Free A Distant Eden by Lloyd Tackitt Page A

used to line the pit and runways and spider holes. Everyone was following strict discipline to keep dirt out of their new living area and the carpet helped tremendously. It also acted as additional insulation against the earth.
    The loose soil from digging was taken, at night, out to the field and spread out where it would not be noticed. Two “restrooms” had also been carved out under the crawlspace. These were outfitted with wooden chairs with a hole cut in the seat and a bucket beneath. A cover was kept on the buckets and they too were carried off and dumped at night.
    Excess carpet was spread across the “ceiling,” turning the living space into a covered cave. Doorway slits had been cut at entry and exit points. With that in place, they were free to use candles inside. This extended their waking hours beyond sunup to sundown.
    All this work was completed within four days.
    The upper house had been made to look abandoned, the image helped along by the front door hanging from one hinge and the back door propped open with a brick. No trails of dirt were left in the house leading towards the hatch. Nothing in the yard indicated current occupancy. To passersby it looked like one of millions of looted and abandoned homes. It did not draw attention.
    Jerry knew that getting more food was out of the question, but there were other things they needed. They needed medicines, toilet paper, toothpaste, first aid supplies, and feminine hygiene items. Jerry decided it was time to make a trip to the store. He convened an adults’ meeting.
    “We need some things; things that I am hoping may have been left behind after the riots. I am hoping what we need has been left behind. We need to make this foraging trip. I have been thinking on who should go, but I want to hear your thoughts.”
    Dave said, “My first instinct is for you and me to go. But suppose we don’t make it back. What happens to our families? Two people must go so that they can watch each other’s backs and carry back more. Three would leave the rest too vulnerable. Looks like it needs to be a husband and wife team to me.”
    “Exactly what I thought,” Jerry responded. “Obviously I want to go as we know this neighborhood better than you two. If we leave after dark, take plenty of time to get there, look around and pick up the supplies and travel back carefully, we should be back before daybreak.”
    That evening Jerry and Karen armed themselves. Jerry chose a semiautomatic rifle, an old SKS that he’d had for years. They were about the least expensive semi-auto combat rifles on the market, and they were reliable shooters. Karen chose the pump shotgun and loaded it with buckshot. They put on empty backpacks, slipped out behind the hedge and stood for a few minutes, waiting while their eyes adjusted to the light level. It was still eerie, the utter darkness and silence of the city. Stars twinkled overhead as though they were in the country. Now and then a glint of light would spark and vanish in one of the windows down the street; some people were still using candles. Strangest of all was no airplanes in the night sky. They had grown used to living between Love Field and DFW. At any time, they used to look up and see twenty or more aircraft coming and going in long lines. Karen shuddered, recalling the planes that crashed when the solar storm hit.
    After a few minutes, Jerry led off, staying within the shadows and moving slowly, watching and listening for as much as possible. To him, the key was to move slowly, and silently; to see and hear as much as possible. He did not want to walk into trouble. If there was trouble he wanted to stay far away from it. The nearest grocery store was a half mile away, a short walk if one just walked normally. It took them two hours to travel it and at times Jerry still felt like they were rushing.
    When they entered the store, they did so through the back door. They eased in slowly and quietly, expecting ambush at any moment.