John O'Brien - Sanctuary

I walk in and the noise of hammering continues. Only this time, it’s the supply teams working to build plywood partitions on the second floor. It’s only mid-afternoon but the amount of work and the number of changes makes it seem like I’ve been gone several days. I let Frank know we’re back and join up with the others to lend a hand with the interior building project. The plywood partitions are to create small rooms to give everyone a sense of privacy. This is a temporary solution but it’s better than all of us just lying on cots in the middle of the floor. It helps the psyche as well and gives a sense of permanence which helps us mentally cope with all that is going on; it gives a sense of future.

The rest of the day passes by fairly quickly with the partitions finished to a large degree and progress made on the perimeter wall. All teams fold back into our haven as the sun hits the top of the trees and we meet again just prior to dinner.

“How is the training program coming along?” I ask Lynn once we settle in together.

“I’m not quite ready. I’ll need a couple of days yet. I would like to get a bulldozer to build a berm for a firing range,” she responds.

“I’ll see what we can come up with,” Bannerman replies making a note.

“How are the supplies holding out?” I ask Bannerman.

“We’re doing okay. We could use some additional food though,” he answers.

“Okay, I think Red Team is slated for one of the supply teams. Are we slated to go with Alpha or Bravo?”

“Alpha,” Lynn answers.

“We’ll make a supply run tomorrow if that’s what you had in mind,” I say.

“That sounds good. We were also able to put an overhang on the roof,” Bannerman says.

“Good deal,” I reply.

“We managed to get about sixty feet of wall built today. That will increase in the coming days as we had to get everything set up first and that took a while,” Bannerman says addressing the group.

“Awesome. Where’d you get that pile driver by the way? And great idea with the I-beams,” I say.

“We found it in a construction yard along with the cranes. The beams were there as well and they got me thinking. I thought we were going to have a tough time engineering a way to put the wall up in the first place and it would take some time to figure a way to make it sturdy, and here these were. It was rather simple actually,” he says.

“Well, good job nonetheless,” I say in return.

I give a rundown of my day and there’s not really much to say after that. I ask Frank if he would keep track of the buildings we’ve been in for supplies so we can be more effective with our gathering. He said he’d mark them on the map. I also think about demolishing the buildings after we’ve finished with them but save that discussion for another time. We break and I head up to the roof with Robert and Bri; our now nightly ritual before dinner. That may change with the coming nightly training sessions but I would like for this to remain. We just may have to figure out a different time of the evening.

We talk for a while amongst ourselves; really mostly small talk with Robert focusing on the short helicopter flight back and how much he wants to learn to fly it. I tell him it may be a while because I don’t even know how yet. Bri says she’s interested in learning as well and I tell them they’re welcome to study with me after their training with Lynn. I look to the edge of the roof and notice the thin steel plates that Bannerman had bolted into the concrete ledge lining the roof. They look to extend about five or six feet out from the roof’s edge which should, and I say should here because you never know what the night buggers can accomplish, prevent anything from gaining access to the roof. Looking past the overhang, the wall stands tall, although only a short section of it is actually upright. It’s a silent reminder of the changed world in which we find ourselves. It also stands in testimony to our endeavors and signals the start of a possible new beginning. The sun droops behind the mountains bringing a refreshing coolness to the late evening. A breeze picks up against our faces and it feels invigorating and energizing in a way. The last of the sun hangs above the line of mountains as if trying to hang onto its dominance of the sky; trying not to lose its grip on the day before it is finally pulled down. The sun setting is our clue that our time outside has come to an end. The night doesn’t belong to us. It’s time for the night runners to emerge; to prowl and hunt the streets.

We rise with a sigh and climb down into the heart of the building. The entry doors have been secured and the aroma of warm food drifts throughout. The murmuring that usually comes when a group of people are gathered rises and falls as conversations take place. There’s movement as some move their stuff into one cubicle or another. This is so much better than traipsing around the world in a 130. As much as I’m not a fan of what happened to the world, I’m thankful we are here and safe for the moment. There is an underlying tension of knowing that could change in an instant; if the night runners find a way around the doors for instance, but for this particular moment in time, it feels good. Tomorrow is another day though and each day seems to bring a new challenge with it.

Lynn makes an announcement at dinner regarding the nightly training sessions. We’ll gather an hour prior to sunset and begin class before dinner. The classes will go anywhere from an hour to two depending on what is being taught. The subjects will vary and each night will have a different trainer. That may change depending on the depth of the training and there may be times when a single class might extend over several days. She then gives a synopsis of the day and summarizes our progress. She ends with the plans for tomorrow which are basically the same as today with the exception of the teams on supply duty and the one in reserve.

She finishes as the first of our nightly chorus section of poundings against our outside doors begins in earnest. Bannerman whips out his ever-present notepad and jots down some notes. The shrieks are muted by the distance and the doors but it is still very much noticed. Nonetheless, we down our meals, one team finishing and taking over for one of the two on guard.

The next day rolls around the same as before, mostly with me not wanting to get up. The morning PT and training, and yes, I do join in, is a nice way to break the day in. We manage to get outside just after the breaking of dawn and exercise in the cool air of the morning. We go through another rendition of training that Lynn has lined up for us, this one using one of the back rooms of the building for small room clearing techniques. We practice until all teams move into the room like a fast moving fog; quietly and quickly but with force.

We shower, doing the best we can with the limited facilities, and put some food in us before the teams separate on their various missions. Today, it’s Red and Alpha Teams to gather food supplies this morning. Frank found us a Safeway just up the road that we might start with. Walking outside with the teams, I notice a high cloud cover has come over us. The sun shines opaquely through the milky white clouds. The morning still has the feel of a warm day but there is a definite increase in the humidity. The rain won’t be more than a day or two behind if the front continues to weaken the high pressure over us.

We pile into two Humvees and a transport truck after checking over our gear and equipment one more time. The deep, throaty sound of the semi’s idling and warming up in the lot, light blue smoke rising from the chrome stacks just behind the cabs, echoes across the still morning. The breeze that sprang up the night before is absent. The sounds of vehicles starting add to the noisy activity beginning to take place. A billow of dark smoke from the exhaust of a crane near the partially constructed wall indicates activity beginning on the wall as well. This is the daytime; it is our time and we have to make the best use of it.