Lockey vs. the Apocalypse by Meadows, Carl (7 ebook reader TXT) 📗

“It’s nice at the lodge,” she said into the quiet, “but there are so many young people here, I think I’d like to come here myself. There’s a lot I can teach them, I think, and these young people have to face a future in this new world.”

God damn it. The logic was sound. Norah has so many useful skills and an absolute trove of knowledge for simple living. Having her pass that wisdom on to the younger ones here makes so much sense it’s painful. She’s in her early sixties, so people with her kind of knowledge need to pass it on, just as Mark does. He could teach one of the older kids his skills as well as passing that knowledge to Charlie.

So, we were left with just the three of us. Me, Nate, and Alicia. I’d already placed my marker, so all eyes were on Alicia.

“I’m still learning,” she said. “For the moment, I need to be where Nate is and continue that. It’s a skill that needs to be passed on.”

So, I was almost right. I called Alicia wanting to stay in Nate’s shadow, and the other four wanting to move. Norah had been the wild card I hadn’t considered, but I should have. With all the kids here and her natural maternal instincts, I shouldn’t be surprised she wanted to surround herself with young people and pass on her wisdom and knowledge to the new generation. Can’t argue with that.

It does leave me a little concerned though that the three top tier shooters from the lodge are all unconfirmed at the minute. Basically, it’s all Nate. If he moves, so do me and Alicia. If he stays at the lodge, so do we.

“Hey Charlie,” I said. “When you move here, will you look after Particles for me for a while?”

“Yeah, course I will Lockey,” he said. “But aren’t you going to come here? It won’t be the same without you.”

“In time, I’m sure,” I said, not knowing if that was true. “But until then, it might be best for him to live with you as I don’t want him left in the lodge on his own if the three of us are out and about. Can you do that for me?”

He leaned over, offering his fist. I obliged with the bump and subsequent theatrical finger explosion. And so, the ancient oath swearing of the exploding fist bump sealed our pact.

Obviously, we all came back to the lodge last night. Today the sorting of resources has begun and will continue for the next few days while everything is organised, vehicles packed, vehicles like the tanker and loader truck are moved, and sorting out what resources they take to the school. It’s pretty busy, so I probably might not write for a while.

Ooh, that’s a lie. We had a conversation about the cult nutters, but I’ll write that in the morning before we start the busy day of organising and packing. Right now, my heart is feeling a little heavy and the mood is a bit sombre in the lodge. There’s no real excitement as everyone digests the fact that our (relatively) happy little home is coming to an end. It’s a new start for many, and it means a growth in the community, but with just Nate, Alicia, and me here? Well, it will feel… empty. There’s been so many of us for a while and I’d gotten so used to it, I don’t know how I’ll feel.

Future Lockey’s problem. I’m a bit down, I’m tired, and while I still have him with me, I’m going to chill and snuggle down with my lucky pug.

I suppose for something new to begin, I guess we have to accept the end of what comes before. Not sure how long it will take me to accept this, though.

NOVEMBER 6th, 2010

SQUIRREL TURDS

Before I throw myself into the work of the day, I’ve risen early to summarise our discussions regarding these “Children of the Resurrection” that were about to cart Dean and the three kids off to their special asylum.

In short, they are loyal to someone calling himself the First Disciple, and they have a home base somewhere in the area with hundreds of people if the little group’s spokesman was to be believed. This place is called “Ascension” which just worries us right off the bat, because when people start throwing dramatic names like First Disciple, Children of the Resurrection, and Ascension around, you’re very unlikely to get anything resembling good sense out of them.

When Dean offered to be allies initially, they laughed at him and said they didn’t need to trade. He thinks they were going to take them back to wherever they were and possibly use them as slave labour, or maybe try and condition them to their way of thinking. From what the leader said to Dean – when his voice got all distant and his eyes got a faraway look in them – this First Disciple is their hope for humanity and wants to reclaim the world, building a new and better existence.

Sounds cool right?

But calling this bullshit the “Dark Resurrection” – which I’ll grant them does fit the uprising – and saying it was foreseen in prophecy by this First Disciple individual? That does not sound like a stable and rational leadership. It sounds like a cult.

Still, cults are always started and led by charismatic individuals, and those who buy into them are either vulnerable, lost, or just looking to be part of something. To get hundreds though, and to be well supplied with weapons and armoured vehicles, and have that many people all together at the end of the world? That implies preparation.

That last bit was Nate’s observation by the way, about the preparation. He’s right as well. We’ve cobbled together all the armaments we have mainly through good fortune and taking them from bad people who had them.