Storm Tide Rising: Blackout Volume 2 (15 page)

Joe shook his head. "We're exhausted as it is, babe. We've been stretching ourselves thin, and we need to make some of that up. Tomorrow is going to be a long and busy day, and we could all use the rest. Besides, if anyone is serious about getting past the fence, the gate, and the dogs, I don't know how much good another twenty seconds of warning is going to do."

Beth shrugged. "I guess God's gotten us this far, and He can get us through another night."  She took Joe's arm and they walked across the broad front yard in silence. The stars turned overhead in their slow dance, and the moon was high enough and filling to the point where it drove most of the dimmer stars into obscurity. They reached the steps to the front porch and Beth went up first. Joe put his foot on the first step to the front porch and two gunshots echoed in the distance toward the Thompson's ranch.

Joe froze, one foot on the ground, and the other on the step. He shared a brief but intense look with Beth, and shook his head very slightly. We can't save everyone, Beth, and for now those boys are on their own. They know where we are, and they know how long they have to come to us."

Beth took a deep breath and let it out slowly as her jaw clenched rhythmically. Finally, she asked, "What happened out there, Joe?"

Joe returned her glare for glare. "I told you all that I could, and this isn't the first time you've asked me. The answer is the same. If Brant doesn't show up here by the time the sun rises two days from tomorrow, I'll tell you then. Otherwise, it's his story to tell and not mine."

Beth heaved another sigh and started to shake her head. "Sometimes I think all you men put value on is your
stories
."

Joe gave a wry chuckle. "I suppose you may be right about that. Then again, the way things are now, the only thing some people are going to have left is their story. And that story should be theirs as long as possible."

Beth's face softened slightly as she listened, and at last she shrugged and opened the front door. "You're tired and you smell bad," she said, holding Joe's gaze. "And you're not making good sense anymore. Time for bed, Mister."

Joe smiled and kissed her cheek as he passed,  "Yes, ma'am."  he said with a wink, and he stepped into the dark farmhouse.

Ch.23

A Bird In The Hand

Mike sat with his back against the warm concrete wall of the main office building, a smile on his greasy face. The goose was richer and oilier than a chicken or turkey would have been, but it was still tasty. The men had slow roasted it over oak and hickory embers and they even shared a warm beer with the welcomed meal. For a moment, Mike could forget about the reality of why they were eating fire-roasted wild goose with strangers rather than a cheeseburger at their coffee table.

He glanced over at Alyssa who had barely picked at her goose. She wore a suspicious frown but drank her beer slowly and tried to hide her face with each half-hearted sip.

"Here," Alex said as he dropped a plastic pouch with a napkin and plastic flatware inside, "there's a little pack of salt and pepper inside. It makes the meat ten times better."

"Thanks," Alyssa said, but she didn't open the packet.

Mike leaned over and whispered. "Look, if they were going to do us harm, I don't think they'd feed us first."

Alyssa shook her head. "It isn't that. I just wonder where this bird's been and how clean it is."

Mike took another bite of his dark breast meat. "Clean enough," he mumbled as he chewed.

Taking Alex's advice, Alyssa dusted the meat with the salt and pepper and tried it again. To her surprise, it really did taste a lot better. She was hungrier than she had thought and devoured the meat quickly, licking her fingers afterward, a satisfied smile crossing her lips.

Alex sat a few feet away with five other young men. Four of the group wore staff uniforms and seemed to have a familiarity with the grounds and the facilities. They hadn't come right out and said they were former employees the way Alex had, though. Alex waited until both of them were finished with their meal before breaking the silence between the two groups.

"Where are you guys headed?"  Alex asked. "Upriver, or downriver?"

Mike shared a look with Alyssa, but neither said anything for a moment.

"Look, if you want us to let you take a boat," Alex said finally, "You need to tell us why we should, okay?"

"You've got dozens of boats here," Mike replied. "Heck, you might have hundreds, I don't know. Do you really think you'll miss one little inflatable canoe?"

"We might, but that ain't the point," Alex said. "So where are you going, and why?"

Mike glanced at Alyssa and shrugged slightly. "We're heading down river. Into Lake Wylie and down to the southern end. Trying to find a way past the airport to get Alyssa to her sister's place."

"You two a couple?" Alex asked, one eyebrow arched.

Before Mike could answer, Alyssa snorted loudly and shook her head. "Ew! No!"  she said, shaking her head again. "Definitely not a couple."

Mike frowned at her and so did Alex. After a moment, she settled down and Mike scratched his ear uncomfortably. "Well, uh...no, we're not a couple," he said. "I knew her mother before the blackout. We worked together at Crowder's Mountain."

Alex nodded his head thoughtfully, then turned and put his head together with his companions as they spoke in muffled voices. Finally, Alex straightened again and looked at Mike, then Alyssa. "If you want, you can sleep here tonight. Tomorrow morning you can take your canoe, and I'll go with you in my kayak. I've been up and down this river my whole life fishing, hunting, camping, and just plain goofin off. I know it pretty well and I can keep you out of trouble spots. Or you can just take your boat and go now. But if you go now, you're on your own. We aren't sending anyone to help you or bail you out if you get jammed up."

Mike didn't hesitate, and he didn't glance over at Alyssa this time. "I don't know about you, Alyssa," he said, glancing down at his shoes, "but I'm exhausted. I'd be glad to take you up on that."

"Alyssa?"  Alex asked hesitantly.

Alyssa rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. "Well, I can't very well row a boat by myself at night, can I? I guess I'm staying here too."

Mike leaned over toward Alex and winked. "That's her way of saying, 'Thank you.'"

Alyssa sighed loudly again and stood. She looked like she wanted to storm off, but she didn't know which way to turn. After a moment, Alex pointed to the cafeteria. "My girlfriend is in there with a few other people, if you want to go meet them. I told them you might be coming over, so it's okay."

Alyssa smiled sweetly at him. "
Thank you
," she growled, turned on her heel, and stalked off toward the cafeteria.

Alex chuckled softly. "I think she likes you, man," he said once Alyssa was safely out of earshot.

Mike grunted. "Yeah, right. You can tell by the way she's always a half step from clawing my eyes out or screaming at me."

"Yeah, pretty much," Alex said with a grin.

"You're out of your mind, and you're wrong," Mike said.

Alex waited another moment and said, "Look, I didn't want to say anything with her here. But are you sure you want to do this? Things are getting pretty bad in the city. A couple of the people with us said there are a lot of shootings and break-ins that are happening all over the place. No police, no EMS, no help at all. People are running to the refugee camps or they're just running, period."

Mike shook his head slowly, a haunted look in his eyes. "We passed a few neighborhoods up near Latta Plantation. You could smell the bodies. We looked in at a couple of houses, and it was bad."

"How do you know her sister's still there?"  Alex asked quietly. "When's the last time you saw her?"

"Three days ago," Mike answered. "I left her and made a promise that I'd be back with her sister."

Alex breathed a heavy sigh and after a moment said, "Three days is a long time."

Mike nodded and leaned his head back against the building so he could stare up at the stars. "You're right, it is. But I gave her my word."

CH.24

Over For Dinner

Levy handed Joe the last of the loops of chain they'd collected all morning. Joe wrapped the chain around the thick pine tree and hooked an old padlock through the links at either end to close the loop. They had six lengths of chain with various diameters and lengths wrapped around the tree to attach a large red metal gate that Levy had salvaged from an old dairy barn. The gate had set against the side of the old smokehouse for nearly a decade, and most of the red paint was rusted or faded by the sun. Still, the steel underneath was strong, and it was the only thing they had close at hand that was large enough and could be easily secured on both ends.

Chris and Tom used an acetylene torch to cut through an old wrist-thick towing chain and make two loops to lock on the other side where the gate swung shut. The torch made an angry sounding hiss as it cut through the steel. With the locking chains cut, and with brand-new padlocks ready, Joe tested the swing of the gate. It wasn't smooth, and it wasn't quiet, but the gate swung all the way across the driveway, the far edge just barely scraping the pine tree on the other side.

"If we ever need to get serious about shutting this," Joe said pointing to the gate, "we need to have something that we can brace against it to block it. Maybe move the old red station wagon over here from under the shelter. It's heavy enough to be a real problem pushing against it unless you have some kind of power or enough people that it won't matter."

Tom thought about it a moment, and nodded. "I like that idea, but I don't think we should do it now. If people see this thing set up like a road block, it's going to freak them out bad."

"Good point," Joe agreed. "I guess we'll go back and see what we can do to help the women folk."

"I could check the fence perimeter, if you want," Chris said hopefully, but Joe shook his head.

"Eric and Henderson are already doing that," Joe said and frowned as he checked his watch. "In fact, they should have been back by now, really."

"They're probably just taking their time and being thorough," Chris said. "Not a bad idea considering the chaos we're about to jump back in the middle of."

Levy smiled. "It's like combat, boys. Follow orders, don't hesitate, and with a little help from God we'll all get out of it breathing."

"I wish he were kidding," Chris mumbled as they made their way to the farmhouse. As soon as Beth saw them coming across the yard, she came out to meet them with a to-do list. One by one, the men were given a task and sent on their ways until only Joe and Levy were left. Levy smiled, patted him on the shoulder, and walked off in search of his own chores or with one already in mind.

"Eric and Henderson aren't back yet," Beth said, her voice low. "I don't know whether to be pissed off that they're lollygagging or worried that they could be in trouble. You think someone should go after them."

Joe shook his head. "They both have guns, and they know the signal. Someone might have gotten the drop on one of them, but not both. At least not before one of them had been able to signal us. If they were in trouble, we'd know it. And if they're lollygagging, then I'd rather let them dig their hole a little deeper. That way I can get more out of them when we finally do bust them. Besides, with them moving through the woods, it'd be tough to find them. "

Beth nodded her head, but there was still worry in her eyes. "Well, in that case, I need you to take a rag and wash out all of the white plastic chairs, then wipe down the three long tables and the square metal table. I think we're going to need all of them for the food."

"Jeez, babe, how much did you cook?"  Joe asked.

"Enough to make sure everyone gets a bite," Beth answered. "And remember, the rest of them are supposed to bring a little something too, so we'll need room for them. Now, get to work. We got a lot to get done, and people will be showing up soon."

Before Joe could respond, Beth was gone. She strode across the open lawn with purpose, looking for the next thing to take care of. Joe just shook his head and got a bucket from a stack next to the pump house. He filled the bucket about halfway with water and put a few drop of blue dish detergent and stirred the water until it was frothy with suds. He found an old rag, soaked it in the cool soapy water, and began washing down the chairs that were stacked in the sun.

The farm was a roiling mass of chaotic activity. Beth Anne and Christina were marshalling the young children with rakes in their hands. Some would rake piles of leaves and others would load the leaves into an old tobacco sheet to drag off into the edge of the woods. Imogene and Blanche were taping down plastic red and white checkered table cloths onto the long tables that someone else had just washed. Bill walked back and forth carrying various potted flowers out of the way. His face was a bit pale, but he seemed in good health otherwise. His left arm was still bandaged heavily at the shoulder, and it hung in a sling to keep him from using it. Every now and then his fingers on his left hand would twitch when he bent to pick something up, as if he almost wanted to reach out with both hands.

Joe was glad to see that his long-barreled .357 magnum hung at his right side. He'd seen Bill give a demonstration of how quickly he could draw, even one handed, and sight down on a target and it was impressive. Years of training and acquired muscle memory showed clearly in the smooth, easy motions of the draw. He might not be much good in a fist fight for a few months, but as long as he kept some distance between him and the bad guys, Bill was still a force to be reckoned with.

Joe finished the last of the chairs and started for the square metal table with his bucket of soapy water and his rag. Eric and Henderson came running full speed up the road to the hoghouse, panting and out of breath. "Where the heck have you been?"  Joe asked before either could get a word out.