The Liddy Scenario Page 4

  “Sure thing,” Brody said, pulling his compact flashlight from a pocket. “Let’s go.” He pointed the flashlight toward the kitchen and led the way to the garage.

  After opening the garage door, Brody checked the shelves against one wall that held much of Ranger’s preps. Checking each container, he pointed out one to Julie Anne and she headed out to the truck with it, followed by Brody with another.

  They met Ranger at the truck. He’d carried another of the totes from his bedroom and headed back for more, as Julie Anne and Brody did the same. By the time Brody closed and locked the garage door and went outside through the kitchen and then living room, Ranger had the last tote he wanted in the truck, too.

  “Get what we need?” Brody asked Ranger.

  “Yep. We should be good for a while, except for water. And we can get that from some of the ponds and lakes in the city parks.”

  “The Mayor made an announcement about not doing that,” Julie Anne said. “People started doing that and got sick, right off the bat.”

  “We won’t,” Brody said. “My filter will clean it up more than necessary for use.”

  “Ditto mine,” Ranger added.

  “I think they may be guarding them, to keep people from getting the water and getting sick.” Julie Anne looked worried, though the two men couldn’t see it, even in the dash lights.

  Brody looked past Julie Anne at Ranger, and then brought his eyes back to the road. “Not going to be a problem,” he said. “Ranger and I will be able to get the water, even if there are guards.”

  “I can be pretty sneaky, if the situation calls for it,” Ranger told Julie Anne.

  “I just don’t want anyone hurt or arrested on my account,” she replied.

  “If it comes to that, we’ll be careful. There could be other options.”

  There was silence the rest of the way back to Brody’s apartment building. It was approaching midnight and all three were exhausted by the time everything from the truck was carried up to Brody’s third story apartment.

  Brody showed Julie Anne the bathroom and chemical toilet, along with the small basin for hand washing. Brody opened up some meat spread and a box of crackers for their late supper and then changed the sheets on his bed for Julie Anne to use. He and Ranger would flip for the sofa. The loser got the floor. They were all asleep by one in the morning.

  They were all also up at six the next morning. Julie Anne had been more than a little concerned for her privacy, but both men went well out of their way to give her all she wanted and then some. Brody had breakfast ready for them when Julie Anne and Ranger had finished in the bathroom and were dressed. He did the same while they ate.

  Since they were going to fuel up Brody’s truck, they all rode it, with the bicycles in the back. Brody dropped Julie Anne and her new bicycle off at City Hall, and he and Ranger went out the rest of the way to the cemetery. The first thing they did upon arriving was refuel the truck and the equipment. Ranger dropped the measuring stick in the tank and read it. Less than fifty gallons.

  They’d barely finished when the first semi showed up. Things were get-ting worse. The truck had fuel for its engine, but none for the reefer trailer. The bodies would no longer be frozen, or even chilled. Even with the PPE on it was a terrible experience. The driver of the truck, after the first whiff when he opened the trailer doors, began to throw up and ran to the cab of the truck to get away from the smell.

  It wasn’t the first time they’d laid a baby to rest, but under these conditions the three that they did that morning were harder than any of the others. The two men could see the tears in each other’s eyes when they looked at one another after the last one was set down. Brody and Ranger covered the bodies with an inch or so of earth just as quickly as they could after they were in the trench and then slowly worked to finish filling the section.

  That was the last semi. Apparently there was no more fuel for the big trucks. That is not to say the bodies quit coming. They didn’t. But it was one or two at a time, in whatever city vehicle had a little fuel. Ambulances, street maintenance trucks, even some commercial trucks that still had a little fuel had been commandeered for the cemetery runs. More than one vehicle was left at the cemetery parking lot, without enough fuel to get back to their assigned station. A few of the drivers took off walking. Some caught rides with vehicles that still had fuel.

  Brody had made a point of parking his truck in the cemetery garage and closing the door that morning. It was noon time, and Brody and Ranger were sitting outside the garage, eating their MRE lunch. There was only one more MRE left.

  Julie Anne showed up on her bicycle, looking what could best be described as disheveled. She obviously wasn’t a regular bike rider. At least she’d decided on wearing pants instead of one of her usual business suit skirt, blouse, and jacket combos.

  “I hurt in places I didn’t even know I had,” she said, stepping off the bicycle when she got up to them. “I guess it’s better than walking, but re-mind me not to plan any trips on one.”

  Brody and Ranger looked at one another, and then back at Julie Anne when she continued.

  “How are you guys holding out?”

  “It’s tough,” Brody said. “Without the reefers… It’s just bad.”

  Julie Anne’s face fell. “They’ve already run out of fuel and started using the small stuff?”

  Ranger nodded and swept an arm to include the vehicles on the lot. “Small stuff is running out of fuel, too.”

  “What are we going to do?” Julie Anne asked, accepting the MRE and bottle of water that Brody held out to her. She sat down on an upturned bucket the way Brody and Ranger were to eat.

  “All that we can do,” Brody said, after taking a sip of water. “If the city can’t get the bodies here, we can’t bury them.”

  “But what happens then?” Julie Anne added a bit of water to the entrée heater pack and slipped the entrée in.

  Brody and Ranger exchanged another of their meaningful looks.

  “The way I see it,” Brody said slowly, “is when we reach the point where we simply can’t do anything else, we either decide to hole up at my place… Or we boogie on out of here for greener pastures.”

  “Leave?” Julie Anne asked. “We can’t just leave!”

  “Why not?” asked Ranger.

  “Because… Well… Because… We just can’t! What about the city?”

  “You’re in the know at the EOC,” Brody said. “What is the city doing? And for how much longer can it do it?”

  Julie Anne bit her lip. “People are trying. The ones that are left. Some left early on… A few more, every day. You’ve buried some that didn’t have any supplies or couldn’t take the heat or died of dehydration in their sleep. The Mayor keeps asking for help from the State, and the Governor is asking for help from the Feds. Everything is just falling apart! No one can get paid. And even if they did, there’s no food or fuel to buy. And it is so hot all day and all night!” She was blinking back tears.

  “It’s like this all over,” Brody said gently. “People are helping people where they can. But everyone has to do what they can for thems.elves.”

  “I know,” Julie Anne said. She sat there holding the MRE entrée without eating it. “But how?”

  “You just plug along and don’t give up,” Ranger said. “That means eating when you can.”

  Julie Anne began to eat, silently. She ate all the components of the MRE and drank a full bottle of water. “I need to go back to the EOC and see what the situation is, now.”

  “Be careful,” Brody cautioned her. “People are desperate. Someone might even try to take your bicycle to get out of town on.”

  “Surely not! I’m a City Employee!”

  “So?” Ranger asked, very softly for him.

  “I’m trying to help!”

  “Of course you are,” Brody said. “But they won’t know that ahead of time and might not care if you even get a chance to tell them. For what it’s worth, we’ll come looking for
you if you aren’t back here by seven.”

  It was more the last statement that scared her than the earlier statements. “I’ll be careful. And I’ll be back in plenty of time.” With that she climbed back on the bicycle and pedaled away.

  “Things are getting out of hand, dude,” Ranger told Brody. “She’s almost clueless. This city is going to go up in flames if things don’t get better, and you know that isn’t likely. We really need to be thinking about getting to Toby’s place.”

  “I know, Ranger. But there is just something about her… She’s a babe in the woods about some of this, but she’s working like a trooper, doing everything she can of her job.” Brody looked at his friend. “Let’s see what she has to say tonight, watch what news we can get, and then make some kind of decision.”

  “Works for me,” Ranger replied. He stood, tossed his trash in the can beside the garage door, and hitched up the Tyvek coveralls tied at his waist. Brody did the same, and they headed back to continue filling the trench over the last body that had arrived.

  Brody was pacing back and forth at six thirty that evening, in front of the garage. Julie Anne hadn’t showed up yet. But then he saw her pedaling toward him and relaxed slightly. When she stopped beside him she slow-ly got off the bike. Brody could tell she’d been crying.

  “What is it?” he asked as Ranger looked on.

  “They are starting to burn the bodies!”

  “Where in the world are they getting the fuel?” Ranger asked.

  “They got a tank car in, but it was decided it was better to burn the bodies near their point of death using some of the diesel to get the fires going than it was to bring them out here. There’s dysentery and cholera going around.”

  “There really isn’t that much risk with most communicable diseases for transmission from corpses. But cholera is one of them. It’s nothing to play around with,” Brody told Julie Anne. “It could turn epidemic quickly, if proper procedures aren’t used to handle the bodies. Things like we’ve been doing.”

  “There aren’t enough suits and respirators and gloves and boots and… There just isn’t enough to go around for everyone exposed to some of the corpses.” Julie Anne sighed. “Maybe they are right to burn the bodies where they are.”

  “It would be better to bring them here and keep a burning pit going in one of the slit trenches,” Ranger said. “Use less fuel and keep the danger as isolated as possible.”

  “I’ll suggest that in the morning. Right now… Can we go home? I’m exhausted,” Julie Anne said.

  Only a few minutes later they three were pedaling their way toward Brody’s apartment building. Though Julie Anne was oblivious to the fact, Ranger and Brody had seen the activity ahead of them. Someone was planning on ambushing them.

  “Turn left! Turn left!” Brody said urgently, nearly running over Julie Anne as he did that very thing, before she could react.

  “What? Why? This isn’t the way to your apartment.”

  “There are some people up that street laying for us,” Ranger quickly said, stopping when Julie Anne did, turning the bike around to watch the street intersection.

  “Come on, Ms. Baumgartner! We need to travel quickly!” Brody was speaking urgently. He started off, looking backward at her. “Come on!” Ranger will keep watch and delay them until I can get you away.”

  “Me? Safe? What is…” At least she’d started pedaling, following behind Brody. She looked back at Ranger and gasped at what she saw. He had a handgun drawn and was pointing it toward the intersection where they’d turned.

  She looked around at Brody, who was pedaling slowly still trying to urge her to more speed. “Come on!”

  “He’s got a handgun,” she protested when she pulled up even with Bro-dy. “They’re illegal!”

  “Yeah, well…” Brody ducked when he heard the sound of a shot.

  Julie Anne looked around. “What’s he shooting at?”

  “That wasn’t him, Julie Anne! That’s someone shooting at us! Come on, will you?” Brody reached over and gave Julie Anne a push on her back to speed her up. She was looking behind her and she saw the muzzle flash of a gun aimed at them. Then the flash of Ranger returning fire.

  She didn’t hesitate after that, suddenly terrified at what might happen to her if caught… There had been stories going around the EOC about women caught out… Julie Anne stood on the pedals and was pedaling for all she was worth, following Brody.

  “What about Ranger?” she called over to Brody.

  “He can handle himself! You just stay with me! When you’re safe, I’ll go after Ranger!”

  Julie Anne wasn’t sure she could pedal another stroke when they arrived at Brody’s apartment building. Brody tossed her his keys and spun his bike around. They could still hear gunshots from the direction they’d come.

  “I’m going back,” Brody yelled. “Get in the apartment.”

  There was no argument this time. Carrying the bike, Julie Anne hurried up the steps as quickly as she could, shying away twice when someone opened an apartment door, having heard her banging the bicycle against the walls in her haste.

  She fumbled the keys getting into the apartment, but finally got inside, ready to collapse. But she moved over to a window and peeked out. It was fairly dark now and she could see muzzle flashes, though she wasn’t hearing the sound of the shots. But they stopped and she neither saw nor heard anything for a long time.

  Julie Anne thought she’d jumped out of her skin when a loud knock sounded on the door to the apartment. “It’s me and Ranger,” came Bro-dy’s voice through the door. She hurriedly went to the door and un-locked it for them to enter. Both were carrying their bikes.

  “Are you both all right?” she asked, looking at them intently after turning on the battery lamp.

  “Got a little nick from that first round,” Ranger said, very obviously quite annoyed at the fact.

  “Get the first-aid kit,” Brody told Julie Anne. “It’s not bad, but I want to get it cleaned and covered. He’s sweating like a pig and it might contaminate the wound if there is something on his clothes from handling the bodies.”

  Julie Anne saw Ranger turn pale at Brody’s words before she headed off to the bedroom. She’d seen a tote marked first-aid kit. When she carried it back into the living room Ranger was sitting down and Brody had the battery lamp held close to his right arm.

  “Should be fine,” Brody said, handing the lamp to Julie Anne to hold for him after she set down the first-aid kit. She watched, entranced, as Brody helped Ranger get his shirt off and then began working on the short crease on his upper left shoulder.

  He cleaned it thoroughly, and then held it closed with one hand as he applied wound closure strips to it. The entire time Ranger had stayed si-lent, lips a tight line from the pain. With the wound closed, Brody went through the first-aid kit and pulled out a bottle of over-the-counter pain reliever and gave Ranger three of them. Julie Anne went to get a bottle of water for him to wash them down with.

  With Ranger taken care of, Julie Anne suddenly found herself shaking uncontrollably. Brody saw her and quickly went to her. She didn’t object when he took her in his arms. and held her for several moments.

  He released her and, looking deep into her eyes, asked, “You want to talk about it?”

  Julie Anne bit her lip and shook her head. “I’m okay. I just am going to have to be more careful. I can see that.”

  Brody let it go at that, but kept a close eye on her as they went about the evening routine of getting sponge baths to wash away the day’s sweat, get into clean clothes, and have something for supper.

  Julie Anne was watching Brody in amazement as he put together their supper, using storage supplies and two single burner camping stoves. “This is good,” she said when Brody offered her a taste. Brody smiled in return.

  They settled in early after their supper, tired from the day anyway, but exhausted from the hard ride away from danger they had taken.

  The next morning, as he c
hanged the dressing on Ranger’s arm, Brody saw Julie Anne acting hesitantly as they got ready to leave. “You want me to go with you to the EOC this morning?”

  Eagerly she asked, “Would you?”

  “Sure.” Brody looked over at Ranger. “You in?”

  Ranger nodded. “Just a scratch. I’m good to go. Strength in numbers.” He looked at Julie Anne. “I don’t suppose you’d want to carry a piece, just in case?”

  “A piece?” she asked quizzically, and then, when it dawned on her what he meant, she shook her head. “No. Positively not. Handguns are against the law in this city. I’m certainly not going to turn you in, but I don’t want any part of it.”

  Ranger nodded and didn’t press the matter, which surprised Brody. “Well, if everyone has everything they need, I guess we should be off, if we’re going to do this.”

  Julie Anne let the two men go first to check the area around the apartment building entrance. No, she didn’t want a gun, but she did admit to herself that there was more than a little comfort in knowing that someone had one, and was on her side.

  Brody motioned to her and she joined them on the street. As they rode at an easy, steady pace toward the EOC in City Hall, all three began to feel a bit eerie. There was almost no activity or noise to be seen or heard. They saw two dead bodies on the way, but didn’t approach them. Brody made a note of where they were so they could be picked up and dealt with.

  Brody and Ranger waited outside the building, talking quietly about future plans, while Julie Anne went inside. She wasn’t there very long. It wasn’t a particularly happy smile, but she was smiling slightly. “They agreed to keep taking bodies to the cemetery and burying them in the trenches. Dr. Crane, the coroner, said without a huge amount of diesel we’d never be able to burn the bodies. It is harder to do than I knew.”

  Her smile faded. “But they won’t allocate any more manpower or equipment.”

  “Well, that’s just great!” Ranger said, his anger obvious. “What do they expect? For the dead to get up and walk there on their own?”

  Julie Anne kept her composures at Ranger’s outburst. “No. No. I got them to agree to fill the cemetery diesel tank, and offered the use of Brody’s truck and you two to take the reports that come in to the EOC. We’d get the bodies ourselves.”