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  While she was sitting in the bus waiting she had been rubbing the decontamination glove all over herself and the gear, but she couldn’t reach her boots very well. He motioned her over to the side where Davis had been standing when they sprayed him, and she noticed then that they had a garbage bag taped to form a low barrier across the floor a few feet in front of the bus coming off the inside of the column. It made a triangle area and she stood inside of it while he sprayed her down, he even had her lift each foot, she watched as the liquid ran down her suit and down the concrete slap under the bus. The barrier was blocking it from running over the rest of the patio. She couldn’t really see the Green Berets face through the mask but from what she could tell he looked fairly young, he couldn’t be much older than her, but he had a harder look to him.

  He directed her to the person that was now standing at the door. This Green Beret was standing in front of a curtain leading inside that was constructed of garbage bags. He held out an open garbage bag and told her to take her MOPP suit, boots and gloves and put them in the bag but leave her mask and its carrying bag on. She couldn’t really see his face at all, he was constantly scanning the area, watching what everyone else was doing. He was quick with his movements and she got a distinct impression from his eyes that he was of Asian background. She carefully took off her MOPP over boots, then jacket and gloves and dropped them in the bag that he was holding, then her MOPP pants. She told him, as she removed the MOPP gear, that they were at MOPP level 2 when the vapor came down and she added that all of the soldiers were except for the Drill Instructors.

  He looked over at Hot Mess Hanson like he was saying yea right. Then he motioned for her to go through the curtain. Once inside there was a fifth Green Beret and he handed her a garbage bag and pointed to a chair that was covered in another garbage bag and told her to to take all of her boots and clothes off except for her undergarments and mask and put them in the bag and then tie the bag and carry it with her. He had a deep southern voice and bright green eyes that immediately caught her attention. She said, “Sure thing, but I usually like dinner and a movie first.” He kind of did a double take and she could tell he was suddenly smiling behind his mask by just looking in his eyes. She suddenly felt stupid for making a flirtatious joke in this situation, she didn’t know what she was thinking. She quickly started removing her clothes, she knew this wasn’t a situation to move slow in. She kind of felt like she was back at reception when they were first processed in. Go here, take that off, do push-ups. At least they weren’t yelling at her and making her do push-ups like the Drill Instructors.

  Once she was undressed the same Green Beret with green eyes lead her back to the kitchen area. There were several workers dressed in white uniforms of the kitchen staff on the far side of the kitchen sitting in chairs. Several of them were crying and hugging each other. Directly inside the kitchen was another door and he took her in there. There were three showers and several lockers and benches, it looked like an employee locker room. He took her bag and told her there was soap in the shower and to wash with hot water head to toe two times. She asked what about my undergarments? She could just see his eyebrow go up inside of his mask and he looked her body over. She was 5’4 and at 22 years old she was filled out in all of the right places. She blushed and didn’t wait for his answer, she just got in the shower and removed them and draped her socks, panties and bra over the curtain. She was still wearing her gas mask and she said, what about my gas mask? His voice sounded different, less muffled like he had taken his mask off when he said she could take it off now and rinse it with the soap and water, just be careful not to get any water in the filter, then hand it out to him. She did as he told her, then started washing in the hot water including washing her hair after she took it down.

  She stood there dripping for a second after she turned the water off and he draped a towel over the shower curtain. She took it down and dried off then put her underclothes back on. When she came out he had his back to her, he was placing her bag in the back corner of the room. She asked, “What am I supposed to wear?” He turned around and looked at her and said, “What’s wrong with that?” She laughed and said, “Well it is kinda hot in here.” Just then the door opened and Rebecca came in and the lights went out.

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  Chapter 3

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  16 December 2020 (Continued)

  Douglasville, GA

  Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand Sam got up and headed for the bathroom. Out of old habit she turned the water on in the sink and was shocked when it started to run. She quickly shut it off and went to get her water test strips. She ran the water over the strip and it showed the water to be safe. She knew it wasn’t safe to drink the water, but at least she could get clean. It was starting to get cold out but at this point even a cold shower would feel nice. Better than washing in the muddy stream! Sam pulled down the corner of the bag taped to the window to let some light in the room and then she completely stripped and took her hair down. She saw there was still shampoo in the shower and decided she could just use that, but she didn’t want to use the perfumed body soap that was in the shower. Opening the small cabinet next to the sink she found towels and bar soap in a box.

  She turned the shower on and stepped in. The cold water was shocking! She quickly wet herself and then turned it off. She didn’t want to waste the water, just in case it was limited. She then quickly shampooed her hair and washed her body then rinsed and did it again. Stepping out of the shower and drying off she checked her body over. She thought to herself, well I’ve finally lost those nagging pounds I could never seem to get rid of! But she knew it was no laughing matter. Her ribs were sticking out and her limbs were way too thin. Even her hips looked overly thin. But now that she found some food, maybe she would fill back out and not be so tired all of the time. Sam also knew that the food she found wouldn’t last her long enough to get back to Texas. She squeezed the water out of her hair and looked at herself in the mirror again as she brushed the wet strands out. Her eyes didn’t look as bad as yesterday so maybe the food and sleep helped a little.

  Heading back out to the bedroom Sam opened the top dresser drawer and took out a pair of black cotton panties. The pants were hanging on her thin frame but at least they were clean. She dug around and found a black cotton sports bra and put that on as well. The long white socks in the drawer looked like they would be comfortable with her boots so she took out several pair and threw on the bed to replace the dirty ones in her pack. At least with the end of the world she didn’t have to worry about doing laundry, there always seemed to be plenty of clothes to loot. As she unrolled the socks to put them on she noticed something drop to the floor.

  Inside the rolled-up sock someone had hidden a small key. She picked it up and looked at it and looked around the room. It looked like a key to a strong box or a safe, so maybe there was one hidden somewhere. She placed the key on the top of the dresser and finished getting dressed. T-shirt from the second drawer and then into the stinky closet to see if there were jeans that would fit her. The women's jeans were baggy and a bit long but her belt would keep them up and her combat boots would keep them from dragging the ground. She then found a flannel shirt on the man’s side and put that on and rolled up the sleeves. Twisting her hair, she put it back up into a tight bun and added her knife to her belt.

  Looking around she decided the first order would be to find a litter box for Lucky and get the stink out of the closet! Before long, it would make the whole room smell! Sam moved the dresser over just enough to open the door. She cracked the door and looked out in the hallway to make sure it was empty. Silently moving into the hallway, she checked throughout the house again to confirm no one had come in during the night. She was also looking for signs of cat stuff. Full search of the house and no cat stuff. It didn’t look like the owners of this house had any animals at all. Knowing cops, they probably spent most of their time working. At le
ast her mom had let her have a cat when she was growing up. Sam felt sorry for the kids who were in those bedrooms if they didn’t have any pets.

  Sam took a look out of the broken back door; the sun was high in the sky and shining down through the trees making a dappled pattern on the leaves. It was completely quiet, she had seen any wild life since N-day. She had hopes and believed that the wild life would make a comeback eventually, maybe even faster than people. She missed the sound of the birds and even the insects. Of course, roaches survived.... she shuddered just thinking about the roaches. Looking around the back yard she noticed a rather large shed in the back corner of the property that she had overlooked the night before. She pulled out her Bowie knife and walked over to the shed. There was a tall privacy fence that ran just inches from the side of the shed and down the side of the property, turning and then connecting with the side of the house just in front of the second bathroom window. The back side and other side of the back yard was all thick trees with barely enough room to squeeze through them.

  Peeking in the window she could see that it was a tool shed and work room. There was a work bench along one wall and various shovels and axes and other tools hanging on pegs. She checked the door knob and discovered it was locked. Sam took the tip of her Bowie knife and stuck it in the door next to the handle and popped the door open. This was a trick Tom had taught her, some weak flimsy doors were easy to open this way. Sam stepped up into the building and looked around. There were panels of plywood stacked up against the wall opposite the work bench that looked like they would be big enough to cover the gaping hole of the back door. She pondered covering it, but if she did anyone that looked would be able to tell that someone was in the house. But on the other hand, it would make it harder for them to get inside. But how would she secure it? She continued her search of the room and located a nail gun inside of a metal cabinet that used small gas canisters just like the one her dad has. A slight frown flicked across her face as she worried about her dad and then she moved on, she had to believe that her family was alright.

  There were also boxes of nails in different sizes. Finding the shortest ones, which were 2” she checked the gun to make sure they would work and she stacked those together with the gun on the work bench. She would come back and get them when she was ready to close it up. Looking through the cabinet she also found an electric lantern and was surprised that it worked when she turned it on. She looked at the cabinet and saw each shelf was lined with thin carpet. She realized the metal cabinet must have worked as a Faraday cage, so anything electric that was inside should not have been affect by the EMP. Glancing around she was trying to see what was up in the lofts over each end of the building but most of the stuff was in boxes and closed up tubs and it was darker near the roof. On top of one of the tubs was a rectangular bag that looked like a tent bag. Hopeful of finding some camping gear, Sam took a ladder that was hanging on the wall and leaned it up into the loft. Once at the top, the loft was barely high enough for her to stand bent over at the very middle of the curved roof. Looking at the bag she saw it was a tent and the tub underneath it, the lid was labeled camping. Jack pot!

  Moving the tent out of the way she lifted the lid and looked inside. There was a propane camp stove sitting on top and 4 sealed bottles of propane underneath it and a 5th one that looked like it had been used. She could have hot food tonight and boil some drinking water! She wouldn’t need to worry about gathering wood and starting a fire. She put the lid back on and looked around to see what else was useful. There were a few light summer sleeping bags and she grabbed two and threw them down. It was going to start getting very cold soon and the thermal bags would be a great benefit. There were some fold up chairs and a small fold up stool. There was also a fold up camping table. There was another tub labeled camping and when she opened that she saw camping dishes and a pot and a pan. She decided she would take that too and go through it in the house where she could see better. In the back corner she could see four smaller boxes stacked up but she couldn’t get the them without removing the tubs first.

  Looking at the shaky ladder and the big plastic tubs she considered what would happen if she were to fall and break something, including herself! She lifted the first tub and decided if she were careful, she could probably slide it down the ladder since it wasn’t too heavy. The second tub felt a little heavier but what other choice did she have other than dropping it and risking stuff breaking or making a loud noise that would attract attention if anyone heard it..so that was out of the question. Carefully she climbed onto the ladder and stepped down one rung and then she pulled the tub around and took another step down, supporting the tub with her head and one hand on the side. The ladder started leaning off to the side and she felt the tub start to slip. She quickly took the last few steps down the ladder and once both of her feet were on the floor and she was able to grab the tub with both hands and the ladder settled straight.

  That could have been a catastrophe! She looked back up at the other tub and decided maybe she should empty half of it out to make it easier to carry down. She took the tub in her hands to the house and put everything on the bed then carried the tub back to the shed. She started transferring the stuff and was happy to see they were the durable metal camp plates and cups and even a camp coffee pot. That would make boiling the water easier. She transferred all of the dishes and pans and looked at what was left. There was salt and pepper and several metal canisters marked coffee, sugar and creamer. She had never been a big coffee drinker until after she joined the Army, now she was thrilled to see coffee. She pulled the coffee canister out and opened it. It was full to the top. She took a sniff of the grounds and couldn’t wait to make a pot!

  She couldn’t believe how much she was finding here in this house that was sitting just on the outskirts of Atlanta. But at the same time, she wasn’t too surprised, these were the same things she would find in her own home back in Texas. With that thought she remembered the boxes in the corner and pushed both tubs out of the way so she could see the boxes better. Well hot damn! They were MRE’s! Four boxes of Meals Ready to Eat. Which is what she ate after leaving Fort Jackson. She was happy to find them, she could save these for travel and eat the food she found in the house! Her Dad always made sure they had MRE’s when they went camping or out on hunting trips. So of course, they would be here too! Sam felt almost like she knew this family.

  Carefully she took the rest of the stuff down, it was a lot easier moving the half empty tubs. Once everything as down she hauled it all into the bedroom of the house, making several trips in and out of the house, including one to bring plywood and the nail gun. She was moving the camp dishes back to the other tub when she realized that the empty tub would make a good litter box. She had been so distracted by her other finds she almost forgot her original mission of finding a litter box! She could probably even cut a hole in the side of if it for when the kittens were big enough to climb in and use it.

  Carrying the tub back outside and taking a shovel from the shed she scooped some of the sandy dirt from under the side of the building into the tub and carried it back inside. Sam then took one of the garbage bags and turning it inside out she scooped up the pile of soiled clothes from the closet and put the tub where they had been. The tub was slightly rocky because of the edge of the rug, so she flipped the edge back and the tub sat down flat. She looked over at Lucky who was laid out nursing her litter of kittens. She stepped over and squatted down next to her. Very lightly she whispered, “Hey Lucky, can I look at your babies?” She cautiously reached out scratching lucky on the head. She then looked carefully at the litter of kittens. There were two gray striped, two white, and one black which was the runt. She lightly touched each kitten but didn’t pick them up. To her they looked like little blind mice with their rounded ears flat on their heads and their eyes still sealed shut, especially the white ones, but they were so precious and so peaceful.

  She got back up and carried the bag into the bathroom and gathered h
er dirty clothes from the morning and threw them away as well. She also emptied the bathroom garbage can and considered what a mundane task she was doing. She tied up the bag and placed it in the garbage can outside. She then turned around and looked at the large 55-gallon garbage can. She pulled the bag back out of the can and hauled the can into the house. She would clean it out and fill it up with water. Just because the water wasn’t off yet didn’t mean it wouldn’t go off. She then went back and stuffed the garbage bag under the shed, she didn’t want to leave evidence of her occupancy outside!

  Her stomach started rumbling so she decided she would eat something before taking on her next project. She looked at her food crates and decided peanut butter and saltine crackers for lunch. She opened the jar and just scooped the peanut butter out with the crackers. While she ate she looked around the bedroom. Once she sealed up the back door there wasn’t any reason to keep to just this bedroom but she knew she would feel safer if she did. She could set a folding table under the window and crack it open to vent the room when she used the propane stove. She knew it wasn’t safe to use it the house, but it was a lot safer to deal with a few fumes than taking the chance of some ruffian seeing the flames.

  Once she was done eating she went back out to the shed and got the folding camp table down and the fold up stool and one of the chairs. She might as well make the large master bedroom comfortable for herself! She looked around the shed to see if there was anything else she might need and saw a big hammer, she knew it wouldn’t be a good idea to hammer anything because of the loud noise it would make but she might need to pry nails out. She carried it all inside and then got to work securing the plywood over the back door.