EMP Post-Apocalyptic Survival by Hunt, James (acx book reading .TXT) 📗

At first glance, Jane could immediately tell that all of them had been in prison. Despite Buford’s claim that these weren’t violent offenders, each of them had a hardness to them that suggested otherwise. It was the kind of people Jane remembered seeing around her growing up. But whether or not they could back up those tough glances remained to be seen.

“Lester, Jane, Danny,” Buford said. “These are the guys.” He gestured to the fifteen men who remained scattered in the woods.

Most of the prisoners still wore their prison jumpsuits, but Buford had somehow managed to score some clothing along the journey.

“I hope you’re not attached to those uniforms,” Jane said. “Because I don’t expect them to do you much good for what we have planned.”

“What we have planned?” one of the inmates said. “I don’t remember agreeing to any plan.”

“Take it easy, Jimmy,” Buford said.

Jimmy was a bruiser of a man, complete with a fat shaved head, shoulders the size of boulders, and a barrel of a midsection, complemented by a pair of tiny, beady eyes, that made him look like a henchman from a comic book.

“That’s what we’re here to discuss,” Buford said. “I’ve caught the boys up to speed, but we think we have a more aggressive approach to getting things done.”

“Yeah,” Jimmy said. “We go in and take over the fucking place.” He laughed, and it triggered more chuckles from the rest of the crew.

“That’s not the option we’re going with,” Lester said, standing his ground, which immediately put Jimmy and the rest of the goons on the defensive. “We’re working on trying to make a play for control, and the only way to do that is to make sure that we’re not the bad guys.”

“You do realize everybody here was recently imprisoned, right?” Jimmy asked. “If you wanted a bunch of good guys, you should have recruited the local precinct.”

Jane could tell this was a situation that would only become more volatile the longer they remained out here, so she stepped in to help. “Taking the facility by force is out of the question,” Jane said. “We are living in a world where if you want to control people, you need to have their trust. And breaking down someone’s front door isn’t the way they were going to earn their trust.”

“We do it their way, or we don’t do it all,” Buford said. “Nobody is forcing anybody to be here. If you don’t like the deal, you can always walk away.”

The group was silent for a little while, mulling over the options before tiny-eyed Jimmy stepped forward and started making threats. “And why would we listen to anything you have to say?” Jimmy asked. “What’s to stop us from marching past you and taking what we want.”

Buford stepped forward. “Me. Do I make myself clear?”

Jimmy stood his ground for only a few minutes before he retreated. The rest of the inmates Buford had brought with him followed suit, and now that everyone was under control, Buford turned to his oldest son.

“We will follow your lead on this,” Buford said. “Whatever you think is best.”

Jane found it curious that Buford was so willing to agree to whatever demands they had set forth, but it appeared that his loyalty to Lester and Danny bought him some goodwill where before he’d had none. But what Buford would use that goodwill for Jane needed to find out. And she needed to find out before Buford destroyed her family.

9

Nancy did a recount of the number of bodies they had at the facility. Sixteen women had followed them from the women’s clinic when she and Sarah were searching for medicine for Kurt and Susan’s baby. All of the portables at the facility were already taken. And after Nancy and Sarah had spoken with everybody who currently occupied those portables, nobody was comfortable in continuing to share their limited space.

“Those tents aren’t going to do them any good once it starts getting cold and rainy,” Sarah said, staring out at the field of tents they had set up. The facility had a stash of camping gear they had managed to use and set up as a temporary fix for all the extra people. But everyone was growing tired of the temporary housing, and she and Nancy had been tasked with finding a permanent solution.

“Well, until people are comfortable with having some roommates, I don’t know how we are going to change that,” Nancy said. “I’m not exactly the construction aficionado.”

“Building some habitable housing doesn’t have to be fancy or extravagant,” Sarah said. “I did some work with Habitat for Humanity for my engineering degree. So long as people are open to the interpretation for the word house, I think we could make something work with materials we find from the city.”

“Could you really make something like that work?” Nancy asked.

Sarah remained focused on the field of tents where the women were currently idle. She cocked her jaw to the side and chewed on the inside of her cheek. “I’m not sure we have much of a choice. If people continue to get antsy and uncomfortable in this place, then the mood will become volatile. The last thing we need is another coup on our hands.”

“Doesn’t Habitat for Humanity have people help them build the houses that they’re going to live in?” Nancy asked.

Sarah nodded. “Yeah, and I thought our new friends could pitch in.”

Nancy had been watching some of the women they had brought back. They were very timid, small things. They looked incredibly weak and fragile, but she wasn’t much different than them when she had first arrived here. It had taken time for her to grow into the skills she now possessed. And with a little time and training, those women could do the same.

“Well,” Nancy said. “I guess we need to go deliver the good news.”

Sarah laughed. “Hopefully, they won’t see it as forced, unpaid labor.”

“They might not say anything,” Nancy said. “But I plan