Surviving The Virus by D.A. Sanford - HTML preview

Chapter 20: Neighbors

I get on the radio and call Fred. It takes a few for him to answer but it wasn’t long. I asked him how the propane generator was coming. He said that they were having troubles setting it up.

“Would you like some help?”

“It would be appreciated.”

“We have just the person. His wife is a midwife. She has really progressed in her role as our doctor, she has expressed an interest in coming up and giving your people checkups. For winter it helps to be healthy. By examining and making a record of your people, she would be able to give advice even if the roads are impassable. She would show one or two of your group how to take vitals.”

He likes the idea.

Rick and Cindy make the trip. There has not been enough snow fall to warrant using the plows but they are convinced that they should take the plow since we no longer had an extended weather forecast. They will stay over if it is heavy snow.

There is no problem on the way up. It was nice to be able to drive without worrying about mutants. It seems that most if not all have perished. Weakened state combined with the cold seems to have killed the remainder.

Both made good drive time arriving at the meeting point by midmorning. This will be the first time that any of our group have visited the city groups home.

It turns out to be a rather large warehouse. It was one that was ready for occupation when this went down. It looks like they raided a lumber company and built an inner structure. Around that structure, they have piled the warehouse’s boxed contents as insulation.

It seems like they are able to do basic things but the more complex, like hooking up the propane generator, gives them problems. Rick see that they have most of what is needed to get it running is in place. It is just the finer points they need help with. They do know when to ask for help. Lucky for them, Rick brought what he thought he needed. It was only a short time and the building had power.. He did advise them to get at least two more of the propane tankers for the winter. They really need to run all the time for heat.

He was amazed. They found a large water tank truck. The warehouse has a drive in feature so they have it inside.

While Rick is busy, Cindy is running checkups and has found that in general they are healthy but there are a few women that are pregnant. The problem is that most feel that is from being raped by the gang members. Those want an abortion. Cindy does have some morning after pills. If those don’t work she has a few options but she will not perform an invasive abortion. She has offered to the women to adopt the babies if they would choose to go full term.

It's time, both have finished what they needed to do. Fred invites them to stay the night so they can show their appreciation. Both thank them but say that they needed to return. The women at home were close to giving birth and she needs to be there. That was almost a lie but they wanted to get going.

After progressing to more, almost demanding toned tries to dissuade them from leaving, Rick and Cindy were back on the road. They both had a very weird feeling about the insistent tone that Fred took. This will need to be discussed when they get back..

“Trevor, I got their generator running, Cindy did all the exams, she can fill you in after what I need to run by you. Sorry Cindy. We were finished with what we needed to do.

and decided to call it a day. We started to leave when Fred and others did their darndest to get us to stay.”

“It really got disquieting because they kept getting more demanding. I felt that they were going to detain us even if it was a gun point. Finally, we got out of there, after seeing them realizing that if the kidnapped us, you would be here with the trucks.”

I’m besides myself, “Did they try to restrain you?”

“No, they didn’t. It seemed that they were trying to poach us, coerce us to leave here and stay with them.”

Cindy speaks up “There are a few women that are pregnant with what they believe are children of the rapists. They wanted to have abortions but I think I convinced them to have them when I said that I would adopt the babies. It was after that that they just wanted us to stay the night so they could thank us.”

Rick has a moment “I don’t know what this feeling is. Trevor, have we been played?”

“What do you mean?”

“Could this have been two rival gangs from the city? And the pile of dead were the originals?”

Rick’s statement causes Cindy to reevaluate her exams.

“What if the pregnancies are from normal sex, not rape? Could they be using that story to convince us that they are the victims?” She asks.

Now it hits me, hard, in the gut.

“What if those two girls were telling the truth? Oh my God, I feel sick.”

“We are leaving in the morning. The four of us. They fucked up by showing you where they live. We roar in and confront them. I’m going to use the PA and call Fred out. I don’t care anymore. I want them to answer one thing. Why?”

It was a short night and a long drive. Each one of us are pissed. For me this is the second time I have been played but it may have resulted in me killing the only true innocents.

Just after full light, the music plays, the diesels roar and our horns blare.

“FRED GET YOUR FUCKEN ASS OUT HERE RIGHT NOW OR WE START FIRING

UNTIL THAT BUILDING COMES DOWN!”

“I’m coming out, don’t shoot. What’s this about.”

I don’t know but I get a bad feeling. just his posture and look. I need to be on guard.

“I don’t like being played. I feel that you and your gang were surprised by a rival.”

“No, no not like that, we were the victims.”

Fred said this as Hunter was on the roof of the building. He shoots the speaker and damn near me. If I had not flinched when the first shot rang out I would be dead from his second rapid fire shot at my head. He is no amateur, definitely a pro. Others start firing.

Fred reaches back to grab his hidden. I put shots in both knees. I want him alive.

One thing to say, those machine guns take a quick toll. In a matter of seconds, the area becomes quiet. I yell for the people to come out. One by one they come out. Only the women are left. I confront the first woman.

“Who were those two women I shot?”

She does not answer.

I put the barrel of my pistol to her head.

“WHO WERE THOSE TWO WOMEN?”

“Captured” Is all she says.

Stepping on Fred’s knee, “Is that correct? Was it your idea to have me murder innocents to cover up your crimes?”

“No, I’m innocent”

I shot his foot.

“Don’t shoot me. They were trying to take what we found.”

“And those bodies? Were they the original owners that your group killed?”

No answer so I aim for another body part and he answers that his gang found them first.

The bodies were the ones that his group killed. I am enraged and that rage takes over.

The women were standing there shivering, their winter coats were still inside. They were responsible for me killing innocents. I say

“This is less than you deserve for being an accessory to murder. You went along with all of this debauchery. You are as guilty as he is and as guilty as I am because of you all.”

I point in the direction away from the town.

“Get walking.”

“We’ll freeze to death.”

“Maybe not. There may be something to wear that direction but walk now. Die here or take your chances.”

Crying, they start walking.

Fred looks at me and starts spitting his true nature.

“I knew we should have killed you once you came out of your trucks. This is the way of the world. Now kill me.”

“I’m going to give you the same I gave them. As much as I want those supplies we are going to leave them. Nope, on second thought, Bob, Amanda burn that building down.”

They do. When they have emptied their tanks, I shot Fred in his other foot and slit his clothes.

“Let’s go home, it’s snowing.”

A few minutes after we leave there is a gigantic explosion. The propane tank blew up.

I ask over the radio, “What do we do with the walking women? They will be up ahead.”

Amanda drives past me and without even asking, as we catch sight, she opens up and obliterate them.

“Out of their misery and out of ours. They were part of that evil gang.” Is all she said.

We hear over the radio came Cindy’s voice “Were we played?”

Rick says one word “Played.”

Those were the last words spoken until we shut the engines off at home.

Rick goes over to Bob.

“How you doing son?”

“I don’t know. I do know that their kind cannot exist. They would have come for us. Our family first.” Bob answers.

Before Rick could say anything more, Judy ran up to Bob. Throwing her arms around him, she pulls him into a full press hug.

Talking softly, she says “Thank you for protecting me.”

The look on his face shows that, at this moment, he cannot even remember his own name.

“Out of a tragedy come some good.” I whisper to Rick,

“We’re going to have to keep an eye on them.”

The other women are giving the same look at those love birds. A female hawk and a clueless male pigeon.

In the common room we give a rundown. The confessions and that I was going back tomorrow morning, just to check on Fred.

Amanda tells me not to go but I just told her, tying up loose ends. Since she cannot convince me, she tells Becky,

“I’m going with him.”

The next day we go back. None of the women were alive. When we got to the warehouse it was gone. Following a blood and clothes trail, we found the frozen body of Fred. He managed to drag himself a few hundred yards towards the fire.

“Amanda, I’m sorry you had to see that side of me.” I go on to tell her about the Rovers.

“This is the second time we’ve been fooled. How do they do it?”

“You’re willing to look on the bright side first.”

“Yeah, but fooled twice.”

“You won three times, so I see a winner. You won with Rick, Cindy and those young adults, you won with Mary and you won with Judy and me. Life in this new world sucks, but you, Trevor, still need to be that ray of hope for all of us.”

I hug her. This is actually the first time for a real hug. Not just a friendly greeting hug. I tell her that I am happy we brought you in.

“I know Bob is happy.”

We both have a small laugh and then I kiss her. She returns it.

“Let’s go home.”

As I drive, she leaned on my shoulder and held my hand all the way home.

Back home I tell them that this threat is over but we really need to rethink how we handle groups of people. We only have luck with the small numbers. We do not trust any number over five.

“Even then,” Mary sadly comments, “Remember Shirley and Janet.”

Becky is the one that brings prospective to the discussion.

“By what you have told us, this last one was a heat of the moment acceptance of spoken words. Investigate before trust. In the future, with a group, we demand that they first surrender weapons down to pocket knives, even butter knives.”

Mary adds her rule which is what really needs to be said.

“If anyone comes here, they are not to be trusted if we do not feel that we would let them in here after the initial meeting. We really need to rethink the houses above. With this last group, do we even want them to squat here and potentially ambush us?”

One by one, we all come to realize that she is right.

“As it is starting to snow,” I ask the family “I think it would be prudent to burn all but the one house that has the generator. I really think that must include the town hall and church.”

It is a sober fact but family must be protected.

I continue.

“If they try to stay, even if it is winter, it will be camping overnight only. The house would be our guard post. Only a family that has the fortitude that Rick and his group had, toughing out the winter, showing dedication to peace, will be allowed to occupy an outlying home. By the way, any building around the dealership needs to be burned down regardless. No squatter is going to spy out that entrance.”

Bob comments,

“I think that we should char the outside of the dealership while we burn the houses near it. It is cinderblock so the only damage would be blistered paint and char. Maybe paint a few cracks on the windows”

Amanda repeats what she told me,

“Life in this new world sucks. We need to be hard but also to those few, we need to be a ray of hope. But we are New Hope aren’t we. This spring we should not put up any more signs and take down the ones still legible.”

After much thought I say what I think everyone is thinking.

“New Hope is our home and ours only. We will help others to set up their own community but no one else settles here.”

They agree that it the best resolution to our concerns.

Now that it is settled, no one is really happy other than Bob and Judy. Lisa is starting to get clingy. I remind them that it is five more years to eighteen.

Ooo, Judy can get a disgruntled look.

Chapter 21: Another spring approaches.

It’s the ending of March and there is big trouble. The women are running and screaming, generally at me. Because of that, we men are at a high state of alert.

Even Rick yells at me

“For God’s sake get out of their way!”

I am so tense that I do not realize he is yelling at me. Becky is in labor. He pulls me away from the door. We have been told to go somewhere, anywhere. I have been shoved out of the way by everyone of the females, including Lisa.

Rick and Bob grab hold of me and the get me out of the danger zone. They sit me down in the common room but with each scream I try to get up.

Even Becky issued a warning to me. I think I did not hear her right. It sounded something like her screaming at me

“YOU DID THIS TO ME! GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!!!”

She has been in labor for quite a while.

“I have to go check out why”

“No, you don’t”

“Something is wrong. It’s taking too long!”

“Cindy told you the last time that the baby is in the right position, mother and baby are progressing fine. The time is normal for a first birth.”

“That’s right. It is my first birth but why is it taking so long for Becky?”

“Trevor, you ain’t right in the head.”

He yells down the hall.

“I’m taking Trevor and Bob outside somewhere”

“Good. Get him far away.” Cindy yells.

Between contractions, Becky yells “Take him to that pawn shop in propane town like he has…oh shit here it comes again get both of them out.”

Rick slips and steps right on that land mine when he asks,

“Both of them?”

“My husband and this BABY, DAMN MEN. This kid has to be male. Already cauSING

PAIN!”

Rick comes back to me and says

“We’re going to check out the pawn shop.”

“I can’t be that far away”

“Believe me, for all our own good, Bob help me drag him to the van”

The journey to propane town begins. We are out the door. On the road for no more than a few minutes when Trevor is asking about the radio. It took at least thirty minutes for him to calm down enough to regain composure

Rick looks at me in the rearview mirror and asks,

“You okay back there? You were freaking out at home.”

It’s tit for tat as I answer.

“You just wait. Mary is also due now. We’re traveling and she could be in labor right now with you so far away from her.”

I did not think that a passenger van could drift a one eighty.

Bob is on the radio.

“How’s mom Mary?”

No answer. We later found out that they deliberately turned the radio off knowing that this would happen.

Funny thing is, by the time we got back, we still heard screaming. Cindy comes out after hearing us come in.

“Congratulations Trevor, you have a son.”

“Then what is the screaming. Don’t tell me that it’s twins”

“Idiot. That is not Becky. That’s Mary. In the delivery of your son, tension and relief started her contractions.”

Now Rick and Bob are going nuts.

I’m going to Becky. Sheepishly I peep into our room. With the biggest smile, she looks at me and says

“Come hold your son Jesse. Seven pounds five ounces, nineteen and a half inches, ten fingers and ten toes.”

I couldn’t make my legs move properly. I shuffled over to them. Picked him up and I started to cry. Our first child.

I tell him “Your guardian angel namesake will be watching over you.”

I kiss Becky.

“He’s beautiful. I don’t want to let him go ever. It’s sad but actually lucky my parents passed before the virus. We would have never gotten a rid of her.”

Through her tears “As much trouble as she was, my mom also, but you know what, I feel like they are here right now. How is Mary doing?”

My mind is fried. I try to think. Mary, Mary, who’s Mary.

Cindy comes back to check on Becky and the baby.

“It looks like both of you are fine which is more that I can say for Rick. He passed out when I told him that he has a healthy daughter.”

Their daughter was named Gail. Mary did not know Gail personally but she was Shirley’s last victim. Having died alone, Mary wanted to have her name to live on, in a loving environment.

Now, later in the day, Cindy needs to get serious. Rick has recovered. Both new mothers and the babies join the group in the common room. This is the meeting that she has dreaded but it must be addressed.

“The virus may still be out there. Before these two wonderful babies were born, everyone here survived the virus. In all probability these babies are also going to be immune, but”

No word she ever said had the razor blade effect that the word ‘but’. That word, cut to the bone, cut through the elation of birth.

“But we need to closely watch these wonderful additions to our family for signs of the virus.”

In a voice that reflects joy that has been dashed on the rocks of that word ‘but’.

Mary pleads,

“Are you saying that my daughter may die? Please don’t say that. I’ll die if she dies!”

You could see in her eyes that Becky’s mind is saying the same.

Trying to quash those doubts, Cindy tries to clarify what she said.

“All I’m saying is that, in my layman’s knowledge, since both parents are immune these babies should be immune. COVID started to degrade within months. Each version was weaker until it was like the flu.”

“I want to watch them closely. They may get the flu. We can treat that but only if we catch it with in the first day or two. You mothers will know right away. These new fathers will panic quickly and will drag or carry me to you. I have already prepared the proper size dose of the medicine. It is an over the counter medicine. If one needs it, both will be dosed.”

Her words cut the tension. Everyone was visibly relieved. Becky told her

“You almost gave me a heart attack.”

“I meant to alert you both. The normal flu for these new lives is serious. For the next few weeks, I will be a pain in the ass. I’m going to check and recheck the four of you until I’m satisfied that none of you have any hint of being sick. I want to have a baby next so I need you to get to where you can look after me.”

Did Rick just pass out again? I laugh until Amanda tells us that she now wants one also.

I ask myself, what am I doing on the floor?

It is a joyful but tense few weeks. No one shows any sign of even the sniffles. However, we have convinced Cindy and Amanda to wait for the babies to grow. They are impatient but see our logic.

With the midwife delivering, you need another. To our amazement, Judy wants to take on that role..

“Lisa is shadowing Becky and constantly reminds us that she is a wife in training. I want to contribute to the family. I want to become a midwife. Cindy will you take me on as your apprentice?”

Seeing that Judy is truly sincere in her wishes, Cindy agrees to take her on.

“You will be an asset to our family. I will train you. You are now a midwife in training..”

During previous meetings, it was decided that this territory was for our family. We would not go out, like we did in the past, to actively recruit people. If there are more communities out there we would consider treaties with them on trade but not to consolidate.

It’s not hard to conceive, now that the babies are here, that there will be alliances formed through marriages. We would have our sons take wives from other clans and live here. The hard part is that our daughters would marry and move to their husband’s clan.

We are now well into spring. Time to get the gardens going. They will be bigger because we did burn down most of the houses. The biggest garden though is in the field at the stump entrance. This will be our primary food supply.

The in town gardens will be for our stores but if anyone shows up, looking for trade, we would use those gardens for trade.

Again, remembering all those ads that touted gold instead of dollars. Someone could show up with gold bars by the truck load, it would not buy even a single carrot. Food and ammunition are our primary currency of the day. Skill bartering works.

You better come with something we can use. Trade is considered. Information also will get you something. Depending on the importance, it can get you as much as ammo.

As we are working the main street garden, we can’t help but notice a car coming up. It is deliberately making as much noise as possible but it is not like my PA song. This noise is trying to say, “Don’t shoot. We are not being hostile.”

They are flying a white flag and driving really slowly. It still does not make us lower our guard. We’ve been fools before but never again. When we go out, there is always a few of our assault pickups. The house now has a safe room that faces the road. It has remote controlled weapons mounted on the roof.

I don’t need to say anything. The mothers gather up the babies and go to the room.

I walk into the road and hold up my hand for the car to stop. We had a large line with the word stop painted on the road a hundred feet in either direction. The car complies and stops well before the line.

“Okay, now let me see your hands. Everyone gets out of the car.”

A man and a woman get out. Hands up, they seem to know the drill. They wore clothes rolled up to show that they did not have a hidden waist band pistol. Both turned completely around to assure us that they had no weapons.

“Before we have you come over, roll down your shirts please, carefully.”

No weapons fall out.

I ask them in a stern voice,

“White flag. Noise. Why?”

“This is New Hope.”

He points to our trucks which Bob and Amanda that their guns and flame thrower pointed at them. That’s part of the reason for the stop lines.

“The word is out. You don’t fuck with the New Hope Avengers. You don’t live if you do.

Our group was coming in to try to take care of that gang you eradicated and freed their prisoners. We had gotten to a position to see you in action.”

I shake my head and then said with the authority of lessons learned the hard way,

“The reason you are encountering what you see here now is because we were fooled.

What we thought were the victims were actually the first gang and they killed the innocents. The ones we first killed was a second gang. We tried to help them and they tried to poach my people. Found out what they were. We killed them all.”

“Now what do you want.”

“A peace treaty between our groups. I will be open with you. Our group consists of three men and four women. We are making it. It was a hard time at first but we now are comfortable. I see you are growing a garden. We are also gardening.”

I interrupt. “I’m sorry if I seem gruff, but what do you mean by a peace treaty? You may come closer. This yelling is not needed but, realize, trying to pull something would not be advised.”

As they come forward, they notice that the truck weapons are following them.

“Now, peace treaty?” I say.

“It’s simple, we won’t come after you and you don’t come after us.”

“No can do.” I tell them. “We will not stand by when a threat to our family is anywhere near.”

I draw their attention to the house.

“We take our safety to that extreme. Those are aircraft machine guns mounted on the roof. They are not just eye candy. Bob, radio them to move the guns, full range of motion.”

They go through their full range of movement and snap back to the couple’s position..

“Each one of us are constantly training. We take care of our own. If we find that you are a menace, well. Let’s go inside and talk. By the way, Rick, check out their car.”

He does and comes back.

“Nothing there.”

We take them into the kitchen and I have Lisa go up and tell Becky and Mary it is okay to come down. They come down

“You can see why I am stressing what happens when betrayed.” As I hold Jess and Rick holds Gail.

“We are only looking to live in peace with you. We have no intension of causing trouble.

Know now that there are several peaceful communities with in a five hundred mile circle from here. All have heard about you. All want peace.”

“That is news to us, maybe good news. Thanks. Judy would you get the gift box.”

She gets it. It contains some home canned vegetables, vegetable seeds, some meat and a dozen seed potatoes.

“We pay well for good information.”

I push the box to them. It has them silently looking at us and the box.

“Make sure that, when you start to see the potatoes tubers growing hill them until they are well covered. We’re looking for some sweet potatoes and other not so common seeds or plants.” I tell them.

I look around and get nods from our group.

“We accept your invitation for peace. You can pass it on to the others but we will need to know where these groups are so that we do not mistake someone as a threat. You have made it known that all of you know where we are and what we are about.”

He pulls out a pocket map and it has the locations. Good first step.

“By the way,” I say, “You are what I will consider the go between for first contact with us.

Tell the others that they must, for the first contact, have a pass signed by you. That is a sign that you vouch for them. No compromise on this. By the way, what are your names?”

He tells us that he is Gary and his companion is Stella.

“l agree with the pass system.” Gary says

“One other thing” he says, “The different groups have told me that they consider the New Hope Avengers as the top authority. You are invited to freely travel through their areas.”

“Your group have proven that you are fair in your treatment of people but are just plain lethal when threatened. We want you to see that we are all above board and open. Any new group added will have to pass your tests to be accepted.”

That is what I want to hear. My family first.

“We have a deal. I tell you that we will be at peace with you and the other groups. We are not a law enforcement agency that will come in and settle local disputes unless they threaten the total communal peace. We don’t interfere with your running your communities. We will come to your aid if you find rogue gangs. There needs to be proof that they are a threat. Let them know the circumstances about that last gang that played us for fools.”

We shake on this.

Stella has been looking at the babies.

“Now that we have finished that” she asks the mothers “How was it, giving birth at home? I see that these are almost the same age.”

Becky proudly says” They are the exact same age. Both were born on the same day.”

Mary tells Stella that the tension of Becky’s labor and husbands panicking caused her to go into labor.

“How did you do it? We have a woman who is about three months in and she is worried.”

Cindy tells her, “I’m a qualified midwife and I have another one in training.” she hugs Judy.

Stella jumps up, “Would you please come and help us?”

I say to her, “Please sit back down. Cindy is not going anywhere. You, Stella, can bring them here for their checkups. Cindy will give you a schedule. When it comes close to the delivery date or in trouble, determined by Cindy, the woman will stay here in our facility until the baby is deemed ready to travel. If you see that she is in trouble, bring her right in”

Cindy says that she would not leave our group. We still worry about poaching.

“Not now but when it happens we will let you and the pregnant women see our facility.” I add.

Another previous discussion. We do not expect anyone to be added, for now, to our family. We now feel no need to hide the fact that we have a fortress. We won’t flaunt it.

Anyone let in will be through the stump entrance but not the dealership. That way we keep that end private.

Cindy makes up a schedule.

“I expect you here with that woman next week. We will meet here until it is almost time or there are complications. This goes for the other groups. They come to you then you bring them to me. A week should give you enough time to get word to the other groups.

Get me what you can get for vitals and how far along each one is.”

Amanda adds, “Do you have access to a large passenger van? You need to find one of those diesel shuttle vans they used for airports. That way all can be seen in the same day.”

Gary knows where there are some. He will have one ready for the follow up.

I tell him to find a radio and give him the frequency.

“Any emergency, including what Stella finds with the pregnant woman, call us. If you need us, we will be there in force.” I tell him

We each shake hands and they get ready to go. I walk them to their car. As Gary starts the car, I lean in the driver’s window and say

“Don’t fuck us, you won’t live to regret it.”

I slap the roof and step back. You could tell he got the point. He backed up, turned around and left.

As he drives off, I say under my breath, ‘don’t make me regret this.’ We need to figure out a time that we will tour those groups.

I turn to my family.

“How does it feel to be known as “The New Hope Avengers?”

Bob strikes a pose then asks, “Do we get cool costumes?” and we all burst into a laugh.

A week later, we hear over the radio that Stella is at the house. We tell her that we will be there shortly. Rick, Cindy, Judy and myself arrive to see an airport shuttle bus. The two get out of the bus as we pull up.

Rick, you and I will take the bus but I really don’t suspect them. That is why I want to check because I feel we can trust them.

As Cindy and Judy help them into the house, we check the bus. There is a rifle in a holder on the dash and a pistol on her seat. Nothing else. The fire arms are travelling insurance these days.

We go into the house.

Cindy already has the woman in a side room that we made for her examining room. We put chairs for multiple patients in a waiting room next to it. Stella is sitting there.

“How has it been.”

She answers “Really good. One of our men has a vegetable garden and he was ecstatic with the seeds. When he saw the potatoes, he was crying as he counted the eyes. He said that he could triple the plants by splitting them into individual eyes. They are already planted. I swear, he is in love and keeps on chanting ‘hash browns.”

“For your future times, you showed us respect. No one else was in the bus. You left your fire arms in the bus. A side arm is just personal insurance. You specifically have our trust and permission to wear your side arm in our presence. Make sure that you tell Gary that it just you. He will need to do what you just did to get his permit.”

She is smiling.

“Gary found me an automatic. It took a few miles to get the feel of it but I like it.”

“The next visit, make sure that you have more time. I want to modify it slightly. I think that I want to put a few RPGs on it so if you are pursued. you just pull the right cord and it will fire. The cords will be labeled as to what direction they go. We have them on our pickups. I will feel better if you have better protection.”

“You would do that for me?”

“Yes, you have earned my trust. This way you see the benefit of what you earned.”

The next trip we will be ready.

Cindy comes out and tells Stella that the woman is healthy but could use some extra vitamins, vegetables especially ones with iron would do. As long as the group prioritize that the pregnant women eat good meals, they should be okay.

Stella gave over the information on the other groups pregnancies.

“How soon can you make another trip? There is one that is close. We need to check her. She may be so close that she would go to our facility. I will say that I want to see her as soon as possible but it is not my decision. It is the woman’s choice. If she decides to come here she must be ready to have to stay at the facility. Only her. She will be allowed to talk to home “

“I have talked to all of them. They are afraid of not having a hospital. They feel that you are the closest thing to one and will cooperate fully.”

I jump in, “One last thing. Once Cindy says they are ready to leave, they must. The facility is our home. We will not have anyone permanently staying here and upsetting our home. We will call you to come get them.”

Chapter 22: It wasn't wasted

Stella tells Cindy that she will return with the woman just as soon as she can but it will only be a few days based on the concern Cindy has. The next day she radios that she can bring the woman in.

She came to Stella’s group because she felt pains.

Cindy tells Stella to come right now.

It takes a few hours for her to get to the point that she radios she is at the town sign.

Cindy says

“Trevor and I are here at the clinic house. When you stop, I’ll look at her on the bus. I think we may just take her to the facility.”

As Stella pulls up, she opens the door and Cindy comes in. She determines that indeed the woman is not in genuine labor but now needs bed rest and care.

Cindy turns to me

“She needs to go with us. We need to have constant care for her and bed rest. I don’t even think we should try to transfer her to our van.”

I don’t need to think about it. Time to put the cards on the table.

“Stella, we are going to have you follow us to our facility. Both of you must never reveal what you see.”

They both agree. Cindy will stay on the bus. I drive off with them following. My mind racing with doubts. We have been so careful to hide our home and in just a few minutes all secrets will be in jeopardy.

As agreed, I drive to the stump entrance. Radioing that we were coming, I tell Rick to unlock the entrance. We pull onto the field entrance and stop by the pile of stumps.

I figure that Cindy must have told them about the bunker because neither of the women even questioned the location. They were a little amazed when the pile moved to reveal the stairs down to where Rick had already opened the door.

Judy pushed Rick out of the way. And the five women of our family took control. They had that wheel chair that was collecting dust in the storage. They gently put the woman in it and rolled off with Stella following. Leaving two bewildered men scratching their heads.

After a while Mary and Amanda come out and tell us that it was the correct decision to bring her here. The woman was only a matter of days from delivering. This as Becky came out to the kitchen with some herbs that Cindy gave her to brew a tea.

Seeing male confusion as she comes out, Cindy tells us,

“Raspberry leaf and evening primrose tea helps ease the labor.”

Stella now comes out and sighs. I think, here it comes, envy and the desire to take this place. She seem so nice, but don’t they all.

“This is nice but ours is more elaborate.” She says as casual as can be while looking around.

My brain implodes.

She continues “You look surprised. Actually, all of you have the same look. You must be city folk. This whole area was a prepper paradise. This area was once riddled with missile silos and bases. After they were decommissioned, the rich swooped in and converted most into their survival homes.”

I look at Becky, “You grew up in this area, didn’t you know about this?”

Stella says that Becky was too young to know. Most of these were converted in the Y2K

scare.

“This one must have been built after all the silos had been bought. How did you find this one?”

Stunned at the revelation, I tell her that my late wife Jess was the one that told us about it. That her father was the caretaker of the bunker so Jess regularly had access to it to help her father clean.

Now the bomb shell.

“The other groups have the same silo set ups. We all have false homes, just in case of being followed. They are prepared to show you theirs. We knew that you were trying to hide this place when you talked about your facility.”

By this time, I’m sitting, thinking that I need a drink but it is too early. All that trying to conceal, hiding, not going out into the snow to play.

Stella is now the comforter.

“Your worries and cautions are not in vain. We do the same thing. We have the same worries but we don’t have the access to the armament that your group has access to.

Even the reserve base has been stripped.”

She stops,

“Wait, did you take those weapons. Those machine guns are from those planes, aren’t they?”

Now she sits.

“Our groups have been obsessing and preparing for a gang to show up with them and take our homes. All this time the New Hope Avengers had them. Talk about wasted worry.”

Worry is universal. I have calmed down and feel better.

“No, it wasn’t wasted. We have had to destroy now three gangs and a horde of leper mutants. All were a threat. There has to be more out there so caution is still warranted.

I’m sure that you have a store of firearms.”

“We do”

I look at the others of my family.

“Maybe it is time to train branch units of the New Hope Avengers. The groups need to be able to effectively defend themselves. All they really need is to learn how to think and plan. That is our biggest asset”

Stella adds “That plus machine guns and flamethrowers.”

”We made those” Rick tells her.

Now she finally shows astonishment.

“You can make things.”

We go against what we said we were going to do. We take her into the garage.

The first thing that assaults her is the sound of the rooster and chickens.

“You got chickens!”

“Yes we do. Would you like a good breakfast. To make your gardener jealous, we can have hash browns. Sorry, only powdered milk”

She is drooling, so our women go to prepare her a royal breakfast.

Stella says they have milk cows. I tell her chicks and a similar age rooster chick for some real milk for the babies.

“With the service you are giving us with our pregnant women, I will speak for our group, you will get a weekly supply. Once I talk to the others, they have specialties’ that they may be willing to offer for your services. There is one group that made a greenhouse and is growing coffee trees.”

“Training and as much health services are offered in exchange.” I say.

I was starting to think I would need to find a food warehouse or one of the box stores for more coffee. I will anyways but freshly ground mixed in will add the zip back into the morning.

Rick shows her the machine shop. He has Bob show her some of the things he is working on. He still is learning but the computer driven machining centers is his strong point. Program and then the machine does the rest.

She is thinking very hard when it is announced that breakfast is ready. There is everything there on all plates. Cindy has wheeled the patient out.

Cindy says,

“Betty you are to eat everything on the plate and if you can, eat seconds.”

So, her name is Betty.

We have our breakfast and then offer to have Stella stay overnight just to have someone Betty knows for the first night. She radios Gary to tell him that she will stay tonight for Betty’s comfort.

She tells him of our offers of trade and training. She also tells them that we have the reserve base arms. He is relieved that Betty was not going to just be dropped off. He will get messages to the others about the offers.

Within weeks we have multiple offers and requests from all the communities. We tell each that, as far as training and trade, I want to set up a meeting of the heads here at our facility and ask for their preference on a date but not tomorrow. I need time to work out the logistics.

We need to let our rooster loose on some of the layers. Chicks are now the real gold for us.

I do make it known that they will need to stay in the clinic house. The facility will be shown but as far as room to accommodate overnight, that the pregnant women have priority.

Betty delivered two weeks after her arrival. A healthy baby girl. We radio and tell Gary to relay the information to the father. Since everyone knows, I tell him to have Stella drive both the father and himself here to our facility.

We receive the news that they would like to come now. It’s going to be late in the day so I tell them that the mother and child needs their rest. Tomorrow will be the earliest for them. They are also told that Cindy wants to observe them a while longer before visitors.

Next day, earlier than I would have figured, we receive the call that they are entering the town and she’s driving to the stumps. I tell everyone to be ready. Soon I’m standing on the stairs as the bus pulls up. Again no one is showing any signs of surprise.

Cindy leads the father to Betty then ushers everyone out.

“Let them have their alone family moment.”

After a short time, the father opens the door and lets everyone in.

As he tells us his name is John, He looks at Rick

“With your permission, I would like to hug your wife to express my profound appreciation for her help with Betty.”

Rick nods. John gives a light hug and tells her that his own mother, when he was young, lost a few babies to miscarriages so he was extremely worried.

“As you should be” Cindy tells him “Towards the end of her term, she started having trouble. Now that you know of us, next one you need to get in contact with us immediately. We will decide what is heartburn, heart ache or heart attack. Now go back in there but enjoy your new daughter.”

“Gary come with me” I lead him to the work shop. He said almost the same thing that Stella said about the machine shop. I tell him

“I’m sure that there are some machine shops in your area that just need to be powered up. Rick and Bob will teach one of each group. If there is something that is beyond your capabilities just let us know.”

God, it is good to finally be able to relax a little. A little. I notice Gary looking towards the old death mobiles. They have been stripped of the RPG’s. radios and PA but they have the old machine guns.

“I just can’t bring myself to just junk them but gas is going foul. They just take up space.”

I tell him.

Almost frantic, “Don’t junk them. Can we have them. We’ll swap out gas engines for diesels. We can copy them so that each group can have an offensive weapon in our defense.”

“I have no problem but I will say that I haven’t had any luck with making a good napalm substitute.”

“We have resources. Some groups have researchers. I bet they can come up with something. You give us these and we develop the napalm substitute.”

“Agreed, you have to come and get them.”

“Better yet. Stella will take the bus back, I’ll drive one, John can drive one and you drive the other. Have one of yours drive one of the new pickup versions. My people would get a thrill seeing the new and improved models. It will be an incentive to get better. It will also give us a chance to show you around our ‘facility’.”

I get it and say okay. “Amanda, Let’s go for a ride. Take your truck.”

She says sure.

I tell Gary, Stella and John that we need to go soon. Gary was happy and said that it was good for him. His words give me a good feeling because he did not have a tone of apprehension in his voice but deep inside I no longer want to trust my good feelings and that hurts me deeply.

I want to trust my feelings again.

Before we go, the parents call us in to the room.

“We have decided, we are naming the baby Cindy. You saved our lives. Would both you and your husband Rick be her godparents?”

“It would be an honor.”

“Trevor, we would like you and Becky to think about this. You have a boy who is a few months older. In days of old, treaties, clan joining and such were strengthened by the marriage of one person from each clan. Your group will be getting requests like this from now on. We would like for the both of you to consider an engagement contract between your son Jesse and our daughter Cindy. We don’t expect an answer right now but please consider it.”

Becky responds for the both of us.

” We have talked about this before. If we restricted marriage to our group, it would eventually degrade our gene pool. Both of you are bring the diversity we need. If it is an engagement, we would accept with the proviso that if they do not like each other we can call it off. We do not like the idea of forced marriage but if they start to visit at an early age and frequent rate, we would accept.”

They agree to the “escape clause” and it is settled. We are invited to visit their group.

The new parents are left to say their good byes and we leave. I find it comforting that they have cleared the roads between their base and almost into ours. I need to put that on the list. We left them just passable to fain neglect but now, the ruse, is no longer needed.

It was almost four hours to their site but the old SUVs made it. The sight of them ogling those ones were only topped when Gary announced that we were giving them to the groups.

He explains that they are going to swap out the engines. While doing that they are to study the construction so that they can make more.

I can see their eyes drifting to the pickup. One astute female starts asking Amanda about the nozzle and then looks at the machine gun.

“That’s off a warthog isn’t it?”

Amanda is a little confused.

“All I know is that it is a machine gun.”

I walk over and tell her that this is one of the ones that we liberated from the reserve base.

“Oh, that’s right. I heard that you cleaned it out.

“I find that it’s actually over kill. There’s nothing wrong with that other than a lot of wasted rounds. For some reason the ammunition manufacture has shut down. We made one that fires twenty twos at a rate of hundreds of rounds per minute.”

After a little more discussion, we go inside of their ‘facility’. I’ll say here that everyone else’s taste may not be yours. Their silo home was not what you would expect. It was the base control room and then all the support areas for the personnel and the missile silo. But it has been total gutted and repurposed.

The sad thing was that there would have been an area that was a maintenance room that would have had machines to make things needed. As I say the millionaires weren’t going to get their hands dirty, so it was not needed in their opinion.

Gary shows us everything and each area we show great but false enthusiastic reactions. Like grandma’s Christmas present of sox.

“Just what I was hoping for” would be the courteous answer.

Home was home. Granted they had more space since the silo also had been converted each circular floor connected with a center spiral stair case. Beautiful but, with the prospect of children in their group. I would close it off with a wall and lockable door. Talk about a fall hazard.

“I can see that you have a good place here” I tell Gary. “One suggestion, that silo portion. You have no children here but there’s one on the way. That staircase needs to be modified so they don’t plumet down to the bottom.”

The look said it all. They never saw it. Never found any concern about it Without him saying anything, I say,

“You know what they say, sometimes it takes a second set of eyes.”

To which he tells me that they would have people watching at all times so it would not be a problem. Oh well, I will tell Cindy that she should bone up on treating childhood injuries.

After having a meal with them, we thank them and go to leave. Here is a test. They ask if we wanted to stay overnight. To which we say that we need to get back. They thanked us for the SUVs then said goodbyes. We drove away. No objections or further attempts to hold us there. Good sign.

We make it back after dark. They had radioed that we were on our way back and would like a shout out when we got back.

After a good night’s sleep, we told our group about the experience. Betty was there with us, nursing the baby. I had to ask.

“Is your home a converted silo?”

To which she said yes it was.

Looking at her I give my warning.

“Gary’s silo has many floors that are connected by a spiral staircase.”

“Ours does too.”

Then a realization comes upon her. With a horror look on her face, she hugs the baby tighter and says,

“If we are not looking, she could fall all the way to the bottom and ours has a small decorative gap between the wall and the floor on each floor. Thank you. We need to fix that right away. Cindy is our groups first child.”

I tell her that even a half wall at the entrance with a lockable door would do.

“What we will do is call Stella and tell her that on next week’s visit to the clinic with the other women, that your husband needs to come to formalize the engagement contract. I will bring him here and we can discuss the problem.”

“Why can’t you have them relay the message?”

“I don’t want Gary and Stella to be offended. They are good people but when I suggested the same, they said that it was not a problem. They would watch any children.”

I continue when is see a look that a childhood memory invaded her thoughts.

“The way you looked just now, you just remembered the stuff that you did when your parents were not looking. Those ones that you say now, I was so stupid. I should be dead. They haven’t had those moments but when that first female delivers, that wall will go up even if her man has to get it done at her gunpoint.”

We all laugh

I finish with what Lisa said to me when we went to take care of the gang after they fooled us.

“I would not want my potential daughter in law to make my son a widower before they even get to date.”

Becky has been bringing Jesse in to see the baby. He seems fascinated.

Chapter 23: We live

It has been quite an experience for Trevor. From a person wanting to get his cabin to escape the virus, to a community leader and commander of a feared strike force, The New Hope Avengers consist of quite a few outposts now. The Avengers can respond swiftly and decisively to any threat, anywhere, any time. They are so feared that after a few attempts to challenge them, gangs have now put the word out, do not enter the territory at all. Do not even try to pick a flower on the boarder. The New Hope Avengers do not tolerate any incursion. Those who try, disappear.

The New Hope Avengers have not lost a single member since the hero, Jessica Rodgers Jones, the first, was lost in a valiant battle. Her childhood house and Jack’s store have both been restored by the community, including an exact copy of the flag.

The original is still in our home along with her G I Joe.

The sight is almost a pilgrimage for any new Avenger. There is not a moment that her grave does not have flowers and gifts. At times, there are so many gifts that Bob and or Lisa will take them and move them to the living room and her bedroom of her childhood home. Where they are on display.

Parents have brought their children to see her home. The children are the only ones that can take any of the grave gifts if it catches their eyes. Only a child can wander amidst the gifts. Jess would have liked that.

No parent has ever picked up or pointed their child to a certain object. The child picking the object is now considered that Jess is giving that child a blessing.

Since it is shrine to the only Avenger to be lost, there is not a worry about theft. There is no one, I mean absolutely no one that would dare.

The community has a network of agriculture, machining, manufacturing centers that support the surrounding community. Outside groups have made application to be admitted into the community that is now known as New Hope.

New Hope is the largest and the most peaceful on this continent. We know others exist, information is currency that New Hope accepts, so we know and have verified a lot. We have information explorers.

Entering on your own to settle on this land is not tolerated. You must apply and wait for them to decide to admit you. You will be assigned to a group and watched for any malevolent intent before you are allowed to settle. Those found with that intent are just never heard from again.

Trevor is sitting outside on the ground, working on his garden. He still likes to get his hands dirty. Pulling weeds is a constant distraction.

As he weeds, he is keeping watch on the young brood along with their mothers. They play in the yard with each other as brothers and sisters but today is another special day.

Jesse’s best friend, Cindy, is visiting.

She comes when her mother drives people who need to see her namesake and godmother Cindy for medical attention. At age ten, she is allowed to stayover for a week or two. There are definite first signs of puppy love between the two.

It’s very apparent to everyone because she is always holding his hand.

All our children are engaged to someone else and their intendeds also come here or they go to their intended’s homes. It is that safe here. These engagements are the ties that bind our community together.

As a present to Trevor, his original cabin has been restored to its original state, including the original generator panel. This time the only change is a big sign that Trevor wanted that had the word “Generator” with an arrow pointing to the door. Both Trevor and Rick have a special attachment to that cabin and they each use it at different times with different wives.

Speaking of wives both men have not added any more wives to the group. Rick still has two and Trevor has three. Lisa made her goal come true when she reached her eighteenth birthday. On that same day Bob and Judy were recognized as married.

Bob and Judy want to build a home outside out of view of the student housing but close to home

Both Lisa and Judy want babies. We told them both that they should wait a few years and enjoy the newly wed feeling. Logic won out and they are both going to wait.

Training is ongoing on all trades and defense. Keeping on top of your chosen trade is crucial to our success. Each area of New Hope has their training experts but unless it is something thing area specific, training is held in the original and now capital New Hope Village.

It is a vacation for those chosen to train. We have made a small housing unit near the dealership and the stump entrance.

The dealership is for the mechanical and machine trades. In each area, machine shops are opening again. Rick and Bob still do our repairs but now we are not overburdened with request for parts. They now enjoy getting involved with the restarting of those idle shops

The stump is for midwife training. We kept the name midwife but now the women handle the medical needs of New Hope and are really as good as the old general doctors.

On the first floor of the stump housing unit is the clinic and an operating unit. Cindy is now skilled at most routine operations including cesarian birth. Judy will soon be as qualified.

She is as respected for her skills as her mentor, Cindy. Judy teaches the fundamental and the intermediate level skills. Cindy teaches the advanced skills. Judy is capable of doing most of the advanced skills but Cindy still wants to teach some of the classes.

As expected, the first classes the trainees take is the emergency treatments. Even though it is peaceful, accidents happen. Thankfully no children have fallen down those silos. Our prediction was correct. Some men needed to fix those flaws at the gun point but now they have seen that it was the correct thing to do.

Funny thing is, that for the New Hope Avengers hostile encounters, the clinic has never treated a gunshot wound. Cuts, bruises but no Avenger has been shot. No enemy has been treated. Not that we would refuse but none are left alive.

One of those researchers that Gary mentioned had a medical research background and is now producing medical grade antibiotics. Our information explorers found a medical research facility. They made a few trips bringing back most of the equipment and research papers so he can produce other medicines. We also use holistic remedies.

The only forbidden area of his research is no genetic manipulation. We have had enough of that.

The rare illnesses, such as untreatable cancer, are mostly dealt with by making the person comfortable and trying to fulfill their wishes. They get the final comfort of knowing that they will be at rest in the capital cemetery if they want to. The cemetery is now called Jess’s rest.

We don’t dispel the false tale that Shirley, Janet and Gail were the fallen hero’s friends, since they are buried next to each other. The saying is that when the myth is greater than the truth, go with the myth.

The tale is that Jess was the bravest. Her exploits are now famous, overblown, but encourage the young ones to strive to get to her level of dedication. To be able to be ready to lay down your life for family. Many a new baby girl has been named after her.

Avengers now wear arm patches that just say Jess means family. Trevor has one on his battle shirt sleeve.

It is now an enjoyment to live.

The virus never showed up again.

This really is a New Hope.