This is week 20 in volume 3 of the Saturday Survival Serial. To learn more about what the Saturday Survival Serial is, click here. To start at week 1, click here.
Roger and Sticks were leading the way through the forested area they were traveling. To everyone’s surprise, Tori’s prediction of something always going wrong had proven false. At least so far. They’d made the drive down without issue, parking off the road between a couple trees. Now they were waiting for the truck to cool enough before they could cover it up with some branches and leaves.
“Should we wait until tomorrow? By the time we get this covered up and make the hike to where we’re supposed to wait, it’ll be dark.” Kory had been rather quiet most of the trip, seemingly just going with the flow. This morning was different. He was on edge, wondering what the day would bring.
Roger and Sticks both shook their heads. “They’re used to people showing up at odd hours. It’ll be fine, really.” Roger smiled encouragingly and added, “Imagine sleeping on a mattress tonight.”
Everyone perked up. They agreed that the truck was cool enough not to set branches on fire and went about gathering materials. They decided to cover the back where the gasifier tank was more than the front. A completely covered truck would draw more attention than one with debris in the back. Bret tossed some dirt at the front window and hood for good measure.
While they were doing that, Sticks and Roger set up their mobile communication system to transmit an update: they were doing well and were close to the safe house. They’d already schooled everyone on the need to move quickly once he was done transmitting, just in case there was anyone listening and trying to intercept the sender.
Everyone checked their gear one last time and went over the hand signals for communication. Before they transmitted, they went over the plan one last time.
“Remember, if we need to make a run for it, scatter in opposite directions.” Roger looked at each person in turn. “As of a couple weeks ago, the safe house was still up and going. We all know how much change one day can bring so be sure to be on high alert. No one try to be the hero, either. If we end up dead before we get to Plymouth, we’ve failed.”
Heads nodded and the group began walking, save for Roger and Sticks who stayed and sent their message out. They kept it short and sweet and hoped that they were heard. It’d been a good three weeks since they’d left. Though they were technically ahead of schedule, the group still felt the pressure to get information home as quickly as possible.
It was mid afternoon and though daylight was increasing, it was still early enough that when the sun went behind the horizon, it cooled down quickly. The group walked at a steady pace, eyes sweeping side to side for any sign of trouble. After they’d alternately trotted and walked for three hours in silence, Roger put his fist up for everyone to stop.
He looked around and moved to a thicket of trees off the backroad they’d been south on for the last mile or so. Waving for everyone to follow, they stepped inside the first few trees and saw several rounds of wood set up as seats around a fire pit. There was more than one raised eyebrow as they stepped further in. The light wind was lessened to a breeze, thanks to the underbrush in between the trees.
Roger took his pack off and sat down on a log with a smile. “Take a load off! We made it,” he said quietly. “We’ll need to do a short perimeter check of course but there isn’t many people just wandering around out here anymore.”
Kory snorted at that statement and sat down, unslinging his pack. “True but the ones that are seem to either want to rob you or kill you or both.” They’d been shot at a total of four times on the trip down. “Can’t say as I blame them, though. I am suspicious of anyone new, too.” He frowned and went quiet.
Sticks gave Roger a pointed look. They had discussed how difficult it might really be to try and integrate into the new camp for these people. The mental strain would be brutal on many levels, especially for untrained spies like these.
“It’s hard to comprehend or even begin to plan for how you’ll deal with things once we get to Plymouth. Your mind can send you into non stop circles of worse and worse scenarios that will only serve to drive you insane.” Roger looked at everyone in turn as he spoke.
“What you need to remember, to burn into your mind, is what’s at stake. Your home, your family’s home and the survival of free people. There’s no point in trying to plan anything because we don’t have enough information. The only thing that’s certain is we’re going in with someone to watch our backs and that’s a rare thing. How many people are certain someone will back them up in those places? We get in, get information, get that information out, and then get ourselves out. Understood?”
He was met with silence. After a moment, Kory exhaled loudly and said, “Well, that was the most vague pep talk I’ve ever heard. You sure you’re not a politician?” Everyone laughed and the tension broke. Roger grinned at Kory who gave him a half salute.
“So, how do we signal these safe house people?” Kory asked, looking around the thicket.
“Aha, a simple and yet effective system,” replied Sticks. “It works day or night though at night it has more potential to draw unwanted attention.” He grinned and stood up.
Walking across the cold fire pit, he stepped into the trees and went around the back of two larger ones. The others got up and followed, curiosity piqued. Sticks was kneeling down, shoveling dirt, leaves, and branches out from a hollow spot in the side of one tree where it touched the other.
“Aha, here we go!” Sticks pulled a dirty wooden box with a tarnished latch on it out of the hole and held it up triumphantly. He stood up and took it over to where Roger had been sitting and took the seat for himself.
“We need a fire going. Not too large but bright enough to cast a bit of light out,” he said.
“I’m not doing a damn thing until you tell me what’s in that box and how we’re going to signal them!” exclaimed Tori.
The others laughed and nodded their heads in agreement. Sticks grinned at Roger who said, “Oh come on, now. We need to gather wood before it gets too dark to see and I would rather not freeze tonight. Just tell them and get on with it.” Roger shook his head with an amused smile at his friend.
“Oh fine. Ruin all my fun, I swear.” Sticks opened the box and pulled out a worn ziplock style bag. Inside was a felt pouch that looked to be roughly 4 inches wide and 6 inches long. Sticks opened them up and slid out a framed mirror with a hook in the top and held it up for all to see.
“A mirror? What, we gonna send smoke signals, too?” Bret scowled and threw his hands up in frustration. “You made a big deal about a mirror? How exactly is that supposed to work?”
Sticks grinned like the cat that got the canary, hoping one of them would take the bait. He sniffed before replying.
“You kids, always thinking that if it isn’t ‘high tech,’ it’s worthless technology. Well even a hanging mirror in a tree can catch the eye from quite a distance. See, junior, it’s mirrored on both sides. You hang it from this little thing here, called a hook, up in the branches and when the wind-”
“Oh piss off,” murmured Bret, his face reddening. “OK, I get it. The light from the fire or the light of day would make it twist and reflect light. What if there’s no wind to move it?”
Sticks shrugged. “Don’t know. Never thought to ask and it hasn’t been an issue for us. Either way, it works, so let’s get settled in. It took a bit last time.”
The group went about getting wood for a fire, building it, and seeing what they had available to eat. There were some hardtack-type crackers, a few handfuls of rice – their last – and a four serving pouch of rare beef stroganoff. They agreed that they may as well eat the pouch and crackers, saving the rice for when they could catch a fish or forage for something else. Tori had gotten several handfuls of edible leaves including dandelion and wild plantain.
“The plantain leaves may be a bit tough but we need the vitamins more than for it to taste gourmet, so eat up!” she ordered.
A couple hours later after eating, the mirror had been hung in the branches of a tree that had a notch carved into the base, marking it as the ‘signaling tree.’ It swayed and twisted as the breeze turned into a stronger wind. The group wrapped their blankets closer around themselves to ward against the chill and waited.
*************
It was Shannon’s day off and she was enjoying being utterly lazy. She hadn’t changed out of what she considered her pjs and it was already 11am. She enjoyed a second cup of tea, though she only had four bags left. Get your small pleasures where you can, she’d told herself to justify breaking her usual one cup a day. She had read a book from the library that had been set up. It was a cheesy romance that she had laughed at more than been swept away by. Next time, I’ll go for a mystery novel.
Getting up and stretching, she wondered what she would do with the rest of her day. She could take a walk around the settlement but she did that during her ‘day job’ everyday. Shannon headed to her bedroom, seeing the pile of wet clothes she’d left in the bathroom as she passed by. Thinking about having to do laundry, she was reminded of the booklet she’d found in the mayor’s bathroom the day before.
Adrenaline cleared her languid mood and she now walked with purpose around her apartment, making sure windows and doors were secured closed. She didn’t want to have anyone walk in while she was reading something she shouldn’t be.
After she was sure everything was secure, she got the booklet from where she’d stashed it and settled on the bed. Taking care to separate the pages without tearing them, she began reading.
After an hour, she was sitting in stunned silence. Staring at the wall without really seeing it, she jumped when a loud noise outside broke the silence.
She sucked in a deep breath and her mind whirled over what she had read. The worse part was there was more to be read still. When she got to the list of punishments, or penance as it was called, she was almost numb.
“…repeated work shifts missed will result in lower ration credits based on the scale found in appendix…
“…contraband found will result in lowered housing arrangements or the loss of comforts in said living conditions…
“…refusal for medical treatment is the same as misappropriation of resources and shall be dealt with according to appendix 17 – B or as the mayor deems appropriate.”
Those were disturbing but weren’t so bad overall. It was the ones about pregnancy and the handling of children and pregnant women. Words like education facilities, separation of mother and child, dealing with the mental implications on other residents regarding the new family unit… it was enough to make her feel ill.
“…torture methods are permitted in cases of the following: treason, plotting to rebel or commit treason, causing intentional damage to property or harm to any officers or officials serving the greater cause…”
There was a lot more going on here than she thought and it was much, much worse than she had imagined. She couldn’t shake the feeling that this booklet didn’t give as much information so much as hint to certain other practices and policies of the settlement camps. The lack of actual detail and procedure was what really bothered her.
She read about the rules against how the mayor was to condition people to stop thinking of themselves as different by race, religion, culture, heritage, or anything other than the human race. Shannon shuddered at the twisted irony of the goal. Unite humanity by stripping it of its various flavors, its richness that was because of its diversity. Oh how the liberals and hippies would howl if they knew how the idea of global peace and harmony had been flipped on its side!
Before she knew it, she’d read the whole thing and hours had passed. Closing the booklet, she knew she had to tell her friends about this.
More than ever, she needed to get out of here! She would rather starve a free woman than be a fed and caged animal.
*************
“Jimmy! Jimmy, come quick!” Amie’s frenzied call spurred him to get up and jump over the little couch in their cabin to get to the bedroom. When he looked in, he saw Amie and the twins sitting on a blanket. Grace was on her side and wiggling around, trying to roll over.
“Look! They don’t normally roll over until around 4 months. Our girl is advanced already.” She grinned and looked back at her daughter with fondness.
Grace’s face was red with the effort of trying to roll over onto her back, but her arm was in the way and she was getting frustrated. Brad was laying still, watching his sister with wide eyes. Seeing his expression made Jimmy laugh. At his outburst, both kids were startled and began fussing.
Amie teased, “Oh, good job, Dad. You started it, you get the honors. Good luck, they haven’t had a nap yet this morning.” She gestured to the twins who were still deciding whether or not to go into a full blown display of displeasure.
Jimmy laughed again and came closer to them, bending down to scoop up Grace. She calmed as soon as she was being raised in the air. Brad, seeing this, was having none of it. He turned the volume up.
Amie sighed, pretending to be put-off but the twitch at the corners of her mouth gave her away. She picked Brad up and held him close, patting his back.
“I am so excited about the Gathering, I can barely contain myself! There’s so many things to get done still. I hope those merchants come back this time around. I’ve got a few things to trade but they should be worth a fair amount so…” Jimmy smiled and listened to his wife babble on, thinking about his own to-do list. It was pretty extensive.
“What do you think?” He realized he’d stopped listening and wasn’t sure how to answer without getting busted.
“Whatever you think is best, honey,” he replied with a smile. Amie eyed him closely and he had to work to maintain the smile. When she smiled back, he knew he was sunk.
“Well, of course I think it’s a great idea for you to take the twins for a full day of the Gathering so I can enjoy myself and get the best bargains. So, thank you, honey!”
“Oh, now you know I-” he stammered before being cut off.
“Would love to give your wife a day to herself to refresh and regain some energy and enthusiasm. You are such a good husband, honey.” She raised up and kissed his cheek before going into the main room of the cabin.
Jimmy stood there with a look of surprise on his face and then just laughed. “You know, you’re lucky you’re cute!” He hollered after her.
“I’ll take it! Now, come help me with the packing.”
They spent the rest of the day enjoying each other’s company and Jimmy was thankful to not have anything overly pressing that couldn’t be dealt with tomorrow. He watched in awe as his twin children cooed at each other on the blanket Amie had put down. They were both on their stomachs, pushing themselves up with their little arms. She’d told him how important it was for their development and he could see how strong they’d gotten in such a short amount of time.
Later that evening, they decided to join the rest of those who ate in The Hall for dinner. They were greeted when they entered and didn’t make it ten feet before people were fawning over the kids, wanting to hold them. Being shooed toward the food, they were told to eat and promised the babies would be fine. Laughing, they walked arm in arm to the food line with others coming in behind them.
Sitting down, they chatted with others about the state of camp and general gossip. Ms. Stephanie had told him that she and the other school teachers of the camps wanted to have an academic sort of contest such as a spelling bee and math competition. Along with that, there would be a contest for survival skill mastery based on age groups. Jimmy and Amie thought it a fantastic idea and offered to help however they could.
After eating, they asked those watching over the twins to watch them a little longer so they could take a walk. The request was instantly granted – babies were a very special joy, moreso now than ever.
Deciding to take a walk to the gardens as the sun was going down, they walked hand in hand. Jimmy hadn’t gone inside the makeshift high tunnel that had been built and was amazed at what he saw when he went inside. Greens were bursting from the soil in various stages of maturity. Everything from sprouts to half grown heads of lettuce, spinach, and radishes. He knew they had Sarah to thank for the bounty he saw growing. After the flood, they would have been very hard pressed to make it this coming winter.
“Do we have a plan for saving seeds for next year?”
“Oh yes. Sarah knows a fair amount about saving seeds and we’ve all learned as much as one season will teach us plus, I don’t know a single woman in camp who hasn’t read every book we have on the subject.”
Jimmy laughed. “All hail the mighty farming woman!”
Amie smirked. “You bet your next meal, mighty farming woman!” She flexed her arms and he whistled appreciatively.
Walking out of the high tunnel, she motioned him to follow and took him to another, smaller area covered in opaque plastic over a wooden frame. Amie rolled up one side to reveal another 4 smaller beds. Two had the same greens and fast growing foods that were in the other area. The other two were beds of dirt.
“Everything in here will be allowed to go to seed and harvested. Once we pull up the plants, the chickens will get to eat the stalks and roots. Those two beds there are for biennials like onions and carrots. Those need two years before going to seed.”
Jimmy raised his eyebrows, impressed with her knowledge. He told her so and she laughed, waving it off. “I’ve had a lot of time to read and re-read the books we have on the subject enough times to memorize them. Plus, food is kind of important and all…” Amie winked playfully at her husband.
“Ya, kind of.” He grinned back and they turned to walk back to The Hall. Stopping here and there along the way, he was excited to see the row of berry bushes that had been painstakingly dug up and transplanted. They had survived the winter and the floods, it seemed. Small green leaves were poking up at the lower levels but up high, there were signs of growth, too. He could see the buds forming and asked about which kinds of berries they had, how much they thought to get, and when they would be pickable.
Amie laughed again and told him there would be guards placed around the garden to keep pests and residents alike from grazing. “You included so don’t even try it!”
As they made their way back into the middle of camp, Jessica came out of the Comm Shack and toward them.
“Jimmy! We’ve had word from the group who went south. They’ve made it to the safe house, or at least the safe house area. They’re in good health and all accounted for!”
Jimmy sighed his shoulder slumped in relief. A thoughtful look came over his face and he looked to be counting.
“They’re ahead of schedule by a good week, too. I hope they learn how the communication is supposed to work for getting information out before they get there.”
Jessica nodded. “And we learn how to get it from them, too.”
There was a lapse in the conversation. Amie broke it by saying, “At least we’re one step closer!”
Jimmy and Jessica nodded in agreement. They started walking toward The Hall when whistling could be heard through the trees. They all stopped and looked in the direction it was coming from.
“One approaching,” said Jimmy, listening. The whistle changed to a different bird song. “Known friendly. I wonder who it is.”
“I just hope it isn’t some bad news,” said Jessica.
They walked back toward the likely trail the person would be coming down, according to the lookout’s calls. Sure enough, one of the older teens from the Havhausen homestead to the east was jogging down the path toward them. Jimmy raised his hand in greeting.
“Hello, Mr. Jimmy, Miss Amie, Miss Jessica,” the young man said politely. “Passed some crab apple trees on the way here. Even those tart things sound good right about now.”
Everyone laughed. “Yes, I think I would happily eat one myself,” replied Jimmy. “Come on in! Everything OK back home?”
They walked and chit chatted politely before going inside The Hall. Once there, the twins had been getting fussy due to hunger so Amie took them and excused herself to go home and feed them. Jimmy kissed her before she left and invited Olaf Havhausen to sit down. One of the ladies brought him a bowl of stew which he gratefully accepted.
After he had taken a few bites, he looked at Jimmy. “I was out scouting around for any possible game and heard something I haven’t heard in a long time and even then, it was on TV. I wasn’t sure I was hearing right and sort of followed the noise.”
Jimmy’s eyebrows went up. The boy had his full attention.
“I almost turned around twice but something told me to keep going. Just as I was about to call it quits, I found a bunch of fresh tire tracks. I followed them and found out I was right. I had heard a helicopter!”
Jimmy’s jaw hit his chest and there was a sudden silence in The Hall. All eyes had turned to look at Olaf’s back and the spell wasn’t broken until someone opened the door to come in.
“What’s going on?” No one answered them. Olaf continued.
“There was about a dozen people, just over in Reed City Mr. Jimmy. United Nations people if you believe the markings on the trucks. They were cleaning up buildings and it looked like they had supplied. The helicopter brought some uniformed military people that looked important.”
He bent down to take another bite of the stew and then drink some water.
“Before I got out of there, I heard two people talking about more coming in a couple weeks. ‘Residents,’ he called them, and the other commented on the camp having a weird feel to it. That’s all I heard before they’d walked too far away. I left and came straight here. I haven’t even gone home and will likely pay with a tongue lashing and thrown items from mom when I get back but I knew I had to tell you.”
Silence overcame The Hall once again until someone whispered in a horrified voice, “My God. That’s only twenty miles away!”
Suddenly everyone started talking at once. Some panicked, others defiant and calling for action to go against them now-before there were too many to easily overtake. Jimmy tried to get them to calm down and though it took some effort, he was able to get things mostly under control.
“Look! How many times do we have to go through this? We learn of an issue, we talk about it and make a plan. If it needs changing, we change it. But panicking and freaking out gets you nothing but killed! We already survived worse than this! We can survive this, too.”
Someone by a back wall asked, “Will the Gathering be cancelled now? Shouldn’t we stay here and, I don’t know, prepare or something? What about those Liberty Teeth people? Are they coming? What about the rumors of Canadians coming south?”
Jimmy had no real answers to give to the barrage of questions.
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