Surviving the Fog (35 page)

"Makayla, run ahead and tell them we’re
coming," Tyler said.

“Okay, Tyler,” said Makayla, and she ran
toward the farm.

"How did you alert the others?" the Major
asked.  Tyler took his hands out of his pockets.  He was
holding a walkie-talkie.

"Ah," said the Major.  "You held the
button down as we talked.  They heard everything we said.
 Simple, but effective."

"Yes," Tyler replied.  "It was our
Chief’s plan."

"Do you mean, Mike?" the Lieutenant
asked.

"Yes, I mean our Chief," replied Tyler,
emphasizing the word, ‘Chief.’

The Lieutenant nodded.  "Your Chief," he
repeated.

They were getting close to
the farm.  Alert to everything around him, Major Collins noted
the fields, the barns, and the other structures.
 
A well kept place,
he thought.  
Orderly
.  A lady, a young man,
two little ones, and five older kids came out of the house; among
the kids was the girl, Makayla.  The lady was carrying a
shotgun, and the little boy had a toy spear.

"Welcome to Davis Brown Farm," the young man
said.  "I assume that you are Major Collins."

"Yes, I am," the Major replied.  "And
this is Lieutenant Lincoln Kennedy.  I thank you for your
welcome.  It's the second one today."  He looked at Tyler
and smiled, as Tyler blushed.

Ralph introduced his workers and the guards
from Petersburg.

Then he said, "This is my son, Comet, and my
daughter, Star.  This is Mary, their mother.  And these
are my nieces, Kylie and Paige."

"Please, come in," Mary said.  "You are
just in time for dinner."

"Uncle Ralph, me and Kylie will take dinner
with the guards and the boys in the barn," Paige said.

"Kylie and I," Mary corrected the girl, but
her kind smile took the sting out of it.

"Kylie and I," Paige repeated. "That way,
there’ll be more room at the table."

"Thank you, Paige," Ralph replied formally.
"That would be nice."

"We can eat in your barn.  We're not
here to cause you any trouble," the Major protested.

"Oh, it's no trouble," Mary assured him.
 "The kids like to get together without adult
supervision."

"Dad, can I go too?" Star pleaded.

"Me, too," Comet insisted.

"Yeah, you can both go," said Ralph
indulgently. "But Tyler, you stay here."

Once inside the house, the officers’ rifles
were discretely locked in Mary's gun case.  The soldiers were
not happy about this, but Major Collins decided to accept it.
 Shortly after, they sat down to dinner.

Nectar
, thought Major Collins later.  He could not remember the
last time that he had been so full.  When they were finished
eating, the four adults and the boy went into the living room to
talk.

"How is your area doing, Major Collins?" Mary
asked.

"As well as can be expected, I suppose,"
Major Collins replied, "Given the nature of our situation.
 Our greatest difficulty is finding or producing food for
everyone at our post.  We were glad to rescue those children,
but of course, then we had extra mouths to feed."

"Oh?" Mary said.

The Major hesitated, and then he said, "We
have plenty of meat.  We came across a shepherd with a flock
of sheep.  We've started a breeding program.  Our men
have brought in plenty of mule deer.  Our real problem is
finding starches and vegetables.  We don't have enough of
either.  I'm afraid that some of our people are suffering from
vitamin and mineral deficiencies."

Mary glanced at Ralph, and then she looked
back at the Major.  "How many people are at your post?" she
asked.

"There’s thirty-five of us.  Nine Army
Engineers, eight Army Rangers, five adult civilians, counting Erin,
and thirteen children.”

"Thirteen children.  Thirty-five in
all," echoed Mary.  She looked at Ralph.  "That's not so
many.”

Ralph said nothing.  It was Mary's
decision.  She looked at the Major.

"I think we can help you, Major," she said.
 "The problem is going to be transportation.  But maybe
we can let you take our wagon, or at least take it part of the way.
 We’ll have to dry some of the vegetables, otherwise some of
them will ruin before they get there."

"That would be very decent of you, Mrs.
Brown," replied the Major gratefully.  "The haulers could eat
some along the way, and even if some of the produce spoils, we can
use the seeds to replant.  We’re trying to develop a biodiesel
fuel to run our trucks.  If we ever manage that, we can cut
the travel time down to about a day or two."

They talked well into the night, and Tyler
listened carefully.  Ralph had taken him aside before dinner,
and he had instructed Tyler to remember what was said.  The
Chief would want a report.  Information was valuable.

Before dawn, the Army officers, and Tyler
climbed into the wagon with Ralph, who drove them to the RV guard
post.  Ralph told them that he regretted not being able to
take them the rest of the way, but that he needed to return to the
farm.  The Major thanked him for the lift.  Soon after
they arrived at the RV guard post, one of the guards mounted the
motorcycle and roared off towards Petersburg carrying the heaviest
part of the officer’s gear.

"And I thought we could scout them quietly,"
said the Major to the Lieutenant with a rueful glance at Tyler.

"If we hurry, we can reach Petersburg by
nightfall," Tyler said.

They hurried, and they did reach Petersburg
by nightfall.  On the way, they passed a tree with a noose
hanging from a branch.  There were four graves nearby.
 Tyler gave them a brief account of the hanging.  The
officers looked at each other with worried concern.

When they arrived, there was no welcoming
committee.  The few people still out of doors looked at them
with natural curiosity, and they nodded politely.  Tyler was
greeted warmly though.  The Major noticed one young girl,
hanging around, pretending to be busy, but she was obviously
waiting for the boy to notice her.

"Hi, Tyler," she finally said, glancing
bashfully at the Army officers.

"Hi," Tyler responded.  "This is Gabby,"
he said to the officers.

"Gabriella, actually," said Gabby primly.

They made polite noises, and then she
followed them to Chief’s Headquarters.  While the officers and
Gabby waited, Tyler knocked.

"It's open," they heard.

Tyler and the officers entered.  Gabby
snuck in behind them, before Tyler shut the door.

"Hi, Chief," Tyler said. "Got them."  He
pointed to the officers.

Mike gazed at the officers.  "One
moment, please, Major," he said.

He got up from his desk, went to Tyler, and
stuck out his hand.  Startled, Tyler shook it.

"Good work, Tyler," Mike said.  "I knew
I could depend on you.  Go get something to eat and come back
here in a half hour.  And take Miss Nosy with you."
 Gabby blushed, and she followed Tyler out of the room.

Then Mike greeted the officers.  "Hello,
again, Major Collins. I'm happy to see you too, Lieutenant
Kennedy."

"Mike," the Major acknowledge the young man.
 "You're looking well."

"You too," said Mike. "Thanks for getting
those kids out."

"You're welcome.  Of course, it was your
plan."

Mike laughed.  "What are you talking
about?" he asked innocently.

The officers chuckled, and then Major
Collins’ expression turned serious.

"You could have explained, you know," he
said.

Mike shook his head.  "My people were
not willing to make contact then.  To be honest, they are not
exactly happy about you being here now.  But I knew you would
come, so I thought that we might as well meet you."

The Major nodded.  "Your man, Tyler, did
well," he said.

"Yes.  Look, it's getting late," said
Mike.  "You're here.  Let's get used to that fact before
we try to feel each other out.  When Tyler gets back, I’ll
have him take you to a room in the Lodge.  Just rest, look
around, and we'll talk in the morning.  Okay?"

Major Collins nodded, "All right.
 You're the Chief."  Mike was surprised at the
statement.

Lieutenant Kennedy laughed.  "We've
already heard that a dozen times," he said.  Mike grimaced
ruefully. The three of them talked until they heard a knock.

"It's open," Mike said.  Tyler
entered.

"Tyler, take Major Collins and Lieutenant
Kennedy to my old room in the Lodge,” Mike ordered.  “We've
already cleared it out."

Collins and Kennedy followed Tyler up the
grassy slope to the Lodge in the deepening gloom.  It was
difficult in the dark to see how the building had been constructed.
 They passed the platform of Porta Pottys, and then they went
inside.

"Wow," Kennedy said, as he took in the whole
area.

"An inadequate statement," the Major
suggested.

He looked up.  Above him, he saw a
catwalk in front of some second story rooms.  A girl with a
baseball cap on backwards was hammering a small log into an opening
between two other thin logs that were part of the wall fronting the
room.  A bird fluttered by her head, but she ignored it.

"Quit whining about the noise," she shouted
into the room.  "You're the ones complaining that the guys can
see your tits."

Behind her, several grinning boys were
hanging over the railing of a loft.

"You never let us have any fun, Kat," one
said.

A door opened, and a young pregnant girl
stepped out from one of the rooms on the ground level.  Seeing
her, Tyler shrank back against the Major.

Spotting the boy, the girl said, "Oh, hi,
Tyler.  I heard you did a good job at the guard post."

Tyler seemed to relax.  "Uh, thanks,
Desi," he said.

"I think Gabby was really impressed," Desi
replied.  Then she smiled at the two officers.

"Your room is right there," she said,
indicating the door next to the Lieutenant’s shoulder.  "I
hope the beds are comfortable.  We only have twin size beds
for you."

"Thank you," chorused the officers.

"And thank you, Tyler," the Major added.

Kennedy opened the door and looked in.
 There were two single bunks against opposite walls, a white
plastic table, and two white plastic chairs.  The officers
went into the room and shut the door.

"Well," the Lieutenant said.  "This
community is not what I expected.  They are not exactly
hanging on by their bloody fingertips."

"No," the Major replied. "Of course, first
impressions are often false.  But, I admit that they appear to
be just as well organized as our post, and so far, this community
seems to be healthier in body and spirit.  Let's see what
tomorrow brings."

It had been a long journey from the Army
Post, and their bodies were tired.  While many in the
community were still awake, the two soldiers went to sleep.

The officers were awakened by someone
shouting, "Breakfast in thirty minutes!"

Kennedy sat up and looked at his watch lying
on the table.  It showed the time to be six o'clock.  He
yawned, stood up, and grabbed his pants and shirt.  The Major
was also on his feet.  There was a knock at the door.
 When Kennedy opened it, a teenage boy handed him a basin of
warm water.  The men used the water to wash and to shave with
the single plastic razor they shared.

When ready, they left the room and looked
around.  All about them, sleepy eyed teenagers were rousing.
 Some were coming out of the rooms above and next to them.
 Some were climbing down the ladder from the loft.  Some
were emerging from a smaller rock room.  Some had obviously
just slept in the common area.  Kennedy mumbled that he had to
use the latrine.  He went outside.  There was a short
line, so soon it was his turn.  He saw a girl leave one of the
Porta Pottys, and he went towards it.

"If you’re pissing, put the seat up," she
warned him as she passed by.

Kennedy used the Porta Potty, and then he
went back inside the Lodge.  Major Collins was standing at the
entrance to the small room off of the main area, examining some
barrels.  A man came out of the small room bare-chested but
carrying a t-shirt.

"Morning," he grunted, giving the officer a
suspicious look.

"Excuse me," the Major said.  "But are
these part of a heating system?"

Hector introduced himself, and then he began
to explain how the system worked.  Quickly he warmed to the
subject, becoming friendlier as he spoke.  They were joined by
the girl in the baseball cap.  She went to Hector, who lifted
her onto her toes, wrapped his arms around her, and gave her a
generous kiss.

"Morning, Kat," he said.

"Good morning, Hector," Kathy replied.
 "Stop talking shop, put your shirt on, and let's get some
breakfast."  She turned to the Major.  "We only have
bread, butter, and milk for breakfast, unless you want oatmeal.
 It's enough to get us going."

Kennedy joined them.  "What, no eggs?"
he said facetiously.

"Only two days a week," Hector replied. “Not
today.”  The girl nodded, and then she and Hector exited the
Lodge.

"I was kidding," Kennedy said to the
door.

The Major gave one last glance of admiration
at the heating system, and then they also left the Lodge.  Now
that it was light, they could see around them.

The Major pointed to the fields encircled by
the track.  "Grain," he said.

When they were almost to the dining hall,
Lieutenant Kennedy looked back at the two-story Lodge.  He
surveyed the latrine area, the log wall, the shingled roof, the
solar panels, and the rock fireplace.

"Damn," he exclaimed in astonishment.

He and the Major went into the dining hall.
 There were more white plastic tables and more white plastic
chairs.  They stood in a buffet line and received a plate of
bread, a pat of butter, and a plastic cup containing cold milk.
 They took their plates to a table and sat down to eat.
 Gabby passed by them, as she was cleaning the tables, and she
stopped to talk.