Our End Of The Lake: Surviving After The 2012 Solar Storm (Prepper Trilogy) (31 page)

It took about 2 hours to load the trailer. I had to change the girl’s load thoughts, because I wanted to put that lawn mower on the trailer, if I could, because it was slower than the tractor; but all in all it turned out to be pretty efficient.

“Go give Helga her stuff,” Sherry said looking at the emptied spaces where preps had been stacked and brushing away a stray tear. Betsy had a steak knife in her hand and said she and Sandra were going to secure the rug over the trailer for a canopy before I objected seeing the course they were going to take.

‘If that rug were not so heavy, I would suggest tying rocks in the corners or grabbing fabric around them. Instead, just poke a hole and run the para cord through and tie them on stakes on the outside. It will work better than just running the line through a hole that would just get bigger.” I offered, already tired from the exertions to get us this far.

“I got you,” Sandra said to Betsy, “Just tie the line in the middle of those tent stakes looking things, so it’s got more surface area to wear against.” and looking quite satisfied as if she had thought of it all by herself.

I carried over a few cases of preps for Helga, who produced a cobalt blue bottle of wine to my amazement and said, “Thanks, let’s go have a toast.’ And she took off for Sherry’s porch, before I could do much else, except to put the small amount down in her kitchen as our thanks for looking after Sherry’s house.

Wine is not my forte, and those that imbibe thinking it’s cool to drink nasty tasting shit without catching a buzz, is beyond my understanding. If I am being good, I’d just soon not even take a glass, if it’s an oat meal beats no meal proposition to get a bit tipsy and thoughts of what vintage it is considered BS, well then you got a partner that will help you drain a bottle.

I did not see me being in luck today, however; and refrained from accepting a glass rather than wonder why I would drink such wretched vinegar, just for the sake of being polite. The ladies could have it and bless them for being more civil than me. Hmmm. I see a neighbor that is known to me slightly and I motion that I want to talk.

“David, a bottle of Vodka for a silver eagle, that’s the deal right? I never even have seen a real one of these. “My scrupulous neighbor of my friend from across the street said.

“Or 25 bucks cash green backs. You decide. Hell $30 cash or take the silver and throw in those 3 Jack Daniels miniatures you got off some airline flight. Final offer.” I said getting thirsty for some firewater.

“Silver and five greenbacks.” Came his counter-offer.

“You got any mix? I might could do you better.” I said making the dollar coin flash at him.

“I got a full liter of Mountain Dew.” of which hearing it from my fellow negotiator, I made an appropriate face.

“Okay, 6 bucks, plus the silver for the whole shooting match, is it a deal?” I asked pushing back the proffered goods.

“Deal, David.” he said and I took my bounty back to the wine drinking porch ladies.

“Anyone want some of this?” I asked holding up my small wealth to disapproving, but congenial looks.

“I want one.” Betsy said coming to assist me and almost sticking her tongue out at the rest of the wine sipping Ladies society.

“Good Deal. Train leaves in an hour folks.” and closed the door on the objecting and unrealizing biddy’s that disapproved of my actions.

“Betsy you said you can drive that Moped.” I said while mixing our drinks.

“Oh Hell, yes. I was telling Sandra I still got this little scar over here from playing with one on vacation.” She began, before I shortened the conversation and advised her she would be driving that one out tonight.

“Go get that thing cranked for practice, but don’t be calling attention by showing off.” I said passing her a drink.

“Do I consider it mine, David?” she said apprehensively and a bit eagerly.

“For now it’s yours; you can lay claim to it.” I said bumping her glass with mine and looking around the area for any missed boxes that needed loading, before sucking down some extra strong brewed-down-potato juice poured by my own hand.

“Sherry loves you, David; you two just have an odd sort of relationship.” she started to say.

“I know. It’s the way we are. Go try that bike.” I said while looking for the way to attack the problem at hand of getting this caravan headed on out and down the road.

Betsy sucked the bottom out of her glass before trying the scooter and watching me being in an uncharacteristically worried mode.

“Jack is there to help you, David. You think the roads going to be ok? No check points, or problems?” Betsy voiced unsure of why I was so deep in thought.

“You go pick two rally points, for if something goes wrong on the way up there or back. Make it quick though and send Sherry my way to compare notes with, after you try out that scooter.” and I was done thinking about what was one of many final releases tonight.

ROLLING! ROLLING! ROLL ON!

“Ready, set!” I hollered out to my motley crew. Sherry and Sandra were on the back of the trailer and looking like something from the movie Apocalypse Now. I don’t know what is up with the dark eye shadow, but I am not going there.

Betsy has the Moped fired up, but does not really know where we are going. I mentioned something to her about the Hobbit’s house, but I am not sure it registered. Ok, engage the gears and WE ARE GONE!

We are humming along now like no tomorrow. Hello, Homeless Amoco lot lizards. Good morning, sunshine; as the Hobbit sees Betsy driving his old moped by. Merry Xmas to you would be gang bangers, watching Sherry and Sandra holding shotguns on the back deck of the trailer. Betsy has determination on her face, but occasionally smiles at Sandra and Sherry, while riding the scooter following the trailer.
Life is good!
I am thinking, while avoiding the occasional stalled vehicle in the road.

We pulled in my driveway about 10 minutes later and saw Jack and Rufus were sitting on the ATVs and keeping an eye on things.

“Let’s get her loaded.” I said and we proceeded to make short work out of adding to the load by forming a line of people from my front door to the trailer and passing things down the line. It was getting dark quicker than I’d hoped, as we loaded the last of the goods on. Jack and I managed to load the Lawn tractor on the back of the big trailer and turned the small mower trailer over on top of it and secured it with some rope.

Sherry and George mounted The ATVs and Sandra, my Mom and Lois managed to find places to ride in the trailer atop blanket covered bags of clothing.

“Rufus, I appreciate all the help. You get down to your cousin’s place in Hayneville, if it doesn’t work out for you staying here.” I said while shaking his hand.

“I will do it. Meantime, I will look out for your house. Good luck to everyone!” Rufus said waving at the assembled convoy, as I mounted the tractor and proceeded down the road with Jack leading the way on his ATV.

The disabled vehicles were not too bad, until we hit the bypass; and then it took some doing and a lot of stopping and detouring to get around all the stranded vehicles.

I took the lead as we got closer to my storage unit, and swung around the back of an Arrow Rental Store to come up on the back of the fenced property and avoid the apartment complex out in front of the storage facility.

I grabbed a big pair of bolt cutters and cut a hole in the fence and that allowed me to roll part of it back on itself.

Sandra and Sherry stood guard over the vehicles and Lois and Betsy came with Jack and me to unload my shed.

First thing I pulled out was a Deer cart and I loaded it to the gills with boxes. It’s the collapsible sort and, although the manufacturer said it had a 350 lb capacity, I had my doubts about it until now. “Keep an eye on that apartment complex Jack, we making enough noise out here to wake the dead.” I advised, while going for another load as Lois and Betsy carried boxes of the lighter weight freeze dried storage food. I hated not putting my stuff in a climate controlled unit, but I could not afford the price. I had figured what the hell if it lost a few years because of the heat. I had anticipated needing it by 2012; and here I am, so my investment hadn’t lost a cent in my opinion.

“That Arrow Rentals Store looked like it has been looted pretty thoroughly. You want to look in it on the way out, in case there is something interesting in it?” Jack said taking his turn at pushing the Deer cart.

“I don’t want to go in the store proper, but I do want to check the multi bay garage for oil or gas.” I said, noticing we didn’t have much more to go.

“You finish up loading and I am going to run over there real quick.” I told Jack and started to head over there.

“Be careful.” he said much too loudly and caught himself, as I put a reminding finger to my lips.

I turned on my little photon light, when I got back to the garage area of the store and looked around the first bay. Cool, a gas can about half full next to that Bobcat loader. Now that’s interesting, it looked like they were using it to move pallets around and it had chains hanging off its bucket and touching the floor. I remembered I had seen the old fuel trucks that delivered to gas stations used to throw a chain off the truck to ground it before they filled the tanks, in order to reduce static electricity.

I wonder if that sucker will work
. I said to myself and climbed in the cab of it. Keys are in it and I pumped the gas and hit the switch, VROOOM!
Oh hell YES! I got about a million uses for one of these.
I grabbed the gas can and a few quart bottles of oil, and put it them into the bucket along with the chains, and drove back to my amazed group with a huge grin on my face.

“Remind me to go shopping with you some more.” Jack said admiring my prize.

“I want to drive it.” Sherry said moving Jack out the way with a gleam in her eye.

“You know how to drive one of these?” I said not sure if it was a good idea or not.

“Well, not like a pro, but I have played with one before. My Dad taught me years ago.” She said imploringly.

“I will get the stuff out of the bucket and you can follow Lois on that lawn tractor, so she doesn’t get lost then. Don’t be playing with the bucket, while you are driving.” I warned.

“I will be careful.” she said and made a blue streak for the Bobcat’s cab seat.

“It appears she likes them things.” Jack said smiling, as Sherry got reacquainted with the operation of one and Sandra traded her spot on the trailer for the freed up ATV.

“Uh, let’s go. We got company coming.” I said pointing up the street at about 6 people hurriedly headed in our direction.

I am glad we’d left all the motors idling and were able to make a pretty quick get away, without any type of confrontation. Well, except for me shaking my finger at Sherry who was happily clowning with the loader.

“Neither of the ATVs had working headlights, so they were reduced to following the tractor’s trailer and riding in the bright lights of the Bobcat.

Betsy had the dubious honor of playing lead vehicle and got to get ahead a bit, in case I needed to be warned of traffic snarls that might not be navigable with a trailer in tow.

We managed to make it to the interstate with little problem and I signaled Betsy to pull over about 20 miles out, so I could feed my oil sucking Tractor.

“May as well get the full field gear on now, Jack. I am not worried about running into a National Guard unit any more.” I said and broke out our web gear.

“I got some people I want to check on further up the road, if they are still there. And we may stay the night.” I told everyone.

“It’s black as pitch out here.” Sandra said, peering off into the darkness of the deserted highway.

“Yeah, there all kinds of crap other than the cars in the road that I don’t particularly want to run over.” I replied, thinking about debris from wrecks I had been ducking and dodging, not always successfully.

“How far off the road do they live?’ Jack asked, wandering over to his wife who had been stuck in the back of the convoy creeping along at the full speed that the little lawn tractor would allow.

“Actually, the last time I saw them, they lived ON the road!” I said and proceeded to tell him a bit about John and Sarah in their RV near a beaver pond.

John and Sarah

I saw a campfire burning off ahead in the gloom and figured it must be John’s, as I thought I should be running up on them about right now. When the RV started to become visible, I started hollering John’s and Sarah’s names.

We parked at the RV and campfire, but the site looked deserted.
That’s very odd, I thought, they would not have left a fire burning here unattended
.

“David, is that you?” I heard John bellow from the ridge in back of me.

“It’s me, John. Is Sarah with you?” I called back.

“I am here,” She yelled down,

“We will be there in a minute,” John hollered back and a few minutes later both appeared on the side of the road.

“You out snipe hunting, John?” I said shaking his hand and then hugging Sarah.