Nuclear War Club: Seven high school students are in detention when Nuclear War explodes.Game on, they are on their own. (19 page)

When he was on guard duty he would watch them get up, go to the truck, and pick a can of soup, tuna fish, or the
very
popular canned pineapples. They would hurriedly eat, drink a lot of water, and then go back to sleep in the shade of the canyon wall. He was in charge of the food, and he was alarmed how much was eaten every day.

“David, we need to think about assigning canned goods to each person, the soup and pineapples are getting low. Probably run out in a week unless we find some more, then its beans and rice,” Jorge said as David was getting two cans of tuna fish, crackers and Red’s Hot Sauce.

“OK, whatever you say. You are the chef. Do you want me to put the tuna back?” David asked.

“No, Doron and Zeke found some more semi-trucks, we should be ok. And we have lots of rice and beans, and pasta, enough for over a month. But they are only good if we can cook, takes about half an hour,” Jorge explained

After the third maggot rest day, Zeke and Doron brought back four backpacks full of canned fruit, canned chocolate cake icing, tuna fish, three large blue plastic containers of Maxwell House Coffee, and the ever popular Campbell’s Chunky Soup Cans.

David and Jorge became restless and began field stripping the guns and oiling them. They studied the ambush section of the little green
Ranger Handbook
Zeke had found in the military surplus store.

“When Karen recovers, we are going to have to practice this hasty ambush and setting up a kill zone,” Jorge said.

“Also, practicing setting up ambushes will help train everyone to avoid an ambush,” Jorge added. “The section on attacking a building could be very useful,” David said, as he looked at the drawings.

“You know, what we could really use are some grenades,” Jorge said.

“You are really getting into this. Check out the section on how to detour around a danger area,” David said, looking at figure 4-11.

“What happens once Karen heals?” Jorge asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, where do we go? Do we stay together, do we split up? What do we do?” Jorge said.

Jorge saw Doron and Liu move closer to listen.

“And David, what happened? How are so many people dead? Who attacked us? Was the whole United States nuked?” Jorge asked, as the floodgate of questions he had burst open.

“I was not happy that when we got the truck we could not receive one single AM or FM station. That’s not good,” David said.

“But wouldn’t the Electro Magnetic Pulse also destroy the radio transmitters?” asked Jorge.

“I don’t know. But you would think the government would have a huge nationwide lower band AM stations just ready for a nuke attack. We need a shortwave radio, and one that can receive TV station audio, and military radio bands. We may be able to receive Voice of America, the BBC or the German Radio Deutschland on a commercial set. Yacht Boy makes the best portable ones, we have got to find one,” said David.

“Who attacked us? Who were the greens?” Jorge asked.

“I don’t think they were professional military or terrorists,” David replied.

“Why?”

“They didn’t coordinate their attack, they were not prepared for casualties. They probably had some training with AK47s and attack tactics. I think they were just some disaffected group taking advantage of the situation, or perhaps thinking this attack on America was a sign from above,” David continued.

“Is the entire United States nuked?” asked Jorge.

“No idea, could be just here in California,” David said.

“But usually you can get AM radio stations all over the United States at night. Now, nothing,” David said.

“What are you going to do?” asked Jorge.

“It’s up to each person to stay or leave. But I have three ideas,” David said.

“First, we should stay together. It’s easier for guard duty, and to reinforce each other in firefights. Some attackers may leave a group of seven alone, when they would attack one or two,” David said, holding up one finger.

“Second, we have to train as a unit for ambush, ambush avoidance, and practice shooting,” David continued, raising two fingers.

“Third, everyone has to be trained for battlefield medical aid, then we can also specialize individually in one of several areas: military advanced small unit tactics, surgical medical care, mechanical and electrical adaptation to circumvent the EMP effect, water purification, sanitation, and most importantly, food and nutrition,” David said, holding up three fingers.

“If we assume everyone agrees to stay, and no one kills anyone else who gets on their nerves, we will have a better chance,” David said.

“Where do we go ?” Jorge asked.

“Well first, remember America is a very large country. There is no way every area was hit by a nuke. We survived a nuke without any site preparation, others who did prepare will survive,” David said.

“Who could prepare for this?” Jorge asked.

“A lot of people, they called them Preppers,” David answered.

“Doron found some articles somebody had printed off the internet before the attack. James Wesley, Rawles, the famous author, had a
S
urvivalBlog.com
that was a goldmine of tips, and another one by a separate group called
Prepperwebsite.com
that linked to all kinds of articles,” David explained. “We still have not read all the notebooks. The one titled “How to Dig your own Water Well,” by an unknown contributor which uses hand driven pvc pipe on the
MyFamilySurvivalPlan.com
website is priceless.”

Jorge nodded, He had read some of the articles on cooking and combat defense.

“And it could be that only the big cities were hit. If that’s the case, as we get closer to the center of the country we may find state or local governments still functioning,” David said.

“The American soldiers that survived will adapt, improvise, and overcome. If DC to New York is a smoking ruin, and the chain of command is smashed, they will adapt. They will form bases, attack any invaders or terrorists, and defend themselves and civilians,” David continued.

“What makes you think they will do that instead of setting up their own fortresses?” Jorge asked.

“They may, and that may be the best thing if it’s a total collapse. But my Dad was in the Air Force and I don’t think that will happen until they are sure there are no functioning armed forces left. All the military plan for war, that’s what they do,” David said.

“It’s what they
are
,” David said, struggling for the word.

“The Army plans every day for each and every Private to take command when the Generals , Colonels , Lieutenants, and Sergeants are all dead,” David said.

“So I would head east, avoiding contact, looking for either a functioning government or an operational military
base. It’s like we would be long range reconnaissance or Special Forces behind enemy lines, avoiding contact,” David said.

“Why avoid contact?” Jorge asked, puzzled.

“It’s not just terrorists,” David explained.

“America also has your garden variety murderers and violent criminals who may have escaped,” David said

“Criminals running around?” Jorge asked

“Yes. There was a reason we had prisons,” David said.

“Gangs will form to loot and steal from survivors. Some groups were planning for a showdown with the government anyway, or the end of the world, and did not store food, only guns and ammo. That means they will need to take food from other survivors,” David explained.

“And some people that would normally lead law abiding lives may now decide it’s the perfect time to get high and rape, kill, and steal,” David said.

“Game on,” David continued, “With no cops or even any government.”

“Others may know they have a lethal dose of radiation, and decided to enjoy killing before they check out,” David said.

“And then,” David explained, “We may be invaded, or bombed, after the fact by some other country not actually involved in the initial nuke attack, but just looking for an opportunity.”

“I am going to do my best to keep the group together, heading east to the heartland. If we don’t find any government, or military bases, then I will head south to Alabama and the Appalachian foothills,” David said.

“Why Alabama?” Jorge said.

“I lived there with my Dad and Mom before we moved to California. The entire football team hunted and fished. Every one of my friends had a rifle and a shotgun, and could shoot. I hunted with them a lot in the woods.”

“When we went hunting, I saw some great places to
settle in the woods with springs and creeks that are far from any roads,” David paused.

“And they are good people,” David said.

“Self-sufficient with good farmland. Plenty of water, the mountain passes are easily defended. They will have not only survived, but thrived,” David said confidently.

“And we left my Mom there, before the attack,” said David quietly. “She was selling the house to come to California.”

No one spoke for a few seconds as Jorge thought about Alabama. Why not Alabama? If they can’t find a government or a military base before they get there, Alabama is as good as anywhere else.

Jorge also realized he would have probably died several times since the nuke without them. David had his act together, Doron was smart and cunning, the guard duty kept him safe at night. They had survived a firefight.

And like Karen said, they were all the family they had now. They had his back.

“Sweet home Alabama,” smiled Jorge.

41.

The maggots turned bloody after fifty two hours. Doron and Liu removed them, counting each one as they were smashed separately on a clean piece of cardboard to double check the count. They had to be
sure
no maggots were left inside Karen.

“It’s like a sponge count, where surgeons counted all sponges after surgery to be sure none were left inside,” Doron explained to Liu.

Doron still stung from utter humiliation. He failed to find the maggot therapy that David had discovered. He knew he was much more intelligent than David, and everyone else. Indeed, he knew he was smarter than all of them put together. He was truly baffled at how he missed the treatment. Worst of all, his shame was public, everyone knew it. Karen would be dead now but for the maggots. Doron had never been the second smartest person in class. Ever.

To make things even worse, David had been tactful, and publicly selected him to do the maggot surgery. So Doron worked even harder to study battlefield medicine and military tactics from the Army Field Manuals so this never happened again.

“How is Karen?” David asked Doron and Liu.

“She is up walking. She is gaining strength, her appetite has increased, she eats like a wolf. She will recover soon,” Liu said.

“I appreciate you both,” David said to Liu and Doron.

Karen walked up, and Doron watched her closely. She seemed slightly unstable on her left leg, but her shoulder moved freely.

“I can take my turn at guard duty now. My shoulder is okay, and I can move both arms,” Karen said.

“Are you still taking pain medicine?” asked Doron.

“But that doesn’t affect my alertness,” she explained.

“How about you just take a shift on guard duty with me?” suggested David. “To see how you do.”

David rubs my face in a big bowl of stupid by finding the treatment, and now he pursues Karen in front of me, Doron thought bitterly.

42.

“Men have enough blood to operate their penis, or their brain, but not both at the same time,” Liu’s Father once told her some wise person had said. Her Mother nodded sagely, and told her to never forget that, it would explain much of life.

Liu had been alarmed at what she thought at the time was a spark of intense, deep passion between Karen and David when he announced the maggot plan. Karen’s tenderness in reaching out and gently caressing David’s face with both hands seemed extremely significant. She didn’t know why it bothered her so much, but it did.

“What’s your shift?” asked Karen.

“Midnight until three?” David asked.

“Three hour shifts?” Karen asked.

“We had to extend the shift,” David said. Liu wondered if Karen realized
she
was the cause of the longer shifts.

“Midnight,” said Karen, as she turned, and walked back to her tent.

“Liu, how long until you think Karen can drive a motorcycle?” David asked.

“One, maybe two days. She is recovering rapidly,” Liu said.

“Doron?” David asked.

“Yes, she will be good to go. She will have to keep her shoulder clean,” Doron said.

“David,” Doron asked. “What are your plans now that everyone is sure their families are gone. What’s the plan?”

“We need to have a team meeting about that,” said David. “The team has to decide, I am just one member.”

Yeah, like the novel,
Animal Farm
, Liu thought.
All the animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others
.

“If Karen is up to it, let’s have the team meeting tomorrow,” David said.

“Tribal council tomorrow,” said Doron.

“Sounds good,” said David.

As Liu listened to David and Doron, she saw dark storm clouds. A great recipe for disaster. Take two alpha males pursuing the same woman, add a liter of raging teenage testosterone, and mix with automatic weapons. What could possibly go wrong with the recipe? Liu asked herself sarcastically.

Liu remembered what her Father had told her about men having enough blood for their brain.

Diary of Liu Nguyen

Doron was stung that David found the treatment for Karen. Doron is so smart he has probably always solved the problem first
.

I am very impressed with how Doron studied, prepared, and performed the procedure. Doron is exceptional, we are fortunate to have him in the tribe
.

David is probably only 75% as smart as Doron. Yet I can’t conceive of Doron as leader. Why?

I don’t know why
.

Karen and Doron would make a great couple
.

43.

“It’s Zeke,” he said softly as he tapped David’s leg just after Midnight. “Karen’s already on point.”