The Last Blade Of Grass (8 page)

“I’ll get the stuff, Matt, but I’m clearing out this place first. I’m assuming you don’t have a big sign advertising survival supplies on the outside of your house,” I say with a grin.

“That is a definite
no
. I’m glad you had this place, though. I didn’t want to order most of my stuff through the internet or on the phone and have the NSA and other government types knowing what I have purchased and stored,” he replies while heading over to the door.

I unlock it to let him out. “Goodbye, Matt. Be safe on the road.”

Everyone shakes Matt’s hand, and he leaves.

Hannah calls over from the computer. “Dad, the news is getting worse. Whatever this thing is seems to be spreading quickly. I mean, it’s everywhere. Not just here in the U.S. either. It’s all over the world according to bloggers reports. And it says something about martial law.”

“Martial Law? Did they say it has been declared?”

“No, some bloggers and a few news sites are saying there is a document from some general talking about martial law and this illness. I’m trying to find the letter right now, but every link that is supposed to take me to it is blank.”

“It sounds like someone in the government is trying to cover up their tracks,” Jessie offers.

“Dad, Benjamin is awake,” Olivia calls from the door to the house.

“Hannah, can you take care of Benjamin? Mom is almost home, and then she will take him. I need to finish up here, okay?”

“I can take him, Dad,” Olivia says.

“Thanks, Olivia. Still, I want Hannah to go with you and tell you what's going on. I’m going to need you Hannah and William to pack up all of your toys and books. We’re going to take everything to the ranch, okay?”

Hannah jumps up and goes over to Olivia. “We like the ranch,” they both say almost in unison.

“Katherine? How about you? Need anything? How are you and yours set up?”

“We’re okay, Eddie. I do need a solar charger, a back-up water filter, and maybe a few more guns.”

“Go and grab the supplies you need and put them on the counter. As for the guns, get what you need off the shelves or out of the counters, and I’ll see if I can part with them. Okay?”

“That’s fair. I’ll get it now.” And she heads to the shelves.

“I guess that leaves me,” says Jessie

“How are you set up?” I ask.

“Not too good. I haven’t been prepping long, and I was only preparing for a short term economic collapse. I mean, I have two guns, some ammo, and some food stored up, but nothing for long term. And definitely nothing for a long term siege of violent attackers. I have been putting most of my money into silver, gold, and barter items like coffee and alcohol. I didn’t think things would go completely south and thought I just needed a few months to half a year of food to get by initially and maybe some things to bribe corrupt officials once things started turning around.”

“You’ve got skills though, right?” Billy asks.

“I can weld and do all kinds of odd jobs,” Jessie says hopefully.

I nod, and say, “Well, I have a caretaker at my ranch. He is good, but it never hurts to have someone extra around. Especially with more armed patrols needed. How are you set up Billy? Could you use someone with Jessie’s skills?”

Billy nods. “Honestly, yes. Skilled manpower I could definitely use. My wife and I were thinking the economy would collapse further as well, and were planning on bringing in some of our neighbors. They are all older folks, and we have already been helping some of them. A few of them have canned food storage and a few hunting guns, but not really a prepared mindset and I’m not sure how well they would do on scheduled round the clock watches. You can come to my place if you want Jessie. Is there anyone with you?”

“I’m not sure. I have a girlfriend, but she went to visit her parents in San Francisco.” Billy frowns.

“I’m sorry, Jessie,” I say while I shake my head. “That could be Mars now considering the distance and population between her and us.”

“I know, I tried calling her, but they must be out somewhere, because none of them are picking up.”

“It’s up to you, Jessie. You can come to either of our places.”

“I don’t live too far from Billy, so I think that will be my best bet to be able to check if Emily or any family and friends show up at my place.”

Billy and I look at each other, and Billy says to Jessie. “Just keep trying her and get back to your place to pack stuff up. You can bring it all to my house and let her know where to come when you get in touch with her, okay?”

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Jessie replies.

Katherine sets another gun on the counter next to her items and says she’s done.

“Katherine, give me a minute, okay?” I say. “I need to make a sign to put out front so people don’t keep trying to get in.” I grab a can of spray paint and head out the door after Jessie who is leaving.

I keep sheets of plywood in a shed at the side of the house and grab two, dragging them to the front of the store, and lean them up on each side of the door. On one I paint STORE CLOSED INDEFINITELY. On the other I write, ALL ITEMS SOLD OUT.

One car pulls into the parking lot as I’m finishing up with the second sign. They read the signs, turn around, and speed away. I’m sure they’re off to the next location they hope has something.

Once back inside, Billy and Katherine are sitting at the counter. Billy asks, “Is it right to turn people away like this, Eddie? It isn’t really the Christian thing to do.”

I almost smile at the ridiculousness of his statement, but just shake my head before I speak. “Billy, I know you believe in a God, but try to remember that I don’t. But since you brought it up, let’s see what I’m faced with. I have my five young kids in here and had about thirty very nervous people outside wanting to get in. You saw the looks on their faces, how they all pressed up against the door to get in.

“Those people were all discovering for the first time that our society might be more fragile than they once believed. I know from what you told me about your time in Venezuela a few years ago, you experienced the absolute chaos that occurs just trying to get groceries. And we have all seen the panicked riots that have been happening all over the country, hell, all over the world.

“Do you think any of those people would have just walked in here in a civil manner and politely offered to give up the packet of survival seeds or the hunting knife they had their hands on if someone else wanted it? No, they wouldn’t and you should know better.”

Billy cuts in, and says, “Look, as preppers, we all think a little irrationally at times. If you stop for a second and think about what you are doing, I think you’ll realize turning people away isn’t right.”

I’m starting to talk louder as I get more frustrated with each word I have to utter. “I believe I AM acting rationally in not letting those people in here. I won’t jeopardize the safety of my family just to calm a stranger’s nerves by giving them things they can’t use. So aside from being rational, how are my actions in any way un-Christian in your point of view, Billy?”

I’m angry now, so I continue without letting him answer. “I have had my store open here for over two years trying to provide for the people of this area. I have given workshops and training seminars, most for free, to have people taught how to use the things that we sell here. I have done my part to make sure the people who I can reach are as prepared as they are capable of making themselves.

“I even provided food and supplies for your group to use when giving meals to the homeless! If I was Bill Gates I could have done more for those that weren’t able to afford supplies, but I’m not. As for those that chose to ignore the proverbial writing on the wall, they will now have to face your God’s ultimate punishment for non-preparation.”

Billy, bristling at my accusation, loudly responds, “Now don’t you put this situation on God. I know you have been good for the community. I just don’t feel right being offered the chance at things you have when others are turned away. Others that I know don’t stand a chance without at least some of the things you have here.”

“Don’t put it on God? Billy, if your God exists, he is the only one responsible for the end of the world. You’ve said it many times in our discussions that you feel, ‘God is everywhere, sees everything and is the ultimate decider on when people are born and die.’ You don’t get to divorce your God of responsibility for actions when they happen to be bad rather than good! As to your continued assertion that I should have let those people have some of these supplies, they don’t stand a chance with or without the things I have here. That is the essential problem with helping any of them. You know full well that they can’t just drop seeds in the dirt and have a crop of edible food jump out of the ground. Most of the products here require practice and trial and error to perfect using. When rabid man-eating cannibals are knocking down your door it is not the best time to think about getting ready.”

I pause for a bit but Billy is still shaking his head and is upset, so I continue, a bit more calmly, “Okay, Billy. Let me put it to you this way. You believe in the Bible and God, so let’s come at it from a Biblical standpoint. How many people did Noah let on his Ark after it started raining?”

Billy and Katherine, just stare with questioning looks on their faces.

“Just think about that for a while. Think about the scene if it happened as it is written in the Bible. People were begging to join him. They were begging Noah to get one precious spot on his huge boat that could hold two of every animal. And don’t picture a bunch of able bodied men begging to get on the boat. Picture it the way it would have been. There were women with their children and holding on to their babies. They were all in the crowd begging for their lives. I can picture women pleading with Noah to just take their babies or children so that they may survive, and Noah took no one.

“Now I’m not claiming to be some type of Noah, and I think the whole story is made up to illustrate a point, but the point is something that I get and you need to get straight in your head if you are going to survive this. You can try to be a
good Christian
to everyone that you meet and have all of your supplies stolen, and probably get yourself killed in the process. Or, you can be the kind of person that chooses to survive, and keep your family and those that have prepared alive as well.

“The rain is coming down now, Billy, and you have to choose wisely who is going to get on your boat.”

Billy nods and lowers his head a bit. “I know you’re right, Eddie. I just feel ashamed, and I shouldn’t place my shame on you. You did right by the community and your family, and are even doing more for us right now. I just feel ashamed that I didn’t do the same thing that you have. I haven’t helped anyone to get ready but my family. I’m sorry.”

I nod to Billy, and turn my gaze to Katherine, who is clearly uncomfortable at the exchange we just had. “Sorry Katherine, I’m sure you just want to get out of here and get all of your stuff together. Let me look at what you have.” She has the water filter and solar charger, a case of survival butter, two Glock 17’s, a Remington 870, and a Marlin Model 60. So I say, “I’m fine with what you’ve got here, how are you on ammo for these?”

“We have enough 9mm and 12ga, or at least what I think is enough since George has been reloading. I could use another case of 22lr ammo, though,” she says hopefully.

I smile, and nod. “I can do that too. I’m amazed that I have been able to get my hands on as much 22lr ammo as I have. I mean, the supply never really recovered from the first shortage, so technically we are having a shortage on the shortage. I was surprised to say the least when two months ago I got two pallets of it. Most of it was my delayed personal stock orders from the last few years for the training camp, so it went right to the ranch for everyone to practice with.”

“Thank you, Eddie,” Katherine says with a sad smile.

“It’s all right,” I smile in return. “Just remember, I’ll be expecting full payment and a background check if things don’t end up collapsing. Now go out and drive your car to the back of the house. We’ll bring your stuff out that way.”

Billy, Katherine, and I are saying our goodbyes in the backyard when Simone drives up. Before Simone is able to get out of her car, Hannah calls out to us from the backdoor of the house, and says, “Dad, You need to see this paper online!” All four of us go back in and Hannah shows us the document she finally snagged that keeps disappearing from websites.

The document is a copy of a letter to a General Francis, U.S. Army, unknown base of operations and his commentary about the letter.

*

“I verified that the Zeus drug was administered to The Tiger Squadron and to General Taggart as well without incidence. It is assumed that the current batch was contaminated somehow, as most of the men who were inoculated started showing tremors and violent behavior from ten to twenty-five minutes after injection. By the time we realized the reactions of the men weren’t fitting the guidelines, we had already managed to inoculate over three hundred men. Those men with immediate symptoms were able to attack and infect the remaining base personnel, and the infection spread exponentially. Those personnel who received the infection from attack, usually in the form of a bite, started showing tremors or violent action from one to five minutes time. I am currently trapped in my office with a small group of surviving soldiers under my command, and this is the only way left for me to get the information on this drug out.