Free When A Plan Comes Together by Jerry D. Young Page A

surveyed for survivors, and useful items, the family simply stayed at home and concentrated on maintaining their situation. They’d found no survivors, but had managed to collect quite a bit of salvage that they would use themselves, or, hopefully, be able to trade away, if they ever contacted other survivors.
     
    Rex had held off hooking up the communications gear to the outside antennas, fearful of another EMP or nuke attack, instead using one of the windup combo units to listen for other survivors. Finally, still having heard nothing on that radio, not even on the NOAA frequencies, he decided to try the amateur radio set up Jay had put together. None of the family was licensed, not even Jay, but Rex decided that the lack of a license was unimportant.
     
    He spent the time he wasn’t working, sleeping, or eating scanning the bands on the radio. He was ecstatic at hearing the occasional voice, but he was unable to contact any of those he heard, at least initially.
     

CHAPTER SIX
     
    As fall passed into early winter, Rex made contact with an amateur that had survived in Upstate New York. Then he found three in the Ozark Plateau region. Slowly, day by day, week by week, a small radio network was organized, with regularly scheduled contact times and frequencies.
     
    Always in the back of his mind was the possibility of hearing from his father, since Jay had already used the resources of Amateur Radio Operators to get a message to the family. But as the months passed and the long winter turned finally to spring, there was still no word.
     
    It was at that time that Dave Monroe showed up on the family’s doorstep. Rex was using the garden tiller on the front yard, creating more garden space. Not only were they going to need the food themselves, they wanted a surplus for trade. There was a farmer not too far out of town that finally found the Amateur Radio Network and offered meat in trade for root vegetables, like potatoes, carrots, onions, and turnips. Soup and stew vegetables that would store well. Also corn and soup beans of several varieties. The Jones would get rabbit, chicken, and goat in return.
     
    Rex’s hand went to the pistol on his hip when he looked up and saw a man walking up the street toward them. His clothes were torn and dirty, but the rifle he carried over one shoulder looked clean and ready for use. Rex noted the signs of Dave having suffered through a serious bout of radiation poisoning. His former head of carefully coiffed hair was gone almost completely. Only a few long strands remained.
     
    “Rex! My boy! You did make it through!”
     
    “Yes, Mr. Monroe. I see you did, too.”
     
    “Where is your lovely mother and equally lovely sister?”
     
    “I’m right here,” Kathy said. She lifted the barrel of the rifle up as she came out of the house. It had been trained on Dave from the time he’d first spoken, before she recognized him.
     
    “You look fit. Everyone been getting plenty to eat?” Dave asked, walking past Rex and up to the front porch of the house, where Kathy stood.
     
    “We’re doing okay,” Kathy replied. She made no move to set the gun down or invite Dave inside.
     
    “Wish I could say the same. I came back to make sure you and the kids were okay, and take care you, since Jay is out of the picture.”
     
    “Jay isn’t out of the picture,” Kathy said coldly. Remembering Roxie telling her how she felt when Dave looked at her, and the way she felt herself, Kathy had no intention of letting Dave become part of the family.
     
    “We’re doing okay for ourselves until Dad gets home.” Roxie spoke from behind her mother.
     
    “Why don’t we discuss it over lunch?” Dave said, looking at his watch. “I’m sure you can spare a bite for an old friend. One that has your best interests at heart.” He took one step up toward the porch, but Kathy stood where she was. She noted the watch on Dave’s wrist. She’d looked for watches once as a present for Jay and