Our End Of The Lake: Surviving After The 2012 Solar Storm (Prepper Trilogy) (4 page)

“Well, you are a bit young to remember Y2K I guess. Back then, they used to call folks like me survivalists. There are a lot of people now a days Google searching for definitions of a ‘Prepper’. The term "prepper" or "prepping" means a person or lifestyle that involves getting prepared for the worst while hoping for the best. A prepper is someone who is uncomfortable relying on others for the basics of survival and protection before and after a disaster.

“The terms like "preparations", "how to be prepared", or maybe "preparing for what's to come have a lot to do with the threats this troubled society faces. The majority of preppers are what folks would deem "normal" average people. They just plan ahead and prepare. That means you and I are Preppers and the emergency or disaster supplies we need are called "Preps". The types of preparations needed are Survival Kits, Food Storage, and Emergency Supplies to get you through a disaster.

“I had a bug out or get home bag stashed in my truck to help me through a disaster like this, but now I got to build me one as we go since I couldn’t retrieve mine. I am now the ultimate displaced prepper.” I tell Dump.

“Why are you calling yourself a displaced prepper?” He asks as my new devotee that’s appreciative of my sharing of some survival wisdom.

“One form of displaced prepper,” I explain, “is the one that evacuates an area and has his or her bug out gear with them, but the majority of their preps left behind, but that can take care of them selves for a while. The other is someone who has a prepper mentality and has just had all their preps lost or stolen and is as unfortunate in goods as those who have not prepared and are also struggling for survival with limited options in the same reality.

The Displaced Prepper however has something more tangible than those less fortunate that cannot be lost or stolen and that is knowledge. Preppers do not only devote themselves to buying emergency preparedness supplies and storing food, they also store knowledge and experience. I used to have a blog that examined the various ways that preppers can survive and thrive when they are displaced from their normal surroundings. I would talk and write about things like using a survival key ring for your EDC (every day carry) survival kit. I still had mine thank God in my pocket and fumbled it for additional reassurance before I went on with my discourse.

“Can I see it?” Dump said inquisitively.

“Sure, but later. Looks like we got trouble up ahead.”.

A couple of punk teenagers had a middle aged woman backing up fearfully and clutching a bottle of water up ahead. “If you won’t give me that water I take it, Bitch!” one of them was threatening.

“HEY!” I yelled, “LEAVE HER THE HELL ALONE!”

They turned and saw me and Dump picking up the pace towards them and decided it wasn’t healthy to stick around, so tried to saunter off. Dump yelled at them he was going to put a boot up their asses if they didn’t get the hell out of here NOW! And the miscreants beat feet in the opposite direction.

A now deeply relived, but still anxious, woman leaned against the brick retaining wall in front of an old wood frame huge house. The rich folks and developers had been buying and fixing up these old formally edge of the city houses for years and they were now considered nouveau chic to a new generation of ladder climbing execs.

“Are you ok?” I asked noting she was visibly shaken and sweating profusely from the Georgia heat.

“Yeah, I just need to catch my breath for a second. Those delinquents scared the hell out of me. Thank you so much for chasing them off.” she replied.

“My pleasure, Miss, damn fool kids need to show some respect.” Dump said. I side glanced over at him and raised an eyebrow, mentally chastising him for taking all the credit in rescuing this damsel in distress.

She must of caught my glance at him, as she pointedly stated, “Well, I sure do thank both of you for coming along when you did. I was about to throw that bottle of water and try to run away, but in this heat I really wanted to hang on to it.”

“I think they said it was going to get up to 96 degrees today.” I offered.

“Where are you coming from?” Dump asked.

“ I was on the interstate when everyone’s cars just died all at once and I had me a hell of a white knuckle ride until my vehicle stopped moving.” she said glancing about in the general direction we were headed.

“That’s so weird, she said, what could of caused that to happen?” she queried. “Do you think it was aliens? “She said, looking at us skeptically.

Dump put on his best professor persona, well if you could call it that and said, “No ma’am. David here says he thinks that the sun had a CME or coronal mass injection, something about a Carrington event, its all very technical.” he said with a seriously scholarly nod that looked like he got it from the scarecrow on the Wizard of Oz.

Her eyes got big, and she stuttered out, “Well, did the aliens cause that? I’ve seen on TV shows they could stop cars and electronics with some kind of weird beam. That’s why those kids could get so close to me, I didn’t see them coming, because I was looking up at the sky for a UFO or a mushroom cloud or something.”

“No.” I replied. “It’s like a solar flare. Happened before in 1859 and fried all the telegraph lines then. NASA’s been warning us for years that we were going to have a big event like this in 2012 or 2013, but these things are hard to pin point.” I explained, while looking around to see what professor Dump Truck was up to. He had moved a few steps down the street and was watching the direction that our hoodlums had run off in.

“We best move on before they round up their Posse and come back.” he said.

“Damn, I wouldn’t put it past them, good thinking Dump.” I said eyeing the area.

“What did you call him?” the woman asked, still thinking about aliens and eying my own personal mutant bodyguard.

“His street handle is Dump Truck, sort of a nickname, Call him Dumpie for short” I said as Truck ambled back over. That last name I had for my bar ape produced a beautiful smile and a giggled response.

“Well, hi and thanks, Dumpie.” she cheerfully said and extended her hand to him.

I didn’t think he could get anymore red faced than he was already but, she actually made him blush!

“Dump Truck is the bouncer or doorman for Pandora’s Wreck. I guess you might say he takes the trash out, so the nickname fits.” I said grinning.

“Oh, I get it. That’s a cool name.” She said.

“I am Melanie.” she said and extended her hand to me.

“David. Hey, where are you headed?” I asked.

“Towards Cheshire Bridge.” she said, looking hopeful at the thought of being escorted by two would be protectors.

“That’s back about 5 miles from where we came from. It’s not too bad that way at the moment.” I told her not relishing the thought of even considering going back instead of onward to home.

“Uh… David.” Dump started to remind me. I glanced around and had an idea.

“Yeah, we need to get off this street, come on with us, Melanie, if you want and we will move one street over back towards where you are heading and talk for a minute.” I said.

I really needed to find out what was happening on the interstate and if we weren’t there, when those heathens possibly came back, out of sight might be out of mind.

“I wouldn’t mind an escort out of here, sounds like a plan to me.” Melanie said.

“Let’s do a little zig-zagging over to the next couple streets and confuse our trail a bit. I am not up for extra walking, but I like to be on the safe side.”

“Good idea.” they both almost simultaneously said.

“Dump, keep on looking around for some kind of weapon.” I said.

“Been doing it, there ain’t shit around when ya need it.” he grumbled. That’s true; we had been having our eyes peeled for anything from a stick to a brick all the way down the road so far. Time to take command here and get my charges thinking war zone and cautious movement through this jungle, a quick scan of the area offered lots of opportunities.

“Look, normally I would stay in the shadows and out of the middle of the street, but all these cars broke down in the middle of the road might have things we need.” I said in my best pathfinder, military-like manner. I will the take point on the left side of the cars. Melanie, you go on the right side of them. And Dump, you watch our backs and look into storefronts occasionally.” I said while looking for agreement to my newly found leadership role.

“What exactly are we looking for? I thought you wanted us to find something heavy or sharp as a possible weapon while we evaded those punks.” Melanie asked.

“See if any of these cars have got keys in them. I want a tire iron or whatever else might be in the trunk.” I replied.

“A tire iron sure would be nice.” Dump said while looking devilishly in my direction. I shudder to think what an enraged Dump Truck with a lug nut loosener could do to a man’s coconut and we all spread out to keep stepping and prowling for possibilities. I stopped for a minute to let everyone catch up with me.

“I do not like this folks; you notice how quiet this street is? I think most of these folks knew it was a bad area to begin with and just got the hell out of dodge, as soon as they broke down. It is a bit of a ghost town in this older sector, but the run down appearance of this area tells me people are not likely to hang around on a good day.” I murmured while looking down the street at the scattering of vehicles in various positions from parked to wrecked or just stalled out in the road.

“Ha! What’s that my friends, I see something interesting come on.” and stepped off towards my goal.

“A bug mobile?” You aren’t going all Mc Gyver on us, Dave, are you?” Dump truck questioned, as I was opening the hatch on a Orkin Truck.

“I am not sure if they have what I want, but I think they got the equivalent of mace in here.” I said while rummaging around in the back of the truck.

“Yup, just as I expected” I said producing a brand new can of Wasp spray.

“What do you do with that, light it?” Dump inquired getting interested in the can.

“Nope, this bottle of bug mace works on people, too. It’s worse than pepper spray and has some components in it similar to nerve gas.”

“I am glad you’re on our side, Dave.” Melanie said speculatively.

“Here, take this, its point and spray at the face, no instructions needed if we get cornered, but hide it in your purse as a surprise.” I said, while handing her the can of industrial strength ‘hoodlum’ spray.

“It won’t permanently blind them, will it?” Melanie asked, as she was gingerly handling the can.

“It’s possible, but when push comes to shove; their intentions don’t have a conscience, its best you lose yours, too.” I said looking seriously at her.

“I guess the world really has gone to hell in a hand basket.” she resolutely replied.

“Just consider them aliens and that can of Raid is something they are allergic to kind of like slugs and salt.” I said with a grin.

“Good one, David.” Dump said, as we shared grins all around.

“Come on. Folks, lets keep moving another block over, and we stay tight for now,” I declared while still scanning cars, but focusing on just making it out of the area.

“I have wanted to get a tire iron all day, but most folks will take their keys with them to get back in the house when they abandon a vehicle.” I said musing at loud.

“Where’s your home, David?” Melanie asked.

“Montgomery, Alabama.” I said dismally.

“Shit, you’re a long ways from home. Where you headed now?” she replied looking horrified.

“Montgomery. Dumps getting off the hike in Newnan and I’m going to road march my ass there come hell or high water.” I claimed.

“You must have been in the military. I haven’t heard that term in years, except for my Daddy sharing war stories with his buddies.” Melanie replied.

“Yeah, I was. Its funny how your vocabulary changes once you join up.”

“Melanie, next block or two, it time for you to go right and us go left. I’m sorry, but we got to divide paths.” I said trying to look consolingly at her. She stopped, dead in her tracks.

“What?” she blurted.

“I… I kind of thought you were helping Me.” she tearfully addressed me.

“We are, but our paths follow different roads. I am sorry, darling, but we gotta go.” I said sheepishly. I don’t know her well enough to hug her or put an arm around her shoulder. I am always a disaster when it comes to women’s emotions and my need to care and protect when it’s not on familiar grounds, hell, even when it is.

“Ok, I understand.” she said wiping tears away. “Its, Its, just all too much and I...”
Ah hell David just hug her, if she knocks the shit out of you for doing it just take it and apologize I thought and so I did. Damn, this woman is strong. I thought,. That’s why you don’t get close to drowning people as I felt the death grip on me that was supposed to be a returned hug
. I am looking over her shoulder at Dump, who is looking at me as uncomfortable and confused as I am.

“I will be alright, thanks for what you have done.” Melanie said, after releasing me and we all resumed the passage down the street.

“What kind of condition is the Interstate in, Melanie?” I asked.