Dark of Winter: Prepper Book Two

Ch. XV - Caching Out

Dawn has yet to break when my eyes flutter open; another dreamless-- and at times sleepless night-- draws to an end. Slowly I become aware of the pervasive ache running from my feet to my neck, a soreness I cannot stretch out nor ignore. Yesterday I toiled fourteen long hours of back-breaking labour, from sun-up to night fall, in the garden. Today I'm paying for it, today is an ibuprofen kind of day.

I'm excessively proud of the garden, it's green and flourishing with hardly a weed to be found. I've hand-raised numerous crops in dozens of tidy rows, no small feat for me. The only issue I have at present is something is chewing at some of the leaves on a few varieties of plants and without pesticides I'm concerned it could become an issue. Hence today, despite my protesting body, I'll ride out to Kate's parents' farm for some sage agricultural advice. I have no delusions, for certain Earl will have me hoeing weeds by the end of the day. The up side is that my mouth is already watering thinking about the dinner they'll force upon me, which I will graciously accept.

It is also an opportunity to haul some gear out to the farm that I intend to bury as an emergency cache of sorts. An old .30-30 rifle, a couple boxes of ammunition, a few rations, a knife and other such items--just in case. I'm fairly certain Earl has some large diameter ABS pipe I can seal up and if his garden backhoe is still running, digging down below the frost line should be a breeze.

There's a downside to visiting my in-laws though, I have no good news to give them about Kate and my recent infidelity weighs on me like an anchor. I've got the impression that word has got out about my tryst, I confessed to Jake and something about his reaction told me he already knew. Of course, he said not to sweat it. Easy for him to say.

I've had limited interactions with Sung-Mi since that night however when I have run into her she's been perfectly cordial and entirely unfazed. Perhaps I did have something she needed, but it's become obvious to me that it wasn't something I could afford to dispense. To make matters worse, I harbour a lingering attraction to her and I hate myself for that.

Breakfast is a lonely affair, Heath spent the night at Raven's leaving me alone with Merida. I combine instant coffee, instant oatmeal, and chocoloate-flavoured instant breakfast in the same bowl and mix it with boiling water. That is what passes for breakfast these days. I chase it all down with gulps of water--hydration is going to be important if it's anywhere near as hellaciously hot as it was yesterday. Best to get on the road early before the day heats up.

I ride away leaving Merida outside loose, left to her own devices. There's little worry about car traffic and she mostly just lays about in whatever cool, shady spot she can find. She'll go swim with the kids in the lake if she needs to, she's pretty self-sufficient. On occasion she'll wander over to Jake's for one of Ranger's treats, which Jake held onto for one reason or other. But she always comes back and between her and Freddie, vermin and feral cats steer clear of the yard. Checking back over my shoulder I see she's already blended into the darkness no doubt curled up on the porch fast asleep, not quite ready for the day.

On the way out of the neighbourhood I pass a family packing up an RV in their driveway by the light of a hissing pressure lamp. The Kirkland's had mostly kept to themselves over the years, even before things went to shit, but we were on decent terms. Heath had attended the same school, we used to make small talk at the bus stop and Kate and Amber were part of a book club for a while. It all seems so very long ago. They're one of the few families left, but by the looks of things even that is about to change.

"Trent," I say coasting to a stop. "Neighbourhood won't be the same without you. Sad to see you go."

"Oh, hey Connor," he replies. "Bit early for a bike ride, isn't it."