Earth's Survivors, page 141
She and Brad were still building their home in the cave itself. Brad spent nearly every day working on it. Sometimes Tom or Bob would stop by to lend a hand or some advice, but for the most part Brad was doing the work himself and enjoying it.
They had intended to move to the other cave that fronted the valley on the opposite side of the valley, but the plans for that cave had changed. One end of the ledge that overlooked the valley had only been about twenty feet from the valley floor, due to the way the rocky floor of the valley sloped upward. But it had prompted Jessie to ask why they didn't simply continue to build it up until it was level with the ledge itself. That way they could build the barn right there and run the animals in and out easily.
“That would allow us to drive vehicles in an out to,” Josh had said.
“Jessie,” Bob had said laughing, “I think you just talked yourself out of a home.”
In the long run it had worked out for the better. They had moved the sheep right down into the valley using the tunnel to get them there and the new slope down from the ledge. It had saved days of work trucking or driving them around to the opposite side of the mountain. They had been there in a few hours. In the spring they planned to refinish the ledge in concrete, but for now it worked equally well with built up earth topped with stone and gravel from the creek bed and the slopes of the valley.
Harvests, animal movement, meat, storage, it was all available from either side of the mountain now by vehicle or on foot. In another few weeks they would be opening up part of the main original cave to allow vehicles to drive through more easily. Now they had to maneuver through the main meeting area and twist around into the tunnel. A little work would change all of that. They had closed off the same part they now intended to open up very early on, but since the discovery of the tunnel to the other side of the mountain it would be a perfect entrance to make the trip nearly a straight shot and keep the vehicles out of the parts of the cave they used for people, storage and even animals.
The only real obstacle was the slope that came up out of the valley to the ledge of the cave. It was passable as is, but they were already making plans to change the slope and lay down concrete there too. The four wheel drive vehicles had no trouble, but it would make things easier for other vehicles, wagons, and the larger trucks too. Bob was excited about a couple of the big trucks to use in the valley during harvest. They had four, so each side could have two.
The big trucks could hold a lot and then drive right back through the tunnels to the storage areas.
Jessie was on her way back down the tunnel to the first cave. Eventually there would be a stairway entrance straight down, but that would be after the electrical work was done.
She had received the call on the radio from Steve. There was also a telephone system that they planned to install eventually. Bob had been against that at first, but he had changed his mind. They depended so heavily on the radio system now that it only made sense to make the jump to a telephone system.
It was a short walk, but she quickened her pace. She had thought that they had plenty of time, or at least Steve had thought that the last time he had called. So she had pitched in to help Brad put up a long section of wall. That was when Steve called and said that Lilly's water had broken.
The Nation was about to meet its first baby. Jessie smiled to herself as she walked along. And, she told herself, One more. She had tested herself this morning and she was pregnant. She hadn't even told Brad yet. She was saving that for tonight. She smiled to herself again. She felt great. Life was good. She picked up her pace as she walked through the tunnel.
~
Tom stood at the stone wall overlooking the valley. He'd stayed inside, paced the ledge back and forth. Thought about going down the tunnel and helping Ronnie and Mike. Rejected that idea. Reconsidered going in to watch the baby being born, a once in a lifetime experience, he agreed, but he just didn't believe he could do it. To him a man's place was in the waiting room, only they had no waiting room, so her he was looking out over the valley an waiting.
The air was crisp and clear. The morning fog that usually covered the valley had burned off as the temperature had risen, but it had risen only a small amount. It still felt cold enough to snow to him.
The door opened and Mike and Ronnie stepped outside. Tom grinned, Mike patted him on the back and then Ronnie did too as they both shook his hand. Mike handed him a cup of coffee he'd bought out to him.
“Not going to watch, huh?” Ronnie asked.
Tom shook his head. “I went in for a few seconds, but she's got the girls with her... That's all she needs,” he said.
“I might try it... I mean when Pats is ready... I mean, it's a once in a lifetime thing, right?”
Tom nodded. “That floor is stone... Be damn hard to hit when I faint.”
Mike laughed. “I have got to go with Tom. Candace asked me just this morning... I don't know... I'm squeamish, I guess.”
“So you're not going to do it?” Tom asked.
“Oh, I'm going to do it. Are you kidding? She asked, and she wants me to be there, same as Lilly wants you to be there. I just don't know how I'm going to handle it... Like Ronnie said, it's a once in a lifetime thing.”
“I'm squeamish too,” Tom said.
“What's squeamish,” Ronnie asked. “Some word you made up?”
“You never heard of squeamish?” Mike asked.
“I've heard of it... It means easily upset... Something like that,” Tom said.
“Delicate?” Ronnie asked.
Tom frowned. “I don't know about delicate,” he said.
“Yeah... Well, we were sent to tell you Lilly asked for you. She wants you in there, so it's a moot point... You have got to go,” Mike told him.
Tom's face turned white. “Really?” he asked.
“Really, buddy, she's about ready and she wants you there,” Ronnie said.
“You guys will go with me, right?” Tom asked.
“Hell no,” Ronnie answered. “It's bad enough that I have to go in when Pats gives birth.”
Tom's eyes fell on Mike. “Hell no. Uh uh,” Mike said. “Once will be enough for me.”
“Damn,” Tom said. He took a deep sip from the coffee cup and then handed the cup back to Mike. “Here goes,” he said as he walked back into the cave.
~
Jessie looked up as Tom stepped into the room. “Here's your man now,” she told Lilly.
Tom stepped to Lilly's side and took her hand.
“Talk to her tom. Tell her to breath. Push when she needs to. Encourage her, Tom. Help her through this,” Jessie said.
Steve stood to one side with Sandy, a stainless steel tray next to him draped with a towel. He wondered briefly what it might be for and then Lilly cried out and everything left his head. “Breath, honey,” he heard someone say. “I love you, hang on baby... Breath.” And he suddenly realized the voice he heard was his own.
“Push with the next one, Lilly,” Jessie said.
“I did this time,” Lilly panted.
“I know, honey, just push again... It's crowning. One more big push should be enough,” Jessie told her.
“You can do it,” Tom said. “I know you can... Breath like she showed us.”
The contraction started and Lilly began to moan.
“Push now, Baby, push,” Tom told her. His own breaths were coming short and hard. His eyes kept flicking back and forth from Lilly's face to the baby's head that had suddenly appeared.
“Good... Good... A little... Good... Alright, honey, alright... Breath.. Take a breath, breath,” Jessie said.
Steve moved in and took the baby. Sandy clamped the umbilical cord off and cut it. Steve massage the baby's chest as Sandy suctioned his mouth and nose.
“One more push, honey, just one more,” Jessie said.
“Just one more, honey,” Tom repeated. “Just one more.” His eyes were on the baby boy that was now waving his chubby arms and legs as he was being cleaned up on the top of a nearby stainless steel table.
Lilly pushed one last time and Sandy caught the placenta in another stainless steel tray as Steve thumbed the baby on his feet with one finger. He opened his mouth and bawled.
“You did it! You did it, Lilly!” Tom said.
Patty and Candace were on the other side of Lilly, one holding her hand, the other patting her shoulder.
“You did it, Lil,” Candace told her. “He's beautiful.”
“The first baby,“ Patty said. Her eyes were tearing up. “The first one, Lil, the first!”
Lilly choked back a sob.
“Here you go, Hon,” Sandy said as she eased the baby onto Lilly's chest. Lilly's arms came up protectively. Sandy laid a soft blanket over her and the baby. His head lifted and he began looking for a nipple. Lilly lifted her blouse and let him have it. His tiny hands clutched at her breast as his mouth found her nipple and he began to settle down.
“Oh,” Patty said, a tear streaking her cheek. “That is so cool.”
Tears leaked from the corners of Lilly's eyes. One hand smoothed the thick blonde hair on the baby's head. “He's perfect,” she said.
“I have a son,” Tom said in wonder. “I really do.”
“And you did good, Tommy, you did good,” Candace said. She smiled at him.
“I did, didn't I? I didn't pass out or anything,” Tom marveled.
Lilly squeezed his hand. “You did great, Baby,” She said quietly.
“So did you,” he said. He bent down and kissed her forehead.
Jessie and Sandy finished up and while Steve held the bay they transferred her to the fresh bed next to her. Steve laid the baby back on her chest and she put him back to her breast.
“Okay,” Jessie said. “Mommy needs her rest, everybody say your goodbyes now.”
Candace and Patty kissed Lilly's cheeks and the baby's head.
“We'll come see you later,” Candace said.
“Get some sleep,” Patty added.
Lilly smiled a sleepy smile. “I don't think that will be hard. Thank you guys for being here with me,” she said.
Tom let go of her hand, kissed one cheek and then brushed a finger across the back of one of the baby's hands. The hand lifted, found Tom's finger and fastened around it. A second later the tiny hand went back to the warmth of Lilly's breast.
“I love you, honey, and I'll be back later on once you've gotten some rest,” Tom said. He turned to Jessie and the others. “Thank you,” he said.
“My pleasure,” Jessie told him.
“Number one,” Sandy said and hugged him tightly.
“You did good, man,” Steve told him.
“I love you too, baby,” Lilly told him. Tom followed Patty and Candace out the door into the main area of the cave.
FIVE
October 19th
Dawn was cold and overcast for the second day in a row.
Mike stood, Ronnie beside him, several others scattered across the ledge, and watched the vehicles make their way through the valley below. In a few moments they would be out of site. Heading for the flat land and the forest in the far distance.
There were five vehicles. Adam and Beth in one, Billy and Pearl in another, and three other teams that would be erecting shelters at the old state park and setting up an outpost.
“It seems like things have moved so goddamn fast,” Mike said thoughtfully to Ronnie.
“Really?” Ronnie asked. “To me it seems like we should already have been here. It has seemed like pulling teeth every time we make a change or step forward.”
“Really?” Mike asked.
Ronnie laughed. “No. It seems the same to me. Crazy fast. I hope they really know what they are up to. I really do.”
Mike nodded, the door to the main area opened and Amy and Katie walked out onto the ledge and the low stone wall where they stood.
“Can't see them,” Patty said.
“Right...” Ronnie began as he lifted one hand. He laughed, his hand hanging in mid air and then he dropped it back to his side. “Well, they were right there.”
Mike laughed. “You missed them by this much.” He held his thumb and fore finger together, barely separated. His eyes scanned the distance again. They had disappeared just that quickly. He took Candace's hand. “Come on,” he said. “It's far too cold out here this morning.” He lead the four of them back inside just as small flakes of snow began to fall from the sky.
October 28th
Year One
Watertown New York
Bear's truck rolled to a stop at the side of the roadway, and Billy and Pearl pulled in behind them. Beth levered the door open and jumped down to the ground, her machine pistol in her hand.
“This it then?” Beth asked.
"I think so," Bear answered. "Right city, anyway. We followed Mike's directions."
"This is it." Pearl, as she strode forward from the truck she shared with Billy.
They had followed what was left of the interstate, turned off, found route 11 and followed it into the city. They were at the top of a long stretch of road that sloped steeply down into the small city below. They had a good view for miles, but there was very little to see. A building here or there, poking through the fall colors of the valley below them, and that was it.
"Don't look like much," Bear said.
"Isn't," Billy agreed.
Bear looked at him. Billy met his eyes and then turned and looked back out over the valley.
"Lived here at one time," Billy said.
"What? And you didn't think to mention that until now," Bear said?
Billy shrugged. "Nothing I can say about it. It was several years ago... A different world... I wasn't here when this started and so I have no idea what went on here. And it's been years, probably a lot of changes... It's not a place you want to remember... At least I don't," Billy shook his head. “Pearl probably knows more than I do,” he finished.
"Even so, you could probably help us find our way around... Mike says the Army Base is out the other end of the city... Route 3."
Billy pointed across the valley. "If we go down to the river, we can follow the river out to Route 3. That will take us to the base... I don't know from there..." He looked harder. "Problem is I don't see the river from here."
"Where should it be," Bear asked?
Billy laughed. "Straight ahead. But, I never came up here to look down at the river... So I don't know if it could be seen from here... Maybe in the winter... I think. We'll have to go down and see. But it should be straight down this hill, into the city and we can follow Route 3 right out... There are other ways out there too..." Billy turned and looked at Bear.
"I don't know the area," Bear told him. He shrugged and looked down at Beth and then back up at Billy where he stood with Pearl.
“About a dozen ways to get in that they showed me... All from inside, I have no idea where they come out here. I remember so little of it after I got out of there. I walked for three days... finally just collapsed. Lucky to be alive,” her voice tightened as she slowed and then stopped speaking for a moment. “The river... That's where they let me go... I listened to Mike, it's not far from that cave they were in. I say find that cave, then get down on the cliffs that front the river. It's going to look like a small dark cave opening from a distance, but up close you can see the jackhammer marks... At least you could when I came out of it." She shrugged.
"I say, lead us down then, Pearl."
Pearl looked back at Bear, frowned, and then nodded.
~
The buildings they passed were silent, crumbling ruins. The roadway was cracked and missing huge sections in places. The low thump of the exhaust echoed off the buildings as they passed them, and headed down into the city itself. Billy crawled along the road, allowing the truck to idle it's way along. The hill flattened out, and they began to pass areas of strip malls and then passed into block after block of old houses. Tilted, some fallen, all the yards were overgrown. A few areas were devoid of anything at all.
They passed what looked to be a hospital building. At least the signs that were still legible referred to it as a hospital. The top floors were collapsed, debris scattered across the parking lots. Many of the cars were crushed under huge slabs of concrete. They could see only slices of the landscape through the gun slots in the armor that covered the windows. The monitors on their dashboards sent a clearer picture to them.
The CB radios were scratchy silence, and had been for miles. They had skirted the city of Syracuse, and the radio had jumped to life a few times as they were traveling away from it, but even then it was nothing they could understand. It might have been someone transmitting, it might have been something else, although none of them could think of what else it might have been. Whatever it was they had understood none of it. A series of pops and screeches, periods of absolute silence. It happened three times, and then stopped. The radio had reverted back to the scratchy silence and stayed that way.
The roadway narrowed to not much more than a wide street, and then the taller buildings of the downtown area began to show ahead. The CB radio in Bear's truck suddenly squawked to life.
"... Hey... Hey, you guys... Two coming... Two coming... Some strange looking shit right here. Coming downtown... Hey come on back..."
Beth picked up the FM radio from the seat top. "Billy?"
"Yeah... Heard it," Billy said. "Look at this."
The brake lights on Billy's truck lit up as he slowed. Bear pulled slightly to the side to see why he was stopping.
The road was blocked from side to side just where it entered the downtown area. There were more than a dozen wrecked cars and trucks closing it from one side to the other. Bear pulled up even with Billy's truck, glancing around at the buildings as he did. He saw nothing at all.
"Tell him to back out of here," Bear told Beth.
Beth nodded, picked up the radio, and that was when the first shots came, ringing against the steel armor of the truck.
Bear floored the gas and the big truck leapt backwards, the tires screeching as it did. Billy's truck raced along backwards next to him. Together they backed at full speed out of the downtown area, and away from the roadblock.
