Chapter 23
“How can we be sure, though? I mean, you haven’t spoken to anyone who works for the military, right?” Mauve asked.
“No, but I did watch a little girl have to kill a man who was going to kill her first and take me and my bike. People are already getting desperate, Mom. It won’t be long until that fear and hostility reach the mountains. We aren’t immune to the rest of the world, even when we ignore it.”
“Surely they’ll be along to help any time now. No one is just going to let the United States fall into chaos,” Mauve said.
“If there are any allied nations left. We just don’t have enough information to make any rash calls. We have to be prepared to survive the winter without?—”
Mauve scoffed. “No, we are not discussing this. I am going to go inside and start some hot water and supper. I’m sure your friend would like a hot bath and a good meal. Come along, dear…”
Mauve stood, waiting for Bella to follow her, but the young girl looked to Veronica for approval first. Veronica nodded, knowing she wasn’t going to get through to her mother anytime soon.
Thankfully, Bella had a good head on her shoulders.
Veronica wasn’t worried about holding her own against Mauve if needed.
She knew Bella was hungry and exhausted as well. They both were.
“After seeing everything firsthand on your journey to get here, it can be quite frustrating when someone doesn’t listen to what you have to say,” her father said. “Don’t worry too much about your mother. I’m sure she’ll come around at some point.”
“I know she will, but just the idea that she doesn’t even want to listen is aggravating enough.”
“It’s going to take her some time. Tell me, is it true that you really had to kill a man?”
Veronica sighed. “Unfortunately, yes. We had no other choice because it was either going to be him or us. I think it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets any better. We’re going to have to be prepared if we’re going to survive this.”
“What do we need?” Conner asked.
“I need to know how well-stocked the storerooms are. We’re going to have to make sure we’re stocked up for as far out as we can plan,” Veronica said.
Luka shook his head. “They’re not very well stocked at all. We are actually using the last of the previous year’s stock. We’re getting kind of low as it is.”
“What about this year’s harvest?”
“We were just getting ready to start harvesting when everything went dark. We haven’t had a chance to get out to the fields at all.”
Her family’s property consisted of a two-acre garden they used to supply themselves and others with fresh, canned vegetables all winter.
Traveling the road could be impossible. They were accustomed to bartering at the weekly town swap meet held in the school’s gym.
The produce would be used to trade for gasoline, fresh meat, and other things they might run low on.
Now, they had to start using it as a means of survival.
The winter ahead was going to be rough, but thankfully, the community was accustomed to being cut off from the rest of the world.
She could tell from the way her father was talking that they hadn’t yet made their yearly trek to the box stores down in the cities below.
It meant they were running low on everything from canning salt to new seals for the jar lids.
The pressure cooker could be used on the wood stove, but it wouldn’t do them any good without the salt and seals.
The more she thought about it, the more Veronica was coming to realize that a run into the city to scavenge for supplies might be needed.
“Damn. I was really hoping we had some bulk leftover from last year or that you had gotten a chance to harvest this year’s crops. It’s not good at all. We’re going to have to move ahead with harvesting and canning food for the winter, but we’re going to have to do it the old-fashioned way.”
Luka cringed.
“Whatever look that is that you just gave me looks like you have something you’re not telling me as it is. What’s going on with the crops?”
“You know we’re willing to help whoever needs it in the worst of times. Ever since all the lights went out, your mother and I opened up the garden to the villagers in order to help everyone get by. We didn’t expect at all to hear that things weren’t going to go back to normal anytime soon.”
“I can’t be angry at you for doing something so kind, but that definitely puts us in a bad position with the upcoming season. How bad is it?”
Luka shrugged. “If you figure everyone has been going in and grabbing what they needed as it is, it doesn’t leave us with a lot. We honestly thought the power being out was only going to last a few days and, if not, a few weeks. We had no idea how bad it really was out there.”
“Well, shit. That puts us in a tough position.”
It was the last thing she wanted to hear.
They could easily compensate for not having canning supplies.
Given how late in the summer it was, dehydrating food was always a good alternative to canning.
Without any produce to preserve, though, they would have to start from scratch.
She loved how generous her parents were, but now they had to think about their own future.
It was going to take a lot of work to regrow everything, and they couldn’t have the villagers pilfering it as they went.
Convincing her parents that they needed to move the operation, though, was going to take some work.
At the moment, they didn’t have the luxury of time.
They needed to start working right away.
Her mother’s indecision and unwillingness to see what was happening around them was going to have to wait.
Mauve could be as mean as she wanted, just as long as she stayed out of the way.
Her mind quickly jumped to the first task.
There was so much to do. She didn’t have time to dwell on her mother’s feelings.
“I know there’s not much we can do about the harvest itself, but I’m hoping you have some good news for me about the seeds. Are we going to have enough to replant and grow something before winter kicks in?”
“I don’t know about getting it done before the winter. Right now, we have an abundance of seeds that should give us a good start. I think it would be a good idea to get started on replanting as soon as possible, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
Veronica nodded. “That’s the basic idea in my mind, but we’re going to end up having to set up a greenhouse inside and cultivate only what we need. If we can make it a little extra in order to barter with other people around, that will be even better for us.”
“I don’t know how you’re feeling about it or what you’re thinking, but it might be a good idea to set everything up in the three seasons room.
I think it would be perfect for getting something going as a greenhouse, and it wouldn’t be too difficult to set up a wood stove to help keep everything growing, even in the winter.
It already has one in there, come to think of it,” Bryson said.
“You’re absolutely right. The three seasons room would be perfect for setting up a small greenhouse, and it would give us easy access to take care of the plants we put in there.”
“Sounds good to me. I’ll get started on taking care of the entire room right away. If everything is as bad as you say it’s going to be, then I don’t want to waste a minute of time.”
“What about Mom?” Veronica asked. “She’s determined not to hear what I have to say. What is she going to think about you turning her sunroom into a greenhouse for wartime?”
“Don’t worry about your mother; I’ll talk to her in a bit. Why don’t you and Conner head to the barn and store the bike? I bet he’d love to have a hand with chores. The tank out there is full, too. Water’s nice and hot in the gravity tank for a shower,” Luka said.
Veronica chuckled. “It’s good to be home. Mind sending Bella out when she’s all settled?”
“You got it, and kiddo, we sure are happy you made it back to us,” Luka said. “I didn’t doubt you for a single second.”