Avalon: The Retreat (17 page)
Each cabin consisted of a twelve by fifteen foot box, plus a ten by eight foot bathroom, both of which were heated via hot water radiators. Each had six windows, one on each side of the entry door, one near the bed, and two more on the opposite wall of the bed, and the bathroom had a small window above the toilet.
The larger cabins were two bedroom builds and included a small kitchen area, bathroom, and living room with chairs, and they had both a side door and a main entry. Each had a large stone fireplace, as well as a radiator in each room, including the bathrooms. Nearly twice the size of the smaller cabins, they were twenty by thirty feet.
Doctor Dan had one of the larger cabins, and Mike had one he didn’t use; he liked number seven better because it was cozier. Perry and Sally occupied one, and Dennis and Charlene Post had another. The others were left empty but kept clean by Charlene. The rest of the group members occupied their smaller cabins, and everyone was, if not outright happy, content with their situation. They had no need for the guest rooms in the main building, but they were placed on a rotation to be cleaned every few weeks for no other reason than safety and maintenance.
One thing that was important for the group was the conservation of resources and taking care of chores together. That meant everything from cleaning up their own plates to only taking the food they planned to eat. Lamps in the cabins were not left burning unattended and Dayna made candles, which were encouraged for use since they were an easily replaced and an inexpensive resource. They seldom saw any cabin with multiple Aladdin’s lit unless there was a meeting going on, and those usually took place in the main building in either the restaurant, the lounge, or sometimes in the bar.
They had regular meetings that all members attended, usually after the evening meals, and if there was anything to talk about, it was normally discussed at that time. The meetings included the level of supplies and resources on hand and any particular point someone wanted to discuss.
The busiest place was normally the bar. Aside from relaxing with an occasional drink, there were tables to eat at, and several people were involved in ongoing chess and checker games. Some games were played over the course of days or even weeks, as each opponent would simply walk through, make their move, and continue on. It was a good place to go talk and have a good time. Many lively conversations ensued there.
Between the two formal bars, the small selections left in several of the cabins, and the reserves in the wine cellar, there was enough liquor and wine to last them for years to come. There was a desire, however, to “save the good stuff,” coupled with a deep-seated need to fulfill a somewhat rebellious streak. Sam and Greg, with the help of Dennis, took it upon themselves to make a large alcohol still, and they were brewing several forms of their own alcohol. The requisite welding was done the old fashioned blacksmith way by using a bellows and anthracite coal for the correct temperatures. Whereas wood fires couldn’t get hot enough to weld metal, coal, with the aid of a bellows, would.
Aside from bragging rights, they were producing enough ethanol to mix and/or subsidize the gasoline they had on hand in order to stretch their supplies, which they anticipated would last a very long time, especially considering they had already added a fuel preservative to all the storage tanks. The preservative kept the ethanol from breaking down and gave a shelf life of a few years. Once the mix they had on hand was used up, they would be able to rely primarily on the ethanol. Sam was prepared to adjust all the carburetors to be compatible with the alcohol when the time came.
The next issue in the motorized department was the need for oil. There were many gallons of it in stock, but Randy, their resident chemist, was experimenting with various vegetable oils as a long term replacement. It was a study in patience. He was also experimenting with replacing all of the combustibles with vegetable oils.
Doing so was a straight and easy process with any Diesel engine since the inventor, Rudolf Diesel, actually demonstrated his first engine while running it with pure peanut oil. The trick was with other types of engines, and Randy was hopeful that an ethanol-vegetable oil mix would substitute for gasoline, altogether.
Randy and Ginger Keys were accepted into the group for several reasons; one being that he was a Chemical Engineer with a knack for thinking outside the box. His first suggestion was that the group gather certain chemicals, essentially hoarding them for later… if there was a later.
As it turned out, here they were right in the mix of it, and God only knew how many people were still alive down below their mountaintop retreat. They only knew the suffering was likely horrible for many by now, since the radio broadcasts were getting bleaker as time went by.
Earlier on and with the help of the entire group, Randy began buying certain chemicals that he could later turn into nearly anything they needed. Of note, he acquired an out of print book called
Henley’s Twentieth Century Book of Ten Thousand Formulas, Processes and Trade Secrets
. With its last printing in 1977 by Publishers Agency, Inc., Cornwell Heights, Pennsylvania, it was designed to be used in laboratories, workshops, and the home. Only sold by collectors, it had cost the group nearly a thousand dollars to procure.
Henley’s Twentieth Century Book of Ten Thousand Formulas, Processes and Trade Secrets
. With its last printing in 1977 by Publishers Agency, Inc., Cornwell Heights, Pennsylvania, it was designed to be used in laboratories, workshops, and the home. Only sold by collectors, it had cost the group nearly a thousand dollars to procure.
Henley’s included formulas for hundreds of productions to include dyes, inks, waterproofing, perfumes, cement, plating, glass, dentifrices, varnishes, soaps, glues, paints, adhesives, enameling, hairdressings, cosmetics, oils, and literally thousands of other useful products for people who needed to make their own. Much of it was hard to decipher because it contained a lot of older jargon and ingredients that had different names and was from a different era, but there were few resources of greater value in the library.
To make the book worthwhile, they had collected several pounds each of iron oxide red, sodium fluoride, calcium chloride, iron filings, powdered charcoal, aluminum powder, dextrin, calcium oxide, sulfuric acid, calcium oxide, barium peroxide, potassium permanganate, black antimony sulphide, potassium carbonate, potassium chlorate, and sodium peroxide. They also had quite a bit of potassium cyanide, powdered magnesium, and red phosphorous on hand.
The list, itself, was courtesy of Kurt Saxon’s book,
The Poor Man’s James Bond
. All of the mixing of chemicals was left to Perry, since he was a trained professional, and the others in the group never touched them for fear of hurting themselves or someone else. It was this reason that Perry’s lab was one of the few truly restricted areas within the entire Avalon complex.
Chapter 14The Poor Man’s James Bond
. All of the mixing of chemicals was left to Perry, since he was a trained professional, and the others in the group never touched them for fear of hurting themselves or someone else. It was this reason that Perry’s lab was one of the few truly restricted areas within the entire Avalon complex.
A World at War
The week was winding down, and everyone looked forward to the Saturday night dance and potluck because it provided an opportunity to see everyone together, catch up, and enjoy some fellowship. Several people played instruments, jamming when they had nothing else to do.
This week had been particularly busy.
The bear cub, which Dayna named “Buddy”, made it into the kitchen by following the great smells from the huge kettle of soup that was bubbling on the coal-fired stove. He managed to get up on one of the counters and knock everything off onto the floor, including a bag of flour that scattered all over the place.
He was just being a bear cub, and it was clear that he was having a great time… until Chad caught him and carried him back to Dayna for safekeeping. Chad said, as he turned away to return to his duties, “If you don’t want bear cub stew, keep Buddy out of my kitchen.”
But it didn’t end there.
Buddy got into the chicken pens and managed to break several dozen eggs before he was caught again. Shortly thereafter, he broke into the big barn and scattered the contents of a bin full of oats on the floor.
Something had to be done about the cub, and Dan asked Mike to talk to Dayna. Mike didn’t hesitate to refuse, and with a twinkle in his eye, said, “You do it. There’s no way on God’s green earth that I’m going to get between her and that little animal. She
is
the mama bear!”
is
the mama bear!”
As fate would have it, Dan was walking toward the small shop Dayna had put together to make candles when the bear cub flew out the door, lumbering past him. He and Dayna collided as she ran after the cub, and before he could say anything, she started to laugh. It was so infectious that he too burst into laughter, and they sat there cackling like children.
Later that same day, during the changing of the watch at the hidden bunker out by the locomotive sand traps, Buddy followed the men like a little puppy. While they were changing watch, they caught a glimpse of the little guy tumbling off the cliff. They heard him bawling as he fell.
That was the end of Buddy, and it was up to Dan to break the news to Dayna. He did it reluctantly and with a remorse that could only come from knowing the pain she would feel. As he broke the news to her, she slid into his arms and wept.
That night Dan and Dayna danced a few times and not long after, disappeared for the night. For a while now, they had tried to pretend nothing was going on between them, but one thing led to another and of course everyone knew they were a couple. It wasn’t long before people got used to it, and there were few times anyone mentioned it.
Sunday night Dan tuned on his Zenith shortwave, and they all sat around listening to the news. It had been awhile, and everyone wanted to know about the situation down below.
A man was talking,
War with China and Russia continues since the original attacks on the West Coast, when both countries launched nuclear bombs in addition to landing troops with the intent to invade. The Chinese landed on the Baja Peninsula with the expectation to come up the West Coast and attack California. Intel shows that they intended to drop troops further south and then swing north to come through Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.Russia was in the process of landing troops East of Anchorage, Alaska, on Canadian soil per their agreement with China. The first Chinese invaders were bombed with tactical nuclear warheads after three days of troops being unloaded and countless warnings from the U.S. The bombs killed upwards of five hundred thousand troops.A bit further south, Mexico City was hit with warheads as well, and the death toll was around ten million people. The same scenario befell the Russian troops, ending any further invasions. Mexico pleaded for peace three days after Mexico City went up in a column of ashes.
A woman spoke seamlessly,
The Middle East lies in ash and ruin and, for all intensive purposes, is practically glowing in the dark. Oil wells are on fire in every country in which they existed, and no one is making any attempt to put out the fires. Germany signed a cease-fire when they saw what was happening to the Middle East and that China, Russia, and Mexico were on the run; they wanted no part of it.An unidentified submarine made it to within fifty miles of the East Coast and launched a series of missiles from somewhere near Cuba. Within an hour, Jacksonville, Norfolk, and Baltimore evaporated, with Philadelphia and New York City following. The island of Cuba was consequently melted to the water line of the Caribbean by several nuclear warheads that struck in quick succession.In Asia, North Korea was nuked repeatedly over several days, essentially reducing the entire nation to a Stone Age culture, probably for the next two or three hundred years. Although China and Russia wanted to call a truce shortly after their troops were bombed, U.S. nuclear submarines launched all missiles in our inventory, and they joined North Korea in their manner of living. The U.S. Government then demanded and received unconditional surrender from China and Russia.
The man spoke again in an emotionless monotone,
Reports are coming in that many parts of what remains of the United States are being overrun by motorcycle gangs in the process of setting up Feudalistic Systems, particularly in California and Arizona. Other reports tell of similar gangs in Southern Florida, Western Georgia, and Western Virginia.The Mid-West is the only area still functioning, albeit at a reduced rate, and what is now known as the “Mississippi Corridor” appears to be the primary vestige of American civilization. Armed citizen soldiers are on guard and patrolling all borders that connect with any state close to those who have, in effect, broken away from the United States proper.Starvation runs rampant, and crime and looting continue unchecked by a law enforcement that no longer exists. People in prisons, nursing homes, and mental institutions are starving to death in their rooms and cells, abandoned by those in charge of their care.In some areas, all non-whites are being hunted down and executed by hate groups, and Politicians are being lynched by mobs. It is, without a doubt, the lowest point in our country, the world, and humanity itself; might apparently makes right, and those in the minority are being killed in wholesale numbers everywhere. Many are fleeing for the borders but are being shot on sight; those who make it past the armed hoards are dying from radiation exposure…
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