Stan Morris - Surviving the Fog

“Yeah, we have a big fuel truck back there. Thank heaven, it arrived before the Fog. The supplies came at the same time; food, water and plenty of toilet paper, plus the stuff for the mujeres.”

“Huh?”

“Women.”

“What kind of stuff for women?”

“Sanitary napkins I guess, Jacob. Pads and all that stuff they need for their periods. I don’t know. Hey.” He stopped talking and looked at the heavy equipment. “Maybe, we can use that to lift those cabin floors up to the second level.” He pointed to a forklift.

Jacob saw that most of the buildings at the logging camp were made of sheet metal. Hector led the way into the only cinder block building. It looked like a combination office and storeroom. There was a bunkhouse in the rear. After a few minutes, Jacob realized that Hector was searching for something.

“Ah, here it is,” Hector said with a satisfied smile. He brought out a long box. Inside was a large roll of black plastic.

“What’s that for,” Jacob asked.

Hector stopped smiling. “I’m going to use it to wrap those dead guys before we bury them.”

“Why bother,” said Jacob. “They were murderers.”

“Because I’m not like them,” Hector answered. “I may not be the best guy in the world that’s left, but I’m not like them.”

“Pete and Jackie didn’t have any plastic to be wrapped in,” said Jacob resentfully. “We just had sheets.”

“I’m sorry about that, amigo. I truly am. But I got to do this.”

Hector went outside, and he placed the box in a small pickup truck. Then he and Jacob got in the truck, and they drove back down the road. When they got to the side road, Jacob asked to be dropped off.

“Where are you going?” asked Hector startled at the request.

“I’m going to explore that road some,” Jacob replied. “Can I stay at your camp, if I get back there tonight?”

“Sure. I’ll be back later. Hell, kid, I don’t like the idea of leaving you here.”

“I’ll be okay,” Jacob replied and without another word, he lifted his backpack and walked away.

Hector shook his head, and then he started down the road again. When he came to the path leading to the clearing, he stopped. He took the box out of the truck and carried it to the clearing. The bodies were emitting a rank smell. Hector rolled out the plastic, and he cut two pieces. He placed one piece next to the body still stuck to the tree. Gingerly, he worked the spear out of the tree and through the man’s mouth. It was unpleasant work, but he finally got the two bodies wrapped in the plastic. Now he had to put the bodies in the truck.

Undecided, he stared at the wrapped bodies, and then he made a decision. He got back in the truck, and he drove to the kids’ camp. When he found Mike, he explained what he had done.

“Jackie and Pete didn’t have any plastic,” Mike said grimly.

“That’s what Jacob said,” replied Hector. “I’ll tell you what I told him. I’m not like those men. And I don’t think that you are either. I want you to help me move them. I’m going to take them to the tree where you hung that guy and bury them.”

“The one we hanged stays there,” said Mike flatly.

“Why?” Hector asked, puzzled by the intensity of the boy’s words. “He’s long dead.”

“He’s a warning to anyone else who thinks he can hurt us.”

Hector nodded. “All right. But let’s bury the others.”

So Mike and John went with Hector. They retrieved the bodies, and they buried them close by the Hanging Tree. Then Hector took Mike and John back to the camp. On the way, he told them where Jacob had gone.

When they got to the camp, Hector discovered that they were having difficulty leveling the concrete piers for the cabin that they had moved. There was a laser level in the truck, and he soon had the blocks leveled. Mike decided to give everyone a break for the rest of the day. Tomorrow would be soon enough to rebuild the cabin. He walked with Hector over the bridge and up to the pickup.

“Thanks for helping us, Hector,” he said.

Hector held out his hand. “Thanks for helping me, Chief,” he replied. Mike shook his hand and laughed.

“I guess it’s kind of goofy, the way they call me, ‘Chief’.”

“No, it’s not goofy at all. You’ve done a good job here, amigo.”

“I’ve been really scared,” Mike blurted, his voice suddenly full of emotion. Then to his embarrassment, Mike choked up. He couldn’t speak, and his tears began falling. He stuffed his hand in his mouth to keep himself quiet as he sobbed.

Hector looked around. He and Mike were behind the truck, and there was no one else around. He reached out, and he pulled Mike into his arms. The boy cried silently on Hector’s chest. Hector just stood there a short while until Mike was finished. Then Mike pulled away and wiped his eyes.

Hector got into the pickup. Through the window he said, “See you tomorrow, Chief.” He started the pickup. Mike waved silently, and Hector drove away.

When Hector was passing by the place where they had retrieved the bodies, he decided to stop and search the area. He found many items that they could use, but the only thing he took at that time was the ammunition that he found hidden in the shack. He drove back to the logging camp. There was no sign of Jacob.

After Jacob left Hector at the junction of the roads, he hiked along the road he had chosen. Mushrooms were growing in abundance along the winding path. He followed the rutted road up and around the side of the mountain for a ways, and then the narrow road began to drop. Presently, he came to a small stream that fell from his right, went under the road by way of a galvanized steel culvert, and then turned and followed the road. The snow fed stream skipped merrily over the stones in its bed, and Jacob was content to walk and listen to its music. The wind was blowing lightly through the tall green trees, and the scent of the aromatic pine was heavy in the air. Jacob and the stream followed the road until he grew hungry, and then he stopped, and he ate a tuna sandwich, an apple, and a chocolate pudding cup that he had been saving.

After eating, he rested with his back to a tall red fir tree and watched a couple of brown squirrels quarrel. An owl flew by. He resumed his walk. He loved strolling through the woods, and he enjoyed his solitude. After a bit, he paused respectfully as a tan colored snake crossed his path and disappeared into a patch of blue gentians and yellow eyed daisies that were growing along the side of the road.

The road would rise occasionally, and then it would dip a little deeper as it made its way around the mountain. He knew by the light that the sun was only a few hours from dropping below the horizon, but he did not worry that he would be caught out after dark. He didn’t mind staying in the woods at night. He always seemed to find a sheltered spot where the blanket in his backpack could serve to keep him warm enough. He had waterproof matches, although he tried hard not to use them. He thought that they might be needed later in the year.

As the sun was just reaching the horizon, he came to a small grassy valley on his right. It probably measured no more than twenty acres, and it was surrounded by steep slopes. The road continued on past the little dale, but the stream came to an end in a small pond. Jacob could see that the pond was manmade. Someone had filled in part of a gully creating the pond behind it. It was almost filled to its banks from the spring runoff. Large multicolored corn lilies and blue-eyed-marys grew by the water. As Jacob watched, a golden trout leaped out of the water trying to catch a large dragonfly, and then it fell back into the blue water with a plop.

There was a dirt driveway leading away from the main road to a large beige house set a little ways off the road. The house had a steeply pitched roof. In front of the covered porch, there were some chickens pecking at the dirt. Next to the house was a large red barn. On the south side of the barn was an attached room, built with glass panels. Jacob could see a rough corral behind the barn, where two roan geldings were feeding from a trough. There were smaller buildings closer to the house. Jacob supposed they were storage sheds. Farther back, Jacob could see a wind turbine spinning in the breeze. He recognized it as the same type that provided electricity for the kids’ camp. Far in the rear, he saw fields with some kind of grass or grain growing in them, and he noticed a brown hare nibbling at a stalk. By the tree line was a structure that looked to be a raised water catchment tank.