Ryan Westfield - Pushing On

And, as John and Cynthia soon found out, Dale had a habit of doing everything loudly.

They joined him inside, and he was busy by the wood stove, making a hell of a racket with a collection of cast iron pots and pans that he banged around.

The cabin was small, somewhat cramped with the three of them in there. But there were three chairs, and they were comfortable. Or at least comfortable compared to simply sitting on the ground, as John and Cynthia had been doing since they’d left the farmhouse. In fact, they’d spent most of their time since the EMP sitting or lying on the hard ground. In comparison, the chairs felt incredible.

“These are amazing chairs,” said Cynthia.

Dale was pouring hot water into three separate mugs.

“Nothing fancy,” said Dale. “Made them myself.”

“Did you make the whole cabin?”

“Yup. And a lot of what’s in it. All the wood stuff, mostly.”

John accepted a mug from Dale, who’d added a metal infuser filled with loose tea.

The liquid was hot enough to give off some steam, and it felt comforting to hold it in both his hands.

“Give it a minute to steep properly,” said Dale.

“We’re lucky we came across you,” said John, suddenly realizing just how lucky they were to find themselves in a comfortable home, resting, drinking real tea.

“Thank Kiki,” said Dale. “Or thank that rabbit.”

Kiki was sitting obediently on the floor, curled up.

“Now,” said Dale, sitting down across from John and Cynthia, with his own mug. “I’ve got some sausages we can have soon. But I figure your stomachs have shrunk down a bit over the weeks, and that rabbit filled them up pretty good. So I’ll wait a while on that.”

“Sounds good,” said John. “I’m not hungry yet, but I know I’ll be pretty hungry when I am.”

Dale laughed.

He seemed almost too good-natured.

“I’ve got to thank you,” said John. “You’re being really… almost too hospitable to us.”

“It’s the least I can do,” said Dale. “I could see you’re two decent people. And sounds like you’ve been through hell.”

“Pretty much, yeah. What about you? How’ve you been weathering the post-EMP world?”

“Not too bad, really,” said Dale, kicking his feet up on a small wooden stool, and taking a sip of his tea. “I’ve had this place for ages, and it’s got just about all I could need.”

“You lived here before the EMP?”

“Yup, about ten years. I was never the type for cities or anything like that. Always liked to be on my own, mostly. Of course, I had some friends around. People who’d stop by once in a while when they’re on hunting trips. And there’s a town about forty miles away I’d stop into once in a while, pick up supplies and that sort of thing.”

“Wait,” said Cynthia. “So your life is basically unchanged since the EMP? I mean, this is how you’ve been living for ten years? This place doesn’t even look like it’s wired for electricity. You’re definitely not on the grid.”

“Nope,” said Dale, laughing. “That’s the way I always preferred it. Simpler. And cheaper. I used to drive trucks, but I got tired of it. Made enough money I could buy this little piece of land here, with nothing around it for miles. Seemed to suit me just fine. So I took my time and built the place the way I wanted it.”

“Your friends,” said John, “what happened to them?”

“Well, no one’s been stopping by, that’s for sure. I imagine they’ve got their own problems now. No chance to go on hunting trips for vacation. People used to come from all over. I was bound to see someone at least once a week.”

“What about the town?”

“Haven’t been back yet,” said Dale. “Truth is, I’m a little scared of what I might find. Lots of people don’t stock up the way I do, and I don’t have enough to help others. Except for the occasional meal, of course. Don’t worry, you’re no imposition or anything like that. I wouldn’t have offered if I couldn’t dish up when the time came.” That sent him laughing again.

He seemed fine with his life since the EMP. In a sense, at least.

“Aren’t you worried about your own safety?” said John. “The tea is delicious, by the way.”

“Yup,” said Dale. “It’s good stuff. What do you mean by worried?”

“Well, right now there are those two criminals we told you about. They’re out there, armed, and they won’t hesitate to kill.”

Dale laughed. “The thing about people like that is that they never seem to know how to shoot properly.”

“It only takes one shot,” said John.

“Well,” said Dale. “I just take life as it comes. If they come at me, they’ll be dealing not just with me and my guns, but with Kiki, too. Don’t let her fool you. She can be fierce when she wants to.”

John gazed down at Kiki. She was a sizable animal, and muscular. “I don’t doubt that one bit. But…” John went on to tell Dale a little about the farmhouse where they’d been staying. Cynthia interjected occasionally to add comments and details. Together, they told Dale about what had happened in the suburbs, and how the militia was expanding its reach. And about how the farmhouse had already been overrun with people fleeing the cities, dangerous people who’d do anything to get ahead, to ensure another minute of their own survival.

“Don’t worry, kid,” said Dale. (This was the first time John had been called a kid in decades.) “I know what I’m doing. I’m willing to take the risks. This is the life I want. And it’s the life I’m going to live. Plus, I’ve got communication with the outside world.”

“You do?” said Cynthia. “How’s that possible?”

“I’ve got a radio.”

“A radio?”

“Yup, a shortwave radio. Reminds me of my trucker days. Although those were CBs, of course. Same idea, though, messages traveling through the air and all that.”

“But wait, you don’t even have electricity here.”

“I’ve got some. Just for special occasions. I’ve got a car battery rigged up…”

“But you’d need a…”

“A Faraday cage, yup. I keep it inside it, just in case there’s another EMP. Although I don’t see what the point of another one would be. Everything’s already knocked out, from what I hear.”

“A Faraday cage, that’s incredible,” said John. “So you were planning for an EMP?”

“Not planning for it. Just expecting the worst. It’s part of my personality, in a way, to meet what’s coming cheerfully and with the best-laid plans as I possibly can.”

John didn’t see how that mindset meshed with failing to acknowledge the threat that the militia posed to his own safety, but he was in Dale’s own house, and he wasn’t going to argue the point with him anymore.

“You know they’re looking for a radio, don’t you?” said John. He couldn’t keep this point to himself. “The militia, I mean.” Somehow he knew that Dale already knew, and had already known everything that John had so patiently explained to him.

“Oh, sure,” said Dale. “But they don’t know I’ve got it. And even if they did, they’d have a hell of a time finding me. I don’t make any transmissions myself.”

“You just listen?”

“You mean there are people out there?” said Cynthia, her jaw dropping as she finally understood the implications. “People… elsewhere?”

“Yup,” said Dale. “Not many of them. I listen to two broadcasts. Pretty short ones. There’s a community in New York state that I pick up, and another in Ohio. There’s another one somewhere around, but I haven’t found them yet. Apparently they’re very secretive about their location.”

“Can we see it?” said John. “Can we listen?”