Enduring the Crisis (13 page)

Tammy didn’t even want to think about how much sleep she might have had. It was not enough.

Mae wouldn’t leave Tammy alone as she pestered her about going to check on her friends the next morning.

She was in the throes of explaining to the very persistent little girl that there were more important things that needed to be done first when where was a knock on the front door upstairs. She hadn’t even brushed her teeth yet. Having someone on her doorstep only brought her anxiety. Enough time had passed since the E.M.P. that most people were running out of food. There was no word if any emergency supplies would arrive. The one thing she did expect was that people would show up on her doorstep eventually to ask for help.

Her church had already dispersed what they could and she’d overheard the rumors that lines were down the street at the huge Catholic Church down the road. A riot had started at the end of the day when they had to turn people away when there was nothing left to give. Tammy had stopped eavesdropping on the neighbors’ conversation after that when all the bloody details were shared.

Mae and Amanda were the only ones up and they looked to her as if she was supposed to know who was knocking at that early hour.

“I don’t want to answer it. I’m annoyed they are at my door so early.” Tammy pretended to look for something to eat in the cupboards.

“What if the fire spread to our street and they’re letting us know?” Mae gripped the table and her eyes widened.

“Honey, I’m sure they wouldn’t be waiting politely for us to answer if it was that.” She went to sit down with a box of cereal and a bowl.

The banging was louder and not nearly as friendly as the first knock on the door.

“How about now?” Mae asked.

Amanda clenched her jaw and sat on the edge of her chair as if she was certain there was danger waiting out there.

Tammy motioned for the girls to stay put. “I’m going to tip toe up the stairs and see who it is. If it isn’t an emergency like our house is about to catch fire, they can come back later.”

She jumped when they banged on the door again when she reached the top of the stairs. It sounded as if they might consider trying to smash the door in.

She softly crept to the door and strained to listen. There was more than one person out there. Sounded like a woman was with them too. That was a relief. It couldn’t be the gang.

She peered through the peephole. Their faces were all distorted like characters from a Dr. Seuss movie. She didn’t recognize any of them. She would probably look weird too if her nose was stretched out of proportion like all of theirs were.

“They say she has lots of food. She could feed the whole neighborhood for months. And water too. It looks like her house is all boarded up inside. She is in there. Has to be. Turned this place into a fortress.”

“Shh,” the woman whispered. “She could be listening right now.”

“So what? She should help people out. There’s people starving out here and she’s all holed up like a squirrel getting ready for winter.”

Tammy wrung her hands. She didn’t want to open the door. She didn’t want to see anyone starve either. Her neighbors had to be spreading rumors about how prepared she was. And yet not one word about what all she had already given away to help everyone. Why did the unprepared think they were so entitled? She rubbed the back of her neck. The muscles were so tight. A hot bath or even a hot pad would be really nice. Lots of wishful thinking of things she couldn’t use.

“Try again.” Someone banged on the door once more.

She chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment before she spoke.

“Stop banging on my door,” she yelled. “It’s too early to be neighborly.”

“Lady, umm. Is it Tammy? I’m sorry. We came early so not everyone would see. Can you help us?” the woman pleaded. “We have children and no help has come, the church closed their doors before we could get food and we barely made it out of there with our lives. We’re desperate.”

Tammy pressed her forehead against the door. It felt cool against her flushing skin. “I can’t open this door. I’m not going to. People have been trying to kill me too. I might be able to help a little bit.
Only
because you have children. You better not be lying to me.”

“I’m not. Believe me. I’m not.” The woman tried to look through the peephole. “Please. If I had anything to offer, I would give you something in return but we are stranded. We don’t have anything.”

“If you are stranded, where are the children? Why are all these men with you?” Tammy didn’t have a good feeling about them at all. However, people like them, desperate and at her door, they were the reason why she didn’t give all her donation food away.

“They are still sleeping at the park and there are three other women with them and my husband.”

There were so many of them. Looked like four couples, and who knew how many children. She needed to stop chewing on her cheek. It wasn’t food. “I don’t have much that I can give to feed so many. What I mean is it won’t last long.”

“We will be appreciative of whatever you have,” she said. “There are people eating squirrel. Not us. But it’s getting that bad. I think someone else tried cat last night. I just can’t do that.”

It was hard for her to see any details of the people on the other side through the little hole in the door that skewed anyone that was is in view. However, they did look as if they had worn the same clothes for days and the woman looked sunburned. She almost glowed red and it looked as if she was lighting up her front porch. But it was just the early morning sun.

“You need to leave for at least a half hour, take a walk around the block or something. I can’t have you hovering in my front yard or you’ll start a line. When you come back, I will have four boxes for your four families waiting in the plastic storage box I’m going to leave outside the fence on the side yard. Do not share with anyone where you got your supplies. Tell them a church gave it to you. There’s about ten different ones around here so that’s pretty generic and that’s where they need to go anyway. And do not return for more tomorrow. I am not the local food pantry.”

“Thank you,” the woman said with genuine relief. “The children were sobbing when they heard someone was having cat for dinner last night.”

“Yes, thank you,” one of the men said.

“Shhh,” the woman shushed him loudly.

“Please tell me something. Is there still a fire burning in that neighborhood still?” Tammy asked.

“It died down when it started to rain. Miserable night for us in the end but at least the whole neighborhood didn’t burn down.”

“Thank you. I have things to do.” She kept an eye on them to make sure they left as they were told.

“Yes, yes. Thank you.” They waved as they left her front porch.

Tammy quickly collected the things those four families needed. She also stuck tubes of sunscreen, hand sanitizer, and some small containers of lotion in the boxes for them too.

When she went into the kitchen, she stopped Amanda just as she was about to crack an egg for her breakfast. “I need those. I need to give those fresh eggs the chickens laid this morning to some families that are staying at the park.”

“How do you know they didn’t just make that up so you’d feel sorry for them?” Amanda asked, totally peeved that her mother was taking away her breakfast.

“It doesn’t matter, does it? If they are hungry, they’re hungry. It doesn’t matter if they’re telling me the truth. It is getting desperate. People are eating squirrel and cats now. Either those people find what they need to survive today or they will die. I can’t turn them away. When I could have done something and didn’t, then that accountability falls on my shoulders, doesn’t it?”

Amanda teared up. “I’m sorry. We are lucky you and Dad have been doing all this. I have taken it for granted. I still do right now. They are eating people’s pets now? I just want to stay here like it’s our little cave away from all the people and stay put till it’s over.”

“I would love to do the same. However, they can still burn our house down if they want what we have. Then we will have nothing. We are going to get out of here before things get worse. I can’t make that happen right this second though. We will need to make sure we bring everything we can and I need to figure out the safest time for us to go. Because all this, the gangs, people at our door begging, a whole block of houses burning down. It isn’t going away anytime soon.”

A tear fell down Amanda’s cheek. “I sure wish it would.”

Tammy packed up four boxes as full as she could. Some more toiletries, basic medicine, peanut butter, jelly, crackers, some cereal, water bottles, powdered milk, whatever other foods she could fit in there along with some matches, a fifty hour candle, a few small LED tea lights for the children, and a small buddy burner with extra wax and a hobo stove.

Long before the EMP, her family had created a stockpile of buddy burners with rolled cardboard and wax in a tin can and hobo stoves made out of a gallon sized aluminum cans. The girls also created and printed out a small stack of instructions during one of their family nights on how to use all the emergency supplies they had made just so they would be prepared even when those around them weren’t. At the time, most of their discussion had been about how they would probably never need to use any of those things. She stared at the instructions for the buddy burner for a long time trying to remember that time when the power was still on, they were safe, Ben was home, and it felt as if their world would stay that way forever.

Tammy cleared out the outside storage box while she let Buddy do his business and let him stretch his legs as he chased a squirrel. What a strange thought that perhaps the neighborhood squirrels would soon be gone.

A couple of mourning doves flew up from one of the neighbor’s backyards. She ducked when she heard gunfire and a fluff of feathers flew up as the dove fell to the ground.

She shook her head as she pulled the massive plastic storage box just outside the gate with the boxes already inside. She looked around to see if anyone was watching. Of course her nosy neighbor was standing on her porch and waved. Tammy gave her the briefest acknowledgment just as she shut the gate.

What should have been the easiest part of her day was not so easy after all.

“Girls, we have a big day today. People are starting to show up begging for food. We need to pack those emergency boxes so we don’t have to spend a lot of time doing them as people come. Then you need to check and go through your 72 hour kits before we start packing.”

“Wait? Why are we packing?” Charlie asked in a panic.

“We’re going to the cabin before things get worse.”

“We can’t go yet. Not until Dad comes home. I thought we’d wait for Dad.” Charlie stood and looked around the room as if she was trying to find a reason to stay.

“Look, we don’t know if Alaska is as bad as we are here, but even if it’s not, coming home is not going to be easy for him. It is going to take him lots of time if he can even leave the village.”

“Can’t we wait until we hear from him? Won’t he try and get a message to us by HAM radio?”

“If there’s one where he is and even then, communications that far away is not easy and especially more difficult with the power down and all the computers and electronics are fried.” Tammy glared at Charlie. “There’s something else. What is it?”

“Just… packing to go to the cabin is permanent isn’t it?” She clenched her fists and fought back tears.

“It is, Charlie.” Tammy folded her arms and waited for the bomb to drop.

“Let me stay here, until Dad gets here. I’ll take care of the house. No one needs to know you left me here. Then that way Dad won’t be alone on his way to the cabin.”

“You are just crazy talking. Who is it that you just can’t leave behind?” She started tapping her foot.

Charlie shook her head and blinked the tears back.

“You are not staying here. Those men are actually after you more than me. We are leaving for your safety.”

“How do you know there aren’t worse gangs waiting up in the mountains? Huh? There are crazy mountain people up there. They’ve been to our cabin before.”

“Those mountain people don’t deal with the nonsense we are dealing with here. They know us, they are as prepared as we are, and we will be taken care of.”

“I hate it up there so much.” She groaned at the ceiling. “Just a bunch of crazy preppers, end of the world types, total lunatics, and now they’re living it up I’m sure. Because they were right. You were right too. Now we all have to go live with all the righteous ones.” Charlie glared at her mother.

“It’s Landon, mom. That’s her new boyfriend.” Amanda ducked when Charlie tried to hit her.

Tammy pushed Charlie back so she wouldn’t hurt her sister. “We are packing today. You are coming. You are coming because if you don’t, you will surely become a victim of those awful men.”

Charlie’s face turned even more fiery than her hair and she started to tremble. She shoved her mother out of the way. “I’m not going anywhere until I can see him. You haven’t let me out of this house in days and I’m done waiting. I need to tell him goodbye.” She ran out the back door before anyone could stop her.

Tammy followed and stopped when she could see chasing after her daughter was pointless. The girl could run. She shook her head and suppressed her anxiety. She forced herself to stop mulling over what could happen to her daughter before she got to Landon’s house.

She drew in a big breath and was startled by Amanda standing behind her.

“He doesn’t live all that far. I could take you to his house.”

“No, it’s okay. It’s still early enough I think she’ll be okay. I’m not up to a battle with her right now. I’m sure she’ll come around or at least I’ll wait until her temper settles down. I’ll head over there in a little bit and tell them she needs to come home by dinnertime.”

“Okay.” Amanda stuffed her hands in her pockets. “Do we do boxes first?”

“Yes. I think you and Zoe can probably knock them out easily. Have Holly stack the boxes once they’re filled. That should keep the peace with you girls for a little while.” She turned to look at Mae. “I have a promise to keep with you. Let’s go see how your friend is. We’ll be back shortly. Lock yourselves in tight and don’t open the door to anyone. If more beggars show up, tell them to come back later.” She sent Mae in for her shoes. “Where does that boy live?”

“He’s on Redmond. The house with the really big tree in front and the house is all brick.”

“Oh, okay. Not a real casual way I can walk over that way with Mae wanting to head for the Edmonds’ house.”

Amanda shrugged. “I’m sure Mae would want to know her sister is safe too. She’s been crying in her sleep calling out names. She never completely wakes up. I think she’s having nightmares about awful things happening to us.”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Tammy rubbed her face.

“Because you have a lot going on already. You’ve had actual bad things happen to you and I hear you get up at night. You look more tired every day.” Amanda fiddled with the handle on the gate and wouldn’t look her mother in the eye.

She sighed. “I think I’ll sleep better when we get out of here.”

“What if we wind up trading these problems for different ones? What if it’s worse?”

“That’s a chance we are going to have to take.” She stopped talking so she wouldn’t paint an even uglier picture of how everything could continue to disintegrate in their neighborhood if they waited it out.

Mae grabbed her hand and beamed up her, with the most trusting eyes that were still eager to meet the world.

She smiled back at her daughter and felt a little better. As they walked down the street, not only could they smell smoke, they could smell garbage. The humidity that lingered in the air from the storm seemed to be holding tight to the odors that were building. When they passed by the park, there were numerous people with make-do tents and the smell there was a bit more like a port a potty toilet than anything else. It resembled what the tent city next to the homeless shelter looked like. Kids played on the equipment the way they would on any other day. The adults anxiously hovered near their children as a gang of teen boys ran through the park trying to slash the decent tents. A man pulled a gun on the one in the lead and started yelling. The parents near their children gathered them and moved away from the confrontation. A few of the fathers pulled on the man’s arm to stop him while another man stepped in to take the knives from the heathen boys.

Tammy turned Mae’s head away as they speed-walked past before anything worse happened. She caught the moment when the man with the gun slapped the teen hard upside the head. The smaller framed boy was ready to start something with the bigger brute until he was knocked on his butt. The boys scattered. A few ran in front of Tammy and were brazen enough to give Mae a shove even though her daughter was holding her hand tight. Tammy picked up a rock and was about to throw it at the boy’s back and thought better of it. Fortunately, they were gone after that.

When they reached the street that had been on fire, it wasn’t as close to her home she thought. Still, it was close enough and fire could have continued to spread. There wasn’t much left of the houses on two blocks. There was still smoke coming from the ashes and soot covered men meandered through the debris looking for hot spots.

“Is this where your friend lives?” Tammy turned to look at Mae.

Her eyes were huge from the unshed tears that magnified them. She was caught up in the scene in front of her and covered her face as she pointed at something Tammy hadn’t noticed in the middle of the road.

Blankets and sheets barely covered what was obviously bodies. A hand and foot were poking out from underneath the one that was closest to them. Tammy got a shiver and held Mae tight as she cried softly into her mother’s shirt.

She felt so weary and so helpless. Neighbors were taking care of the carnage and dealing with the death of what may have been their friends. She knew a couple of families from church that lived on that street and it was quite a swath the fire had burned out of that neighborhood. The houses that still stood were either damaged or smoke covered and probably smelled inside as if they had been on fire.

It was so silent. Just the shuffling of feet through the crunchy remnants on the ground. Soft talking and someone was weeping when another body was brought to the center of the street. At least Mae didn’t see that one. She wanted to know if the families she knew survived but it wasn’t worth exposing Mae to more trauma.

They walked home quietly and Mae squeezed her hand even tighter. “We were lucky.”

“We were lucky the wind changed and that it rained as hard as it did or I think everything would still be burning today.”

She nodded and leaned her head on Tammy’s arm as they headed for Landon’s house.

When they arrived, the boy’s mother was outside cooking on a small camp burner on her front porch. Tammy felt she should know her because Landon was at the church a few days earlier. She realized she didn’t know the woman at all.

“I don’t have anything I can share with you.” She picked up the pan and headed for the door.

“No, I’m not here to ask for food. Why aren’t you cooking in the back?”

“Because my neighbor is shooting at everything with four legs or feathers that comes near his lawn. I’m not sure if it’s really necessary but I don’t want to get shot by going over there to give him any grief over it.”

“Oh.” Tammy tried to look down the side yard past the garage but didn’t see anything. She ducked when she heard a pop.

“There he goes again.” She shook her head.

“I’m looking for my daughter.”

“What timing when she showed up. Right when I was trying to figure out what to make my family and then another mouth to feed arrives.”

“She won’t eat your food. I promise. She ate before she left the house. Don’t worry about not offering her any either. We’re doing okay. Do I need to bring her home though?”

“No. The only reason why I didn’t chase her off is my boy stopped moping. That’s all he’s done since that day. Even when his dad came home after he walked for two days and we weren’t sure if he was going to make it, the attitude never changed until she showed up.”

“Well, if she’s not bothering you. She ate plenty before she left my house so like I said, she doesn’t need to eat your food. I will let her stay for the time being. But I do need her to come home well before it gets dark if you don’t mind. And if someone could make sure she gets there safely?”

“Then one of us can get jumped when we come home alone?” She gave Tammy an incredulous look.

“I don’t mean for any harm to come to anyone. If it’s a problem, she can come with me now and you won’t need to worry.”

“We’ll make sure she gets home. My husband is a decent man and knows a young woman as pretty as her shouldn’t be out on the street alone. Especially with what’s been prowling around here lately.” She looked closer at Tammy’s nose. “Ah, you know.”

“Yes. I know.”

“She told us you and all your girls are holding down the fortress on your own.”

“Yes we are.” Tammy squeezed Mae’s hand and pressed her lips together to make sure Mae kept quiet.

She nodded in agreement to whatever was said.

“I don’t mean to be inhospitable but these are not hospitable times. This is done and they’re hungry.”

“We were on our way home.” Tammy waved as she headed for the road.

The woman nodded as she went into the house.

As they walked quietly down the street, she watched for movement near the houses, on the road, behind cars. A dog barking made her jump and Mae let out a squeal.

“Sorry, sweetie. I’m just a little jumpy.”

“Will we be safer at the cabin?”

“I sure hope so. There won’t be so many people around to worry about.”

“I don’t care what Charlie says, I like it up there.”

“I’m not sure how many adventures you will be able to go on out there this time.”

“I’m sure it will smell better than here.”

“It probably will.”

“Mom, there’s someone behind us,” Mae whispered.

“If it isn’t that momma with all the pretty girls and she doesn’t have nothin’ in her back pocket today.” That voice. It gave her a chill up her spine.

Tammy walked a little faster and pulled Mae’s arm when she tried to look back.

“Keep walking.” She looked for a stick, or a brick, or anything she could use as a weapon.

A woman sitting in a chair fanning herself on her front lawn got up rather quickly for someone of her age and hustled inside. A young boy and his friend ran and hid as they passed by.

A man that was working on hanging a piece of plywood over a broken big picture window stopped what he was doing and headed straight for the sidewalk. He rested his hand on something against his hip as he glared at Idiot boy as he kept following Tammy.

“Is that kid bothering you?” he asked.

She paused, only briefly. “Yes, sir.”

He pulled a handgun out of his holster and waved it at the man on the street. “Go home. Stop bothering the ladies and find some manners.”

The young man shouted obscenities at them as he turned around and headed the other way.

“How far do you have to go to get home?” the man asked. He was big, lots of muscle and had tattoos all up his arms.

Tammy stuttered before she regained her composure. “Around the block.”

He squinted when he looked at her face. “Who did that?”

“I don’t know who it was.” She cast her gaze to the street, suddenly embarrassed.

“You need protection?” He nodded at Mae to further make his point.

“We’ve been doing pretty good taking care of ourselves, thank you.” She rested an arm protectively on Mae’s shoulders.

“How’s that
really
working for ya?” He waved in the direction where the boy ran off. “It doesn’t have to be like that.”

She rubbed her eyes and swallowed the lump in her throat. “I have to get home. My kids are waiting.”

“I’ll just keep an eye on things to make sure you get there.”

“Please, no. It’s okay. I’ve had more than my share of male attention lately.” She waved him off as she walked as fast as she could.

Mae jogged ahead. “He’s kind of following but not really.”

“Stop looking.”