Curtain Fall: Second Edition, Disaster, Preparedness, Survival, Awakening (The Gatekeeper Book 1) (25 page)

“But we’re still preparing,” remarked Adam with a shrug.

“True, but we’re already prepared. We’re just taking advantage of our remaining time,” said John.

“You’re not going to warn anyone?” asked Adam, but it sounded more like a plea than a question.

“No,” replied John, “I’ve already warned some people . . . family and friends though. I sent out a message last night. But again, I based that warning on feelings, and nothing more. I don’t have anything else to go on, Adam.

“Can’t you see, this is a very unique circumstance for all of us? If nothing happens, and I really hope nothing does, then I’ll be left to deal with it. That’s the main reason I can’t tell more people. That’s why I can’t . . . stand up in church and announce it to everyone. I have no proof, Adam.

“And Cheryl’s parents don’t know me from . . . well, they don’t know me at all. They have no reason to trust or believe me. It wouldn’t work, even if I went to Cheryl’s house to talk to them directly. This is a very difficult situation for all of us, but mostly for me because I’m the Chicken Little here,” finished John.

Adam nodded, so John added, “What we’re doing is preparing more. And if we weren’t already prepared . . . well, we’d be in a mess right now. Knowing what I know now, the guilt and shame of being unprepared would have killed me. Honestly, if we weren’t prepared . . . I probably wouldn’t have told you about the disaster in the first place. I would have let you enjoy your last few days of normal life in ignorance.”

John grabbed Adam’s shoulders again and said, “But we’re gonna survive because your mom and I prepared. We’re ready for the disaster, and we’ll help others . . . I know we will.”

“Really?” asked Adam. “You think we’ll help other people?”

“I know we will, and we’re prepared to help others, but let’s give our family and friends a chance first, OK?” asked John.

Adam nodded and turned to look toward the pool. “OK, dad. We better get busy then.”

“That’s my boy,” said John, and he removed his sun glasses to wipe an eye with his fingertip. “It would be nice to join up with other prepared families,” added John, “but I’ve given up on that hope a long time
ago. There just aren’t enough people around us who are concerned about living beyond their immediate wants.”

“Do you think we’ll end up helping Cheryl’s family?”

“I don’t know. I can’t say what they’ll do when they learn about the disaster. But I’ll make you a deal, if they reach out to us, then I promise to help them. I just ask that you don’t advertise our preparedness. Trust me when I say this, but it could be very, very dangerous for us if you do,” said John, and he was sure to place emphasis on the word, dangerous.

“I know, dad. You tell us about op-sec all the time. I won’t say anything to anyone.”

“I appreciate it. It’s a serious situation now, but it will be life or death after the disaster.”

“Got it, dad.”

John could tell Adam did, indeed, get it, so he dropped the subject and looked toward the pool with his son. While Adam talked about ways to cover it, John reflected on his most recent conversation with Jenna’s brother, Ray. Upon learning that John was a “prepper,” Ray said, “I know where I’m going when crap hits the fan.”

John’s reply to Ray was simple and to the point, “If you come, don’t come empty handed.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, John?” asked Ray, in more of a challenging sneer than a question.

“That means,” said John, as he faced off with Ray, “that if you do nothing to prepare yourself or your family, then don’t bother coming here.”

Ray got angry, and so did John. In fact, John was so mad that it took all his willpower to avoid a bigger fight. But the harm had already been done. Ray left in a huff, pulling his family with him. And it was months before they came to visit again.

Later, Jenna questioned John at length over the argument, and she said not everyone could afford to prepare. She added that they had a responsibility to care for family. John countered her by saying it was Ray who said, “I don’t need to prepare because I have guns and ammo, and I
can take whatever I need to survive.” To John, that told him everything he needed to know about Raymond’s character, and he decided, from that point forward, that he would not include him in his preps.

When he said as much to Jenna, she asked sharply, “But what about Cindy and the kids? Will you turn them away too?”

“Of course not,” replied John, “but Ray will have to go somewhere else. I won’t let him in. And I don’t care how desperate he is.”

Jenna threw her hands into the air and stormed out of the bedroom. It was a cold night in their bedroom, but unlike John, Jenna didn’t understand how dangerous an asocial personality could be to their family cohesion during a survival situation. He honestly didn’t know how he’d deal with Ray if and when he showed up, but he would deal with it when it happened.

John suspected Jenna was equally disgusted with her brother, but he knew she’d never admit it to John. To do so would give John carteblanche to completely write off her brother. And since Jenna, and John too for that matter, loved Cindy and the kids, she would always tolerate her socially inept brother.

As it happened, John was prepared to help Ray and his family, but they would first have to make it to John’s. To sooth the hurt, he told Jenna he’d try and make it work if they came, but he did it more out of love for Jenna than for practical survival reasoning. Now that the possibility was upon him, John wondered if he really could deal with Ray, and at the same time keep his family sane and alive.

“What cha’ thinking about, dad?” asked Adam.

“Nothing, just thinking. What were we talking about?”

“Not talking about our preps,” replied Adam.

John put his arm around Adam and led him into the house. “We can handle this,” said John. “Besides, there are ways to give out food without letting people know we have it. Just remember, every meal we give away is one less meal we have for ourselves. Do you know the Aesop Fable, The Ant and the Grasshopper?”

“Isn’t it a kid’s story?” asked Adam.

“Perhaps, but it has mature implications. And the moral of the story is as important today as it was when it was first told . . . that it’s wise to prepare for days of necessity. Here’s a question for you. Do we, as ants, surrender our food to the grasshoppers because they squandered their time relaxing in the sun while we worked hard to provide for ourselves?”

Adam’s brow furrowed. John could see he was unsure of how to respond to John’s question, so John saved him the trouble by saying, “That issue will be the first of many moral dilemmas we’ll face during the disaster, so it’s good to talk about them. Just remember, if we keep a positive attitude we’ll make it. Survival experts say having a positive attitude is more important than food.”

“I don’t know about that,” said Adam. “You can’t eat a positive attitude. And it doesn’t beat a good hamburger either.”

“I agree,” said John. “Food helps a positive attitude. But depression is much more dangerous than starvation. I think it can kill you quicker . . . at least in a survival situation. Anyway, I’m gonna go find your mom. I figure we’ll be gone for a couple hours. Will you be OK? Can you handle the chores I gave you?”

“Yeah, dad. I got it. You can count on me,” said Adam.

John hugged Adam and said, “Thanks son. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

J
ohn pulled into the Costco parking lot shortly after the store opened. He liked doing his shopping in the morning because it wasn’t busy. All day Saturday, or even during the afternoons and evenings of the week, the store was at its busiest. And since he hated dealing with crowded aisles and long checkout lines, John tried to stick to mostly morning visits.

As far as frequency goes, John shopped Costco about once or twice a month. One of the things he liked most about the store was the variety of needful things. Of course, Jenna wasn’t always thrilled with his purchases. John rarely walked out of the store without spending at least three-hundred dollars. But for him, it was hard to ignore the deals; be they food items or otherwise. Mostly, John liked shopping at Costco because it had a lot to offer a speedy buyer looking for a variety of bulk deals.
“Today’s trip would be strictly business,”
he reminded himself.
“There would be no leisure shopping today.”

John never planned to “raid” Costco, or, for that matter, any other grocery store before a disaster. He knew, full well, how dangerous it could be to compete for food with other desperate shoppers. He was already adequately prepared for any disaster. For the Andersons, this trip was all about getting more food - without attracting too much attention - as a buffer against having to provide for their extended family and friends.

Besides, John noticed no one was reacting to news of the Caldera. If they were, he would have turned around and left. Everything looked perfectly normal, it was just another routine operating day here at Costco. John wondered if worried people were rushing to Costco stores, or other
food suppliers, in areas that were closer to Yellowstone. If they were, he mused, they weren’t putting it on the news.

Last minute panic food shopping was a practice in America when a disaster loomed on the horizon, but today no one seemed panicked. In fact, no one seemed the least bit concerned about anything, let alone news of the Caldera. John caught a little radio coverage of the Caldera during the drive into town, but all in all, everyone seemed to either be taking the news in stride, or ignoring it all together. It was as if the Caldera was some sort of distant typhoon in Asia, or a lava flow in Hawaii. He didn’t understand it, the lack of interest, but he had finally come to terms with it.

They exited the Suburban and John said, “So, we’re sticking to the plan, right?”

“You’re the one who should talk,” quipped Jenna. “You love walking out with stuff we really don’t need.”

“Well, that may be true,” replied John, “but I doubt there’s anything we can get that won’t be of some use in the weeks and months ahead. Still, I hear what you’re saying. Anything off the plan needs the other person’s approval . . . deal?”

“Deal,” said Jenna, and she went to grab two shopping carts before reaching the store entrance.

John did likewise, but with a flat-cart. He then flashed his membership card to the attendant at the front entrance, and nodded to Jenna. She went one way, and John the other. Their plan was simple, follow the shopping list, get the stuff they needed, and then get out as quickly and calmly as possible. Their’s wasn’t an elaborate plan, but it was purposeful and direct, and it suited John just fine.

Though no one seemed concerned about the Caldera, John knew that would change when it erupted. Once the eruption happened, there would be no more denial, no more normalcy. “
That would be the time to stay away from the store
,” thought John.

Once word got out that the Caldera erupted, and the magnitude of that disaster was then fully communicated to the country, people would
begin to rush to their closest grocery stores to buy up food, water, and batteries.

John knew that would happen because he saw it before. In Austin and San Antonio, all the major food warehouse stores were nearly emptied at the threat of Hurricane Katrina and Sandy, and those cities were more than two-hundred miles from the Texas Gulf Coast. People panicked over the simple
possibility
of needing food they didn’t have. It was an eye opener for John.

But as far as their plan went, John was to concentrate on the food, and Jenna the medical and other non-food supplies like soaps, vitamins, and such. They also decided to check out individually; not so much to avoid attracting attention, but to speed up their checkout process and get back home.

John decided to also grab a shopping cart, which he did when he spotted a loose one sitting alone in the store. He pulled the cart behind him while he pushed the flat-cart ahead. He decided to use the shopping cart for small items, and the flat-cart for the larger bulk items.

As he made his way past the refrigerator and freezer boxes, John turned down the first of the dry and canned foods aisles. He wasn’t interested in purchasing anything fresh or perishable because he didn’t have room for it at home. For John, this shopping trip would be pretty much limited to five aisles, each of which held all the bulk food items he was interested in.

He moved quickly, selecting the food on his list, but also alert for anything he may have missed during the planning phase of the operation. John glanced at the list and stuffed it into his pocket to grab three twin-packs of peanut butter, four cases each of corn, green beans, chicken soup, beef stew, pineapple, and peaches, and five cases each of tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes, and tomato paste.

On the next aisle, John loaded the flat-cart with two boxes of peanut oil, four twin-bottles of olive oil, four twin-bottles of honey, and four twenty-five-pound bags of flour, granulated sugar, and salt. He also added five, two-pound bags each of powdered and brown sugar.
He ignored the growing size of his food mountain and removed the list from his pocket.