A Distant Eden (8 page)

The crawlspace below the house was accessible through a trapdoor behind the furnace, and it was through this door that Jerry and Dave looked down to survey their new home. They saw that they had a big job in front of them, but they also saw that it was doable. The first step would be to rearrange some of the below floor duct work in such a way that anyone looking down would have only a limited blocked view, and not be able to see what was really down there.

They did not know how much time they would have before the first gangs started moving through the neighborhood, so they did the false-work first. They carpeted the inside of the closet where the crawlspace hatch was located so the trapdoor would not be visible to the casual observer. They rigged up two cardboard boxes filled with light items, and fastened them to the top of the hatch. When the hatch was dropped into place, the casual observer would not notice that there was a crawlspace hatch beneath the carpet and boxes. Finally, the trapdoor was fitted with a slide bolt so that it could be locked from below.

With those preparations in place, they dug out the “living room.” The pit was four feet deep so that the adults could stand upright without hitting their heads on the overhead floor joists. It was twelve feet wide and fourteen feet long. Because hygiene was critical, the pit was lined so that they would not be in direct contact with the soil. Scavenging insulation from the attic, they placed this against the dirt. For a temporary lining they used a blue tarp that Jerry had, and then carried in mattresses, blankets, and pillows. The first night under the house was perhaps the least comfortable one they would spend there, but it was still cozy and warm and everyone was happier being together. There was room to stretch out for everyone, and with their combined body heat it was warm.

The next day the improvements continued. They dug trenches, or “runways,” to the four perimeter walls, and then along the walls back from the foundation pedestals. Weakening the foundation was carefully avoided. Next they dug what Jerry called “spider holes” every ten feet or so around the perimeter of the house. These would be used as firing positions. Dave cut small crosses into the underpinning sheets. From the outside they hoped they looked decorative, if anyone ever noticed them—they were back behind the hedges surrounding the house and were difficult to see. They provided excellent places to put a rifle barrel through and fire from.

They also prepared four escape routes by loosening the fasteners holding the underpinning at the four corners. In an emergency evacuation, they could run to any corner, lift out a sheet of underpinning, and crawl out into the yard behind the hedge. The four adults could hold off an attack for quite awhile, yet they could get out quickly if they had to.

From a nearby foreclosed house, Jerry and Dave salvaged a carpet, slipping in and out without being seen after dark. This was then used to line the pit and runways and spider holes. Everyone was following strict discipline to keep dirt out of their new living area and the carpet helped tremendously. It also acted as additional insulation against the earth.

The loose soil from digging was taken, at night, out to the field and spread out where it would not be noticed. Two “restrooms” had also been carved out under the crawlspace. These were outfitted with wooden chairs with a hole cut in the seat and a bucket beneath. A cover was kept on the buckets and they too were carried off and dumped at night.

Excess carpet was spread across the “ceiling,” turning the living space into a covered cave. Doorway slits had been cut at entry and exit points. With that in place, they were free to use candles inside. This extended their waking hours beyond sunup to sundown.

All this work was completed within four days.

The upper house had been made to look abandoned, the image helped along by the front door hanging from one hinge and the back door propped open with a brick. No trails of dirt were left in the house leading towards the hatch. Nothing in the yard indicated current occupancy. To passersby it looked like one of millions of looted and abandoned homes. It did not draw attention.

Jerry knew that getting more food was out of the question, but there were other things they needed. They needed medicines, toilet paper, toothpaste, first aid supplies, and feminine hygiene items. Jerry decided it was time to make a trip to the store. He convened an adults’ meeting.

“We need some things; things that I am hoping may have been left behind after the riots. I am hoping what we need has been left behind. We need to make this foraging trip. I have been thinking on who should go, but I want to hear your thoughts.”

Dave said, “My first instinct is for you and me to go. But suppose we don’t make it back. What happens to our families? Two people must go so that they can watch each other’s backs and carry back more. Three would leave the rest too vulnerable. Looks like it needs to be a husband and wife team to me.”

“Exactly what I thought,” Jerry responded. “Obviously I want to go as we know this neighborhood better than you two. If we leave after dark, take plenty of time to get there, look around and pick up the supplies and travel back carefully, we should be back before daybreak.”

That evening Jerry and Karen armed themselves. Jerry chose a semiautomatic rifle, an old SKS that he’d had for years. They were about the least expensive semi-auto combat rifles on the market, and they were reliable shooters. Karen chose the pump shotgun and loaded it with buckshot. They put on empty backpacks, slipped out behind the hedge and stood for a few minutes, waiting while their eyes adjusted to the light level. It was still eerie, the utter darkness and silence of the city. Stars twinkled overhead as though they were in the country. Now and then a glint of light would spark and vanish in one of the windows down the street; some people were still using candles. Strangest of all was no airplanes in the night sky. They had grown used to living between Love Field and DFW. At any time, they used to look up and see twenty or more aircraft coming and going in long lines. Karen shuddered, recalling the planes that crashed when the solar storm hit.

After a few minutes, Jerry led off, staying within the shadows and moving slowly, watching and listening for as much as possible. To him, the key was to move slowly, and silently; to see and hear as much as possible. He did not want to walk into trouble. If there was trouble he wanted to stay far away from it. The nearest grocery store was a half mile away, a short walk if one just walked normally. It took them two hours to travel it and at times Jerry still felt like they were rushing.

When they entered the store, they did so through the back door. They eased in slowly and quietly, expecting ambush at any moment. Eventually Jerry was satisfied that they were alone. He had brought along a flashlight with fresh batteries. Tape covered the lens, leaving a small hole in the center that allowed only a tiny beam of light out. Despite it diminutive size, Jerry still felt like he was swinging around an enormous searchlight, attracting every bad guy within ten miles.

They picked their way through the piles of goods, finding most of what they wanted, packing their backpacks full. They had thought that they might use a shopping cart, if any were around, to carry back more, but Jerry was too nervous about the noise it would make so had abandoned that idea. They were nearly ready to leave when Jerry heard faint footsteps approaching the storefront.

Matt found I-20 West to be mostly clear of blocked cars and he rarely saw another moving vehicle. I-20 West was not usually as busy as I-35, even on its worst days. Stalled cars and trucks were spread out on the average of a half a mile apart; most had pulled over to the side. This made easy going for Matt, so he took advantage, easily making eighty mph.

There were people walking alongside the highway, trying to get to the nearest town. Most of them just stared at his moving vehicle with dulled eyes, but some seemed angry and gestured their emotions. “It’s strange,” Matt thought, “they’re mad at me but I’ve done nothing to them; I didn’t put them on foot.” Why were they angry at him? Yes, he had a car that was operating, but it was because he had made preparations. He had rebuilt this old truck himself, a project nearly anyone with basic tool skills could have done. He had thought ahead and taken a few precautions. It wasn’t rational for them to be angry at him. In fact, it was completely unreasonable. Matt recalled hearing someone once say that, “People were unhappy not because of what they didn’t have, but because of what other people had.” Matt thought that was the operating factor here.

Matt had driven for several hours and was nearing the state highway, where he would leave the interstate. It was time for a comfort break. A rest stop was out of the question; there were a lot of people at those as he drove by. He waited until he had crested a hill where he could see a long way in all directions, and saw no one around. He got out, but did not shut off the engine; he didn’t want to take any chances. Everyone got out and hit the bushes to take care of their immediate needs. After that they stood by the truck, doing squats, and walking and jumping a bit getting the blood flowing again.

They had only been driving again for a few minutes when Kristy turned to him and said, “Matt, I left my purse by the tree! We have to go back!”

Matt wondered what could be in her purse worth going back for. Credit cards and money were no longer of any value. Well, not true, paper money could be used as toilet paper. But, he knew her well enough that it wasn’t worth arguing about. It would be easier to just go back. “All right.”

Matt slowed to a near stop as he crested the next hill. Even though he had not seen another car moving, he wasn’t about to pull a u-turn in a blind spot, so he eased up to the top of the hill where he could see. Later he would say that God was with them, because by pulling this slow maneuver he was able to see the roadblock ahead. Had he been going at speed he would have seen it too late and would have had to either pull up to it and stop, or try to ram through it. The roadblock was made up of cars pushed across the interstate in a sharp valley between two hills. Any cars coming along at any speed would not see it in time to avoid it. It was a clever trap.

From two hundred yards away, Matt stopped and stared. There were armed men standing at either end of the line of cars. It was impossible to mistake their intentions. They were there to steal. If he had gone on, he and his family would have been lucky to walk away with the clothes on their backs. It was incredible good fortune that he stopped where he had.

The road-blockers saw him at the same time. They started waving for him to drive on down to them, smiling and trying to look friendly. Quickly pulling a u-turn, Matt sped off, the men now shooting at him in the mirror.

As soon as he was below the crest of the hill, he turned to Kristy and said, “God made you leave your purse, and now we know why. Let’s go get it.”

This left Matt with a tactical problem. He could detour back a few miles and take a different route to the state highway he was seeking—but he could also run into another roadblock on the smaller road system. It wasn’t hard to set up a roadblock in a spot where it couldn’t be seen until too late to avoid. His guess was that this was a group of deer hunters going to their lease, and they had decided to commandeer whatever vehicle and supplies might come along. If they had thought of doing that already, how many others out there were thinking the same?

How could he travel and avoid them? No matter what they did, they were going to have to drive a lot slower to avoid becoming trapped. They would not be able to get to their destination today—probably not for a couple of days now—but they couldn’t stop moving and there was no need to give up the truck either.

A mile or so before they reached their alternate turn-off they came upon a young couple making their way down the side of the highway on mountain bikes. This gave Matt an idea. Pulling up and stopping ahead of the couple, he and Kristy stepped outside. Seeing another couple waiting for them, they came cautiously on. Introductions were made and quite a bit of time was used discussing whatever could have happened and what they were going to do next. The young couple had already been threatened twice by stranded motorists wanting their bicycles. They had been able to ride fast enough to elude them. They weren’t sure how long they could keep pulling that off.

Matt offered them a solution. He offered to trade for the bicycles. He offered them a small caliber handgun with ammunition, and a canteen full of water. The couple stepped off to the side and discussed this. Matt had been edgy to get going again but was keeping everything under control; he didn’t want to scare them off by being anxious. He wanted those bicycles. With water and a pistol, they would be able to make the next town on foot, and have protection to boot. If they continued, they might lose the bicycles and be injured, if not killed, in the process. They would be better off armed, on foot and with water than unarmed on bicycles—bicycles people wanted. Bicycles someone would eventually take from them.

That was exactly what the couple was concluding while talking to each other. The young man felt they should bargain harder. He did not know why Matt would want the bikes when he had a car and too many people for two bikes. He could sense Matt wanted them badly. So he went back to Matt and upped the ante. Matt groaned inside but made the deal—two handguns with ammo and two canteens of water, plus a ride as far as Matt was going in their direction. Matt had a lot of guns and ammunition, and water wasn’t going to be a major issue because he had a portable water filtration system with him—and he really wanted one of those bikes.

The deal was struck, the bikes were tied off on top of the truck, and on they drove. The couple departed at the next turnoff, and after bidding farewell, Matt continued the slow drive. He wanted to be away from the interstate before stopping.

Eventually he reached a good stopping point, another high spot with a long view in either direction. No cars or people in sight. He pulled out a screwdriver and went to work removing all of the light bulbs on the outside of the car except for the headlights. He also removed the interior overhead light bulb. With these gone, he would be undetectable, with only the headlights available if he needed them.