Grid Attack (Cyber War #2) (9 page)

She gently placed Lady's body on the grass as she tried to hold back her tears.

As she broke the ground, the tears just kept coming.

“Would you like me to do this?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

She shook her head no.

She needed to do it. She needed to feel the ground resist her as she pushed into it and lifted the dirt. She was angry with the world and digging this little grave was therapy.

When the hole was big enough and deep enough, she gently placed Lady's limp body into the ground and covered her up.

By the time she was done, the tears were gone, but the pain was there and was as raw as ever.

We made our way back around the front of the garage, where the guys had already unloaded everything they could.

Kat went inside to remove her bloody shirt and to wash her hands. Her mother went with her to console her.

Carl and Evan came over to me, and patted me on the shoulder.

“Sorry about the cat.” Carl said. He liked Lady, too, and she would always come and talk to him when he came over to the house.

Evan looked down at the ground.

“What should we do about the chickens. They really shouldn’t stay in the boxes all day.”

“We need to set up some kind of pen to keep them in.” I said.

“Do you happen to have anything that would house several chickens for the day?” I asked, looking over at Kat’s step-dad, Albert.

He pondered the question and looked over at his neighbor’s yard. There was a dog cage sitting in the back yard, but no dog.

“Would something like that work?” he said, pointing to the cage.

“I think it would, at least for today.” I said. “But won’t your neighbor miss it?”

“They left a few weeks ago. Said they were going to Texas where they had a few relatives. I’m pretty sure he won’t mind if we borrow it.” He explained.

“Awesome!” Evan said, motioning to Carl to go help pull the cage into the garage.

We took a couple of 2x4’s and put a couple of bars up for them to roost on, then took one of the boxes and cut a hole in it to act as a nesting box. We put in some food and water and even though it was tight, it would work as a good temporary spot for them until we could construct something better.

All of us were so exhausted that all we wanted was to eat and sleep.

That is, if any of us could after the day we’d had.

Chapter 17

The next few days were spent trying to get things set up so that everyone had a place and was comfortable.

Katherine needed a day to mourn for Lady, but she refused to stop and rest for fear that she’d think about all the chaos of the days before.

Keeping busy kept her mind from going places she just couldn’t deal with at the moment. Instead, she pushed beyond even her own limits, working herself into exhaustion.

Carol and Albert filled everyone in on all the happenings around town. They’re power hadn’t been out as long as ours because the town had invested in a way to keep the local things going. Most likely propane generators.

Most of the stores, gas stations, fire and police had power for at least a week after the attacks.

That allowed them to become informed much faster, and allowed everyone to peacefully collect as much gasoline and food supplies as they could before the power went completely off.

Carol said that everyone here was civil and no one got out of hand except a few hoosier types that always were causing trouble anyway. We learned that it was the same men that we left dead on the highway a few days earlier.

Tony reassured her and Albert that those guys wouldn’t be a problem anymore, but that it’s best not to get too comfortable because people can change drastically when they are hungry.

She nodded knowing full well about how people could be.

The biggest thing they needed to do at the moment was find a way to keep the whole house warm. Either that, or they would all be sleeping on the main floor in front of the fireplace. Not that it would hurt them to do so, but with so many of them now living so close together, they would all need their space.

The house was three stories. There was a bathroom on each level. At the moment, the water was still working because the small town had their own well and they had generators to pump water into the storage tank.

The word had been sent out to try to conserve as much as possible. Not to use water if they didn’t have to, and only to flush when absolutely necessary.

In fact, the sewer department was the one area that everyone wanted to make sure had a working generator because everyone wanted to be able to use their bathrooms.

During that first week, they had gone house to house to explain how things should work with and without power. They had redundant backup systems in place as long as they could get fuel.

Fortunately, there was an MFA just outside of town with several huge tanks of propane. If they made sure not to use so much wastewater it would take less for the pumps to run and they could allow people to have water and sewer service for at least a month after the power went out.

That would give people a chance to come up with “alternate” plans for their sewage. They suggested that men go outside on the grass and that if at all possible, women catch their urine in a bucket and throw away the bathroom tissue after use.

We did as much as we could to comply and since four of us were men, we just got used to going outside behind the garage to pee.

The only thing that they decided to do differently, was to conserve water. Instead, they filled up each bathtub and as many containers as they could with water.

The well wasn’t going to go dry anytime soon, but with winter coming on, the less they had to go out to the main well site to hand pump the water, the better.

They decided that Evan and Carl would share one upstairs room, while Kat and Tony the other. If it got too cold, then everyone could make a bed down in front of the fireplace.

Carol had complained because for years she wanted a wood burning insert in the fireplace because it would be so much more efficient, and would heat the entire house if needed.

They just hadn’t gotten around to it yet, so the only thing available was a wood burning fireplace and not very much wood.

The weather was starting to get really cold now, so Tony and the guys decided to go and hunt down some wood.

Katherine, Carol and Albert kept busy by putting up things over the windows. They wanted to be able to see out, but not allow people to see in when it got dark. Even though they were in a small town, Katherine knew that eventually, there would probably be people that would migrate down to the area once they learned that the town was doing well enough.

Katherine worried about those people who might come to take advantage of the seniors that lived throughout town.

“How is Mrs. Graves doing?” Katherine asked her mom. Mrs. Graves was a neighbor across the street.

“Actually, she is probably weathering this better than we are. She grew up in the country and when she was a girl, they didn’t have electricity yet. So she has already had to live life off the grid long before it was popular.” Carol quipped, getting a little giggle out of Katherine.

Carol knew Katherine was having a hard time, but she was holding up okay and would be fine.

Carol continued to share the local gossip as they found ways to insulate the windows with blankets and boards, leaving just enough of an opening to be able to peek outside if needed.

“We did this at home for the month we were there.” Kat said. “It really helped to make the place look dark and un-lived in. From the outside you couldn’t tell we were there with a bunch of candles.”

“What happened up there?” Carol asked, trying not to upset Katherine but her curiosity got the best of her.

Kat paused and stared out the window she was just getting ready to cover.

She quickly went through all the events that had changed her forever. Ernie dying, then Alice. The man she shot and they buried in the neighbors back yard. The men who were dressed as police shooting anyone who came out of their houses.

There was nothing that made sense, other than people getting hurt and people doing bad things.

“It was bad, mom. I’ll tell you all about it, but let’s do that later when we can sit and talk at dinner, okay? I really want to focus on getting things safe and prepared here.” Kat said as she refocused her attention on all the windows and doorways that were at any level that someone could break into easily.

Katherine tried the best she could to put all of it out of her mind. But she knew it would take a while.

She knew she probably wouldn’t be able to relax until things felt safe again. And who knew when that would be.

Chapter 18 - Anthony

“You reckon’ I can buy some of your seasoned wood?” I asked the old man.

I had a knack for talking to people and getting stuff for free. I knew it and used it to my advantage more than once in my life. Katherine used to tease me because I could just walk up to someone and ask them for something and more often than not, they would give things to me.

The old man eyeballed me really well as he sat on his front porch rocker, shotgun resting across his lap.

“Who told you it was for sale?” the old man barked out.

I had already parked and gotten out of the truck, trying to show the man I wasn’t there to harm him.

The old man didn’t seem phased.

“A guy I asked up in town. He was at the gas station. I didn’t get his name, but he said you may have some wood for sale.” I said, noticing the huge wood pile at the back of the field.

“I might…what you got to pay?” The old man asked.

“Well,” I paused and thought hard about my answer. I didn’t want to give away too much, but I wanted that wood, or as much wood as I could get into the truck. “I have a box of food here. I have a few cans of beans, some rice, some crackers and cheese…”

“Oh, that ain’t nothin’!” the man growled. “I got enough of that already.”

“Oh, I see. So I guess you wouldn’t be interested in this canned bacon then? Okay, well thanks anyway.” I said as I fondled the canned bacon and put it back in the box of goods.

“Now hold on there…” the old guy said.

I knew I’d got him with the bacon. Most people in America loved their bacon and it wasn’t readily available anymore. The canned bacon was like having three whole packages already cooked and ready to eat. You didn’t even have to heat it if you didn’t want to. It was ready to eat right out of the can. It was good, too.

The old guy groggily stood up out of his rocking chair. He looked back to his wood pile and back at Tony.

“Alright, I’ll make ya’ll a deal. I can’t fell trees like I used to. If you boys would come and fell the trees, and chop and split the wood, I halve it with you. Today, I’ll let you take half my pile for your food. We got a deal?” The old man said, with a toothy grin.

I let out a laugh and grabbed the box of food out of the truck bed, bringing it to the man’s porch.

I extended his hand as the old man shook it.

“You got a deal! I’m Tony.” I said.

“I’m Ralph. Ralph Walters.” He said.

“Thank you, Mr. Walters,” I said, grateful I was able to make the deal. And having a place where we could come and get wood later was going to be a godsend, providing I still had the gasoline to bring the truck here.

Ralph lived on the outskirts of town and owned about 70 acres of wooded acreage. It was a great location, too. Up high enough on the bluff that you could actually see out over town.