Authors: Rain Stickland
“Electromagnetic, with power-loss fail-safes. Industrial grade, so they’ll take at least a thousand pounds of force, but I think they might actually be rated higher than that. I bought them so long ago I forget. Either way, there isn’t a man alive who’s going to get them open with a crowbar.”
Mac dug into her eggs and closed her eyes in pleasure. Their very first eggs from their own chickens, and they were worth it. A totally different experience from what she’d had even from the farmer’s market. Neil was also a damn good cook, and he did them justice.
“I still say you’d have done well as my love slave and housekeeper. I pay premium wages, you know.”
“Consider me paid for the remainder of our lives, honey. Being your husband is by far the better end of the deal, so I can do the cooking thing and load a dishwasher. Assuming you don’t change your mind before Monday.”
He’d said it as a joke, but she could see the tiny grain of seriousness in it.
“Neil, I’m not changing my mind. I haven’t had any doubts or second thoughts, and I’m not going to. You don’t even have to keep distracting me or convincing me with sex, if you don’t want to.” He laughed.
“I don’t think the ‘want to’ part is an issue, Mac, and it honestly never occurred to me that I might be able to distract
or
convince you with sex. I’m not quite that confident in my abilities, though I do seem to perform well enough with a woman who responds so beautifully.”
“I have no idea what you’re like with a woman who doesn’t respond, and I doubt I’ll have the opportunity to find out. I don’t seem to have much say in the matter.”
“Good. You done?” She nodded and swallowed the last of her coffee. He took her dishes and added them to the ones already in the dishwasher, while Mackenzie dialled Kelly’s number again.
Thankfully the woman picked up the phone. Mac explained what she was doing. She wasn’t really surprised when Kelly just asked her how soon she could get there. Mac could hear the fear in her voice, and the knowledge that someone was coming to help had to be a big relief.
“I’m leaving in twenty minutes. Depending on what I find along the way, I’m hoping to get there sometime between three and four.”
“Oh, thank God. I didn’t know what I was going to do. I kept charging my phone in the car, hoping to hear from someone who could help, but I didn’t want to drive anywhere without knowing where to take them.” Kelly had tears in her voice.
“Hold on, Kelly. We’re on our way. A scary-looking guy named Mitch might show up. You don’t have to let him in if you don’t want to, but he’s heading there to hook up with us. I just wanted you to know in case you saw a guy who looked like a biker hanging around your door. He’s not going to hurt you or the ferrets. He loves animals.”
“Oh, okay. Thanks. I might have been terrified otherwise. There’s been a few jerks walking up and down the street, avoiding the cops, and they seem intent on causing trouble. I don’t think they’d quibble at attacking a woman.
“You have no idea how grateful I am that the ferrets have a place to go. With them taken care of, I can concentrate on my own safety. I just couldn’t leave them. I’ll get them ready for you. We have twelve here right now, and I should be able to fit them into three or four carriers. Will you be able to transport that many?”
“No problem. If you have food or other supplies you want to send with them, I’ve got room for that too.”
“Alright. I’ll get that ready too, then. Thank you. See you in a few hours.” Mac hung up, left a list of instructions for Cameron for getting things ready for the new arrivals, and then turned to Neil.
“Okay, cowboy. Saddle up. We’re on a mission!”
The trip took just under three hours, even though there were partial blockages from abandoned vehicles on the highway. She was glad she’d chosen the BMW, because the truck might not have made it through, and the car was a hell of a lot better on fuel. It might have been over twenty years old, but its gas mileage and emissions were comparable to many of the new hybrid engines. BMW had made great cars back in the nineties.
She had a couple of full jerrycans strapped to the roof rack behind the sunroof, covered in a light tarp to disguise them. She couldn’t risk the gasoline poisoning the air in the trunk, since she’d be flipping down the back seats to open the cargo area for the carriers.
When Mac drove into the area where the shelter was located, she kept her eyes peeled for the men Kelly had mentioned. There didn’t appear to be anyone on the street, but she knew there had to be someone looking out their window right now. For all she knew people still drove their vehicles here, but optimism wasn’t the smartest outlook right now.
There was no sign of Mitch when they got there. Surprise was not her first reaction, certainly. He still hadn’t taken her seriously, and she wasn’t in a playing mood. He should know better. When she gave him an ultimatum, she always meant it.
“Fucking asshole,” she muttered. Mac pulled into the driveway, happy to see an open garage door. She took the car out of gear and coasted inside. She came to a stop and turned off the motor, yanking up the parking brake. Then they got out of the car and rolled down the garage door manually.
Neil was still smiling at her cursing her ex. He wasn’t the only one who was relieved, though. She really hadn’t wanted to bring Mitch up north with them, even though his demise was now practically guaranteed. He would make things more dangerous for everyone. She knew that. He had a big mouth and did stupid shit if he was pissed off, drunk, or stoned, and he would always find a way to be at least one of those things.
“I know. It’s for the best. Let’s just get the ferrets and go home.”
“Well, it’s not like we won’t be bringing anyone home with us. So you won’t be lonely any time soon.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You were never going to leave that woman here by herself. She obviously had nowhere to go when she talked to you earlier, and she’s scared and upset. You’re going to walk away and leave with just the ferrets? Not in a million years, honey.”
“If you know this, why are you so complacent?” He gave her a shrug and a sheepish smile.
“Because I’d never be able to leave her here either. So she’ll come home with us, and be a big help with the ferrets.” Mac tried on her own sheepish grin.
“We’re both pathetic. How the hell are we ever going to survive this bullshit with that working against us?”
“We have each other, and there’s strength in numbers. We need to band together. Well-fed people are loyal, and loyal people are a deterrent to anyone who wants to steal from us. Sort of like a very visible neighbourhood watch.”
“There are only so many people we can help this way. I’d rather work out a system for giving food to people without them finding us, and possibly helping with other things. We don’t need much help at this point. With six of us running two gardens and two sets of livestock, we’re pretty set. Granted, if we increase production to help feed everyone we’ll need more help, but other than that I’m happy to give it all away so long as we still have the food we need.”
“What about bartering, though? Did you really never think that you might want some help with something you couldn’t do yourself?”
“Not so much. I made sure I studied up on everything to be sure we wouldn’t be stuck without something. The only thing I knew I’d need help with was the insulin. I’m not good with chemistry, and the very idea of digging into the pancreas of an animal to obtain insulin is abhorrent to me. I know people are going to die. A lot of people, and as hard as that might be to swallow, it’s honestly what this planet needs. Once people are gone, it’ll come back on its own.”
“Well, leaving aside plumbing, electrical, sewage, medical, and dentistry for the time being, the fact is we’ll all be safer if we’re working together. That won’t happen right away, because I think you’re right. The world is going to tear itself apart at first, and then maybe we can do something to help.”
Kelly came into the garage through the door that led into the house and shelter. She had tears streaming down her face.
“I started to get so scared you weren’t coming. I don’t know why exactly. Just that my girlfriend has been missing for a couple of days now. She runs a veterinary clinic on the edge of Brampton. I wanted to go looking for her, but I couldn’t leave these guys, and then I knew I’d never be able to fill up the car again, so even if I did find her we wouldn’t be able to get anywhere safe.”
“Okay, we’re here,” Mac said soothingly. “We’ll see if we can help you find your girlfriend.” Neil held up two fingers and Mac had to choke back a laugh. He was right.
“Your girlfriend a vet, or is she the manager?”
“Vet. She’s brilliant. Amazing with ferrets, but lots of other animals, too.”
“She must be pretty damn smart. Hard to get into vet school in the first place, much less deal with such widely varying anatomies. People always complain about high vet bills, but they have no understanding of what it takes to get that knowledge.”
Kelly looked at her and grinned, cheerful now that she had some hope things might work out.
“You’re right. People don’t stop to think that with humans they have specialists for individual body parts. Specialties within specialties even. When I tore my rotator cuff, which was an accident related to a ferret if you can believe it, I not only had to go to an orthopedic surgeon, but I had to see one that specialized in shoulders, and he also had to specialize in arthroscopic surgery. It took forever to get in to see him. There isn’t much of a waiting list for vets.”
“Well, that’s what happens when people have to pay for their own services. With our healthcare, people go to the damn doctor for the sniffles or a pimple. Bogs down the system. Never mind the fact that it’s been decimated by our government. Not that it really matters at this point. Healthcare is going to be pretty much non-existent now.” Kelly looked up at her in alarm.
“What do you mean? What’s going on? I didn’t have time to watch the news on Wednesday night and we haven’t had power since Thursday afternoon. I tried picking up a few items at the corner store Thursday night, and every shelf was wiped out, with nobody in the store and the door wide open. I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t know what. Is this happening everywhere?”
“Not yet, but it’s coming.” Mac explained what she knew of the situation as quickly as possible.
“Alright, why don’t we load up the ferrets and whatever you think they’ll need? We have a way we can help you and your girlfriend. Assuming we find her and you’re both willing.” Mac told her about their ranch-like setup, and Kelly was only too happy to agree.
“Can I get there on a tank of gas? My car is full. I can bring more stuff for the ferrets, and some clothes.”
“Alright, but make it as quick as you can. Any food, books, and medical supplies you have would be a huge help, and we’ll see if your girlfriend is willing to let us loot the stash at the clinic. That could make a huge difference for all of us, particularly the animals, even if she doesn’t want to come.”
They were almost finished loading both vehicles when the garage door began to roll up with a loud rattle. Mac bent down to reach behind the driver’s seat of her car, pressing her fingers against the biometric locks on her portable gun safe.
Mac yanked the gun out and stuffed it down the back of her jeans, holster and all, but unsnapped the holster to make it ready. The Safe Action trigger system made it unlikely it would go off without someone physically squeezing the trigger, so she had stored it fully loaded with a round chambered.
She was facing the garage door again before it was up high enough for anyone to see that she’d been bent over. Then she waited.
20
C
RY
H
AVOC
“What’s going on in here? Looks like you people got some gas that you can donate to the cause, or you wouldn’t be driving around in that fancy car of yours.” Mac almost rolled her eyes. Another idiot that thought a twenty-three-year-old BMW was expensive.
“No, we don’t have anything to donate to your so-called cause. I’m afraid you’ll have to go home empty-handed,” Neil spoke coldly. Mac was impressed. He was pretty intimidating. She hadn’t asked him if he was carrying, but at the very least he had to have a knife on him.
“You got
that
wrong, ya fuckin’ goof. And now you’ve pissed me off, so we’re going to take everything that we want. I’m thinking the redhead first, for me at least. Who wants the blond bitch?” Mac had already noted the other four scuzzy-looking twerps standing behind the first one.
The one with the big mouth was brandishing a baseball bat, while some had knives. One had a handgun that he’d stuffed in the front of his pants, which told her he actually knew very little about handling a weapon. He was lucky he hadn’t already shot off his dick. He was fondling the grip, as if he’d like to pull it out but wanted to keep the threat vague. Mac had no such qualms. Her decision made, she aimed her Glock, two-handed, at the one with the gun in his pants.
“I don’t be thinkin’ so, boys. If you’d bothered to bathe I might see some sort of appeal, but as it stands I’m just not interested. I don’t think my friend here is either. Or are you?” She was asking Kelly, but she didn’t shift her eyes to look at her.
“Not really, no. The one with the gun for a dick strikes me as the type who has to compensate for something. And I’m not really into the sausage these days anyway.” Mac had to grin at Kelly’s sass, despite the tenuous situation. She was going to enjoy having her around.
“See? You don’t have our permission, which means you don’t get to have what you want. And I have the means to enforce those rules as you might have noticed.” The idiot with the gun in his pants made a slight movement, and Mac shook her head at him.
“Really, just don’t. I
will
shoot you, and chances are good it’ll either be in the crotch or the gut. Neither of which are pleasant options for you. I really don’t want you having that gun to play with. You might shoot off your dick, and try to blame me for it. Pull it out with one finger and your thumb.