Not Dead in the Heart of Dixie (13 page)

I filled another bin with prescription medications for children whether I was familiar with them or not.

I took all the bags of "fluids" that were left. I'm guessing they're used for re-hydration.

I took all sorts of little medical gadgets even though I have no clue what many of them are intended for.

There was a refrigerated storage container with vials and bottles still inside, but I left it alone. I figured that everything in there had gone bad since the electricity has been off, and I didn't want to take a chance with them. I didn't open it because I was afraid some rotten, stinky bacteria from a man-made science experiment would float out and get me.

As I filled each bin, Jason grabbed it and
took it to the Jeep.

Mick was stuffing bandages, splints, crutches, leg braces, peroxide, witch hazel, bleach, washing powder, over-the-counter medicines, and anything e
lse he came across into several small, wheeled shopping carts.

He got one of those metal adult "walkers" and a couple of walking canes.

He got several small bags of dog food and cat food. He tossed in a few pairs of panty hose, a couple brooms, a bunch of feminine hygiene supplies, and several instant cameras for some reason known only to him.

He grabbed manicure sets, hair clippers, scissors, barrettes, hair brushes, and other hair supplies.

He picked up a couple of toilet seats and threw them in. I laughed and he said "What? We can put 'em on top of the buckets." I have to admit, I thought that was a good idea.

He took scarves, hats, and gloves along with socks, gimmicky pajama pants, and a pile of white t-shirts that were on clearance.

He got every vitamin left in the place for children and adults, and any dietary supplements he could find including the "build stronger muscles" protein powders.

He finished clearing out the toilet paper aisle and found an overflow shelf full of condoms and sexual "enhancement" products. He took the condoms and left the rest.

He also left the makeup and perfumes. It took him four trips with the carts to get it all on the truck. We threw everything in willy-nilly except for the medications which we put in the rear of the Jeep.

We left all the Christmas decorations, greeting cards, and gift cards
, but we did get a good little haul of Duracell batteries from the Christmas section. We left all the "as seen on TV" cheap gadgets that were only good enough to stuff a box.

We had no more encounters with HDI's near the store.

Both vehicles were full. We needed to head home and unload before we could go back to any clothing or food stores. Jeremy would have to wear his high-water sweatpants for another day or two. Mick was cussing a blue streak and said we have to find a way to haul more stuff if we were gonna keep on lootin'.

We heard two gunshots as we took off down the street. None of us were in the mood for target practice and none of us wanted to
be
the target. Marisa was still in shock, so we high tailed it out of there lickity split.

My heart
was thumping in my chest and my breath was coming fast and shallow. I tried to get it back under control and pulled my purse out of the glove box so I could get a Xanax in me. When we got within shouting distance of our street, I looked to my right and saw a little HDI infected girl jumping around on a closed in trampoline. I let out a little whimper, then turned my head back to the watch the road and concentrate on my breathing.

We didn't stop at the little motorhome camp. For one thing, we didn't want them to see what we had in our vehicles, and for
another thing, our nerves were shot and we felt like we would make poor company.

There were two middle-aged men and a tall girl standing near the fire. The girl was stirring something in the pot. Mick waved at them and they waved back as we turned the corner and headed down our street.

By the time we reached home, I was feeling a little better. We practically fell out of the vehicles. It took about thirty minutes before I felt normal again.

Marisa was still slightly in shock. She went straight to her bedroom and came out only to eat a little supper since she missed the hot dog/mac 'n cheese lunch. She ate a tiny bowl of rice and about half a cup of pinto beans, but she refused the muffins. She gave me a hug and told me she needed to have some peace and quiet.

Nana told her we'd take care of the little ones and not to worry. I gave her a big, motherly hug and sent her to bed. I doubt we'll see her again until morning. Jeremy can take care of his cuts and bandages by himself tonight.

11:15 PM...

Mick, Pop, Jason, and Jeremy are sitting at the kitchen table, cleaning
all of our weapons even though only two of them saw action today.

I'm feeling a l
ittle washed out from the Xanax along with more adrenaline than my body has seen in years. I'm a little nauseous and fear I might have to call Ralph again. I plan to sleep late tomorrow. God help anyone who tries to drag me out of my bed before I'm good and ready.

Oh, while we were unloading today Mick found two bullet holes in the rear fender of the Jeep. Ain't that grand?

Bye for now.

Friday, January 10

When I walked out of the bedroom this morning, Mick was already up and coffee was waiting. He had a thermos in his hand and was headed out the door. I asked where he was going and he said he's taking the Jeep over to Caleb's house to hook up the flatbed trailer from the tractor shed, then he's headin' to TSC with Jason to see what they could find.

I rolled my eyes. I told him
to grab any animal feed he could find.

I told him to check the clothing area for anything he, Pop, Jason, or Jeremy could use
, and handed him my list with their sizes written down. He said "will do" and went out the door.

I sat down for my first cup of coffee of the day as they were heading down the driveway. Jeremy wanted to go with them but he's still not strong enough to protect himself, or anyone else, for that matter. I forgot to tell them to grab animal care products and animal maintenance supplies, darn it!

Carisa sat down beside me while I was having my coffee. She grabbed a soda and sat in the chair next to me. I looked at her like she was crazy for having soda at 8:00 in the morning. She looked down at the shiny can, shrugged her shoulders, and popped open the top. She took a big ol' swig.

I think it was her version of liquid courage 'cause she had that "I need to talk about something serious" look on her face. I took a sip of my coffee and waited for her to speak.

"Well, Mom" she said "you know I'm fifteen and I know how to shoot a gun, and I'm not stupid." She looked at me for assurance. "Yep, I know all that. I gave birth to you" I replied, then paused to let her continue. "I was thinking that maybe you guys could let me go on one or two of the lootin' runs so I could help gather stuff, or shoot the bad guys when they get too close" she said. "I'm sick of always being the babysitter and running to my room when something happens."

I sat my coffee mug on the table and turned to look at her while I spoke. I wanted to be careful. I didn't want to make her feel like I thought she was still a little kid who needed her parents to take care of her at every turn, or that her opinions didn't matter. "You have no idea how important it is to us that you, Caleb, and Amber are kept safe. We rely on you more than we should."

She started to turn from me, so I put my hand on her knee and continued. "I know you can take out the bad guys with the best of 'em, but I'm your mother and you’re still young. I'm responsible for making sure you’re safe and able to grow into the incredible woman you are becoming. It's a responsibility I don't take lightly. I'm afraid the world has hit rock bottom and the only chance it has to regain its strength is through young people like you, Amber, Caleb, Marisa, Jason, and Jeremy. You guys are our future. We need to
learn
from experienced people like Pop and Nana who have lived through some tough times themselves. If we can’t keep all of you safe,
there is no future
." I stressed that last sentence strong and hard.

I had her full attention
, so I continued. "We're in for tough times ahead. We don't know if the military plans to attack and raid us, or if they’ll leave us alone to take care of ourselves. We don't know if they'll try to take you, or Jason, or Marisa, or me and Dad for that matter. We don't know if other survivors will join us, or try to take what we have and kill us. We have no idea what's happening in the world, and we don't know what's gonna to happen tomorrow, or the day after."

She started chewing her bottom lip. She was listening intently and
getting a worried look on her face as I continued speaking. "I need you. I need you to take care of Caleb and Amber while we're attempting these necessary looting runs. I need you to watch out for Nana while we're off on some fool's errand. I need you to help Dad and me when we come in, completely worn down, from doing work we aren't used to doing. You’re an important part in our survival plan, maybe the most important part. When we've done all the looting we can and gathered all the supplies we can, we'll build a fence and plant a garden. We’ll preserve any bit of food we can and keep trying to survive. We'll need your help with all of that. Until then, my goal is to keep you safe, healthy, and happy enough to do your part when the time comes."

Carisa pushed back from the table and said "Okay, I understand what you're saying and I wasn't thinking about it being that bad, and I think I'm having computer
withdrawal symptoms. I was feeling left out and didn't think I was really keeping Amber and Caleb safe and watching out for Nana. I'll keep doing whatever you and Dad need me to do. I don't wanna do all the babysitting, but if you really need me to, I'll do it. Can you tell Marisa not to be so bossy about it though?" I nodded my head and she stood up to go on with her day.

"Maybe when we go
to loot Mr. Peterson's house, or another nearby, you can come with us" I said. She grinned at me, grabbed a book off the bookshelf, and plopped down in Mick's recliner to read. "I love you" I told her. "I love you too, Mom. What's for breakfast?" she replied. "What do you think?" I asked. She tilted her head and guessed "cold cereal?" I gave her a little grin and said "you got it, sister." Lord, I love that girl so much. Thank you for giving her to us.

I stood up to go in the laundry room and put a couple
of potholders in the dirty pile and I almost choked. We must find a way to wash clothes. I swear, the dirty pile is above my knees. I looked around the house and came up with a plan, but it won't be fun.

1:00 PM...

Mick and Jason
haven’t made it back. I'm getting worried about them. I hope they're finding lots of stuff at the TSC and not fighting for their lives against a mob of HDI's. I hope they get back soon. I need Mick to dig a good sized fire pit so I can wash clothes.

4:30 PM...

Nana's sportin' a new pair of cowgirl boots!

Mick and Jason pulled in about 1:30 this afternoon.

The TSC looked horrible when they first pulled up. All the windows
are broken and there's tons of merchandise strewn all over the parking lot. They decided to take a look anyway. They found a few things we can use.

The fenced
area outside is still fenced. The gate’s open and there's a lot missing, but not the rolls of fencing. "Heck yeah, it's six feet tall" Jason said, grinning. They already have it on their list of "places that might have chain-link fencing."

There isn’t
one pellet of animal food left in the entire place, even the bird seed section is bare.

The section that holds lawn care items was untouched and so was the clothing section. Just about every other area looks looted, destroyed, or bare. The front of the store is covered in a bunc
h of decorative stuff and toys like Christmas decorations and little animal figurines. Jason stepped on a horsy and fell into the register counter, shoulder first. He says he's fine, just a little sore. Marisa told him she'd "check it out later" and he turned beet red.

There
used to be a working, antique soda machine between the main doors. The front is busted out and all the contents have been removed.

Mick found a couple bottles of cattle wormer that we can use on the goats, but he had to fish them out of a puddle of purple stuff on the floor. The refrigerator that held all the animal medications needing to be kept cold has the glass busted out and is laying on
its side.

Jason took every foot of chain he could get from the big rolls where you buy it by the foot. He said the pile of large link chain was so heavy that he had to drag it to the truck.

He found a box of six honey buns in the workers lounge. There was also a mini fridge with a bunch of moldy, rotten food inside. He found a dozen little "one-pot" packages of coffee and an abundance of coffee stirrers. There was a half empty package of filters, a half empty jar of non-dairy creamer, and a few packages of Sweet 'n Low. He took all of it. There were a few stained coffee mugs on a shelf above the ancient coffee pot, but we have mugs and, ewww.