United States Of Apocalypse (6 page)

D
arlene heard
another gunshot as she ran through the house and neared the front door, which was wide open. She tried to relax her breathing and crouched, gun drawn, waiting for more shots.

“Tell your family to stay off my property,” Herbert yelled from the front porch.

Darlene peeked across the threshold and saw headlights down the driveway.

Herbert, ducking behind the makeshift blockade on the porch, was aiming his rifle. He shot, and Darlene saw the front left headlight explode on the pickup truck before it turned and drove away, kicking up dust in the moonlight.

“Next time we might not be so lucky,” Herbert said. He stood slowly but kept the rifle pointed at where the truck had been. “They didn’t come to do anything tonight. Just trying to scare us old folks into giving them our farm and supplies. But the Sawyers will be back and with more kin than I can muster. We’ll need more help than my sister and her brats, too. This is going to get ugly, and fast.”

“Let me know what I need to do,” Darlene said. She didn’t know how much help she could possibly be, but she knew she had to try. She also knew she was on the verge of panic. Instead of being safe until everything blew over, she was now in the middle of a clan war. She needed to keep her cool.

“Right now, I think you just need to get some sleep. I’ll wake you early, and we can ride the property. Maybe you’ll see a few things I missed and offer suggestions that will help save us,” Herbert said.

“I’ll see what I can do.” Darlene looked down the now-dark driveway. “What if they come back tonight?”

“They won’t. I didn’t shoot any of them, but I did do some damage. They’ll spend the next few hours getting all fired up and try to rope in a few distant cousins and tell them I tried to kill one of the boys. It’s happened before, although now with the law and the rules out the window, they’ll do more than bitch about me while they get drunk and smoke drugs,” Herbert said.

“Call me if you need my help,” Darlene said. She went back inside. She was worried, and as she passed Pheebz, she could see the older woman felt the same way. Pheebz was sitting in the kitchen in the dark, clutching a small firearm in her hand. If it wasn’t for the soft glow of the clock over the stove, Darlene would’ve missed her completely.

Darlene crawled back into bed but knew there was no way she would fall asleep. Her mind was racing and she cradled the Desert Eagle in her hand before placing it within reach on the nightstand again.

She stared at the ceiling for half an hour before giving up and going to the window, looking out at the vast property. She could see one of the barns from her room. There were so many shadows where an army could hide, and she wouldn’t see them coming.

The Sawyer family probably knew the area and this farm pretty well, and they would use it to their advantage when they came back for a fight.

Now more than ever, Darlene wished she’d never left Maine. Why had she been so selfish and impulsive? Right now, she’d be safe in her own bed and in her own home.

She hoped.

What if this craziness was happening in New England? Pheebz had watched the news on and off but didn’t offer a play by play to Herbert. It was all so depressing, and they had their own problems close to home right now. No use in worrying about Los Angeles or New York when they were in danger right here.

Darlene went back to the bed, but she couldn’t get comfortable, She was restless. She felt like she was being watched and found herself at the window again.

She decided she’d slip to the kitchen and get something to drink. Maybe take over guarding the house or walk the property in case they came back. She needed something to do besides stare at the ceiling. Her mind was racing with so many thoughts.

When she opened the bedroom door, she wasn’t surprised to hear the television on and the couple talking quietly in the living room with the lights out.

Darlene made sure she made enough noise as she walked through the hall so Herbert didn’t shoot her. When she cleared her throat and walked into the living room, both Herbert and Pheebz had pistols drawn.

“Am I interrupting?” she asked.

“Turn it off,” Herbert said to Pheebz.

Darlene looked at the television but only caught a brief glimpse of something burning before the picture blinked off.

Only the small nightlight near the end table gave them anything to see by now.

“We need to tell her,” Pheebz said, then turned on the lamp next to her. She looked at Darlene and frowned. “Come sit down.”

“This is not a good idea,” Herbert said.

“Tell me what’s going on,” Darlene said as she sat down on the couch. She was exhausted but knew she’d get no sleep tonight. Especially if there was more bad news. “You can’t keep bad news from me.”

Herbert nodded. “I’m sorry, Darlene. It’s just...I consider you like our daughter. I want to protect you, even though we just met. I know you’re good people, and to be honest, I don’t want you to break down when you see what we’ve been watching. Can you understand that?”

Darlene smiled. “I thank you for the concern. I’m quite fond of both of you, and it isn’t just the situation we’re in right now. But I’m not a little girl, and I’m really not happy to know you’re keeping stuff from me.” She remained calm because she was really pissed off right now. Who did they think they were? She wasn’t their daughter. She had a dad—well, she’d
had
one—and now she wanted to leave. Maybe she’d take off at first light and try to get back to Maine. She didn’t want to feel like a prisoner or have them keep information from her like she was a child.

“I told you,” Pheebz yelled. She waved a finger at her husband. “She’s not a little kid. She isn’t Susie.” Pheebz began to cry and rushed out of the room.

Darlene stared at Herbert as she heard a bedroom door slam.

Herbert looked like he was going to cry. He picked up the rifle near his chair and pointed at the couch with his free hand. “There’s the remote control for the television. It doesn’t matter what channel, they’re all running it.”

Darlene didn’t move. She watched him walk back outside onto the porch.

She felt horrible. She’d walked into their private conversation. Now Pheebz was upset at Herbert, and he was probably mad at Darlene.

Her first reaction was to get up and slink back into the bedroom to try once again to sleep. As she stood, she saw the remote control and picked it up.

Darlene glanced at the television and back to the remote. If she turned on the TV, what would she see? Whatever it was, she wouldn’t be able to un-see it and it was obviously something the couple thought would upset her.

She sighed and sat back down on the couch, aiming the remote control at the television, praying things weren’t as horrible as the couple led her to suspect. As soon as the picture came on, she saw a shot from above, a news chopper filming live over a large metropolitan area. A city was burning.

Tall buildings threatened to topple, and she could see abandoned cars and even bodies on the streets below. Every third structure seemed to be ablaze.

The news scrolling underneath the live shot talked about another terrorist attack on Boston, but details were sketchy.

Boston had been attacked.

Darlene put her hand to her mouth. She had so much family in and around Boston. Was this possible? Were they all dead? Was her aunt gone?

She tried to use her cell phone to call, not caring what time it was, but she couldn’t get a signal. Darlene went into the other room and found the house phone. She dialed her aunt’s number, but it wouldn’t connect.

Darlene dialed every number she could remember in Massachusetts and Maine, but the lines were all down. She guessed with the attack the cell phone towers had been compromised or destroyed, and all calls to New England would be unable to connect.

This isn’t happening
, she thought.

She went back to the couch and surfed through the channels, trying to find more news about New England. She needed to know if Maine had been part of the offensive. No one seemed to know who’d been behind these attacks on America.

Too many people were taking credit for it, and the news anchors were spewing forth unfounded facts at an alarming rate. No matter which channel she stopped on, everyone had their own opinion. When had the news become a game of ratings and one-upping the other channel? Every news agency had
Exclusive
and
Seen Here First
scrolling across every spot they could jam it on the screen.

Now Darlene was getting mad. From the looks of more than a few stations, it seemed like there hadn’t been an actual new story in hours. Boston had been attacked ten hours ago, but there was nothing else to report.

Every channel had live talking heads holding microphones with a burning or ruined building behind them, but none of them could say how the attack had come in or anything useful.

Frustrated, Darlene turned off the television and cried.

Life as she knew it had changed. There was no more home to go back to, was there? If Boston had been attacked, maybe parts of Maine had been as well. One of the newscasters had briefly touched on unconfirmed reports of a small invasion force landing near the Canadian border. Was it even possible?

Darlene stood and wiped her tears, but she couldn’t stop crying.

She went to the front door and was about to join Herbert when she heard the man sobbing on the porch. It made Darlene cry even more. She walked away quickly so she didn’t embarrass him.

When she got down the hallway and was about to enter her bedroom, she could hear Pheebz crying as well.

The three of them were a mess right now, and Darlene was glad they all had a private space and were away from one another to mourn for whatever they were crying about in peace.

Darlene threw herself on the bed and cried into her pillow. She cried for her dad and her family in New England. The life she’d left behind forever. The unknown that was about to befall her. Fear of the Sawyer family and what they were capable of doing. She sobbed for Herbert and Pheebz, who had taken her in and were too kind to have to deal with this at this point in their lives.

Darlene wanted to scream and throw things around the room and wail until her throat was raw. If she was home alone she might have given in, but she willed herself to relax.

She turned onto her back and stared at the dark ceiling again, knowing this would be a nightly thing while she tried to sleep, that this would likely be the last bedroom she was ever in, since the home her parents had built was probably gone.

Their American Dream was over. Looted and/or burned to the ground. Every last nickel her mom and dad had saved to build the house so Darlene could have a better life was gone.

Darlene rolled over and buried her face in the pillow again as another wave of sobbing began.

S
omeone was knocking
on the front door. Darlene rose with a start and gripped her Desert Eagle. At some point, she’d fallen asleep, but it felt like she’d only closed her eyes a minute ago.

She went into the hallway. Why hadn’t Herbert awakened her to take a shift to watch for trouble? She didn’t know what time it was, but it was still dark outside. She wondered if this night was ever going to end.

Pheebz was standing in the kitchen with a cup of coffee, trying her best to smile. “Rosemary and the boys are here. I just made another pot of coffee.”

She looked like she’d also cried herself to sleep last night. Darlene glanced at the clock on the wall. It was closing in on six a.m., and she knew she’d only slept for a couple of hours.

Herbert led two young boys, perhaps ten years old, into the kitchen. He pointed at the kitchen table without a word, but the look on his face told everyone he wasn’t playing.

“Can I get you boys something to eat?” Pheebz asked.

They both stared at Darlene. Both boys looked tired and half-asleep.

“Who do we have here?”

Darlene couldn’t help but see Rosemary, who was wearing a bright purple jumpsuit with a large, red-rimmed sunhat. Her pink reading glasses were hanging from her neon yellow chain, and she wore pink house slippers on her feet.

The woman laughed. “Holy Mother of God, she looks just like Susie,” Rosemary said.

“Sis, I am warning you. Shut up,” Herbert said.

Rosemary waved a hand at her brother but continued to stare. “What’s your name, darling?”

“Darlene.”

“Darlene—darling. How cute is that?” Rosemary glanced at her two boys sitting quietly at the table. “I hope you two are going to be well-behaved, unlike last time.” She looked back up at Darlene. “There was a little incident.”

“They tried to burn down my barn,” Herbert said, anger in his voice. “You swore you’d pay me for the damages, too.”

Rosemary shrugged. “It’s too late now. Besides, I stuffed my car with food and jugs of rainwater. That should be payment enough.”

“Rainwater?” Pheebz asked.

“I’m not going to use the tap in my house. The government fills it with all kinds of bad things. Lead and poisons. I’m not going to be controlled by them, so I collect my own water and purify it myself,” Rosemary said.

Pheebz took down a box of Cheerios from the cabinet.

“Oh, the boys can’t eat any of that poisonous processed garbage. I brought them a container with their breakfast.”

“More for me,” Herbert said.

Darlene could see how uncomfortable he was having his sister in the house. Although so far, she just seemed eccentric, her kids too exhausted to be the handful Darlene knew they were going to be.

“The boys and I are on a regimented eating structure. I’ll need three shelves in the refrigerator for my things,” Rosemary said.

“No. There isn’t enough room already. I told you to bring canned goods and bottled water, not prepare food for the weekend. Unless you’re planning on going home anytime soon, I suggest you do a quick inventory of your car and not waste my time bringing in weird food,” Herbert said.

“It isn’t weird. It’s healthy. Vegan food is delicious,” Rosemary said. “I prepared meals for the next week for all of us.”

“I don’t eat tofu,” Herbert said. “Last time you were here, you made me grill every last piece of meat I had because you were on some other silly diet.”

Rosemary sat down at the table. “I’m a vegan. I only grow my own food now, too. You’ll need to plant some vegetables. Lord knows you have enough wasted room on the farm for it. The boys and I only have enough food for a couple of weeks.”

“Then in two weeks you’ll either starve or eat my poisonous processed garbage. I can’t plant a magical crop for you to start eating tomorrow, and even if I could…” Herbert closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. “You know, this is so like you. The world is coming unglued around us, and you’re on some new fad lifestyle again. Those poor boys. No wonder they’re so out of control.”

“They haven’t said a word, have they?” Rosemary answered, looking down at her nails. “And this is not a fad. This is my new life. A better life, free from government interaction and their mind control.”

“Did you say mind control?” Herbert shook his head and looked at his wife. “I’m begging you to go get some help when this is back to normal. Real help, not some backwoods country lunatic in a trailer out by the highway. An actual hospital with real medicine.”

“I took real medicine for years and it only made me sad,” Rosemary said.

“You took it for a month, decided you were cured of your multiple problems, and ran away,” Pheebz said quietly.

Growing uncomfortable eavesdropping on this family squabble, Darlene slipped out of the kitchen and went outside to the front porch.

As if what Rosemary was saying wasn’t out-there enough, she was driving a weathered Volkswagen Bus that looked like a movie prop from
Easy Rider
.

Darlene scanned the driveway down and out of sight, but there was no one else out here as far as she could tell. Of course, with all the trees on the property, especially in front, anyone could sneak up and get close to the house. Too close.

She wondered if Herbert had a pair of good chainsaws. It would be sloppy, but they could cut down the sight lines with a couple of hours of solid chainsaw action. Darlene had never actually used one and thought it would be fun.

Her eyes went back to the VW. She was expecting it to be overflowing with bags and boxes, but it looked empty. Darlene could hear everyone inside still engaged in a heated debate. She walked to the vehicle and peered inside the big windows.

There were three duffle bags and two large boxes in the back and nothing else.

Darlene knew Herbert was going to lose his mind when he saw how unprepared his sister was. She had no idea what was happening and what was in store for any of them.

The front door opened and both of the brothers came out and went directly to the VW, opening the door.

“Hey, guys, I’m Darlene,” she said awkwardly. Both boys were staring at her. They were like little robots.

They both said “ma’am” at the same time but nothing else, taking the duffle bags and box out of the vehicle.

“Need some help?” Darlene asked. She still didn’t know their names, and she had a hard time telling them apart except for the different clothes they were wearing. Luckily, as crazy as Rosemary seemed to be, at least she wasn’t dressing her kids in matching outfits.

“We got it, ma’am,” one of the boys said as he walked past her and up the steps.

The other brother smiled sheepishly at Darlene but looked away when she met his smile.

Darlene sat down on a chair and sighed. It was so beautiful on the farm. The air was clean and so peaceful. She hadn’t grown up in the big city by any stretch, but this felt like God’s country, a description she’d never understood until this moment.

With Boston under attack and her unable to reach any family on the other side of the country, Darlene knew she needed to make the most of what she had right now. She was safe and had food and power. People who would protect her. Even with the unknown threats of nuclear war and the even closer Sawyer family, she was still better off staying put.

The front door opened and Pheebz walked out, taking the seat next to Darlene.

“Any chance you have a cigarette?” Pheebz asked, looking at the driveway.

“I don’t smoke.”

“I haven’t in years. Herbert would kill me if he knew I was even asking you,” Pheebz said.

Herbert began yelling inside.

“I’m guessing the three duffle bags and box weren’t enough supplies to make a dent,” Darlene said.

“The food she brought amounts to some dried fruits and veggies. I feel sorry for the twins. They’re so wild because they never know what she’s going to put them through each week. Heck, each day sometimes. Rosemary should’ve never had children. They do say the Lord works in mysterious ways, and this might be one of the bigger times,” Pheebz said.

Darlene wanted to ask about Susie but bit her tongue. It wasn’t her place to bring up something they didn’t want to talk about. Instead, she changed the subject. “How long have you and Herbert been married?”

“Some days it seems like a week.” She grinned. “Most days it feels like we’ve been together a hundred years,” Pheebz said and laughed. “I love the man to death, and he loves me right back, no matter how much we disagree and fight at times. Two stubborn people should never get married. Thirty some odd years later, we keep telling ourselves that same thing.”

Rosemary came storming out the front door, her twins gripped in each arm dragging behind her. She stopped on the top step and glared at Pheebz.

“Do you know what your husband did?”

Pheebz winked at Darlene. “Go back inside, Rosemary. You’re not leaving and you know it. You do this every visit.”

“This time it’s different. My brother insulted me. Made fun of my lifestyle and said it wouldn’t last another week. He doesn’t know his own flesh and blood,” Rosemary said.

“Go back inside and pout for a while,” Pheebz said. “Herbert is under a lot of stress right now. We have six mouths to feed and the Sawyers are sniffing around looking for a weakness. He’s probably worried there isn’t enough food for everyone since you brought twigs and dirt with you.”

Rosemary looked even more annoyed now and began wagging her finger, releasing one of the boys. “How dare you. Wait until your precious processed meats and cheeses go bad or you run out. You’ll be begging me to share some of my food.”

“It isn’t food, Rosemary. I saw it. You’re going to starve those poor boys. No wonder they have no strength. They just sit and stare into space,” Pheebz said.

Rosemary shook her head. “My boys are fine. Always have been. My brother needs to stop trying to meddle in my affairs.”

Pheebz stood and pointed her own finger. “He’d do it if you’d stop involving everyone in whatever your next harebrained scheme was. And you called him yesterday. Remember? You swore you’d be over with plenty of food for everyone. He stressed it. I don’t see your guns, either.”

Rosemary looked away. “I gave them away. I...I don’t believe in violence.”

Pheebz turned and grinned at Darlene, shaking her head. “This from a woman who once shot a man for trying to look up her skirt. Then had the nerve to flirt with the judge so much she got off with a warning.”

“That is not how it happened,” Rosemary said defensively. “It was self-defense. I thought my life was in danger.”

“Well, I’ve kept my mouth shut for too long, Rosemary. You drive my husband crazy, and it stops right here.” Pheebz waved her hand. “Go. Leave if you want to. No one is going to beg you anymore to stay.”

“Fine. Boys, go get our bags and food. We’re leaving.”

Herbert opened the door and dropped the duffle bags and the box on the porch, patting both boys on the head but not saying a word.

“Less food for you,” Rosemary said.

“Actually, a lot more for us. You’ll run out of berries in a week if you’re lucky. We have enough food to last awhile, plus fruit trees all over the property. The blackberry and strawberry bushes will yield quite a bit for the three of us. In fact, I just found a wild blueberry patch last week. I was fixin’ to bake a nice pie to eat,” Pheebz said.

Darlene could see the twins pass a look back and forth. The poor little guys were hungry for real food. She hoped Rosemary would come to her senses sooner than later and feed them.

“Well, you enjoy your processed foods and your junk food and your cancer-causing soda. I’m going back home after a trip to the health food store,” Rosemary said.

She grabbed the boys again and went to the VW Bus, nearly tossing them inside. She stormed around the front of the vehicle, looking over to make sure all eyes were on her.

Herbert came out and sat down in the chair Pheebz had been sitting in, waving to his sister as he did.

“I’ll leave,” Rosemary said.

“You’ll get a few miles before you see how silly you’re being. If you drive away, you can only come back under my rules. My house, you know. Those boys are my nephews and I have a say in how you’re treating them and yourself, Rosemary. You need help,” Herbert said.

“Go to bloody Hell.” Rosemary climbed into the car and drove away. She floored it down the dirt drive, kicking up dirt and dust.

“She’ll be back before dinner,” Pheebz said.

“I give her until lunch,” Herbert said.

Darlene laughed. “After lunch but before dinner.”

“Losers do dishes for the next week,” Pheebz said.

“You’re the real winner. Even if you lose. You do them every day,” Herbert said.