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Mister helped move the totes of potatoes to the root cellar at Main Camp. With the first real snow, there was a mad scramble to get the last of the root vegetables harvested and stored for the winter. He couldn’t believe what these people had accomplished and was both impressed and ticked off. If his plan had worked the first time, he would be the leader instead of just another citizen here. The only consolation he took was the fact that come next spring, all of this would be destroyed and he would have his vengeance.
One of the ladies smiled at him as she took the tote to bring down into the cellar and he smiled back. This is still better than being in the United Nations labor camp. If nothing else, he was glad to be out of there. It wasn’t until he had been on his own for three days that he realized how oppressive it had been. Constantly under watch, every minute of your day on a schedule, and work with no pay. He watched the elite eat steaks and roasts while he had slop in the chow hall. It felt like jail but he hadn’t realized it until he was free. Here though, everyone had the same amount of food rationed out from the main stocks to supplement what they had foraged and put up for themselves.
He was bunked up in a crude but snug cabin with three other single guys. Dale and Scott were ok enough. They had come to the camp about a month after IT had happened. Mitch had come to camp in the middle of the summer and was a suspicious bastard. When they had met after he got out of quarantine, Mitch had looked him in the eyes and loudly said, “I don’t trust him and he needs to go.” The feeling of dislike was mutual. Mitch didn’t trust him and thought it too convenient that he just happened to show up with corn seed. Nevermind the fact that he was right; Mister hadn’t given the man any reason to suspect him and no matter how hard he tried to get on the man’s good side, it didn’t work. The camp leader, Captain, had to step in and have a talk with Mitch about it. Since then, they rarely said two words to each other in a day. That suited Mister just fine but he did enjoy playing up the hurt and ill-treated person when it suited him. It was a nice diversion with the added benefit of making himself look like he was harmless.
Turning to go get another tote, he was called over by Denise. She was pleasant but business-like whenever she talked to him. Mister knew better than to get on her bad side. He trotted over. “What can I do for ya, Miss Denise?” She gave him a small smile.
“You know anything about fishing? We need people to go fish the streams before they freeze solid. After that, we will have to work with what we have. With no way to plow, I don’t really see anybody ice fishing much.”
Mister chuckled and said, “Well, I know that you toss a line in the water and hope a fish bites. That good enough?” He widened his grin and hoped it looked friendly instead of like he was grinding his teeth. He hated going fishing. It was so boring. He would rather hunt something than fish.
Denise laughed a little and said, “You have the basics down. It will be an overnight trip so report to supply and get the gear you will need. Try and be careful with it though, we can’t make new sleeping bags. You’ll leave in the morning.” She turned without waiting for a reply and Mister strained to keep the smile plastered on his face.
Miss High and Mighty there. Barking out orders. She would have fit right in at the U.N. camp, he thought to himself as he went back to help finish with the potatoes before dinner. Even with less daylight, he knew he would be up early and wanted to make sure he was on full alert.
Mister idly thought about the trip that brought him here after he had been dropped off. The traveling wasn’t a cakewalk but it could have been worse. He had only run into one other group of people but thankfully, it was early on his trip and he was able to get away. If it had been a week later, he would likely be dead. The a couple days later, a coal had popped out of the fire and onto his pup tent, burning it up around him. If he hadn’t yanked his sleeping bag out, that would have burned up, too. At least he hadn’t run into any wild animals.
Even with the extra supplies he brought, he ran out of food before he had found the camp. Mister chuckled to himself at the memory of finding a patrol and following them that lead him to the general area of this camp. He had dropped back, stashed his radio, and came back at dusk. He was a little worried at first when he was surrounded by people and asked about apples but now he understood it was code. He had learned a lot in the last few weeks.
What had really blown his mind was learning that there were, in fact, three areas that worked together. He had come across the largest one. When he asked about the other camps, he almost choked on the drink of water he was taking when he heard the name “Jimmy” being the leader of Center Camp. He couldn’t believe he had gotten so lucky and from all he had seen, Eugene had been right about the man’s skills. If Main Camp was any hint of what the other camps were like, the U.N. was going to have to bring a good sized army to take out these people on their home turf. Of course that was what he was there for, to find the weaknesses. It was going to be hard unless he could get a good idea of how many people were between the three camps and what kind of set up they each had. He didn’t dare ask yet, he was still too new and it would cause more suspicion.
The potatoes were harvested along with the last of the carrots and stashed in the root cellar. He went to get some dinner before packing and getting some sleep. It was only 4:30 and already getting hard to see without artificial lights. Waving to a couple people as he walked, he mentally settled himself in for a long winter of boredom and work and hoped the thaw came early next spring. He needed to get more information but had time to spare for now. He just needed to be patient and observe. The opportunities he needed would present themselves.
*************
Jimmy and Terry were dragging a load of firewood on one of the makeshift sleds. It had been built out of the hood of a car but there were others that had been crafted using the roof and even the doors to have different sizes available. They would work better once there was a little more snow on the ground but for now, there was just enough snow to not grind on the gravel. Better than trying to haul it on our backs, Jimmy thought to himself as he pulled along in step with Terry. They had gone about a mile away from the main area of camp to harvest the dead and dying trees. Even though it meant more work and a lot of dragging, Jimmy didn’t want the whole area surrounding the camp to be clear cut. It would leave them too exposed.
“How many more loads do you think we will need for the winter?” Terry was breathing heavy with the effort, as was Jimmy, though not as bad as they would have been a year ago. It was a regular joke people made: the upside to the worldwide disaster was a lot of lost weight, healthier eating, and overall improved health for those who were thriving like they were. They knew they had been lucky to survive but it was the hard work that made them prosper.
“Well, the way I see it, we can never ever have enough. There is no such thing as enough when it comes to firewood. Whether you use it now or later, you will still go through it. With temperatures being lower than usual, I would rather have five times too much and no where to put more than be caught low for even one day.” Jimmy shifted the rope around his waist and kept pulling along.
Terry was quiet for a few minutes as they progressed along. There were another two groups out there with sleds gathering wood as well. They had already come back once with a load of rounds and hoped to get another load after this one. Once the rounds were at camp, another group split and stacked the wood in the main woodshed that had been built using smaller trees as posts and a shingled roof to keep the snow off. They got caught up in an area where all the snow had melted from sleds going over them so many times and had to strong arm the load off to the side. Another group was coming the opposite direction and had to help them get going again. You’d think after seven months of living like this, I’d be used to and expect delays. He woke up every morning thinking he would get a certain amount done but rare was the day it actually worked out that way.
“I’m not sure we will make a third run, Jimmy. It’ll be dark by the time we have the sled loaded again. I don’t think I ever noticed how little daylight there was in the winter before.” He looked up at the sky as if to judge the daylight left and then down at his watch. Suddenly he stopped and started laughing, tapping his watch. Jimmy had to stop as well and looked at Terry questioningly.
“Daylight savings time. It just hit me that we ‘missed’ the time change. It just struck me funny to realize how utterly useless it was to change our clocks twice a year. It doesn’t change much of anything really, you still have the same amount of daylight!” He began laughing again with Jimmy joining in now that he understood the joke.
“Funny how that is. All of these things that we used to think so important are completely stripped away and don’t matter in any way now. It’s kind of liberating and funny at the same time.” Jimmy grinned and lifted the rope to begin pulling again. They made pretty good time while discussing all the things that they wouldn’t miss from the old world. Bills and taxes, they agreed, were at the top of the list followed by not needing permits and licenses it took to live in a ‘free country.’
Once they brought their load to camp, they relieved the people who had been splitting and stacking. It wasn’t long before they shed their outer jackets and were sweating from the labor. Jimmy let himself get lost in the work and think about the meeting they would be having tomorrow to discuss the issue of letting more people into camp that came along. He figured once they snow really started to fly, there wouldn’t be many people out wandering around and those who were likely didn’t have any good skills that would be of use to them anyway. He didn’t relish the idea of turning people away at all but they had limited resources.
Rolling another round into place, Jimmy took a swing and the blade slid off the side, jarring his arm. He hissed in pain as it worked its way into his shoulder.
“You OK, Mr. Jimmy?” Ryan had just come up with his team and a heavily loaded sled. Jimmy nodded.
“Yeah, I think my axe is dull though. It’s too late to be making any more trips tonight so just unload it and get the sled put up. I don’t think anyone will want to dig it out if we get snow dumped on us.” Jimmy looked at the grey skies with a wary eye. Michigan was known for big snow, especially when it was from lake effect snow squalls.
Ryan nodded and got to work as Jimmy went back to his cabin to get a sharpening stone. He walked in to find Holly doing a pregnancy check up with Amie.
“Oh! Sorry ladies, I just need to get the sharpening stone and will be out of the way in a minute.” Though he was a grown man, the whole wife and baby thing kind of intimidated him and made him feel awkward. Amie chuckled as he passed them and said, “You better get used to it, honey. You will be there when she is born!”
He opened a box in their bedroom and scrounged around, replying, “That is the plan but I don’t need all the details between now and then, do I?”
Both women laughed and he heard Holly ask, “You’re sure that your last period was in May? By my measurements, you are pretty big for how far along we estimated.”
Amie replied, “I am sure. It was the beginning of June when uh…well you know.”
Jimmy’s face turned red as he heard the ladies giggle quietly and though he was a little embarrassed, he was more concerned for Amie’s welfare than he own comfort. He came into the main room after finding the stone he needed and asked, “Is something wrong with Amie or the baby?”
Holly was putting her stuff away as she replied, “No, no. Everything looks good Dad, she is just a bit larger than usual.” Holly looked up at him with a mischievous grin and said, “Maybe you were doubly blessed hmm? Twins run in your family?” She laughed as the color drained out of Jimmy’s face. He looked shocked and began to stammer.
“Uh, twins? Um…well there was a set of twin cousins but…wait, isn’t there a way you can tell, even without an ultrasound? Heartbeats or something?” He looked at Amie who sat back with a hand on her belly and a little smile on her face.
Holly put on her jacket and walked to the door before answering. “There sure is! In about three to four months when she goes into labor. Late February, early March or so.” Amie laughed as the door closed, leaving Jimmy staring after it wide-eyed.
*************
That night brought another 2 inches of snow and enough of a wind to whirl it around, lowering visibility when it gusted. Jimmy was happy they had gotten the loads of wood in yesterday and was tempted to make one more run with everyone he could today. When he mentioned it to Amie, she wasn’t exactly thrilled.
“Jimmy, you know how the weather can get. In an hour it could be a full blizzard or it could warm up and turn to rain. Either way, being out in it is not good idea.” She busied herself with making some breakfast of cracked wheat and milk. He loved how she didn’t throw him an attitude while still letting him know she wasn’t big on the idea.
“One load, as many people as we can get to make things move faster. We use all the sleds we made and anything else we can carry wood on. We all go together and no one comes back unless it is all together. Deal?” He learned months ago that compromise worked pretty well with her. It was one of the things he loved about his wife and knew he was lucky.
She turned and looked at him for a moment. He smiled at her innocently and when he saw the corner of her mouth twitch, he knew that she was going to give in. What’s more, she knew his innocent smile wasn’t so innocent which made his grin even larger. Amie laughed and said, “Oh fine, you win. Just one load, though. Soon enough we will all be going crazy with cabin fever.”
He got up and kissed her on the cheek, grabbing his jacket and stomping into his boots in a flash. “I better get things moving now before it gets any worse. I’ll eat when I get back!” He was out the door before she could respond.
Half an hour later, half the camp was out en force to get more firewood. It amazed Jimmy to no end the way the community, the camp, was able to come together so quickly. Even more so was the ingenuity that they collectively had as he saw different sleds, carts, and even a few litters being dragged along. If we had horses or dogs, we could make some travois. They would go over trails much easier than wheels on a cart. He tucked that idea away for later. It would make a good winter project to keep them busy.
When they made it to the treeline they had been harvesting, people got to work with axes and saws. An hour later, everyone was fully loaded and ready to head back. The snow hadn’t stopped the whole time they worked. In fact, once Jimmy paid closer attention, he noticed their tracks had filled in about half an inch or so. He looked to the sky and noted darker clouds coming from the northwest as was the wind. He knew they needed to get going, just in case a blizzard really was headed their way.
They made it back ahead of the clouds. The extra snow had actually made pulling heavier loads easier than they were the day before over gravel. When everyone had stacked their rounds on an empty side of the shed, they stood back and was surprised how much they had gotten with such a large group. It was suggested and agreed on the spot that there would be times every year where they did the same thing. It wouldn’t take more than three trips to fill the shed with rounds. Jimmy told everyone to stock extra split wood for their homes, the comm shack, and The Hall. Even though they didn’t expect many people to be in the quarantine area, he took a couple armloads over and set a fire up, ready to be lit just in case.
When he came back out, there was a break in the snow and wind. He looked around with a feeling of satisfaction and happiness. After the haul the camp had just stacked up, he finally felt like they could really make it through the winter. He watched as Emmie, the grandmotherly woman who had come to camp with her son and grandson. Noah, her grandson, had died due to infection from a knife wound not long after IT had all happened. The woman had been through so much in her life but her wisdom was cherished by everyone in camp. She added a warmth that only a grandma could. He smiled as she walked to the comm shack with her little basket to get her rations.
Suddenly, the wind picked up and howled through the camp, making his hat threaten to fly off and Emmie’s jacket flutter around her. She slipped a little in the snow and Jimmy moved quickly to walk her the rest of the way. As the sound of the howl increased, the hair on the back of Jimmy’s neck stood on end. It wasn’t the first time he had dealt with winds like this, but this one was eerie. He came up next to Emmie and offered his arm, walking her the rest of the way.
Shutting the door behind him against the wind, he turned and shook the snow off and heard Jessica talking over the radio.
“Oh no. Ohhh, that is terrible! Roger, I will relay the message. Over and out.” She turned, seeing Jimmy and was about to speak when she noticed Emmie standing there, too. “Hi Miss Emmie. Here for your groceries?” Jessica smiled at the woman but Jimmy knew it was a front. She had just gotten some bad news and didn’t want to say anything in front of anyone.
“Yes, it is shopping day! I have to say, it is more convenient than it was before. Just a quick walk away, though I could do without the wind.” She smiled back to Jessica and then said, “So what is terrible hmm? Anything I can help with?” Glancing at Jimmy with a knowing look, she turned back to Jessica and waited for an answer.
Jessica licked her lips and said, “Not really, but thank you for the offer. The deed is already done.” Emmie wasn’t giving up though.
“Come on, now. I am about the oldest person here and have been around the block a time or two. Out with it. We all learn about everything in the end anyway.”
Jessica sighed and looked at Jimmy. “There has been a suicide at Main Camp.”
************
The mood was somber in The Hall that night. Because there was a meeting, everyone had brought some kind of dish, potluck style, to share. The room was filled with murmuring voices instead of the usual animated conversations and laughter. Even the candle light seemed dimmer.
Jimmy had gone and spoken with Holly after Jessica had told him the message. There was a real concern about depression with the lack of daylight and limited exposure to the artificial light that they were so used to. It was the first winter since IT had all happened, a short nine or so months ago. Jimmy had gotten here about a week after and was grateful for everything he had. He even looked forward to the future and it was a slap in the face to be reminded that it would not be that way for everyone.
Keeping busy would be one way to battle it and he had a talk with Jessica about projects that could be done indoors. She told him about the different people who were already crafting items to be bartered. She had joked a little about the merchants of old going to market with their wares. There were people carving cooking and eating utensils out of wood, people who could sew were making blankets out of scraps and doing repairs, and even someone who was trying to figure out a way to cobble some sort of shoes. Jimmy’s eyebrows raised at the last.
“I want to encourage that, and get others thinking about things they could craft for trade as well. Distract them with producing items and thinking about the future.” She had agreed.
After people had finished eating and those under the age of 16 had been cleared out for the evening, Jimmy went to the raised platform. Everyone’s eyes were on him as he began.
“We all know what happened at Main Camp today. Someone couldn’t go on for whatever reason. It is something that we cannot ignore or pretend isn’t something most of us have considered since everything changed. Now that we have less light, people can get the blues. I can understand how it would be easy to lose yourself in the mourning for what was. It is healthy to acknowledge it but it is equally important not to let it get the better of you.
“We are all survivors of a domino-effect global disaster. Not only that, we have rebuilt a safe and prosperous place. Each person here brings their contribution. 9 months ago, we didn’t know each other and now we are here together. We built all of this, together. And we are prospering, together.” He looked around the room and his eyes fell on Emmie. As soon as their eyes locked, a thought struck him so hard, he actually reeled backward a step.
“Jimmy?” Amie’s voice seemed tinny, almost far away as his brain processed the realization that had struck him. He looked at her and his vision refocused. He nodded to her and then turned back to the rest of the group.
“It just occurred to me that the vote we were going to have tonight is wrong. Very wrong. We should not turn people away who manage to make it to us, regardless of age or skill.”
There was an audible gasp from those present followed by a stunned silence. He continued on before anyone could speak.
“Think about it for one moment and you will see I am right. The thing that separates us from the United Nations, other than we want to be free, is that we do not allow only the skilled or young and healthy to be here. Every person’s life is precious. The young for the hope of continued existence, and the elderly for their wisdom and skills. Even if that skill is how to scrub a pot exceptionally well, each person is more important for our species than ever before in history.”
He looked around at everyone and when he glanced at Amie, he saw her nodding. Others were, too but there were several who looked confused or concerned. Jimmy waved his hand for people to ask their questions.
Jessica spoke first. “We spoke about what one extra mouth does to our stocks. Each new person takes three meals from someone else, per day. We are doing very well on the rationed vegetables and fish and I know many of you have your own stored food you foraged, fished, or hunted for. I want to remind everyone that no one here has been through this kind of living situation before and the likelihood of something going awry is higher than usual. If for no other reason than we don’t know any better. It is a risk no matter which way you look at it.”
There were some murmurs between a few people before Kory raised his hand and spoke. “With the snow flying, it is highly unlikely that we will see much of anyone that isn’t part of the camps or on the outskirts. All of those people are friendlies and known to us anyway and we planted extra for them, just in case. Those people, though, are very used to wintering right where they are.”
Jimmy and several others nodded at that point made. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Doug tentatively raise his hand. When people quieted down and looked at him, his face flushed. Jimmy saw the young man’s discomfort and said, “You have the floor Doug. Everyone has a right to be heard.” Doug nodded.
“If we hadn’t be found by you, there is no doubt in my mind that we would be dead right now. Or close to it. We had nothing and even if we could get into a house, there wouldn’t be any food. We would have starved or gotten sick or something. I think that unless they seem like they would be a threat, we should take them in. If it means I have to eat twice a day instead of three times, it is worth it.” He stepped back, still uncomfortable with all the eyes on him.
Jimmy nodded and looked around. “Anyone else? At the very least, I would not turn anyone away outright. Especially if there are children involved.”
The silence in the room stretched for a few moments. “Shall we vote? All those in favor of helping whoever makes it to us unless or until they pose some kind of threat, say ‘aye.’”
All but a handful affirmed the vote. Jimmy felt a weight lifted off his shoulders. He raised his hand to get everyone’s attention and then told them about the work he wanted to get completed inside this winter. A desk for Jessica and putting her current one in a doorframe as it was meant to be, asking people what kinds of crafts and projects they were interested in or already doing. The conversation was lively, despite the sad news of someone taking their life.
“To end on a higher note, we need to think about having some kind of winter celebration. I know there are people of varying faiths here so I was thinking we have something after the longest night of the year. It is close enough to Christmas but not on it and is kind of around Hanukkah…I think. I figured a good middle ground would be around the solstice when the light starts to come back.” He watched as faces lit up at the mention of a celebration and then consideration about the date.
To Jimmy’s relief, he heard Ryan laugh and say, “We will be like the pagans of old, vikings or romans or something hahaha!” That brought a chuckle from most people gathered there when someone else spoke up.
“What about those of us who want to celebrate on the 25th?”
Jimmy tried not to sigh and said, “When has anyone ever said anything or tried to stop anyone from their religious beliefs?” When no one replied, he nodded. “I believe that answers the question, yes?” They nodded. When the vote was called for, it passed unanimously.
The meeting broke up with people heading off to their beds. Jimmy and Amie walked back to the cabin. “That was quite the twist there. Threw me for a loop. Nice touch at the end, though. Gives people something to look forward to.”
He smiled and nodded. “That was the plan. Well, not the twist in the middle but giving people something good and fun to think about and plan for. We should have another one a couple months later, too. After the holidays, even though you were gaining light, it always seemed darker. I don’t want anything like that to happen to us here. It would be devastating. Then again, who am I to tell someone they cannot die? Don’t we all have the right to make that choice now? The old rules don’t apply anymore but every one is needed. It is a hard concept to grasp.”
Amie stopped in her tracks and looked at him, horrified. “I hadn’t really thought about that. What a horrible thing to consider. On the one side, we need every single person on the planet. On the other, if every person is truly free, they are free to take their own life. What if you are terminally ill anyway? I have a hard time with the idea of saying to someone, “I’m sorry, you can’t end it even though we have no medicine and there is no way you are going to make it.” It seems more humane to end the suffering. We don’t have the luxury of modern medicine to dull the senses and pain anymore.” She shuddered and started walking up the stairs.
As he followed her inside, his mind was wrestling with the topic at hand. In this situation, there was no real right answer. It all depended on how you looked at it and he could easily see multiple sides. If he was going to die a slow and painful death, just wasting away, he would want to end it. Let the resources he would consume go to someone else. Then again, if someone got so depressed they felt they couldn’t go on, should they intervene and try to talk them out of it? Or should they respect the person’s wish to do with their life as they see fit.
He had absolutely no answer for this one.
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NO VOTE THIS WEEK! See you next week for the Saturday Survival Serial. Things really begin to heat up!
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