Black Sun by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 68

Summer ended far too soon, giving way to Autumn with its bright colors and chilly air. At a lack of warm clothing, the group walked down to the lake to investigate several houses. Not many people stayed there year-round, so it wasn’t likely the trio would find what they were looking for. Blankets, however, would do and there were many to be found and if they could procure a sewing kit crude coats might be fashioned. After inspecting several houses and finding only a few dead, they managed to find what they had set out for. And returning to the cabin began the task of cutting and sewing, creating the autumn-wear that would be needed as Autumn closed in. Abby was given a heavier coat as her pregnancy had become more obvious.

Hunting became a little easier as Emma noticed that with more leaves on the ground, the deer would have fewer places to hide. And every three or four days she brought one back, dragging it across the ground. Ryan offered to go with her but Emma insisted he stay with Abby in the event something unexpected happened. Upon her return, she hung the carcass and after the blood drained, she did her best to butcher and dress the meat. As long as she continued in her success, no one would starve. With winter on the way, everyone pitched in to prepare. Winters in upstate New York were notoriously brutal, and there was every possibility that they might not survive it. There were three things that were absolutely necessary—food, water, and warmth. Ice could be melted down into water. Firewood was not so easily available, as green wood does not burn well. This led to repeated trips to the lake houses to gather doors and furniture as firewood, and it had to be done quickly and would take several days. They would be taken apart and stored both in the cabin and behind it so as not to be noticed. Maintaining a low profile, as always, was an absolute necessity.

Emma assumed there would be other hunters in the woods—those who had also survived the crisis brought on by an angry sun. With this in mind, the group agreed that the fire would be lit only for cooking and heating the cabin and should be built as small as possible so as not to fill the air outside with smoke. Portions of meat would be smaller as they required less cooking time. On windy days, the smoke would be blown away into the distance. Hopefully, it shouldn’t attract any attention. Neither Ryan nor Abby had any survival skills and were forced to learn along the way. But by the time Ryan and Abby began working with Emma, they began learning what they needed to know. It was just the basics but every experience seemed to lead to new knowledge.