The China Pandemic (16 page)

“Sit down, Tala,” Graham said, noticing how frail she looked as she leaned against the dining table.

“I wish I could do something,” she said. “I should be cooking breakfast.”

“Another time. I’ve got it under control,” he said. He filled a glass of water and took her some meds as well as a few crackers.

“Macy,” Tala said as the girl came into the kitchen area of the big room, “would you happen to have a hairband I could borrow?”

“Sure,” Macy said, hurried away and returned with one. She swept her gaze over Tala. “You look kind of weak. Want me to braid your hair for you?”

“Yes, that would be so nice. You’re a sweet girl to offer.” Tala’s relief and gratitude sounded genuine. She must be even in worse shape that he’d imagined, Graham thought, if even the effort of braiding her own hair was too great a task for her strength.

He’d have to make sure she rested. He did not want her to get any sicker.

While he prepared breakfast, he watched Macy separate Tala’s raven black tresses and begin the familiar ritual. He saw Tala close her eyes, obviously taking comfort and maybe even pleasure in the process. Macy tied the long braid off with a pink band she’d brought and said, “There you go, I love your hair.”

“Thank you, Macy.” Tala fingered the thick braid. “You did a nice job. How’s your sister doing?”

“She’s okay, it was just a nightmare. Our mom and dad both died.” Maybe saying it out loud somehow made it real to her.

Tala reached out and held Macy’s hand. “I know, dear. All of my family died too. You’re lucky to have your sister, you know?”

Graham saw Macy’s chin tremble and quickly spoke. “Thankfully, we all have one another here,” he said, hoping to put a bit of optimism into the room.

Tala pulled Macy close, hugging her. “Graham’s right. Just the smell of what he’s cooking makes me feel thankful.” It seemed the aroma from Graham’s creation brought the other children out of the bunkroom and woke Ennis up too.

“Macy, can you help me dish this up?” he asked, tapping the cupboard where the bowls and plates were kept. With his other hand, he reached into a drawer for cutlery.

They all dove into the hearty breakfast, commenting on how good it tasted, never asking what the mystery meat was, but when Tala gave him a little wink from across the table, he knew she’d guessed.

~ ~ ~

“All right, gang, before we clean up, let’s talk about a few things,” Graham said.

“Tala, what was your job pre-pandemic?” he asked.

“I taught first grade. Not a skill that will help us here, I’m afraid,” she said.

“And Ennis, you were a policeman?”

“Yeah, but that was over twenty years ago in Seattle,” Ennis said.

“Can you still shoot?” Graham asked him.

“Maybe,” Ennis answered doubtfully.

Tala spoke up. “I can shoot. My dad made sure we all knew how,” she issued a sad sigh.

Bang walked away from the table while the conversation continued and returned shortly after with his bow and arrow for all to see.

“Boy, can you shoot that little thing?” Ennis asked him.

Bang was a bit afraid of the old man and nodded, then looked down.

“He’s pretty good at it. He got a coyote that tried to sneak up on us,” Graham said. “The girls here were armed with a ruler and an ice scraper when we first met them,” he added, poking a little fun at them.

“We didn’t have anything else,” Marcy said tersely.

“Well, that’s the problem I’m getting to,” Graham said.

He explained to them all about the new number one rule, “No one leaves the cabin without either being armed or with someone who is. Understood?” he said. “Right now, we have five rifles and two pistols between us. Later, we’ll try to find more,” he said.

“Tala, you know how to fire your piece?”

“Yes, my husband bought it for me and we practiced at least one weekend a month,” she said.

Graham nodded, and then looked over to Ennis. “Do you think you can handle her rifle?” he asked. “I mean, when it’s loaded?”

Tala spoke up, “I have shells for it. It was my husband’s rifle.” She sound a little embarrassed.

Graham looked over at the old man and repeated his earlier question, “Can you handle a rifle?” he asked.

“I can handle it,” Ennis spoke a little gruffly, making the girls jump.

“All right, then, I’ll get it ready for you. We can’t afford any accidents,” he said.

“That leaves one pistol and three rifles,” Graham said, and looked at the girls.

“I want the pistol,” Macy said.

“I don’t think you can handle the Garand, Marcy, so that leaves Campos’s rifle. Do you think you can work it? I’ll show you how,” he asked her.

“I don’t want it. It was his,” Marcy said, remembering.

“Marcy, look at me. It’s ours now and you need to learn how to use it,” Graham said.

“I’m not touching it.” Her tone offered no possibility she’d be persuaded otherwise.

“I’ll learn how, Graham, if you show me. Then she can have mine,” Macy said.

“No,” Marcy said to her sister.

“You have to learn how,” Graham said, and Tala reached over and placed her hand on Graham’s arm, stilling his next comment.

“Marcy, how would you like it if I taught you how to use my pistol? It’s lighter. I’ll take the other rifle.”

“That’s a good idea,” Ennis said, trying to put in his two cents.

Graham thought it was kind of Tala to offer and could see now she would be a great asset with the girls. They were fifteen and though they’d gotten along fine so far, he knew Marcy’s attitude could be a problem.

The next subject he brought up was cabin security and daily routines, and who would be responsible for which daily chores to keep things livable. Someone would always remain behind in the cabin to guard their supplies. They also decided, as a group, that any thoughts or concerns would be discussed at the evening meal. When they both felt better, Tala and Marcy would be in charge of meal preparation and food rationing. The rest would go on daily hunts and scavenging trips. Graham expressed his concern for the need to get enough supplies in before the coming winter snow took hold. It could be a long and lean winter, he warned them all.

“What do we do if we see other people and what about the boy we saw?’ Macy asked.

“We shoot ’em,” Ennis said.

“No, listen,” Graham said with a quick shake of his head at Ennis, “That’s a good question, Macy, and brings up another topic we should discuss. I heard a public announcement on the radio on our way here last night. It seems there are possibly Preppers that managed to stay away from the public and haven’t been exposed yet. If they are exposed to us, they will catch the virus and die. I don’t want to be responsible for that. So, I suggest if you come across anyone, you keep your distance, not only for their sake, but also for yours. They might not be friendly. You just don’t know. Hide out and let one of us know as soon as you can. Do not approach them. Is that understood?” he said, and emulated his own father’s voice to get his point across, though he knew Marcy didn’t need to be told this.

“As for the teen we saw”—Graham explained to Tala and Ennis their encounter with the boy—“we never got that close to him, so I don’t know if he was part of a Prepper group or not, but if I had to guess, he’s a carrier, like the rest of us. If he shows up, we will deal with it when the time comes.”

“Now, first things first. Medical care and after that, you girls stock the pantry and Tala, lie down and rest. Ennis, Bang and I will go down to the lake and see what the fishing is like. Hopefully, we will catch a few for dinner. Then we need to get some target practice in,” Graham said.

“We also need to make a list of meals that we can create out of our supplies.” Tala said. “Graham, I think you and Ennis and I can do with two meals a day, for now. Growing ones need a little more—or at least at more frequent intervals.”

“We can do with two a day,” Macy said. “Can’t we, Marce?”

“Sure.”

“You’re both pretty underweight,” Tala objected. Graham backed her up.

“You and Bang get three meals until we see how things go.”

“Fine. Now, Tala,” Graham went on, “back to the couch. I’ll get you a paper and pencil and the girls can call out to you what supplies we have so you can start planning meals. We can do this if we work together.”

The twins looked eager to help out. “Make sure she doesn’t do too much with that fever up again,” he went on. “If you get too tired, take a nap, Tala. We’re going to need you healthy and well.”

They all got up from the old table and went about their plans for the day. None of them needed to be told that their days would be filled with work to survive, child or not. Graham checked the woodpile on his way out to the shed for the fishing poles and knew he had a daily chore ahead of him each evening.

In a few days, he decided they’d try to go into town and scavenge for more winter clothing and any food supplies they could find. Right now, he thought they all needed a break, including himself. Having them all walking around in a daze of exhaustion could only be dangerous. They needed a little time to get over the shock of the way things were now, though he wasn’t sure he ever would.

He so very much wished his father were here to tell him what to do and alert him to dangers he could not foresee. He knew there were many, and felt very ill prepared to have so much responsibility resting on his shoulders.

The axe fell again with another thud onto the pine wood log. Graham noticed a bead of sweat now dripped off the end of his nose. He removed his shirt to keep the laundry down. The afternoon had been warm for this time of the year, but Graham preferred it to the chilly autumn winds that were the norm.

He took advantage of it from dawn till dusk to get as much outside work done as possible. He felt like he was in a race as much as the squirrels were collecting nuts, he too was trying to outrun the coming winter.

They had fished for several days now with a decent haul and even shot a brown-eyed buck with chestnut fur. The ladies proved very efficient in breaking down the meat. Tala taught the girls everything from domestic affairs to proper handgun safety and they were willing students.

She had drawn up a design for a smokehouse, like the one her father had. The men made quick work out of the wood scraps to put it together. The meat that did not fit the tiny freezer made its way into the smoker.

Macy turned out to be quite a good shot with the pistol, and Ennis devised a harness out of the seatbelts in Tala’s Escort to fit the girl’s small frame, so she and Tala were armed wherever they went.

In fact, Ennis turned out to have quite a few useful skills. He could fish with the patience of a saint, when he finally made his way down the long narrow trail between the pines to the lake below, and often took the boy to teach him all his tricks. Ennis carried a pocketknife and showed the boy how to whittle more arrows from soft pine branches and he made him a quiver to hold them all as well. Bang used his newly acquired knife and watched the old man intently to learn and carve his own arrows. In the evenings, Ennis was often observed sitting by the wood stove in what was now ‘his’ chair, working on what Graham thought must be a larger bow for the boy.

Tala’s fever subsided and her strength grew a little every day. She knew the children needed her. She had found a new purpose in them. She had told Graham quietly that if it had not been for them, she would not have made the effort. Marcy had confided in her the events that took place with Campos and though Tala was thankful nothing more happened to the girl, she understood why the child was disturbed by the incident.

Smiling, she explained to him that while the twins were physically identical, their expressions and natures revealed quite separate identities. Where Marcy was obstinate and bossy at times, Macy was obedient and brave. They each carried themselves differently, and because of that, they were easy to tell apart.

Bang, on the other hand, was very quiet and quite shy of Tala. Graham told her about how he came to be with the boy. “He feels closer to you, and for good reason,” she said during that conversation. “Also, I might remind him too much of his mother. Poor little guy. He’s lucky to have you.”

“I’m lucky to have him.”

“Even when you’re so exhausted you can hardly move?” Tala asked him. “You still feel like that when he nudges you to take the time to play with him?”

“Yeah.” Graham smiled. “Even then. Maybe, especially then. It’s good to be reminded kids haven’t changed their basic natures and their needs remain the same.”

No one ever made conditions on the bunkroom. They just naturally separated into the boys’ section on the right and the girls’ on the left. Likewise, it was with the rest of the home. If something needed to be done, one of them would just pitch in without being asked or told.

Graham often wished Bang could grow up a few years, all of a sudden. He, being the only abled-bodied male around, found life difficult as the days went by. He finally decided that Macy would have to give up domestic life and help him chop wood as he swung the axe once more into the log with a thud.

Tonight, he thought he would bring it up along with their scavenging trip into town. He could hear old Ennis and the boy coming up the trail with Sheriff. They were toting a string of what looked like perch and bass, and not surprisingly, Bang came running up holding a rabbit by the ears. Dinner would be good again tonight. It was nice that the old man could do the fishing right now, because come colder weather, Graham didn’t think he’d be able to stray far from the cabin’s warmth to hunt. At least this gave him more time to get things done before the snowfall.

“Looks like a nice haul, guys,” Graham said as he wiped the sweat from his face with his shirt. Bang beamed at the praise.

“He done it all. That boy’s a natural huntsman,” Ennis said.

“I only caught one of the fish,” Bang corrected him.

Ennis stared at Graham, “You got to get some help with that.” He pointed to the woodpile. “You can’t do it all by yourself,” he said and added, “you’ll kill yourself doin’ that. What good you be then?”

“I know, Ennis, I was just thinking the same thing,” Graham said, and put up a sweaty hand to stop Ennis’s lecture. “We’ll talk about it at dinner.” Then he split the block of wood into two pieces and tossed them onto the pile behind him.

After Ennis and the boy went to clean their catch, Macy emerged from the doorway and brought a glass of water to him. “Tala said, you need to drink this,” she said.

“Thanks, Macy,” he said. “What are you doing in there?” he asked.

“Tala and Marcy are doing the laundry and I just finished packing the last of the smoked deer meat, like you showed me.”

“That’s great, kiddo. Do you think you could work outside with me for a while?” he asked her.

She looked at the woodpile. “Working inside all day drives me crazy. I’d love to help you.”

“Great, help me stack this wood and I’ll even teach you how to handle the axe,” he said happily and pulled up several blocks he’d cut from a downed tree with a chainsaw from the shed. Graham showed her how to alternate the stacks and though they didn’t have any gloves that would fit her small hands, she didn’t complain at the splinters she got.

As she tossed another chunk onto the pile, Graham heard the loud single shot from behind the cabin. He grabbed his weapon, Macy pulled hers and they ran.

By the time they had arrived, they saw a cougar still lying partly on the boy. Had Ennis hesitated, Bang would surely be dead now. The big cat had sprung on the boy and pinned him face forward to the ground. Ennis simply raised the rifle and shot it in the chest, dropping it instantly.

“Oh, shit!” Graham said, and reached down to pull the boy, who struggled from the weight of the cat, to climb out from beneath it.

“Damned cat. I hate cats,” said Ennis, spitting mad.

By that time, the ladies in the house had come around the corner, with fearful expressions. Their eyes went wide as they saw for themselves what had taken place.

Bang had several deep scratches on his back and skull, though nothing more serious than fright. Graham pulled him up and the boy buried his head into Graham’s neck, trying not to cry. “It’s okay, Bang. You’re all right,” he said and held him tightly, trying to convince himself as well. He and the boy had come a long way together.

Tala came up and patted him. “Let’s get you cleaned up, Bang,” she said and Graham handed him over to her. She held his hand and took him inside to tend to his wounds both inside and out.

The others stared down at the massive cat and Macy broke the silence first. “Can we eat it?” she asked.

Graham, who was holding his hand over his heart trying to calm its beating, burst into laughter at the practical question, and after a moment, so did the old man and girls.

“God, that was lucky, Ennis. Good shot. Thank you,” Graham said. He felt awful for not being there when it happened.

“It was so fast, I didn’t even think. I guess I still got it,” Ennis said, looking up to Graham. They all laughed again at their near miss and good fortune.

“You girls go ahead and pull that cat over here,” Graham directed. “Macy, I’m real proud of you for whipping out your pistol like that. That was good,” he said to her, and patted her on the head.

“Now you girls can see why it’s so important to be cautious. Someone’s life could depend on it,” he added.

Marcy nodded solemnly and picked up one of the cat’s big paws, avoiding its claws, still warm from life. She helped Macy attempt to drag the heavy animal over to Graham’s ready butcher knife. Together, they could barely budge it. Graham let them struggle with it a while and then jumped in to help them. This was real life now, and they needed to adjust to it.

~ ~ ~

Meanwhile, Tala washed the boy’s wounds with soap and water and though they weren’t too deep, she knew cat wounds could infect easily. He was silent, but she talked to him anyway and tried to soothe his fears. She asked him about the medallion he wore around his neck. He didn’t answer her when she asked if it was his mother’s medallion.

After an awkward silence he finally asked her, “Did you have children before?”

She stopped her ministrations and looked at the boy. “No, but I was a teacher and I miss those children very much.” She patted the scratches dry and added antibiotic ointment to each one, all the while thinking how very lucky the boy had been. She looked at the torn green flannel shirt that he’d worn night and day since this all began and said, “We need to find you a new shirt.”

“I have another one in my bag,” he said. She helped him down off the counter and he disappeared around the corner to the bunkroom.

She was glad to have made a little headway with him, and now that the ice was broken, she hoped they could talk more freely. She went back into the kitchen and began stirring the deer meat chili she’d prepared for their dinner.

Soon, Graham and the others brought in the cougar meat, ready to be processed.

“You know that predator animals have to be treated differently, right?” she asked Graham. By the look on his face, she didn’t think he knew what she was talking about. “They carry the Trichinosis parasites, so we have to cook it thoroughly with no pink center. We can slice it into steaks and freeze it for now,” she said loudly enough to educate them all about the danger.

It had been several days now since they had found themselves together at the cabin and they had already settled into an easy and predictable routine with one another. Without saying much, they each paired off and began slicing up the fresh cleaned cougar meat into piles as Ennis helped Bang put them into bags and wrapped them tightly into bundles.

Once they were done, Graham guessed there were about sixty pounds of meat there. The small freezer was already full so they made room in the little refrigerator that was mostly empty, turning down the temperature to accommodate the new load. Bang closed the door on the fridge. “It was going to eat me. Now, we’re going to eat it.”

Tala ruffled his straight, shiny hair. “Yes. Confusing, isn’t it? But that’s the way things are, Bang. I’d rather we eat the cougar than have to think about it eating you.”

He managed a wobbly smile at her words and sidled closer to Graham’s side.

“Tomorrow,” Graham said, “we’re going on our first scavenger hunt. We need a deep freezer if we can get our hands on one, ammo and winter clothing too.”

They cleaned up the mess they’d made and then Tala served the chili. Since it was later than usual, with the unexpected work with the cougar, they were hungrier than normal. They continued to discuss the things they’d like to find the next day, creating a kind of wish list. They agreed that Ennis and Sheriff would stay behind to keep an eye on the cabin since he was an old man and slow to get around anyway.

~ ~ ~

That night, Graham tucked Bang into bed and hugged the boy, who let himself be held silently and hugged back. Graham’s guilt rose up again. He vowed once more to guard this little boy who’d been given into his care.

As he snuggled Bang down and stroked his hair, he heard a soft sob come from the other end of the bunkroom and saw that Macy sniffling. He said goodnight to Bang and walked over to the girls. “What’s going on?” he asked.

“It’s just, we’re being, too normal,” she sniffled with tears running down her cheeks. A little confused by her statement. Graham looked over at her sister for an explanation.

Shaking her head, Marcy said, “She misses Mom and Dad and this feels too much like summer camp to her. She sort of feels like maybe tomorrow, we’ll go home.”

He sat on the edge of her bed with an army green spread and almost banged his head on the bunk above. He reached over, smoothed his hand over her back, and said, “I feel the same way, kid. We all do,” he added. Both girls looked up at him.

“I think any minute my dad is going to walk through the front door there with his red plaid shirt on, carrying in the trout he just plucked out of the lake, and ask if I want to have a beer with him out on the porch. We did that a lot when we were here. I miss the man,” he said.

“Our mom and dad were divorced, but they talked about getting back together,” Marcy said.

Graham remembered the grisly scene he had discovered in their dad’s apartment with a woman who had perished with him. He doubted the girls’ hopes had been destined to come true, but he wasn’t about to say anything. Instead, he asked, “Did your dad ever take you girls fishing?”

“No, but Grandpa did,” Macy said. She was calm now and Graham thought that perhaps they needed to remember those they’d lost.

Maybe, after all, it was best to talk about them and remember their lives. Keeping it all bottled up was causing them more pain and suffering. “You know what I think we should do?” he asked, their twin pairs of blue eyes on him, questioning. “I think we should have a night after dinner around the wood stove once a week where we remember them all. Talk about what they did, stories we remember about them,” he said. “I don’t even know what day of the week it is,” Marcy said as they got ready to leave on their scavenging trek.