Chapter 7

When I pulled into the truck stop, there were several pickups sitting in front and they were all locals. I had seen most of them before. When I looked over at the blockade, they were setting up the kind of lights they used on construction sites. They had an ADOT truck with the back loaded down. From what I could see, there were at least ten people busy unloading and setting up.

I went inside and JB was working again. I just nodded at him since he was checking out someone at the register. I went to the restaurant side and was immediately greeted by several of the ranchers who were sitting around drinking coffee. Zeke and the guys were in line to get coffee so I joined them. He told the girl behind the counter that I was getting all their orders so she should be collecting from me. She looked at me and I just shrugged at which she just smiled. I ordered a large coffee and a breakfast burrito, and paid the bill. I joined Zeke and the guys at a table in the corner and noticed that both the guys were already eating. Zeke was sipping coffee and looking at me as he ate. Whatever he was thinking, he never voiced it so I relaxed and ate my burrito. When we were all finished, the guys wandered off talking to the other people around us. Zeke and I got refills for our coffee and went outside to the table there so we could smoke after our meal.

"Thom, the cave on your place is gonna be a big surprise when you finally decide to explore it. Ira's family kinda took it over and made a bomb shelter out of it. It goes into those walls a long ways and there is a large freshwater lake at the end of the tunnel. It was an old mine and when Ira went crazy with the dynamite, he caved in the entrance on the backside. It used to lead out to the alkali flats towards Steins. That's where the light he saw came from. The rest of it has been blasted or picked out of solid rock. There is a huge cavern by the lake and it was set up with everything needed to survive in the event of a catastrophe. His family used to believe all the hype about nuclear war and all that. Anyway, just before the cavern entrance, they had it closed off with the huge double doors made out of steel that was supposed to withstand a bomb. The wiring should still be there to set up a generator to run lights and everything else to survive. I went in there with Ira 'bout five years ago before the slide that covered the entrance. It all looked like it was ready for occupancy. There is a natural chimney that sucks out smoke and odors; they mounted a fan to it to exhaust the cavern. There are also lights, bunks, storage shelves. I think if I remember correctly, there are still tons of civil defense rations, blankets, pillows and everything you would ever want to survive. That stuff never spoils the way it was packed back then. Just me and Ira know about it and since he went back east before this happened, I guess you and I are the only ones that know now. Thom, if it was me, I would clear those snakes out and use it in case this gets as bad as I think it's gonna get. I listened to the radio last night and people are dying off by the thousands. This thing is spreading and the death rate is rising from this so called virus. There are millions of these re-animations wandering around attacking anything that's still alive. The weird thing is that they only attack humans and don't seem to bother the animals. People are either running from the bigger cities or holing up trying to survive the attacks from these things. Mexico has already had over a million people die and come back to life. It is now worldwide and still going strong. We have been lucky here, but it's only a matter of time before some group that's running will try to take what we have. Then it's gonna get down and dirty, and you and a few of us old timers are gonna be the only ones who have the guts to do what's needed. Hell, believe it or not half the people in this little burg don't even own a gun. Most of the ones we old timers have are over twenty years old. Well, thanks for breakfast. I need to round up the guys and get back to my place. I heard we are having a town meeting tonight with a free meal. Now that I ain't gonna miss. I will talk to you again and keep you up to date."