Julia sat at the dining table with her notebook open, pen in hand. She wrapped in a throw blanket for extra warmth. She had a lamp on the table with low lighting. She'd spent time picking and choosing rooms for them and they spread all around the house instead, laying where ever they chose. In fact half the kids lay on the living room floor like a big sleep over in front of the TV watching video tapes. Yes, video tapes. A thing of a bygone era, but this elderly couple had a multitude of sins, from old movies to cartoons. The room was dim and the shadows danced on the wall from the fire place. The flames had all but flickered out. She rose from the table and added another log to the fire, the wood crackled and sparks flew upward. It smelled so good, she thought.
She had a million thoughts and ideas coursing through her head as she returned to her seat at the table, but what she truly thought about was what the boys had done to the family that previously lived in the house. The fact that the three of them lacked any type of remorse bothered her. The fact they were against coming up with ideas on how to prevent anything like that from ever happening again bothered her more. If a society has no laws and no authority to keep what's left of living society from turning into mayhem, then how does one expect to live peacefully ever again?
At the top of the page she wrote on word in capital letters: LIBRARY. Lacking internet and any way to research in a modern way, she believed the best way to find out any information was to find the local library and hope it was still standing, untouched and full of books.
Julia wrote in her notebook a list of topics she had to research. The reason for going to the cabin in the first place was to escape the horrors they had at home on Green Street. She wanted to avoid death on the daily basis and give herself, the kids, her people that hope of as normal a life as possible. She tossed around the long term needs of living at the cabin. They'd need food, long term food. They'd need to grow it. They'd need a water source, a way to gather the water and filter that water. She had a sinking feeling every time she added another need to her list. This was going to fail. They were going to fail. There was no alternative. She feared that she was leading these people to their deaths. Maybe the boys were right, but their alternative would be scavenging through debris for the rest of their lives or until someone pulled through the rubble and formed a new society, a better society. Or the opposite, a society more devious and dangerous than the current. A sinking feeling overwhelmed her, then a thought more devious than what they'd lived through so far. Should they all split up? Should they split all the weapons and the stock they'd gathered and each of them go their separate way? This plan was an undertaking unlike any they'd ever lived through. Maybe they were meant to scavenge and live day to day, never truly knowing where the next meal would come from? That was always an option and should be the last resort-or should it be? I can't do this alone.
Jayson found her in her spot at the table. He read over her shoulder and he pointed at the line she wrote that suggested they all split up. He took the pen from her and crossed it out. That wasn't a viable option and one that no one wanted to explore. He wrote in his sloppy handwriting-last resort, then we have a meet up point where we all go within a short distance to STICK TOGETHER.
"We don't abandon the each other." He said.
Jay flipped the page in the book.
1. Everything we do is for this group: for the protection of this group, for the advancement of this group, for the benefit of this group.
2. If you are not with this group, then you are against this group.
3. You will be given an option to join this group.
4. If you choose not to join this group, you will be given a night's sleep and a day's supplies, then you will leave.
5. If anyone has reservations about someone joining the group, then that person does not join.
6. Trouble makers will be dealt with accordingly.
a)You will be shunned.
b) You will be removed with force.
"That's fair." Jay said, placing his hands on her shoulders.
"Is this like our constitution?"
"It's a start." He said. His hands worked her tense shoulders, strong hands manipulating her muscles in her shoulders, then her shoulder blades, then her back.
"This is a nice house, Jay. I think we'll be ok here for awhile."
"We will be for however long that lasts. It's secure, there's enough space, there's a place for the kids to play." Jay added. He leaned over her and put his arms around her shoulders. He held her tight. "I know you don't like what happened here. And if I could change it, Julia, then I would."
"I know. I just feel for those people. They lost and we gained." She said quietly. "Is that the way it really needs to be now? Does it?"
"I can promise you that we'll be more careful. We'll try to be peaceful, but if that doesn't work, we have to do the alternative." He paused. "You might have to do the alternative. Think about it."
They stayed like that a moment or two till Chess and Jess came downstairs for something to drink. Chess took a seat, looking at what she wrote. Jess huddled next to him, drinking a water bottle.
"Room's empty if you two wanna go up." Jess smiled.
"I have learned not to care if the room's empty or not." Julia mumbled.
"How long has it been since you fucked in an empty room?" Chess asked. "No darkness, no freezing cold, no rushing, no kids sleeping next to you so you have to be quiet."
"Julia, come on." Jay said, pulling her from her chair. She didn't put up a fight, but had so many other things on her mind that she found it difficult to get into the mood. He led her to their room behind her not letting go of her. He hung the white tee on the door knob, then closed the door behind them.
"What is that for?" She asked.
"No lock." He explained. "It's like a do not disturb sign."
Julia kicked her shoes off, then sat on the bed. Jay handed her a drink, and when she smelled it she caught a whiff of alcohol. She protested, saying she didn't want to get drunk. He hushed her and watched as she drank some. They sat and talked a while, Jay waiting for the alcohol to take effect and Julia relishing the alone time. The talked about the past, how they missed home and the boring drama stuff that they were used to.
"What's the number 1 thing you miss more than anything?" She asked, feeling warm and fuzzy.
"Running." Jay answered without thinking. "You?"
"Coffee. Colombian. Black." She answered. "I used to love it when you would bring me my coffee. You'd get up super early, run around awhile, then you'd stop at work and bring me coffee."
"I love you, Julia. Even when you're mad at me." He told her, unbuttoning and unzipping her jeans.
"I miss you, Jay." She said drunkenly. "Like when you're here and I'm there and we're together, but we're not."
"I know, Julia." He said, pulling her jeans off. He ankle was still wrapped up from her jump off the fence in Maverick. "Your ankle still hurts?" He began unwrapping her ACE bandage. Her ankle was still bruised.
"I feel nothing right now, Jay. I feel good." She replied. "Oh, remind me I should wash that thing."
"Ok. " He agreed, pulling her shirt over her head. He lay her back, adjusting the pillow beneath her head. She felt like she was floating, in that space between sober and drunk, the space where you feel really good and just want to feel that right inside all the time. No worries, no doubts, no notebooks and no lists of things to do or not to do. No people to please and no one to make happy.
She felt every kiss as his lips made contact with her skin from her head to her toes. Jay kissed and touched and prodded and poked. When she started to speak, he refilled her glass and let her take a couple swallows, then he laid her back down and enjoyed her.
Jay rose above her, pulling his shirt off.
"I was thinking, Jay..." She started.
He put his fingers to her mouth. "We're not thinking tonight, Julia, remember."
"You just want me to lay here so you can work me over?"
"Got a problem with that?" He asked, pulling off his jeans.
"Nope." She replied, reaching for the glass on the table beside her. She finished off the last of the spiked juice. "Just gonna do what ever you like, huh?"
"That's the plan." He answered, going back between her legs. "I wanna eat this. Haven't eaten this in awhile, so you got a problem with that?"
"No, go ahead. Eat." She laughed, watching his head dip between her legs again. She placed her hand between her legs. She liked to feel his tongue as it licked around her. He liked for her to play with herself as he licked her, holding her lips apart for him, exposing herself.
He looked up at her. "I'm not complaining."
Jay drove the Prius randomly through the small town of Westport, Pa. Jay cruised through the streets of Small town, USA. Julia held his hand tight as he drove, still reveling in last night's lovemaking and being in love with her boyfriend. For a minute she could pretend that they were just driving through a small town, looking for a place to eat on a date. Then reality sunk in as a walker rambled into the street and Jay avoided hitting him by inches. Jay let out a string of curses and then pulled to the curb in front of a building that resembled an old school house. They'd driven past this place twice and hadn't seen it. Thankfully Jay had swerved around the walking corpse or they'd have driven past it yet again. Julia pulled her back pack from the back seat and then double checked she had her knife on her. Jay had his as well as his gun. He held the crow bar in his hand and the stepped out of the car. On their way to the door Jay killed 2 walkers, dropping them where they stood with a crowbar through the face. In a quick and purposeful action he'd inserted and removed the crowbar before any blood and brain squirted on him.
Julia pulled the door to the entrance and it opened, allowing them to stand between the outside world and the inside that held all the answers to all the questions she had. That door was shut and locked, meaning Small Town USA locked up before the zombies could walk in. Hopefully they didn't need to kill anyone or anything on the inside. Jay banged the crow bar a couple times on the wooden door. Peering through the window, he felt safe popping the door open. Julia pulled the flashlight out of her bag and they went first to the adult section where she perused the shelves. As she walked and found a book, she handed them to Jay. He created a master pile on a table then got back to Julia. They didn't need their flash light as the lights still turned on as Jay flicked the switch.
She found the section of books she wanted after a half hour long search of each aisle. She read over titles on gardening, homesteading, canning, hunting. Julia found a couple copies of the SAS Survival handbook. She immediately tucked them into her bag. Any survival related book she found, she handed off to Jay. When the manual search was complete, she and Jay went to the table and made separate piles. The definite, the maybe and the not so much. She felt that overwhelmed feeling again as the pile of definite's grew. She realized she'd have to read all those books and cringed. Where was the Internet when she needed it.
"Jay, we're not gonna be able to do this."
"Don't talk like that. We have to give it a try."
"I know nothing about any of this, Jayson. Nothing." She stammered, feeling tears well up in her eyes.
"What did you think was going to happen, Julia? That we'd go to the cabin and boom, we're experts? Even the first pioneer had to learn somewhere. Right?"
"What's the right thing to do? Jay, I'm confused. What are we going to do?" Julia sat at the table with the pile of books in front of her.
"We're gonna gather up these fucking books and go home. That's what we're going to do." He told her. "We accomplished what we came for, Julia. Now let's go."
"Animals. We'll need animals. A cow or two. Some chickens." She said, flipping through the homesteading book. "Oh, no. Animals. Like a fucking petting zoo. Jay, where are we gonna get a cow?"
"Pull it together." Jay laughed. "That's a long way off."
"You're right, Jay. That's a long way off." She agreed, standing up and pulling the extra bag from her backpack. She and Jay loaded up the definite's and then head back to the library door. They dropped their bags into the back seat then they drove off toward home.
On their way back down the road, they drove past numerous farms. She watched as the animals stood in the pasture. She told Jay to pull over. He pulled to the shoulder of the road. Julia pointed to the farmhouse, the animals in the pasture. "This is where we're getting the animals, Jay. You think there's people alive in there?"
"I have no idea, Julia."
"But someone left these animals out here. Is someone taking care of them or are they just there?"
"I don't know, Julia."
"Jay, maybe we don't need a cabin. Maybe we need this." She said, getting out of the car. Jay followed her, looking around for uninvited guests. She leaned against the farm fence, staring ahead at the land and the cows that stood in their herd beneath the tree in the pasture. "Think about it, Jay. If we just go up there and move in? We'd have everything we need right there at our fingertips. Animals, land, water, shelter. We would not have to start up on our own, but we could just pick up where they left off."
"I see. But what if there are people up there?"
"Not this farm, but there's a bunch of them along the way. That guy that left us from the motel. Him and his wife and kids went to their relatives farm. It's not going to be easy, I know. I'm not even saying we plant the whole field here."
"We'd have to find the right farm. One that is secure from-"
"It's a shot. The cabin is just a chance at survival, but we have that at the house. Maybe we should scout a farm, Jay? Before these animals die off, we find one that will support us. We can secure it."
"Do you want to think it out and present it to the group? You remember what happened the last time we didn't go through with the cabin idea."
"Sure, definitely. I think so."
Julia got back inside the car and Jay assumed the driver seat. For the first time in a long time she was excited about something. This had to be the direction to take, no doubt.
Luz made another good meal. She had Haley and Kevin helping her in the kitchen. Julia and Jess helped serve every one, making sure they were taken care of. Tavin had come inside with the men in time to eat. They'd walked the perimeter of the fence, all secure. They saw no one alive, but saw few dead. Lingering in the back of their minds, where did all the people go? Were they all dead or were there pockets of survivors out there just like them, forming plans, trying to stay safe. Julia thought of those out there living day to day and scavenging for their meal and their shelters, those that were overwhelmed by throngs of the dead. Where were they? Were they on foot, migrating out of populated areas? Were the people turning feral and violent or were the people banding together and surviving, protecting one another like her group had been doing?
"Every one, please. I have something that I would like to put on the table and talk about." Julia said, dishing out a plate of food for Tatia to eat. The crowd grew quiet as they listened eagerly, thinking that she'd be talking about the cabin. "Once we get to the cabin with all our stuff, I'm sure we'd live ok for a bit. We'd have ourselves an ok winter and then we would eventually run out of everything."
She scanned the faces looking at her from their dinner plates. The aroma filling their nostrils, yet no one started to eat. "What happens when the food runs out and we have to depend on these guys of ours to kill us dinner? What happens when they don't get anything?" They were all silent. Julia sat and started eating. They all waited for her to continue to talk.
"Well, what would happen?" Leah asked.
"You tell me."
"We'd starve." She giggled.
"Exactly. And when they do get something, who eats first? The kids or those that hunted? Or the girls? When there's not enough for everyone, I mean."
"Why wouldn't there be enough to go around?" Jess asked.
"Have you ever been hunting?" Chess asked. "It doesn't happen like poof there's 10 deer to shoot."
"And then, all we eat is meat?" Julia asked. "What about veggies? You cannot hunt carrots."
"We'll grow some."
"Julia, what's the point?" Tavin asked, cutting to the quick.
"I think you guys were right all along. The cabin is not a good long term idea. I'm glad we're here. I was thinking about all the stuff we'd have to do when we get to this cabin. So Jay and I went to the library for books." Julia reached down to the floor and held up her homesteading book, then her gardening book, then one after another all the definite's they'd brought back from the library. "Surprised? So was I." She sighed, piling all her books back on the floor. "On our drive back from the library, I noticed a farm. In fact there are a lot of farms in good old Pennsylvania. Right around the corner, down some winding road. The land and animals are all there. The trees and the water source and everything is all there. We'd have to figure out how to do it is all."
"So you want to move us to a farm ?" Tavin asked.
"Yes, I do. We aren't pioneers by a long shot. We're not pilgrims, coming here on a boat. This stuff is already laid out for us, all we have to do is work it. We don't have to plant acres upon acres because it is not physically possible, but planting and harvesting enough to get us through the winter is. We'd have a lot of learning to do. We'd have a lot of trial and error ahead of us first timers, but dammit it's a start."
"When I grew up in Puerto Rico we were poor. We had chickens and goats. We had a garden. We had no choice if we wanted to survive. Heck, we didn't have running water or indoor plumbing." Luz added, reminiscing of her youth on the island paradise.
"So it is possible to live like that and thrive. We can live like that. We have to live like that, and we cannot do that at a cabin in the woods with no animals or land to plant. What do you all think?"
"Where would the farm be?" Audrey asked.
"I don't know yet."
"When would we move again?"
"I don't know yet."
"What do you know?"
"I know 100% that this is a better idea. We have to think long term. We must think long term, because what we have will run out and whoever is left out there is going to want what's left in the stores and houses. This is our shot at long term survival. It will be hard. But we can do it. Somehow."Julia replied. "I'll find us at least three places, compare them and then present a few for a discussion. Does everyone agree with this?"
"I do. I think I have some experience with what you are thinking." Luz agreed.
"I grew up on a farm, well for a couple years. Had a girlfriend whose family owned it. I started out as a farm hand. Did a bit of everything. They did use machines though, nothing manual like horses or people. It's a good and honest life." Doug said.
"What happened to the girl?" Leah asked, thinking of the love story behind those sentences.
"I don't know. I guess she's still there."
"No, why did you break up?" Madison asked.
"I wasn't the only farm hand. Let's put it that way."
'Awe," They cooed, feeling sad for him.
"Ladies, it was 20 years ago. I am over it." He said reassuringly.
Julia's spirit was uplifted as a few people saw light at the end of the tunnel. She was glad they supported the idea and the boys who didn't want to go to the cabin were on her side, now that she was thinking with common sense.
"But, does everyone feel ok with this. I know that you came along with the plan that led us to a cabin. But things change. If there's anyone that doesn't agree, please say something."
"I like that you're thinking long term." Tom and Rob agreed. "My grandparents had a farm in lower Delaware. I spent many a summer there." Tom added.
"Anyone have anything to add? I am really trying to put us in the right direction." Julia asked, her eyes scanning the room for dissent. All eyes looked hopeful.
After dinner the room cleared out and a select few stayed around for the planning meeting. Hayley and Kevin helped clean up dinner with Luz. Julia had her book open and her pen out and they tossed around ideas. What to look for when they were scouting farms. What they needed, top on the priority list. Julia suggested taking Tom and Doug with them on the road. Having experience in the area was a huge help.
Luz added that she'd like a hearth in the kitchen if they could find a farm house with one. She had to describe it to the boys, like a fireplace in the kitchen, built into the foundation. An oven. Avoid modern farmhouses with all the frills of modern day. She advised them to think along the lines of the Amish, which all the kids were familiar with. They lived close enough to the Amish to all have toured an Amish farm. They either went on day trips like Julia's family or on school trips like Tavin and toured the Amish farm. They were all over the place in rural Pennsylvania.
"I'd like to go along." Kevin said. "I'm bored here all day. I need something to do."
"Ok." Tavin nodded.
"Are we staying around here?" Julia asked. "How far out do you plan to go?"
Julia pulled out their map and laid it open on the table, pointing out their current location. Kevin and Hayley looked over the map.
"Is that his map?" She gasped, recognizing the markings. The rest stop, the red marking that traced the route from there to Christmas Lake. A red X where Amanda's body was buried. Her eyes were wide with surprise.
"It is. We're using it for good not evil." Julia replied.
"Who's map is it?" Kevin asked.
"It's a long story. Hayley can tell you about it some time." Jay answered. "I say we get started soon."
"And you need to come up with how to deal with people. If you come across people living on these farms..."
"We know." Tavin rolled his eyes.
"What are we supposed to tell them?" Chess asked.
"The truth is best. Explain yourself. Put your hands up, and if you're told to leave, then you leave."
Julia set aside that directive, then moved onto the next. "Our food stores. Luz says we're doing ok. When you get out on these farms, if you come across any friendly people, ask them if they can spare some milk. Can't hurt to ask. Maybe there's something we can trade."
"We also need to go through these neighborhood houses like we intended to do and gather up more food from these fridges and freezers. What we have we're keeping cold so it doesn't spoil, but we have a lot of mouths to feed. Me and the girls could go out-"
"I don't feel comfortable with that." Jay interjected.
"Why not?" Hayley asked.
"We did it on Green Street. It's like shopping."
"I was by myself when I left Maverick." Hayley added. "Until I met Kevin, I was alone. I've done my fair share of surviving. "
"You all do the farms and we'll go shopping." Julia told them. "There's a neighborhood right down the road."
"No," Jay and Tavin said together.
"I'll stay with the girls." Kevin volunteered.
"You guys can't do it all. " Cass pointed out. "We can handle loading up the car with food."
No comments:
Post a Comment