until the
day of the Outbreak, but he made sure I knew enough to be prepared if it
happened. On his advice, I had two survival bunkers built; one at my old home
in Charlotte and the other at my vacation house in nearby Morganton. We finished
the perimeter fence, moved everything from my survival shelter in Morganton to
the one beneath us, and got to work clearing the surrounding countryside of
infected. Ever since then we had focused on simply staying alive from one day
to the next. Last year, just before Christmas, we made the decision to venture
west to Colorado, and what remains of the United States.
When
I finished, I was staring at three stricken, disbelieving faces. Tom got up
from the table and stood next to Gabriel. Gabe didn’t bother looking up. He
tested the edge of his knife with his thumb, frowned, and ran the knife over
the stone again.
“Is
all of this true?” Tom asked.
“Of
course it is.” Gabe rumbled. “You think we would lie about something like
that?”
“Why
didn’t you say anything? We’ve been here two weeks.” Tom demanded.
Gabe
looked up at him, a dangerous glare in his eyes. “You didn’t ask.”
Tom
shook his head and came back over to the table. He sat down and clasped his
hands in front of him.
“I’ve
been hoping that help was coming, you know? I keep expecting to see a
helicopter on the horizon, or the Army to come along in tanks and kill all of
the infected. We’ve been in the mountains all this time, waiting for some sign
that civilization was coming back.”
I
shook my head, feeling a black wave of weariness wash over me. “I’m afraid
that’s not going to happen, Tom. No one is coming to help us. We’re on our
own.”
I
stepped over to my recliner and slumped down into it. A few quiet minutes
passed.
“Mom,
I’m hungry.” Brian said, ending the silence. I smiled. At least the kid had his
priorities straight.
“Okay
honey, let’s make something to eat.” Sarah replied.
Brian
and his mother put together a meal of canned vegetables and venison. Gabe
stopped sharpening his knife to stare at the wood stove, his scarred face dark
and pensive.
“We
should get the canoe and head over to Marion tomorrow.” He said.
I
nodded. “Okay. I’ll pack tonight. We can head out first thing in the morning.”
“You
two need us to do anything while you’re gone?” Sarah asked from the kitchen
table.
Gabriel
chewed on a strip of dried meat and thought about it for a moment. “I want you
to study Eric’s notes. He’s made maps of supply caches, and places with things
we haven’t needed to scavenge yet. You need to know where all the resources are
around here. Where the best places to hunt and fish are, and where you can find
wild edibles.”
Sarah
nodded. We finished the rest of the meal in silence. The mood in the cabin
became stifling, so I spent a couple of hours outside chopping firewood to pass
the time. Swinging a splitting maul is good exercise, and I figured it would
save Tom the trouble while I was gone for the next couple of days. Besides, the
night was growing colder, and I am a firm supporter of the old adage, ‘he who
chops the wood warms himself twice’.
I rolled
the firewood to the cabin in a rusty old wheelbarrow. Brian helped me stack it
on the front porch while Tom watched us through the window with a troubled
expression on his face. I knew that expression all too well. I had seen it
looking back at me in the mirror plenty of times.
Figuring
that Tom needed some time to think, I offered to do a little knife fighting
practice with Brian. The boy smiled and ran down to the bunker to fetch a
couple of plastic training knives. While he was gone, Sarah pulled a chair up
next to her husband and put an arm around his shoulders. They leaned their
heads together, holding hands. Tom kissed her on the forehead, and pulled her
close. It made me remember my own parents, how they would sit next to each
other on the sofa and smile at me while I played
day of the Outbreak, but he made sure I knew enough to be prepared if it
happened. On his advice, I had two survival bunkers built; one at my old home
in Charlotte and the other at my vacation house in nearby Morganton. We finished
the perimeter fence, moved everything from my survival shelter in Morganton to
the one beneath us, and got to work clearing the surrounding countryside of
infected. Ever since then we had focused on simply staying alive from one day
to the next. Last year, just before Christmas, we made the decision to venture
west to Colorado, and what remains of the United States.
When
I finished, I was staring at three stricken, disbelieving faces. Tom got up
from the table and stood next to Gabriel. Gabe didn’t bother looking up. He
tested the edge of his knife with his thumb, frowned, and ran the knife over
the stone again.
“Is
all of this true?” Tom asked.
“Of
course it is.” Gabe rumbled. “You think we would lie about something like
that?”
“Why
didn’t you say anything? We’ve been here two weeks.” Tom demanded.
Gabe
looked up at him, a dangerous glare in his eyes. “You didn’t ask.”
Tom
shook his head and came back over to the table. He sat down and clasped his
hands in front of him.
“I’ve
been hoping that help was coming, you know? I keep expecting to see a
helicopter on the horizon, or the Army to come along in tanks and kill all of
the infected. We’ve been in the mountains all this time, waiting for some sign
that civilization was coming back.”
I
shook my head, feeling a black wave of weariness wash over me. “I’m afraid
that’s not going to happen, Tom. No one is coming to help us. We’re on our
own.”
I
stepped over to my recliner and slumped down into it. A few quiet minutes
passed.
“Mom,
I’m hungry.” Brian said, ending the silence. I smiled. At least the kid had his
priorities straight.
“Okay
honey, let’s make something to eat.” Sarah replied.
Brian
and his mother put together a meal of canned vegetables and venison. Gabe
stopped sharpening his knife to stare at the wood stove, his scarred face dark
and pensive.
“We
should get the canoe and head over to Marion tomorrow.” He said.
I
nodded. “Okay. I’ll pack tonight. We can head out first thing in the morning.”
“You
two need us to do anything while you’re gone?” Sarah asked from the kitchen
table.
Gabriel
chewed on a strip of dried meat and thought about it for a moment. “I want you
to study Eric’s notes. He’s made maps of supply caches, and places with things
we haven’t needed to scavenge yet. You need to know where all the resources are
around here. Where the best places to hunt and fish are, and where you can find
wild edibles.”
Sarah
nodded. We finished the rest of the meal in silence. The mood in the cabin
became stifling, so I spent a couple of hours outside chopping firewood to pass
the time. Swinging a splitting maul is good exercise, and I figured it would
save Tom the trouble while I was gone for the next couple of days. Besides, the
night was growing colder, and I am a firm supporter of the old adage, ‘he who
chops the wood warms himself twice’.
I rolled
the firewood to the cabin in a rusty old wheelbarrow. Brian helped me stack it
on the front porch while Tom watched us through the window with a troubled
expression on his face. I knew that expression all too well. I had seen it
looking back at me in the mirror plenty of times.
Figuring
that Tom needed some time to think, I offered to do a little knife fighting
practice with Brian. The boy smiled and ran down to the bunker to fetch a
couple of plastic training knives. While he was gone, Sarah pulled a chair up
next to her husband and put an arm around his shoulders. They leaned their
heads together, holding hands. Tom kissed her on the forehead, and pulled her
close. It made me remember my own parents, how they would sit next to each
other on the sofa and smile at me while I played
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