97 - Went inside the preppers' school.
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The other day I was clearing blackberry brambles,
getting ready to dig another hole in the woods
behind the old school. It's not a school anymore
of course, because it's been some kind of prepper
fortress for a while now. I'm near where the
tether-ball poles are, and I spot these two little
gnomes playing, chucking something against the
wall. When I see it's somebody's wallet, I shoo
them away and have a look. And when I find the
drivers' license, I'm shocked to see it's Lee's.
I remember that guy. Our kids used to play
together sometimes, before he went all in on the
prepper stuff. They're still all holed up inside
this very school for all I know, with all their
guns and traps and supplies and whatever.
Although preppers tend to quit over time, so maybe
not. I wonder sometimes how many are actually
left in there by now.
That's when I see the back door to the school's
gym is open a crack, there by the tether-ball
poles. That gives me a bad feeling from somewhere.
Because preppers don't just leave doors ajar.
I go to peek inside, but it's dark and there's an
awful smell. And the sound of buzzing flies. I
slip in and around the metal shelves with all
their cans. Then I see it over by far wall, in
just the light from the door cutting the
gloom. Three small figures lying on the floor in a
row together, and a bigger one slumped against the
wall. And there's that dark splatter behind its
head, and then I know what this is. Seeing it all,
I want to sob, or vomit, or something, but nothing
comes. Just that old anguish crushing on my chest
again is all I get. So I just back away to the
door. And I know my scruples are leaking but I
grab a few cans of soup on my way out. We need
them more then they do, now.
When I get back outside, the gnomes are still
gone. The sun comes out and the air is clear, but
there's that funny feeling, like how the shape of
everything doesn't seem the same as it was just a
minute ago, and you walk like you just landed on a
new planet or something. But the wind is picking
up, and the ring on the end of that tether-ball
chain is rattling against the pole. And it sounds
like its the only thing in the world. Ching,
ching-ching, ching.
