Tipping Point (3 page)

“I wasn’t sure if it would be okay. I wanted to, but you guys haven’t talked much for a long time.”

“The only reason we don’t talk is that we have little in common now. We don’t dislike each other. I mean, if he were here he’d be someone I’d have a lot of fun with, but in general that’s kind of all he does. We used to play cards and shoot pool together almost constantly, so long as we weren’t working, which we’d be able to do once everything is set up here. I just have to assemble the pool table in the new building.
That
should be interesting.”

“Okay, I’ll ask him then. It would be good for you to have someone to do stuff with. When Leigh and Kirk get here, I’ll have friends to game with, but you might get bored or lonely.”

“Oh, please. When have I ever been bored? Or lonely for that matter? When I get listless I find things to do. Projects, books to read, PC games, ferrets, you name it. Still, I would love to be able to play Canasta again, and he’s the only person I know who actually plays it.”

“Okay, hang on then. I’ll go send him the message now. I don’t think he’s going to take me seriously, but I’m going to try.”

Once Cam had messaged Allan they checked on all the canned and dried goods. Mac chewed her lip worriedly. They had money. She could send Kirk enough to rent a car if it came down to that. Rather than taking the time and risk of going back there herself, they could head straight out.

Money would only be good for so long, so they might as well use it up for things that mattered, like getting people to safety. That and whatever supplies and livestock they could get their hands on. She wanted animal-based protein, like milk, cheese, and eggs, even if the current science was right about vegetable protein being healthy.

Mac also wanted mushrooms. She needed to buy fresh ones to collect the spores, so she could grow them herself. Mac grabbed her notebook and added them to her purchase list for tomorrow. There were just certain things she wasn’t willing to live without.

With that in mind she glanced at the coffee supplies. They would need more if Leigh drank it. Mitch certainly did. Coffee made the list, too.

She’d be planting winter wheat, some hard and some soft, once the first frost hit, so if things went well their flour supply would be replenished by June. In the spring she’d plant oats.

Abruptly she sat down and rubbed her brow. She couldn’t help feeling as though there was something she was really going to miss one day. Something she’d forgotten about at the time, because it wasn’t something they regularly bought or used.

She’d taken care of the chocolate issue, of course. That was vital. They had stacks of dark chocolate bars, a case each of their favourite candy bars, and cans of powdered hot chocolate. It might have to be rationed with the number of people they would have there, but they wouldn’t do without.

They were set for any medicines they had legal access to. There was a case of FishMox and one of Bird-Sulfa. The sulpha-based antibiotic was for Cam, who had a mild penicillin allergy. The other one was for anyone who wasn’t sensitive to it.

They had generic Tylenol Ones for pain relief, because they contained codeine and were available without a prescription. Same with Gravol and Benadryl. Allergic reactions were not something she wanted to be unprepared for. She’d also picked up standard hay fever allergy relief meds. There was extra-strength acetaminophen for anyone who didn’t want codeine.

They’d put in a large stock of Imodium, too. It was on the WHO list of necessary drugs for a reason, and Mac often had more reason than most.

Mac stared at the shelves. There was something she was missing. She knew it. Even with all her planning, she was bound to forget that one thing, and she was sure it would end up being like an itch she couldn’t scratch.

Tens of thousands of dollars had gone into what was on those shelves already. Same with the various fuels and chemicals they stored in a cheap garden shed surrounded by trees to insulate it from high temperatures.

She’d even bought sulphuric acid. They might need to make both batteries and ether one day. Anesthetics and major pain medicines would be one of the first things that got looted. Not just by desperate people who needed them, but addicts and users, too. If any kind of surgery needed to be performed, she wanted anesthetic to be available.

Mac had a couple of boxes containing chemistry equipment. To make the ether, of course, but she also had it for another reason. She had to be sure there was a way to make insulin. Her best friend was a type one diabetic. Even if he hoarded a supply, it expired within a year and became toxic.

Mac would check the fuel and chemical stocks when it was time to head out for the supplies she had on her list. She’d also pour her oldest fuel into both the car and truck tanks, and take the truck in with any empty containers to refill them, adding a stabilizer so the fuel wouldn’t degrade.

When they were finished checking all the bulk storage bins, and had eaten their sandwiches, Mac dragged herself off toward her room. She wouldn’t sleep just yet, but she wanted to lie down and relax with her boys. She needed the energy boost.

“Mom, wait.”

“Yeah?” Mac swung her head toward Cameron.

“Have you thought of anything to help Kirk yet?” Mac nodded at her.

“Yeah, if it’s possible. I’ve also got an alternate plan. Are their phones working? I’ll need to discuss it with them to see what they’re willing to do...” She trailed off. She had to find a way to convince them to leave their car. They couldn’t afford to wait for it to be fixed, when it probably never would be.

“I think he uses the same carrier we do, and our phone still works.”

“Okay, let him know I have a solution. If he’s still awake I’ll call him.” Cam turned into her room and Mackenzie went into hers.

The ferrets were sleeping, which made her feel guilty for leaving them alone when they might be feeling stressed. They were snuggled up together in what was supposed to be a cat bed.

Mackenzie leaned over to pet the ferrets as softly as she could to avoid waking them. They both shifted, and Squeaker grunted as usual, but then they snuggled up closer to one another and continued snoozing. She chuckled a bit when she heard the soft snores coming from Squeaker.

“He’s still awake,” Cameron yelled from her room. Mac picked up her phone and pulled Kirk up on her contact list. He answered right away.

“Hey, Mac. What have you got?”

“I have a couple of options for you, and I don’t think you’ll like either of them, but I can’t think of anything else.

“I’m assuming the mechanic had to order your timing chain, and the supply chain is already stuttering. Have they said anything about an ETA on your car?” Kirk laughed quietly, but she could hear the sardonic tone to it just the same.

“Yeah. A week to never. At first it was a couple of days, but when a couple of days went by and he hadn’t called us we started to bitch. That’s when he told us it would be at least a week because they were still waiting on the part. They have the motor apart but no timing chain, and no way to set it up once they get it if the power doesn’t become more reliable. Without power they’re as fucked as we are.”

“That’s kind of what I figured. So are you willing to leave your car there and rent a car to come up? If money is an issue, I can send it to you. It should still get there. Hopefully the rental agency can do a contract without their computers.

“If that’s not an option, you might be able to get as far as Barrie using the transit system. It would be safer to do that than for me to drive back through to Oakville. I don’t know when this is going to break, but in the cities it’ll be soon.”

“It’s already started. Those rich assholes have been stepping all over everyone, trying to clean out the grocery stores. It took us forever to get any supplies today, and we made sure we went in there with cash only.

“We’re okay for money. If we can find a car to rent, we’ll do that. The car is a lease anyway. If they ever get it fixed it can go back to the dealer. Piece of shit.”

“Look, if you can’t get a rental, try to get to Barrie. Let me know what’s happening and I’ll be down there in a heartbeat. If neither option works, I’ll come to Oakville. If I’d known you were having this issue, we would have called you before leaving Hamilton. You would’ve had to share the back seat with the ferrets, but you’d be here with us now.” Kirk laughed.

“Leigh would have loved that. She couldn’t put Squeaker down when we were over there the last time.”

“Well, she’ll see them soon enough. Take whatever money you have out of the bank, if you haven’t already. You might not be able to later.”

“Already done. Won’t know until morning if there are rentals available, so I’ll call back then.”

“Okay, I’ll shoot you all the directions to get here, but you might need to be talked in the rest of the way once you get to a certain point. We’re purposely way out of the way here, and everything about it is as concealed as possible.”

“Cool! When Cam told me you were getting into the whole survival thing, I had no idea it was that major. Zombie apocalypse be damned!” Mac laughed.

“Well, like you always say, ‘People are assholes.’ You’re right. Hence those group archery lessons, and the steps I took to keep things extremely quiet around here. Okay, get your rest. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

“Alright, and thanks. You didn’t have to help us like this, so it’s really cool what you’re doing.”

“Of course I have to. We care about you. And we need as many non-assholes as we can get! Be warned, though. There’s a lot of work to do around here right now. We’ll get into that when you’re safe, though.”

They said goodbye, and Mac turned her head. Cam stood in the doorway, resting her elbows on the closed half of the door.

“You could have come in, you know. If I wanted privacy the door would be closed.” Cam shook her head.

“I just wanted to see what was happening and then I’m going to bed. I’m really tired. He’s going to make it here, right?” Mac could see that her daughter was really worried.

“Cam, whatever I have to do I’ll make sure of it. If things get absolutely crazy they can defend themselves, but it isn’t that bad yet. It’s mostly the rich people acting like assholes from what I can see. The only issue I think they’ll have there is if the agency’s computers are down, and the agency can’t do a manual contract.

“He said they’re fine for money, and I know they both have credit cards. I should have suggested they take out whatever cash they can from their credit cards, too. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that before.” Mackenzie flopped back on her bed, irritated with herself.

“Well, gee, mom. Why on earth aren’t you perfect? I expected better from you!”

“Ha ha. Smartass. Go to bed before I feel I have to come over there and hit you.”

Cam slipped away with a quick laugh, and Mackenzie just stared up at the ten-foot ceiling, trying to shut off her brain. She was never going to get any sleep this way.

She leaned over the side of the bed to snag Pickle from his blankets. Squeaker grunted in protest, but was too tired to make a stink about it.

The best stress relief in the world, as far as she was concerned, was snuggling a ferret. Pickle woke up just enough to lick her cheek a couple of times, but then he let out his own grunt and ignored her. She stroked his thick, silky fur. Pickle started to squirm after a few minutes. He didn’t really like being held while he slept, so she put him back in bed and snuggled Squeaker until he also decided he’d had enough.

Well, if she wasn’t going to sleep, Mac figured she might as well add to the list in her notebook. She’d calculated all the hygiene stuff they would need for two women, but that would change with Leigh and Kirk coming up. Tampons, deodorant, and toilet paper were high on the list.

Razors also made the list, though she wondered about getting a couple of straight razors. She did a quick online search and downloaded a tutorial on using one, and then found a knife shop. She wasn’t sure if they had anything other than hunting or kitchen knives, but she’d check it out. Mac and Cameron needed good survival knives anyway.

Shaving cream popped into her head suddenly. Neither Mackenzie nor Cameron used it, but she imagined Kirk would have to. Aerosol cans would expire after a certain time, so she found recipes for homemade shaving soap. When she saw lye was one of the ingredients, she stopped and almost smacked herself in the forehead.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” she exclaimed softly. She’d finally figured out one of the things she had forgotten. Eventually they would have to make soap, and she was pretty sure every recipe she had for soap made from basic ingredients required lye. Now she had to figure out where she could get it in large quantities without making someone wonder if she was dissolving a body.

3

M
AKING A
P
OINT

Once Kirk called back late in the morning to say that they’d found a car and would be on their way shortly, Mac hitched their small supply trailer to the back of the truck and headed into Rosseau. She’d originally intended to go to Huntsville, since they had a lot more stores and selection, but the knife store was in Rosseau.

Additional research had netted her the information that there were indeed soap recipes that didn’t require lye. Same with shaving cream. Laundry soap needed ingredients that had some lye
in
them, but she could easily pick up that kind of thing in bulk.

Her real worry was that there might be other things she was forgetting. Things she might have a hard time getting later. She’d stock up on whatever tampons and toilet paper she could find in Rosseau for the time being, because she wasn’t heading back to the Costco in Barrie. Later she’d hit every grocery store in the surrounding towns for more.

She was probably being an idiot with all her worrying, because the stuff that was most likely to fly off the shelves in the heat of a societal breakdown was stuff she already had. The obvious stuff, in other words. Toilet paper was something she’d gone overboard on, but she’d pick up more anyway. She wasn’t running out of toilet paper. She didn’t care if it
was
the end of the world.