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Arthur snorted and a grin lit up his face. “Then you’re raising smart ones too.”
“I hope so.” Tessa smiled, glad he’d warmed up a bit after the quiet rest of dinner.
“I hear you want some popsicles.” Sally pushed back her chair. Mason and Emily popped their heads around the doorframe to the kitchen and nodded.
“Alright you little devils.” Sally laughed as she hobbled out of the room. “There’s six left and you can have the whole box, but eat them outside on the porch so they don’t drip all over the floor.”
The kids thanked Sally over and over again as she went with them outside and closed the sliding glass door. Their excitement made Tessa happy, but her face fell when she turned to see Arthur staring at her again.
She twisted her hands together under the table. “About last night, I didn’t mean to be rude to you. It all kind of caught me off guard and I couldn’t believe that would happen up here. I know there is a huge problem with meth addicts in the area, but our hill always seemed so safe. Thank you for your help though. Did you go report the shooting to the police?”
“The police?” Arthur smirked. “Do you really think they’re going to care after all they are dealing with now? That’s two less tweakers they have to worry about. If you’re feeling guilty, let it go. Things are going to get much worse very soon.”
“Do you really think so?” She took her napkin and swept the crumbs from where Emily had sat into a neat pile on the oak table to give her hands something to do. With the way he was talking, she didn’t want to make him upset and so she fed into the craziness. He’d killed two people last night like it was nothing. Change of plans. You go to the cops after you pick up Landon tomorrow.
“Unfortunately, I do.” Arthur sighed as he leaned back in his chair. “But I don’t think you are grasping the seriousness of what is happening right now. Those punks were opportunists. They weren’t even hungry yet. In a few days when the food runs out, you’re going to see what humans are truly capable of.”
Tessa shook her head. “They’ve got shelters set up to provide for everyone in town. It’s not like they’ll just let them starve.”
“You’re not understanding this. Those shelters are filling up by the minute. Where are they going to get the food to feed everyone for the next few months? There’s not a city in America that has enough food on hand to feed the population for more than three days. Most households don’t have enough food to last two weeks. And I can guarantee there’s even less that store enough water to last longer than a week once the pipes run dry.” Arthur paused and gave her a pointed look, waiting for this all to sink in. “But I’m curious to know why you didn’t take the kids to the shelter. How much water do you have?”
“We didn’t need the help.” Tessa bit her lip. She knew that the water was an issue. “Like I said, if you need some water, I can share it. I wasn’t thinking when I filled both the tubs and a few five-gallon buckets and all the jugs in the house.” She was rambling but she couldn’t stop, “I was worried about the kids and making sure we had enough. For some reason, I thought it might shut off with the power immediately but I didn’t think about it being gravity fed and what that might mean for you. I’ll stop in the subdivision tomorrow and see if their water is still flowing so we can fill up some extra buckets if you need it and don’t want to take it from me.”
Arthur stared above her head, mouthing silent numbers, before he returned his attention to her. “So, you have about twenty-eight days of water give or take, all depending on how you use it. How much food do you have?”
The question suddenly felt dangerous after everything he’d just said and Tessa froze, wide-eyed. He may be her neighbor, he may have helped her last night, but she didn’t really know this man who was so flippant about killing people in her yard.
“Enough for my kids,” she whispered as she stood from the chair.
“Sit down.” Arthur folded his arms over his chest. “I’m not going to take your food. I’m just trying to figure out if you’re too prideful or too stupid to not go to the shelter.”
“I’m sorry.” Tessa took a step back. “Would that make you stupid too? Sure you can shoot, but what if you break a hip or something with no way to call an ambulance?”
“What did you say?” Arthur’s deep chested laughter filled the room.
Her cheeks were bright red and she lowered her face. “I didn’t mean it as an insult. I… I’m really worried about everything and if something happens to you or Sally, I don’t know how I can help you when it’s just me and the kids. When Landon comes home tomorrow, I think we should all get together and come up with a plan for how to get through the next few weeks or however long it takes to get the power back on.”
His expression turned somber, the laughter dying like a snuffed flame. “Humor me for a second, how much food do you have?”
“Enough for three to four weeks.” She didn’t mention the cases of MREs she found in the garage. She was only humoring him after all. “Why do you need to know?”
“It’s a start.” He pushed himself away from the table. “And do you have something more than that frilly pink pistol?”
“Landon might…” Her voice trailed off. Where is he going with this?
Arthur nodded, hearing what she didn’t say, and headed to the strange door bordered with mosaic tiles in the middle of the living room. “Come with me. I think it’s time you learn exactly how real this is.”
Tessa hesitated at the top stair as she held open the door. “You have a basement in Southern California?”
He grunted in response and walked into the darkness below. There was an audible click and an electric lantern cast an eerie glow on the steps, illuminating the dust particles as they flew around the stagnant air. She leaned back to look through the kitchen and the sliding glass door. Emily’s chin was dyed blue from the popsicle and she was tucked beneath Sally’s arm while Mason showed off his ninja skills to the two of them. She didn’t want to tear them away from their fun, but when Arthur’s deep voice called out, “Are you coming or not?” she almost ran.
If he was going to murder you, why would he help save you the other night? She inhaled deeply as she took the next step.
“Took you long enough,” Arthur grumbled as he fidgeted with the dials of a device that looked like a police scanner on top of the folding card table under the lantern that hung from the ceiling. His back was turned to her so she took a quick look around the cellar. Metal shelves like the ones in his garage were packed to the top with plastic storage containers. The entire shelf at the back of the small room was filled with glass jars that reflected the light of the lantern. She took another step forward to better read the meticulously handwritten labels on the containers.
Gauze and tourniquets. Misc. medical supplies. Batteries. Water purification. Cold weather survival…
“Calling Whiskey-Alpha-6-Hotel-Bravo-Kilo, this is November-Alpha-6-Echo. I repeat…” Tessa jumped at the sound of Arthur’s commanding voice as he spoke into the handset speaker and she backed away from the snooping position she’d wandered into.
