American Revenant (Book 2): Settlers and Sorrow (6 page)

Chapter 8

            The
first boat went over at mid-day, carrying Jack, Gordy, Jimmy and Sam, but very
few supplies.  They tied up at the same location as before, leaving the boat
while the four men walked to Jonathan Cambrey’s house.

            Gordy
was a little surprised to find Jonathan alive when they got to his house.  He
had felt certain that the old man would have simply lain down and died after
what he had been forced to do with his reanimated wife. 

            The
four men declined the offer of food and coffee, begging off due to the amount
of work they had to do.  Jonathan understood, and offered his home as a place to
rest if anyone needed a break.  The men were pleasantly surprised when the old
man also offered the use of his truck to help them move

            “I’ll
even drive it for you.  Might be a good thing for me to get out of this old
house for a bit,” he told them.

            The
men agreed that instead of using the jut of land where they had been tying up
the boats, they would push right up to the shore.  This put them about fifty
feet from the curve of the road where Saverton Drive became Oko Tipi Drive. By
tying the boats to a tree a few feet from the water and using a long plank they
found in Jonathan’s workshop, the unloading process would be much faster.

            It
only took a few minutes to unload the small amount of gear and supplies they
had brought on this first trip and stow it in the back of Jonathan’s Dodge.  As
they were getting into the boat to head back to the island Jimmy pointed out a
large pile of railroad ties beside the tracks.

            “I
didn’t even notice those before; there must be a hundred or more there.  They
look to be eight or nine feet long, maybe two-hundred pounds each.  They would
be great for a wall if we could get them in the ground.”

            “Yeah,
they would be,” Sam agreed, “if we could put up something like a palisade wall
with those it would be able to withstand quite a bit of punishment.”

            Raising
their voices to be heard above the wind, waves and roar of the motor, they
continued to discuss the palisade wall idea on the way back to the island.

            “How
would we get them in the ground, and right up against each other?  Digging post
holes would take forever,” Jimmy shouted.

            Jack
thought for a moment then said, “What about a ditch?  Dig a ditch about a foot
wide, maybe three feet deep so that we get them in the ground securely.  We
drop each tie in, pack dirt in any gaps and keep going down the line like
that.  A couple of guys with shovels could do a ditch like that pretty easily.”

            As
Jimmy guided the boat back into the inlet Sam said, “We should at least think
about it, for the long term.”  Everyone nodded, agreeing that it was worth
contemplation.

            When
they were back with the group, Gordy pulled everyone together, even those who
were on watch, to explain to them the change in plans.  Because they were going
to tie off at the shore right below the road up to the Camp, and using
Jonathan’s truck, they may be able to get everything moved today.

            With
six or seven hours of daylight left it was very possible that they could have
all gear and people ferried across and unloaded before nightfall.  Everyone was
excited about going to the new camp, some for the adventure of it, others
because they were already tired of sleeping outside.

****

            Five
hours and a few aching backs later the group unloaded the last of the supplies
from the final pontoon boat.  Everyone had formed a line, passing buckets and
boxes across the railroad tracks, all the way to the last man who loaded each
into the bed of the pickup-truck.

            Once
the bed of the truck was full two people would hop up onto the truck’s
tailgate, and Jonathan would drive up to the main house of the new Camp.  Two
people would be waiting there, and the four would unload everything, placing it
on the ground.  The two that had been waiting would go back down to the
unloading line on the truck. The two that had come up with the truck would
stay, take everything that had just been unloaded and place it inside the
gathering hall.

            Everyone
was pleasantly exhausted from the long day, and gladly accepted when Jonathan
offered to provide that evenings meal. 

            Inside
the house, Jonathan hustled back and forth across his kitchen, getting out his
largest stock pot, setting spices out on the counter by the stove, getting a
pot of coffee brewing on a back burner. 

            He
refused all offers of assistance, entreating his guests to rest themselves. 
Only once did he ask for any help.

            “Gonna
take me a bit to remember everyone’s names, so forgive me if I have to ask. 
What’s your name again, son?”

            “Jack,
sir, Jack Addams.”

            “Enough
with that ‘sir’ business, you all call me Jonathan.  That goes for everyone,”
he said, looking around the room, “even the youngsters.”

            “Yes,
sir, uh, Jonathan,” Jack said with a smile.

            “Would
you mind giving me a hand bringing a few things up from the basement?  Too many
trips up and down those steps will play the devil on my knees.”

            “Sure,
happy to help.”  Jack followed Jonathan and his flashlight down the basement
steps.

            Directing
the light at a wooden crate sitting next to the foot of the steps, Jonathan
said, “Grab that box, and follow me.”

            Jack
followed, and found himself to be impressed by the multitude of jars filling
nearly every shelf in the cool darkness.  Shelf after shelf was packed tightly
with jars of every size. Though it was dark, he saw countless jars of green
beans, various liquids, jams and jellies, as the light passed over them. 

            As
they moved along the rows of shelves Jonathan would take a jar or two down from
a shelf and place it in the box.  At each stop Jonathan would hold the light
steady for a moment, allowing Jack to see that each shelf was neatly labeled,
and well organized.  The basement full of preserved foods was more than a
hobby; it was a labor of love.

            Taking
two jars from a shelf labeled ‘venison’ and placing them in the crate Jonathan
said, “This was my wife Martha’s handiwork here.  That woman loved canning. 
For all the jars you see here, Jack, we gave away probably three times this
much, at least.  Wasn’t a family in ten miles that didn’t have something my Martha
had canned on their shelves.”

            Jonathan
hesitated a moment, then took one more jar of the venison down, carrying it
with him.  “I think that should be plenty.  How’s venison and vegetable soup
sound to you, Jack?”

            Jack’s
mouth began to water almost instantly.  He was afraid to speak for fear of
drooling on himself like an idiot. Swallowing first, Jack said, “Sounds great
to me.”

            “Well,
come on then; let’s get this to cooking.”

            It
wasn’t long before the house began to fill up with the wonderful smell of hot
soup boiling on the stove.  The rich smell of the venison, along with the earthy
scent of the vegetables and savory spices, had salivary glands working overtime
for the entire group.  A quiet sigh of released anticipation swept through the
crowed house when Jonathan finally announced that the soup was ready.

            The
children were served and seated at the kitchen table, each of them hovering
over their bowl, dipping a slice of bread into the steaming broth.

            The
adults took bowls and bread into the dining room, the eight chairs around the
table filling quickly.  Those without a seat stood or sat on the floor.  Other
than the sounds of hungry people eating, the house was quite.  The food and the
relief of four safe walls brought comfort to the forlorn group.  The family of
survivors, though they didn’t know it, brought that same comfort to an old man
who had just that morning considered lying down in the grass beside his wife’s
grave with his old pistol.

            With
dinner done, and the dishes cleaned and put away, many of the group began to
doze off wherever they found a comfortable spot. 

            Jonathan
joined those that had made their way to the front porch, bringing with him a
bottle.  He handed the bottle to Calvin, who was sitting in the glider swing. 
“Scoot over there a bit, son.”

            Calvin
made room for the man, and took a closer look at the bottle.  “Twelve year old
scotch, very nice,” he said, pulling the cork from the bottle.

            Jonathan
chuckled at Calvin’s observation.  “That was twelve year old scotch fourteen
years ago.  I might take a nip from it every once in a great while, if I’m
having trouble sleeping.  Someone, can’t remember who, gave that to me as a
fortieth anniversary gift.  If you folks don’t mind just sharing the bottle,
pass it around.”

            “I
know you have all your things up at the Camp, but you all are welcome to sleep
here for the night.”

            Gordy,
who had been sitting on the top step, stood up and looked in the front window. 
He could see several people already asleep on the floor and the thick cushioned
couch.  “I’m not sure I could wake those that are already asleep.  Thank you,
Jonathan; I believe we’ll take you up on that offer.”

Chapter 9

            Early
the next morning, after a light breakfast, with coffee in hand, Jonathan, Gordy
and Calvin walked down to Jonathan’s work shop.  Jonathan had offered the use
of any of his tools and equipment to help the group set up their new home. 
They were going to see what equipment he had, and whether it would be useful to
them or not.

            Inside
the shed, Gordy pointed out the large older lawn mower, wondering aloud if it
would even run. 

            “You
read up on the EMP effects a lot more than I did, Dad.  I thought something
like that wouldn’t even run after that.”

            “I’m
not entirely certain, but I think basic motors would run, but any electronic
starting devices would get burned out.  That thing is a pull start, so no
starter to fry.  Kind of the same thing with the older vehicles, the systems
are very basic.  We might find some vehicles that won’t start simply because
the ignition switch is toast.”

            “So,
we might be able to use chainsaws, lawnmowers, maybe even a generator?  That
would be awesome.”

            “I’ve
got a genny in here, old sucker, bought it new shortly after Martha and I
bought our first house, oh, about 1972 or so.  Haven’t had a need for it in
ages, probably needs a good cleaning before it would even run.  I think I put a
cover over it and slid it up under the bench there.”

            Calvin
got down on hands and knees, peering under the workbench.  He pulled out a
small canvas covered object and stood up. 

            “Yep,
that’s it,” Jonathan said as he pulled the old piece of canvas tarp off.  It
was a dull red, Sears’s 1100 watt pull start generator. 

            “That’s
pretty cool,” Calvin said, reaching for the starter cord.

            “Let’s
leave it for the moment,” Gordy told him.  “We should probably clean it up, oil
it a bit before we try to start it.”

            They
looked at all of the hand tools, seeing they that they would be able to put
most of everything to use at some point.  In their searching they even found a
short blade chainsaw that Jonathan used for cutting small trees and brush. 
They were overjoyed when it started up with just a few pulls.

            Once
they had gone over everything else, the three men converged on the large riding
lawnmower or ‘lawn tractor” as Jonathan liked to call it.  They looked it over,
checking that it had both fuel and oil before attempting to start it. 

            Cal
climbed up and sat down in the worn and patched seat.  After checking to make
sure it wasn’t in gear he told Gordy to give it a pull.  The engine sputtered
but did not start on the first few pulls.  Though the men were prepared to live
without it, they knew having this machine running would make securing the camp
much easier.

            Calvin
climbed off, taking the pull rope from his father.  He reached forward, reset
the choke and gave the cord one good hard pull, nearly falling over in the
process. 

            The
engine coughed to life with an unsteady rumbling.  “Doesn’t sound bad,” Gordy
told the other two men.  “Has it always run like that, like it has a miss in it?”

            “No,
can’t say it did.  I kept it tuned up pretty good, and if I ever had trouble
with it I took it to Jack Humbell.  That man did fine work with any kind of
motor.”

            “Well,
Sam has always been pretty good with fixing these kinds of things,” Cal
offered, “Maybe we should let him take a look at it.”

            “Yeah,
we can do that.  Jonathan, does that little trench digging attachment work?”

            “It
did the last time I used it, about three years ago.  You bolt it up to the same
holes as the blade would go, connect that line there and use that little lever
to operate it,” He told them, pointing out each item as he said it.

            Gordy
looked at Cal, “We could use that to dig a trench for the palisade wall your
brother was talking about.  The work would go quickly, and having that wall
would be a huge relief to everyone.  I would bet we could have it done in a few
weeks.”

            “When
we use up the railroad ties when can just use the trees we’ll have to cut down
for the rest of the wall.  I think it’s a great idea, Dad.  With the little
chainsaw and the trencher, I think you’re right, a few weeks and we have a
wall.”

            Pleased
with what they had found, the men went back to the house to share the
information with the rest of the group.  The use of Jonathan’s equipment and
tools, and the news that building their security wall would be far easier than
they had initially planned buoyed everyone’s spirits. 

            “Before
we all get to work up at the Camp, I need to talk about something.  Getting set
up and secure in this new place is going to be hard work.  Life itself is going
to be hard work for the foreseeable future.  Everyone needs to get used to that
idea very quickly.  We have the use of tools that will make what we have to do
easier, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy.

            “As
much as we would like to simply wall ourselves off from the rest of the world,
we can’t.  Teams will have to be sent out into Saverton, to clear homes, making
sure there are no undead walking around out there, as well as looking for
survivors and supplies.  Safety and security always come at a risk, though we
will work to minimize that risk as much as we can.

            “Eventually
we’re going to have to send people back to Hannibal or even further away, to
find supplies like medicines and things that we can’t make for ourselves. 
Eventually we hope to be self-sufficient, but that time may be a long way down
a very hard road.”

            Dean
lay on the couch, listening to his father and hating that he wouldn’t be able
to help with the early work at the Camp.  Even if he wasn’t in constant pain,
he knew his mother would never let him help with all of the hard work that
would be involved, out of worry that he would aggravate his wounds.

            With
half his face still bandaged and his arm tied up in a sling he also knew he
wouldn’t be much help, but he wanted to be part of it.

            “Alright
everyone, let’s neaten this house up before we go.  Then we can all head up to
the Camp and get to work.”