The Collapse Box Set, page 14
part #1 of The Collapse Series
“I’m not going to tell them that. Drama circulates through Greenhill the minute you open your mouth. If we mind our own business, they can’t say anything against us. We’ll just be a fly on the wall,” Lawrence replied.
Dan said, “I suggest we pack and leave town.”
“It won’t be as good as here,” Lawrence said.
“Yes, but we won’t have to be around people,” Dan replied.
“We’ll do neither,” Haley interrupted.
The men turned to her, waiting for her to elaborate.
Lawrence said, “Are you turning your back on us now? I could tell you’ve been getting soft since NYC.”
Haley glared at him.
Lawrence downcast his eyes.
Haley said. “We give them enough.”
“How much is that?” Dan asked.
“Whatever seems reasonable after seven days without power. A few cans here, a pallet of water there, and we’ll be just like everyone else,” Haley schemed.
“What will we do with the rest of the food?” Dan asked.
“Keep it locked in the jewelry room,” Haley said. “It’ll be tight, but we can make it work.”
Lawrence said, “I’m fine with that. I’ve always liked the wolves in sheep's clothing routine.” He chuckled. “We’ll even be able to get daily rations too.”
“Exactly,” Haley replied. “We pay a little up front now; we’ll reap it later.”
Dan said, “If the people find out, they’ll lynch us.”
“The stakes haven’t changed,” Haley said. “The kids are the only issue. Carter likes to talk. Dee-Dee, too. Jermaine might be fine keeping a secret, but we’re not his favorite people at the moment. Ashley was raised right. Her conscience might get the best of her.”
Lawrence said, “If we tell her it's for the better of the family, I think she’ll fall in line. Fear’s our best bet there.”
“This is my daughter. Not some waitress in a con job,” Dan said sternly.
Lawrence put his hands up defensively. “Just assessing the risks. Nothing personal.”
“What if we hide it from the kids?” Haley said. “They don’t know about the hidden room.”
Dan reminded her, “Lying to them didn’t work out so well last time.”
“We’ve been doing it for over a decade. We only need to run the con for a few more months.”
“They don’t trust us anymore,” Dan said. “Kids do stupid things when they get emotional. We’re good examples of that.”
Lawrence said. “I’d say I was more rebellious than emotional.”
“You get my point,” Dan replied. He gnashed his teeth. “I don’t want to see them hurt anymore.”
Haley said, “We do this for their safety. They won’t have to keep a secret if they don’t know there is one.”
Dan despised the plan, but he was never the brains behind their operation. Just as her kids couldn’t trust Haley, she couldn’t trust her kids. It had to be this way. They packed up two heavy boxes of cans and few other larger boxes holding only a few items. Haley, Dan, and Lawrence could carry the light boxes. Jermaine would carry one heavy box, and Carter and Ashley would share the other. If their plan worked out, not only would they get on the ration gravy train, they would be town heroes for bringing so many boxes.
They opened up the hidden room, put millions of dollars’ worth of jewelry into a box, and slid it under the table. Then they started to bring in food, water, and medical supplies. It took nearly an hour and a half to move what they had into the secret room and organize it in a way that they could still access what they needed. The canned food reached up to the ceiling. The table bent beneath it. Looking at the pallets of water and medical supplies, they knew they weren’t going to be able to fit it all. They walked by the old furniture surrounding them, finding a tall wardrobe, a dresser, and clothing chest. They loaded them all up with supplies and still had stuff left over.
Drenched with sweat, Haley put her hands on her hips. She blew a loose strand of hair from her cheek. “Whelp. This isn’t working.”
Lawrence suggested, “We could bury the rest of it. There’s plenty of woods behind here.”
“Not a bad idea,” Dan said. “Put a gun or two in there, just in case they outlaw firearms as well.”
“Let's get the boxes delivered, and we’ll dig after dark," Haley decided.
They rounded up the kids. Ashley was hiking with Dee-Dee. Jermaine biked down the hill and jumped off of lumps in the dirt. Carter was eagerly waiting to help the adults. Anything he could do to escape his boredom, he'd do. They divided the boxes and told the children about the new legislation.
Ashley said, “I’m glad we’re playing our part.”
Dee-Dee said, “Me too.”
Jermaine said, “What are we going to eat from now on?”
“Whatever they give us,” Haley said. “We’re not going to complain either.”
Carter asked, “We still get to keep the guns, right?”
“Oh yeah,” Lawrence said. “We aren’t giving those up.”
“Lit,” Carter replied, using the latest middle-school jargon.
Jermaine picked up the heavy box. “Five boxes? It seems a little short.”
Ashley eyed Haley suspiciously.
Haley was fairly certain that none of the kids had been down to the basement yet. Perhaps Jermaine when Lawrence got him alone, but not the others. Haley said, “We had less than we thought. It's actually better that we’re giving this food away.”
Dan avoided eye contact. He helped hand the other heavy box to Carter and Ashley while he picked up a light one.
The seven of them hiked to town together. The few armed locals grinned at them as they walked down the street.
“Thank you for pitching in. Also, welcome to Greenhill.”
Haley smirked.
They were directed toward the local bank. It was a single-story rectangular building. They carried the boxes inside and lift them by the teller's desk. They were handed a hand-typed form confirming that they delivered supplies. Every adult twenty-one and older were required to sign their name, and whether they owned property or not. Haley jotted down that she had four children in her household. In return, they were given a necklace that had a piece of wood with a number written in Sharpie on it.
“Everyone who has a necklace will get food supplies. If you don’t, you can’t come back until you have a necklace. Starting tomorrow, we will be divvying out a basket of rations at the start of every week. You will not be able to collect rations until the following Monday, even if you run out,” explained the receptionist.
Men escorted Haley’s boxes into the vault. She overheard a team of people labeling and organizing all the goods.
They looked concerned some felt a little light. Haley approached them and said, “The kids packed them and wanted a bigger box. I’m trying to build up their self-worth. They lost a lot of their friends.”
The man nodded sympathetically. He took the light boxes into the back. Getting their voucher, their name in the system, and their boxes unloaded, they went home “hungry.” Since the system was still working to get the kinks sorted, Haley imagined it would take a few days before things would run smoothly… if they ran smoothly.
On the way out of town, they waved goodbye to Joshua, who toted a wheelbarrow's worth of food toward the bank.
When Haley got home, she invited the kids to play card games while there was still light out. Carter joined her, Ashley and Dee-Dee went to their room, and Jermaine said that he was going to town.
Haley warned him to be back after dark.
“That’s like an hour,” Jermaine retorted.
“Then you better get going,” Haley said.
She played a few rounds of Go-Fish. Carter won and gloated. Dan got pissed he lost. When it was dark out, Lawrence asked the adults if they wanted to take out the trash. Haley understood the code and ended the game. She sent Carter upstairs to bug his sisters. Dan, Haley, and Lawrence filled trash bags worth of supplies and brought them out of the back door.
Haley held the vintage candlestick and shovel. They hiked deep into the woods. If the kids asked where they went, they would say that they were burying trash until a proper trash disposal system was in place. They hiked about a half mile before finding a tight clearing beside a cluster of trees and a few large boulders. The easily-recognizable place would serve them well if they ever got lost. Placing down the three large trash bags, an AR-15, and two pistols along with a box of ammo for each type of weapon, they took a breather and took turns digging. Haley protected the candle with her hand.
“We need to buy some lanterns,” Haley said.
Lawrence replied. “Maybe the Socialists will give them out.”
“I’ll make a request to Town Hall,” Haley said.
Dan grunted as he shoveled. “Gah, I hate digging.”
“You’re doing a great job, hun,” Haley said. “You look like a hunk.”
Dan looked over his shoulder. He gave the look; the one a man gets when he wants a woman. Haley loved it.
Lawrence stayed silent, staring into the woods.
“You good?” Haley asked.
Lawrence broke his stare. “Great. It is always a good day when we beat the system, and I thought Greenhill would be boring.”
“I wish it was,” Dan said, heaving out large clumps of dirt.
It took an hour to get the four-foot-deep hole that was wide enough to fit all three bags. They’d triple-bagged every trash bag, knowing that the plastic would tear easy. They tossed them in, keeping the guns on top. While Lawrence piled the dirt back inside, Dan carved an X into a nearby tree.
“Cliché,” Haley said, a wry smile growing on her freckled face.
“Can’t beat the classics,” Dan replied.
Haley wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. He squeezed her tight. They gazed into each other’s eyes.
Haley asked him. “Are you still mad that I lied to the kids?”
“A little, but I’m sure you’ll find a way to persuade me.” Dan kissed her.
Lawrence cleared his throat.
Haley and Dan glanced over at him.
“I enjoyed the peep show, but we should be getting back,” Lawrence said.
Dan squeezed Haley’s buttock. “Jealous?” he taunted.
Lawrence shrugged. “I’ll find a sweet Greenhill girl.”
“Check her for calluses before you do,” Dan chuckled. “Those farmhands are a little rough.”
“Funny,” Lawrence replied dryly.
Dan kissed Haley before letting her go. He held the shovel in one hand and Haley’s hand in the other. His walk had a little pep in his step, and he whistled a jolly tune. Lawrence trailed behind them, his eyes down at his feet.
They reached the back of the house. Haley and Dan went through the back door which connected to their room. Lawrence entered the back door connected to the kitchen.
The instant Haley shut the door, her clothes were flying off. Dan grabbed her with large dirty hands and tossed her onto the bed. She didn’t mind the roughhousing. It was the risk that oiled her gears. It was the first night that their muscles weren't sore from the days of travel, and their sunburned skin was brown instead of red. Two hours of rolling in the sheets and Haley was reminded that Dan had bullish strength and impressive stamina.
Haley lay on her back, her face and upper chest glowing red. She caught her breath. She locked her fingers behind her head and looked at the dark ceiling. “Remember Rikers?”
“The prison?” Dan asked as he laid face down, moonlight shining over his hairy back.
“No, idiot. Kellin Rikers. The kid who lived two doors down from us,” Haley answered.
“Oooh, when we were kids.”
“Yes, when we were kids. The blood still hasn’t gotten back to the brain, has it?”
“Unlikely,” Dan said, his mouth halfway in the pillow. “Why are you thinking about him?”
Haley said, “I dunno. We picked on the kid a lot. I’m just curious how he is holding up after the blackout.”
“He’s probably fine,” Dan said.
“He ended up being a life coach,” Haley said.
Dan lifted his head. “How do you know that?”
“We talk,” Haley said.
“Uh, why?” Dan asked her.
“He was my first kiss,” Haley replied nonchalantly.
“And you’re just telling me this now?”
“Relax. I’m not sleeping with him or anything. He’s just a good guy,” Haley said.
“There’s a lot of good guys who are only good because they want to get in your pants.”
“Kellin is not like that.”
“Sure,” Dan said suspiciously.
Haley said, “You can’t believe that there are good people out there, can you?”
“There are,” Dan answered. “But I don’t know any.”
Haley pondered for a moment. “I think you’re a good guy.”
Dan chuckled.
Haley huffed. “You’re good to me.”
“Maybe I just want to get laid,” Dan teased.
“Playing the long con. Smart,” Haley replied.
Dan kissed her and rolled back on his pillow.
Haley said, “You know what I think?”
“What’s that?”
Haley said, “That you became bad when I came into your life.”
Dan smirked. “Okay, sure.”
“You disagree?” Haley cocked a brow.
“I was the jerk who beat kids up for lunch money. The angry giant, they called me. Local kids would run away screaming when I stepped onto the playground. I would get so mad some days I’d toss chairs into windows and flip off my teachers. Trust me, I’ve always been the bad guy. It was in my dad’s blood. It's in mine, too,” Dan said.
“Yeah, but you were smart.”
“I failed every class. They only let me graduate so they could get me out of the school system.”
“Not book smart. Street smart. Mechanically inclined. A good builder,” Haley said. “We have enough people who know theory. You’re the guy who makes that a reality.”
“A goon,” Dan answered.
“A craftsman,” Haley replied.
Dan looked at her in awe. He rolled on his back and faced the ceiling. “I could never live that life. They’ve been calling me rascal since as long as I can remember.”
Haley squeezed Dan’s hand. “To hell with them and what they saw. You’re much more than a rascal to me.”
16
Outskirts
The line to the bank extended three blocks down the road. Haley, Dan, and Lawrence were smack-dab in the middle of it, waddling a few steps forward before stopping while someone was served.
Dan grumbled, “If I had to imagine hell…”
“At least we're not in Florida,” Haley replied, basking in the autumn breeze.
“Come winter, we’d wish we were,” Lawrence complained. “It gets cold up here. 17 degrees. We’ll be standing in this line for hours and my nuts will freeze off.”
“What nuts?” Dan asked.
“Ha,” Lawrence said.
They stopped, waited a few moments, and started walking again.
A young man walked alongside the line, greeting some people he knew and making an announcement. “After you have received your food, please report to Town Hall.”
“What now?” Dan grumbled.
The young man walked by. “Please report to Town Hall. The council is looking for any volunteers willing to help restore, defend, and clean Greenhill. Please report to Town Hall. After you have received your food...” His voice grew distant.
Lawrence said, “First they rob us, and then they enslave us. These people really have their system dialed in.”
Haley watched people hike the Town Hall steps. “That might not be a bad idea.”
“And why is that?” Dan asked.
“These people need help, and we’re helpful people,” Haley said, winking.
Lawrence nodded. “We pay our dues. Greenhill’s little council might even take a liking to us.”
Dan spoke under his breath. “What about our low profile?”
“Keep your friends close…” Haley said. She stepped out of line.
“Where are you going?” Dan asked.
Haley twisted back to them, still walking. “To sign up. Let the widows and children get their food first. Greenhill needs help,” Haley said.
“Indeed,” Lawrence said with a wicked smile.
The crowd watched them go. Dan looked at the long line of people behind him. Frowning, he followed after Haley.
The usher at the door told them to sign their name at the desk and wait in the receptionist hall until they were called.
Haley lowered herself to a cushioned chair. A few local farmers sat across them. “Good morning,” one said.
“Mornin’,” Haley replied.
Dan spread his legs and locked his fingers together. He nervously glanced around the hall.
Lawrence nudged him and said quietly. “Relax, man.”
“What if they put us on trash duty?” Dan asked.
“Then we’ll complain until they put us somewhere else,” Lawrence said.
The door to the main hall opened. A couple walked out, neither of them looking happy.
The guard by the main hall’s door asked, “Who’s next?”
The receptionist read from her list. “Haley, Dan, and Lawrence.”
Haley looked at the other farmers across from her. “What about them?”
The farmer said, “Don’t worry about us. We’re waiting until food line shrinks.”
Haley stood up and followed the guard inside. He sealed the door behind the three of them.
Haley, Dan, and Lawrence walked through the center of the aisle of the unoccupied chairs and stood a few feet from the stage.
The four councilmen chattered among themselves.
Lawrence loudly cleared his throat.
The council turned to them. New York Cowboy clicked his tongue. “Well, what a surprise. I was hoping you would stop by soon.”
Lawrence said, “Always a pleasure, Dexter.”
“You two know each other?” Haley asked.
