After The Pulse (Book 1): Homestead Read online

“Join me in the kitchen, Pudge,” Jimmie invited.

  “I wish you would quit calling me that. I haven’t been overweight since grade school.”

  “Oh, come on! Grandpa called you that and you loved it.”

  “Yeah, well, Grandpa’s dead and you’re not him.”

  “Dad called you that, too.”

  “Yeah, until I knew what it meant. He always got a laugh outta calling me that. I guess it’s extra funny when the person you’re name-calling doesn’t get it.”

  “Anyway, I have no intention of breaking with family tradition. Grandpa called you Pudge, Dad called you Pudge, and –”

  “Dad has old-timer’s, doesn’t he?” Darrick asked, interrupting Jimmie’s lightheartedness.

  “Alzheimer’s kicked in before the Pulse. At first, I thought it was just old age. He would forget his truck keys and sit in the cab for several minutes trying to figure out why it wasn’t running. After that, he forgot that Mom passed away. He still walks around the house calling out Tina. I knew he needed special care, but with the new healthcare system and the economic drain, I just couldn’t afford it. His insurance refused to pay out, too. They said that I wasn’t listed as power of attorney or his legal guardian, so… it just didn’t work out. I coulda used your help, Pudge.”

  “That’s not fair, Jimmie. You know I had problems of my own. Andy’s autistic, and Tonya was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.”

  “Dear God, I didn’t know.”

  “Yeah, see! You’re just as guilty for not staying in touch.”

  “The phone line ran both ways, Pudge.”

  For a moment, Darrick felt as if he were a teenager again. Arguing with his big brother about this or that. He took in a big breath and let it out in a sigh. “It’s good to be home, Jimmie.”

  “It’s good to have you home.”

  For a few seconds there was an awkward silence between them. Darrick sent his mind back in time to try to dig up some positive memory that he and Jimmie shared. He came up short, so he broke the silence with the first thing that wasn’t completely negative. “Hey, remember those firecrackers I hid in the closet of my old bedroom?”

  “That’s a random question. Yeah, I remember. Why?”

  “I don’t know. I was thinking of maybe popping them off this Fourth. I figured the hills and woods would displace the sound so outsiders wouldn’t know where it was coming from.”

  “Well, they’re still up there, but I don’t think that’s a good idea. I left that closet alone. It was just about the only thing I had left of you besides those old toys.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right,” Darrick said, happy that the awkward silence was over.

  Jimmie dug through the kitchen closet, which was right behind the back door. Finding what he was looking for, he grabbed a jar of pickled eggs that had his initials etched onto the lid. He set it in the middle of the kitchen table and said, “Dinner is served.”

  “Pickled eggs?” Darrick asked rhetorically.

  “Times are tough, Pudge. If it wasn’t the apocalypse and the wind wasn’t blowing too hard, we could BBQ some chicken, but I’m thinking canned goods are great, given the situation at hand.”

  The last thing Jimmie wanted was for the presence of their homestead to rise into the air in the form of a sweet-smelling cookout. The smoke would be dangerous itself, but add the smell of cooking meat and you’d be inviting trouble.

  “What’s up with the initials on the canned goods?” Darrick asked.

  “That’s just something I started doing after the Pulse. I figured if anybody ransacks the house while we’re away, we can at least identify the culprits if they have my initials.”

  “Smart idea,” he said.

  Darrick opened the back door of his childhood home and yelled, “Come and get it.”

  “Coming,” Andy called. Carissa and Tonya were right behind him.

  Darrick caught a glimpse of the old red barn that their great-grandpa had built generations ago. It looked like it was being dismantled from the top down.

  “What’s up with Grandpa’s barn, Jimmie?”

  “I figured it was too tall. I didn’t like the way it crested the hilltops – plus, we needed firewood.”

  Tonya, Andy, and Carissa stepped in, and the vinegar smell of pickled eggs caught their attention. Most of them sat down around the tiny kitchen table and used their forks to dig out a high-protein meal.

  “What do you remember about farming, Pudge?” Jimmie asked.

  “Not much. You know I’ve been spoiled by city life. Gatlinburg was good to me. I had no reason to farm.”

  “Yeah, other than forgetting your roots and the required skillset for the end of days,” Jimmie bantered.

  Darrick glared at Jimmie and shook his head with a half-cocked smile on his face. Jimmie had more questions for his little brother, but they would have to wait.

  “So how long do you plan on staying?” Jimmie asked, getting right to the point.

  “I’m home,” Darrick answered.

  “I’m glad to hear it. There’s a few things you need to know, then. Me and Carissa have a rule you should know about.”

  “Oh?”

  “When you leave, the door gets locked. When you come back, it’sknock, knock, pause, knock. Get it?”

  “That’s easy enough to remember. Anything else?”

  “Always let us know where you’re going and how long you plan to be gone. We have to communicate. Not communicating properly can cause some major issues, but you already know about that, Mr. Military Man,” Jimmie joked.

  Darrick had a lot he wanted to teach them, too. Security-related issues. But he didn’t want to seem too intrusive too fast, so he would wait for the right moment.

  The table was small, so Jimmie stood and let his tired brother sit. He couldn’t help but wonder at his little brother Darrick. Looking upon him, he was a little disheveled, by normal standards, but looked amazing considering what he’d been through. With Jimmie’s curiosity at an all-time high, he felt compelled to address the pink elephant. “So what happened to you out there, Pudge?”

  Darrick dropped his fork and looked at his son, Andy. He wasn’t eating his egg. He was just playing with it.

  “Andy, Uncle Jimmie might have some of my old Hot Wheels cars upstairs.”

  Andy’s eyes lit up. He loved cars. Mostly because they could drive in his imagination. He thought that was cool.

  Carissa saw that Darrick was trying to redirect Andy, so she said, “Andy, come with me and I’ll show you where they are.”

  Andy dropped what he was doing and followed Carissa.

  “She’s seems like a nice lady, Jimmie.”

  “She’s great.”

  “Andy’s gone. What do you want to know? I’m sure you have a few questions burning inside you.”

  “What’s it like out there?”

  “The cities and suburbs are burning. People are dying or dead. Any and all survivors have only gotten this far because they’re willing to do anything necessary to survive. Out there, you’re either a predator or the prey. There’s no gray area. If you’re not willing to kill, then you’ll get killed. We had a few close calls.”

  “Did you have to kill anybody?”

  Darrick looked down at his egg and pushed it around on his plate before he answered, “A few times.” Darrick was worried that he would be judged by his brother. Their dad had raised them Catholic and always taught them that murderers go to hell. One of Darrick’s great fears was that Jimmie was going to hold that over his head. He didn’t.

  “I’m sure they had it coming,” Jimmie answered, looking at Darrick and Tonya.

  “They did,” Tonya answered, trying to reassure her husband.

  Jimmie saw the conflict and worry in Darrick’s eyes. He wanted to reassure him as Tonya had. “Killin’ and murder’s not the same thing, Pudge.”

  Darrick looked up at his brother and nodded his head in affirmation just before returning to his well-earned pickled egg.
r />   Months later

  August 13th

  There was a grove of apple trees on the second hill north of the Mitchell homestead. Every fall Jimmie would head out and walk along the base of the hill to collect apples that fell from the trees and rolled down the grassy knoll. There was a reason Jimmie did it this way. He knew that exposing himself to the hill lines could jeopardize his safety. He, his father, and Carissa had remained secure all these months because he was careful to abide by this strict rule. Picking fresh apples would require him to walk along the tops of the hills, exposing himself. He only did that at night, in absolute darkness. Jimmie knew that in the daylight hours, waiting for them to fall was the most prudent thing to do. He explained this to Darrick, Tonya, and Andy on several occasions. Darrick took it as a matter of fact, but Andy had difficulty grasping such things.

  One day, Andy was chasing the chickens when his tummy started to rumble. His mouth was dry and gritty from the dirt he kicked up in the coop. He remembered hearing about the apple trees on the north side of the homestead. With an overwhelming desire to moisten his tongue with the taste of a juicy freshly picked sweet apple, he headed for the hills.

  ***

  Homesteading wasn’t as easy as Darrick remembered. This vegetable plant needs loose soil, and that fruit plant needs to be packed tightly. We plant the seeds from this plant and the shoots from that plant. There were so many things to remember. The August harvest consisted of digging up the sweet potatoes and plucking the cantaloupe. On the homestead, nothing went to waste. After the humans ate the cantaloupe, the chickens pecked away at the inner portions of the rinds. The seeds were dried out and saved for the next harvest. The sweet potato roots were also saved and stored in the house, where it was cool and dry. The shoots were saved for replanting after the last frost. Jimmie had spent the last several months teaching Darrick the tricks of homesteading. There was a lot to know.

  Darrick returned the favor by showing Jimmie, Tonya, and Carissa how to maintain sight alignment/sight picture with the iron sights of the hunting rifles and how to pack a day bag. “You put the heavy items on the bottom,” Darrick would teach, “and the items that you think you might use most frequently go somewhere handy and accessible.” Darrick put three packs together in all and spent time equipping them with survival items that they might need in a get-out-quick situation.

  On this particular August day, Darrick was working in the garden on his hands and knees.

  This is rough on the ol’ back, he thought occasionally as he dug away in the vegetable beds.

  Jimmie looked out the window and checked on his brother from time to time, making himself available in case Darrick needed help.

  “He’s catching on pretty good,” Jimmie said to Tonya, who was sitting at the table with Carissa.

  “It must be tough having to be so mindful of your dad and tend to things around the property,” she replied.

  “Carissa helps with Dad quite a bit, but sometimes he gets violent. It’s hard not knowing which Dad we’re going to see from time to time.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “Dad was aggressive with us when we were kids. I think the stress is what killed Mom. I know it’s the reason why Pudge always ran off to be with his friends. I had to put up with Dad on my own. It made me tough, and for a long time I was bitter towards Pudge. But later in life, when I was wiser, I realized why Pudge did the things he did. It was his way of fighting back. I was never strong enough to protect him.”

  “You both turned out pretty good.”

  Carissa stood up and walked around behind Jimmie and rubbed his back. “I keep this one straight,” she joked.

  “Look at him now.” Jimmie nodded towards the window. Both women walked over to the window to look outside at Darrick as his hands got dirty in the garden. “When he was a kid, he would run off with his friends instead of tending to his chores. One day the police came knocking on our door. They had Jimmie in the backseat of the cruiser. They said they caught him pulling street signs out of the county roads. It’s a good thing nobody got killed, they said. Pudge got the beating of his life after the cops left. I never told him, but I got it the next day for telling Dad he went too rough on Pudge.”

  “I never knew you guys had it like that,” Tonya said, looking at Jimmie with sad eyes.

  “It’s nothing he would talk about. All he did in high school was fight. After detention he would come home and get the belt until he was old enough to punch. Dad slowed down after that. I guess his fists would get sore. I’m not saying Darrick didn’t need some discipline. I’m just saying it made him tough. After high school, he ran off and didn’t come back for years. He joined the Marines and didn’t tell us.” Jimmie turned to look at Tonya. “He didn’t even send us an invitation to your wedding.”

  Tonya turned away, feeling somewhat ashamed, and said, “He said he didn’t want to see his dad. He was afraid that inviting even you would mean that he’d have to face him, too. I tried to be the peacemaker, but he wouldn’t budge on it.” After saying that, she changed the tone of the conversation by asking, “Have you two done anything to tie the knot?”

  Jimmie grabbed Carissa by the hand and pulled her around to the front of him. “It’s the apocalypse. We’ve not seen a judge or preacher since the Pulse, so we figure we’re married in the eyes of God. We made our own vows. Someday, we’d like a child.”

  Without comment, Tonya’s eyes started darting around the room.

  “What’s the matter?” Jimmie asked.

  “Where’s Andy?”

  “I thought he was outside with Pudge.”

  All three of them shot out the door. Tonya called over toward the garden, “Hon, have you seen Andy?”

  “I thought he was with you,” he answered, standing up to look towards the chicken coop. “He’s not out here.”

  Jimmie and Carissa headed back into the house and started calling for Andy. Darrick and Tonya ran around the yard in search of their son. He was nowhere to be seen.

  Jimmie ran out of the two-story farmhouse. “He’s not in the house, Pudge. Check the orchard.”

  Darrick started running north towards the apple orchard. As soon as he was on top of the first set of rolling hills, he saw the silhouettes of three men. He immediately dropped before he could be seen, and weighed all of his options.

  Do I have time to go get help? Should I warn the others or just approach the strangers?

  Realizing he hadn’t seen Andy, he low crawled into a position that offered him a visual over everything that was taking place on the next hill. The three men were with his son, and they were armed with rifles and backpacks.

  Back at the house, Jimmie could see Darrick in the distance. He was lying on his belly, facing north. He knew there was a problem. “Stay here,” he commanded Tonya and Carissa. He ran to the basement and grabbed four rifles. They were clumsy in his hands as he ran up the stairs. He handed one to Tonya and the other to Carissa. “I hope Pudge showed you how to handle yourself. Find a place to hide, but be ready in case we need backup,” he said, heading out the back door in a hurry.

  Darrick was watching two of the three men pick fresh apples from the trees when Jimmie came up from behind him and took a place by his side, handing him a rifle.

  “How many are there?” Jimmie asked.

  “I count three. Two of them aren’t doing much but picking apples. The third one appears to be having a conversation with Andy.”

  “What’s the plan?”

  “Well, do you recognize any of those guys?”

  “No. They look like they might be traveling, judging by the size of those packs.”

  “I think we need to hit them quick. Those packs can be cumbersome and hard to maneuver in. The problem is that Andy’s in the way.”

  Andy was busy talking to the stranger when he abruptly pointed towards the house. Jimmie and Darrick both ducked their heads as the man Andy was talking to looked to where he was pointing. The immediate concern was th
at Andy had just given away the position of their homestead.

  “We need to move our position,” Darrick said.

  “I agree.”

  Both men crawled backwards a few feet and then stood up and ran west until they selected another hilltop to watch the strangers from. By the time they had taken up their new positions, Andy was on his way back home with a mouthful of apple.

  “Where’d they go?” Jimmie asked.

  Jimmie and Darrick couldn’t see them.

  “I don’t know. Go get Andy and take him back to the house. I’m going to recon the area and see if I can spot them and make sure they left,” Darrick said.

  “You got it.” Jimmie headed back down the hill and disappeared out of Darrick’s sight.

  Okay, hotshot. What now? Darrick thought as he scanned the area. When he saw that Andy was safely with his uncle Jimmie, he ran to the orchard and took a position on his belly to once again scan the area.

  There you are.

  Darrick spotted the men, only there weren’t three. There were two.

  Where’d you go?

  Darrick knew his reconnaissance mission wasn’t complete. One man was still at large, only he didn’t know where he was at.

  Moments later

  Jimmie had the family safely secured in the farmhouse. He was patiently looking and waiting for his little brother to return with news that the three men had left the property.

  When Darrick came running from around one of the grassy knolls, Jimmie was elated. “Tonya! Pudge is back.”

  Tonya ran from her position at the front-room window and met up with Jimmie at the back door.

  Darrick walked in and Tonya embraced him. “I was worried about you. Don’t leave alone like that anymore.”

  “I’m fine, hon. But I had to make sure they left.”

  “Did they? Did they leave?”

  Jimmie turned to face Darrick, anticipating a positive answer to the question.

  “Two left. I can’t say for the third.”

  Darrick recognized the fearful look in Tonya’s eyes.

  Carissa was equally fearful.