The Emerald Virus (22 page)

  
  Mel said, “You can’t do more than that.

    
“Now it’s time for you to take this gear home. The trailers are in the
courthouse parking lot. We’ll need to hook up the freezer compartment trailer
to the RV. We’ve hooked up the horse trailer to an extra pickup truck just so
you can get it home a little easier. Don’t worry about the trucks; no one will need
them anytime soon.

    
“We finished stocking the freezer last night so the motor has been running
since then. We’ll run the cables to the RV once we hook it up so it can run off
its own generator or off the one in the RV.  You’ll need to run the engine on
the RV for about an hour a day to keep the batteries charged enough to run the
generator. The winter weather will really help. The colder it is outside the
less you’ll need to run the freezer motor. Of course you’ll need to run the
furnace more. You should fill all your diesel tanks when you settle in at your
winter camp.

    
“You won’t have enough fuel to last the winter no matter where you end up.
That’s one of the reasons we included the snowmobile. You will need to find
diesel fuel somewhere and transport it to the RV. You’ll see that we included a
sled for the snowmobile and it has a fifty gallon drum secured sideways on it,
along with an electric siphon pump. All you’ll have to do is find any diesel
fueled vehicle and siphon the fuel from the tank to the drum. Of course if you
were near a gas station that would be best. We’ve also included a heavy duty
snow blower; you may have to move a lot of snow to get to the fuel.”

    
They drove home with Sam in the RV, Will in his pickup truck and Ned in the
pickup truck with the horse trailer.

    
As they sat around the living room that evening they went over the inventory of
goods that the town had included in the vehicles. Every item was listed along
with a description of its location. Sam was more than impressed by the thought
that had gone into preparing the vehicles, and the inventory.

    
She said, “I can’t think of anything they left out, even female only stuff is
included. That must have been added after Ned talked with Mel yesterday
morning. Everything on the list has a reason for being there. I’m really
impressed.”

    
Ned said, “I am too. But I’m worried about the fuel problem. If you end up in
the high country you’ll need access to fuel, and it’s scarce in those parts. I
think you need to make that your first priority once you settle on your camp.
It would be great if you could find a fuel source nearby.”

    
Will said, “I agree with that, but maybe you’ll get lucky Sam. If you can get
to the Yellowstone hot springs, there is a filling station near the main lodge
and it carries diesel fuel. I know because I’ve filled my truck there. Do you
have any idea what the snowfall has been in the park?”

    
“I checked the web earlier. The park is closed now just like it is each year.
But the town of West Yellowstone has only recorded about two feet of snow so
far.  That’s where I plan on entering the park since that’s the closest
entrance to the hot springs area. It’s also the lowest part of the park so I
won’t have any major passes to deal with. It is out of the way, but if I try
the north entrance I could get snowed in even before I get to the park. The
roads to the west entrance should be more accessible.

    
“There is a state D.O.T. site in West Yellowstone, so if I can get there I
should be able to use one of the state’s snow trucks to clear the road to the
hot springs. If I remember right it’s only about twenty-five miles from the
town to the springs.

    
“I think it’s critical for me to get there not only for myself but for Steel as
well. I hate the thought of him spending most of his days in that horse
trailer, even if it is heated. If I can get to the springs he can graze around
them all winter long, and we can exercise together during good weather.”

    
“You two have both been quiet about Ben. It’s time to talk about him and I need
your honest opinions.”

    
Will spoke first and said, “I have to tell you, I like what I’ve seen to this
point. He seems like a good young man, but the problem is that first
impressions may not be good enough. Spending a winter in isolation with him is
a lot different than having coffee with him.”

    
Ned looked up and said, “I made some calls on my cell on the drive back here. I
called a couple of my old teachers at the high school and asked them about Ben.
Two of them know him pretty well, and they both spoke highly of him. One talked
about what a good student he was, especially in math and science. The other
talked about his love of history. They both thought he was polite and
respectful, although they both said he was a little on the reserved side. Not
out of being shy, but just quiet by nature. He talked only when he could add
something. Those are good recommendations, but from two people that see him
from only one perspective. I wish I knew one of his neighbors who might know
him from a different perspective.”

    
Sam said, “Mel called me on the way home and said he was calling to test my
cell phone since he wanted to register the number on the survivor web site. While
we were talking he said that he had spoken to a number of people he had known
all of his life who would vouch for Ben. He’s never been in trouble and he’s
always worked, even during school, and he is one of the more polite young
people around.”

    
Will said, “He’s sounding better all the time. You must have liked him right
off the bat for you to have invited him and his grandfather to coffee.”

    
“I did, I liked his easy manner even though he had every right to be nervous. If
he had been cocky or sullen I wouldn’t have made the offer. I liked him even
more after we talked for a while. I’m glad to hear only good things about him.
I’ll have coffee and a frank conversation with him in the morning, and if that
works out alright I’ll offer to partner with him. Of course he’ll have to agree
to winter in Yellowstone; if he doesn’t we’ll just have to go our separate
ways.”

    
The next morning Sam met Ben for coffee as planned. After greeting Ben she
asked a lot of questions and for every answer Ben gave she gave a corresponding
answer of her own. It was an easy conversation and Sam decided Ben was the kind
of person she would get along with.

     
She then asked, “What are you thinking of in terms of your first stop?”

    
“Pop, that’s what I call my grandfather, Pop. Anyway, Pop and I have been
talking about a number of options. After seeing the weight of the vehicles the
town prepared for us the options have gotten smaller. I don’t want to go east
and we don’t think I should try to cross the mountains until spring. Pop has a
friend with a cabin on the Madison River south of Deer lodge. He thinks that’s
my best bet. It’s an area I’ve been to a couple of times on fishing trips with
Pop and I know it pretty well. The cabin is nice and I wouldn’t mind spending
the winter there. It’s heated by firewood only but there is plenty available.
How about you, what are you considering?”

    
“I’m thinking of trying to get to the hot springs area of Yellowstone. I
thought it would make an easier winter for both me and the horses. Have you
thought about that at all?”

    
“Yeah, we talked about it but Pop thought it would be snowed in by now.”

    
“I agree it might be, but it might not be. I’ve been thinking about using a
D.O.T. snowplow to clear the road if it isn’t too bad. That would be kind of
tough for one person but having two people working together would make the job
a lot easier. Would you consider teaming up with me and giving that a try?”

    
Ben could hardly keep from smiling, “I’d like that. When I first heard about
another survivor here I wasn’t too excited and neither was Pop. Then after
meeting you yesterday I decided it might be okay. After spending this last hour
with you I was starting to get nervous thinking you might want to go it alone.”

    
Sam smiled at him and said, “I feel the same way. We should make a good team. I
can outwork most men and I think hard work is going to be the difference
between those survivors who do well and those that don’t.”

    
“I agree, and I’ve never been afraid of hard work myself.

    
“Pop said if it came to this that he would like to talk with you. Do you have
time to visit him at his shop?”

    
“Sure I do. I saw you park next to my truck so I’ll follow you over.”

    
 Ben unlocked the front door to the shop and relocked it after they had
entered. As they entered Wiley looked up and smiled and said, “I guess this
means the two of you are going to work together. I’m glad to hear that. You’re
going to have a tough life under the best of conditions and being alone would
only make it harder. I’m glad you two think you would make a good team.”

    
Wiley looked at Sam and asked, “Sam have you thought about where to winter? I
have a friend with a cozy cabin in the southern part of the state. Did Ben tell
you about it?”

    
“Yes he did. We also talked about going on to Yellowstone from there and wintering
in the hot springs area if the roads are passable. Ben agreed to give that a
try, and if it doesn’t work we can use the cabin. The other thing I like about
the cabin is that we’ll have a place to cache the RVs and the trailers if we
want to. That would make checking out and even clearing the roads easier for
us.”

    
“That makes good sense to me.”

    
While Wiley was talking they had followed him through a doorway into the back
of the shop. They had entered a neat and clean workroom. The room was brightly
lit with a white linoleum floor, a white ceiling and bright yellow walls. Along
the full length of the back wall a workbench had been built and the entire
length of the wall above the workbench was covered with cupboards and cubby
holes. The shelves underneath the workbench were full of unusual looking tools.
Sam realized she was looking at the workroom of a specialized craftsman and her
respect for Wiley jumped a notch. She was also impressed with the computer work
station built into the end of the workbench. Wiley had obviously joined the
modern west.

    
Wiley said, “I do a lot of custom work here for my customers. I’ve always loved
this part of my job. The actual store is just a necessary piece. I have a
couple of things for you to add to your RVs. One of them is a specialized sniper
rifle. Ben, help me with this box please.”

    
 He grabbed the handle on one end of a wooden box and Ben took the other and
they lifted the box onto the workbench. Wiley then used a small pry bar to open
the box. As he did so he said, “A friend of mine commandeered this rifle when I
told him about Ben being a survivor. He also brought seven hundred rounds of
ammunition and ten extra clips. That’s all there is so when that’s gone you can
throw the rifle away.

    
“It’s called a ZR-50 and my friend calls it the best prototype he’s ever seen.
It’s a fifty caliber sniper gun that shoots a five round clip and is almost
recoilless. The barrel actually recoils into a compression chamber in the stock
so you don’t have to be a huge guy to be able to absorb the shock of firing it.
In the right hands this can do damage at up to two miles. By damage I mean it
can pierce the engine block of a vehicle at that range.

    
“There aren’t but a handful of shooters in the world who can shoot at that
range and I don’t recommend you wasting ammunition by doing so. But Ben has
been shooting his entire life and he’s a good marksman. Better than me. If you
have to use this I’d recommend Ben shoot it at a range of up to a mile. I don’t
know if you’ll ever need a gun like this but if you do this is the best.

    
“I’ll show Ben how to shoot it and how to break it down to clean it. It also
has a pretty good manual that came with it.

    
“There isn’t a lot more I can offer you except for these envelopes. I’ve called
a couple of friends of mine who have gun shops in the southern part of the
state. They’ve told me how to get into their shops and how to get into their
gun safes. All the information you need is in these envelopes. If you need
additional ammunition this is the best way to get it. Almost all dealers keep
the ammunition locked up and those safes are almost impossible to open without
the combination so I hope this will help you.

    
“I mention this because I want the two of you to practice shooting both the
rifles and the handguns all winter long. Pick up the extra ammunition as you
pass by these places and use it all. By spring I want you to both be at the
professional level with all of your weapons. You’ll be living in a world
without laws and you have to be able to protect yourselves. Sam, I’m going to
include some extras for you and Ben that I’ll put in Ben’s RV. Small stuff like
decent holsters, back up pistols, hearing protection, gun oil and the like.”

    
Sam said, “Thank you Mr. Mason, Ben and I will appreciate anything you can do
to help us. Is there anything I can do to help you?”

    
“You’ve already done all you can for me. The fact that you’re taking Ben with
you means the world to me. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe Ben needs any
looking after. He is as capable as any young man I know, but the fact that he’s
going to be with someone like you does me good. You see, I did some checking
around about you yesterday and I liked everything I heard. I think the two of
you are going to be a good team.”