Free A Distant Eden by Lloyd Tackitt

the flow.
    Jerry and Dave knew that this water couldn’t be consumed without being thoroughly treated. It contained surface runoff and would be full of pollution, not the least of which would be heavy metals and herbicides. Using the machete, they cut two saplings and trimmed them into poles. They tied a jug to the end of each of the poles and putting the poles over their shoulders worked their way back to the house. They did not intend to make this trip again in daylight and sincerely hoped that no one had seen them make this one. When they returned home, they set up a water processing system like Roman’s. They waited until dark to set up the solar evaporation stills, and did so out in the field away from the house in inconspicuous places, but places they could observe from the second story windows. They had no intention of doing anything that would make the house look inhabited; to the contrary, they intended to make the house looked abandoned and looted.
    The crawlspace below the house was accessible through a trapdoor behind the furnace, and it was through this door that Jerry and Dave looked down to survey their new home. They saw that they had a big job in front of them, but they also saw that it was doable. The first step would be to rearrange some of the below floor duct work in such a way that anyone looking down would have only a limited blocked view, and not be able to see what was really down there.
    They did not know how much time they would have before the first gangs started moving through the neighborhood, so they did the false-work first. They carpeted the inside of the closet where the crawlspace hatch was located so the trapdoor would not be visible to the casual observer. They rigged up two cardboard boxes filled with light items, and fastened them to the top of the hatch. When the hatch was dropped into place, the casual observer would not notice that there was a crawlspace hatch beneath the carpet and boxes. Finally, the trapdoor was fitted with a slide bolt so that it could be locked from below.
    With those preparations in place, they dug out the “living room.” The pit was four feet deep so that the adults could stand upright without hitting their heads on the overhead floor joists. It was twelve feet wide and fourteen feet long. Because hygiene was critical, the pit was lined so that they would not be in direct contact with the soil. Scavenging insulation from the attic, they placed this against the dirt. For a temporary lining they used a blue tarp that Jerry had, and then carried in mattresses, blankets, and pillows. The first night under the house was perhaps the least comfortable one they would spend there, but it was still cozy and warm and everyone was happier being together. There was room to stretch out for everyone, and with their combined body heat it was warm.
    The next day the improvements continued. They dug trenches, or “runways,” to the four perimeter walls, and then along the walls back from the foundation pedestals. Weakening the foundation was carefully avoided. Next they dug what Jerry called “spider holes” every ten feet or so around the perimeter of the house. These would be used as firing positions. Dave cut small crosses into the underpinning sheets. From the outside they hoped they looked decorative, if anyone ever noticed them—they were back behind the hedges surrounding the house and were difficult to see. They provided excellent places to put a rifle barrel through and fire from.
    They also prepared four escape routes by loosening the fasteners holding the underpinning at the four corners. In an emergency evacuation, they could run to any corner, lift out a sheet of underpinning, and crawl out into the yard behind the hedge. The four adults could hold off an attack for quite awhile, yet they could get out quickly if they had to.
    From a nearby foreclosed house, Jerry and Dave salvaged a carpet, slipping in and out without being seen after dark. This was then