Our End Of The Lake: Surviving After The 2012 Solar Storm (Prepper Trilogy) (5 page)

“It’s a mess, but not as many bad wrecks as you would think though. When the cars conked out most everyone just coasted to a halt. It was bizarre though, kind of like a slow motion carnival ride slowing down when the operator hits the switch” She said reflecting on the scene.

“Too bad we don’t have an on switch; it’s going to be getting pretty rough out here.” Dump said in reply.

“Were going to be cutting over to interstate ramp in a bit Melanie, let me tell you a few things that might help you out in this situation.”

“Hey, I need all the advice I can get, I would appreciate it.” she said turning in my direction. I got to hand it to her, she had regained her composure a lot quicker than I thought possible.

“OK, first off, when you get home put a pot under every faucet you got and run the water. Your pipes should still have water in them. I don’t know if they got around to shielding the emergency generators at the water company or not, but even if they did the generators will run out of fuel in a few days or weeks, max.” I told her as she listened intently.

“Next, don’t flush the toilet; you need the water in the back tank. Line the bowl with a garbage bag to do your business in or try finding a 5 gallon bucket with a lid”

“We back to out houses for awhile it looks like.” Dump said.

“Yeah, sanitation is going to be really hard from now on.” I replied.

A group of stragglers from the interstate started moving towards our direction. All were hot and disheveled-looking, a few were bleeding from cuts and bruises most likely from car wrecks.

“Be best to try traveling with one of these groups, Melanie, there’s safety in numbers.” I told her.

She nodded her agreement and said “You got time to give me some more tips before you go?”

“Sure, do you know about using bleach to purify water?” I inquired.

“I have heard of it, but I don’t know how much to use.” She said.

“Use 3 drops to a quart or a liter and 5 drops for a half gallon, as a general rule. You can add a couple drops more, if the water is really cloudy. Avoid using bleaches that contain perfumes, dyes and other additives.”

“Ah hell, all I got is April fresh smelling Clorox.” she cried.

“Don’t use it in your drinking water, be ok to wash with. If you find some regular bleach, mix in thoroughly and allow it to stand for at least 30 minutes before using. (60 minutes if the water is cloudy or very cold).”

“If you got any Iodine tincture 5 drops per quart, when the water is clear will do the trick.” I said.

“I got some of that” she smilingly said.

“Stuff doesn’t taste good, but if you add any kind of vitamin C to it, it neutralizes the taste, but don’t put it in until after the iodine has cleaned the water. Takes about 30 minutes to do that, the same as bleach” I explained.

“Ok, hold up a second I want to write that down, in case I forget.” Melanie said, while fumbling in her purse. I noticed she eyed the can of Wasp spray, but didn’t comment further.

While she was taking notes, I watched the stream of weary travelers making their way up from the interstate. This is good for me, I guess, less folks on the road to contend with. They will probably be trickling in for days depending on where their cars broke down and the resolve of their owners to get home. I pondered how long it was going to take me to travel 180 miles by foot. Hell, I am going to beg borrow or steal me a bicycle first chance I get.

Dump brought me back to the moment by asking “You’re not supposed to drink either one long term are you I heard, isn’t that right, Dave?

“Yeah, that’s right.” I allowed, “Boiling is the best way or you can pasteurize it, too.”

“How do you pasteurize it?” Melanie asked.

“Just leave that bottle you got in your purse, capped out in the sun for an hour or two depending on the weather. That will do it.”

“I am going to run out of charcoal pretty quick as it is, that’s a good tip, David.” Melanie responded.

“Hydrogen peroxide will work too, but you use like 1/8th of a cup to a gallon.” I advised.

“I have some of that too, but that sounds like a lot.” Melanie said looking skeptical.

“Hey, that his job. He gets paid to know things like that.” Dump said looking all indignant.

“Really, what do you do David?” asked Melanie.

Dump answered for me before I could object, “He is an emergency manager.” he said beaming that his buddy was supposed to be a pro.

“Oh, that’s wonderful, what’s FEMA’s plan to deal with this?” Melanie questioned.

Damn. Dump, I didn’t want to have this conversation
.

“Well, FEMA, I am sorry to say, really doesn’t have a plan for something of this magnitude.” I replied.

“That doesn’t surprise me they didn’t seem to have much of one for Katrina either.” Dump said.

Melanie was looking all crestfallen and thoughtful.

“You mean FEMA won’t be coming to help”?

“Not anytime soon. Oh, they will get around to organizing something eventually, a lot of military trucks might still work, but as far as I can tell without hearing any news, this disaster is mostly a worldwide event. Resources are simply overwhelmed.”

I let that sink in for a bit and then continued. “You’re pretty much left to your own devices for the next couple months.” I said.

Dump looked like he might say, ‘or forever’ and I gave him a look that said to hush.

“The best things you can do right now are tribe up with friends or relatives and help each other get through this.”

“I see.., any other tips?” Melanie asked.

“Well, water is your biggest short term problem at the moment; just remember your hot water tank has water in it that you can get out from its drain pipe.” I could probably stand here all day feeding her various bits of survival knowledge, but that wasn’t going to happen, I pondered what few other tid-bits I could share before I moved on.

“People will start panicking in the weeks to come, you need to do something about your security.” I said while looking at her questionably.

“Oh, I have a pistol at my house.” Melanie responded.

“’Might be a good idea to start wearing it.” I offered.

“Going to get that bad, Dave?” Melanie said glumly.

“Afraid so, there is always a criminal element in society that waits to take advantage of situations like this.” I said ominously.

“Just stay alert for possible dangers, most people though actually come together for the common good after disasters though.” I offered.

“You guys wanted to get going, any other useful information before I tear up before our farewells.” Melanie slowly said.

“Yes, you should pack a bag with stuff like you were going camping for a weekend and keep it handy. There are going to be a lot of open fires being used for cooking and candles for lighting now, so with no fire department to contend with any accidents or arson you might have to get away with just what you can carry if the neighborhood catches fire.” I said.

We stared at each other for moment and Melanie said “ I wish you well, Dave, and thanks for everything.” she gave me a quick hug and turned to Truck and said, “Bye, Dumpie.” and gave him a quick hug, too.

“Bye, Melanie, stay safe.” Dump murmured.

“I will.” she said turning towards a group of road weary travelers and stepped out of our lives.

MAD DOGS AND ENGLISH MEN

“
Mad dogs and Englishmen Go out in the midday sun” Noel Coward Song

Dump and I started trudging down the on ramp to the interstate and noted that the people coming up from it had slowed to a trickle. It was deathly quite, nobody talked much, I guess the heat of the sun, the shock of it all, and just the drudge of having to keep on going no matter what took away all interest in conversation.

There were vehicles as far as the eye could see in every direction. The event happened somewhere around 12.30 in the afternoon. Dumps watch had stopped but for some reason the clip on style pocket watch I had was still working, maybe because it was because it was shock resistant and antimagnetic. My said it was 6.30, I am glad the sun chose summer to have its fit, because I would still have light until about 8 o’clock or so. If this shit had of happened in winter, I would be a whole lot more uncomfortable and at risk than I was now, so I guess I should count my blessings. Walking on pavement didn’t make any cooler though even with the sun going down.

“Hey Dump. I am not as young as I used to be, we need to talk about where we are going to sleep tonight. I can’t keep on at this pace.” I said.

“Hey man I am getting beat too, what do you have in mind”? He replied.

“I figure we keep on for about an hour and then pick an underpass or crawl up under a truck or something. Hey, by the way this close to the city the pigeons sometimes build nests at underpasses.” I offered.

“I figured we could just crawl in one these cars to take a snooze when we wanted.” Dump said.

“We could, but most of these cars have electric windows so we would have too leave the doors open. It’s going to be hotter than hell no matter what, so I suggest pulling the mattresses out of the sleeper cab of one of these 18 wheelers and just picking us a spot. I am not too worried about dogs yet, so we don’t need to be that protected.” I countered.

“That’s a good idea, but what’s this about dogs?” he asked.

A lot of people travel with their pets, so expect to see them on the road, but later on as this crisis escalates and when people can’t feed them, thousands…maybe millions are going to get turned loose. Also, you see, when the riots and the death in the city is happening the dogs will learn to fed on the bodies, then in turn will acquire the taste for humans. Now you have a pack of wild dogs who consider you and your loved ones as food. They have no fear of man and will kill you to insure their own survival. Now, I'm not trying to scare you or cause unwarranted fears, but dogs are about to become a major problem in the upcoming months.

“I was talking to a buddy of mine named Buckshot about this problem once and his theory was that starving people will kill the dogs for food. I say sure, some will become food, but the average household that has guns has less then 50 rounds, although most survivalists or preppers will have much more. So, I think after the first week most people will be out of ammo. Then, the packs will rule. “I told Truck, just so he would get a feel for what’s to come.

“Damn, David you are just full of good news today aren’t you? But you’re right; I can see it now as feral dogs are already a problem in Georgia. It’s not uncommon to hear about packs of 25 or so.” he said.

“I guarantee people will let their pets go to fend for themselves when the food runs out. Make sure you are ready to face this threat. What kind of Guns you got at home Dump?” I asked.

“I had a bit of trouble with the law and lost my rights to own any.” he said disgustedly.

“Mind telling me what they got you for”? I said more for conversations sake than worry.

“No, well get ready to laugh, I stole a dump truck.”

“Ha, you’re shitting me! That’s funny as hell, so
that’s
where you got your handle?” I said chuckling.

“Yup, that’s where I got my name from.” he replied grinning.

“What’s going on up ahead?’ looking at bizarre sight for even a day like today off to the side of the road. A wiry little man was sitting in a lawn chair next to a road sign that had a piece of cardboard attached to it. I couldn’t make out what the sign said yet though, and he had a camp fire going off to his right. As we got closer to him, I could make out the sign ‘Water $1.00’
Do what?
I said to myself shaking my head.

“Good day, Gents, care for some tea?” the figure in the lawn chair called out in an evidently British accent. Dump and I looked at each other and wandered over to the apparition. Here was this guy in plaid shorts and a Hawaiian shirt with a floppy white hat, taking a kettle off his fire. “Teas, free; I have closed up shop for the day.” He chirped.

“Are you really selling water for a $1.00?” Dump asked.

“Well, not really any more. Like I said, shop’s closed. But, I was actually renting my cups, water’s free.” the man replied.

I looked off to his right and saw he had a wicker basket like people used to carry on picnics with 4 cups, some plates and what looked like the space for the kettle he had next to his fire.

“Have a seat, if you have a mind to, and I will tell you all about it. “He said, gesturing towards a bit of embankment.

“I got to hear this story and tea would be welcome.” I said plopping down after un-slinging my pack. Dump did the same and we stared intently at the odd looking character waiting for him to begin.

“You see, I was coming back from vacation in Florida when this mess began, and like everyone else had to start walking home. Well, I grabbed my kit and got this far, when I spied that Collagen truck over there that contains 5 gallon bottles of water. Well, I think to me self, I don’t really have a home here in Atlanta and I will need me a bit more money. So, I hit on a plan to help my fellow travelers and make a bit of scratch on the side.” he said offering two cups of steaming tea to me and Dump on this hot summers day in the middle of nowhere.