Stories

It's mid-February, and I’ve decorated the house with heart decorations. I check my bug-out supplies weekly and it seems that I add things every time I check. I’ll need to sign up a pack of sled dogs to get the wagon out of the house. Bugging out may be more imminent...

I haven’t written in nearly a month. At first, it was because the weather was good and I was doing chores, spending time outside, and gathering with friends. But about mid-January, Ken lost his oldest daughter. She had gotten sick with a cough and fever and nothing...

Speaking of hacks, I’m finding that necessity is truly the mother of invention. I stored a full shoulder bag of toilet paper, each roll in a zip lock, and put it in the bug-out wagon. I knew that if someone got sick, we would need them. I am using bandanas and...

I woke before the sun. this was day three after the event, but it felt like a lifetime. The floor was bitterly cold and yes, in spite of my admonition to myself to never go barefoot, here I was with my painted toenails trying to levitate off the icy tiles. I turned on...

The meeting was both lively and somber, by turns. Ken brought his crank radio and we tried to listen for any news of what had happened. Every station was static. Even when there were words behind the static, we could not understand anything. We discussed supplies,...

I lay still for what seemed too long and then gently reached for Molly. In the quiet, the rapping noise repeated. I checked the chamber and headed quietly to the front door. All the blinds were down, between the double-pained glass, so I couldn’t see anything. This...

My biggest concern was drinking water. I had a drinking straw that filtered the water, but I knew it had a limited filter. It would last me a while, though, and this would give me time to figure out how to manage this need. I could see home when I finally had to stop...

As I headed down the stairs by the light of my flashlight, I fought back tears. “This is it,” I thought. “What is life going to be like now?” By the time I reached the street, I was determined to get home by dark. No more tears-there was no time. I chose a fast pace,...

I slept amazingly well, in spite of the hard floor. I did, however, wake before the morning light. I had to pee so I quietly crept out the office door, into the hall, and to the bathroom. My flashlight revealed that all the toilet bowls had been flushed. “Shoot!” It...