My Say

11

"Nell,Please tell us what you learned from our guests." Craig says as we all settle on the couches of the warehouse's living area.

Turns out that this was their true hideout. There were over a dozen bedrooms with enough rooms to sleep 100 people, if sleep was done in shifts. There were clothing basics, jeans/tees/socks, with multiple shoes in multiple sizes. Along with sanitary supplies, bathing supplies, and basically all we'd need to survive in comfort for years. Also books and manuals that taught us how to make soap, shampoo, conditioner, dish soap, laundry soap, and many other things we take for granted in our modern life. We had all sent up numerous 'THANK YOUS' to the men to whom we owe our lives. For without them we would have been in a world of hurt.

"I'll start with the children. Lenny Michales, 8 years old. His dad was Richard and he worked for the garage in town. Drove the tow truck and was a mechanic." We nodded as we'd all seen him around and about, he'd wave and we'd wave back. Seemed like a nice guy. "Grandy was his mom, she helped out at his school. She was taken the day it happened, he was told his dad is dead." Nell and Nan's faces were wet. "He and his older sister, Penny, were separated when they were shuffled into age ranks. She's 12, he doesn't know what happened to her." Sniffling, then blowing her nose she moved on to the next child.

"Franny Kurk is 7 years of age. It was just her and her mom, she doesn't know what happened to her. Her mom was the small mousey woman who worked at the Piggly Wiggly, Martha. She doesn't know what happened to her." Nell passes the files over to Nan.

"Kirby and Katie Russel are 7 years of age. Their parents were on vacation so they were staying with their grandparents. Playtime was at the Methodist Church, where their grandparents attended, apparently their grandfather wanted to go fishing and grandmother had a hair appointment." Nan says all royally, we can only smile as we guess she is mimicking the tone the kids took. "The young woman they are all so fond of is Rebecca Napier, 19 years of age. She still lived at home with her mom until the liberation." Nan slaps the files down, "Can you believe they call it a "liberation"". She air quotes the word liberate. "As if we were all living under a hostile government or in an hostile environment. What bullshit!"

No one moved or even spoke, we all agreed that they had invaded and not one of us had been liberated.

"Sorry, had to get it off my chest", we did smile at that. We'd all learned that it was best if Nan let it out when it was just a burp, if she held it in it caused huge explosions. "So Rebecca, yeah, she was working at the church daycare when it all went down, she grabbed the kids closest to her and followed the directions to evacuate. When things went from bad to worse she took the kids home with her, from there they were gathered up. As they began to separate them an explosion ripped apart Mortons Hardware she snatched the kids and ran. She hid down by the lake with the other woman until the wolves began sniffing around more. It was then the decision to move was made but didn't know where to go. The men showed up and told them of a prepper's place up on the mountain, so with no other options. Here they are."

"There's more to her story. I can feel it when I look at her." There was just something that told me she was a danger beaken.

"I'll let Monica address that."

"But?"

"Rom your gonna have to wait." Craig's tone told me not to push. For now I'd listen but my gut was screaming DANGER. Flopping against the back of my chair and crossing my arms the information began to flow again.

"Rose Von Bulow, age unknown, though I'd put her age around 50." No one disagreed; we all disliked the old bat. "She was on vacation awaiting her husband to arrive for their annual fishing trip. When the power went out and her phone quit working she walked up to the neighboring cabin only to find them in pieces. After hightailing it back to her place she locked the doors and stayed out of sight."

Before I could speak, Craig shook his head at me. I stuck my tongue out at him then returned my focus to Nell. She had taken the files and stood to fill us in on the last of the group.

"The dead guy was Micky Lane, I am presuming, but completely confident, that that is not his real name. The guys picked him up on the road headed out of town. He didn't give up anything and the guys didn't ask." She shut his file and opened the next. "Carl Nephler 45 years of age. Not married, no children that he knows of. Was working at the Old Chandler place when liberation came."

"Crap that's where I know him from. Both of them, actually, were on Charles' crew for a while when we were working in Berville last spring. Y'all remember I had sprung my back and Doc wouldn't release me so I went to do fetch for the crew." Oh yeahs, floated about. "Those two were a wrecking crew of their own, out drinking on work nights, coming in late, long beer lunches, leaving early. You know how that went over, Greg's dad wrote them their last check and sent them down the road. Then, about a week later the site was stripped of it's tools and most of the wiring over a long weekend. They were suspected but with no proof not charges could be filed." Nick was a great source of information.

"That sounds about right, my gut told me that Carl was a blowhard follower and that Tate was the leader of their merrily screwed up gang. They use their wits and poor me stories to get work only to mess up so bad they get fired then strip the job. The question is what are we going to do with them?" My thoughts turned back to what Craig had said as he sent me out the door, 'Just don't bring a non friend home'. I'd done just that, it was my mistake and I'd fix it.

"Where are you going?" Craig says jumping up to intercept me.

"I'm going to right my wrong." Never let it be said that Rommie McQueen didn't do her duty by her family.

"That's my job. You did enough when you took care of Mickey Lane." Turning me around, "Let's let Monica give her evaluation then we, all of us, will decide what happens to them." He sat me down and whispered, "We will talk about your actions later".

Everyone touched me as I was guided back to the table. No one blamed me for the men being here, but I did. Next time I would pay attention to my gut and do as it requested.

"The children and Rebecca are all underweight and dehydrated. It seems that they were at the bottom of the pecking order. Rose has cancer, she knows it and wanted to know if I could cure her.

When I told her no she wondered if the wolves could and if they would take all of us as payment." I thought that the night couldn't get worse, but who would give children to the wolves? We didn't know what would happen to them. "Upon inspecting her purse I found it to be full of pain pills, I'm thinking her husband came up here for the fish. She came up here to meet her dealer, there's at least 50 grand worth of pills." That had us all laid back in our chairs. "Killing her would be a blessing. As for the guys they gave me nothing but just from a visual inspection they have severe liver damage. And I wouldn't rule out cancer, after listening to Carl speak. Killing them now would be the humane thing to do."

"So say one", Craig says standing.

"So say we all", echoes as we too stand.

"Nick, D, Mark with me. Monica, will the kids sleep through the night?"

"Yes, they were exhausted behind their excitement. I also put a little something in their drink to help them relax and sleep deeper. I am doubting it had much effect on Rose, Tate, or Carl."

"No worries, give us 20 minutes then come for cleanup."

Everyone separated to get their jobs done, no one spoke of the jobs.