Sharecropping The Apocalypse: A Prepper is Cast Adrift (23 page)

“If you leaving you are thinking about leaving your AK and AR behind then let’s talk about can I borrow them until you get back?” Michael said coveting his weapons of war craft.

“I didn’t say I wasn’t taking them with me; better yet let us just say that I didn’t want them on my front seat if I got pulled over.”  David said narrowly taking a sip of his barter or bomb elixir he had managed to distill with much afore thought and generally not liking how this conversation was going so far.

“I didn’t mean nothing by asking you to lend me your guns there, David, I just meant for you to consider if you were not carrying them with you on your road trip then you could lend them to me. You know, so I could better help guard your house and your stuff while you were gone.” Michael said grinning sheepishly and not liking how David was adjusting his bowie knife at the moment.

“Yea, right Michael, you get that brainiac mind of yours. I haven’t decided on what to do with guns at the moment. I had thought to leave the few extras I got in my gun safe until I got back but you and that damned Ray got me to thinking that might not be the best option. If we are in what might be considered a zone of resistance or perhaps a security force pursues somebody into our area, then a search of my premises might be in order and I am liable to lose my crap. On the other hand like you said, I might never be able to make it back and I would feel terrible that you or any other worthy soul didn’t have access to a bit of extra firepower I could have provided. Let me think on that one awhile further and we come back to that point. I also got a pretty decent stash of freeze dried and dehydrated food I haven’t clued you in on that we might as well start discussing. I will tell you up front that discussing those preps in detail as we are about to do goes against everything I feel and sort of believe in. You know most preppers are obsessed with OPSEC (Operational security) and rightly so. I have always been open about my prepping because I was seeking input and alliances from our community but now that also makes me a target for some. Hopefully, the alliances I have made will help me defend my goods instead of tempting them to also become my enemy. I feel like I am walking a tight rope at times showing a bit of my preps to people to learn from and enjoy while also trying to maintain some secrecy about what I actually got which is not only prudent but necessary. Many folks around here know I have several guns and a pretty good amount of ammo. That acts as my deterrent to someone thinking it would be easy to take something from me. That I would have no problem shooting someone if need be, is also known. People know I have food put back and I am sure that in their imagination it is much more and much better than I actually have. People will come asking for food, some already have come begging as you know.” David said a bit sadly but also with warning and resolve that his and Julies possessions were their own and remained so even if someone was aware of them and the couples normal caring and sharing nature refused any pleas to share.

“You are going to have to move most of your stuff David before you go. I can’t guard this place; take care of my family and run trap line and hunt, you know.” Michael said while thinking
“Oh hell, cat will be out of the bag soon. If I got to move in God knows how much preps from David’s to my house then we all get to see exactly how much food we all actually have. Damn and David and the rest of the clan will want it stored like they keep gold in banks. That piles yours, that belongs to somebody else etc. That is not going to work. I don’t know what David’s got but I am sure his pile is going to be bigger than anyone else’s and that will end up causing problems out in plain sight. Hell, I best bring up the hoarding confiscation crap again and remind him of the Russians. If them son of a bitches run low on supplies or get tired of eating the same old thing over there at the plant you can pretty much take it to the bank that they would be coming to visit Ray if he didn’t take that job and most likely someone might try to black mail him if he did.

“Yea I am considering that, I want to move a bit of to your house and introduce you to my house sitter, Ross. He can watch my house, do some garden work and help you on the trap line.” David said half smirking at the surprised look on Michaels face.

“Who is Ross? Where did he come from?” Michael asked disarmed at the notion David had some kind of hired help about to move into his home.

“He is a local boy, lives just up the road. He is a member of the mole boy gang I borrow once in a while to help out with some landscaping work. Basically I just group them four or five young men that range from 14-20 under the title mole boys and share some wood lore and youthful exuberance with them upon occasion. They have been half ass prepping by themselves and a little help from me for years. Anyway, Ross is the youngest and lives the farthest but he would be perfect for this little job. He also has the most woods sense of them all. Why that boy could track an ant through a cornfield I bet!” David said chuckling.

“Well I guess you know what you’re doing but opening your house and your preps to a gang of kids sounds dumb as hell to me. What about their parents?” Michael asked concerned that David seemed to be losing his mind.

“Oh they belong to two single lady parents. I figure left to their own devices they probably couldn’t scrape by except for a hit and miss long starvation but with a little organization they are going to be exactly what we need for this little apocalypse.” David said, bemused at Michael trying to figure out what David was going to do with a bunch of “mole boys”

“Look here, Michael, and try not to laugh because I am serious, as crazy as this is going to sound. I am starting a free lunch program around here,” David said smiling before Michael spluttered out an objection that basically said now he knew David had lost his mind and he wanted no part of it.

“Calm down Michael this will make perfect sense once you grasp how ingenious my little plan is.” David said chuckling before carrying on and giving Michael a brief outline.

“Ok, all of them live over by the church about 4 or 5 miles from here. They have been tromping them woods and the road to this house for years so they know the territory better than both of us. They also had various uncles and aunts of the years teach them some country living so the majority of our work advising them is already done. They just need a little supervision and coordination to all pull in one direction and tribe up with us somewhat for mutual survival.” David said seeing he was losing his audience.

“Now in ordinary times I would say have at it and let you play scoutmaster or whatever the hell it is that you think you’re doing but now it’s time to quit playing and be serious. You said you didn’t have that much food stored already and now you’re considering, what the hell was that you said? A free lunch program?  We need that food David, if you’re just going to give it away, give it to me. I will keep it safe and you will have a lot more left when you get back to eat yourself and hopefully your house will be still standing.” Michael said exasperated at the notion of David doing handouts to protect his crap. It was ludicrous he objected.

“I am not opening my pantry to them; I am forming a hunting gathering community that has enough folks to succeed.” David said sternly.

“Look, Michael, they all have gardens but probably few seeds for spring planting. They have some old fruit and nut trees we don’t have on our properties. Everyone needs to survive until the gardens produce and you need help with the hunting and trapping as well as security. The idea is to let Ross move in here for a bit and swap out assistants to help him here and there. His buddy Charles for example can help set traps between my house and their house through the woods. While they are getting proficient at that survival skill I will feed them lunch. Ross gets dinner with you for watching the house, garden etc. and can help you tend my modern traps. Pretty soon on alternating days the rest of the mole boys can come back and forth through the woods and check the trap lines or set new snares coming and  going  to visit Ross and bring whatever game they manage to catch. I figure the free lunch program will have a good meal day and an iron ration day, That is something good and recognizable from my stores, a suck ass meal of wheat porridge, maybe a half ass day of beans and rice, etc. That’s the pay and it spreads the food out a couple survivors at a time. Game meat is shared as a community endeavor and is the bond of our little tribe. All them boys have got guns but are very short on ammo because they tended to shoot it up like kids will do and the shit is expensive and hard to find in the best of times. I don’t have a ton extra but I got enough to equip our little army. Their homes act like little outposts for listening and observing for dangers, our end of the road acts like a last stand bastion if they need to beat feet through the woods and take a stand to fend off any gangs or whatever.” David said letting the wisdom of his suggestion sink in.

“I see, that would add considerably to our range and foraging but we would need that with the extra mouths to feed. How much food are you thinking this little endeavor going to cost you? I mean in food stores, not money.” Michael asked speculating just how much stuff David might have stored.

“Well considering you got to know what we are working with I will tell you. It has taken me about 7 years to accumulate about a year and a half worth of food for me and Julie in Mountain

House, Provident pantry, etc. freeze dried. I got a years’ worth of the basics like wheat, beans, rice and legumes for one person that I call iron rations. There are 7 new mouths to feed in this little endeavor, let’s call it six for math’s sake and not doing full adult recommendations for calorie counts. That means two months at best if I gave them nothing but iron rations. Six people dividing up food for twelve months meant for one equals out to two months. That calculation doesn’t really work because I want to plant some of that wheat and beans for next year but it also don’t take into account that a handful of rice, some wild Oxalis or whatever else they can gather in the fields and woods can make a hearty stew and stretch the hell out of the stores. Like I said I will share some of the good shit, hell I got like a few cans of sweet and sour pork for a treat all of us could sit down to. Says 18 servings in a can, a one day a week feast maybe, anyway you get the picture and you will be in charge of rationing while I am gone.” David said wondering how long it was going to be before the bickering and cajoling would begin to get into his stores further and diversify the diets.

Michael did a bit of mental calculations on his own and appeared to be disturbed.

“What is the matter buddy? You don’t like my ideas?”  David said mentally searching for more flaws that might have been included in his planning than had been discussed thus far

“You didn’t really add my end of the road into those calculations you were using. You did mention a weekly possible eating the good stuff in  some kind of communal meal but you’re going to be out of that kind of food very quickly if you are spreading yourself that thin and not holding some reserve back for yourselves. Not that it isn’t appreciated mind you but I doubt your planning on letting us eat all that chow up until it finally all runs out. How much food are you devoting to that endeavor and how much of that stash is taboo and for just yours and Julies use?” Michael said trying to evaluate David’s line of thinking and any shortfalls or implications it might indicate. 

“I hadn’t even thought of Ray until now, I guess you’re already going to be hard pressed to feed him. He is committed to our community food procurement deal me and you agreed on, isn’t he? I mean did you stress to him we were going to be having to do one pot suppers for all of us unless there was a bigger catch than we expected? I mean if all we get is one turtle or snake in a day’s food procurement it goes in the pot to be shared by all?” David said wondering further about the man he just met demeanor.

“I didn’t go into great detail with him but he gets the general idea. What we can hunt, trap, forage or catch is to be shared like one big family whether a lot or a little. Yea, he gets that. David he brought his own food with him, actually he probably has more than me.” Michael said and went on to tell David about how smart he had been in collecting groceries from every military base he managed to stop by. Michael then went on to explain the concerns Ray and him held regarding the discovery of all the food stuffs Ray had transported in the back of his pickup.

“I see why he was in such a big hurry to get home and unloaded now. I also see he might have brought the wolf to our door inadvertently. Do you know which way he is leaning regarding that missile plant job?” David asked speculating and a bit alarmed a contingency had come up he hadn’t planned for.

“No, he didn’t say for sure one way or the other which way he would go. He is pretty mad about it all at the moment and his first inclination is to tell them all “take this job and shove it” but he didn’t burn any bridges. I imagine he will think it over and end up taking it because he has no other options. Man’s got to eat you know.” Michael said wondering if he shouldn’t for his family’s sake try to get on that plant also. A wave of conflicting emotions came over him to even consider such an idea but feeding his children came foremost in his mind.

“I guess we best think about cashing and stashing some stuff off property but I will be danged if I know where off hand. Damn, Michael it seems I no more start dealing with one problem than another one crops up that needs my immediate attention.” David said feeling like he was up against insurmountable odds.