At the House a Few Weeks Later
Things were getting bad in town. The power was getting spotty, the violence was getting more widespread, the food was getting sparser and money was worth less. Owen and Daniel were over frequently to ‘train’ but soon it was apparent they felt safer here than their apartment in town. Finally, Veronica called a meeting with Violet, Derek and Gretchen to discuss some things.
“Larger groups can share the workload better and Owen and Daniel are in a real shitty position. I wanted to know what you guys thought about having them just move here. We have all the rooms in the basement and if we have all the other supplies pushed back into the big storage pantry down there, we can still keep some of our preparations private.”
“How would that work with your other plan of having Bron and Felicia move in here before we possibly leave?” Violet was the first to ask.
“I don’t know, but with their jobs, if they still exist, moving out to the range, I was thinking of asking if they wanted to come with us if we go west to Paige’s.” Veronica said, knowing this was another new idea she was broaching with the group.
Violet started thinking. Two more trained federal law enforcement officers could be a great addition to the group. They are already friends so it’s not like they were trying to add strangers just for their skillset. Four more people in the house. Granted, they would have the four mostly finished rooms downstairs available or they could use the den and the study but …Some big changes maybe.
“If they moved in, how would we know what secrets to share?” Derek asked.
“Short answer, none of them unless Violet or I tell you to. Don’t show them your primary pistols, don’t tell them you are carrying, don’t show them you large blades. At least not until we tell you they are to be told.” Veronica reiterated.
“So we still keep practicing with the pipes and trainers though?” Gretchen asked, wanting to not screw up.
“Yup, we keep practicing. One of the other things we need to do is start teaching Owen and Daniel some hunting and fishing. When we go west, everyone should be prepared to pull some weight in the gathering and preparing food.” Violet rejoined the conversation.
“If all of us are going, how are we getting there?” Derek asked, not for the first time.
“We are going to drive.” Violet answered.
“Speaking of that, we need to start planning fuel, food and everything else for that type of trip!” Veronica said.
Violet and Veronica were thinking of the preparations they had made for going to visit Paige and their parents. This would be similar, except, they didn’t know about fuel stops, food stops, food supplies when they got there, or any of a thousand different details. And they wouldn’t be coming back. All they could count on having was what they took with them. It was like the wagon trains of the old days.
“Derek, you’re pretty good with a wrench. Start looking over the vehicles and thinking anything we need to change, upgrade, replace, or bring extra of to keep them running. We also need to figure out some options for carrying more gas with us. You just got your homework. Work with Gretchen so she understands the thought process. She will probably have more good ideas to help. This will get you used to bouncing ideas between each other to make the whole a better product.” Veronica was feeling pretty good. It seemed the group took her suggestion in stride and was looking forward.
“Veronica, lets get some more hunting in. If we can stockpile some more meat, we can then trade it for staples or store it to take with us. We can use the hunt, along with the breaking down the carcass and processing the meat as teaching elements as well as providing food for our bellies in the future.” Violet added.
“So, it’s settled? We ask Owen and Daniel and Bron and Felicia to move in and go west with us?” Veronica asked the group. She looked at their faces. Nods all around.