We Go On (THE DELL) (11 page)

We congregated at the spring house and discussed the
remaining issues. Jim was all smiles and said he thought that any problem we
might have with the location was minor and could be overcome quite easily. Judy
Aikens was in love with the place and all she could talk about was where to
plant what crops and where the animals would be cared for. Dave and Jenny were
still huddled together and, after a couple of tries, I finally got him to give
his opinion on how security would work. He answered that it was no sweat and
all we needed to do was get the heavy equipment moving. 

I was dumbfounded, these people nearly always argued with me
about everything. Now they were all on board with my idea and excited to get
started. I always become nervous when everyone agrees with me without a fight.
It was like this valley had put a spell on them. Once again, I had to play
Devil's advocate just to find out if there were any real problems that we would
have to deal with.

The vehicles had pulled into the town proper and were parked
on either side of the road in front of the General Store so we didn't have far
to walk to get back to them. The entire group laughed and smiled as if they
didn't have a care in the world. This is about the time I start looking up
waiting for the sky to start falling. I tried to point out to Dave that we
weren't taking security very serious and he told me that we were safe here and
everyone was just happy to be in a place this peaceful for a change.

I couldn't believe my ears. This is the guy that saw
security problems lurking behind every tree or bush. If this place affected
everyone like this we would never get anything done. He asked if it would be
okay with me if he rode back to Lebanon in Jenny's vehicle. It finally got
through what was happening there. The way he had reacted to her being late a
couple days ago. The strange look she had given him, and then today. The way
they had stayed together laughing and joking. They say spring is the time for
love. Evidently, it had bloomed for Dave and Jenny.

I told Dave he could ride anywhere he liked and he slapped
me on the back and took off for the truck where Jenny stood. As he approached,
I saw her start smiling and they both climbed in. I shook my head and headed
for my truck. I was torn by this new piece of information. On one hand, I was
happy for both Dave and Jenny. They deserved to be happy but, on the other hand,
I was worried that this might be a distraction for Dave and I needed him to be
focused. The first part of making The Dell livable is to get the security up
and running and I depended on him to get that done.

The vehicles turned around and headed back to Lebanon. I got
a last look at The Dell through the tiny side window of my truck. I couldn't
help thinking there’s a lot of potential here if we could make it work. I
wasn't as euphoric as everyone else but I felt better about the place. The trip
back to Lebanon went quicker than I expected and it wasn't long before we were
back. Once inside the fence, we started to unload and I noticed everyone was
still smiling and laughing. I thought with the way they were all acting they
would be enthusiastic about getting started. Now, if we could convince the rest
of our group.

I told Jim and Dave to have everybody in the planning room
at 7 p.m. They nodded and headed off and I went up to my room. I was surprised
to find Kat there. She’d normally be down helping Doc Groves around this time. As
I entered I asked if anything was wrong and she said no, there wasn't much
going on today. She had come up early to do some more work on the law draft
she’d been preparing.

She immediately started asking questions about what we had
found and what the place was like. I sat down on the side of the bed and filled
her in on everything we had seen and finished with my discovery that Dave and
Jenny were in love. She gave me a blank look and said she thought I already
knew that.

It had apparently been going on for a couple of months. I
told her I had no idea and asked why she hadn't said something before now. She
told me that she didn't think anybody had to say anything, it was fairly
obvious. I said it wasn't obvious to me and she walked over and patted me on
the head. "That's because you’re dense, dear." Having said that, she
went back over to the desk, sat down, and went back to work. I sat staring at
the back of her head contemplating all manner of tortures for the head-patting thing.

Could I really be that dense that I hadn't noticed the guy I
spent more time with than my wife was in love? I needed to start paying more
attention to what went on around me or, more to the point, what went on with
the other people around me.

I lie back on our bed and soon fell asleep. Kat woke me just
before 7 p.m. so I could get ready for the meeting. We had communal bathrooms
and I washed my face in the rain water we caught on the roof. It wasn't cold,
but refreshed me enough I felt ready to handle the council meeting. By the time
I got to the planning room it was already full and I noticed even more new
faces as I took my normal place.

I got everyone's attention and got started. Jim started off
with a presentation concerning the water and living space available at The
Dell. Judy Aikens followed his brief with the description of the agricultural
resources and that the available pasture was better than she had anticipated.
She said this would improve her previous estimate on how fast we could become self-sufficient
for food from the livestock. The group greeted this news with general applause
and she smiled radiantly as she sat down.

Dave went next and explained that the slope of the land
upward on either side of the road would increase the difficulty of setting the
T-walls in place but was only a minor irritation and could be overcome. Aside
from that, the only real concern he had was the steel beams that would be
needed to construct the posts for our entrance gate.

A few others made comments or asked questions, but the
information part of the meeting ended and I knew it was now or never. "We
have heard from our experts and they all think that a move to the new location
is a wise choice. Before we go to the rest of the group and explain this to
them, I need to know from you do we or don’t we attempt to move to The
Dell?" I asked.

I looked around at the eager faces. "All those in favor
of this move raise your hand." The words were barely out of my mouth when
every hand in the room shot up. I looked around to see if anybody wasn’t in
agreement. It was unanimous in favor. I nodded and motioned for them to put
their hands down. "I guess we’re moving," I announced.

The applause and yelling were deafening in the small room
but each person seemed to be as excited as the smaller group had been out in
the valley earlier. It took several minutes to get all of them settled down.
When the room was finally quiet again I said, "Over the next few days I
want all of you involved with the working groups to come up with formal plans
that we can look at and decide if they are right for our needs. Once that's
done, I want a shopping list from each group for the supplies they will need
for their respective jobs. Don't worry about it being too big. Put down
everything you think you might need.”

I laughed. “We don't have to worry about budgets, just be
aware that whatever you want will have to be moved to the new site and
transportation may be a problem. When all this is done, and not until, we will
start the process of preparing the Dell to be our new home."

Everyone around the table agreed and the meeting broke up. I
caught up to Kat as they all filed out and we went back to our room. Once
inside, I asked what she thought. She said it all sounded so ideal and she
looked forward to seeing it herself. I told her she could go on the next trip
when we started moving supplies. We got undressed and lay down to sleep. She
lay with her head on my shoulder, curled up at my side. Neither of us went to
sleep fast and she asked me to again describe how lovely the valley was. She
finally fell asleep during my description and I continued to lay there
thinking. I feared we had missed something and struggled to figure out what it
might be. I finally fell asleep with visions of waving grass and little white
houses in my mind.

The next few days were a blur of activity as the working
groups came up with the detailed plans I'd asked for. We also had a meeting
with everybody on the main floor of the warehouse to tell them about our plans
and to ask what they thought. There were a few questions and the only recurring
concern was if The Dell would be secure enough. I let Dave handle that question
and he assured them that The Dell would be more secure than anyplace we had
been so far. This seemed to relieve everyone's fears and again it was unanimous
for us to move as soon as possible.

All we had to do now was work out the final details. Jim,
Dave, and I had a meeting to discuss these issues. We decided that once work
started we would have to leave a skeleton crew out at The Dell to make sure it
stayed secure. We didn't want a rouge group coming through and take over our
hard work. Some of the workers and a detachment of security would stay out
there for the duration.

Transportation of supplies would be an issue and we came to
the conclusion that scavenging a fleet of trucks was the first step in getting
started. Jim said he could organize a group of drivers to be ready to go the
day after tomorrow and we could park the new vehicles inside the lot. There was
plenty of room. He said the only things they would need would be a jump start
box and some starter fluid. If they could get the vehicles started they would
take them and fill them with fuel at the BP fuel transfer station in Lebanon.
If they couldn't get them started, they'd leave them and move on to another.
Dave and I both approved of this plan and Dave said he would send some security
to make sure that they stayed safe.

With all the decisions made the only thing left to do was to
get started. I went to bed that night feeling better about our plan than I had
since I’d brought it up. We had looked at every conceivable issue and had
worked out a plan to deal with it. Kat kept telling me to relax, that
everything would work out. I continued to worry, though. I felt responsible and
now that the entire group had their hopes up I feared something would come
along to dash them. It all seemed to be working out and I tried hard to be
upbeat and not be full of gloom and doom. As I lay in bed beside my beautiful
wife, I felt relieved the planning had ended and we were ready to get started.
We were finally moving forward and the last thought I had as I drifted off to
sleep was that this is usually when someone pulls the rug out from under you.

I’m reminded of a phrase used during my old military days,
Full Spectrum Warfare. This means attacking the enemy in every conceivable way.
Not just Infantry, tanks, and planes but with psychological, civil, and special
operations. So not only are you trying to destroy the enemy on the battlefield
but you’re also trying to bolster a government and win the hearts and minds of
the people. The comparison I'm trying to draw here is we were conducting Full
Spectrum Survival. We were not only trying to stay safe and fed but now we were
trying to re-establish some form of society. I hoped to provide a quality of
life to our group that would make the effort to survive actually worth
something. If the only reason I'm struggling to live is to see one more day and
I have no hope of ever being able to relax again, well, what's the point.

I think this had been going through a lot of our minds
before we set ourselves the task of moving to The Dell and establishing a real
colony. I hadn't realized I felt this way until I witnessed the renewed vigor
of all our people as we made the preparations to build the little valley into
our new home. The smiles on everyone’s face as they went about their tasks. The
happy way we were greeting each other was proof that we were revitalized. Just
watching the level of motivation shown brought a smile to my face. All the bad
feelings and doubts I'd had were starting to be replaced with the 'can do’
spirit that I had attributed to the pioneers of old. The good feelings were
catching.

Over the last three days, we had been able build a
considerable vehicle fleet. We had some very capable people and they had done a
great job. Our group now had three semi-tractors, a big backhoe with front end
loader, a couple of skid steer loaders, a truck mounted crane, and a whole slew
of flatbed trucks at our disposal. We had even found four large tanker trucks
full of diesel fuel. They had been parked at the BP transfer yard. I again
raised the question about whether the fuel would still be good after being
stored for so long. It turns out that it still works, not great but it works.
The trucks and equipment don't run as smooth as they should, but they do run.

Everything started to come together. Our newest time line
had us moving the heavy equipment to The Dell the next morning and start moving
the T-walls to the site the next day. I knew this would be a long hard
procedure. I hoped everyone else saw it too. I figured we could move three
loads of T-walls a day. With having to uncouple the dead rigs and pull them out
of the way of trailers. Then hook up to the new tractors and drive the hour or
so to get to the site barring any trouble from uncooperative equipment or
interference by the Stinkies or Road Gangs. This process could take a couple of
months. I mean, we’re talking about seven-hundred-and-fifty trailers, plus
assorted other loads. I hoped we could get moved by winter. If we could do that,
I would be satisfied.

A daunting task but with the level of enthusiasm I saw I was
cautiously optimistic. I went to bed that night with all of my old fears and
worries put to rest but they were being replaced with new ones. I was making my
second trip to The Dell the next morning and, this time, Kat was going with me.
She was excited about the trip and I looked forward to seeing her face the
first time she saw our new home. If everything went right, tomorrow would be
the first day of our future.

Next morning Kat and I were up before the sun, getting ready
for the trip to The Dell. It was going to be a long day and we had lots to do.
Most of the preparations had been made the evening before but I wanted to be
ready in case we got caught out there over night. Water wasn't a problem, Doc
had checked the water sample Jim brought back and pronounced the water fit for
human consumption. Food, however, could become an issue. I told Dave to ensure
that an adequate quantity of MREs was loaded to provide us with food for a
week. Just in case.

All the people and equipment were loaded and the vehicles
lined up for departure. We rolled out the gate at 8 a.m. and the convoy
immediately split in two. The half that went toward I-40 was made up of the
three semi-tractors, a pickup loaded with tools that might be needed, and two
of the gun trucks for security. They would be responsible for hooking up and
delivering the first load of T-walls to begin the construction of our
enclosure. The rest of us headed for highway 70 and The Dell. We had with us
all the heavy equipment and two trucks loaded with supplies. We also had the
rest of the security detachment, the workers that would be staying and life
support supplies for all of them.

Kat and I were in the front gun truck and we chatted as we
drove along the now familiar road to the valley. It was another warm beautiful
day and Kat enjoyed the scenery along our route. Just like the first trip, we
didn't see any Stinkies once we were out of Lebanon and if you concentrated you
could almost imagine that nothing had happened. That this was just another
springtime drive through the country side. You only had to ignore the fact that
we were in a heavily armored and armed military vehicle with a driver and a
gunner standing in the turret.

We had been driving about an hour when we made the turn onto
the single lane blacktop road that ran to the valley. There were no signs or
anything else that gave an indication of what lay ahead, so I told Kat we were
getting close. She sat up in her seat hoping to catch a first glimpse. As we
made the final turn and started up the slight incline to the cut in the hills
that signaled the entrance to the valley, I told the driver to slow down. I
wanted my wife to have the same opportunity to see the valley with the little
village at its heart that I had on my first trip here. As the truck topped the
rise and dropped over on to the down slope, I heard Kat gasp. "You were
right. It's breath taking," she said. I laughed and asked her if she
thought she would enjoy living here. "Yes, very much." She was as
taken by the place as everyone else had been.

Our convoy continued across the valley floor to the village
and I told the driver to pull over and stop in front of the General Store. One
of the first tasks I wanted accomplished was the interment of the corpse
sitting in the middle of the store. It didn't matter who he was or what his
situation had been, he deserved a proper burial. A small cemetery sat beside
the church and I thought that would be a fitting place. He may have not been a
resident for long, but now that he was one of the Great Majority, I didn't
think the other occupants of that small plot of land would mind.

As the other vehicles came to a halt around us, I told John
Hendricks, one of our equipment operators, that as soon as the backhoe was
unloaded I wanted a grave dug in the cemetery. I also told him about the body
in the store and would he please organize a detail to take care of the burial.
He said sure and asked if I wanted to say anything over the grave. I declined
and told him that could be the first official act of our two Pastors once we
got fully moved. He nodded and headed off to carry out my instructions.

That left Kat and I alone. I took her hand and led her over
to the spring house and catch pond. She still had the wide eyed look of awe on
her face and sighed as we neared the pond. I stood watching and let her explore
around the spring. She walked over and looked in the spring house at the
fountain of water that shot up from floor. As she backed out, I noticed her
looking at a sign over the door of the little house. I hadn't noticed it before
and joined her to see what it said. As soon as she was aware that I was next to
her she read the sign out loud, "’Josiah Dell, the first settler to this
valley. 1859.’ Did you see this the other day?" I answered no and went on
to say we now knew how The Dell got its name. She nodded and smiled and we
walked back over to the store.

The equipment started moving and Jim Holley along with L.B.
Davenport were getting the workers organized. I tried to stay out of their way;
I was definitely not a construction worker. I don't mind hard work but this job
was way beyond my handy man skills. If you needed someone to unclog a drain or
hang a picture, I'm your guy. You want to build a fortress; well that's a
little out of my skill set. I would be more help by not helping.

Kat and I wandered over to the little church followed by a
couple of the security guys and went in. I stood by the door while Kat slowly
walked through the church, looking. I was still concerned that the roof might
cave in due to my poor church attendance record so I stayed close to an exit.
Kat walked to the front pew and sat. I ventured further in and nothing
happened, not even a squeak from the rafters. I figured it was safe so I went
to join her. She sat there with a peaceful look on her face as she gazed around
her. I asked if she wanted to look around outside some more and she said maybe
after a while. She just wanted to stay a while longer. I nodded and told her I
would go see how things were getting on with the work. She smiled and nodded
and I headed for the door. I told the two security guys to stay with her and
they said they wouldn't let her out of their sight.

As I exited the church I could hear the backhoe working in
the cemetery and headed in that direction. John Hendricks was in the seat on
the tractor and already had the grave dug. He shut the engine off and told me
that a couple of his guys were in the process of bringing the body over. He
laughed and said he didn't think they were too happy about the assignment but
they'd get it done. I thanked him again and he said no sweat and went back to
work.

I walked back over to the store and asked one of the workers
about Jim's whereabouts. He said that Jim and L.B. had gone to the eastern edge
of the village to start laying out where the wall would go. I walked in the
direction he'd indicated and it wasn't long before I saw them. Jim stood in the
road and L.B. gestured toward the northern side of the valley. I was still too
far away to hear what they were saying but I could tell they were talking about
the construction of the barrier. As I got closer, I could tell they were
discussing if there was a need for a back gate. I joined the conversation and
told them no back gate. Yes, it would limit us to just one avenue of escape if
that became necessary but I didn't plan to escape. The plan was for us to be
untouchable inside the enclosure. If The Dell became surrounded by Stinkies or
the Road Gangs, we could just hold out. Besides the gate was the weakest point
in our defense. One gate meant only one weak point.

With that decided, I asked Jim what his next move was.

"I think we need a big shopping trip. There’s going to
be all manner of supplies we're going to need and if we start stocking up now
it will make it easier when they’re needed," he said.

I agreed, and asked what he needed from me. He answered I
should order the part of our group left at the compound in Lebanon to organize
foraging trips and start collecting anything they could find. He would work on
a list of specific items and when it was complete he'd get it to me. I told him
I'd take care of it tonight after I returned.

Our conversation complete, I walked back toward the church
just in time to catch Kat as she was leaving. I told her I wanted to walk
through the houses and asked would she like to come with me? She said yes, so
we started on the north side of the main road. I motioned for the security men
to follow us and they stayed at a respectable distance but never let us out of
their sight.

Other streets ran from the main road both north and south at
various places. They were not divided into equal length blocks and some had
cross streets connecting them and some didn’t. There seemed to be no plan as to
the lay out of town and houses were built both close and far away from their
respective streets. Mature hardwood trees lined the streets and there wasn't a
yard that didn't have at least one huge tree standing in it. Most were oaks but
a few maples and beech with an occasional pine tree were evident. I even saw a
couple of massive old cedar trees. It was a lovely scene.

Several old tire swings still hung from trees to let us know
that children had once lived here but were now long gone. We strolled along
what had once been neat and clean streets lined with formerly well-kept houses
that were now overgrown with out of control landscaping and weeds. Most of the
houses on the north side were much alike. All had a driveway leading from the
street. Some had garages that were built in the same fashion as the houses
themselves. The few garages I checked were empty of cars. We didn't enter any
of the houses; I wanted to wait until we were more secure. I would then
organize a clearing operation to check for any Stinkies that might have gone
unnoticed.

Our inspection eventually brought us back to the main road
and we proceeded to check the area to the south. This side of the road reveled
more of the same, large trees, overgrown yards, and two story white houses. I
noticed at the end of one street a barely discernible driveway that curved
around a screen of dense oaks and scrub. We walked in that direction and soon
found ourselves walking up the drive. Occasionally, through the trees, we were
able to glimpse another white structure but couldn't determine detail. As we
passed around the screen of trees Kat and I both noticed a much smaller house
nestled in a stand of maple trees. It was a cottage or bungalow style; I always
get confused about such things. Regardless, it was a nice little house in a
very pretty setting. It had window boxes, now empty, under each window and a
small front porch with a double rocker sitting on it. I immediately fell in
love with it and Kat was taken with it as well.

I broke my own rule. I wanted badly to see inside this house
and opened the front door. I glanced back at the two security guys and they
looked nervous but both had their weapons at the ready. I raised my rifle and
stepped inside. A musty odor greeted me as I entered and I could see that
everything was covered in a fine layer of dust. I moved from room to room
checking for any sign that anyone was there. After clearing all the way to the
back door, I came back toward the front. This time I conducted a more thorough
search. I looked in closets, behind doors, and under beds. The place was empty
and I called for Kat to join me. Just like with all the other places we had
searched the furniture was still present but there was no sign of clothing,
pictures of the owners, or any personal artifacts.