closely at anything but the businesses around him. He wanted shoes and some more clothes before he moved further uptown.
The liquor store had run out of chips also and he wanted a new place to crash. He was also getting lonely. Dogg needed a crowd to admire his insane antics and maybe a few females to get drunk and sleep with. He was not a picky lover; breathing was fine, because he usually couldn't see straight by then anyway.
In the distance a dog barked, echoed by others around the area. Dogg didn't pay much attention to that either. He saw a club on the next street and moved a little faster toward it. Behind him, a large mixed breed dog appeared out of an alley and started trotting after him. Two more dogs came out of a shop with the front door askew and joined the first one, then two more. Dogg saw a large red dog come around the corner of the building to his left and moved to the right side of the street. Ahead of him the club was getting close and he licked his lips, anticipating fresh supplies.
The dogs behind him were close and he saw them almost too late. The pack started running full out and Dogg ran for the door of the club. As he reached it the lead dog bit him on the leg and Dogg fell, yelling and swinging at the bulldogs head. Behind him the door opened and a baseball bat caught the bulldog on the side of the head, then hands grabbed Dogg and pulled him into the building.
Once inside someone grabbed Dogg's leg and cut the pants up the side to expose the bite. It didn't look bad, but it was bleeding and already starting to bruise. A bottle was up ended and the bite stung under the alcohol. “Hey man, don't waste it. It's better inside than out.”
“Relax, it's rubbing alcohol. You can't drink it, it'll kill you.”
Dogg looked up at the sound of a female voice, then looked down in disappointment. She was older than his mom would have been, if she was alive. U
glier too. He looked up again, not quite so high. She did have big boobs.
“What's your name?”
He looked around and saw half a dozen men and women looking back at him. “Dogg, everybody calls me Dogg, with two 'g's'.”
“Well you're a lucky SOB. We lost a couple of people to that pack yesterday. If you had been just a few feet further away, you'd have been Dogg Food.'
Everyone else laughed and Dogg joined them after a few seconds. This had possibilities and he would take full advantage of everything and everyone to satisfy his own greed. A few drinks, even the ugly woman with the rack wouldn't be too bad looking.
“What do we do now?” Maria asked.
Tasha was quiet for a few minutes. “Is the Army base still around?”
“I think so. I mean, it was yesterday. I don't know about now.”
“We'll head there. It's closer than town and if any help is coming, it will be from there. We can stay here tonight and leave in the morning. I'll get moms wind up clock so we can get an early start before it gets hot.”
Tasha made up the blankets into bed rolls and tied them with leather strips she had taken from the tack room. She put the canteens in the fridge so the water would be cold for part of the trip and laid out what food they had to carry with them. She then went through the camp gear she had taken and made sure it was what they really needed before repacking it. The trip to Maria's home had been bad and Maria was still in shock over the condition of the house. Tasha had found camping gear, canteens, bedrolls and other equipment, while Maria had just followed her around and watched.
Maria hadn't moved from where she had sprawled on the floor when they got back, not even to put a blanket down to lay on. Her arm was over her eyes and covered most of her face. Tasha could see the tears running down her cheek. She kicked her once, hard.
“Ow! What was that for?”
“Apathy will kill us. So will self pity. I lost my family just like you did. I feel the same pain you feel. If you don't stop laying there and doing nothing, you will die. I will be alone. I don't want you to die and I don't want be left here with no one. You are all the family I have left so get off your butt and take some action toward your survival.”
Maria stared at her for several seconds before she got up off the floor. “What do you need me to do?”
“For starters, give me a hug and tell me if I'm pretty or not.”
Maria smiled and hugged her. “You're beautiful. Something good did come out of all this.”
They went over the supplies and materials and repacked the bags before they ate and went to sleep.
Tasha rolled over and swatted the alarm clock. Then she sat straight up. She could move! Yesterday came back to her like a flood and she had to work hard to keep from crying. Reaching over she pushed Maria until she started moving.
“What time is it?”
“Dark thirty. Time to move around and be alive. Come on and get up. We want to get moving before it gets hot.”
Maria moaned and groaned but got up and started feeling her way around the kitchen where they slept. Tasha used the fire starter she had taken from Maria's home and got a small blaze going in a cast iron pot, then lit a candle for Maria to use in the bathroom. Once Tasha had finished as well, they rolled up the bedding and tied them to the bags. Then they got the canteens out of the fridge, set the pot with the fire outside and started walking.
The sun rose and found them several miles down the road. The Army base was still ten miles away, but they would make it there today. They didn't talk much as the day wore on, with the heat building. Of the six canteens, they each had emptied one, which was put in their bags to be refilled when possible. A few hours later, they saw people walking toward them on the road.
“Can you see who they are?” asked Maria.
“I wouldn't know anyone, even if I could see them. Just two guys, it looks like.”
The two men got closer and Maria recognized them from town. She didn't know them, but she had seen them when she rode to town with her dad to get feed for the animals. They had worked at the feed store. The two men waved when they got closer.
“Hi. Nice to see someone else is alive. Where you headed?”
“The army base. We figured that's where the help would be coming from.” Tasha wished Maria hadn't been so quick to volunteer information.
“Good thing we found you first. Nothin there now. Whole towns gone too. You got any water?”
“Sure.” Maria held out her canteen. The man took it and had a long drink then passed it to his buddy.
“What else you got in there?”
Tasha stepped up. “That's not your concern. Where were you headed? Why are you out here without any supplies? If you went to the base and have been to town, why wouldn't you have supplies? Why would you just walk out here with nothing?”
“You're kinda cute, except for your mouth. Nice body too. How friendly are you? Huh?”
Tasha backed up and the first man grabbed Maria and started pulling at her pants. Maria screamed and the second man grabbed at Tasha. The knife in her hand went through his palm, then she pulled and slid the blade out through his fingers, splitting his hand in half. Her right foot swung and cracked his left knee and he went down screaming. She continued her spin and the knife went through the back of his neck and he went silent, face down in the gravel. The first man tossed Maria to the ground and grabbed at Tasha from the back, wrapping his arms around her waist. Her left elbow came back and his jaw cracked, causing him release her and stagger back a few feet. Tasha followed up with a lunge and put the knife up through his ribs, piercing his heart.
Maria lay in the dirt on the shoulder of the road crying and looking at Tasha. She got up and walked over to her, amazed at what had happened.
“Are you alright?”
Maria nodded, still sobbing. “You?”
“Yes. Don't talk to strangers. Remember this.”
“How did you do that?”
“Not a clue. It just happened so fast I didn't have time to think.” Tasha started shaking. She walked over to the side of the road and threw up. Maria held her hair back as she finished and washed her face and mouth.
“Thanks.”
“No, I need to thank you. Those guys, they were gonna, I mean, you know.”
“Yeah, I know. It's OK now. Let’s get going. Get your canteen and let’s go.”
Maria picked up the canteen the men had dropped and they walked faster to get away from the bodies.
By noon they had reached the pavement except the pavement was gone with slime left behind. They walked on the shoulder where they could or detoured around patches of slime running down the shoulder into the ditch on the side of the road. By two o'clock the base gate was in front of them and a sentry was asking them for ID.
“We don't have any. It was plastic and it melted. I'm Tasha Paterson and this is Maria Sanchez. Everyone is dead at home and we don't know what to do. A couple of men attacked us on the way here, too.”
Private Williams looked unhappy at the news. “Are you alright?”
“Yes, we weren't hurt.”
A Sergeant arrived just then and took them inside where a woman searched them briefly and apologetically. The Sergeant asked about where they were from and conditions outside the base. They talked for a while before an officer arrived.
“I'm Lieutenant James. I understand you had some trouble getting here? Two men.” He described their attackers.
“That's them.” Tasha answered.
“You're lucky. They killed the last victim. Do you need to see a Doctor?”
“No, we weren't hurt.”
“You got away?”
“We killed them.”
“Really? If you don't mind my asking, how?”
The knife flashed and the Lieutenant jumped back. “Sergeant, why were they not checked for weapons?”
“They were. Impressive. We didn't find that. You have other skills?”
“Just stubborn.”
>
Maria spoke up. “I didn't do much except scream and cry. She moved like she was a ninja or something. It was scary. She been taking care of me since this started. I haven't been much help.”
Williams smiled. “A lot of people didn't do much either, except survive. That's kind of important, don't you think?”
Maria blushed and smiled. “I guess so.”
“Well, you can stay here. We have been getting survivors from around the area for two days and the town is not a good place to be right now. We're evacuating everyone to the base for the duration of the emergency.”
“Do you know what happened?” Tasha asked.
“No, we don't. No communication, no transportation, no nothing. We have food and water stored here and we can hold out for awhile, but we have no idea what's going on outside. I'll take you to the women’s quarters for now. You can help clean them up enough to live in. We don't have water to waste so we are using sand to soak up most of this stuff and shovel it out of the buildings.”
“We have a windmill pumping water at home. It seems to be the only water around for now. You're welcome to use it.”
“That's good news. We can send a wagon tomorrow and fill what tanks we have, if you wouldn't mind showing us the way.”
Ben went to sleep on a porch curled up in a blanket he had stolen from the house behind him. If it wasn't for all the ooze on the floors, he would have slept inside. As it was he was too tired to care much as long as he got some rest. The next morning, a small girl about five was staring at him when he woke up. She had on a t-shirt with a smiling panda on the front and a pair of pink shorts that were too big for her. She was also crying and looked red, as though she had a bad sun burn. Messy blond hair fell in her blue eyes as she wiped them.
“Hello. What's your name?”
“Cathy.” the girl said.
“I'm Ben. Are you thirsty?”
She nodded and Ben opened one of the cans of juice he had picked up and handed it to her. She drank a lot of it before she put the can down and looked at Ben again. “I can't find my mommy.”
“Well, I'll help you look, OK? I was going to have something to eat. Would you like something, too?'
She nodded again and Ben looked through his bag for something that would do for breakfast. He didn't find much, but settled on a can of beans as the closest thing. A can of spaghetti would do for lunch. Cathy didn't seem to find anything wrong with beans for breakfast and they finished the can between them. Ben stood up and picked up his things, then picked up the girl.
“Which way do you want to go?” he asked. She pointed into town, the way Ben wanted to go anyway so it worked out for both of them.
He never found Cathy's mom and Cathy wasn't sure where she lived but he did find another child that afternoon. A boy about eight was in a park on a picnic table. Cathy went on the slide while Ben talked to the boy. His name was Chuck and he had been alone since he woke up outside in the rain. He didn't wake up naked like Ben and Cathy had, although his shoes had vanished and Ben wondered why. He invited Chuck to go with them and he did, since he didn't know what else to do. He was concerned about Ben being a stranger but since there were no other adults around for two days, he was too afraid of being alone to stay in the park.
The three of them made their way deeper into the deserted town, breaking into homes and stores as needed to find the things the kids and Ben needed to survive. That night he found yet another kid, a girl about ten named Jolene. She was a little afraid of him at first, but Cathy went and took her hand and pulled her out to meet Ben. He sat on the ground so she would be at eye level and he would be less intimidating to her. They shared dinner and Ben offered to let her come with them if she wanted. She didn't seem very happy with any of her choices but stayed with Ben and the other two kids. The next morning they ate and left together, heading into the center of town.
The number of cars increased and many were in pileups or in buildings. Eventually the road was full and by mid morning they turned back, the road blocked by fires from the cars and buildings. Ben headed up wind, so the smoke and flames would be blown away from them. He had no idea where to go or what to do except what he was doing now. His home was several hundred miles north in Dakota and there was no way he could get there on foot with these kids. He wasn't about to dump them and take off, either. Newton, Kansas was where he was now and he had no knowledge of where anything was, not police or hospitals or anywhere he could go to for help.
He passed a school with a sign proclaiming it to be the home of the Jays but he didn't stop. One wall of the first building had collapsed and the rest didn't look stable. He continued down Jones Avenue, passing small neat homes on the side opposite the school. The water tank was leaning slightly toward the north and he hurried the kids down a side street to keep a good distance from it, just in case. They stopped for lunch under a large tree in the yard of a small white house on the corner of Warsaw and Grant.
“Can we stop for a while longer?” Jolene asked.
“Sure. You getting tired?”
She nodded. Cathy laid her head on Jolene's lap and took a nap in the shade while Jolene leaned against the tree. Chuck lay on the blanket Ben had laid out for them to sit on for lunch while Ben put everything away and took the trash to the metal garbage can sitting by the garage. He wondered why he was being so neat with the trash, but habits die hard and he put the lid back on the can. As he turned to head back to the tree he saw a pair of eyes looking at him through a bush next to the house.
“You alone? Need some help? We're friendly if you are. You want something to drink?”
The eyes didn't move until another set joined them and knocked the first pair and their owner on the ground.
“You pushed me!”
“I didn't mean too! It was an accident! I just wanted to see what you were looking at.”
The second voice stood up and brushed her pants off, then looked up and saw Ben. She froze, not sure what to do. Ben waved and said hello.
“Hello.”
“Don't talk to strangers! You're a dummy!”
“No I'm not. You're a dummy! There's nobody else to talk to!”
“Kids, my name is Ben. I've got a couple of kids taking a nap so if you could keep it down, I would really appreciate it.”
“What's their names?”
“Cathy, Jolene and Chuck. You two want something to eat or drink?”
They both nodded but didn't come any closer. One kept looking back over her shoulder.
“Something behind you? Someone following you?”
She shook her head no. “My baby sister is sitting on the steps and I'm keeping an eye on her.”
“Really.” The girl was about seven so if she had a baby sister, it must be really young. The little boy looked about the same age as the girl and they were both slightly dirty. Ben stepped around the corner past the two kids and saw a baby about two or three sitting on the steps eating dirt. He stepped over to her quickly and took the dirt away from her, brushing off her hands and picking her up. She didn't cry, but she did cloud up, her face wrinkling and her mouth pushed into a pout.
“You want some food? Some juice?”
She looked a little less cloudy and Ben carried her back to the tree making sure the other two were following behind. He took some of the water and washed the baby’s hands and face then opened a can of apple juice, helping her sip it from the can. The other two watched as he helped her drink then took the can and shared it between them when he handed it to them.
“Thank you.”
“You're welcome. What's your names?”
“I'm Sherry and that's Barry. Can we come with you?”
“Sure. What's the baby's name?”
“Mina. Can I have another drink?”
Ben got another can of soda out and split it between the two kids. When Cathy and Jolene woke up he made the introductions and the six of them headed down the street again.
That night he picked up one more, an eleven year ol
d boy named Malamar. They camped under a picnic shed and huddled together for warmth as the night turned cold. The next day they found two adults and started collecting food and supplies while making a base camp. With three adults, it was easier to gather supplies and watch the kids.
Nadine was not the motherly type, but did help with the kids. She was more interested in Ben, but Ben had too much on his mind to be interested in her, even if he had noticed. She was looking for makeup more than food and cigarettes more than anything. Still, it was good to know there were other people still alive.
Fred was about thirty, friendly and liked kids. He was married and had two kids of his own, but he had waked up alone in the house and never found anyone else until he ran into Ben. He was still looking for his family, but didn't have much hope. He was a good guy to have around and tried not to let the kids see his fears for his family. Always ready to help with Mina or the twins, cracking a joke or just talking to them when they missed their own families.
A few days later an earthquake rattled the building they were using and the roof started losing shingles. When a wall cracked everybody ran out and watched as the whole place tumbled into a pile of splinters.
“Well, there goes the neighborhood. Anybody wanna go house hunting?”
Fred laughed. “You make it sound so easy. Think there's much left to dig out?”
“Food and drink, blankets, stuff like that. We can get more down the street. I don't think it's worth crawling through that to pick up our old stuff.”
“Where's Nadine?”
“She got out, didn't she?”
“Yeah. She was ahead of me and the kids.”
Ben looked around and counted heads one more time. All the kids were out and looking like the house falling down was a game they won. They even had their blanket rolls and a bag of food. Ben smiled at that. He had tried to make sure the kids got out and never thought about his stuff. Malamar had Mina as well.
“Things keep falling down we may not find another place to stay. Let’s see what we've got on the next street.” Ben led the group off and Fred brought up the rear. Ben kept looking around for Nadine, but there was no sign of her anywhere. He figured she had finally gotten tired of the kids and left. They found enough food and supplies on the next few streets to replace what the adults had left behind in the collapsed house. Ben picked up an aluminum baseball bat as well.
“You gonna start a ball game?” Fred asked.
“The dogs are getting less scared of us. I thought it might be a good idea to have something to use, just in case.”
Fred nodded and started looking around as they traveled. He found a machete in a hardware store and cut two pieces of wood to replace the melted plastic handle. Ben picked up an ax while he was there and a few other things he thought might come in handy. They kept moving, going no faster nor traveling further than the kids could handle. Sometimes they would stop for a day, just to let everyone rest and to look through a neighborhood more carefully.
They didn't find Nadine for three days, but Ben didn't tell the kids about her body or the dogs he saw eating her. He did tell Fred about it and they both started looking for better weapons.
“Ben, can you shoot a bow and arrow?” Malamar asked one day.
“I used too, but I wasn't very good with one. Why you want to know?”
“Cause there's a bow and arrow in that store window.” Malamar pointed past Ben to a small shop. Fred walked up to them and headed for the front door. He came out with a wooden bow and a dozen arrows.
“This is better. I used to be pretty good with a bow. We got time to try my skills before we head out again?”
Ben smiled. “I'll check my calendar and see if I can free up a few minutes.”
They set up targets and spent the day practicing. Fred was still good and hit the target inside the ten ring with almost every other arrow. They went through the shop afterward and pulled all the spare strings and arrows that had not turned to slime. There weren't many that were usable but they managed to gather about three dozen arrows and three strings for the one wooden bow they found. Fred carried it, of course, as Ben could only hit the target by standing in front of it and kicking it. They set off again, looking for any survivors and for help.
Tiffanie had her supplies and weapons. She found a surplus shop that had canvas bags and camping gear that wasn't modern. It might have just been a display of days gone by, but she cleaned it out, everything that was useful. She found a dagger with a blade shaped like a flame and strapped it around her waist on a canvas belt with a Marine Corps buckle. She was glad she had spent so much time in the gym now.
The military shop was a place she spent several days, checking through the back and finding things she would need. She was calculating as usual, perhaps even more so. She had seen two men and a woman earlier in the day and had hidden to see what they had, in case she wanted it. She had fingered her knife, thinking about the best way to get what they had, if she wanted it. They had been empty handed so she let them go on down the street without making contact. If they were so stupid not to have gathered supplies, they would be a burden on her.
Daylight felt wrong to her and the brightness hurt her eyes. She felt better in the shadows and the evening was the best. Maybe something went wrong with the sun and caused all this destruction, maybe not. She would stick with the night for now. She was better off without those losers she saw passing earlier. She needed to find more people like herself, or perhaps some people she could use.
“You want to pour a girl a drink before you blow your head off or is this a private party?”
Gary jumped, startled at the sound of a voice. He turned and looked at the speaker. A stocky blond woman, middle aged, stood in front of him with her hands on her hips and a smile.
“You think you got problems? I got library books that are way overdue, my feet hurt and I can't find the remote for my TV. I can't find my TV either, so I'm going to miss all my soaps. What do you have going for you?”
Gary smiled. He put the pistol down and held out the bottle. “Sounds like you need this more than me.”
She took a drink and handed it back. “Names Charlie. Need a place to crash for a while?”
“I'm Gary and yes, I do. You know the water is rising fast and will cover this place soon?”
“Yeah, I kinda figured that. Place I live isn't far and it is higher than most spots. I have a few boats too, just in case. Besides, it won't flood the whole world, not like the first time. Says so in the book. Next time it's fire, so we're safe for now.”
“You figure it's too wet to burn?”
Charlie smiled. “Something like that. Well, I'm getting wet standing here, so get your stuff together and let’s get out of the rain. What do you say?”
Gary sat for a moment, lost in thought. Then he stood up and started packing everything into the back pack he had found his third day. When he was done, he turned and faced the woman.
“Ready?” she asked.
“Yes. Where we going?”
“My place. Don't get any ideas. It's a couple of miles from here but, I got a row boat so it's not as bad as it sounds. Course, you get to row, at least part way.”
“Sounds fair to me. Lead on.”
The trip was wet but not unpleasant. Charlie's place was a small stone house on the side of a hill, a very large hill and she was not alone. Apparently, Charlie had been taking in survivors since day one. Almost a dozen people were living in her cabin or around it, in good weather. Now, they were all inside around the fireplace. It was cozy, the cabin. Pretty as well, with the stone outside and the interior of knotty pine. The fireplace was large and had a massive mantle with picture frames sitting empty across it and an old flintlock hanging above it. The bathroom was outside, about a hundred feet from the house, with a half moon carved into the door. Gary half expected a catalog inside instead of toilet paper.
The only problem Gary could see was that most of the people were waiting for someone else to do so
mething. They sat around complaining and eating what little food was available instead of going out and doing something about it. Gary stepped in and started helping Charlie.
It was obvious to him that there was a limit to what they could do and that she needed to stop bringing more people in. She ignored him completely and brought in two more people, a woman and her daughter. Gary could understand about the little girl, but Charlie insisted that she would have to help anyone who needed it.
Gary managed to stockpile more food by searching out some of the big food chain warehouses. The weight of the collapsed roof had smashed some of the canned goods but he managed to gather almost a month’s worth before the warehouse was underwater. He and Charlie butted heads a lot over the issue of people versus resources and it usually ended with a shouting match or weapons being waved around and threats of physical violence. Then they were fine for a few days. It was an outlet for the tension and after a while the rest of the group expected a show every now and then to keep them entertained. My place, my rules, Charlie said it more than once.
“We don't have the resources to keep doing this. The water has covered a lot of the food warehouses I've been looting. I have to dive to get more for us. If you bring in more people, it will just get worse. We could all die.”
“We could all live. When push comes to shove, you don't want to turn any of these people away either, especially the kids. I know that and you know that. Why don't you give it a rest for now, OK? We will be all right. You have some talent, you know. It's not like you're stupid or lazy. You and I can make this work and you know it.”
He half believed her. He was still worried about any kind of future for any of them, beyond today.
In the next few days it did not get any better. Something, a dam or a levee gave way causing the water to rise two feet overnight and continue to rise. Charlie and Gary managed to get most of the supplies up the hill to a hollow in the rock face before the house was flooded. After another day the water was up to the windows and the next day the house was gone.
“The water can't be rising that fast. It would wash away this hill and the trees. The current would be stronger, a lot stronger.”
“So where is it coming from? My house didn't walk away.”
“Maybe it did.” Gary shook his head and looked at the tree line. “They're leaning, but there is no real current. See that? I think the ground is sinking or getting softer. Down there is dirt, loam like where your garden was. Up here is a big layer of rock and that's what we're standing on, granite. It goes down to bedrock so it's more stable. The dirt is not solid so it's either washing away or sinking. Either way, we will need those boats of yours just to get around.”
“We need more shelter too. Wood, tarps, something. We get these people up the hill; some of us will go and find a few things we can use.”
“As long as you don't take in any more people. We can't just keep bring them in and letting them sit around doing nothing.”
“We had this talk before, remember? Just drop it and see what we can do for shelter.”
Charlie walked away, upset about her home and worried about the rising water. Gary watched her walk away and headed for the boat. He needed to find more materials if even this group were to survive; much less any other useless bodies Charlie might drag in.